The 88th annual Academy Awards will be given out this Sunday and while most of the news about the ceremony has been of the controversial nature, it is shaping up to be a worthy celebration of the previous year in film.
In recent years many of the big awards have been a foregone conclusion well before the big night, but this year many of the big categories have been less easy to predict based on the awards shows leading up to the Oscars.
If you want to impress your family on Sunday or get a leg up on your annual Oscars pool, take a look at my predictions below for who I think will take home the coveted golden statues this weekend.
Best Original Screenplay: We’ll start with my favorite award, which is a celebration of originality in Hollywood that is seemingly becoming less and less common these days. Although one of my favorite films this year Ex Machina is deservingly nominated, leading the pack are Spotlight and Bridge of Spies. Based on its acclaim so far Spotlight will most likely take the prize.
Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Innarritu for The Revenant is the favorite right now based on his wins in both the Directors Guild and BAFTA (British Academy Film and Television Awards) ceremonies. This category is stacked with talent but Innarritu will most likely win his second Directing award in a row after last year’s Birdman.
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet is no stranger to Oscar stage and it looks like she’ll be receiving her second statue on Sunday Night. Her impressive delivery of Aaron Sorkin dialogue in Steve Jobs makes her the front-runner, but look out for relative newcomer Alicia Vikander from The Danish Girl to possibly steal the spotlight.
Best Supporting Actor: As much as I would like to see Tom Hardy win for his gritty performance in The Revenant, the odds are against him solely for the fact that Leonardo Dicaprio is the favorite to win Best Actor for the same film. The race is between Mark Rylance from Bridge of Spies and Sylvester Stallone from Creed, I will give the edge to Stallone because the Academy loves a comeback story.
Best Actress: Brie Larson has dominated the Awards circuit this season with her astounding performance in the Best Picture nominated Room. The award is hers to lose but I don’t think the others in the category can make a case for such a bug upset.
Best Actor: Two Words. Leonardo. Dicaprio.
Best Picture: The race for Best Picture of The Year is closer than it has been in previous years with a number of films winning numerous big awards in the last few months. The Big Short won the Producers Guild of America Award, while Spotlight won the big award at both the New York and Los Angeles film critics Awards. The Revenant picked up Best Picture at both the Golden Globes and the BAFTAS.
Other films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Bridge of Spies, and The Martian make this one of the most interesting and diverse categories in years, but I think the edge goes to The Revenant, which will make history for Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu if he wins Best Director and Best Picture back to back years.
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