Best Picture Nominees 2015

My annual critique and predictions of who will win the big prize from the Academy. This year is not really as exciting as it could have been and is much whiter than it should have been as well. I'll go alphabetically so I can get the most of my venting out early.

American Sniper

      I have to give a preemptive apology to those in the military for this film and for my opinions on it. This was, in the simplest of terms, Clint Eastwood's worst film ever made. I love America and everything our military has done to "protect" us, but when you make a film about a sniper, there needs to be some conflict. Not just 'oh! That person looks bad, or looks like they might be carrying something dangerous. I better shoot them in the head.' The only conflict in the film is the fact that he isn't home with his wife and child, something any military person deals with, so nothing new. On top of all of that, I HATE being bashed over the head with how much I'm supposed to love America and love all the violence we push on other countries. That's all this film was. However, Bradley Cooper does give a stellar performance. Not as good as Silver Linings Playbook, but still outstanding. But at the highest point of drama and conflict, Clint decided to not show anything, but simply have a few lines come across the screen telling the audience how it ended. Overall, fuck you Clint. Sad to see you take such a harsh nose dive. Guess you should just keep talking to that chair instead of 'trying' to make films.

Birdman

      Thankfully, a breath of fresh air. This was a very fun film. Edward Norton and Emma Stone stole much of the show, but they didn't steal it entirely because of Michael Keaton's phenomenal performance. It's nice to see him finally nominated for something after all the work he's done. Sadly, I don't think he deserves the best actor award, which should and hopefully will go to Eddie Redmayne for his portrayal of Stephan Hawking. The idea of making a movie look like a single take seems like something taken straight from Alfred Hitchcock's handbook. It worked well for many viewers, but annoyed others. This seems to be a polarizing film right now. You love it or you hate it. Either way, this is in the top three runners for best picture, hands down. But right now the front runner.

Boyhood

      What a fine film. That's all I can say really, a 'fine' film. The race for best picture is, at the moment, between this and Birdman. The Academy will love this one because of the production timeline and value. It was filmed over 12 years, but had absolutely no story. It was simply a peek into one person's life. Far too French for me. There was barely any conflict. The characters were pretty flat and boring (save for the mother) and the one we were supposed to be following was at his best when he was young. He became just a terrible actor as he grew up. Film is about story to me, not about the fact that it took 12 years to film, and Boyhood was very disappointing in the story department. It felt like a watered down version of a Terrence Malick film. The saving grace of this film was Patricia Arquette as the mother. Without her this would have had absolutely NO story. She moves the story forward with her decisions and it's wonderful to watch her struggle with her son growing up and the choices she makes. But I'm sorry I'm still going with Birdman for best picture so far.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

     This felt like nothing more than another Wes Anderson film. It was nothing new. Maybe the Academy is just finally recognizing him, but it wasn't that great of a film. Almost any of his others are better. It had the same quirkiness to it and the same awkward over-the-top acting he's known for. But it just wasn't that great. A mediocre premise, with maybe one character you actually care about (which is weird to me, because he usually makes us care about multiple characters with ease), it ended up being an okay character study as opposed to an actually great film. However, the production quality and design overall was amazing and deserves every award it will win on the 22nd. I just expected more out of it.

The Imitation Game

      A surprise for me. I went to see this knowing very little, but walked out of it quite pleased. This would have to be the dark horse for the best picture win. The acting was stupendous. Keira Knightley was surprisingly perfect in her role, but not as fun and convincing as Benedict Cumberbatch. He was equal parts cynic and comic and knocked his part out of the park. The Academy is all about the true stories this year and this is one many people probably didn't know much about until they saw the film. It was entertaining and a roller coaster of emotions. Maybe not the harshest roller coaster, but still a great ride.

Selma

      This was a great film! I always worried about it being nominated since 12 Years a Slave won last year. And honestly I think Selma could have benefited from some of the timings Steve McQueen went for in that film. Those long takes really make you think as opposed to cutting between different shots, which emphasize the action instead of the emotion. David Oyelowo was simply perfect as Martin Luther King Jr. I couldn't look away when he was on screen. However, this was a very powerful film, which looked like it used some stock footage from the documentary Selma, Montgomery March, 1965. The song "Glory" will be one of the saving graces of Selma's presence at the Oscars, but it definitely deserved the nod.

The Theory of Everything

      Yet another 'based on a true story' film this year, The Theory of Everything is a great story of Stephen Hawking and the love of his life. The highlight of this film was Eddie Redmayne. Playing Hawking is no small feat and he takes the role to a new level. If he doesn't win best actor the only one who could overtake him is Michael Keaton, who would only win because the Academy feels bad for him not being nominated before this. But the chemistry between Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones was electric. They were perfect together and it played on screen. It was an incredibly well made film and highlighted the highs and lows of Hawkings personal life, but it was also very entertaining to watch the progression of his discoveries and theories. Overall it's great, but not good enough for best picture.

Whiplash

     
      Hands down my favorite film of the year. Whiplash  is outstanding. I have a close relationship with the subject matter and have had professors who have pushed me farther than I thought I'd ever go, but not nearly as hard as J.K. Simmons was on Miles Teller. I just talked about the chemistry in The Theory of Everything, which was romantic, but the chemistry between J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller was on another level. This was something more powerful. I can't really put it into words. The writing was great, as was the editing. And the music was perfection! If J.K. Simmons doesn't win the Oscar I don't know what is going on with the Academy. He was and always is great in his role, but something about his interaction with Damien Chazelle really pulled an incredible performance out of him. Overall it was an extremely tense film, revolving around music, and wanting to be 'one of the greats.' I can't say enough good things about it, but sadly it won't be the best picture of the year.

To sum it all up, here are my predictions for the top 8 awards:

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Whiplash (Not just because it's my favorite)

Best Original Screenplay:
Birdman

Best Director:
Alejandro González Iñárritu

The only one who could overtake him is Richard Linklater

Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette

Best Supporting Actor:
J.K. Simmons

Best Actress:
Julianne Moore (no question here)

Best Actor:
Eddie Redmayne

Unless the Academy decides to sub a fantastic performance, reminiscent of Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot.

Best Picture:
Birdman