Friday 29 January 2016

SAG Predictions



Another set of predictions, and once again I'm so unsure. This is such an exciting year, isn't it? So much confusion and hardly any clear frontrunners. But SAG will start to clear things up A LOT in terms of the acting races. Will Leo finally win his first SAG? Is Brie going to sweep? Who's going to win Supporting Actor since Sly isn't around? 


Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Beasts of No Nation
The Big Short
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
Trumbo

Should Win: Spotlight
Will Win: Spotlight

It's definitely a two horse race between the Big Short and Spotlight, but I'm going to go for Spotlight, even though I'm not overly confident in this pick. 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Johnny Depp, Black Mass
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio
Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio

I can't see it being anyone other than Leo. The narrative is waaaaay too strong. 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Helen Mirren, Woman in Gold
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Sarah Silverman, I Smile Back

Should Win: Saoirse Ronan or Brie Larson
Will Win: Brie Larson

Brie will probably sweep this right? I prefer Saoirse's performance, but not by a lot. Either one is a worthy winner!

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Jacob Tremblay, Room

Should Win: Jacob Tremblay or Idris Elba
Will Win: Jacob Tremblay

Yep, I'm going out on a huge limb here and predicted Tremblay. He gave that adorable speech at Critics Choice, and I'd love to see that happen again. However, I know it'll probably be Rylance, but I just can't not predict Tremblay for some reason. We'll see how wrong I am come tomorrow night. 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Helen Mirren, Trumbo
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Should Win: Rooney Mara
Will Win: Rooney Mara

Again, this is pretty split between Mara and Vikander (with Vikander having a slight upper hand), but I really want Rooney Mara to win. She was so sublime in Carol. Vikander will win one of these days! She's not going away anytime soon! 

Thursday 14 January 2016

Oscar Nominations (And Reactions!)

Oscar nominations are out! I was practically having a panic attack before they were announced because I get really nervous over stuff like this. I take snubs very personally sometime. But, I actually scored a personal best in my predictions this year, which is crazy considering how wide open this field is. I'm frustrated by the whole #oscarssowhite thing, but I'm actually more upset that Idris Elba was the sole real contender for a nomination, and he was undeservingly snubbed. In fact, that movie as a whole got nothing and it sucks. 


Leading the nominations was The Revenant, with a whopping 12 nominations! Just behind it was Mad Max:Fury Road, with 10. While there were definitely some exclusions that suck, I'm overall pleased with how well I did with my predictions. We'll see how pleased/displeased I'll be once I consider who is actually nominated. 

Best Picture
“The Big Short”
“Bridge of Spies”
“Brooklyn”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Revenant”
“Room”
“Spotlight”

Final Predictions Score: 7/8
So, in my list of 10, I did actually include all 8! but My official picks were 8, but I had Carol in over Bridge of Spies. Honestly, I'm just really, really, really happy Mad Max made it in here. How incredible is that? So far, I've seen 7 of these 8 nominees, all I need to get on is Bridge of Spies, thankfully hitting DVD in a couple of weeks. Also really pleased to see several female led films here, Brooklyn especially. Definitely an interesting year for BP nominees! 


Lead Actor
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”

Final Predictions Score: 5/5
I was having nightmares that Leo would somehow be snubbed. Glad it didn't happen! Leo should have smooth sailing between now and the Oscars!

Supporting Actor
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”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
I am so, so, so happy that I stuck it out and predicted Tom Hardy getting in here! I really thought about swapping him out (for Ruffalo), but just couldn't do it. And I'm so glad I didn't! Definitely such a deserving nod! Although, I still don't understand the Bale love here. The real star of The Big Short was Ryan Gosling! 

Lead Actress
Cate Blanchett in “Carol”
Brie Larson in “Room”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Joy”
Charlotte Rampling in “45 Years”
Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
I really thought Alicia Vikander would get in here, but alas, category fraud sucks. So happy for Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan!

Supporting Actress
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”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
I'm not totally surprised Alicia Vikander is in here. But I"m really happy for my girl Rachel McAdams! Finally!

Director
“The Big Short” Adam McKay
“Mad Max: Fury Road” George Miller
“The Revenant” Alejandro G. Iñárritu
“Room” Lenny Abrahamson
“Spotlight” Tom McCarthy

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
I knew SOMEONE would be snubbed. And I wondered if it would be Ridley. I never really bought into the narrative of him being frontrunner for the win. Can we give the prize to George Miller already? 

Adapted Screenplay
“The Big Short”
“Brooklyn”
“Carol”
“The Martian”
“Room”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
I"m happy to see Brooklyn in here, but shocked by the Sorkin snub! What a bummer, it deserved to be in here. 

Original Screenplay
“Bridge of Spies”
“Ex Machina”
“Inside Out”
“Spotlight”
“Straight Outta Compton”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
Again, shocked by the Tarantino snub. But SO happy to see Ex Machina get in here! 

Animated Film
“Anomalisa”
“Boy and the World”
“Inside Out”
“Shaun the Sheep Movie”
“When Marnie Was There”

Final Predictions Score: 3/5
The foreign/indie ones always screw with my predictions. Just glad Inside Out is the frontrunner!

Cinematography
“Carol”
“The Hateful Eight”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Revenant”
“Sicario”

Final Predictions Score: 5/5
Perfect score!

Costume Design
“Carol”
“Cinderella”
“The Danish Girl”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Revenant”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
All I missed was the Revenant, putting Brooklyn in over it. So glad to see Cinderella here

Documentary
“Amy”
“Cartel Land”
“The Look of Silence”
“What Happened, Miss Simone?”
“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”

Final Predictions Score: 3/5
I really haven't seen any of these, so I don't have any comments. 


Film Editing
“The Big Short”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Revenant”
“Spotlight”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
I had the Martian in here over Star Wars. But how cool is it that 2 of these movies have female editors? Love that! 

Foreign Film
“Embrace of the Serpent”
“Mustang”
“Son of Saul”
“Theeb”
“A War”

Final Predictions Score: 3/5
Again, haven't seen any of these.. 

Makeup & Hairstyling
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared”
“The Revenant”

Final Predictions Score: 2/3
I wasn't sold on Black Mass getting in here. But wasn't really expecting The 100 Years Old Man... 

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

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
How Mad Max keeps getting overlooked in this category, I'll never know... 

Original Song
“Earned It” from “Fifty Shades of Grey”
“Manta Ray” from “Racing Extinction”
“Simple Song #3” from “Youth”
“Til It Happens To You” from “The Hunting Ground”
“Writing’s On The Wall” from “Spectre”

Final Predictions Score: 3/5
Fifty Shades of Grey is an Oscar-nominated film... Oh boy. But The Weeknd is up! More fellow Canadians!

Production Design
“Bridge of Spies”
“The Danish Girl”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Revenant”

Final Predictions Score: 3/5
I opted for Carol and Cinderella over The Martian and The Revenant. Happy for the Revenant, could care less about the Martian being here. 


Sound Editing
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Revenant”
“Sicario”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
Sicario got in over my prediction of Spectre. Not that I know anything about this category anyway

Sound Mixing
“Bridge of Spies”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Revenant”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Final Predictions Score: 4/5
I predicted Straight Outta Compton over Bridge of Spies. Oh well. 

Visual Effects
“Ex Machina”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Revenant”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Final Predictions Score: 5/5

I got 5 for 5 here! I was a little nervous not predicting any Marvel movies, but I'm happy with this lineup. Especially the inclusion of Ex Machina and The Revenant. Awesome!


Total Predictions Score: 83/106

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Final Oscar Predictions

This was incredibly difficult to put together. The race really is wide open in so many categories, so it was hard to decide how many Best Picture nominees to go with, who will get in in that crazy Supporting Actor field, and how much category fraud will be committed? I ended up going with a solid 8 Best Picture nominees, though it could very well be 7, or 10! I feel like there's going to be a lot of shockers tomorrow morning, and a lot of surprises. But we'll see just what happens.

Best Picture
(in order of likelihood)
Spotlight 
The Revenant
The Big Short
The Martian
Mad Max: Fury Road
Brooklyn
Room
Carol

(If 9)
Straight Outta Compton

(If 10)
Bridge of Spies

Best Director
George Miller- Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott- The Martian 
Tom McCarthy- Spotlight
Alejandro G. Inarritu- The Revenant
Adam McKay- The Big Short 

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio- The Revenant
Michael Fassbender- Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne- The Danish Girl
Bryan Cranston- Trumbo
Matt Damon- The Martian

Best Actress
Brie Larson- Room
Cate Blanchett- Carol
Saoirse Ronan- Brooklyn
Jennifer Lawrence- Joy
Alicia Vikander- The Danish Girl

Best Supporting Actress
Rooney Mara- Carol
Jennifer Jason Leigh- The Hateful Eight
Kate Winslet- Steve Jobs
Rachel McAdams- Spotlight
Helen Mirren- Trumbo

Best Supporting Actor
Mark Rylance- Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone- Creed
Idris Elba- Beasts of No Nation
Christian Bale- The Big Short
Tom Hardy- The Revenant 

Best Original Screenplay
Spotlight
Inside Out
The Hateful Eight
Ex Machina
Straight Outta Compton

Best Adapted Screenplay
Steve Jobs
The Big Short
Room
Carol
The Martian

Best Animated Picture
Inside Out
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Shaun the Sheep Movie
The Peanuts Movie

Best Original Score
The Hateful Eight- Ennio Morricone
Star Wars: The Force Awakens- John Williams
Carol- Carter Burwell
Bridge of Spies- Thomas Newman
Inside Out- Michael Giacchino 

Best Original Song
The Hunting Ground- "Til It Happens To You"
Furious 7- "See You Again"
Youth- "Simple Song 3"
Spectre- "Writings On the Wall"
Fifty Shades of Grey- "Love Me Like You Do"

Best Film Editing 
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
The Martian
The Revenant
The Big Short

Best Cinematography 
The Revenant
Mad Max: Fury Road
Carol
Sicario
The Hateful Eight

Best Costume Design
Cinderella
Brooklyn
Carol
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Black Mass


Best Production Design
Mad Max: Fury Road
Carol
Cinderella
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl

Best Visual Effects
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant 
Ex Machina

Best Sound Mixing
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Revenant
Straight Outta Compton

Best Sound Editing 
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spectre
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Documentary
Amy
The Look of Silence
Cartel Land
He Named Me Malala
Going Clear

Best Foreign Language Picture 
Son of Saul
Mustang
Labyrinth of Lies
The Grand New Testament 
A War

Total Nominations:
The Revenant: 10
Mad Max: Fury Road: 10
The Martian: 8
Carol: 8
The Big Short: 5
Spotlight: 5
Room: 3
Brooklyn: 3

Monday 11 January 2016

Golden Globe Reactions

Wow, so this Awards Race keeps getting crazier and crazier. And this is something everyone seems to be recognizing. The amount of surprise winners who went on stage expressing that they "seriously" did not expect to win. It was definitely a crazy evening with a lot of surprises! What does this all say about the upcoming Oscar nominations on Thursday? We'll have to wait and see! While this helps clear up some of the muddle, it definitely created just as much. 

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant - WINNER
Room
Spotlight

Once Iñárritu took hom best Director, I knew exactly what was going to happen. Even when Spotlight lost Best Screenplay, I figured it probably wouldn't be winning here. But I am surprised that The Revenant snagged this! I mean, Iñárritu lost last year with Birdman, so this may've been a make up award. But it was still surprising nonetheless. Is Spotlight buzz dead? Is it still really the frontrunner? I really don't know who would be if it isn't Spotlight. 

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
The Big Short
Joy
The Martian – WINNER
Spy
Trainwreck

I went out on a small limb and predicted The Big Short and ended up eating my words. I'm not altogether surprised that this won, but it meant that The Big Short, our dark horse frontrunner who has been gaining traction in the past few weeks, also walked away from the Globes empty-handed. What's happening? 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Cate Blanchett – Carol
Brie Larson – Room – WINNER
Rooney Mara – Carol
Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl

Not surprised at all. I finally got this one right! I had wondered if maybe Rooney Mara or Saoirse Ronan would win, but figured it would be Brie Larson in the end. Well deserved! 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant – WINNER
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl
Will Smith – Concussion

After Steve Jobs took home Supporting Actress and Screenplay, I started to get very stressed out over the idea of Michael Fassbender winning this. I mean, I wouldn't normally be against him winning for this performance, but I just love the Leo narrative and want it to go all the way. And The Revenant capped off it's fantastic box office and awards weekend with Leo winning. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy – WINNER
Amy Schumer – Trainwreck
Melissa McCarthy – Spy
Maggie Smith – The Lady in the Van
Lily Tomlin – Grandma

I had Jennifer winning here until the last few days when I had read this would be her 3rd Globe in 4 years. Darn looking at Stats!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Christian Bale – The Big Short
Steve Carell – The Big Short
Matt Damon – The Martian – WINNER
Al Pacino – Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo – Infinitely Polar Bear

While I wondered if Steve Carell was going to pull an upset, Matt Damon's win seemed to be the most obvious of the night. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Jane Fonda – Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Helen Mirren – Trumbo
Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina
Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs – WINNER

I had Winslet as my predicted winner until the last moment when I saw no one else was predicting her, so I went for Leigh, which was a mistake. So upset I changed my prediction!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Drama
Paul Dano – Love & Mercy
Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon – 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone – Creed – WINNER

Actually, I feel like this was the most obvious win of the night. Is Stallone after the Oscar next? The room was just so happy for him and he had a great standing ovation. We'll see!

Best Director – Motion Picture
Todd Haynes – Carol
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – The Revenant – WINNER
George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott – The Martian
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

I went out on a limb and predicted George Miller, who is still the deserving winner. But Iñárritu is not at all undeserving. He had such great direction for The Revenant, so I can't be too mad (only a little). 

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Room
Spotlight
The Big Short
Steve Jobs – WINNER
The Hateful Eight

Is it really ever surprising when Sorkin wins a screenplay award? I mean, I know I didn't predict it, but I wasn't very surprised. 

Best Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out – WINNER
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep

Also a very safe prediction I made, that I did actually get right. Deserved!

Best Foreign Language Film
The Brand New Testament
The Club
The Fencer
Mustang
Son of Saul – WINNER

This is actually the prediction I felt most confident about. Still need to see!

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Carter Burwell – Carol
Alexandre Desplat – The Danish Girl
Ennio Morricone – The Hateful Eight – WINNER
Daniel Pemberton – Steve Jobs
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto – The Revenant

I was hoping The Revenant would win, because this score is so heartbreaking, but the Hateful Eight won here. Everyone on here was so deserving. Too bad I didn't actually predict it!

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Love Me Like You Do” –Fifty Shades of Grey
“One Kind of Love” – Love & Mercy
“See You Again” –Furious 7
“Simple Song #3” –Youth
“Writing’s on the Wall” –Spectre – WINNER

Again, I was really, really hoping the song from Love & Mercy would win, but I am unsurprised to see Sam Smith win. I really thought Ellie Goulding was going to take it, but whatever. Writing's on the Wall was blah, so it's a disappointing win. 

Overall, I did a really, really horrible job in my predictions and only managed to predict 6/14, which is so bad. Hopefully my Oscar nominee predictions on Thrursday go much better than this. But an unpredictable season is more fun, right? 


The Revenant

The Revenant, 2015
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck

Hugh Glass is a fur trapper in 1820's America. He and his Native American son have a close bond, and his son, Hawk, is everything to Glass. But after Glass is mauled by a bear and hardly alive, Glass's compatriot Fitzgerald kills Hawk and leaves Glass for dead. But Glass won't be kept down. He rises from the grave he's been left in, determined to track down Fitzgerald, to survive, and to exact his revenge.

The Revenant was probably my #1 most anticipated movie for this year. It was the following up of Iñárritu's last years Best Picture winner, it was starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, and just sounded like an incredible story. I've been predicting Leo is going to win this Oscar for almost an entire year now, without changing my predictions. At this point, I still see no reason to change it.

Leo gives the performance of a lifetime here. In a role that's mostly silently, almost entirely physical, and is so dependent on Leo's face and eyes, it's a role unlike anything we've seen from him before. Never before have I realize how incredibly expressive Leo's eyes are. It's this part alone that he nails the role, and the emotions and heartbreak within in. Yes, Leo's Glass is driven by revenge, but even more so, he is driven by his love for his son, and the wife he also has lost. It's not often anger we see in Glass's eyes, but heartbreak and sadness and pain. It's definitely not his most talkative performance, but Leo is able to convey so much without needing to say much at all.

In fact, there were many periods of the film where the film isn't afraid to leave the film silent. No voice over, no dialogue, but emotions conveyed through the scenery around the characters, the music, and the characters faces. This film is incredibly spiritual and felt very in touch with the scenery it's displaying. I know many people have mentioned this movie just being incredibly "masculine", but that's never really a sense I got from this movie. This film had it's characters become parts of the nature around them. Glass has an incredible spiritual journey, not just a physical one. This is a movie with lots of tears, with love, and with passion. Yes, it's a film about men, but Iñárritu lets his men feel a variety of emotions, and never ashamedly so. This is a movie about the internal human conflict, the will to survive, and the power of love.

As well, how can I talk about this movie and not mention Emmanuel Lubezki's stunning cinematography? Once again, Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki delivers some of the most visceral and beautiful work. I mean, this is hardly any surprise, but it really is incredible. His choice to film only with natural light gives this movie such a beauty. It really reinforces the idea of the characters being a part of nature. It makes us feel so submerged in the surroundings. The surroundings itself were so gorgeous. The films extensive use of Canada, as well as some locations in the US and Argentina, are so incredibly beautiful. While I would never want to take the journey that Glass does, there were so many of these locations I'd love to walk through.

While Leo was by and away the star of the film, there are definitely several other mentions I need to make. First and foremost, is Tom Hardy. The fact that Tom Hardy is mainly being overlooked in this awards race is appalling. While I wouldn't necessarily say this is Hardy's all-time best work, it's definitely fantastic work deserving of recognition. Hardy is a master at playing awful people and rounding them out with humanity. And once again, he does so here. While I felt his character could've been expanded on a little more, and Hardy didn't have all that much to work with, he was still able to capture such a range of emotion and feeling, and channel that into a despicable character, but without crossing into caricature. Will Poulter should also get a shout out, as the poor young man who is always being manipulated and taken advantage of. Poulter plays one of the most sympathetic characters in the film, and plays Bridger with such innocence. Also, Domhnall Gleeson is increasingly becoming a favourite of mine. Here again, he does some fine work Captain Henry, the leader of the fur trapping group. A good man, determined to do his best and lead his men well, Gleeson is solid here.

Also, there are so many new faces of Native American actors. In fact, Native Americans are given some great treatment here. Showing that the Americans were not finitely good or bad, and that the Native Americans as well were not finitely either, Iñárritu displays the rough relationship but also gives such respect to their culture, language, and character development. It's such a pleasure to see the grey areas seemingly accurately portrayed, non-problematically.

In all, The Revenant is a cold, bloody film about the will to survive. It's a beautiful story about a fathers love for his family, the grief he feels at their loss. While I didn't love it as much as I had hoped I would, it was still an incredibly beautiful story. However, the film was very long. This in itself is not a bad thing,  but some parts felt a little long, and some of the characters could've been given more development. While I felt the relationship between Glass and his son was fantastic, I would've loved to have gotten more of Fitzgerald and some of his motives. The bear scene was incredible, and the final 15 minutes of the movie were so well-executed and were so incredibly tense. It's a beautiful film about love, loss and the fight to live. Leo 100% deserves that Oscar, and this is the perfect vehicle to get him there.

8.5/10

Saturday 9 January 2016

Golden Globe Predictions

It's that time of year again for predictions! Finally, the first of the years Award Show Winner predictions, instead of just nominees. I'm looking forward to the race starting to get clearer and to see who actually could take home those eventual Oscars! First up is the Golden Globes, airing tomorrow. Like probably most other people, I found some of these predictions so difficult to make. If you haven't noticed, this year has been rather interesting in that there are hardly any frontrunners in any of these races. Sure, there are favourites, but hardly anything has been performing as consistently as other years early favourites.

So below I've made up my "Who Should" and "Who Will" predictions for the winners in each other Film categories. Sorry guys, I'm just not at all in the loop when it comes to Televisions, so I'll be skipping those predictions. Good luck to everyone watching and predicting!

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Will Win: Spotlight

(to be honest, any of these could win, and I'd be very happy, they're all so worthy!)


Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
The Big Short
Joy
The Martian
Spy
Trainwreck

Should Win: Spy or the Big Short
Will Win: The Big Short

Is predicting the Big Short to win here an upset? I know the original frontrunner was the Martian, which could still totally win, but The Big Short has come on so strong and it 100% is a comedy. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Cate Blanchett – Carol
Brie Larson – Room
Rooney Mara – Carol
Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl

Should Win: Saoirse Ronan or Rooney Mara or Brie Larson
Will Win: Brie Larson (Room)

Rooney Mara is the Supporting Actress frontrunner for the Oscars while Brie Larson is our lead actress frontrunner. It'll be interesting to see them go head on. Though of course, Saoirse Ronan could make a huge play and end up (deservedly) winning! 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl
Will Smith – Concussion

Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio or Michael Fassbender
Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

I'm honestly a little nervous Bryan Cranston could take this, but I really, really, really want Leo to win that Oscar, so I want him to take it here. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
Amy Schumer – Trainwreck
Melissa McCarthy – Spy
Maggie Smith – The Lady in the Van
Lily Tomlin – Grandma

Should Win: Melissa McCarthy
Will Win: Amy Schumer (Trainwreck)

I'm actually really, really unsure on this one. Will they give Jennifer Lawrence her 3rd Globe in 4 years? It's possible. Or will they give it to her gal pal Amy? I'd still love for Melissa McCarthy to win this, who was actually hysterical in Spy. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Christian Bale – The Big Short
Steve Carell – The Big Short
Matt Damon – The Martian
Al Pacino – Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo – Infinitely Polar Bear

Should Win: Steve Carell 
Will Win: Matt Damon (The Martian)

Matt Damon winning wouldn't be all that undeserved. But it is Matt Damon kind of playing Matt Damon, with slightly more sass. Also, perpetually angry Steve Carell is one of my favourites and I'd love to see him win a Globe for it. 


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Drama
Jane Fonda – Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Helen Mirren – Trumbo
Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina
Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs

Should Win: Alicia Vikander 
Will Win: Jennifer Jason Leigh (the Hateful Eight)?

I'm honestly stumped by this category. With Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander's other performance missing, I'm really unsure. But I think I'm going to go with Leigh. But I really wouldn't be surprised if Vikander or Winslet won this. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Drama
Paul Dano – Love & Mercy
Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon – 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone – Creed

Should Win: Paul Dano!!!!! or Idris Elba
Will Win: Sylvester Stallone

I have an undying love for Paul Dano's performance in Love & Mercy and it should be winning everything. However, I'm gunna give this to Stallone. The biggest name in the category, and a great comeback narrative. 

Best Director – Motion Picture
Todd Haynes – Carol
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – The Revenant
George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott – The Martian
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

Should Win: George Miller
Will Win: George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

I remember after seeing Mad Max I felt it most deserved to be nominated for Best Director, of almost all the awards. So glad this is actually coming true, and that he'll likely win here! 

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Room
Spotlight
The Big Short
Steve Jobs
The Hateful Eight

Should Win: The Big Short or Steve Jobs
Will Win: Spotlight

I wouldn't be surprised if the Big Short or Room breaks in to steal this, especially the Big Short. Should the Big Short win this, I'll be taking it more seriously as the Oscar frontrunner. 

Best Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep

Should Win: Inside Out
Will Win: Inside Out

It's the only one I've seen in this category, but Insite Out 100% deserves this win. 

Best Foreign Language Film
The Brand New Testament
The Club
The Fencer
Mustang
Son of Saul

Should Win: ??
Will Win: Son of Saul

I have sadly seen none of these. Will definitely need to catch up!

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Carter Burwell – Carol
Alexandre Desplat – The Danish Girl
Ennio Morricone – The Hateful Eight
Daniel Pemberton – Steve Jobs
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto – The Revenant

Should Win: The Revenant or Carol
Will Win: Carol

I can't see Harvey going home with his top film going empty-handed. Carol really did have a beautiful score and while I thought the Revenant was just as devastating and gorgeous, I think Carol will take it. 

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Love Me Like You Do” –Fifty Shades of Grey
“One Kind of Love” – Love & Mercy
“See You Again” –Furious 7
“Simple Song #3” –Youth

“Writing’s on the Wall” –Spectre

Should Win: One Kind of Love (Love & Mercy)
Will Win: One Kind of Love (Love & Mercy)

Again, I'm unsure on this. Will The Globes want a big name like Ellie Goulding or Sam Smith up on stage? Will that non-stop repeat hit See You Again get rewarded for being on the radio 24/7? I'm personally rooting for Love & Mercy to win SOMETHING. And Brian Wilson winning would be super cool.