Moviefone Editorial

Tag: oscars

  • Oscars 2015: 16 Things You’ll See at This Year’s Academy Awards

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    Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony should actually be pretty exciting, in a Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots kind of way. Like the Super Bowl contenders earlier this month, the two top movies are pretty evenly matched, and the victory won’t be decided until the final seconds. The same is true in the Best Actor contest, where Stephen Hawking fights it out with a guy running through Times Square in his underwear. It could go either way.

    Perennial Oscar show producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan have a lot going for them this year. Besides the genuine suspense in the “Birdman” vs. “Boyhood” and Eddie Redmayne vs. Michael Keaton contests, they have awards-show pro Neil Patrick Harris hosting. They have all the “American Sniper” fans encouraged to tune in (don’t worry, folks, the Academy won’t let your film go home empty-handed; they’ll give it at least Best Sound Editing in order to prove that they love America and the troops). And if they’re smart, they’ll have tyrannical “Whiplash” music teacher J.K. Simmons conducting the orchestra, ready to play off any winner whose rambling speech threatens to further elongate the already overstuffed ceremony.

    Whether you’re watching the Feb. 22 ABC telecast out of genuine rooting interest in the nominated films, out of fondness for all the glitzy excess, or out of laziness and boredom, here’s what Zadan, Meron, Harris, and the Academy are cooking up for you.

  • Oscar Predictions 2015: Who Will Win Best Actor?

    Best Actor Predictions 2015 OscarsWith the 2015 Oscars almost here, Moviefone will be releasing a set of staff predictions each day this week (in countdown fashion) for the four major categories. We kicked it off yesterday with Best Actress, and now turn our attention to a hotly-contested race: Best Actor.

    We’ve already given you the beat on the 2015 Oscars race, so now let’s break down our favorites to win the award. Here, we’ve listed the actors we expect to win, and then, more importantly, who we think should win.

    Tim Hayne
    Who Will Win: Eddie Redmayne. The actor’s transformative performance as physics genius Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything” is, perhaps, the most talked about of the year, and it’s already earned him a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. The only person who could possibly upset the race at this point is Bradley Cooper, whose performance in “American Sniper” has been celebrated by audiences to the tune of more than $300M at the box office.

    Who Should Win: Michael Keaton. If not for his performance in “Birdman,” than for his career as a whole. Keaton is the dark horse in this race, for sure, but his dramatic (and comedic) turn as, basically, a version of himself in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s dark comedy is fantastically nuanced and powerful. No disrespect to Redmayne, but it’s pretty early in the 33-year-old’s career; let’s give the Oscar to someone who’s filmography includes iconic turns in “Beetlejuice,” “Batman,” and, one my personal favorites, “Mr. Mom.”​

    Alana Altmann
    Who Will Win: Eddie Redmayne, but by a narrow margin. A physically transformative portrayal of a real-life figure will most likely trump an actor playing an… actor. (Hello, “Birdman.”) The visually stunning “Theory of Everything” is the kind of Oscar-friendly biopic that lands its leading men gold. See: Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech,” Jamie Foxx in “Ray,” and Daniel Day-Lewis in “My Left Foot” and “Lincoln.” The same logic could be used for Bradley Cooper and Benedict Cumberbatch’s roles, but Redmayne’s face looked all different and stuff.

    Who Should Win: Michael “Birdman” Keaton. He flies high (JK — I’ll spare you those bird puns!) shines while bringing tormented washed up Hollywood actor Riggan Thomson to life in a way we couldn’t imagine another actor doing. Whether you enjoyed the overwhelming, chaotic meta-ness of “Birdman” or not, it’s hard to deny his riveting performance. Keaton musters his own special blend of magical manic restlessness while embodying vulnerability, bitterness, and the universal fear of failure. To not give him this award would be a total fowl. (Sorry, we had to.)

    Jonny Black
    Who Will Win: Michael Keaton. “Birdman” director Alejandro González Iñárritu said prior to the film’s release that he wanted Keaton for the role because he could navigate drama and comedy, adding “a meta-dialogue to the film.” Keaton was thrown the perfect pass and he delivers, beautifully handling the self-loathing and struggles of former superhero star Riggan Thomson. There’s no denying Eddie Redmayne’s momentum leading up to the Oscars after taking home a Golden Globe and a SAG award and, frankly, there’s no denying his talent — he’s unbelievable in “The Theory of Everything.” Redmayne could take the Oscar home and it would hardly be a steal, but Keaton’s long history with the Academy will give him the win by a nose.

    Who Should Win: Michael Keaton. Ehhh… Eddie Redmayne? Redmayne turns in a hell of a performance, one that is now getting the backlash label of “physical acting,” but who are we kidding? The young Brit let Stephen Hawking’s struggles, emotional and physical, seep into his being and he delivers a raw and moving performance. Ultimately, though, Michael Keaton just is Riggan Thomson. Is there anyone else you can even imagine in that role? It’s impossible to take your eyes off him and he should take home the Oscar.

    Who’s your pick? Tell us in the comments below, and find out which star wins Best Actor when the Oscars air live Sunday, February 22 at 7 ET / 4 PT on ABC.

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  • Oscars 2015: The 10 Best Reasons to Watch This Year

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    There’s always a lot of nay saying before the annual Oscar telecast rolls around, with prestige fatigue setting in even for those who haven’t been covering the various awards, nominees, and campaigns for the past few months. But there is a silver lining to every gloomy, awards show-shaped cloud, and this year’s broadcast, hosted by affably goofy song-and-dance man Neil Patrick Harris (who, it should be remembered, co-starred in the Oscar-nominated “Gone Girl”), could be really, really great.

    But if you’re saying to yourself, I really don’t want to watch this year. It will be boring and repetitive. But I sure could use a Top 10 list to really lay things out for me, have we got the top 10 list for you. Read on for the top 10 reasons to watch the Oscars this year.

  • Oscar Predictions 2015: Who Will Win Best Actress?

    Best Actress 2015This Sunday, all eyes will be on the star-studded Oscars!

    With less than a week before the big night, it’s time to look back and reexamine the most noteworthy performances and films of 2014. In countdown fashion, Moviefone will be releasing a set of staff predictions each day this week for the four major categories — kicking it off today with Best Actress.

    We’ve already given you the beat on the 2015 Oscars race, so now let’s break down our favorites to win Best Actress. Here, we’ve listed the actress we expect to win, and then, more importantly, which ones we think should win.

    Tim Hayne
    Who Will Win: Julianne Moore. Not only has she already won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (a predictor of Oscar glory) for her portrayal of a woman dealing with early-onset Alzheimer’s in “Still Alice,” but Moore is poised to take home the trophy on career merit alone. This is her fifth nomination, and, in 2003, she became one of only a handful of actors to be nominated in both the Best Supporting and Best Actress categories. Her career has been filled with widely varied roles, many of them lauded, and the Academy undoubtedly believes she’s paid her dues. In short, it’s time.

    Who Should Win: Julianne Moore. I mean, come on. She deserves it for all the reasons I mentioned above, and more. It’s her year.

    Alana Altmann
    Who Will Win: Julianne Moore. Most people probably already assume the accomplished powerhouse has an Oscar under her belt, but the nominee has sadly gone home empty handed four times in the past. The versatile actress turned an unremarkable small film with a overwhelmingly heavy concept like “Still Alice” into something worth talking about. It’s her year to take it, especially since her competition isn’t that steep…

    Who Should Win: Julianne Moore. But we’re pretending she’s getting the award for the “will you be my mommy?” scene in “Boogie Nights.” Just kidding. (Sort of). What could have treaded into sappy tear-bait territory in “Still Alice” turned out to be a powerful, moving, and relatable portrayal of a woman whose world is slipping through her finger tips. And although we’re picking Julianne here, we’re going to take a moment to shout out Rosamund Pike’s nuanced breakout work as “Gone Girl’s” Amazing Amy just because it was one of the most fun performances to watch this year. It’s just not quite Moore-level emotional rawness.

    Jonny Black
    Who Will Win: Julianne Moore. She was incredible in “Still Alice” and has racked up award after award for her performance, and rightfully so. I mean, she’s the main draw for a downer of a movie (the story centers on Moore’s character who’s recently been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s) and carries it alongside an impressive performance from Kristen Stewart. Moore’s 2015 nod is her fifth career Oscar nomination and it’s about time she takes home the golden statuette — she’s rarely been more deserving.

    Who Should Win: Julianne Moore. She’s fantastic in the movie and has more than paid her Academy dues. Have we even mentioned another actress’s name for this year’s race? Barely. She’s also front and center in two of the greatest and most talked about movies of the last twenty years, “Boogie Nights” (1997) and “The Big Lebowski” (1998), so just give her the damn thing!

    What’s your pick? Tell us in the comments below, and find out which star wins Best Actress when the Oscars air live Sunday, February 22 at 7 ET / 4 PT on ABC.
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  • 13 Stars One Win Away From an EGOT

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    Oh, the elusive EGOT. It takes a very special performer to nail down an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony. The enviable club is a relatively small one, with impressive members like Whoopi Goldberg, Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, and Mel Brooks. But there are a few entertainers that are almost there! Find out who is just one coveted statue away from reaching EGOT status. Some of the contenders surprise you…

  • Oscars by the Numbers: 24 Fascinating Academy Awards Stats

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    The accountants of PricewaterhouseCoopers aren’t the only ones crunching numbers on the run-up to the Oscars. We’ve compiled some fascinating stats about Hollywood’s biggest night: How many people will be watching? How long do winners really have to give a speech (in theory)? Who set a new record for the oldest Oscar nominee this year?

    And here’s one record this year’s Oscars will never beat: Shortest Oscar Ceremony Ever, unless it ends after the first award is given out.US-OSCARS-PRESS ROOM

  • 10 Most Controversial Oscar Moments in Academy History

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    When a billion people are watching, the Oscar stage is a tempting place to broadcast your political views, as more than one star or filmmaker has chosen to do. It’s not always a popular choice, as Vanessa Redgrave or Michael Moore can tell you.

    Controversial Oscar moments aren’t always about politics: Among the other scandals are a shockingly naked stranger, a barely-dressed starlet, and a persistent rumor about one surprising win.
    Most Controversial Oscar Moments

  • Most Oscar-Nominated Stars in Academy Awards History

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    With the Oscars right around the corner (Sunday, February 22), it’s the perfect time to look back at Academy Awards past and answer the question: Who’s been nominated for the most Oscars? And we’ll do one better: Tally up their wins.
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  • 22 Oscar Winners and Nominees Who Started Out on Soap Operas

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    Everybody’s got to start somewhere: For some people it’s theater or commercials, but for many, many actors, their first job was on a soap opera. Julianne Moore played dual characters on “As the World Turns,” Laurence Fishburne played a teen drug dealer on “One Life to Live” and Susan Sarandon played a murderous drifter on “Search for Tomorrow,” a soap that was also among the first gigs for Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, and Viggo Mortensen.

    Who else got a boost from daytime drama? Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, and some of the most acclaimed Oscar winners in the U.S., Australia, and even England.oscar nominees soap operas

  • 10 Animals That Deserved Oscars

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    For decades, people have been trying to determine what non-human beast has delivered the best performance of all time and, well, let’s settle the debate once and for all.

    From “The Wizard of Oz” to “Jaws,” here are 10 animals that deserved to take home Oscars. It’s about time these furry and ferocious thespians got some love.
    Animals That Deserved Oscars