OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
ALEJANDRO G. IÑÁRRITU
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES
LESLI LINKA GLATTER
Homeland, “From A to B and Back Again”
(Showtime)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES
JILL SOLOWAY
Transparent, “Best New Girl”
(Amazon Prime)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
LISA CHOLODENKO
Olive Kitteridge
(HBO)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DOCUMENTARY
LAURA POITRAS
Citizenfour
![2025 Oscars: Can a Late-Breaker Still Win Best Picture? [POLL]](https://www.awardsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/gladiator-350x250.jpg)
Oh, yeah, I should probably re-post my reply to you from the other thread here as well! 🙂
SPOILERS
“Emma Stone? The first time we see her she is aggressively berating a nice old flower shop worker while being toxic to her father during a FaceTime chat.”
She’s very nasty on the surface, but clearly there’s a lot more to her. She’s very nice to her father in a lot of scenes, and very cool with Ed Norton’s character. Given its background, I doubt that character could be any nicer. She’s almost unrealistically nice (though not really), most of the time. You probably have a lot less tolerance for people’s tantrums than I do. Also, apart from Riseborough’s character – Amy Ryan’s and Naomi Watts’. The women are all pretty decent, to say the least. Also, given what I said you before, you can probably deduce that I don’t have nearly as big a problem with the male characters as you do, either, I’m sure.
“Innaritu casts everybody as a douche, and makes no mention that maybe there aren’t ONLY horrible people in show business.”
So, no. The WORST you can accuse him of is FOCUSING on the nasty characters, but that’s normal, I think, because they’re usually the most interesting, in any story. Plenty of other, almost universally beloved, movies do it, and nobody complains.
“He says something to the effect of “fuck you” to his imaginary companion.”
He’s saying “fuck you” to his alter-ego because he doesn’t need it telling him to accept what he is anymore. He’s done that. It’s a “farewell” scene, if you like. Consistent with the theme of liberation present throughout the epilogue.
“The standing ovation after the gunshot already establishes the play is a hit.”
But not if it’s a hit with the critics, which Riggan cares about above all else…
“The very act itself of attempted suicide on stage”
How do you know it’s attempted suicide? I see no proof of this in the movie. It can just as easily be a crazy way for him to guarantee the play is well-received (which, of course, he’d never admit to, because people thinking it was attempted suicide gets him a lot more sympathy, while the other thing might get him into an insane asylum). He knows what people want (in fact, Birdman tells him during his street monologue: “give the people what they want etc.”, which I think is where the idea is born in his mind – and reveals itself in its final form on the roof, when he says he knows what he has to do, or whatever it is he says exactly), so he takes advantage of that to reach his goal of making the play a success.
“None of this needed to be restated”
If the movie ends before, the possibility of him not having died on stage never even enters most people’s minds, I’ll bet, which is one of the reasons why a final scene is needed. Also, the critical reception is never established, like I said. Also, there is no real closure with anything, including his relationship with his daughter, until the final scene. I mean, it’s key in so many ways… it makes the whole movie work.
“Suddenly, in the final shot, Emma Stone’s character is in on something only the audience and Keaton has been in on for the duration. Why pull the rug at the 11th hour?”
Like I said, it symbolizes her acceptance (at least in his mind) of him for what he is. Which is hard to show any other way. Would you rather she just SAID it to him somehow? Does that seem like a plausible thing a character like Emma Stone’s in this movie would do? I don’t think so. Also, wouldn’t you be complaining the movie is too obvious then? Plus, the scene is much more about him than about her. And there’s no rug pulling, since she’s not in on anything – I repeat, it’s ALL IN HIS HEAD (from the second he opens the window, or thereabouts).
“I’ve read that Riggan is actually dead after the cut to black and all of this is one final hallucination where he “gets what he wanted out of this life”
Of course, me too. That works, mostly. I accept it as a valid, though, I would say, thematically less convincing, alternative. But there’s no actual evidence of it being more likely than my interpretation. I thought there was, at some point, but I was remembering a few things wrong, which I noticed when watching the ending again.
“the only evidence that this may be a hallucination is the final look on Emma Stone’s face.”
Again, to me that’s IRREFUTABLE evidence. How else do you explain her exact reaction? I bet I can disprove any theory you can come up with in which that scene is real… except pure randomness, which makes no sense with a director so obsessed with detail.
“If the writers wanted that to be inferred you’d think they would’ve found other ways to indicate that”
Not ways as clever and awesome as that. What’s wrong with being clever?
“Also, how many fucking movies have to have an “Is it all a dream” or “He was actually dead at the end” resolution before we demand something a little less been-there-done-that?”
It’s not ALL a dream. Just the last 2 (according to me) to 10 minutes (or whatever the exact runtime of the epilogue is). Don’t remember that having been done before TOO often…
“The epilogue is made up entirely of used parts”
So, based on everything I’ve just said, I can’t agree with your conclusion above at all.
Claudiu, tell me, can you name one sympathetic character in Birdman? One single person in the whole film that demonstrates that not every person involved in showbiz is a total scumbag? Emma Stone? The first time we see her she is aggressively berating a nice old flower shop worker while being toxic to her father during a FaceTime chat. Zach Galifinakis? He lies to his supposed “best friend” about Scorsese being in the audience and promptly makes a snide remark to Naomi Watts about it (“Yeah and the Pope too!”). He also only gives a shit that the play is a hit at the end and shows very little regard for Keaton’s well-being. Ed Norton? C’mon. Perhaps Andrea Riseborough’s character could have served as an anchor, but she’s first shown as the cliched “actress who sleeps her way into a Broadway role” and then promptly shoved to the margins of the film. Keaton? He is vain, shallow, self-obsessed and callous, and there’s plenty of evidence of past transgressions involving his ex-wife. That is the “problem” I’m referring to that I think gets a pass from everyone and wouldn’t do so if the film weren’t so well-staged. Innaritu casts everybody as a douche, and makes no mention that maybe there aren’t ONLY horrible people in show business. It’s an unfortunate sin of omission on par with Eastwood’s complete non-representation of any sympathetic Iraqi characters or dissenting opinions about the Iraq War in American Sniper.
With regards to the epilogue, what ACTUALLY happens is this: We are told that the play is a hit and the Times critic raves about it being a new form of theater. Keaton has one last moment where he can apologize for being a bad father and husband to his ex-wife and kid. The daughter leaves to get a vase. We have a “symbolic” final encounter with the Birdman in the bathroom and Keaton unveils his new “mask”, aka his new nose. He says something to the effect of “fuck you” to his imaginary companion. Then he sees birds in the sky, steps out on the ledge and then he’s gone. Emma Stone walks in, sees an open window and initially has a horrified look on her face before looking upwards and smiling. The end.
What is wrong with this in terms of storytelling is this: Much of what happens has already been expressed in the film. Keaton’s confessional talk with Amy Ryan on opening night already establishes his regret about the past. The standing ovation after the gunshot already establishes the play is a hit. The very act itself of attempted suicide on stage is already a strong rebuke of himself and the specter of his alter ego the Birdman. None of this needed to be restated, but it wouldn’t make sense to simply cut to a hospital room where Keaton seemingly jumps out a window, or did he because of Emma Stone’s reaction? So they hit a bunch of bullet points a second time simply to get us to this ambiguous conclusion where we’re supposed to say “Wait, did he have powers for real? Is all of this a hallucination? Is he actually dead already?”
I was on board with the magical realism of the super powers throughout the film, and the film even tips its hand several times and shows that all of that clearly is only in Keaton’s head (we see the cab driver he took to get back to the theater complain about not getting paid, we see him manually trashing his dressing room once Galifinakis walks in). Suddenly, in the final shot, Emma Stone’s character is in on something only the audience and Keaton has been in on for the duration. Why pull the rug at the 11th hour? It smacks of ambiguity for ambiguity’s sake, but let’s take some popular theories that have gone around. I’ve read that Riggan is actually dead after the cut to black and all of this is one final hallucination where he “gets what he wanted out of this life., as the Carver quote states at the beginning. He gets a hit play with rave reviews and his daughter sees him as a superhero. That seems vaguely plausible in terms of intent, but in terms of execution of that intent, the only evidence that this may be a hallucination is the final look on Emma Stone’s face. If the writers wanted that to be inferred you’d think they would’ve found other ways to indicate that. Also, how many fucking movies have to have an “Is it all a dream” or “He was actually dead at the end” resolution before we demand something a little less been-there-done-that? It was already getting old when Inception came out the same year Lost ended. I’m not arrogant at all when it comes to film. I’m well aware there are countless other people with greater knowledge than me and therefore more valid opinions, but I do call em like I see em. The epilogue is made up entirely of used parts, and the rest of the film leading up to it felt fresh. Had they cut off right after the standing ovation, I’d have very little in terms of genuine criticism of the storytelling. It would still be a film populated entirely by awful people which reinforces a false impression of what Hollywood types are like, but I’ve liked plenty of other films that exclusively feature unlikeable characters.
Antoinette, just stop taking things I write that are simple obvious facts and then exaggerating my feelings to the point of absurdity and then pretending to be shocked at the absurd paraphrasing you invented.
I wrote a fact: There are some people who sneer at Captain America, think it’s silly, and then those people turn around and swoon over Birdman. – FACT
You twist that into: “How does it follow that if you like BIRDMAN you also think CAPTAIN AMERICA is silly”?
Do you not even see what an underhanded and misleading thing you’ve done there?
There are people who like Captain America and they like Birdman too. You’re one of those people. But I am NOT fucking talking about those people.
I’m talking about people who sneer at CGI flying guys in one movie and then they’re blown away by CGI flying guys in another movie.
my point is So Simple: some of those people seem to think Innaritu is doing something sophisticated while Joss Whedon is doing something childish. I disagree, ok? I judge a movie on how much it entertains me. I judge a movie for what it is. Not by what it tries to pretend to be.
I never said that nobody can like Birdman and Captain America both — so why the hell would you try to nail me on that ridiculous point? I never fucking said that.
It’s annoying as hell, and you do this to me a lot lately. Please cut it out, I’m tired of this dumb bickering over things I never wrote, alright?
yes, I get irritated at you and anyone else who paraphrases me and then tries to back me into a corner to make me justify the dumb oversimplified exaggeration that they falsely attribute to me.
It’s a boring waste of my time. I am asking you: Please stop that shit.
but I would like to know why you keep coming directly after me the way you just did
but I would like to know why you keep coming directly after me the way you just did.
come at you? you addressed a question to me. I answered you.
Ryan, I didn’t say you were talking about me. I said I am a person who likes both those movies. And this is the second time you’ve accused exactly me of getting offended by what you’ve said and I don’t get offended by what you’ve said but I would like to know why you keep coming directly after me the way you just did. Or did I not just read my name a bunch of times in your above comment? When you say things like “Jesus, Antoinette” i assume you’re talking to me as well. Otherwise unless you refer to me directly I don’t assume you’re talking about me.
“just because you think a movie is better and because you might have a lot of critic backup on it, does not make your opinion of that movie mean more than someone else’s.”
This, too.
“Now I want to see Birdman win just so it pisses off Rob Y:)”
Yeah, me too – talk about overreacting…
“I did think that of the nominees for Best Director that Iñárritu did the best job of directing, according to what I think a director’s job is”
Me too.
“Godzilla was plausible insofar as the screenplay made a serious attempt to explain the craziness, and once the movie committed to its premise it respected its own fantastical conceit by remaining cohesive and coherent. None of that can be said about Birdman.”
I respectfully disagree – with the Birdman part. But I’m so over trying to argue in-depth about such things…
“And then all that selfish indulgent mishmash is literally thrown out the window with an ending that betrays every fraudulent puzzlebox mindfuck that went before it.”
I disagree once more.
“Still, even if that weren’t the case, what actually does happen in the epilogue is all kinds of wrong in terms of storytelling.”
I think you meant to say “what I BELIEVE happens in the epilogue” (which maybe isn’t what ACTUALLY happens, if you’ve properly analyzed the many clues before, and during, said epilogue).
“If the film wasn’t as brilliantly staged and performed, I suspect many more of you would notice these things and take issue with them as well.”
You are wrong. The truth is that YOU have issues with Birdman, and see problems that aren’t there for others. It’s just arrogant to presume we can’t see past the technical brilliance, but you can. Also: REALLY good job by the Birdman defenders in this thread, especially (but not only) Alex and Jonathan – I am proud to be on your side, guys! This is what I wanted to see earlier…
“I haven’t been happy with the BP award since Slumdog, but I don’t allow that to ruin the movies and the show for me…”
Good for you, sir!
“It’s a divisive movie, and no guild award can prove the opposite.”
If that’s the case, then Birdman’s PGA win is even MORE worrying for Boyhood – it means Birdman had an overwhelming number of 1st places, or maybe that Boyhood is even MORE divisive, or just less liked. Either way, nothing good…
“I still have a hunch they will annoint Boyhood as Best Picture. BAFTAs tonight will be interesting, but AMPAS doesn’t pay much attention to them.”
You gotta love it when a guy who’s predicting Boyhood admits that “AMPAS doesn’t pay much attention to them” just before Boyhood wins the BAFTAs, so that they won’t then be able to say the BAFTA wins are the only ones that matter, after all. :))
“The only good news for me is that if Birdman wins Picture and Director then Eddie is your Best Actor! Birdman is not winning 3 majors!”
I hope so, but it seems a bit optimistic to think that…
“Why do people still think that their opinion on any BP contender (cue the Birdman hate) has any bearing on the race?”
Good question.
“Then join me, Al, in the somewhat small club that loved both Boyhood and Birdman.”
Can I join too? Birdman is my no.1 and Boyhood my no.4 of the year.
“If Birdman wins BP, it will be at the bottom of my list of 86 BP winners—below Deer Hunter (I really hated that film)”
The Deer Hunter is an excellent winner.
“Get over it people. Birdman is pure cinematic experience and great filmmaking as GBH and Boyhood.
Wes Anderson and Linklater work is not better than Iñárritu this season.”
This.
“was the last film to win BP/BD while losing three or more acting categories Rocky or have I missed one?”
Plenty have lost 2/2 since then, though, so to set the bar at 3 just because Birdman has 3 exactly seems a bit arbitrary… There’s no logical correlation, either. Also, Keaton’s still in it.
P.S.: Sam L. – thank you! Dances with Wolves – I didn’t manage to spot that one myself…
“Last film to win BP / BD with three or less acting wins was The Hurt Locker with no acting wins. Before that, The Departed with no acting wins. Both Slumdog Millionaire and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King received 0 acting nominations.”
:)) Yes, exactly. I’m glad there’s somebody with a little perspective… What the above person is basically suggesting is that Birdman is somehow a WEAKER contender than THL, The Departed, Slumdog (and others) because of the fact that it has MORE acting nominations. 🙂 Wishful thinking taken to the extreme… Seriously, guys – a stat has to have some actual LOGICAL BASIS to be anywhere near valid. Stop it with this nonsense! These are not stats, just trivia answers.
“Literally nothing statistically makes any sense with this race, even Birdman boosters have to see that.”
You’re wrong if you think a Boyhood win makes more statistical sense than a Birdman win. The precedent broken (no PGA/SAG/DGA) would be at least as strong – probably stronger, considering the logic behind it, as opposed to that non-stat people keep mentioning (the comedy Globe thing, which I deconstructed earlier, in another thread – I have it saved and can copy/paste, if necessary), the non-stat with the acting noms above, and the editing nom stat, which clearly doesn’t apply to Birdman as much as other, traditionally edited movies (if it applies at all, that is).
Ryan, your short analysis of Birdman largely summarizes why I think it’s SO GOOD – I think part of the point is that it IS saying something about hypocrisy, right down to the fact that its most elated moments rely on … well … superhero gimmicks.
Alex, that’s a great angle, and it wasn’t lost on me when I saw Birdman the first time. I thought and hoped that it would come across even more strongly on second viewing — I really opened my heart and mind to that idea. It’s for sure part of Inarritu’s intent, and I’m glad that so many people can get off on what he’s doing.
But I’m so jaded or something, I can’t ignore the thing that bothers me that’s right on the surface: it’s a matter (for me) of feeling Inarritu wants to piss on the cake and eat it too. I can’t get on board with him slamming and mocking the very things that his movie relies on for all its impact.
I get what you’re sayimg, that’s all part of the reflexive meta-message. It’s just a little too self-satisfied for me. I’d like it better if it was darker and bleaker. I wish they hadn’t tried to make it so comedic (especially since none of it struck me as very funny 🙁
“The things you hate about Birdman are the things I love about it.”
That’s cool. I could say the same thing to someone who likes country music 🙂 That doesn’t mean nobody should like country music just because I can’t.
(Although I do wish none of the people who like Birdman were Academy members) 🙂
“And FYI American Cinema is from Argentina to Canada. America is a continent.”
Movies from the United States are called American cinema. Movies that come from Canada are Canadian cinema. And movies from Argentina are called Argentinian cinema. Get over it.
@Zooey:
“But sometimes awards just miss opportunities…”
This is true! What a perceptive and honest comment. The “award-giving bodies” have bountiful choices to choose from but they miss a lot of opportunities to reward the “deserving” ones (based on relative judgment).
I think all this general insanity can be easily overcome by everyone simply taking a step back and realizing that the awards race is fun because people have different opinions.
different opinions are fun, yes.
general insanity can be fun too.
🙂
Well I can’t believe I tried watching the BAFTAs Online- and NO LINKS worked. All I could get was the stupid red carpet. How exactly does this work??? I will never again tune into Sunday Online streaming- and will watch the BAFTAs in privacy when they air properly. How is it 2015 and it’s still complicated to download a live fucking stream?
I think all this general insanity can be easily overcome by everyone simply taking a step back and realizing that the awards race is fun because people have different opinions. In fact, the various organizations we follow give out awards with the understanding that the winners could be different. I, for one, wouldn’t care to see a race where every body agreed on the same film, even if there was a clear Schindler’s List or Citizen Kane in the running. What’s the point of that??
I loved Birdman, and Captain America, and XMEN, and Spider Man 2 is one of my favorite movies of all time. You can’t equate liking one movie with hating others.
Jonathan, for you, the artifice works, for me with this film it’s a complete distraction to the point that I hated the film. Very little of it is redeeming.
Criticizing “Birdman” for its artifice is like criticizing oranges for being too citrusy. Artifice is an undeniable part of the cinematic art form, and since its beginnings has been something filmmakers have actively acknowledged and foregrounded in their films. “Birdman” does this like Godard did it (Godard is actually quoted several times throughout the picture). The artifice IS THE POINT. The single take aesthetic serves to disorient us, make us question what is real and what is not when everything is being captured by the same camera without any cuts. If there were cuts, then it would be easier to say “Oh, THAT’S a dream, or that’s being imagined.” Because there aren’t any cuts, all of the film’s fanning realities – performance, authenticity, simulation – are a seamless part of one continuously unfolding reality, and thus you are forced to consider them all as being equally valid.
It boggles my mind how people on this thread are missing what this film is doing. Self-consciousness, self-referentiality, meta-textuality – NONE of this is new. “Birdman” is merely carrying on a great cinematic tradition in exciting ways.
“…Great action movies are beneath their dignity but they’ll eat up a has-been actor flying around NYC like it’s sophisticated creme brulee. And they lick the spoon.” I love you Ryan.
Some have said that Boyhood fans don’t seem to compare the two films without relying on the 12 years it took to film as the central reason it should win.
So here’s my $.02. Birdman is built on artifice. Nothing says it more than the celebrated single shot.
The contrived single shot does little except to distract and make the film seem extremely planned and staged. What is the point to having the film do one long “single” shot? Considering that time elapses between some of the (laughable) edits, it can’t be to create a real time account of Riggan’s life. Why use it? The single shots would have been effective for the stage work sections as acting on stage is literally a single shot. It could be to emphasize the claustrophobia of a theater, but why do it through the film? In general, long single shots are an artificial distraction as much needed choreography between the actors take away from the emotional connection; the audience is somewhat focused on how things maneuver within the scene and not on what is going on. That’s the weakness in Hitchcock’s Rope. Both Touch of Evil and The Player had their single shots in the beginning, and both were designed to establish the mood of the film, afterwards the artifice is abandoned. Cuaron has several in Gravity but there the fluid single shots served to amplify space’s lack of orientation; it also created a sense of urgency within the film as the action was playing out in real time. In addition the POV of the camera moved in 3 dimensional space very on a path with no sharp turns that didn’t have momentum going into it (no jerking to the left, right, up, or down). All that is lost with Inarritu’s need to show the back’s of actors walking down a hall literally bumping into other characters or coming across other characters casually waiting for the focal actor to show up.
There is a long single shot in Boyhood; it appears at the 1:12:57 mark and lasts for about two minutes. Nobody seems to have mentioned it, at least not in what I have read. The reason no one seems to have caught on to it is that it effectively blends into the film. The scene is stripped away of anything other than two teenagers talking. The focus is on that interplay between Mason and the girl trying to figure him out; the focus is on nothing but them. Inarritu’s direction for the camera work on the other hand distracts the viewer as if he’s on screen every so often (like the stupid drummers) to announce “Look at what I can do.” But really, what is more difficult to do: choreographing highly-skilled actors to come and go—acting on cue, or having two young untrained actors walking down an alley carrying on a realistic and effortless conversation?
Linklater does it subtly to create authenticity; Inarritu does it with bull horns blaring to create a DGA Award. I could go on and on why Birdman is a truly awful film or why Boyhood is one of the sublime films of the last decade. But I will leave it here with the use and abuse of the long single shot.
I”m really happy. ‘Boyhood” is a great experience, bur ‘Birdman” is so much deeper and complex. I’m really happy for all that team. They did a masterpiece contemporary!
By the way, I am from México and I really like González Iñárritu’s work throughout the last decade; but Boyhood is WAY MUCH BETTER THAN BIRDMAN! It is the most international film this year – even more international than the ones in the foreign language category. Birdman is really good, but Boyhood is the best film of the year. Let’s see what surprises may the BAFTAS bring us.
Greeting from México!
Oh Boyhood! The sweet kid who died of “bird flu” when he was 12.
“Nobody said anything about getting fooled or being smarter than anybody else.”
“So, I’m not happy Birdman is fooling so many people, and sorry if anyone gets offended… it’s just not brilliant on any level, with the exception of the actors.”
?????
Ryan, your short analysis of Birdman largely summarizes why I think it’s SO GOOD – I think part of the point is that it IS saying something about hypocrisy, right down to the fact that its most elated moments rely on … well … superhero gimmicks.
That being said, I’m rooting for Boyhood to win for a host of other reasons, and honestly I don’t think the Academy will go for Birdman beyond best Actor at this point, even with all the precursor wins.
Also anytime someone says Anderson deserves something I want to completely throw up, but I’ve already gone on that rant on this site.
What an absolute travesty! The first 10 minutes alone of Birdman bored the heck out of me. To think that once upon a time, Best Picture Oscar winners were sweeping epics. Now it’s all about voting for some quirky satire that made them chuckle.
Get a grip people .My favorite movie of the year wasn’t even nominated. It’s better than Boyhood and Birdman and thanks to Harvey Weinstein it wasn’t nominated for anything – The Immigrant .
I’d like to second the predictions for Mad Max: Fury Road to sweep next year:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor (Tom Hardy)
Best Actress (Charlize Theron)
Best Supporting Actor (Nicholas Hoult)
Best Supporting Actress (TBA)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup
Best Original Score
Best Sound Mixing
Best Sound Editing
Best Visual Effects
16 Oscars, shattering the all-time record.
What a lovely day.
Let’s avoid this “Birdman fooling people who want to act snotty” thing,
Christ. It’s YOU who said “fooled” not me. Please stop putting words in my mouth and then throwing a fit over wording that I never wrote.
Don’t whine about strawmen and then try to turn me into one for your own purposes.
FACT: There are people who are snotty about movies with superheros and CGI. If you don’t know any of those people, you’re lucky.
Roberto from Italy, Robert A.
Nobody said anything about getting fooled or being smarter than anybody else. How about you guys cut me a break today by NOT paraphrasing every thing I write until you can twist it into something to be pissed about. I’d appreciate it. Thanks.
Steve – your comment is the best comment of all the comments
How does it follow that if you like BIRDMAN you also think CAPTAIN AMERICA is silly
Try this: How does ANYTHING I wrote say that “EVERYBODY who likes Birdman must automatically think Captain America is silly?”
YOU are the one who carried my simple statement to the extreme. I’m talking about a certain type of person. You’re trying to make it look like I mean everybody. Quit it.
If YOU are one of the people who likes Birdman and Captain America BOTH, then I’m not fucking talking about you.
I am talking about the people who do like Birdman but do not like Captain America.
If you don’t think such people exist, then you’re nuts. Those are the people I’m talking about Antoinette. The same people you scoff at: the elders of the Academy who think great action movies are beneath their dignity but they’ll eat up a has-been actor flying around NYC like it’s sophisticated creme brulee. And they lick the spoon.
Those are the people I’m talking about.
This is the second time this week when I’ve made a specific observation about certain type of person and you’ve insisted oon taking it personally.
I’m not talking about you, alright? If I want to talk about you, Antoinette , here’s what I’ll fuckin do I’ll say , “Hey Antoinette, here’s what I think of you.” And then I’ll tell you.
Stop trying to act like I’m trying to personally offend you every day. it’s boring. I’m sick of it.
“Stephen HAWKING is on the red carpet !! Bad news for Michael Keaton!”
Wait!?! What is Stephen going to do? Michael, watch out!
I have to get offline for a few hours, I want to watch this thing “live” on television. Byeeee.
I think what upsets me most about the comments here is that people seem to say with fact that Boyhood was better Birdman, and that The Social Network was better than The King’s Speech, and that the Academy made a mistake. The Academy can never make a mistake because they are quite literally voting for what they themselves want to win. Isn’t it at all possible that some people just like one movie better than another? And that just because critics have so much consensus on something doesn’t mean that that is the right end-all be-all answer? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE arguing about films and Oscar races, but I also respect someone’s right to like or not like a movie, or perhaps like BOTH movies that we have created a binary competition for. I was in that boat with The King’s Speech and The Social Network. TSN was my favorite movie of that year, but I also loved TKS and was quite happy to see it win. And now I am in the same position with the two movies this year (both in my top 3). Quite simply, if I were a voter I would vote Birdman because I enjoyed it more. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like Boyhood, just like it won’t mean that the Academy doesn’t like Boyhood (if it loses Best Picture). Or The Social Network, or Brokeback Mountain. On the contrary, those movies won pretty major Oscars, and that is what we should be celebrating. Anyway, I’ve gotten way off track. What I came here to say was that just because you think a movie is better and because you might have a lot of critic backup on it, does not make your opinion of that movie mean more than someone else’s. No one can be wrong about what movies they loved, and about what movies they want to vote for.
First of all, my favorite is still WHIPLASH.
Second of all, I think BIRDMAN is a massive achievement from a technical standpoint. Innaritu pairs beautifully with Chivo to deliver an immersive experience, and the acting is across-the-board wonderful, so I can’t ever say Innaritu didn’t perform admirably as a director. In that respect, I won’t begrudge him a win at the DGA, or even the Directing Oscar were things to go that far.
BUT………
BIRDMAN did a few things on a storytelling and thematic level that really turned me off. The first is that I felt it had the perfect ending (gunshot, standing ovation, cut to black), but it kept going for another 10-15 mins. That’s a major pet peeve of mine and admittedly it’s a subjective thing, but I can’t help it when I feel the perfect ending coming and then the film blows its chance. It just completely loses me after that. Still, even if that weren’t the case, what actually does happen in the epilogue is all kinds of wrong in terms of storytelling. We get things spelled out and underlined thematically that didn’t need spelling out or underlining. Then the window bit happens and Emma Stone’s reaction completely confuses the whole superpowers thing after the film has basically (elegantly) explained it several times earlier. It just seemed like an ending they tacked on to try and end on an ambiguous note simply for the sake of ambiguity. I’ll say again now that my disappointment in the ending is greatly compounded by the fact that the film had a MUCH BETTER ending available to it only 10-15 mins earlier.
The other thing that bugged me about the movie was its bitterness. It basically paints everyone on screen with the same toxic brush. Everyone’s an asshole and nobody is worth caring about. This misanthropic view seems to say “This is what Hollywood is. This is what Actors, Directors and Producers are”. Not only is that a fish-in-a-barrel argument that has been made countless times before (and better elsewhere), it just seems too anachronistic to be a valid critique. Innaritu clearly hates the Hollywood machine and clearly has had some bad experiences with actors. But he has probably had wonderful experiences as well. Also, his good friends Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo Del Toro have had great success within the Hollywood apparatus and been able to maintain their artistry while doing so. Could it be that this bitterness in BIRDMAN might come from envy? In any case, this wouldn’t be a problem if only ONE character was presented as something other than a completely shallow, vain, selfish ball of shit. Alas, this is the kind of one dimensional characterization we’re dealing with here.
If the film wasn’t as brilliantly staged and performed, I suspect many more of you would notice these things and take issue with them as well. As it stands, BIRDMAN is not a film I hate, but I find it to be a deeply flawed piece of writing that is rescued by a phenomenal team of filmmakers who elevated it into something people can feel good about praising. That elevation was good enough to place the film in my top 20 (it was tied at number 15 with “Maps To The Stars”) but it also means I cannot endorse a Best Picture win. I like 4 other BP nominees better (WHIPLASH, BOYHOOD, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL and SELMA). But if it does win (looking likely), it will sadly be par for the course. My favorites almost never win.
My favorite Best Picture nominee of every year since I’ve been paying attention:
2013: HER
2012: BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
2011: HUGO
2010: BLACK SWAN
2009: A SERIOUS MAN
2008: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (but ALL of the best movies weren’t nominated this year)
2007: THERE WILL BE BLOOD
2006: LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA/THE DEPARTED
2005: MUNICH
2004: SIDEWAYS
2003: LOTR: RETURN OF THE KING
2002: THE PIANIST
2001: LOTR: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
2000: CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
1999: AMERICAN BEAUTY
1998: LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
1997: LA CONFIDENTIAL
1996: FARGO
1995: APOLLO 13
1994: PULP FICTION
4 times in 20 years my favorite nominee won.
Just curious….Stephen Hawking being on the red carpet….is it really bad news for Keaton? I think Redamyne is pretty far out front….but I question how many voters actually know Hawking will be on the Red Carpet. The Academy can’t even get all the movies watched…I doubt they keep track of who is in attendance.
Seriously Ryan is such a whiny little bitch when he doesn’t get his way…
In the 10 years I’d been reading this site I’ve never told another reader to explicitly go **** himself. I’d like to keep that streak going.
This site is great for the passion of movies, but when you like something other than what the editor like….it is tough to get through sometimes.
🙁 sorry to hear you think that.
your font is the same size on this page as my font.
do you not think I feel outnumbered and out-shouted and out-done by the many fans of Birdman? I’m out here on the fringes with my disdain for it. You guys are getting what you want. Cheer up. (Try to see if you can cheer me up while you’re partying)
“Then join me, Al, in the somewhat small club that loved both Boyhood and Birdman.” Okay Robert A, and Roberto from Italy, done. I have just joined the club. 🙂
OT: The last time I took the personal strenghts test, one of my top 5 strenghts was “Harmony”, which makes a lot of sense. http://www.strengthsfinder.com/home.aspx
Seriously Ryan is such a whiny little bitch when he doesn’t get his way, I feel like rooting for Birdman purely out of spite of his immaturity regardless of how much I enjoyed Boyhood. This may be their website, but Sasha and him are just completely ridiculous when things don’t go the way they want, cry me a frickin river, I haven’t been happy with the BP award since Slumdog, but I don’t allow that to ruin the movies and the show for me…
Birdman is the second best film of the year.
Boyhood is no only the best film of the year but of the decade.
I have almost given up .
The results of the Bafts won’t effect the oscars but I still would love to see boyhood win best picture and director.
There is always a possibility that boyhood could still win bp and or Bd but it’s slim.
I’ve said it before Hollywood is the worst judge of their own industry.
I think we are lucky to have enough good films that there is reason for debate. Birdman is not my favorite movie of the year, but I did enjoy it and consider it a reasonable BP winner. Boyhood was on the top of my list, but if it does not win BP, at least it was a good run and Linklater is getting recognition beyond what I could have imagined all those years ago, sitting in a theater in Austin watching Slacker for the first time.
I would like to point out that the Directors branch is a very small (one of the smallest, really) branches of the Academy. And AMPAS in the last few years doesn’t like to be dictated to. They are a creature amongst themselves . . . and will vote just how they feel, thank you very much. Regardless of DGA. I know. I know. Usually AMPAS follows the DGA and PGA. But there are other factors at play at the Oscars. And one of the most influential factors is sentiment. I still have a hunch they will annoint Boyhood as Best Picture. BAFTAs tonight will be interesting, but AMPAS doesn’t pay much attention to them. The only real indication of a BAFTA win is how the British members of AMPAS may vote. And lord knows how few of them there may be in AMPAS, given all the public relations hacks who are members (i.e., all of those “MEMBERS AT LARGE” branch . . . which outnumbers the directors branch by the way).
Eddie Redmayne, one step closer to gold after tonight.
@Steve50…..Totally agree….This site is great for the passion of movies, but when you like something other than what the editor like….it is tough to get through sometimes.
“Let’s avoid this “Birdman fooling people who want to act snotty” thing, what do you think? Thinking Boyhood or Birdman (both in my case) are great movies doesn’t make someone fooler or smarter than anybody else.”
I agree, Roberto, but this is, unfortunately, the period during the Oscar season when all reason gets tossed out the window, and people embrace mockery, condescension, name-calling, straw man arguments and clumsy generalizations. It will be a blood bath for the next 2-3 weeks. Fasten your seat belt!
@Julief…..you make great points. I wish everyone could like what they like and everyone talk intelligently about movies. Ryan Adams seems to be doing exactly what you are talking about…..with his Shit Sandwich comment…….shit sandwich sounds so intelligent when discussing movies. I don’t think Ryan is on point at all….
Stephen Hawking is on the red carpet! What a campaign move for Redmayne. That’ll be tough to beat!
“Comparing to Godzilla really just makes you look like…well…..not even going there. ”
No, by all means – go there.
Ryan and I got into a tussle last year around the time of Godzilla’s release, regarding the artistic value of tentpoles. I was firmly on the side that Jim, above, seems to be. Well, I’m eating crow now.
I’ll gladly assume the role of wingman to Ryan and his comments on this.
“This was always what I expected of the BOYHOOD fans. That the vast majority of them were either born in the last two decades or raised children in the last two decades.”
Nope – that’s about as valid as saying the vast majority of Citizen Kane fans or Social Network fans are shithead media moguls. It is possible to appreciate great filmmaking without seeing yourself up there on the screen.
Let’s avoid this “Birdman fooling people who want to act snotty” thing, what do you think? Thinking Boyhood or Birdman (both in my case) are great movies doesn’t make someone fooler or smarter than anybody else.
It’s too bad that Linklater will not get an Oscar for his beautiful movie. It is really sad, then it’s just tawdry and low-class to read all the haters of Boyhood denigrating it in such a way. It makes me wonder why I even care what the Academy thinks of any movie because I find them so lackluster. Had Boyhood won, though, I wouldn’t have been trumpeting about Birdman being so awful. Does it make you feel better to tear Linklater’s achievement down just to make your favorite movie look better? I’m still hoping for Redmayne and Grand Budapest to prevail in acting and screenplay now.
Ryan, you’re very on point. Sasha, I am glad I am not in your spot and going to the Academy Awards. “Nothing to see there. Not after what they did to the three films you really cared about.
I couldn’t believe when I awakened at four and saw this. Totally heartbreaking. It’s sad. I made the mistake of caring.
My rank of the nominees were (directing)…
1. Anderson
2. Linklater
3. Tyldum
4. Iñarritu
5. Eastwood
I think only Anderson and Linklater deserved the win. So, I’m not happy Birdman is fooling so many people, and sorry if anyone gets offended… it’s just not brilliant on any level, with the exception of the actors.
Both Eddie Redmayne and Rosamund Pike have arrived. Where is the thread? http://www.bafta.org/film/awards/red-carpet-live
Well, DGA has spoken and they effectively put a nail on Boyhood’s coffin. I can’t find a scenario where Boyhoold could come back now. Its best (tenuous) hope is that there will be a BP/BD split. But if BAFTA chooses Birdman tonight, that hope should be dashed. I didn’t think it was possible, but the industry has found ONE alternative to Boyhood and that is Birdman.
The Boyhood camp can hang on that no editing thread of hope. But unlike Brokeback Mountain, Birdman is a cinematic visual feast in comparison and it can definitely bypass this 33 year hurdle.
Boyhood is after all too much of a poodle and the industry has rallied around a German Shepherd.
“Birdman” didn´t work for me the way is was hoping and kind of expecting (since I admire Inarritu´s work, especially “Amores Perros” and “21 Grams”). The film makes up a lot of issues about mental crisis, showbiz, family problems and the struggle to express yourself in the art, but none of these topics are treated in a profound, satisfying way. You never get to know what excactly is the problem between Riggan and his ex-wife, Riggan and his daughter, Riggan being bankrupt instead having been a actionhero superstar a few years ago, Riggan and his telekinetic powers or levitating in his room and so on… It also distracted me a bit that this film comes around as egocentric and narcisstic as it´s main character – while having nothing to say (at least not to me) that has real substance.
As a counterpart in terms of the existential crisis of an egomaniac I recommend to you Fellini´s 8 1/2 – that REALLY is a masterpiece, instead of just pretending to be.
That said, I really liked Edward Norton and the cinematography – anyway.
Next year (or this year) 50 films about actors will vie for Oscar awards! Actors in Iraq, homeless actors, dead actors, actors in space, actors under water, actors on strike, actors on drugs, method actors, Methodist actors, actor/directors, actor/writer/directors, actor/writer/director/editors, actor/actresses………….
Ryan, it’s plausible to think Riggan doesn’t have much money after doing a franchise. Is Michael Keaton still loaded after doing 2 Batman movies from over 20 years ago? We have to assume that Riggan made his 3 Birdman movies over 20 years ago too. You seem to really, really, really dislike Birdman for a lot of the wrong reasons. I don’t care if Keaton doesn’t look like he’s showered or is reading Raymond Carver because he wants to seem smart. Maybe he’s doing what James Franco is doing with all these tough-to-adapt literary adaptations to impress a crowd and to be taken seriously…or the stuff actually interests him. Whether you like the story or not, Birdman was an amazingly directed film.
@Ryan Adams…Really, we are comparing Godzilla and Birdman. You are so full of yourself and complete BS. You just have a love for Boyhood and are going to piss on anything that its way at the Oscars. Comparing to Godzilla really just makes you look like…well…..not even going there. And as far as your comments about Keaton’s character in Birdman blowing through 25 million…..the world is full of those characters. Look at all the athletes and stars that hit it rich and die penniless. Maybe that makes them idiots, but at least it is interesting, where Boyhood is not. There is NO drama or conflict at all in that movie. The only emotional payoff was the Hispanic boy revealing he went to college. Talk about pretentious bullshit.
(who else here is on twitter that I don’t follow yet?)
um, OK, I just joined Twitter a few days ago: Ashkenasi@DannyAshkenasi.
Following Sasha, but not sure which Ran Adams is you – or what your twitter handle is, Ryan.
(by the way, I have also posted as Danny over the yers, but another Danny sometimes posts, and so I switched to DFA.)
Birdman is movie for people who want to act snotty about superpowers and CGI and then — “omfg you guys Birdman is flying around Manhattan! Look how visually inventive that is!!! Look how they stitch all the segments together with CGI trickery, isn’t it cool?!! Lol @ dumb ol silly Captain America, Birdman is reading Raymond Carver, see how brainy Birdman is and — wait, heehee, oh look, he’s running around Times Square in his his little panties, heehee — fuck you Joaquin Phoenix and your mumbly slapstick stoner antics, this is Michael Fucking Keaton, from the classic Beetlejuice who made us giggle back in the day when we were stoned out of our gourds.
Did you ever notice how everyone else can agree to disagree without making stuff like this up? How does it follow that if you like BIRDMAN you also think CAPTAIN AMERICA is silly and that if you like Michael Keaton you think Joaquin Phoenix has mumbly stoner antics. Because I can guarantee you that although I am rooting for BIRDMAN I liked both CAPTAIN AMERICA and INHERENT VICE better than BIRDMAN and that I’ve been a fan of Joaquin Phoenix almost as long as I’ve been a fan of Keaton. PARENTHOOD is one of my all-time favorite movies.
In the end every Birdman hater is a Marvel fanboy. So funny.
So they know since PGA that Birdman is the alternative and that they can concentrate all their votes against Boyhood in Birdman ?
Is it possible that the voters are a bit jealous of Boyhood success ? I mean, I read couple of weeks ago that some AMPAS said “give me 12 years and I can make Boyhood”. Also, Tom O Neil said 3 months ago that the members looked for an alternative to Boyhood that they didn’t apreciate, maybe they find in in Birdman since its PGA win.
Sam, did you even fully read what I wrote before calling me an xenophobe? Geez that’s so far off base and you don’t even know me. I said I’m all for awarding foreigners. But it’s just disheartening that in all the years I’ve been following the Oscars (5 years), I’ve never seen an American director win. And they’ve absolutely had their share of opportunities. Particularly with Fincher and Linklater. It just kind of baffles me that a large enough percentage of the supposed best people who make films don’t seem to appreciate Boyhood enough. And that’s not to say they’re wrong and I’m right. I don’t think that. It’s all a matter of opinion. But seeing so many people write off what Linklater did is a little ridiculous. Oh well. This whole awards season has been sad on the whole. From a share of the nominations to this. Definitely the worst since I’ve been following in my opinion. On to next year. The only good thing from Oscar night will be Arquette and Simmons winning. At least the backlash will stop for Boyhood since it won’t win.
Same here, Al and Robert A. This is a bittersweet year for people like us who appreciated both movies.
Godzilla was plausible insofar as the screenplay made a serious attempt to explain the craziness, and once the movie committed to its premise it respected its own fantastical conceit by remaining cohesive and coherent. None of that can be said about Birdman.
Birdman is a movie for people who say they dislike movies about superpowers and CGI and then — “omfg you guys Birdman is flying around Manhattan! Look how visually inventive that is!!! Look how they stitch all the segments together with CGI trickery, isn’t it cool?!! Lol @ dumb ol silly Captain America, Birdman is reading Raymond Carver, see how brainy Birdman is and — wait, heehee, oh look, he’s running around Times Square in his his little panties, heehee — fuck you Joaquin Phoenix and your mumbly slapstick stoner antics, this is Michael Fucking Keaton, from the classic Beetlejuice who made us giggle back in the day when we were stoned out of our gourds. Look how PROFOUND he is now, with his egocentric anxieties and his confused disdain for twitter and whatnot.
(( Also his weirdly broke-ass financial situation which seems odd for some guy who was once supposedly the world’s biggest blockbuster tentpole sensation… what sort of dumbass are we rooting for, who apparently blew his $25 million fortune and now scrapes by looking like a homeless person in stained fruit-of-the-loom. Does he even ever take a shower? …and this is The Actor that all the Academy actors are supposed to relate to? This delusional loser? Birdman does not honor the profession. It mocks actors, ridicules them, laughs at them. Eat it up Academy. Swallow this shit-sandwich portrayal of the theater as nothing but an electric kool-aid acid test of pretentious bullshit. You all must be so proud to see how Inarritu honors your chosen careers. ))
And then all that selfish indulgent mishmash is literally thrown out the window with an ending that betrays every fraudulent puzzlebox mindfuck that went before it.
At the end of Godzilla I felt real genuine emotion and a sense thrilling elation that the movie promised and delivered. .. I felt nothing at the end of Birdman except duped.
Pete, the abominable The Artist is still, I believe, #2 in terms of least-seen Best Picture. All this is is a discussion about not the Oscars, but the Indie Spirits, which the Oscars have turned into tor the second straight year. They could’ve nominated Mockingjay and Interstellar and made themselves relevant this year,
CAROL under Harvey? Every single time I’m reminded I get scared for that movie.
Think of it this way guys, it could be going to The Imitation Game.
The Harvey was denied one last time before the triple combo of Hateful Eight, Carol, and Macbeth launch this year
Wow did not see this coming at all. SAG fine, but PGA and DGA for Birdman? Ugh. Maybe I’ll grow to like the movie more with repeated viewings. Right now it’s my #7 for the year. I’ll just say my predicting prowess has been put to shame by this turn of events.
“Here is the absolute truth: It’s exhausting trying to pick one over the other. It makes me tired.”
Then join me, Al, in the somewhat small club that loved both Boyhood and Birdman. I would have voted for Boyhood and am disappointed its kind of getting the shaft (other than for Arquette), but I can’t get terribly upset that Birdman is winning, either. Birdman is such a quirky, oddball choice for a consensus winner at the Oscars that I can’t help but kind of like that AMPAS is branching away from the standard biopic/historical drama/sweeping epic choices it often made in the past. On the other hand, it’s a little odd that (if Birdman wins), four of the last five BP winners will be movies that revolve in some way around acting/performance, including The King’s Speech (learn how to perform better speeches, King, and rally your people!).
But yeah, I’m in the unique position right now of feeling both disappointed (about Boyhood) and pleased (for Birdman).
“If you do, do me a favor, don’t go see JUPITER ASCENDING. ”
Actually, antoinette, I love the Wachowskis, Cloud Atlas is an all time fave, and I can’t wait to see Jupiter (fuck the reviews. most critics are single-minded sheep these days).
Maybe “plausible” was the wrong word; ya know what, you can substitute with any positive word and you’ll be right.
Thank the Academy for saving Boyhood from backlash.
Zooey writes: “BOYHOOD is a film about my generation…”
Maybe the answer lies just there. Remind me about the Academy demographics again.
I’m just saying, don’t say “nobody” called it when Mad Max Fury Road wins everything from Best Picture to Best Animated Short in 2016. The bandwagon starts now, friends.
Lesson:
Whenever a perceived frontrunner is acclaimed as a “revolutionary achievement” of any kind, rule it out as a winner. Oscars are too short-sighted for those.
Wut I forgot this was yesterday. So I guess BOYHOOD just isn’t “Best Picture material” after all. All better for it I suppose.
Zooey, you and I have our differences over the past few months — but, wow, this comment of yours is a beauty. It’s brimming with perceptive clarity and originality, smoothly expressed.
This year’s awards cycle might have gone down the shitter, but it’s really brought out the best in in the AD community. One of the best years here in the discussion pages that I can remember.
(Dozens of you readers have been at the top of your game this year. You’ve made the various disastrous turns of events a little easier for me to deal with. Thank you.)
Well, that’s over now.
So, 2016 Oscars, who are looking at guys? My personal pick is for Mad Max: Fury Road to sweep EVERYTHING
I’m totally disgusted by this win. BIRDMAN is a film that is aggressively ambitious, technically brilliant, visually inventive, the acting is solid (though not great), but it is also a film that is totally dishonest and self-conscious. The script is pretentious and I really didn’t care much about most of the characters. I’m a person of the theatre and I related mostly to Norton, true, but as a whole, I didn’t really care.
BOYHOOD is a film about my generation and I consider it an artifact of sorts. I was blown away by it. I’ve seen it a lot of times and after the first viewing, I came back for a second because I wanted to spend some time with these characters again.
There is something about Linklater which I love. I think it applies to Fincher as well. They do their own films and don’t care about awards. Sometimes awards just happen to them. The Coens are the same type of filmmakers. They wouldn’t change in order to get awards. The Coens had luck because they were in a year of five when the politics of the race were different. Now the Oscars go to people who want them. And Innaritu wants them. Tom Hooper wanted them as well. And filmmakers should stick to their guns and awards should make the stretching and reach out to them. Yes, the DGA isn’t wise enough to pick a film that’s just as ambitious but not in-your-face-ambitious; a film that is honest and funny and sad and lyrical and truthful and full of so many wonderful little details – both in the acting and in Linklater’s direction. The DGA went with the aggressively male Birdman. I can’t even say that it’s representative of Innaritu’s style. Innaritu is somebody I don’t like. True. I hated Babel.. I just don’t get his self-important, pretentious and empty films and it pains me that such a film is ahead of Boyhood. And I feel especially invested in Linklater, having been a passionate fan of most of his films. But sometimes awards just miss opportunities…
@ Sammy
The 6 noms are not a problem.
The Departed scored only 5 and only lost Mark Whalberg.
A Beautiful Mind had 5 nominations less than Return of the King. And the king of outrage, Crash, scored just 6 too.
And Traffic scored five and only lost BP by a nose.
Linklater going home empty handed will be one of the most eregious things the Academy will do In this century. Equalizes David Fincher losing when EVEN the BAFTAS were ashamed to give it all to The King’s Speech and awarded him. Equalizes that Best Picture lineup In 2008 without WALL-E and The Dark Knight. Probably just behind Crash because, well, Crash is probably THE worst mistake In the history of the Academy.
As I said, the only good thing here is that Inarritu winning 2 or 3 of his nominations just takes his name out of contention next year unless he pulls out one of the best films of all time. At least, imagining the Academy won’t award him and his film two years In a row, they might feel like awarding Leo If the film is great. Also good for Spielberg and Harvey Weinstein, that will distribute Tarantino’s latest and Todd Hayne’s Carol, with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. i would be so happy to see Spielberg, Tarantino or a film led by women win.
Wow I’m really shocked, I thought boyhood would win, but I’m still happy because I loved Birdman!
Cant wait for the Baftas tonight I’m having a fondue party:)
I am so glad I don’t have a horse in the race this year…
About them 3-time nominees going home empty-handed… it doesn’t look like all three would win, but it’s not an impossible scenario. If it was going to happen, I see the combination being this:
PICTURE
Birdman (Iñárritu)
DIRECTOR
Boyhood (Linklater)
ORIG. SCREENPLAY
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Anderson)
If only one of three goes home without a trophy, it will be Anderson. I (and I guess most of us) wouldn’t like it if Iñárritu took all three.
As we can see above, BIRDMAN is disliked by so many people that this, just this, is the truly baffling fact about BIRDMAN’s upcoming BP win. It’s a divisive movie, and no guild award can prove the opposite. BIRDMAN has just opened here in Italy and a few friends of mine have seen it: they either love it or loathe it. ARGO wasn’t probably the most inspired choice as BP, as wasn’t THE KING’S SPEECH or THE ARTIST but they weren’t polarizing. What the hell is going on this year? I was really convinced that BOYHOOD would just strike the right chords with the Academy: an unprecedented directorial effort, a low-key coming-of-age story, shot with grace and humanity, appealing to broader audiences. So, what happened?
That’s why I feel for Linklater. BOYHOOD isn’t my favorite among his movies (TAPE, BEFORE SUNRISE and WAKING LIFE are my Linklater Top 3) but this is probably gonna be his only shot at an Academy Award…
Well, Birdman’s success, like Argo and The Artist, proves that the most sure way of winning an Oscar is making a film about the industry; appeal to nostalgia (The Artist), to the ego (Argo, A.K.A Hollywood saves the day) or hit at easy targets for the old people (critics, superhero movies) and you’ve got yourself a winner.
Thank goodness!
Alfred Hitchcock once said that movies are just like real life except with all of the boring parts taken out. Boyhood clearly didn’t get that memo.
maybe it was because the story was more plausible
If this is what’s separating the BOYHOOD and BIRDMAN fans, then I get that. I don’t think movies need to be plausible. If you do, do me a favor, don’t go see JUPITER ASCENDING. I loved it, but if people will judge it on those standards then they’ll hate it, get mad, and go all over the internet telling people it’s the worst movie ever. It’s not. It’s phantasmagoric. Which is I guess “what’s wrong with” BIRDMAN.
rampant narcissism. All id all the time.
Congratulations, guys. You are capable of making good movies about yourselves.
Fuck YEAH! Bad day for you, haters!
Go Birdman GO!
Let me get this straight: OscarsSoWhite are about to give Best Director to a director who obviously isn’t white? Considering that crossover voters from PGA/DGA/SAG are loving Birdman and Inarritu, they stand excellent chance to win AMPAS . So if Linkater pulls through, are we allowed to prescribe Inarritu snub to racism? Cause that would be a real snub, unlike DuVerney who was a weak candidate that didn’t win any critics award of note (not even as runner-up), lost GG and BFCA and wasn’t even nominated for DGA and BAFTA. Plus, even NAACP thought that Fuqua was better. So what is it going to be? Are we going to praise AMPAS for diversity if Inarritu wins or bash them for racism if he doesn’t despite Guild wins and hitting all precursors?
BTW, so happy that DuVerney bombed. She’s a total mediocrity whose only narrative was that she is WoC who directed Oscar bait about MLK. Weak sauce. Political gimmick + no real achievement to speak about = weak sauce. Good riddance.
MY OSCAR PREDICTION pre-DGA, PGA, and SAG:
Best Picture: “Boyhood”
Best Director: Richard Linklater
Best Original Screenplay: “Birdman”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “Whiplash”
PREDICTION post-DGA, PGA, and SAG:
Best Picture: “Boyhood”
Best Director: Richard Linklater for the win
Best Original Screenplay: Inarritu, et-al, “Birdman” (“consolation” prize)
Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Imitation Game” (barely…)
PREDICTION pre-BAFTA:
Best Picture and Director: “Boyhood” and Richard Linklater for the win
Best Original Screenplay: Inarritu, et-al, “Birdman”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Imitation Game”
“I give up. When does next year begin?”
Right now, Rob, as far as I’m concerned. I’ve already gone there.
I won’t go as far as saying it will be the Academy’s worst move, but one of their most disappointing. It should be so easy – Boyhood really stands out in the crowd of nominees this year. Should be a no brainer.
btw – I was bored last night so I broke down and watched Godzilla for the first time. Enjoyed it more than Birdman. Maybe it was me, maybe it was the wine, maybe it was because the story was more plausible – or maybe ths Oscar season is boring the sh*t out of me. Anyway, looking forward and moving on….
Somehow, I’m thinking the Academy might try to find a way to spread the wealth between Richard Linklater and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu. With Alejandro G. Iñarritu taking the DGA, and the WGA results still to come, it might be that Best Original Screenplay is the trade-off. ‘Boyhood’ is almost a sure bet for Best Supporting Actress. It’s most likely that is consolation prizes could be Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Other than that, I’d say it’s all ‘Birdman’ at this point.
Okay then! It appears now that ‘Boyhood’s momentum has been overtaken by ‘Birdman.’ It’s not unusual, however, to see this sort of swing in momentum this late in the race. It now appears that ‘Birdman’ will cross the finish line in 4 major categories: Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture. Although, I still think Richard Linklater might take Best Director on Oscar night. The DGA is usually the best indicator on which film will take Best Picture…save for last year when Alfonso Cauron won the DGA for ‘Gravity’, but ’12 Years A Slave’ won the Oscar for Best Picture. Best Actor, too, may hinge on the film’s momentum by winning the PGA, and DGA. Michael Keaton has had the momentum for most of the season, but only until after the Golden Globes when Eddie Redmayne won the SAG award. This really is shaping up to be a rather unpredictable Oscar season. I’m starting to second guess myself in quite a few categories. I won’t be unhappy if ‘Birdman’ wins all the fore-mentioned top prizes. What would satisfy me most of all is Michael Keaton winning Best Actor this year. But Eddie Redmayne would deserve it, as well, if he won.
I say, the most deserving won, that’s all.
I admired Boyhood, mostly because of Linklater (and to a lesser extent, Arquette and Hawke).
But I both admired and loved Birdman … for all reasons.
Love Linklater from the “Before …” movies. But other than the “he did it across 12 years” thing — which IS amazing — I dont quite see “on the screen” what was so amazing about Boyhood or Linklater’s prowess. Does Boyhood evoke emotions? Yes. Yes, it does. It stays with you. But I still dont personally see it -onscreen – as some exceptional directorial achievement. I both see and feel it EVERYWHERE throughout Birdman.
Call me crazy, but I still see the potential for splits, even after the PGA/DGA/SAG Ensemble thing. A) because Keaton is still up in the air. And B) because I DO think there’s major support for Boyhood. I just dont see where exactly they would honor it other than Arquette. Editing? Directing, still? Picture? I still believe it can win something(s) of those.
Funny, how you guys are comparing Birdman to King’s Speech, when Boyhood is really the lesser achievement of the two. AND DON’T give me the, “It’s REVOLUTIONARY, because they shot this for 12 years.” NO, because the backstory of the way they shot the film is actually much more interesting than the film itself. Lately, a lot of filmmakers, who often go the naturalistic route, often forget that a film needs CONFLICT and DRAMA, and Boyhood had neither of them. Actually, let me take that back, it did have those elements if they had decided to follow Patricia Arquette’s story instead of the boy, but they didn’t, so we were stuck with the most bland protagonist ever to be placed on film.
The non American director winning thing is ridiculous. The favoured director won, that’s all
I have to say, I’m actually surprised at this late date that there are so many people here at AD who genuinely like BOYHOOD. Upon seeing it I thought that anyone who had experience watching movies would see it as a paper tiger. You know, that it clearly wasn’t anywhere near its hype and that it would be obvious to everyone. I thought that was an objective thing, not subjective. In the past, I guess it’s years ago now, I didn’t always agree with people about what was the best but I usually could see where they were coming from. Not this time. But I know you guys aren’t faking. I’m going to have to rethinking my thoughts about why people, people like the Academy, vote for films like ARGO, THE ARTIST, and THE KING’S SPEECH and I assumed this year, BOYHOOD. I thought they were getting caught up in a wave, because to me, not one of them was even close to the best of their year objectively speaking. Meaning taking personal taste out of it, I thought it was obvious that they were ok at best. Now I have to think on it.
So anyway, I’m happy that Iñárritu won. I don’t think it actually signifies anything about what the Academy will do but again I’m not a predictor. I did think that of the nominees for Best Director that Iñárritu did the best job of directing, according to what I think a director’s job is, and I do think of the nominees for BP that BIRDMAN is far and away the best.
“One more time the americans could not aknowledge their talent. Congratulations!”
What’s wrong with a non-American winning?
As someone who has loved all of Inarritu’s films, so pleased that he’s winning at last.
To Sasha and all others likely to be very disappointed by this, at least it’s something daring and risky winning, not Oscar fare/tripe such as the Kings speech
Did not expect this at all.
On a purely directorial level, I agree with it. If I were to rank the Oscar category based purely on the films, I’d probably go Inarritu, Miller, Anderson, Linklater, with Tyldum a distant #5.
But we’ve established that Boyhood is very much a “context” film, and that Linklater not only pulled it off, but made as good a film as he did, is a real testament to his skills. Add in the fine work he’s been doing for nearly a quarter of a century, and the acclaim given to the film, and I think a Picture/Director split would really be best for everyone. Because I like Birdman a good deal more as a film, but accept that Linklater’s achievement is worth the award.
And now…now it looks like it might not happen. And it’s a weird instance where, even if the better direction won, it might not be the best choice. I, for one, will believe anything could happen right up until they announce the damn thing. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.
The plot thinnens.
Now I want to see Birdman win just so it pisses off Rob Y:)
Actually, I’d also like to see American Sniper win so it pisses off Ryan and Sasha 🙂
In fact, I’d really prefer to see The Imitation Game win. Please tell me it would piss off people!
I was thinking the same thing, Joey. It’s a bright note in an otherwise disappointing evening
The plot thickens…
Goddamnit. Goddamnit.
Sasha – any comment on the fact that 4 of the 5 DGA winners are women?
Even though I consider Birdman one of the worst cinematic experiences of my life, I don’t have a problem with Keaton for Actor.
Inarritu needs to lose BD, if for nothing else, that stupid scarf.
Birdman made back over three times its production budget worldwide. So, it is not a flop and should not be the target of any backlash that it didn’t make enough money at the box office.
I posted this to my Facebook page:
“I am an Oscar nut. I follow the Academy Awards the way that some people follow Baseball or are car aficionados. I have studied the history of the Academy as well as their choices. I like seeing artistic films that get recognized, and yet there’s a mathematical arc that underlines who gets nominated and who wins. (Both sides of my brain are stimulated.) Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of politics too.
“I have been falsely accused of “celebrity worship” by friends who are dismissive of anything representative of an establishment. Celebrity has nothing to do with it.
“Some years I am happy with the results: The Artist, No Country for Old Men, and even 12 Years a Slave (not my choice for BP last year, but a damned good one nonetheless). And then there are results that piss me off: Out of Africa over The Color Purple, The King’s Speech over The Social Network, and—most egregious—Crash over Brokeback Mountain.
“This year, I have seen all the nominated films for Best Picture and one really stands apart from the rest: Birdman. It is not because it is the best; no, it is one of the few films I have ever seen in my entire life that I hated, truly hated. I didn’t like the feeling it left on me—a feeling that developed into a misanthropic malaise that lasted into the next day. I wasn’t thinking about it that much, but the mood it created lingered.
“Now it is winning Guild Award over Guild Award. All I can say is WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS THINKING?”
M1, you are naive if you don’t think team Weinstein and Team Sniper are going to do all all out frontal assault on the reality that Birdman was a box office flop with the pedigree and studio backing that it had. These are campaigns that utterly destroyed Selma without breaking a sweat (Selma made more at the box office too)
Sam, Birdman made a whopping eight million dollars more at the American box office than Boyhood. Hardly cause for high fives. Boyhood did make back six times its shooting budget while Birdman didn’t even make back twice it’s budget. So the Geiger counter jokes can be pointed the other way, chief.
Ben Zuk. Wow! I just remembered the comment I made about your 2014 video forshadowing a Boyhood win for Best Picture. I’m a little shocked right now at what has transpired.
Nice!!
But honestly, all I care about now with this year’s Oscars is that Michael Keaton can also claim victory by garnering Best Actor.
Pete, you want to talk lackluster box office??? You need a geiger counter to find the paltry gross Boyhood scraped up.
Ivan, Anderson’s was better, but an average episode of The Bachelor (minus the Fantasy Suite) was better than what Linklater did in Boyhood. Using the camera as a recording device does not qualify as great directing. Thank God Hollywood is seeing that now.
“for the record, I think that’s a ridiculous charge to hurl at any film”
Then DON’T hurl it at any film. Thank you.
Sam,
Boyhood did win the editing guild and an individual SAG award, so it’s not like it’s loathed in the industry. I do look forward to seeing team Birdman explain away its lackluster box office for a film supposedly sooooo much better than anything else made this year (for the record, I think that’s a ridiculous charge to hurl at any film, but Birdman would rank near the bottom in box office)
VIVA GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRRITU CABRONES!!!!!
Get over it people. Birdman is pure cinematic experience and great filmmaking as GBH and Boyhood.
Wes Anderson and Linklater work is not better than Iñárritu this season. And FYI American Cinema is from Argentina to Canada. America is a continent.
Well that does it-
Birdman wins Picture, Screenplay, Cinematography and possibly Best Actor and Director. Boyhood wins Directing (I mean it has to win something major right?) and supporting actress. Editing is anyone’s guess at this point.
Stop the insanity! Can anyone name any quality wins Boyhood has had outside of the critical circle jerks??? Oh yeah, Golden Globe. HAHAHAHAHAHA
Birdman will lose all it’s nominations come Oscar Sunday. I know this for a fact, since I know most of the voters (yep, over 5,000).
Here are the winners, based on research I’ve done-
BEST PICTURE: American Sniper
BEST ACTOR: Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
BEST ACTRESS: Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: American Sniper
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Lot’s of tears, arguments and excitement.
Cant complain about impending Birdman win. I was trying to be objective all year putting up with “Academy Movie” garbage. Glad they picked the weirdest and most divisive movie on the board.
It’s lock and sealed now!
Birdman is the one to lose, and I’m so happy about it.
It’s not a death knell, it’s simply an odd trend that in 10 years only two American directors will win Oscar.
Tom Hooper none withstanding, the Best Director Oscar seems to be tilting more and more towards ultra high concept or “gimmick” films. For all the complaints about Oscar bait, you have in the last 10 years BD going to a magic realism meta-parody of Batman, a space film with a two person cast, a shipwreck drama about a boy stranded with a tiger, a black and white silent film, a Bollywood imitation, a gay cowboy drama, and a fantasy epic.
Maybe Linklater’s problem was not going high concept enough. Perhaps he should have rotoscoped Boyhood.
This season is making me nervous. I was hoping for the BP-BD split because as much as I adore Birdman, Linklater is the most deserving for the BD prize. Not recognizing is work is beyond appalling, I can’t even find a word for it…
I think it’s important to remind people what many others have been saying for a long time: Boyhood is as close to indie as a Best Picture nominee can get. It’s not a Hollywood film, like most of the other nominees (although some of them are disguised as “indies”). Therefore, when you’re faced with a Hollywood voting body that likes to pat itself on the back, you shouldn’t expect much recognition for those standing on the outside. It’s appalling, yes, but that’s the way it works– even if that means snubbing one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time, or snubbing a home-grown master like Linklater.
PETE
Keaton may or may not win. I think the DGA for Inarittu doesn’t help him much. As for the BP/no editing nom films, all of the 4 winners also won the DGA (PGA and SAG weren’t around at that time). Even if the BAFTA’s will point in a different direction, I think it’s safe to say Birdman currently has the top spot and there aren’t many thing left this season that are likely to change that.
I find the lamentations about Inarritu winning as a foreigner a bit peculiar considering that most on this site would have been thrilled to see Steve McQueen win last year. I doubt the McQueen support was just because his competition was also foreign.
The best director should win Best Director regardless of whether he or she is American.
And winners be damned, 17 of the past 25 Best Director nominees were American. That’s hardly the death knell for American directors.
JP, well said. I agree completely.
Hawkeye, good go with those picks 😉 Thank you
Koles, all four of those BP/no editing nom films won at least one acting Oscar. Yet unless Keaton rights the ship another stat goes kablooey.
“As I’ve said all along the only other film with a chance is Budapest, as it will win the most Oscars total.”
How do you figure that?
Birdman – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (and maybe Best Actor)
Grand Budapest Hotel – Best Production Design, Best Makeup, and Best Costume Design
Boyhood – Best Supporting Actress, Best Film Editing
Sam L,
Wes Anderson is a triple nominee as well, but will lose script it appears.
Now that was unexpected. If Birdman wins BP it’ll the 5th film in the last 50 years do so without an Editing nomination. The others are:
– Ordinary People
– Annie Hall
– Godfather Part 2 (seriously???)
– A Man for All Seasons
Kim, you are not alone. Having seen all 8 Oscar nominated films. Birdman is really on the bottom of my list, but I guess Birdman is about showbizz, that is why it is winning, and it was also done in an interesting way(reality vs fantasy). This year is like The Social Network vs The King’s Speech The AMPAS doesn’t give a shit about what critics think.
What’s the second triple nominee this year?
Can anyone confirm if there has ever been a year where two triple nominees went home empty handed, because that definitely appears to be in the cards.
First, I feel very comfortable to write about this because I am not American.
Saying the Americans have trouble In aknowledging their best talent is not an opinion. It is a fact. Scorsese, Spielberg, The Coens… Look at the amount of great things they had to make to receive recognition. Look at the outrages In Copolla’s and Woody Allen’s curricullums. Apocalypse Now beaten by Kramer Vs. Kramer. Best Picture snubs for Purple Rose of Cairo, Broadway Danny Rose, Interiors, Crimes and Misdemeanors and so many others. Stanley Kubrick, Sidney Lumet, David Fincher, Orson Welles, Tarantino, Robert Altman, David Lynch… How many competitive Best Director wins for them? ZERO. Linklater had to make 2 fantastic animated films, one of the greatest trilogies of all time and a couple of very good films to receive his first and undeniable directing nom. And he is not gonna win.
Instead, John J. Alvidsen, Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, Tom Hooper and lots of other minor directors have made much less In their curriculum and won for undeserving achievements.
Linklater will be playing the role of David Fincher come Oscar night. All the critical love in the world can’t disguise the fact the Academy will be indifferent to his film. As I’ve said all along the only other film with a chance is Budapest, as it will win the most Oscars total.
Wow, who says the Oscar race is predictable, eh? I loved both Birdman and Boyhood (they’re my #1 and #4 of the year, respectively) so while Boyhood would’ve been a great Best Picture choice, Birdman is an even better pick.
Incredible to think that a month ago, everyone had Boyhood/Birdman in a tossup for screenplay, but Boyhood was a veritable lock for Picture/Director and Keaton was a lock for Best Actor. Now, it looks like Birdman is taking BP/BD yet Keaton might inexplicably not win Best Actor despite his movie’s surge.
Birdman will be the 2nd lowest grossing BP (Hurt Locker) in 35 years IF it wins
I really loved both Birdman and Boyhood but I would rather the Academy give Linklater the Best Director Oscar and Inarritu the Best Original Screenplay one. It’ll be a bit of a bummer if Linklater goes home empty-handed for his beautiful movie.
Kim, I’m ok to a point with Birdman (although that idiotic scarf Innaritu was rocking, lord)
What I am having a hard time wrapping my head around is that the two main knocks against Boyhood for BP (it’s a gimmick and it’s low box office make it out of the mainstream) could also apply to Birdman (single shot gimmick with domestic box office comparable to Boyhood)
Literally nothing statistically makes any sense with this race, even Birdman boosters have to see that.
Why do people still think that their opinion on any BP contender (cue the Birdman hate) has any bearing on the race?
Having seen all 8 films do not want Birdman to win the Best Picture Oscar. It was good but, I just can’t feel good about it taking Best Picture. As it’s now looking more likely Boyhood will not win…I’d be comfortable with Imitation Game. Is there anyone else who just isn’t comfortable with a Birdman Best Picture win out there?
Wow…A lot of folks around here really hate Birdman. While Whiplash was my favorite film of the year, Birdman was my second favorite, so I’m totally satisfied with this win. I’m still rooting for Wes Anderson as a screenplay upset, especially if they give the big ones to Birdman.
Thanks, got it, Pete.
Wow
Incredible and so exciting for Birdman
Onwards to Oscar BP
Sam, so three times in 46 years.
Maybe there’s an Emma Stone surge that no one is seeing coming?
Since we are talking stats, Birdman’s domestic box office wasn’t that great, how far from the bottom compared to other BP winners.
Very disappointing. Birdman is not only a film I don’t like, it’s one I loathe.
please be on twitter so I can follow you.
(who else here is on twitter that I don’t follow yet?)
Boywood will win Best Supporting Actress and Editing.
Birdman will win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay.
3+ (dumb predictive type)
Dances (0-3), Rocky (0-4) and Cowboy (0-3) are the last #+ acting losers that won BP/BD
I’m really really torn on this. Full disclosure, Boyhood is my #1 movie of the year, yet Birdman is my #2 movie of the year. So, I feel like no matter what happens, it’s a victory for one of them. I’m happy either way.
Here is the absolute truth: It’s exhausting trying to pick one over the other. It makes me tired. Why can’t we all just get along?
People, you need to realize that not everyone think that Boyhood is the best nor Linklater, great work, respect and dedication for 12 years, but the Best Director is for the deserving DGA winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu (No wrong here, and stop with the xenophobia)
Jimmy.
You misunderstand my point. It is extremely rare for a BP/BD winner to have three or more nominated actors have all the actors lose.
Excellent! Birdman is the perfect choice. With the Producer’s Guild, SAG, and now DGA, Birdman has secured the Oscar for Best Picture. I just hope Michael Keaton picks up an Oscar as well.
Sam, calm down. I’ll believe that the Academy has really embraced world cinema when a foreign language film wins BP. The increasing shutouts of American directors (only two winners since 2006) is interesting to note.
Last film to win BP / BD with three or less acting wins was The Hurt Locker with no acting wins. Before that, The Departed with no acting wins. Both Slumdog Millionaire and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King received 0 acting nominations.
*enters lengthy enough emoticon: 🙁
Birdman already ranks number 1 in worst final shot of a Best Picture winner.
And Boyhood will have to settle with Arquette, which, along with Julianne Moore and maybe J.K. Simmons are the only right thing the Academy will do this year. Boyhood is gonna have worse treatment than Social Network. That is how americans aknowledge their greatest filmakers.
Wrong nominations. Wrong winners. Poor year In terms of quality. A season to forget.
Birdman is winning all the races it should not (Picture and Director) but losing the ones it should win (Screenplay, Keaton and maybe Norton). The Theory of Everything, one of the worst Best Picture nominees of the last decade, is scoring Actor for a performance Benedict Cumberbach ironically played years ago. My favorite and most original performance, Jake Gyllenhall, wasn’t even nominated.
Selma shut out, Nightcrawler only getting a nom because the Academy ruled Whiplash as Adapted, Gone Girl only getting In for Pike… A year of TERRIBLE choices. Some years have terrible nominations but great winners like The Dark Knight’s. Some have great nominations but bad winners like The King’s Speech’s. This year is poor on both sides. Terrible snubs and terrible list of winners.
And Liz, what’s with this crap about “AMERICAN” filmmakers? Good lord, are the idiots at Fox News being allowed to post here now? Take your xenophobia and get lost. Does it get under your skin that two MEXICAN directors are going to win back to back? Turn off Hannity and Limbaugh and start watching WORLD CINEMA. Good Lord.
Yes, yes, yes, yes…..!!!!. Deserving winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Sad, but I saw this coming. Boyhood won’t be winning any major awards at the Oscars this year. Oh, well. I feel silly for even thinking that the Academy could get it right in the first place. Boyhood will just be another film in a long list of great films that the Academy failed to honor. Sight and Sound 2022, ftw!
Very disappointing. I think Boyhood is just too ordinary for the industry. The only silver ling could be a Best Picture and Director split, but I won’t hold my breath..
Jerm, that’s right…so unless Keaton pulls it out Birdman will break a 35 year trend of BP/BD with no editing nod and a 25 year trend of BP/BD while losing in three acting categories.
Ok. Assuming Birdman wins script you’ll have two triple nominees going home empty handed. Has THAT ever happened?
Let’s not forget that in 1995, Apollo 13 won SAG, PGA, and DGA, but lost to Melvin Gibson and his kilt. That being said though, does anyone have a fork I can borrow for Boyhood?
Wow what a shift and a disappointing one for me at that. I really do think Birdman is highly overrated and I really did enjoy Boyhood ….not as much as The Imitation Game but that film seemed to be ruled out of the race months ago. The only good news for me is that if Birdman wins Picture and Director then Eddie is your Best Actor! Birdman is not winning 3 majors!
Very disappointing. Birdman is not only a film I don’t like, it’s one I loathe.
Lorece, the Super Bowl analogy would only work if someone from Birdman brags about that petty Boyhood hit piece that ran in the NYT today. That would be an unforced error like throwing it on the one yard line.
I realize how unpopular this opinion is, but I like Birdman over Boyhood, still I would prefer Boyhood winning. Birdman is my personal favorite but it would be really sad if Boyhood didnt took Picture because it is such an achievment on cinema. The fact that it is made by an american shouldn´t even be a subject to discuss, it is a huge achievment, period. Still if Birdman got it at the end, that wouldn´t be so bad, hey, at least it wouldn´t be American Sniper.
@ pete
Dances with Wolves is the most recent one!
This is pretty sad…
Birdman is now the clear front runner for both BP and BD
Alejandro and Birdman were my choice all along so I’m happy to see it win. PGA+SAG+DGA is a pretty hard combination to beat so Birdman is officially the frontrunner. I work in the industry and I could feel the support for this film…everyone I asked regarding Best Pictures last year named Whiplash and Birdman more than any other films nominated. I got the impression that Boyhood had more respect and admiration for the journey it took to bring it to the screen and not necessarily the film itself. While I heard an executive say: “I wish we’d made Birdman.” The industry is not the critics…as Birdman also effectively points out. But, the deal isn’t done until the names are read on 2/22. Anything is still possible…look what happened at the SuperBowl 🙂
Need stat help here, was the last film to win BP/BD while losing three or more acting categories Rocky or have I missed one?
Really sad that Linklater, a wonderful and unique AMERICAN filmmaker will probably go home empty handed for his extraordinary achievement. Pretty sad. I’m all for recognizing foreigners, but come on! I rembember I was upset by some of the nominations this year (or lack there of) more so than I’ve ever been, but the saving grace was that at least Boyhood was going to win. Now that looks like that won’t even happen. I might skip out on the show this year. That’s how discouraging this is. And I even enjoyed Birdman. But it just isn’t even remotely close to being the best movie I saw this year.
Unfortunately, Bridman is the real solid front runner. Unless Boyhood pulls a huge upset, i think it is going to highly unlikely…
If Birdman wins BP, it will be at the bottom of my list of 86 BP winners—below Deer Hunter (I really hated that film), below Greatest Show on Earth, below Crash.
If tomorrow the Bafta will award Linklater and Boyhood I think there is still hope that this year it’s a Chicago – The Pianist year and not a King Speech year. I’m really puzzled by the industry awarding this film (Birdman) when American cinema has produced films like Boyhood, Grand Budapest Hotel, Whiplash, Selma, American Sniper, Gone Girl during the same year.
So… Tha Revenant is not happening next season. Spielberg and Tarantino haters are gonna get mad. And Brian Cranston is on Leo’s way also.
I give up. When does next year begin?
Will the New York Times also be running an article about how Birdman borrows its plot from Opening Night?
Birdman is the 2nd best film but The King’s Speech taste is the same. One more time the americans could not aknowledge their talent. Congratulations!
Not quite sure how pointing out that the film’s chances of winning are pretty much finished is “pissing all over Linklater” (I’ve already said he did a fine job), but whatever. Extremely happy that Inarritu will be taking his deserved Oscars in a couple of weeks.
Wow. This is a weird year. If I predict Director for Birdman and Picture for Boyhood, will that make sense? Or should I go Birdman for both BP/BD…cos I dunno…as great as Birdman is, it just doesn’t seem like a BP winner to me.
Well, I feel like if I’d just seen a puppy getting hit by a truck. I can’t believe they did this to Boyhood. Congratulations to all Birdman fans. The race is over, the Oscar is yours.
Ok Hawkeye. The fact that people want to piss all over Linklater on boards like this says more about those people than it does Linklater.
There you have it, folks. Unless BAFTA is kind to Boyhood, I think we have our Best Picture and Director winner.
Exactly as predicted. Outstanding news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone want to deliver Boyhood’s eulogy while we’re here?
Last award…Birdman. It’s over. That’s all she wrote.
WOW. Homeland comes out of nowhere.
Foreshadow? o.O
Ryan I wouldn’t read too much into standing ovations. I think Linklater will still win the award.
“Bradley Cooper cracks up the audience with a dead-on Eastwood impression of the rodeo scene shoot in ‘American Sniper’ ” #DGAawards
🙁
“Standing ovation for Clint” at #DGAawards
:((
¿Por segundo año consecutivo ganará un mexicano? Vamos Iñárritu!
I’m gonna finish re-watching the first season of Extras before these winners are all announced…
Los directores tardan demasiado en nombrar a Iñárritu como ganador. Ya van 2 horas de ceremonia ¿Cuánto más piensan tardar?
What time do they give out the movie awards? It’s already past 1am here in New York…
Good afternoon/evening to you Ryan and thanks for opening up this thread – it’s a happening thang! Hi to everybody and hope your artists win! James Burrows, a wonderful and experienced comedic director. The doyen of sitcoms – he and Jay Sandrich – their work inspired me to work in comedy.