And the Nominees Are...


The nominees for the 87th Academy Awards were announced Thursday morning. As always there were surprises and snubs, and now we're in for a long month of campaigning and debating prior to the ceremony on Sunday, February 22.

In the next few weeks I'll be looking at the eight nominees for Best Picture, as well as the nominees in other categories, in more depth, leading up to me making picks. But today, it's time to celebrate and commiserate.

Surprises:
* Whiplash rocked! This was my favorite film of the year, and it not only got a Best Picture nomination and the expected nomination for J.K. Simmons, already a presumptive favorite, but got five nominations — including in the Film Editing Category, which is key to the chances of winning Best Picture.

* Laura Dern nominated for "Wild." I didn't love "Wild," but I loved the work done by Dern. It was an important part that might be easy to overlook. It wasn't flashy, but it was solid, and it helped make the movie.

Snubs:
* David Oyelowo. This was the most shocking for me. Not only was he incredible in this role, I felt like it was nearly a lock for him to get a nomination. But he didn't. In fact, "Selma" was largely snubbed.

* Gone Girl. I thought "Gone Girl" was a good film, chilling and well made. Aside from the nomination for Rosamund Pike, the movie was completely ignored.

* The Lego Movie. Sure, it's ear worm of a song got a nod, but "The Lego Movie" was left off the Best Animated Film list. It's a shock and, I think, an insult.

Early Frontrunners:
* Best Picture — Conventional thinking is that "Birdman" and "Boyhood" are frontrunners. But since "Birdman" didn't get an editing nomination, and Best Picture winners typically win for Best Editing, that changes things.

* Best Actor — This feels like an early two-horse race between Michael Keaton, my pick to win, and Eddie Redmayne. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

* J.K. Simmons and Patricia Arquette — Baring something unforeseen, it seems like the supporting races have clear front-runners who are likely to win. Simmons gave the performance of the year, so he should win!

* Richard Linklater — This, too, is feeling more like a lock. It feels like everything is trending toward "Boyhood"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Image
Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a brash trial lawyer who is good at rallying a jury to his cause. Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is a quiet grandfather who is trying to ensure the business his family built remains viable after he’s gone. These two don’t appear to have much in common on the surface. But when they’re brought together by young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) brings them together, a connection is formed over their shared background of working hard to become self-made men. And it turned out that Willie was just who Jerry needed in his corner to win the fight of his life. The new Prime Video film The Burial, which opened in theaters October 6 and started streaming October 13, captures that trial against the Loewen Group that changed the course of their lives. The film is based on the true story and covers the trial, but more importantly captures the relationship between the men. The film plays out like a traditional courtroom drama. Foxx is solid as Willie Gary, while Ju
Read more

Broncos Draft Targets

Image
  The NFL Draft is just a few days away. On April 25, the Denver Broncos will head into the draft in the midst of something of a rebuild. In the draft, the Broncos have the No. 12 pick in Round 1, then have a Third Round Pick, Fourth Round Pick, three Fifth Round Picks, a Sixth Round Pick, and a Seventh Round Pick. So, what might they be targeting? Let's dive in and look at possible positions. Quarterback : The team clearly needs a long-term quarterback. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are there but the team could certainly use someone else. Could they move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy? Yes, they could. Will the take Bo Nix at 12? It's possible. Or will the Broncos wait until next off-season to make a move? Anything is in play for the Broncos in 2024, but quarterback is surely a need. Tight End: The team brought back Adam Trautman and still has Greg Dulcich, but it's still a need. Dulcich hasn't been able to get on the field and Trautman hasn't been great. Co
Read more

Favorite Westerns, No. 43

Image
  Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1. Rooster Cogburn : [ watching Mattie ford the river hanging on the back of her horse] By God. She reminds me of me. True Grit (1969) Starring : John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper Director : Henry Hathaway About: This is the third straight week with a film from Wayne. As you might guess, we're not done. As I've mentioned, he sets a standard for the genre. Here, we seen him bring to life an iconic character. This one is based on a novel, and it has endured. He's great as Rooster Cogburn, so good that he got a sequel in the same character. But this is a later film in his career. This is a different, more grizzled Wayne. He's still quite good and this is a film that really has stood the test of time. It's not the only ve
Read more