If I Picked the Academy Awards…2014 Edition
Last week I had a lot of fun looking back at the Academy Awards of last year and conveying which films and winners I would pick if I had a ballot. Well, I guess we can do it again this week. So we’ve done the most recent year, so we’ll go backwards and do 2014, and here are my picks for the top categories.
Best Animated Feature Nominees:
Big Hero 6
How to Train your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
The Boxtrolls
The winner: Big Hero 6
My pick: Big Hero 6
Of course I fall into the category, if you will, of the people who thought it was at tremendous mistake to leave The LEGO Movie (2014) out of the conversation, so if that film was nominated, it would not only have been the likely pick, but my personal pick as well. With that being said, of the film that actually made the list, I have only seen Big Hero 6, and I can understand why it was picked: it’s quickly paced, emotional, and a fairly original piece. While I didn’t love it as much as others did, there’s a lot to like.
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominees:
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
The winner: The Imitation Game
My pick: Whiplash
I’ll be honest, with the exception of Whiplash and Imitation Game, the rest of the field is pretty underwhelming. While for me personally Whiplash was an original screenplay, and every other awards show prior that had it nominated for a screenplay category put it in original, you shouldn’t penalize it for that. The insults and antagonizing speeches are excellent and Damien Chazelle also has a great story to tell, and regardless of which category this film had fallen under, it has my vote.
Best Original Screenplay Nominees:
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budaptest Hotel
Nightcrawler
The winner: Birdman
My pick: Birdman
The polar opposite of adapted screenplay, original screenplay didn’t have a bad one in the bunch. Realistically any one of these five can be declared the winner, but I’m going with Birdman for its witty, intelligent, insightful look at an artist’s journey from mediocre joke to praised thespian, or the unexpected virtue of ignorance.
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
The winner: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
My pick: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
More good choices to chose from in this category, with the winner for me being Arquette’s moving portrayal of mom in Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Just a wonderful performance by a great actress, with a range of emotions, almost all of them appropriate for the situation. With great shouting scenes, crying scenes, and powerful parental moments, it’s hard not to pick Arquette.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominees:
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
The winner: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
My pick: Edward Norton, Birdman
Man, another tough one. While all five choices are a worthy choice, I’m going with Ed Norton’s turn as the biggest jerk in show business in Birdman. While J.K. was terrific in Whiplash, I’ve seen him perform as the shouting, short-tempered devilish character before, but I’ve never seen Ed Norton perform like he did in Birdman. His character might come off as a sterotype common in the theater community, it was a truly original character.
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 winner: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
My pick: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
For me this comes down to Moore, Pike, and Witherspoon, with all three actresses giving three very different performances. From a victim of Alzheimer’s disease to a diabolical housewife to a woman putting her life back together while hiking, I’m going with Moore because she is given a lot to do with her role, whereas Pike is more or less a supporting role until the second half, and Witherspoon was more or less stuck in neutral with what her character had to do and what she was going through, whereas the circumstances and situations were always changing for Julianne’s character, and that’s enough for me to give her my vote.
Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
The winner: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
My pick: Michael Keaton, Birdman
I’ve been a longtime Michael Keaton fan, and Birdman showcased his best performance yet. As for the other nominees, there’ s something to enjoy about every performer and their role, but Keaton’s almost biographical role in the film is fascinating to watch from start to finish, and seeing him soar again, both as a character and as an actor, is more moving and enthralling to watch than it sounds. Those who have enjoyed him through the years, regardless of his roles, will know what I’m talking about.
Best Director Nominees:
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
The winner: Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman
My pick: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Goddamn, another packed category! 2014 just had a lot of great films to offer, and directing is no exception. For me it comes down to Linklater and Inarritu. While Inarritu, who lately hasn’t been picking the easy projects, had a tremendous technical challenge that he made look easy in Birdman with the single-shot style, for me it was even more challenging for Linklater to not only shoot just a few days out of the year, but to keep the cast together, not get too bogged down with other projects, and to still have funding for the project throughout the years. Both are winners in my book, but if we’re talking which director had the more difficult task, I’ll go with Linklater.
Best Picture Nominees:
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
The winner: Birdman
My pick: Whiplash
Wow, looking back at all the nominees, there isn’t a bad apple in the barrel. Sure, I liked some better than others, but for me Whiplash gave me the most enjoyable, thrilling, and phenomenal experience of the year. From start to finish I followed the main character as he goes through the highs and lows of jazz band at one of the best music schools in the country in his quest for greatness and how his teacher will beat it out of him if he has to. From great performances to phenomenal writing to solid direction, Damien Chazelle has a bright future in front of him.
That’s all I have for this edition of “If I picked the Academy Awards”, and these are becoming more and more fun as I go on. So until next time enjoy the picks.
