Welcome back to the Oscars!
As far as film went the year was a difficult one, some really odd movies, most of them independent. But they still managed to push some real boundaries. In that spirit, this year's blog's posters are of the alternative kind, such that I could find on the net.
[I should mention that in looking for the images in this blog post I came across some pretty hilarious stuff, including "if the Oscar nominated movies were honest", which featured such titles as 12 Years A White Kid, The Dark Knight Crisis, and Everybody shh: Benedict Cumberbatch is Doing His Best Acting. Tee hee.]
So this year I've actually managed to see ALL of the nominees for Best Picture. I know, right? Some of them I’ve loved, some I have respected, and some I was just plain bored by. Two blew me away. Let’s start at the top.
Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
American Sniper tells the story of
American hero (and I’m only being a tiny bit sarcastic here) Chris Kyle, who
served four tours in Iraq as the best sniper in the army. What is undeniable is
a) the man is brave and b) his journey back to who he was before his first kill
is impressive. Oh, and c) the fake baby looks really fake. So you can either see it as another “Yay, America!”
film, or you can see it as a study in what war does to a person, even from a
distance.
Birdman was a strange, edgy
cacophony of a picture, and I mean that in a good way. All the performances
were top-knotch, and Michael Keaton got a real chance to show what he can do. I
did not love the ending, but the rest is kind of a big deal and a fascinating
achievement in film. Something really different, in a good way.
Boyhood was … long. That was
my takeaway. It is also a pretty impressive achievement, filming over 12 years
to portray the life of a young boy as he grows into adulthood. And there’s
nothing really wrong with it. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette were great, and
some of the script was lovely, but I just … wasn’t that interested.
The Grand Budapest
Hotel I found completely charming and at times hilarious. Wes Anderson has
presented a slightly Other world and every setting takes you deeper into it. I
have never liked a Wes Anderson film until this moment, and if this is what
he’s going to keep doing, then I might just be a fan. A beautiful performance
by the overlooked Ralph Fiennes.
I knew absolutely nothing about Alan Turing, and as
such was looking forward to The Imitation
Game. Plus, Benedict Cumberbatch. And I really enjoyed it: a really good
example of a biography film serving up a sense of what it might have been like.
While there are a few historical inaccuracies (and this I think has kept it
from winning big this awards season), I still thought it was an excellent
movie. Plus, you know, Cumberbatch.
Ok, I admit it: I really did not want to see Selma. I’ll also admit that I’m really
glad I did see it. It’s kind of a beautiful film, and though the time and place
it depicts is powerful, heartbreaking, and sometimes violent, it never really
tried to hit the audience about the head with its message. Instead I was deeply
impressed with the bravery exhibited by those who lived through it.
Unlike the other three biopics in this list, The Theory of Everything covers not just
a period in the subject’s life, but a good third of it. As a result, some parts
aren’t as well explored as others. But I kind of didn’t care, and it’s because
of the performances. Eddie Redmayne deserves every award he gets for an
incredibly physical and physically stressful role, and Felicity Jones, though
in a less dramatic role, is absolutely fantastic.
Now to Whiplash,
with the fabulous J.K. Simmons. Talk about intense. And all the tension on
screen has a way of seeping into you as you watch this tour de force. A thought-provoking and shocking film, this was one
of the films I most enjoyed watching, and had a visceral reaction to. I never, ever want to be a drummer.
As for the round up, this is a three-way race that
in reality is probably only a two-way race. My feeling is that Birdman and
Boyhood will battle it out for Best Picture and Best Director, probably with a split.
Which way that split goes depends on who you talk to. And while I would love Grand Budapest to win, I don’t think it
quite has the chops.
Who WILL win: Boyhood
Who SHOULD win: The Grand Budapest
Hotel
Actor in a Leading Role
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
This race is between
Keaton and Redmayne. The latter has been blitzing the awards circuit, but
Keaton is home-grown, and very popular to boot. Plus they both deserve it. I’ve
already talked about what Redmayne put his body through here, but it deserves
repeating: every move looks like such a struggle you can almost feel it. And
Keaton does something pretty fantastic in Birdman. Steve Carell is quite
good in Foxcatcher, but in my mind David Oyelowo should have taken his
place. And while Cumberbatch delivered a great performance, I feel he’s got
more to give, and he’ll be back here someday.
Who WILL win: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Who SHOULD win: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Actress in a Leading Role
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Julianne Moore has been
around a while, and has been an Oscar mainstay for years now. This is her award
to lose. While people say that Felicity Jones doesn’t belong here, I think her
performance in The Theory of Everything was kind of
amazing: so much strength, so much humanity there. Cotillard is always a
threat, and her performance is reportedly incredible: you can believe it,
because to get nominated for such a small film is all the more impressive.
Witherspoon has delivered maybe her best performance to date, but like I said,
this is Julianne’s to lose.
Who WILL win: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Who SHOULD win: Felicity Jones, The Theory of
Everything
Actor in a Supporting Role
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Words cannot express how
thrilled I am for J.K. Simmons. He has been delivering pitch-perfect character
performances for years now, and even when his role is a small one, or a
straight one, he is always brilliant. And this performance is worth the win. He
took this role from its first incarnation in a short film and opened it up to a
feature-length movie, never losing the subtlety so important in creating that
tension, nor the violence of those outbursts. Funnily enough, I feel much the
same about Mark Ruffalo, who is quietly perfect in Foxcatcher, but one
day he’ll get his Oscar, I’m sure of it. Edward Norton is probably the closest
to an upset, and I thought Ethan Hawke was really impressive, but I’m really
looking forward to Simmons’ time at the microphone.
Who WILL win: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Who SHOULD win: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Actress in a Supporting Role
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Emma Stone, Birdman
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Oh, Meryl. I’m pretty
sure she, along with so many other people, is rolling her eyes when she gets
nominations like this. Not that she’s not great, because she is, but let’s keep
it in perspective, people. You’re damaging the brand. Patricia Arquette has
this one all but sewn up, and I really don’t think anyone can touch her.
Outside chances are probably Laura Dern and Emma Stone, but I thought Knightley
was better than both.
Who WILL win: Patricia
Arquette, Boyhood
Who SHOULD win: Patricia
Arquette, Boyhood
Directing
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
This will come down to
Iñárritu and Linklater, and which one Hollywood likes more. Linklater has a lot
of goodwill, and the sheer size of his magnum opus will impress both
directors and actors alike. And it is a big, freaking, deal. Think of the
logistics! Iñárritu, on the other hand, offers something completely different.
The way he has chosen to shot it keeps the audience on edge the entire time: if
the camera doesn’t rest, we don’t rest, so like the main character we’re
feeling pretty wired by the opening night. As I said, I think this will come
down to a split.
Who WILL win: Alejandro
González Iñárritu, Birdman
Who SHOULD win: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Animated Feature Film
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Ba-la-la-la-la! Yes, I
believe Big Hero 6 deserves this just for the fist-bump, because that
sh*t was pure genius. Of course, we all know who SHOULD be here, and that’s The
Lego Movie, which is all kinds of awesome. And barring a write-in campaign,
which worked for A Midsummer Night’s Dream back in 1936 but which were
since banned, I think this year’s award is going to How to Train Your Dragon
2.
Who WILL win: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Who SHOULD win: The Lego Movie (rules be damned)
Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Robert D. Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lynzewski, Ida
Dick Pope, Mr. Turner
Roger Deakins, Unbroken
Oh, Roger Deakins. You
poor bugger. Once more, in the category of Awards Roger Deakins Won’t Win, this
year’s cinematography has been upstaged. I really think Birdman will grab this,
because it has difficult and trippy cinematography done very well and, more
unusually, for a good reason. Ida is the biggest threat, followed by
Dick Pope for Mr Turner.
Who WILL win: Emmanuel
Lubezki, Birdman
Who SHOULD win: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Costume Design
Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mark Bridges, Inherent Vice
Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods
Anna B. Sheppard, Maleficent
Jacqueline Durran, Mr. Turner
You really can’t ever
discount Colleen Atwood. She has ridden that dark horse to victory more times
than most, and with Into the Woods she gets to sink her teeth into
fantasy. And before those metaphors curdle … The Grand Budapest Hotel has some
incredible costuming, contributing what was visually a beautiful film.
Who WILL win: Milena
Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who SHOULD win: Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest
Hotel
Documentary Feature
Citizenfour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga
Without knowing much about the rest of these, there's not much chance this is going to any film other than Citizenfour.
Who WILL win: Citizenfour
Who SHOULD win: Citizenfour
Documentary Short Subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper
White Earth
There are some hella depressing topics covered in this category. I mean, wow. Suicide, terminal disease, animal slaughter and ... North Dakota. Contenders here are probably White Earth and the hot-button topic for America, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1.
Who WILL win: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Who SHOULD win: White Earth
Film Editing
Joel Cox and Gary Roach, American Sniper
Sandra Adair, Boyhood
Barney Pilling, The Grand Budapest Hotel
William Goldenberg, The Imitation Game
Tom Cross, Whiplash
A bit surprised not to
see Birdman here, but there’s plenty to work with. The editing would
have been the major task in making Boyhood’s myriad bits and pieces into
a cohesive story, so that’s the front runner. On the other hand, Whiplash
had some truly impressive editing that particularly added to the overall
feeling of tension permeating throughout. Hmm. I’ll give it to Boyhood,
because to win Best Picture you’ve got to win something else fairly major, and
this is its best chance.
Who WILL win: Sandra
Adair, Boyhood
Who SHOULD win: Tom Cross, Whiplash
Foreign Language Film
Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines
Timbuktu
Wild Tales
Common sense might tell
you that since Ida is nominated for cinematography, its chances here are
far more than anything else in this category. Common sense is forgetting about Amelie.
Or Pan’s Labyrinth. Leviathan is winning the big awards this year,
but Ida is still a strong chance.
Who WILL win: Leviathan
Who SHOULD win: Ida
Makeup and Hairstyling
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, Foxcatcher
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, Guardians of the Galaxy
The makeup on Steve
Carell was impressive, completely transforming him into someone else. You know,
like Renee Zellweger did by ageing naturally/getting surgery/witchcraft. No,
I’m kidding. Obviously everyone deserves to be here, but I’m going to name The
Grand Budapest Hotel for its slightly off-kilter and essential character
makeup as one of the (I’m convinced) many visual awards it will win. Guardians
is the outside chance.
Who WILL win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who SHOULD win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Music – Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar
Gary Yershon, Mr Turner
Jóhann Jóhannsson, The Theory of Everything
Is it me, or is
Alexandre Desplat a massive overachiever? Nice work, Alex. I do love his work,
but suspect that Jóhann Jóhannsson’s beautiful score for The Theory
of Everything will make good here. Oscars are a lot about balance: if
something has no chance of winning the big awards, look for the smaller awards
it will take home as a nod to its big nominations. It’s not as cynical as it
sounds: All films nominated are deserving, and it’s nice that they are
recognised in whatever standout capacity they can. I have a feeling that’s
never going to make as much sense as it does in my head right now, so let’s
move on.
Who WILL win: Jóhann Jóhannsson, The Theory of
Everything
Who SHOULD win: Jóhann Jóhannsson, The Theory of
Everything
Music – Original Song
Everything Is Awesome by Shawn Patterson, The
LEGO Movie
Glory by Common and John Legend, Selma
Grateful by Diane Warren, Beyond the Lights
I'm Not Gonna Miss You by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond, Glen
Campbell: I'll Be Me
Lost Stars by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois, Begin Again
Remember what I said
about balance? Here we have two possibilities: The LEGO Movie, in what
could only be described as an apology for missing out on a Best Animated
Feature nomination (seriously, it was one of those perfect storms of brilliance
in filmmaking. Lego AND Will Arnett as Batman); or Selma, for its lack
of nominations in acting, directing, cinematography etc. As far as the quality
of the song goes, Everything Is Awesome is fabulous, more for amusement
than for clever lyrics or structure, but undeniably, well, awesome. Glory
is … ok, not a good song. I don’t like it. I enjoyed the heck out of the music
in Begin Again, and sorry not to see more nominated here. But my gut
says LEGO, and I shall be dancing like a crazy person when it’s performed.
Who WILL win: Everything Is Awesome by Shawn
Patterson, The LEGO Movie
Who SHOULD win: Everything Is Awesome by Shawn
Patterson, The LEGO Movie
Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Production design:
Adam Stockhausen, Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
The Imitation Game, Production design: Maria Djurkovic, Set Decoration:
Tatiana Macdonald
Interstellar, Production design: Nathan Crowley, Set
Decoration: Gary Fettis
Into the Woods, Production design: Dennis Gassner, Set Decoration: Anna
Pinnock
Mr. Turner, Production design: Suzie Davies, Set Decoration: Charlotte
Watts
Once more we are in the “arts” section of
filmmaking (although yes, there is plenty of science in art, and plenty of art
in science). The most indelible part of The Grand Budapest Hotel was its production design, the
chocolate-box-beautiful, shadow-puppet world of M. Gustave. Mr Turner
does, however, have the capacity to upset it, and I will say this: just
watching the trailer makes my jaw drop. Time will tell. Meanwhile, I’m heading
back to Zubrowka for another look.
Who WILL win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who SHOULD win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Short Film – Animated
The Bigger Picture, Daisy Jacobs and
Christopher Hees
The Dam Keeper, Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Feast, Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Me and My Moulton, Torill Kove
A Single Life, Joris Oprins
Ok, all I’ve been able to do is watch the trailers,
because aside from Feast, none of
these have been shown at the cinema. I like what Feast does with seamless
animation, plus, you know, puppies, but it doesn’t seem to reach Disney’s usual
heights. I really like the story in A
Single Life, but The Dam Keeper
looks freakin’ magical.
Who WILL win: The Dam Keeper, Robert Kondo and
Dice Tsutsumi
Who
SHOULD win: The Dam
Keeper, Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Short Film – Live Action
Aya, Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
Boogaloo and Graham, Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney
Butter lamp, Hu Wei and Julien Féret
Parvaneh, Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
The Phone Call, Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
Right, I haven’t seen any of them, and yes, I’m
largely going off names at this point, but how could you not want something
named Boogaloo and Graham to win?
Plus it’s low-budget, and who doesn’t like a rags-to-riches story if not the
Oscars? Probably a strong contender in The
Phone Call and Aya, but I’m going
with my heart on this one, and my heart likes funny names.
Who WILL win: Aya
Who SHOULD win: Boogaloo and Graham
Sound Editing
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, American
Sniper
Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock, Birdman
Brent Burge and Jason Canovas, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies,
Richard King, Interstellar
Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro, Unbroken
And we’re into the part
of the awards that I know so very little about. What I do know is that this
category LOVES war films. Pew, pew, pew! It is for this reason that I’m naming American
Sniper. Pew! Pew-pew!
Who WILL win: American Sniper
Who SHOULD win: American Sniper
Sound Mixing
John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin, American
Sniper
Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga, Birdman
Garry A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten, Interstellar
Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee, Unbroken
Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley, Whiplash
While Sniper
could go two for two here, I was so very impressed with Whiplash, and
its sound was something else.
Who WILL win: Whiplash
Who SHOULD win: Whiplash
Visual Effects
Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan
Sudick, Captain America: Winter Soldier
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist, Dawn of the
Planet of the Apes
Stephanie Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould, Guardians
of the Galaxy
Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher, Interstellar
Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer, X-Men:
Days of Future Past
I’ve heard so much about
Interstellar’s effects, but these categories are always a bit unknowable
in the absence of any particularly impressive leap forward (ahem*Gollum*ahem).
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes really impressed the Visual Effects
Society of America, so it’s a big threat. Really, there’s any number of
possibilities here, I’m just picking one of them.
Who WILL win: Interstellar
Who SHOULD win: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Writing – Adapted Screenplay
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Ah, my favourite
categories. The Imitation Game’s source material is, reportedly, chock-a-block
full of higher-level mathematics, so quite frankly it seems like getting to the
end of that book, let alone getting a story out of it was one heck of an
achievement. It did win the WGA award, which gives it an edge without
guaranteeing anything (the record of past winners is sketchy). Also, the
factual changes made may prevent it from winning here, and I think this is
where The Theory of Everything has one over its fellow biopic. Whiplash,
based on a short film, is a dark horse here.
Who WILL win: Anthony
McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Who SHOULD win: Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Writing – Original Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone,
Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Wes Anderson’s strength as a filmmaker is in his
storytelling (which now that I think about it I’m not sure I agree with. I
never liked any of his other films much, especially Fantastic Mr Fox, which was kind of disastrous, but the problems with
which I have no room to go into now), and The
Grand Budapest Hotel is nothing if not a great story, told well. Outside
chance for Birdman.
Who WILL win: Wes Anderson
and Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who SHOULD win: Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, The
Grand Budapest Hotel
That's it for another year!
Some fun alternatives with which to while away the media blackout:
The Liam Neeson award for being Liam Neeson: Liam Neeson, Run all night
