Official 2015 Oscars/Academy Awards Thread

Eagle4

Eagle4

With the Oscars nominations being revealed in less than a day, it's definitely time to discuss and debate the films you want to see getting nominated and winning in each category.
 
Okay the nominations are out, here's a list of the major categories:

Best Picture:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
  • Steve Carell in Foxcatcher
  • Benedict Cumberpatch in The Imitation Game
  • Bradley Cooper in American Sniper
  • Michael Keaton in Birdman
  • Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
  • Robert Duvall for The Judge
  • Ethan Hawke for Boyhood
  • Edward Norton for Birdman
  • Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher
  • J.K. Simmons for Whiplash
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
  • Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night
  • Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything
  • Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl
  • Julianne Moore for Still Alice
  • Reese Witherspoon for Wild
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
  • Patricia Arquette for Boyhood
  • Laura Dern for Wild
  • Keira Knightley for The Imitation Game
  • Emma Stone for Birdman
  • Meryl Streep for Into the Woods
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
My personal picks for each of these categories:
  • Best Picture: The Imitation Game, and I would drop out American Sniper or Selma and put Interstellar in
  • Actor in a Leading Role: Michael Keaton
  • Actress in a Leading Role: Felicity Jones
  • Actor in a Supporting Role: Edward Norton
  • Actress in a Supporting Role: Meryl Streep
  • Best Animated Film: My brain is telling me Song of the Sea or The Tale of Princess Kaguya, but my heart is telling me How to Train Your Dragon 2 :>
 
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Wait a second. The Lego Movie didn't get nominated for best animated film? Either this has to be the best year for animated movies ever, or somebody has some explaining to do.
 
It's the best year for animated movies in at least five years because of Lego Movie, so, yeah explanations.

It has already been said that Lego Movie didn't get nominated because animators pick the noms, and Lego Movie "wasn't the kind of movie animators wanted to see win". Which was better put in another comment as "Lego Movie is like that kid who knows how to throw a curve, so other parents don't let him pitch".
 
Just shows how crooked the Oscars are, they stopped being interesting long ago.

How is Birdman though? Looked kinda interesting, but never got around to seeing it.
 
While I agree that the Lego Movie deserved a nomination, it was definitely a tough year to squeeze it in, though if you were to ask me, I'd put it in over Big Hero 6. It was definitely a memorable movie, with all the puns, pop references, inside jokes, and muhh batman that I can see why it appealed to so many people. I for one can't stand super-hero characters at all, and I still found myself enjoying the Lego Movies take on the character. On the other hand, Big Hero 6 was a movie that probably deserved a nomination for the first half, but the second half was just so forgettable, and it was a shame to see a movie that could have been great just fall on its head like that.

On another note, the Lego Movie probably wouldn't have deserved the Oscar over Song of the Sea or Princess Kaguya, which are just better movies overall and both of which should have been in the running for Best Film if they didn't segregate animated and live action. If those two weren't nominated already, I could see it having a case, right up there with HTTYD2 and The Boxtrolls, but that isn't the case.
 
Shaian said:
While I agree that the Lego Movie deserved a nomination, it was definitely a tough year to squeeze it in, though if you were to ask me, I'd put it in over Big Hero 6. It was definitely a memorable movie, with all the puns, pop references, inside jokes, and muhh batman that I can see why it appealed to so many people. I for one can't stand super-hero characters at all, and I still found myself enjoying the Lego Movies take on the character.
Click to expand...

I mean, you could say that. Or you could say that Lego Movie was a harsh black cup of coffee, a handful of tylenol, and a slap in the face when you realize that you've woken up with a hangover and the last half decade's worth of animated movies you've slept with were complete uggos. What with it mocking the herd mentality that leads people to praise mediocre crap like HTTYD, ironically shaming the commercialization that has led to so many sequels and shitty adaptations, and ending in summation as the antithesis of the poor morals of Wreck-It-Ralph. Fuck you'd think I was talking about one of the films nominated for regular best picture, save that yes it was also very fucking fun. And I'm not the first person to say all this, which is why it has a higher critic consensus and average rating than every other nominated movie except Kaguya which also wasn't reviewed a quarter as much (and it's nice and all but I wouldn't call it a better movie, The Wind Rises was a better movie and it didn't win), and all but Boyhood and Selma from the regular noms.
 
Ookay so the Oscars are this weekend so here are my predictions.
Italics is the one I think WILL win
Bold is the one I think SHOULD win
Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

It's a two-horse race between Birdman and Boyhood really, and with the BAFTAs and Guilds leading to different conclusions, it really is a toss-up. Boyhood was my favourite film of 2014 for its amazing technical feat and involving story, so that's the one I want to win. I think, judging by the BAFTAs and Golden Globes, it may just edge Birdman, despite Birdman winning both Guild awards (which usually points to an Academy win). That's not to say that I won't be happy if Birdman wins - it really is a special film with a fantastic script and deft acting. Out of the other contenders, The Grand Budapest Hotel doesn't have enough Oscar shine (but is a superb film), Whiplash doesn't carry enough emotional heft (aside from adrenalin), but was another incredible film. Selma was a very well-made film with political prowess, but doesn't belong with the top-dogs of the previous 4 films mentioned. The Theory of Everything was - as I said in my review - melodramatic soapy twee wrapped up in an Oscar bow. American Sniper was god-awful and is currently my worst film of 2015. Haven't seen The Imitation Game so I can't comment on it.

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

It's another toss-up, this time between Keaton and Redmayne. While Redmayne has the most steam going into the Oscars, I think that his performance in Jupiter Ascending (which was REALLY bad in a REALLY good way) may have hampered his chances slightly. Which is a shame really, when he was outstanding in The Theory of Everything. Michael Keaton had a stunning turn in Birdman but it's a country mile from the stellar acting of Redmayne. Steve Carell was meh in Foxcatcher - decent enough but it was obvious at times that he was acting - he just didn't seem real enough. Bradley Cooper was the best thing about American Sniper, but even then was average as fuck.

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

I've only seen Marion Cotillard and Felicity Jones' performances, and Jones had the stronger of the two. Cotillard was also excellent, but the film itself - Two Days One Night - doesn't match her performance at all. Word of mouth leads me to believe that Moore has this category locked.

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall - The Judge
Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
Edward Norton - Birdman
Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher
J.K Simmons - Whiplash

Blimey J.K. Simmons was great, and has this one locked down. Norton gives the second-best performance imo, as the egoistical superior-actor to Keaton's character in Birdman. Ruffalo gave a brilliant performance, outshining both Carell and Tatum, while Ethan Hawke's performance in Boyhood was solid and deserving of a nomination in a year with sparse turns as supporting actors. Haven't seen The Judge, but from the reviews its had, I don't want to either.

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
Laura Dern - Wild
Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game
Emma Stone - Birdman
Meryl Streep - Into the Woods

Arquette is another lock and deservingly so. I mean, Oh My God she was amazing in Boyhood; incredibly natural and real, with one scene in particular showing how outstanding she can be. Emma Stone also had a great turn in Birdman.

Best Animated Feature
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How To Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Cinematography
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Mr. Turner
Unbroken

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

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

Film Editing
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash

Music - Original Score
Alexandre Desplat - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre Desplat - The Imitation Game
Hans Zimmer - Interstellar
Gary Yershon - Mr. Turner
Johann Johannson - The Theory of Everything

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

Sound Editing
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
The Hobbit: Yada yada
Unbroken

Sound Mixing
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

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

Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Original Screenplay
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler
 
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Nah, Boyhood deserved Best Picture. Birdman was a very good film with some great techniques and performances, but Boyhood was an ingenious and inspired flick that imo has the most longevity and will go down as a classic.

Sad to see Birdman pick up a win for Original Screenplay over GBH. Birdman was good, but its script was nowhere near as strong.
 
Birdman: the movie starring former super heroes that tells you super heroes and big blockbuster popularity kills art.

K. You can fuck off. Suck your own artistic one shot dick elsewhere.
 
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