My 2015-2016 Oscar Predictions – Part 3: The Story Aspects

The third part of the predictions involves the storytelling through screenplays, editing, and then I threw in cinematography and the music categories just so they fit somewhere. Lets take a look!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Bridge of Spies – Matt Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Ex Machina – Alex Garland
Inside Out – Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley. Original story by Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen
Spotlight – Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer
Straight Outta Compton – Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff. Original story by S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff

Interesting that Ex Machina is in this category. Compton is also here, which is nice to see.  But I think Spotlight is winning this category.  It sounds like a solid film with a lot of Oscar buzz around it.

Prediction: Spotlight

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ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
The Big Short – Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
The Martian – Drew Goddard
Room – Emma Donoghue
Brooklyn – Nick Hornby
Carol – Phyllis Nagy

Wow, I really don’t know.  Lots of possibilities here, I would say they all have a chance with the exception of The Martian.  I’m just going to randomly choose… Carol.  No, the Big Short, since it has best chance at Best Picture as well. No, Carol. No… sigh…

Prediction: Carol

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CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Carol – Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight – Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road – John Seale
The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario – Roger Deakins

Okay, so here is the conundrum.  Will they give it to Deakins, who has long been a bridesmaid, for Sicario, a film which does look really good?  Or will they award Lubezki for the third year in a row, for a film which probably does deserve the cinematography award?  Either way, its a story.  But I always seem to choose Deakins, assuming they will finally give him his statue, and they just never do.  Eventually he will win.  But I loved the cinematography in Revenant so much, I have to choose it just so I can cheer for it to win.

Prediction: The Revenant

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FILM EDITING:
The Big Short – Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road – Margeret Sixel
The Revenant – Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight – Tom McArdle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

I think that The Big Short has a good chance for BP, but so far I am not seeing a lot of other wards for it to win.  It would be weird if it won best pic but nothing else, so I think this will be the something else.

Prediction: The Big Short

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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

Hmm…. has Morricone won an Oscar before? No?  Alright, I think he will now.

Prediction: The Hateful Eight

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ORIGINAL SONG:
Earned It, Fifty Shades of Grey
Manta Ray, Racing Extinction
Simple Song #3, Youth
Til It Happens To You, The Hunting Ground
Writing’s on the Wall, Spectre

Well, the best prediction might be “who gives a shit?” It just better not be that awful Bond song from Spectre.

Prediction: The Hunting Ground