Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/448091
IX This week maltatoday, Sunday, 18 January 2015 THE FULL NOMINATIONS LIST OSCARS 2015 Best picture american Sniper Birdman Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game Selma The Theory of Everything Whiplash Best director Wes anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman richard Linklater, Boyhood Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game Best actress Marion Cotillard, Two days, One night Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything Julianne Moore, Still alice rosamund Pike, Gone Girl reece Witherspoon, Wild Best actor Steve Carrell, Foxcatcher Bradley Cooper, american Sniper Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game Michael Keaton, Birdman Eddie redmayne, The Theory of Everything Original screenplay Birdman Boyhood Foxcatcher The Grand Budapest Hotel nightcrawler Adapted screenplay american Sniper The Imitation Game Inherent Vice The Theory of Everything Whiplash Best supporting actress Patricia arquette, Boyhood Laura dern, Wild Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game Emma Stone, Birdman Meryl Streep, Into the Woods Best supporting actor robert duvall, The Judge Ethan Hawke, Boyhood Edward norton, Birdman Mark ruffalo, Foxcatcher JK Simmons, Whiplash Best cinematography Birdman The Grand Budapest Hotel Ida Mr Turner unbroken Best foreign language film Ida, Poland Leviathan, russia Tangerines, Estonia Timbuktu, Mauritania Wild Tales, argentina Best make-up and hairstyling Foxcatcher The Grand Budapest Hotel Guardians of the Galaxy Best original score The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game Interstellar Mr Turner The Theory of Everything Best costume design The Grand Budapest Hotel Inherent Vice Into the Woods Maleficent Mr Turner Best documentary feature Citizenfour Finding Vivian Maier Last days in Vietnam Salt of the Earth Virunga Best documentary short Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 Joanna Our Curse The reaper White Earth Best film editing american Sniper Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game Whiplash Best animated feature Big Hero 6 The Boxtrolls How to Train your dragon 2 Song of the Sea The Tale of Princess Kaguya Best original song 'Lost Stars', Begin again 'Grateful', Beyond the Lights 'I'm not Gonna Miss you', Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me 'Everything is awesome', The Lego Movie 'Glory', Selma Best production design The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game Interstellar Into the Woods Mr Turner Best animated short film The Bigger Picture The dam Keeper Feast Me and My Moulton a Single Life Best live-action short film aya Boogaloo and Graham Butter Lamp Paraveneh The Phone Call Best sound editing american Sniper Birdman The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five armies Interstellar unbroken Best sound mixing american Sniper Birdman Interstellar unbroken Whiplash Best 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 Best sound mixing american Sniper Interstellar Best visual effects Captain america: The Winter Soldier dawn of the Planet of the apes Guardians of the Interstellar X-Men: days of Future Past Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel lead the Academy Awards race Hollywood satire Birdman and Wes anderson madcap comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel are in pole position to dominate the Oscars on February 22 A fairly predictable tally of nomina- tions was announced on Thursday, as directors JJ Abrams and Alfonso Cuaron, along with actor Chris Pine and Academy boss Cheryl Boone an- nounced the nominations for the 87th edition of the Academy Awards, set to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 22 February. Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's Michael Keaton-starring Hollywood satire Birdman is neck-and-neck with Wes Anderson's colourful madcap farce The Grand Budapest Hotel, with both films sharing nine nomina- tions each. But given that it focuses on the va- garies of the film industry – being the story of a has-been actor attempting a comeback on Broadway – Birdman remains a likelier contender to snatch awards in the key categories. Trailing close behind are The Imitation Game (8), followed by Boy- hood and American Sniper with six nominations each. The Imitation Game – which boasts Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch as pioneering but tragic computer genius Alan Tur- ing – is one half of the 'eccentric genius' double-whammy we've been regaled to this year, the other being The Theory of Everything, in which Eddie Redmayne stars as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. 'Theory' nabbed a comparatively smaller clutch of four nominations, though these include key categories such as Best Actress – for Red- mayne's co-star Felicity Jones – and Best Adapted Screenplay and a Best Actor nod for Redmayne himself. Another key contender is Boyhood, the bravura coming-of-age epic by Ri- chard Linklater, filmed over 13 years. Linklater's standing as a director of note who never 'sold out', coupled with the film's unique 'making of' story, made Boyhood an almost instant Oscar contender by proxy, but the film is a success regardless: it can stand proudly on its strong performances and intimate, relatable storytelling. There was some controversy, too, despite the largely predictable final tally. Though African American civil rights drama Selma was recognised in the most prestigious category – Best Picture – its absence from other important categories is largely perceived as a snub, given its success with critics Stateside, and weighty and otherwise Academy-friendly subject matter. Animation fans were also irate at the exclusion of the much-loved Lego Movie from the Best Animation category... to which director Philip Lord responded by building his own statuette out of Lego, and tweeting a photo of the resulting yellow plastic sculpture. A humorous hiccup during the nominations announcement – when Boone read Mr Turner cinematog- rapher Dick Pope's name as 'Dick Poop' – led to much viral amusement online. "They should now give me the award, just by default!" Pope said jok- ingly during a BBC radio programme. xxxx Birdman The Grand Budapest Hotel Boyhood