Speculation is the name of the game. With the Oscars less than two weeks away everybody is rushing to get in their picks, taking a stab at who they think will win, and maybe even who should win (tragically the two hardly ever align). The Playlist heartily joined the fray early last year (with most of the movies sight unseen), revised it a couple of times, and then took a more educated guess in January — all while staying aware of that fine line; the difference between who would and who should.
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Now, a new set of video essays is taking a similar approach: taking a look at seven big categories and determining who deserves to win. “Keyframe: Who Deserves The 2016 Oscars” by Fandor parses apart several key aspects that each category should hinge upon. The categories they take a go at are: Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography. Notably, for the best actor category, the video essay argues that its Michael Fassbender who deserves the trophy for his utterly captivating turn as the divisive Apple figurehead Steve Jobs, contesting that the movie depends on his performance, not at all on the spectacle of the film or the gurling nature of the shoot. So, while the scales are likely still tipped in the favor of Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s nice to see an argument not focused on bison liver and previous snubs.
Also, it should be noted that the obvious difference between who should win and who probably will win is mostly political; it has to do with what type of films play to the Academy voters, it depends on the campaign, and sometimes, sadly, it just depends on who is the most likeable. So, Fandor’s "Who Deserves The 2016 Oscars" is a fun way to try to just look at the merit of the work, not all the hoopla surrounding it.
Check out the videos below and hit up the comments with who you think deserves the statue on February 28th.