LOS ANGELES (AP) – Ahead of Sunday’s 87th Academy Awards, Associated Press film writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr share their predictions for a ceremony that could be a nail biter.
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COYLE:
Will Win: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman” comes home to roost despite the landmark accomplishment of “Boyhood.” As a celebration of showbiz, it’s the “Shakespeare in Love” of its time.
Should Win: “Boyhood” marries film and time in a uniquely powerful way, but it’s also worth making a case for Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” the most relentlessly fun and inventive film of the year.
Should Have Been a Contender: “Interstellar.” Christopher Nolan’s epic is unloved, but it’s a glorious sci-fi soup that would have added some big-budget dazzle to the Oscars. I mean, it’s got a fourth dimension.
BAHR:
Will Win: While “Birdman’s” formal ambitions and extraordinary ensemble cast are impressive, the earnest 12-year experiment that spawned a compelling film in “Boyhood” is just too good a narrative to ignore.
Should Win: “Boyhood,” but not because of dedication. A lot of people toil for years on their dream projects. “Boyhood” is a great and deeply humane film that celebrates the ordinariness of the everyday and is destined to be a classic.
Should Have Been a Contender: In ten years we’ll look back on “Interstellar’s” near-absence from this year’s Academy Awards as a grave cinematic injustice. At least Nolan is in good company. “2001: A Space Odyssey” was shut out of the best picture race too.
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