Birdman Tops Academy Awards

"Stay weird. Stay different." That's from Graham Moore's speech last night as he accepted the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game. It's also a very apt way of not only describing this year's Oscars ceremony or the films that were honored, but of the entire awards season as well. But first the full list of winners:

Best Picture: Birdman
Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Best Lead Actor: Eddie Redmayne, Theory of Everything
Best Lead Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Animated Film: Big Hero 6
Best Original Screenplay: Birdman
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Imitation Game
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida
Best Documentary: Citizenfour
Best Original Score: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Original Song: "Glory," Selma
Best Editing: Whiplash
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Makeup and Hair: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Sound Editing: American Sniper
Best Sound Mixing: Whiplash
Best Visual Effects: Interstellar
Best Live Action Short: The Phone Call
Best Animated Short: Feast
Best Documentary Short: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

4 - Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
3 - Whiplash
1 - Boyhood, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Still Alice, Selma, Ida, Big Hero 6, Citizenfour, American Sniper, Interstellar, The Phone Call, Feast, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel walked home with the most hardware with 4 each with Birdman taking the top two prizes of Picture and Director while Grand Budapest's haul consisted of technical awards most notably for Production Design, a first for a Wes Anderson film. Whiplash was the only other film to win more than one award with 3 wins including Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons. Early frontrunner Boyhood only went home with one award for Patricia Arquette's Supporting Actress role, but it wasn't alone as 13 films received only one win including all of the other Best Picture nominees. In fact, this is the first time since the category expanded to more than five nominees that this has happened. Other Best Picture films' wins include Theory of Everything's Eddie Redmayne for Actor, the aforementioned Imitation Game for Adapted Screenplay, Selma's song "Glory" for Best Song, and American Sniper for Sound Editing. So literally, everyone got a trophy. The biggest surprise there is probably Redmayne's win over Michael Keaton since Keaton's film was the star of the night. Another notable wins include Julianne Moore finally winning her long-awaited first Oscar for Actress and Big Hero 6 upset win in Animated Feature. For my part, I got 18/24 in my predictions which was fine, I guess.

The show opened up with a wonderful ode to Moving Pictures from singing-dancing host Neil Patrick Harris accompanied by Anna Kendrick and Jack Black. It started the night off on a high note, but things quickly came back down to earth as the first few speeches were hilariously/tragically drowned out by an overzealous orchestra and them Harris stumbling often coming off as snappy instead of charming. I personally thought he did a solid B, but some of his jokes did fall flat and his whole locked box trick could've been executed far better. He did take off his clothes for the middle part of the ceremony, for which we were all grateful. And while the show went long, there were plenty to like. I personally enjoyed most of the Best Song performances especially the wacky and energetic "Everything is Awesome" and the powerful and emotional "Glory." Lady Gaga's pitch perfect Sound of Music medley was fantastic albeit coming in way too late in the ceremony and Meryl Streep's speech prior to the In Memoriam segment was elegant and touching.

What made this year's Oscars memorable though were the many, many wonderful speeches that the winners gave when accepting their trophies from Simmons' personal plea for everyone to call their moms to Alejandro G. Iñárritu's call for immigration reform. Common and John Legend talked about incarceration rates while Arquette spoke about women and wage inequalities (prompting Streep and Jennifer Lopez to leap out of their seats with agreement, the most gif-worthy moment of the night). Others tried to raise awareness for important issues, personal or film-related, like teen suicide, Alzheimer's care voting rights, veteran's care, privacy, and ALS funding. The award ceremony wasn't perfect, but is it ever? Let's do this again next year, folks!

Final Thoughts Before the Oscars

What I loved about this year's Oscar race is that the two top films vying for Best Picture are both not Oscar-y films at all really. Both Birdman and Boyhood seem at once too small, too experimental, too personal, too weird/mundane (respectively). And yet here we are with both films (which many have together dubbed as Boyman) as the frontrunner to win the big prize. Certainly both had an "easy" hook with critics and audiences alike at the onset with praise-worthy technical achievements--Birdman's one-shot cinematography and Boyhood's twelve-year span--but I like to believe that fans of either films loved it for more than those. I certainly did. As for which film will actually come out on top, well that IS the big question. Boyhood was an overwhelming favorite early on with the critics, also winning at the BFCA, and picked up major awards from the Golden Globes and BAFTA. But it's Birdman which post-Oscar nominations had really shown the momentum and industry support one expect of a Best Picture winner winning PGA, DGA, SAG ensemble, and many other guilds.

The Birdman-Boyhood battle extends to Best Director as well with many thinking that early favorite Richard Linklater can hold off Birdman's Alejandro González Iñárritu. It's true that Iñárritu won the all-important DGA Award, but apart from that loss, Linklater has maintained his frontrunner status as the clear critics favorites and winning director prizes from all of the other major awards organizations. Yesterday's Spirit Awards may become the bellwether for Oscars with Birdman winning Picture and Linklater winning Director. It would certainly be fitting for the Academy to do this as well to honor both great films and the man who helmed them.

With regards to the acting categories, it's cut-and-dried for the most part with Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, and Patricia Arquette expected to pick up their first Oscar trophies after dominating all season long with critics, BFCA, Golden Globes, BAFTA, SAG, and even Spirit Awards all going their way. All fine and all, but I repeat this fact again Julianne Moore will FINALLY win her first Academy Awards tonight. YES, PLEASE. Now, the only category up in the air is Best Actor with a two-man race between Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne. The latter seems to be poised for a win especially considering the Academy's penchant for a) British actors, b) actors in biopics, and c) actors who dramatically change their looks. Redmayne also won the trio of Golden Globes, SAG, and BAFTA. But Keaton is a Hollywood veteran who has worked with plenty of Academy members and is the undeniable star of a film more people preferred. He also was the critics' favorites (and BFCA winner), won the Globes as well, won at the Spirits, and technically won a SAG. It's going to be a nail-biter.

But enough about Birdman and Boyhood since it's actually more likely that neither one will walk home with the most Oscars tonight. That film seems to be The Grand Budapest Hotel which shares the most Oscar nominations this year with 9 nods (along with Birdman). The Grand Budapest Hotel is a favorite to win many of the technical awards including Best Production Design, which would be a shocking first for a Wes Anderson film. It's also the unlikely favorite for the Original Screenplay facing off against Boyhood *and* Birdman. Elsewhere fellow Best Picture nominees Whiplash, Imitation Game, and even American Sniper might win an award or two. The latter of which hit the zeitgeist post-Oscar nominations easily becoming not only the biggest film of this year's crop, but close to becoming the highest-grossing film of last year. Its ubiquity in the media during the voting period and surprise support from the Academy makes it one of the films prime to play spoiler to the Boyman show. Then there's Selma. With only two nominations (Picture and Song), it doesn't look likely to upset and yet the uproar over its director Ava DuVernay not receiving a director nod rivaled the reaction over Affleck's snub the year Argo won. Plus Selma has also tapped into the spirit of the time with many questioning the lack of diversity, #OscarsSoWhite, etc.

Like every year at this point, I'm relieved the end is near. Awards season is almost always exhausting with its usual drama and building predictability. The show should be fun this year though especially with host extraordinaire Neil Patrick Harris doing his thing. It actually looks like it going to be a music--heavy show with NPH no doubt doing a number or two plus full performances of the Best Song nominees, AND Anna Kendrick, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Hudson (and more?) set to perform something as well. As outlined above, some of the major categories are still up-in-the-air to make the ceremony more nerve-wracking for some. It's true of some of the smaller ones as well especially after early favorites like Gone Girl's screenplay, The LEGO Movie for Animated Film, Force Majeure for Foreign Film, Life Itself for Documentary, Birdman's editing inexplicably snubbed. That Gone Girl snub actually still hurts and for a year where Oscars seemed to fully embraced the out-of-the-norm, they missed out on honoring one of the year's best.

Related links:
Click here to see my official predictions.
Click here to see my own personal ballot.
Click here to see my initial thoughts on the Oscar nominations.
Click here to see all my posts on "Awards Season."

Birdman Flies at the Spirit Awards

Yesterday, the Spirit Awards, celebrating its 30th year, picked their winners and, for the most part, felt more like a prediction list for tonight's Oscars. There were a few unique choices, but essentially if you're a frontrunner to win an Academy Award tonight, then you probably won a Spirit Award yesterday as well. The winners were:

Best Feature: Birdman
Best Director: Robin Linklater, Boyhood
Best Lead Actor: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Best Lead Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Screenplay: Nightcrawler
Best First Feature: Nightcrawler
Best First Screenplay: Dear White People
Best International Film: Ida
Best Documentary: CITIZENFOUR
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Editing: Whiplash
Robert Altman Award: Inherent Vice
Piaget Producers Award: Chris Ohlson
Someone To Watch Award: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia, H
Truer Than Fiction Award: Dan Krauss, The Kill Team
John Cassavetes Award: Land Ho!
Special Distinction Award: Foxcatcher

As has been the case the past few weeks, Birdman came out on top, winning Best Picture and grabbing two more wins for a leading 3 wins at the Spirit Awards. Its rival Boyhood won 2 including a Best Director win (Ethan Hawke accepted on behalf of absent Richard Linklater) setting up the two-film, two-man fight everyone's expecting for the Oscars tonight. All of the acting awards went to the respective Oscar nominee front-runner and all should repeat their wins tonight give or take Eddie Redmayne making good on his precursor successes. Whiplash (Supporting Actor and Editing) and Nightcrawler (Screenplay and First Feature) were the only other films who won multiple awards making the latter's lack of Oscar love all the more egregious.

Apart from Nightcrawler though, other Spirit-winning films that won't be honored much at the Oscars tomorrow include Dear White People, Inherent Vice, and Land Ho!. So on the one hand, it's heartening that so many of the Oscar front-runners come from "independent films" but on the other hand, I'm saddened for the sameness of the films and performances being awarded. So shout out to Love is Strange, Obvious Child, The One I Love, The Guest, Jenny Slate, Tilda Swinton, David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Jessica Chastain, Alfred Molina, etc.

My Oscar Predictions

Right now, we can all Imagine What's Possible as the Oscar poster says. But by this time tomorrow, we will all know the winners of the 87th Academy Awards. I'll attempt to make some predictions below, but I'm not super hopeful. Yes, some categories are as easy as pies, but this year more than most seem to have categories that have no true frontrunner, which I supposed is refreshing. So for my predictions...

Best Picture: Birdman
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Lead Actor: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Best Lead Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Imitation Game
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida
Best Documentary: Citizenfour
Best Original Score: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Original Song: "Glory," Selma
Best Editing: Boyhood
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Makeup and Hair: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Sound Editing: American Sniper
Best Sound Mixing: American Sniper
Best Visual Effects: Interstellar
Best Live Action Short: The Phone Call
Best Animated Short: Feast
Best Documentary Short: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Tally: 5 - Grand Budapest Hotel; 3 - Birdman, Boyhood; 2 - American Sniper; 1 - Still Alice, Whiplash, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Imitation Game, Ida, Citizenfour, Selma, Interstellar, The Phone Call, Feast, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Any combination of Birdman-Boyhood winning Picture-Director I could totally buy, but I'm going with the split that everyone seems to be predicting. It's certainly my preference if Boyhood HAD to lose Best Picture. The rest are a mix of gut feeling and based on precursors and buzz. Grand Budapest will certainly win the most awards tomorrow as I'm predicting here. But American Sniper for both Sound awards? No wins at all for Theory of Everything? Sure? Let's see how right/wrong I am.

To see what I would've voted for instead (i.e. my Should Wins), click here.

End-Of-Year: Favorite Films #16-35

So with 111 films seen, I wasn't just going to do a simple Top 10 list. Instead I narrowed it down to my Top 35, because I'm just an "everyone gets a trophy" sort of person. Plus I enjoy looking back at my ranked lists from time to time so why not include more films, right?

Here's the first half (#35-#16), with my Top 15 either being posted right before or after the Oscars tomorrow. I'm thinking it's going to be the latter. Onwards!

35. Only Lovers Left Alive - Casting Hiddleston and Swinton as vampires is the first highlight of this wonderful film. Making them wallow in the filth and ennui of our world longing for the good old days is the other. Such a weird and lovely film in all the similar ways its two main leads are as well.

34. Under the Skin - When I watched this six months ago, I had no idea what I was in for. It's as elusive, alien, beautiful, and scary as its main protagonist brilliantly played by Scarlett Johannson. Certain scenes are just seared into my brain.

33. Into the Woods - One of my most anticipated films of the year mostly lived up to the hype with good to great performances from many involved including my MVP Emily Blunt. I would've done minor tweaks and recast Depp, but that's me getting all nit-picky. It could've been a lot worse!

32. The Immigrant - The two elements that stuck with me were the magnificent cinematography and the Sophie's Choice-level acting from Marion Cotillard making its two-hour run time seem relatively quick despite the movie's deliberate pacing.

31. Life Itself - This superb documentary about Roger Ebert was illuminating in so many ways enabling this one fan of his to learn more about his early life, his journey after his diagnosis and surgery, and more importantly just how impactful the man really was after all was said and done.

30. Chef - Don't see this movie hungry, because apart from its charming cast and feel-good, easy-going plot about a guy traveling the road with his young son on a food truck, the beautiful food cinematography/pornography will have your stomach growling.

29. Begin Again - John Carney's Once is one of my all-time favorite films, but I think his sophomore musical film holds its own especially with Knightley and Ruffalo in the lead as well as some smart and unexpected choices (both musically and plot-wise) the movie makes.

28. Stranger by the Lake - It's been a wonderful year for queer cinema with this film being 1 of 5 on my list. This French film is probably the most erotic (French? Erotic? What are the odds?), but one of my favorite things about it was the continuous sense of not knowing what to expect all the whole still trying to be present at the moment.

27. Wild - Vallée, Strayed, and Witherspoon collaboratively brought forth a touching and contemplative film about finding one's self through journeys and revelations both big and small. The natural beauty of the surroundings didn't hurt at all.

26. The LEGO Movie - Everything is awesome... literally. This was such an unexpected gem in the early part of 2014 that even after all these months I'm still smiling. Perhaps I was amused by its novelty, but you could tell everyone involved had such a lot of fun and they did their best making sure their audience were a part of it.

25. G.B.F. - I'd like to say this was a gay version of Mean Girls, but that film was pretty gay all its own. That said this lightly satirical film is fast-paced, delightfully fun, and gives Michael J. Willett another kick-ass (though different) gay role (see him United States of Tara and Faking It).

24. The One I Love - This indie-love-story turn sci-fi romantic comedic is definitely one of the surprises of the year for me mostly because I literally was caught off-guard by the plot twist and then was thoroughly entertained by it through the film's final and serious scenes. It was also lovely seeing Elisabeth Moss in something contemporary for once.

23. Birdman - This film's "low" ranking belies my deep affection for it. After all, I saw the film on my birthday and was immediately enraptured by what Iñárritu, Keaton, and company managed to bring to the screen. Perhaps it's the kind of film that sticks with you, but also keeps you at arm's length. Still not sure that's good or bad.

22. Snowpiercer - My favorite part of this film, other than Chris Evans delivering a knockout punch acting-wise and Tilda Swinton delivering another unforgettable performance, was the impressive world building and unexpectedly deep social commentary (as only the best sci-fi films can deliver).

21. The Way He Looks - Based on a beloved short film, this tale of a blind boy falling in love with his best friend is just the sweetest thing ever. Truth be told, I might have ranked this higher if I didn't LOVE the short film so much since a few of their changes slightly bugged me, but not enough to actually make me fall out of love. That would be impossible.

20. The Skeleton Twins - This film may have been the darkest comedy I saw all year with subjects as suicide and pedophilia mixed in with sing-a-longs and makeovers. Thankfully both Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who obviously excel in comedy, are experts in drama as well.

19. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - I really liked the first film and this sequel actually managed to be darker, smarter, more affective and just plain great. It effectively builds from the first film and rightfully focuses on the simian population on the brink of civil war. Thrilling stuff.

18. Belle - Gugu Mbatha Raw (who also excelled in Beyond the Lights) absolutely shines here playing an illegitimate mixed race daughter of a well-to-do man whose family raises her after his death. This period film is not only beautiful, but also manages to raise social commentary without feeling too preachy.

17. Big Hero 6 - Disney's animated ode to Marvel's The Avengers is super fun and surprisingly affecting effectively mixing in themes about found families, acceptance of loss with super-hero antics and humor. Baymax is a scene-stealer, but I think the secret MVP was the beautifully imagined and rendered world of San Fransokyo.

16. Obvious Child - It's tough enough to tackle a sensitive subject like abortion, but writer-director Gillian Robespierre managed to do just that while delivering a wholly charming film. It helps that Jenny Slate is just beyond good with every emotion/situation she experiences.

As previously mentioned, I'll probably post my Top 15 sometime after the Oscars tomorrow. I'm hoping it won't be too late like what happened last year aka four months after the Oscars.

My Personal Oscar Ballot

Tabulating Oscar ballots are probably happening as I post this as the deadline for Oscar voting was yesterday. So as I do every year, I imagine what my own ballot would look like if I was given the opportunity to fill one out. These are NOT my predictions which I'll post in a few days.

Note: For Best Picture, Academy voters are asked to rank their choices. For the other categories, they are only asked to pick their choice of winner, which is exactly what I've done.

Best Picture
1 - Boyhood
2 - The Grand Budapest Hotel
3 - Whiplash
4 - The Theory of Everything
5 - Selma
6 - Birdman
7 - The Imitation Game
8 - American Sniper

Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Lead Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Lead Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Theory of Everything
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida
Best Documentary: Virunga
Best Original Score: The Theory of Everything
Best Original Song: "Everything is Awesome," The LEGO Movie
Best Editing: Boyhood
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Makeup and Hair: Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Sound Editing: Birdman
Best Sound Mixing: Whiplash
Best Visual Effects: Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Live Action Short: Butter Lamp
Best Animated Short: Feast
Best Documentary Short: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

My favorite Best Picture nominee Boyhood came out on top for me with 4 wins including Picture/Director while Grand Budapest Hotel and Theory of Everything were next with 3 wins a piece including being my picks for both Screenplay awards. I'm all about spreading the wealth always. So Oscar front-runner Birdman didn't walk home empty-handed with 2 wins along with Whiplash and Guardians of the Galaxy, the latter of which I've picked to win its two nominations. As blasphemous as it is, I did pick Pike over Moore, but Pike had the better role bar none (and Moore would've won in plenty of my personal ballots in previous years). And while I wish Selma would've gotten more love from the Academy, I still voted for The LEGO Movie for Best Song, because it is. What would YOU have done?

Guild Awards Recap

The deadline for Oscar voters to submit their picks is later today so I thought it was the perfect time to offer up my belated thoughts on the guild results from the past couple of months. While critics, the Golden Globes, and the BAFTAs are all well and good, it's the guilds that really speak to the industry support for films and performances. The fact that their winners are announced during the sweet spot of the Oscar voting period make them all the more influential. First stop, the producers...

Producers Guild Awards Winners

Motion Picture: Birdman
Animated Motion Picture: The LEGO Movie
Documentary Motion Picture: Life Itself
Drama Television: Breaking Bad
Comedy Television: Orange is the New Black
Long Form Television: Fargo

I'm including the TV winners for completeness sake, but I love all three shows so neither here nor there. The LEGO Movie has been dominant all season long so its exclusion at the Oscars really opens up that category while Life Itself was also left out giving a clear path to victory for Citizenfour. Birdman winning here though was the first signal that Boyhood's Cinderella award season trajectory was going to be a bit more complicated than expected. And then the actors chimed in with their favorite picks...

Screen Actors Guild Awards Winners

Best Ensemble, Motion Picture: Birdman
Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, Theory of Everything
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Ensemble, TV Drama: Downton Abbey
Best Ensemble, TV Comedy: Orange is the New Black
Best Actress, TV Drama: Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Best Actress, TV Comedy: Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Best Actor, TV Drama: Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Best Actor, TV Comedy: William H. Macy, Shameless
Best Actress, Miniseries: Frances McDorman, Olive Kitteridge
Best Actor, Miniseries: Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart

Not much to say about TV only to say that I was thrilled to see Orange if the New Black winning ensemble just to see its fantastic and diverse cast of mostly women take the stage. In the film side, however, the winners here solidified their front-runner status for an eventual win especially Moore, Arquette, and Simmons who had dominated all season long. The tricky result was Redmayne winning Actor over Keaton giving him the trio of Globes-BAFTA-SAG that seems unstoppable and yet Keaton didn't go home empty-handed either winning as part of the winning ensemble of Birdman, aka the top prize of the night. If anything, Birdman's triumph here just made its Best Picture case stronger and why wouldn't Keaton also see that love in the end?

A coupleof smaller guild awards were given out after this as Boyhood and Grand Budapest Hotel won the top awards at the ACE Eddie Awards (editing) while Birdman, Grand Budapest Hotel, and Guardians of the Galaxy won the top awards from the ADG for best production design. If these wins says anything, it's that maybe Grand Budapest Hotel will be the film to look out for not only in the technical awards but also in the bigger awards if people are looking for a viable alternate to Boyhood/Birdman. Of course the big kahuna of guild awards was next...

Directors Guild Awards Winners

Feature Film: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Documentary Feature: Laura Poitras, Citizenfour
TV Drama Series: Lesli Linka Glatter, Homeland
TV Comedy Series: Jill Soloway, Transparent
TV Movie/Miniseries: Lisa Cholodenko, Olive Kitteridge

With Iñárritu's win, Birdman suddenly went from "possible spoiler" to "frontrunner" as many expected Richard Linklater to win for Boyhood here. Even now people are STILL predicting Linklater to prevail at the Oscars, but this win here clearly shows where the wind is blowing and Birdman has the momentum. All of that is well and good, by the way, but can we also just take a moment to appreciate that ALL of the other top directing winners were women? That was a really happy development. Finally, we get to the writers...

Writers Guild Awards Winners

Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Adapted Screenplay: Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Documentary: Brian Knappenberger, The Internet's Own Boy
Drama Series: Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective
Comedy Series: Louis CK, Louie
New Series: Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective
Comedy Episode: "The Last Call," Robert & Michelle King (The Good Wife)
Drama Episode: "So Did the Fat Lady," Louis C.K. (Louie)

Winners were announced just this past weekend and though the film nominees differ from the Oscars (due to various ineligible films and Oscar snubs), they're still of note. Grand Budapest was always going to be the winner in its category, but it will have to go against Birdman (WGA ineligible) at the Oscars. Imitation Game is perhaps slightly more vulnerable either from Whiplash (which was nominated in Original by the WGA) or Theory of Everything (not eligible). With regards to the latter though I had wish those Oscar snubbed-films could've won (Gone Girl, Wild, Guardians of the Galaxy), but alas. Not much to comment regarding the TV winners only to say YAY for The Good Wife!

All in all, Birdman is clearly running ahead with big wins from SAG, PGA, DGA as well as smaller guilds while its biggest competition is not Boyhood, but Grand Budapest Hotel. I'm hoping many people remember the early and effusive love Boyhood received in its debut though, but regardless the Picture/Director categories will come down to the wire. Acting is less unpredictable, but at least Lead Actor is also still up for grabs as are the Screenplay categories making this one of the more exciting Oscars in terms of predicting winners. Less than a week away.

End-Of-Year: 2014 Film Winners

The Oscars are less than a week away so before we find out who they picked as their favorites, here are mine. (See my nominations).

Best Actor: Tom Hardy, Locke
Runner-Up: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Other Nominees:
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
David Oyelowo, Selma
Dan Stevens, The Guest
Ben Whishaw, Lilting

It's probably true every year, but this year especially I felt the leading actor category was pretty stacked. There were plenty of names I could've nominated still like Keaton, Gyllenhaal, Pratt, etc. so I guess I shouldn't have been too shocked when I found it difficult to pick a favorite from my shortlist. Fiennes, for example, really seemed like he was meant to play the charismatic concierge while Oyelowo fully inhabited the spirit of the late great Dr. King. Meanwhile Whishaw's performance broke me with its sincerity and tenderness while Stevens pleasantly surprised me with his fierceness. Redmayne, my Oscar wish to win this category, ended up as my runner-up though because his Hawking just felt so natural making it all the more affective as a result. Locke then rose to the top with a brilliant and singular performance in a film that absolutely required one if it had wanted to work at all.

Best Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Runner-Up: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle/Beyond the Lights
Other Nominees:
Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant
Agata Kulesza, Ida
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child

After I posted this shortlist, I realized I hadn't fully considered Johannson who was sublime in a few films this year. But even with that caveat, the actresses I did choose more than deserve attention. Cotillard for one gave such a nuanced performance that I likened it to Streep's Sophie's Choice while Kulesza made it impossible for the audience to really notice anything else if she was in the scene. Moore will certainly NOT be ashamed if she wins the Oscar for this particular role since even if it's not her best, her portrayal of a linguistic professor suffering from Alzheimers is touching, brave, and just so damn good. Slate was a revelation and she elevated her tiny and charming film with smiles and tears to spare. My runner-up pick Mbatha-Raw impressed in two very different films and in two different roles that she both made entirely her own cementing her status as a star. Pike, however, is my overall favorite with a once-in-a-lifetime role so unlike anything she's ever done that it's impressive just how bloody perfect she was.

Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton, Birdman/The Grand Budapest Hotel
Runner-Up: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Other Nominees:
James Corden, Begin Again/Into the Woods
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Toby Kebbell, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Andrew Scott, Pride

My top two picks turned out to be Oscar-nominated and are probably the two who would likely win, but it's hard to argue against their deservedness. First, my favorite Norton was just fantastic in two (Best Picture nominated) films fluidly working in a sprawling ensemble in one and going toe-to-toe with another master class actor (Keaton) in another. Runner-up Simmons, aka your likely Oscar winner, was such an electric force that I could totally buy him as a second-lead versus a supporting character and I'll be happy when I see him pick up an Oscar for this fear-inducing role. The other nominees are hardly chopped liver. Corden pretty much stole the movies from his more well-known co-stars while Hawke provided such a grounding presence that probably did more for the movie that anyone thought. Kebbell meanwhile channeled Serkis' brilliant work and did something special all his own. Finally, Scott had a small, but important role that seemed to give heart to an already great film.

Best Supporting Actress: Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow/Into the Woods
Runner-Up: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Other Nominees:
Carrie Coon, Gone Girl
Imelda Staunton, Pride
Emma Stone, Birdman
Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive/Snowpiercer

I can't say enough about the wonderfulness of all of these ladies only to say that this was a tough category to narrow down. A few names that almost made it in include BIG names such as Winfrey, Streep, Russo and not so big names like Dickens, Driver, Cheng, etc. Blunt is my top pick solely due to how much she kicked ass as the Full Metal Bitch, but also including her MVP work as (the lead) the Baker's Wife in her film musical debut made it that much easier. Arquette, my runner-up, is going to win an Oscar for the exquisite work she does in her film and I'm just so over-the-moon about it. Coon and Staunton were both part of superb ensembles and yet doing their best to shine just slightly brighter than the rest while Stone really does some of her best dramatic work I've ever seen her done. Finally, Swinton is such a unique and singular performer that it makes sense for her to excel in two roles that seemed like she was the only one who could've done them.

Best Young Actress/Actor: Ellar Coltrane, Boyhood
Runner-Up: Alex Lawther, The Imitation Game
Other Nominees:
Mackenzie Foy, Interstellar
Maika Monroe, The Guest
Tony Revolori, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Tyler James Williams, Dear White People

Though 20 now, Coltrane's journey with his ground-breaking film started when he was 8 and continued for the next 12 years enabling the audience to see him grow as both a person on screen and an actor. My runner-up pick Lawther nails his dramatic moments that actually humanizes the slightly less interesting adult part of the film. The other young actors I've nominated should have bright futures ahead at least I'm hoping.

Best Ensembles: Pride and Selma
Runner-Ups:
Other Nominees:
Birdman
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

This is the category I kinda wish I didn't have to pick a winner since I honestly think all of them have excellent ensembles. I wouldn't have nominated them if I didn't! So I just decided to do a tie for two films that actually highlighted the power of a group of people coming together to enact social change. Seek out all of these films if you can.

Most Disappointing Film: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Runner-Up: Foxcatcher
Other Nominees:
Jersey Boys
Labor Day
Magic in the Moonlight
Men, Women, & Children

Foxcatcher should probably be the "winner" of this category for me since it's the only film that received great notices from critics and other film lovers while the others received mixed to bad receptions. But I went with Spider-Man 2 because I honestly did think that the Garfield/Stone (romcom) part of the film without the super villains and the action was aces and the fact that most everything else failed meant that Garfield, expertly cast I thought, will no longer be Spider-Man. Foxcatcher, by the way, was hampered by a confounding central performance from Carrell and slow pacing that I just couldn't get behind. As for the others... Jersey Boys was dull, Labor Day was languid, Magic in the Moonlight was a mess, and MWC just had way too much happening.

Worst Film: Tammy
Runner-Up: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Other Nominees:
A Million Ways to Die in the West
Let's Be Cops
Pompeii
Winter's Tale

If you've seen any of these films last year then I understand your pain. Weirdly enough, even amongst these 6 films there's a hierarchy of badness. A Million Ways and Let's Be Cops at least had some funny moments while Pompeii and Winter's Tale had some technical achievements which weren't so bad (plus both seemed to somewhat embrace their utterly ridiculous campiness to varying degrees). My bottom picks though were just plain atrocious. I enjoyed the first Sin City film so the fact that I found its sequel to be devoid of any excitement or spark makes me re-think my good feelings for the first. And Tammy, oh GOD Tammy. So, so many good actors wasted on a film that had absolutely no idea what it wanted to be. It just made me feel bad for everyone involved.

Hopefully I can post my ranked list of films before the Oscars!

What is love?

It's like when someone makes your stomach feel all tight, but floaty at the same time, you know? And your cheeks hurt from smiling. And you smile so much that people think something's wrong with you.

Love is light. Acceptance. Fire.

Pain. Horrible pain. That you want again and again.

And also, fucking. Twenty-four seven, deep-dick, can't-walk-right fucking.

Well, you know me. I got so much to say about love.

It’s just chilling, you know? Kicking it with somebody, talking, making mad stupid jokes. And, like, not even wanting to go to sleep ‘cause then you might be without ‘em for a minute. And you don’t want that.

[gestures]

"Okay, it's like getting into a bath but the water is like warm chocolate pudding. And The Smiths are playing There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. There's warm lighting all over and there're like five dudes massaging you."
"And you have a pizza."
"She's right. And you also have a pizza."

It’s like you become more you. Which normally is like [head exploding noise made via mouth and wild hand gestures]. But now, it’s okay because the person, like whoever, they chose to take all that on. All that weird stuff. Whatever's wrong or bad or hiding in you. Suddenly it’s alright. You don’t feel like such a freak anymore.

It's like coming home after a long trip. That's what love is like. It's like coming home.

End-Of-Year: 2014 Film Nominees

My rough deadline for year-end posts is usually the Oscars which is just nine days away. Technically that's plenty of time for me to get it all written and blogged, but knowing me that's not going to happen. But there's no time like the present to start talking about my favorite films and performances. I saw 111 films from 2014 which is a personal best. That said, I didn't get to see every film I wanted to see. A few of those include Lucy, Blue Ruin, Starred Up, The Drop, The Boxtrolls, St. Vincent, Fury, Listen Up Philip, Citizenfour, The Babadook, Force Majeure, A Most Violent Year, and Two Days, One Night.

Moving on to my personal nominees...

Best Film
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guest
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Lilting
Locke
Pride
Whiplash

I actually found it pretty easy creating my Top 10 list this year, which includes 3 Oscar Best Picture nominees, 3 films grossing more than $160 mil, 2 gay films, and 2 films that could conceivably be called a one-man show. Granted there were a handful of films that could've made it in depending on the day, but I'll talk about them when I post my ranked top 35 films overall.

Best Actor
Tom Hardy, Locke
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
David Oyelowo, Selma
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Dan Stevens, The Guest
Ben Whishaw, Lilting

Amongst the six men, only Fiennes and Redmayne have been Oscar nominated though Stevens won a SAG Ensemble Award a couple years ago for Downton Abbey. Oyelowo made my list last year and in fact was my Supporting Actor champ. And yes, ALL of them are British. American Chris Pratt was a close 7th place.

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant
Agata Kulesza, Ida
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle/Beyond the Lights
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child

My list include two Americans, two Brits, one Frenchwoman, and one Polish. Cotillard is the only Oscar winner and only Pike/Moore have been Oscar nominated. All three are nominated this year of course though Cotillard for another film which I haven't seen.

Best Supporting Actor
James Corden, Begin Again
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Toby Kebbell, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edward Norton, Birdman/The Grand Budapest Hotel
Andrew Scott, Pride
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Hawke, Norton, and Simmons are all Oscar nominated this year with the first two making return trips while the other three (coincidentally all British) are relative newcomers to Hollywood though Corden will be known to American audiences soon via his late night TV show while Scott is better known for his Moriarty to Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock.

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow/Into the Woods
Carrie Coon, Gone Girl
Imelda Staunton, Pride
Emma Stone, Birdman
Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive/Snowpiercer

Swinton is the only Oscar winner while Staunton a former Oscar nominee. Stone and Arquette are first-time Oscar nominees this year. Coon and Arquette have regular jobs in the small screens. And yes, half are British making 14 of my 24 nominees English. Damn foreigners!

Best Young Actress/Actor
Ellar Coltrane, Boyhood
Mackenzie Foy, Interstellar
Alex Lawther, The Imitation Game
Maika Monroe, The Guest
Tony Revolori, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Tyler James Williams, Dear White People

These were my picks of actors who are 25 and under who impressed me this year. Shailene Woodley was a close 7th place, but I also picked her last year so I don't feel too bad about not including her this year. Honorable mention to Jude Swanberg, the super adorable baby in Happy Christmas.

Best Ensemble
Birdman
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
Pride
Selma

Sure they all have big casts, but it's all about the interplay among the ensemble and if you've seen all of these films you know that's true.

Most Disappointing Film
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Foxcatcher
Jersey Boys
Labor Day
Magic in the Moonlight
Men, Women, & Children

As I explain every year, the difference between this and Worst Film is that I had some kind of expectations for these films that just weren't met for one reason or another.

Worst Film
A Million Ways to Die in the West
Let's Be Cops
Pompeii
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Tammy
Winter's Tale

My life literally would probably have been better if I just didn't see any of these films. Period.

In any case, I'll hopefully pick my winners in the next few days (by Monday?). For some categories, I already know but there's still a few I'm still undecided on.

BAFTA picks Boyhood, Theory of Everything, & Grand Budapest Hotel

I just posted my thoughts on Oscar nominations after a few weeks late, so it's not a big surprise that I completely forgot to make predictions for the BAFTA Awards which were held earlier today. I'd like to say I would've done well if I proceeded to, but that doesn't matter now. Anyways, the winners:

Best Film: Boyhood
Best British Film: The Theory of Everything
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of the Everything
Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Theory of Everything
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida
Best Documentary: Citizenfour
Best Animated Film: The LEGO Movie
Best Film Editing: Whiplash
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Makeup & Hair: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Original Music: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Sound: Whiplash
Best Visual Effects: Interstellar
Best British Debut: Stephen Beresford and David Livingstone, Pride
Orange Rising Star: Jack O'Connell

After a slightly disappointing showing with the guilds stateside, Boyhood gained its awards season mojo back picking up 3 wins including Best Film and Best Director. Theory of Everything also received 3 wins including Best Actor and Best British Film and in fact it was the British film of choice as its main competitor and fellow Oscar BP nominee The Imitation Game walked away empty-handed. The Grand Budapest Hotel walked home with the most awards at 5 dominating the techs and winning Adapted Screenplay. Whiplash was the only other film to win more than one award with 3 wins including surprise wins for Editing and Sound. Oscar front-runner Birdman picked up a lone Cinematography award. Meanwhile, the BAFTAs decided to stick with the SAG winners for acting further solidifying Redmayne, Moore, Simmons, and Arquette's front-runner status especially considering that the BAFTAs could've shaken it up if they really wanted to. Finally, I was happy to see one of my favorite films of last year, Pride, get some recognition with its makers winning British Debut.

Posters by Malika Favre

Boyhood's and Redmayne's wins mean that at least three big categories are still in doubt come Oscar time as the winners for Picture, Director, and Actor are still very much in flux. The broad support as well for The Grand Budapest Hotel and Whiplash shows that the below-the-line awards might also be competitive including both Screenplay awards. To finish, I just want to take a final moment to praise this year's interpretive posters for the Best Film nominees annually commissioned by BAFTA. My favorites were for Boyhood and Theory of Everything (above), but all of them were brilliantly executed (see below for the others).

Thoughts on Oscar Nominations

It's been nearly a month since the Oscar nominations were announced and there were still many exclusions (and inclusions) that truly shocked me. That said after a few weeks with these films and performances, I've generally made my peace with them all. I am happy that I've seen the majority of films nominated (excluding short films) seeing 30 out of the 45 films. Better yet, out of 106 nominations (again excluding the short films), I've seen 88 which is a respectable 83%.

So with Oscar voting currently underway and the ceremony in exactly two weeks, my quick thoughts on the nominations...

BEST PICTURE

• American Sniper (6 nominations)
• Birdman (9 nominations)
• Boyhood (6 nominations)
• The Grand Budapest Hotel (9 nominations)
• The Imitation Game (8 nominations)
• Selma (2 nominations)
• The Theory of Everything (5 nominations)
• Whiplash (5 nominations)

Though it's one of the frontrunners to win Best Picture, Boyhood actually picked up just 6 nods, less than three other nominees and tied with "surprise" inclusion American Sniper. Of course, it's no surprise at all since this is hardly the first or even second Clint Eastwood late-breaking film to make an Oscar dent. Plus the film has now made more money at the box office than all of the other films combined. Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel, the other co-frontrunners, both lead with 9 nominations each. Selma sneaks in, but only gets a sole Best Song nod to go along with its BP nomination. I'd have to think that if this field was expanded to 9 or 10, Foxcatcher and Gone Girl/Nightcrawler would've been included.

BEST DIRECTOR

• Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
• Richard Linklater, Boyhood
• Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
• Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

For the first time since the Best Picture field has expanded to more than five nominees, we have our lone Director without a corresponding BP nod with Miller. He beat out DGA nominated Clint Eastwood, BAFTA nominees Damien Chazelle and James Marsh, and Golden Globe nominees Ava Duvernay and David Fincher. This is shockingly Anderson's first nomination. Of course it's all moot because it's really a two-horse race between Linklater and Iñárritu. Precursors and critics have lined up for Linklater, but Iñárritu currently has all the momentum and industry support including winning the DGA last night.

BEST ACTOR

• Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
• Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
• Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
• Michael Keaton, Birdman
• Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

This super, super competitive category saw the likes of Gyllenhaal (SAG nom), Oyelowo (Golden Globes nom), and Fiennes (BAFTA nom) not get nominated so while some may have reservations with a couple of nominees here and there, this was hard-fought for all involved. Certainly Redmayne, Keaton and Cumberbatch have been in the conversation since the beginning and the first two seem like the likely winners. In fact, this is the only acting category that's somewhat competitive with Keaton seemingly having the leg up until Redmayne unexpectedly won the SAG.

BEST ACTRESS

• Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
• Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
• Julianne Moore, Still Alice
• Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
• Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Leading up to nomination morning, everyone was already talking about Jennifer Aniston's first Oscar nomination or Amy Adams' sixth nomination in less than a decade. Neither panned out of course with the Academy instead sticking with the SAG nominees (minus Aniston) and adding critics favorite Cotillard. Though I haven't seen her film, I'm happy for her to finally get her second nomination. The front-runner and likely winner is Moore of course and I don't think anything will derail her deserved coronation. If anything, Witherspoon and Pike needed to have had their films more loved by the Academy (and if they were men they probably would have been but neither here or there) to have challenged Moore.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Robert Duvall, The Judge
• Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
• Edward Norton, Birdman
• Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
• J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

The four performances I've seen (all but Duvall's), I've loved so I'm glad they're all nominated, but this was the category all awards season long that has been the absolute most boring to follow not only for Simmons winning almost every single award, but because these same men kept getting nominated for everything. Tyler Perry got one lone critic win while Josh Brolin was nominated by the BFCA (along with the five men here) and... that's it. So the Oscar nominations was pretty anticlimactic overall. That said, there are two actors who have played the Hulk and yet it's J. Jonah Jameson who will win it all. I find that funny.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
• Laura Dern, Wild
• Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
• Emma Stone, Birdman
• Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

This is a fantastic line-up led by likely winner Arquette. I've pretty much loved all of these actresses at one point or another. Arquette and Stone get their first nods, Knightley and Dern FINALLY get their second nods and Meryl Streep gets her 19th (!!!) Oscar nomination. She's not going to win, but her Oscar regularity is beyond commendable. NBR-winning Jessica Chastain probably just missed along with SAG nominee Naomi Watts and BFCA nominee Tilda Swinton. The latter would've really made this category fun.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Boyhood
• Birdman
• Foxcatcher
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Nightcrawler

With WGA-nominated Whiplash deemed Adapted, it was obvious that WGA-ineligible Birdman would take its place since the other WGA nominees expectantly made the Oscar shortlist. Selma was an outside possibility, but for all sort of factors it just didn't make a dent with the Academy. Would've been funny if the NBR-winning screenplay for The Lego Movie made it in though. As for the likely winner? Slight edge to Birdman, but I can see Wes Anderson winning this as well.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• American Sniper
• The Imitation Game
• Inherent Vice
• The Theory of Everything
• Whiplash

This is a fine line-up, but I'm a little sad that the THREE films nominated by the WGA that had women writers didn't make it into the Oscar shortlist. Granted I never expected Guardians of the Galaxy to make it in, but Wild surely and Gone Girl definitely. Gone Girl was actually the frontrunner before its exclusion so now what? Inherent Vice won the NBR, but it's up against four Best Picture nominees, all of which can win. I think it's between Imitation Game and American Sniper.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• Ida (Poland)
• Leviathan (Russia)
• Tangerines (Estonia)
• Timbuktu (Mauritania)
• Wild Tales (Argentina)

The exclusion of the Cannes-winning film Force Majeure was the big surprise here as it was seen by a lot of people to be the front-runner. Without it in the field, it makes this category all the more unpredictable. Ida won more critic awards and is nominated elsewhere (for its cinematography), Leviathan won the Golden Globes, and Wild Tales won NBR. If I had to pick, Ida is probably the slight favorite.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

• Big Hero 6
• The Boxtrolls
• How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Song of the Sea
• The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Gone Girl not being nominated for Screenplay and Force Majuere not being nominated for Foreign Film... fine. But for The Lego Movie to not make the Animated Film shortlist was really shocking. I still can't really comprehend its snub and really in this case, it really does feel like a snub. Was it because it wasn't a traditionally hand-drawn film? Was it just too cheeky and sarcastic for voters? In any case, this gives How to Train Your Dragon 2 the clear victory, which is good since its first film would've won its year up against any other film than Toy Story 3 and it also should've made WAY more money at the box office.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Imitation Game
• Interstellar
• Into the Woods
• Mr. Turner

Surprisingly enough, The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson's FIRST film to get nominated for the Oscar in this category even though his films are ALL ABOUT its specific and usually breathtakingly wonderful production designs. Look for it to win here as well as some of the other technical awards below it's been nominated in give or take a Birdman award or two.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Birdman
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Ida
• Mr. Turner
• Unbroken

This is Birdman's award to lose especially since its cinematography is right front and center with every frame of the film. It's bravado work and when it wins, Emmanuel Lubezki would have won it two years in a row (last year he won for Gravity). I haven't seen Mr. Turner (though others can't stop talking about how beautiful it is), but the others seem right on. I am surprised that Unbroken made it in over BP nominees Imitation Game and Selma as well as early season favorite Interstellar and Nightcrawler, but its nomination gives perennial loser Roger Deakins his 11th nomination.

BEST FILM EDITING

• American Sniper
• Boyhood
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Imitation Game
• Whiplash

It is curious that what I thought of as the frontrunner, Birdman, didn't make the shortlist, but here we are. So this seems like Boyhood's award for the taking. American Sniper might surprise, but I don't think they'll pass up a chance to award a film that managed to put together footage spanning 12 years into one cohesive film.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• “Lost Stars,” Begin Again
• “Grateful,” Beyond the Lights
• “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
• “Everything is Awesome,” The Lego Movie
• “Glory,” Selma

Some great choices here, but it also feels like a make-up award for a lot of the films. Sorry for only giving you two Oscar nominations, Selma. Sorry for snubbing you in Animated Film, Lego Movie. Sorry for the severe lack of awardage especially in the Comedy/Musical categories at the Golden Globes, Begin Again and Beyond the Lights. Sorry for the Alzheimers, Glem Campbell. Okay, I sound way too jaded for this actually fun category. I'll just say I AM looking forward to the performances on Oscar night.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Imitation Game
• Interstellar
• Mr. Turner
• The Theory of Everything

When Birdman's hypnotic and unique drum score was deemed ineligible, the race become a free for all. Alexandre Desplat is twice nominated for his work in Grand Budapest Hotel and Imitation Game giving him his 7th and 8th nomination with no wins. I think they'll finally give it to him for scoring two Best Picture nominees and the only question is for which film. And while I'm not rooting against Desplat, I am rooting for first time nominee Jóhann Jóhannsson for his beautiful work in Theory of Everything.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Inherent Vice
• Into the Woods
• Maleficent
• Mr. Turner

As the only BP nominee, Grand Budapest surely has a leg up here, but I don't think it REALLY matters in this situation. What will matter is how vibrant and noticeable the costuming is for that film so if it wins, it'll be because of that. That said the period details of Inherent Vice and Mr. Turner and the fantastic elements of Into the Woods and Maleficent are not to be denied.

BEST SOUND EDITING

• American Sniper
• Birdman
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
• Interstellar
• Unbroken

Weirdly I think American Sniper is the favorite for this award as well as Sound Mixing, but of course I can also see why the other films could win as well.

BEST SOUND MIXING

• American Sniper
• Birdman
• Interstellar
• Unbroken
• Whiplash

Same as the previous sound award except The Hobbit (which the Academy really ignored this year for Peter Jackson's last hurrah) being replaced by Whiplash. I do think this year both sound awards will go to the same film.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Interstellar
• X-Men: Days of Future Past

So about them completely ignoring the final Hobbit film, yeah, this speaks volumes. Instead they gave the X-Men series its first Oscar nom ever, doubled up on the Marvel Studios love, and rightly honored two visual effects heavy films in Apes and Interstellar who I think are battling for the win with Guardians of the Galaxy the likely spoiler.

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

• Foxcatcher
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Guardians of the Galaxy

I'm rooting for Guardians of the Galaxy here, but up against two films with way more nominations love and it's not likely. I am surprised to see Into the Woods and Theory of Everything missing the cut here.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• Citizenfour
• Finding Vivian Maier
• Last Days in Vietnam
• Salt of the Earth
• Virunga

With Roger Ebert's touching documentary Life, Itself missing the shortlist (which was a surprise to me), this is an easy win for Citizenfour which has won virtually every prize for this category this season. It's biggest competition was Life, Itself so there you go. I haven't seen it and most of the films here so I can't say much. I did see Virunga and thought it was quite affecting (and informative).

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

• Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
• Joanna
• Our Curse
• The Reaper
• White Earth

Ah short films. I usually know nothing about these so I pick the movie to root for with the funniest title. Sadly, all of these films' titles are a bit dry so maybe Our Curse?

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

• The Bigger Picture
• The Dam Keeper
• Feast
• Me and My Moulton
• A Single Life

I've seen Feast as most have, and I thought it was super cute. With the whole Academy voting for this, it's probably your likely winner since it will be the most viewed. That said, Me and My Moulton has the best name.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

• Aya
• Boogaloo and Graham
• Butter Lamp
• Paraveneh
• The Phone Call

Surprise, I've seen all of these! If I had to predict the winner, it would be The Phone Call because Famous British Actors! and Old People Dying! But my pick would be Butter Lamp. Plot-wise it's the least formed of all the films, but it's also the only one that I wished could've lasted three more hours truthfully. Paraveneh would be a second pick and would also like it expanded as a feature film.

As I said above, Oscar voting is currently underway and it'll end on the 17th with the ceremony in exactly two weeks from today. See you all on the flip side!