Wow. After last year's first ever tie, the PGA gives us another shocker when the movie no one expected had a chance at winning the top prize actually pulled it off. Seriously, most assumed this was Boyhood, but if not that then The Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel, or maybe even American Sniper (producers like box office success, after all). But Birdman? Things just got very interesting.
BEST ANIMATED FILM - The Lego Movie
BEST DOCUMENTARY - Life Itself
BEST PICTURE - Birdman
It was actually a surprising night all around, as the PGA also rewarded the two nominees in Animated and Documentary feature that didn't receive Oscar nominations. But what does this mean now? Well, to me it signals that Boyhood's support is soft, and clearly vulnerable to an upset. I told you before, the PGA winner has matched Oscar's Best PIcture the last six years in a row, because they use the same kind of voting system. That means Birdman has to be considered a real possibility now, and the other guilds become more important as well, just like they were last year. Does Birdman pull off the SAG win tomorrow, or will it be something else, confusing things even more? Can Linklater still win DGA, or does Inarritu suddenly come out on top? The last time the industry significantly breached from the critics and Golden Globes was when The King's Speech took out The Social Network back in 2010. This may be the beginning of another year like that one...but I have to say, even with this shocking upset, Birdman would still be one of the weirdest, most bizarre Best Picture winners ever. Then again, it is about Hollywood people, so maybe that makes up for all the dark stuff? Come back tomorrow to see if SAG throws another wrench into this now very close race.
