Oscars 2015 — Highlights and Low Points, Plus All the Winners

Posted on February 23, 2015 at 12:19 am

It’s kind of unfair that Neil Patrick Harris is so good at so many things, but it sure does make him the ideal Oscar host. Showing the same grace, wit, charm, and star power he brought to the Tony and Emmy awards shows, NPH has made hosting an art form. Opening with a musical number that was almost magical, he appeared in scenes from great movies and not-great ones as well (“Clue?”). Anna Kendrick’s sweet soprano and Jack Black’s “School of Rock” voice-shred provided just the right mix of sugar and spice. As the show went on, he was occasionally out of synch with the mood of the moment, but overall, he did very well.

Best acceptance speeches: J.K. Simmons, for his tender appreciation of his family. He’s right — call home, everyone. And Graham Moore telling all the kids who feel weird that he felt weird, too. It’s always dicey to get political at the Oscars, but it was heartening to see Meryl Streep’s response to Patricia Arquette’s call for pay equity and to hear John Legend and Common on the continuing injustice of our society. Graham Moore’s emotional memory of attempting suicide as a teenager because he felt so isolated and weird was raw, real, and inspiring. Somewhere listening was a kid who feels weird today and will be accepting an Oscar ten years from now who needed to hear that.

Best use of pearls: the dresses of Lupita Nyong’o and Felicity Jones were exquisitely lovely

Best red carpet idea: #Askhermore

Best production number: “Everything is Awesome” lived up to its name. I liked the LEGO Oscars, too. The “Glory” re-creation of the march across the bridge was dignified and powerful.

Best comeback: John Travolta, who was gracious about being ribbed by Neil Patrick Harris and Idina Menzel for the way he bumbled her name last year. “It’s not like it’s going to follow me the rest of my life,” she said. “Tell me about it,” he replied.

Best quote: “Artists are the radical voice of civilization.” Harry Belafonte, quoting Paul Robeson (in a pre-taped segment). Runner-up: “A single person is missing for you and the whole world is empty.” Meryl Streep quoting Joan Didion

Best “I Told You So” moment: Yes, Lady Gaga can sing. And wasn’t it wonderful to hear Julie Andrews say, “Dear Lady Gaga?”

Most touching moment: tears on the cheeks of David Oyelowo and Chris Pine after the very moving “Glory”

Didn’t need to hear about: Neil Patrick Harris’ Oscar predictions and underwhelming reveal

Worst dress: Naomi Watts, especially from the back

Best reference to Michael Keaton’s tighty-whiteys: Alejandro González Iñárritu Worst: Neil Patrick Harris

Best Picture
“Birdman”

Best Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”

Best Actress
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”

Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”

Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”

Best Original Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, “Birdman”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Ida”

Best Documentary Feature
“CITIZENFOUR”

Best Animated Feature
“Big Hero 6”

Best Film Editing
“Whiplash”

Best Original Song
“Glory” from “Selma” (written by Common and John Legend)

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”

Best Costume Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Best Production Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Best Sound Editing
“American Sniper”

Best Sound Mixing
“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects
“Interstellar”

Best Short Film, Live Action
“The Phone Call”

Best Short Film, Animated
“Feast”

Best Documentary, Short Subject
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”

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Julianne Moore and Patricia Arquette — Why We’re Rooting for them on Oscar Night

Posted on February 18, 2015 at 11:02 pm

No one is smarter about actors and Oscars than Susan Wloszczyna, and I was honored to be included in her latest Big O piece about front-runners Julianne Moore and Patricia Arquette, and why wins for the two of them will be especially satisfying.

But what will make a triumph for Moore even more satisfying is that the 54-year-old actress, who has been nominated four times before with no Oscar to show for her efforts (and probably should have had a fifth nod for 2010’s “The Kids Are All Right”), is considered long overdue. She hasn’t even been in the race since 2002.

Meanwhile, 46-year-old Arquette — a member of a high-profile acting clan who made her film debut in 1987’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3” — has never gotten the recognition she deserves for her standout roles in such films as 1993’s “True Romance,” 1994’s “Ed Wood,” and 1996’s “Flirting With Disaster.” She has been better served as the star of the TV series “Medium,” which aired for seven seasons starting in 2005 and won her an Emmy.

As for Arquette’s role in “Boyhood,” in which she plays a devoted mother determined to better her position in life, it is essentially a lead and probably the most substantial showcase for her talent that she has ever had. That alone practically assures that she will not go away empty handed.

Fingers crossed for both of them Sunday night.

Why the Oscar Almost Always Goes to the Wrong Song

Posted on January 17, 2015 at 8:00 am

The rules governing which songs are eligible for the Oscar are out of date and out of whack. Okay, it’s fine with me if “Everything is Awesome” from “The LEGO Movie” wins this year, first because I love the song and second because I will get to laugh every time I hear the words “Oscar-winner Andy Samberg” (he co-wrote the lyrics). Gosh, if he gets a Grammy, too (the song is nominated), he’ll be halfway to an EGOT!

But nominees often include at least one song no one even remembers because it played over the credits after everyone has gone home. Also because it is completely forgettable. Songs that play an important role in the storyline are often overlooked or ineligible. I was glad to see a terrific article on the A.V. Club by Jesse Hassenger spelling out how wrong the rules are and how absurd the results are because of the strange rules.

For example, take the 74th Academy Awards. One of the five Best Picture nominees was a bona fide musical, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! Most of the film’s songs were mash-ups, covers, and reimaginings of previously existing pop songs, but one had never appeared in a film before: “Come What May,” a crucial romantic duet between Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. But the song was deemed ineligible as an original—because technically, it was first written for Luhrmann’s 1996 version of Romeo + Juliet, only to wind up in Luhrmann’s next film instead. Never mind that “Come What May” never actually appears in Romeo + Juliet or on its soundtrack; the mere intention (and, presumably, some manner of accompanying songwriting registration) was enough to invalidate its obvious centrality to the movie in which it made its actual debut.

On its own, this case would be a frustrating technicality. But taken in context, it seems downright arbitrary. One of the more respectable recent Best Song winners, “Falling Slowly” from Once, appeared on not one but two albums released for general sale well before the movie came out. But while the Academy’s music branch did review this case, they eventually concluded that the movie’s gestation period was protracted enough to make the case that the song being written in 2002 and performed on two different albums since then had no bearing on its eligibility as part of a movie released in 2007. (The two albums on which it appeared were “venues,” in the Academy’s words, “deemed inconsequential enough not to change the song’s eligibility”).

Hassenger makes an important point about the difference between a song that is important to the movie and one that will go over well in the Oscar award television show. “We Are the Best” is a terrific movie about three girls who form a punk group. Their song is a critical part of the movie. ““Hate The Sport” is vital to the bond the characters in We Are The Best! form. It’s catchy not as a pop song, but as a piece of these characters’ lives.” But it is not going to provide a “Let it Go” television-friendly moment. Also, since the movie is Swedish, the nominees’ names would be a bigger challenge than Idina Menzel. The song should be nominated just to let John Travolta try to announce it.

The song I was rooting for this year did not get nominated. In my opinion it is by far the best movie song of the year: “For the Dancing and the Dreaming” from “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” with lyrics by Shane MacGowan (of the Pogues) and music by Jon Thor Birgisson and John Powell. It does everything a song in a movie is supposed to do. It gives the characters a chance to express what is going on and it moves the story forward. And it is gorgeously beautiful and so touching.

Oscar Nominations 2015: Surprises, Disappointments, Predictions

Posted on January 15, 2015 at 10:17 am

This year’s Oscar nominations are out! Most of the expected nominees made it, but there were some surprises and disappointments, especially the omission of the Roger Ebert documentary “Life Itself” and the animated mega-hit “The LEGO Movie,” both of which I expected not just to be nominated but to take home the award. It was good to see a Best Picture nomination for “Selma,” but very disappointing not to see nominations for director Ava Duvernay, star David Oyelowo. I hoped to have seen Angelina Jolie and Jack O’Connell nominated for “Unbroken” and it would have been nice to see Jennifer Aniston nominated for her brave and vulnerable performance in “Cake” and Oscar Isaac nominated for a complex, deeply felt performance in “A Most Violent Year.” I liked “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” especially (of course) the music and production design and the performance by Ralph Fiennes, but would not have given it a Best Picture nomination.

It is a big disappointment to see yet another year with no acting nominations for performers of color, and no women in the director or screenwriter categories.

I was thrilled to see Laura Dern nominated for her effervescent performance in “Wild.” Marion Cotillard is deservedly an Academy favorite, and, like Dern, gave two superb performances this year. So did also-perennial favorite Jessica Chastain, and it was a disappointment not to see her nominated for “A Most Violent Year.” And so did Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who was incandescent in two films, “Beyond the Lights” and “Belle” and deserved nominations for both.

My predictions for the top awards are: “Boyhood” for Best Picture and Richard Linklater for Best Director, Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything” for Best Actor, Julianne Moore for “Still Alice” for Best Actress, J.K. Simmons for “Whiplash” for Best Supporting Actor, and Patricia Arquette for “Boyhood” for Best Supporting Actress

Here are the nominees:

BEST PICTURE

American Sniper

Birdman

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

Selma

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

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 DIRECTOR

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman

Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Big Hero 6

The Boxtrolls

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Song of the Sea

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

BEST FOREIGN FILM

Ida, Poland

Leviathan, Russia

Tangerines, Estonia

Timbuktu, Mauritania

Wild Tales, Argentina

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Birdman, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo

Boyhood, Richard Linklater

Foxcatcher, E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman

The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness

Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

American Sniper, Jason Hall

The Imitation Game, Graham Moore

Inherent Vice, Paul Thomas Anderson

The Theory of Everything, Anthony McCarten

Whiplash, Damien Chazelle

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The imitation Game

Interstellar

Mr. Turner

The Theory of Everything

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Everything is Awesome, from The Lego Movie

Glory, from Selma

Grateful, from Beyond the Lights

I’m Not Gonna Miss You, from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me

Lost Stars, from Begin Again

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 DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

CitizenFour

Finding Vivian Maier

Last Days in Vietnam

The Salt of the Earth

Virunga

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Joanna

Our Curse

The Reaper (La Parka)

White Earth

BEST FILM EDITING

American Sniper

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

Whiplash

BEST MAKEUP AND 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 ANIMATED SHORT FILM

The Bigger Picture

The Dam Keeper

Feast

Me and My Moulton

A Single Life

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM

Aya

Boogaloo and Graham

Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak)

Parvaneh

The Phone Call

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

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Susan Wloszczyna on the Prospects for Women at the Oscars

Posted on November 18, 2014 at 3:57 pm

My friend and fellow critic Susan Wloszczyna is covering the run-up to the Oscars for Women and Hollywood, and I particularly appreciated her thoughtful essay on the prospects for women nominees this year. Noting that only one woman has ever won the Best Director Oscar (and only a handful have been nominated), we may see some improvement as both Angelina Jolie (“Unbroken”) and Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) are likely to be nominated. She continues:

here are two other Oscar categories where women are also chronically under-represented, even though they have twice as many chances to appear on the ballot: adapted and original screenplay.

Since 1929, women — both solo and as co-writers — have won Academy Awards for an adapted screenplay just 10 times. Ruth Prawler Jhabvala triumphed twice, for 1985’s A Room With a View and 1992’s Howards End, and Phillipa Boyens and Fran Walsh, with director Peter Jackson, shared the honor for 2003’s Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

As for original screenplay, a category that began in 1940, women have taken the Oscar just seven times — three as co-writers and four solo….This year, sadly, only one script by a woman is seen by Oscar pundits as a likely candidate to make the ballot.

That would be Gone Girl, the psychological thriller based on the literary blockbuster by Gillian Flynn. The best-selling author wisely included a clause in her film-option deal that she would get first dibs on doing the initial draft of the screenplay. Instead of the studio simply placating her wishes, then shoving her aside — as is often the case — director David Fincher (The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) used his considerable industry clout to keep her on board through the whole process.