No matter who takes home the coveted gold statues this year at the 87th Academy Awards, it has been a fantastic year for movies. Sure there were a good number of art-house flicks mixed in with the rest, but never forget that 2014 gave us “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”, “X-Men Days of Future Past”, “Big Hero 6”, “Gone Girl”, “The Babadook”, “The LEGO Movie” and a host of other fantastic films that not only sold a ton of tickets but were extraordinary in their own right.
Everything is coming to a head in just a few days when the biggest and best of Hollywood and the world gather to award the actors, actresses, directors and crew for achievement in filmmaking. Of course, the most fun to be had with Oscar night is to make your own predictions and then cheer or grumble about the winners, and we wanted to join in too!
Many of us here at Big Shiny Robot are film buffs, so here you’ll find our list of movies that will win in their respective categories along with who or what we would have chosen.
So take a look below for our thoughts on the best films of last year in the biggest categories and feel free to let us know in the comments section as to whether or not you agree with us and what your favorite movies of 2014 were.
BEST PICTURE: American Sniper, Imitation Game, Birdman, Selma, Boyhood, Theory of Everything, Grand Budapest Hotel, Whiplash
What will win: “Boyhood” This was one of the most difficult ones to predict because both “Birdman” and “Boyhood” have been running neck-and-neck ever since award season began. In the end, I’m saying “Boyhood” because of the amount of time and effort that was put into pulling such a movie off. Most movies wrap in no more than a few years from start to finish, but 12 is almost unheard of. Take into consideration that all of these actors and actresses are growing older in front of our eyes, and that puts it over the top. It may be a gimmick, but it’s one that works.
BSR’s pick: “Birdman” We can’t think of the last time we saw a movie that so effortlessly drew the audience in and delivered an experience unlike anything we had ever seen before. From the performances to the writing and especially the cinematography, it perfectly hit all the right notes and was the best movie of last year. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, it’s now available on DVD and blu-ray, so go grab a copy and thank us later.
BEST DIRECTOR: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest Hotel), Morten Tyldum (Imitation Game)
Who will win and BSR’s pick: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman) Much like last year with Alfonso Cuaron and “Gravity”, the Academy will recognize the director for the movie that should have won Best Picture. The amount of visualization and creativity it took to bring this movie convincingly to life is astounding and much of that praise goes to Iñárritu. Sure Linklater had balls with a 12 year shooting script, but there was nothing in his movie we hadn’t seen before in others. Iñárritu took his lead from Hitchcock in “Rope” and ran with it to places the latter never could have dreamed of.
BEST ACTOR: Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Eddie Redmayne (Theory of Everything), Benedict Cumberbatch (Imitation Game)
Who will win: Eddie Redmayne (Theory of Everything) The acting block LOVES transformative performances and Redmayne’s portrayal of Steven Hawking is one of the best we’ve ever seen. Going from a healthy young man to one contorted and trapped in a wheelchair by his rebelling body in the course of an hour or so makes him a shoo-in for the award. Let’s just hope they voted before they saw him in “Jupiter Ascending.”
BSR’s pick: Michael Keaton (Birdman) Manic, depressed, sociopathic and more than a bit nuts, Keaton delivered the performance of his career and made it impossible to take our eyes off him. Had the lead in “Birdman” not been completely believable in his near-insanity, then nothing would have worked, but thankfully, Keaton showed his mastery here and brought it all together. Plus, it would be a fitting gesture for all the work he’s done over the last three decades that has been largely ignored.
BEST ACTRESS: Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Felicity Jones (Theory of Everything), Reese Witherspoon (Wild), Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Who will win and BSR’s pick: Julianne Moore (Still Alice) See above about transformative performances. Moore is flawless and heartbreaking in her portrayal of a woman losing her mind and self in the battle against Alzheimer’s.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Robert Duvall (The Judge), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), J.K. Simmons (Whipslash), Edward Norton (Birdman)
Who will win and BSR’s pick: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) Simmons is frightening, and takes full control of the movie every moment he is on screen. Is it too early to lobby for him to come back as J. Jonah Jameson in the new Spider-Man movies?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Emma Stone (Birdman), Laura Dern (Wild), Meryl Streep (Into the Woods), Keira Knightly (Imitation Game)
Who will win and BSR’s pick: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) While most of “Boyhood” was about watching the son grow up, the best and most subtle moments involved seeing Patricia Arquette’s character mature as well. She held the movie together, and it wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without her performance.
BEST ANIMATED FILM: Big Hero 6, Song of the Sea, Boxtrolls, Tale of the Princess Kaguya, How to Train Your Dragon 2
What will win: “Boxtrolls” This movie proved that computer animation is not the only effective way to tell a story, and that the tried and true practices of yesteryear are still very much relevant today.
BSR’s pick: “The LEGO Movie” Yeah, yeah, this one wasn’t even nominated, so it doesn’t have a chance in hell of winning, but this is easily the biggest snub and misstep by the Academy this year. “The LEGO Movie” was nearly perfect as far as filmmaking technique goes and created a world that managed to include the best of computer animation that looked strikingly stop-motion. All we can think is that voters must have blown it off as a feature-length toy advertisement, and shame on them for that!
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Jason Hall (American Sniper), Graham Moore (Imitation Game), Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice), Anthony McCarten (Theory of Everything)
Who will win and BSR’s pick: Graham Moore (Imitation Game) Ignoring how many historical licenses the movie took, this had one of the best scripts of the year. Dialogue and pacing was spot on and the way the film jumped all over its timeline yet never felt confusing or obnoxious makes it the one to beat.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman (Foxcatcher), Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest Hotel). Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)
Who will win: Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest Hotel) Anderson’s movies are mostly known for their quirky and unique characters, and they would be dead on arrival if not for great writing. Tarantino is the master of the action movie, and Anderson does it time and again with comedies.
BSR’s pick: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo (Birdman) This one actually completely split the field with us and barely eked out a win, but it’s easy to see why. Considering the fact that the movie revolves around a play, the dialogue had to be perfect in both performances. Add in everything it took to inspire the cinematographer, and you have the best of the year.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman), Robert Yeoman (Grand Budapest Hotel), Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski (Ida), Dick Pope (Mr. Turner), Roger Deakins (Unbroken)
Who will win and BSR’s pick: Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman) As we said earlier, “Birdman” is like nothing we have ever seen and the cinematography is pure art at its finest. Even those who may not have liked the movie walked away dazed at its presentation. Simply put, this will win, and if it doesn’t, people will riot in the streets.