2015 Oscar Analysis! What Are The Biggest Shocks And Snubs! What The Academy Got Right… And What They Got Wrong!

With the Oscar nominations buzzing around Hollywood, everyone is in a tizzy over what got left on the cutting room floor. Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston both got shut out, as did The Lego Movie!

Wha?

JM did a great analysis of the awards, so check out his recap below!

Mike The Fanboy Signature logo

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And the award goes to….

well, we’re going to have wait until February 22nd to find out. In the meantime, let’s digest to see what the 6,000 plus member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected as “The Best” for 2014.

Both Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel are leading the charge with (9) nominations and The Imitation Game (8) remains closely behind. Even though all three films boast the most recognition, come the big night they might be going home fairly empty-handed. Directly behind them are strong favorite Boyhood and the latest Clint Eastwood epic American Sniper tied with (6) nominations apiece (https://www.mikethefanboy.com/american-sniper-review) . Rounding out the other top films are Whiplash, Interstellar and Foxcatcher with (5) nominations each.

The oscars logo rare nominations 2013 promo academy award academy awards nominees rare

Of course there were some major surprises and snubs, but for anyone who has actually watched the majority of the films in serious contention this remains an extremely solid selection of the years best.

Best Picture
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”

Only eight films were selected out of a possible max of 10 films. Most of which were highly touted films since awards season began including “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “The Theory of Everything” and “The Imitation Game.”

whiplash

The fact “Selma” garnered only two nominations speak volumes, especially since BEST PICTURE seemed like a “sure thing” a few months ago. However, the two real surprises are recent Golden Globe winner “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (Wes Anderson’s first film to be nominated for BEST PICTURE) and the critically acclaimed Sundance hit by Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash.” As anticipated, Oscar bait misfires like “Unbroken,” “Into the Woods” and “Foxcatcher” failed to live up to expectations. Sadly, one of my favorites “A Most Violent Year,” was completely shut out proving potential nominees need to take full advantage of awards season and select a good release date.

Directing
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

My oh my have the years changed, in which two world renowned auteurs can now add BEST Director to their resumes (Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson). Obviously the omissions of Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) and Angelina Jolie (“Unbroken”) seemed like sure safe bets, but both films failed to capture the spirits of voters this time around. Certainly surprised Clint Eastwood didn’t get nominated, but at the same time I’m glad they Academy spread the wealth instead of just relying on name recognition.

boyhood poster

BEST 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”

Bradley Cooper’ amazing performance in “American Sniper” remains one of the best performances of the year so considering he received no love from the Golden Globes speaks loud and clear proving great performances can superseded certain awards shows. This year’s usual suspects remain all here except David Oyelowo (“Selma’) and Jake Gyllenhaal (“Nightcrawler”), but the fact “Foxcatcher” found recognition here for Carell instead of Channing Tatum is a travesty. As I said at numerous screenings throughout this awards season, his performance persists as PURE OSCAR BAIT and ANYONE could have put on the prosthetics “to transform” into his role. Too bad for Ralph Fiennes because he was overlooked unjustly despite nearly universal praise.

american Sniper press still

BEST 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”

Immediate reaction: Thank goodness Jennifer Aniston didn’t attract any Academy award love here. “Cake” might be the perfect example of awards season confusion with an extremely mediocre film being elevated by a strong, solid acting performance. Just remember strong/great performance doesn’t make a film great, nope that just creates OSCAR BAIT. Sadly, Amy Adams will have to wait another year to finally nab her Oscar. However, kudos to Marion Cotillard’s nomination, which might be more of a culmination for a stellar year rather than just one performance (“The Immigrant” and “Blood Ties” were also released this year).

Wild los angeles premiere reese witherspoon red carpet 5

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

No shocks here, just be prepared to hear J.K. Simmons name be announced come Oscars’ day. If Simmons’ spellbinding, scene-stealing antagonist wasn’t in this category it would be a very, compelling race. Sadly, everyone else will have to enjoy their consolation prize of being nominated.

birdman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

Meryl Streep will down go down in history as the great film actress and acting legend of all time. However, let’s stop giving her nominations purely on the basis of name recognition. What would be great if she politely declined and abstained from the ceremony. Too often, great performances by less famous individuals such as Renee Russo (“Nightcrawler”) and Emily Blunt (Streep’s co-star for “Into the Woods) are ignored in favor of flashier, more established names.

Palm Springs Film festival 2015 eddie redmayne signing autographs 8

There were other snubs, but the aforementioned criticisms were the ones I felt most strong about. Enjoy the rest of the nominations below:

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“Big Hero 6”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”

How in the world was “The LEGO Movie” NOT NOMINATED?????????????????

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Robert D. Yeoman, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lynzewski, “Ida”
Dick Pope, “Mr. Turner”
Roger Deakins, “Unbroken”

COSTUME DESIGN
Milena Canonero, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Mark Bridges, “Inherent Vice”
Colleen Atwood, “Into the Woods”
Anna B. Sheppard, “Maleficent”
Jacqueline Durran, “Mr. Turner”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Citizenfour”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“Virunga”
“The Salt of the Earth”
“Finding Vivian Maier”

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
“Joanna”
“Our Curse”
“The Reaper”
“White Earth”

FILM EDITING
Joel Cox and Gary Roach, “American Sniper”
Sandra Adair, “Boyhood”
Barney Pilling, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
William Goldenberg, “The Imitation Game”
Tom Cross, “Whiplash”

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Ida”
“Leviathan”
“Tangerines”
“Wild Tales”
“Timbuktu”

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, “Foxcatcher”
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White “Guardians of the Galaxy”

MUSIC- ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Alexandre Desplat, “The Imitation Game”
Hans Zimmer, “Interstellar”
Gary Yershon, “Mr Turner”
Johann Johannsson, “The Theory of Everything”

MUSIC- ORIGINAL SONG
“Everything Is Awesome” by Shawn Patterson, “The LEGO Movie”
“Glory” by Common and John Legend, “Selma”
“Grateful,” by Diana Warren, “Beyond the lights”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond, “Glenn Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
“Lost Stars” by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois, “Begin Again”
Immediate reaction: This was one of only two nominations for “Selma.” The nom for “Beyond the Lights” is a pleasant surprise. It was a great movie that far too few people saw.

PRODUCTION DESIGN
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Production design: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“The Imitation Game,” Production design: Maria Djurkovic, Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
“Interstellar,” Production design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“Into the Woods,” Production design: Dennis Gassner, Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“Mr. Turner,” Production design: Suzie Davies, Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts

SHORT FILM-ANIMATED
“The Bigger Picture,” Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
“The Dam Keeper,” Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
“Feast,” Patrick Osbirne and Kristina Reed
“Me and My Moulton,” Torill Kove
“A Single Life,” Joris Oprins

SHORT FILM-LIVE ACTION
“Aya,” Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
“Boogaloo and Graham,” Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney
“Butterlamp,” Hu Wei and Julien Feret
“Parvenah,” Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
“The Phone Call,” Mat Kirkby and James Lucas

SOUND EDITING
“American Sniper,” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
“Birdman,” Martin Hermandez and Aaron Glascock
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
“Interstellar,” Richard King
“Unbroken,” Becky Sullivan and Andrew Decristofaro

SOUND MIXING
“American Sniper,” John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
“Birdman,” Jon Taylor, Frank A Montano and Thomas Varga
Mark Weingarten, “Interstellar,” Garry A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
“Unbroken,” Jon Taylor, Frank A Montano and David Lee
”Whiplash,” Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley

VISUAL EFFECTS
“Captain America: Winter Soldier,” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
“Guardians of the Galaxy,” Stephanie Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
“Interstellar,” Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer

WRITING-ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”
Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”
Anthony McCarten, “The Theory of Everything”
Jason Hall, “American Sniper”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”

WRITING- ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Dan Gilroy, “Nightcrawler”
E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, “Foxcatcher”

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Comments(2)
  1. NJ January 15, 2015
  2. JM January 15, 2015

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