This weekend the 88th annual Academy Awards will determine which actors are the best in their field and which one of the eight movies nominated will win the ultimate prize of “best picture.”
From Mad Max to Carol, there are many unique contenders that will make this year’s ceremony a little more difficult to predict. Film contributor Duane Dudek thinks that the hype surrounding The Revenant will meet expectations.
“Right now they seem to be favoring The Revenant as best picture," comments Dudek. "Based on the last few weeks of awards, Leo DiCaprio seems to be the front runner for best actor. The rest of it seems to be a little less clear."
By Dudek's count there are seven Wisconsin Oscar connections. Three Wisconsinites are connected to Anomalisa, an animated film with realistic looking puppets. "That film is frontloaded with [Wisconsinites]," says Dudek. Mark Rylance from Milwaukee and Mark Ruffalo, from Kenosha are both nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Adam Stockhausen, a production designer from Brookfield for Bridge of Spies round out the nominations, per Dudek. Finally, Dudek notes that Kohl's is the marketing sponsor.
Whether a film has a Wisconsin connection or not, Dudek has one important measure by which he decides which nomination to back. "Consider me naive, if you like," assesses Dudek, "but when I look at which films I support and am interested in, they're works of art by the people who create them and the people who appear in them. I like to think that the awards measure that, as well as their commercial success."
Duane Dudek is the former film critic for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He continues to review movies at his website, The Dudek Abides. You can keep an eye on his blog and Facebook page this Sunday as he responds to the live event.
