Monday Morning Quarterback Part II

By BOP Staff

December 3, 2014

What were the Vegas odds on the two coaches making out after the game?

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Bruce Hall: I'm not sure there's a clear front runner right now, but Selma has gotten near universal praise. Such a well-reviewed film with such a revered historical figure at its core is hard to bet against. This and Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" look to me to be the best bets at the moment.

Felix Quinonez: It doesn't feel to me like there's a clear Oscar front-runner and I haven't seen any of those movies. But if we're going to talk Oscars I want to throw Interstellar in there. Sure the reviews haven't been that great but it's hanging in there and people are still talking about it. And of course I can't forget to mention that the movie is AMAZING. Not only that but Christopher Nolan has been overlooked in the past and maybe this'll be his year. Maybe Interstellar could be the dark horse, or the long shot. Or maybe this is just wishful thinking but it's soooo good.

Brett Ballard-Beach: I think TTOE and TIG will split the "British biopic of historically significant figures" (I mean normally there's only one contender a year, right?) and so even though they will probs both get Pic noms, and Best Actor noms, neither will win the former (for sure) or the latter (less sure). Birdman appears - since I have not seen - to be a little too inside baseballish about filmmaking, actors, and Broadway to be the frontrunner. I lean towards Boyhood, small as it is, as I think the Academy (monolithically speaking) may be at a point where they can recognize Linklater for 25 years of mostly incredible filmmaking. The film would allow him to be honored even if he doesn’t get director or screenplay.




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Kim Hollis: I think that The Theory of Everything has that sort of pedigree that Oscar voters look for. It’s a little reminiscent of The King’s Speech a few years ago where there were probably more deserving winners (i.e. The Social Network) but those stodgier voters tend to go for the fluffier, more heartwarming stories. I think Birdman gets a nomination but it is indeed likely too weird for voters to give it the Best Picture nod. Boyhood is a popular choice at the moment, yes, but I worry it’s a little too small for the Academy for a win. The interesting thing about this year’s race is that there aren’t really any big box office contenders truly in the mix. Sure, we can talk about Interstellar (it’s not getting a nomination, I don’t think) and Gone Girl (which seems to be fading), but the early contenders do seem to all be of the smaller variety. Selma could play a part, but it’s interesting that it hasn’t gotten much love so far from any awards that have taken place thus far. The Imitation Game had a pretty explosive weekend, so I think it bears watching closely in the coming days.

David Mumpower: Since you all have done a wonderful job in negating optimism for most of the serious contenders, you have opened the door for me. I am going off the board and taking Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. She is an extremely popular second generation celebrity actress with connections to a lot of heavyweights. And now she has vastly surpassed expectations for her project. It offers a bit of Cast Away and Chariots of Fire with some World War II lineage as well. If voters view it as something more than say, Invictus, I think it has the pedigree to win. Of course, most of the suggestions above border on mortal locks to receive nominations. The same is not true of Unbroken, so my suggestion is a much higher risk.


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