ACE Eddie Preview and the Best Editing Category

It can’t be stressed enough how closely Best Picture and Best Editing align at the Oscars. We all know the history. Even if Birdman still won without an editing nomination, that only proves once again that if they like a movie enough all stats go out the window. Predicting without stats always makes me nervous but sometimes you have to go on instinct, and let go of the need for stats. Birdman was an exception to the usual rule because “what editing” right? It’s sort of like Gravity missing out on a SAG Ensemble nod. While the stat still held (12 Years a Slave won, which had a SAG Ensemble nod) most were willing to forgive Gravity’s lack of one because were they really going to give an ensemble nomination for two performances? Not a chance. Usually though, editing and directing go hand in hand – in Birdman’s case it was cinematography and directing. The cinematography really was the editing if you think about it. If you’re, say, Wolf of Wall Street and you enter the race without an editing nomination? That could be a problem when it comes to winning.

When last we spoke about the Directors Guild, we brought up how unusual it was for the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to show up as a DGA nominee and then not at the Oscars. Well, it makes an appearance again, as the editors branch nominated Dragon Tattoo — and it became the first winner since Bullit in 1968 to win the editing Oscar without a Best Picture nomination.

But aside from Dragon Tattoo, every film nominated for editing since Oscar expanded the BP lineup (in 2009) has also been partnered with a Best Picture nomination.  That should make predicting the category relatively easy, right? Well, not so fast. There are always surprises, especially in a year like this one.

The American Cinema Editors guild divides their nominees into two categories – one for drama and the other for musical/comedy. That gives them better odds at matching 5/5, though spread out over the two categories, as happened last year with Grand Budapest Hotel in comedy and the other four nominations coming in drama.  Giving Boyhood their win seemed to set up the idea that Boyhood did indeed have a chance to win Best Picture. The Golden Globes chose Grand Budapest over Birdman, as did the Eddies for their comedy category – it’s no wonder people like me still thought Boyhood was stronger heading into the race. Between the Globes and the Eddies, though, something happened – a perception shift but one that wouldn’t ripple over to England where the BAFTAs didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to pick Birdman. Instead they too went for Boyhood. It was only the industry – the PGA, the DGA, SAG, and the Oscars who went for Birdman. It was an identity thing, a salvation thing, a survivor thing.

Now we come to this year’s race and we have quite a few contenders for editing, both at the Eddies and at the Oscars. It sometimes happens that there are editing nominations with the Academy that the Editors Guild did not choose – like Dallas Buyers Club, for instance, so keep in mind that can sometimes happen.

Let’s take a look at our strongest contenders so far the editing Oscar:

1. Margaret Sixel for Mad Max: Fury Road – she hasn’t done a lot of editing but has worked with George Miller three times. Mad Max’s editing is fantastic, of course, and is maybe the frontrunner.
2. Hank Corwin for The Big Short – another Best Picture contender
3. Tom McArdle  – Spotlight – our Best Picture contender is definitely a slam dunk for Eddie and Oscar.
4. Pietro Scalia – The Martian – the great Pietro has won two Oscars, and also cut Gladiator for Sir Ridley.
5. Stephen Mirrione – The Revenant – previously won Oscar for Traffic, nominated for Babel.
6. Michael Kahn – Bridge of Spies – he’s the John Williams in the editing category and always must be considered. He’s an editing God, essentially, and deservedly so with eight nominations and three wins.
7. Nathan Nugent – Room – a newbie, relatively speaking, but the film is popular enough it must be considered.
8. Affonso Gonçalves – Carol – it’s not really an “editing movie” particularly but that doesn’t mean it won’t get in.
9. Joe Walker – Sicario – previously nominated for 12 Years a Slave.
10. Pete Beaudreau and Mikkel E.G. Nielsen for Beasts of No Nation – we still do not know where this movie is going to land.
11. Fred Raskin – The Hateful Eight, also worked on Django Unchained but he has big shoes to fill after Tarantino’s longtime editor (and secret weapon) Sally Menke died unexpectedly in 2010.
12. Maryann Brandon & Mary Jo Markey – The Force Awakens because you just never know. These worked with JJ Abrams previously on Super 8 and Star Trek.
13. Billy Fox & Michael Tronick for Straight Outta Compton
14. Claudia Castello & Michael P. Shawver for Creed – it’s a long shot but boxing movies can sometimes win over the editors.
15. Elliot Graham for Steve Jobs – the previous Oscar winner could show up, you never know.

For the ACE Eddies, we’re probably looking at these:

Mad Max
Spotlight
Bridge of Spies
The Revenant
Straight Outta Compton, Room, The Force Awakens, Sicario, Creed – it could be any of those named above. It is an open slot at this point.

Then, if they follow the Globes, they will put these two in comedy:

The Big Short
The Martian 

Then they will need more comedies, so they might go:

Trainwreck
Joy
Some unpredictable comedy choice, like Grandma or Spy

The ACE announce their Eddie nominations on January 3rd, 2016.

The ACE Eddie Awards
Won ACE | Won Oscar

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

Comprehensive Chart:

Won ACE | Won Oscar *Nominated for Best Picture

+Won Best Picture

-Won ACE/Oscar for editing but not nominated
for Best Pic

Check out the seven year
streak from 1990 on.