Oscars 2016: May Predictions

Hello, Bloggers, even though it is May, I figured that I'd try to make some early predictions for who will be nominated in the major categories at the Oscars. Here we go:

Best Picture:

Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Danish Girl
Demolition
The Hateful Eight
Joy
The Revenant
Steve Jobs
Suffragette

So, here are some of the more traditional choices as we have plenty of biopics and real-life stories in this lineup. We could see something more out of the box (hopefully),  but we shall see.

Best Director:

Sarah Gavron, Suffragette
Todd Haynes, Carol
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, The Revenant
David O. Russell, Joy
Steven Spielberg, Bridge of Spies

If Suffragette fares well, then they could easily nominate its female director to silence the cries of sexism after the snubbing of female directors and writers this year. Spielberg is Spielberg. At this point, David O. Russell is David O. Russell. Innaritu could score an afterglow nomination after his recent win and if Carol is Harvey Weinstein's big Oscar player, then Todd Haynes could finally sneak into the category after getting snubbed for Far From Heaven. 

Best Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Jake Gyllenhaal, Demolition
Tom Hanks, Bridge of Spies
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

There might not be a way that Gyllenhaal gets snubbed twice in a row and they certainly could says "woops, sorry" after their beloved Tom Hanks got snubbed for Captain Phillips. There is also Michael Fassbender that could make a play in this category as he looks to have a banner year with more than one film set for release. I didn't want to include him, but if his film fares well, then Eddie Redmayne could score an afterglow nom. I said I didn't want to include him because I worry if he gets any buzz, he'll do the same amount of shameless campaigning he did before. But onto an actor who hasn't been rewarded. Could this FINALLY be DiCaprio's year?

Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Marion Cotillard, Macbeth
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Carey Mulligan, Suffragette
Lily Tomlin, Grandma

We have three previous winners in this category (Blanchett, Cotillard, Lawrence) as well as two previous mominees. Tomlin's only nomination came about 40 years ago for Best Supporting Actress for Nashville, so they might not resist the opportunity to reward her for her longevity and invite her back to the ceremony. Mulligan's last nomination was for An Education back in 2010 and even if she is nominated and doesn't win, we'll see her back at the ceremony for sure.

Best Supporting Actor:

Alan Alda, Bridge of Spies
Robert De Niro, Joy
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Samuel L. Jackson, The Hateful Eight
Ken Watanabe, Sea of Trees

The supporting categories are most kind to veterans. So, if Alan Alda has some juicy moments in the film by Oscar darling Steven Spielberg, I could easily see him making a play for a 2nd nomination in the same category. There is also Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, and Ken Watanabe possibly filling a veteran void as well. But how about an actor on the verge of a breakthrough? Tom Hardy is one of the best actors of his generation without an Oscar nomination and that could finally change if The Revenant fares really well.

Best Supporting Actress:

Diane Ladd, Joy
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Parker Posey, Irrational Man
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Regardless of how big of a part she is, I wouldn't underestimate Diane Ladd's ability to make it into this category. One reason is she is in the well-connected Dern family and both father Bruce and daughter Laura were nominated consecutively. Plus, she is in a David O. Russell film and they love his actors. Now, onto veterans overdue for a nomination that star in films by well-regarded directors: Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight by Quentin Tarantino and Parker Posey in Irrational Man by Woody Allen. From what I hear, Rooney Mara is a co-lead in Carol, but the supporting categories are the most frequent offenders of category fraud so it wouldn't be surprising to see her here. Of course, Alicia Vikander looks to be the Jessica Chastain of this year as she has a slew of films being released, including the Oscar-bait film The Danish Girl, which might be her best bet.


So those are my thoughts as to who will get in the major categories at the Oscars as of right now. Whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to write your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!