And the 2014 Nominees Are...
Our take on this year's Oscar Nominees
The nominations are out and the countdown to the big night is underway.
Below we list the nominees with links to our reviews of the films so you can see where we agreed or disagreed with the Academy.
BEST PICTURE
- Scott:
"A return to form for director Clint Eastwood." - Patrick:
"Manages to be both pro-military and anti-war at the same time." - Eric:
"A rare movie going experience."
- Patrick:
"Fresh and dramatically funny." - Scott:
"Worthy of praise, but not perfect." - Eric:
"The best dramedy to come out in years."
- Patrick:
"Sublime." - Scott:
"The most overrated film of 2014." - Eric:
"He is every boy."
- Patrick:
"Wes Anderson's latest cinematic whimsy is a winner." - Scott:
"A colorful comedy." - Eric:
"Quirky fun."
- Scott:
"Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant." - Patrick:
"One of the year's best films." - Eric:
"Alan Turing gets his due."
- Scott:
"A fascinating depiction of a turbulent time in American history." - Patrick:
"Should be seen by every American." - Eric:
"An educational view at a dark moment in U.S. history."
- Scott:
"A loving tribute to a genius and his struggles." - Eric:
"An okay movie with an outstanding lead performance." - Patrick:
"Overrated."
- Scott:
"Riveting." - Eric:
"Contains some moments of tense brilliance." - Patrick:
"Two great performances in an average movie."
BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Patrick:
"Anderson's visual flair and quirky sense of humor are on full display." - Scott:
"One of Anderson's best." - Eric:
"The way Anderson humorously poses everyone and moves them about is from an earlier Hollywood decade."
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Birdman
- Patrick:
"A technical showpiece." - Scott:
"Inarritu directs long takes that makes the film feel unique." - Eric:
"I found his long takes refreshing."
- Patrick:
"Combines experimental film-making with traditional storytelling." - Scott:
"Linklater is as self-indulgent as always." - Eric:
"He makes us privy to personal home movies of one boy's life."
- Patrick:
"A dark brooding true-crime drama that unfolds slowly but features a trio of terrific performances." - Scott:
"Miller sustains a dark, brooding mood throughout." - Eric:
"Miller is lazy with the details but pulled some great performances from his leads."
Morten Tyldum - The Imitation Game
- Scott:
"Tyldum's direction is unobtrusive." - Patrick:
"Solid direction overshadowed by the script and cast." - Eric:
"Tyldum makes a rather dry subject very interesting."
BEST ACTOR
- Patrick:
"His performance is more than just a prosthetic nose and a very unflattering hairstyle." - Scott:
"Carell buries himself in the part." - Eric:
"Carell is unrecognizable with his large nose always angled up in the air. "
Bradley Cooper - American Sniper
- Scott:
"Cooper has moved from just a pretty face to become a genuine actor." - Patrick:
"A career defining performance." - Eric:
"Cooper is nothing less than perfect in the role."
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game
- Scott:
"Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant." - Patrick:
"A performance of quiet intensity and emotional purity." - Eric:
"Cumberbatch brings to life the enigma that was Alan Turing."
- Patrick:
"He understands the dark humor in the script and handles the many long takes and pages of dialogue with practiced ease." - Scott:
"Keaton re-emerges from bit parts to show that he still has what it takes." - Eric:
"He gives a raw, career defining performance."
Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything
- Scott:
"Redmayne delivers the kind of performance that the Academy eats with a spoon." - Eric:
"Redmayne is never less than mesmerizing." - Patrick:
"Playing Stephen Hawking was physically demanding but it smacks of being gimmicky to me."
BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night
- Scott:
"Marion Cotillard delivers a stunningly naturalistic performance."
Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything
- Scott:
"Although over shadowed by Redmayne, Jones is never outshone." - Eric:
"Jones is good but everything in the film pales compared to Redmayne's performance." - Patrick:
"I see no reason for the nomination."
- Scott:
"Moore's performance is heartbreaking." - Patrick:
"Julianne Moore is beyond brilliant as Dr. Alice Howland." - Eric:
"Moore brilliantly shows us the frustration of a woman struggling to recall what she forgot, to remember what she no longer knows."
- Eric:
"Rosamund Pike has the greatest role of her career." - Scott:
"Pike plays over-the-top with gusto." - Patrick:
"If Oscars were based solely on the amount of effort required for the role then she should win hands down."
- Scott:
"Reese Witherspoon delivers the performance of her career." - Patrick:
"Witherspoon lays bare her soul without being obvious or overly dramatic." - Eric:
"She clearly put all she had into this part and is deserving of any and all awards."
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Scott:
"Duvall delivers a fine performance in a story we've seen many times before." - Patrick:
"Duvall is particularly affecting as an old man facing the end."
- Patrick:
"Hawke makes a great father." - Scott:
"Hawke is fine, but hardly award worthy." - Eric:
"His performance is adequate but not award worthy."
- Patrick:
"Shines in support of Keaton." - Scott:
"Norton is a scene stealer." - Eric:
"Norton is as good as his character brags."
- Patrick:
"Put in long hours of training for the wrestling scenes." - Scott:
"Ruffalo shambles his way under the skin of this wrestler." - Eric:
"Ruffalo has the least showy of the three roles but his is the most real."
- Scott:
"One of the most powerful performances of the year." - Eric:
"Contains some moments of tense brilliance." - Patrick:
"A veritable showcase for Simmons."
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Patrick:
"Gives her best performance in years." - Scott:
"Compared to the child actors she's brilliant, but by any other measure she's merely fine." - Eric:
"She gives a very sincere performance."
- Scott:
"Dern's part is small, but she looms over the film." - Patrick:
"Deserving of a Supporting Oscar nomination." - Eric:
"Her part is small but she is brilliant."
Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game
- Scott:
"Knightley stands out as the only actress in this boys club of a film." - Patrick:
"Better than expected." - Eric:
"Knightley has little to do but she does it well."
- Patrick:
"Shines in support of Keaton." - Scott:
"An actorly performance. Not showy, but brilliant." - Eric:
"Stone makes her presence known."
- Scott:
"Streep is miscast and over praised as the witch." - Eric:
"Another unworthy nomination." - Patrick:
"She's nominated again?"
OTHER CATEGORIES
ANIMATED FEATURE
ART DIRECTION
CINEMATOGRAPHY
COSTUME DESIGN
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- CITIZENFOUR
- Finding Vivian Maier
- Last Days in Vietnam
- The Salt in the Earth
- Virunga
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
- Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
- Joanna
- Our Curse
- The Reaper
- White Earth
FILM EDITING
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
MAKEUP
MUSIC (Original Score)
- The Grand Budapest Hotel - Alexandre Desplat
- The Imitation Game - Alexandre Desplat
- The Theory of Everything - Johann Johannsson
- Mr. Turner - Gary Yershon
- Interstellar - Hans Zimmer
MUSIC (Original Song)
- The LEGO Movie - "Everything is Awesome"
- Selma - "Glory"
- Beyond the Lights - "Grateful"
- Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me - "I'm Not Gonna Miss You"
- Begin Again - "Lost Stars"
SHORT FILM (Animated)
- The Bigger Picture
- The Dam Keeper
- Feast
- Me and My Moulton
- A Single Life
SHORT FILM (Live Action)
- Aya
- Boogaloo and Graham
- Butter Lamp
- Parvaneh
- The Phone Call
SOUND EDITING
SOUND MIXING
VISUAL EFFECTS
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Interstellar
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
WRITING (Adapted Screenplay)
- Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson
- Whiplash - Damien Chazelle
- American Sniper - Jason Hall
- The Theory of Everything - Anthony McCarten
- The Imitation Game - Graham Moore
WRITING (Original Screenplay)
- The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
- Foxcatcher - Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye
- Nightcrawler - Dan Gilroy
- Birdman - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo
- Boyhood - Richard Linklater
