But the big one of the night is Best Picture. I have seen all eight, but one of them I only saw because it was nominated and frankly I wish I hadn't. So lets go through them alphabetically, and I will try very, very, very hard not to write a 10 page essay about just how awful and reductive American Sniper is.
American Sniper
If you haven't seen American Sniper yet, don't. Instead, track down the Adam Curtis documentary Bitter Lake that was recently on the BBC (might still be on iPlayer).Bitter Lake examines 50 years of history of Helmand and foreign intervention in Afghanistan. But one of its key points is how western Governments created simple narratives of good vs evil, one side or the other, that didn't take into account the reality on the ground and how that led to disaster. This reductive, damaging narrative seems to reach its nadir, at least on an 'entertainment' front in American Sniper. This is a film where all American soldiers are heroes just by dint of being an American soldier, and any Iraqi who is where the protagonist thinks they shouldn't be, is automatically evil and deserving of any fate. It is that simplistic, racist and offensive. The film is supposed to be about the damage done to a soldier in that situation without being political. Well it's view of war is very political (in a way that The Hurt Locker managed not to be) and the central character so repugnant in his views that it is hard to care about what happens to him. I would like to go into more about just what is wrong with this film, as I know I've been incredibly simplistic, but then this is a film that doesn't bother with any kind of depth or complexity and I'm not sure it deserves any more than this.
Birdman
I am so glad I went to see Birdman a second time (the afternoon after a Hogmanay party was not the best time). The single tracking shot is an interesting and fun conceit but there is so much more to it than that. It is entertaining and funny, dramatic and heartfelt. The performances are great, and there is such flair in the direction that you can't help but get swept up in it. It was a properly inventive movie that sucks you in straight away and then whirls you around. It goes off in flights of fancy but never becomes ridiculous. And it is just so fun and enjoyable without being overshadowed by technical achievement. Although there are other movies nominated that I would prefer to win, it is good to see the major contenders trying to do something different and unconventional.
Boyhood
And as a film making experiments go, there are few taking more of a risk in conception than Boyhood. It is pulled off brilliantly, so humanly, so convincingly, so involvingly. There is no deliberate defined story line, it just evolves in the way life does. The most incredible thing about it might have been in the casting of Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater who give fantastic, realistic performances (that maybe couldn't have predicted when they were so young - they surely couldn't have known how much Coltrane would have looked like Ethan Hawke by the time he grew up!). Although essentially gentle and natural, it includes so many of the highs and lows of family, relationships and growing up in a moving and utterly convincing way. Boyhood is the favourite to win, and although it isn't my absolute favourite of the films nominated, it probably is the most deserving.
The Imitation Game
This was a very good, very solid movie, if not particularly spectacular or told in a particularly original way, which means I'm somewhat surprised as to how the director got a nomination. It has an excellent ensemble cast, and a compelling pair of central performances. It's an important story, told competently, that is moving and tense and interesting. But it's not quite in the league of some of the films on this list, vastly superior to American Sniper but for me, a little below the others. Whether it has been slightly sanitised through the Weinstein process or whether it could have done with a director with a little more vision, I'm not sure. Having said that, there were so many memorable parts to this film, from the terrific young actor playing school age Alan, to the heart stopping dilemma after they finally crack Enigma, that just about weave together for an excellent film.
The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Noone would be surprised to learn that this was my overall film. To me, this was film heaven. Inventive, beautiful, creative detail that is scarcely believable, a magnificent cast and a funny, dramatic and moving story. The script is wonderful and Ralph Fiennes performance is out of this world, unexpected and thoroughly brilliant, every line reading done to perfection. It is precise without being fussy, alternatively dark and light, sometimes at the same time. It is surely nailed on to win the production design awards, perhaps original screenplay but Best Picture may be a step further than the Academy is ready for. This is a movie I will probably watch 100 times in my life and never get tired of.
Selma
Selma is a stunning film, that gripped me throughout and frequently had me in tears. From David Oyelowo onwards, it is stock full of stunning performances, but his is just brilliant. He is commanding, heroic, but then also uncertain and human. You can't take your eyes of him and he reveals so much about the tension between being a living legend, a leader and a private person. The film does so many things brilliant. The scenes of violence are devastating and unforgettable. But the way it shows you want non-violent protest actually meant is one of its crowning achievements. How this was not a passive thing, and not an easy choice at all. It brings home just how hard it was to resist retaliating and the incredible sacrifices that were made. But even though moral right is all on one side, the film also shows the limits to that, how the right thing is not always obvious - sometimes people have to come before the movement and message, and sometimes the other ways round. This is such a complicated, intelligent and compelling film and it is such a shame it has been overlooked in so many other categories where it deserved to be.
The Theory of Everything
Of the two British genius biopics, this was my favourite. It is such a enthralling portrayal of a relationship under pressure, as well as brilliantly bringing out the all encompassing effects of a devastating illness. The two leads are spectacular and perfectly complement each other. It is an emotional and moving film but often in the ways you wouldn't expect. It doesn't play it too safe but is prepared to look at their relationship in an honest and unflinching way. It feels like a film that will stand the test of time more than The Imitation Game, and although I would maybe put it 6th out if 8, it is only by the tiniest margin.
Whiplash
I would never have thought a movie about drumming could have had me gasping and shaking at the end - the same emotional response that I had to Gravity or Captain Phillips. Whiplash is a stunning movie, shot through with the most incredible tension and acted with a conviction and intensity that you rarely see. The physical commitment of Miles Teller is the perfect complement to the barnstorming roof raising brilliance of JK Simmons. It is fantastically edited and directed and I cannot wait to see what Damien Chazelle does next. This is a film that literally took my breath away, and it may not have the long lasting emotional impact of Boyhood, but I have rarely been gripped so much in the cinema.
And finally, honourable mentions for Mr Turner, Nightcrawler and 2 Days 1 Night, all of which I wish had been found a place in the nominations. I can only assume that quite a lot of voters don't watch many movies and American Sniper was the only film that a lot of people saw this year as I do not understand how it won a nomination over these and many, many more.
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