This year’s Oscars should be a fascinating affair. Some could say it’s predictable, however a surprise or two might happen. There are a lot of factors that go into the winner’s; with the previous award shows ceasing they even give us an insight into who may take an Oscar home.
In the Best Director category, according to the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Richard Linklater will win for Boyhood. However in typical Oscar fashion the Best Picture and Best Director award will not go to the same movie. I’d like to be optimistic and say Linklater will receive this award, and that Alejandro González will receive the Best Picture award.
The Best Original Screenplay category is very ambiguous this year. Birdman has won the Golden Globe as well as the Critics Choice, but The Grand Budapest Hotel has won it for the BAFTA’s and the Writer’s Guild Awards. Both comically unique and artistically created, making it hard to say who will take this one home. I’d like to propose that it will be The Grand Budapest Hotel, not just for it’s amazing originality but because I believe the Academy will give one award to this movie, considering how many categories it’s been nominated for.
As for Best Adapted Screenplay, The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game seem to be the only contenders in this category. Both exceptionally well made and written. The Imitation Game being as precise to the real story of Alan Turing’s life as well as The Theory of Everything remaining beautifully accurate to the story of Stephen and Lucy Hawking. I’d say it could go to any of the other nominees as well: American Sniper, Inherent Vice or Whiplash. American Sniper may steal it just to give it at least one win.
For the Best Supporting Actor and Actress category, both filled with brilliant performances by the actors nominated. However, it’s very clear that Patricia Arquette will be victorious in her category for her role in Boyhood. She has succeeded in winning for her role at the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice, and Screen Actor’s Guild Award, and the BAFTA’s. Same goes for J.K Simpson for his role in Whiplash, who has also snagged the awards at the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the BAFTA’s. All of the other nominees in his category performed tremendously as well, but Simpson was exceptional and is the clear victor.
The leading Best Actor category is filled with familiar faces as well as new ones such as Steve Carell being nominated for his role based upon John du Pont in Foxcatcher, and Benedict Cumperbatch with his role in The Imitation Game. Bradley Cooper is back again for his role in American Sniper. Nevertheless, the contenders for the win seem to be Michael Keaton with his role in Birdman and Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything. Redmayne has collected awards from The Golden Globes for a drama, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the BAFTA’s. Yet Keaton has achieved awards from The Golden Globes for a comedy and The Critics Choice Award. Both delivered outstanding performances in how different their movies and roles were, so this category seems to be neck in neck between Keaton and Redmayne.
On behalf of the leading Best Actress category, Julianne Moore for her role in Still Alice seems to be the dominating nominee, winning a Golden Globe for a drama, the Screen Actor’s Guild Award, the Critics Choice Award, and the BAFTA’s. Though Amy Adams won the Golden Globe for a comedy in her role in Big Eye’s, she was not even nominated for the category. Compared to the other women nominated, Felicity, Jones, Marion Cuotillard, Reese Witherspoon, and Rosemund Pike, whom all performed wonderfully in all their roles, it seems that Julianne Moore will be going home with the award.
As for Best Picture, out of the eight pictures nominated, the three that stand out, as contenders are Birdman, Boyhood, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel took away the Golden Globe’s for Best Comedy and Drama, however, Birdman won for the Producer’s Guild Awards. Even though Boyhood has taken it away for Critic’s Choice and the BAFTA’s for the Best Picture categories, Birdman still has a promising chance to win. Yes, Boyhood amazed audiences and critics for its thirteen-year production and outstanding performances from its actors, its originality was lacking, it was a very simple coming of age story that was done beautifully. Birdman, on the other hand, possessed originality, exceptional performances from the actors, and amazing cinematography. All in all Birdman out ways Boyhood on it’ level of creativity on the basis of it’s story, but Boyhood’s may just snag the Oscar for it’s innovation.