It's been almost a year since I last posted. Took a break for damn near a year but I'm back right on time to give you my picks for 87th Annual Academy Awards ceremony. Last year, I got 9 outta 13 of the major awards right (I only failed to pick the right Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress). Anyway, on to this years picks:
BEST WRITING OSCAR: BIRDMAN
This award could easily go to GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. Easily. There's nothing trite about a Wes Anderson's film whatsoever. Every movie he makes has his style stamped all over it but aside from that , they all feel fresh and unique. BOYHOOD and NIGHTCRAWLERS nominations are not as shocking as the nomination awarded to FOXCATCHER which is based on a true story (I'm still asking how is that original again?) but truly this award is GBH's to lose. And it will lose. From the opening shot to the ambiguous ending shot, BIRDMAN felt less scripted and more ad-libbed. Even though it had a meta-type feel to it, it truly was one of the most original movies I've seen in a while.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: AMERICAN SNIPER
I'm not picking these winners based on which movies I liked. WHIPLASH was fantastic and probably my favorite movie out of this group but I can't see how this all-too-familiar movie can be beat out the rest of the movies on this list. THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING worked well too, possibly well enough to win this award. INHERENT VICE was OK, I guess, but it doesn't inspire me to read the source material. Ditto THE IMITATION GAME. That leaves AMERICAN SNIPER which wasn't one of my favorite flicks of the year but it did have everybody talking about.
VISUAL EFFECTS: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
I would give this award to X-MEN just for that Quicksilver scene alone. Not sure why the CAPTAIN AMERICA sequel was nominated but doesn't have a chance against it's MCU brethren GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES was astonishing to watch, and the apes seemed so very human. DAWN & INTERSTELLAR have the best shots at walking away with this award, but I'm almost willing to bet Marvel's heroes win again.
SOUND EFFECTS: INTERSTELLAR.
No other movie on this list begs to be seen at IMAX. The choice here is obvious.
SOUND EDITING: INTERSTELLAR.
Unless THE HOBBIT win another award for Peter Jackson here, INTERSTELLAR wins here too.
BEST MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG: Glory from SELMA
I LOVED 'Everything is Awesome' from THE LEGO MOVIE. It was as addictive as last year's winner 'Let It Go'. It should win for sure; in fact, it's my official pick to win but I wouldn't be surprised if SELMA is rewarded this award instead. The song is great as is but it's so perfect for the movie, I almost can see it happening.
BEST DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson for GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Anderson is FINALLY getting his due this year.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: THE BOXTROLLS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Emma Stone, BIRDMAN
Patricia Arquette's turn in BOYHOOD is the only other nomination I see with a remote chance at winning this award. Emma Stone is almost a lock for this order. BIRDMAN was a great all around movie but if there was anybody besides the star of the movie that stood out, it was Emma.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mark Ruffalo FOXCATCHER
This year's toughest catogory. The only reason I won't mention how good Edward Norton was in BIRDMAN is he basically played Edward Norton. JK Simmons (WHIPLASH) and Robert Duvall (THE JUDGE) each upstaged the stars of their movie's (Miles Teller and Robert Downey Jr, respectively) but what Ethan Hawke did in BOYHOOD was phenomenal. The only reason I say But Mark Ruffalo's turn as Dave Shultz will beat out Hawke is I didn't even recognize him even though I knew he was in the movie!
BEST ACTRESS: Rosamund Pike GONE GIRL
Could anybody else possibly win this award? Maybe Julianne Moore but c'mon. How many Oscars does she need? Pike wins this award easy.
BEST ACTOR: Micheal Keaton BIRDMAN
This was supposed to be Micheal Keaton's comeback vehicle. Did it work? Absolutely. He's baaackkk. His only serious competition here is the oft nominated Bradley Cooper for AMERICAN SNIPER and the sort of surprising nom for Steve Carrell's turn in FOXCATCHER. As good as they were, I still feel this is Keaton's award to lose.
and finally, BEST PICTURE: BIRDMAN
When I first seen it last year, I was positive that GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL would not only get nominated but it would win. Then I fell in love with BIRDMAN and I got a change of heart. BOYHOOD, SELMA, and WHIPLASH all deserved their noms. I'm not sold on the idea of THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING or THE IMITATION GAME winning this award but both films are definitely better than the overrated AMERICAN SNIPER (yes I said it!), even with Bradley Cooper proving he can handle meatier, serious roles like he handles his comedic opportunities. But BIRDMAN is one of those rare films that works on every level it wanted to and some they didn't even know they were on. Not to mention that everybody carried their own weight (in more ways than one). A true standout film in a year of not many stand outs.
