Oscar Nomination Analysis

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Well we’ve finally heard from the Academy on what they consider some of the best in film this year and like most Oscar nomination mornings we got some shocks. I didn’t wake up at the crack of dawn to look at that Oscar nominations but when I finally saw them, I instantly let out a chortle. Let’s dig into the nominees with some analysis.

-The acting lineup is white. REALLY REALLY white. As in no people of color anywhere in the acting categories. I didn’t realize when I was predicting David Oyelowo all these weeks that he was the only person of color that was in the mix for an acting nomination. So now that he’s not there…oof. No raisins in the oatmeal this year I guess.

-I was so happy to see all of the love for Foxcatcher. As you will see next monday (hint hint) it really is one of the year’s best films. The movie picked up two acting nominations, screenplay, makeup and a directing nom for Bennet Miller. Miller becomes our first lone director in a while. This is interesting because the Academy considered this film one of the best acted, directed, and written films…and it missed Best Picture.

-Conversely, Selma is nominated for Best Picture…with only Original Song as it’s other nomination.

-Much is going to be made about Selma only getting two nominations being attributed to things like not sending out screeners, racism, sexism, against good movies-ism, but I think the issues are much broader/simpler. If the biggest issue with regards to getting that movie nommed was having it seen, than it seems to speak that Paramount’s decision to wait till Jan 9 to go wide should be what we address. I don’t understand why they waited so long to do this given the subject matter, the awards heat it generated after the AFI screening, and audience it would court. I say this especially because just two years ago Django Unchained opend opposite Les Miz, and soundly beat it Christmas time and easily made over $100 million. My Django Christmas screening was about 97% black and the theater was packed. You don’t think Selma could have muscled its way past Unbroken and Into the Woods off the strength of good reviews and MLK? I’d much rather put the blame here than at them not sending screeners.

-Biggest Shocks: The LEGO Movie missing animated film throws that whole category into upheavel, anyone can win. Laura Dern getting in for Wild is terrible.

-The loudest cackle I had? Jennifer Aniston missing out for Best Actress in favor of Marion Cotillard. I guess pity votes can only get you so far 😉

-The only Oscar nom I really madt about is Interstellar for sound mixing cause we all know that movie wasn’t good in that department.

Best Picture

1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. The Imitation Game
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. The Theory of Everything
6. Selma
7. Whiplash
8. Gone Girl
9. American Sniper

How I Did: I actually have all 8 of the nominated films, with Gone Girl the only film missing

Best Director

1. Richard Linklater, Boyhood
2. Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Birdman
3. Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
4. Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. Ava DuVernay, Selma

How I Did: 4/5. With Bennet Miller taking DuVernay’s spot.

Best Actor

1. Michael Keaton, Birdman
2. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
3. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
4. David Oyelowo, Selma
5. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler

How I Did: 3/5, with Cooper and Carell in the last two slots.

Best Actress

1. Julianne Moore, Still Alice
2. Reese Witherspoon, Wild
3. Jennifer Anniston, Cake Marion Cotillard
4. Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
5. Rosemund Pike, Gone Girl

How I Did: 4/5, with Cotillard taking Aniston’s place 🙂

Best Supporting Actress

1. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
2. Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
3. Emma Stone, Birdman
4. Kiera Knightley, The Imitation Game
5. Rene Russo, Nightcrawler Laura Dern

How I Did: 4/5

Best Supporting Actor

1. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
2. Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
3. Edward Norton, Birdman
4. Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
5. Robert Duvall, The Judge

How I Did: 5/5

Best Original Screenplay

1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Nightcrawler
5. Foxcatcher

How I Did: 5/5

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. The Imitation Game
2. Gone Girl
3. Whiplash
4. The Theory of Everything
5. American Sniper

How I Did: 4/5

Best Animated Feature

1. The Lego Movie
2. Big Hero 6
3. The Boxtrolls
4. How to Train Your Dragon 2
5. Song of the Sea

How I Did: 4/5

Film Editing

1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. The Imitation Game
4. Whiplash
5. Gone Girl

How I Did: 4/5

Production Design

1. Into the Woods
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Unbroken
4. Interstellar
5. The Imitation Game

How I Did: 4/5

Cinematography

1. Birdman
2. Unbroken
3. Mr. Turner
4. Interstellar
5. The Imitation Game

How I Did: 3/5

Costume Design

1. Into the Woods
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Mr. Turner
4. Maleficent
5. Selma

How I Did: 4/5

Makeup and Hairstyling

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. The Theory of Everything
3. Foxcatcher

How I Did: 2/3

Visual Effects

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2. Interstellar
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Godzilla
5. Transformers: Age of Extinction

How I Did: 3/5

Sound Editing

1. American Sniper
2. Interstellar
3. Unbroken
4. Fury
5. Godzilla

How I Did: 3/5

Sound Mixing

1. Into the Woods
2. American Sniper
3. Transformers: Age of Extinction
4. Interstellar
5. Godzilla

How I Did: 2/5

Original Score

1. The Imitation Game
2. Interstellar
3. The Theory of Everything
4. Unbroken
5. Gone Girl

How I Did: 3/5

Original Song

1. “Glory” – Selma
2. “Lost Stars” – Begin Again
3. “Miracles” – Unbroken
4. “Yellow Flicker Beat” – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1
5. “Everything is Awesome” – The LEGO Movie

How I Did: 3/5

Documentary Feature

1. Citizenfour
2. Tales of the Grim Sleeper
3. Life Itself
4. The Case Against 8
5. Finding Vivian Maier

How I Did: 2/5

Foreign Language Film

1. Ida
2. Force Majeure
3. Leviathan
4. Wild Tales
5. The Liberator

How I Did: 3/5

About Post Author

Terence Johnson

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