And the Oscar goes to a movie you have never seen

When they expanded the BEST PICTURE category to anywhere from 5 to 10 movies, it was supposed to be able to include something besides very small movies. The theory was that some of the big budget movies at least deserve a nomination.

I said it wouldn't work, and it is failing miserably. The academy nominated only 8 films this year, and all of them had small ticket sales (7 million or fewer so far). That means they would rather leave two nominations empty instead of nominating a successful film.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Birdman
The Theory of Everything
Boyhood
Selma
Whiplash
American Sniper

In a reversal of the standard trend, the men (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor) are all in small movies. This time at least two women are in more succesful films
Rosamund Pike in "Gone Girl" for BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep in "Into the Woods" BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Lawrence was not nominated this year, so she will have to settle for tons of money.

Odds are in favor of "Boyhood" (sold 3 million tickets on a $4million budget) winning three major awards
“Boyhood,” Best Picture
“Boyhood,” Patricia Arquette, Best Supporting Actress
“Boyhood,” Richard Linklater, Best Director

Strong favorites for these two
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice,” Best Actress
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash,” Best Supporting Actor

MK is barely the front runner for Best Actor
Michael Keaton, “Birdman,” Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything,” Best Actor

There are movies people actually see? ;)

Has anybody here seen any of the movies up for best picture?
I havent seen any.
Know about Selma because its history but dont know the quality of the movie
Know Sniper just because of ads
Know theory just because of ads and familiar with the real life charachter.

The rest, dont have the foggiest idea what they are about.

Quote: terapined

The rest, dont have the foggiest idea what they are about.

Pretty much the same here. Some trade group gets together and votes something... and gossip columnists, teenage girls and agents go mad.

I don't think Birdman has anything to do with the campy 70s cartoon "Birdman and the Galaxy Trio."

Quote: Nareed

I don't think Birdman has anything to do with the campy 70s cartoon "Birdman and the Galaxy Trio."

Probabby has nothing to do with the Birdman of Alcatraz, a great movie
but
read a book about alcatraz, other prisoners hated the birdman, they considered him an a-hole.

Birdman.

This is slightly different trailer than the one I've seen.

Quote: terapined

Has anybody here seen any of the movies up for best picture?
I havent seen any..

Last year they nominated Gravity, which was a big hit, and three other films that didn't have a real chance at winning, but at least some people had seen them.
Gravity , American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street, Captain Phillips

The last 5 nominations, were the small pictures
12 Years a Slave
Philomena
Dallas Buyers Club
Her (2013)
Nebraska

You knew automatically that "12 years" would win, because if you didn't vote for it you were a racist. But most people didn't even see them afterwards.

But this year, they are all tiny quirky pictures.

They need to define a new category. Best BLOCKBUSTER. Vote for the one that is most entertaining, and not the one that has the best social agenda.

Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Interstellar

Quote: Pacomartin

They need to define a new category. Best BLOCKBUSTER. Vote for the one that is most entertaining, and not the one that has the best social agenda.

But that wouldn't be Artsy.