My Oscar Predictions and Wants

Here it is, it's the big one. The Award show that every one who loves films will watch, anyone in the film industry will watch and anyone wanting to slag off a gorgeous actresses' fashion choice will watch.  It's the 87th Academy Awards! Before I give my opinion I must admit something; I haven't seen all the films I am about to talk about. However, I have seen all the trailers so that's kind of the same thing.

BEST PICTURE

"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Whiplash"

For me one of the best films of the year has been snubbed. I thought 'Wild' starring Reese Witherspoon was completely ignored. It was a beautiful film, amazing locations, a deep emotional story and outstanding performances. Anyway, the winner of this category has to be 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' - it was absolutely stunning. It made me laugh, made me emotional and my days the cinematography was unmatched. I also wouldn't be mad if 'Boyhood' won, if we want to award a film then we have to take in consideration the process it took. This film took 12 years to create after the genius idea of using the same actors throughout the years was thought up.  Instead of these different places of time having to be created for the screen, the director used the actual time.

BEST ACTOR

Steve Carrell, "Foxcatcher"
Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

I have to give it to Eddie Redmayne for this one, in what could be described as a boring film with an unlikeable list of characters he shone! His transformation into Prof. Stephen Hawking was exceptional, I have to admit I got lost in the character, I didn't see Eddie anymore and guess that was the point, so job well done there. He is going to be a legendary British actor in years to come, I can see it now - plus that face is a bit oosh! I talked about 'Wild' been snubbed before so I might carry on the trend. A couple of actors who I believe were snubbed are Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell for their work on 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'. Stay with me here, I know they played almost non speaking apes but they were amazing! Think about it, they played apes to the point that it was hard to even consider that apes weren't used. I know it was heavily reliant on CGI but at the end of the day it was Serkis and Kebbell doing the work, the computers added fur and an ape face to it. The Academy has to start recognising these types of acting as worthy of an award.

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"

I think we all know Julianne Moore will win this, I mean she should start looking for a safe route towards the stage and have a speech prepared now - with none of this 'I wasn't expecting this' crap. She is an outstanding actress and someone I hope to be as I grow up. Anyway, I don't think we should discredit Reese Witherspoon quite so fast. In my opinion she gave one of the best performances of the year and as an actress she really pushed herself. It was her alone on the screen most of the time, telling this amazing story of growth and escape. Plus I have only seen the trailer to 'Cake', and I absolutely love all the attention it has brought to Jennifer Aniston but it would have been lovely for her to get a nod. As the Millennial Generation it would be great to see the star of one of the shows that made my childhood finally be recognised for something other than Rachel Greene.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Having only seen one of these films I can only give the award to Ethan Hawke, and it is completely deserved; he dedicated 12 years to this film playing the same character. He was believable as the father of 3 who loves his kids and just wants them to be great. I do however feel like Tony Revolori as 'Zero' from 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' was snubbed. As a newcomer in a star studded cast he really shined, his dry approach to the role shouldn't be taken for granted, he made this character great, loveable and the perfect sidekick to Ralph Fiennes.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, "Wild"
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

This is like Sophie's choice (get it? Meryl won the Best Actress award for that character. I'm hilarious). I have love for all these women. They are all titans of the field. I have reasons why all these actresses should win.
Patricia - Amazingly cast as the mother of two, struggling with bad relationships, bettering herself through education and showing us how great an actress she truly is.
Laura - what isn't to love? I think this character almost mirrors who she really is. She is loveable, kind, warm human being.
Keira - British pride once again, loved her from 'Bend it like Beckham' all the way to today, she will be a gracious winner. However she is preggers so she already has her prize this year.
Emma - I yelped like a girl when I found out she was nominated. Why she wasn't nominated for 'Easy A' I will never know. Love this girl.
Meryl - One more for the cabinet it seems. When isn't she nominated? She could take a year off, make a Vine video and be nominated for Best Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Make-up and Costume. This woman is a gift to the entertainment world.
All this been said, I think it is Patricia's year. And well deserved it would be.

So those are the main awards that we will all be talking about and my opinions. I am almost always wrong when it comes to these awards, but if every other award show tells us anything we can pretty much guess who will win.

Here are some other winners I would love to see this evening.

BEST DIRECTOR

Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Robert Yeoman, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST FILM EDITING

Sandra Adair, "Boyhood"

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Adam Stockhausen (Production Design) and Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration), "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Milena Canonero, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"I'm Not Gonna Miss You," by Glen Campbell, "Glenn Campbell: I'll Be Me"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher, "Interstellar"

Craig's Movie Club - A Trilogy

Roll up, roll up and gather round and take a look at this; I've only gone and watched some more films! And of course I want to impart my knowledge on any folk that may read this. Once again there were some hits and misses, some that thrilled and some that left me comatose. So lets get underway as I have some insight into 5 films that I bet you are dying to know. Once again - spoiler alert.

300: Rise of an Empire
I loved '300' I really did. It was violent, bloody and featured 300 buff, half naked gentlemen (sounds like a great night in). When I heard there was to be a sequel I was a tad excited. Except this isn't a sequel, or it kind of is - stay with me. It runs along side the original whilst also telling us what happened before and after. One thing you can not take away from the creators of the these films is just how god damn beautiful they are. Every shot has something to make your eyes widen in appreciation. Every square centimetre of the screen has been thought out and it is awe inspiring.
One of the many things I like in my films is a kick ass female. This film has two so you can understand my love for the film. My love for Lena Headey goes past Game of Thrones and The Purge - I think she is gorgeous and has an air of perfection about her. She doesn't disappoint in this film reprising her role of Queen Gorgo Then step forward Eva Green, an actress that doesn't really appear in a lot of stuff I watch, as Artemisia. A woman with vengeance on her mind and the skills to pull it off. I can't celebrate this film more, I thought it was great, beautifully shot, the special effects weren't in overkill and the actors were all stunning and talented.

12 Years a Slave 
I wasn't too sure about seeing this film for a few reasons. I knew it was an important film to see, it told a story that needed to be told and it gave an audience to a topic often held in a state of taboo. Back in the day times were awful and sometimes we don't always want to be reminded what our ancestors did, it can be shameful and uncomfortable. However I went and watched the film. It was beautifully made, the acting was top notch and I came away with an education. Some scenes were incredibly hard to watch, and thats a good thing. Two scenes that stick out to me is Chiwetel Ejiofor's character been hung and Lupita Nyong'o's character been whipped. Some could argue that these scenes were too long, we got the point now lets move on, but I applaud the director - he gave truth to a situation that is often cast off as something that 'just happened then'. I can't speak for everyone but whilst I was watching it I was incredibly uncomfortable and I was asking in my head for it to be over - I am glad they were that long though, it was necessary.
You can't talk about this film and not mention Lupita Nyong'o. She plays a young woman slave called Patsy. She is abused, used and understandably a very unhappy character. Lupita played her phenomenally. Sometimes in my head I blur fantasy and reality, she did this aswell. It was so well done that I felt like I was watching something real. The scene where she is found sneaking soap was so real and so cutting. Lupita deserved every award she received.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
It is rare these days to find a director with a recognisable style, a director that sticks to an aesthetic and brings the stories in to his world. Wes Anderson is leading the pack when it comes to this. The bright and often plain sets, mixed with very flamboyant costumes and his attention to detail make for a style all of his own. This film does take some thought; its a story within a story within a story. However, don't let this put you off. It is a great story and it had me laughing all the way through.
Ralph Fiennes really carries this film, he should be celebrated for it. He was fantastic as M. Gustave, a hotel concierge who goes above and beyond his duties who finds himself at the centre of a murder. This film is chock full of recognisable actors from Tilda Swinton to Edward Norton. Its also made a star of the young actor Tony Revolori as Zero, he was fantastic in this film with his dry acting style. Wes Anderson's films are always great, but this is probably one of my favourites.

Dallas Buyers Club
I wasn't aware of this story before I saw the film, so it was great that it was finally bought to the masses. It tells the story of a young gentleman who finds out he has AIDs. The medication he needs is not available to him so he sets up a business to buy the drugs from around the world, and he deals them to other sufferers of this terrible illness. This film got a lot of attention from many award shows - and each was deserved. The story is both sad and inspiring.
The performances in this film were second to none. For me Jared Leto was the star, he played a transgender woman called Rayon. He lost a lot of weight for the role which highlighted the stress and struggle this illness can take on the body. His final scene had me in tears, I didn't see the frontman of '30 Seconds to Mars', I saw a woman struggling with an illness that eventually was the end of her. We can't ignore the amazing work of Matthew McConaughey as the lead character, a very well deserved award for Best Actor at the Oscars. He is, like Leto, completely unrecognisable in this role. I don't normally rate much of his work, he has a very distinct style which works for what he normally does, but he blew me away in this role - I tip my feathered hat to you sir.

Her
This film did not get the attention it deserved, it was lost amongst a lot of films this year that had more of a social impact. Ironically in future decades I feel this film could have been a warning for what we are about to become. The bones of this movie is that it follows a man, who just came out of a serious relationship, and falls in love with the operating system of his home computer and phone. The operating system is basically Siri with a personality, and dangerously in this film -  a personality designed to each and every customer personally.
This film is almost foreshadowing what could easily happen and I am sure it may almost has in an extremely small quantity of people. As we become more reliant on technology we will no doubt start to develop feelings for them, give them a personality and it becomes a great alternative to human interaction. In this film we see the start, middle and end to the relationship between Theodore and his operating system Samantha. Its a a great story with a great cast, and I highly recommend it, just don't go in with a pre-conception of this man being a lonely loser. He isn't, he is our future.