Oscars 2016 Early Predictions for the Night's Biggest Honors
The nominees for the 88th Academy Awards ceremony were announced Thursday morning (one thing that stuck out instantly was the glaring lack of diversity among the nominees). The winners will be announced at the ceremony on Feb. 28 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The Revenant, starring perennial Oscars snub Leonardo DiCaprio, received 12 nominations, followed by Mad Max: Fury Road, with 10. The Martian was nominated seven times, with Bridge of Spies, Carol and Spotlight each nominated six times.
Actor and comedian Chris Rock will be back to host the Oscars for the second time. Rock kept the Hollywood crowd laughing at the 77th Academy Awards in 2005.
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Here are Mic's early predictions for the biggest night in Hollywood.
Best Picture
The list: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight
Mic pick: Alejandro Iñárritu's 2015 film depicting Leonardo DiCaprio as a frontiersman fighting for his life in 1823 Montana and South Dakota will be the winner of best picture at the 2016 Oscars. You heard it here first. Mic's calling it now.
The Revenant — which grossed a domestic total of more than $50 million, according to IMDb — has earned several award nominations and wins, most notably three Golden Globes: for best motion picture for drama, best director and best actor in a drama.
Best Actor
The list: 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
Mic pick: After eating real bison liver and enduring temperatures below zero during the making of The Revenant, Mic thinks it's about time to give the 41-year-old DiCaprio his due. The Revenant actor received positive feedback for his acting performance; Christopher Orr for the Atlantic wrote, "DiCaprio's commitment to the role is beyond dispute."
DiCaprio won several awards for his role as Hugh Glass in The Revenant, including a Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture for drama, a nomination for best actor from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and multiple film critics associations' awards.
Best Actress
The list: Cate Blanchett in Carol, Brie Larson in Room, Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years, Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Mic pick: Brie Larson, who plays a mother who was kidnapped and imprisoned for years in the drama-thriller Room, is Mic's pick for best actress.
The 26-year-old actress is coming off a Golden Globes win on Sunday, where she was nominated for best performance by an actress in a motion picture. Although the Golden Globes isn't always the most accurate predictor of Oscars winners, Mic thinks Larson has a pretty good chance.
Best Supporting Actor
The list: 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
Mic pick: The Revenant actor DiCaprio was a toddler when Sylvester Stallone was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Rocky Balboa in the 1976 film Rocky. The 69-year-old Stallone won a Golden Globe Sunday for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for his role as — you guessed it — Rocky Balboa, in the 2015 film Creed.
Best Supporting Actress
The list: 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
Mic pick: Kate Winslet, who played an Apple executive and Jobs' close friend in the film Steve Jobs, will walk away with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The British actress — who has won one Academy Award, the most recent for her role as Hanna Schmitz in the 2008 film The Reader — is coming off a Golden Globes win Sunday.
Best Directing
The list: Lenny Abrahamson for Room, Alejandro Iñárritu for The Revenant, George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road, Tom McCarthy for Spotlight, Adam McKay for The Big Short
Mic pick: Mic is riding The Revenant train pretty heavily here, but Alejandro Iñárritu will receive the Academy Award for Best Directing. Thursday morning's announcement marks the seventh Academy Award nomination for the Mexican film director, according to the Oscars website.
Iñárritu has the opportunity to be the third director in history to win consecutive Oscars in the category, with his 2015 win for the film Birdman, according to the New York Daily News. Iñárritu would be the first person in 66 years to win a consecutive Oscar for directing.
Coming off the Golden Globes win Sunday for Best Motion Picture for drama, Mic's money is on Iñárritu.
