Spotlight - 5 nominations

Best Picture - Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust

Actor in a Supporting Role, Mark Ruffalo
Actress in a Supporting Role, Rachel McAdams
Directing, Tom McCarthyFilm Editing, Tom McArdle

Writing - Original Screenplay, Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy

"It takes a village to raise a child.  It takes a village to abuse one."

The are the powerful opening words to the film, Spotlight, arguably the most important and most powerful film of the year.  Spotlight is a modern day "All the Presidents Men" in which an investigative team from The Boston Globe unravels the decades-long systematic cover up of Priests' sexual molestation of children by the Catholic Church.  Particularly disturbing is the way in which the powers in the Boston community help to negotiate vulnerable families of the survivors away from prosecuting the offending clergy.  This is a rare Goliath versus Goliath story and one must come to terms with the heartbreaking truth that sometimes people love and protect their guilty institutions above protecting the vulnerable innocent.

The movie is outstanding by all measures.  Every performance was strong, and I think Michael Keaton was likely in the #6 or #7 spot when the final Best Actor votes were tallied.  Frankly, I was surprised by Rachel McAdams' nomination - she gave a strong but measured performance and I'm not sure that it stand out particularly among all supporting actress roles, but her work is not to be missed in this film.  On the other hand, Mark Ruffalo's performance blew me away - the thing about him is that he is different in every film.  Put this character side by side with his character in Foxcatcher, and you'd have trouble convincing me that this is the same person.  He has become particularly adept in crafting different speaking styles, different shapes for his face and his body, and becomes a totally different person in each role.

Of all the elements of this film, for me it all comes down to the utter brilliance of the screenplay. Every moment is well crafted, every line is well spoken, every scene is important.  In case you can't tell, I'm rooting for Spotlight to win this category and also Best Picture.  I have to think about the other categories more, but these seem clear to me.  

Were you especially intrigued by Spotlight?  I also recommend Oscar-nominated documentary "Deliver Us From Evil" that has particular strength for following the re-assignments of Priests from parish to parish; and "Maxima Mea Culpa: Silence in the House of God"that follows the stories of deaf children who were abused by a Priest who was faculty at a school for deaf children.

BIRDMAN (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - 9 nominations

Best Picture - Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole
Actor - Michael Keaton
Supporting Actor - Edward Norton
Supporting Actress - Emma Stone
Director - Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Cinematography - Emmanuel Lubezki
Sound Editing - Martin Hernández and Aaron Glascock
Sound Mixing - Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga
Original Screenplay - Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo

Birdman is the tale of an actor, known primarily for his portrayal of a superhero, seeking validation by mounting a serious production on Broadway.  At the start of the film he is in rehearsals just days away from opening as he deals with emotional actors,  a nervous lawyer, a recovering drug addict daughter, and a haunting voice of self-loathing and self doubt embodied by his former character, Birdman.  

Michael Keaton gives a vulnerable performance and we understand that this play means everything to him - financially, spiritually, and emotionally.  He has constant hallucinations of superhero powers that range from telekinesis to flight, and each setback in the play slowly chips away at his sanity.  His ex-wife very pointedly tells him, "you confuse love for admiration," and the most powerful Broadway reviewer says, "you're not an actor, you're a celebrity."  All of this while he deals with a nervous female lead (Naomi Watts), an insane but clearly brilliant last minute cast addition in Edward Norton (himself manic and unstable, but hilarious), and a confused and struggling daughter in Emma Stone, who is raw and emotional in her own right.

This is a completely different kind of movie, and that's a tribute to Director, Alejandro Iñárritu, who had a clear vision having produced, directed, and written Birdman.  The screenplay is sharp tongued and quick witted.  It is funny and dark and emotional.

For the technical categories, the cinematography is subtle - I had to watch the film a second time to really ingest the brilliance of the camera work.  Yes, there are lots of shots in dark places with interesting lighting that usually attract the attention of this branch, but the amazing work comes in taking a drama and shooting it like a superhero movie.  I'm not sure that any of the three technical awards will go to Birdman, but the merits of the nominations are clear.

Watch the trailer here: