‘Birdman’ bags Best Picture Oscar

Los Angeles, February 23

In one of the most unpredictable years, Alejandro G Inarritu’s “Birdman” triumphed over seven other nominees to claim the best picture Oscar at the 87th Academy Awards besides winning best director, original screenplay and cinematography trophies.

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The film won the best picture award by beating off competition from seven contenders. Other films nominated in the best picture category were “Boyhood”, “Selma”, “The American Sniper”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “The Imitation Game”, “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash”.

The Broadway-set “Birdman”, hailed for its complex narrative about the impact of fame and artistic ego, was favoured by the Academy’s over 6,000 voters a year after another Mexican helmer Alfonso Cuaron’s best director win for “Gravity”.

Inarittu shared the Best Picture trophy with film’s producers John Lesher, Arnon Milchan and James W Skotchdopole.

Michael Keaton, who lost out to Eddie Redmayne in the best actor category, stars as Riggon Thomson in the movie in what has been hailed by critics as a career-defining role for the 63-year-old actor.

Best known for his role as superhero Birdman, Thomson hopes to reestablish himself as a serious actor by mounting a production on Broadway. But, putting up a play is not as easy as Thomson thought, as his superstar ego and self-doubt clash.

The film had a great supporting cast in Oscar nominated Edward Norton and Emma Stone besides great roles for Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis.

Both Stone and Norton were nominated in the best supporting actress and actor categories for their role of an ex-addict and a method theatre star in the movie, but lost out to Patricia Arquette and J K Simmons.

Remayne wins Best Actor Oscar

British actor Eddie Redmayne won the Best Actor Oscar for his convincing portrayal of famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking as a talented young student grappling with a progressive motor neuron disease in “The Theory of Everything”.

The 33-year-old actor was in a neck-to-neck fight with Michael Keaton of “Birdman” in the tightly contested category but was being seen as a frontrunner by picking up all the other trophies—Bafta, Golden Globe and Screen Actors’ Guild – in the run up to the Academy awards.

A visibly nervous Redmayne thanked his director, Hawking, his “partner in crime” Felicity Jones and wife as he took to the stage to claim the trophy.

“I am fully aware that I am a lucky, lucky man,” he said dedicating the award to Hawking and his family, “This Oscar belongs to the people around the world battling ALS. It belongs to one exceptional family, the Hawking family. I will be his custodian.”

Redmayne, youngest star in the category, saw off competition from Keaton (‘Birdman’), fellow countryman Benedict Cumberbatch (‘The Imitation Game’), Bradley Cooper (‘American Sniper’) and Steve Carell (‘Foxcatcher’).

The actor researched for six months for his role by pouring over photographs and interviews of the scientist from his younger days to bring reality to his physically demanding role in the James Marsh-directed drama.

He got Hawking’s approval for his brilliant portrayal of the scientist and his struggle with the disease and his romance with first wife Jane Wilde Hawking in the movie.

Anthony McCarten adapted the story from Jane’s memoir ‘Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking’.

The recently married actor’s other notable turns onscreen include his role in “My Week with Marilyn” and “Les Miserables”.

He also starred in director Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and “The Other Boleyn Girl”.

Redmayne has also consolidated his position as one of the best dressed stars on the red carpet with most of his outfits meeting with approval from fashion editors.

Julianne Moore bags Best Actress Oscar

The Academy rewarded heavy favourites and veterans with their first Oscars in the three other acting races.

Five-time nominee Julianne Moore won Best Actress for her portrayal of a woman suffering from early onset Alzheimer's in "Still Alice."

Patricia Arquette won best supporting actress for her role as a struggling single mother in "Boyhood," while J.K. Simmons won the best supporting actor as a monstrous music teacher in "Whiplash."

For the biggest televised event outside the sports world, the Academy aimed to attract young viewers who may not care much about the films but who could tune in for the musical acts.

A bridge between the young and old, pop diva Lady Gaga received a standing ovation for her medley of tunes from "The Sound of Music" before introducing that film's star, Julie Andrews. 

Simmons wins Best Supporting Actor

JK Simmons predictably took home the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role as a bullying jazz instructor in “Whiplash” at the 87^th Academy Awards.

The 60-year-old character actor had picked up almost every supporting actor award of the season, including the Golden Globe, the Critics’ Choice, the SAG and the BAFTA.

The actor was presented with the first award of the ceremony by last year’s best supporting actress winner Lupita Nyong’o.

Simmons’, who has three children with his wife of 19 years, Michelle Schumacher, used his time on stage to encourage people to have more human interaction, especially with their parents.

“And I am grateful everyday for the most remarkable person I know: my wife, the wonderful Michelle Schumacher...

Which brings me to the above-average children—even though I may try their patience more. Joe and Olivia, you are extraordinary human beings,” Simmons said.

“...I have told this [to], like, a billion people, or so.

Call your mom, call your dad. If you are lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet, call them. Don’t text.

Don’t email. Call them on the phone,” he added.

“Whiplash” sees Simmons play Fletcher, an abusive jazz conductor at the top repertory in the US who terrorises young drumming student Andrew (Miles Teller).

Simmons created one of the most compelling villains of the year in a category that often rewards such performances.

This is his first Oscar win.

Other notable performances nominated were Robert Duvall in “The Judge”, Ethan Hawke in “Boyhood”, Edward Norton in “Birdman” and Mark Ruffalo in “Foxcatcher”.

‘Glory’ wins Best Original Song

Historical drama “Selma” won the Best Original Song with both the artists delivering an emotional speech on equality.

‘Glory’ plays over the closing credits of the film about the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by Martin Luther King Jr (played by David Oyelowo), James Bevel and Hosea Williams.

It was written at the request of director Ava DuVernay.

This is the first Oscar for both the musicians.

In his acceptance speech, Common, 42, recalled how they performed on Edmund Pettus Bridge, an important landmark in the civil rights struggle where marchers were attacked while protesting in 1965.

“Recently, I and John got to go to Selma and perform ‘Glory’ on the same bridge that Doctor King and the people of the civil rights movement marched on 50 years ago. This bridge was the landmark of the divided nation but its now a symbol for change. The spirit of the bridge transcends race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and social status,” said Common in his speech.

Legend, 36, echoed Common’s sentiments, saying, “Selma is now because the struggle for justice is right now.”     The speech left ‘Selma’ star David Oyelowo, producer Oprah Winfrey and actress Jessica Chastain in tears.

Glory beat a competitive field of songs: Shawn Pattersons’ ‘Everything is Awesome’ (The Lego Movie), Diane Warren’s ‘Grateful’ (Beyond The Lights), Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond’s ‘I am Not Gonna Miss you’ (Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me) and Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois’ ‘Lost Stars’ (Begin Again).

‘Glory’ also talks about the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014, following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.

The Academy faced flak for failing to nominate Oyelowo and Duvernay.

Documentary ‘Citizenfour’ bags Oscar

Laura Poitras’ “Citizenfour”, which captures whistleblower Edward Snowden’s NSA surveillance leak unfolding in real time, won the best documentary feature Oscar at the 87th Academy awards.

“Citizenfour” was the code name that Snowden used to contact Poitras through an encrypted e-mail before going public with his revelations.

Jennifer Aniston and David Oyelowo presented Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky. Poitras thanked the Academy and the documentary community while accepting the award.

“The disclosures that Edward Snowden revealed don’t only expose a threat to our privacy but to also our democracy. When the most important decisions affecting all of us are being made in secret, we lose our ability to check the powers that control. Thank you to Edward Snowden, to his courage and many other whistleblowers,” Poitras said in her speech.

Snowden’s revelations about the massive wiretapping practices by NSA and other US agencies shook the world and he eventually had to flee his birth country and is currently in Russia on asylum.

The director spent eight days with Snowden and two others—investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald and The Guardian intelligence reporter Ewen MacAskill—in a Hong Kong hotel as they documented the leaks.

Other nominees in this category included John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s “Finding Vivian Maier”, Rory Kennedy and Keven McAlester’s “Last Days in Vietnam”, Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and David Rosier’s “The Salt of the Earth” and “Virunga” by Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara.

The film was a frontrunner in the category. Poitras had earned an Oscar nomination for her 2006 documentary “My Country, My Country” that dealt with the US occupation of Iraq. It was her first film in a trilogy on the post 9/11 America.

Her second documentary “My Oath” revolved around Abu Jandal, a taxi driver in San’a, Yemen who had worked as a bodyguard to Osama bin Laden for four years, and Salim Ahmed Hamdan, who worked for bin Laden as his driver in Afghanistan.

The two were captured and sent to Guantanamo Bay.

Before being contacted by Snowden, Poitras was already working on a documentary about domestic monitoring being done in the US following the 9/11 terror attacks.

Original Score Oscar for ‘Budapest’

Composer Alexandre Desplat, who had two nominations at the Academy Awards, won an Oscar for Original Score for his work in “The Grand Budapest Hotel”.

Desplat accepted the award from the legendary actress Julie Andrews.

Desplat thanked ‘Budapest’ director Wes Anderson in his acceptance speech, saying “Music is woven very strongly with the editing into the rhythm of the film.” The musician was also nominated for his work in “The Imitation Game”.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” took home four golden statuettes. Besides original score, the whimsical film also bagged honours in the best costume design, best makeup and hairstyling and best production. — PTI