The Advocates predictions for this years Oscars
Best Picture
Did you know that Leo ate real raw meat and was actually in freezing cold water in “The Revenant”? He was, because the director was, and is, crazy. -Ivy
Everyone I’ve talked to has raved about “The Revenant”, and I agree. The movie is nominated in over 10 categories at this year’s Oscars, so it’s clear that the movie is remarkable. Plus, everything they put DiCaprio through – that’s commitment. -Matana
Best Director
I’m totally choosing “The Revenant” again – I mean Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu just had such a vision and to actually put your actors through real scenes to get the right emotion is both cruel and visionary. -Ivy
Because he was the one that insisted Dicaprio suffer throughout the entire duration of production. And that’s awesome. Creative vision of the director, right? In all seriousness, though, “The Revenant” would not be the same movie without Iñárritu. -Matana
Best Actor
Once again, “The Revenant,” because Leonardo DiCaprio has deserved this award since he died in the “Titanic.” Again though, raw meat. -Ivy
Okay, guys – we gotta give it to him this time. No, he actually deserves it this time. I think he’s going to win. I mean, if you look at the men he’s up against, it’s blatantly clear who’s the front runner. Leo literally killed his role in “The Revenant”. -Matana
Best Actress
I mean, Jennifer Lawrence is hot, but she really is a great actress in “Joy.” She’s an overall badass in this film and in life. -Ivy
Ivy and I agree (though, I know she may be a bit more passionate than me). J. Law is a badass in general, but even more so in “Joy”. You knew it the instant you saw the trailer – this movie was going to be good. And it totally was: Jennifer Lawrence is very likely to win for Best Actress. -Matana
Best Supporting Actor
From “Spotlight” we choose Mark Ruffalo. He may not be super hot, but he’s a great actor and always plays the perfect man. -Ivy
Mark Ruffalo. Because… Mark Ruffalo. Need I say more? -Matana
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh takes this one for “The Hateful Eight.” As Matana pointed out, she gets beat up so much! On a side note though, Rachel McAdams is a runner up; she’s just way too beautiful. -Ivy
Best supporting actress is definitely Jennifer Jason Leigh, simply for the amount of punches she takes in the movie. A way of challenging your patriarchal ideals with laughter and a little bit of horror. Take it all in stride and give that woman an award! -Matana
Best Original Screenplay
First I want to say “Straight Outta Compton” and “Spotlight” aren’t exactly true original screenplays. Just because this is the first screenplay written and filmed doesn’t mean it’s original. Those events were real, sorry, you didn’t film them while they happened. Now, “Inside Out” is an original. Though “Osmosis Jones” was done on white blood cells(!), this movie is about five little emotions in your head running your life! -Ivy
Ivy and I agree – both “Spotlight” and “Straight Outta Compton” aren’t technically original screenplays. They’re based on real-life events. Comparing, and pitting them against, works such as “Inside Out” is just unfair. That being said, “Inside Out” totally takes the cake. Who doesn’t like that movie? Kudos to the writers. -Matana
Best Adapted Screenplay
I say “The Martian” for this. Not only was this story a great book, it was a awesome movie. Matt Damon played his character Mark so well and the overall story of a man left on Mars surviving off poop potatoes is ingenious. -Ivy
“The Martian” is an obvious choice. It’s nominated for a lot of awards, and I think this is the one where it’s likely to win. And it was a great movie; I wouldn’t have thought that it came from an original book. -Matana
Best Foreign Film
We picked “Son of Saul,” and I honestly don’t know why because I have never seen this movie, or the other movies that were nominated for this award. So, are any of them really worth it? -Ivy
So, “Son of Saul” won the Golden Globes for best foreign film. It was the first win for the country of Hungary. So, that’s something to consider. -Matana
Best Documentary Feature
Following the life of Amy Winehouse, a famous singer with an iconic eyeliner fashion, “Amy” was the documentary we choose. The film explains a lot about the late star’s life. -Ivy
Okay, “Amy” was hands-down amazing. In part because it shows the innate beauty in her talent, but also tragic because of the way she was manipulated and, inevitably, destroyed, due to her fame. Highly recommended, and very likely to be awarded. -Matana
Best Animated Feature
I personally think that the Oscars should encourage movies for all generations, meaning that when I hear “animated feature” I think movies for children. Once again “Inside Out” should win this one. The number of children, parents, and other adults who have seen this particular film is most likely so much larger than the number of people who have seen the other movies nominated for these movies. -Ivy
“Inside Out” takes the cake once again. Though, I will say that “Anomalisa” looks like a stunning movie – claymation animation used to depict a drama about mental illness? Piques my interest, for sure. -Matana
Best Film Editing
This was a tough choice between “Mad Max,” “Star Wars,” and “The Revenant.” In the end we chose “Mad Max.” This film is so fast-paced that it needs the perfect editing and that’s just what it got. -Ivy
Oh, “Mad Max,” how you surprised us all with your excellence. In all honesty, Fury Road was an editing masterpiece, mainly because the director and editors worked together from the start to execute a fresh, innovative technique that launched this movie into the nominations. Here’s to hoping you win! -Matana
Best Song
I’m just saying real quick – “Spectre” was absolutely terrible. When the music video came on in the beginning of the movie all I could do was laugh, it was so bad! For real though, “Fifty Shades of Gray” should win this, its song set the tone for the entire movie. -Ivy
Oh goodness me. “Spectre” is out of the running right off the bat – Ivy is right. We saw the movie together, and for the life of us, could not keep our laughter in. “Fifty Shades,” in comparison, creates a tone and had radio singles from the movie. -Matana
Best Original Score
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” There should be no other words needed. -Ivy
I conceded on this one. (Is the “Star Wars” score considered original? But it is iconic – and it probably has been nipped and tucked to fit the new movie.) It has a good chance of winning. -Matana
Best Digital Effects
This one was hard! The nominations were “Ex Machina,” “The Martian,” “The Revenant,” and “Star Wars.” In the end I had to go with “Star Wars.” The creators have been making some of the best digital effects movies since the beginning and they’ve only gotten better. I choose this film because every second and scene of this show is done with CGI. -Ivy
This Star Wars nomination I am behind. Nearly the whole movie is digital effects. Not only is it full on digital effects, it’s dependent on them to tell the story in its full authenticity. That level of need created amazing standards, and amazing results. -Matana
Best Cinematography
“The Revenant” takes this one again. Cinematography is the art of making a movie and the work that went into this one was far greater than the other movies nominated. Leonardo ate raw meat for this movie, and it was shot in a forest with a lot of natural light. These facts just prove it’s worthiness more. -Ivy
Just the level of dealing with nature, dealing with all natural conditions – lighting, temp, frame obstructions – that requires a great deal of skill as far as cinematography. “The Revenant” required that level of skill to accomplish Iñárritu’s vision. -Matana
Best Costume Design
Can I just say, Leo was dressed in shreds of fabric in “The Revenant,” and everything in “Mad Max” is rags and clothes you could find today made dirty to look post-apocalyptic. So, when I saw “Cinderella” nominated I jumped for joy. As a seamstress, I can tell you the work that went into designing and creating tailored suits and gigantic ball gowns. Even the fabrics are more expensive, and don’t even get me started on the embroidery they put on the Prince’s suit. -Ivy
Definitely “Cinderella.” Big, corseted wardrobes like that (it seems) always win, and this is the only film nominated like that. And like Ivy said, all the other nominations seem to pale in comparison as to skill. -Matana
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
I personally don’t know what to choose here… nominated were “Mad Max,” “The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared,” and “The Revenant.” In the end, I guess I’ll go with “Mad Max,” but only because of the cool metal mask. -Ivy
Well, if I’m being honest, none of these seem that grand. I suppose there isn’t much to choose from, because there are only three nominations in the category. But, yes, I agree with Ivy on “Mad Max” – they had a whole cultural image to create, so that’s saying something. Skill? Maybe not so much. -Matana
Best Production Design
I don’t even know. -Ivy
… “The Martian,” maybe? -Matana
Best Sound Editing
I want to say “Star Wars,” because for decades I’ve been wondering how they came up with the sound for the lightsabers, and the spaceships, and the racing, and like everything action in this movie. -Ivy
I agree – “Star Wars” deals with a lot of sound effects and looping in post-production editing (it seems). Like digital effects, it’s a crucial part of making it Star Wars. -Matana
Best Short Film, Live Action, Best Short Film, Animated, and Best Documentary Short Subject
Going to be honest, I haven’t watched a single one of these short films that were nominated – they’re not worth anyone’s time.
There is so much wrong with this article.
You two realize Jennifer Jason Leigh wasn’t actually being hit, right? It’s a movie (where not everything is real) and she’s playing a character. How does her character being hit have anything to do with the performance? You both also have an odd tendency to factor in an actor’s looks alongside their talent. Rachel deserves a runner-up mention, solely for being pretty? Mark Ruffalo isn’t “super hot” but still manages to earn your praise. The attractiveness of an actor is irrelevant in the discussion of whether they are deserving of awards.
There is little reason behind many of your decisions. “Because… Mark Ruffalo. Need I say more” It would be nice if you did. “There should be no other words needed” Yes, there should. Jennifer Lawrence is “badass” in the film. What does that mean? Maybe touching on how she portrayed the character and maintained plausibility would add context. Ivy says that Inside Out is the best because it was the most popular – disregarding its quality in comparison to the other films. Moreover, to say animated films should be for children, or people of all ages, is woefully archaic. I get these are brief statements, but a little more explanation would be good.
The short films aren’t worth anyone’s time? You haven’t seen them, so how could you possibly say that? A similarly ambiguous and mildly ignorant statement is made about the foreign film section. “I have never seen this movie, or the other movies that were nominated for this award. So, are any of them really worth it?” Watch them and find out. Moreover, are you legitimately asking me, the reader, if they’re “worth it” – or are you stating that because you didn’t take the time to see them, they aren’t worthy of praise? That makes no sense. Please tell me this is a joke of some kind.
There’s also a glut of ill-informed, illogical opinions. What does Leo eating raw meat have anything to do with cinematography? A movie being “fast paced” doesn’t automatically mean it’s well edited. The statement in regards to the production design of Mad Max said, “Skill? Maybe not so much” How would you know!? Just because Star Wars had a lot of CGI, doesn’t make it better than the rest. The best CGI goes unnoticed (like in Mad Max).
Why write this if you guys didn’t watch a majority of the films nominated for Oscars, have no knowledge of cinema and no desire to elaborate logically? I get you want to jump on the Oscar bandwagon for readership, are young and under deadline, but there has to be a standard of writing higher than, “like everything action in this movie”. It’s okay to not know things, but don’t write as if you do.