#OSCARS: “THE REVENANT” LEADS 2016 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES

Nominees for the 2016 Academy Awards were announced earlier this morning in Los Angeles. Although there were a few surprises, much of what we have seen thus far this Awards Season, including the Golden Globes this past weekend, has been punctuated.

Leading the way with 12 nominations is The Revenant which thus far this season has swept major awards including the Golden Globes this past weekend in the important Motion Picture Drama, Director and Actor in a Drama categories. Its competitors include Spotlight, The Martian, Bridge of Spies, The Big Short, Room and Brooklyn.  Spotlight, The Revenant and Room all were filmed in Canada, while Brooklyn is a co-Canadian production.

Leonardo DiCaprio, seen widely as the prohibitive choice to take Best Actor for his work in The Revenant, solidified his standing with an expected nomination. Other nominees in the category include a surprising Bryan Cranston, Eddie Redmayne, Michael Fassbender and Matt Damon.

Brie Larson literally has come out of nowhere before Awards Season, to now be a forced to be reckoned with in the Best Actress category for her Room performance. Propelled in its festival circuit run by a People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Room after much debate also secured itself among the year’s best with a nod for Best Picture. Larson is up against Awards Season veteran and two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett who could well join the likes of Meryl Streep to win a third for her fantastic performance in Carol. Also nominated are Jennifer Lawrence, Saoirse Ronan and legendary actress Charlotte Rampling.

The Supporting Actor category saw nominated for the first time since 1977, Sylvester Stallone, who nabbed a long-overdue Golden Globe this past weekend for his work in latest Rocky installment, Creed. An overdue Tom Hardy, previous winner Christian Bale, Mark Rylance and Mark Ruffalo round-out the bunch. Missing noticably is Canadian Child Actor Jacob Tremblay who has received much acclaim for his breakthrough performance in Room.

The Supporting Actress category continues to be a hotly-contested one. While Academy Award winner Kate Winslet won a Golden Globe for her performance in Steve Jobs, she faces stiff competition in Rooney Mara for her acclaimed understated performance in Carol. Also up are Toronto’s own Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alicia Vikander. Kristen Stewart for Clouds of Sils Maria is seen as an omission.

Up for Best Director are Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Alejandro Gonzalez-Inaritu (The Revenant) and Adam McKay (The Big Short). The Winner of this category often is seen as a precursor to Best Picture.

The Oscars air on ABC Sunday, February 28, 2016 7 PM EST.

(Photo credit: Oscars.Com)