2015 SAG Award winners

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Congrats to this year's fantastic SAG Award winners!

Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Beasts of No Nation
The Big Short
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
Trumbo

Best Male Actor in a Leading Role

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Johnny Depp, Black Mass
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Best Female Actor in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Helen Mirren, Woman in Gold
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Sarah Silverman, I Smile Back

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale, The Big Short
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Jacob Tremblay, Room

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Helen Mirren, Trumbo
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Andrew's 2015 SAG Awards predictions

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Who will emerge victorious at this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards? Will The Big Short drive a stake through Spotlight's heart, all but ending the latter's chances of winning the Best Picture Oscar? Will it be Christian Bale or Mark Rylance who prevails, emerging top competitor to Sylvester Stallone? And just who will take the four-way jump ball of a category that is Best Supporting Actress?

Here are my two cents...

Best Ensemble

  1. Spotlight
  2. The Big Short
  3. Straight Outta Compton
  4. Trumbo
  5. Beasts of No Nation

Sorry, Trumbo and Beasts, but you'll be sitting on the sidelines on this one. Had Compton garnered a Best Picture nod from the Academy, I suspect it may have been well-positioned for an upset here. Alas, it's proven a very tough task for non-Best Picture nominees to win this Ensemble prize - only one, the star-studded The Birdcage, has managed to pull it off in all of SAG history. Ultimately, I see this as quite a tight battle between Spotlight and The Big Short. If SAG wants to foreshadow the Best Picture Oscar winner, as they did with the likes of The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire, Spotlight probably takes this one. If, however, they want to let loose and go for the more fun cast, regardless of what Oscar does, ala American Hustle or yes, The Birdcage, it's probably The Big Short ensemble that triumphs.

Best Leading Actor

  1. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
  2. Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
  3. Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
  4. Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
  5. Johnny Depp, Black Mass

Will be smooth sailing for inevitable Oscar-winner DiCaprio, though expect Cranston to garner quite a few votes from the TV side of the guild. Still, it won't be close.

Best Leading Actress

  1. Brie Larson, Room
  2. Cate Blanchett, Carol
  3. Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
  4. Helen Mirren, Woman in Gold
  5. Sarah Silverman, I Smile Back

The entirely unexpected nominations for double-nominee Mirren and Silverman, who seemingly tried to pull what Jennifer Aniston did with Cake last year, will ultimately have to be what these two ladies settle for. Ronan will have a much better shot at winning at BAFTA in just over a week. In the end, I actually think Larson will triumph here rather comfortably, though if anyone can keep her from victory, it's probably Blanchett, who has worked alongside a whole lot of SAG members in her career. Still, Blanchett just prevailed here two years ago, already has two SAG trophies under her belt and the lack of an Ensemble nod for Carol suggests the acting branch isn't entirely head-over-heels for the picture. On the other hand, SAG nominated Larson's amazing co-star Jacob Tremblay, a sign that bodes quite well for Room's leading lady.

Best Supporting Actor

  1. Christian Bale, The Big Short
  2. Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
  3. Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
  4. Jacob Tremblay, Room
  5. Michael Shannon, 99 Homes

Prior to the Oscar nominations announcement, I was fully prepared to predict Elba here, given his respect in the acting community (both in film and television) and the shocking Ensemble nomination for his picture. Alas, an Oscar nod wasn't in the cards for Elba and, as a result, it's all but impossible to predict him (or fellow non-nominees Tremblay or Shannon) here. This will be a barn burner between the category's only two Oscar nominees and, given all of the momentum for The Big Short, I have to side with Bale. For the Oscar, however, I suspect Rylance will have the leg-up (and Sylvester Stallone the edge over him).

Best Supporting Actress

  1. Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
  2. Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
  3. Rooney Mara, Carol
  4. Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
  5. Helen Mirren, Trumbo

This category, I suspect, is the most wide-open, with only Mirren definitively benched. If the guild is truly ga-ga for Spotlight and wishes to pair its Ensemble win with a complimentary acting prize, McAdams is their only option. The thing is, it doesn't seem very many are that terribly passionate about the performance. Mara and Vikander have been this category's front-runners for seemingly the whole Oscar season, given the critical and awards attention for their pictures and their borderline-Lead status and either could surely win here. But it's awfully difficult to decide between the two and, the more I think about it, the more I believe Winslet, who has simply worked with more SAG members than Mara and Vikander, and who might be riding a bit of momentum post-Golden Globes, will triumph here. I don't think Winslet will win the Oscar - I suspect Vikander is best-positioned, given the likely BAFTA win - but this reeks to me of when Meryl Streep won at SAG for Doubt because it was an unsettled category and she had the highest name recognition.

Andrew's 2015 PGA Awards predictions

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Which picture shall emerge victorious at this year's Producers Guild of America Awards? Here is my hunch, ranked from most to least likely to prevail...

  1. The Revenant
  2. Spotlight
  3. The Big Short
  4. Mad Max: Fury Road
  5. Straight Outta Compton
  6. The Martian
  7. Sicario
  8. Ex Machina
  9. Bridge of Spies
  10. Brooklyn

This one's a toughie to forecast, not unlike the SAG and DGA awards to come. I can say with confidence that none of The Martian, through Brooklyn, will take home the trophy here, so there's that. If there's a dark horse in this line-up, it might well be Straight Outta Compton. Its lack of Best Picture nom at the Oscars would presumably force the picture to sit on the sidelines here, but you can't discount the possibility, even if it's a slim one, that PGA members use this opportunity to make a statement on the #OscarsSoWhite movement and bestow a surprise victory upon Compton. Still, it's probably unlikely, just as it's improbable the cast triumphs at SAG. I also would be a tad surprised if Mad Max or The Big Short pulled off a victory here, though some seem to think the latter's very much in the running and could even be a threat at the Oscars. I'm not quite on board with that sentiment, though a SAG Ensemble win for the Adam McKay picture could give me second thoughts on the heels of the Oscars. Ultimately, not unlike at the Globes, I think this is a tight, too-close-to-call showdown between The Revenant and Spotlight and, while I anticipate the Tom McCarthy film will score at SAG just over a week from now, I suspect the current buzz and box office for the Alejandro González Iñárritu film may instead carry the day here.

1st Annual Awards Connection Oscar Predictions Contest

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Calling all Oscar buffs!!

We are proud to present the 1st Annual Awards Connection Oscar Predictions Contest.

The rules are easy and breezy. First, follow us @AwardsConnect on Twitter. Then, simply e-mail your Oscar predictions in all 24 categories (yes, including the likes of Best Sound Editing and Best Documentary Short Subject) to us at theawardsconnection@gmail.com, and include in the e-mail your Twitter handle, as we'll be announcing the contest winner via Twitter.

Whoever gets the most correct predictions will receive a $15 Fandango gift card via e-mail. In the event of a tie, we have the following tie-breaker question: How many Oscars will "Mad Max," "The Revenant" and "Spotlight" win COMBINED? Include your answer in the e-mail. (Ex: If you believe "Mad Max" will win 3 Oscars, "The Revenant" 2 Oscars and "Spotlight" 3 Oscars, your answer should be 8 Oscars.)

The deadline for prediction submissions is Oscar Sunday, February 28th at 6pm eastern time. The contest winner will be announced later in the week on Twiiter and also notified via e-mail.

Questions should be directed to theawardsconnection@gmail.com, or of course feel free to message us on Twitter.

Happy predicting!

For your convenience, here again are this year's nominees:

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

BEST DIRECTOR

Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Adam McKay, The Big Short
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ACTOR

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Matt Damon, The Martian
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Rooney Mara, Carol
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge, and Alan Wenkus, Straight Outta Compton
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley, Inside Out
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
Matt Charman, Joel Coen, and Ethan Coen, Bridge of Spies

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Drew Goddard, The Martian
Nick Hornby, Brooklyn
Adam McKay and Charles Randolph, The Big Short
Phyllis Nagy, Carol
Emma Donoghue, Room

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
Edward Lachman, Carol
Roger Deakins, Sicario
John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
Robert Richardson, The Hateful Eight

BEST FILM EDITING

The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Ex Machina Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
Bridge of Spies
The Martian
The Revenant

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

The Revenant
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared
Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Carter Burwell, Carol
John Williams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Thomas Newman, Bridge of Spies
Johann Johannson, Sicario

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Earned It,” Fifty Shades of Grey
“Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction
“Til It Happens to You,” The Hunting Ground
“Simple Song #3,” Youth
“Writing's On the Wall,” Spectre

BEST SOUND EDITING

Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
Sicario
The Revenant

BEST SOUND MIXING

Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Inside Out
Anomalisa
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Boy and the World
When Marnie Was There

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Son of Saul
Mustang
A War
Embrace of the Serpent
Theeb

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

Body Team 12
Chau, Beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spctres of Shoah
A Girl in the River Last Day of Freedom

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay
Shok Stutterer

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live Without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow