The Oscars: who won and who should’ve

Too bad some poor deserving suckers lost out this year

Ooh, shiny… / Prayitno

Author: Ethan Butterfield

The Oscars! The award show of award shows. The big prize that all actors hope to win one day. I know I have my speech almost ready. There’s something truly magical about it. From performances that’ll tug on your heart strings to ones that that’ll make you laugh, the Oscars are the best of the best. Well, who won? Who should’ve won? Why should’ve they won?

Let’s kick it off with “Best Supporting Actor,” which was won by J.K. Simmons for his role in Whiplash. Now, I really like J.K. Simmons. I mean J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man…come on. However, I felt that there was one nominee that was equally deserving in this category: Ethan Hawke in Boyhood. I loved his portrayal as the father in Boyhood, because he just brought a real sensitivity to the role. It’s something that he can do really well. He did a fantastic job (as did all the other nominees), and hopefully we’ll get to see him nominated again next year.

Next up is “Best Supporting Actress,” which was taken home by Patricia Arquette for her acting in Boyhood. This one I didn’t have a problem with. I liked Patricia Arquette in her role, and I think she won a well-deserved Oscar. The only thing I could say is that I would’ve liked to see Emma Stone take home the gold, but the fact that she’s a very talented actress makes me believe we’ll see her soon again. Oh and then there’s Meryl Streep…I’m sure you can fill in the blank for why.

Now, it’s time for “Best Actor!” Alright, I’m just going to say it now. Michael Keaton was robbed of this Oscar! Yes, Eddie Redmayne’s performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything was heartfelt and pure and the all the other words that someone would put on the front of a DVD. Still, though, Michael Keaton’s role as Riggan in Birdman felt more genuine to me. It felt real. Like, I could see the struggle of someone trying to be relevant in a society that thrives on relevancy. He played the role amazingly well and showed us someone who wanted to break out of the movie blockbuster shadow…ironically. Basically, he played a character to near-perfection.

  Coming up now is “Best Actress,” which was won by Julianne Moore. Julianne Moore’s performance in Still Alice was amazing. Just getting that out of the way now. Truly inspiring and very emotional at every level. Now, there are actually two people I thought that were on par with Julianne’s performance: Reese Witherspoon in Wild and Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl. To start, Reese Witherspoon startled me in Wild; she was completely different from what I expected and what I’m used to seeing her in. That switch from quirky to emotional was thrilling, to say the least. Then there’s Rosamund Pike who truly brought the character from Gone Girl to life. I’m not sure if it’s a complement to say, “Hey, she played a great psycho!” but she definitely did.

Now finally the big one. It’s “Best Picture” time. The award goes to…Birdman!?

WTF? I love that movie, but I was fully expecting to see Boyhood up on that stage when all was said and done. To be honest, I was even expecting American Sniper from all the praise that movie garnered in the few months before the Oscars. Going back to Boyhood, though, after 12 years of filming and acting, all in all, did this movie deserve “Best Picture?” Some may say yes, others no. I think, The Expendables 3 was the clear winner. Better luck next year, guys.