The awards season has swung into high gear with the biggest star-studded awards show of the year - the Oscars is finally here!
This year’s Academy Awards is generating lots of buzz not just for their various nominated films and actors, but there are a lot of other news like the #OscarsSoWhite saga, and how it's finally the time for Leonardo DiCaprio to earn his well-deserved first golden statuette!
We talked about how Alejandro Iñárritu's 'The Revenant' leads the award show with 12 nominations, followed by George Miller's 'Mad Max: Fury Road' with 10; then we broke down the nomination list with surprising Oscar snubs; followed by a tipoff of how you can win your very own Oscar statuette; and now we're on to the next exciting topic of the awards fever: the predictions!
Don’t forget to follow InCinemas @InCinemasSG on Twitter and Facebook for we will be live tweeting and sharing with you the latest updates from the awards show!
BEST PICTURE
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
Could Possibly Win: The Big Short, Mad Max: The Fury Road
Should Win: Spotlight
Will Win: The Revenant, Spotlight
Should Have Been Nominated: Carol, The Hateful Eight
The Best Picture award is regarded as one of the biggest award of the night. We are placing our bets on The Revenant, which has been gaining lots of critical reviews for its foresight and cinematic execution. Having said that, Spotlight, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Big Short stand equal chances of receiving the honour as well!
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Could Possibly Win: Matt Damon
Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio
Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio
Even an online game has been developed for people like you and me to root for Leonardo DiCaprio in his first Oscar Best Actor award. He was fantastic in The Revenant and he deserves everything to be on that stage this year! #LeoForOscar
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Could Possibly Win: Cate Blanchett
Should Win: Brie Larson
Will Win: Brie Larson
Up-and-coming starlet Brie Larson has been in the media spotlight for her outstanding performance in Room, bagging the Best Actress awards at most film award shows and film festivals… and we hope she takes this one home too!
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Could Possibly Win: Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hardy
Should Win: Sylvester Stallone, Tom Hardy
Will Win: Sylvester Stallone
Should Have Been Nominated: Jacob Trembley
Veteran actor Sylvester Stallone won the Golden Globes for this role as Rocky Balboa in boxing-themed movie, Creed. While this veteran stands a very high chance in winning another award for it, there’s Tom Hardy to look out for, who was nothing but superb in The Revenant!
It’s a pity 9-year-old Tremblay isn’t in the list, we would love to see him adding another award beside his Millennium Falcon!
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Could Possibly Win: Alicia Vikander, Kate Winslet
Should Win: Rooney Mara
Will Win: Rooney Mara
To be very honest here, Rooney Mara should be sharing the honour of the Best Actress nomination together with her co-star Cate Blanchett in her spectacular performance in Carol. She wasn't any less of a supporting character than Blanchett, but despite this snub that sticks out like a sore thumb, we're still rooting for Mara to be given the chance to walk up that stage and receive her award!
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
Could Possibly Win: Anomalisa
Should Win: Inside Out
Will Win: Inside Out
Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out was a hit not only with the little ones, but the adults and parents love this emotion-driven animation. Who would have thought personifying our core emotions could teach us such a big lesson about love and life?
DIRECTING
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
Could Possibly Win: Spotlight
Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should Have Been Nominated: The Hateful Eight, Carol, The Martian
There were more buzz about the directors who weren’t nominated for this category than those who were selected. I mean, Ridley Scott, Todd Haynes and Quentin Tarantino should have been in the list for their widely-received films for The Martian, Carol and The Hateful Eight respectively, Hey Academy... what's with the stingy placing.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario
Could Possibly Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should Win: Carol, The Revenant
Will Win: Carol
Should Have Been Nominated: The Martian
This is a hard category to judge because for the first time in a long while, we’re stuck on who should, could and will win. We absolutely loved the cinematography of Carol, which was very well thought-through and visually enticing, but with contenders like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant, we can’t decide which to bet all our chips on.
COSTUME DESIGN
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Could Possibly Win: Cinderella
Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should Have Been Nominated: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Cinderella had stunning costume designs, like the sparkling blue dress that Cinderella wore to the ball. While that stood out in the film, the more rugged and nasty ones like those seen in Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant are the striking ones!
FILM EDITING
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Could Possibly Win: The Revenant
Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should Have Been Nominated: Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road. Period.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Could Possibly Win: The Martian, The Danish Girl
Should Win: The Martian
Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should Have Been Nominated: Carol
Watching The Martian feels like we are brought into the universe of Mars. From the space station to Damon walking on Mars, it’s an impressive feat for the production and art direction crew members to come up with something that looks so surreal... even the little, but significant details were well-planned.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Could Possibly Win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Should Win: Ex Machina
Will Win: The Revenant
Everyone’s talking about the infamous bear that ripped Leonardo DiCaprio’s character up in The Revenant. You know it’s a job well done when this bear actually stole the limelight from DiCaprio.
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room
Could Possibly Win: The Big Short
Should Win: Carol, Room
Will Win: Room
Room is based on a novel by Emma Donoghue who is also the screenwriter for the movie adaptation. She had written the story from Jack, the five-year-old boy's perspective and it is a smart move from the producers to stick to Donoghue's angle, which gives the film a sense of innocence and hope, yet not straying too far away from the mother's point of view - her determination for freedom.
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
Could Possibly Win: Inside Out, Straight Outta Compton
Should Win: Spotlight, Inside Out
Will Win: Spotlight
Should Have Been Nominated: The Hateful Eight
Inside Out remains a classic, but the tale about the real life Spotlight team uncovering the saga of that big a scale itself is so intensely captivating, it's hard to tell if they'll win the award instead.
Don’t forget to follow InCinemas @InCinemasSG on Twitter and Facebook for we will be live tweeting and sharing with you the latest updates from the awards show!
Also, you wouldn't want to miss the chance of a lifetime: An all-expense paid opportunity to experience the Academy Awards red carpet live in 2017! Don’t miss the question that will be revealed during HBO’s live and exclusive broadcast of the 2016 Oscars this 29th February at 9.30am! To find out more about the contest, log on to www.hboasia.com/oscars.
Watch the live awards show of the 88th Annual Academy Awards via HBO on Monday, February 29 at 9.30am! The awards show, together with the Oscars red carpet will be streamed live via HBO on StarHub Go!
Are our predictions what you are hoping for? Tell us who you are rooting for in the comments section below!