The Academy Awards are approaching. This Sunday all will be revealed. As I said in an earlier post, I don't really care who wins but here are my thoughts on selected categories:
Best Picture: "Selma"
"Selma" is definitely not going to win which is a crying shame because for me it was the best picture of the year, timely and timeless. It won't win because the publicity machine has not been behind it. I've been told by people in the business that there wasn't even much sent out in the way of screeners which was probably its death as a serious contender.
Either "Birdman" or "Boyhood" will win. I think "Birdman" is a better film but they are both deserving despite my earlier criticisms of "Boyhood." "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was a lot of fun. I always love Wes Anderson (well, except for "The Life Aquatic" which had the effect of an sleeping pill on me) but I don't think it's his best film. He should have won for "Moonlight Kingdom." I liked "The Imitation Game" but it was a little too BBC-meets-Hollywood for me. I haven't seen "Whiplash" yet and will never see "American Sniper." I'll slit my wrists if they give it "The Theory of Everything." Just saying...
Best Director: A silly category, in my opinion. Just give it to the one who directed the Best Picture. How can a film win Best Picture without the help of the Best Director?
Best Original Screenplay: "Birdman"
No contest. I mean, mounting a play of Raymond Carver's short stories on Broadway? How twisted is that? It should win for that alone.
Best Adapted Screenplay" I can't even get in the discussion. If "The Theory of Everything" can even be nominated....
Best Actress: Julianne Moore in "Alice."
I haven't even seen the film but she's always good and the rest of the field are less than impressive. While I like Felicity Jones ("The Theory of Everything") it was a supporting role and the movie was crap. The same the Rosamund Pike in "Gone Girl." Also a supporting role and a crap movie. If they can be nominated for Best Actress, why wasn't Patricia Arquette? I also didn't see Reese Witherspoon in "Wild" or Marion Cotillard in "Two Days, One Night" so maybe this isn't a category I should even be commenting on.
Best Actor: Michael Keaton in "Birdman."
Definitely the role of a lifetime. His performance was multi-layered, intelligent, funny and ADULT. Let's win one for the grown-ups.
Again, I didn't see "American Sniper" so can't comment on Bradley Cooper but I've never been overly impressed by his performances. He's always acting. I also didn't see Steve Carrell in "Foxcatcher" but, from the clips I have seen, it looks like he has a strange facial prosthetic. It's sort of like giving Nicole Kidman that nose in "The Hours." Why was it necessary? And I can't decide if Benedict Cumberbatch is a good actor or I just like looking at him. Will slit my wrists if Eddie Redmayne wins(notice a theme here?).
Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton in "Birdman"
Edward Norton in anything. Always. Such a great actor. Should be doing O'Neill on Broadway.
Ethan Hawke is my man but I don't think he trumps Edward Norton. I didn't see "Whiplash" of course, so can't comment on J.K. Simmons but everyone is talking about his performance. I didn't see Robert Duvall's performance in "The Judge" or Mark Ruffalo's in "Foxcatcher" either. I'll bet they were both terrific. This is always a hard category.
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, of course. Although she should have had a Best Actress Nomination.
Emma Stone is terrific in "Birdman" but noone trumps Patricia this year. Meryl Streep? Come on. All she has to do it be in a film and she's nominated. It's some sort of sick Hollywood joke. Laura Dern is always a consistantly good actress but I didn't see "Wild." Keira Knightley in "The Imitation Game"? Love her but, no, not for this one.
Best Documentary: "CitizenFour"
Is there even any question? All the other nominated docs are probably great movies but "CitizenFour" takes it to another level. It should actually have been nominated in the Best Picture category instead of Best Documentary.
Best Foreign Language Film: "Ida"
If only because I saw it and loved it. I will be seeing the others so I could change my mind but by then it will be too late.
I have a feeling though that I will be neck high in my own blood tomorrow night (promises, promises) because "The Theory of Everything" will take it home along with its star Eddie Redmayne (insufferable little twit who mugged his way through the movie) and MERYL!!! Just shoot me.
