Best Picture Nominees

[T_Bone0806]

I've now seen all 8 with last night's viewing of American Sniper, and there is no arguing with the fact that my tastes run rather pedestrian..I'm just an average schmoe with no pretentions of being a film scholar. I'm laughing because my 2 LEAST favorites are the ones being touted as the frontrunners, while MY favorite doesn't stand a chance. Nonetheless here's what I thought, in descending order:

8. BOYHOOD

From what I've been reading, many think this will take home the big prize. For me it was a movie I admired but didn't enjoy. No doubt it was an incredibly brave and daring film to make, and any number of things could've occurred to spell disaster in its 12 year filming process, but nothing really happens in its 2 hour and 45 minute runtime storywise. Character studies, ok, but plotwise? Yawn.

7. BIRDMAN

An acting clinic to be sure, but a very weird story I just couldn't get invested in. Again, a movie I admired more than enjoyed.

6. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

This is the one film I feel like I should watch again, as I thought I would like it more than I did..there were several distractions vying for my attention while we were watching it, so maybe I'll give it another shot down the road..I usually like whimsical movies.

5. SELMA

I think I would've liked this more had they not gone out of their way to make LBJ seem less of a positive force in order to make Dr. King even more heroic. History seems to indicate that Johnson was much more in line with King's ideas than this movie wanted you to know, and that spoiled it somewhat for me. I could not possibly have thought less of Dr. King if LBJ was also shown to be a contributor to the cause.

4. THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Dragged in spots but Redmayne's portrayal of Hawking is brilliant, he shows the slow and steady loss of physical ability with incredible accuracy, while also making us feel what's happening in his mind as well. Felicity Jones, as his first wife, is also terrific.

3. AMERICAN SNIPER

Easily the box office king of the 8 nominees, I liked this movie and felt the tension every step of the way. Cooper was very good..he shows that he has the dramatic chops as well as the comedic ones, but he's not on a level with other performances in the Best Actor category. Doubt I'd be compelled to see this movie again, but I'm glad I saw it once anyway. If one can set aside one's political views, whatever side of the fence they're on, and just focus on the story, it's a pretty decent flick.

2. THE IMITATION GAME

This was the big surprise of the 8 films for me...as in surprised by how much I liked it. I thought I would find it "interesting", but was shocked at how invested I got in it on a pure entertainment basis. It was one of those films where I was able to shut out all outside distractions and get completely lost in the story. Cumberbatch has quickly become one of my favorite actors working today, and Keira Knightley proves she has some serious skills as well, certainly much more than the Pirates of the Caribbean movies allowed her to display.

1. WHIPLASH

Yeah, I know, you're stunned that my favorite was a music-themed movie. I hate being so predictable, but there it is. I LOVED this movie, just loved it. I have not seen Foxcatcher or The Judge, but I don't care...if JK Simmons doesn't win Best Supporting Actor, it'll be a bigger crime than Shakespeare in Love beating Saving Private Ryan. Simmons is astounding..he makes you hate him, yet on some level sympathize with him, and certainly understand his motives at the same time you want to punch him full on in the face. The clash of teacher and student..and let's be honest, the student is kind of an asshat as well..is fascinating, and the climax of their war is breathtaking. This is a movie I will watch many times..and of course it is a bigger longshot to win than the Knicks making the playoffs this year.



As for the acting categories, I have not seen Steve Carrell's performance, but of the other 4...ummm...could we have a 3-way tie? Keaton and Redmayne were technically brilliant, but personally, if there were a Boneys for movies, mine would go to Cumberbatch, as I was most emotionally invested in his portrayal..he drew me right into the real-life character he played.

Of the actresses, I've only seen Jones in Theory of Everything and Julianne Moore in Still Alice, but it's hard to imagine anyone topping Moore's performance as she displays her character's battle with early onset Alzheimer's, starting with almost imperceptible signs and moving through the downhill process.

In the supporting category, we already know my feelings regarding Simmons in the Supporting Actor category. As for Actress, I've not seen Wild so I don't know about Laura Dern's performance, and although Meryl Streep is as good as they get, I decidedly did NOT like Into The Woods, even though I do like movie musicals. My meh reaction to Boyhood also turns me away from Arquette, who is the perceived favorite in this category, leaving Knightley and then Emma Stone. As I've said, I really thought Keira did an excellent job in Imitation Game and personal preference for that movie over Birdman tempts me to give it to her, but fair is fair..Stone knocks it out of the park in Birdman, so let's give the slight edge to her.


This is the first time in probably 25 years that I've seen all the nominated movies before the Oscars were handed out, so just felt like writing about it. I'm no SSS, and far from a movie critic..hell, I liked Titanic and Forrest Gump, which has already just made several BB's throw up a little in their mouths, so the above comments should probably be taken with a grain..make that a shaker...of salt.

[Pastor Fireball]

As the years go by, it seems that the Oscar winners have become more predictable. The only real surprises anymore come from the nominations.

This year, I feel almost certain that I can pin down the winners of all eight of tonight's major awards. So here are my annual Oscar predictions:

Best Original Screenplay - Birdman
Best Adapted Screenplay - The Theory of Everything
Best Director - Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Supporting Actor - J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress - Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Actor - As much as I would love to see Michael Keaton win for his comeback role, the Academy is almost guaranteed to give it to Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything. The Academy loves to throw Oscars at actors who play people with disabilities or diseases (see Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot, Holly Hunter in The Piano, Tom Hanks in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, Kate Winslet in The Reader, Colin Firth in The King's Speech, and Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club).
Best Actress - Julianne Moore, Still Alice (see above)
Best Picture - Boyhood

[silverscreenselect]

I smell an upset in the Best Actor race this year. Here's my predictions:

http://silverscreenvideos.com/central/2 ... /#more-628

[Vandal]

Best Picture:

Spoiler

[silverscreenselect]

I'm getting to be as good at picking the Best Picture as I am at picking presidential winners.

However, in my defense, I will say that there is no way that Birdman was the best movie of the year. This year is a win for critics over people who actually enjoy movies about real people and real life problems. I would have ranked it in the bottom two or three of the choices. Boyhood, American Sniper, Selma,The Theory of Everything,and The Imitation Game were clearly better.

[Bob Juch]

I'm getting to be as good at picking the Best Picture as I am at picking presidential winners.

However, in my defense, I will say that there is no way that Birdman was the best movie of the year. This year is a win for critics over people who actually enjoy movies about real people and real life problems. I would have ranked it in the bottom two or three of the choices. Boyhood, American Sniper, Selma,The Theory of Everything,and The Imitation Game were clearly better.

You forgot about the Hollywood selfie factor.

[Pastor Fireball]

So all day today, I looked back on over 20 years of my Oscar predictions. I started making picks in 1992, so next year will be my 25th installment. Woo!

Last night was only the second time in my life in which I correctly predicted all four of the acting winners. The first time was 13 years ago (Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, and Jennifer Connelly).

While that may sound impressive, you have to keep in mind that I did not correctly predict this year's Best Director or Best Picture. Back in 2002, I correctly picked 7 of the 8 major Oscar winners. (My only miss that year was in Best Original Screenplay. I picked Amelie over Gosford Park.)