Oscar Nominees: Best Picture

My predictions: 7/8, picking “Carol” over “Bridge of Spies”
My ballot: Come back in February!
The nominees: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight

I’m not as annoyed about eight nominees this year, mainly because I already expected that. I’m also happy that, even though I missed one of the nominees, it was my #9 pick and my #8 pick was the one that didn’t make the cut. I personally prefer “Carol” to “Bridge of Spies,” which I found to be disappointing when I saw it, but I don’t care that much. Out of this list, I loved “Spotlight,” “Room,” and “The Martian,” really liked “The Revenant” and “Brooklyn,” liked “The Big Short,” and didn’t love “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Bridge of Spies.” Still, there isn’t a real dud in this list, which is nice. Aside from “Steve Jobs” and “Joy,” both of whose chances were dashed a while ago, there isn’t a film that was ever a truly serious contender in this race that I would have preferred to see here, so that’s saying something. It’s clear in my mind that “Spotlight” is the best film here - will Oscar voters agree?

My current bet to win: I’ll still go with Spotlight at this point.