Scarecrow's Oscar Picks - 2016 Edition

Hey!  The Oscars are tonight, and as I lay on the couch fighting off one hell of a flu, I realized I haven't done my annual tradition of blogging my Oscar Picks!  Of course, I've been doing this ever since I launched by website way back in 1997, so the tradition must continue!

Continuing the tradition I began on my college radio show back in the day, my Oscar Picks are a little bit different.  I only do my picks in the categories that I have a good track record in predicting:  Best Visual Effects, Best Original Song, and Best Animated Film.  So let's get to it, shall we?

Best Visual Effects

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

My Thoughts:  Wow!  So many good choices this year.  We had The Martian re-creating Mars, The Revenant with all manner of computer animated animals, and Ex Machina with hot androids.  But there is no question who's going to take it this year.  If there's one thing that people marveled at in Mad Max: Fury Road, it was a return to practical effects work, and big beautiful stuntwork, with the addition of CGI to enhance.  If Mad Max gets at least one win, it has to be here.

My Pick:  Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Animated Film

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

My Thoughts:  For the first time in a long time, this category is full of a bunch of nominees I've never heard of!  Anomalisa is a stop-motion animated drama from the guy who did Being John Malkovich about a self-help author who has an affair in a hotel one weekend...Boy & the World doesn`t have much of a plot description on Wikipedia, but it`s Brazilian.  I'm mildly surprised that Shaun the Sheep Movie got a nomination, but I shouldn't be, as Aardman Animation is an Oscar favourite, as is Japan's Studio Ghibli, which is why their final film When Marnie Was There no doubt got nominated.  And, perpetual Oscar favourite Pixar is represented with Inside Out.  Inside Out was a real comeback film for Pixar after slumping for most of this decade, so I think the Oscars are going to reward the comeback.

My Pick:  Inside Out

Best Original Song

• "Earned It" from Fifty Shades of Grey
• "Manta Ray" from Racing Extinction
• "Simple Song #3" from Youth 
• "Til it Happens to You" from The Hunting Ground
• "Writing's on the Wall" from Spectre  

My Thoughts:  Crap, this is a tough one.  Whatever happened to the good ol' days when it was just the one from the Disney animated film?  I know it's not going to be Writing's on the Wall, as everyone pretty much agrees it's one of the weakest James Bond themes.  Your guess is as good as mine.

My Pick:  Umm...Fifty Shades of Grey, cuz wouldn't it be hilarious if we could call that film an Oscar winner?

And let's do the big one

Best Picture

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

My Thoughts:  Wow!  I've seen two of the nominees!  That's a personal record!  It's Mad Max and The Revenant, in case you're wondering.  This is one of the most diverse selections in a long time, as even the professional pundits are having trouble selecting a winner.  I know they opened it up to more than 5 nominees so that way more mainstream films would get recognized, so it'd be nice if it went to one of the more mainstream ones.  I dunno...my gut says The Martian.

My Pick:  The Martian

The Oscars are tonight, February 28.