Boyhood seems like an unlikely Oscar contender. Filmed during the summers over a 12 year period with director Richard Linklater and cast, Boyhood premiered at the Sundance Film Festival way back in January and the film's tone and thematic concerns are much more in line with that of the indie scene in Utah than the awards scene in Los Angeles. However, with 2014 being relatively bereft of major studio movies in contention for the Best Picture Oscar, smaller films like Boyhood not only have a chance to receive a nomination for Best Picture, but could very well take home the big prize itself. And of course with any discussion of Best Picture goes a thorough look at the film's performances for potential acting nominations. Even if the film was not a potential contender for the Best Picture prize though, Patricia Arquette would still very likely be in the discussion for Best Supporting Actress. Playing a character simply titled "Mom", that is exactly who she is: a mom doing her best to raise two kids and find some happiness for herself along the way. Audiences get to watch Arquette make both good and bad decisions and the consequences they have on her kids along the way. Throughout all the changes though, her love for her children is constant and it is this aspect of her performance that is most likely to appeal to Academy members. What will be interesting in terms of Arquette's chances of actually winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress is whether the fact her performance took place over twelve years will be a hindrance or a help. Some may say Arquette had an unfair advantage of crafting her performance over so many years while her fellow nominees had to nail their performances down in a drastically shorter time period. On the other hand, many will argue Arquette's evolution of her character, while maintaining a certain amount of consistency to keep continuity in the role, is a one of kind thespian achievement that should be rewarded for its degree of difficulty. However the race ultimately turns out for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar though, one thing is definite, Patricia Arquette will be among the nominees vying for it. What are your predictions for the 2015 Best Supporting Actress race? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
A film fanatic at a very young age, starting with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies and gradually moving up to more sophisticated fare, at around the age of ten he became inexplicably obsessed with all things Oscar. With the incredibly trivial power of being able to chronologically name every Best Picture winner from memory, his lifelong goal is to see every Oscar nominated film, in every major category, in the history of the Academy Awards.
