Hi! I’m Megan Escamilla and I believe I was put on this earth to live-tweet every major thing that happens in pop culture. I know someone has to do it, so I gladly accept the responsibility. I love everything pop culture related, from television events, movies, all the way down the spectrum of award shows: The Emmys, SAG Awards, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, and my Christmas, The Oscars! I’ll be live tweeting this event, along with random 140 character gems, so follow me for some live coverage on twitter.
Best Motion Picture – Drama: “The Revenant”
Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance is riveting and emotional. The directing from Alejandro González Iñárritu, along with the stunning cinematography, is Oscar-worthy. The visual aesthetics, combined with the editing, soundtrack and post production work make for what The Academy wants in a production.
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: “The Martian”
Yes, “The Martian” is a comedy. There is humor in it, but along with the humor, the graphics and post work are stunning and captivating. Even the Mars landscape looks convincing. This is definitely up director Ridley Scott’s alley, though I don’t think it holds a candle to his other work, it definitely is worthy of an Oscar.
Best Performance by an Actress – Drama: Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn”
Ronan’s performance in “Brooklyn” lets her bring out her born and raised Irish accent, and it’s a pretty heavy one. Not only that, but she has the most emotional facial expressions out of everybody in this category. If she is sad, you know it and feel it with her. Feeling the emotions of a character are what movies are all about, and Ronan does it wonderfully.
Best Performance by an Actor – Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Revenant”
I’m going against every bone in my body to make this prediction. Leo has had some pretty bad luck when it comes to The Academy but this year I truly, truly believe he deserves it. How can they not give an Oscar to someone who stayed the night in a animal carcass? He took the direction from Alejandro Iñárritu like it was a natural breath coming out of his body. He lives that character, and you can feel his passion.
Best Performance by an Actress – Musical or Comedy: Jennifer Lawrence in “Joy”
Jennifer Lawrence, a.k.a JLaw, is definitely a fan favorite and sold me more than just a miracle mop. The movie itself doesn’t seem like it offers much, but JLaw’s performance brings out the best of it. She’s compelling and sells herself as a 30-something with two kids. Lawrence, with the direction of David O’ Russell, definitely takes you on an emotional journey with this role.
Best Performance by an Actor – Musical or Comedy: Matt Damon in “The Martian”
Though Matt Damon in “The Martian” didn’t scream musical or comedy in this category, he still does an excellent job portraying his character. Playing an astronaut who is trapped in space all alone can’t be easy, especially when you only get to act with yourself, but he makes it believable.
Best Director – Alejandro Iñárritu: “The Revenant”
“The Revenant,” in my opinion, is one of the most beautifully shot movies this year, due to the brilliant eye of Alejandro Iñárritu and their cinematographer. Not to mention “The Revenant” has already won three Golden Globes and has 12 Oscar nominations. The fantastic job done by Iñárritu comes through every little aspect in this movie including acting, the camera work, the script and of course the graphics.
Best Screenplay – Aaron Sorkin – “Steve Jobs”
This one was hard for me. I so badly want to believe that Emma Donoghue will win for “Room,”but I don’t think that’s the case this year. Sorkin wrote (yet another) screenplay about Steve Jobs and got away with it, with limited heckling from the user reviews online (note that I said limited, there were definitely some negative reviews). This time he focused more on Jobs’ personal life, and maybe that is what the brilliant difference is.
