It’s that time of year again…awards season! February is almost upon us: the month of surprise snow days, panicked declarations of Valentine love, and driving to the movie theatre to see the latest artsy films before the night of the Oscars. It’s hard to see all of the films nominated, and there seems to be more and more added to the Best Picture category every year, so let’s narrow down the must-sees to a much more manageable list of our top picks for a few categories.
Best Picture: The Grand Budapest Hotel
This movie is wacky! Wes Anderson is always a bit wacky, but this is an exceptional example of what it must be like to live inside that brain of his. Anderson has a way of adding plot twists that make you gasp somewhere between laughter and horror, and then nod your head for more, which he infallibly delivers. With an all star cast headed by Voldemort himself (aka Ralph Fiennes), this movie came out in early 2014, so you’ll be able to find it somewhere online. Perfect movie to watch on any upcoming snow days!
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne
No shame, Eddie Redmayne’s performance in The Theory of Everything still has us crying. In this film, Redmayne took on the emotional and physical task of portraying the life of Stephen Hawking, from his years as a student at Cambridge, through the advanced stages of his motor neuron disease. Onscreen, Redmayne proves his ability as an actor, no matter how enduring the role. Plus, Eddie is such a cutie, we would like to watch him accept awards all night, please.
Best Actress: Rosamund Pike
Our vote goes toward Rosamund Pike, mainly out of fear. Don’t see Gone Girl on a date night, it could make for an awkward and possibly tense car ride home.
Best Animated Feature: How to Train Your Dragon 2
To be honest, we were pretty confused when The Lego Movie didn’t get a nomination this year, but it’s fine because How to Train Your Dragon 2 is equally as funny and endearing. Sequels often leave a lot to be desired, but this movie kept us laughing from beginning to end (and maybe a few tears slipped out, too).
Best Song: “Glory” from Selma
What would The Bodyguard be without “I Will Always Love You”? What would Frozen be without “Let it Go”? Movies need hit songs as much as Spongebob needs water. Selma, a powerful movie about Martin Luther King Jr. and the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, needed a song that could stand up to the strength of the film’s message, and John Legend and Common deliver with their collaboration on the song “Glory”. The film is worth seeing for more than just the song though, see it with friends today!
Go carpool over to the movie theatre, or snuggle up with your laptop and get cracking on this list of movie, and if you have time, see more of the Oscar nominated films here! The Oscars air on February 22nd, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.