Oscar 2016 - Film Editing

"The Big Short" is the reason why I decided I must write an entry this year for "film editing". I don't remember when I've seen a movie where the editing has the impact it has here. I also don't think there is any better way to edit this film than what I've seen. The frequency of the cuts, the movement of the focus, the transition between scenes, absolutely everything fully supports the economic thriller nuance that makes this movie watchable, and which also brings it on a very different level compared to another story about the 2008 crisis - "Margin Call". Of course, there's a different point of looking at the facts in the two films, but somehow ironically the full two years development of the event in "The Big Short" is much more engaging than the 24 hours of the crash climax in "Margin Call". And the secret for that stays in the editing. If doesn't win the award this year it really means that the Oscars are unfair ( sort of obvious already, right? :) ).
"Mad Max: Fury Road" is probably the most serious candidate to the first in the list. By definition, a movie full of action can't be good if the editing isn't at least decent. "Mad Max"'s editing is more than decent. It also sets a tone that manages to keep the movie in a constantly alert state, but without making it tiring.
"The Revenant" is probably the most close candidate to the first in the list :) (got the nuance?). Unfortunately the editing here gets in the shadow of the camera work. And somehow doesn't catch your eye. In any case, if you pay enough attention, you'll get some really nice connections between scenes, as the sequence explained below, which deserve the full appreciation.
"Spotlight" is a sort of a light "Big Short" for editing (actually ultra light). Having in common the real story context, and a subject that develops over a long period of time ending in a climax, the comparison is inevitable even though the subject is totally different. Unfortunately we also have big difference in the editing ...
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is the "fill the list" entry here. I'm not gonna spend more time on this one ...