The 88th Annual Academy Awards promise a lot. To start with, black comedian Chris Rock is set to host the show in the middle of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Plus, The Revenant’s Leonardo DiCaprio could win his first-ever Oscar and there will be interesting experiments on how the ceremony will unfold.
The Revenant is the frontrunner, with 12 Oscar nominations, followed by Mad Max: Fury Road with 10, and The Martian with seven. Iñárritu’s survival drama enters the biggest movie competition with a DGA award, a BAFTA and a promising Leo DiCaprio, who could take home the best actor prize. But certain other films also have a chance to add more wins to their roster this award season.
Spotlight got the DGA award and The Big Short has the PGA. Both of them have WGA wins this year and point to a possible nod on this year’s Oscars.
Chris Rock hasn’t said much about the diversity issue in a year of all-white nominees. Seems like he’s saving his jokes and reflections for his monologue from the Oscars stage. Two black actors won acting prizes last time he hosted, but this time, not a single nonwhite actor was nominated in those categories and everyone is eager to hear his comments about it.
The show’s organizers have revealed little of the new experiments the audience will see on Sunday, but one thing we know. Thanks to a new scrolling feature, winners are expected to give more interesting speeches that will go beyond listing off names of executives and loved ones who have supported them throughout their careers.
All nominees have been asked to submit a list of names they would like to thank in case they win. Those names will scroll across the bottom of the screen as they go on stage on Sunday.
All eyes will be on Leonardo DiCaprio as he hopes to win his first Oscar
And could Leonardo DiCaprio finally win? He has been nominated five times and still hasn’t won. Many commentators believe that, if he doesn’t take home an Academy Award with The Revenant, maybe he will never be an Oscar actor.
In the best picture nominee, DiCaprio plays an 1800 frontiersman called Hugh Glass, who is left for dead by his companions in brutal winter conditions and is bent on revenge. The actor has a huge chance to be part of an Oscar-winning reunion with his Titanic co-star Kate Winslet, who is nominated for her role in Steve Jobs.
The Academy Awards will air on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. ET live from the Dolby Theater.
Source: Hollywood Reporter