The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the list of nominees for the 87th Academy Awards, with the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 22, 2015. As usual, there are safe bets and snubs, but the quality of the cinematic output for the year was high enough to make some of this year’s decisions pretty tough. Here’s a look at the nominees – and potential winners – in some of the major categories.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the list of nominees for the 87th Academy Awards, with the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 22, 2015. As usual, there are safe bets and snubs, but the quality of the cinematic output for the year was high enough to make some of this year’s decisions pretty tough. Here’s a look at the nominees – and potential winners – in some of the major categories.
DISCLAIMER: These are the opinions of me, James Jay Edwards, and do not necessarily reflect those of FilmFracture or the other writers therein. I’m just a card-carrying member of the Online Film Critics Society with two film degrees and a love of movies, so what do I know? Okay, carry on.
Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
The Imitation Game
Anyone who has been within shouting distance of my voice for the past few months knows how much I loved Nightcrawler. Serious snub here. As in, takes all credibility away from the Oscars. Okay, maybe not that much, but it is a shame that the year’s best movie won’t win Best Picture. Even without Nightcrawler, this is a very respectable field, one which includes my second and third favorite movies of the year (Whiplash and Birdman…alas, no Academy love for Frank). I’m pulling for Whiplash, but that’s a long shot. A more realistic winner would be either Boyhood or The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Prediction – Eh, let’s say The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Actor
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Again, Jake Gyllenhaal’s masterfully creepy performance from Nightcrawler being snubbed nullifies the entire ceremony. Are write-in candidates a thing for the Academy Awards? Eddie Redmayne was amazing as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, but that was imitation of an existing person (which is also my theory as to why David Oyelowo’s turn as MLK in Selma wasn’t nominated). Michael Keaton, on the other hand, played a washed-up superhero actor in Birdman – so, basically he played himself. But, he was great.
Prediction – I give it to Keaton.
Actress
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
This whole category is a waste of time this year. Julianne Moore’s portrayal of an early-onset Alzheimer’s patient in Still Alice is a lock.
Prediction – This is one of two places on this list where who I want to win and who I think will win coincide. Julianne Moore.
Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
…And this is the other place. As good as Edward Norton was in Birdman, J.K. Simmons was better in Whiplash.
Prediction – Oh, it wasn’t clear? J.K. Simmons.
Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Here’s where things get a little dicey. The sentimental favorite would be Meryl Streep in Into the Woods, but it’s hard to argue with Emma Stone’s strong performance in Birdman. All that aside, Patricia Arquette was pretty amazing herself in Boyhood. And why are Laura Dern and Keira Knightley even nominated?
Prediction – Love to Emma Stone, but Patricia Arquette takes this one.
Director
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game
This one’s a three horse race between Wes Anderson, Alejandro Iñárritu, and Richard Linklater. Wes Anderson did his Wes Anderson thing with The Grand Budapest Hotel and Alejandro Iñárritu made a seamless movie (both literally and figuratively) with Birdman, but what Linklater was able to do by shooting over a twelve year span with Boyhood is amazing.
Prediction – Boyhood may not deserve Best Picture, but Linklater deserves Best Director, and I think he’ll get it.
Animated Feature
The Boxtrolls
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Something’s missing here…wait, don’t tell me…was there a Toy Story movie this year? Seriously, The Lego Movie not being nominated here is the year’s biggest snub. But, that does keep it interesting; The Lego Movie was a lock to win, now the field is wide open.
Prediction – I flipped a coin and it came up The Boxtrolls.
Documentary Feature
Citizenfour
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga
Wait, did I say The Lego Movie was the snub of the year? Because it’s actually Life Itself, the fantastic documentary about Roger Ebert, not getting nominated here that takes the prize. Finding Vivian Maier is the best of this bunch, but that doesn’t matter. People loved Citizenfour.
Prediction – The absence of Life Itself in this category all but ensures a win for Citizenfour.
Foreign Language Film
Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)
Timbuktu (Mauritania)
Wild Tales (Argentina)
This award will come down to Ida versus Leviathan. Both are incredibly moving films, and both deserve the award.
Prediction – Leviathan, because Russia could kick Poland’s butt in a war.
Original Screenplay
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
Boyhood – Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher – E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy
There’s my movie. I was beginning to wonder if I had dreamt Nightcrawler. The year’s best movie obviously had the year’s best screenplay, so Nightcrawler should win. But…
Prediction – The Academy thinks that the year’s best movie is The Grand Budapest Hotel. So, it will win.
Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper – Jason Hall, from the book by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, and Jim Defelice
The Imitation Game – Graham Moore, from the book by Andrew Hodges
Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson, from the book by Thomas Pychon
The Theory of Everything – Anthony McCarten, from the book by Jane Hawking
Whiplash – Damien Chazelle
Wait, Whiplash is an adaptation? Of what, a short film written by the same guy a year earlier? Oh, it was. Okay. Well, whether it’s an adaptation or not, I like it here. That way, in my personal Oscar ceremony, Nightcrawler can win Original Screenplay and Whiplash can win Adapted Screenplay, and I can go to bed happy.
Prediction – This isn’t my personal Oscars. American Sniper has got to win something or Chris Kyle’s dad will “Unleash Hell” on The Academy. It may as well be Best Adapted Screenplay.
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
Although not really a snub, I wish Antonio Sanchez’s all-drum score to Birdman was nominated here. The others just look…and sound…boring by comparison.
Prediction – I’m gonna say Desplat so it doubles my chances of being right. If I have to decide, I suppose The Grand Budapest Hotel is a better score.
Original Song
“Everything is Awesome” – The Lego Movie – Shawn Patterson
“Glory” – Selma – John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
“Grateful” – Beyond the Lights – Diane Warren
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” – Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me – Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
“Lost Stars” – Begin Again – Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois
Oh, hey, it’s the token nomination for The Lego Movie. Sorry, a Best Original Song nom does not make up for a Best Animated Feature snub. It’s cool to see Diane Warren nominated here again, even if it is for a movie that nobody saw (Beyond the Lights). Aw, and look at little Danielle Brisebois from “Archie Bunker’s Place” all growns up and writing Oscar nominated songs for Begin Again!
Prediction – “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie, not because the Academy owes it to them, but because that silly song got stuck in my head the minute I typed the title.
Cinematography
Birdman – Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Robert Yeoman
Ida – Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski
Mr. Turner – Dick Pope
Unbroken – Roger Deakins
Emmanuel Lubezki is the clear frontrunner here; his work on Birdman was nothing short of breathtaking. Robert Yeoman does what he always does with The Grand Budapest Hotel – make it look like a Wes Anderson movie – and deserves some recognition. Nominated for Unbroken this year, Roger Deakins should have won this award last year for Prisoners, if it just wasn’t for that pesky Lubezki and the awe-inspiring Gravity.
Prediction – Sorry, Roger, Lubezki will repeat.
Film Editing
American Sniper – Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach
Boyhood – Sandra Adair
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Barney Pilling
The Imitation Game – William Goldenberg
Whiplash – Tom Cross
These are pretty safe nominees. Sandra Adair had the disadvantage (or is it an advantage?) of assembling years and years worth of footage into a coherent movie while working on Boyhood. On the other hand, Tom Cross gave Whiplash, a movie about jazz drumming, a very visceral feel.
Prediction – Love to see Whiplash take it, but it will probably be Boyhood.
Sound Editing
American Sniper – Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Birdman – Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
Interstellar – Richard King
Unbroken – Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro
Is that a typo? Interstellar had some of the worst sound ever played in a theater. Gah.
Prediction – Anything but Interstellar. Oh, I have to pick? The Hobbit. It’s gotta win something, right?
Sound Mixing
American Sniper – John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, and Walt Martin
Birdman – Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, and Thomas Varga
Interstellar – Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker, and Mark Weingarten
Unbroken – Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, and David Lee
Whiplash – Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, and Thomas Curley
Wait, Interstellar again? In another sound category? Ok, now I’m sure that The Academy is trolling us.
Prediction – Godzilla in a write-in landslide.
Check out all of the nominees for the 87th Academy Awards (without my snarky comments) at http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2015
Oscar, Oscars, Academy, Academy Awards, American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash, Nightcrawler, The Lego Movie, The Boxtrolls, Still Alice, Julianne Moore, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, J.K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette, Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson,
