The biggest award of Oscars evening went to “Spotlight, ” which pulled out a win for best picture in a very split year. The Tom McCarthy-directed film won one trophy early in the night for best original screenplay, though as the evening progressed, momentum seemed to be with “The Revenant, ” which won best cinematography, director and lead actor. But the journalism drama prevailed and became the sixth best picture winner in history to only win two awards on Oscar night, and the first since 1952.
Earlier in the night, “Bridge of Spies” star Mark Rylance surprised everyone when he triumphed for supporting actor over Sylvester Stallone (“Creed”), whom many considered a nostalgic favorite. Elsewhere the acting prizes were fairly predictable, including Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”) as supporting actress; Brie Larson (“Room”) as lead actress; Alejandro Iñárritu as director (“The Revenant”); and Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”) finally clinching lead actor.
Meanwhile, dystopian blockbuster “Mad Max: Fury Road” swept the technical prizes, ending up the biggest winner of the night with six awards.
