The 87th Academy Awards are fast approaching, and
in this final part of Oscar picks, this Blogger will make selections in the
elemental categories of filmmaking; the categories that pave the road towards
the ultimate prize…the Best Picture of 2014.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Movie-making begins with the written word, which makes the
Best Screenplay categories vital. This Blogger’s personal favorite of 2014, THE
IMITATION GAME, is also the logical pick to win this category. It is a very
human story set in an important backdrop, and it is a dialogue-heavy film which
is the type that always does well. THE IMITATION GAME is nominated for eight
Oscars and is unlikely to win many…and it’s too good of a movie to walk away
empty-handed which makes this a win for the WWII thriller.
Winner: THE IMITATION
GAME
Best Original Screenplay
The battle for Best Picture begins here, with the two top
contenders, BIRDMAN and BOYHOOD…battling it out. However there is a third party
lurking about ready to make the steal; Wes Anderson and his magnificent THE
GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. His script is complex yet focused, with witty dialogue
and constant forward motion. The film has tremendous momentum by winning big
in the BAFTA’s and Golden Globes, and the Academy has shown him love in the
past with nominations in this category. Time for a win.
Winner: Wes Anderson,
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Best Film Editing
If a film begins with the written word, then it ends with
the cutting. This often-overlooked category is key as six of the last 11 Best
Picture winners have won this category. Starting
from the bottom-up, AMERICAN SNIPER had minimal editing choices to make, as did
WHIPLASH. THE IMITATION GAME belongs in the conversation for having some
excellent relevant flashbacks, and THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL was snappy and made many great choices. The favorite and likely winner is BOYHOOD, which had the
monumental task of editing 12 years worth
of footage into a single movie.
Winner: BOYHOOD
Best Director
This is the most difficult category of the year, with Richard
Linklater’s massive achievement in BOYHOOD going up against Alejandro G.
Inarritu’s technically proficient BIRDMAN. Both men are deserving, and it’s possible that
voters will split Best Director and Best Picture; this has happened 24 times
out of the Academy’s 87-year history…including last year. Linklater
showed tremendous perserverence in tackling a huge project in BOYHOOD and has
won the Golden Globe along with critics’ awards, but Inarritu won the
Director’s Guild prize…which is usually the strongest indicator. This Blogger
was honestly a little underwhelmed by BOYHOOD, and BIRDMAN deserves to win
something big.
Winner: Alejandro G.
Inarritu, BIRDMAN
Best Picture
It’s BOYHOOD vs. BIRDMAN for the Big Tamale in a very close
call. Filmed over a period of 12 years, BOYHOOD is certainly a grand
achievement, but this Blogger just wasn’t overly impressed; once you got past
the amazement of the time-jumps and aging of the kids…it was difficult to find
the movie. Still, BOYHOOD has swept
critics’ awards and won the Golden Globe…but BIRDMAN swooped in and won at the
SAG Awards, and in the Producers and Directors’ Guilds. BIRDMAN was a movie
about Hollywood, and the Hollywood-voters tend to vote for themselves (see ARGO
or THE ARTIST), but the thing is, BIRDMAN didn’t quite put those
Hollywood-types in a very favorable light, so it could be very off-putting for
those folk. On top of all this, if BOYHOOD and BIRDMAN split the vote, there
could be enough room for THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL to steal it. But it still
feels like HOTEL will be the odd-one out, so here’s the deal-breaker: Every
Best Picture winner since 1981 has been nominated for Best Editing. BIRDMAN did
not receive a nomination in that category,
which is a clear pre-requisite for a Best Picture. The absence of that key
nomination gives BOYHOOD the edge.
Winner: BOYHOOD
*
The Oscars will be awarded February 22nd.
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