The Five Best 2015 Oscar Acceptance Speeches

Last nights Academy Awards ceremony was a predictable affair, with great films like Selma, Whiplash and especially Boyhood not getting as many awards as they deserved. In the end, Birdman took home the Best Director and Best Picture award, and while I wasn't a huge fan of the film (I found it audacious, but lacking in substance) I'm glad something a bit more unorthodox won at least. But that doesn't mean there weren't highlights of the ceremony, especially when it came time for Everything Is Awesome to be performed!

But that awesome (pun most certainly intended) performance wasn't the only thing to succeed in the ceremony. Below, I've compiled some thoughts on five acceptance speeches that truly were highlights of the program.

Graham Moore (Best Original Screenplay for The Imitation Game)
I was actually aggravated as hell when this one won this particular category. I actually really liked The Imitation Game (I certainly wouldn't call it one of the eight best movies of 2014 though), but I wanted Whiplash to win this one so much. But Graham Moore's surprisingly thoughtful acceptance speech just won me over, with an effectively conveyed inspirational message.

J.K. Simmons (Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash)
At least Whiplash won something here, with the uber talented J.K. Simmons winning a much deserved trophy for his incredible performance in that film. Simmons didn't disappoint in his acceptance speech either, telling viewers to call their parents and making fun gags about his wife and kids.

Patricia Arquette (Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood)
Somehow, Boyhood only won one solitary Academy Award last night (someone online pointed out it won the same amount of Oscars as American Sniper, which makes my heart sad), but I'm glad at least that single award went to Arquette's magnificent work. Plus, Arquette used her acceptance speech to bring awareness to the notable wage gap issue facing America, which got the awesome approval of Meryl Streep.

Eddie Redmayne (Best Actor for The Theory Of Everything)
This category pretty much came down to Redmayne and Keaton, two actors who were the best parts of their underwhelming features. I was cool with either one winning, but I was glad Redmayne won once his charming speech began. He seems so legitimately excited by this win, and it was impossible for me, and I bet any other viewer, not to be won over by this dude.

Common and John Legend (Best Original Song for Selma)
Selma is a film of powerful emotion, and it was wonderful to see the performance of the films exceptional tune Glory carry over that quintessential aspect of the film. Even better was when the two singer accepted the award, with Common in particular giving a speech that blew me away in it's fluency and intelligence.