Georgia Goes for 'Mad Max,' Ohio Likes 'Spotlight,' Benicio Del Toro

With all the industry news this week, it seems lame to still be reporting on the critics wins, but here we are with what I do believe are the last two stragglers in the bunch. 

GEORGIA FILM CRITICS

Nothing too interesting to see here, and I'm still holding out hope that Stallone lands that Oscar nom after his strong critics run, even if it seems like Rylance is now the one to beat in that category for sure. Snobby, snobby industry voters.

Best Picture
"Mad Max: Fury Road"

Best Director
"Mad Max: Fury Road" - George Miller

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Revenant")

Best Actress
Brie Larson ("Room")

Best Supporting Actor
Sylvester Stallone ("Creed")

Best Supporting Actress
Alicia Vikander ("Ex Machina")

Best Original Screenplay
"Inside Out" - Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley

Best Adapted Screenplay
"The Big Short" - Charles Randolph, Adam McKay

Best Cinematography
"Mad Max: Fury Road" - John Seale

Best Production Design
"Mad Max: Fury Road" - Colin Gibson, Shira Hockman, Jacinta Leong

Best Original Score
"The Hateful Eight" - Ennio Morricone

Best Original Song
"See You Again" - DJ Frank E, Andrew Cedar, Charlie Puth, Wiz Khalifa ("Furious 7")

Best Ensemble
"Spotlight"

Best Foreign Film
"Son of Saul"

Breakthrough Award
Alicia Vikander ("Burnt," "The Danish Girl," "Ex Machina," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Testament of Youth")

Best Animated Film
"Inside Out"

Best Documentary
"Amy"

CENTRAL OHIO FILM CRITICS

Not much to note here either, except another win for Benicio Del Toro, who may be a late breaker in that category, after having landed a BAFTA nom today for Sicario. He is undoubtedly the best part of that movie, so I'm really crossing my fingers for that one too.

Best Film
01. SPOTLIGHT
02. INSIDE OUT
03. ROOM
04. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
05. EX MACHINA
06. SICARIO
07. STAR WARS: EPISODE VII - THE FORCE AWAKENS
08. THE REVENANT
09. THE BIG SHORT
10. THE MARTIAN

Best Director
Tom McCarthy - SPOTLIGHT
Runner-up: George Miller - MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio - THE REVENANT
Runner-up: Michael Fassbender - STEVE JOBS

Best Actress
Brie Larson - ROOM
Runners-up: Saoirse Ronan - BROOKLYN & Alicia Vikander -THE DANISH GIRL

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro - SICARIO
Runner-up: Oscar Isaac -EX MACHINA

Best Supporting Actress
Alicia Vikander - EX MACHINA
Runner-up: Jennifer Jason Leigh -THE HATEFUL EIGHT

Best Ensemble
SPOTLIGHT
Runner-up: THE HATEFUL EIGHT

Actor of the Year (body of work)
Alicia Vikander
Runner-up: Domhnall Gleeson

Breakthrough Film Artist
Alicia Vikander
Runner-Up: Sean Baker

Best Cinematography 
THE REVENANT
Runner-up: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

Best Film Editing
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Runner-up: SICARIO

Best Adapted Screenplay
THE BIG SHORT
Runner-up: ROOM

Best Original Screenplay
SPOTLIGHT
Runner-up: INSIDE OUT

Best Score
THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Runner-up: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

Best Documentary
THE LOOK OF SILENCE
Runner-up: AMY

Best Foreign Language Film
PHOENIX
Runner-up: WILD TALES

Best Animated Film
INSIDE OUT
Runner-up: ANOMALISA

Best Overlooked Film
THE TRIBE (PLEMYA)
Runner-up: THE GIFT

WGA and ASC Announce Nominees

So, the Writer's Guild announced their picks today, and this is always a weird one because there are SO many Oscar contenders every year that aren't eligible for this guild. For example, Room and Brooklyn weren't eligible for adapted, and Inside Out, The Hateful Eight and Ex Machina weren't in for original. So expect to see some of these swapped out at the Oscars, most likely Trainwreck and Trumbo, in my opinion.

WRITER'S GUILD

Original Screenplay

  • Bridge of Spies
  • Sicario
  • Straight Outta Compton
  • Trainwreck
  • Spotlight

Adapted Screenplay

  • The Big Short
  • Carol
  • The Martian
  • Steve Jobs
  • Trumbo

I think Inside Out will take the place of Trainwreck, and either Brooklyn or Room, or maybe both, will make into adapted in place of at least Trumbo. The next most vulnerable script is probably Carol if both make it. Hateful Eight hasn't been showing up at the guilds, so even though Tarantino is an Academy favorite, he may not make it there this time. Ex Machina is a question mark as well- if anything takes another spot it will kick out either Sicario or Compton, probably Sicario. Compton has now hit the WGA, PGA and SAG, and the last movie to do that and not make a BP nomination was Bridesmaids in 2011. But that was a raunchy comedy they never take seriously, and this being a musical biopic gives it more weight, so I do think it's in.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

The ASC is a small group that is actually one of the guilds most closely aligned with Oscar, so these nominees will probably match at least 4 for 5, if not all  of them.

  • Bridge of Spies
  • Carol
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Revenant
  • Sicario

It's nice to see Carol finally show up in the guilds today, even if the movie is still following Far From Heaven's trajectory exactly and doesn't bode all that well for AMPAS. People were expecting The Hateful Eight's stunning cinematography to show up here, and that could be the one that makes it in at the Oscars, in place of Bridge of Spies, perhaps. Although honestly, this could be the exact lineup in this category as well.

North Carolina and Oklahoma Critics Like 'Spotlight'

Just as the first guild snubbed the frontrunner today, critics continue to support it, as it picked up two more Best Picture accolades from regional critics.

NORTH CAROLINA

These guys didn't do anything particularly interesting, but I like their picks for the lead acting categories- of course, that's because  they'd be my choices too.

  • Best Film: Spotlight
  • Best Documentary: Amy
  • Best Foreign Language Film: Phoenix
  • Best Animated Film: Inside Out
  • Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
  • Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
  • Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
  • Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
  • Best Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
  • Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

OKLAHOMA

By contrast, this group awarded the two actors who likely will win the Oscars for lead acting, so they can congratulate themselves on being the better Oscar predictors I guess. They still agreed with NC on the Picture/Director split for Spotlight and George Miller though.

Best Actor – Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"

Best Actress – Brie Larson, "Room"

Best Animated Film - "Inside Out"

Best Body of Work – Alicia Vikander, "Ex Machina," "The Danish Girl," "Testament of Youth," "Burnt"

Best Director – George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Best Documentary - "Amy"

Best First Feature – Alex Garland, "Ex Machina"

Best Foreign Language Film - "Son of Saul"

Best Original Screenplay - "Spotlight"

Best Adapted Screenplay – Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, "The Big Short"

Best Supporting Actor – Michael Keaton "Spotlight" and Sylvester Stallone "Creed" (tie)

Best Supporting Actress – Alicia Vikander, "Ex Machina"

Most Disappointing Film - "Tomorrowland"

Best PIcture - "Spotlight"