Academy Awards Review (Even Steven)

Welp, the Academy Awards have come and gone, and damn were they pretty boring. Nothing really exciting to talk about here. However, among the movies that won, Now I definitely want to see Whiplash and Still Alice (because, sometimes, I feel like I have early onset Alzheimer's). And, you know what? I think it's time that I actually watched the Sound of Music all the way through. Oh sure, I've seen bits and pieces. But I've never sat through the whole thing in one sitting. By the way, at 79 years old, Julie Andrews still looks pretty hot.

So, I finished a weak 12-12 in my annual online Oscar poll. I took some chances on screenplays (because I thought Nightcrawler was deserving and I applaud Anderson for taking on Inherent Vice - although now I'm hearing rumblings that it's pretty sucky).

In any event, here are the categories that I got right:

• BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
• PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
• PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
• PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
• ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
• ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
• BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
• ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
• BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
• ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
• ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
• ORIGINAL SCORE

And here are the categories I got wrong:

• PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
• BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
• ORIGINAL SONG
• ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
• ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
• ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
• ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
• ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
• BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
• BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
• BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
• ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

Later!

One Sentence Movie Review - Nightcrawler

‘@SeeNIGHTCRAWLER': Gyllenhaal channels his inner Travis Bickle as a budding video newshound in this seedy, gritty, well-written #thriller
— 1SentenceMovieReview (@EimerFilmReview) February 16, 2015

Eimer's 2015 Academy Award Picks

Welp, it's that time of the year once again. I haven't seen a lot of the Oscar frontrunners, but that's not going to stop me from attempting to guess all of them - suckas! 

So, not going to bitch or moan about how I have no time to see all of these movie (I guess I just did). That said, I'll just give you my picks with some reasoning on each pick (in red)

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

• AMERICAN SNIPER
• BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
• BOYHOOD
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
• THE IMITATION GAME
• SELMA
• THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
• WHIPLASH

Eimer Note: Haven't seen it, but I have a hunch. Although Boyhood is strong contender and American Sniper could pull a Million Dollar Baby and surprise everyone.


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

• STEVE CARELL - FOXCATCHER
• BRADLEY COOPER - AMERICAN SNIPER
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH - THE IMITATION GAME
• MICHAEL KEATON - BIRDMAN
• EDDIE REDMAYNE - THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Eimer Note: Redmayne took the Screen Actor's Guild Award, but I'm going with Keaton on this. The Academy likes a good comeback story. 

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• ROBERT DUVALL - THE JUDGE
• ETHAN HAWKE - BOYHOOD
• EDWARD NORTON - BIRDMAN
• MARK RUFFALO - FOXCATCHER
• J.K. SIMMONS - WHIPLASH

Eimer Note: This one is a pretty good lock. Simmons has won every award thus far.



PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

• MARION COTILLARD - TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
• FELICITY JONES - THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
• JULIANNE MOORE - STILL ALICE
• ROSAMUND PIKE - GONE GIRL
• REESE WITHERSPOON - WILD

Eimer Note: Giving this one to Moore for playing an Early Onset Alzheimer's Sufferer.


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• PATRICIA ARQUETTE - BOYHOOD
• LAURA DERN - WILD
• KEIRA KNIGHTLEY - THE IMITATION GAME
• EMMA STONE - BIRDMAN
• MERYL STREEP - INTO THE WOODS

Eimer Note: She's won every other award, so why not this one?

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR

• BIG HERO 6
• THE BOXTROLLS
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
• SONG OF THE SEA
• THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA

Eimer Note: I loved Lego Movie (but it wasn't nominated). I liked Big Hero 6. But I enjoyed Dragon 2 more than Big Hero 6.

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

• EMMANUEL LUBEZKI - BIRDMAN
• ROBERT YEOMAN - THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
• LUKASZ ZAL AND RYSZARD LENCZEWSKI - IDA
• DICK POPE - MR. TURNER
• ROGER DEAKINS - UNBROKEN

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - MILENA CANONERO
• INHERENT VICE - MARK BRIDGES
• INTO THE WOODS - COLLEEN ATWOOD
• MALEFICENT - ANNA B. SHEPPARD
• MR. TURNER - JACQUELINE DURRA

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

• BIRDMAN - ALEJANDRO G. INARRITU
• BOYHOOD - RICHARD LINKLATER
• FOXCATCHER - BENNETT MILLER
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - WES ANDERSON
• THE IMITATION GAME - MORTEN TYLDUM

Eimer Note: Inarritu won the Director's Guild Award. This is, pretty much, a lock.


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• CITIZENFOUR
• FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
• LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM 
• THE SALT OF THE EARTH
• VIRUNGA 

Eimer Note: Snowden is a hot-button topic. Look for this doc to take the top prize.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

• CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1
• JOANNA
• OUR CURSE
• THE REAPER (LA PARKA)
• WHITE EARTH

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING

• AMERICAN SNIPER - JOEL COX AND GARY D. ROACH
• BOYHOOD - SANDRA ADAIR
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - BARNEY PILLING
• THE IMITATION GAME - WILLIAM GOLDENBERG
• WHIPLASH - TOM CROSS

Eimer Note: Went with Whiplash on this because I bet it was hard to make a movie about music so damn good - and editing comes into play.



BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

• IDA - POLAND
• LEVIATHAN - RUSSIA
• TANGERINES - ESTONIA
• TIMBUKTU - MAURITANIA
• WILD TALES - ARGENTINA

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

• FOXCATCHER - BILL CORSO AND DENNIS LIDDIARD
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - FRANCES HANNON AND MARK COULIER
• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - ELIZABETH YIANNI-GEORGIOU AND DAVID WHITE

ORIGINAL SCORE

• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
• THE IMITATION GAME - ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
• INTERSTELLAR - HANS ZIMMER
• MR. TURNER - GARY YERSHON
• THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING - JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON

Eimer Note: Would be nice to see Zimmer win, but - fuck it - let's go with Grand Budapest Hotel.

ORIGINAL SONG

• EVERYTHING IS AWESOME - THE LEGO MOVIE
• GLORY - SELMA
• GRATEFUL - BEYOND THE LIGHTS
• I’M NOT GONNA MISS YOU - GLEN CAMPBELL...I’LL BE ME
• LOST STARS - BEGIN AGAIN

Eimer Note: I just thought Begin Again was a great movie and all of the songs were pretty damn catchy.


ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN

• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - ADAM STOCKHAUSEN,  ANNA PINNOCK
• THE IMITATION GAME - MARIA DJURKOVIC, TATIANA MACDONALD
• INTERSTELLAR - NATHAN CROWLEY,  GARY FETTIS
• INTO THE WOODS - DENNIS GASSNER, ANNA PINNOCK
• MR. TURNER - SUZIE DAVIES, CHARLOTTE WATTS

Eimer Note: It's the details that matter in design. I thought Anderson nailed it. Although be careful for Into the Woods to sneak a win.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

• THE BIGGER PICTURE
• THE DAM KEEPER
• FEAST
• ME AND MY MOULTON
• A SINGLE LIFE

Eimer Note: I like Disney's look and feel. Plus the little puppy is pretty cute. 

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

• AYA
• BOOGALOO AND GRAHAM
• BUTTER LAMP (LA LAMPE AU BEURRE DE YAK)
• PARVANEH
• THE PHONE CALL

Eimer Note: This is a 100% total blind guess. I have no clue.

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

• AMERICAN SNIPER 
• BIRDMAN 
• THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 
• INTERSTELLAR
• UNBROKEN 

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

• AMERICAN SNIPER 
• BIRDMAN 
• INTERSTELLAR
• UNBROKEN
• WHIPLASH

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

• CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
• DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
• INTERSTELLAR
• X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• AMERICAN SNIPER - JASON HALL
• THE IMITATION GAME -  GRAHAM MOORE
• INHERENT VICE - PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
• THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING - ANTHONY MCCARTEN
• WHIPLASH - DAMIEN CHAZELLE

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• BIRDMAN - Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando 
• BOYHOOD - RICHARD LINKLATER
• FOXCATCHER -  E. MAX FRYE AND DAN FUTTERMAN
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - WES ANDERSON
• NIGHTCRAWLER - DAN GILROY

Let's see what happens on Sunday night. I'll provide a recap on Monday morning - Feb. 23!

One Sentence Movie Review - John Wick

'John Wick': Keanu piles up the body bags in this slick revenge flick that's worth a viewing, but doesn't necessarily turn over new stones.
— 1SentenceMovieReview (@EimerFilmReview) February 10, 2015