Welcome back to the Reel Countdown, movie fans! The stage is now set for my 4th annual “Countdown to the Oscars” blog, and I could not be more excited to share with each of you my take on the year in film from 2015. Now that the nominations have officially been announced by the Academy for the 88th Oscars (the full list of nominations is located at the bottom of this post), there are some major storylines. Will Leo finally receive his first Oscar? Can director Alejandro G. Iñárritu repeat for Best Director and/or Best Picture?

I will spend a bit of time seeing any last-minute movies that I need to before releasing any posts. Throughout the next six weeks, I will reveal a variety of such posts that will include both my “Top 15 Films of the Year” list and my own personal Oscars ballot for this year’s major categories. Last year I saw enough films to cast a ballot in 14 of 24 categories, but this year I hope to fill up the sheet on even more! Additionally, I will again be posting a review about the actual ceremony the day after the show.

This year, Chris Rock will be hosting the Oscars ceremony. The 50-year-old comedian/actor previously hosted the 77th Academy Awards in 2005. Chris Rock has long been one of the funniest people in Hollywood, and after a rather mediocre performance from last year’s host Neil Patrick Harris, I believe Rock will bring the boom back to the show! Much like during Ellen’s gold-standard hosting performance in 2014, I expect to be laughing throughout the broadcast.

This year, the Oscars will be broadcasted live from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on February 28th, 2016—that is just 45 days away!

To all of my returning readers, welcome back! To all of my new readers, thank you for joining me during my favorite time of the year! I truly appreciate each and every one of you that takes the time to make my blog part of your day during this awards season. Without further adieu, IT’S OSCAR TIME! #WeAllDreamInGold

88th Academy Awards Nominations

Best Picture

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

Best Actor

Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

Matt Damon (The Martian)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Tom Hardy (The Revenant)

Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)

Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)

Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Best Director

Adam McKay (The Big Short)

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant)

Lenny Abrahamson (Room)

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

Best Original Screenplay

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

Inside Out

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

The Martian

Room

Best Animated Feature

Anomalisa

Boy and the World

Inside Out

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There

Best Documentary Feature

Amy

Cartel Land

The Look of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom

Best Foreign Language Film

Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia)

Mustang (France)

Son of Saul (Hungary)

Theeb (Jordan)

A War (Denmark)

Best Original Score

Bridge of Spies

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best 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)

Best Cinematography

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Sicario

Best Film Editing

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Production Design

Bridge of Spies

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Mad Max: Fury Road

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared

The Revenant

Best Costume Design

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Best Animated Short

Bear Story

Prologue

Sanjay’s Super Team

We Can’t Live without Cosmos

World of Tomorrow

Best Visual Effects

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Sound Editing

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Sound Mixing

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Documentary Short

Body Team 12

Chau, beyond the Lines

Claude Lanzmann: Specters of the Shoah

A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

Last Day of Freedom

Best Live Action Short

Ave Maria

Day One

Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)

Shok

Stutterer