I really felt JK Simmons was indeed a Best Actor role as I also believe that Steve Carrell was Best Supporting not Best Actor category. Had that been the case I believe JK Simmons would have won Best Actor and Steve Carrell would have been Best Supporting.
I hope that Birdman does win. Hollywood has been going gah gah over Boyhood and its 12 years in the making. I thought the concept was novel but the movie IMO was ordinary and far from Best Picture. I also hope that Alejandro González Iñárritu wins for Best Director.
Having said all of this Whiplash was still my favorite film of the year
Don't watch movies much (do buy a lot of discs later). Thanks for bringing this one to my attention, Steve, never would have gotten it from the name!
Making a decent living paying music is extremely hard and keeps getting harder. All sorts of horror stories (and a few good ones) on the trumpet site I help moderate.
Buddy Rich has quite a rep himself for rants and there are a few videos floating around... Interesting the stories those who played with him tell (good and bad).
I don't really get the Birdman for best picture talk. While I enjoyed it and thought it was good, I thought The Imitation Game and Whiplash were far better.
I'm sure it's a taste thing but to me it wasn't even close.
Hollywood loves them some Hollywood...if Birdman wins, the trend continues.
Steve- I hope to see both Birdman and Whiplash this week. I've heard Birdman is a B+ masquerading as best picture, but will see. Agree that Boyhood was a snoozer and overhyped.
Given the favorites and assuming Whiplash and Boyhood are non contenders, I would narrow it down to between Birdman and The Imitation Game. Why I would choose Birman was the depth of the main character (Michael Keaton vs Benedict Cumberbatch) as well as the direction of Alejandro González Iñárritu over Morten Tyldum because of the different levels of Birdman. Benedict Cumberbatch acted fairly even throughout the film whereas Michael Keaton went from someone looking totally normal in one scene to a raving lunatic in another. I was also fascinated by the camera work in Brirdman where virtually one camera is used throughout following the actors from room to room and down long hallways. It was brilliant whereas The Imitation was overall a very fine and well told story.
In DuVernay's case, I think its because it was her first real, big release feature film. There also is some controversy regarding her portrayal of LBJ which may have spooked some.
The one thing I think the movie failed to convey is the discontinuity between the amount of work, dedication, years of practice, cost, devotion and love of music/instrument
VS.
the measly pittance most musicians are compensated for all their effort. It is definitely a work of love and not of money for most, but it is often also something that you do because you just can't help yourself. It just must be so.
Here's what jazz drummer extraordinaire Gregory Hutchinson had to say on his FB page
Whiplash is horrible really Hollywood fu....Up again really stop making movies about music because yall [sic] never get it right...just remember masses of people see this and go wow and thats so sad realy...I'm sorry i never had a teacher like that the first time anyone of my teachers would have tried to slap me would have been the last time he his hand
finally saw Whiplash last night- really good movie. Not sure it was ever a Best Picture competitor to be honest.
as a musician growing up, I would agree that the entire concept is pretty outlandish. i read its "adapted" from a short film, no basis in reality. it felt like Full Metal Jacket in many parts.
Here's what jazz drummer extraordinaire Gregory Hutchinson had to say on his FB page
Whiplash is horrible really Hollywood fu....Up again really stop making movies about music because yall [sic] never get it right...just remember masses of people see this and go wow and thats so sad realy...I'm sorry i never had a teacher like that the first time anyone of my teachers would have tried to slap me would have been the last time he his hand
Yes, I should have mentioned it's a documentary. Doh!
That will, of course, make it a very different film from Whiplash. But I still wish Whiplash had sought to dramatize something approximating real life, rather than simply dramatizing drama.
Yes, I should have mentioned it's a documentary. Doh!
That will, of course, make it a very different film from Whiplash. But I still wish Whiplash had sought to dramatize something approximating real life, rather than simply dramatizing drama.
