My Reaction to the Oscar Nominees

The Oscars are always one of my favorite events of year. Even when I don’t agree with some of the nominees and winners, it’s still a fun show and I love having a celebration of the year in film. Well, the nominees for the 87th Academy Awards were announced a few days ago, and I’ve finally gotten all my thoughts on them straight.

DISCLAIMER: All film is subjective, so just like my reviews this list will be completely opinion-based.

BEST PICTURE

American Sniper: This should definitely not be on here. Great lead performance, bad movie.

Birdman: Terrific. This belongs here, and is probably gonna be the winner.

Boyhood: This is my pick for most overrated movie of the year. It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t enthralled by it like most people.

The Grand Budapest Hotel: Sure, why not?

The Imitation Game: My favorite movie on this list, but it doesn’t have a strong chance of winning.

Selma: CONTROVERSY: It was just okay. Not worth a nomination in my opinion.

The Theory of Everything: Very nice to see this nominated.

Whiplash: Even nicer to see this nominated. One of the best movies of the year, and it gets better every time I see it. If I haven’t seen it I won’t comment.

Will win: Either Birdman or Boyhood

Should win: The Imitation Game

BEST ACTOR

Steve Carrell, Foxcatcher

Bradley Cooper, American Sniper: In a weaker year, I would’ve put him on here. But this was a stacked year, and I would rather have seen David Oyelowo or Jake Gyllenhaal in his spot.

Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game: He belongs here for sure.

Michael Keaton, Birdman: So does he. One of Keaton’s best performances.

Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything: Yet another extremely strong contender. This is Redmayne’s best performance to date.

Will and should win: Michael Keaton, Birdman

BEST ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night

Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything: I loved her performance. She belongs her for sure.

Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl: YES YES YES!! I would’ve freaked out if she wasn’t nominated.

Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Will win: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Should win: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Duvall, The Judge: He’s got no chance, but he was the best part of that movie and deserves a nomination.

Ethan Hawke, Boyhood: He should be on here. The parents in Boyhood were much more compelling than Mason.

Edward Norton, Birdman: Another great performance in a movie filled with them.

Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher

J.K. Simmons, Whiplash: This is a very strong category, but I don’t see how he doesn’t win.

Will and should win: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood: She and Ethan Hawke made the movie watchable for me. That enough is worth win.

Laura Dern, Wild

Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game: Knightley has come a long way in the last few years, and this is a vindication of all her efforts.

Emma Stone, Birdman: She was terrific.

Meryl Streep, Into the Woods: I didn’t like the movie. It was about an hour too long. But Streep was great, same as always.

Will and should win: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: I don’t like this category. It exists only to give the Academy an excuse not to nominate animated films for Best Picture. BUT HOW THE HELL DOES THE LEGO MOVIE NOT GET NOMINATED? I don’t use the term snub lightly, but this is a snub.

Big Hero 6: I loved it. Lots of fun, and yet another credit to Disney.

The Boxtrolls: I enjoyed it, and it’s nice to see it get nominated.

How to Train Your Dragon 2: Without The Lego Movie in competition, this is my clear favorite.

Song of the Sea

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Will and should win: How to Train Your Dragon 2

BEST DIRECTOR

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman: This is the first time that I can honestly say he did a great job directing. He did a truly amazing job.

Richard Linklater, Boyhood: I wouldn’t put him on here. I don’t think he did a very good job creating a compelling story. But I appreciate his ambition.

Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel: A good one for Anderson to get nominated for.

Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game: It wasn’t very showy direction, but Tyldum told this story very well and pulled good performances out of everyone.

Will and should win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Jason Hall, American Sniper: No thanks.

Graham Moore, The Imitation Game: I’m surprised this is Moore’s first screenplay. He did a fantastic job.

Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice: I love PTA, but this screenplay was not a strong one.

Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything: A great screenplay. He deserves the nomination.

Damien Chazelle, Whiplash: Yet another great screenplay.

Will win: Too close to call.

Should win: Graham Moore, The Imitation Game

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo, Birdman: With a movie this good, how can the screenplay not be nominated?

Richard Linklater, Boyhood: I wouldn’t give it to him, but I understand why he’s nominated. I was an ambitious effort.

E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, Foxcatcher

Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (story), The Grand Budapest Hotel: I’m kind of surprised to see this get so many nominations, but I can’t complain.

Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler: A better movie than any of these, and yet this is its only nomination. Glad to see it get something.

Will win: All those unpronounceable names, Birdman

Should win: Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler

So, there’s all the big ones. I might not agree with all the Academy’s decisions, but that doesn’t matter. Like all art forms, film is subjective, and it’s nice to see that people have varying opinions. I’m sure this year’s show will be a lot of fun, especially with all of the surprises. The Lego Movie not getting nominated is insane, though.

Top 10 Films of the Mid-Year

Well, 2014 is halfway done. The summer movie season is at its halfway point, and soon all the theaters will be flooded with Oscar bait. We will soon be treated to the some of the best of cinema, and some of the worst. But that doesn’t mean the latter half of the year can’t be great. In fact, 2014 has been quite a strong year so far, and these ten films are the cases in point.

10. Enemy

Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to last year’s excellent Prisoners makes for a very tense and uncomfortable (in a good way) thriller, and Jake Gyllenhaal gives one of the finest performances of his career. If you haven’t seen this (and I know most of you haven’t) definitely check it out as soon as possible.

9. Chef

I’ve been a big Jon Favreau fan for years, both in front of and behind the camera. Chef proves that he can easily manage both at the same time, creating a film with wonderful performances, fresh comedy, and nice little life lessons. Again, I know most of you haven’t seen this, so give this one a shot. I’ll think you’ll be surprised at how heartfelt and funny it is.

8. Edge of Tomorrow

I wasn’t expecting much out of this after the dreadful marketing, but I ended but really enjoying it. Edge of Tomorrow is probably the year’s most pleasant surprise, with a unique premise, great action, and a very different side of Tom Cruise that has rarely been glimpsed.

7. How to Train Your Dragon 2

I was a big fan as the first How to Train Your Dragon, and this sequel didn’t disappoint. It may not have packed quite as big a punch, but it was beautifully animated, very well acted, and developed new character relationships that are sure to enthrall fans and newcomers alike.

6. The Grand Budapest Hotel

While it may not be very accessible, probably because it’s probably the purest distillation of Wes Anderson’s style, but The Grand Budapest Hotel is a treat for his fans, being funny, well acted, and with a mania that harkens back to his glory days. 

5. Noah

The first true Biblical epic in a long time was pretty controversial upon release, but don’t let that stop year. On top of the brilliant performance by current greatest actor in the world Russell Crowe, but expands on the Bible’s account by filling in the blanks with an excellent tale of a world gone mad that has a very nice post-apocalyptic feel.

4. 22 Jump Street

Another sequel to an already great movie, but unlike How to Train Your Dragon 2, this one was even better than the original. How did 22 Jump Street accomplish this? With great chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, a new take on the same premise, and a truly amazing amount of laughs.

3. The LEGO Movie

We all had our doubts about this one, but when the trailers hit I was won over. Sure enough, The LEGO Movie ended up being one of the best animated films in several years, one that rivals even some of Pixar’s fine efforts. Great animation, great voice acting, great laughs, GREAT MOVIE.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Wow, this is probably the year for sequels. Another sequel that completely exceeds an already great original on multiple fronts. Chris Evans once again delivers, making the unambiguous good guy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe just as interesting as the millionaire playboy. But that’s not all; Winter Soldier also has a great plot, solid supporting cast, and some of the best action ever seen in any movie.

1. X-Men: Days of Future Past

One of those movies that I was really anticipating, but exceeded even my greatest expectations. For both the superhero subgenre and film as a whole, Days of Future Past  is a marvel on every level. It’s got a great story, possibly the greatest of any comic book movie. There’s also great action and performances that are the stuff dreams are made of. But special mention goes to James McAvoy, who gives the best performance of his career.

Well, that’s the best of the year so far. I’m sure this list will be very different at year’s end. With luck, it’ll be just as much fun as the first.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Review

Premise: Okay, knowing Wes Anderson, it’s a little weird. Basically, an author is recounting how he heard the story of how the owner of a very luxurious hotel inherited it. Sound simple? You haven’t seen a Wes Anderson film, have you? Starring Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson, F. Murray Abraham, Ralph Fiennes, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, and Adrien Brody. Written and directed by Wes Anderson.

Pros: Let me just get this out of the way; I didn’t like Moonrise Kingdom. I thought it tried way too hard to be “weird” and fell flat on its face. It was the first Wes Anderson film I didn’t like, and it shook my confidence in him a bit. Still, everyone has failures, so I thought I’d give The Grand Budapest Hotel a chance. Well, I must say that I enjoyed this is far more than Moonrise Kingdom.

Depending on your style of humor, this is a very funny film. If you’ve seen any Anderson film, you know he has a very manic style. Trust me when I say you haven’t seen anything until you’ve The Grand Budapest Hotel. Whatever you’ve come to expect from a film even as remotely crazy as this, you’ll get something even more insane. But every insane moment induces a laugh, or at least leaves a smile on your face. In short, it’s the second funniest film of the year after the amazing The Lego Movie.  

Like most Anderson films, the production design is impeccable. The hotel is almost a character in and of itself, living and breathing just as much as any human. There’s also many small details that any hardcore Anderson fan will find very amusing.

Also, the whole ensemble does a great job. However, Ralph Fiennes and F. Murray Abraham are the standouts, and every scene in which they appear is an absolute delight. Especially Abraham, who’s avoided the spotlight for so long I wasn’t confident he’d have it in him anymore. Boy, was I wrong. This guy is still incredible. 

Cons: There’s some bizarre shifts in tone that can be very jarring. It’s hard to explain, if you see it, you’ll know what I mean. To make a long story short, there are times when the humor just kind of stops to bring the serious subject matter of fascism to the forefront, and it doesn’t always work.

For anyone who’s not already familiar with Anderson’s style, this can be a little inaccessible. I like Anderson quite a bit, but even I felt a little bit locked out by some little in-jokes. 

Verdict: The Grand Budapest Hotel is unlikely to win many new converts, but for fans of Wes Anderson it’s a dream come true. Very funny, very stylish. I give it an 8 out of 10.