On Jan. 11, the most wonderful time of year for the film industry officially began with the 72nd Golden Globe Awards on NBC. Nominations for the 87th Academy Awards were announced on Jan. 15, with the ceremony scheduled to air Feb. 22 on ABC at 7pm.
With so many award ceremonies to keep up with this time of year (the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards air Jan. 25 on TBS and TNT, the 68th British Academy Film Awards will be held Feb. 8 and the 30th Independent Spirit Awards will be held Feb. 21), and so many films and performances nominated, it can be hard to decide what to see. Fresh off the nominations list, here are five Oscar prospects worth a watch.
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Nine Nominations, including: Best Picture, Best Director & Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson)
From the brilliantly quirky Wes Anderson, this film chronicles the colorful history of the titular Grand Budapest Hotel. Ralph Fiennes (“Skyfall”) and Tony Revolori (“Shameless”) star as an unlikely duo who find themselves on the run after an elderly hotel regular (Tilda Swinton, “Only Lovers Left Alive”) bequeaths them her fortune. It’s a film dripping with oddities and charm, irresistibly fun and clever. Anderson puts together a top-notch film, earning nominations in production, costume and make-up design, editing and cinematography. Get a copy in stores and online.
“Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Nine Nominations, including: Best Picture, Best Director (Alejandro González Iñárritu), Best Actor (Michael Keaton), Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton), Best Supporting Actress (Emma Stone)
Another film sweeping multiple categories is “Birdman,” a daring and dark comedy about a washed-up actor (Michael Keaton, “RoboCop”) staging a comeback. The film is peppered with stars (including Oscar nominees Edward Norton, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” and Emma Stone, “Magic in the Moonlight,” as well as Zach Galifianakis, “Between Two Ferns”) and utilizes them well in this trippy, hypnotic tragicomedy. “Birdman’s” critique on Hollywood’s treatment of actors makes its multiple nominations somewhat ironic, but all the more earned. See the film at the Esquire Theatre and other select theatres around Denver.
“Boyhood”
Six Nominations, including: Best Picture, Best Director (Richard Linklater), Best Supporting Actor (Ethan Hawke), Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette)
“Boyhood” takes the coming-of-age tale quite literally: shot over the course of 12 years, the film follows six-year-old Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his family as he grows into adulthood. Not only is the film expertly realized and beautifully resonant, its production history makes it a true standout. Director Richard Linklater patiently filmed the cast for only a few weeks a year for over a decade in order to authentically capture the aging of the film’s young star Ellar Coltrane. See the incredible journey in stores and online.
“The Theory of Everything”
Five Nominations, including: Best Picture, Best Actor (Eddie Redmayne), Best Actress (Felicity Jones)
This romantic biopic centers on physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne, “Les Misérables”) and his wife Jane Wilde Hawking (Felicity Jones, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”) as they fall in love amidst personal despair and professional glory. It’s a stunning, heartbreaking tribute to one of the most influential thinkers in modern history, based on Jane Wilde Hawking’s memoir, “Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen.” Not only is the story beautifully crafted, but Redmayne and Jones deliver two of the best, most mesmerizing performances of the year. See the film at Chez Artiste and other theatres around Denver.
“Selma”
Two Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Song (John Legend and Common, “Glory”)
Perhaps the most pertinent and moving film of the year, “Selma” chronicles the famous 1965 Civil Rights Movement march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. David Oyelowo (“A Most Violent Year”) delivers a hauntingly rich performance as Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., though he was shamefully snubbed a Best Actor nomination (Director Ava DuVernay was also notably not selected for a Best Director nod). Just looking at recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, and other parts of the country, it is easy to recognize the relevance and power of “Selma.” The film is now showing in theatres.
