Jake Gittes

1) Linklater 2) DuVernay 3) Jolie 4) Inarritu 5) hopefully anyone other than the two British biopics' guys and Rob Marshall. I'm personally hoping for Damien Chazelle, and if not him, then Fincher or Miller.

I'd give the edge to Ida at this point, but yeah, I'm starting to think Leviathan could pull off a win too. Which would be great to see considering its supposed content, even though I'm no big fan of Zvyagintsev.

While I doubt many voters are keeping count, TSN and TGWTDT won this two years in a row, and Birdman and Boyhood both have more interesting editing going on. Besides, Gone Girl will be nominated for Actress, Adapted Screenplay and almost certainly Picture, so there won't be a need to say sorry for anything.

Staggering. I remember I watched it for the first time in preparation for the first of my series of term papers on Bosnian War, and I simply had no words after it ended. The fact that Kusturica made an epic absurdist tragicomedy about his home country right at the time when said country was being torn apart in the most violent and gruesome conflict since WWII probably makes it one of the most artistically daring films ever made, and holy fuck it works. So much joy and so much pain, so much comedy and tragedy and insanity and symbolism all coming together to form a perfectly sustained and fully coherent vision... again, I don't even know just how to end this, except by saying that it's one of the very best films I've ever seen.

In pretty much any order Two Lovers, In Bruges, Pontypool, Speed Racer, Burn After Reading, Let the Right One In, Hunger, Synecdoche New York, WALL-E, The Dark Knight

A masterful procedural with some of the most unbearably intense scenes I've ever seen. Certainly plays like Zodiac's older brother, more irreverent and emotionally rich, and ultimately just as, if not more, haunting. One of the best films of the 2000s, easily.

That picture left me speechless is what I meant.

It's actually the second film Chazelle's directed and the third one he's written. I wouldn't say the movie is spinning its wheels at all. As a story that establishes two driven characters and proceeds to test them in order to figure out exactly how far they are willing to go, I think it's intense throughout, just building, building and building before it finally explodes. Anything that happens after the ending is part of another story, really.

...

After the huge success of Madagascar 3 they should have immediately put the fourth one into development for release in 2015/16, not 2018. But I guess they (like all of us) assumed HTTYD would be their huge blockbuster franchise in the meantime.

I realize that mob mentality can be absolutely terrifying and destructive, but this movie was like watching a lamb suffer for two hours. Some scenes are genuinely powerful (when he comes to the church), others are face-palmingly melodramatic (is there an easier way to make viewers angry than to have a dog hurt/killed?). I also think Vinterberg could have skillfully worked in some ambiguity so that we aren't sure until a certain point whether Lucas really molested the girl or not, but I guess that's not the movie he wanted to make. The ending felt forced, too.

Probably The Lion King from age 4 to age 7-8. (It's the only film I literally saw over a hundred times). Pulp Fiction since age 15 or so. Not sure about in between - either ROTK or The Empire Strikes Back, I guess.

Weinstein pretty much buried that movie which is one more reason to hate him. Watch it. It's fantastic.

Have some kind of parallel universe Oscars just invaded or something?

Rango. The original Shrek came out just two weeks into May (versus the more acclaimed Monsters, Inc. in November). And HTTYD would have won if TS3 hadn't been there.

I'm very happy they nominated Marion Cotillard for The Immigrant (possibly my favorite performance of the year so far), but then that film should have been present in nearly every category. This could be the second year in a row the same four actors win here and at the Oscars. Moore, Simmons and Arquette are all present here, and so are Keaton and Oyelowo so as long as Cumberbatch doesn't win the Oscar that should happen. Hope Boyhood wins the four it can realistically win (i.e. all of them except Supporting Actor).

THE IMMIGRANT currently #1 for me, though I still have a couple dozen films to watch including Boyhood, Enemy, Babadook, Snowpiercer, etc., etc.

The sadistic playboy landlord character seems too much like a writer's construct instead of a believable human being, and I'm honestly not sure why he's needed here, but even with that considered (and I'm still gonna chew on that), it's an extremely powerful movie. Thewlis' performance is one of the greatest I've ever seen, it's really a fucking crime every time he's wasted in some thankless supporting role these days.

True words. It's a grower for sure.

Over/under Escape Plan?

If anyone other than Keaton wins, it'll be the 9th time this century that someone wins Best Actor for playing a real person.

I remember it being one hell of an experience in the cinema.

They knew CATWS would end up ahead anyway.

Well I don't love good movies, I love great movies. And I don't usually consider something great if it doesn't take some kind of a risk or brings nothing new or refreshing to the table or has no interesting ideas to share. (All great movies do that, I think, although not all movies that do that are great). If a movie is merely "well-made and enjoyable", it'll probably be a decent way to pass an afternoon, but it won't be something that stays with me.

I'm kinda more excited to see him in that one, frankly. Gimme some good old-fashioned scenery-chewing.