THE BIG SHORT WINS THE 2015 USC SCRIPTER AWARD

Not much to report here. One award went to one film that no-one doubted would win. Adam McKay and Charles Randolph have won the USC Scripter award for their adaptation of Michael Lewis' book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. The great thing about this award is that the person responsible for the winning screenplay's original source (since this is an award for adapted works only) also wins, so Lewis can claim the prize too. If this meant another step forward in the Oscar campaign for anything but The Revenant, I'd be much happier, but since The Big Short was wholly expected to triumph here, let's say this is, at least, not a step backward. Check out the Scripter nominees here.

WGA AWARDS GO AS PLANNED: SPOTLIGHT AND THE BIG SHORT WIN

Oh, look! The Writers Guild of America held its 2015 awards ceremony yesterday! You didn't notice? You didn't hear the awards season tectonic plates shifting? You didn't hear Hollywood's collective jaw dropping? Funny, that. Anyway, here were their nominations, and there are their awards:

Best Original Screenplay

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Adam McKay and Charles Randolph - based on the book by Michael Lewis (The Big Short)

Best Documentary Screenplay

Alex Gibney (Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief)

TORONTO CRITICS RIGHT SOME WRONGS, HONOUR CAROL

The Toronto Film Critics Association pulled its usual shtick, tapping into the genuine best of 2015, rather than what's being dictated as 'best' by other critics, with its year-end awards. Carol took top honours and was cited as a runner-up in several categories. The Best Actress award went to Nina Hoss for Phoenix, a very pleasant surprise, and there were wins for Ex Machina and Tom Hardy in Legend too. Take a look at all the details below:

Best Picture

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

Spotlight

Best Director

Todd Haynes (Carol)

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Denis Villeneuve (Sicario)

Best Actor

Tom Hardy (Legend)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Best Actress

Nina Hoss (Phoenix)

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Best Supporting Actor

Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Benicio del Toro (Sicario)

Michael Shannon (99 Homes)

Best Supporting Actress

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria)

Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original

Adam McKay and Charles Randolph (The Big Short)

Charlie Kaufman (Anomalisa)

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)

Phyllis Nagy (Carol)

Best Animated Feature

Shaun the Sheep Movie

Anomalisa

Inside Out

Allan King Documentary Award

The Look of Silence

Amy

Listen to Me Marlon

Best Foreign-Language Film

Phoenix

The Assassin

Son of Saul

Best First Feature

Ex Machina (Alex Garland)

Sleeping Giant (Andrew Cividino)

Son of Saul (Nemes Laszlo)

Rogers Best Canadian Film

The Forbidden Room (Evan Johnson and Guy Maddin)

My Internship in Canada (Philippe Falardeau)

Sleeping Giant (Andrew Cividino)