Everything about Carol is exquisite. And Carol Aird too. that wardrobe CDG Nom

Exquisitely bold and every color in the world in impossibley lux gaudy harmonyCDG Nom

 This great designer followed up his Les Miz designs by making Redmayne even prettier CDG Nom

Even better than the costume themselves is the realization than Jenny f'in Beaven made them - talk about range! BFCA winner CDG Nom

Hairy men drowning in animal fur in inhospitable climates -- but Leo's fur coat is pretty memorable

Will Win: A tough call If they go for "Most Costumes" they're going for CINDERELLA (we usually mean "Most" derogatively but not so in this crazy inspired case) but my hunch is this proves the sole win for either CAROL or THE DANISH GIRL

Should Win: Sandy Powell.

Could Win: THE REVENANT or MAD MAX FURY ROAD could take this if either is a technical sweeper though neither or them are the typical kinds of movies that win in this category.

•  Sandy Powell is the first costume designer to ever be double nominated in a single category TWICE in her career. Not even Edith Head pulled that off. Here's something even crazier about that: the last time she did it, it was also with a big hit (Shakespeare in Love) and a Todd Haynes picture (Velvet Goldmine). She's now been nominated 3 times for designing for Cate Blanchett (she won the Oscar for The Aviator)

• If Sandy Powell wins this year she ties Milena Canonero as the most Oscar-winning living costume designer. Milena currently has 4 Oscars (having just won again for Grand Budapest Hotel) while Powell has 3.

• Sandy Powell has never won Costume Design in a year wherein Colleen Atwood wasn't also nominated. With her chief rival for constant Oscar love missing can she pull it off? (Pssst. They could be back in play as rivals next year: Powell has the John Cameron Mitchell film How to Talk to Girls at Parties and Colleen Atwood has 3 big franchise efforts: Fantastic Beasts, The Huntsman's Winter's War, and Alice Through the Looking Glass)

MY PERSONAL BALLOT

Former Oscar favorites Janet Patterson (FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWED) and Jacqueline Durran (MACBETH) were ignored by both Oscar and the Costume Designers Guild. But the Guild did recognize several movies that did not go on to costume nominations including: TRUMBO (Daniel Orlandi), BROOKLYN (Odile Dicks-Mireaux), CRIMSON PEAK (Kate Hawley), THE MARTIAN (Janty Yates), STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS (Michael Kaplan) and YOUTH (Carlo Poggioli)

The Far From Heaven team. Lachman sure can paint a beautiful picture BSFC Win, NYFCC Win, ASC Nom

Oscar's obsession with Richardson knows no bound. They love him with Tarantino and this one has the 70mm hook.

 Seale won his only Oscar shooting similarly scorched earth (English Patient) OFCS Win, LAFCA Win ASC Nom

Lubeszki, always up for a challenge (see Gravity, Children of Men, Birdman, etcetera) and natural light BFCA winner, ASC Nom

   Deakins is still waiting for that Oscar win but he's one of the titans of his craft. ASC Nom

Will Win: This is a tough call. Obviously THE REVENANT is beloved by The Academy and all natural light is a selling point. But a handful of statues for MAD MAX FURY ROAD's technical triumph seem possible

Should Win: It'd be nice to see CAROL's dreamy super16 or MAD MAX FURY ROAD's crazy color and technical bravado take this prize.

Could Win: Roger Deakins *still* hasn't won. If his campaign can make that enough of a story perhaps SICARIO can come up from behind to take it?

MY PERSONAL BALLOT

Recognized elsewhere: Bridge of Spies Januz Kaminski ASC Nom ; Beasts of No Nation - Cary Joji Fukunaga Spirit nom; The Martian Dariusz Wolski BFCA nom,

He has tremendous range (Anderson, Spielberg, and McQueen?) and the craft work is noticeable ADG Nom [Interview Soon]

.  Lush and showy and well appointed - just how the traditionalists like it ADG Nom

They got really gonzo adventuruous for once but good call BFCA Win & LAFCA Win, ADG Nom

 Oscar loves space survival. See also Interstellar and Gravity ADG Nom

 Fisk excels at outdoor movies and it's crazy he doesnt' have an Oscar ADG Nom [Interview]

Will / Should Win: MAD MAX FURY ROAD seems like the likeliest recipient of this prize... as long as they're feeling like it needs a few craft trophies for its troubles

Could Win: On the other hand... the tech prizes do surprise since the whole Academy votes and who knows what, say, Actors or Publicsts or Sound guys think of the Production Design, Locations, and Set Decorations of these movies. So next most likely... hmmm, you tell me. This one seems like an "anything goes" category (if Mad Max isn't a multiple trophy winner)

• Jack Fisk has had the longest career of the nominees (starting back in the early 70s with Terrence Malick and Brian de Palma)

• Eve Stewart (King's Speech), Arthur Max (Gladiator), Adam Stockhausen (12 Years a Slave) all have one Best Picture winner on their resume

MY PERSONAL BALLOT

Star Wars: The Force Awakens's Rick Carter, Cinderella's Dante Ferretti, and Crimson Peak's Thomas E Sanders were among the ADG nominees that did work showy enough to grab Oscar's attention. But not quite as it turned out. The Critics Choice nominations also made room for Carol's Judy Becker

Most Editing ACE Nom, LAFCA Win

They caught Star Wars fever ACE Nom

A Bravura achievement BFCA winner, ACE Nom, OFCS Win, BSFC Win

Frontier vengeance w/ tense moments ACE Nom

Best Picture heat

Will Win: This looks to be a battle between The Big Short and Mad Max Fury Road. Not ready yet to predict which one will take it.

Should Win: Mad Max Fury Road hands down, among this field and among many other fields, too, actually from previous years

Could Win: All but Star Wars could take this if they're headed to a Best Picture win. Mad Max Fury Road is the single picture that might take it without also nabbing Best Picture.

MY PERSONAL BALLOT

Films that looked like they could make it during precursor season included: Sicario Joe Walker OFCS nom ACE Nom; Room - Nathan Nugent Spirit nom ; Steve Jobs Elliott Graham OFCS nom and two frequent Oscar players in Pietro Scalia for The Martian or Michael Kahn for Bridge of Spies Michael Kahn

would you like to be Ava's friend?

MY PERSONAL BALLOT

The Finalists from the bakeoff were: Ant-Man, Tommorrowland, The Walk, Avengers Age of Ultron, Jurassic World

Effects Heavy Films that didn't make the finals Crimson Peak, Cinderella, Kingsman: Secret Service, The Man From UNCLE, Pan

MY PERSONAL BALLOT

The Make Up branche's bake offs also produced the following finalists: Black Mass, Concussion, Legend and Mr. Holmes.

They did not make the finals (though who knows why): The Danish Girl BFCA nom, Carol BFCA nom, Cinderella, Creed, The Martian, Ex Machina, The Hateful Eight BFCA nom, Brooklyn, MacBeth, Trumbo, Victor Frankenstein, Crimson Peak, Southpaw, Pan