2015 Academy Awards
by CrawfordFilm | created - 11 Jan 2014 | updated - 01 Nov 2014 | PublicMy early insight into next years Oscars. Every list of this kind always has some correct and incorrect predictions, but I'll try my best to highlight the possible 2015 Academy Award contenders. 2014 sure to be a great year for film no matter what does or does not get nominated at the Oscars, and I am very excited to go on this year long journey with all of you. So, without any further ado, here is my Early Insight into The 2015 Academy Awards.
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1. Boyhood (I) (2014)
R | 165 min | Drama
The life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Elijah Smith
Votes: 367,201 | Gross: $25.38M
Directed by Richard Linklator, Boyhood is a project 12 years in the making. It tells the story of a boy's life in real time. An incredible achievement in filmmaking. At it's premiere in Sundance, it received rave reviews from everyone who attended. A film like this will not go unnoticed by the Academy.
2. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Drama
A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough
Votes: 666,635 | Gross: $42.34M
Honorable Mention / Possibility
3. A Most Violent Year (2014)
R | 125 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.
Director: J.C. Chandor | Stars: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola
Votes: 77,633 | Gross: $5.74M
Not much is known about this film at the moment, but we know it is a film directed by up and coming filmmaker J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost), and stars the great new talents of Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac. Just by those three names alone I know this will probably be a pretty solid film, and I will share more details when I have some.
4. Whiplash (2014)
R | 106 min | Drama, Music
A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser
Votes: 989,909 | Gross: $13.09M
Received Top Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The festival has a track record for including films that end up being Oscar contenders (most recently Beasts of The Southern Wild). Whiplash is about a aspired drummer, played by Miles Teller, who starts getting lessons from a man who pushes him to his limit, sometimes finishing with blood on the drummer's sticks. Not many people are aware of this film, but I think there's a strong possible contender with this one.
5. Gone Girl (2014)
R | 149 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry
Votes: 1,067,651 | Gross: $167.77M
Directed by the Oscar favorite, David Fincher, with an interesting cast, and a dark concept. Based off the Acclaimed novel by Gillian Flynn. Fincher's films always get buzz; The Academy, Critics, and Audiences all seem to really like and appreciate his work, no matter how Gruesome or Controversial it is. Gone Girl looks like something that Fincher can do in his sleep, it's a dark and intense story which he does with aces. I have high hopes for this one.
6. Unbroken (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 137 min | Action, Biography, Drama
After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
Director: Angelina Jolie | Stars: Jack O'Connell, Miyavi, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund
Votes: 182,764 | Gross: $115.64M
Angelina Jolie's second film behind the lense. Her first film, In The Land of Blood and Honey, was well received. So of course there's a lot of buzz for this movie. The screenwriters are none other than Joel and Ethan Coen. Which is amazing. I hope this movie is good, and if it is, a few awards will be given.
7. Interstellar (2014)
PG-13 | 169 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy
Votes: 2,101,076 | Gross: $188.02M
We all know what this movie is, it is Christopher Nolan's next feature film, "Interstellar," that alone will get people excited. The Academy has given his films a fair amount of nominations and wins in the past. However, besides Heath Ledger's Oscar Win for "The Dark Knight," Nolan has never received any major Oscars for himself.
Interstellar could give Nolan some recognition in the Directing and Writing, depending on how good it is. Even if it is not another masterpiece I can almost guarantee a few technical awards like Visual Effects, Sound, and Production Design. If it is really good, expect even more nominations outside of those mentioned.
8. Foxcatcher (2014)
R | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
U.S. Olympic wrestling champions and brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz join "Team Foxcatcher", led by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont, as they train for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, but John's self-destructive behavior threatens to consume them all.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave
Votes: 149,294 | Gross: $12.10M
Foxcatcher was one of many films to be delayed from 2013 to 2014 for various reasons; but when it was still set to be released in 2013, the film was getting a lot of Oscar buzz. Director Bennett Miller has made two films that have been very successful at the Awards (Capote & Moneyball), so of course a lot of us thought that this would be a big hit at the Oscars, until it was delayed. It is officially being release in 2014, in a undisclosed Release Date.
This film is about a couple brothers who are in the Wrestling business, and when one of the brothers (David) is murdered, the other brother is out to get the man who supposedly killed him. Thus we have our movie. The studio behind this movie, Annapurna, has made some great and successful films, two of which are doing extremely well in this years Awards. The film itself has a great cast that look unrecognizable in their roles, like Steve Carrell and Mark Ruffalo. The cast, director, and studio/producers along with an interesting plot make me very hopeful for this movie.
9. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him (2013)
R | 89 min | Drama, Romance
Told from the male perspective, the story of a couple trying to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone.
Director: Ned Benson | Stars: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Nina Arianda, Viola Davis
Votes: 10,353
I've heard a lot of great things about this movie, particularly the performances of both Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy. So I have a strong feeling we're going to be seeing both of those actors in the race.
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
R | 99 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody
Votes: 886,899 | Gross: $59.10M
Looks incredibly quirky and funny, which is something that Wes Anderson (The Director/Writer) can do in his sleep. The Academy loves Anderson's films most of the time. They loved Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums enough to give it a Screenplay nomination. The Grand Budapest Hotel looks very reminiscent of Anderson's other work, which could very well boost it's chances at The Oscars. The only thing holding this movie back is it's Early release date, but even Moonrise Kingdom with it's very early release it got a Screenplay nomination. So the release date shouldn't be a really big issue, especially since it looks like it will be a really good movie.
11. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
PG-13 | 150 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The defiant leader Moses rises up against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver
Votes: 179,254 | Gross: $65.01M
A biblical epic directed by Ridley Scott. That is enough for me to put this on the list. Scott is great at handling big epics of this size. With a big cast including Christian Bale, Aaron Paul, and Sigourney Weaver, it's sounding very promising.
12. Into the Woods (2014)
PG | 125 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt
Votes: 148,049 | Gross: $128.00M
Into The Woods is a adaptation of the beloved musical. There is a lot of things going really well for this movie. It's Oscar chances are spiked thanks to the director, cinematographer, production designer, and the fact that it has a release date in the ultimate day that the Academy loves, Christmas. The cast is stacked with talent. Any film that has stars like Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep must have something really good about it. This could be a big hit at the Oscars, I am really looking forward to it.
13. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
PG-13 | 144 min | Adventure, Fantasy
Bilbo and company are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of a rising darkness.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett
Votes: 571,917 | Gross: $255.12M
The Hobbit movies are getting better with each release, and there's a lot of potential for this next installment, if you've seen Desolation of Smaug you know why. There's no doubt this will probably be a very successful film at the Oscars. Even when some didn't love An Unexpected Journey, the Academy nominated it in 3 Categories. If the next movie is as epic as it could be, there's no doubt that it will be all over the technical categories next year.
14. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.
Director: James Gunn | Stars: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana
Votes: 1,273,649 | Gross: $333.18M
The upcoming addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A team of species and mercenaries (including a Raccoon and a Tree) explore and protect the Galaxy from people trying to destroy it. Based off the trailers I think this could possibly be the first Marvel film to get nominations in categories like Make Up, Costume Design, or Production Design. It looks like a lot of effort was put into those areas, and there's a great amount of Aliens and Sets to see. It might not happen, but I think it is very possible.
15. The Lego Movie (2014)
PG | 100 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
An ordinary LEGO construction worker, thought to be the prophesied as "special", is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the LEGO universe into eternal stasis.
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller | Stars: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett
Votes: 388,428 | Gross: $257.76M
Honorable Mention / Possibility
16. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
PG | 102 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.
Director: Dean DeBlois | Stars: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson
Votes: 364,124 | Gross: $177.00M
Honorable Mention / Possibility
17. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The fragile peace between apes and humans is threatened as mistrust and betrayal threaten to plunge both tribes into a war for dominance over the Earth.
Director: Matt Reeves | Stars: Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Votes: 469,357 | Gross: $208.55M
Honorable Mention / Possibility
18. Big Eyes (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 106 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A drama about the awakening of painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter
Votes: 99,125 | Gross: $14.48M
Honorable Mention / Possibility
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