This weekend was a biggie in terms of below the line awards. The Imitation Game won the USC Scripter Prize which goes to movies adapted from literature (and the source material author also wins this prize). The Art Directors guild chose Birdman for Contemporary Film, and The Grand Budapest Hotel for Period (as well as Guardians of the Galaxy for Fantasy). Meanwhile the Editors gave their "Eddies" to Boyhood for Dramas and The Grand Budapest Hotel for comedies (in addition to prizes for The LEGO Movie in Animated and Citizen Four for Documentaries)
All of this has me wondering if its The Grand Budapest Hotel rather than Boyhood or Birdman that will take home the most Oscars on February 22nd if not Best Picture. It's got a decent shot at four or five statues: Costumes, Production Design, Screenplay, Score, and Makeup & Hair. Of those Screenplay is the longest shot since Birdman vs Boyhood will be tough to squeeze between to nab the Original Screenplay gold.
Perhaps it will be a spread the wealth kind of year with every Best Picture winning something. Like so...
How many oscars will The Grand Budapest Hotel win?
- Boyhood (4 or 5) Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, Editing (and maybe Screenplay?)
- Grand Budapest (3 or 4) Costumes, Production Design, Makeup & Hair (and maybe Score?)
- Birdman (2 or 3) Screenplay, Cinematography (and maybe Actor?)
- American Sniper (2) Sound Editing and Sound Mixing
- Theory of Everything (1 or 2) Actor (and maybe Score?)
- The Imitation Game (1 or 2) Adapted Screenplay (and maybe Score?)
- Whiplash (1 or 2) Supporting Actor (and maybe Adapted Screenplay?)
- Selma (1) Song
(As you can see I'm stumped about who might win Best Score. I can see it going any which way.)
Not that there's ever a year where every Best Picture nominee wins something now that we have so many Best Picture nominees. Someone or someones usually go home empty-handed - even if they have come into the big night with a ton of nominations. But there's a first time for everything and it could happen.
What'cha think?