Oscar Picks

Setting aside the controversy surrounding this year's Academy Awards, the purpose of the Academy is to award excellence. And although the host may find himself caught between a Rock (Chris) and a hard place, the show must go on. That said, the 2016 Oscars race looks dazzling. From provocative subject matter to sweeping epics, fancies will be tickled. So indulge in the glitz, the glamour and the guilty pleasures of the 88th Academy Awards extravaganza. The envelopes, please ...

Best Supporting Actress nominees:

Jennifer Jason Leigh: "The Hateful Eight"

Rooney Mara: "Carol"

Rachel McAdams: "Spotlight"

Alicia Vikander: "The Danish Girl"

Kate Winslet: "Steve Jobs"

It's great to see Jennifer Jason Leigh get gritty. As a deadly, murderous hillbilly headin' for a hangin', she steals scenes from the best. My pick. Most likely: Rooney Mara, as the introverted sales clerk who unexpectedly falls in love with an older woman, is intoxicating.

Best Supporting Actor nominees:

Christian Bale: "The Big Short"

Tom Hardy: "The Revenant"

Mark Ruffalo: "Spotlight"

Mark Rylance: "Bridge of Spies"

Sylvester Stallone: "Creed"

Mark Rylance's understated sweetness shines through as an indifferent Soviet agent in U.S. custody during the Cold War. My pick. Most likely: Comeback kid Sylvester Stallone is on top of his game as a former heavyweight hero with a lot of baggage.

Best Actress nominees:

Cate Blanchett: "Carol"

Brie Larson: "Room"

Jennifer Lawrence: "Joy"

Charlotte Rampling: "45 Years"

Saoirse Ronan: "Brooklyn"

The majestic Charlotte Rampling is incredibly raw, yet stoically sophisticated as a woman who discovers that her undying love for her husband is compromised after 45 years of marriage. My pick. Most likely: Brie Larson shows off her formerly untapped talent for getting deep into character as an abducted woman forced to live with her young son in a shed. 

Best Actor nominees:

Bryan Cranston: "Trumbo"

Matt Damon: "The Martian"

Leonardo DiCaprio: "The Revenant"

Michael Fassbender: "Steve Jobs"

Eddie Redmayne: "The Danish Girl"

Michael Fassbender nails the cold, calculating genius with such aplomb, it's as though he's channeling Mr. Jobs. My pick. Most likely: Leonardo DiCaprio (because it's about time) severely suffers as a fur trapper hell-bent on getting revenge for lots of things.

Best Director nominees:

Adam McKay: "The Big Short"

George Miller: "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Alejandro G. Inarritu: "The Revenant"

Lenny Abrahamson: "Room"

Tom McCarthy: "Spotlight"

Lenny Abrahamson accomplishes so much with so little to work with in this disturbing story, which, for the most part, plays out in a 10' x 10' windowless shed. He manages to elevate what could have been claustrophobic to life-affirming and gripping. My pick. Most likely: Alejandro G. Inarritu for creating a visceral masterpiece of epic proportions. This 19th-century survival tale resonates on every level.

Best Picture nominees:

"The Big Short"

"Bridge of Spies"

"Brooklyn"

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

"The Martian"

"The Revenant"

"Room"

"Spotlight"

"Spotlight" is a small film that navigates a huge scandal with riveting results. There's an authenticity to Boston Globe journalists exposing pedophilia within the Catholic Church, which is totally unexpected. Who would have thought that a film about journalism could be a pulsating thriller? My pick. Most likely: "The Revenant," because it's epic in the way Hollywood movies used to be, and yet it puts forth an extraordinarily primal cinematic experience.

The 88th Academy Awards airs at 7 p.m. Feb. 28, on ABC.