The nominations for the 88th Academy Awards were announced January 22nd, 2016, with a slew of nominations being thrown the direction of two burly films: the harrowing, brutal survival tale The Revenant (with 12 nominations), and the non-stop, old school action mayhem of George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (with 10 nominations). Probaby the biggest question: Woul this finally be Leo’s year?
Hosted by Chris Rock, February 28th, the night was, for a change brisk funny, and very political, with Rock taking full advantage to address the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, and the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Mostly on-target, he make the audience both squirm, laugh, and wake up on the issues, if only for a night.
The big surprise was the load of gold hauled by Mad Max: Fury Road, winning a slew of technical awards, for a total of six Oscars. Ennio Morricone finally earned his first Oscar for the soundtrack to The Hateful Eight, and yes, Leo survived his bear mauling and other Revenant misery to finally take home his first Oscar on his sixth nomination. Both men got well-deserved standing ovations. But there was another surprise at the very end: The otherwise quiet Spotlight swooped in for the top prize, making this awards show actually worth staying awake for.
For the full scoop on the 2016 Academy Awards, go to Oscars.com.
BEST PICTURE
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight ✔
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant ✔
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room ✔
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies ✔
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl ✔
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out ✔
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant ✔
Sicario
COSTUME DESIGN
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road ✔
The Revenant
DIRECTING
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant ✔
Room
Spotlight
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
Amy ✔
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
Body Team 12
Chau, beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness ✔
Last Day of Freedom
FILM EDITING
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road ✔
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Embrace of the Serpent
Mustang
Son of Saul ✔
Theeb
A War
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Mad Max: Fury Road ✔
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight ✔
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MUSIC (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 ✔
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road ✔
The Martian
The Revenant
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Bear Story ✔
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
Shok
Stutterer ✔
SOUND EDITING
Mad Max: Fury Road ✔
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
SOUND MIXING
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road ✔
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
The Big Short ✔
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight ✔
Straight Outta Compton
