Oscar voting concluded last week, with nominations set to be announced on Jan. 14.
Before we post our Top 10s and honorable mentions, Andrew and I are here to provide our own annual “ballots.” Listed below are our personal rankings for select categories (picture, directing, acting, writing, cinematography). We abide by Oscar rules (that is, we only rank five contenders per category, and only consider those the Academy has deemed "eligible"), and opt out of categories where we either haven’t seen enough (animated film) or aren’t opinionated enough to weigh in (sound mixing).
The most notable films we didn't see in time (trust us: no Oscar voter has seen everything, either): Alex Garland’s Ex Machina; Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight and J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In addition, David has yet to catch James White (Andrew’s review is here).
Our personal Oscar ballots are listed below, with choices ranked in terms of preference. You can check out our ballots from last year HERE.
Best Picture
David: Todd Haynes’ period piece Carol is the film of 2015, merging formal precision with profound ideas for the year’s fullest cinematic experience. A screwball polemic, a journalistic slow-burn, an animated character study and an intimate depiction of post-war Berlin round out the ballot.
1. CAROL
2. ANOMALISA
3. SPOTLIGHT
4. PHOENIX
5. THE BIG SHORT
Andrew: This was a tough decision. Carol’s a beautifully told and engrossing romance film that I fell in love with. Yet there’s something about Charlie Kaufman’s strange, macabre Anomalisa that felt more original and audacious than any other film this year. Tangerine and The Second Mother are small-scale indies that pack a tremendous punch, and Mad Max is a fabulous rock opera from hell, a truly unforgettable cinematic experience.
1. ANOMALISA
2. CAROL
3. TANGERINE
4. THE SECOND MOTHER
5. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Best Director
David: No director showed command of emotion and style quite like Todd Haynes this year. As for what came close: George Miller and Adam McKay’s tightly controlled chaos, Tom McCarthy’s meticulous ode to reporting and Ryan Coogler’s bracing update of an American classic.
1. TODD HAYNES, Carol
2. GEORGE MILLER, Mad Max: Fury Road
3. TOM MCCARTHY, Spotlight
4. ADAM MCKAY, The Big Short
5. RYAN COOGLER, Creed
Andrew: David, I can’t believe you did not include Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson. Though helming an animated film is significantly different from live-action, the direction here nonetheless reflects a level of sensitivity and nuance that I didn’t see elsewhere in 2015. The entire construct of Anomalisa – with all its little details, from having Tom Noonan voice every secondary character to the intimacy of the love scene between Lisa and Michael (see David’s review) – is a directorial achievement that merits comparison with Kaufman’s superb Synecdoche, New York. Todd Haynes’ work is exceptional as well, as David rightfully pointed out, and I don’t begrudge his decision to place him at the top. And between Mad Max’s virtuosity, Sean Baker’s dizzying intensity and Tom McCarthy’s disciplined command, this year was not exactly short on great directors.
1. CHARLIE KAUFMAN & DUKE JOHNSON, Anomalisa
2. TODD HAYNES, Carol
3. GEORGE MILLER, Mad Max: Fury Road
4. SEAN BAKER, Tangerine
5. TOM MCCARTHY, Spotlight
Best Actor
David: The two Michaels – Fassbender and Jordan, of Steve Jobs and Creed, respectively – reached new levels of excellence this year, dynamic in lead roles that asked much of them. And Steve Carell and Ben Mendelsohn both anchored their ensemble-driven films with wily humor and deep soul. But Paul Dano was in another league: his embodiment of Brian Wilson was musical, poignant and completely fascinating.
1. PAUL DANO, Love and Mercy
2. MICHAEL FASSBENDER, Steve Jobs
3. MICHAEL B. JORDAN, Creed
4. STEVE CARELL, The Big Short
5. BEN MENDELSOHN, Mississippi Grind
Andrew: Michael Fassbender and Paul Dano are two of the best actors working today; it’s not a surprise that they deliver two of the year’s best performances. Fassbender’s transformation into Steve Jobs is not showy – one of my least favorite traits in an Oscar-winning performance – and the effortless detail of his performance makes for a tour-de-force of acting. Though I loved Dano in Love and Mercy (and detested the last half of Steve Jobs), Fassbender nonetheless stands tall among leading actors this year. And Christopher Abbott, may I add, is searing and raw in James White, commanding my attention like few film performances in 2015.
1. MICHAEL FASSBENDER, Steve Jobs
2. PAUL DANO, Love and Mercy
3. CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT, James White
4. MICHAEL B. JORDAN, Creed
5. ABRAHAM ATTAH, Beasts of No Nation
Best Actress
David: The camera in 45 Years couldn’t seem to pivot away from the remarkable Charlotte Rampling – and neither could my eyes. She towers over a historically competitive field, from the nakedly emotional Cate Blanchett and Brie Larson to the quietly devastating Regina Casé and Juliette Binoche. Special mention to Brooklyn’s Saoirse Ronan, Phoenix’s Nina Hoss and Welcome to Me’s Kristen Wiig, each brilliant in their own way.
1. CHARLOTTE RAMPLING, 45 Years
2. CATE BLANCHETT, Carol
3. BRIE LARSON, Room
4. REGINA CASÉ, The Second Mother
5. JULIETTE BINOCHE, Clouds of Sils Maria
Andrew: I love Cate Blanchett, but again? Once more, she’s that good. Blanchett is royal in Carol, delivering a larger-than-life performance with controlled passion. Right behind: Brie Larson’s heartbreaking work as a kidnapped young mother in Room; Regina Casé’s fascinating performance as a housemaid negotiating the love between the family she works for and her actual daughter; Saoirse Ronan’s charming innocence as a young immigrant left in a strange land (Brooklyn); and Charlotte Rampling’s haunting exploration of a woman coming to terms with the realities of her marriage. Honorable Mention: Rooney Mara, for her transformative turn as a meek shopgirl who blossoms sexually and emotionally. All in all, this was a fantastic year for lead actresses.
1. CATE BLANCHETT, Carol
2. BRIE LARSON, Room
3. REGINA CASÉ, The Second Mother
4. SAOIRSE RONAN, Brooklyn
5. CHARLOTTE RAMPLING, 45 Years
Best Supporting Actor
David: Tom Hardy and Sam Elliot revealed new depths this year, while Michael Shannon and Mark Rylance reasserted their prodigious talents. But Idris Elba held my attention with mesmerizing menace in Beasts of No Nation, and he never let me go.
1. IDRIS ELBA, Beasts of No Nation
2. MICHAEL SHANNON, 99 Homes
3. MARK RYLANCE, Bridge of Spies
4. TOM HARDY, The Revenant
5. SAM ELLIOT, Grandma
Andrew: Idris Elba is one of our best actors; like David said, his energy is absolutely stirring in Beasts of No Nation. Surprised Jacob Tremblay is not on David’s list – frankly, it’s one of the best and most nuanced performances I’ve ever seen from an actor of his age – and Sylvester Stallone impressed me this year as well. He did great work in his “comeback” role, as an older Rocky Balboa.
1. IDRIS ELBA, Beasts of No Nation
2. MICHAEL SHANNON, 99 Homes
3. STEVE CARELL, The Big Short
4. JACOB TREMBLAY, Room
5. SYLVESTER STALLONE, Creed
Best Supporting Actress
David: Rose Byrne, Jessica Chastain and Tessa Thompson took hold of the limelight in three very different studio pics – an action comedy, a horror fantasia and a boxing uplifter – whenever they appeared on-screen. And while Jennifer Jason Leigh did some legendary voice acting in Anomalisa, Rooney Mara’s intensely complex performance in Carol still takes the cake.
1. ROONEY MARA, Carol
2. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH, Anomalisa
3. ROSE BYRNE, Spy
4. JESSICA CHASTAIN, Crimson Peak
5. TESSA THOMPSON, Creed
Andrew: Would I call Rooney Mara’s performance a supporting one? No, no, no. (Sorry Harvey, but I'm not happy with you.) Though the category is thin (I blame Hollywood – not these lovely ladies), I was still taken by every performance included here, from Rose Byrne's comic turn as a Bulgarian Bond villain in Spy to Mya Taylor's soulful work in Tangerine. But Cynthia Nixon is devastating in James White, and embodies the spirit of the category more than any other actress this year.
1. CYNTHIA NIXON, James White
2. MYA TAYLOR, Tangerine
3. ROSE BYRNE, Spy
4. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH, Anomalisa
5. TESSA THOMPSON, Creed
Best Original Screenplay
David: The Spotlight script is basically perfect: tight, natural, rich with detail, sufficiently ambiguous and effortlessly immersed in its time and place. Lots to choose from beyond it, though: the perceptive The Second Mother, the theatrical Clouds of Sils Maria, the ruthlessly satirical Court and the ever-wise Inside Out make my list.
1. SPOTLIGHT, by Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer
2. THE SECOND MOTHER, by Anna Muylaert
3. CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA, by Olivier Assayas
4. COURT, by Chaitanya Tamhane
5. INSIDE OUT, by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve & Josh Cooley
Andrew: Screenplay categories are always the toughest for me, but I’m departing from David: The Second Mother is the original screenplay of the year. Its exploration of class and family is original, penetrative and daring. The writing makes a deep impression. But Spotlight, I would still argue, is the more technically exemplary screenplay.
1. THE SECOND MOTHER, by Anna Muylaert
2. SPOTLIGHT, by Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer
3. I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS, by Brett Haley
4. JAMES WHITE, by Josh Mond
5. INSIDE OUT, by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve & Josh Cooley
Best Adapted Screenplay
David: Nick Hornby manages something exquisite within the basic construct of Brooklyn. Phyllis Nagy updates 1952’s The Price of Salt with close detail and a contemporary eye. Phoenix is layered to the point of confusion. (That’s a compliment.) The Big Short never knows when to stop and start, until its gut-punch of a finish. (Also a compliment.) And once more, Charlie Kaufman provides a masterclass in screenwriting with Anomalisa, a work of understated ambition and searing humanity. Honorable mention to Marielle Heller's imaginative adaptation of The Diary of a Teenage Girl.
1. ANOMALISA, by Charlie Kaufman
2. BROOKLYN, by Nick Hornby
3. THE BIG SHORT, by Adam McKay & Charles Randolph
4. PHOENIX, by Christian Petzold & Harun Farocki
5. CAROL, by Phyllis Nagy
Andrew: David couldn’t have said it better: in terms of writing, this year belongs to Anomalisa. I found Nick Hornby’s Brooklyn script to be tender and heartfelt, one of the year’s most pleasant pieces of writing (something that’s harder to pull off than you might think). Phyllis Nagy’s Carol adaptation gives Todd Haynes the ability to expand his vision, and grounds his direction with striking detail and vivid dialogue.
1. ANOMALISA, by Charlie Kaufman
2. THE BIG SHORT, by Charles Randolph & Adam McKay
3. THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, by Marielle Heller
4. BROOKLYN, by Nick Hornby
5. CAROL, by Phyllis Nagy
Best Cinematography
David: Five different approaches, each equally exceptional. (Seriously: I’d have a different DP in number one every day of the week.) First, my primary runner-up: Masanobu Takayanagi’s subtle lensing of Spotlight, filled with complicated, evocative visuals. Otherwise, The Revenant marks Emmanuel Lubezki's latest cinematographic stunner. The accomplishment of Tangerine speaks for itself, but the film is also incredibly beautiful and textured. The luscious detail of Carol is diametrically opposed to the fanatical energy of Mad Max – aside from the (seamless) execution that results. But the transfixing imagery of Beasts of No Nation won me over: Cary Fukunaga’s foray into the Ghanan bush is simultaneously haunting and serene, overwhelming and poetic. It’s immaculate.
1. CARY FUKUNAGA, Beasts of No Nation
2. EDWARD LACHMAN, Carol
3. JOHN SEALE, Mad Max: Fury Road
4. SEAN BAKER & RADIUM CHEUNG, Tangerine
5. EMMANUEL LUBEZKI, The Revenant
Andrew: I’m picking Tangerine not because it features the most illustrious cinematography of the year – it doesn’t. Rather, Sean Baker and Radium Cheung manage something bracingly original, lensing a story about sex workers and friendship on an iPhone 5 – and with a confidence and skill that left me speechless. We often make the mistake of equating the epic and beautiful with the most deserving cinematography. What separates this category from art direction and directing is the cinematographer’s responsibility to marry content with visual storytelling. And what film this year does that better than Tangerine? The essence of its marginalized characters’ lives is captured on a frickin’ iPhone, in all its messiness, dysfunction and delicious drama.
1. SEAN BAKER & RADIUM CHEUNG, Tangerine
2. EDWARD LACHMAN, Carol
3. DAN LAUSTSEN, Crimson Peak
4. JOHN SEALE, Mad Max: Fury Road
5. MASANOBU TAKAYANAGI, Spotlight