The Full Circle

After another year of cinematic treats, with a visual spread ranging from utterly depressing to superbly delightful, we have come full circle and return to the place we once started, to that identical point in time where viewpoints and predictions become fancy games among cineaste and casual viewers alike. Who shall emerge as victors and who shall make their ways through the exit with only a nomination to be hung beyond their names like some coat of arms? The answers are only a few hours away as I make some shots in the dark.

Like stars aligning in the dusky skies, some names were already carved in stone for the winning. For some categories, it is relatively harder to put faces on them and fix the winners. But comparing to previous years, it seems like a familiar walk in the park while we make correct, methodical guesses for the Supporting Actors / Actress categories, and since most award shows prior to the Oscars have locked JK Simmons and Patricia Arquette as the title-holders, we can all shut-up and place our bets with no questions asked. Unless a major upset is about to happen, I can see no reasons why they might go unadorned, especially with an electrifying performance by Simmons, playing the sadistic, foul-mouthed jazz director in Whiplash, a movie which is beautifully striking by all definitions of the word. It is one of the best independent films to come out in years, with an intelligible story unclouded with too many sub-plots (some modern films have fallen into such terrains), moving energetically towards an arresting end which commands both ears and eyes. Recommended for those musically inclined, and for anyone who just wants to see Simmons flexing his arms and do nasty things.

Also amazing are the performances by the five actors in the Best Actor category, though I would gladly trade in a one-dimensional Bradley Cooper anytime with either David Oyelowo (Selma) or Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), whose guises are perfectly engaging from the onset. In fact, if you want me to throw out other names, top of the mind would be Timothy Spall (Mr Turner) and newcomer Jack O'Connell (Unbroken). Philip Seymour Hoffman (A Most Wanted Man) could be nominated posthumously, deserving a shout-out for those who have not seen this rare gem of a movie. And as far as snubs are concerned, please look no further than the exclusion of the ever-so-fine Ralph Fiennes, whose exceptional works in Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel is definitely overlooked.

Unable to see Reese Witherspoon in Wild, I can only say with honest conviction that the other four actresses gave powerhouse portrayals; fictional or otherwise. Within that league of strong female players, the one that stood out like a beast is Julianne Moore, playing a woman who suffers an early onset of Alzheimer in Still Alice. Such acting defies words and only an actress of Moore's calibre would be able to express a lot with so little. A minuscule eye movement, a slight gesture, a change in expressions - acting is both a thorough process as well as an in-the-moment improvisation. In retrospective, one can only guess how many takes it took to get the perfect feel and representation. An obvious and relevant instance would be Eddie Redmayne, whose immaculate imitation as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything are so authentic that it seems effortless on his part, and totally heartfelt as a result. Embodied to a tee, producing what seems like a career-defining work, he might just walk away with one of the highest accolades of the night. But the battle is wickedly tough, with the charismatic Michael Keaton in the favorable hot seat, as the Birdman himself might finally get his due as many had expectedly assumed it as a natural fit.

In other categories, we look upon other accolades to conjure murky guessworks. We gather reviews to make our preferences. We seek opinions and also rewatch certain films to see if this one is possibly better than the other one. Opaqueness in guesses can be made more obscure if one had no legal ways of watching all the nominated films, especially in the docs, shorts, and foreign films categories. As such, those pickings are based on a hunch. And the omissions of some great films such as Gone Girl, Foxcatcher, and Selma in the Best Picture race has left people wondering why there is no room beyond the eight that had been included. If the contention needs to be viewed as a taut fight, why not bring it back to the original five? More questions than answers but no answers could ever fulfill queries. Yet, despite all that annoyances and circumstances, I have seen the eight Best Picture nominees and will dissect them accordingly in a concise, 20-word reviews, after which I will conclude this entry with the body of presumptions, alternating them with alternative names to make the list seems a little fuller and complete.

And so, in the celebration of cinematic excellence, who shall rise to accept the coveted award...

American Sniper – A pro-American sentience with a no-holds-barred illustration of what could be factitiously deemed as an act of heroism and counter-terrorism.






Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Keaton soars in a rousing ensemble piece, in which the inventive one-shot trickery makes the affair seems spectral and dreamlike.






Boyhood – 12 years in the making, Boyhood is consummately patched, screened for people who might want to understand adolescence more intimately.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – A concierge, a lobby boy, a painting, a romance – only Wes Anderson can conjure something magical out of these things.






The Imitation Game – Decoding the true meaning of life is relatively harder than deciphering war messages from evil dictator on a daily basis.






Selma – If nothing else, Selma portrays the spunk of true fighters striding in tune with their voices dying to be discovered.

The Theory of Everything – Life is more than just problems and solutions; it’s about questioning answers and learning to live no matter the adversity.






Whiplash – If everyone march to the beats of their drum, the world will be a crazy place with Simmons on podium.


––– PREDICTIONS –––

Best Picture: Boyhood
alt. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Director: Richard Linklater – Boyhood
alt. Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman

Best Actor: Michael Keaton – Birdman
alt. Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

Best Actress: Julianne Moore – Still Alice
alt. Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl

Best Supporting Actor: J. K. Simmons – Whiplash
alt. Edward Norton – Birdman

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
alt. Emma Stone – Birdman

Best Writing - Adapted: The Imitation Game
alt. Whiplash


Best Writing - Original: The Grand Budapest Hotel
alt. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
alt. Mr Turner

Best Cinematography: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
alt. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
alt. Into The Woods

Best Film Editing: Whiplash
alt. Boyhood

Best Makeup & Hairstyling: The Grand Budapest Hotel
alt. Foxcatcher

Best Music (Original Score): The Grand Budapest Hotel
alt. The Theory of Everything

Best Music (Original Song): Glory – Selma
alt. Everything Is Awesome – The Lego Movie

Best Sound Editing: Interstellar
alt. American Sniper

Best Sound Mixing: Interstellar
alt. Whiplash

Best Visual Effects: Interstellar
alt. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Best Animated Feature Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2
alt. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Best Foreign Language Film: Ida – Poland
alt. Leviathan – Russia

Best Documentary Feature: CitizenFour
alt. Virunga

Best Documentary Short: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
alt. Boogaloo and Graham

Best Short Film (Animated): Feast
alt. The Bigger Picture

Best Short Film (Live Action): The Phone Call
alt. Joanna


–––


Winners (correct alternative guesses in green, incorrect guesses in red):

Best Picture: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Best Actress: Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor: J. K. Simmons – Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Best Writing - Adapted: The Imitation Game
Best Writing - Original: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cinematography: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Film Editing: Whiplash
Best Makeup & Hairstyling: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Music (Original Score): The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Music (Original Song): Glory – Selma
Best Sound Editing: American Sniper
Best Sound Mixing: Whiplash
Best Visual Effects: Interstellar
Best Animated Feature Film: Big Hero 6 
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida – Poland
Best Documentary Feature: CitizenFour
Best Documentary Short: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Best Short Film (Animated): Feast
Best Short Film (Live Action): The Phone Call
 

Everything is quite awesome, from the visually playful opening number to the pretty title cards. But at almost 3 hours and 40 mins, what could be left out should be left out to make for a more compact affair. Less can be more. And that predictions gimmick at the end by NPH - maybe a little trying? Mister Simmons would be saying, with a tight fist in the air: "This Oscar is not quite my tempo."