Oscars 2016: Here's our prediction for who the winners will be!

The Academy Awards are called the movies' biggest night for a reason. There are award shows and there are award shows, but nowhere are they as big a star-studded spectacle as they are at the Oscars. 

And this year, amid calls of boycotts for being 'whitewashed' -- none of the top awards feature black actors or movies that are predominantly about black characters -- the fact remains that the event has a black host in Chris Rock, who is going to poke fun at the slight. It is a serious matter, however, and do expect to see some sort of reactions during acceptance speeches.

It just might turn out to be Leonardo DiCaprio's night. Expect a flood of memes to follow if he does win the Best Actor statuette (and more so, if he doesn't). The Best Film battle though is split wide open and it could be anybody's night with eight films craving Oscar glory. And there's that sneaky feeling that Mad Max: Fury Road might take home all the technical category awards (or most, at best). Best Director, too, has tough pickings.

But enough of speculations, here's your one-stop guide to the 88th Academy Awards.

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

HEAD VS HEART: Some of the movies have yet to see a release here, but the ones that matter, in this category have released. Every news agency and entertainment website of note has picked The Revenant. Our choice is no different. But it is the first runner-up in this category that we'd like to see winning, that's up in the air -- Spotlight, The Big Short and Mad Max: Fury Road -- are all equally capable of a big upset.

BEST DIRECTOR
Adam McKay for The Big Short
George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant 
Lenny Abrahamson for Room
Tom McCarthy for Spotlight

HEAD VS HEART: It's a clear win for Alejandro by any measure, but our hearts say it could well be George Miller's night for what can best be described as a cinematic tour-de-force.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
HEAD VS HEART: Every fiber in our body screams that this is Leo's night, but the Oscar jury could go for Eddie again for his splendid turn in The Danish Girl or for Bryan Cranston's brilliant portrayal of blacklisted 1960s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
HEAD VS HEART: Brie Larson, without a doubt! But if you're betting against the obvious choice, you'd do well to pick Cate Blanchett.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (MALE)
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
HEAD VS HEART: This one is Stallone's to lose. Hardy was at his malicious best in Revenant and Ruffalo sailed through Spotlight. But none came close to Sly.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (FEMALE)
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
HEAD VS HEART: Mara was the perfect foil to Cate in Carol, but we're going with Alicia for the win. She truly deserved a Best Actress nom, but her chances of winning are better here.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
HEAD VS HEART: Inside Out is a clear winner for this, but Anomalisa comes a close second. 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario
HEAD VS HEART: It's a contest between Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant. The former has a clear lead, though. I'd bet on it.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
HEAD VS HEART: MMFR will take this one. Though we'd like to see Carol win this one.

BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
HEAD VS HEART: Amy is our pick for obvious reasons, but Cartel Land could spring a surprise.

BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
Body Team 12
Chau, beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom
HEAD VS HEART: Okay, we haven't watched any of the films in this category, but the buzz is strongest around Chau, Beyond The Lines. And thereafter, A Girl In The River.

BEST FILM EDITING

The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
HEAD VS HEART: MMFR again. If you're feeling plucky, Star Wars.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Embrace of the Serpent
Mustang
Son of Saul
Theeb
A War
HEAD VS HEART: Son of Saul was very well received at Cannes. One would be a fool not to pick it.

BEST MAKE UP AND HAIRSTYLING
Mad Max: Fury Road
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant
HEAD VS HEART: MMFR is the strongest contender here. But Revenant might spring an upset.

BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
HEAD VS HEART: A toss-up between The Hateful Eight and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I'd want Eight to win, though

BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Earned It,” Fifty Shades of Grey
“Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction
“Simple Song #3,” Youth
“Til It Happens To You,” The Hunting Ground
“Writing’s On The Wall,” Spectre
HEAD VS HEART: Til It Happens To You might win Diane Warren her first Oscar, with Lady Gaga for company. You can count on it. Unless the Writing's On The Wall takes it and we didn't read it. Doubt that's gonna happen, though

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
HEAD VS HEART: MMFR, hands-down!

BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow
HEAD VS HEART: Bear Story. Failing that, World Of Tomorrow

BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
Shok
Stutterer
HEAD VS HEART: Day One is the favourite, Stutterer could shock, but it might be Shok's night.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
HEAD VS HEART: Mad Max: Fury Road is sure to win this one

BEST SOUND MIXING
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
HEAD VS HEART: The Revenant. Just go with this.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
HEAD VS HEART: Mad Max: Fury Road, FTW. Only true competition after this is Ex Machina and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room
HEAD VS HEART: The Big Short is a clear favourite. If I had a No. 2 to pick, it'd be Carol.

BEST WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
HEAD VS HEART: Spotlight, all the way. No contest.

DID YOU KNOW?
The first Oscars ceremony was held May 16, 1929 at the Roosevelt Hotel. The first live broadcast was the following year (on the radio).
Walt Disney holds the records for both the most Academy Award nominations (59) and Oscars won (22).
Mad Max: Fury Road is the only sequel film nominated for Best Picture this year
The longest movie to win an Oscar was the 1968 classic "War and Peace," which ran over 7 hours 
Oscar winners cannot sell their trophies! It "cannot be sold or disposed of by operation of law, without first offering to sell it to the Academy for the sum of US$1.”
Only 10 Best Leading Actress trophies have been given to women over the age of 50. The last was Julianne Moore, 54, in 2015, and three of the 10 trophies went to Katherine Hepburn in 1968, 1969 and 1982. 
Priyanka Chopra and Dev Patel are the only two Indian presenters for the event

JLaw is highest paid Best Actress nominee!
Pay scale disparity aside, Jennifer Lawrence raked in almost nine times as much as the second-highest paid female acting nominee in a single year, according to Forbes. JLaw is nominated in the Best Actress category for Joy, and also tops the mag’s list of highest-paid Oscar nominees. According to Forbes, JLaw pocketed about $52 million in pretax pay between June 2014 and June 2015, attributable to her starring role in the Hunger Games franchise. Her income from Joy and her Dior contract also contributed to her moolah.

CONTEST
Think you know the Oscars?
If you’re the king/queen of trivia about the Academy awards, this quiz is for you.
All you have to do is answer to the following questions and you stand to win a limited edition Oscar T-shirt. 
Rush your answers to: afterhrs.web@gmail.com

1. Who hosted the first Academy Awards?
2. Name the only sequel film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar this year.
3. Which is the film with the longest running time to have won an Oscar? How long was the film?
4. Who is the in-house chef at the Oscars and has been so for two decades?
5. Name the official champagne at the Oscars.

Catch the action live on February 29 on Star Movies and Star Movies Select HD at 5.30 am and later at 8.30 am