The 2015 movie year officially ends after the “Best Picture” Oscar is given out Sunday night, concluding our various film journeys that ran season-long (“Room,” “The Revenant“) or even year-long (“Brooklyn“). The conversation about these movies, among many others, made 2015 an unforgettable year for film, and we’re pleased to have participated through our festival reviews, interviews, essays and theatrical reviews, all with the help of our expansive, eclectic RogerEbert.com crew.
Below is a one-stop shop of our year-long coverage of the Oscar-nominated films, as picked from the categories that we celebrate in our “If We Picked the Winners” feature (Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature, all acting and writing designations, directing and Best Picture). The films are listed in alphabetical order, along with their respective nominations.
“45 Years“ [Best Actress]
Review from Toronto International Film Festival by Susan Wloszczyna
Interview with writer/director Andrew Haigh and actor Tom Courtenay by Brian Tallerico
If We Picked the Winners: Charlotte Rampling for Best Actress by Christy Lemire
Four-star review of “45 Years” by Susan Wloszcyzna
“Amy“ [Best Documentary Feature]
Interview with director Asif Kapadia and producer James Gay-Rees by Matt Fagerholm
If We Picked the Winners: “Amy” for Best Documentary Feature by Matt Fagerholm
Four-star review of “Amy” by Susan Wloszcyzna
“Anomalisa“ [Best Animated Feature]
Review from world premiere at Telluride Film Festival by Nick Allen
Review from Venice International Film Festival by Glenn Kenny
Review from Toronto International Film Festival by Brian Tallerico
Interview with co-directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson by Brian Tallerico
Three-and-a-half-star review of “Anomalisa” by Matt Zoller Seitz
“The Big Short” [Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Editor]
Review from world premiere at AFI Fest by Jana Monji
Interview with co-writer/director Adam McKay by Nick Allen
If We Picked the Winners: “The Big Short” for Best Adapted Screenplay by Peter Sobczynski
Three-and-a-half-star review of “The Big Short” by Glenn Kenny
“Boy and the World” [Best Animated Feature]
Three-star review of “Boy and the World” by Christy Lemire
“Bridge of Spies” [Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design]
Review from world premiere at New York Film Festival by Godfrey Cheshire
Three-and-a-half star review of “Bridge of Spies” by Brian Tallerico
“Brooklyn” [Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay]
Review from world premiere at Sundance Film Festival by Brian Tallerico
Interview with actress Saoirse Ronan by Patrick Z. McGavin
Review from Toronto International Film Festival by Susan Wloszcyzna
Nick Hornby’s Screenplays and the Female Experience by Noah Gittell
Gender Issues: Nick Hornby’s Writing is Not the Problem by Olivia Collette
Four-star review of “Brooklyn” by Glenn Kenny
“Carol“ [Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Score]
Review from world premiere at Cannes Film Festival by Barbara Scharres
Review from Telluride Film Festival by Nick Allen
Review from New York Film Festival by Scout Tafoya
Interview with director Todd Haynes by Nick Allen
Interview with actresses Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and director Todd Haynes by Katherine Tulich
If We Picked the Winners: Rooney Mara for Best Supporting Actress by Brian Tallerico
Three-and-a-half-star review of “Carol” by Sheila O’Malley
“Cartel Land“ [Best Documentary Feature]
Review from world premiere at Sundance Film Festival by Brian Tallerico
Three-star review of “Cartel Land” by Godfrey Cheshire
“Creed” [Best Supporting Actor]
If We Picked the Winners: Sylvester Stallone for Best Supporting Actor by Sheila O’Malley
Four-star review of “Creed” by Odie Henderson
“The Danish Girl“ [Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design]
Review from world premiere at Venice Film Festival by Glenn Kenny
Review from Toronto International Film Festival by Susan Wloszczyna
“The Danish Girl,” “The New Girlfriend” and Why Tone Matters More than Empathy by Alan Zilberman
Interview with actor Eddie Redmayne and actress Alicia Vikander by Katherine Tulich
Two-and-half-star review of “The Danish Girl” by Christy Lemire
“Ex Machina” [Best Original Screenplay]
Interview with writer/director Alex Garland by Matt Fagerholm
Four-star review of “Ex Machina” by Matt Zoller Seitz
“The Hateful Eight” [Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score]
Hand in Hand: The Brilliance of “The Hateful Eight” by Pablo Villaça
Hipster Misogyny: The Betrayal of “The Hateful Eight” by Laura Bogart
Two-star review of “The Hateful Eight” by Matt Zoller Seitz
“Inside Out” [Best Animated Feature, Best Original Screenplay]
Review from world premiere at Cannes Film Festival by Michał Oleszczyk
Video: Chaz Ebert on “Inside Out” from Cannes Film Festival by Chaz Ebert
In Praise of Sadness: The Healing Insight of “Inside Out” by Matt Zoller Seitz
Why Can’t Sad Be Fat? by Olivia Collette
The Complexity of Childhood: The Brilliance of Pete Docter’s Films by Corey Atad
If We Picked the Winners: “Inside Out” for Best Original Screenplay by Scout Tafoya
If We Picked the Winners: “Inside Out” for Best Animated Feature by Odie Henderson
Four-star review of “Inside Out” by Matt Zoller Seitz
“Joy“ [Best Actress]
Three-star review of “Joy” by Sheila O’Malley
“The Look of Silence“ [Best Documentary Feature]
Review from Toronto International Film Festival by Brian Tallerico
Interview with director Joshua Oppenheimer by Matt Zoller Seitz
A Far Flung Correspondent’s essay on “The Look of Silence” by Seongyong Cho
Three-and-a-half-star review of “The Look of Silence” by Glenn Kenny
“Mad Max: Fury Road” [Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design]
“I’m Just Here for the Gasoline: An Overview of the “Mad Max” Saga by Peter Sobczynski
The World Won’t Stop Burning: The Films that Paved “Fury Road” by Jessica Ritchey
Book Review: “The Art of Mad Max: Fury Road” by Brian Tallerico
Mad Max: Day of Wrath by Olivia Collette
Video: Interview with director/co-writer George Miller by Katherine Tulich
If We Picked the Winners: George Miller for Best Director by Glenn Kenny
If We Picked the Winners: “Mad Max: Fury Road” for Best Picture by Matt Zoller Seitz
Four-star review of “Mad Max: Fury Road” by Brian Tallerico
“The Martian” [Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design]
Review from world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival by Brian Tallerico
“The Martian’s” Chances on Planet Oscar by Susan Wloszczyna
Three-and-a-half-star review of “The Martian” by Matt Zoller Seitz
“The Revenant” [Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design]
30 Minutes on: “The Revenant” by Matt Zoller Seitz
Video: Interview with actor Leonardo DiCaprio and director Alejandro González Iñárritu by Katherine Tulich
Best Actor: The Battle of the Overdue by Susan Wloszczyna
Why Leo Winning an Oscar for “The Revenant” Would Be Bad for Acting by Matt Zoller Seitz
If We Picked the Winners: Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor by Susan Wloszczyna
Three-and-a-half-star review of “The Revenant” by Brian Tallerico
“Room” [Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay]
Review from world premiere at Telluride Film Festival by Nick Allen
Interview with actress Brie Larson by Brian Tallerico
Three-and-a-half-star review of “Room” by Susan Wloszczyna
“Shaun the Sheep” [Best Animated Feature]
Four-star review of “Shaun the Sheep” by Susan Wloszczyna
“Spotlight” [Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editor]
Review from Toronto International Film Festival by Brian Tallerico
Review from Chicago International Film Festival by Nick Allen
Interview with co-writer/director Tom McCarthy by Brian Tallerico
Interview with real-life subject Sacha Pfeiffer by Nick Allen
Three-and-a-half-star review of “Spotlight” by Sheila O’Malley
“Steve Jobs” [Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress]
Review from world premiere at Telluride Film Festival by Nick Allen
Three-and-a-half-star review of “Steve Jobs” by Christy Lemire
“Straight Outta Compton” [Best Adapted Screenplay]
Straight Outta Culture: Sexism in Black and White by Danielle Henderson
Four-star review of “Straight Outta Compton” by Odie Henderson
“Trumbo” [Best Actor]
Review from world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival by Brian Tallerico
Roger’s interview with Dalton Trumbo from September 5, 1971
Interview with actor Bryan Cranston and director Jay Roach by Susan Wloszczyna
Two-and-a-half-star review of “Trumbo” by Godfrey Cheshire
“What Happened, Miss Simone?” [Best Documentary]
Review from world premiere at Sundance Film Festival by Sam Fragoso
Three-star review of “What Happened, Miss Simone?” by Brian Tallerico
“When Marnie Was There” [Best Animated Feature]
Three-star review of “When Marnie Was There” by Brian Tallerico
“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” [Best Documentary]
Three-star review of “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” by Godfrey Cheshire