Thursday, January 15, 2015

Nominations & Predictions for the 2015 Oscars

So it begins again...

Based on the Golden Globes wins and nominations, most of these were pretty predictable.

There were two surprises:

1) all the buzz for "American Sniper," which got no mention at the Globes and is only coming out this Friday... the Academy has been a little more generous this year, having almost all the movies already released in theaters, but it will forever annoy me when a movie not even playing yet is nominated for Best Picture...

FYI, Academy people, NORMAL PEOPLE decide if a movie passes or fails in the box office... PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF THEM WHEN YOU NOMINATE MOVIES FOR BEST PICTURE... otherwise you'll alienate people like me...

2) "The Lego Movie" not being nominated for Best Animated Film (according to the trending topics on Twitter, I'm not the only one)... but their song "Everything is Awesome" was nominated for Best Original Song...
dude, how a big an upset would that be if it won? It's certainly one of 2014's most notorious earbugs (i.e. songs you can't get out of your head and subsequently get lots of YouTube searches)

Technical Awards

Not surprisingly, Best Visual Effects enlisted a lot of superhero movies...
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Guardians of the Galaxy
then "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "Interstellar" break up the Marvel party...

Because they went into outer space, I have to pick "Guardians of the Galaxy" for this one.

"Unbroken" was one of those movies a lot of people (myself included) thought would get a lot of awards buzz... then the reviews came out and it didn't go well... so no Best Picture or Best Director nominee for Angelina Jolie...
It did, however, get three nominations:

Best Sound Mixing & Editing and Cinematography
For the Sound categories, it's also going against "American Sniper," which will be tough competition to beat. "Interstellar" as well... it didn't get too many good reviews, but on technical merit alone, the buzz isn't really surprising. It is Christopher Nolan after all.

American Sniper
Best Sound Editing & Mixing

Because Cinematography is a huge part of the rave reviews, I have to give that award to Birdman.

For Best Production Design (which I assume is the new "Art Direction");
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner

As much as I want "Into the Woods" to win for SOMETHING (and anything but Meryl Streep), I have to give this to The Grand Budapest Hotel because it is up for so many awards and this will add to the momentum.

Best EditingThe Grand Budapest Hotel
Boyhood
The Imitation Game
Whiplash
American Sniper

...I have to give it to "Boyhood" because it's 12 weeks of material over the course of 12 years... it's a little hard to deny accolades for that.

Best Costume DesignThe Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner

Best MakeupFoxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

...it's kinda hard not to give it to "Foxcatcher," considering the transformations of Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell... no matter how much I love "Guardians of the Galaxy" and the second it was brought up, I second guessed myself... there is no loser here, they're all amazing

Best Music
Original Score
Alexandre Desplat got two nominations, one for "The Imitation Game" and another for "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Hans Zimmer for "Interstellar"
Gary Yershon for "Mr. Turner"
Johann Johannson for "The Theory of Everything"

Based on how the Golden Globes went, I should probably give it to "Theory of Everything"... but any of them I would be happy with

Best Original Song
"Glory" by John Legend & Common (Selma)
"Everything is Awesome" (The Lego Movie)
"Lost Stars" (Begin Again)
"Grateful" (Beyond the Lights)
"Glen Campbell, I am me"

...it's a tough call with this one... I really want "The Lego Movie" to win its only nomination... it'd also be cool for Adam Levine to win for "Lost Stars," even though he didn't write it... I can also see it going to Glen Campbell because of his declining health...

Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Just because it's the only movie I saw, I pick "How to Train your dragon 2"
but with Disney having so much pull, it wouldn't surprise me if it went to Big Hero 6.

Best Foreign Language Film
Leviathan (Russia)
Ira (Poland)
Tangerines (Estonia)
Wild Tales (Argentina)
Timbuktu (France)

Best Writing

Best Original Screenplay
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
Birdman
Foxcatcher
Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy, also wrote "The Bourne Legacy")

It's a dead heat between those first three based on how well the films have been received... but I will give it to Wes Anderson for "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper
Inherent Vice (while I'm on this, I'm happily surprised Joaquin Phoenix wasn't nominated... I don't care much for him)
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

hmm... I say it's between American Sniper, The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything... I want to give this to The Imitation Game because it's highly unlikely to get anything else... the competition is too steep

Best Director
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)
Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)

Most likely, it will go to a writer/director type this year... I'll give it to Richard Linklater, but wouldn't be surprised if "Birdman" got a win here

Acting
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall (The Judge)
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
JK Simmons (Whiplash)
Edward Norton (Birdman)
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

...may be the toughest category out there. I can see anyone winning... everyone was talking about Channing Tatum MONTHS before this movie came out, saying he'd get lots of award buzz... he got absolutely nothing... which I find a little confusing and frustrating.

the Golden Globes suggests it will go to JK Simmons, but I won't be happy about it... cuz his character looks really brutal and unlikable...

This time of year, I always hold my breath for an RDJ nomination... but for once, I am super relieved he didn't get it for Best Actor... firstly because he wouldn't stand a chance against the competition and secondly... if he did win, I'd have mixed feelings cuz Eddie Redmayne and Michael Keaton are so good in their roles. It just wouldn't be fair.
Not to mention I wouldn't want him to win to make up for YEARS of snubbing. He's better than all that.

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper (American Sniper)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitiation Game)

I can see any of these guys winning... but I'm backing Eddie Redmayne only because this is the role of a lifetime... and the accolades have been staggering...
come to think of it, I'm surprised that "The Theory of Everything" didn't get any nominations for the physical transformation of Stephen Hawking with the acceleration of his disease.

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)
Laura Dern (Wild)
Emma Stone (Birdman)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Laura Dern got a lot of buzz for "Wild," I'd LOVE to see Emma Stone win... it's more likely to go to Patricia Arquette, but I don't care. I will back Emma Stone for this.

Best Actress
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)

The cards are stacked high here... with Felicity Jones and Rosamund Pike, I'm surprised they were for best lead actress.. I thought they were more supporting roles. Isn't Rosamund Pike gone for most of "Gone Girl"... isn't that the point of the movie?

After reassessing things, I noticed that Shailene Woodley got nothing and I thought maybe she'd get buzz for "The Fault in Our Stars". She had such a big year and everything between that and "Divergent"...

like I said during my Golden Globes blog, I will attest that this is Reese Witherspoon's 2nd Oscar... like with Eddie Redmayne, the first time I heard about her work this year, I said it was hers to lose...

Best Picture
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Boyhood
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
American Sniper
Selma
Whiplash



...why no love for "Into the woods?" Seriously...
Since they extended the number of films that could be nominated, I've seen as many as 11 movies... They could have easily made room for "Into the Woods" and "The Judge"...

The first three movies are the shortlist, easily... as much as I want "The Grand Budapest Hotel" to win, my gut right now wants me to go with Birdman...


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