That’s a wrap on yet another Oscar season. It was one of the most compelling in recent memory, with a legitimate 3-horse race all the way to the end, with an actual surprise (to most) film pulling out the big prize at the end. For the last three months, The Revenant, The Big Short and Spotlight were in a race, and it was fun to watch the pundits tear their collective hair out trying to figure out which one would take home the gold. In the end, it was the little film that could, Spotlight, that led from wire to wire, a rarity these days in the Oscar race—the festival darling that had the legs to withstand the challenge from the star-studded Big Short and the epic Revenant. See the complete list of Oscar winners here. (In case you were wondering, I was 19-for-24 in my predictions)
Overall, the awards season brought many delights, including Brie Larson’s emergence, George Miller’s resurgence, Ennio Morricone’s overdue appreciation, and, finally, Leo’s crowning. There, in my opinion, could have been more love for Carol, Straight Outta Compton and Idris Elba, but, as with movies in general, awards are subjective, imperfect, and built to inspire discussion, passion and awareness. The Oscars aren’t perfect, and neither is Hollywood. But life sure would be a whole lot more boring without them in it.
Before we say goodbye, here’s one last look at the 2015 Oscar-nominated movies:
Now on to 2016!