Welcome to Beyond The Trailer’s coverage of the 2015 Academy Awards, giving you an
in-depth look at the top categories - where, for the first time in a long time, it’s
actually difficult to choose a favorite. So I’m here to give you the inside track on
the nominees, after which you’re invited to vote in Beyond The Trailer’s annual Oscar
poll via the link in the video description. Now let’s take a look at the first half
of the eight nominees for Best Picture...
When the nominations were first announced, it seemed that no AUDIENCE favorites had made
the cut. Would this year’s Oscars be a quiet, quaint and quirky telecast - with the Hollywood
elite and cinephiles golf clapping the winners? Uh, no. Because as soon as American Sniper
went wide, all hell broke loose. Suddenly not only do mainstream audiences have a horse
in this race, but conservative audiences to boot. Will Fox News be covering the Oscars?!
They sure will, because no matter what side you’re on THIS is the big Oscar story, like
Lupita Nyong’o vs Jennifer Lawrence, Black Swan and Avatar before it. And to make things
even more interesting, clearly Hollywood - or at least The Academy - didn’t have a problem
with American Sniper until it broke a bunch of box office records. Back when it was simply
a Bradley Cooper, Clint Eastwood war movie, they gave it SIX nominations. But now that
it’s turned Chris Kyle into the new Davy Crockett? Largely anti-war Hollywood will
either take a stand, or extend an olive branch to the Middle Americans who usually don’t
go to the movies - just in time for Summer 2015. It’s also worth noting that The Academy
loves a good war movie and hasn’t given one the win since The Hurt Locker in 2009.
And to give the win to a movie that’s become a cultural phenomenon? The Academy might not
be able to resist the opportunity to remind the world that yeah, we did that...
But some say that Hollywood itself is war, as fighting for what one believes in creatively
takes its own emotional toll. And before The Golden Globes and American Sniper, it seemed
that this years Oscars were a two picture race. It doesn’t seem that way anymore,
and Birdman - like its main character Riggan Thomson - finds artistic recognition now perilously
hanging in the balance. It did just win the SAG equivalent of Best Picture, yet that’s
been about fifty-fifty when it comes to determining the eventual Oscar winner. Birdman is tied
with The Grand Budapest Hotel for the most Oscar nominations, a very good sign - although
Alejandro Inarritu is not an Oscar darling. Amores Perros and Biutiful were nominated
for Best Foreign Language Film, and Babel for Best Picture - but all three films walked
away empty handed. Now Birdman won’t go home empty handed, but the odds are much more
in its favor when it comes to Best Actor, Best Screenplay and perhaps even Best Cinematography.
Inarritu’s next film The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, is also expected
to be a heavy awards contender next year, and Birdman could simply put him in position
for a win there...
Ah, the other half of that supposed two picture race. Now that the field of frontrunners has
expanded, Boyhood actually finds itself in a slightly better position than Birdman with
its Golden Globes win for Best Picture Drama. However, The Academy likes to distribute the
wealth so to speak, and Boyhood’s almost certain lock on both Best Supporting Actress
and Best Director could hurt it here. Yes, The Academy feels that as long as a film can
label itself “Oscar Winner”, their work is done, specifics be damned. Now some could
argue that being a summer release hurts Boyhood’s chances of taking the top prize, yet The Hurt
Locker, Slumdog Millionaire, Crash and Gladiator were also summer releases. At the end of the
day, besides the whole spread the wealth angle, it all depends on the narrative of the year.
12 Years a Slave was about Hollywood finally recognizing a homegrown holocaust, Argo was
a celebration of the power of movie as well as a comeback for Ben Affleck while The Artist
and The King’s Speech were about...how Harvey Weinstein is a brilliant Oscar campaigner.
So are Academy voters feeling a year that reminds us white guys don’t lead as charmed
and easy a life as the media would have us believe?
Before The Golden Globes, The Grand Budapest Hotel had closed up shop for the winter. Released
all the way back in March, Wes Anderson’s cheeky romp had been an early front runner
yet faded into the background when awards season hit. But while Harvey Weinstein is
the Oscar whisperer, Scott Rudin knows how to catch Oscar’s eye as well - The Hours,
The Social Network, True Grit, Moneyball, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Captain
Phillips all received Oscar noms for Best Picture, with No Country for Old Men winning
the award for him outright in 2007. So The Grand Budapest Hotel is not only Rudin’s
horse in this race, but will perhaps allow The Academy to recognize Wes Anderson’s
work - one of the most prolific and unique talents to ever come out of Hollywood. Anderson
has been making movies for over fifteen years, a darling of the film elite, yet he has never
won an Oscar. And fascinatingly, while Boyhood might not win Best Picture because it’s
so strong in other categories, because The Grand Budapest Hotel is so weak in its other
categories it might win Best Picture! Furthermore, if The Academy is looking to avoid controversy,
Anderson’s film is so light and sweet - yet still undeniably well-crafted - that it’s
a pick sure not to offend anyone.
And that’s the first half of the 2015 Best Picture nominees! Which films are you rooting
for, and which are you rooting against? Be sure to leave your comments down below, as
well as vote in Beyond The Trailer’s annual Oscar poll via the link in the video description.
And there’s a write in section if you feel anyone got snubbed... I’m Grace Randolph,
and I hope you’ll check out the rest of BTT’s Oscar coverage - right now!