All of awards season has led up to this: The Academy Award nominations were announced Thursday morning in Los Angeles.
Director Wes Anderson has crossed over from art-house darling to academy favorite. The auteur’s offbeat dramedy “The Grand Budapest Hotel” scored nine nominations, equaling Alejandro González Iñárritu’s unconventional, genre-defying film, “Birdman,” for the most nominations.
The most obvious snub was “Selma,” Ava DuVernay’s moving biopic about Martin Luther King Jr. Despite a nod for best picture and best original song (for Common and John Legend’s recent Golden Globe-winning “Glory”), the film’s director and actors were shut out in their respective categories. David Oyelowo missed out on a best actor nomination, but more surprisingly, Ava DuVernay was not acknowledged in the best director category, a nomination that would have been the first for an African American woman.
Nominations (by movie):
“Birdman” – 9
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – 9
“The Imitation Game” – 8
“Boyhood” – 6
“American Sniper” – 6
“Whiplash” – 5
“Interstellar” – 5
“Foxcatcher” – 5
"Birdman" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" lead the Oscar pack this year with the most nominations, and "Selma" is noticeably left out of some major categories. Here's what else you need to know about the 2015 Academy Award nominations. (Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)
The list of nominations for the 87th Academy Awards
Best Picture“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”
Immediate reaction: The academy can nominate up to 10 movies, but stopped short with eight this year. Most of these are what the prognosticators expected — “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “Selma,” and the big British biopics, “The Theory of Everything” and “The Imitation Game.” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which won a best picture award at the Golden Globes, is starting to look like an unstoppable force. And another indie director, Damien Chazelle, is getting lots of attention with his directorial debut, “Whiplash.” Movies that could have made the list but didn’t: musical “Into the Woods,” “Foxcatcher” (despite its directing nom), Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken,” and “A Most Violent Year,” which was completely shut out.
Actor in a Leading RoleSteve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Immediate reactions: Hello there, Bradley Cooper. “American Sniper” didn’t get much love from the Golden Globes, but the academy was in a different frame of mind. Of course, that meant there was no space for David Oyelowo, who turned in a stunning performance as Martin Luther King Jr. in “Selma.” Both Keaton and Redmayne won acting awards at the Golden Globes — one for comedy, one for drama.
Actress in a Leading RoleMarion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
Immediate reaction: This list hews fairly closely to expectations. The biggest surprise is Marion Cotillard’s nomination. She edged out Jennifer Aniston, who was thought to have a shot for her buzzy performance in “Cake.” Amy Adams, who just won a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy or musical, didn’t make the list either. Julianne Moore is the favorite here, playing a linguistics professor grappling with an early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Actor in a Supporting RoleRobert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Immediate reaction: Again, no huge jaw-droppers here. These nominees are identical to the Golden Globes, with J.K. Simmons as a favorite; he just won the Globe for his maniacal role in “Whiplash.”
Actress in a Supporting RolePatricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”
Immediate reaction: When Dern’s name was announced there were audible gasps — not to mention a few excited whoops. She played the effervescent mother to Reese Witherspoon’s lead in “Wild.” It was a great performance, though Patricia Arquette (who also played a single mom, in “Boyhood”) is the clear favorite.
DirectingAlejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”
Immediate reactions: Where are the women? There was talk of not one, but two women securing nominations in this category: Ava DuVernay for “Selma” and Angelina Jolie for “Unbroken.” Jolie’s movie didn’t get the praise that seemed assured prior to release, but DuVernay certainly deserved to be on this list. Miller’s nomination for “Foxcatcher” is the biggest surprise here; meanwhile, Anderson’s nod is his first ever directing nomination. He’s been previously nominated for best screenplay.
Animated Feature Film“Big Hero 6”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”
Immediate reaction: The big surprise here is that “The LEGO Movie” wasn’t nominated. Instead of the blockbuster (“LEGO” had the fourth-highest domestic box office returns in 2014), the under-the-radar, yet-to-be-released “Song of the Sea” scored a nom.
CinematographyEmmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Robert D. Yeoman, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lynzewski, “Ida”
Dick Pope, “Mr. Turner”
Roger Deakins, “Unbroken”
Immediate reaction: Aside from sound editing and sound mixing, this was the only nomination for “Unbroken,” which will have a tough time overcoming stiff competition from “Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” It’s interesting that “Mr. Turner” got so many nominations, although not the one some expected — Timothy Spall for best actor. It’s also interesting to see a foreign film in the mix with the black-and-white “Ida.”
Costume DesignMilena Canonero, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Mark Bridges, “Inherent Vice”
Colleen Atwood, “Into the Woods”
Anna B. Sheppard, “Maleficent”
Jacqueline Durran, “Mr. Turner”
Immediate reaction: This is the only nomination “Maleficent” managed to score and, while the costumes were extravagant, the movie is hardly a sure thing to win against the likes of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Into the Woods.”
ocumentary Feature“Citizenfour”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“Virunga”
“The Salt of the Earth”
“Finding Vivian Maier”
Immediate reaction: “Citizenfour,” Laura Poitras’s thrilling documentary about Edward Snowden, was a sure bet. The academy also showed love for Rory Kennedy’s documentary about the fall of Saigon, “Last Days of Vietnam,” and the universally-praised “Virunga.” If there’s a snub to be found, it’s for “Life Itself,” the much-praised doc about Roger Ebert.
Documentary Short Subject“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
“Joanna”
“Our Curse”
“The Reaper”
“White Earth”
Film EditingJoel Cox and Gary Roach, “American Sniper”
Sandra Adair, “Boyhood”
Barney Pilling, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
William Goldenberg, “The Imitation Game”
Tom Cross, “Whiplash”
Immediate reaction: Most of “Birdman” looked like it was filmed in one long take. It wasn’t; that was the magic of smart cuts and good editing, but that magic (by editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione) was not recognized by the academy. Instead, “Boyhood” leads the charge with Sandra Adair nominated for piecing together a story that was shot over 12 years.
Foreign Language Film“Ida”
“Leviathan”
“Tangerines”
“Wild Tales”
“Timbuktu”
Immediate reaction: It’s sad to see no mention of “Force Majeure” on this list, though these are worthy contenders. The Russian film “Leviathan” took home the Golden Globe on Sunday, but the Polish drama “Ida” has a good shot at the Oscar, with a 1960s-era story of an aspiring nun who finds out her family was Jewish.
Makeup and HairstylingBill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, “Foxcatcher”
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Immediate reaction: Will it be Steve Carell’s prosthetic nose in “Foxcatcher” or an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton under an aged face in “The Grand Budapest Hotel”? Those jobs seem somewhat less onerous than covering Dave Bautista’s many muscles in green and red to transform him into Drax in “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Music – Original ScoreAlexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Alexandre Desplat, “The Imitation Game”
Hans Zimmer, “Interstellar”
Gary Yershon, “Mr Turner”
Jóhann Jóhannsson, “The Theory of Everything”
Immediate reaction: Lots of love for the prolific Desplat, who could have been nominated for three movies (he also did great work on “Unbroken”). Jóhannsson won the Globe on Sunday for his work on “The Theory of Everything,” though Zimmer certainly has a shot for his impossible-to-miss music in “Interstellar.” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross had a shot at making the list for “Gone Girl,” but “Mr. Turner” popped up instead.
Music – Original Song“Everything Is Awesome” by Shawn Patterson, “The LEGO Movie”
“Glory” by Common and John Legend, “Selma”
“Grateful” by Diane Warren, “Beyond the Lights”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond, “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
“Lost Stars” by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois, “Begin Again”
Immediate reaction: This was one of only two nominations for “Selma.” The nom for “Beyond the Lights” is a pleasant surprise. It was a great movie that far too few people saw.
Production Design“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Production design: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“The Imitation Game,” Production design: Maria Djurkovic, Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
“Interstellar,” Production design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“Into the Woods,” Production design: Dennis Gassner, Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“Mr. Turner,” Production design: Suzie Davies, Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts
Immediate reaction: “Into the Woods” was shut out of the best picture category and Timothy Spall failed to secure a nomination for his impressive acting in “Mr. Turner,” but both movies landed here, and deservedly so.
Short Film – Animated“The Bigger Picture,” Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
“The Dam Keeper,” Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
“Feast,” Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
“Me and My Moulton,” Torill Kove
“A Single Life,” Joris Oprins
Short Film – Live Action
“Aya,” Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
“Boogaloo and Graham,” Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney
“Butter lamp,” Hu Wei and Julien Féret
“Parvaneh,” Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
“The Phone Call,” Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
Sound Editing“American Sniper,” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
“Birdman,” Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
“Interstellar,” Richard King
“Unbroken,” Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro
Immediate reaction: Despite some complaints about the epic volume levels of “Interstellar,” Christopher Nolan’s movie managed to score nominations for both sound editing and sound mixing. This was the only nomination for Peter Jackson’s final (we think…?) “Hobbit” installment.
Sound Mixing“American Sniper,” John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
“Birdman,” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga
“Interstellar,” Garry A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
“Unbroken,” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee
”Whiplash,” Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
Visual Effects“Captain America: Winter Soldier,” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
“Guardians of the Galaxy,” Stephanie Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
“Interstellar,” Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer
Immediate reactions: This is the one category that consistently shows love for the blockbuster action and superhero movies, and this year was no exception. This was one of two nominations for “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the biggest moneymaker of 2014, which also happened to be well-liked by critics. “Transformers” had a rough week. This was the only real Oscar hope for the fourth installment of “Transformers,” and
the movie led the Razzie nominations, which were announced earlier this week.
Writing – Adapted ScreenplayJason Hall, “American Sniper”
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Anthony McCarten, “The Theory of Everything”
Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”
Immediate reaction: “The Imitation Game” and “The Theory of Everything” were sure to make the list, and “Whiplash” certainly deserves a spot. “Inherent Vice” was more of a wild card, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s occasionally (and intentionally) nonsensical adaptation of a loopy Thomas Pynchon novel.
Writing – Original ScreenplayAlejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, “Foxcatcher”
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Dan Gilroy, “Nightcrawler”
Immediate reaction: “Boyhood” and “Birdman” were locks, and the latter just won the Golden Globe. This seemed like a good place for “A Most Violent Year” to land with J.C. Chandor’s clever subversion of “Godfather”-style crime dramas. Instead, Dan Gilroy’s creepy “Nightcrawler” made the list.
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