Best Oscar Predictions 2015 UPDATE Movies News

Going into the season, only a handful of pre-fall movies had Oscar potential; critics and guild groups kept them in the conversation over the long haul. They include Wes Anderson's well-wrought hit "Grand Budapest Hotel"(Fox Searchlight), which gains points for period but loses some for comedy--and won the Best Comedy Golden Globe.

Similarly, Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" (IFC) has earned critics' kudos for its daring and unique 12-year time travel, but remains a small-scale indie--and summer hit-- that had to sustain itself over a year, from January's Sundance through the long awards slog. So far, so good, as "Boyhood" keeps racking up key wins such as Best Film from the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics and the Best Drama at the Golden Globes. Both films scored with critics groups, SAG and the Golden Globes. Also emerging from Sundance with stellar reviews was intense crowdpleaser "Whiplash," starring breakout young star Miles Teller and character veteran J.K. Simmons, who leads the supporting actor contenders.

'The Imitation Game'

That SPC coming-of-age jazz tale went on to wow Cannes, which yielded more SPC awards contenders: Bennett Miller's precisely directed "Foxcatcher," starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo; Mike Leigh's exquisite period portrait of the great master painter,"Mr. Turner," whose Timothy Spall took home the Best Actor prize and later, won Best Actor from the New York Film Critics Circle but failed to land a BAFTA nom; eventual foreign frontrunners "Wild Tales" (Argentina) and"Leviathan" (Russia) and Wim Wenders' exquisite four-hankie doc contender "The Salt of the Earth." 

Breaking big at both Venice and Telluride, followed by NYFF closing night, was Alejandro González Iñárritu's scabrous and exhilarating showbiz comedy "Birdman," starring superb acting contenders Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Emma Stone (all are collecting key nominations and awards). Telluride debuted three lit adaptations: writer Nick Hornby and director Jean-Marc Vallee's film version of Cheryl Strayed's  "Wild," a mother-daughter drama starring strong actress contenders Laura Dern and Reese Witherspoon (Searchlight); and Weinstein Co.'s World War II code-cracking thriller "The Imitation Game," starring a blazing Benedict Cumberbatch with ace support from Keira Knightley. All three are gaining momentum with critics groups and SAG.

"The Theory Of Everything"

Toronto brought yet another period Brit biopic (catnip for Academy voters: see "The King's Speech") from Working Title/Focus Features, James Marsh's "The Theory of Everything," a two-hander boasting superb performances from Eddie Redmayne --as another genius, physicist Stephen Hawking-- and Felicity Jones as his equally heroic wife Jane. Other performances earned plaudits at TIFF and strong reviews: Jake Gyllenhaal as a Travis Bickle-esque sociopathic news videographer in Open Road's"Nightcrawler" and Julianne Moore as a college professor with Alzheimer's in "Still Alice," which became a must-see the second it was acquired by SPC. Opening nighter "The Judge" (Warner Bros.) yielded mixed reviews overall but positive notices for Robert Duvall in the supporting title role. 

A strong opening nighter at the New York Film Festival was the much-anticipated mystery thriller from David Fincher, "Gone Girl" (Fox), starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, which earned kudos from many critics and went on to score with audiences. Multiple nominations could be ahead, although Fincher failed to land a DGA nod. 

Michael Keaton and Edward Norton in "Birdman"

Opening AFI FEST was J.C. Chandor's follow-up to "All Is Lost," the muted 1980s crime drama "A Most Violent Year," starring an excellent Oscar Isaac ("Inside Llewyn Davis") with solid support from the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain. While initial critical response was upbeat for this rumination on right and wrong in the business world, distributor A24 faces heavy competition in the months ahead--but got a welcome boost when the National Board of Review gave the film its Best Picture of the year.

Also breaking at AFI, with enthusiastic support, was Ava DuVernay's sprawling Martin Luther King biopic "Selma," starring a magnificent David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr. (backed by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo, Brad Pitt's Plan B, Pathe and Paramount) and less rousing, Clint Eastwood's well-made true war story "American Sniper," starring Bradley Cooper in a transformative title role.

Both opened well in limited release on Christmas Day. Indie Spirit Award nominee "Selma" is growing serious awards momentum, despite attacks on its historical accuracy, while mainstream Christmas hit "American Sniper" is picking up strength with the Academy steak eaters, with guild nominations from the Art Directors, Writers, Editors and Directors. Both may wind up Best Picture contenders. 

'American Sniper'

Among the usual late-year entries not booked on the fest circuit is original writer James Lapine and "Chicago" director Rob Marshall's lavishly entertaining Disney version of Stephen Sondheim's fairy tale musical "Into the Woods," starring likely supporting actress candidate Meryl Streep and a tuneful ensemble led by Emily Blunt, Chris Pine and Anna Kendrick, which started screening the weekend before Thanksgiving. Tech nods are likely. 

Also most likely to score in tech categories is director Angelina Jolie's late-breaking horrific survivor story "Unbroken," which was savaged by some critics and snubbed by both SAG and the Golden Globes. This handsome biopic of World War II survivor and Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini (rising star Jack O'Connell) in the tradition of "The Bridge on the River Kwai," adapted by William Nicholson, Richard LaGravenese and the Coen brothers from Laura Hillenbrand's bestseller and shot by 11-time nominee Roger Deakins, is more commercial than Oscar-bound.  

'Selma'

Nominations are listed below in alphabetical order. As always, no movie will be listed as a frontrunner unless I have seen it. 

Best Picture

• "American Sniper"
• "Birdman"
• "Boyhood"
• “The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Nightcrawler"
• "Selma"
• "The Theory of Everything"
• "Whiplash"

Actor

• Benedict Cumberbatch "The Imitation Game"
• Jake Gyllenhaal "Nightcrawler"
• Michael Keaton "Birdman"
• David Oyelowo "Selma"
• Eddie Redmayne  "The Theory of Everything"

Actress

• Amy Adams "Big Eyes"
• Felicity Jones "The Theory of Everything"
• Julianne Moore "Still Alice"
• Rosamund Pike "Gone Girl"
• Reese Witherspoon "Wild"

Supporting Actress

Frontrunners:

• Patricia Arquette "Boyhood"
• Jessica Chastain "A Most Violent Year"
• Keira Knightley "The Imitation Game"
• Emma Stone "Birdman"
• Meryl Streep "Into the Woods" 

Supporting Actor

• Robert Duvall "The Judge"
• Ethan Hawke "Boyhood"
• Edward Norton "Birdman"
• Mark Ruffalo "Foxcatcher"
• JK Simmons "Whiplash"

Director

• Wes Anderson "The Grand Budapest Hotel" 
• Clint Eastwood "American Sniper" 
• A.G. Iñárritu "Birdman"
• Richard Linklater "Boyhood"
• Morten Tyldum "The Imitation Game"

Original screenplay

• Wes Anderson "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman "Foxcatcher" 
• Dan Gilroy "Nightcrawler"
• A.G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo "Birdman"
• Richard Linklater "Boyhood"

Adapted screenplay

• Damien Chazelle "Whiplash"
• Gillian Flynn "Gone Girl"
• Nick Hornby "Wild"
• Anthony McCarten "The Theory of Everything"
• Graham Moore "The Imitation Game"

Animated Feature 

• "Big Hero 6"
• "The Boxtrolls"
• "How to Train Your Dragon 2"
• "The LEGO Movie"
• "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya"

DONT MISS:  2015 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture

Animated Short

• “The Bigger Picture,” Daisy Jacobs, director, and Christopher Hees, producer (National Film and Television School)
• “Coda,” Alan Holly, director (And Maps And Plans)
• “Duet,” Glen Keane, director (Glen Keane Productions & ATAP) 
• "Feast," Patrick Osborne, director, and Kristina Reed, producer (Walt Disney Animation Studios
• “Symphony No. 42,” Réka Bucsi, director (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest)

Documentary Short 

• "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1” (Perry Films)
• “Joanna" (Wajda Studio) 
• “The Lion’s Mouth Opens” (Tree Tree Tree)
• “One Child" (New York University)
• “White Earth" (Weary Traveler)

Documentary Feature

• "Citizenfour"
• "Keep on Keepin' On"
• "Life Itself"
• "Tales of the Grim Sleeper"
• "Virunga"

Live Action Short 

• “Aya,” Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis, directors (Chasis Films)
• “Baghdad Messi,” Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Kobe Van Steenberghe, producer (a team productions)
• “Boogaloo and Graham,” Michael Lennox, director, and Ronan Blaney, writer (Out of Orbit)
• “Carry On,” Yatao Li, director (Rochester Institute of Technology)
• “The Phone Call,” Mat Kirkby, director, and James Lucas, writer (RSA Films)

Cinematography

• Roger Deakins "Unbroken"
• Óscar Faura "The Imitation Game"
• Emmanuel Lubezki "Birdman"
• Dick Pope "Mr. Turner"
• Robert D. Yeoman "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Film Editing

• "American Sniper"
• "Birdman"
• "Boyhood"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Whiplash"

Foreign Language Film

• "Force Majeure" Ruben Ostlund (Sweden)
• "Ida" Pawel Pawlikowski (Poland)
• "Leviathan" Andrey Zvyagintsev (Russia)
• "Timbuktu" Abderrahmane Sissako (Mauritiana)
• "Wild Tales" Damian Szifron (Argentina)

Costume Design

• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "Into the Woods"
• "Mr. Turner"
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel" 
• "Maleficent"

Production Design

• "Birdman"
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "Maleficent"
• "Mr. Turner"
• "Unbroken"

Original Score

• Alexandre Desplat "The Imitation Game"
• Jóhann Jóhannsson "The Theory of Everything"
• John Powell "How to Train Your Dragon 2" 
• Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross "Gone Girl"
• Hans Zimmer "Interstellar" 

Original Song

• "Big Eyes" (Lana Del Rey and Daniel Heath, "Big Eyes")
• "Everything is Awesome" (Shawn Patterson, Tegan and Sara, "The LEGO Movie") 
• "Glory" (John Legend and Common, "Selma") 
• "Lost Stars" (Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois, Keira Knightley, "Begin Again")
• "Miracle" (Coldplay, "Unbroken")

Makeup and Hairstyling

• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "The Theory of Everything"

Sound Editing

• "American Sniper"
• "Birdman"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "Interstellar"
• "Unbroken"

Sound Mixing

• "American Sniper"
• "Birdman"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "Interstellar"
• "Unbroken"

Visual Effects

• "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
• "The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies"
• "Interstellar"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "Maleficent"
  
  Orginal Post Source: indiewire