Hello, and welcome to the Sixth Annual Elwyns Awards, a ceremony (see: blog post) dedicated to celebrating the greatest accomplishments set to film during the past year. This is, of course, my personal chance to play god with the Oscars, righting what I perceive to be the Academy's wrongs, replacing them with my own glorious, irrefutable selections. Sounds cool, right? I knew you'd think so. Some of Oscar's favorite sections (Foreign Film, Documentary, all the Shorts) are missing here, but in their place are a few different categories dreamed up especially for this site's very own awards show. The winner of each category will receive a Collin, the highest honor that this website can offer, and a form of recognition that will be remembered for a lifetime. Let's get to it!
***Note: A special thanks to my sister, Brittany Elwyn, for creating all of the graphics featured in today's post***
Best Picture:
And the nominees are...
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Mad Max: Fury Road
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Love & Mercy
Sicario
Spotlight
And the Collin goes to...
Runner-Up: Spotlight
Next in Line: Wild Tales, Phoenix, and Inside Out
Best Director:
And the nominees are...
George Miller---Mad Max: Fury Road
Bill Pohlad---Love & Mercy
Denis Villeneuve---Sicario
Tom McCarthy---Spotlight
Damián Szifrón---Wild Tales
And the Collin goes to...
George Miller---Mad Max: Fury Road
Frankly, this one seems more obvious to me than giving it Best Picture. The fact that Miller helmed this maniacal extravaganza without ever loosing his grip on the wheel is insane, never mind that a 73-year-old just directed one of the best action movies ever made.
Runner-Up: Tom McCarthy---Spotlight
Next in Line: Roy Andersson---A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon---Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Christian Petzold---Phoenix
Best Actor:
And the nominees are...
Jason Segel---The End of the Tour
Samuel L. Jackson---The Hateful Eight
Adam Scott---The Overnight
Michael Fassbender---Steve Jobs
Ibrahim Ahmed---Timbuktu
And the Collin goes to...
Michael Fassbender---Steve Jobs
Both my line-up and Oscar's selections in the Best Actor category are among the least impressive in recent memory, but when in doubt, just vote Fassbender. His performance is mesmerizingly lived-in, from his voice to the way he carries himself on down to his mastery of Aaron Sorkin's rippling dialogue.
Runner-Up: Samuel L. Jackson---The Hateful Eight
Next in Line: Michael Fassbender---MacBeth, Matt Damon---The Martian, and Thomas Mann---Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Best Actress:
And the nominees are...
Saoirse Ronan---Brooklyn
Cate Blanchett---Carol
Rooney Mara---Carol
Nina Hoss---Phoenix
Daisy Ridley---Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
Saoirse Ronan---Brooklyn
In contrast to this year's Lead Actors, the Best Actress race was preposterously competitive last year. Ronan stole my heart with her subtle performance in Brooklyn, her face registering emotions and internal conflict with the artful specificity of a concert pianist. Really though, you couldn't go wrong with any of the thespians listed here, not to mention a handful of others I left off the list.
Runner-Up: Nina Hoss---Phoenix
Next in Line: Juliette Binoche---Clouds of Sils Maria, Brie Larson---Room, and Emily Blunt---Sicario
Best Supporting Actor:
And the nominees are...
Emory Cohen---Brooklyn
Joel Edgerton---The Gift
Paul Dano---Love & Mercy
Michael Keaton---Spotlight
Liev Schreiber---Spotlight
And the Collin goes to...
Paul Dano---Love & Mercy
My favorite performance of any actor or actress in 2015 belongs to Paul Dano, who's odd energy has never been put to better use than in his portrayal of a young Brian Wilson. Soft, kind, and tragically troubled, Dano breaks our hearts by unraveling right before our eyes, and only just as his genius was starting to be recognized.
Runner-Up: Liev Schreiber---Spotlight
Next in Line: Christian Bale---The Big Short, Tom Hardy---The Revenant, and Josh Brolin---Sicario
Best Supporting Actress:
And the nominees are...
Kristen Stewart---Clouds of Sils Maria
Alicia Vikander---Ex Machina
Jennifer Jason Leigh---The Hateful Eight
Charlize Theron---Mad Max: Fury Road
Érica Rivas---Wild Tales
And the Collin goes to...
Jennifer Jason Leigh---The Hateful Eight
Leigh is captivating for every second she's on screen in Quentin Tarantino's latest despite being saddled with a role that lesser actors undoubtably would have found unflattering. Bilious, clever, and wily in her every move, she plays an entrancing which of a woman who toys with our sympathies in nearly every scene.
Runner-Up: Kristen Stewart---Clouds of Sils Maria
Next in Line: Teyonah Parris---Chi-Raq, Olivia Cooke---Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Rachel Weisz---Youth
Best Original Screenplay:
And the nominees are...
Roy Andersson---A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Olivier Assayas---Clouds of Sils Maria
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley---Inside Out
Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy---Spotlight
Damián Szifrón---Wild Tales
And the Collin goes to...
Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy---Spotlight
Immaculately researched, dense in detail, and trimmed of even the slightest bit of fat, Spotlight represents precision screenwriting at its finest. Inside Out may be striving for something more ambitious, but Spotlight is perfect, and deserves this imaginary prize.
Runner-Up: Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley---Inside Out
Next in Line: Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig---Mistress America, Patrick Brice---The Overnight, and Denis Villeneuve---Sicario
Best Adapted Screenplay:
And the nominees are...
Andrew Haigh---45 Years
Charlie Kaufman---Anomalisa
Donald Margulies---The End of the Tour
Jesse Andrews---Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Christian Petzold and Harun Farocki---Phoenix
And the Collin goes to...
Christian Petzold and Harun Farocki---Phoenix
2015 was a great year for foreign films that only reveal their true meaning near the end, the mind-bending Phoenix sorting through lofty and knotted subject matter through the lens of a small, personal story.
Runner-Up: Charlie Kaufman---Anomalisa
Next in Line: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay---The Big Short, Nick Hornby---Brooklyn, and Drew Goddard---The Martian
Best Ensemble:
And the nominees are...
Runner-Up: Sicario
Next in Line: The Hateful Eight, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Best Cinematography:
And the nominees are...
Ping Bin Lee---The Assassin
Adam Arkapaw---MacBeth
John Seale---Mad Max: Fury Road
Emmanuel Lubezki---The Revenant
Roger Deakins---Sicario
And the Collin goes to...
John Seale---Mad Max: Fury Road
I know, I know, Lubezki shot with all-natural light in freezing temperatures, and his film is truly one of the most beautiful a viewer could ever ask for, but I've got to stick with Mad Max. John Seale's camera constantly finds the least obvious, most engaging framing possible, and the way he retains physical logic within all the chaos taking place on screen is downright masterful.
Runner-Up: Emmanuel Lubezki---The Revenant
Next in Line: Cary Joji Fukunaga---Beasts of No Nation, Edward Lachman---Carol, and Maryse Alberti---Creed
Runner-Up: Tom McArdle---Spotlight
Next in Line: Margaret Sixel---Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel---Mad Max: Fury Road, and Margaret Sixel---Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Production Design:
And the nominees are...
Ulf Jonsson and Nicklas Nilsson---A Pigeon Sat on Branch Reflecting on Existence
Wen-Ying Huang---The Assassin
Adam Stockhausen---Bridge of Spies
Judy Becker---Carol
Keith P. Cunningham---Love & Mercy
And the Collin goes to...
Adam Stockhausen---Bridge of Spies
Swapping out the technicolor artifice of War Horse and the sepia-toned postcard visuals of Lincoln, Steven Spielberg's production team experienced a massive return to form with Bridge of Spies, a period piece that accomplishes that rarest of feats; it actually looks like the time and place wherein it's set.
Runner-Up: Judy Becker---Carol
Next in Line: Mark Digby---Ex Machina, Fiona Crombie---MacBeth, Colin Gibson---Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Original Score:
And the nominees are...
Ennio Morricone---The Hateful Eight
Michael Giacchino---Inside Out
Disasterpeace---It Follows
Junkie XL---Mad Max: Fury Road
Jóhann Jóhannsson---Sicario
And the Collin goes to...
Junkie XL---Mad Max: Fury Road
Similar to my acknowledging the massive accomplishment of Emmanuel Lubezki and his trusty camera, I feel bad about leaving Morricone's incredible score for The Hateful Eight on the curb, but no composer bolstered their film's every scene quite like Junkie XL, whose rock opera pound with just the level of ferocity that Mad Max needs.
Runner-Up: Ennio Morricone---The Hateful Eight
Next in Line: Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham---Mistress America, Howard Shore---Spotlight, and Daniel Pemberton---Steve Jobs
Best Costume Design:
And the nominees are...
Julia Tegström---A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Hwarng Wern-Ying---The Assassin
Odile Dicks-Mireaux---Brooklyn
Sandy Powell---Carol
Courtney Hoffman---The Hateful Eight
And the Collin goes to...
Hwarng Wern-Ying---The Assassin
Everything in The Assassin is unspeakably beautiful, but the costumes reach a level all their own, each more lovingly crafted, immediately tactile, and head-spinningly gorgeous than the last.
Runner-Up: Sandy Powell---Carol
Next in Line: Jacqueline Durran---MacBeth, Jenny Beavan---Mad Max: Fury Road, and Michael Kaplan---Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Best Visual Effects:
And the nominees are...
Jurassic World
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
Mad Max: Fury Road
To my mind, the best special effects are the ones you stop thinking of as special effects. Sure, much of Mad Max with performed with practical materials and a real stunt team, but this surreal post-apocalyptic nightmare wouldn't stand a chance without digital aid.
Runner-Up: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Next in Line: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, and What We Do In The Shadows
Best Make-Up and Hairstyling:
And the nominees are...
MacBeth
Creed
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Oscar gave this award to Fury Road, and didn't even nominate Star Wars. Look at that picture. Need I say more?
Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Next in Line: Wild Tales, The Hateful Eight, and Goodnight Mommy
Best Sound Editing:
And the nominees are...
The Hateful Eight
Jurassic World
Love & Mercy
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
Love & Mercy
Sound Editing represents the creation of the sounds that are then later featured in the movie. Atticus Ross managed to do the seemingly unthinkable, taking us inside the head of a musical genius, and showing us how his mind processes his creations.
Runner-Up: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Next in Line: Creed, Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation, and The Revenant
Best Sound Mixing:
And the nominees are...
The Hateful Eight
Love & Mercy
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Next in Line: Anomalisa, Jurassic World, Straight Outta Compton
Best Picture:
And the nominees are...
Mad Max: Fury Road
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Love & Mercy
Sicario
Spotlight
And the Collin goes to...
Mad Max: Fury Road
I'll be breaking down all six of these movies, as well as those who just missed the cut, tomorrow when I post Hype Starts Here's Top 15 Movies of 2015, but I'll just quickly say that Fury Road is the most perfect distillation of what makes movies special that one could possibly ask for. Everything that makes the medium unique and powerful is blown up to epic proportions in this 2 hour adrenaline-rush of a film.
Next in Line: Wild Tales, Phoenix, and Inside Out
Best Director:
And the nominees are...
Bill Pohlad---Love & Mercy
Denis Villeneuve---Sicario
Tom McCarthy---Spotlight
Damián Szifrón---Wild Tales
And the Collin goes to...
Frankly, this one seems more obvious to me than giving it Best Picture. The fact that Miller helmed this maniacal extravaganza without ever loosing his grip on the wheel is insane, never mind that a 73-year-old just directed one of the best action movies ever made.
Runner-Up: Tom McCarthy---Spotlight
Next in Line: Roy Andersson---A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon---Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Christian Petzold---Phoenix
Best Actor:
And the nominees are...
Samuel L. Jackson---The Hateful Eight
Adam Scott---The Overnight
Michael Fassbender---Steve Jobs
Ibrahim Ahmed---Timbuktu
And the Collin goes to...
Both my line-up and Oscar's selections in the Best Actor category are among the least impressive in recent memory, but when in doubt, just vote Fassbender. His performance is mesmerizingly lived-in, from his voice to the way he carries himself on down to his mastery of Aaron Sorkin's rippling dialogue.
Runner-Up: Samuel L. Jackson---The Hateful Eight
Next in Line: Michael Fassbender---MacBeth, Matt Damon---The Martian, and Thomas Mann---Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Best Actress:
And the nominees are...
Cate Blanchett---Carol
Rooney Mara---Carol
Nina Hoss---Phoenix
Daisy Ridley---Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
In contrast to this year's Lead Actors, the Best Actress race was preposterously competitive last year. Ronan stole my heart with her subtle performance in Brooklyn, her face registering emotions and internal conflict with the artful specificity of a concert pianist. Really though, you couldn't go wrong with any of the thespians listed here, not to mention a handful of others I left off the list.
Runner-Up: Nina Hoss---Phoenix
Next in Line: Juliette Binoche---Clouds of Sils Maria, Brie Larson---Room, and Emily Blunt---Sicario
Best Supporting Actor:
And the nominees are...
Joel Edgerton---The Gift
Paul Dano---Love & Mercy
Michael Keaton---Spotlight
Liev Schreiber---Spotlight
And the Collin goes to...
My favorite performance of any actor or actress in 2015 belongs to Paul Dano, who's odd energy has never been put to better use than in his portrayal of a young Brian Wilson. Soft, kind, and tragically troubled, Dano breaks our hearts by unraveling right before our eyes, and only just as his genius was starting to be recognized.
Runner-Up: Liev Schreiber---Spotlight
Next in Line: Christian Bale---The Big Short, Tom Hardy---The Revenant, and Josh Brolin---Sicario
Best Supporting Actress:
And the nominees are...
Alicia Vikander---Ex Machina
Jennifer Jason Leigh---The Hateful Eight
Charlize Theron---Mad Max: Fury Road
Érica Rivas---Wild Tales
And the Collin goes to...
Leigh is captivating for every second she's on screen in Quentin Tarantino's latest despite being saddled with a role that lesser actors undoubtably would have found unflattering. Bilious, clever, and wily in her every move, she plays an entrancing which of a woman who toys with our sympathies in nearly every scene.
Runner-Up: Kristen Stewart---Clouds of Sils Maria
Next in Line: Teyonah Parris---Chi-Raq, Olivia Cooke---Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Rachel Weisz---Youth
Best Original Screenplay:
And the nominees are...
Olivier Assayas---Clouds of Sils Maria
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley---Inside Out
Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy---Spotlight
Damián Szifrón---Wild Tales
And the Collin goes to...
Immaculately researched, dense in detail, and trimmed of even the slightest bit of fat, Spotlight represents precision screenwriting at its finest. Inside Out may be striving for something more ambitious, but Spotlight is perfect, and deserves this imaginary prize.
Runner-Up: Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley---Inside Out
Next in Line: Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig---Mistress America, Patrick Brice---The Overnight, and Denis Villeneuve---Sicario
Best Adapted Screenplay:
And the nominees are...
Charlie Kaufman---Anomalisa
Donald Margulies---The End of the Tour
Jesse Andrews---Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Christian Petzold and Harun Farocki---Phoenix
And the Collin goes to...
2015 was a great year for foreign films that only reveal their true meaning near the end, the mind-bending Phoenix sorting through lofty and knotted subject matter through the lens of a small, personal story.
Runner-Up: Charlie Kaufman---Anomalisa
Next in Line: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay---The Big Short, Nick Hornby---Brooklyn, and Drew Goddard---The Martian
Best Ensemble:
And the nominees are...
The Big Short
Clouds of Sils Maria
Sicario
Spotlight
Wild Tales
And the Collin goes to...
Spotlight
Despite having no Oscars to show for their work, the cast of Spotlight is almost flawless from beginning to end. No one shows off, everyone stays in their lane, and every thespian on board works in perfect concert with one another.
Next in Line: The Hateful Eight, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Best Cinematography:
And the nominees are...
Ping Bin Lee---The Assassin
Adam Arkapaw---MacBeth
John Seale---Mad Max: Fury Road
Emmanuel Lubezki---The Revenant
Roger Deakins---Sicario
And the Collin goes to...
I know, I know, Lubezki shot with all-natural light in freezing temperatures, and his film is truly one of the most beautiful a viewer could ever ask for, but I've got to stick with Mad Max. John Seale's camera constantly finds the least obvious, most engaging framing possible, and the way he retains physical logic within all the chaos taking place on screen is downright masterful.
Runner-Up: Emmanuel Lubezki---The Revenant
Next in Line: Cary Joji Fukunaga---Beasts of No Nation, Edward Lachman---Carol, and Maryse Alberti---Creed
Best Editing:
And the nominees are...
Dino Jonsäter---Love & Mercy
Margaret Sixel---Mad Max: Fury Road
Eddie Hamilton---Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Tom McArdle---Spotlight
Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey---Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
Margaret Sixel---Mad Max: Fury Road
Do I really need to explain this one? Mad Max might actually be the single most astoundingly edited movie I've ever seen in my life, ratcheting up the pace and intensity to almost merciless levels while maintaining spacial reasoning all the while.
Next in Line: Margaret Sixel---Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel---Mad Max: Fury Road, and Margaret Sixel---Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Production Design:
And the nominees are...
Ulf Jonsson and Nicklas Nilsson---A Pigeon Sat on Branch Reflecting on Existence
Wen-Ying Huang---The Assassin
Adam Stockhausen---Bridge of Spies
Judy Becker---Carol
Keith P. Cunningham---Love & Mercy
And the Collin goes to...
Swapping out the technicolor artifice of War Horse and the sepia-toned postcard visuals of Lincoln, Steven Spielberg's production team experienced a massive return to form with Bridge of Spies, a period piece that accomplishes that rarest of feats; it actually looks like the time and place wherein it's set.
Runner-Up: Judy Becker---Carol
Next in Line: Mark Digby---Ex Machina, Fiona Crombie---MacBeth, Colin Gibson---Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Original Score:
And the nominees are...
Ennio Morricone---The Hateful Eight
Michael Giacchino---Inside Out
Disasterpeace---It Follows
Junkie XL---Mad Max: Fury Road
Jóhann Jóhannsson---Sicario
And the Collin goes to...
Similar to my acknowledging the massive accomplishment of Emmanuel Lubezki and his trusty camera, I feel bad about leaving Morricone's incredible score for The Hateful Eight on the curb, but no composer bolstered their film's every scene quite like Junkie XL, whose rock opera pound with just the level of ferocity that Mad Max needs.
Runner-Up: Ennio Morricone---The Hateful Eight
Next in Line: Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham---Mistress America, Howard Shore---Spotlight, and Daniel Pemberton---Steve Jobs
Best Costume Design:
And the nominees are...
Julia Tegström---A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Hwarng Wern-Ying---The Assassin
Odile Dicks-Mireaux---Brooklyn
Sandy Powell---Carol
Courtney Hoffman---The Hateful Eight
And the Collin goes to...
Everything in The Assassin is unspeakably beautiful, but the costumes reach a level all their own, each more lovingly crafted, immediately tactile, and head-spinningly gorgeous than the last.
Runner-Up: Sandy Powell---Carol
Next in Line: Jacqueline Durran---MacBeth, Jenny Beavan---Mad Max: Fury Road, and Michael Kaplan---Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Best Visual Effects:
And the nominees are...
Jurassic World
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
To my mind, the best special effects are the ones you stop thinking of as special effects. Sure, much of Mad Max with performed with practical materials and a real stunt team, but this surreal post-apocalyptic nightmare wouldn't stand a chance without digital aid.
Runner-Up: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Next in Line: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, and What We Do In The Shadows
Best Make-Up and Hairstyling:
And the nominees are...
MacBeth
Creed
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
Oscar gave this award to Fury Road, and didn't even nominate Star Wars. Look at that picture. Need I say more?
Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Next in Line: Wild Tales, The Hateful Eight, and Goodnight Mommy
Best Sound Editing:
And the nominees are...
The Hateful Eight
Jurassic World
Love & Mercy
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
Sound Editing represents the creation of the sounds that are then later featured in the movie. Atticus Ross managed to do the seemingly unthinkable, taking us inside the head of a musical genius, and showing us how his mind processes his creations.
Runner-Up: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Next in Line: Creed, Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation, and The Revenant
Best Sound Mixing:
And the nominees are...
The Hateful Eight
Love & Mercy
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
And the Collin goes to...
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound Mixing is the way that the sounds that were created in Editing are synthesized into the movie. Fury Road is a claustrophobic cacophony of booming awesomeness, and deserved the award it snagged last night.
Runner-Up: The Hateful Eight
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