Last week, nominees were announced for the upcoming 87th Annual Academy Awards. While there were no shortages of surprises and snubs, many of the predicted films received nominations. Below, I’ll react to the nominees by category as well as predict what films and which actors will walk away with awards when the winners are announced at the ceremony on Feb. 22.
Photo courtesy of IFC Productions.Best Picture
“American Sniper”
*“Boyhood”
“Birdman”
“The Imitation Game”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Whiplash”
“The Imitation Game”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Selma”
Given that the number of nominees in this category can range from five to 10, I was shocked when only eight films were nominated. Obvious choices that come to mind include “Gone Girl,” “Inherent Vice” and “Nightcrawler.” While none of those three films would stand a real chance at winning (save for “Vice,” which could have potentially garnered a few votes), it would have been nice to see them be recognized.
I think this is a two-film race between “Birdman” and “Boyhood.” The former serves as a poignant reflection about the necessity for a celebrity to stay relevant while the former remarkably captures a young man’s journey into becoming an adult, two things that I think will resonate quite well with the Academy. Like I said previously, I think the winner here could be the man who walks away empty handed in the Best Directing category, though I’m leaning toward “Boyhoood” to be the big winner of the night. Quite deservedly though, as Linklater’s ambitious concept seems to have resulted in a film that made quite an impression on Academy voters.
Actor in a Leading Role
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
*Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Unfortunately, this year there were just so many outstanding performances that a few possibly strong contenders were bound to miss being nominated altogether. Two obvious omissions who missed nominations were Jake Gyllenhaal for his work as Louis Bloom in “Nightcrawler” and David Oyelowo for his performance as Martin Luther King Jr. in “Selma." Both of these snubs will ultimately have no impact on the category, as Redmayne is practically a lock for his awe-inspiring performance as Stephen Hawking. Playing a character with a disability is never an easy task and adding that onto the already difficult chore of portraying a real person in a biopic makes the risk enormous. Fortunately, Redmayne nails the performance, and for that he should be awarded the Oscar.
Photo courtesy of Killer Films.Actress in a Leading Role
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
*Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
With the exception of Cotillard, this category turned out to feature the fewest surprises. Many expected Jennifer Aniston to take Cotillard’s place for her performance in the upcoming drama “Cake,” which has been garnering rave reviews. However, “Two Days, One Night” has also been receiving a fairly large amount of positive buzz. Pike, Jones and Witherspoon were all quite deserving of their respective nominations, but expect Moore to be the winner here for her portrayal of a women with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Her poignant performance will surely speak to many. With a win here, Moore will be able to show why she is one of Hollywood’s most talented actresses.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
*J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
This category was one of the few this year in which there weren’t many surprises. The only nomination here that caught me off guard was Duvall’s, but seeing him garner a nod here was quite a pleasant surprise, as the film for which he was nominated failed to impress many critics strong turns by him and co-star and producer Robert Downey Jr. If I were a betting man, my money would be on Simmons to walk away with the Oscar. Coming off his recent Golden Globe win, he enters the night as the man to beat. While Academy voters may be inclined to vote for “Boyhood," Simmons’ turn as a foul-mouthed, verbally and mentally abusive drum instructor was simply outstanding. There will surely be some who hope to see Hawke walk away with the win, but seeing Simmons with an award would be great for someone who I feel is one of Hollywood’s most talented but underrated actors.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”
*Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Immediately after the nominees for this category were announced, I was in awe of how terribly wrong the Academy picked the nominees for this category this year. Dern, who gave a solid turn in “Wild,” doesn’t have more than 25 or 30 minutes of screen time and Streep, who is always great, managed to give a decent turn in an overall underwhelming film.
Personally, I felt as if Rene Russo should’ve received a nod for her subtle yet excellent work in “Nightcrawler” in place of Streep with Carrie Coon replacing Dern for her performance as Margo in David Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” another film that was criminally overlooked by the Academy. None of this is relevant, though, considering Arquette is practically a lock to win the award. She comes into the night as the frontrunner after winning the Golden Globe, and I just don’t see any of the other actresses making a large enough impression to take the award from her.
Best Director
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, “Birdman”
*Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”
This is the category where I am the most conflicted. Sure, five deserving directors received nominations, but plenty more could have easily made the cut. Paul Thomas Anderson’s magnificent “Inherent Vice” should have been more than enough to garner another nod for the legendary director, while Ava DuVernay would also have been an outstanding choice for “Selma.” The most surprising omission here is Damien Chazelle. His film “Whiplash” garnered five nods, including Best Picture, making it the incredibly rare film to be nominated for Best Picture without its skipper being nominated in this category. Fortunately for Chazelle, there is a silver lining in the form of a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.
Looking at all of the nominees here though, going into the night this category is essentially a two horse race between Linklater and Iñárittu. I’ll be rooting for the latter as “Birdman” was my favorite film of the year, but I have a feeling that Linklater will be the man to walk away with the Oscar here. This category could impact the rest of the night as well, and if things go as I predict, we may end up with results similar to 2013’s ceremony where the director whose film wins here ultimately will leave without the coveted Best Picture statuette.
Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation.Best Animated Feature Film
*“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Big Hero 6”
“The Box Trolls”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of Princess Kaguya”
When the nominations were announced on Thursday, I was baffled by the omission of “The LEGO Movie,” which I felt was bound to not just be a nominee, but the film to beat in this category. While the film’s catchy tune, “Everything is Awesome," managed to get a nod in the Best Original Song category, there is simply just no excuse as to why one of the best-reviewed animated films, let alone films of the year, did not receive a nomination.
All of that aside, this category is really up in the air. I can’t speak for “Song of the Sea” as I have yet to see it (it opens at the Valley Art on Mill on Jan. 30), but the remaining four films are all strong contenders. The Academy has shown an affinity for Studio Ghibli films in year’s past, so “Princess Kaguya” could very well walk away with the award, but if it were up to me, I’d give to Oscar to “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” The film managed to improve upon the original while becoming a classic on its own and addressed a surprisingly large number of mature themes in a way that made sure even younger viewers would understand them. While any of the films in this category could win this year, I’ll be rooting for Hiccup and Co.
Reach the reporter at seweinst@asu.edu or follow @S_Weinstein95 on Twitter.
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