Birdman: 2014 Best Picture

The 87th Academy Awards ceremony were held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on February 22, 2015, honoring the best films of 2014.

The Best Picture Oscar went to “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” produced by Alejandro González Iñárritu, John Lesher, and James W. Skotchdopole. Iñárritu also won Best Director and shared the Best Writing, Original Screenplay with Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo. Emmanuel Lubezki picked up the Best Achievement in Cinematography for his work on the film.

Three of the actors nominated for their performance in “Birdman” were nominated for their performances: Michael Keaton, Best Actor; Edward Norton, Best Supporting Actor and Emma Stone, Best Supporting Actress.

The Best Actor Oscar went to Eddie Redmayne for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.” Julianne Moore won Best Actress for her role in “Still Alice” as Dr. Alice Howland.

J. K. Simmons won Best Supporting actor honors for portraying Terence Fletcher in “Whiplash” and Patricia Arquette got the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in “Boyhood” as Olivia Evans.

All of the winners in the acting categories were first-time Oscar recipients.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” also won 4 Oscars including Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat), Best Costume Design (Milena Canonero), Makeup and Hairstyling (Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier), and Production Design (Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock). The other films nominated for Best Picture were “American Sniper”, “Boyhood” “The Imitation Game”, “Selma” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash.”

Click here for a complete list of winners and nominees

Interestingly, none of the Best Picture candidates, including the winner, made Box Office Mojo’s Top 10 list of highest grossing films for 2014.

1. Transformers: Age of Extinction
2. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Maleficent
5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
6. X-Men: Days of Future Past
7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
9. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
10. Interstellar

We’re not sure if that “or (The Unexpected Virtue…” part of Birdman’s title totally disqualifies it as a one-word title film. If so, then it doesn’t join the list on of one-word Best Pictures that follows. If not, it does:

• Wings (1927/28)
• Cimarron (1930/31)
• Cavalcade (1932/33)
• Rebecca (1940)
• Casablanca (1943)
• Hamlet (1948)
• Marty (1955)
• Gigi (1958)
• Oliver! (1968)
• Patton (1970)
• Rocky (1976)
• Gandhi (1982)
• Amadeus (1984)
• Platoon (1986)
• Unforgiven (1992)
• Braveheart (1995)
• Titanic (1997)
• Gladiator (2000)
• Chicago (2002)
• Crash (2005)
• Argo (2012)