Did anyone think the Dolby Theater’s stage contained
Millennium Falcon cues?
I wouldn’t put
it past Disney; look at the picture Dancing with the Stars posted to Facebook
today:
Hmmm...
How did you like the show itself?
My favorite moments:
Lada Gaga and Julie Andrews. For
a brief moment, class returned to the
stage from the Old Guard. I also loved the artwork in the Memorandum montage, but I kinda miss the clips.
How about the host? Neil Patrick Harris was hit and miss for me, sometimes awkwardly flat. It was all downhill after the opening sequence. I've seen worse, however.
Moving on, let’s take a look at the winners…
So, how’d I do last night? About as well as I did at the track the day
before. Maybe better.
Here’s the rundown:
BEST
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Birdman
My Pick: “Hmm…
STORY… I’m going for Budapest, but I
suspect the Academy loves a good play as it does a movie. Birdman for them. I’m okay with either.”
Indeed, the Academy loves a good play.
BEST
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: The
Imitation Game
My Pick: “It’s between The Imitation Game and The
Theory of Everything, and I loved Stephen Hawking’s story. The Academy might go with Sniper just to show
that it’s nuts—disagreeing with itself for publicity.”
Interesting choice from the Academy, so it must
confirm how closely the writers followed the book. Nice knowing the Academy isn't completely nuts as well.
VFX: Interstellar
My Pick: “For
me, Interstellar. The Academy will find
that choosing a superhero movie will just be a hydra. They were all good.”
SOUND
MIXING: Whiplash
My Pick: “Birdman for me again. Great sound, great mix. Felt like a Tom Waits vinyl.”
Can’t disagree with the Academy on their
choice. Between two movies with
drums as part of their soundtracks, I suppose it’s more involved to mix the rest
of a band, especially a big band. I
simply enjoyed the space created in Birdman more.
SOUND
EDITING: American Sniper
My Pick: “Birdman for me. The Academy should pick Birdman on the same
merits. Its sound was delicious.”
And yet, all those varietal small arms clips
accumulate into an Oscar win.
PRODUCTION
DESIGN: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Pick: “The Grand Budapest Hotel, methinks. The Academy might go for Interstellar as a
consolation, but that would be a technical mistake. Mr. Turner for a close second.”
Shame we never know who comes in second. I suppose an Olympics-style podium is in poor taste?
ORIGINAL
SONG: “Glory” from Selma
My Pick: "Selma, and I suspect the same from the
Academy.”
Powerful performance of it last night, but did it
get a little too political during the rap?
I never feel comfortable when people use a bully pulpit during an
artistic awards ceremony. It’s another
Kanye.
ORIGINAL
SCORE: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Pick: “I’m going with The Grand Budapest Hotel
here, although it reminds of the Sherlock score.”
MAKEUP and
HAIR: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Pick: “I’m going with Grand Budapest, but the
Academy might award Foxcatcher’s humongous nose.”
Well they didn’t, fortunately.
FOREIGN
LANGUAGE FILM: Ida
My Pick: “…saw none.
Shizakoff! I hear Ida is the one
to see.”
Well that confirms it!
FILM EDITING:
Whiplash
My Pick: “I’m going to go with Boyhood even though I
disliked the film. A close second for
Whiplash. The Academy might choose the
same.”
I’m quite relieved, actually. For me, Boyhood was the Pontiac Aztek of
Hollywood 2014. Somebody liked it enough to make production.
DIRECTING: Birdman
My Pick: “I’m thinking Alejandro González Iñárritu for
Birdman all the way. I’ll take “fresh”
over “solid” and/or clean, methinks.”
Fresh it is!
COSTUME: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Pick: “Oh dear, I just don’t know. It’s between Into the Woods and Budapest
Hotel for me. Budapest, please? The Academy might go for the least obvious in
Vice or possibly Mr Turner, and I would settle for Turner if that be the case.”
Nope—the Academy went for the obvious choice.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Birdman
My Pick: “Tough for me to make a choice while missing
one of the nominees. That said, it’s
still difficult. I’m wavering between
Grand Budapest and Birdman. Ugh! The Academy?
I think they will continue the Birdman bandwagon, further solidifying
the need for late releasing.”
This is becoming my favorite category. I love the innovation angle, and Emmanuel
Lubezki is the back-to-back winner.
(last year – Gravity) Awesome.
ANIMATED
FILM: Big Hero 6
My Pick: I
saw none of these for lack of motivation.
SUPPORTING
ACTRESS: Patricia Arquette
My Pick: “I’d find it impossible not to give Meryl
another award too, but I’m smitten with Emma Stone today. The Academy?
Emma.”
Save one, I blew the actor’s categories. Patricia Arquette was certainly the best part
of Boyhood.
SUPPORTING
ACTOR: J.K. Simmons
My Pick: “I’m rooting for Robert Duvall, but I
suspect the Academy will pick Ethan Hawke or Edward Norton. If I picked a 2nd Place, it’s Mark
Ruffalo.”
Yep—too many edits on The Judge. J.K. Simmons’ win proves that an Oscar win in this particular category is not so much about the role, but how well it’s acted. He was excellent, but the role was just over the
top from my perspective.
BEST
ACTRESS: Julianne Moore—Still
Alice
My Pick: “It’s Reese and Reese alone. They were all excellent, but nobody came
close to Reese. Unless it was
Cotillard? Anyone?”
And that’s exactly what I get for not viewing all
the films beforehand. Alzheimer’s is a
seriously touchy subject, much akin ALS.
No coincidence the best acting awards were portrayals of the diseased. Both were brilliant and eye-opening.
BEST
ACTOR: Eddie Redmayne
My Pick: “For me, it is Eddie Redmayne. His Stephen Hawking was just incredibly
accurate. Thing is, there were four of
these role types nominated this year, and that seems to be a winning formula
for Best Actor lately. It’s why the
award might go to Michael Keaton, and, in that case, I’m completely okay with
it. He was electrifyingly good!”
So happy for Eddie’s win. Must-see performance!
…finally…
BEST
FILM: Birdman
My Pick: “For me it’s a fantasyland tie between Grand
Budapest and Birdman. Both were superb.
For the
Academy, it’s a close race between Boyhood (grr!) and Birdman, but I think the
triumph belongs to Birdman, clearly.”
And so it did!
Fresh, innovative, sumptuous. It’s
an Off- Broadway Tarantino.
Sadly, I remembered a snarky tweet from last
night. “So, the Best Film, made by the
Best Director and shot by the Best Cinematographer, could not produce the Best
Actor.”
Redmayne was just that good, and besides, I think
Keaton said it best: "Look, it's just great to be here. Who am I kidding?
It's great fun."
He’ll be back.
So will Meryl. It’s inevitable.
/T
