Film: Allegiant

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for violence and partial nudity
RUNTIME: 2 hours

STARRING: Shailene Woodley (Divergent, Fault in Our Stars)

Theo James (Insurgent); Jeff Daniels (Newsroom, Steve Jobs)

DIRECTOR: Robert Schwentke (Flightplan, RED, Insurgent)

WRITERS: Adam Cooper & Bill Collage (Accepted, Tower Heist)

Noah Oppenheim (Maze Runner)

PLOT: Tris and her friends find out what is beyond the wall and things are not what they seem.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I didn’t read the final book, heard it wasn’t that good.

STORY STUFF: Be aware that like all young adult books turned into movies, they have divided the final book into two parts. It was pretty obvious that they were taking their time to justify another film, some looks linger a bit too long. If you break down what really happens plotwise, not much goes on. This story would be my least favourite of the three so far but it wasn’t terrible or anything, just not as gripping.

ACTING STUFF: Everyone does a good job on screen. These actors know these characters and give it all they can. I did like seeing Jeff Daniels in his role as David (boring character names btw). It’s hard to believe that Daniels was in Dumb and Dumber.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: You can tell there was a lot of CG going on this movie. Being the future, some of that is understandable, but at other points, some realism would be nice. I found the over abundance of red, white and black kind of dull. I also wasn’t really impressed with the futuristic building designs. You could also tell that Four does not like white, he changed into his black outfit as quick as humanly possible.  

VERDICT: Two and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You’ve already seen the other two films.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Captain America: Civil War

Film: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 31 minutes

STARRING: Ben Affleck (Gone Girl, Argo, Daredevil)

Henry Cavill (Man of Steel); Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)

DIRECTORS: Zack Snyder (300, Man of Steel, Watchmen)

WRITERS: Chris Terrio (Argo) & David S Goyer (The Dark Knight)

PLOT: After Metropolis is wrecked, Batman wants to keep Superman in check so he takes him on with some extra egging on by Lex Luthor.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I had low expectations after watching the just okay Man of Steel.

STORY STUFF: While I felt they did a pretty good job justifying Batman wanting to fight Superman, I didn’t understand Lex’s motives much. Wonder Woman is given a good introduction but Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg are left on the peripheral.

ACTING STUFF: Everyone does a good job but there is not really a standout in the lead roles. I usually don’t like Laurence Fishburne (Matrix) but I really enjoyed his work this time around as Perry White. I actually cared about him as opposed to his weak introduction in Man of Steel.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The dark palette continues much like Man of Steel and Nolan’s Batman trilogy. I did not like Batman’s Iron Man suit complete with glowing eyes and platform shoes; too bulky. Unfortunately, the last third of the movie spirals out of control as Snyder makes the action busier and busier. Also, based on the dream sequences, I fear that Bruce Wayne has narcolepsy.

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You love broody superheroes and explosive action
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Allegiant

Film: Zootopia

GENRE: Animation, Action

RATING: PG for some action and rude humour
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 48 minutes

STARRING: Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time, Ed)

Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses); Idris Elba (Thor, Pacific Rim)

DIRECTORS: Byron Howard (Tangled), Rick Moore (Wreck-It Ralph)

WRITERS: Jared Bush (newcomer) & Phil Johnston (Wreck-It Ralph)

PLOT: A bunny cop and slick fox work together to find some missing animals and a greater conspiracy.

FULL DISCLOSURE: They had me at the sloth trailer.

STORY STUFF: The plot moved along a pretty good pace. I really enjoyed the themes of the film. Not only does it take on racial equality but also the idea of following your dreams (which they beat you over the head with Shakira’s “Try Everything” song). There are some great moments throughout but the best, by far, is the sloth scene at the DMV. It’s worth watching again and again.

ACTING STUFF: Really great voice acting all around. Even though I knew it was Goodwin doing Judy’s voice, it still reminded me of Amy Poehler.

ARTISTIC STUFF: This film looks a couple a steps shy of a Pixar film. There’s cleverness in the backgrounds and beautiful animation but it looks like it could go a bit further. Also the supporting characters needed more pizazz, like the mayor.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: Love clever Disney animated films

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Batman vs Superman, Allegiant

Oscar WrapUp 2016

So I got the same score as last year with 17 predicted right. Those short films did me in, I didn’t get one of them right. Chris Rock was pretty good as host. I thought the girl guide cookies fell flat but I loved his comment on what males wear and the clips of black people having a hard time in white movies. The music was weird this time around. The Ride of the Valkyries as play off music sounded awkward as was the music played for Brie Larson’s win for the emotionally draining Room. Oh well. I did enjoy the nomination packages again this year. I know I’m a nerd. Let’s see who won:

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

STUTTERER

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

BEAR STORY

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

A GIRL IN THE RIVER

SOUND EDITING

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (predicted)

SOUND MIXING

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (predicted)  

ORIGINAL SCORE

THE HATEFUL EIGHT (predicted)

ORIGINAL SONG

WRITING’S ON THE WALL

VISUAL EFFECTS

EX MACHINA

MAKE-UP

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (predicted)  

COSTUME DESIGN

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

PRODUCTION DESIGN

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (predicted)  

FILM EDITING

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (predicted)   

CINEMATOGRAPHY

THE REVENANT (predicted)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

AMY (predicted)

ANIMATED FEATURE

INSIDE OUT (predicted)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

SON OF SAUL (predicted)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE BIG SHORT (predicted)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

SPOTLIGHT (predicted)

BEST DIRECTOR

ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU [THE REVENANT] (predicted)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

ALICIA VIKANDER [THE DANISH GIRL] (predicted)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

MARK RYLANCE [BRIDGE OF SPIES]

BEST ACTRESS

BRIE LARSON [ROOM] (predicted)

BEST ACTOR

LEONARDO DICAPRIO [THE REVENANT] (predicted)

BEST PICTURE

SPOTLIGHT (predicted)

How did you do?

Oscar Predictions 2016

It’s that time of year again for my fearless Oscar predictions. This is probably the hardest Best Picture winner to predict. My gut, my head and my heart are still fighting to choose. Just as a reminder, I’m not predicting who I want to win but who I think the Academy will vote for. From smaller to bigger, here we go:

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

AVE MARIA

(It’s a heartfelt comedy with nuns)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM

(It’s Pixar. World of Tomorrow is close second)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

BODY TEAM 12       

(Red Cross deals with Ebola outbreak. Relevant)

SOUND EDITING

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

(Let the tech award haul begin)

SOUND MIXING

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

(For the flaming guitar guy alone!)

ORIGINAL SCORE

THE HATEFUL EIGHT

(Ennio Morricone is the man)

ORIGINAL SONG

TIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU [THE HUNTING GROUND]

(Lady Gaga on her way to her EGOT)

VISUAL EFFECTS

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

(Wish Star Wars would get it but the car fights are awesome)

MAKE-UP & HAIRSTYLING

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

(Even with the shaved heads)

COSTUME DESIGN

CINDERELLA

(Oscar loves period stuff and ball gowns)

PRODUCTION DESIGN

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

(I’ll say the cars win this one)

FILM EDITING

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

(Great action. Hoping Big Short doesn’t get it)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

THE REVENANT

(Beautiful landscapes and bear attacks)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

AMY

(Amy Winehouse is all the rage right now)

ANIMATED FEATURE

INSIDE OUT

(They better get this one.)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

SON OF SAUL

(Everyone is predicting this one)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE BIG SHORT

(Clever writing with its celebrity explanations)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

SPOTLIGHT

(A powerful film praising journalistic efforts)

BEST DIRECTOR

ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU [THE REVENANT]

(He knows how to make an interesting film)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

ALICIA VIKANDER [DANISH GIRL]

(She is everywhere and deserves some recognition)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

SYLVESTER STALLONE [CREED]

(It’s the Rocky award he should have one for the first Rocky)

BEST ACTRESS

BRIE LARSON [ROOM]

(She is mesmerizing as broken mother putting on a brave face)

BEST ACTOR

LEONARDO DICAPRIO [THE REVENANT]

(He practically killed himself for this award)

BEST PICTURE

SPOTLIGHT

(I feel like the Academy wants the winner to be a movie that means something years from now. The Big Short seems to crazy and The Revenant is just too raw. Spotlight is my heart choice.)

I only got 17 right last year. 21 right the year before.  Let’s see how I do on Oscar night this Sunday.

Film: Deadpool

GENRE: Action, Comedy

RATING: R for strong violence and language with some nudity
RUNTIME: 1 hours and 48 minutes

STARRING: Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder, Green Lantern)

Morena Baccarin (Homeland, Firefly); TJ Miller (Silicon Valley)

DIRECTOR: Tim Miller (newcomer)

WRITERS: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick (Zombieland)

PLOT: A ‘hero’ with quick healing powers seeks revenge on the man who experimented on him. And he likes to swear.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I only vaguely remember him from Origins: Wolverine.

STORY STUFF: The beginning and ending of the story is well paced and full of humour. The experiment that makes Deadpool into the guy he is was pretty boring. Maybe it was because the bad guy didn’t have much gravitas. I enjoy how the film tells the story in a non-linear fashion. I did not like the X-Men connection. Could care less about Colossus and who the hell is Negasonic Teenage Warhead?

ACTING STUFF: Reynolds finally has an action hero worth watching. You can tell that he is having so much fun playing this role, it makes you want to root for him even more. Miller and Baccarin do well to support Reynolds. The rest of the cast is blah.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Fantastic opening titles, fun slo-mo images mixed with sarcastically perfect credits. Just like the story, the beginning and ending are full of violent fun, the middle is snooze-ville. Deadpool loves to break the fourth wall and talk to the audience. His comments on X-Men are hysterical. Great meta fun. This film also has a kickin’ soundtrack from pulsing DMX to cheesy Wham!

VERDICT: Three and a half stars

SEE IT IF: You aren’t offended easily by gratuitous language & violence

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Zoolander 2, Zootopia

Superbowl Commercials 2016

Maybe watching Superbowl ads all at once following the big game is not as fun as watching them during the game. I wasn’t too impressed with the commercials this year. I hope they improve for next year, when we, in Canada, are finally able to see the American spots. In any case, here are some of my favourites but aso the ones that made me go ‘huh?’

FUNNIEST COMMERCIALS

Avacados from Mexico – Aliens

Strange but at least mocks Scott Baio.

Doritos – Ultrasound

Need to get past why these two are married.

FUN USE OF CELEBRITIES

Bud Light – The Bud Light Party

Seth Rogen & Amy Schumer go over the line, but still fun.

TurboTax – Actoring

Nice to see Anthony Hopkins getting work

BEST USE OF A SONG

Marmot – Love the Outside

The use of Flight of the Conchords made this work for me.

INSPIRING COMMERICAL

Pantene – Dad-Do: Strong is Beautiful

Very cute watching football players try do their daughter’s hair

GREAT PSA COMMERCIALS

Colgate – #EveryDropCounts

A great reminder.

Budweiser – #GiveADamn

Helen Mirren is so ‘polite’ calling out the drunk drivers of the world

NOT SURE ABOUT  COMMERCIALS

Heinz Ketchup – Weiner Stampede

The dogs are cute but the family of ketchups kind of deflates it

NFL – Superbowl Babies

Funny but weird to sing about your parents. It was hard to understand all the lyrics in the beginning. This ad also went on way too long.

BIZARRE HEALTH  COMMERCIALS

OIC is Different – Envy

Have constipation? Talk to a doctor. What? No pill or remedy being promoted?

Xifixan – IBS

Who came up with this mascot?

Jublia – Toenail Fungus

It was odd last year, and now they have NFL celebrities helping out. Huh?

TERRIBLE MESSAGE COMMERCIAL

QuickenLoans – What We Were Thinking

Are they trying to create another financial crisis?

MISGUIDED USE OF CELEBRITY COMMERCIALS

Skittles – The Portrait

Steven Tyler is not relevant anymore. Also tired of Dream On.

T-Mobile – Drop the Balls

Very timely with Steve Harvey but just not funny at all.

Also thought the Apartments.com ad was pretty cheesy with Weezy.

“WHAT?”  COMMERCIALS

PayPal – New Money in Town

Glad they showed Canadian bills but how new is PayPal?

Mountain Dew – Kickstart

Puppymonkeybaby. What am I watching?

Anyway, that’s my assessment of the ads this year. Here’s hoping for better next year.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Deadpool; Zoolander 2

Film: Creed

GENRE: Drama

RATING: PG-13 for boxing violence and some langauge
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 13 minutes

STARRING: Michael B Jordan (Friday Night Lights, Fruitvale Station)

Sylvester Stallone (Rocky); Tessa Thompson (Selma, Veronica Mars)

DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, upcoming Black Panther)

WRITERS: Aaron Covington (newcomer) & Coogler (Fruitvale Station)

PLOT: Rocky Balboa trains and mentor’s Apollo Creed’s son where both have to build up courage for the fight of their lives.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve only seen the original Rocky and only parts of Rocky III & IV.

STORY STUFF: I found this to be a very clever way of continuing a franchise. By shifting the focus from Rocky to a new fighter, you really get the best of both worlds. I thought the story was engaging although a bit predictable. Who doesn’t love a good underdog plot?

ACTING STUFF: One of the reasons I watched this film was to check out the performances of Stallone and Jordan. Stallone’s Supporting Actor nomination is well deserved. He effortlessly steals every scene he is in. Jordan is a great actor but I’ve seen him in this type of role time and time again. He pulled off similar arrogance and humility in the series Friday Night Lights. It’s for that reason, I am fine with him not receiving a Oscar nomination despite the category being so white. It was nice to see Phylicia Rashad (Cosby Show) in her small role.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Some nice shots, especially during the boxing match. The one thing that made me giggle was the music. I know it was an homage to the original Rocky with its “Gonna Fly Now”-ishness but it just took me out of the film at times. I’m sure those who are die hard Rocky fans had tears of nostalgia in their eyes though.

VERDICT: Three

SEE IT IF: You love Rocky or haven’t seen Michael B Jordan’s skills

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Deadpool; Zoolander 2

Film: The Revenant

GENRE: Drama, Thriller

RATING: R for intense violence mostly
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 36 minutes

STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Inception, Aviator, Departed)

Tom Hardy (Inception); Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars VII, Brooklyn)

DIRECTOR: Alejandro G. Inarritu (Birdman, Babel)

WRITERS: Mark Smith (newcomer) & Inarritu (Birdman)

PLOT: A fur trader is left for dead after being mauled by a bear.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Mostly saw it because it’s the last movie on my Oscar Best Picture nominee list.  

STORY STUFF: The survival story is kind of interesting. The vengeance story, not so much. It’s amazing how unlucky someone can be. Also wish the film was thirty minutes shorter.

ACTING STUFF: Leo is pretty remarkable in this film. He nails the primal aspect of his character. And while he went through a lot of pain to make this movie, I think he deserves the Oscar for one of his earlier films instead of this one. (I think he's finally going to get his Oscar though.) I did appreciate the way he breathes while acting; taking a page from the always wonderful Daniel Day-Lewis. Hardy is also awesome in this film. He is despicable and got himself a well-earned Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Stellar cinematography. Alberta and BC sure look beautiful in the snow. Loved the epic landscapes, the cold palette, and the religious imagery throughout. Great angles too. The bear mauling scene is pretty intense and well CG’d.

VERDICT: Three

SEE IT IF: You want to enjoy the Oscars more or like frontier justice

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Deadpool; Zoolander 2

Film: Brooklyn

GENRE: Drama, Romance

RATING: PG-13 for one sexual scene and a strong word
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 51 minutes

STARRING: Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, Hanna, Grand Budapest Hotel)

Emory Cohen (Smash); Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars VII, Revenant)

DIRECTOR: John Crowley (Closed Circuit)

WRITER: Nick Hornby (Fever Pitch, An Education, Wild)

PLOT: An Irish immigrant comes to Brooklyn, falls in love, returns home and must decide to stay or go.

FULL DISCLOSURE: It’s one of the two movies I need to see to have seen all the Oscar Best Picture nominees this year.

STORY STUFF: The story is interesting enough with its look at how it feels to immigrate to a new country on your own. I found the pacing pretty slow but it felt fitting for the story. After realizing the screenwriter also wrote An Education, it makes a bit more sense.

ACTING STUFF: Ronan does a fabulous job; a simple look conveys so much. I can see why she got an Oscar nomination. Also enjoyed Cohen as the Italian suitor. It was great to see Jessica Pare (Mad Men) in a small role and Julie Walters (Harry Potter series) as the strict boarding house matron.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Loved the pyrotechnics and the CG dragons. Just kidding, none of that is in the film. I found myself enjoying the costumes and the fact that characters re-wore articles which seems fitting considering their financial status.

VERDICT: Three

SEE IT IF: You want a date movie and don’t mind slow moving drama
UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Revenant

Golden Globes 2016 Wrap Up

A more boring show than previous years. Ricky Gervais had some fun one-liners here and there but I got really tired of his ‘This award means nothing’ and ‘this show is so long’ schtick. Did like that he called out The show for putting The Martian in the comedy category. Thank goodness I don’t put money on this show, I got 14 out 25 correct again this year. I did pretty good with the movies, but the television show winners were a gong show. Mozart in the Jungle? Really? And how is Lady Gaga better than Kirsten Dunst in Fargo? And how does Fargo not win anything? Boo. I did like seeing Sylvester Stallone winning. Also liked the Denzel tribute. Anyway, here are the winners (if you care a bit more than Ricky Gervais)

Best Motion Picture – Drama

The Revenant

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Brie Larson (Room) (wanted)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) (predicted & wanted)

Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical

The Martian (predicted & wanted)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical

Jennifer Lawrence (Joy) (predicted)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical

Matt Damon (The Martian) (predicted & wanted)

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Sylvester Stallone (Creed) (predicted & wanted)

Best Animated Feature Film

Inside Out (predicted & wanted)

Best Foreign Language Film

Son of Saul (Hungary) (predicted & wanted)

Best Director – Motion Picture

Alejandro G Inarritu (The Revenant)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs) (wanted)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight) (wanted)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“Writing’s On the Wall” (Spectre – Sam Smith)

Best Television Series – Drama

Mr. Robot (predicted & wanted)

Best Actress In A Television Series – Drama

Taraji P Henson (Empire) (predicted)

Best Actor In A Television Series – Drama

Jon Hamm (Mad Men) (predicted)

Best Television Series – Comedy

Mozart in the Jungle

Best Actress In A Television Series – Comedy

Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Best Actor In A Television Series – Comedy

Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle)

Best Limited Series or TV Movie

Wolf Hall

Best Actress In a Limited Series or TV Movie

Lady Gaga (American Horror Story: Hotel)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Oscar Isaac (Show Me a Hero)

Best Supporting Actress in a Series or TV Movie

Maura Tierney (The Affair) (wanted)

Best Supporting Actor in a Series or TV Movie

Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) 

Golden Globes 2016 Predictions

The Golden Globes are on this Sunday so it’s time for the Golden Globes guessing game. Last year I got a lousy 54%. With less than 100 members voting, it’s pretty much a crapshoot. But at least they honour comedies, the winners are pretty tipsy, and Ricky Gervais is back to host.  Here’s who I think will win and want to win.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Carol | Mad Max: Fury Road | The Revenant | Room | Spotlight
Will Win: Spotlight
Want to Win: Room

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA

Bryan Cranston [Trumbo] | Leonardo DiCaprio [The Revenant] | Michael Fassbender [Steve Jobs] | Eddie Redmayne [The Danish Girl] | Will Smith [Concussion]

Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio [The Revenant]

Want to Win: Leonardo DiCaprio [The Revenant]

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA

Cate Blanchett [Carol] | Brie Larson [Room] | Rooney Mara [Carol] | Saoirse Ronan [Brooklyn] | Alicia Vikander [The Danish Girl]

Will Win: Cate Blanchett [Carol]

Want to Win: Brie Larson [Room]

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY

The Big Short | Joy | The Martian | Spy | Trainwreck

Will Win: The Martian

Want to Win: The Martian

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY

Christian Bale [The Big Short] | Steve Carell [The Big Short] | Matt Damon [The Martian] | Al Pacino [Danny Collins] | Mark Ruffalo [Infinitely Polar Bear]

Will Win: Matt Damon [The Martian]

Want to Win: Matt Damon [The Martian]

BEST ACTRESS – COMEDY

Jennifer Lawrence [Joy] | Melissa McCarthy [Spy] | Amy Schumer [Trainwreck] | Maggie Smith [The Lady in the Van] | Lily Tomlin [Grandma]

Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence [Joy]

Want to Win: Amy Schumer [Trainwreck]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - FILM

Paul Dano [Love & Mercy] | Idris Elba [Beasts of No Nation] | Mark Rylance [Bridge of Spies] | Michael Shannon [99 Homes] | Sylvester Stallone [Creed]

Will Win: Sylvester Stallone [Creed]

Want to Win: Sylvester Stallone [Creed]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - FILM

Jane Fonda [Youth] | Jennifer Jason Leigh [The Hateful Eight] | Helen Mirren [Trumbo] | Alicia Vikander [Ex Machina] | Kate Winslet [Steve Jobs]

Will Win: Alicia Vikander [Ex Machina]

Want to Win: Alicia Vikander [Ex Machina]

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Haynes [Carol] | Alejandro G Inarritu [The Revenant] | Tom McCarthy [Spotlight] | George Miller [Mad Max: Fury Road] | Ridley Scott [The Martian]

Will Win: George Miller [Mad Max: Fury Road]

Want to Win: Ridley Scott [The Martian]

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Anomalisa | The Good Dinosaur | Inside Out | The Peanuts Movie | Shaun the Sheep Movie

Will Win: Inside Out

Want to Win: Inside Out

BEST FOREGIN LANGUAGE FILM

The Brand New Testament [Belgium] | The Club [Chile] | The Fencer [Finland] | Mustang [France] | Son of Saul [Hungary]

Will Win: Son of Saul [Hungary]

Want to Win: Son of Saul [Hungary]

BEST SCREENPLAY

Emma Donoghue [Room] | Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer [Spotlight] | Charles Randolph, Adam McKay [The Big Short] | Aaron Sorkin [Steve Jobs] | Quentin Tarantino [The Hateful Eight]

Will Win: Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer [Spotlight]

Want to Win: Aaron Sorkin [Steve Jobs]

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Carter Burwell [Carol] | Alexandre Desplat [The Danish Girl] | Ennio Morricone [The Hateful Eight] | Daniel Pemberton [Steve Jobs] | Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto [The Revenant]

Will Win: Alexandre Desplay [The Danish Girl]

Want to Win: Ennio Morricone [The Hateful Eight]

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Love Me Like You Do” [Fifty Shades of Grey] | “One Kind of Love” [Love & Mercy] | “See You Again” [Furious 7] | “Simple Song #3” [Youth] | “Writing’s On the Wall” [Spectre]

Will Win: “One Kind of Love” [Love & Mercy]

Want to Win: “See You Again” [Furious 7]

BEST TV SERIES – DRAMA

Empire | Game of Thrones | Mr. Robot | Narcos | Outlander

Will Win: Mr. Robot

Want to Win: Mr. Robot

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA

Jon Hamm [Mad Men] | Rami Malek [Mr. Robot] | Wagner Moura [Narcos] | Bob Odenkirk [Better Call Saul] | Liew Schreiber [Ray Donovan]

Will Win: Jon Hamm [Mad Men]

Want to Win: Rami Malek [Mr. Robot]

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA

Caitriona Balfe [Outlander] | Viola Davis [How to Get Away with Murder] | Eva Green [Penny Dreadful] | Taraji P Henson [Empire] | Robin Wright [House of Cards]

Will Win: Taraji P Henson [Empire]

Want to Win: Robin Wright [House of Cards]

BEST TV SERIES – COMEDY
Casual | Mozart in the Jungle | Orange is the New Black | Silicon Valley | Transparent | Veep

Will Win: Transparent

Want to Win: Silicon Valley

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY

Aziz Ansari [Master of None] | Gael Garcia Bernal [Mozart in the Jungle] | Rob Lowe [The Grinder] | Patrick Stewart [Blunt Talk] | Jeffrey Tambor [Transparent]

Will Win: Jeffrey Tambor [Transparent]

Want to Win: Rob Lowe [The Grinder]

BEST ACTRESS – COMEDY

Rachel Bloom [Crazy Ex-Girlfriend] | Jamie Lee Curtis [Scream Queens] | Julia Louis-Dreyfus [Veep] | Gina Rodriguez [Jane the Virgin] | Lily Tomlin [Grace and Frankie]

Will Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus [Veep]

Want to Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus [Veep]

BEST LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
American Crime | American Horror Story: Hotel | Fargo | Flesh & Bone | Wolf Hall

Will Win: Fargo

Want to Win: Fargo

BEST ACTOR – LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE

Idris Elba [Luther] | Oscar Isaac [Show Me a Hero] | David Oyelowo [Nightingale] | Mark Rylance [Wolf Hall] | Patrick Wilson [Fargo]

Will Win: Idris Elba [Luther]

Want to Win: Patrick Wilson [Fargo]

BEST ACTRESS – LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE

Kirsten Dunst [Fargo] | Lady Gaga [American Horror Story: Hotel] | Sarah Hay [Flesh & Bone] | Felicity Huffman [American Crime] | Queen Latifah [Bessie]

Will Win: Kirsten Dunst [Fargo]

Want to Win: Kirsten Dunst [Fargo]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - TELEVISION

Alan Cumming [The Good Wife] | Damian Lewis [Wolf Hall] | Ben Mendelsohn [Bloodline] | Tobias Menzies [Outlander] | Christian Slater [Mr. Robot]

Will Win: Ben Mendelsohn [Bloodline]

Want to Win: Ben Mendelsohn [Bloodline]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – TELEVISION

Uzo Aduba [Orange is the New Black] | Joanne Froggatt [Downton Abbey] | Regina King [American Crime] | Judith Light [Transparent] | Maura Tierney [The Affair]

Will Win: Judith Light [Transparent]

Want to Win: Maura Tierney [The Affair]

Let’s see how I do this year.