By Matt Murphy, staff writer
Are you sitting at home this winter being mildly depressed with nothing to do but sit and eat and watch movies? Then hold on to your popcorn because the Academy Awards are coming! Yes, I know they happen every year and they last forever and can seem quite boring, but that was before Neil Patrick Harris was chosen to host The Oscars this year.
Every director has the same dream: to one day hold the Oscar for Best Picture or Best Director. With so many mov-ies coming out each year, sometimes such an achieve- ment may seem impossible, but for a number of direc- tors this year that dream is so close they can’t resist it. What makes a movie a Best Picture nominee? It’s a combination of great acting, great script, great cinematography, and a great set. So many directors and producers try to make a movie to be a Best Picture nominee each year and never get it right. This year, there are some amazing films up for the great award: Birdman, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Whiplash, American Sniper, Boyhood, Selma, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
From where I stand, I see three movies that stand out that should be up for Best Picture: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Birdman, and American Sniper. Grand Budapest has witty dialogue and the best use of color and cinematography I have seen in years. Director Wes Anderson truly outdid himself once more.
With Birdman, Hollywood loves a comeback and that is exactly what Michael Keaton did in this picture. Add a great supporting actress and actor in Emma Stone and Edward Norton, and Birdman seems to hit every check in the list to snag the award. If I had to pick one movie to win, it would be Birdman.
Best Picture is not the only great award a director can win at the Oscars. He or she may also take home the Best Director statue. More often than not the directors of the Best Picture nominees are up for this award. The nominees are Richard Linklater, Alejandro Gonzalez, Wes Anderson, Morten Tyldum, and Bennett Miller. If it was up to me, I would put my money on Anderson to win this award simply because his great vision and how he chose to film The Grand Budapest Hotel.
With so many great movies, there is no way to really tell who will take home the Oscars. If you want to find out for yourself, tune in to ABC on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.