As the red-carpet is all set to roll out for the 87th Academy Awards, Rajeev Masand lays his bets on who will emerge winners on the big night!
BEST PICTURE
As we inch towards the climax of Oscar season, it’s interesting to note how the seemingly sure-shot frontrunner from just weeks ago, Richard Linklater’s intimate portrait of growing-up Boyhood, isn’t looking like a sure-shot anymore. Having picked up the top prize from virtually every critics’ group in America and the Golden Globe for Best Picture Drama, the film had undeniable momentum.
But with Birdman emerging the surprise winner at the Producers Guild Awards (PGA), then taking Best Ensemble Cast at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, the race to Best Picture at the Oscars has proved tighter than many had originally predicted.
In a perfect world, Boyhood with its staggering ambition and never-before filmmaking approach (the movie was shot a few weeks each year over 12 years) would be the obvious choice for the top honor. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and the Oscars aren’t held in India where it’s hard to find more than one deserving Best Picture winner. (I mean, did any film other than Queen have a chance this year, or even deserve to win?)
The truth is that for all the love Boyhood has deservedly received, Birdman is a spectacular film too, and incredibly ambitious on its own terms. Shot in a way that it resembles a single, continuous take, it’s a film about the clash between creativity and crass commercialization, the role of critics, and about second chances in life. In my opinion, if it deserves to win it’s because it’s one of those rare films that appeals to one’s intelligence over one’s emotions.
Having said that, it appears that the only film that could possibly upset the apple cart is Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper – although I wouldn’t bet on it. Easily the most controversial and politically polarizing of the eight films nominated for Best Picture, Sniper has steadily grossed over $300 million at the North American box office, and awards pundits in Hollywood are calling it the dark horse “that just might pull a Departed on us”. Nobody’s forgotten how Martin Scorsese’s remake of the Korean hit Infernal Affairs defied tradition to become the first Best Picture Oscar winner in many years that hadn’t won the PGA.
Who should win? Boyhood
Who will win? Birdman
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BEST DIRECTOR
The heart says Richard Linklater for Boyhood, but conventional wisdom points to Alejandro Gonsalez Inarritu, who won the coveted Directors Guild Award (DGA) for Birdman. All but seven DGA winners since 1948 went on to win the Oscar for Best Director. I’m sticking my neck out here – this year will be the eighth time.
Who should win? Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Who will win? Richard Linklater, Boyhood
(Noted film journalist and critic Rajeev Masand is Entertainment Editor at CNN-IBN)
*Part II of Rajeev Masand’s Oscar Predictions on the The Quint will look at the 4 other main categories: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor & Best Supporting Actress*
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