BY BRUNA COSTA
The 87th edition of the Oscars will be held this Sunday, and we’ve already decided there’s no better way to spend this cold winter weekend than by catching up with some of the nominated movies. Here are our choices! Let’s watch and wait to see who takes the golden statuettes home.
Boyhood
Let’s just say that if people spend 12 years of their lives making a movie, that film should be required viewing. “Boyhood” follows Mason, a young boy, and his family for 12 years, showing how he and his sister grow, experience the joys and challenges of childhood, and also how the decisions of their parents impact their lives.
Directed by Richard Linklater, it’s a touching masterpiece that caused a lot of buzz in the film industry this year and is nominated in six different Oscar categories.
The Theory of Everything
“The Theory of Everything” is a beautiful and touching representation of Stephen Hawking’s life. Beginning with his life as a Cambridge graduate student, the film spans the discovery of his progressive motor neuron disease and his brilliant (and long) life after that. It also shows another side of this great man, presenting all the people that loved and supported him in his path, especially his wife, Jane Wilde.
This brilliant production is nominated for six awards and was supposedly even enjoyed by Hawking himself, which is just one more reason to rush out and see it.
Birdman
Now let’s talk about the favorite for the “Best Picture” award. “Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” is a drama about an ex-superhero actor trying to reestablish himself as a serious professional. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, it’s a Hollywood production that successfully criticizes Hollywood productions and movie stars alike.
The vibrant film is a favorite in multiple categories, including “Best Picture” and “Best Actor”. If it grabs some of the statues this Sunday, you’ll want to know why, right? So watch it!
Wild
The fact that “Wild” is nominated in just two categories, “Best Actress” and “Best Supporting Actress,” shouldn’t dissuade you from checking it out. “Wild” is much more than the history of a heartbroken girl who decides to hike 2,663 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail; it’s a drama about the challenges and sufferings of life, and how many people have to live through some crazy experiences just to keep going.
Besides the touching and visceral plot, which is based on a novel of the same name, “Wild” also boasts a passionate performance from Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed. We’ll see if the performance is enough to earn Witherspoon her second Oscar, but either way, the movie is a must-see.
Ida
This movie may not have captured all the Oscar headlines this year, but it could make history on Sunday. If the film, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, wins the “Best Foreign Language Film” award, it will mark the first time a Polish movie takes home the Oscar in the category. It is also nominated for the “Best Cinematography” award.
“Ida” is about Anna, a young Catholic nun who discovers she is Jewish, which prompts her to begin a journey to understand her identity. It’s a powerful black-and-white drama that offers viewers a perfect opportunity to watch a foreign, off the radar film.
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