Lone Star Pride

Texas sweeps 2015 Oscar nominations thanks to Boyhood and Grand Budapest Hotel

A film that no one but Austin-based director Richard Linklater could dream up has now turned into one of the year's most-lauded films: Boyhood was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The film, which follows Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his family over the course of 12 years, also was nominated for Best Director for Richard Linklater, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette, Best Supporting Actor for Ethan Hawke and Best Film Editing.

Other nominees for Best Picture, a category that can fluctuate between five and 10 nominees, included Selma, Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, American Sniper, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything and Whiplash, for a total of eight films. There were nine films nominated in 2014.

The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Texan Wes Anderson, tied with Birdman to lead all films with nine nominations. Selma, undoubtedly one of the year's best films, somehow wound up with only two nominations, although the Best Picture nomination still gives it a chance to take home the top prize.

In another local note, Dallas native Keven McAlester was nominated along with director/producer Rory Kennedy for the documentary feature, Last Days of Vietnam.

Below are the nominations for the seven other major categories; for a full list of nominees, go to oscar.go.com/nominees.

Best Actor
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Best Director
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Best Original Screenplay
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

Best Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Boyhood, directed by Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater and set entirely in Texas, was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture.

Photo by Matt Lankes IFC Films

Boyhood, directed by Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater and set entirely in Texas, was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture.

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REEL TALK

Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell brings surprising new film to Dallas

Photo courtesy of Ernie & Emma.

Bruce Campbell mourns his wife in 'Ernie & Emma.'

Cult cinema icon Bruce Campbell is making a cross-country trek, but he won’t be screening The Evil Dead. Instead, he is skipping traditional distribution to bring his newest film, Ernie & Emma, directly to the people.

The actor will be in the Dallas area on October 2 for a showing at Alamo Drafthouse Las Colinas (320 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving). The tour features a behind-the-scenes conversation with Campbell and a live Q&A.

Ernie & Emma may be a surprise for viewers who are used to his oddball horror comedies like Bubba Ho-Tep. The film — entirely scripted, directed, produced, and funded by Campbell and his wife, Ida Gearon — is billed as a romantic comedy, albeit one with a little edge.

The story follows Ernie Tyler, a rural pear salesman mourning the loss of his beloved wife. Guided by a detailed list of instructions Emma Tyler left before her death, Ernie sets off on a life-changing road trip. You can watch the trailer below.

The story hits close to home for the comic-con legend. It was filmed in Pear Valley near his Oregon home, and he reportedly based Ernie’s character on his dad. Campbell has also had to contemplate his own mortality after a March cancer diagnosis. On X, he described the cancer as “treatable” but not “curable.”

“It’s incredibly special to share this film with audiences across the nation. Getting to bring it directly to communities and experience those conversations in real time is the reason you make something like this in the first place,” said Campbell in a release. “Loss is universal, and so is the challenge of finding your way forward.”

Ticketing information and times for the screening will be announced at a later date. Still, audiences will have several chances to see the star, who canceled his usual convention schedule to focus on the tour and his health. Besides Dallas, Ernie & Emma will screen at the following Texas Alamo Drafthouse locations:

October 3 — Alamo Drafthouse Stone Oak, 22806 US-281 N, San Antonio
October 9 — Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline, 4028 US-183 Bldg F, Austin
October 10 — Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane, 5701 W. Slaughter Lane, Bldg. F, Austin

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