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Oscar 2015 Winner Predictions: Sound Editing

The debate surrounding the allegedly intentional inscrutability of Interstellar’s dialogue is unquestionably more of a liability in the sound mixing category, where clarity and precision is the whole point.

American Sniper

The debate surrounding the allegedly intentional inscrutability of Interstellar’s dialogue is unquestionably more of a liability in the sound mixing category, where clarity and precision is the whole point. Christopher Nolan himself has done his share of damage control since the movie’s release, explaining away all concerns by declaring his own ostensibly “adventurous” decision as though his command of the medium and penchant for difficult, potentially alienating formal choices rivals Tarkovsky’s. Nolan’s enough of a self-inflated prig that we actually buy his retroactive excuse. But the even more powerful element working in his favor is the otherwise eardrum-massaging, brown noise-flirting cacophony covering up that dialogue. Say what you will about the film’s philosophical shortcomings, it sets off a fusillade of fireworks that assertively level the playing field between Neil deGrasse Tyson and Katy Perry. Interstellar nominee Richard King is actually going for a record-breaking fourth competitive win in this category. (His previous wins came for two other Nolan films, Inception and The Dark Knight, and before those Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.) While on paper (well, on subwoofer and tweeter), King sounds like a frontrunner, sound editing is also a category that truly can’t deny its own membership in the NRA. The films of Katherine Bigelow, James Bond, and Jason Bourne have all cold-bloodedly picked off their competition, and the last time Clint Eastwood had a war movie in the hunt (well, two), Letters from Iwo Jima won handily. Now roaring its way toward $300 million and boasting as many bullets as you or Glenn Beck please, American Sniper definitely has King in its sights.

Will Win: American Sniper

Could Win: Interstellar

Should Win: Interstellar

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Eric Henderson

Eric Henderson is the web content manager for WCCO-TV. His writing has also appeared in City Pages.

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