Way back in January, I wrote an article decrying the loss of the "Sundance movie" in the Best Picture conversation since the AMPAS rule change. It was written in response to the hyperbolic praise for "Boyhood" after its premiere at Sundance 2014. After "Fruitvale Station" and another Linklater film "Before Midnight" failed to make it after a similar response the year prior, I found myself being immediately pessimistic about its Oscar potential. Even after I finally caught "Boyhood" in August, I was very conservative with my predictions (I didn't anticipate traction for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor for example).
Well, I was wrong. Not only is "Boyhood" an Oscar contender, it looks like it may walk away with the whole damn thing! Many pundits expect it to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay at the very least. "Boyhood" isn't the only film representing the Sundance brand however. "Whiplash" - this year's winner of the Grand Jury and Audience prizes - has also come on strong. At the moment, it seems like a likely Best Picture nominee and will potentially feature in other categories too. If you've been following the awards season, you'll know that J.K. Simmons already seems unstoppable as this year's Best Supporting Actor frontrunner.
It's really encouraging to see these small indie movies can still have a strong presence in the machine that is Oscar season. As of right now, I see "Boyhood" and "Whiplash" getting nods in many major categories. Take a look at my latest predictions:
BEST PICTURE
Boyhood
Birdman
Selma
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gone Girl
Foxcatcher
Whiplash
Unbroken
BEST DIRECTOR
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Ava DuVernay, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
J.K Simmons, Whiplash
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Emma Stone, Birdman
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Birdman
Boyhood
Whiplash
The Lego Movie
BEST EDITING
Boyhood
Birdman
Gone Girl
Whiplash
Interstellar
BEST SOUND EDITING
Whiplash
Into the Woods
Interstellar
Birdman
American Sniper
BEST SOUND MIXING
Into the Woods
Interstellar
Whiplash
American Sniper
Get on Up
