2015 Oscar Nominations Are Here...
The only thing that surprised me about this unsurprising list of nominees is that this lineup was seen from space. I actually thought the nominations happened already because everyone was pretty much a lock a month ago. So no surprises, but disappointments. No David Oyelowo nod for Best Actor or Ava DuVernay for Best Director for "Selma", no Rene Russo or Jake Gyllenhaal nomination for "Nightcrawler", no nomination for "Pride".
Best Picture
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Theory of Everything”
“The Imitation Game”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“American Sniper”
“Whiplash”
“Selma”
**I loved "Selma". It was a stellar film. I don't understand how it could garner a Best Picture nomination without a nomination for acting, writing or direction since those are all things that is needed to make a film, let alone one that is recognized in the Best Picture category.
Actress in a Leading Role
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days One Night”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Accurate
Other than Moore's inclusion, I can't argue the list (while I've not seen "Two Days One Night" a friend has and he says Cotillard gives a spectacular performance). I think Jessica Chastain could have nabbed one for "The Most Violent Year" because that was a strong performance in an otherwise pedestrian film.
Actor in a Leading Role
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
**The Hollywood Reporter reported that Brad Pitt held a screening of "Locke" in support of Tom Hardy's performance. I was surprised, because again, I thought the nominations had already taken place and Hardy wasn't nominated. But then when I realized it hadn't I thought it odd that he threw his support behind Hardy when Pitt's production company Plan B produced "Selma". If anything he should've pushed David Oyelowo.
Also surprising is that Timothy Spall was getting a lot of love with the various film critics associations for "Mr. Turner" but BAFTA ignored him (as well as Oyelowo). And I can't even comprehend Carell making this list when Jake Gyllenhaal probably gave a career best performance in "Nightcrawler".
Directing
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Actress in a Supporting Role
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
**I'd take Dern's minor, yet poignant performance over Stone's. I don't get why Meryl Streep was nominated. "Into the Woods" was a chore to get through (honestly, I didn't even get through it). I think people nominate Steep because of who she is. Rene Russo deserved a slot.
Actor in a Supporting Role
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
**I feel Ruffalo gave a better performance in "Begin Again" but that's the type of film that doesn't get nominated. Made by the same filmmaker of 'Once', that was just an anomaly. But Ruffalo resonates so much humanity in his work it's hard to ignore this performance in an other wise tedius film.
Foreign Language Film
“Ida”
“Leviathan”
“Tangerines”
“Wild Tales”
“Timbuktu”
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” **I'm glad it at least received this nod. I'm fond of this odd film.
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”
Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Roger Deakins, “Unbroken”
Robert D. Yeoman, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Dick Pope, “Mr. Turner”
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lynzewski, “Ida”
Music - Original Score
Hans Zimmer, “Interstellar”
Alexandre Desplat, “The Imitation Game”
Johann Johannsson, “The Theory of Everything”
Alexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Gary Yershon, “Mr Turner”
Makeup and Hairstyling
“Foxcatcher”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
Costume Design
Colleen Atwood, “Into the Woods”
Anna B. Sheppard, “Maleficent”
Milena Canonero, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Jacqueline Durran, “Mr. Turner”
Mark Bridges, “Inherent Vice”
Music - Original Song
“Glory” by Common and John Legend, “Selma”
“Lost Stars” by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood, “Begin Again”
“Everything Is Awesome” by Shawn Patterson, “The LEGO Movie”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” by Glen Campbell, “Glenn Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
“Grateful,” “Beyond the lights”
**Surprising that only "Glory" was a Golden Globe nominee.
Visual Effects
“Interstellar”
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
“Captain America: Winter Soldier”
“X-Men: Days of Future Past”
Documentary Short Subject
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
“Joanna”
“Our Curse”
“White Earth”
“The Reaper”
Documentary Feature
“Citizenfour”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“Virunga”
“The Salt of the Earth”
“Finding Vivian Maier”
Film Editing
Sandra Adair, “Boyhood”
Tom Cross, “Whiplash”
William Goldenberg, “The Imitation Game”
Joel Cox and Gary Roach, “American Sniper”
Barney Pilling, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Sound Editing
“Interstellar”
“Unbroken”
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
Sound Mixing
Mark Weingarten, “Interstellar”
Thomas Curley, ”Whiplash”
“Unbroken”
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
Production Design
“Into the Woods”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Interstellar”
“The Imitation Game”
“Mr. Turner”
Short Film - Live Action
“Boogaloo and Graham”
“Aya”
“Butterlamp”
“Parvenah”
“The Phone Call”
Short Film - Animated
“Feast”
“The Bigger Picture”
“A Single Life”
“The Dam Keeper”
“Me and My Moulton”
Animated Feature Film
“Big Hero 6”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“The Boxtrolls”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”
“Song of the Sea”
Best Picture
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Theory of Everything”
“The Imitation Game”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“American Sniper”
“Whiplash”
“Selma”
**I loved "Selma". It was a stellar film. I don't understand how it could garner a Best Picture nomination without a nomination for acting, writing or direction since those are all things that is needed to make a film, let alone one that is recognized in the Best Picture category.
Actress in a Leading Role
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days One Night”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Accurate
Other than Moore's inclusion, I can't argue the list (while I've not seen "Two Days One Night" a friend has and he says Cotillard gives a spectacular performance). I think Jessica Chastain could have nabbed one for "The Most Violent Year" because that was a strong performance in an otherwise pedestrian film.
Actor in a Leading Role
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
**The Hollywood Reporter reported that Brad Pitt held a screening of "Locke" in support of Tom Hardy's performance. I was surprised, because again, I thought the nominations had already taken place and Hardy wasn't nominated. But then when I realized it hadn't I thought it odd that he threw his support behind Hardy when Pitt's production company Plan B produced "Selma". If anything he should've pushed David Oyelowo.
Also surprising is that Timothy Spall was getting a lot of love with the various film critics associations for "Mr. Turner" but BAFTA ignored him (as well as Oyelowo). And I can't even comprehend Carell making this list when Jake Gyllenhaal probably gave a career best performance in "Nightcrawler".
Directing
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Actress in a Supporting Role
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
**I'd take Dern's minor, yet poignant performance over Stone's. I don't get why Meryl Streep was nominated. "Into the Woods" was a chore to get through (honestly, I didn't even get through it). I think people nominate Steep because of who she is. Rene Russo deserved a slot.
Actor in a Supporting Role
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
**I feel Ruffalo gave a better performance in "Begin Again" but that's the type of film that doesn't get nominated. Made by the same filmmaker of 'Once', that was just an anomaly. But Ruffalo resonates so much humanity in his work it's hard to ignore this performance in an other wise tedius film.
Foreign Language Film
“Ida”
“Leviathan”
“Tangerines”
“Wild Tales”
“Timbuktu”
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” **I'm glad it at least received this nod. I'm fond of this odd film.
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”
Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Roger Deakins, “Unbroken”
Robert D. Yeoman, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Dick Pope, “Mr. Turner”
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lynzewski, “Ida”
Music - Original Score
Hans Zimmer, “Interstellar”
Alexandre Desplat, “The Imitation Game”
Johann Johannsson, “The Theory of Everything”
Alexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Gary Yershon, “Mr Turner”
Makeup and Hairstyling
“Foxcatcher”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
Costume Design
Colleen Atwood, “Into the Woods”
Anna B. Sheppard, “Maleficent”
Milena Canonero, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Jacqueline Durran, “Mr. Turner”
Mark Bridges, “Inherent Vice”
Music - Original Song
“Glory” by Common and John Legend, “Selma”
“Lost Stars” by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood, “Begin Again”
“Everything Is Awesome” by Shawn Patterson, “The LEGO Movie”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” by Glen Campbell, “Glenn Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
“Grateful,” “Beyond the lights”
**Surprising that only "Glory" was a Golden Globe nominee.
Visual Effects
“Interstellar”
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
“Captain America: Winter Soldier”
“X-Men: Days of Future Past”
Documentary Short Subject
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
“Joanna”
“Our Curse”
“White Earth”
“The Reaper”
Documentary Feature
“Citizenfour”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“Virunga”
“The Salt of the Earth”
“Finding Vivian Maier”
Film Editing
Sandra Adair, “Boyhood”
Tom Cross, “Whiplash”
William Goldenberg, “The Imitation Game”
Joel Cox and Gary Roach, “American Sniper”
Barney Pilling, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Sound Editing
“Interstellar”
“Unbroken”
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
Sound Mixing
Mark Weingarten, “Interstellar”
Thomas Curley, ”Whiplash”
“Unbroken”
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
Production Design
“Into the Woods”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Interstellar”
“The Imitation Game”
“Mr. Turner”
Short Film - Live Action
“Boogaloo and Graham”
“Aya”
“Butterlamp”
“Parvenah”
“The Phone Call”
Short Film - Animated
“Feast”
“The Bigger Picture”
“A Single Life”
“The Dam Keeper”
“Me and My Moulton”
Animated Feature Film
“Big Hero 6”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“The Boxtrolls”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”
“Song of the Sea”