I am hoping Mad Max wins the following Oscars:
Best Picture - long shot
Best Director - super long shot
Best Score - crying shame since it was the best by a mile
Best Editing - possible?
My other is Star Wars as well.
I voted for Sicario and while it was one of my favorites, I’m not so sure it will make the cut.
I think it has a very good shot at Editing as well as the Sound categories (Mixing and Editing). Makeup too, if it gets in the final slate (it’s on the current short list).
The other technical/craft categories will be a longer shot. Art Direction and Costume Design rarely goes to scifi films, and Cinematography will have to compete with The Revenant. Score usually goes to something that people remember–either because it’s pretty or more anthemic, so something like Carol or Golden Globe winner The Hateful Eight has the advantage. And Visual Effects has to compete with The Force.
Picture and Director will definitely be a long shot, but if you see Charlize Theron get an Actress nod, then you know there’s a lot of support within the acting branch (the largest AMPAS demographic) and not just the below-the-line categories. Either way, the film is well-positioned to be in the top 3 of films with nominations, and that’s always good news.
Just two days left…
I’d like to see it win Best Adapted Screenplay. It’s quite a feat to make an entertaining film out of a dry technical subject like that. (Although Michael Lewis’s non-fiction can be quite entertaining and educational, so the original material helped.)
They’ve certainly done it before; Lewis’s work was made into “Moneyball” and “The Blind Side,” both critically successful films.
Well, the nominations are in 12 hours so if our predictions reflect the Academy’s, the following are the nominees if there are 8 films in the Best Picture slot:
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
If it goes to 9, add Brooklyn and if it goes to 10, also add Straight Outta Compton.
We’ll see…
My list!
Best picture
**The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight**
The breakdown by film is as follows:
**
The Revenant - 12
Mad Max: Fury Road - 10
The Martian - 7
Carol - 6
Spotlight - 6
Bridge of Spies - 6
The Big Short - 5
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 5
Room - 4
The Danish Girl - 4
Brooklyn - 3
The Hateful Eight - 3
Sicario - 3**
Hmm, no black actors nominated, and Chris Rock is hosting.
This could get interesting. 
So glad to see “Room” get several nominations, especially for Best Picture. Easily one of the best, if not the best last year. It’s a film that you won’t soon forget. Too bad the young boy didn’t get a best supporting nom, he was so damn good. I’ll be seeing “The Revenant” later today, so that means I’ll have seen every Best Picture nom by the end of the day.
Reactions:
[ul]
[li]Overall rather predictable[/li][li]Kinda surprised that Carol didn’t get into Best Picture or Best Director[/li][li]Would have liked to see Charlize Theron get an Actress nod in place of Jennifer Lawrence (I’m kinda done with J-Law for now).[/li]No Micheal Keaton for Spotlight? Ah well.[/ul]
I was somewhat surprised not to see Carol or The Danish Girl on the list; but I’ve seen neither. The biggest surprise for me was that I have already seen 7 of the 8 films nominated. I’ve yet to see Room, which is just starting to appear in this corner of the universe - not playing at any of the big chains yet.
Pleasantly surprised to see *Brooklyn *on the list, which was delightfully charming and very much flew under the radar. Would have liked to see *Creed *get a nod over Bridge of Spies, but that’s a quibble.
I am glad that you didn’t ;).
I think it’s a good list. Though interesting that Carol didn’t get a nom.
And there was a lot of buzz for Jason Mitchell, too.
The only sure things I see are Inside Out for animated movie and Brie Larson for Room. I’d like to see George Miller grab the director award, but that’s just personal preference.
And Ryan Coogler, both for reinvigorating the Rocky franchise so effectively with Creed, and an after-the-fact nod for his rookie movie, Fruitvale Station.
Sure, Coogler is touted as the Next Big Thing in Hollywood, and F Gary Gray, a more veteran talent had a big summer hit with Compton, and Rick Famuyiwa brought an exhilarating freshness to indie darling Dope… At least one could have gotten the nod.
Oh, well.
Yeah, there is nothing at all adventurous about the major nominations. It’s not just the racial aspect, sometimes an unexpected foreign film/performance gets included. This year - nothin’.
It’s all just hetero missionary position while eating a wonder-bread and mayo sandwich! 
No shit. Well, that trend has ended (sorry, but Jurassic Park didn’t beat ET, coming $2m short in first-run revenues, axcording to BO Mojo).