Desirae Martinez is a senior mass communications major. She has seen many movies and enjoys commenting about them. Martinez especially enjoys the storyline of films.
By Desirae Martinez
SAN ANTONO—2014 was an ambitious year for movies. Richard Linklater brought his 12-year passion project, Boyhood, to the big screen while Birdman told a backstage Broadway story in a two-hour-long take. Iconic scientists such as Stephen Hawking and Alan Turing were finally brought to the big screen. And Selma and American Sniper covered hot topics such as civil rights and soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. The Academy Awards will honor the best in film on February 22 on ABC at 7:30 p.m. Until then, here are my predictions on the winners.
Best Picture
Nominees:
Selma
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Theory of Everything
Birdman
The Imitation Game
Whiplash
The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Prediction: Boyhood
Twelve years ago, Richard Linklater started an ambitious project with a simple premise about a boy growing up. By using the same actors, we as viewers got to see Mason (Ellar Coltrane) grow up right before our eyes. Given the simple premise, there isn’t much to explain but this isn’t a movie that you have to see to understand. You have to see it to truly feel it.
Best Director
Nominees:
Wes Anderson The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum The Imitation Game
Alejandro G. Inarritu Birdman
Richard Linklater Boyhood
Bennett Miller Foxcatcher
My Prediction: Richard Linklater
Given that Richard Linklater dedicated 12 years to Boyhood it will be no surprise to see him take home Best Director. The fact that he could come back every year and continue Mason’s journey in a logical manner shows his skill as a storyteller. Giving him a run for his money would be Inarritu who shot Birdman to appear as one continuous take (another storytelling achievement for a director).
Best Actor
Nominees:
Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything
Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game
Bradley Cooper American Sniper
Michael Keaton Birdman
Steve Carell Foxcatcher
My Prediction: Michael Keaton
The former Batman made a big comeback this year playing a character that hits close to home. Riggan Thompson (Keaton) is a washed up actor famous for playing a superhero named Birdman who’s trying to reboot his career by putting on a Broadway play. Keaton brings raw emotion to the character and handles Inarritu’s tricky dialogue and pacing like a pro.
Best Actress
Nominees:
Marion Cotillard Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones The Theory of Everthing
Rosamund Pike Gone Girl
Julianne Moore Still Alice
Reese Witherspoon Wild
My Prediction: Julianne Moore
It was a weak year for strong female roles but there’s no denying that Julianne Moore deserves an Oscar for playing Dr. Alice Howland, a linguistics professor suffering from the early onset of Alzheimer’s. Moore’s brave performance not only gets viewers to sympathize for her character but also raises awareness about Alzheimer’s in general.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees:
J.K. Simmons Whiplash
Edward Norton Birdman
Ethan Hawke Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall The Judge
My Prediction: J.K. Simmons
Whiplash has been called Full Metal Jacket meets Julliard because of Simmons drill sergeant antics as music teacher, Terence Fletcher. It’s hard to believe the soft-spoken, wise dad from Juno could pull off being a sadistic tyrant, but he does. Simmons fills every scene with tension for the viewers, almost as if we were the students he’s ready to hurl a chair at.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees:
Keira Knightley The Imitation Game
Patricia Arquette Boyhood
Laura Dern Wild
Emma Stone Birdman
Meryl Streep Into the Woods
My Prediction: Patricia Arquette
The title Boyhood could have been changed to Motherhood and would have still have worked given Arquette’s subtle yet emotional portrayal of a single mother struggling to raise her two children. She goes back to school, marries, divorces, marries again, divorces again, and even inspires a contractor to better his life. All the while she’s always acting in the best interest of her children.
Here are the other 18 categories no one really cares about:
Best Original Screenplay Birdman
Best Adapted Screenplay The Imitation Game
Best Film Editing Boyhood
Best Cinematography Birdman
Best Production Design The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Animated Feature How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Animated Short Film Feast
Best Documentary Feature Citizenfour
Best Documentary Short Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Best Live Action Short Film The Phone Call
Best Foreign Language Film Ida
Best Costume Design The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Makeup and Hairstyling The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Visual Effects Interstellar
Best Sound Mixing American Sniper
Best Sound Editing American Sniper
Best Original Score The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Original Song “Glory” from Selma