Birdman and Boyhood lead this year’s race for The Academy’s biggest prize

By Ryan Adams

The Oscars are just around the corner and this year’s Best Picture category is shaping up to be a very tight race.
Films like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper look to take home the big award.
Here is a look at all eight films in the Best Picture category.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
In typical Wes Anderson fashion, The Grand Budapest Hotel delivers a hilarious and heartfelt tale that blends Anderson’s distinctive style and quirky visuals with touching character drama.
The film stars Ralph Fiennes who plays a renowned hotel concierge at the Grand Budapest and newcomer Tony Revolori as his new lobby boy.  The two become quick friends as they get caught up in a wild conspiracy with Fienne’s older love interest.
Anderson himself is up for two personal nominations this year, one for original screenplay and the other for best direction.

Whiplash
Whiplash combines tense drama with awe-inspiring musical performances, particularly in the film’s third act, along with knockout performances from the two leads, up-and-comer Miles Teller and veteran actor J.K. Simmons.
Teller plays the film’s promising young drummer, with Simmons playing his cut throat and beautifully intense musical coach.  Throughout the film the chemistry between them makes it seem as though the two have been working together for years.
J.K. Simmons, at age 65, gets his first-ever nomination in a supporting role.

Boyhood
Director Richard Linklater, who has directed other ambitious films including the Before Midnight trilogy, has again created something that has never been done before.
Linklater filmed the movie over a 12-year-period.  The result was a movie that is both heartfelt and incredibly real.
The film chronicles the life of a young boy played by Ellar Coltrane and his family, made up of Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette, both of whom are nominated for supporting roles this year.
The creative direction of Linklater landed him a nomination for Best Director as well as a nomination for Original Screenplay this year.

Birdman
Birdman may have been the most ambitious project of the eight nominees this year if it weren’t for some other nominees.  However, Birdman still delivered a style and concept that was wholly original.
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu edited the film to make it seem like the entire thing was one continuous shot.  This was well done and helped land Iñárritu a nomination for Best Direction.
Michael Keaton starred in this tale of a washed up actor from an old superhero franchise as he attempts to revive his career and mend family affairs before the opening of his Broadway play.  This was Keaton’s first leading role in six years and his performance got him nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

The Imitation Game
The Imitation Game, an adaptation of Andrew Hodges’ novel, is based on the true story of World War II mathematician, Alan Turing, and his success in cracking the German enigma code.
The cast includes Kiera Knightley, Matthew Goode and Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch.
Cumberbatch was the powerhouse in the film as he brought a very misunderstood character to life on the big screen in a remarkable performance that helped him to his first ever Oscar nomination.

American Sniper
American Sniper is the story of Navy SEAL sniper, Chris Kyle and his struggles with his role in the war in Iraq.
Bradley Cooper plays Kyle, who wrote the book the movie is loosely based.  The book re-counted his time overseas and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that stemmed from the acts he carried out while fighting.
Cooper is on a bit of an Oscars tear right now as his Best Actor nomination for American Sniper gives him three nominations in the last three years.
He is definitely one of, if not the most, prolific actors working today.
American Sniper was well shot, landing a nomination for Achievement in Film Editing, but could have focused more on Kyle’s suffering with PTSD that was so prevalent in the book.

The Theory of Everything
In a year with many great performances, one has to look at what Eddie Redmayne and Felecity Jones were able to accomplish in The Theory of Everything and admire their dominance of the screen.
The two were able to bring to life the relationship of famed physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife, Jane Wilde, as they dealt with the struggles of Hawking’s diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The film is nominated for five Oscars including Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay but it is the film’s original score from acclaimed composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, which really impressed.

Selma
Continuing the run of biographical films in the Best Picture category Selma is the account of celebrated civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dangerous three month long campaign for equal voting rights.
The film was solidly acted by male lead, David Oyelowo and although he wasn’t nominated, there is consensus by critics that there is a bright future in acting for the 39-year-old British actor.
The most notable aspect of the film was the song nominated for Best Original Song, which was written by artists John Legend [John Stephens] and Common [Lonnie Lynn].