It was the closest thing to a clean sweep as we have seen so far this awards season.
Over the weekend, several major regional critics groups revealed their choices for the "Best" films of 2015. Organizations from Los Angeles to Boston (and points in between) spread their love to a smattering of different films and performances, keeping the hopes of numerous Oscar contenders alive. But when it came down to naming a Best Picture, it was Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight that took the top prize again and again.
Spotlight was named Best Picture by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Washington DC Area Film Critics, and the New York Film Critics Online. Earlier in the season, Spotlight picked up the top prize at the Gotham Awards. It leads the nominations for the 2016 Independent Spirit Awards. And it performed extremely well during its early run through the fall film festival circuit.
What does this mean? Perhaps not much, but at this stage in the game, building up any sort of momentum can be crucial to establishing a film as a frontrunner, and Spotlight sure picked up a significant amount of critical adoration over the weekend. "Frontrunner" status can also lead to backlash, as those who might not believe in Tom McCarthy’s masterpiece can start to chip away at its credibility (though what they could possibly oppose is beyond me, at this point). For now, here’s where I think the Oscar contenders sit on December 7. What about you?
BEST PICTURE
The Frontrunners
Brooklyn
The Martian
Room
Spotlight
The Contenders
45 Years
The Big Short
Bridge Of Spies
Carol
Ex Machina
The Hateful Eight
Inside Out
Joy
The Revenant
Steve Jobs
The Dark Horses
Anomalisa
Beasts of No Nation
Black Mass
Concussion
Creed
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Suffragette
Trumbo
The Longshots
The End Of The Tour
Love & Mercy
Sicario
Straight Outta Compton
Youth
The more I think about Spotlight, the more I realize it doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it. It’s airtight, and its precision – from the script to the performances – can be traced back to Tom McCarthy. I need to see it one more time, but he might be running away with this category. Can Quentin Tarantino or David O. Russell disrupt his flow?
BEST DIRECTOR
The Frontrunner
John Crowley, Brooklyn
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Ridley Scott, The Martian
The Contenders
Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Danny Boyle, Steve Jobs
Ryan Coogler, Creed
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Steven Spielberg, Bridge of Spies
The Dark Horses
Scott Cooper, Black Mass
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Sarah Gavron, Suffragette
Todd Haynes, Carol
Tom Hooper, The Danish Girl
Adam McKay, The Big Short
David O. Russell, Joy
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight
The Longshots
J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Peter Docter, Inside Out
Peter Landesman, Concussion
Now that I’ve seen Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant, I can tell you that I think he gets in. Not only that, I think he’s the one to beat in this category. Not because he gives the year’s best performance. (In fact, Tom Hardy’s slightly better than DiCaprio in the SAME movie!) However, the narrative that it’s DiCaprio’s time is strong, and I’m not sure that there’s another powerful male performance ready to knock Leo out this year. Depp and Damon are possible. Outside of those three, I’m not seeing it.
BEST ACTOR
The Frontrunners
Matt Damon, The Martian
Johnny Depp, Black Mass
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
The Contenders
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Tom Hanks, Bridge of Spies
Michael B. Jordan, Creed
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
The Dark Horses
Steve Carell, The Big Short
John Cusack, Love & Mercy
Ian McKellen, Mr. Holmes
Will Smith, Concussion
The Longshots
Michael Caine, Youth
Tom Hardy, Legend
Edgar Ramirez, Joy
We are seeing a lot of the same names in the category, as if the candidates had been established for weeks, and now they are just jockeying for position. Carol boasts two spectacular performances. Saoirse Ronan is brilliant in Brooklyn, and Brie Larson is picking up early critics’ awards for Room. Having seen Joy, I predict Jennifer Lawrence stays firmly in the Best Actress conversation this year. And I’m pulling for Charlotte Rampling, who is devastating in 45 Years. What say you?
BEST ACTRESS
The Frontrunner
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
The Contenders
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Carey Mulligan, Suffragette
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
The Dark Horses
Emily Blunt, Sicario
Marion Cotillard, Macbeth
Blythe Danner, I’ll See You In My Dreams
Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
Lily Tomlin, Grandma
The Longshots
Sarah Silverman, I Smile Back
Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van
Easily this year’s most competitive race, which means several worthy names will be left out when the nominations eventually are announced. How many actors from Spotlight can get in? You could almost give all five slots to members of the outstanding Spotlight ensemble, but in reality, I bet two make the cut. Mark Rylance still feels like a lock for Bridge of Spies. After that, though, there are SO MANY names that deserve consideration. This is the hardest race to narrow down, and I predict it will come down to the wire.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
The Frontrunners
Michael Keaton, Spotlight
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Jacob Tremblay, Room
The Contenders
Tom Courtenay, 45 Years
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Seth Rogen, Steve Jobs
Liev Schreiber, Spotlight
Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
The Dark Horses
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Jim Broadbent, Brooklyn
Albert Brooks, Concussion
Bradley Cooper, Joy
Robert De Niro, Joy
Benicio Del Toro, Sicario
Bruce Dern, The Hateful Eight
Joel Edgerton, Black Mass
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Ryan Gosling, The Big Short
Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina
Samuel L. Jackson, The Hateful Eight
Kurt Russell, The Hateful Eight
The Longshots
Harvey Keitel, Youth
Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Alicia Vikander long has been the frontrunner in this category, not just for her soul-baring work in The Danish Girl (which should earn her an Oscar win, not just a nomination), but in recognition of the exquisite year she had as a performer. I also finally caught Youth last week, though, and I understand why many believe Jane Fonda’s scant bit of screentime will earn her a nod. It’s a showy, vitriolic turn that drips with the resentment of an older actress – and a Hollywodo legend – leveling bitter (but accurate) criticisms at her industry. Biting the hand that has fed her for years? What better way to get Oscar’s attention? I bet it works in her favor come nomination morning.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
The Frontrunners
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Rooney Mara, Carol
The Contenders
Joan Allen, Room
Elizabeth Banks, Love & Mercy
Jane Fonda, Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Kate Winslet, Jobs
The Dark Horses
Helena Bonham Carter, Suffragette
Helen Mirren, Trumbo
The Longshots
Jessica Chastain, The Martian
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Concussion
Julie Walters, Brooklyn
Katharine Waterston, Steve Jobs
