Everyone's favorite forgetful fish Dory is back this summer in an all-new animated feature. It's no surprise that Andrew Stanton's Finding Nemo is one of Pixar's most beloved hits. For many years, the studio resisted going back for a sequel and this summer, the time is just right to return to the ocean gang. With returning characters Marlin, Nemo, and Mr. Ray, Dory sets out to find her real family, her mom and dad. Along the way, she meets new characters Bailey, a white beluga whale; Destiny, a whale shark; and Hank the octopus at the Monterey Marine Life Institute. Finding Dory's latest trailer kicks off the campaign #HaveYouSeenHer leading up to the film's release on June 17, 2016. So have you seen Dory yet?
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"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange." -Inception
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
New Finding Dory Trailer!
Everyone's favorite forgetful fish Dory is back this summer in an all-new animated feature. It's no surprise that Andrew Stanton's Finding Nemo is one of Pixar's most beloved hits. For many years, the studio resisted going back for a sequel and this summer, the time is just right to return to the ocean gang. With returning characters Marlin, Nemo, and Mr. Ray, Dory sets out to find her real family, her mom and dad. Along the way, she meets new characters Bailey, a white beluga whale; Destiny, a whale shark; and Hank the octopus at the Monterey Marine Life Institute. Finding Dory's latest trailer kicks off the campaign #HaveYouSeenHer leading up to the film's release on June 17, 2016. So have you seen Dory yet?
Sunday, February 28, 2016
My final predictions before the 88th Academy Awards
Is that time already? Oscar predictions are due. To say that this year has been highly unpredictable is an understatement. Unlike past year, no film has lead the pack. In fact, in the guild awards in January and February, the choices have been divisive between The Big Short, Spotlight and The Revenant. The night's big winner on Oscar Sunday will genuinely end up a surprise to many. The acting races might hold less suspense, as nostalgia is leaning towards Leo and Kate and the comeback kid Sylvester Stallone to possibly end up on the podium. Host Chris Rock might have a lot to say on the year's biggest controversy, the lack of diversity in the nominations and the presenters list looks to make up that. But the big question on everyone's minds is always going to be on the actual winners and the new take on the speeches (are they really going to have a thank you scrawl on the bottom of the screen?). Until then, let's speculate one more time on the predictions. Here goes...
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
The Big Short: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
Bridge of Spies: Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
Brooklyn: Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
Mad Max: Fury Road: Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
The Martian: Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
The Revenant: Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
Room: Ed Guiney, Producers
Spotlight: Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers
Should win: Spotlight
Will win: The Revenant
My take: From a solid bunch of best picture nominees, Spotlight really resonated with me. A solid cast, a strong true to life story about a bunch of journalists uncovering a scandal and trying to wrong a right over a period of time. But the tide seems to be turning for The Revenant who leads all the nominees with 12 nominations. The film, its director and star all are leading as more and more watch the astonishing film. And it is a stunning achievement. But Spotlight is the better film for me.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bryan Cranston in Trumbo
Matt Damon in The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
Should win: Michael Fassbender
Will win: Leonardo DiCaprio
My take: There is no doubt that this is Leo's year. Is this his best performance? No, I think he was outstanding in The Wolf of Wall Street and the Academy missed an opportunity there. Michael Fassbender looked nothing like Steve Jobs but in some moments in Danny Boyle's film, he inhabited Jobs's essence and his unending drive. Surprisingly that going into this Oscar year, the story was all about Eddie Redmayne's repeat of last year but look how the narrative has changed.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christian Bale in The Big Short
Tom Hardy in The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight
Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone in Creed
Should win: Mark Ruffalo
Will win: Sylvester Stallone
My take: This category is a real lock. Stallone has got this in the bag. But it's no secret that Ruffalo is standout from the ensemble cast of Spotlight. If anyone is upsetting Stallone, it's him.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett in Carol
Brie Larson in Room
Jennifer Lawrence in Joy
Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Should win: Brie Larson
Will win: Brie Larson
My take: Unfortunately, I haven't yet seen Carol. Brie Larson has won every major award going into the Oscars and I don't think anyone's is beating her this time. Again, it's great to see Charlotte Rampling here at all.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara in Carol
Rachel McAdams in Spotlight
Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs
Should win: Kate Winslet
Will win: Alicia Vikander
My take: Alicia Vikander, who's having a great couple of years, could prove that she's really arrived. But as emotional as her performance was in The Danish Girl, I thought Kate Winslet was outstanding in Steve Jobs. She completely disappeared into becoming Joanna Hoffman in the film. Sidenote: How awesome would it be if Kate and Leo both won the same night? Sorry, I just digressed to be being a teenager again.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
Anomalisa: Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Boy and the World: Alê Abreu
Inside Out: Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
Shaun the Sheep Movie: Tomm Moore and Paul Young
When Marnie was There: Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura
Should win: Anomalisa
Will win: Inside Out
My take: Pixar's brilliant Inside Out is a definitely a game changer. Making the movie all about Amy Poehler's Joy, it turned Phyllis Smith's Sadness into the film's real heroine. But I was so moved by Anomalisa when I saw it last year, it's a profound stop-motion feature with great ambition and such tender emotion at times, it's hard not to root for it. One day, people will look back and say, what a missed opportunity!
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Carol: Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight: Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road: John Seale
The Revenant: Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario: Roger Deakins
Should win: Roger Deakins
Will win: Emmanuel Lubezki
My take: Emmanuel Lubezki is about to make history as he goes for his third Oscar after Gravity and Birdman, with The Revenant. But Roger Deakins, the master cinematographer, sits with zero Oscars to his name. I hope that someday his great work will be recognized.
ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Carol: Sandy Powell
Cinderella: Sandy Powell
The Danish Girl: Paco Delgado
Mad Max: Fury Road: Jenny Beavan
The Revenant: Jacqueline West
Should win: Jenny Beaven
Will win: Jacqueline West
My take: It comes down to a frontier from the past to a future ravaged by water wars in the costume design department. And I have a feeling that The Revenant will edge out here.
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
The Big Short: Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road: George Miller
The Revenant: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room: Lenny Abrahamson
Spotlight: Tom McCarthy
Should win: Tom McCarthy
Will win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
My take: Last year's winner Iñárritu is virtually a lock to make it two in a row. But if there's an upset, I'd like to see former actor Tom McCarthy win it for the true-blooded journalism film, Spotlight.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Amy: Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
Cartel Land: Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
The Look of Silence: Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
What Happened, Miss Simone?: Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
Winter's Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom: Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
Should win: Amy
Will win: Amy
My take: Asif Kapadia's Amy is my personal pick here. But this category does seem ripe for upsets.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Body Team 12: David Darg and Bryn Mooser
Chau, beyond the Lines: Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah: Adam Benzine
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Last Day of Freedom: Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
Should win: Last Day of Freedom
Will win: Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
My take: Based on Internet research, this is what the frontrunner looks to be, I could be wrong.
ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
The Big Short: Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road: Margaret Sixel
The Revenant: Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight: Tom McArdle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey
Should win: Margaret Sixel
Will win: Margaret Sixel
My take: Still not over the high that was Mad Max: Fury Road and that's largely due to Sixel's (also George Miller's wife) superb editing work.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Embrace of the Serpent: Colombia
Mustang: France
Son of Saul: Hungary
Theeb: Jordan
A War: Denmark
Should win: Son of Saul
Will win: Son of Saul
My take: Hungary's Son of Saul has been the virtual frontrunner since Cannes. I don't see it losing tonight.
ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Mad Max: Fury Road: Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared: Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
The Revenant: Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Will win: Mad Max: Fury
My take: One word: Furiosa! Mad Max: Fury Road has got this in the bag.
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Bridge of Spies: Thomas Newman
Carol: Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight: Ennio Morricone
Sicario: Jóhann Jóhannsson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: John Williams
Should win: John Williams
Will win: Ennio Morricone
My take: It's the battle of the musical maestros Morricone and Williams and it looks like Morricone has the slight edge here. Personally, I would love to see John Williams win on his 50th nomination.
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
Earned It from Fifty Shades of Grey
Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
Manta Ray from Racing Extinction
Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
Simple Song #3 from Youth
Music and Lyric by David Lang
Til It Happens To You from The Hunting Ground
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
Writing’s On The Wall from Spectre
Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith
Should win: Til It Happens To You
Will win: Til It Happens To You
My take: I've got no opinions on the song here, it's appalling that not all of the nominees will performing onstage. But it looks like the star power wins here.
ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
Bridge of Spies Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
The Danish Girl Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
Mad Max: Fury Road Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
The Martian Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
The Revenant Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
My take: Mad Max will be quite a force in the tech awards. It leads in production values.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Bear Story Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
Prologue Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
Sanjay’s Super Team Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
We Can’t Live without Cosmos Konstantin Bronzit
World of Tomorrow Don Hertzfeldt
Should win: Sanjay's Super Team
Will win: World of Tomorrow
My take: I would really love Sanjay's Super Team to win but I have a feeling that World of Tomorrow might win the big prize.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Ave Maria: Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
Day One: Henry Hughes
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut): Patrick Vollrath
Shok: Jamie Donoughue
Stutterer: Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage
Should win: Day One
Will win: Day One
My take: Based on Internet research, this is what the frontrunner looks to be, I could be wrong.
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Mad Max: Fury Road: Mark Mangini and David White
The Martian: Oliver Tarney
The Revenant: Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
Sicario: Alan Robert Murray
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Matthew Wood and David Acord
Should win: The Revenant
Will win: The Revenant
My take: Sound always wins it in twos, editing and mixing. The Revenant was the most reliant on it.
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Bridge of Spies: Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
Mad Max: Fury Road: Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
The Martian: Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
The Revenant: Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
Should win: The Revenant
Will win: The Revenant
My take: See above.
ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina: Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
Mad Max: Fury Road: Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
The Martian: Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
The Revenant: Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
My take: Sorry grizzly bear, it looks like Mad Max: Fury Road's turn.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Big Short: Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Brooklyn: Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Carol: Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
The Martian: Screenplay by Drew Goddard
Room: Screenplay by Emma Donoghue
Should win: The Big Short
Will win: The Big Short
My take: It's hard to make a financial comedy about the global meltdown of 2008 but the writers of The Big Short nailed it.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bridge of Spies: Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Ex Machina: Written by Alex Garland
Inside Out: Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
Spotlight: Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton: Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
Should win: Spotlight
Will win: Spotlight
My take: The ode to journalism should win best screenplay.
Monday, February 15, 2016
First Production Teaser for Star Wars: Episode VIII
"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Episode VIII!" With those glorious words by director Rian Johnson, we've officially opened the floodgates to speculation on the next chapter of the Star Wars saga. When we last left them, Luke Skywalker and Rey were just about to introduce themselves to introduce each other. It looks like Episode VIII will pick up exactly from there. Besides these teaser announcement on the start of production for the next film, we also have a confirmation on the returning cast and new additions on the next film.
Actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie and Andy Serkis will all return to reprise their roles. Meanwhile Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran will join the cast for ongoing adventures. If you haven't seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens yet, then surely you've seen some names missing from this list. Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking. Now, go watch the movie.
Filming commenced on the production today and the untitled next chapter will release seven months from its previous release date on December 15, 2015. So, let's start wondering who these new characters are? Friends or foes?
Oscars Class of 2016
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| (Photo: The Academy) |
Monday, February 8, 2016
2016 Vanity Fair Hollywood Cover
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| (Photo: Vanity Fair) |
New Photos: Ghostbusters Reboot
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| Melissa McCarthy as Abby Yates Paranormal researcher, supernatural scientist, entity trapper |
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| Kristin Wigg as Erin Gilbert Particle physicist, academic firebrand, spectral warrior |
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| Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzmann Nuclear engineer, munitions expert, proton wrangler |
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| Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan Ghost tracker, municipal historian, metaphysical commando |
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| Chris Hemsworth as Kevin Telecommunications expert, reception services technician, unemployed actor |
(Photos: Official Website)
The new stills give us some more info on the new characters and the roles they'll play in the new film. Chris Hemsworth's role as the Ghostbuster's receptionist is already becoming my favourite thing about the movie. The good news, according to Feig, is that the trailer is due to drop this month. So it shouldn't be long now. Ghostbusters hits theatres this summer, July 15, 2016
Friday, January 15, 2016
They're here, the 2016 Oscar Nominations are announced!
Second to Oscar day, the most exciting time of the year is when the nominations are announced. It's my anticipated days of the new year. This new tradition of dividing the nominations into two segments is growing on me. The first sections (mostly the tech noms) are announced by two directors, today it was Ang Lee and Guillermo del Toro. The second section (the real deal, y'all) was announced by a scruffy John Kransinki (Hi, Jim!) and Academy President Cheryl Isaacs Boone. As soon as the nominations were announced, wave of delight and outrage started online. So without further adieu, here are the complete nominations for 2016 below
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
The Big Short: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
Bridge of Spies: Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
Brooklyn: Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
Mad Max: Fury Road: Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
The Martian: Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
The Revenant: Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
Room: Ed Guiney, Producers
Spotlight: Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers
My take: Just like last year, the best picture nominations totals eight.The Revenant leads the pack with 12. I'm already bracing myself for the inevitable, the unpredictability of this year. There's no clear frontrunner and I truly believe it's anyone's year. It all matters on momentum and just how that particular Oscar voter was feeling that day. That said, I'm delighted to see Room, The Big Short and The Revenant land the big nominations. It's good to see The Martian and Mad Max: Fury Road, two films that did extremely well at the box office make it to the top eight. This exclusive club is open to the blockbusters occasionally. I haven't gotten the chance to see Brooklyn or Spotlight yet. Time to rectify that soon.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bryan Cranston in Trumbo
Matt Damon in The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
My take: The big story in this category remains that will the Academy ever see DiCaprio worthy of winning the gold statue or will Redmayne make like Tom Hanks and score himself a second consecutive Oscar. I say, don't count out the formidable Byran Cranston, whom I'm sure could teach these young 'uns a lesson.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christian Bale in The Big Short
Tom Hardy in The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight
Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone in Creed
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett in Carol
Brie Larson in Room
Jennifer Lawrence in Joy
Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara in Carol
Rachel McAdams in Spotlight
Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs
My take: Kate Winslet might have just won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress but for the big race, I do think it's between Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander, even though theirs are not supporting performances. The lead actress category was so crowded this year that it spilled over to the supporting. A sneaky way, but effective nonetheless.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
Anomalisa: Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Boy and the World: Alê Abreu
Inside Out: Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
Shaun the Sheep Movie: Tomm Moore and Paul Young
When Marnie was There: Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura
My take: Last year, this category scored a big upset when Big Hero 6 won. Will this year be the same? Pixar's Inside Out was so critically acclaimed this year that I thought it might sneak into Best Picture. It definitely looks to be the frontrunner here but I wouldn't count out Anomalisa or the films from Aardman and Studio Ghibli - Shaun the Sheep Movie and When Marnie was There.
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Carol: Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight: Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road: John Seale
The Revenant: Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario: Roger Deakins
My take: Keeping my fingers crossed that this is year Roger Deakins finally, finally wins. But the rest of the films in this category were gorgeously shot. Still hoping for a Deakins win.
ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Carol: Sandy Powell
Cinderella: Sandy Powell
The Danish Girl: Paco Delgado
Mad Max: Fury Road: Jenny Beavan
The Revenant: Jacqueline West
My take: The amazing Sandy Powell made Cate Blanchett look absolutely stunning onscreen in both Carol and Cinderella but the characters in Mad Max were so damn unique (and numbering in hundreds).
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
The Big Short: Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road: George Miller
The Revenant: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room: Lenny Abrahamson
Spotlight: Tom McCarthyMy take: Surprising not seeing Ridley Scott here but last year's winner Iñárritu makes a strong presence this year again. Great seeing funnyman McKay in the mix as well.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Amy: Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
Cartel Land: Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
The Look of Silence:Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
What Happened, Miss Simone?: Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
Winter's Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom: Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
My take: I'm relieved that this year I have a head start and have seen two of the nominated documentaries, Amy and Cartel Land. Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence has had the most buzz around it. I personally really enjoyed Amy.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Body Team 12: David Darg and Bryn Mooser
Chau, beyond the Lines: Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah: Adam Benzine
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Last Day of Freedom: Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
My take: It's homework time on these shorts, though I do recognize a previous nominee, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
The Big Short: Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road: Margaret Sixel
The Revenant: Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight: Tom McArdle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey
My take: Ah, finally a technical category where the number of women matches up to the men.Very, very pleased to see Sixel and JJ Abrams's longtime editors Brandon and Markey being honored here. The icing on the cake would be if they won.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Embrace of the Serpent:Colombia
Mustang: France
Son of Saul: Hungary
Theeb: Jordan
A War: Denmark
My take: Aaaand just like last year, I haven't seen a single foreign film from the category. Shameful!
ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Mad Max: Fury Road” Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared” Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
The Revenant” Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini
My take: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared (of which i know nothing) could make history as the longest title to win an Oscar. But the real question is which Tom Hardy film is winning the makeup Oscar?
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Bridge of Spies: Thomas Newman
Carol: Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight: Ennio Morricone
Sicario: Jóhann Jóhannsson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: John WilliamsMy take: Musical maestros Morricone and Williams are turning back the clock with their nominations. Williams is already the most nominated music director ever, but I have a feeling this category can bring a shocker come Oscar night.
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
Earned It from Fifty Shades of Grey
Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
Manta Ray from Racing Extinction
Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
Simple Song #3 from Youth
Music and Lyric by David Lang
Til It Happens To You from The Hunting Ground
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
Writing’s On The Wall from Spectre
Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith
My take: I'm dismayed with the selection this year. What happened Academy? Also, Fifty Shades of Grey is an Oscar nominee. smh
ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
Bridge of Spies Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
The Danish Girl Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
Mad Max: Fury Road Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
The Martian Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
The Revenant Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish PurdyMy take: From Mars to Amsterdam to colonial America, these film's sets had it all.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Bear Story Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
Prologue Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
Sanjay’s Super Team Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
We Can’t Live without Cosmos Konstantin Bronzit
World of Tomorrow Don Hertzfeldt
My take: Yay for Sanjay's Super Team! For the rest of the nominees, time to start reading up on them.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Ave Maria: Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
Day One: Henry Hughes
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut): Patrick Vollrath
Shok: Jamie Donoughue
Stutterer: Benjamin Cleary and Serena ArmitageMy take: Reading time!
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Mad Max: Fury Road: Mark Mangini and David White
The Martian: Oliver Tarney
The Revenant: Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
Sicario: Alan Robert Murray
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Matthew Wood and David Acord
My take: Yay for Star Wars! *makes lightsaber noises*
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Bridge of Spies: Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
Mad Max: Fury Road: Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
The Martian: Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
The Revenant: Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
My take: See above.
ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina: Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
Mad Max: Fury Road: Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
The Martian: Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
The Revenant: Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
My take: The lone female visual effects supervisor in the category belongs to Ex Machina. Rock on sister!
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Big Short: Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Brooklyn: Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Carol: Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
The Martian: Screenplay by Drew Goddard
Room: Screenplay by Emma Donoghue
My take: One of the toughest categories for me. Hard to pick at this stage but delighted to see The Martian and Room here.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bridge of Spies: Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Ex Machina: Written by Alex Garland
Inside Out: Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
Spotlight: Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton: Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
My take: #OscarSoWhite they only saw fit to nominate Straight Outta Compton in the Screenplay category. What happened to Best Picture and Score? smh again
The 88th annual Oscar awards, hosted by Chris Rock, will be given out on February 28, 2016.
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