Article

And the 2015 Nominees Are...

Written by Eric, Patrick, Scott

First Posted: January 14th, 2016

The nominations are out and the countdown to the big night is underway.

Below we list the nominees with links to our reviews of the films so you can see where we agreed or disagreed with the Academy.

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short
Big Short
  • Scott:
     

    "One of my favorite movies of the year."

  • Patrick:
     

    "A talented ensemble cast, a compelling script and stylish direction."

  • Eric:
     

    "It tries hard to make a complicated subject understandable."

Bridge of Spies
Bridge of Spies
  • Scott:
     

    "Another winning collaboration between Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg."

  • Eric:
     

    "A quality piece of entertainment but it is not without its flaws."

  • Patrick:
     

    "A taut spy thriller from a master storyteller."

Brooklyn
Brooklyn
  • Scott:
     

    "A beautifully filmed coming of age story."

  • Eric:
     

    "I loved Brooklyn!"

  • Patrick:
     

    "The most romantic movie of 2015."

Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Eric:
     

    "Seriously? This is Oscar Material?."

  • Scott:
     

    "The action movie of the summer."

  • Patrick:
     

    "A feminist statement and a nonstop thrill-ride."

The Martian
The Martian
  • Eric:
     

    "Science can be fun but this movie is not."

  • Scott:
     

    "Too long. Too littered with plot holes."

  • Patrick:
     

    "I enjoyed it."

The Revenant
The Revenant
  • Scott:
     

    "A visual masterpiece."

  • Patrick:
     

    "The best movie of 2015!"

  • Eric:
     

    "The most entertaining of this year's award worthy movies."

Room
Room
  • Patrick:
     

    "A film you won't soon forget."

  • Eric:
     

    "I applaud the effort."

  • Scott:
     

    "Despite some strong performances, this is not the Best Picture of the year by any means."

Spotlight
Spotlight
  • Scott:
     

    "Gripping."

  • Patrick:
     

    "An acting showcase."

  • Eric:
     

    "Puts the spotlight on something ugly."

BEST DIRECTOR

Adam McKay - The Big Short
Big Short
  • Scott:
     

    "McKay reins it in and delivers a movie that will make you laugh and think."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Directs in a breezy stylish manner."

  • Eric:
     

    "Mostly succeeds at making a dry subject entertaining."

George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Eric:
     

    "Keeps the pace racing along."

  • Scott:
     

    "Miller returns to the world he created and in top form."

  • Patrick:
     

    "George Miller took a chance, and it paid off."

Alejandro G. Inarritu - The Revenant
The Revenant
  • Scott:
     

    "One of the most innovative directors working today."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Inarritu directs with his own distinct visual flair."

  • Eric:
     

    "With direction this great, dialogue is pointless."

Lenny Abrahamson - Room
Room
  • Patrick:
     

    "Simple yet powerful."

  • Eric:
     

    "Directed from a child's perspective but only partially succeeds."

  • Scott:
     

    "Abrahamson raises the story above movie of the week level."

Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
Spotlight
  • Scott:
     

    "McCarthy manages a large cast and a complex story."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Does a nice job."

  • Eric:
     

    "McCarthy points the camera, and blame, in directions not reported in the news."

BEST ACTOR

Bryan Cranston - Trumbo
Trumbo
  • Scott:
     

    "Cranston is one of the finest character actors working today."

  • Eric:
     

    "Makes Trumbo real, if not likable."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Buries himself in the role."

Matt Damon - The Martian
Martian
  • Eric:
     

    "Damon plays an arrogant know it all as if he had been playing the part his whole life."

  • Scott:
     

    "His charm helps cover many of the film's flaws."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Acts well by himself."

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
The Revenant
  • Scott:
     

    "Leo says little with his voice, but he still speaks volumes."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Should win the Oscar."

  • Eric:
     

    "Makes you suffer every moment with him."

Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
  • Scott:
     

    "Fassbender isn't a dead ringer for Jobs, but he embodies him nonetheless."

  • Patrick:
     

    "A sublimely realized portrait of Steve Jobs."

  • Eric:
     

    "As he is not going for a realistic portrayal, why is he being rewarded with a nomination?"

Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl
The Danish Girl
  • Eric:
     

    "Redmayne's transformation from man to woman is subtle and seamless."

  • Scott:
     

    "Buries himself in the part."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Exudes femininity from every pore."

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett - Carol
Carol
  • Patrick:
     

    "Her usual solid performance."

  • Scott:
     

    "Is Blanchett even capable of giving a bad performance?"

  • Eric:
     

    "She plays Carol as a flame, making the audience mere moths."

Brie Larson - Room
Room
  • Patrick:
     

    "A star is born."

  • Eric:
     

    "Her performance is not as noteworthy as the subject matter is timely."

  • Scott:
     

    "A career changing performance."

Jennifer Lawrence - Joy
Joy
  • Patrick:
     

    "A joy to watch."

  • Scott:
     

    "She's the best thing about this movie."

  • Eric:
     

    "She has a natural screen presence and comes across as a very real person."

Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
45 Years
  • Scott:
     

    "A nuanced and subtle performance from an old pro."

  • Eric:
     

    "You feel every one of her emotions."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Anyone who has ever felt the pain of heartbreak will recognize every petty reaction and hurt expression that flickers across her face."

Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn
Brooklyn
  • Scott:
     

    "Ronan succesfully transitions to grownup roles."

  • Eric:
     

    "She's sweet as sugar and sincere as summer sunshine."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Effortlessly conveys innocence and wonder."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale - The Big Short
The Big Short
  • Scott:
     

    "The somber heart of this comic tale."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Gives another of his method performances."

  • Eric:
     

    "What exactly does Bale do in this film that is awardworthy?"

Tom Hardy - The Revenant
The Revenant
  • Scott:
     

    "Hardy buries himself in the part."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Matches Leo's intensity."

  • Eric:
     

    "Plays intense better than anyone, especially when wearing an ugly skullcap."

Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight
Spotlight
  • Scott:
     

    "Manages to standout from an impressive cast."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Worthy of the nomination."

  • Eric:
     

    "Simmers throughout but I kept waiting for him to hulk out and let someone have it."

Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Bridge of Spies
  • Scott:
     

    "The veteran stage actor delivers an understated, but excellent performance."

  • Eric:
     

    "Deserves the Oscar."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Certainly worthy of the nomination."

Sylvester Stallone - Creed
Creed
  • Patrick:
     

    "The sentimental favorite."

  • Scott:
     

    "The character he was born to play and he does some of his finest work here."

  • Eric:
     

    "My sentimental favorite."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
The Hateful Eight
  • Scott:
     

    "In this bucket of blood called a movie, she's a scene stealer."

  • Patrick:
     

    "One hell of a committed performance."

  • Eric:
     

    "Leigh makes ugly very entertaining."

Rooney Mara - Carol
Carol
  • Patrick:
     

    "As good as her more celebrated costar."

  • Scott:
     

    "Mara quietly holds her own against Blanchett."

  • Eric:
     

    "Mostly forgettable."

Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
Spotlight
  • Scott:
     

    "More than holds her own in this cast of mostly men."

  • Patrick:
     

    "For once she didn't annoy me."

  • Eric:
     

    "Her nomination demonstrates how shallow the award pool was."

Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
The Danish Girl
  • Eric:
     

    "How in the hell does the star of the film get nominated for a supporting award?"

  • Scott:
     

    "Cements her position as Hollywood's latest It Girl."

  • Patrick:
     

    "Matches Redmayne -literally- scene for scene."

Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
  • Scott:
     

    "Goes toe-to-toe with Fassbender."

  • Patrick:
     

    "A colorful role done with feeling."

  • Eric:
     

    "Steals the film from Fassbender. "

OTHER CATEGORIES

ANIMATED FEATURE
ART DIRECTION
CINEMATOGRAPHY
COSTUME DESIGN
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
FILM EDITING
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
  • Embrace of the Serpent
  • Mustang
  • Son of Saul
  • Theeb
  • A War
MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
ORIGINAL SCORE
ORIGINAL SONG
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
SOUND MIXING
VISUAL EFFECTS
WRITING (Adapted Screenplay)
WRITING (Original Screenplay)