It’s my favorite time of year, Oscar season! Due to some major life events (new career,
wedding planning, moving, starting a new blog about old movies didwejustwatchthesamemovie.com)
I am as unprepared to write this post as I have ever been. But who am I to let facts and preparation get
in the way of my opinions? I love to
document my year in moving watching and this is the best, most fun way to
accomplish that. There will be a lot of
caveats this year, but here are my thoughts on this year’s awards…
Best Cinematography
Nominations: Birdman (Emmanuel Lubezki), The
Grand Budapest Hotel (Robert Yeoman), Ida
(Lukasz Zai and Ryszard Lenczewski), Mr.
Turner (Dick Pope), Unbroken (Roger
Deakins)
Who I Want To Win: Lukasz Zai and
Ryszard Lenczewski
Who I Think Will Win: Emmanuel
Lubezki
Who Won: Emmanuel Lubezki
This category
kills me to write about. In a year
filled with okay movies, but nothing great, this category is stacked with great
work. If you have ever read my Oscar
posts, you know of my deep love and appreciation of Roger Deakins work and my campaigns
to have the many wrongs done to him by the Academy assuaged with his first
award, but I didn’t get to see Unbroken,
so I can’t say with good conscience that I want him to win. If his name gets called on Sunday I will be ecstatic,
but this is the first year since Skyfall
that I don’t think he should win. It
looks like Lubezki is a shoe in for back to back wins, and while Birdman is a very interesting visual
movie, I can’t help but feel it’s a stunt, like giving the best actor award to
someone doing an imitation of a handicapped person (we’ll get to that
later). The steady cam, one camera, one
take, style is impressive and fun to watch but I feel that people will just
vote for it because they don’t see it much, not that they really understand the
technical aspects of it. As much as I
enjoyed Birdman and was impressed by
the camera work, there is very little question in my mind that Ida should get this award. It’s a small foreign film that very few
people probably saw. It’s streaming on
Netflix, take the time to watch it. Like
my fiancé commented, you could pause the movie at any point and have an amazing
still picture, something you would frame and hang on your living room wall. You could see the time and care that went
into framing every shot perfectly. The
movie is an amazing piece of visual art and should be rewarded for its
accomplishments.
Best Animated Feature
Nominations: Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, How to Train
your Dragon 2, Song of the Sea, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Who I Want
To Win: Anyone except Big Hero 6
Who I Think
Will Win: Big Hero 6
Who Won: Big Hero Six
I really
shouldn’t be writing about this category, I haven’t seen one of these
films. Still, I feel like I have a bit
to say no matter how uninformed I may be.
The Oscar snub that incensed me the most this year was hands down The Lego Movie. I don’t think there was a bigger consensus in
all of film. Everyone enjoyed this
film. It crushed everything at the box
office, critics raved about it, it was funny and well done. Yet, it doesn’t get a nomination. How is that possible? The Lego Movie should be winning this award this year. That being said, it feels like this category
is in place just so Disney/Pixar can win an Oscar every year. Again, I haven’t seen any of these movies, Big Hero 6 might be great, and I do love
Disney and Pixar movies, but I would love to see a non-Disney movie win
here. There is quality animation and storytelling
going on in places other than Burbank and Emeryville. Maybe this isn’t the year for me to be
arguing this, but I’d love to see a surprise win here.
Best Documentary
Feature
Nominations:
CitizenFour, Finding Vivian Maier, Last
Days in Vietnam
Who I Want
To Win: Finding Vivian Maier
Who I Think
Will Win: CitizenFour
Who Won: CitizenFour
From
everything I am hearing CitizenFour
is a sure thing. It’s everything the
Academy loves in its documentary, a cause they can get behind. CitizenFour
is the story of Edward Snowden and the NSA spying. Everything I hear also says this isn’t much
of a movie. The story may be a big deal,
so big that the movie is getting a lot of notice, but there really isn’t much
film making going on. Virunga seems like a much better
choice. It’s a great cause that Hollywood
can get behind and it is a beautiful piece of film. The shots of the African wilderness are
breathtaking and the story is suspenseful and moving. My favorite of these films by far, though,
was Finding Vivian Maier. It’s a pretty crazy story about a fascinating
person. It’s about a filmmaker who
stumbles across tons of old photos. The
movie follows his journey to find out who the photographer was and get her work
into museums where they belong. There
are a few wonderful twists and the photography is truly amazing.
Best Original
Screenplay
Nominations:
Birdman, Boyhood, Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Nightcrawler
Who I Want
To Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who I Think
Will Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who Won: Birdman
Wait… there
was a screenplay for Boyhood? You are going to see a theme start to emerge
in this post, a theme dealing with my strong dislike of Boyhood and everything to do with it. There always seems to be one movie every year
that I feel is getting WAY more attention then it deserves. Boyhood
is that movie this year. There was
nothing interesting or well written about this movie. The film was filmed over 15 years and it felt
like it was written over those years as well, plot points just popping up with
no previous set up, characters doing things that didn’t go along with anything
we knew about them previously. Nothing about
this film, le alone it’s writing, says Oscar worthy.
Everything
seems to be pointing towards a big night for Birdman, but Best Screenplay is usually where we see quirky,
original movies get some recognition. The Grand Budapest Hotel was another wonderful,
funny, heartwarming, film from Wes Anderson.
It’s weird to me that Anderson
hasn’t won in this category, and even weirder that he was only nominated one
other time. This feels like the movie
that will give Anderson the Academy
credit he deserves for being one of the most original and quirky film makers in
Hollywood .
Best Adapted
Screenplay
Nominations:
American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Inherent
Vice, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash
Who I Want
To Win: Inherent Vice
Who I
Think Will Win: Whiplash
Who Won: The Imitation Game
This is an
interesting category and I really wish that I had seen a few more of these
films so I could weigh in a bit more.
The two movies I did see in this category I hated. The
Theory of Everything is everything that makes biopics something to
avoid. There is nothing interesting or
compelling about this movie, but the Academy loves its biopics, so here it
is.
Whiplash I could probably write a full
post about. It kind of bothers me how
much people love this movie because the message is so disturbing. Yes, the acting is great, but the premise and
how the movie is resolved is so God awful, I can only pray it doesn’t win. Unfortunately, the writing categories are
where movies critics like but don’t stand a chance of winning the big prize get
rewarded. I have a creeping suspicion
that Whiplash will win this, but I am
praying it doesn’t.
I have a
small dash of hope that American Sniper
pulls out a win. People are starting to
say its popularity at the box office may let it creep into contention for the
big prize. I don’t think it has a shot
at that, so maybe they throw Clint this bone.
I would love to see Inherent Vice
win based on nothing else than I loved the book. Yes, usually that means I will hate the
movie, but it’s Paul Thomas Anderson, so how bad could it really be?
Best Supporting
Actress
Nominations:
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Laura
Dern (Wild), Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game), Emma Stone (Birdman), Meryl Streep (Into The Woods)
Who I Want
To Win: Emma Stone
Who I Think
Will Win: Laura Dern
Who Won: Patricia Arquette
There are
times when I watch a movie and feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone or something,
watching a completely different movie than the rest of the world. Boyhood
gave me this feeling. I’ve heard plenty
of mixed reviews about the movie as a whole, but the one thing everyone seems
to agree on is how amazing Patricia Arquette was. I must have watched a version of the movie
pieced together with outtakes and sold as the real thing because I thought she
was horrible (as was everyone in this movie).
She was stiff as a board, had zero charisma, and delivered her lines
like she was reading them off a cue card.
The scenes where she broke into crying fits felt so incredibly forced
and fake it made the scene feel weird.
Is she supposed to be crying or laughing? I didn’t believe a single person in this
movie was real and she was the worst of the bunch. I refuse to believe that she is a serious
contender for this award. I’m hoping
that Laura Dern sneaks in, even though I hear she is only in Wild for 5 minutes, something I would
usually rant about being an injustice, just so I can not feel anymore off by
thinking Arquette is a horrible actress.
I put Emma
Stone as the one I want to win simply because Birdman was the only of these movies I saw other than Boyhood.
There’s part of me that really wanted to predict Streep will win this
because we all know how much the Academy loves her. It’s hard to pick anyone else in a race that
Streep is running in, but on the other hand, absolutely nobody is talking about
this movie or this performance, so really, what are her chances?
Best Supporting Actor
Nominations:
Robert Duvall (The Judge), Ethan
Hawke (Boyhood), Edward Norton (Birdman), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Who I Want
To Win: Edward Norton
Who I Think
Will Win: J. K. Simmons
Who Won: J.K. Simmons
There isn’t
really much to say about this one.
Simmons is going to win and I guess I really don’t have much of an issue
with that. He’s a great actor and, as
much as I hated the movie, he was pretty amazing in it. I certainly enjoyed Norton in Birdman more, though. I thought he was great. It’s been a while since he has had a quality
role and I would love to see him get recognized for it. The noise you hear if for some odd reason
Ethan Hawke wins will be my brain exploding.
Best Actress
Nominations:
Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night),
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything),
Julianne Moore (Still Alice
Who I Want
to Win: Rosamund Pike
Who I Think
Will Win: Julianne Moore
Who Won: Julianne Moore
I got
nothing… I didn’t see any of these movies.
I really liked the book, Gone Girl
and David Fincher is one of my favorite directors, so I’ll be routing for
Rosamund Pike. I hear Julianne Moore
will get the award, though.
Best Actor
Nominations:
Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Bradley
Cooper (American Sniper), Benedict
Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game),
Michael Keaton (Birdman), Eddie
Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
Who I Want
to Win: Michael Keaton
Who I Think
Will Win: Eddie Redmayne
Who Won: Eddie Redmayne
I write
this thing once a year, so I’m never sure if I should assume people know some
of my Oscar theories or if I should jump up on the same soap box every
year. It looks like Eddie Redmayne is
going to win this, he hit the Oscar daily double of a role that is a famous
person and a handicapped person. The
Academy loves, LOVES people who can imitate other famous people. So much so that it makes the snub of David
Oyelowo’s turn as Martin Luther King Jr appear to be nothing but racism. The only thing the Academy loves more than
famous imitations is actors who take on handicaps. Put the two together and Eddie Redmayne is
pretty unbeatable. Once again, this year
I am going to have to enact my gimmick theory. The theory says that people fawn
over people who play gimmick roles even though those gimmick roles are easier
to make interesting than a straight role.
In other words, it’s not hard to pull of a character that comes with set
traits that make them interesting, like being a ALS patient or being mentally
disabled, you’re given a set of behaviors that you just have to mimic. Taking a normal person off a page and making
them interesting with out a bunch of clichés to play off of is much more
skillful. Eddie Redmayne did a great imitation
but I don’t think imitation is great acting.
Michael
Keaton is my pick this year. I loved the
job he did. Some may argue that he was
essentially just playing himself, but there was a bit of over the top edge his character
had that made him interesting. It was a
subtle bit of craziness that gave the movie character. I wouldn’t mind if Bradley Cooper wins
either. Yes, he’s playing a real life
person, but not someone who everyone knows or could pick out of a crowd. I didn’t see the movie, but I’ve been a fan
of Cooper since his Alias days, and
he’s never really had a bad role.
Best Director
Nominations:
Alejandro G. Inarritu (Birdman), Richard
Linklater (Boyhood), Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Morten Tyldum
(The Imitation Game)
Who I Want
To Win: Wes Anderson
Who I Think
Will Win: Alejandro G. Inarritu
Who Won: Alejandro G. Inarritu
I will save
my Boyhood tirad for one more
segment, but let’s just say that I’m not the biggest fan of Richard Linklater’s
arty films. Dazed and Confused is great, School
of Rock is funny, Bernie was
really interesting, but all the shit that he gets nominated for just
sucks. Yes, he shot the movie over 15
years, but that was a choice not a display of directing skill. I really hope the Academy doesn’t buy into
that gimmick and give him the award. I
really want to see Wes Anderson walk away with this. I love all his stuff and really think he
deserves to be awarded for the creative and original style he infuses into his
movies. He does things that are
different and stylistic and interesting, the type of stuff that the Academy
should be trying to promote in film making.
That being said, I think that Birdman
is going to be the big winner and walk away with a bunch of awards, the
director nod being one of them.
Best Picture
Nominations:
American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma
Who I Want
To Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who I Think
Will Win: Birdman
Who Won: Birdman
This was a
pretty weak year for movies. I liked a
few of these nominations, one was a well made movie with a horrible message, I
hated a couple too, but nothing blew my mind.
It’s weird to compare this years crop to last year where I felt that any
of those films could have won the award and I was moved by many of them. I wish a movie or two from last year could have
been moved to this year to balance things out, but that’s not how this
works. I didn’t get a chance to see American Sniper which seems to be the
public’s choice. I didn’t see The Imitation Game either, which I heard
good things about, or Selma
Birdman is a fun, entertaining movie
that makes some interesting style decisions but really doesn’t say much at the
end of the day. I feel like most years
this movie wouldn’t even have been talked about come Oscar time, but the weak
field has made it a favorite. I think it’s
going to win the big prize, mostly because I refuse to believe that Boyhood is award caliber film. I loved the performances in this movie and
was impressed by the one camera, one take; the way they made time move while
never making a cut was fun to watch.
Boyhood is not as bad a movie as I have
been making it out so far in this post, but it certainly should not be a highly
nominated and heralded film. I don’t
care how many years it took to shot, it wasn’t well acted, it wasn’t well
written, and it wasn’t interesting at all.
This is a gimmick movie and all these critics and award givers that tell
you it is great are just buying into the gimmick. If this movie cast 4 different people in the
boy’s role and used special effects to age the other actors, nobody would be
talking about this movie.
The Grand Budapest Hotel was probably my
favorite movie of this bunch. I really
enjoy Wes Andserson’s work. This isn’t
his best movie, which makes me wonder why it has gotten so much more attention
then his other stuff, but it still has all the elements that make Anderson’s stuff
so much fun. I’m sure his stylistic
approach might turn some people off, but I think it’s the type of film making
that Hollywood should be
promoting.
The Theory of Everything is a horrible
cookie cutter biopic. It’s the kind of
stuff that the Academy seems to love and I hate. I’m sure there is an interesting story
somewhere in there, Stephen Hawking is an amazing enough person that there has
to be a movie in there somewhere, but this movie didn’t find it. I get why it got nominated, but I can’t
support any of those reasons. To me,
this just isn’t good film making.
Whiplash was the movie that angered me
the most. Not because of the acting or
the film making, all of that was top notch.
It was the movie’s message that had be tied in knots. Mental and physical abuse is more than okay,
it creates genius, is the only thing one can take from the movie. I wanted so much to walk away from this film
feeling that the abuse the main character was put through would be painted as
the horrible underbelly of the world he was trying to be a part of, but what
the movie really presented is that the abuse is essential to being great. I’m sorry, but there is a clear line between
hard work and abuse. You do not need to
cross that line to be great, hard work will do just fine. The one scene that really pushed me over the
edge, other than the ending which validated the character who should have been
the movie’s villain, was when the main character gets into a car crash that
flips his car and he climbs out of the car, runs to the theater, and tries to
perform. It was absurd. I really wish all the people who loved the
performances in this movie would talk about the horrible message it contains as
well.
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