This title is one of the most prestigious and more fear inducing in all of the English language. I mean, think about it. A British man walks into the dark room. You can't escape. He simply states in a deep voice "The Academy is ready". Freaks me out.
Shoot, the barista is seeing me shudder in fear and is now freaking out. Back to the post. Where were we? Oh yeah, right. Movies.
The Academy awards will be handed out tonight, so what else should a mid-20s film geek do with his time than to tell you why they should be handed out to the people he wants them handed to?? I will go over four of the "Big Five" (best director/actor/actress/picture) and also cover the supporting actor/actress categories. I will give you the reason I believe the certain person should win.
-Note- I am only choosing from the films I have seen myself. Those selections will be bolded (see what I did there?). Here we go!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, "Wild"
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"
Winner: Patricia Arquette
In my opinion, this is one of the least thrilling categories this year. Meryl Streep is here because she was in something, I am convinced. Anyways, I would give it to Patricia Arquette in a close battle with Emma Stone. Why? Emma did a fantastic job (Birdman could easily sweep all the awards, in my opinion), but Boyhood was fantastic, and Patricia is a big reason for that. Her changes from early in the film to late as a character are amazing (almost as though she had 12 years to do it....wait....)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"
Winner: Edward Norton/JK Simmons
Like I stated above, Birdman could easily win it all for me. Every single person in that film played their hearts out. Edward Norton really surprised me in this film, mainly because he was the chief instigator of laughs throughout the picture! His subtly over the top performance as a boarder-line psycho method actor is so fantastic that it lifts it to new heights! Now, you may notice that I have Simmons on here too.
"Wait, you said you're only picking from movies you have seen. You're breaking the rules!"
Well, it's my blog and I'll cheat if I want to.
From all that I have read, and the clips that I have watched, the only reason I am not picking Simmons as my outright winner here is because I did not get a chance to see his film. I am convinced he would blow me away.
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"
Winner: Rosamund Pike
Now, granted, under my self imposed sanctions she is the only eligble winner in this category. This does not lessen her performance, however. Rosamund Pike, how can I say this? She...she could make Hannibal Lector call his mother from prison to tell her how scared he was of the new inmate. She makes the Joker look like your sweet old librarian that offers you sugar cookies that she baked for her dear grandson. This performance will go down as one of the truly horrifying in cinema history. The way she is able to turn on the charm and then seemingly instantaneously turn back on the crazy is incredible. She deserves to win this.
BEST ACTOR
Steve Carrell, "Foxcatcher"
Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"
Winner: Michael "I'm Not Saying I'm Batman But I'm Birdman" Keaton
Look: he's hustling to the front to grab his Oscar now!
Why? Why not Eddie Redmayne, who's performance as Stephen Hawking is spot on? Why not Benedict Cumberbatch and his chillingly accurate portayal in "Imitation"? Why not Bradley Cooper and his carbon copy of the true life Captain America? I'll let this excerpt from The Hollywood Reporter's article that is an interview of a longtime Academy voter say it for me: "What Keaton had to do was harder than what the others had to do because they had the benefit of playing real people. I mean, Eddie Redmayne did an amazing impression of Stephen Hawking, but Keaton created a character from whole cloth."
And that whole cloth was a beautiful tapestry. He was the perfect balance of tormented actor and reasonable human struggling to find his place. His work as the voice in his own head made it incredible to watch on screen. I cannot gush about this film enough.
BEST DIRECTOR
Alejando G. Inarritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Bennett Miller, "Foxcatcher"
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Morton Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"
Winner: Richard Linklater
Confused? I would be too. All I have done is tell you how Birdman is incredible. We have not even mention the fact that it is shot to look as though it is all one continuous shot; an incredible cinematic feat. What's even greater than that is making a film that is bare bones budget wise over 12 years. Think about that. What were you doing 12 years ago? I was 11 years old, just realized how incredible Top Gun was, and was busy thinking about how amazing it would be to be 13.
Oh, that's when Ricky Linklater started this movie. The natural progression of his cast is amazing. The story is like a page from the family journal. It is an incredible cinematic feat that can be credited to it's creator and maker. Fantastic job, Richard. You've earned it bud. Alright alright alright.
BEST PICTURE
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Whiplash"
Winner: Birdman
Yes, Boyhood was a great feat. Yes, 'Mericuh freedom hoorah American Sniper. But what Birdman was as a creative force and masterpiece is something that is hard to top. I was speechless after watching this film in Athens a couple of months ago. Whether it was the score (a drum-set score, something I have not heard ever before), the unique one-shot aspect, or maybe it was the incredible performances put in by the amazing cast (Including Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis who could have easily been nominated), it does not matter. This film was solid and incredible from beginning to end. Fun, thought provoking, and an event that I certainly hope will hold up (only time will tell, but I am betting it will). This is my pick for Best Picture.
What are your thoughts? What have you seen and who would you pick?
Stay tuned for a post coming soon introducing the actual greatest awards: The Trevmonds! The most unique awards in cinema, featuring Trevor the Great and Powerful King and yours truly!
No comments:
Post a Comment