‘Mad Max’ leads pack with most nominations from Chicago critics

“Mad Max: Fury Road,” the post-apocalyptic film from director George Miller — released three decades after Miller’s original “Mad Max” — led the pack as the Chicago Film Critics Association announced its awards for best films of 2015. The movie snared seven nominations, including best picture, best director for Miller, best actress for Charlize Theron, best cinematography, original score, editing and art direction/production design.

Not far behind was “Carol,” the 1950s drama about two very different women falling in love, which received six nominations, including best picture, best actress for Cate Blanchett, best director (Todd Haynes), cinematography, score and art direction/production design. “Carol” opens Dec. 25 in Chicago.

“The Revenant,” the powerful drama set on the brutal American frontier early in the 19th Century, won nominations in five categories. Scheduled for a January opening, it’s up for best picture, director (last year’s Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu), Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor, cinematography and editing.

The animated film “Inside Out” and the newspaper drama “Spotlight” were the other two films nominated for best picture of 2015 by the Chicago critics. Those two films also received four nominations in total.

Now in its 26th year, the CFCA will announce its winners during a dinner Wednesday.

Here is the complete list of the Chicago Film Critics Association nominations:

BEST PICTURE

Carol

Inside Out

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Spotlight

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Haynes, Carol

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Adam McKay, The Big Short

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ACTOR

Christopher Abbott, James White

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Jason Segel, The End of the Tour

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Benicio Del Toro, Sicario

Sam Elliott, Grandma

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Michael Shannon, 99 Homes

Sylvester Stallone, Creed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anomalisa

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Cynthia Nixon, James White

Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria

Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Bridge of Spies, Matt Charman and Joel & Ethan Coen

Ex Machina, Alex Garland

The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino

Inside Out, Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley

Spotlight, Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman

The Big Short, Adam McKay & Charles Randolph

Brooklyn, Nick Hornby

Room, Emma Donoghue

Steve Jobs, Aaron Sorkin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Carol, Edward Lachman

The Hateful Eight, Robert RIchardson

Mad Max: Fury Road, John Seale

The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki

Sicario, Roger Deakins

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Carol, Carter Burwell

The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone

Inside Out, Michael Giacchino

It Follows, Disasterpeace

Mad Max: Fury Road, Junkie XL

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Assassin

Brooklyn

Carol

Crimson Peak

Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST EDITING

The Big Short, Hank Corwin

Mad Max: Fury Road, Jason Ballantine & Margaret Sixel

The Martian, Pietro Scalia

The Revenant, Stephen Mirrione

Spotlight, Tom McArdle

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

The Assassin

The Look of Silence

Phoenix

Son of Saul

White God

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Amy

Cartel Land

The Hunting Ground

The Look of Silence

Where to Invade Next

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Anomalisa

The Good Dinosaur

Inside Out

The Peanuts Movie

The Shaun the Sheep Movie

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER

Christopher Abbott, James White

Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Geza Rohrig, Son of Saul

Amy Schumer, Trainwreck

Jacob Tremblay, Room

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER

Alex Garland, Ex Machina

Marielle Heller, The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Josh Mond, James White

Laszlo Nemes, Son of Saul

Bill Pohlad, Love & Mercy