Oscars Recap: "Birdman" and Lady Gaga Soar

Neil Patrick Harris and Anna Kendrick started the show off with a huge bang last night. 

This past Oscar season has been so weird, that it's sort of relieving to be able to put a cap on the entire thing. After going on for months bouncing back between "Boyhood", "The Theory of Everything" and "The Imitation Game" as the frontrunner, "Birdman" surged late in the game and eventually ended up on top. Though the film is, at its very core, about actors, it's such a strange, unconventional choice for a Best Picture winner, but an inspired, deserving one, the kind that doesn't usually win because it's too weird. It is a film after all where Michael Keaton levitates in his underwear and flies through New York City… or does he? Is it all in his mind? It’s basically a more actor friendly, less ballet focused “Black Swan”, though starring Michael Keaton and not Natalie Portman. 

Inside the Mind of an Academy Member: Resented 'Selma' filmmakers wearing "I can't breathe" T-Shirts

Every year Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter does anonymous interviews with Academy members about how they voted on each category. This is done largely in part to create hype around the upcoming ceremony and distract from the inevitable winners and create some excitement. The Oscars use a preferential ballot so everyone has their favorites; it's nice to see a shout out for someone who may not have won anything all season.

But usually what this does is point out how out of touch, and ignorant Academy voters are. Remember last year when several voters admitted to not even watching "12 Years A Slave"? Though the film ended up winning Best Picture, it points out how flawed the system is; Voters aren't watching the films, which points out what a farce the Oscars themselves are.

This year is no different, as an interview conducted with a female voter is choosing Patricia Arquette for "having no work done in 12 years" and believes "there is no artistry in 'Selma'".

Boyhood: A Film 12 Years in the Making

Our eponymous "boy" played by Eller Coltrane as he ages through the film's 164 minute duration. 

By now, I'm sure everyone has heard of Richard Linklater's "Boyhood"; its the film that took literally 12 years to make. Over this period of 12 years, for a few days, Linklater (serving not only as the film's director, but writer as well) and his cast and crew would assemble for a few days or so every year to revisit the characters, slowly inching towards its emotional conclusion.

Boyhood is a strangely simple title given the laundry list of themes the film explores. Sure, at the center is Mason (Coltrane) who we are watching literally age and grow up. But besides that, Linklater tackles abusive relationships, coming of age, falling in love, absent parents, and (briefly) sex, drugs and alcohol; with Boyhood, Linklater has taken snapshots in time and assembled them into the human experience.