Staff Writer
The Academy Award nominations have been released, stirring up excitement and controversy. It’s been an interesting year for movies, with big budget blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie as well as smaller scale affairs such as Whiplash and Boyhood receiving critical acclaim. There were some surprises in the nominations this year, with David Oyelowo not getting a nod for his performance as Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma and The Lego Movie getting snubbed for the best animated film category. The number of slots in the best picture category also dropped this year, going from nine to eight. Neil Patrick Harris, who has hosted the Tony Awards in the past, is set to host the ceremony. Here are the six major categories, and a summary of the nominees.
Best
Picture:
As usual, the best picture category is a hard one to predict. Boyhood
is a strong choice; it received a 100 on the popular review aggregator
Metacritic and is notable for being filmed over the course of 12 years, giving
it a novelty factor. Selma also has a chance, mainly due to
the fact that it’s a historical drama and focuses on Martin Luther King, Jr.
and race relations in America. Birdman is being hailed as Michael
Keaton’s comeback and one of the best films of the year, giving it an
edge. American Sniper, released very recently, meaning that it is still
fresh in the public consciousness.
Whiplash, The Imitation Game, and The
Grand Budapest Hotel were well-loved despite their smaller scale, but are
less likely to take home the trophy. The Theory of Everything has received
the least attention of the group, and is highly unlikely to win.
Nominees
(Bolded titles indicate writer’s pick):
Selma
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of
Ignorance)
Boyhood
Whiplash
The Imitation Game
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Theory of Everything
American Sniper
Best
Actor in a Leading Role: Steve Carrell has been praised for his dramatic turn
as John E. DuPont in Foxcatcher, and
the Academy loves to see comedic actors try their hand in dramas. Still, Foxcatcher
was not nominated in the best picture category and has been less talked about
than some of the other films on the list.
Birdman has received more
attention, and this is due in part to Michael Keaton’s comeback
performance. It is Keaton’s first major
role in a long time, and his triumphant return gives him a serious advantage
and makes him the most likely pick.
Bradley Cooper bulked up for his role as Chris Kyle in American Sniper, and undergoing physical
changes look good around Oscar season.
Plus, he is playing a real soldier, and the emotional appeal of a film
about the military could give the film an edge.
Benedict Cumberbatch is well liked, and The Imitation Game was a success, but his competition is rather
stiff this year. Eddie Redmayne
delivered a brave performance as Stephen Hawking, but The Theory of Everything doesn’t have enough momentum to secure a
win.
Nominees:
Steve Carrell
Michael
Keaton
Bradley Cooper
Benedict Cumberbatch
Eddie Redmayne
Best
Actress in a Leading Role: Reese Witherspoon is in a similar position to Michael
Keaton, having a comeback role after multiple years of career stagnation. If anything, her performance in Wild is the main reason that the film is
being talked about. The film is the
perfect showcase for the actress’ talents, and it seems like Witherspoon has
been given the perfect role for an Oscar. Julianne Moore, nominated for Still Alice, is her most stiff
competition. After years of starring in
respected movies and consistently delivering solid performances, Moore may have
found her most impressive part yet. She has been nominated multiple times in
the past, despite never winning the trophy.
This raises her odds greatly, as the academy has a habit of giving
awards to people who have been snubbed in the past (John Wayne’s win for True Grit and Martin Scorsese’s win for The Departed are good examples of
this). Rosamund Pike was declared 2015’s
“it girl” by Vanity Fair and Gone Girl was
one of the most talked about movies of the year. Marion Cotillard and Felicity Jones garnered
praise for their respective roles, but are less likely candidates.
Nominees:
Marion Cotillard
Rosamund Pike
Julianne Moore
Felicity Jones
Reese
Witherspoon
Best
Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Duvall, despite being a legendary actor,
probably won’t win this year. He’s in
the later years of his career, so a win could be possible, but The Judge didn’t get tons of
attention. Ethan Hawke had a great turn
as the father in Boyhood, but his
performance as an everyman didn’t have the immediate intensity of J.K Simmons
in Whiplash or the physicality of
Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher. Speaking
of Simmons, he won the Golden Globe for this category and is finally in the
spotlight after years as a character actor.
He’s probably the best choice, but Edward Norton could be an upset. His role in Birdman is getting praise, and he’s been an underrated actor for years.
Nominees:
Ethan Hawke
J.K
Simmons
Mark Ruffalo
Robert Duvall
Edward Norton
Best
Actress in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette probably has a better
chance of winning for Boyhood than
Ethan Hawke, as she won the Golden Globe and has had her first major role in a
long time. She has a huge amount of
screen time in the film, and could arguably be considered a contender in the
best actress category. Emma Stone is
younger, giving her a small edge. Lupita
Nyong’o, another young actress, won in the category last year, and Jennifer
Lawrence won best actress in 2013. Meryl
Streep has been nominated for an Oscar 19 times in the past and has won three
times, so it could seem like overkill if she came out on top again (although
many people thought the same thing before her best actress win in 2012.) Laura
Dern and Kiera Knightly each have a chance, but are up against some more
difficult competition.
Nominees:
Laura Dern
Patricia
Arquette
Meryl Streep
Emma Stone
Kiera Knightly
Best
Director: Richard
Linklater won in the Golden Globes, and Boyhood
has been such a critical darling that it seems highly likely that he will
win. Surprisingly, David Fincher wasn’t
nominated for Gone Girl, after being
nominated for the Golden Globes.
Alejandro González Iñárritu has made several celebrated films, such as 21 Grams and Amores Perros, and with Birdman
he has found his biggest mainstream success.
Wes Anderson could be a surprise win.
He has never made a film that wasn’t well-received, and The Grand Budapest Hotel is just the
latest in his string of successes. This
could potentially be his first Oscar.
Bennett Miller and Morten Tyldum probably won’t win this year.
Nominees:
Richard
Linklater
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Bennett Miller
Morten Tyldum
Wes Anderson
