2016 Oscar Predictions

With February comes the annual “Academy Awards,” arguably the most important award show in the entertainment industry. And with the Oscars comes Oscar predictions. Seniors Shannon Durazo, Eme Massarelli and freshman Emma Duckworth weighed in on their predictions for the top awards at this year’s Oscars.

Shannon’s Picks

Best Actor– Leonardo DiCaprio “The Revenant”- Legend has it that DiCaprio slept in a rotting animal carcass in the Alaskan tundra as part of his character development for the grueling film. For the love of god, give this man an Oscar before he ends up getting killed.

Best Actress- Brie Larson “Room” – As much as I love Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson’s heart-wrenching performance as a young mother desperately trying to escape her kidnapper’s grasp in “Room” was too amazing to ignore.

Best Supporting Actor/Actress-  Kate Winslet “Steve Jobs” and Sylvester Stallone “Creed”. The “Best Supporting” Category is predicted to be the most competitive at this year’s Oscars. But in the end I think hollywood heavyweights Winslet and Stallone will take home the gold.

Best Director- George Miller “Mad Max: Fury Road” – Lo siento Alejandro, Miller’s epic masterpiece “Mad Max” is not only one of the best action movies ever, it is just downright epic. The film is also the frontrunner in the “Best Visual Effects” and “Best Cinematography” categories as well.

Best Picture- “Spotlight”- Maybe it’s my own selfish desire for a movie about journalism to win, but  in my eyes “Spotlight” is superior to all of the other films this year. The immensely important film featured great acting, rad directing, a kick-butt screenplay, beautiful cinematography, and a lovely soundtrack. What more could you ask for in a movie?

Eme’s Picks

Best Actor- Leonardo DiCaprio “The Revenant” – This. Is. His. Year. You have to give credit where it’s due. The scene where the Tom Hardy character tells DiCaprio to blink if he wants to die is amongst the most heartbreaking and suspenseful acting jobs I’ve ever seen in a movie. No one in the theater breathed for a full minute.

Best Actress- Cate Blanchett “Carol” – This was the toughest category to call this year because every woman nominated was superb. I did not choose Blanchett because her acting stood out so far from the rest of the nominees. My choice was based on how highly reviewed “Carol” was and the unique storyline.

Best Supporting Actor/Actress- Rooney Mara “Carol” and Tom Hardy “The Revenant” – Rooney Mara’s character of naive Therese in “Carol” was a far cry from her role as the dark Lisbeth in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Mara embraced this unique and heartbreaking character and delivered a winning performance. Tom Hardy has had many triumphs recently, including “Mad Max: Fury Road,” but his character in “The Revenant” is hauntingly psychotic. Hardy matched DiCaprio’s acting and perhaps even went beyond.

Best Director- Tom McCarthy “Spotlight” – McCarthy had a challenging job of creating a movie based on a fairly recent scandal. Many of these true story-types of movies end up seeming like overdramatic made for tv films, so the brilliant tension heavy “Spotlight” is an enormous achievement for McCarthy.

Best Picture- “The Revenant” – 2015 was a great year to be an avid moviegoer, with so many quality films having been released. Every movie nominated was well deserving, but with the incredible momentum that “The Revenant” has coming into the Oscars–12 Oscar nominations, 3 Golden Globe wins, 5 BAFTA Awards, and a SAG Award–I’m putting my money with this insane true story.

Emma’s Picks

Overall- Emma has no comment towards any movies other than “Star Wars The Force Awakens” and remains salty towards the Academy for not nominating the film.

So, whose Oscar predictions will prove correct? Tune in to this year’s Academy Awards on February 28th to find out.