LIVE! THE SCREEN-SPACE 2015 OSCAR BLOG

America's favourite go-to awards MC, Neil Patrick Harris (pictured, below) will usher in the 87th annual Academy Awards in a matter of moments. From the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue, the 2015 Oscars have weathered their fair share of controversy, but all that counts for for little more than monologue fodder come the big night. As the celebration unfolds, SCREEN-SPACE will be live-blogging all the evening's key moments as they happen - every award, every presenter, all the spontaneous craziness that comes when tense celebrities meet free booze. Bookmark and refresh the page for all the latest Oscar moments...

LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES' DOLBY THEATRE, THE 87TH ACADEMY AWARDS...

An uncharacteristically rainy LA welcomes the celebs. Red carpet chit-chat turns from the tension of the evening to how the downpour will affect the hair and dresses.

Harris' strengths as a showman launch into an ol'-fashioned song-and-dance number about the magic of cinema. He 'Crystals' things up by putting himself in the frame with classic film scenes of yore.

Anna Kendrick and Jack Black weigh in with some self-deprecating humour, that actually works. Then some dancing storm-troopers...wait, what?

Solid opening that gets the show of to a high-gloss, upbeat start. Uh-oh, now he's talking...

First presenter, Lupita Nyong'o, introduces the nominees for Best Supporting Actor.

WINNER: JK SIMMONS, WHIPLASH

As expected, journeyman actor JK Simmons (pictured, below right) proves a popular choice for Whiplash. Co-star Miles Teller is clearly happy for on-screen tormentor. Wife Michelle leads the thank yous, followed by his kids,followed bya plea to "call your parents." Nice touch. No industry acknowledgements in speech! Is that a first?

Silly diversion about Price Waterhouse Cooper and NPH's predictions. Move on.

Liam Neeson introduces the Best Pic nominee clips, for The Grand Budapest Hotel and American Sniper respectively. Full black tux-&-tie ensemble very dashing.

Dakota Johnson introduces 'Lost Stars,' Best Song nominee from Begin Again, performed by Maroon 5, fronted by the music-biz pic co-star, Adam Levine. Tight set.

Show yet to spark. Slick but lacking...

The actress from Anaconda and Captain Kirk step up for Best Costume Design announcement.

WINNER: MILENA CANONERO, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Presenter Reese Witherspoon weathers an awful pun and condescending hillbilly play-on to present Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

WINNER: MARK COULIER and FRANCES HANNON, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Coulier honours the late Dick Smith, revered makeup artist, in his speech.

Channing Tatum steps up to introduce winners of the Team Oscar search, young filmmakers whose 60 second films were chosen from hundreds of entrants.

NPH has a Travolta moment introducing Chiwetel Ejiofor who, with Nicole Kidman, present the Foreign Film nominees.

WINNER: IDA (Poland).

First Oscar trophy for Polish film industry from 10 nominations. Director Pawel Palikowska (pictured, below) blows off orchestra play-off to deliver first memorable moment of the night, thanking all his drunk Polish friends and honouring his deceased wife and parents.

Shirley Maclaine struggles a bit talking up next three Best Picture nominees, Boyhood, Birdman and The Theory of Everything.

The old 'crowd-walk' bit is saved by Steve Carrell's quick wit.

Marion Cotillard who, we are reminded by some twee play-on music, is French, introduces the next Best Song nominee, The Lego Movie anthem Everyting is Awesome. Andy Samberg and co mash-up song-styles to garish, gaudy excess. This is more like it!

Kerry Washington and 'the most well-adjusted former child star in the room', Jason Bateman, present Live Action Short Film contenders.

WINNER: THE PHONE CALL, Matt Kirby and James Lucas.

...and straight into Best Documentary Short.

WINNER: CRISIS HOTLINE VETERANS PRESS 1.

Viola Davis introduces the recipients of the 2015 Governor's Awards, presented prior to the ceremony. They were Maureen O'Hara, Hayao Miyazaki, Jean-Claude Carriere and Harry Belafonte.

Another crowd-walk, in which David Oyelowo is put on the spot. Ouch.

Gwyneth Paltrow introduces Tim McGraw, who gives moving rendition of Best Song nominee, I'm Not Gonna Miss You. The nominated artist, the great Glen Campbell, in the grips of late-stage Atlzheimers, is in the audience.

NPH, perhaps realising the show is a bit staid, drops trousers for Birdman bit before introducing Margot Robbie and Miles Teller, who present clip package of AMPAS Technical Awards evening. Looked like fun.

Star eye-candy continues with Chris Evans and Sienna Miller onstage for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing categories. First, the Mixers...

WINNER: WHIPLASH, Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, and Thomas Curley.

..then, the Editors...

WINNER: AMERICAN SNIPER, Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman.

Winners know where their bread is buttered, and thank Mr Eastwood first off.

A freshly clothed NPH introduces Jared Leto in silver-blue tux (yikes), who wins points for Meryl Streep gag (Her nomination is a condition of a California State Law, apparently). The Oscar goes to...

WINNER: PATRICIA ARQUETTE, BOYHOOD.

Arquette rips into a speech certain to cause much post-ceremony commentary, as she demands wage equality across the US for women and justice for the hard-working middle-class moms, such as her character in Boyhood. Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lopez and co-star Ethan Hawke rise to scream support. A powerful moment.

Best Song nominee Grateful, word and lyrics by Dianne Warren, from Beyond the Lights, stakes a solid claim for the trophy with a soaring rendition by Rita Ora.

Ansell Elgort and Chloe Grace Moretz front for Visual Effects category.

WINNER: INTERSTELLAR, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher.

Kevin Hart and Anna Kendrick do some 'short person' schtick ahead of Best Animated Short announcement. 

WINNER: FEAST, Patrick Osborne and Christina Reid.

Zoe Saldana and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnstone pony up for Animated Feature award; NPH says what everyones thinking, "Where's The Lego Movie?"

WINNER: BIG HERO 6, Don Hall, Chris Williams, and Roy Conli.

AMPAS president Sheryl Boone-Isaacs speaks loud and proud for freedom of creative speech and expression. "We honour the courage of filmmakers who cross borders and expand boundaries," she says.

New Hollywood gets a look in with 2014's breakout stars Chris Pratt and Felicity Jones, who step up for Best Production Design announcement.

WINNER: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock.

Some one needs to stop Adam Levine's gf from being on-camera...

Idris Elba and Jessica Chastain present Best Cinematography award. This will be telling. Another Budapest trophy could put a stop to Birdman's night...

WINNER: Emmanuel Lubezki, BIRDMAN.

Meryl Streep (pictured, below right) introduces the much-loved In Memoriam montage. She is clearly moved...

Mickey Rooney, Paul Mazursky lead the artfully rendered presentation. HR Giger, Anita Ekberg, Louis Jourdan, Gordon Willis, Richard Attenborough, Ruby Dee. A young Robin Williams...

Jennifer Hudson sings a tribute to the many we've lost. Not necessary, given the emotion of the montage, but fitting.

Naomi Watts and Benedict Cumberbatch remind us just how white the night is. They present the Best Editor honour to...

WINNER: Tom Cross, WHIPLASH.

Is the playing field changing re the Best Picture race? Whiplash and The Grand Budapest Hotel are building unexpected momentum. We'll see...

Terence Howard stumbles awkwardly (autocue problems; banging the mic stand) while announcing the remaining Best Picture nominees, Whiplash, Selma and The Imitation Game.

Best Documentary Feature category give David Oyelowo and Jennifer Aniston the stage time they deserved. And the Oscar goes to...

WINNER: CITIZENFOUR, Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, and Dirk Wilutzky.

Not for the first time tonight, NPH undercuts a serious moment with a stupid joke. After CitizenFour director Laura Poitras gives a poignant speech, the host smugly guffaws, "Edward Snowden couldn't be her tonight, for some treason." Geddit? Terrible. Is he ad-libbing?

Octavia Spencer intoduces John Legend and Common (pictured, left) to sing the Best Song nominee, Glory, one of only two categories in which Selma features. Rousing, heartfelt rendition; crowd rises for prolonged SO.

John Travolta and Idina Menzel get big laughs reliving last years 'Adele Dazeem' moment. John's a bit touchy-feely! They have the honour of awarding the Best Song to...

WINNER: 'GLORY' from SELMA, Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn.

Common rips into the night's best speech, uniting the world through the fight against injustice in countries everywhere. John Legend backs it up with his own impassioned words.

Scarlett Johansson, elaborately attired, fronts for what seems to be a tribute to The Sound of Music 50th anniversary. And they say the Academy is an anchronistic institute for old white people!

The job falls to Lady Gaga to make it relevant. This show DOES NOT need a Sound of Music medley tribute right now... In fairness, Gaga nailed it. 'The incomparable' Julie Andrews materialises and recalls the impact of the film. Seems the production number was a primer for the Best Original Score category (wasn't The Sound of Music based upon a stage production?).

WINNER: Alexandre Desplat, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL.

Great funnyman Eddie Murphy kicks off the Screenplay categories with Original work nominees.

WINNER: BIRDMAN, Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo

Alejandro takes centre stage, likely aware Linklater has firmed as favourite for the Director award.

Oprah Winfrey glides onstage, to deliver Adapted Screenplay trophy.

WINNER: THE IMITATION GAME, Written by Graham Moore.

Moore uses the platform to encourage tolerance, truth and self-belief, opening up about his teen suicide attempt.

Shrugging off NPH's vaguely racist intro, Ben Affleck steps up for Best Director announcement.

WINNER: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, BIRDMAN

Genuine cries of shock as Iñárritu pips Linklater at the post. The Mexican is humbled before his peers, acknowledging the fellow nominees. Linklater's expression is one of "Oh, well..." SCREEN-SPACE has been open about its ambivalence to Boyhood, but it is a shame that Linklater may go home empty-handed.

Cate Blanchett primes the crowd for the Best Actor award. Keaton, Redmayne or Cooper in a shock..?

WINNER: Eddie Redmayne, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING.

Suddenly, I want to watch Tropic Thunder.

Matthew McConnaughey steps up to reveal Best Actress winner. Getting the feeling it will be the Year of the Afflicted in the lead acting categories...

WINNER: Julianne Moore, STILL ALICE.

Deserving and popular choice.

NPH returns to a running gag about his predictions, locked in box the whole show. It seemed silly four hours ago; now, with the big award pending and everyone's arse numb... well. Turns out its a bit, that doesn't really make sense. Best forgotten.

Sean Penn to announce the Best Picture. Can Boyhood salvage something...?

WINNER: BIRDMAN, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, and James W. Skotchdopole, Producers.

Cast and crew take the stage, each making sure Michael Keaton gets some moment in the spotlight. Given the mike, he says, "Look, it's great to be here, who am I kidding. This is great fun."

"AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...": PREDICTING THE 2015 WINNERS.

Call us a little bit cynical, but the modern Oscars circus is little more than an extension of the studio marketing arms. Each year, the bestowed-upon contenders are probably not the ‘best’ movies of the year, but certainly are the ones that serve the image and integrity of Hollywood’s corporate masters most succinctly. That said, the Oscars are still a blast, not least for us ‘industry analysis’ types. We indulge in long ruminations about who is going to win and why, as if we are privy to the back room dealings and long lunches that draw those left-field votes from the Academy members. We aren’t that inside, of course, but that never stops us from conjuring wildly hypothetical scenarios to support our prognostications. To wit, the 2015 SCREEN-SPACE Oscar Predictions… 

BEST ACTRESS:
Julianne Moore will take home this statue. It is impossible to recall when a category seemed like such a lock and will present the defining moment of the entire evening if she misses out (see also, J.K. Simmons and Patricia Arquette in the supporting player categories). On merit alone, it should be a much closer contest - Marion Cotillard gives the performance of the year in Two Days One Night, but no one saw it; Reese Witherspoon hit a new career-high in Wild; Felicity Jones was the Tom Cruise to Eddie Redmayne’s ‘Rainman’ and deserves any acting kudos far more than her co-star. Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike’s inclusion at the expense of Jenny Slate (Obvious Child), Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year; Miss Julie), Jennifer Aniston (Cake) or Essie Davis (The Babadook) now seems daft. 

BEST ACTOR:
Like Moore, sentimental favourite Michael Keaton seemed a similar ‘sure thing’ a few months back. But the race has tightened. American Sniper’s enormous success has seen Bradley Cooper surge; with no Best Director nomination and the adapted screenplay sparking credibility debates, this category may be the only opportunity to reward the surprise hit. Redmayne’s impersonation of Stephen Hawking pales next to the likes of Daniel Day Lewis (who won for My Left Foot) and Tom Cruise (nominated for Born on The Fourth of July), but he has the BAFTA and SAG trophies already in his cabinet. No Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel) or Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) undermines this category, for sure. Hollywood will reward it’s own and give Keaton the gong. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY and BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Pundits will get some idea if The Grand Budapest Hotel is going to contend for a Best Picture win if it bumps Boyhood and Birdman in the Original Screenplay category. It will have certainly picked up some below-the-line honours by this stage, but will need this nod to maintain momentum; the recent BAFTA crown is a good sign. Foxcatcher is firming as the evening’s also-ran; Nigtcrawler should win, but won’t. Wes Anderson by a hipster’s whisker.
Adapted Screenplay is most likely the last big category The Imitation Game can win, but that seems unlikely against American Sniper and The Theory of Everything. Inherent Vice is (fittingly) the rank outsider; would’ve been nice to see James Gunn’s smart, sweet reworking of the comic book source Guardians of the Galaxy get recognition here. The 2015 surprise may be Damien Chazelle (pictured, left) taking the gold for Whiplash. With five nominations, the film has a lot of love amongst AMPAS members; JK Simmons didn’t just make up those vicious, tyrannical rants. Whiplash in an upset. 

BEST DIRECTOR
Morten Tyldum’s understated, workmanlike job on The Imitation Game was fine, but not one of the year’s five best. Foxcatcher auteur Bennet Miller’s rigid, austere eye was much admired, but did anyone come out of that film exclaiming, “God, I loved it”? Wes Anderson will be rewarded with the Original Screenplay gong. That leaves arguably the night’s toughest split decision – Alejandro Inarritu’s giddy, bewildering, technically dazzling spin on the artist-as-a-tortured-soul, or Richard Linklater’s warm celebration of every-home Americana. For its widely publicised production schedule and his intensely personal conviction, Linklater will probably claim it. No, I’m not that enamoured with the meandering mediocrity of Boyhood or its mopey leading man, but everyone else seems to love it and Linklater has certainly paid his dues, so good luck to him. 

BEST FILM:
In such a tight year, it is inconceivable that any kind of ‘clean sweep’ will emerge. If Boyhood wins here, it will have three of the top slots (Director, Supporting Actress). Boyhood won’t be ‘that’ film. If Redmayne surprises in the Best Actor category, Linklater takes the directing honours and The Grand Budapest Hotel nabs tech awards, the highly-touted pre-ceremony frontrunner Birdman may be shutout. Frankly, I can’t see that happening. Both the critics and the creative community adored Inarritu’s vision; that warmth will carry it to Best Picture glory in one of the tightest races in recent memory.

For what it’s worth…
Ida for Best Foreign Film; Big Hero 6 for Animated Feature; CitizenFour for Doco, and; ‘Glory’ from Selma for Best Song.

THE SCREEN-SPACE TEN: OUR FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2014

At time of writing, several of the big Oscar contenders (Birdman, Foxcatcher, CitizenFour) had yet to roll-out internationally, so watch for those twelve months from now. Which is not to suggest there wasn't plenty of prime movie meat to chew on in 2014. SCREEN-SPACE swam against the current on some of the award season contenders (when will the rest of the world twig to the meandering mediocrity of Boyhood?) and got a glimpse of some of 2015's cinematic surprises (watch for Jason Trost's chilling How to Save Us). Settling on a subjective, occasionally indulgent, Top 10 of 2014 (in no particular order) was not easy, given the wealth of wonderful work world cinema had to offer...

NIGHTCRAWLER
Writer/director Dan Gilroy’s glistening, ghoulish vision of Los Angeles’ and the immoral hunger for fame and fortune it inspires proves every bit as potent and disturbing as past LA-noir classics Chinatown and The Player. As the skeletal sociopath Lou Bloom, whose predatory instincts and myopic ambition know no boundaries, Jake Gylenhaal (pictured, above) embodied dark dreaming and feverish insanity to create the perfect American psycho.

FROM WHAT IS BEFORE (Mula sa kung ano ang noon)
The societal structure of a small coastal barrio unravels to chilling, heartbreaking effect in Lav Diaz’s dreamlike political allegory, From What is Before. Non-festival crowds will find the film (if they find the film) particularly challenging – a monochromatic masterpiece, the narrative (set on the eve of Ferdinand Marcos’ imposition of martial law in 1972) unfolds over five-and-a-half-hours in regional Filipino dialect, albeit with mesmerising artistry.

HONEYMOON
Newlyweds Harry Treadaway and the wonderful Rose Leslie find their idyllic post-ceremony holiday devolving into a tortuous psychological fight against unknown forces, both external (what is that beam of light in the darkness?) and from within (“You taste the same, but you’re different.”) The leads bring a crucial humanity to this classic ‘cabin-in-the-woods’ horror premise, just one of many tropes deconstructed in Leigh Janiak’s paranoid, nerve-shredding, slow-burn directorial debut.

THE BABADOOK
As the increasingly fragile single mum desperately clinging to her sanity while her son conjures to life his own dark fantasies, Essie Davis delivers one of the great pieces of horror film acting in Australian auteur Jennifer Kent’s instant boogeyman classic. Steadily building a word-of-mouth reputation that strengthens with every viewing; Noah Wiseman's terrified, disturbed, courageous Samuel deserves a place alongside The Shining's Danny and Poltergeist's Carol-Anne as one of the great horror genre child characters.

TRACKS
The unforgiving landscape of Australia’s outback, captured with an artist’s eye by DOP Mandy Walker, is no match for the unyielding strength of spirit that drove lone explorer Robyn Davidson in her cross-continental journey. John Curran explores the pain and perseverance of one of Australia’s unsung heroines; Mia Wasikowska (pictured, right) embodies it in an unforgettable portrayal as the driven heroine (a coveted part that, at various stages of this daunting shoot’s long development, was attached to Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan and Cate Blanchett).

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Wes Anderson finally silenced his detractors with The Grand Budapest Hotel, a frantic, fabulous farce that danced between light and dark amidst the most beautiful set design of the year. Heading an all-star cast of perfectly employed blink-and-miss-them cameos is Ralph Fiennes (pictured, left; with co-star Tony Revolori) as the wonderfully immoral concierge M. Gustave, Anderson’s most idiosyncratic and lovable ne’er-do-well lead character to date, in the comedic performance of the year (yes, that Ralph Fiennes).

THE DARK HORSE
The great New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis (pictured, right) gives a masterclass in character acting in The Dark Horse, James Napier Robinson's account of troubled chess-champion Genesis ‘Gen’ Potini. From Gisborne’s mean streets and its unforgiving maori gang culture springs a story of family values, achieving goals and shaping destinies. A tough, strikingly-shot film that earned Curtis the Asia Pacific Screen Award trophy for Best Actor, his leading man looks shed for full immersion as the chipped-tooth, overweight, bald bipolar sufferer.

THE IMMIGRANT
If film award ceremonies actually reflected critical opinion, Marion Cotillard would be short-odds favourite for most Best Actress trophies in the weeks ahead (at time of writing, she had just one, from the New York Film Critics Circle). Some would be for the Dardennes Brothers stirring Two Days, One Night; most would be for James Gray’s sweeping, personal and criminally underseen epic, The Immigrant, in which she plays a new American swept up into a life of exploitation and heartbreak the minute she steps off the boat. A majestic work that soars as both an emotional journey and a grand production, it is the director’s masterpiece, a darkly-hued homage to ‘Old Hollywood’s vision of the American dream, as well as his leading lady’s shining silver-screen moment.

PADDINGTON
Writer/director Paul King’s adaptation of Michael Bond’s children’s books takes all that was endearing about the adventures of the little bear ‘from darkest Peru’ and crafts a giddy gem of heightened whimsy and magical movie moments. Great comic turns by Hugh Bonneville and the wonderful Nicole Kidman as the treacherous taxidermist out to stuff our hero are second only to Paddington himself, a CGI-creation (voiced by Ben Whishaw) with more heart and personality than just about every actor working today.

MELBOURNE
Eliciting that ‘What would you do?’ response from audiences with gripping potency, Iranian Nami Javidi announces himself as heir apparent to countryman Asghar Farhadi with his stomach-tightening debut. A young couple (Peyman Moaadi, Negar Javaherian) are packing for their life-changing relocation to the titular Australian city when tragedy strikes. How they react – the decisions they rationalize, the secrets they are willing to keep – makes for gripping drama, the kind of cinema that has you uttering “Oh my God…” to yourself.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: John Wick, Under the Skin, Guardians of the Galaxy, Life Itself, The Fault in Our Stars, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash, Ida, Calvary, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr Moreau, Blue Ruin, Manakamana, The Raid 2, Stranger by the Lake, Goodbye to Language 3D, Edge of Tomorrow, Winter Sleep.

WILL THE BABADOOK HAUNT ALL COMERS AT THE AUSSIE OSCARS?

Only a few short hours before the red carpet turns a muddy purple under the heels of Sydney’s sodden socialites (it has really rained this week), SCREEN-SPACE takes a last minute stab at who will take home an AACTA Award at tonight’s Oz industry gala event, to be hosted by AACTA ambassador Cate Blanchett (pictured, below; at the 2014 event) and actress Deborah Mailman… 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Nowhere is the paucity of well written female characters in modern cinema more evident than in this years’ Supporting Actress category. This in no way reflects on the nominees, who all gave fine performances, but closer inspection indicates that the material was pretty thin. Jacqueline McKenzie emoted her heart out in what amounted to about 40 seconds of screen time in The Water Diviner. Ditto the wonderful Susan Prior in The Rover; why she is not an awards-laden international star is incomprehensible given her talent and resume. It looks like two solid if slight comedy turns from Josh Lawson’s The Little Death will fight over this one. In a coin toss, Kate Mulvany over Erin James.
Who should win – Angourie Rice who, as the innocent swept up in society’s destruction, was the heart and soul of Zak Hilditch’s otherwise grim These Final Hours. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
No such luck for The Little Death here – ensemble players TJ Power and Patrick Brammall will cancel themselves out. Kudos to Robert Pattinson for his bizarre, brazen psycho in David Michod’s The Rover, but it was a performance that earned just as many brickbats as bouquets. Veteran Turkish character actor Yilmaz Erdogan (pictured, right) thouroughly deserves the trophy for his stoic, honourable defeated warrior opposite Russell Crowe in The Water Diviner. One side note – why isn’t The Mule’s Hugo Weaving in this race?
Who should win – Noah Wiseman, whose troubled, enigmatic, horrified character Samuel will rank alongside the kid stars of The Shining and Poltergeist as one of the horror genre’s MVPs.

BEST ACTRESS
What’s with all these acting noms for the raunchy sitcom vibe of The Little Death? Kate Box is making up numbers here. But a winner is much harder to pick from the remaining three nominees. If the night becomes a ‘Babadook Sweep’, Essie Davis will win and deservedly so. But Predestination has three tech awards already, so there’s a lot of love for Predestination, thanks in no small part the wonderful Sarah Snook. And there was a lot of early Oscar buzz for Mia Wasikowska’s transformative journey in John Curran’s Tracks…
Who should win – A tie is not out of the question; Davis and Wasikowska might split it. We’ll lean towards Davis (pictured, left). 

BEST ACTOR
The great skill of Russell Crowe’s performance in The Water Diviner is that he was able to rein in his movie-star grandness and play an everyman so convincingly. Did he make it look too easy, though? Damon Herriman is an industry favourite, but The Little Death won’t contest in this category (he should’ve been awarded for 100 Bloody Acres). The Rover’s Guy Pearce did his best Clint Eastwood and was very good at it. But with a Cannes gong and an APSA honour already to his name for Charlie’s Country, this is David Gulpilil’s night.
Who should win – David Gulpilil. 

BEST DIRECTOR
Rolf de Heer’s sublimely understated direction of his lead actor and friend in Charlie’s Country is superb, but the Best Original Screenplay award may be where his contribution is honoured. David Michod (The Rover) and brothers Michael and Ian Spierig (Predestination) have long, worthwhile careers ahead of them, but will take a back seat Jennifer Kent tonight. Horror is not always favoured by the high-minded who hand out industry kudos, but The Babadook is a superbly crafted, emotionally resonant work from an exciting new auteur.
Who should win – Kent (pictured, right), but Zak Hilditch for the end-of-days thriller These Final Hours can feel unloved given the category had time travel, dystopian future and fairy tale horror contenders front and centre.

BEST PICTURE
The lack of Best Director consideration will nix the night for The Water Diviner and The Railway Man; so too Tracks, though John Curran’s brilliant work was wrongfully snubbed. Charlie’s Country is a serious ‘actors’ piece, and will earn its trophy in that category. A week ago, The Babadook was a lock, it must be said, but Predestination’s slew of craft trophies may have tipped the scales back in in its favour.
Who should win – The Babadook.

The 4^th annual AACTA Awards will be held at The Star Event Centre in Sydney’s Darling Harbour precinct tonight.

THE SUNDANCE BUMP: WHICH FILM WILL BE THE 2015 BREAKOUT HIT?

In hindsight, the Sundance Film Festival timed its run very nicely. As a new wave of American independent cinema was emerging, so to was the festival that would become synonymous with the freshest film voices. From its roots in the late 1970s as the Utah US Film Festival to its rebranding in 1985 under the guidance of Sundance Institute head Sterling Van Wagenen and chairman Robert Redford, The Sundance Film Festival has solidified its status as American industry’s premiere film event.

Few labels in the film industry carry as much importance as ‘Sundance’s breakout hit’. Best exemplified by the Sundance-inspired success of Steven Soderbergh’s Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989), each year a parade of indies vie to be the festival’s most buzzed-about new film. Directors who owe their careers to Sundance include Joel and Ethan Coen (Blood Simple, 1985), Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, 1992), Kevin Smith (Clerks, 1994), Christopher Nolan (Memento, 2000; pictured, above), Behn Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild, 2012), Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, 1992) and Steve James (Hoop Dreams, 1994).

Last year, the title went to Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, currently a frontrunner for several Oscar nominations. So which of the 2015 Sundance slate will be this years ‘Breakout’ film? MEET THE FILMMAKERS looks at five who might have the goods…

Slow West
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius.
Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie. (New Zealand).
A hardened teenager journeys across the 19^th-century American frontier on a romantic odyssey, with a mysterious traveller by his side and an outlaw in pursuit. Fassbender has both indie cred (Frank) and Oscar heat (12 Years a Slave), but needs to drive a hit film; Aussie acting might in the form of next-big-thing Kodi Smit McPhee (The Road; The Young Ones) and Ben Mendehlsohn (Animal Kingdom; Killing Me Softly). World Premiere

Call Me Lucky
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait (USA)Goldthwait is one of the most enigmatic directors working the US indie scene. With hard-bitten satire (Shakes the Clown; God Bless America) and found-footage horror (Willow Creek) already stamped with his imprimatur, he turns to politico-showbiz documentary with Call Me Lucky, an account of the life of fearless stand-up Barry Crimmins. The comic/peace activist/political satirist is seen through the eyes of those whose intellect and talent were affected deeply by Crimmins.

Racing Extinction
Director: Louie Psihoyos (USA)
Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos is not one to sugar-coat the environmental agenda of his films; anyone who has The Cove will attest to that. In Racing Extinction, the filmmaker/activist assembles a crack unit of investigators and infiltrators in an effort to take down black market operators, poachers and white-collar criminals exploiting the animal world. Docos don’t usually hit big at the box office, but The Cove became a cult hit in ancillary; the charismatic Psihoyos can put a sellable spin on even the most challenging subject matter.

Partisan
Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara.
Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler. (Australia)
In what reads like a ‘Doomsday Hoarder’ spin on Joe Wright’s teen-assassin thriller Hanna, Jeremy Chabriel plays Alexander, a prized member of the young army being trained by Vincent Cassel’s Gregori. Having been raised to view the world through Gregori’s bitter vengeful eyes, Alexander hits puberty and begins to form his own views about the worth of civilization.  Cassel replaced Oscar Isaac (who bailed to star in Star Wars The Force Awakens); the Frenchman spent several weeks in Australia’s southern mountain regions for the tough shoot. A very high-profile slot for writer/director’s Kleiman’s debut feature. World Premiere

Last Days in the Desert
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ciaran Hinds, Susan Gray.
Director/screenwriter: Rodrigo Garcia.
The resurgence of faith-based films (Noah; Exodus Gods and Kings; Son of God) may bolster Last days in the Desert. Auteur Rodrigo Garcia (Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her; Mother and Child) imagines a struggle between Jesus Christ and the Devil over the fate of a family in a remote desert settlement. After a few too many paycheque performances, McGregor is seeking out edgy, interesting projects of late; he double-duties here in both key roles, offering a version of Christ as an existential everyman discovering the strength of his own soulful resilience. Lots of press coverage everytime cinema reworks biblical lore; could click with upscale, nonsecular audiences. Garcia has been a critical darling on the edge of the director's A-list for a while and is due a hit. 

Z for Zachariah
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.
Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi (USA)
Zobel garnered lots of polarising opinion for his last effort, Compliance; both Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) are as hot as they will ever be. Throw in Captain Kirk and the promise of smart sci-fi and Z for Zachariah - a post-apocalyptic vision about a lone young woman and the sexual politics that emerge when two male survivors stumble upon her – is rightfully one of Sundance’s hottest tickets.