2015 Oscar Nominations - Part Two

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Nominees:

Robert Duvall - The Judge

Ethan Hawke - Boyhood

Edward Norton - Birdman

Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher

J.K. Simmons - Whiplash

Duvall in The Judge can be summed up fairly simply. A great actor, giving a good performance, in a mediocre film. This is Duvall's 7th Oscar nomination (he won one of those), and I don't feel bad about saying he doesn't stand a chance of winning his second in 2015. Hawke's performance as the father in Boyhood was very good, and like most awards that Boyhood is nominated for, you feel inclined to give it to them purely for the grandiosity of the project itself, but Ethan's 4th nomination, will not be netting him his 1st win. He was believable, he was heartfelt, and when he was on the screen, you felt like you were watching a person, not an actor or a character - it was human. When discussing actors who should've won an Oscar by now, but haven't, you can't not mention Edward Norton; Fight Club, American History X, The Illusionist; Norton should have one by now - and if it was any other year, I'd say he stands a good chance. His character in Birdman (a clever parody of his real self) was hilarious, and incredibly well acted, testament once again to the quality of this man. The nomination of Mark Ruffalo is surprising; it's not that he was bad, on the contrary he was quite good - but I think there were several performances more deserving of a nomination, and his part in Foxcatcher certainly wasn't one of the highlights. When J.K. Simmons gave his performance as the almost psychotic conductor of a prestigious music academy in Whiplash, everyone who saw that film knew instantly, that the competition for this category was over. He embodies his character so well, he delivers his lines with such intensity and passion, and he is so unbelievably believable. I didn't think he could top J. Jonah Jameson, but he did, and in spectacular fashion.

In David Ayer's Fury, youngster Logan Lerman gave what was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best performance of his entire career. He absolutely nailed his character; he felt so raw, and vulnerable, and he made us feel for him. His efforts should've been recognised here.

Will Win: J.K Simmons

Could Win: Edward Norton

Should Win: J.K Simmons

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

Nominees:

Patricia Arquette - Boyhood

Laura Dern - Wild

Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game

Emma Stone - Birdman

Meryl Streep - Into The Woods

It's a piece of rather depressing common knowledge amongst film award enthusiasts, that on many occasions, this is one of the weakest categories at the Academy Awards. Why? Well, everyone has a different reason or theory, but that's enough discussion for a whole other article. Much like Hawke's performance as the father, Arquette's performance as the mother in Boyhood was impressive, and is being met with considerable praise; the difference between those two performances, is that Patricia Arquette is currently the favourite to win in her category, and that speaks volumes. Ignoring the fact that I thought Wild was one of the most boring, and poorly made films of the year, Laura Dern's performance was so insignificant and anything but memorable; it feels like it's only there to fill space. Keira Knightley gave a good performance as Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game, but once again, it wasn't a great performance. Emma Stone was a huge surprise for me in Birdman, because prior to this I had never really rated her highly as an actress, comedic or serious. In Birdman, she proved that she was more than capable of doing both, very well. The speech she gives her dad (Michael Keaton) about his reasons for doing the play is fantastically written, and her frantic delivery is outstanding. Finally we have Meryl Streep for Into The Woods, and no, that's not a joke. I don't have much to say on this, because at this point in time, Streep could appear in the commercial for the new Transformers movie, and would probably get an Oscar nomination. 

Thought I'd forgotten about Gone Girl? Think again! Carrie Coon as Nick Dunne's sister Margo was just wonderful. She inhibited her character so well, and gave such a wonderful since of reality and believability to it. If nominated, I think she'd have been a clear cut winner.

Will Win: Patricia Arquette

Could Win: Emma Stone

Should Win: Emma Stone

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Nominees:

Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night

Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything

Julianne Moore - Still Alice

Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl

Reese Witherspoon - Wild

The only performance in a foreign film, nominated for an acting role in this year's Academy Awards; Marion Cotillard should be proud of that. Her performance as a mother and wife, struggling to keep her job was very good. It was believable, it was raw, and it was emotional. One of the problems I had with it though, was that I had a hard time sympathising with her character, for some of the things she did and said; I didn't feel bad for her, and it made me care less about her situation, and the film. Felicity Jones was highly impressive as Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything, but once again I had difficulty feeling anything for her character, mainly because Jane Hawking comes across as a bit of a bitch; but that's just a personal opinion. Jones nailed her character, and gave an overall wonderful performance. Julianne Moore is this year's raved about performance as a linguistics professor suffering from Alzheimer's disease in Still Alice, and whilst Moore does do a great job, it's no secret that critics have a soft spot for a character with a disability. Is it the best performance here? Maybe. Will she win the Oscar? Most likely. Finally, a nomination for Gone Girl, and a well deserved one at that. Rosamund Pike plays the completely psychotic wife of Nick Dunne, Amy; and boy does she nail that role. It is the best performance of her career to date, and I cannot imagine anyone else as her character. It really is her character. Last and most definitely least, Reese Witherspoon in Wild. A bad film, a terrible casting choice, of a very mediocre actress. I struggled to finish Wild, and Witherspoon did not help.

Will Win: Julianne Moore

Could Win: Rosamund Pike / Felicity Jones

Should Win: Rosamund Pike 

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Nominees:

Steve Carrell - Foxcatcher

Bradley Cooper - American Sniper

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game

Michael Keaton - Birdman

Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything

Before I start discussing this category, I'm going to list performances by males in a leading role, that were worthy of a nomination, and didn't receive one. Ready? David Oyelowo for Selma, Ben Affleck for Gone Girl, Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler, Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Miles Teller for Whiplash, Ellar Coltrane for Boyhood, Matthew McConaughey for Interstellar, and Chris Pratt for Guardians of the Galaxy; I think that just about covers it. What I'm getting at, is that 2014 was filled with absolutely incredible performances, and this category could've easily had a dozen nominations, without a single questionable decision. Instead we have Bradley Cooper nominated undeservedly once again, over any of those amazing performances listed above. Cooper was so utterly bland in American Sniper, it was like watching a muscly cardboard cutout of a man act in a movie. I enjoyed Steve Carrell's performance as John E. du Pont in Foxcatcher; he really captured the creepy, unsettling ways of du Pont, and proved to audiences that he was more than just Michael Scott from The Office. There aren't many actors out there right now who are killing it as consistently as Benedict Cumberbatch; even if Alan Turing is basically a gay Sherlock from the 1940's, he did an excellent job bringing the British genius to life, and gave the role so much humanity, emotion, and depth. This isn't Cumberbatch's year, but it will be soon. Keaton and Redmayne are the current favourites to win this one, and for good reason. Michael Keaton's performance as washed-up superhero actor Riggan Thompson (get it? Because he used to play Batman!?) is hands down, some of the best acting I have ever seen in my time watching movies. I said a similar thing about McConaughey last year for Dallas Buyers Club, and look what happened there. Eddie Redmayne won't go down without a fight however, and his performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything is truly incredible, and as I've said before, it's no secret that the Academy likes to play favourites with disabled characters. That's not to take away from Redmayne; like I said, his performance was masterful. You have to wonder if his shocking acting in Jupiter Ascending will hurt his chances though.

Will Win: Michael Keaton

Could Win: Eddie Redmayne / Bradley Cooper (Please Don't)

Should Win: Michael Keaton

BEST PICTURE:

Nominees:
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

This is it, the big one, the one we've all been waiting for. The Best Picture of 2014. Let's get stuck into it. As I touched on briefly above regarding Bradley Cooper's wooden performance, and Clint Eastwood's directing which I discussed in Part One; I wasn't the biggest fan of American Sniper. It was advertised as "not just another war movie about shooting brown people" and promised serious discussion of the aftermath of the war on a soldier's life, living with PTSD, and the "harsh realities" of combat. That's not what we got. We got another war movie about shooting brown people, and the occasional shot of Bradley Cooper sitting down and looking a bit sad, that's it. If it wasn't Cooper, and it wasn't Eastwood, and it wasn't so "Murica", the Academy wouldn't care. The most debated topic in film critique circles in recent months has been Boyhood or Birdman, and understandably so; these two films are the favourites there's no doubt about it. On one hand you have Boyhood, the story of Mason, beginning at age 5, and following him through his journey of life until the age of 18. As I said previously, if that was it, you'd wonder why it's nominated for best picture, but as I also said previously, what Linklater has created is not just a movie, not just a story; but a landmark in filmmaking history, that's why I've called him for Best Director. Birdman on the other hand is a very dark, very clever and witty, satirical dark, dramatic comedy, that has so much to say on everything. Actors, the movie industry, film critics, popular culture, audiences, parenting, growing old; but it's not in your face, it's subtle enough to enjoy the film on a purely entertainment value level, but also prominent enough that if you scratch the surface, you uncover a whole new world within the story. It's already a classic, and will remain one of the greatest films of the time period. Whilst The Grand Budapest Hotel gave us some fantastic performances, wonderful dialogue, a brilliant story, and just an overall beautiful film, I don't think it's strong enough to stand up for Best Picture, not against the two forerunners. The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything, as I did mention in Part One, are both very good films, with great performances and adapted scripts, but they're both just not special enough to grab the big prize, not this year. I do wonder about the inclusion of Selma in here, considering it has no other nominations, whereas Foxcatcher has 5, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, and has no Best Picture nomination. Many people were claiming they only nominated Selma as to not come across as racist, but the people who make those claims have clearly forgotten that 12 Years a Slave won the award for Best Picture last year. I enjoyed Selma, I thought David Oyelowo did a fantastic job, but I don't think it should be up there - Foxcatcher should have the spot instead. I am utterly in love with Whiplash, and I cannot remember the last time I felt so passionate about a film. Everything from the directing, the editing, the cinematography, the story, and of course, the phenomenal acting from Simmons and Teller. I wish this film could just sweep up this year's Academy Awards, but I know it won't. It'll do well, I've predicted a few going its way, but it just picked a very tough year. Whiplash is my personal favourite film of 2014, but it is not the best film of 2014. Would've liked to have seen them make full use of their 10 available nominations, and given the nod to Gone Girl, Nightcrawler, and or Interstellar, all of which I enjoyed greatly.

Will Win: BIRDMAN

Could Win: BOYHOOD / WHIPLASH (Miracle)

Should Win: BIRDMAN