The 88th Academy Awards go live in an hour and we’re finally ready to share our picks, just in the nick of time! These are not our predictions, but rather what our choices for each of the categories. So queue the drumroll and read on:
Best Picture: Spotlight
In a category this contested, this one resonates with us and our idea of movies as a means to tell stories. As Mike says, ‘There’s a story here and I think it’s an important story.’ And a story told spectacularly well.
Best Director: All’s not fine in idyll on this one! We couldn’t agree on one, so here are the two picks:
Adi’s Pick: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
An out an out action film overcomes Oscar snobbery to get it’s due. What a day, what a lovely day!
Sahil’s Pick: Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
It’s a story crafter with perfection and that couldn’t have been without Tom McCarthy. The spotlight’s on you!
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant
Leo’s revenge against the Oscars. No ifs, no buts, all the crawls and the grunts, add up to an Oscar!
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Here again we’ve different picks!
Adi’s Pick: Brie Larson for Room
This one is Cate Blanchett’s to lose. The super depressing nature of Larson’s Room, just makes it an unforgettable film to watch and a role that required a lot from her. Rooms can get claustrophobic.
Sahil’s Pick: Cate Blanchett for Carol
Cate Blanchett as Carol is mesmerizing. That is the performance of the year, and you can’t take your eyes off her!
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo for Spotlight
This category is far more contested than Best Actor in a Leading Role and that is something to say about the awesomeness of each of the nominees. What a year of sterling characters, portrayed to perfection. Mark Ruffalo as Mike Rezendez is a powerhouse in Spotlight. And he is our pick!
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl
Well she should have ideally been in the leading category, but Oscar voters went cuckoo over this one. Sorry Kate Winslet and Rooney Mara, but this goes to our Danish girl with top notch A.I. 😉
Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Spotlight is storytelling at it’s very best. This one was very tricky and the right narrative was critical to tell the story. And it’s story worth telling.
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
From a pile of numbers to a story on Silver Screen! We’d give this to Charles Randolph for trying to make this simple for the average man.
Best Cinematographer: The Revenant
For making bleak look beautiful, The Revenant is an easy pick for this category. If anyone could make this happen, it was Emmanuel Lubezki and well we gotta cheer for him – he is on a hat-trick!
Now let’s see who actually wins Oscar gold!
Keep the popcorn tub handy!
Adi & Sahil
@ThePopcornWaltz