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How’d I Do on This Year’s Oscars?

With this year’s Academy Awards ceremony behind us, it’s time to take a look at how I did on my predictions for the winners in this annual competition, as first outlined in my previous blog, Who Will Win This Year’s Oscars.

And the result? Four out of six correct calls, with two misses. Here are the details:

Best Picture

Projected Winner: “Boyhood”
Actual Winner: “Birdman”
Result: Missed call

Despite its wins in the Golden Globe, Critics Choice and BAFTA Awards competitions, the momentum behind “Boyhood” finally ran out, and “Birdman” took advantage of the opportunity, charging ahead to a much-deserved victory. I probably should have picked up on this shift, given the victor’s recent wins in the Directors’ Guild, Producer Guild and Screen Actors Guild Award contests, momentum that was punctuated with a win at the Independent Spirit Awards ceremony the day before the Oscars. Although I saw “Birdman” as one of the films capable of besting “Boyhood,” I didn’t know if it had enough oomph behind it to pull that off. Obviously I was wrong, though I can’t say I’m disappointed with the result. Thankfully, Academy voters saw through the “Boyhood” hype and recognized the film for what it is – an ambitious undertaking based on the unique nature of its logistics and production schedule but not much more. Even though I still would have preferred “Selma” as the best picture winner, I’m not unhappy with the Academy’s selection of “Birdman” for the top prize.

Best Actor

Projected Winner: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Actual Winner: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Result: Correct call

This was the most difficult performance category to handicap, but, thankfully, the strongest portrayal came up the winner in this category. Redmayne was very deserving of every accolade bestowed upon him, though nearly all of his competitors would have made worthy winners as well.

Best Actress

Projected Winner: Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Actual Winner: Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Result: Correct call

This was a slam dunk. Moore swept the best actress category in every major competition leading up to the Oscars, so, again, there was no reason to believe that the result was going to be any different this time. Moore was deserving of every accolade bestowed upon her, though nearly all of her competitors also would have made worthy winners.

Best Supporting Actor

Projected Winner: J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Actual Winner: J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Result: Correct call

This was another slam dunk. Simmons won every major award leading up the Oscars, so his victory came as no surprise, despite a field of worthy competitors. It was very heartwarming to see this journeyman performer finally receive the recognition he has long deserved through a very distinguished, though often-underrated, career.

Best Supporting Actress

Projected Winner: Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Actual Winner: Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Result: Correct call

Once again, this was another category without any suspense. Even with the loss of momentum that “Boyhood” experienced in other categories, there was no stopping Arquette on her way to this win for a very fine performance. Even though I would have preferred the award go to Emma Stone for “Birdman,” Arquette’s award was still well earned, even if it was the only honor the picture picked up all night.

Best Director

Projected Winner: Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Actual Winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Result: Missed call

As with the best picture category, Linklater’s directorial work on “Boyhood” looked like a shoo-in at one point, though, as I noted in my predictions blog, an “upset” in favor of Iñárritu for “Birdman” was not out of the realm of possibility – which is precisely what happened. What did surprise me, however, was how the momentum behind “Birdman” in this category would be strong enough to carry over and earn it the top prize of the night. Of the directors nominated, I truly believed Iñárritu was the most worthy candidate, even though my favorite directorial work of the year – that of Ava Duvernay for “Selma” – wasn’t nominated.

To find out more about what I had to say about this year’s winners in the leading categories, check out my reviews at the following links:

“Birdman”: Review, web site, trailer

“The Theory of Everything”: Review, web site, trailer

“Still Alice”: Review, web site, trailer

“Whiplash”: Review, web site, trailer

“Boyhood”: Review, web site, trailer

And, to read more about what I had to say about some of this year’s winners and nominees in other categories, check out my reviews at these links:

“Selma”: Review, web site, trailer

“The Imitation Game”: Review, web site, trailer

“Citizenfour”: Review, web site, trailer

“Into the Woods”: Review, web site, trailer

“Wild”: Review, web site, trailer

“Two Days, One Night”: Review, web site, trailer

“Timbuktu”: Review, web site, trailer

Oscar® and Academy Award® are registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Copyright © 2015, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.

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