Final phase of Awards Daily’s 8th Annual Simulated Oscar Ballot is now underway. Please go vote. Thanks!
Dr Rob has streamlined the ballot so you should be able to fly through the drop-down menus in no time at all. Took me less than a minute. Thanks again for your indispensable participation!
1. The Revenant
2. Room.
3. The Martian
4. Mad Max
5. Spotlight
6. Brooklyn
7. The Big Short
8. Bridge of Spies
wow TOP4 same as Movieman below!
1. The revenant
2. Room
3. The Martian
4. Mad max: fury road
5. Brooklyn
6. The big short
7. A bridge of spies
8. Spotlight
Picture:
1. The Revenant
2. Brooklyn
3. The Martian
4. Spotlight
5. Mad Max
6. Bridge of Spies
7. The Big Short
8. Room
I did this a while ago. Here’s my damage:
The Big Short
The Martian
Spotlight
Mad Max: Fury Road
Brooklyn*
Room*
The Revenant
Bridge of Spies
Director: The Big Short
Actress: Jennifer Lawrence
Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
Supporting Actress: Rooney Mara
Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone
Original Screenplay: Straight Outta Compton
Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
Cinematography: Sicario
Song: Spectre
Score: The Hateful Eight
Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Make Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Costume Design: Cinderella
Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Sound Mixing: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Sound Editing: Sicario
*didn’t see it, (skipped the rest)
I love that you asked questions about us as voters. Can you break it down? Personally curious to see what other gays like myself voted like. 🙂
I can tell you what *I* voted for, at least. 😉
Pic — The Big Short
Director — Miller
Actor — Fassbender
Actress — Ronan
Sup. Actor — Hardy
Sup. Actress — Vikander
Pic – Mad Max: Fury Road
Director- Miller
Actor – DiCaprio
Actress – Larson
Sup. Actor – Stallone
Sup. Actress – Vikander
I am not very original I guess.
Pic: 1. Mad Max; 2. Room; 3. The Big Short; 4. Spotlight; 5. The Martian; 6. Bridge of Spies; 7. Brooklyn; 8. The Revenant
Director: Miller
Actor: Fassbender
Actress: Larson
Sup. Actor: Bale
Sup. Actress: Leigh
Original Scr: Inside Out
Adapted Scr: The Big Short
Cinematography: Mad Max
Editing: Mad Max
Score: The Hateful Eight
Costume: Carol
Makeup: Mad Max
Production Design: Mad Max
Sound Editing: Mad Max
Sound Mixing: The Revenant
Foreign Language: Son of Saul
Documentary: The Look of Silence
Animated: Inside Out
Here’s how I voted and my rants per some categories:
Best Picture
1. “Mad Max: Fury Road”
2. “Bridge of Spies”
3. “The Martian”
4. “Brooklyn”
5. “Room”
6. “The Revenant”
7. “The Big Short”
8. “Spotlight”
Personal Choice: “The Assassin”
Easy pick as “Mad Max” was the only one in this field to make my personal Top 10. I suppose I can’t complain too much since fundamentally I *liked* or admired every single nominee, which isn’t at all bad considering my personal history with the Academy. My #2 film of the year “Blackhat” was, to put it mildly, a nonstarter. No, but AMPAS’ most notable fiasco was the dismissal of Ryan Coogler’s “Creed;” with universal critical acclaim and more than healthy box-office (making back nearly 5x its 35M budget), it represented not only a showcase of its natural gifts but the best aspirations of Hollywood cinema in 2015. “Creed” warranted the industry’s attention and a serious look from the moment it opened in theaters back in November. “Creed’s” lack of a Best Picture nomination suggests to this reader most members couldn’t be bothered to see it, but I’ll let others speculate nature of this unfortunate bias. Among my very favorite American (or American-friendly) films of the year was the epic romance and family-saga “Testament of Youth;” perhaps the delicate yet unostentatious brand of period piece is not quite what tickles the Academy’s fancy. But then “Brooklyn” is in there so who knows how this marvel got lost among audiences and awards bodies–a tragedy all the same. Tarantino’s latest too perfectly fits the “too much for the Academy” bill to secure any kind of widespread support to secure a spot; and “Magic Mike XXL” with elements of the southern gothic adorning the invigorating politics was not to be taken seriously, it will remain a classic perhaps with even more stature than the triumphant original if not only because this time the thesis did not negate the pleasures that came with it. Finally just assert that I am a fierce proponent of the two old masters’ latest which made it in, “Bridge” and “Martian.”
Best Director – George Miller, “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Personal Choice: Hou Hsiao-Hsien, “The Assassin”
No contest. The offense here is clear and that is the absence of a certain Todd Haynes. What is it going to take? I hope his next feature will grace us sooner rather than later because something’s gotta give. However, when ones realizes that, with equally accomplished oeuvres, Wes Anderson, P.T. Anderson and Rich Linklater have only managed to be recognized by their peers one a piece, one finds comfort in the fact and can’t help but be optimist that Haynes will finally get that elusive first nomination. Michael Mann, James Kent and Quentin Tarantino were sadly never going to happen. Ideally and by their merits Ryan Coogler and Steven Spielberg should be up there. I know better than to advocate for directors of foreign language films because they only happen once in a blue. I remain heartbroken Sir Ridley Scott was tossed aside; envious sects and anti-genre cabals be damned. Ultimately, I was very disappointed by these choices.
Best Actor – Matt Damon, “The Martian”
Personal Choice: Michael B. Jordan, “Creed”
Another easy choice and another eyesore of a slate. Matt Damon’s electrifying, jocose and tender turn is the clear and only choice. NSFC’s pick, Michael B. Jordan, should have been nominated and won full stop. Then the array of more worthy options was wide and manifest: Samuel L. Jackson, “The Hateful Eight;” Tom Hanks, “Bridge of Spies;” Colin Farrell, “The Lobster;” Tom Courtenay, “45 Years;” Gerard Depardieu, “Welcome to New York;” Andrew Garfield, “99 Homes;” Christopher Abbott, “James White;” Guy Pearce, “Results;” Peter Sarsgaard, “Experimenter;” Josh Lucas, “The Mend.”
Best Actress – Charlotte Rampling, “45 Years”
Personal Choice: Rooney Mara, “Carol”
Tougher choice. As many have pointed out, this was a rare and remarkable year for this category but I don’t conceive of a scenario where it “ok” to not include Charlize Theron’s powerhouse. Whoever came up with Mara’s abhorrent “placement” in Supporting should be banned from future awards proselytism and, again, had they only seen “Testament of Youth,” they would have known just which one was Alicia Vikander’s best performance in 2015. Hall of Fame includes Nina Hoss, “Phoenix;” Regina Case, “The Second Mother;” Ronit Elkabetz, “Gett: The Trian of Viviane Amsalem;” Shu-Qi who lit up the best film of the year, “The Assassin;” and dare I include Zhao Tao in “Mountains May Depart?” Why not, it’s my rant.
Best Supporting Actor – Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”
Personal Choice: Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”
Popular choice, sentimental favorite, feel-good vote–give it the qualifier you must or that lets you sleep at night. The truth is that eventual winner Sylvester Stallone’s is a wonderful performance, and one that under the control of his director puts all his innate strengths to good use. It is one of only a handful of extraordinary performances in his otherwise unsurprising yet cherished career, the others being the the original “Rocky” and “Cop Land.” It shall be one of the highlights of the ceremony. I am nonetheless in team Rylance who allowed Spielberg to emulate Preminger in every one of his scenes. Tom Hardy finally nominated, but not for his key performance in the title role of a certain dystopian masterpiece where we also had Nicholas Hoult, who I’d even have preferred to Hardy in “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Oscar Isaac, “Ex Machina;” Walton Goggings, “The Hateful Eight;” Tom Hiddleston, “Crimson Peak;” Joe Maganiello, “Magic Mike XXL;” Michael Shannon, “99 Homes;” Luke Evans, “High-Rise;” Richard Jenkins, “Bone Tomahawk;” Idris Elba, “Beasts of No Nation;” Adam Driver; “The Force Awakens.”
Best Supporting Actress – Jennifer Jason Leigh, “The Hateful Eight”
Personal Choice: Jennifer Jason Leigh, “The Hateful Eight”
What do people mean by scene-stealing? Show stealer? I imagine they mean a supporting performance embedded in a genre’s history like Victor Mature in “My Darling Clementine” or Henry Fonda in “Once Upon a Time in the West” or Mercedes McCambridge in “Johnny Guitar” or Jennifer Jason Leigh in “The Hateful Eight.”–and staying in that realm, Alicia Vikander in “Ex Machina.” And here we have officially the best and most undervalued and underseen performance of the year, that of Viola Davis in “Blackhat” a signature Mann character turn –those that simmer the frame– that will be gloriously remembered by his unconditionals while fated to sweet rediscovery. Also worthy were Katherine Waterston, “Queen of Earth;” Tessa Thompson, Jessica Chastain, “Crimson Peak;” “Creed;” Mya Taylor, “Tangerine;” Winona Ryder, “Experimenter;” Jada Pinkett Smith, “Magic Mike XXL; ” Nina Kunzendorf, “Phoenix,” and more than one performance in “Our Little Sister” and “Mustang,” but here I go again reaching for futile black hole knows as “foreign language”—so stop.
Best Original Screenplay – Alex Garland, “Ex Machina”
Personal Choice: Guillermo Calderón, Daniel Villalobos, Pablo Larraín, “The Club”
Best Adapted Screenplay – Phyllis Nagy, “Carol”
Personal Choice: Phyllis Nagy, “Carol”
Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson, “The Hateful Eight”
Personal Choice: Stuart Drybourgh, “Blackhat”
Not nominated but could (should) easily have been there (I figure, I don’t fucking know): Rob Hardy, “Ex Machina” or Maryse Alberti for “Creed,” but it’s hard to argue with these choices.
Best Film Editing – Margaret Sixel, “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Personal Choice: Margaret Sixel, “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Easy peasy. The branch does a disservice to the ceremony and gambles on its credibility by nominating “The Force Awakens, the rest is their usual fare so nothing to freak out about there, but plenty to be disenchanted by.
Best Animated Feature – Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, “Anomalisa”
Personal Choice: Mamoru Hosada, “The Boy and the Beast”
My favorite English language animated film was “Shaun of the Sheep,” my favorite American film was “The Peanuts Movie,” and my favorite film overall “The Boy and the Beast” ranks only #37 on my annual list of favorite films. By no means would I say it was a bad year, but I didn’t have the great year in animation that seemingly everyone else did.
Best Foreign Language Film – France – Deniz Gamze Ergüven – “Mustang”
Personal Choice – France – Arnaud Desplechin – “My Golden Days”
Best Documentary Feature – Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence”
Personal Choice: Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence”
Best Production Design – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Personal Choice – “Crimson Peak”
Best Sound Editing – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Personal Choice – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Best Sound Mixing – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Personal Choice – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Personal Choice – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Best Costume Design – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Personal Choice – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Best Visual Effects – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Personal Choice – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Well who would have thunk?! Five acceptable nominees from this branch?! Your customary three (and sometimes even four) stinkers nowhere to be seen. All of the members get a sticker. Still though, Wes Ball’s sensibilities, custody and VFx background shows in every effects shot in “Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” and with each way more aesthetic sense and artistry than almost all the big Hollywood blockbusters of 2015 combined whether they are good regardless, like “The Force Awakens;” I could easily do without it in place of the “Scorch.” All the same it is an unblemished roster. They actually went for “Ex Machina?” So great.
Best Original Score – Ennio Morricone, “The Hateful Eight”
Personal Choice – Junkie XL, “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Best Animated Short Film – Don Hertzfeldt, “World of Tomorrow”
Personal Choice: Don Hertzfeldt, “World of Tomorrow” (duh!!)
Best Original Song – could not care less
This is not a ballot, this is a thesis!
Well, now that I think about it maybe academy voters should be required to do the same before they cast their votes, it would be a useful new rule.
Thanks! I didn’t mean to go on for so long but there you go ;-p
I may not always agree with your choices, my friend, but I thrive on reading the reasoning behind it.
Thanks! I appreciate this, Steve.
“The offense here is clear and that is the absence of a certain Todd Haynes. What is it going to take?”
It’s my theory that people actors, directors, whoever, once they’ve established a persona don’t get Academy love until they break that persona. For example, I’ve said before, as I sat in the theater watching DJANGO UNCHAINED I felt a bloodbath coming, but when opportunity for a handshake and a mutual agreement came I thought to myself, if this happens then QT can take BP and BD, and then kablooey he did his usual thing and I knew that dream was over. This year they just left him off entirely. I originally came up with this theory when they awarded Robin Williams for staying still for an entire movie. In my opinion they want you to not be you. So for Haynes, imagine what that might be. A movie that has nothing to do with LGBT issues or maybe a current movie with a regular plot. A Rom-Com? Sir Ridley Scott would probably win if he made a “Woody Allen movie”. If Tarantino made BOYHOOD it would have won. If Richard Linklater made STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, they would have given him a bunch of virgins and real estate. People get in all the time with a first shot because they sneak in before the Academy know who they’re dealing with. But I think nowadays when you have someone who has a brand they don’t want to give you anything if you stick to that brand unless it’s 40 years later and they feel guilty.
I don’t think anyone should kowtow to that. I would never shave someone’s green hair but I think that’s why people who deserve them go Oscarless for so long.
This is an interesting theory. It makes sense for near-winners as well (ie: Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).
I hear you! But what makes THE SOCIAL NETWORK an Oscar juggernaut and ZODIAC an afterthought? You see how they don’t really matter 12 months laters let alone years.
Deadline will be Sunday 2/21 at 10PM PST. I have a lot on my plate for the following week (including my birthday), so I don’t want to get overwhelmed.
Picture:
1. Bridge of Spies
2. The Big Short
3. Brooklyn
4. The Revenant
5. Room
6. Mad Max: Fury Road
7. The Martian
8. Spotlight
Director: The Revenant
Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Actress: Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
Supp. Actor: Sylvester Stallone – Creed
Supp. Actress: Rooney Mara – Carol
Orig. Screenplay: Bridge of Spies
Adapt. Screenplay: Carol
Cinematography: Carol
Editing: The Big Short
Orig. Music: Carol
Song: “Til It Happens to You” – The Hunting Ground
Prod. Design: Bridge of Spies
Make-up and Hair: The 100 Year-Old Man
Costume Design: Carol
VFX: Star Wars TFA
Sound Mixing: Bridge of Spies
Sound Editing: Star Wars TFA
Foreign Language: Son of Saul
Anim. Feature: Shaun the Sheep
Being pathetically hopeful like every year previous, I did the ballot again:
– hoping for split between The Revenant and Miller
– Brie and Fassbender because they gave the best lead performances. I know, shocking concept for voting but I’m feeling bold
– Rylance because he was a joy to watch and the only thing I liked about Bridge of Spies, worst film on the list.
Would be happy with Hardy but expect to be annoyed when they cave to sentimentality and give it to Stallone
– Winslet because she gave the best SUPPORTING performance on the list and I’m fed up with category fraud
– Ex Machina / Spotlight writing (sorry, liked Ex Machina better than most of the BP noms)
– Chivo – cinematography because it was ultimately the best, but secretly rooting for Deakins/Sicario because it was Deakins best work in a few years
– Johannsson/Sicario for score – again, better film than most of the BP list and the score was one of the reasons.
– Costumes – Mad Max. Gimme minimalist sweaty leather ‘n metal over gowns and fur any day.
– the rest all Mad Max because it was the best-crafted film of the year
…and now you all know who won’t win….
Done. If I chose the winners TR would win 2 and MM 7 incl. BP and BD 😉
I’m just questioning the sexuality orientation field there.. what’s the point?
When’s the deadline? I want see as many films as possible before submitting my votes.
I would have liked to have done the same, but I just gave up – too much life-stuff to deal with right now, and there’s no way I’ll be able to see everything in time. (I’ll be doing a lot of 2015 catch-up work after the Oscars this year…) So I just voted.
When will this close? I’m still to see Spotlight…
So this is how they do? They only rank films in BP and in other categories they just pick 1 movie?
Yes.
Actually, they only rank their top five choices no matter the number of nominees. Academy members won’t be ranking all eight films.
Nice to see others who aren’t scared off by hopeless causes. This, of course, was meant to be a comment to DrRobY below
In case you’ll be wondering who was the one person who voted for Lenny Abrahamson, it was me.
I can confirm that you are not the only person.
Done and done.
Me too. 🙂
I did my duty.