Oscar predictions are worth about as much as the paper they are printed on. So, I won’t predict who will win, but I will tell you who I’m rooting for in the main categories:
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
‣ “Everything is Awesome,” The Lego Movie
‣ “Glory,” Selma
‣ “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
‣ “Lost Stars,” Begin Again
‣ “Grateful,” Beyond the Lights
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” from the documentary, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me is so tragic and beautiful and from one of my all-time favorite artists. The song is a moving final piece of work.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
‣ Big Hero 6
‣ The Boxtrolls
‣ How To Train Your Dragon 2
‣ Song of the Sea
‣ The Tale of Princess Kaguya
The fact that The Lego Movie isn’t in this category is staggering, but that aside, I loved The Boxtrolls and felt it was just a bit more on the original side than the standard “superhero origin” story of Big Hero 6.
BEST DIRECTOR
‣ Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
‣ Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
‣ Richard Linklater, Boyhood
‣ Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
‣ Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Alejandro González Iñárritu directed the best superhero movie of the year and coaxed a 4-star performance from Michael Keaton.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
‣ Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
‣ Laura Dern, Wild
‣ Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
‣ Emma Stone, Birdman
‣ Meryl Streep, Into The Woods
Any actress who can successfully pull off the ending for Birdman and do it with that level of sincerity is already a winner in my book. So Patricia Arquette.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
‣ Robert Duvall, The Judge
‣ Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
‣ Edward Norton, Birdman
‣ Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
‣ Robert Duvall, The Judge
Edward Norton creates a character of pure ego, while at the same time a character of such passion to give of himself on the stage, some of his best work.
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
While I don’t think anyone set the world on fire in this category, let’s all root for Reese, because well, “You have a baby… in a bar.”
BEST ACTOR
‣ Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
‣ Michael Keaton, Birdman
‣ Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
‣ Benedict Cumberbatch, he Imitation Game
‣ Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Bradley Cooper was great; Michael Keaton has been grabbing awards left and right for his work. Tough call, but I am going to go with Cooper who had a huge range emotionally and physically to pull off. The role was career making for him.
BEST PICTURE
‣ American Sniper
‣ Birdman
‣ The Grand Budapest Hotel
‣ The Theory of Everything
‣ Whiplash
‣ Selma
‣ Boyhood
Birdman was the best film here, I would love to see something this inventive and original take home the big win.
James Halcomb is a self-described “desk jockey” at the University of Kentucky Hospital. The Lexington resident has spent much of his 40 years of life with his nose in a book, his eyes staring at a screen, ears covered by earphones or his mouth stuffed with food. As a result, he is an avid film nerd, TV geek, food snob and book buff. He is a member of the Appalachian Writers Association and contributing writer for The Good Men Project. He somehow lucked into meeting the love of his life, Tammy, and married her. They have a 5-year-old-son, Quinn.