Oscars 2016: Golden Globe Predictions

Hello, Bloggers! With the Golden Globes on the horizon, I figured I'd share my predictions for who I think will win and share my thoughts on who I think should win as well as who was left out.

Best Motion Picture- Drama:
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road 
The Revenant 
Room 
Spotlight 

Should win: Room

Will win: Spotlight 

But where's....: Brooklyn 

Even if Spotlight is deemed a Best Picture frontrunner, there's still no consensus favorite. Also, just like when they went with The Grand Budapest Hotel over heavily-favored Birdman last year, they could still throw a curveball and go for the more widely seen audience favorite like Mad Max: Fury Road. My personal pick is still Room, but I love Mad Max just the same.

Best Director- Motion Picture:

Todd Haynes, Carol 
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, The Revenant 
Thomas McCarthy, Spotlight 
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road 
Ridley Scott, The Martian 

Should win: Miller

Will win: Miller or Scott

But where's....: Lenny Abrahamson, Room 

Even if they don' give Mad Max: Fury Road Best Picture, they may also reward the director that made it happen. He is winning almost every Best Director prize out there, so that might not change. Ridley Scott has also garnered some overdue buzz and that might also help him not only go all the way, but win here.

Best Actor In A Motion Picture- Drama:

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo 
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant 
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs 
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl 
Will Smith, Concussion 

Who should/will win: DiCaprio

But where's....: Michael B. Jordan, Creed 

It's looking like it's DiCaprio's year. As those of us that go on the Internet know, we all know how due he is. But I also wouldn't mind seeing them throw a curveball and giving it to Michael Fassbender so I can actually see him make a speech.

Best Actress In A Motion Picture- Drama:

Cate Blanchett, Carol 
Brie Larson, Room 
Rooney Mara, Carol 
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn 
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl 

Should Win: Larson

Will Win: Ronan

But where's....: Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road or Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years 

Not a loser in this bunch. Not even Alicia Vikander who is the one saving grace of an atrocious movie. But I'm predicting Saoirse Ronan takes this. Room may have more nominations. But because Ronan's performance IS the movie, that might give her a huge advantage over Larson. I'd be content with either, though.

Best Motion Picture- Musical Or Comedy:
The Big Short 
Joy
The Martian 
Spy
Trainwreck 

Should Win: Any film but Joy

Will Win: Either The Big Short or The Martian 

But where's....: Honestly, I don't really know who got snubbed.

Because The Big Short and The Martian have support in areas besides Best Motion Picture like their actors as well as in Screenplay, I think either one of them could easily take it.

Best Actor In A Motion Picture- Musical Or Comedy:

Christian Bale, The Big Short
Steve Carell, The Big Short 
Matt Damon, The Martian 
Al Pacino, Danny Collins 
Mark Ruffalo, Infinitely Polar Bear

Should Win: Either Carell or Damon

Will Win: Damon

But where's....: Paul Rudd, Ant-Man

I think the Big Short/Martian battle also plays here. But because Damon is in a practical one man show and the Big Short might suffer a vote split since they're competing in the same category, Damon could easily take it.

Best Actress In A Motion Picture- Musical Or Comedy:

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy 
Melissa McCarthy, Spy
Amy Schumer, Trainwreck 
Maggie Smith, Lady in the Van
Lily Tomlin, Grandma 

Should Win: McCarthy

Will Win: Schumer

But where's....: Kristen Wiig, Welcome To Me 

I'm not seeing them giving Lawrence her 3rd Globe within four years. Especially considering how Amy Schumer became such a media darling in 2015. I think they'll want to see want kind of speech she'll give.

Best Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture:

Paul Dano, Love and Mercy 
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation 
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies 
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes 
Sylvester Stallone, Creed 

Should Win: Stallone

Will Win: Rylance or Elba

But where's...: Tom Hardy, The Revenant 

I would stand behind Stallone's corner of the ring, but I think because Rylance and Elba are each double nominees for film and television, thus given two opportunities to win, either one of them could.

Best Supporting Actress In A Motion Picture:

Jane Fonda, Youth 
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight 
Helen Mirren, Trumbo 
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina 
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs 

Should Win: Leigh or Vikander

Will Win: Vikander

But Where's...: Rose Byrne, Spy 

Since Vikander is a double nominee and Hollywood loves to offer their stamp of approval on breakout "it" girls, Vikander could easily win here in a less competitive field.

Best Screenplay:

The Big Short 
The Hateful Eight 
Room
Spotlight 
Steve Jobs 

Should Win: Good question, LOL.

Will Win: Spotlight

But Where's....: The Martian

Spotlight has won almost every Best Screenplay prize under the sun. I don't expect things to change here.

Best Original Score:

Carol
The Danish Girl 
The Hateful Eight 
The Revenant 
Steve Jobs 

Should Win: The Hateful Eight 

Will Win: Carol

But Where's...: It Follows 


I'd personally award Ennio Morricone's inventive throwback score, but because Carol is the most nominated film, they'll probably want to give it something to please Harvey Weinstein.

Best Animated Feature:

Anomalisa 
The Good Dinosaur 
Inside Out 
The Peanuts Movie 
Shaun the Sheep Movie 

Should/Will Win: Inside Out 

Moving on....

Best Foreign Language Film:

Brand New Testament 
The Club
The Fencer
Mustang
Son of Saul 

Will Win: Son of Saul 

Again, moving on.....

Best Original Song:

"Love Me Like You Do" from Fifty Shades of Grey 
"See You Again" from Furious 7 
"One Kind of Love" from Love and Mercy 
"Writing's On The Wall" from Spectre 
"Simple Song #3" from Youth 

Should/Will Win: "See You Again"

But Where's...: "Flashlight" from Pitch Perfect 2 

Haven't seen Furious 7, but I love the song and think it would be very deserving.

So those are my predictions/picks for the Golden Globes. Please be sure to share your own predictions in the comments section. I'll also be live tweeting throughout the ceremony. So, follow me @filmguy619. Thanks for reading!

Oscars 2016: How About This CCRRAAZZYY Best Picture Race?

This awards season is absolutely bonkers. But you know what?

I dig it.

I love how there is no clear frontrunner for Best Picture and we have some interesting and rather eclectic contenders. Even if critics are awarding their Best Picture prizes to Spotlight, in hindsight, it's not surprising. It's journalists awarding a movie about journalists. Big shock. If wins like Birdman over Boyhood and The King's Speech over The Social Network have taught us anything: Critics are not voters. Also, Spotlight has been underpeforming with the guilds. So, I wouldn't bet on Spotlight winning or taking it to the bank either.

Now onto the other contenders. As I mentioned, it's a pretty unique and diverse mix. Even some of the male-centered genre films, like Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, Sicario, and Ex Machina have rich, complex roles for women. They even have ethnically diverse casts as well. There is also Straight Outta Compton which is a biopic with a black-centered cast that was directed by a black man, F. Gary Gray, and even produced by the likes of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. Also, Brooklyn is a female-centered period romance produced by women. In other words, we have some BP options with diversity in front of and behind the camera which is always nice.

The Big Short has hit almost every important guild and even though it deals with hefty subject matter, something movies that get nominated often do, it still has a comical bro-y feel. We also have a Western with The Revenant and Room, a kidnapping drama with a strong female lead performance by Brie Larson. Honestly, the only film in the mix for Best Picture that feels like typical catnip is Bridge of Spies and it wouldn't surprise me if voters went crazy for that. If they did, then hey, they could do worse (*cough*Joy*cough*Trumbo*cough*).

But I'm hoping that we see an eclectic category that mirrors the kind that would occur in the good old 70's. For example, in 1973, they had a coming-of-age hangout movie (American Graffiti), a foreign language film (Cries and Whispers), a horror film (The Exorcist), a crime caper (The Sting), and a British romantic comedy (A Touch of Class). Let's hope that come Thursday, they'll bring us back to the glory days of when a movie like The Exorcist could represent the best of cinema in its year.

I don't know what my final predictions for Best Picture, or the rest of the major categories are, yet I absolutely love that. I am still nervous about what is to come on Thursday. But let's hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Review: The Revenant (2015)

                       

   
         'The Revenant' Will Keep Your Eyes Glued To The Screen

      While a lot of those "Leo Oscarless" memes are often quite sad yet hilarious, after watching this film and the brilliant cinematography by Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, all I could think of was, "Poor Roger Deakins."

       Story:
      The Revenant is based on a true story about a fur trapper named Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is left for dead by his companions after being mauled by a bear. He then goes after one of them, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), who not only buried him, but took the life of his son.

      Ups:
      I'll start right off with the cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki. Lubezki might just win a 3rd Oscar in a row thanks to his work in this. He mainly focused on using natural lighting and it helped make the film seem like a moving painting. Especially considering how he uses long takes to focus on his actors as well as the real wilderness that surrounds them since they used real locations throughout. It made you feel like you were in the wilderness as well.

      Next, I'll dive into the performances. I'm sure people are wondering: Could this be the one that gets Leo to the Oscar podium? Well, I certainly hope so. While he doesn't speak a lot of dialogue at first, it is a very physical performance. But when you look at his facial expressions when he's not speaking, you can sense the emotional scars he has on him and not just the ones on his body. I also want to give a major shoutout to Tom Hardy as the main villain. What makes his performance so three-dimensional is how he exudes a brooding and tough exterior yet when you look into his eyes, you can sense his sly, deceptive manner as well as his fear and cowardice.

     I also thought the score by Ruyichi Sakamoto was masterfully done. The rather haunting yet soothing score really captured the feel of being taken into this unforsaken territory. That's what I loved so much about this film. It made you feel like you were there. You feel the cold wind, the heavy panting, the tension of the battle scenes, etc.. A lot of that is thanks to the bold efforts of director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu. This was a bold, creative risk that took quite a while to come together since it had behind-the-scenes problems, but it really paid off.

    While there were aspects that reminded me of the work of Terrence Malick with shots of nature and narration from the main character, I thought that Innaritu out-Malicked Malick because while Innaritu does a lot of visual storytelling like Malick does, he is able to incorporate enough dialogue and story so that the audience is given an idea of what the movie is about. Malick mainly gives the audience the "puzzle pieces," but we kind of have to put them all together since there isn't enough exposition.

     Lastly, I'll get into the editing. Even though the film is about 2 and a half hours, editor Stephen Mirrione allows it to move at a slow but steady pace.

    Downs:
    NIL.

    Consensus:
    Overall, The Revenant is a visually striking masterpiece that kept my eyes glued to the screen thanks to the beautiful cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, the performances by the two main actors, the brisk editing, and the haunting score. It is quite an experience!

Grade: A+
     

Oscars 2016: BAFTA Nominations

The BAFTA Nominations have been announced this morning. Our friends from across the pond have helped dictate the race thus far and they have made it even crazier.

I'll start off by saying that Carol and Bridge of Spies have led the way with 9 nominations each, The Revenant with 8, and Mad Max: Fury Road with 7. Mad Max didn't land Best Film or Director for George Miller, but 7 nominations is still nothing to scoff at.

But a few bigger surprises include Spotlight being left out of Best Director and Editing. The way I see it, Spotlight is not looking like our supposed frontrunner. It underperformed at SAG, had no acting nominations at the Globes, didn't get an Editing Guild nomination, and didn't get in Best Director or Editing here.

Another shock is Charlotte Rampling getting snubbed for Best Actress for 45 Years. I figured she'd have the support of her fellow Brits. But it looks like they threw their veteran support behind Dame Maggie Smith for Lady in the Van. That one is still unseen by me. Also, no room for Room anywhere but Best Actress for Brie Larson and Adapted Screenplay for Emma Donoghue. That's another one I'm worried about. Especially considering its Producers Guild snub.

Brooklyn did quite well, though. It not only scored a Best Actress nod for Saoirse Ronan as expected, but also Julie Walters for Best Supporting Actress! Holy toledo, is that awesome! Dark horse for the Oscars, perhaps? Ex Machina also did quite well, scoring 4 nominations (Outstanding British Film, Best Supporting Actress-Alicia Vikander, Best Original Screenplay, Best Visual Effects). Speaking of Vikander, she is a double nominee. She got nominated in Supporting for Ex Machina and Lead for The Danish Girl. I'm starting to be more inclined to predict she'll be a double nominee at the Oscars. But despite Vikander's category fraud being corrected, Rooney Mara was still put in Supporting for Carol. I guess whatever Weinstein wants, Weinstein gets.

Even thouh it didn't get in Best Film or even Screenplay, Sicario continues to show strength. While it landed tech nods for Cinematography and Score, it also landed a Supporting Actor nod for Benicio Del Toro. I think he's a definite dark horse in that category.

Overall, this is a very interesting set of nominations. Please be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section on what you think of these nominations. I'll be posting my predictions for the Golden Globes, which are on Sunday, very soon.

You can read the full list of nominations here: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35260399

Review: The Hateful Eight (2015)

               
                           

         
             'The Hateful Eight' Is An Experience I Certainly Didn't Hate

             Even though Quentin Tarantino is a great writer and loves his dialogue, with his more recent films, it looks like he is getting further and further away from his dialogue-heavy ego trip that is Death Proof.

       Story:
    The Hateful Eight follows the story of a bounty hunter named Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) who tags along with a fellow bounty hunter named John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and a prisoner he's captured named Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), only to end up in a cabin during a blizzard with four other individuals. As they become held up together, it turns out that not everyone is who they appear to be and tensions begin to mount.

     Ups:
    The biggest strength with all of Quentin Tarantino's films tends to be the screenplay. So I will start right off with that. Once again, Tarantino proves that he is a master at creating the script pages. The first thing about it I'll discuss is the creation of the characters. Tarantino gives his rather despicable characters distinctive traits to make each of them stand out. You have Major Warren, the Northern bounty hunter looking to kill off Southern white racists out of retaliation; John Ruth, the bounty hunter who is misogynistic yet paranoid and naive; Daisy Domergue, the fugitive who wears her bruises as a badge of honor; Joe Gage, the red herring; Oswaldo, the pompous English tea-sipper; Sanford Smithers, the reclusive Confederate general who sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd; Sheriff Mannix, who exudes a gleeful menace; and Bob, the Mexican who serves as mild comic relief. Even if these characters aren't the most likable, in the end, they're still characters.

    In typical Tarantino fashion, he also has created a love letter to classic film genres. While his last film, Django Unchained, was an ode to Spaghetti Westerns but with a historical context, The Hateful Eight is a "whodunit" Western. It starts off as a bit of a road movie. Then when we get to the cabin, it goes to Agatha Christie-territory and then towards the end, it becomes a bloody slice-n-dice movie.

    I may be overreading it, but I also found some context in the story involving racism because of how the white characters interact with Major Warren and another scene in the film that I won't spoil. I don't know if that is what Tarantino intended or not, but that is what I picked up when watching it.

    Next, I'll delve into the score by Ennio Morricone. As soon as the film opens and we hear his score, I thought to myself, "This film is going to be good" and that the score would keep up with Tarantino's throwback-style vision and it certainly did. The score not only maintained the old-school feel of the film, but captured the mood of each scene.

   Lastly, I thought the pacing was well-done. Even though the film was almost 3 hours, I didn't really care. In fact, because I enjoyed watching these characters and seeing the film switch gears in terms of genres, I didn't really want it to end. The cinematography by Robert Richardson was also beautiful. One of my favorite scenes is when four of the characters are in a stage coach and a few of them are kept in the rather ominous darkness. I thought that was nicely done.

    Downs:
    NIL.

    Consensus:
    Overall, The Hateful Eight is yet another successful love letter to classic cinema by Quentin Tarantino thanks to his screenwriting, the performances by the cast, as well as Ennio Morricone's score. It is a bloody ride, but it is still one hell of a ride!

Grade: A

     

Oscars 2016: Writers Guild of America Awards Nominations

The Writers Guild of America has announced their annual list of nominees. Some aren't really surprising, but some are very interesting and pleasing choices. Let's take a look at the film nominees:

Best Original Screenplay:

Bridge of Spies, Written by Joel & Ethan Coen and Matt Charman

Sicario, Written by Taylor Sheridan

Spotlight, Written by Thomas McCarthy and Josh Singer

Straight Outta Compton, Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff, Story by S. Leigh Savidge, Alen Menkus, and Andrea Berloff

Trainwreck, Written by Amy Schumer

Very pleased to see Trainwreck on here. I don’t know if it'll get nominated at the Oscars. But it's nice that it isn't forgotten. Sicario is continuing the roll it's on, though. It has hit the Producers Guild, The Cinematographers Guild, The Art Directors, The Editors, and now the Writers. It has now become a force to be reckoned with on Nomination Day, I think. Also, Straight Outta Compton has landed a Best Ensemble nod at the Screen Actors Guild, a Producers Guild nomination, and now a Writers Guild nomination. So that has become something to watch out for.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

The Big Short, Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, based on the book by Michael Lewis

Carol, Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy, based on the book The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

The Martian, Screenplay by Drew Goddard, based on the book by Andy Weir

Steve Jobs, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, based on the book by Walter Isaacson

Trumbo, Screenplay by John McNamara, based on the biography by Bruce Cook

There doesn't seem to be any Room for Brooklyn. But that's mainly because their scripts weren't eligible. So, it isn't a huge blow to their chances. I mean, Quentin Tarantino has won 2 Oscars yet his scripts never get nominated here since he isn't a member. Because Room and Brooklyn weren't eligible, I think that is what allowed Trumbo to sneak in. So this might be as far as it goes.

The BAFTAs announce their nominees on Friday and by the end of this week, I will post my Golden Globe predictions.

Oscars 2016: Producers Guild of America Awards Nominations

The Producers Guild of America has announced their list of nominees today. These ones are quite key because those that get nominated here often get translated into the Best Picture category. So let's see whose frontrunner status has been solidified and who got a major boost from their nominations:

Darryl B. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner, The Big Short

Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt, and Kristie Macosko Kleiger, Bridge of Spies 

Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Brooklyn 

Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich, Ex Machina 

Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road 

Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaeffer, and Mark Huffam, The Martian

Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Mary Parent, and Keith Redmon, The Revenant 

Basil Iwanyk, Edward L. McDonnell, and Molly Smith, Sicario

Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, and Blye Pagon Faust, Spotlight 

Ice Cube, Matt Alvarez, Dr. Dre, F. Gary Gray, and Scott Bernstein, Straight Outta Compton 

To me, the biggest snubs are both Room and Carol. Carol, especially, since this is Harvey Weinstein's top horse in this race. I think it could still get in for Best Picture, but it doesn't look like it's winning Best Picture. But Brooklyn getting on here was a much needed boost. After getting snubbed for Best Motion Picture- Drama at the Golden Globes, I was a little skeptical of its chances for Best Picture. But thanks to this nomination, its chances might get better.

Ex Machina, Sicario, and Straight Outta Compton getting on here are very pleasant surprises, though. Since Straight Outta Compton also got a SAG Ensemble nod, its Best Picture chances have gotten a significant leap, I think. I don't know if Ex Machina will get in Best Picture. But with this nomination, it should at least keep it fresh in voters minds.

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

Rosa Tran, Duke Johnson, and Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa 

Denise Ream, The Good Dinosaur 

Jonas Rivera, Inside Out 

Chris Meladandri, Janet Healy, Minions 

Craig Schulz and Michael J. Travers, The Peanuts Movie 

Uhhh.....why is Minions here? (sigh) Whatever.

Tomorrow, the Writers Guild of America announces their nominees and the BAFTA Awards on Friday.