2016 Oscar predictions, who will win and why - a full list

This coming Sunday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will hold their biggest event of the year - the Oscars. No doubt the Oscars is the most prestigious film event in the year and is expected to be viewed around the world by over several million people. Predicting who will win the coveted gold statue can be difficult task, but this Movie Awards Examiner has had a long record of predicting Oscar winners. So here is my list - who will win and why.
The 88th Academy Awards will be held on this Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, California. The Oscars will be hosted by Chris Rock and will be broadcast live on ABC in more than 225 countries worldwide.
Performance by an actor in a leading role:
· Bryan Cranston in âTrumboâ
· Matt Damon in âThe Martianâ
· Leonardo DiCaprio in âThe Revenantâ
· Michael Fassbender in âSteve Jobsâ
· Eddie Redmayne in âThe Danish Girlâ
Yes, finally this is Leoâs year. Leonardo DiCaprio matched with genius filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñårritu has given no other actor a chance of winning in this category. Leo has won the Golden Globe Award, the SAG Award and the BAFTA. Finally winning his first Oscar will just be topping on the cake.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
· Christian Bale in âThe Big Shortâ
· Tom Hardy in âThe Revenantâ
· Mark Ruffalo in âSpotlightâ
· Mark Rylance in âBridge of Spiesâ
· Sylvester Stallone in âCreedâ
Just think Rocky when you see this category. Sylvester Stallone was nominated for Best Actor exactly 40 years ago for the film he made on his own â âRocky.â Although the film won for best film, Stallone went home empty handed. Stallone showed his restraint with a tempered performance that is not only a the sentimental choice, but a worthy choice.
Performance by an actress in a leading role:
· Cate Blanchett in âCarolâ
· Brie Larson in âRoomâ
· Jennifer Lawrence in âJoyâ
· Charlotte Rampling in â45 Yearsâ
· Saoirse Ronan in âBrooklynâ
I would love to see Saoirse win this award, just to hear her Irish brogue, but everyone knows that Brie Larson has this category sewn up for her incredible performance in âRoom.â Not only is this the best performance in the category, but the best performance of all the categories. This is Brieâs first Oscar nomination and assuredly will be her first Oscar win come Oscar Sunday.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
· Jennifer Jason Leigh in âThe Hateful Eightâ
· Rooney Mara in âCarolâ
· Rachel McAdams in âSpotlightâ
· Alicia Vikander in âThe Danish Girlâ
· Kate Winslet in âSteve Jobsâ
This category is the only acting category that has competition. The winner will be either Alicia Vikander for âThe Danish Girlâ or Kate Winslet for âSteve Jobsâ Aliciaâs performance is that of an emotional portrait of a wife and friend that stands the test of time and Kateâs performance is an extremely articulate performance stemming from a script twice the size of most scripts. Kate won the Golden Globe Award and just recently the BAFTA back in her home in London. Alicia took home the SAG Award, which is a large chunk of the voting bloc. But I will call Kate Winslet as the winner. She has the momentum right now and since Aaron Sorkin wasnât even acknowledged for his script, it would an ideal way to pay tribute to the film âSteve Jobs.â
Best animated feature film of the year:
· âAnomalisaâ Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran
· âBoy and the Worldâ AlĂȘ Abreu
· âInside Outâ Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
· âShaun the Sheep Movieâ Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
· âWhen Marnie Was Thereâ Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura
The artsy crowd may be secretly hoping that Charlie Kaufmanâs âAnomalisaâ wins, but everybody else knows the clear winner for Best Animated Feature is âInside Out.â Itâs the feel-good animated film that speaks to adults and children alike. The film was also nominated for its well written script â which rarely happens for animated films.
Achievement in cinematography:
· âCarolâ Ed Lachman
· âThe Hateful Eightâ Robert Richardson
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ John Seale
· âThe Revenantâ Emmanuel Lubezki
· âSicarioâ Roger Deakins
The competition in this category is between two superhero cinematographers. Roger Deakins has been nominated a staggering 13 times for an Oscar and has yet to win one. Too bad he is in competition with Emmanuel Lubezki for âThe Revenant.â For this film has little dialogue and depends much more on its visual strengths than most movies. And in âThe Revenant,â Emmanuel Lubezki brings such visually stunning moments of snowy frontier, over and over again â itâs truly a treat for the eyes. Lubezki took home honors in this category for the last two years â winning for âGravityâ in 2014 and âBirdmanâ last year. And it looks like Lubezki will bring home his third Oscar in a row.
Achievement in costume design:
· âCarolâ Sandy Powell
· âCinderellaâ Sandy Powell
· âThe Danish Girlâ Paco Delgado
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ Jenny Beavan
· âThe Revenantâ Jacqueline West
To me the clear winner of this category is Paca Delgado for âThe Danish Girl,â as the costumes are an integral part of Eddie Redmayneâs transformation into his character Lili. But unfortunately, Delgadoâs choice of materials were purposefully chosen to be more subtle and this may be Delgado downfall. The powerful and dynamic costumes in âMad Max: Fury Road,â are my pick to win. This will make Jenny Beavanâs second Oscar win, her first was in 1987 for âA Room with a View.â
Achievement in directing:
· âThe Big Shortâ Adam McKay
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ George Miller
· âThe Revenantâ Alejandro G. Iñårritu
· âRoomâ Lenny Abrahamson
· âSpotlightâ Tom McCarthy
My pick for Best Director didnât even make this list. Ridley Scott provided a science fiction wonder in âThe Martian,â and it was an incredibly hard undertaking. And itâs amazing that Scott has gone entire career bringing truly great films to cinema, and has yet to wim an Oscar of his own. The clear winner from this category is Alejandro G. Iñårritu for âThe Revenant.â This too was an incredible demanding shoot and the result is a film that will be forever known in film circles and one of the best visual story-telling films of all time. This will make the second year in a row for Iñårritu, last year he took home the Oscar for directing âBirdman.â
Best documentary feature:
· âAmyâ Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
· âCartel Landâ Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
· âThe Look of Silenceâ Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge SĂžrensen
· âWhat Happened, Miss Simone?â Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
· âWinter on Fire: Ukraineâs Fight for Freedomâ Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor
There are some very fine documentaries in this category. But hands down, to me, âAmy,â should win. âAmyâ clearly and thoughtfully tells the story of blues singer Amy Winehouse, from her early beginnings to her untimely death at the young age of 27 years old. By simple story telling, the film will bring tears to anyone who sees the film. I knew this film was a winner when I saw it last summer and no other film has been able to change my mind.
Best documentary short subject:
· âBody Team 12â David Darg and Bryn Mooser
· âChau, beyond the Linesâ Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
· âClaude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoahâ Adam Benzine
· âA Girl in the River: The Price of Forgivenessâ Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
· âLast Day of Freedomâ Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
Short films are notoriously known for being unpredictable. That being said, my choice for documentary short would be Shameen Obaid-Chinoy for âA Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness,â which exposes the act of young women being killed in Pakistan for what is called âhonor killings.â This film tells the story of one girl that survived.
Achievement in film editing:
· âThe Big Shortâ Hank Corwin
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ Margaret Sixel
· âThe Revenantâ Stephen Mirrione
· âSpotlightâ Tom McArdle
· âStar Wars: The Force Awakensâ Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey
This is a toss-up between âThe Revenantâ and âMad Max: Fury Road,â Being that âMad Max: Fury Road,â has a bit more dialogue to contend with, it is my pick to take the Oscar.
Best foreign language film of the year:
· âEmbrace of the Serpentâ Colombia
· âMustangâ France
· âSon of Saulâ Hungary
· âTheebâ Jordan
· âA Warâ Denmark
Hungaryâs film âSon of Saul,â which tells a story from the Auschwitz death camp has taken every top prize during award season and it will be victorious at the Oscars as well.
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling:
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
· âThe 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappearedâ Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
· âThe Revenantâ SiĂąn Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini
For helping to create a world completely unknown to us and having to so with a great number of cast â stars and extras alike, this award will most likely go to âMad Max: Fury Road.â
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score):
· âBridge of Spiesâ Thomas Newman
· âCarolâ Carter Burwell
· âThe Hateful Eightâ Ennio Morricone
· âSicarioâ JĂłhann JĂłhannsson
· âStar Wars: The Force Awakensâ John Williams
Although Quentin Tarantinoâs âThe Hateful Eightâ did not get notice for script or a nod for Best Film, it has won every award for its dynamic score written by Italian composer Ennio Morricone. Morricone has written over 100 classical scores and a staggering 500 compositions for TV and film. He has been nominated for five Oscars and with âHateful Eightâ being his sixth. He is the clear winner in this category.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song):
· âEarned Itâ from âFifty Shades of Greyâ Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
· âManta Rayâ from âRacing Extinctionâ Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
· âSimple Song #3â from âYouthâ Music and Lyric by David Lang
· âTil It Happens To Youâ from âThe Hunting Groundâ Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
· âWritingâs On The Wallâ from âSpectreâ Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith
Now I find this to be a really interesting category. The clear winner is âTil It Happens To Youâ from âThe Hunting Ground.â Many fans will want this song to win in order to see Lady Gaga earn her first Oscar, but Oscar voters will be really voting for Gagaâs writing partner Diane Warren. Warren has been nominated in the same category seven times before this nomination and each time she has gone home empty handed. Combined together, these two women are unstoppable.
Best motion picture of the year:
· âThe Big Shortâ Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
· âBridge of Spiesâ Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
· âBrooklynâ Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
· âThe Martianâ Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
· âThe Revenantâ Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñårritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
· âRoomâ Ed Guiney, Producer
· âSpotlightâ Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers
Combining the power of a visually stunning tale of surviving the wilderness and headed by an actor that will stop at nothing to tell a great story, âThe Revenantâ is the clear winner in this category.
Achievement in production design:
· âBridge of Spiesâ Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
· âThe Danish Girlâ Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
· âThe Martianâ Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
· âThe Revenantâ Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy
Again for creating a world completely foreign to us today, the team that worked on âMad Max: Fury Roadâ are the clear choice to win in this category.
Best animated short film:
· âBear Storyâ Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
· âPrologueâ Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
· âSanjayâs Super Teamâ Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
· âWe Canât Live without Cosmosâ Konstantin Bronzit
· âWorld of Tomorrowâ Don Hertzfeldt
For a very unique style of animation, Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton bring an amazing world to live in drawings that walk and talk and tell a warriors story through the eyes of a young girl in âPrologue.â Itâs masterful and must win!
Best live action short film:
· âAve Mariaâ Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
· âDay Oneâ Henry Hughes
· âEverything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)â Patrick Vollrath
· âShokâ Jamie Donoughue
· âStuttererâ Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage
By bringing the war in Kosovo to life through the life of two young boys, âShok,â tells the horror of war from the view of the innocent. Itâs an amazing film and my choice for this category.
Achievement in sound editing:
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ Mark Mangini and David White
· âThe Martianâ Oliver Tarney
· âThe Revenantâ Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
· âSicarioâ Alan Robert Murray
· âStar Wars: The Force Awakensâ Matthew Wood and David Acord
With the complexities of innumerable amounts of sounds, âMad Max: Fury Roadâ is destined to win both sound honors.
Achievement in sound mixing:
· âBridge of Spiesâ Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
· âThe Martianâ Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
· âThe Revenantâ Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
· âStar Wars: The Force Awakensâ Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
âMad Max: Fury Roadâ
Achievement in visual effects:
· âEx Machinaâ Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
· âMad Max: Fury Roadâ Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
· âThe Martianâ Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
· âThe Revenantâ Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
· âStar Wars: The Force Awakensâ Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
Again, for creating another a world unto its own, âMad Max: Fury Roadâ is a clear winner for best visual effects.
Adapted screenplay:
· âThe Big Shortâ Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
· âBrooklynâ Screenplay by Nick Hornby
· âCarolâ Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
· âThe Martianâ Screenplay by Drew Goddard
· âRoomâ Screenplay by Emma Donoghue
For telling the story of the intricacies of how the housing market meltdown took place, âThe Big Short,â is the clear winner here.
Original screenplay:
· âBridge of Spiesâ Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
· âEx Machinaâ Written by Alex Garland
· âInside Outâ Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
· âSpotlightâ Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
· âStraight Outta Comptonâ Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
âSpotlgiht,â is the clear choice to win for telling the harrowing tale of the Roman Catholic cover-up that still resonates today.