Awards season reaches its climactic end with Hollywood’s biggest night – the 87th Academy Awards airing Sunday on ABC.
Since the nominations were announced in January, film critics and enthusiasts have been predicting who will take home the awards for best picture, best actor and best actress.
Members of the Miami film community weighed in on this year’s probable winners.
Robert “Trae” DeLellis, Cosford Cinema director
DeLellis has a passion for cinema so strong that he earned a graduate degree in film studies. He has been the director of Cosford Cinema for three years and has taught courses at the University of Miami in subjects like film history, film appreciation and French cinema.
DeLellis is always looking to screen independent and foreign films that are not usually found at AMC or Regal.
“I try to make the Cosford a space for interesting and independent voices,” he said.
Best picture: “Boyhood”
Directed by Richard Linklater, “Boyhood” was shot over 12 years and uses the same cast of actors. Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and breakout star Ellar Coltrane star in this one-of-a-kind film from an avant-garde director who also created the “Before” trilogy.
While he enjoyed the concept more than the film itself, DeLellis positions it above the other nominees in an otherwise “dull year.”
Best actor: Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything”
DeLellis votes for Redmayne and his portrayal of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking in the biopic “The Theory of Everything.” However, it may be a close call between Michael Keaton in “Birdman” and Redmayne – not to mention that DeLellis really hated “Birdman,” finding its filming techniques, like the never-ending take, to be “more distracting than anything else.”
The Cosford director added that Redmayne should win because people will realize that the former “Les Miserables” actor starred alongside Julianne Moore in “Savage Grace,” a film about an incestuous mother-son relationship.
Best actress: Julianne Moore for “Still Alice”
Though DeLellis believes all the performances in this category are excellent, Moore surpasses them. She plays a linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
“It’s a great performance that really elevates the film – which, without her, would be unremarkable,” he said.
Robert Pinney, chair of the University of Miami Cinematic Arts Commission (CAC)
The CAC is a student organization that programs 13 weekly films each semester that students can watch for free every Wednesday and Sunday night at Cosford.
The commission also screens sneak previews of films that have not been released, like the recent “Hot Tub Time Machine 2.”
Best picture: “Birdman”
Like others, Pinney says it will come down to “Boyhood” and “Birdman,” but is leaning more toward the latter.
“Hollywood voters love movies about Hollywood,” he said.
The film’s release date may play a role, Pinney said. “Boyhood” was released in the summer and may lose some of its traction at this point, despite winning the Golden Globes for best drama and director.
Best actor: Eddie Redmayne, or Michael Keaton as a “lifetime achievement award”
Best actress: Julianne Moore
Christina Lane, director of the Norton Herrick Motion Picture Studies Center
Since 2010, Lane has overseen programming and cultural activities for the Norton Herrick Center, which advances the knowledge of the history and cultural impact of film. The center provides support for research, film preservationists and archivists, and not limited to the teaching of film at the university.
Lane, an associate professor in film studies, teaches courses on film and media history, directors, and gender theory.
Best picture: “Birdman”
“I predict ‘Birdman’ will win because of its bold, brilliant approach and technological audacity – not to mention Michael Keaton’s stunning performance,” Lane said.
Best actor: Eddie Redmayne
Best actress: Julianne Moore
Moore’s “fragile, understated performance” makes her the clear contender for the award, Lane said.
Featured image courtesy of Prayitno of Flickr.