 |
| NPH will be hosting this year's Oscars, who will be joining him at the ceremony? |
Still, awards don't entirely not matter. They can change a career. Just getting nominated can give an actor a legitimacy they previously lacked (See: Jonah Hill), or a writer/director the ability to get a project green lit that never would've seen the light of day otherwise. Also, they're fun to debate! With that in mind here's a look at this year's Academy Award nominations, & my thoughts on various major categories.
Here were my pre-announcement predictions for Best Picture, in order of my confidence in their being nominated:
1. "Boyhood"
2. "Birdman"
3. "The Imitation Game"
4. "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
5. "The Theory of Everything" (The first 5 are locks)
6. "Whiplash"
7. "American Sniper"
8. "Selma"
9. "Nightcrawler"
"Everything is Awesome" from The Lego Movie is the first nominee announced, for Best Song. Is it too much to hope that description will be accurate for these nominees? Probably.
Best Film Editing
"American Sniper" (Joel Cox, Gary Roach)
"Boyhood" (Sandra Adair)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Barney Pilling)
"The Imitation Game" (William Goldenberg)
"Whiplash" (Tom Cross)
These are a big deal. No film has won best picture without a nomination for editing since 1980. Big, shocking, blow for Birdman, a movie viewed as one of the larger threats to Boyhood as well as one expertly edited to make the majority of the film appear to be a single take. Was the editing too seamless? It's difficult to imagine another reason for its omission. Another snub, albeit one that never had a chance, is Edge of Tomorrow. That movie is as dependent on editing as any this year, & it's a fantastic sci-fi popcorn flick. Huge nominations for American Sniper & Whiplash. Any doubts about those two's chances for a best picture nomination were quickly wiped away.
 |
| Is this guy responsible for The Lego Movie snub? |
Best Animated Feature Film
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
"Song of the Sea"
"The Tale of Princess Kaguya"
Everything is not awesome for The Lego Movie as it, surprisingly, misses out. I wasn't quite as in love with it as some, however, for my money it was better than nominees Big Hero 6 & How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Best Visual Effects
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"
No Transformers this year as best visual effects is a who's who of good to great blockbusters. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes & Captain America: The Winter Soldier were two of my favorite movies this year, while Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, & X-Men: Days of Future Past were all plenty enjoyable. They also, of course, had excellent visual effects. I'd lean toward Apes or Interstellar for my vote.
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"
 |
| Good thing the Academy didn't draw J.K. Simmons ire. |
This went exactly as expected, sadly this means Robert Duval gets in for The Judge. I'll grant you I haven't seen it, but this isn't one of the many movies I'm desperately trying to catch up on. No, it's one I'm actively avoiding. People will say he got in because this was a weak year in the category, but that's lazy. Off the top of my head I'd have loved to have seen Andy Serkis for Planet of the Apes (Category fraud, sure, but they'll never put a motion capture performance in lead), Alfred Molina in Love Is Strange, Tony Revolori for Grand Budapest, the somehow still underrated Joaquin Phoenix in The Immigrant, or even Tyler Perry for Gone Girl, be rewarded before Duval, alas them's the breaks. As for the rest... Hawke, Norton, & Simmons (who is going to win) are all incredibly deserving, & I've heard nothing but good things about Ruffalo's work.
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, "Wild"
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"
Arquette, like Simmons, is a lock for the win & I won't complain about that. Knightley (who's now got two Oscar nominations, mind you), Stone, & Streep (Of course!) are all in as expected. I've only seen Stone's work & she's plenty good in Birdman to get her first nomination. Laura Dern pulls a mild upset getting in for Wild, knocking out either Rene Russo for Nightcrawler or Jessica Chastain for A Most Violent Year depending on who you ask. In a perfect world Tilda Swinton's unhinged work in Snowpiercer (Watch it on Netflix!) would be honored, that's not the world we live in though. Like Supporting Actor, with things essentially going according to plan, there's not much to read into here regarding the larger picture.
 |
| Roger Deakins always knows what he's doing with a camera. |
"Birdman" (Emmanuel Lubezki)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Robert D. Yeoman)
"Ida" (Ryszard Lenczweski; Lukasz Zal)
"Mr. Turner" (Dick Pope)
"Unbroken" (Roger Deakins)
Cinematography is one of those categories the average person cares little about, the average person can't name a single cinematographer, nonetheless it is hugely important –– at its best enhancing the story through visual feel. I'm perfectly happy seeing nominations for Birdman & Budapest. While I haven't seen the other three I'm not one to doubt Deakins skills. There are a number of works I'd have loved to have seen honored here, none stand out more though than Darius Khondji's beautiful photography in The Immigrant. Perhaps if Harvey Weinstein hadn't foolishly discarded it –– you can now catch it on Netflix –– it would have been.
Best Adapted Screenplay
"American Sniper" (Jason Hall)
"The Imitation Game" (Graham Moore)
"Inherent Vice" (Paul Thomas Anderson)
"The Theory of Everything" (Anthony McCarten)
"Whiplash" (Damien Chazelle)
Going into these nominations I saw this as, at most, a four horse race for Best Picture between Boyhood, Birdman, The Imitation Game, &, perhaps/hopefully, Grand Budapest. With the lack of an editing nomination seemingly knocking out Birdman the field looked to have narrowed but with the nomination here American Sniper became a Best Actor & Best Director nomination away from being a real contender. It's a tad bit surprising to see Inherent Vice in the field, but the writers tend to be more adventurous than the rest of the Academy & Paul Thomas Anderson is no slouch. Sadly Gillian Flynn's adaptation of her own book, Gone Girl, misses out, a real shame as few movies were more fun this year & that had a lot to do with her screenplay (I easily preferred it to The Theory of Everything). I'd have been pumped to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes here as well, however I can't be disappointed as I always knew that was impossible. And, while I've only seen two of the nominees, I can all but guarantee I'll be cheering on Whiplash* –– a film that asks tough questions about the cost of greatness, allowing neither its characters or audience off the hook.
*"Whiplash" should be in the Original category if not for Academy silliness. Chazell wrote the entire screenplay, then made a short film based on the screenplay to satisfy investors before filming it in its entirety. I'd make a big deal out of this except his chances of winning are much better here so this may well be a blessing for one of the best films, & screenplays, of the year.
Best Original Screenplay
"Birdman" (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo)
"Boyhood" (Richard Linklater)
"Foxcatcher" (E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Wes Anderson, Hugo Guiness)
"Nightcrawler" (Dan Gilroy)
 |
| Few screenplays so expertly juggle this many characters. |
If you were to ask me what the weakest part of Birdman & Boyhood are I'd point you to their screenplays, but I'm not going to throw a fit that they're here. There was some question on whether Foxcatcher would make it, so this looked like a boon to its Best Picture chances. There were less questions about Nightcrawler, but it likewise seemed a boost to a film viewed to be on the edge of the Best Picture field. Budapest, Wes Anderson's best work since The Royal Tenenbaums, for which he was also nominated, should win though I imagine Boyhood will prove unstoppable. A good group overall, though my preference would've been to see John Michael McDonagh's Calvary on the list. His brother, Martin, got a well deserved nomination for In Bruges in 20008, & while Calvary's not quite as clever it has a solemn depth that makes it every bit the equal in my mind.
Best Music (Original Score)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Alexandre Desplat)
"The Imitation Game" (Alexandre Desplat)
"Interstellar" (Hans Zimmer)
"Mr. Turner" (Gary Yershon)
"The Theory of Everything" (Jóhann Jóhannsson)
Grand Budapest, Interstellar, & The Theory of Everything all have good to very good scores, & I imagine the other two do as well, still, I feel a tinge of sadness Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross didn't score a third Oscar nomination for their Gone Girl. It's unsettling in such a subtle & wonderful way, adding to the film more than any other score I've heard this year.
Best Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Bennett Miller, "Foxcatcher"
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"
The battle for the win will be between Iñárritu & Linklater. The difficulties Linklater must have had in filming over 12 years & getting strong work out of an unknown lead, who was literally growing before his eyes, is unfathomable, at least so far as the difficulty of filming a movie can be, but I'd lean toward Iñárritu who drew out fantastic performances from everyone in his cast & built a film that feels alive. That's a cliche, I know, but it's the only way I know how to describe Birdman. Miller is the big surprise here. He was believed to be out of the running by most, now Foxcatcher feels like a lock for a BP nomination. Some may be turned off by Anderson's very specific direction, I've always enjoyed it though & am happy to see him earn his first nomination for direction. Tyldum gets in, maintaining The Imitation Game's potential role as spoiler to Boyhood on Oscar night, while Clint Eastwood's failure to be nominated (Which, from what I've heard, is a deserved failing) knocked out any chance at American Sniper joining the group of contenders. Selma, which couldn't build any awards momentum thanks to Paramount foolishly sending screeners out only to the Academy & none of the guilds, was quickly in need of a life preserver for its BP chances after Ava DuVernay couldn't find any love here. I was holding out hope Chazelle, the lone director I might prefer to Iñárritu this year, would get in, he still has his screenplay nomination though.
 |
| Yeah, Birdman's a pretty crazy-ass movie. |
Best Actor
Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "BIrdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"
Oh ho! Steve got in! I was worried old Michael Scott wasn't going to make it, yet here he is. Cooper continues his Oscar streak. For a guy once (Still?) best known for The Hangover movies this is quite a, well deserved, turn around. Cumberbatch & Redmayne give us a double helping of the famous English person battling personal difficulties this year, &, like Cooper, are viewed to have largely transcended whatever shortcomings their films have (I've only seen Theory, it certainly has its faults, though Redmayn's performance is far from one of them). Keaton, the lone actor not playing a real person, is the favorite. He's very good, & the fact he's playing someone fictional would make his win rather refreshing (7 of the last 10 winners in this category played historical figures). Jake Gyllenhaal not getting in for Nightcrawler is the big surprise, & considering how much weight he lost for the role has to be especially disappointing. Selma's pulse continued to fade, as David Oyelowo's Martin Luther King Jr. didn't make the list & its only nomination thus far was for Best Song (which, at least it will likely win). In my heart of hearts I've yet to see any performance top those of Brendan Gleeson, Calvary, or Ralph Fiennes, Grand Budapest, but they'll have to console themselves with only being the champions of my heart.
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, "Two Days, One Night"
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"
 |
| Reese Witherspoon got her own nomination & produced one of her competitor's, that's quite a feat. |
Still Alice hasn't come out in 99.9% of the country but rest assured, Julianne Moore is going to win the Oscar. Part of that is because she hasn't won before, unlike Cotillard & Witherspoon, the other is she's supposed to be fantastic. Make no mistake though, Cotillard & Witherspoon are also said to have done great work in their nominated roles. I don't believe in giving bonus points for other roles, but if I did Cotillard would get them for also being excellent in The Immigrant. Then again Witherspoon doubled up in a way by producing Gone Girl, for which Pike's alternatingly fragile & ferocious performance is certainly deserving of recognition (For those who are fans of the most recent Pride & Prejudice this makes three of the five Bennett sisters Oscar nominees, though none have yet won). Jones is strong as well, though you wish she was in a better movie that would've allowed her more to do. The big loser here is Jennifer Aniston who many thought would get a nomination for Cake, a movie which, because she wasn't nominated (& its completely un-fun sounding premise) no one will see now & thus everyone will continue to view her merely as either Rachel from Friends or an aging queen of bad rom-coms. Keep trying Jen! I don't have an issue with any of these nominees, but a shout out to Jenny Slate for a wonderful job in Obvious Child & Essie Davis for pushing herself to the brink in The Babadook.
Best Picture (Click on a nominee for its trailer)
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Whiplash"
 |
| For how many years has team Boyhood been dreaming of Oscar glory? |
My only mistake was betting on Nightcrawler to make it. Pretty good! Not sure how Selma got in with only a Best Song nomination while Foxcatcher missed out despite nominations in four major categories. Truly bizarre. Otherwise the field's exactly as you'd expect given the other nominations.* Birdman tied Grand Budapest for the most nominations with nine, but the lack of an editing nomination makes me somewhat skeptical of the former. With eight nominations, & the sort of safe, historically important (& British!), story some in the Academy favor The Imitation Game looks to be the biggest challenger (I'd have Budapest third) to Boyhood, which came in with a solid six nominations. American Sniper matched with six of its own, without a directing nomination for Eastwood though, so I'm not optimistic. Sure, Argo won two years ago despite Affleck's omission from the directing field but that was viewed as a massive snub that actually helped the film triumph, no one feels quite as strongly about Eastwood being left out. The Theory of Everything & Whiplash, which each pulled in 5 nominations, don't have a shot at Best Picture, however, they will be in the battle for Adapted Screenplay & at least one acting award each. Is there anything else I wish made it? Personally, Calvary & Planet of the Apes. More realistically Gone Girl, I won't shed any tears about it though.
*For a complete list of the nominees go here.
That's it. I'll be taking a deeper look at the major categories, & offering more of my thoughts on who will win & who I'd like to have seen nominated as the Oscars approach. Until February 22, take care &, if you want, do your best to catch all the Best Picture nominees.
No comments:
Post a Comment