7. Ex Machina Scoops The Best VFX Gong
In a category that included huge blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Martian, not to mention all the impressive technical wonder of The Revenant, the surprise win went to Ex Machina. The lowest of low-budget entries - it operated from a paltry $15 mil - into the Best Visual Effects category (perhaps ever), Ex Machina arguably deserved the nod, considering how much they did on a shoestring. It's just surprising that the Academy went with the underdog for a change. The smart money was on Star Wars: The Force Awakens being in line to pick up the award, a bone thrown to JJ Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy and co. considering their movie made $2.048 billion dollars worldwide. Thankfully, Alex Garland's little sci-fi film-that-could was unexpectedly, rightfully honoured - giving hope to burgeoning sci-fi filmmakers everywhere.
Dan Woburn
Cinephile since 1993, aged 4, when he saw his very first film in the cinema - Jurassic Park - which is also evidence of damn fine parenting. World champion at Six Degrees of Separation. Lender of DVDs to cheap mates. Connoisseur of Marvel Comics and its Cinematic Universe.
See more from
Dan