Best Picture — Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole (Birdman) Director — Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman) Actor — Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) Actress — Julianne Moore (Still Alice) Supporting Actor — J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) Supporting Actress — Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) Original Screenplay — Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel) Adapted Screenplay — Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) Animated Feature — Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold (How to Train Your Dragon 2) Foreign Language Film — Ida Documentary Feature — Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky (Citizenfour) Cinematography — Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman) Production Design — Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock (The Grand Budapest Hotel) Costume Design — Colleen Atwood (Into the Woods) Makeup and Hairstyling — Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier (The Grand Budapest Hotel) Film Editing — Sandra Adair (Boyhood) Original Score — Jóhann Jóhannsson (The Theory of Everything) Original Song — John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn (“Glory,” Selma) Visual Effects — Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, Scott Fisher (Interstellar) Sound Editing — Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman (American Sniper) Sound Mixing — John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, Walt Martin (American Sniper) Documentary Short — Aneta Kopacz (“Joanna”) Animated Short Film — Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (“The Dam Keeper”) Live Action Short Film — Matt Kirkby and James Lucas (“The Phone Call”)
It’s that time of year again. You’ve watched dozens of movies, you’ve seen plenty of “For Your Consideration” ads, and you’ve heard everyone’s reasons why one film or another deserves to win. There’s a lot going through your mind; maybe you’re confused. No worries. Once again, Limité’s Film Team is ready to step up with its picks in some of the most hotly contested categories. Read below, then mark your ballots with confidence.
Often, this time of year, Oscar-nominated films attempt to drum up last-minute support with special live events—whether it be a live musical performance by the cast of Frozen or a Mary Poppins sing-along event for Saving Mr. Banks. These events usually highlight an aspect of the film that’s nominated (or would be potentially nominated), which is why I found it interesting that Birdman‘s score was recently performed live in LA during a screening of the film.
Since the film’s release in November, the unique jazz drum score has reverberated in viewers’ minds. The Golden Globe- and BAFTA Award-nominated music by Antonio Sánchez was famously disqualified for Oscar consideration because it samples about 17 minutes of previously recorded classical music (an Oscar no-no). Despite his ineligibility, Sánchez took to his drum kit for the live performance last night at the ACE Hotel. Although the performance does nothing to support the film’s (nonexistent) chances in the Original Score category, perhaps it does help further boost Birdman‘s profile, keeping it top of mind for voters who are currently filling in their ballots. And with only one other film acting as serious competition for Best Picture, Birdman can use the added boost to make it to the Dolby’s stage on Oscar Sunday.
When I heard that a lost Hitchcock film was found, I knew I had to learn more, even if it were a doc, perhaps unlike anything he had previously made. As a huge Hitch fan, I’m looking forward to learning more about the film that researchers only recently uncovered.
Synopsis (courtesy of IMDb):
Researchers discover film footage from World War II that turns out to be a lost documentary shot by Alfred Hitchcock and Sidney Bernstein in 1945 about German concentration camps.
Director: André Singer Screenwriter: Lynette Singer Cast: Helena Bonham Carter (narrator), Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Bernstein Distributor: HBO Documentary Films Runtime: 75 min.
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