For those of you who are desperate to get your fantasy fix after the end of October, Prime is offering up The Wheel of Time, an adaptation of the novels by Robert Jordan. It stars Rosamund Pike and it premieres on November 19th.
And here’s the trailer:
Supporting Actor, Motion Picture — Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Supporting Actor, Television — John Boyega, Small Axe
Actress, TV Music or Comedy — Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Motion Picture, Animated — Soul
Actor, TV Limited Series or Movie — Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
Screenplay, Motion Picture — Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Actress, TV Series, Drama — Emma Corrin, The Crown
Original Song, Motion Picture — lo Si, The Life Ahead
Original Score, Motion Picture — Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste, Soul
Actor, TV Series, Musical or Comedy — Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
TV Series, Musical or Comedy — Schitt’s Creek
Actress. Musical or Comedy Film — Rosamund Pike, I Care A Lot
Actor, TV Series, Drama — Josh O’Connor, The Crown
Foreign Language Film — Minari
TV Series, Drama — The Crown
Supporting Actress, Film — Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian
Supporting Actress, TV Drama — Gillian Anderson, The Crown
Actress, TV Limited Series or Made-For-Television Film — Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit
Limited Series or TV Movie — The Queen’s Gambit
Actor, Motion Picture Drama — Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Director, Motion Picture — Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
Motion Picture Comedy — Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Actor, Motion Picture Comedy — Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Actress, Motion Picture Drama — Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holliday
Motion Picture Drama — Nomadland
I’m totally turned off by the self-importance of the Golden Globes and I resent every time that I have to write about them.
That said, despite the fact that no one is quite sure who actually votes for the damn things and stories of corruption in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association have been rampant for years, the Golden Globes have still emerged as one of the main Oscar precursors. So, you kind of have to pay attention to them. Bleh.
There really aren’t any huge shocks in the list of nominees below, with the exception of maybe Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor and James Corden’s Prom nomination. I mean, if you’re that determined to nominate someone for The Prom, why would you go for James Corden as opposed to Meryl Streep? That’s just odd.
Anyway, here are the nominations:
Best Motion Picture, Drama
“The Father”
“Mank”
“Nomadland”
“Promising Young Woman”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
“Hamilton”
“Music”
“Palm Springs”
“The Prom”
Best Director, Motion Picture
Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman”
David Fincher, “Mank”
Regina King, “One Night In Miami”
Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Andra Day, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”
Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman”
Frances McDormand, “Nomadland”
Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
Kate Hudson, “Music”
Michelle Pfeiffer, “French Exit”
Rosamund Pike, “I Care a Lot”
Anya Taylor-Joy, “Emma”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Glenn Close, “Hillbilly Elegy”
Olivia Colman, “The Father”
Jodie Foster, “The Mauritanian”
Amanda Seyfried, “Mank”
Helena Zengel, “News of the World”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal”
Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Father”
Gary Oldman, “Mank”
Tahar Rahim, “The Mauritanian”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
James Corden, “The Prom”
Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton”
Dev Patel, “The Personal History of David Copperfield”
Andy Samberg, “Palm Springs”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Sacha Baron Cohen, “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Jared Leto, “The Little Things”
Billy Murray, “On the Rocks”
Leslie Odom Jr., “One Night In Miami”
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman”
Jack Fincher, “Mank”
Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, “The Father”
Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland”
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat, “The Midnight Sky”
Ludwig Göransson, “Tenet”
James Newton Howard, “News of the World”
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “Mank”
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, “Soul”
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Fight For You,” Judas and the Black Messiah”
“Hear My Voice,” The Trial of the Chicago 7”
“Io Sì (Seen),” The Life Ahead”
“Speak Now,” One Night In Miami”
“Tigress & Tweed,” The United States Vs. Billie Holiday”
Best Motion Picture, Animated
“The Croods: A New Age”
“Onward”
“Over the Moon”
“Soul”
“Wolfwalkers”
Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language
“Another Round”
“La Llorona”
“The Life Ahead”
“Minari”
“Two Of Us”
Best Television Series, Drama
“The Crown”
“Lovecraft Country”
“The Mandalorian”
“Ozark”
“Ratched”
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“Emily in Paris”
“The Flight Attendant”
“The Great”
“Schitt’s Creek”
“Ted Lasso”
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
“Normal People”
“The Queen’s Gambit”
“Small Axe”
“The Undoing”
“Unorthodox”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Olivia Colman, “The Crown”
Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”
Emma Corrin, “The Crown”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Sarah Paulson, “Ratched”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Lily Collins, “Emily In Paris”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Jane Levy, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”
Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Cate Blanchett, “Mrs. America”
Daisy Edgar Jones, “Normal People”
Shira Haas, “Unorthodox”
Nicole Kidman, “The Undoing”
Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role
Gillian Anderson, “The Crown”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Annie Murphy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Cynthia Nixon, “Ratched”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Josh O’Connor, “The Crown”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Al Pacino, “Hunters”
Matthew Rhys, “Perry Mason”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Don Cheadle, “Black Monday”
Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”
Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Ramy Youssef, “Ramy”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Bryan Cranston, “Your Honor”
Jeff Daniels, “The Comey Rule”
Hugh Grant, “The Undoing”
Ethan Hawke, “The Good Lord Bird”
Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much is True”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role
John Boyega, “Small Axe”
Brendan Gleeson, “The Comey Rule”
Daniel Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Jim Parsons, “Hollywood”
Donald Sutherland, “The Undoing”
If you want to talk about the birth of the modern world, you have to talk about Marie Curie.
That’s the argument made by the biopic, Radioactive. It’s a compelling argument and it’s very much correct. Born in Poland and a citizen of France, Marie Curie was the 1st woman to win the Nobel Prize, the 1st person and only woman to win the Nobel Prize a second time, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. She shared her first Nobel Prize (in Physics) with her husband, Pierre. After Pierre’s tragic death, Marie won her second Nobel, this time for Chemistry. Both her daughter and her son-in-law would go on to win Nobel Prizes of their own and the Curie family continues to produce notable scientists to this very day.
Marie Curie is best known for her pioneering research on radioactivity, a coin that she termed. She developed techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes. She discovered that radioactivity could be used to battle aggressive forms of cancer. Without her research, there would be no nuclear power, no chemotherapy, no X-ray machines, and no atomic weaponry. Marie Curie is one of the few people about whom it can legitimately be said that they changed the world. Of course, Curie herself later died of a radiation poisoning.
Radioactive opens with Marie (played by Rosamund Pike) on the verge of death, before flashing back to show us her early life and she went from being an obscure scientist to becoming the world renowned Madame Curie. We watch as she meets and falls in love with Pierre Curie (Sam Riley). The film celebrates not only their love for each other but also takes a look at Marie’s struggle to escape from Pierre’s shadow. Though she was acknowledged as his partner and won her first Nobel Prize with him, it’s not until Pierre is trampled death by a bunch of horses that Marie’s genius is truly acknowledged. The scenes in which Marie expresses her frustration at being overshadowed by her husband are some of the best in the film, largely because the film doesn’t make the mistake of attempting to portray Pierre as intentionally stealing all of the glory for himself. Instead, society just assumes that Pierre deserves most of the credit because …. well, Pierre’s a man and Marie’s a woman.
Unfortunately, Radioactive makes some perplexing narrative choices. Throughout the film, there are random moments when we get a sudden flashfoward and see random people interacting with radioactivity. For instance, we go to a hospital in the 1950s and we listen as a doctor explains that he’s going to use radioactivity to help a patient combat cancer. Another scene features the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. We see the nuclear tests in Los Alamos. One moment, Marie is crying in the middle of the street. The next minute, an ambulance drives past her, on the way to Chernobyl. On the one hand, it’s easy to see what the film’s going for. It’s showing us everything, good and bad, that will happen as a result of Marie Curie’s work. It makes the very relevant argument that sometimes, in order to get something good (less pollution, treatments for cancer) you have to risk something bad, like the possibility of being vaporized by an atomic bomb. But the flashforwards are handled so clumsily that they actually detract from the film. When I watched the sequence taking place at the hospital, I found myself wondering if Marie Curie discovered bad acting before or after she discovered radioactivity. This is probably one of the few instances where a biopic would have been helped by taking a more traditional approach to its material.
On the plus side, Radioactive does feature a very good performance from Rosamund Pike, who really deserves to be known for more than just killing Neil Patrick Harris in Gone Girl. (Don’t spoiler alert me. The film’s nearly 6 years old. If you haven’t seen it yet, you weren’t ever going to.) Radioactive is currently playing on Amazon Prime and you should definitely watch it if you’re planning on keeping radioactive isotopes in your desk at work. Seriously, don’t do it.
Yes, that’s Rosamund Pike starring in today’s music video of the day. This video was released two years after Rosamund Pike found fame starring in Gone Girl. Of course, I’ve been a fan of hers ever since I first saw An Education, in which she played Dominic Cooper’s glamorous girlfriend.
As for this video, it’s pretty obviously a take on the 1981 classic, Possession, with Pike playing the role that was taken by Isabelle Adjani in that film. This video may feature a lot of blood but it’s nowhere near as much blood as shows up in Possession. Agck!
Enjoy!
Well, it happens every year.
The precursor season always starts with some unexpected winners and you start to think that maybe some of the year’s best indie films might be able to get some Oscar love. This season, for instance, I was excited to see the attention being given to Eighth Grade and, to a lesser extent, First Reformed. I was also excited to see that A Quiet Place and Black Panther were being remembered.
“Oh my God!” I thought, “Even if we already know that either Green Book or A Star is Born are going to win everything this year, the Oscar nominations could still be interesting!”
And then, as they do every year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had to come along and basically fuck everything up. For some reason, the HFPA have become one of the biggest of the precursor awards. Getting nominated for a Golden Globe is considered to be a major step for any Oscar contender. Getting ignored by the Golden Globes is enough to knock a previously strong contender out of the contest. Why is this? I’m not sure. The HFPA is a notorious bunch of star fuckers and it’s pretty much an open secret that almost anyone can buy a Golden Globe nomination if they’ve got enough money. But, for some reason, the annually mediocre Golden Globe nominations carry a lot of weight in Hollywood.
Anyway, this year’s nominations pretty much ignored all of the cool indie films that have come out this year. Elsie Fisher was nominated for Best Actress but otherwise, Eighth Grade was ignored. First Reformed was nominated for nothing. Hereditary was nominated for nothing. I am happy to see that Black Panther was nominated. That’s a step in the right direction in that film’s quest to be the first comic book movie to be nominated for best picture.
I guess what really bugs me is that Vice — a film that I have no desire to see — received the most nominations and is now definitely an Oscar contender. I’ve been told that Vice is even more smug and shallow than The Big Short. And now, I guess I have to see it. AGONY!
Anyway, here are the nominees. (Below are the film nominees. For the TV nominees, click here.)
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
If Beale Streat Could Talk
A Star Is Born
Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Crazy Rich Asians
The Favourite
Green Book
Mary Poppins Returns
Vice
Best Director
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Peter Farrelly (Green Book)
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Adam McKay (Vice)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)
Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman)
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Nicole Kidman (Destroyer)
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Rosamund Pike (A Private War)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Christian Bale (Vice)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (Mary Poppins Returns)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)
Robert Redford (The Old Man & the Gun)
John C. Reilly (Stan & Ollie)
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)
Charlize Theron (Tully)
Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians)
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
Timothée Chalamet (Beautiful Boy)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams (Vice)
Claire Foy (First Man)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)
Best Screenplay
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (The Favourite)
Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Adam McKay (Vice)
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (Green Book)
Best Score
Marco Beltrami (A Quiet Place)
Alexandre Desplat (Isle of Dogs)
Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther)
Justin Hurwitz (First Man)
Marc Shaiman (Mary Poppins Returns)
Best Original Song
“All the Stars” (Black Panther)
“Girl in the Movies” (Dumplin’)
“Requiem For A Private War” (A Private War)
“Revelation’ (Boy Erased)
“Shallow” (A Star Is Born)
Best Motion Picture – Animated
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Girl (Belgium)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Awards season has just begun, which means that it’s time for the International Press Academy to announce their nominees for the 23rd Satellite Awards. If you’ve never heard of the Satellite Awards, they’re like the Golden Globes, just with even less credibility. For instance, the Satellite people are the one who nominated The Wolf of Wall Street for best picture, despite having not seen the film.
That said, the Satellite nominations are good way to gauge which films are currently getting awards buzz. Let’s put it like this: getting a Satellite nomination is not going to automatically translate into Oscar recognition. But it doesn’t hurt.
Below are the film nominations. (In the interest of space, I’m only posting the film nominations. If you want to see which tv shows picked up nominations, click here.)
Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Major, Independent or International
Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Major, Independent or International
Actress in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Major, Independent or International
Actor in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Major, Independent or International
Actress in a Supporting Role
Major, Independent, Comedy & Musical or International
Actor in a Supporting Role
Major, Independent, Comedy & Musical or International
Motion Picture, Drama
Major
Motion Picture, Independent
Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Major, Independent or International
Motion Picture, International Film
Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
Motion Picture, Documentary
Director
Screenplay, Original
Screenplay, Adapted
Original Score
Original Song
Cinematography
Visual Effects
Film Editing
Sound (Editing and Mixing)
Art Direction and Production Design
Costume Design
Well, here we are. We’re more than halfway through the year and, to be honest, the Oscar forecast seems just as cloudy as ever.
To be honest, I’m starting to get the feeling that this is going to be a year where the Academy is more concerned with sending a message than anything else. Just as the Emmy nominations were all about sticking it to Trump (as opposed to actually honoring the best that television has to offer), it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Academy try to do the same thing. That doesn’t mean that the nominees aren’t going to deserve to be nominated, of course. Instead, it just means that this might be a good year for films with a political agenda.
Anyway, here are my predictions for July! They’re still pretty random, to be honest. Be sure to also check out my predictions for January, February, March, April, May, and June!
Best Picture
Backseat
Black Panther
BlackKklansman
Boy Erased
The Favourite
First Man
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mary, Queen of Scots
Old Man and The Gun
Widows
Best Director
Damien Chazelle for First Man
Barry Jenkins for If Beale Street Could Talk
Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favourite
Spike Lee for BlackKklansman
Josie Rourke for Mary, Queen of Scots
Best Actor
Christian Bale in Backseat
Steve Carell in Beautiful Boy
Ryan Gosling in First Man
Robert Redford in Old Man and The Gun
John David Washington in BlackKklansman
Best Actress
Glenn Close in The Wife
Felicity Jones in On the Basis of Sex
Keira Knightley in Colette
Rosamund Pike in A Private War
Saoirse Ronan in Mary, Queen of Scots
Best Supporting Actor
Russell Crowe in Boy Erased
Sam Elliott in A Star is Born
Topher Grace in BlackKklansman
Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther
Sam Rockwell in Backseat
Best Supporting Actress
Claire Foy in First Man
Nicole Kidman in Boy Erased
Regina King in If Beale Street Could Talk
Margot Robbie in Mary, Queen of Scots
Sissy Spacek in Old Man and the Gun
The Oscar nominations were announced this morning and, judging from the overdramatic reactions on twitter, some people are apparently taking all of this way too seriously. Listen, I wish The LEGO Movie had been nominated. I wish Jake Gyllenhaal had been nominated. I haven’t seen Selma yet but it does seem strange that it was only nominated for one other Oscar. And, for that matter, how did Foxcatcher get nominated for director, screenplay, actor, and supporting actor without getting a nomination for best picture.
And yes, I do wish that more women had been nominated but, then again, I also wish that more women were being given the opportunity to write and direct films. If the Oscars are male-dominated, that’s because so is the industry.
AND WHERE’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!?
AND WHAT ABOUT JODOROWSKY’S DUNE!?
*ahem*
But, honestly, I think people are overestimating the importance of the Oscars. Great films will survive, regardless of awards won and lost. Believe me, there were a lot of nominations that I did not agree with but I’m not going to have a Sasha Stone-style freak out over it because, ultimately, the Oscars are what they are and if you think they’re anything more than an event, you really need to calm down and get some perspective.
I’m just happy that it was a good morning for Texas filmmaking. Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson were both nominated for best director. Boyhood, a Texas film if there ever was on, is the front runner for best picture. Texas actor Ethan Hawke was nominated for best supporting actor. Bradley Cooper may not be a Texan but he played one and, judging from the trailer and commercials for American Sniper, he actually got the accent right.
So, I’m happy!
(And, by the way, let’s give this talk about how Laura Dern stole Jessica Chastain’s nomination a rest. If anything, Meryl Streep stole Chastain’s spot.)
Here are the nominees!
BEST PICTURE
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”
BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”
BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days One Night”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“Foxcatcher”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Nightcrawler”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“American Sniper”
“The Imitation Game”
“Inherent Vice”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Birdman”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Ida”
“Mr. Turner”
“Unbroken”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Inherent Vice”
“Into the Woods”
“Maleficent”
“Mr. Turner”
BEST EDITING
“American Sniper”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Whiplash”
BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
“Foxcatcher”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
“Into the Woods”
“Mr. Turner”
BEST SCORE
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
“Mr. Turner”
“The Theory of Everything”
BEST SONG
“Everything Is Awesome from “The Lego Movie”
“Glory” from “Selma”
“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights”
“I’m Not Going to Miss You” from “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”
BEST SOUND EDITING
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“Interstellar”
“Unbroken”
BEST SOUND MIXING
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Interstellar”
“Unbroken”
“Whiplash”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
“Interstellar”
“X-Men: Days of Future Past”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Big Hero 6”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Citizenfour”
“Finding Vivian Maier”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“The Salt of the Earth”
“Virunga”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Ida”
“Leviathan”
“Tangerines”
“Timbuktu”
“Wild Tales”
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
“The Bigger Picture”
“The Dam Keeper”
“Feast”
“Me and My Moulton”
“A Single Life”
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
“Joanna”
“Our Curse”
“The Reaper”
“White Earth”
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
“Aya”
“Boogaloo and Graham”
“Butter Lamp”
“Parvaneh”
“The Phone Call”
With the Oscar nominations due to be announced tomorrow, now is the time that the Shattered Lens indulges in a little something called, “What if Lisa had all the power.” Listed below are my personal Oscar nominations. Please note that these are not the films that I necessarily think will be nominated. The fact of the matter is that the many of them will not. Instead, these are the films that would be nominated if I was solely responsible for deciding the nominees this year. Winners are listed in bold.
(You’ll also note that I’ve added four categories, all of which I believe the Academy should adopt — Best Voice-Over Performance, Best Casting, Best Stunt Work, and Best Overall Use Of Music In A Film.)
(Click on the links to see my nominations for 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010!)
Best Picture
Best Director
Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler
Jonathan Glazer for Under the Skin
James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy
*Richard Linklater for Boyhood*
Jean-Marc Vallee for Wild
Best Actor
Macon Blair in Blue Ruin
Nicholas Cage in Joe
Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel
*Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler*
Tom Hardy in Locke
Michael Keaton in Birdman
Best Actress
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin
Angelina Jolie in Maleficent
Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
Emmanuelle Seigner in Venus In Fur
Shailene Woodley in The Fault In Our Stars
*Reese Witherspoon in Wild*
Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin in Inherent Vice
Steve Carell in Foxcatcher
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood
*Gary Poulter in Joe*
Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons in Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress
Patrica Arquette in Boyhood
Laura Dern in Wild
Emma Roberts in Palo Alto
Rene Russo in Nightcrawler
Emma Stone in Birdman
*Mia Wasikowska in Only Lovers Left Alive*
Best Voice Over Performance
Scott Adsit in Big Hero 6
Bradley Cooper in Guardians of the Galaxy
Kate del Castillo in The Book of Life
*Vin Diesel in Guardians of the Galaxy*
Morgan Freeman in The LEGO Movie
Chris Pratt in The LEGO Movie
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Animated Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Casting
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One
Best Editing
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
“Lost Stars” from Begin Again
“The Apology Song” from The Book of Life
“Split the Difference” from Boyhood
“Yellow Flicker Beats” from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One
*”Everything is Awesome” from The LEGO Movie*
“Sister Rust” from Lucy
“Mercy” from Noah
“Hal” from Only Lovers Left Alive
“Rock Star” from Palo Alto
“Summer Nights” from Under the Electric Sky
Best Overall Use Of Music
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
*Fury*
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Best Sound Mixing
*Captain America: The Winter Soldier*
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Best Stunt Work
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
*Dawn of the Planet of the Apes*
Best Visual Effects
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Number of Nominations by Film
14 Nominations — Guardians of the Galaxy
9 Nominations — Boyhood
8 Nominations — Nightcrawler
7 Nominations — Wild
6 Nominations — Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Lego Movie, Under the Skin
5 Nominations — A Field in England, Palo Alto
4 Nominations — X-Men: Days of Future Past
3 Nominations — Birdman, The Book of Life, Capt. America: The Winter Soldier, The Fault In Our Stars, Gone Girl, Inherent Vice, Into the Woods, Joe, Only Lovers Left Alive, Venus in Fur
2 Nominations — Begin Again, Big Hero 6, California Scheming, Dawn of the Planet of Apes, Fury, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One, Maleficent, Snowpiercer, Under the Electric Sky, Whiplash
1 Nomination — Art and Craft, Blue Ruin, Borgman, The Box Trolls, Chef, Divergent, Edge of Tomorrow, Godzilla, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Ida, If I Stay, Illiterate, In Secret, In the Blood, Interstellar, Jodorowsky’s Dune, The Last Patrol, Life Itself, Locke, Lucy, Noah, The One I Love, Pompeii, Private Violence, The Raid 2, Raze, We Are The Best!, Winter’s Tale
Numbers of Oscars By Film
5 Oscars — Guardians of the Galaxy
3 Oscars — Boyhood
2 Oscars — The LEGO Movie, Under the Skin, Wild
1 Oscar — Capt. America: The Winter Soldier, Dawn of the Plaent of the Apes, Jodorowsky’s Dune, Fury, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Into the Woods, Joe, Nightcrawler, Only Lovers Left Alive, Palo Alto, Venus In Fur
Through the Shattered Lens 