“I think this was a nice idea we had in this country and a nice landscape to experiment with. But I think there comes a time in almost any experimentation or idea, where you have to evaluate it, maybe our time has come. In the context of the real world, not just the American world but all around, we haven’t done too well. We are not a very good advertisement for the idea we represented. If you lose one wheel of the car, you might be able to get to the side of the road, and some freaks can make it on two, but if you lose three, man, you’re in serious trouble. I think we’ve lost three.”
― Hunter S. Thompson
Heroes are carefully parsed in this year’s Oscar race for Best Picture. Even those who are seemingly clear-cut grapple with their own questionable behavior, and must atone not just for their mistakes but for the mistakes of many others who neglected, facilitated or ignored the suffering of so many. Even still, the hero must make the decision to change the course of history.
The films that resonate most are about a reckoning where nostalgia for the past is a reminder of how that past became coiled around our collective necks. At the same time, there is a definite last gasp of a dying breed of moviegoer, the ones who have long been so beholden to the white male protagonist saving the day. Heroes pop up in so many unexpected places, from a Nigerian doctor taking on the NFL football establishment, to a Furiosa turning the War Rig in a different direction, to a 1950s housewife making the decision to live as an openly gay woman, to a trans sex worker who offers friendship and support to her friend at a time when she really needs it.
The filmmakers of 2015 are bringing back the past in good ways and bad. Particularly in focus is the decade of the 1950s, during the Red Scare and an era of post-war social upheaval when our nation’s values and ethics were being sacrificed out of fear. It resonates because much of our country — even our world now — is again living in the grip of fear for many reasons, terrorism chief among them. Other fears loom large, like the potential end of everything. We rely on films about the past to do what’s necessary to make sure no story about pedophile Catholic priests is passed over, or that immigrants are regarded as valuable contributors to our society, or that we never again arrest and prosecute people for paranoid, unjustified reasons.
At the same time, though, many of us are looking forward, fearful of what’s coming next. Whether coincidence or not, the final days of homo sapiens are being talked about as a real possibility in hard science circles, even if the bad news hasn’t trickled down yet to everyone else, least of all to the BernieBros who only see Adam McKay’s damning film, The Big Short, as a simple “Wall Street Bad” takedown. Though Bernie Sanders would make a most excellent President his chances of actually getting elected are probably along the lines of Ted Cruz. Anyone who isn’t thinking about climate change as the single most urgent crisis facing our entire population is either willfully ignorant to the facts or else not paying any attention. It’s a horrifically dangerous time to be gambling with our future when not a single Republican in Congress (or maybe anywhere) seems to believe climate change is real — that it has been caused by human activity, activity that urgently needs to be reversed. Now is the time to make every effort imaginable to turn it around.
The films that seemed to dwell in this kind of end-of-the-world sentiment are also among the best films of the year. They include George Miller’s apocalyptic adventure Mad Max: Fury Road, Alejandro G. Inarritu’s The Revenant, Ridley Scott’s The Martian, and Adam McKay’s The Big Short. The Revenant gives us the gift of being able to look backwards to a moment in time when we had a choice. We are there once again and we seem to be doing exactly the same thing — forging ahead with our insatiable greed no matter the cost. Fury Road takes place after everything has already gone to shit and is a reminder of how precious Earth’s greenery and water are. The Big Short is not merely about “Wall Street Bad” but stands as an indictment of the corruption inherent in a fraudulent, corporate-driven American capitalist system. Michael Moore’s Where to Invade Next takes aim at the same sickness. Finally, only The Martian is about how things might be turned around if we are wise enough to invest in the only thing that can save us: science.
The Martian is also about the playfulness of science in the face of utter catastrophe. It is about the thrill of poking around, asking questions, taking risks and most importantly, working the problem. In the science community right now, most agree that the only way humans can survive 100 to 500 years from now is to find a way off this ever-warming planet. It should be the thing everyone on earth is concerned about and yet no one is. To many it may seem silly, fantasy and sci-fi to think we could ever get off the Earth and, say, colonize Mars — and yet that impossibility is exactly the plan that the planet’s best minds foresee for humanity on down the road. Scientists have figured out just how to do it and Andy Weir — curious and brilliant man that he is — wrote a crowd-sourced book about just how it could be done. How I wish more people could discover what I see in The Martian and why I feel it’s the most important film of the year. But alas, only a few choose to accompany me — my books on the upcoming sixth mass extinction keeping me company.
2015 could be the year that more than one sci-fi film gets into the Oscar race. There was a one other time when three might have made it – District 9, Avatar and Star Trek. The last one was not included in the final tally. Thus far, two has been the limit. Mad Max and The Martian aren’t the only memorable sci-fi films about the future in this year’s race. Alex Garland’s fantastic Ex Machina and JJ Abrams The Force Awakens are both two of the year’s best films and one or the other could figure in. Stranger things have happened. Well, no, stranger things haven’t really, not where Best Picture is concerned.
Moving away from the apocalyptic future, and turning the focus to the frontrunner, Spotlight, the year’s most unassailable prestige film. It is, on the one hand, about good people doing great things, but it is also about atoning for past mistakes, like the way Michael Keaton’s character owns up to having buried an earlier story that would have saved countless sexual abuse victims. Like The Big Short, Spotlight is about bringing down corruption via one of the few ways left for regular citizens — the free press, an ailing institution that could not be more important than it is in 2015.
The Big Short illustrates just how important this is, in a scene where two hedge-fund guys try to alert the public to the impending crash. The reporter doesn’t want to go up against big Wall Street. He has a wife and a family and would rather not make waves. The Big Short, as silly at it is at times, is brilliant at making the point that people knew. Lots and lots of people knew that the housing market was going to collapse and did nothing about it. Those at the top and the scrappers near the bottom, like Mike Burry (Christian Bale who steals the show), grabbed their shares while the rest of us paid the price. It was an unprecedented moment of shameless criminality in America. McKay makes the point sharply, in order to ensure his film goes beyond the specifics of a single story to encompass and address the overall fraud whose tentacles spread throughout modern society — fraud in show business, fraud in healthcare, fraud in the food industry — we know what he’s talking about because we marinate in it every day.
Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation is a raw and clear-eyed look at corruption of the perverse kind of leadership that enlists children to fight and kill and die in battle. It’s a devastating, war-torn world. Here in America we’re lucky to have the luxury of being able to worry about Wall Street. We are such a big, bloated, wasteful country that we barely stop to consider that things like elephant poaching and child soldiers are borne out of regions of despair and poverty. Does a film like this mean to imply “all Africa” is like that? Of course it does not. But it serves an essential purpose, because in America we forget the horrors in the rest of the world way too easily.
Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and Jay Roach’s Trumbo are both about a specific moment in time where patriotism quickly turned into paranoia, spying, betrayal and naming names. Both films are about one person who stood up courageously in the face of that kind of corruption. Both take place during a time we should have understood better then, and they come at a time we can barely come to terms with the same issues now — what have we really learned?
Two more films about the 1950s, Brooklyn and Carol, are about the way the roles of women were redefined and given a rewrite — from the bright resilient edges of an industry that mostly ignores their stories. 2015 can rightly be called the Year of the Woman, even if the Best Picture winner isn’t likely to be one that stars a woman. From Michael Moore’ Where to Invade Next, to Pixar’s Inside Out, to JJ Abrams’ Star Wars, to David O. Russell’s Joy, to Lenny Abrahamson’s Room – there is an unheard-of focus on women — all across the spectrum, in iconic mainstream movies, Oscar movies, arthouse gems, and animated features. This is an exciting, game-changing year for women’s stories that are being appreciated as universal stories, and that hardly ever happens.
Even when we step outside the corruption, greed, oppression and paranoia of America’s coming-of-middle-age, there are beautiful stories of human relationships. Who can forget the moment when Jacob Tremblay, calling for his ma and finally being able to wrap himself up in her warm embrace? That has to be among the powerful moments in any film this year. Or the bond of genuine relationship between Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan in Creed. Ryan Coogler’s story is not just about the Rocky character handing his legacy down to Adonis Creed (like JJ Abrams hands over the Star Wars legacy to Rey) — it is also about Coogler’s relationship with his own father, and how a movie came to make all of the difference in their lives.
Where does anyone place Straight Outta Compton, except to say that here is a film about the forgotten, discarded black community in South Central LA who started a revolution with music, aided by the First Amendment, to reclaim their identity from a culture that tried to damn them from birth. What is more thrilling than watching NWA explode into “Fuck the Police”? Of course, this powerfully echoes a relevant clarion call pulsing through our own culture — out-of-control police and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Even if Suffragette has become a long-forgotten casualty of the need for more diverse voices in the feminist movement, there is no denying that we lived to see the day when a film written, directed, produced and starring a cast filled with such extraordinary women made it to the big screen. The Danish Girl is about transitioning at a time when it was still considered deviant behavior and my god, Tangerine! What one artist achieved by pulling a camera out of his pocket, to show us how much a brilliant idea, fabulous actors, and an SD card can put to shame anyone who’s ever used a lack of money as a reason not to make a movie.
Finding the best films of this year isn’t going to be hard in a year of so many great ones. Even the bad ones aren’t that bad. But the Oscars require and aspire that we make a list of the very Best. The ones that get in for Best Picture won’t necessarily be considered the best ten years from now — time is the only reliable critic — but they will help define who we are now.
The films most likely, in order of which one will win Best Picture:
Spotlight – Still the film to beat, not just because it’s the one most people can agree upon, but because it is the kind of film the industry prefers — not effects driven, but actor- and story-driven. You won’t find anyone who doesn’t like it and you will find lots who love it.
The Big Short – It takes the number two spot because it has a SAG ensemble nomination, otherwise The Martian would be here, or Mad Max. Still, after several viewings it is by far one of my favorite films of the year. I never get tired of watching it and I would not be surprised to see it do surprisingly well somewhere. It is probably too divisive to beat Spotlight but it presents a formidable challenge.
The Martian – If the SAG rule can be broken, it could happen with this film. Many people don’t see it as “serious” enough, and perhaps they think it’s “too light” and it doesn’t have a single SAG nomination. But people like me keep putting it high on our lists because it is such a crowdpleaser that offers hope and goodwill for the future.
Mad Max: Fury Road – It seems rough for the Academy but it’s a wow, top to bottom – a completely strange, beautiful, unforgettable film unlike any other.
Bridge of Spies – I’ve raised this one a bit because I think talk behind the scenes, among voters, supports this film more than the online chatter does — which can be very unreliable (see: Trumbo). Spielberg has done it again as only a master of his caliber can.
The Revenant – This film will have no trouble earning the number one spot on many a ballot. It is an exceptional reach, an artistic masterpiece.
Room – This is one that requires a second viewing if you haven’t seen it in a while. What makes Room so moving is that it involves you deeply in the characters the way no other film this year really does. The escape scene is just incredible. Also, it won the Audience Award at Toronto.
Carol – This remains a tricky call. What seems like a surefire bet to most of us can sometimes seem like the steak-eaters will never go for it. On the other hand, how do you not go for it? Top to bottom the most beautiful film of the year, visually and otherwise.
Straight Outta Compton – What a great movie this is, and its SAG ensemble nod helps it along. With a big studio like Universal behind it, it could become one of the few films nominated for Best Picture that was directed by a black director. It’s a short list but it’s getting longer by the year.
Beasts of No Nation – Cary Fukunaga’s modern Apocalypse Now war film is one of the best, if not the best, films of the year. It will need enough number one votes to get it on the ballot and it’s a major long shot, even with the SAG ensemble nod. It seems highly unlikely that two films with an all black cast will get in, but here’s to clinging tight to lost causes.
Star Wars – As the hype around it and the box office grows it could become too big to ignore. I still have doubts it can crack the “best of” – though it will have no problem getting a Producers Guild nomination.
Inside Out – I think Star Wars just nudged it out of contention but one never knows.
Brooklyn – This lovely, moving film could still make the Best Pic lineup, even if it isn’t hitting with the precursor critics awards so far. It is still the number one favorite among many people out there, which is just the kind of film that gets in.
Creed – Here is another worthy film that might have to be satisfied with one nomination for Sylvester Stallone — though cinematography voters have the chance to nominate the first woman ever in that category.
Trumbo – this is one to watch, especially after the SAG nod, but also because Bryan Cranston is now a force to be reckoned with.
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right now in order to move on with life i need to do if mara and vikander are going lead. already saw JOY and it was a steamy pile of HORSE****. JLaw gave a good performance however Russell’s direction was so terrible and all over the place it made you forget the impact that she gave moments before. Its like she did good but his crappy dialogue and direction and absolute DULLNESS of a movie kept sabotaging it. Imagine Jennifer Lawrence starring in a Tyler Perry movie..yeah. trailers are so misleading and i was very disappointed as this was a movie i was truly looking forward to this whole year. I feel confident now that she wont make it and Ramping and Theron deservingly will depending on the other two ladies. but Jlaw nope..not even on my radar anymore. Nothing personal…there’s always next year., And again this is coming from someone who loved her in American Hustle. such is life..on to the next!
BFCA voted in favor of TFA’s 11th Best Picture nominee inclusion.
Is that the only category where it’ll be added? It opens up a whole can of worms. Shouldn’t it be included for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Film? How about Daisy Ridley for Actress in an Action Film? Special effects?
Only category.
Trailer for Linklater’s EVERYBODY WANTS SOME
http://youtu.be/wF6hL5u-n6g
It is that dude from Glee. Supergirl’s boyfriend holy shit. and the hot guy from Teen Wolf.
Am i the only one who finds this article strange? you go from talking about the end of the world and mans extinction and then start talking about what’s going to be nominated for best picture at the oscars, it’s a little jarring.
Although out of the slew of crap i’ve seen this year the martian would be my top movie
The force awakens = disney cash cow retread of a new hope, just with less plot and 90% more action, fluff would be the best way to describe it
The revenant = death wish or any other revenge movie crossed with first blood and a terrence mallick picture, boring, overlong and has nothing new to say. Hardy is also the star of the film and when i say star i mean star, his is not a supporting role, i swear he has as much or more screen time then dicaprio, he’s more engaging even if you can’t figure out what the hell he’s saying most of the time and doesn’t seem out of place in the picture, you can by him as a frontiers man, leo not so much. It just feels like another give me an oscar please type of performance from him.
The martian = amusing, upbeat, non sentimental breath of fresh air (maybe over hyped but certainly different from all the other morbid fare and comes with the refreshing everything is not fucked message)
creed = rocky 37, or more of the same please
mad max fury road = mad max 2 only with a less memorable max and cherlize therons annoying bald head
The hateful eight = amusing in parts, overlong but still different enough to warrant a re-watch but not a classic or one of tarrantino’s best
I haven’t seen the others yet but like i said the martian is about the best of the ones i’ve seen, it won’t win and perhaps it shouldn’t. I don’t think it will even get nominated as critics and the academy have always been kind of fuck you to ridley scott, he won’t win best director either. All in all the end of year oscar bait has been kind of lackluster.
Just my opinion though, here comes the expected ass kicking i guess and people telling me i’m pond scum
Not scum, just missing a lot of great movies from your list. Watch Phoenix, Son Of Saul, It Follows, Mississippi Grind, Anomalisa, Sicario, Ex Machina and Room if you haven’t already.
Thank you for your reply and the recommendations, i’ve been meaning to checkout it follows for awhile as i’m a bit of a horror movie buff. Also ex machina.
I do not find this article strange. I find it compelling. SS is a great observer and writer. I do find your post to be childish and very cheap, possibly misogynistic and rude. I look forward to your hate speech.
I wish Sicario was getting more attention … it’s made $50 million, great reviews, great acting … yet besides a few top ten mentions the movie, Del Toro and Blunt have been ignored.
Looking at the list, it’s been a really great year for film! Perhaps the old adage is true. When societies start falling apart art becomes more vital.
I agree with Sasha that the most remarkable thing about my beloved Martian is that it manages to be forward thinking and positive without false sentimentality or cheap emotion. No dead kids here! Everything in it is earned. Same goes for Room.
So Martian is over Mad Max due to personal preference right ? Because nothing at least till now suggests it should be. Also both of them being below Big Short is so sad.
Also Brooklyn is fading and that is sad.
WB should be doing way more this awards season. Where is the love of Creed?
The way I see it THE MARTIAN is a complete movie. MAD MAX is a visual effects extravaganza.
I understand the plot of MAD MAD: FURY ROAD but I don’t “get it”. What’s it about? THE MARTIAN has themes up the wazoo. It’s saying something. Was Fury Road saying anything?
Yes. A lot of things actually. No one said it out loud just.
No, it’s an action movie with some chicks in it with guns so that instantly = feminist which instantly equals masterpiece, one of the most groundbreaking and important movies ever made, the film of our times, a fight against the patriarchy and everything else most liberal journalists like to peddle
The martian was a much more fresh, intelligent and finely put together movie in my opinion and yet it seems to have been forgotten
Martian deserves more love truly. It was wonderful.
While I do not agree with you, you talk as if it being just an amazing action movie is something to scoff about. It set out to be a pure action movie and it greatly achieved its aim. It obviously had an emotional connect to people for there to be a resurgence during awards season.
It’s a great action movie, one of the best i’ve seen in a very long time, i just don’t buy the importance behind it that the critics and journalists have been talking about
Well that is your own view but does a film need to be important to win ? How was Argo, The Artist, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Birdman, Slumdog etc etc important ?
No it doesn’t need to be important to win in my opinion, i think the academy can be quite snobby when it comes to things like that, i would just like to see it win because its a great action movie rather then because its some kind of feminist masterpiece. I feel they are tacking on this point in order for it to seem more important when they shouldn’t. It’s perfectly good for what it is in my opinion, it’s a great action movie.
You are the enemy.
Hey! You fucking misogynist piece of crap! We loves you! No one wants to destroy you! You sad little white male victim! We loves you! Please stand by the vomit that you spew, you sad little patriarch! Please share your conservative journalism with us NOW! (You are now tagged. Done.)
I agree that Mad Max has a stronger statistical position right now. But Sasha is going off historical logic that says The Martian is waaaayyyyy more “their type of movie”. Time will tell if she’s proven right. I like Mad Max but I also recognize it has some of the most cringeworthy dialogue in recent history and it’s ultimately a comic book strip brought to life. The Martian is a proudly nerdy, funny, exciting but most importantly humanistic movie with lots of stuff to say about science and perseverance and decency. It also has good dialogue, so there’s that.
No AMPAS member gives a fuck about anything “profoundly nerdy”.
Well, I said “proudly” nerdy, but let’s not split hairs. Fair point that nerdy stuff isn’t for “them”. Indeed, that may be the biggest red flag when talking about The Martian’s chances. It’s perhaps why I would NEVER predict it to win. But I do think that it has a better shot at a nomination than Mad Max, for the other reasons I listed (humanistic, feel-good, message movie with humor to dull the edges).
I’m with you that they’re both better than Big Short, and I absolutely concur about Creed. Brooklyn does nothing for me, unfortunately.
Brooklyn does something for everyone.
Not me!
Nope..the big short was very hard to translate to movie and they did it in spades. Mad max is great direction but simple plot.martian also great direction but simple plot.
It seems Miller has the BD Oscar in the bag. It’s a done deal, am I wrong? But I don’t think Mad Max is going to beat Spotlight. No way. This is another split year.
George Miller is definitely winning Best Director, but Mad Max has a chance for Best Picture.
Oh! Not yet -RossoVeneziano, as you have to wait for Sir Ridley Scott who is really reaching for Gold this time.The Industry and the Academy voters, both are very bullish for the Englishman – Sir Ridley.-:)
Time will tell, mate, Cheers.
Makes me remember of the year Sir Ridley won the Forestieri and realize that perhaps he doesn’t need and Oscar.
My Top 10 from the year in question:
1. “Blade Runner” (Scott)
2. “Fanny and Alexander” (Bergman)
3. “E.T. The Extraterrestrial” (Spielberg)
4. “White Dog” (Fuller)
5. “The Thing” (Carpenter)
6. “Videodrome” (Cronenberg)
7. “Veronika Voss” (Fassbinder)
8. “Tenebre” (Argento)
9. “The Year of Living Dangerously” (Weir)
10. “Fitzcarraldo” (Herzog)
When you are doing ego… (and you are)… proper grammar is needed. Otherwise, you kinda fail, sorry. With respect.
There is no ego here but you’re rude. I wanna feel like this is a place where I can come, talk about films and not be attacked. I hope not to be policed in the future.
Mad Max should win Best Picture and Charlize Theron should win Best Actress. I don’t understand the amount of love for Spotlight and Brie Larson. Even though both are great, but Spotlight is just the same thing and Brie Larson’s performance is the type of performance the Academy goes for every time. Can they for once go for an action icon like Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa? everyone will love that because Furiosa is the strongest female character of the last 10 years.
Preach!
if we got MMFR/Miller/Leo/Theron/JJL wins, that would be total genre movie celebration. And Sly to an extent.
You are a really optimistic person.
3 out of 6 listed have very good shot.
Charlize Theron Nominations and wins so far. I believe she also has a chance.
AACTA Award for Best Actress
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress in a Action Movie
Houston Film Critics Society for Best Actress
Indiana Film Journalists Association for Best Actress
New York Film Critics Circle for Best Actress (3rd Place)
Online Film Critics Society for Best Actress
San Diego Film Critics Society for Best Actress (Runner-up)
St. Louis Film Critics Association for Best Actress
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Actress
Chicago Film Critics Society for Best Actress
Phoenix Film Critics Society for Best Actress
Kansas City Film Critics Circle for Best Actress (WON)
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association for Best Actress (Runner-up)
Chicago Film Critics Association for Best Actress
Austin Film Critics Association for Best Actress
Women Film Critics Circle for Best Female Action Star (WON)
Florida Film Critics Circle for Best Actress
She has a chance at a nom, a long shot one but not impossible. ripe for Tuesday morning surprise.
She does have a chance, a pretty good one i would wager. But you overestimate the amount of love AMPAs could show genre film-making in all respects.
Well, giving BP and BD to MMFR/Miller and Actor to Leo isn’t overestimation. Boys are well respected in the industry and definitely due, while they and the movie’s winning critical awards. No shame in awarding them and nominating handful of other acclaimed actors in acclaimed genre movies (Theron, JJL, Vikander in Ex Machina, Ridley).
It would be great if Charlize Theron could be like Marion Cotillard last year, where she’s left out of many of the major precursor nominations but pops up on the Oscar nominations for Best Actress. I think her getting nominated depends on a couple of things:
1. The category placement of Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl and Rooney Mara for Carol.
2. Whether or not Jennifer Lawrence can still make it to the finish line with Joy.
I think what happened to Amy Adams last year for Big Eyes, will happen to Jennifer Lawrence this year. Amy Adams got a few critics awards, Critics Choice, Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy which she won, and a Bafta nomination for Best Actress; and still couldn’t get an Oscar nomination because her film underperformed with critics and at the box office. If Vikander and Mara go supporting where they have tremendous chance of winning, then Charlize Theron has an enormous chance of getting nominated.
Sadly, she has no chance.
Qween… stop
Nope. 🙂
Please Academy, listen to the audience for once and give Best Picture to Mad Max: Fury Road. It is time the Academy picks something different, unique, and fun. This film is not just an action film, it is the best action film of the 21st century.
“Please Academy, listen to the audience for once and give Best Picture to …”
TFA. Well, you said listen to the audience. 🙂
Love TFA, love MMFR but MMFR should win now and SW with the third movie to cap off the trilogy. I’m sure it’s going to be amazing. I have a good feeling about this. Reylo 4eva!
Let’s not forget Testament of Youth. Favorite film of the year so far (disappointed by Carol’s sophisticated dullness). I’d probably rate ToY a 7 or 8 on a scale of 1 to Atonement. Despite the very tragic backstory it doesn’t show the same dramatic intensity and the direction is rather bland compared to Atonement’s masterful pizzaz .but these two films probably didn’t have the same budgets.
Do you really like any of the actors? Because i really like Taron Egerton and Colin Morgan and I loved it while no one else i know did.
They were all right, Kit Harington also, though they all kind of looked like props whose sole purpose is to showcase Vikander’s performance.
Haven’t seen THE BIG SHORT yet, but sight unseen, I’m not feeling the buzz at all. I *have* seen BRIDGE OF SPIES and I feel comfortable saying I don’t believe it will get a Best Picture nomination. I mean, ahead of THE FORCE AWAKENS?
Yeah, ‘Bridge Of Spies’ seems so uninteresting compared to all these other dynamic choices in the race. It’s certainly one of Spielberg’s weakest films. That said, the Academy rarely makes the dynamic picks so BOS will probably have a token spot in the final list of nominees. Very possible it only gets two total noms — Best Picture and Rylance for supporting.
I just saw on Twitter that Mad Max: Fury Road won Best Picture and Best Director from the Utah Film Critics. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brie Larson also took home prizes in their acting categories.
And, for anyone interested, here’s Tarantino naming his favorite movie of 2015 while promoting The Hateful Eight. You can probably guess what his answer is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=datA4UHu374
Here’s the complete list of winners from the Utah Film Critics:
Best Picture • “Mad Max: Fury Road”; runner-up, “The Martian.”
Director • George Miller, “Mad Max: Fury Road”; runner-up, Ridley Scott, “The Martian.”
Actor, female • Brie Larson, “Room”; runner-up: Saoirse Ronan, “Brooklyn.”
Actor, male • Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”; runner-up, Matt Damon, “The Martian.”
Supporting actor, female • Rose Byrne, “Spy”; runner-up, Alicia Vikander, “Ex Machina.”
Supporting actor, male • Sylvester Stallone, “Creed”; runner-up: Oscar Isaac, “Ex Machina.”
Original screenplay • Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Ronnie Del Carmen, “Inside Out”;
runner-up: Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy, “Spotlight.”
Adapted screenplay • Drew Goddard, “The Martian”; runner-up: Nick Hornby, “Brooklyn.”
Cinematography • John Seale, “Mad Max: Fury Road”; runner-up: Emanuel Lubezki, “The Revenant.”
Documentary • “The Hunting Ground”; runner-up, “Amy.”
Non-English language film • “Timbuktu” (Mali); runner-up: “Son of Saul” (Hungary).
Animated film • “Inside Out”; runner-up: “Shaun the Sheep Movie.”
Rose Byrne is an inspired choice. She was hilarious in that movie.
Yes! Hornby and Goddard need to fight it out.
Mad Max is the best film of the year. I hope the Academy gets it right this time, even a great filmmaker like Quentin Tarantino loves it.
All we need is PGA and DGA do the right thing and the rest will follow. With PGA and DGA wins it won’t be denied. This is the moment for AMPAS to embrace sci fi.
Just for the record, there are times when the PGA & DGA agree, but the Academy doesn’t.
* 1995: PGA & DGA pick ”Apollo 13”; Academy picks ”Braveheart”
* 1998: PGA & DGA pick ”Saving Private Ryan”; Academy picks ”Shakespeare in Love”
* 2005: PGA & DGA pick ”Brokeback Mountain”: Academy picks ”Crash”
Imagine agreeing with QT
My top ten list currently (*from what I’ve seen in 2015):
1) Sicario
2) The Big Short
3) The Martian
4) The Gift
5) Straight Outta Compton
6) Black Mass
7) The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
8) Jupiter Ascending
9) The Night Before
10) Miles Ahead* (alt. Creed)
Movies I haven’t seen that I think have a good chance at making my year end top ten: Carol, The Hateful Eight, Joy, and The Revenant. For the record, I’ve seen Spotlight and it’s #18 on my list.
TFA is getting nominated. I watched it 3 times already (cause I ship Reylo aka Rey/Kylo, sorry, I’m obsessed with these 2) and it gets better and better. Audience reaction is tremendous. So is boxoffice and critical reception. It’ll crack top 8.
So it’s official – we ARE rooting for the same movie now! 🙂
P.S.: It felt to me as I was watching, that first time, that this would be a movie I would probably like even more with repeat viewings (I will be going a second time, but right now I’m a bit too obsessed with it, reading reviews, listening to podcasts about it, etc., so I’m holding off for a few more days, so as not to have everything about it be TOO fresh in my memory – also because I want to convince my mom to come see it with me this time), so it comes as no surprise to me to hear you say it gets better and better…
You should totally see it again. Once you get past “I must absorb everything” of the first viewing, you can focus on details and parts that interest you and it’s so good. I love movies that give great point for discussion and this is one of them.
🙂 Totally!…
i’ve seen it 4 times already and the repeat value with this movie is strong ! force strong lol
YES! H8erz are gonna have meltdowns when it gets nominated.
Personally, I think that Sasha is putting WAY too much emphasis on The Big Short. It is quite funny because out of the SAG Ensemble nominees, there is only one movie that will definitely show up at the Oscars – Spotlight.
Trumbo is a no no. Beasts of No Nations is also low on people’s lists. I have put Straight Outta Campton at my number 9 spot and only because of Feinberg, and that’s the only real reason. That, and probably because a lot of the black voters will definitely resonate with it. It might also receive couple of other nominations – Best Sound Mixing and Best Original Screenplay.
The Big Short is a Number 7 at best for me. It does have a chance at Best Adapted Screenplay and that’s about it. It will also be nominated for Best Film Editing and possibly Best Supporting Actor. That’s it. Yet, regardless of what Sasha is saying, there are many Academy voters that simply didn’t like the movie, couldn’t understand it and simply couldn’t connect with it. Having it at Number 2 is way too (no pun intended) Bullish on the movie.
I am happy that the Academy likes Bridge of Spies so I am putting it at Number 8 even though it really should be at Number 7 and switch with The Big Short.
Onto The Martian, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant. I think that Sasha is making some wonderful points about the nostalgia, about the past and about trying to make a choice about the future.
I think that in that regard, The Revenant appears to be the strongest, based on that analogy. Mad Max: Fury Road takes place in a post-apocalyptic world – a world where we have already made the wrong choices and this is what we are left with on our Planet.
The Martian, though funny and optimistic also settles on the premise, that it IS already too late to save our planet and that we need to “science the shit out of this” in order to colonize Mars and leave Earth. Again, not the most appealing prospect.
And finally, we have The Revenant – where it does bring us back to a time where nature was untouched
by human man. It shows the tragedy of human intervention and the consequences of it, and yet as Sasha eloquently stated – it leaves us with a choice as to what to do next: to continue “raping” our Planet, or to change course and try to save it – one last time. With all the talk of climate change and the agreement reached in Paris – it seems that this would be the movie that would be deemed MOST important. Hopefully, people will see that…
if u have seen the big short..u wouldnt think so…its a very complex subject dealt in spades…so u dont know what ur talking about
It is a complex subject but is in no way the second best film of the year.
2nd best as in what voters will come to agree upon. I haven’t seen it and I doubt I’ll call it the 2nd best, but really it’s what gets the most votes.
it was lot better than pretentious revenant(heavy oscar baity) and over prechy spotlight…having seen these three i can say that for sure
Sasha’s been doing this for a long time and historically, the significance of a movie being singled out both at SAG and the Golden Globes cannot be denied. There was a chart showcasing this on here a few days ago. So, it only makes sense that people predicting have to pay attention.
Besides, personally I’m really excited to see the Big Short and have high hopes for it. Maybe it’s because, while Spotlight ticks all the boxes for me, for some reason, I can’t root for it for BP. My favorite so far, Mad Max, I think is too out there for the Academy. I also really liked Sasha’s favorite, the Martian and I think it will get a nomination, but I don’t know if it’s managed to convince Academy voters that it’s “important” enough for BP. I’ve seen most of the other films on the list above (except The Revenant, Joy, The Hateful Eight, Son of Saul and Steve Jobs) and while I liked most of them to some degree (except Room), I wouldn’t really be satisfied with any of them winning BP (well, maybe Carol).
I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like The Revenant because I disliked Birdman last year and Inarritu seems like one of those directors that leaves a strong stamp on his movies. I know I’m going to like The Hateful Eight because I love all of Tarantino’s films, even though it seems this might not be an Oscar hit for him, and I withhold judgement on Joy, despite critics opinions.
So, that leads me back to The Big Short, and I’m probably setting my expectations unfairly high, but it seems like my last chance for a BP hopeful I actually want to root for. Maybe, if it really is good, it will be that intelligent, current film the “steak eaters” go for. It might be my own experiences talking, but I feel, especially with people of an older generation, you can’t discount the number of people who want to support “the smartest” thing. The Big Short has great potential of getting that support.
I am not sure about the steak eaters. The Big Short has no production value whatsoever and the director is not a big name. If The Wolf of Wall Street couldn’t win, what makes you think that The Big Short might. Personally, I have no desire to see it whatsoever. Maybe rent it in months time but no urge to see in the theaters.
My top ten list currently:
1. It Follows
2. Room
3. Clouds of Sils Maria
4. Bridge of Spies
5. Brooklyn
6. Mad Max: Fury Road
7. Tangerine
8. Ex Machina
—-sizable gap—-
9. Spotlight
10. Steve Jobs
Have not seen: Carol, The Look of Silence, The Revenant, The Big Short, The Hateful Eight, Star Wars, Creed, Straight Outta Compton, Sicario
I have to go off topic here again, for a little bit, and just say that Mad Max: Fury Road, which I rewatched just hours ago, improved DRASTICALLY for me on second viewing – only the second time I can remember a movie doing that, to such an extent (those who remember from two years ago – which I imagine will be nobody – will know what the other one is). Everything that I had big problems with the first time (or that I found less than particularly impressive) simply worked almost 100% for me this time.
The fact that I first saw it in 3D (which is hit-or-miss with me) is definitely a part of why it didn’t work for me back then (I don’t know why, but, visually, it just played A LOT better for me in crisp 2D), but it’s not just that. The whole thing, and especially the first half, made a whole lot more sense to me the second time around, already knowing where it was headed and what it was trying to say. It’s now in 3rd place for me for 2015, behind Star Wars TFA and Brooklyn, and close to both (again, I still have to see a lot of important stuff before this list will be anywhere near definitive). I also think George Miller deserves to win Best Director, based on his work here (and pending my seeing something else that is even more impressive). The movie is near-flawless, technically. I still have some small issues (don’t want to sound like I know what I’m talking about here – I mean for my limited level of understanding of what a director does and how well it can be done), but, overall, it’s masterful.
Don’t know if anybody cares, but I just thought I owed the movie this, since I’ve been calling it overrated ever since I first saw it, in cinemas, and I don’t think that anymore.
Also, I just saw The Revenant – VERY interesting and well made, but, for some reason (I have some thoughts, but no point going into detail, as I’m not a reviewer), it didn’t convince me completely. Not a favorite, overall, though I appreciate it and it would be a very respectable BP nominee. My mom absolutely loved it, though. It’s her favorite so far. We both agree Leo should probably win the Oscar – but I’d like to reserve judgement on that, of course, until I see more stuff (like, for example, Steve Jobs).
Oh, and, also: Theron should not only be nominated for Best Actress, but win. I really liked her performance the first time as well, but I appreciated it even more this time around.
hey wru from? i am seeing you in lot of award sites…and not to sound creepy ur cute…
🙂 Actually, I pretty much only comment here at AD, since about two years ago. Sometimes I go to IMDb, but I haven’t yet this Oscar season. Anyway, you probably meant you’re seeing me in a lot of threads here, at AD.
I’m from Romania.
Seeing Mad Max: Fury Road in 2D is definitely the preferable route. I also like it a LOT – it is a brilliant piece of movie-making. As George Miller says it himself – it is a very “kinetic” type of movie.
Definitely!
“Seeing Mad Max: Fury Road in 2D is definitely the preferable route.”
Wish I’d known that this summer!… 🙁 Although I did kind of suspect I’d like it more in 2D anyway, because, obviously, I was aware the 3D wasn’t working very well for me in this particular movie as I was watching it in the theater. Even so, I was definitely pleasantly surprised today…
I also fell in love with MMFR on second viewing. The first time i saw it it kind of went over my head and i was so amped up it did not settle in my mind.
For me, like I said, it was that I didn’t get why certain things had to be done the way they were done (and, as a consequence, they seemed either a bit random or weird for the sake of being weird – some of them still do, but their number is now much, much smaller), because I couldn’t grasp where it was going quickly enough (which is odd, considering I’m pretty sure I did read a little bit about it beforehand – I guess maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention when I did -, though I could be wrong). Doesn’t happen to me often, but it did in this case. The second time, it just all fell into place and pretty much all of the decisions and details of the world seemed right, to say the least. Also, the visuals played way better for me in 2D, like I said before. Probably because there’s so much weird stuff on screen that you don’t normally see, and, when you put it in 3D, it seems even more out of place because of it, somehow.
“We are such a big, bloated, wasteful country that we barely stop to consider that things like elephant poaching and child soldiers are borne out of regions of despair and poverty.”
There is plenty of despair and poverty in America. You could argue the young people dying in Chi-raq and other high crime cities are the same as child soldiers. In a year where BLM activism resulted in cop convictions and people shot up everything from churches to schools I think the rose colored glasses are long forgotten.
Bernie Sanders may not be dominating the talking heads but his support on the ground is strong. Last time people my age were this fired up it was for President Obama. The Big Short has a good narrative because the dislike of Wall Street is very strong among mainstream Americans. Although, has there ever been a financial movie BP win? AMPAS may view it as biting the hand that feeds them.
The movie hero is evolving and that’s a good thing. I would love to see Beasts, Compton, Sicario, MMFR, and Creed make it into BP. I know it’s a long shot but all these movies are so culturally relevant right now.
Sasha, hearing that you like The Big Short totally changes my opinion of it. I had written it off as baity film I could skip but I guess I’ll be looking into it!
Why there is not THE HATEFUL EIGHT in the poll? I know you hated it but it’s a great film, in my top 10 of the year for sure, it deserves to be in this poll. Let people decide for themselves what’s good and what’s not.
It is looking like a contender that could go all the way. Watch out if Tarantino takes DGA.
Hateful Eight is in the pool now. Perhaps it wasn’t included since so few have actually seen it
Then why The Revenant, with the same release date, was already there?
DGA pretty much will settle Big Short, Mad Max, Martian one way or another as potential Spotlight spoilers
1. Big Short has Brad Pitt as a producer and a heavy hitting cast used to large campaign efforts. Spotlight’s got a producer even dinkier than Boyhood (and remember how that turned out).
2. Martian has the “Ridley Scott is overdue” storyline. That SAG omission is deadly though.
3. Mad Max has the gonzo vision of George Miller and a production history that is three parts Terry Gilliam one part Werner Herzog. The industry LIKES Miller, and the fact that he parlayed getting bounced from Justice League into getting Mad Max off the ground again is even more of a bonus. Mad Max is sure to have the most number of nominations if it gets BP/BD
I saw BIG SHORT at the Academy friendly Landmark Westside last weekend. And, it kind of fell flat with the crowd, including a few walk outs.
It may be just a bit too helter-skelter for the older crowd, even if the hipper portion of the votership really dig it. Plus, it doesn’t have a strong traditional narrative. It’s more of docu-drama with the “story” being a long-winded explanation of the financial crisis. The acting is fine, but, is there really any one character that you follow? It’s narrated by the Gosling character, but, Bale’s is the crux of the financial crisis angle and Carrell’s is sort of the moral center. With something like SPOTLIGHT, which is also an ensemble piece, at least they all seem to be moving for the same goal.
Long way of saying that, for me, the movie fell…uh…a bit short. Although I admired its attempt at telling a complicated financial tale, in the end it seemed like the guy who can’t speak a foreign language so he yells English even louder thinking that may “translate” to one who doesn’t know that foreign tongue.* And, I’m not reducing it’s Oscar chances just because I found it only okay, but just judging against past Oscar winners.
* Plus, I’ve read and watched a lot about the financial crisis. There wasn’t really much ‘new’ there for me. Some of the strongest reviews seem to be coming from folks who DID garner a lot of new info. (Had the same ‘issue’ with CITIZENFOUR last year.)
OT: Visual Effects category shortlist is up! Ex Machina, The Revenant and The Walk!
http://www.oscars.org/news/10-contenders-remain-vfx-oscar-race
1. Spotlight
2. The Revenant
3. Brooklyn
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. The Martian
Okay review time…..
Carol – already mentioned how I loved it. Cate Blanchett still proves why she is queen. why isn’t she winning more awards for this amazing performance? Mara was also decent in a subtle yet strong performance as throughout the story she shows incredible transformation.
Room – fucking weird, disturbing, yet for some strange reason I kept watching wondering what will happen next. Tremblay was so amazing. Larson is the front runner, why again? lol.
H8TEFUL 8- God I hated everyone at one point in this movie and then at one point I felt sorry for them. Honestly I felt like afterwards I needed a damn shower. And its a shame I laughed at some parts where I wasn’t supposed to laugh at..dark comedy I guess? It dragged a bit but the finale was pretty epic. Kurt Russell and JJL KILLED IT! I mean it’s a same I hated JJL character so so so much. Guess that’s probably why shell get nominated.
Oh man I need to give revenant another chance. I fell asleep..but Ill be more patient this time. It’s still the beginning..I want to like it.I really do but….
I hate to say this but one reason Room won the Audience Award at TIFF was because they added an extra showing at the very large Princess of Wales near the end of the festival.
True. I remember Scott Feinberg predicting that ”Brooklyn” would win the TIFF audience award. I think either ”Spotlight” or ”Brooklyn” would of won if they had the same advantage.
I think Straight Outta Compton is getting that surprise Best Picture nomination and I also think Star Wars is VERY close at knocking out some other players. As much as I was underwhelmed by Carol, there’s no denying it will sweep the tech categories- but I have a hunch Todd Haynes, like in 2002, will be snubbed for Best Director in favor of Room’s Abrahamson. We’ll see.
I don’t know if this will post or not. I think I signed in with Disqus, but I’m not sure….Loved the new title “A Bit Short”…lol…DEEE-Tested “The Revenant” at an Academy screening the woman siting behind me walked out. I warned her it would be “very violent” and she said that she wasn’t “one of those people who don’t like films that are violent.” She said, “I loved ‘Reservoir Dogs,” and still walked out after 20 mins or so.
Also Leo’s just doing Stunt Work. FOR TWO AND A HALF HOURS. That’s not considered acting by members of the Academy, many of whom knew Dalton Trumbo personally. Like Kirk Douglas, and yes, he’s still alive, and advocating heavily for “Trumbo.” And EVERYONE LOVES Bryan Cranston. He’s the Patron Saint of Acting to most Actor’s Branch Members. Watch Cranston wins the SAG over Leo. You heard it here first.
Why are you crapping on stunt work? I appreciate Tom Cruise for doing his and I appreciate Leo for doing his. Stunt work also requires acting. Simulating bear attack requires simulating agony that he surely didn’t feel cause there were no bear teeth tearing his flesh apart.
Fishnets is right: Stunt work also requires acting. And SAG has enough respect for that profession that they have a SAG category for it. Kirk Douglas, who has worked with many stunt men, respects it, too. He’s done various stunts in his films (most notably, ”Spartacus”), and is one of the few actors in the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame. … At any rate, SAG voters appreciated DiCaprio’s performance enough to give him his 9th SAG nomination.
Quoted for truth!
I wouldn’t put it past the director’s branch to knock someone out of their category and put in Lenny Abrahamson instead. I just hope they don’t knock George Miller off that list.