As evidenced by the first rounds of critics group
awards and announcements of both the Golden
Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards
nominations, we are in the thick of awards
season. I’ve been following the race closely
these past few months and taking a closer look
at specific categories like Best Picture, Best
Actress, and most recently Best Supporting Actor
over the past few weeks in regular Oscar Beat
columns, but now feels like an opportune time to
take a breath and consider what the awards thus
far say about the race ahead. Does Unbroken’s
snub signal a surprisingly light Oscar presence?
Will Boyhood enjoy a near clean sweep of the
critics groups? Is Jennifer Aniston on her way to
an Oscar nomination? Read on after the jump.
Before we begin, a brief note on the
Golden Globes . The Hollywood Foreign Press
Association is not the most prestigious of awards
groups out there, and they have a reputation for
gunning more for celebrity appearances with their
nominations rather than making choices based on
talent. The group has zero overlap with the
Academy’s voting body so it’s not really an
indicator of how they will vote, but what it can do
is raise the profile of certain contenders that are
vyying for an Oscar nomination. As such, that’s
where it value comes in as we consider its
impact on the race overall.
1. Unbroken Doesn’t Look to Be This Year’s Oscar Juggernaut
Angelina Jolie ’s World War II drama Unbroken
has been a high-profile awards candidate for a
while, but the overall critical response to the film
was much more muted than expected. Still, the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association can’t
resist inviting Jolie and husband Brad Pitt to the
boozy Golden Globes ceremony, so obviously
Unbroken will have a major presence there right?
Wrong. The biggest surprise of the HFPA’s
uncharacteristically low-key nominees for this
year’s Golden Globes was the total shut-out of
Unbroken. Not a single nomination. The film
also got zilch from the SAG Awards nominations
and hasn’t gained much steam among the critics
groups, though it only started screening a week
and a half ago so we could possibly see it pick
up steam in the coming weeks as more folks
have a chance to see the film.
The snubs don’t mean Unbroken is DOA with
regards to its Oscar status—we haven’t even seen
the wide response from critics yet that will come
closer to release, and I still think it can squeeze
into the Best Picture category. But Universal’s
awards play certainly doesn’t look to be the
game-changer that many were expecting.
2.Jake Gyllenhaal and Jennifer Aniston Are Genuine Contenders
Just as it is every year, this year’s Best Actor
race is an embarrassment of riches. Benedict
Cumberbatch , Steve Carell , Eddie Redmayne , and
Michael Keaton all emerged as early contenders
in the category, but there’s been a bit of a
dogfight for that fifth slot. Timothy Spall is a
favorite for his Mr. Turner role, and David
Oyelowo has been picking up serious steam for
his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma
(indeed, I may even put him above one or two of
the aforementioned actors in terms of chances of
being nominated), but Jake Gyllenhaal has
enjoyed some serious advocating for his stunning
work in Nightcrawler , and now he looks to be a
genuine Dark Horse contender to land a spot in
the Oscar category with both a SAG Award and
Golden Globe Best Actor nomination.
In the Best Actress category, there appears to be
a fifth slot that’s sort of up for grabs as well, and
Jennifer Aniston is making a strong case for
landing the nod. Most considered Aniston an
outside contender for her dramatic turn in the
little-seen indie Cake , but a SAG Award
nomination proved that her peers took notice, and
the Golden Globe Best Actress nod compounded
the SAG recognition, raising her profile
considerably. If she’s able to stay at the
forefront of voters’ minds, an Oscar nomination
doesn’t seem out of the question.
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel Is Definitely in the Race
Films released before the September/October
festival season traditionally have a tougher time
gaining traction in the Oscar race as their profiles
tend to be overshadowed by the onslaught of new
fall releases, and many thought Wes Anderson ’s
wonderful The Grand Budapest Hotel might be
destined for the same fate. However, the
critically hailed film has actually been enjoying
considerable notice from these preliminary
awards, picking up a SAG Award nomination for
Best Ensemble as well as Golden Globe nods for
Best Picture (Musical/Comedy), Actor (Musical/
Comedy), Director and Screenplay, in addition to
a Best Screenplay award from the
New York Film Critics Circle . Moonrise
Kingdom came close to a Best Picture
nomination a couple years ago, so could Grand
Budapest finally make Wes Anderson a Best
Picture nominee?
4.Boyhood Is the Critical Darling
Most years, the critics groups tend to rally
around one specific film, while the Academy and
Guild groups favor another. For every The Social
Network there’s a The King’s Speech antagonist,
and while we don’t yet know which way the
Guilds will be voting, there does appear to be a
clear consensus with most of the critics groups:
Boyhood. Director Richard Linklater’s
groundbreaking coming-of-age drama has picked
up the Best Picture award from the Los Angeles,
New York, and Boston Online film critics groups
thus far, and I imagine there are still plenty more
trophies to come. Moreover, Linklater himself has
been picking up a slew of Best Director
trophies, making him an early frontrunner in that
race as well.
5. Watch Out for Selma
While Unbroken wasn’t the game-changer that
some were expecting—a film that shakes up the
race by announcing itself as a serious contender
for the top trophy, among others—it looks like
Selma might be. The film, which chronicles the
effort to fight for the voting rights of black
Americans in Selma, Alabama led by Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., is an incredible piece of
filmmaking that feels absolutely relevant to the
times we’re living in. It has bold, confident
direction from Ava DuVernay, fantastic and
complex performances, and some brilliant
cinematography by Bradford Young.
The Golden Globes took notice of the emotionally
charged with nods for Best Picture (Drama),
Director, and Actor, and while Selma was shut
out of the SAG Awards nominations, that is
likely due to the fact that Paramount hadn’t yet
sent out screeners due to the film only just being
completed in recent weeks. The same thing
happened with The Wolf of Wall Street last year,
and that picture went on to land a number of
Oscar nods, including Best Picture. As the other
guilds begin to weigh in, look for Selma to start
popping up with greater frequency.
We’ve still got a ways to go before the Oscar
nominations are announced on January 15th, but
the race is off and running with some curious
developments thus far. We’re no doubt in for a
few more surprises in the coming weeks, so stay
tuned to Collider and Oscar Beat for the latest.
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