8 Days til Oscar...
Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 1:00PM If you haven't fully investigated the Best Picture Chart you should do that today. There are several unusual ways to rank the 8 nominees for Best Picture: machismo factor, number of deaths, MPAA ratings, running time, and more.
Sample to your right. Check it out
Ranking, my friends, is mandatory since Best Picture is determined on a preferential ballot. There's mine to the far right (this was crafted the day of nominations so no "backlash" was in play). Theoretically the preferential voting puts polarizing pictures at a disadvantage but what isn't polarizing these days?
How would you rank them? Are you still undecided as to which film will win? Three good indicators (SAG Ensemble, PGA, and DGA) famously went to three separate pictures (Spotlight, The Big Short, and The Revenant) confusing the matter more than is usual. If you missed the latest podcast Nick and I talked about the most difficult categories to predict which we're guessing are: Picture, Director, Costume Design, Production Design, and Sound
Reader Comments (50)
That's an somewhat high RT performance for the field, no? Usually 2ish nominees in the 70s and one in the 60s on Metacritic...
As far as personal rankings, I truly can't remember a recent Best Picture nominee that I've been as negative on as THE BIG SHORT. Even nominees I actively dislike like WAR HORSE and AMERICAN SNIPER have more successful elements.
I'd rank them as such:
Spotlight
Brooklyn
The Martian
Mad Max: Fury Road
Bridge of Spies
The Big Short
Room
The Revenant
Wow, the critic score ranking is exactly how I would rank them. And I still think Spotlight can pull it off. Who *loves* The Revenant? Branch-wide admiration is one thing for nominations, but to win? I'm skeptical.
For me Revenant is the best, and hope it wins at oscars. Spotlight win would be fine but BIg Short? man, what a mess this film is.
1. The Revenant
2. Room
3. The Martian
4. Mad Max
5. Spotlight
6. Brooklyn
7. Bridge of Spies
8. Big Short
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Room
3. Brooklyn
4. The Revenant
5. The Big Short
6. Bridge of Spies
7. Spotlight
8. The Martian
1. Room
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Brooklyn
4. The Big Short
5. Spotlight
6. Bridge of Spies
7. The Martian
8. The Revenant
1. Spotlight
2. Brooklyn
3. Mad Max : Fury Road
4. Room
5. The Big Short
6. The Revenant
7. The Martian
8. Bridge of Spies
I'm sorry but I don't think Director is hard to predict. Considering the precursors, why wouldn't Iñárritu win? I think that race is locked, which is sad, 'cause I also hate The Revenant.
1. Room (A)
2. Mad Max: Fury Road (A-)
3. Bridge of Spies (B+)
4. Spotlight (B+)
5. Brooklyn (B+)
6. The Big Short (B)
7. The Martian (B)
8. The Revenant (C)
1. "Spotlight"
2. "Room"
3. "Mad Max: Fury Road"
4. "The Big Short"
5. "The Revenant"
6. "Bridge of Spies"
7. "Brooklyn"
8. "The Martian"
How is anything but "Mad Max" winning Production Design?
I feel like most lists I've seen elsewhere have The Revenant and The Big Short in the last two slots as well, which makes me wonder if Spotlight can win Best Picture. Possibly hopedicting though.
1. Room
2. Brooklyn
3. Spotlight
4. Mad Max
5. The Martian
6. Bridge of Spies
7. The Revenant
8. The Big Short, and I'd actually much rather have The Revenant win
Brooklyn (also my overall #1)
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
Bridge of Spies
The Martian
Room
The Big Short
The Revenant
1. Room
2. Brooklyn
3. Spotlight
4. The Martian
5. Bridge of Spies
6. The Revenant
7. The Big Short
8. Mad Max Fury Road
For the record, I didn't enjoy Mad Max just because it's not my kind of film, but I'd rather it won instead of anything else except Room/Brooklyn/Spotlight.
Mad Max: Fury Road A
Bridge of Spies A-
Spotlight B+
Brooklyn B-
The Big Short C+
The Martian C
The Revenant D
(Room unseen)
01. Room (9/10)
02. Spotlight (8/10)
03. Mad Max (8/10)
04. Bridge of Spies (7/10)
05. The Martian (7/10)
06. The Revenant (7/10)
07. Brooklyn (5/10)
08. The Big Shit (3/10)
1. Spotlight
2. Brooklyn
3. The Revenant
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. Room
6. The Martian
7. Bridge of Spies
8. The Big Short
Full disclosure: haven't seen the last two. And I don't need to. 45 Years and Son of Saul should have those spots.
1. The Big Short
2. Room
3. The Revenant
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. Spotlight
6. Brooklyn
7. Bridge of Spies
8. The Martian
My ranking:
Brooklyn (only one I love)
Spotlight
The Martian
The Revenant
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Room
My ranking:
Mad Max: Fury Road (love)
Brooklyn (love)
Bridge of Spies
Room
Spotlight
The Martian
The Big Short
The Revenant
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (masterpiece)
2. The Revenant (flawless)
--
3. Brooklyn (whiny)
4. The Big Short (hollow)
5. Spotlight (mediocre)
6. Bridge of Spies (flatulent)
--
7. Room (uninspired)
8. The Martian (sloppy)
10:
Inside Out (oh wait...)
Carol (oh wait...)
9:
Room
The Big Short
Mad Max
8:
The Martian
Spotlight
Brooklyn
7:
The Revenant
6:
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max (classic action & poetic) A+
Brooklyn (Dramatic classic) A
Tie: Spotlight & The Big Short (issue drama) A
Room A- (drama)
The Martian ( big Hollywood ) B+
Bridge of Spies (Big H) B+
The Revenant (over hyped - hollow) C+
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
Bridge Of Spies
Brooklyn
Room
The Martian + The Revenant (tied)
The Big Short
I've only seen each of these once, so these rankings could change upon another viewing:
1-Room B+
2-The Revenant B
3-The Martian B
4-Mad Max: Fury Road B
5-Bridge Of Spies B
6-Brooklyn B-
7-Spotlight B-/C+
8-The Big Short B-/C+
To be honest, though, I didn't really love any of these films. I'd put the first three in my ballot but even then, I only thought they were pretty good.
Hate the Carol snub so much -_-
1. Mad Max
2. Room
3. The Big Short
4. Spotlight
5. The Revenant
-----------------------
6. Bridge Of Spies
7. The Martian
8. Brooklyn
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Brooklyn
3. The Big Short
4. Spotlight
5. Room
6. Bridge of Spies
7. The Martian
8. The Revenant
I love the first 3, like the next 4, and don't like The Revenant. In my ideal world, 4-8 would be replaced by some who were next in line: Carol, Inside Out, Ex Machina, SIcario, and Creed. That lineup would blow my mind.
I have an annual blog where some family members and I all rank and write it up this year. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Maybe...
Mad Max: Fury Road
Room
Brooklyn
The Big Short
The Martian
Spotlight
The Revenant
Bridge of Spies
My picks:
1 The Revenant
2. Spotlight
3. Brooklyn
4. Room
5. Bridge of Spies
6.The Big Short
7.The Martian
8. Mad Max: Fury Road (WHY is this even here???)
1. Spotlight
2. Fury Road
3. The Martian
4. Room
5. The Revenant
6. Bridge of Spies
7. The Big Short
8. Brooklyn
I totally agree on Jennifer Lawrence—her performance in American Hustle is transcendent. As an actress, she's whizzing about, demanding that we accept that she has a right to be there, doing what she's doing exactly as she's doing it. While playing a woman who's whizzing about, demanding that Bale accept that she has a right to be there, doing what she's doing exactly as she's doing it. A phenomenon playing a phenomenon.
MSP -- your comment reminds me that I'd rather have a set number and with 10 we would'a for sure had CAROL given its nomination count. But i'm not sure Inside Out woulda been the 10th. either Inside Out or Straight Outta Compton maybe?
Nat, I agree that Carol would have made it in with the set 10 slots, no question. While I would want Inside Out to get the other slot, I think it would have gone to Compton (which I still haven't seen...never at the Redbox near me...)
1- Mad Max: Fury Road
2- Room
3- Brooklyn
4- The Martian
5- Bridge of Spies
6- The Big Short
7- Spotlight
8- The Revenant
I feel pretty confident about The Revenant winning. The PGA and DGA are much better Oscar predictors than the SAG and it feels to me like The Big Short won the PGA at the height of its buzz and has faded while The Revenant won the DGA more recently and has stayed buzzy during the Oscar voting period.
My rankings:
1. Brooklyn
2. Spotlight
3. The Martian
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. Bridge of Spies
6. The Big Short
7. Room
8. The Revenant
1- ROOM
2- Brooklyn
3- Bridge of Spies
4- The Martian
5- Spotlight
6- Mad Max
7- The Revenant
8- The Big Short
1. Room
2. Brooklyn
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. The Revenant
5. Spotlight
6. The Martian
7. Bridge of Spies
8. The Big Short
Since neither Carol nor Creed were nominated, there are no masterpieces/great films on this list. But of the nominees:
GOOD FILMS
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Brooklyn
3. The Martian
GOOD TV FILMS
4. Spotlight
5. The Big Short
MORE OF A CONCEPT THAN A STORY
6. Room
THIS YEAR'S SEABISCUIT
7. Bridge of Spies
THIS YEAR'S BRAVEHEART
8. The Revenant
NATHANIEL what if Star Wars was the 10th?
Ranking is pretty easy:
Brooklyn
Room
The Martian
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
The Revenant (unseen, and honestly, likely to remain that way. I just can't get myself interested and I've tried numerous times)
SanFran -- possible.
The tenth spot probably would have gone to The Danish Girl given its strength elsewhere, no?
My ranking (with caveat that I still haven't seen The Revenant or The Big Short):
1. Brooklyn
2. Bridge of Spies
3. Mad Max Fury Road
4. The Martian
5. Spotlight
6. Room
1. Brooklyn
2. Bridge of Spies
And far in the distance ...
3. Mad Max Fury Road
4. Room
5. The Martian
6. The Revenant
7. Spotlight
8. The Big Short
1. Brooklyn
2. Room
3. Mad Max
4. The Martian
5. Spotlight
6. The Big Short
7. Bridge of Spies
8. The Revenant
Mine:
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (A)
2. Room (A)
3. Brooklyn (A-)
4. The Martian (A-)
5. Bridge of Spies (B+)
6. The Big Short (B+)
7. Spotlight (B)
8. The Revenant (D)
I got curious and decided to the tabulate these ballots Oscar-style. (I included everyone through Volvagia who had ranked all eight films.)
The breakdown after round 1: Mad Max 12, Room 9, Brooklyn 6, Spotlight 5, The Revenant 2, The Big Short 1
Bridge of Spies and The Martian were immediately eliminated, then the Big Short, then The Revenant, then both Spotlight and Brooklyn in the same round, leading to:
Mad Max 20, Room 15.
Just thought folks might be curious...
Thanks Evan! I almost did that myself since I was definitely curious. MAD MAX and ROOM as top 2? Great job, y'all!
My ballot:
1. Room
2. Mad Max Fury Road
3. Brooklyn
4. The Big Short
5. The Revenant
6. The Martian
7. Bridge of Spies
8. Spotlight
My rank:
1. The Revenant
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Brooklyn
4. Room
5. The Martian
6. Spotlight
7. Bridge of Spies
8. The Big Short
Love: Room
Strongly Like: Spotlight
Strongly Like: Bridge of Spies
Like: Mad Max: Fury Road
Like: Brooklyn
Like: The Big Short
Can Tolerate: The Revenant
Can Tolerate: The Martian
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Definitely above the rest. The next group I like a lot, even maybe love, but not as much:
2. Spotlight
3. Brooklyn
4. Room
Entertaining, if not much more than that:
5. The Martian
6. Bridge of Spies
Did not like:
7. The Revenant
But I haven't seen Big Short yet.