The Year That Was: 2014 in Film

Check out ALL of the PDC end of year lists!

Review: Ava DuVernay's 'Selma'

Starring David Oyelowo

Review: Rob Marshall's 'Into The Woods'

Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Anna Kendrick

Tim Burton's 'Big Eyes'

Starring Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams

Showing posts with label Boyhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boyhood. Show all posts

Monday, January 19, 2015

'Boyhood' Named Film of the Year by London Film Critics Circle



Whether here or abroad, Richard Linklater's Boyhood appears to be building an incredible, possibly unstoppable, amount of momentum heading into the Academy Awards. Coming off Best Picture wins at the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice, Boyhood has now been named Film of the Year by the London Film Critics Circle. That goes along with a Director of the Year win for Linklater, and Best Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette. In general everything went according to the established playbook. Michael Keaton still took the top acting prize for his Birdman performance, while Julianne Moore won Best Actress for Still Alice. JK Simmons racked up another Best Supporting Actor victory for throwing drumsticks around in Whiplash, and Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel won for its screenplay.

Looking at the British side it was Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin which won for Best British Film, while Rosamund Pike saw some love for her performance in Gone Girl. Full list of winners is below:

35th LONDON CRITICS' CIRCLE FILM AWARDS WINNERS
FILM OF THE YEAR
Boyhood

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Leviathan

BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
Under the Skin

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Citizenfour

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Keaton - Birdman

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Julianne Moore - Still Alice

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
JK Simmons - Whiplash

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Patricia Arquette - Boyhood

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Timothy Spall - Mr Turner

BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl (Fox) & What We Did on Our Holiday

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Alex Lawther - The Imitation Game

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Richard Linklater - Boyhood

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILMMAKER
Yann Demange - '71

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Under the Skin - Mica Levi, score

DILYS POWELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Miranda Richardson

Friday, January 16, 2015

Critics Honor 'Birdman' and 'Boyhood' at 2015 Critics' Choice Awards


Last night here in Hollywood the Broadcast Film Critics Association (of which I'm a voting member) gathered for one more big celebrity bash to celebrate the best and brightest movies of 2014. The 15th annual Critics' Choice Awards were handed out in a variety of different categories that you won't see at the Oscars or Golden Globes, but the results still ended up pretty much the same with Birdman and Boyhood dominating most categories.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman took off with seven wins, with Michael Keaton winning twice for Best Actor in a Comedy and for Best Actor. It was a pretty big night for the film and for him, so much so that he accidentally slipped off the stage and fell right into the Boyhood table after winning. Richard Linklater's acclaimed 12-years-in-the-making drama earned him Best Director, while Patricia Arquette continued her Oscar surge with a Best Supporting Actress win, and Ellar Coltrane won Best Youth Performance. Julianne Moore took home Best Actress for Still Alice, pretty much solidifying her hold on the category. And one win that brought smiles to a lot of faces was The Lego Movie's win for Best Animated Feature after getting snubbed by the Academy Awards.

Full list of winners below, and if you want to check out photos from my night at the Critics Choice Awards, find them at my Facebook page.

Best Picture – “Boyhood”
Best Actor – Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Best Actress – Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Best Supporting Actor – J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Best Supporting Actress – Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Best Young Actor/Actress – Ellar Coltrane, “Boyhood”
Best Acting Ensemble – “Birdman”
Best Director – Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Best Original Screenplay – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Best Adapted Screenplay – Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl”
Best Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Best Art Direction – Adam Stockhausen (Production Designer), Anna Pinnock (Set Decorator), “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Editing – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, “Birdman”
Best Costume Design – Milena Canonero, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Hair & Makeup – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Best Visual Effects – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Best Animated Feature – “The Lego Movie”
Best Action Movie – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Best Actor in an Action Movie – Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Best Actress in an Action Movie – Emily Blunt, “Edge of Tomorrow”
Best Comedy – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Actor in a Comedy – Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Best Actress in a Comedy – Jenny Slate, “Obvious Child”
Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie – “Interstellar”
Best Foreign Language Film – “Force Majeure”
Best Documentary Feature – “Life Itself”
Best Song –  “Glory”, Common and John Legend, “Selma”
Best Score – Antonio Sanchez, “Birdman”

Sunday, January 11, 2015

'Boyhood' Claims Top Honors at the 2015 Golden Globes


Looks like the twelve years Richard Linklater spent filming Boyhood has been more than worth it. With the acclaimed coming-of-age drama already performing well on in the smaller guild awards, the film took a major leap in Oscar race by cleaning up at tonight's 72nd annual Golden Globes. The film earned Linklater a Best Director victory, along with Best Motion Picture for a Drama, and co-star Patricia Arquette won for Best Supporting Actress.

Elsewhere it was a surprisingly quiet night for Birdman but it did manage to earn Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu a win for Best Screenplay, and star Michael Keaton completed the Keatonaissance with a Best Actor Comedy/Musical win. In a slightly unexpected move it was How to Train Your Dragon 2 defeating The Lego Movie for Best Animated Feature, throwing a monkeywrench in what many had thought was a clear-cut race. Amy Adams won Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical for playing artist Margaret Keane in Tim Burton's Big Eyes, while Eddie Redmayne's performance as Stephen Hawking earned him Best Actor in a Drama for The Theory of Everything. Other than Boyhood the biggest winners of the night were Showtime series The Affair and Amazon's streaming series, Transparent. Overall it was not the best evening for network television as they continue to lose ground to pay services.

So what does this mean for next week's Academy Awards nominations? Obviously, Boyhood has taken another big leap forward and has to be seen as a clear favorite. Probably sinking a little bit is Selma which only managed a win for Best Original Song, while Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel could be a dark horse after winning Best Picture Musical/Comedy. The Globes have a different set of categories such as Comedy or Musical that muddy the waters a little bit, meaning some that had good showings tonight may not even get nominated for Oscars.

The full list of winners is below:

 Best Motion Picture - DramaWINNER: "Boyhood"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory Of Everything"
"Foxcatcher"

Best Actor In A Drama

WINNER: Eddie Redmayne - "The Theory Of Everything"
Steve Carell - "Foxcatcher"
Benedict Cumberbatch - "The Imitation Game"
Jake Gyllenhaal - "Nightcrawler"
David Oyelowo - "Selma"

Best Actress In A Drama

WINNER:  Julianne Moore - "Still Alice"
Jennifer Aniston - "Cake"
Felicity Jones - "The Theory Of Everything"
Rosamund Pike - "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon - "Wild"

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
WINNER: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Birdman"
"Into The Woods"
"St. Vincent"
"Pride"

Best Actor In A Comedy or Musical
WINNER: Michael Keaton - "Birdman"
Ralph Fiennes - "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Bill Murray - "St. Vincent"
Christoph Waltz - "Big Eyes"
Joaquin Phoenix - "Inherent Vice"

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama
WINNER: Ruth Wilson, The Affair
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Best Director
WINNER: Richard Linklater - "Boyhood"
Ava DuVernay - "Selma"
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - "Birdman"
Wes Anderson - "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
David Fincher - "Gone Girl"

Best Supporting Actor

WINNER: J.K Simmons - "Whiplash"
Robert Duvall - "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke - "Boyhood"
Edward Norton - "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo - "Foxcatcher"

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie
WINNER: Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Allison Janney, Mom
Michelle Monaghan, True Detective

Best TV Movie or Miniseries
WINNER: Fargo
The Missing
The Normal Heart
Olive Kitteridge
True Detective

Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
WINNER: Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart

Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
WINNER: Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black

Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical
WINNER: Transparent
Girls
Jane the Virgin
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley

Best Original Score
WINNER: "The Theory Of Everything"
"Birdman"
"The Imitation Game"
"Interstellar"
"Gone Girl"

Best Original Song
WINNER: "Glory" from "Selma"
"Big Eyes" from "Big Eyes"
"Mercy Is" from "Noah"
"Opportunity" from "Annie"
"Yellow Flicker Beat" from "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1"

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie
WINNER: Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Colin Hanks, Fargo
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Best Actress In A Comedy or Musical
WINNER: Amy Adams - "Big Eyes"
Emily Blunt - "Into The Woods"
Helen Mirren - "The Hundred-Foot Journey"
Julianne Moore - "Maps To The Stars"
Quvenzhané Wallis - "Annie"

Best Animated Feature Film
WINNER: "How To Train Your Dragon 2"
"Big Hero 6"
"The Book Of Life"
"The Boxtrolls"
"The Lego Movie"

Best Supporting ActressWINNER: Patricia Arquette - "Boyhood"
Keira Knightley - "The Imitation Game"
Meryl Streep - "Into The Woods"
Emma Stone - "Birdman"
Jessica Chastain - "A Most Violent Year"

Best Screenplay
WINNER: Alexander Dinerlaris, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Armando Bo - "Birdman"
Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness - "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Graham Moore - "The Imitation Game"
Gillian Flynn - "Gone Girl"
Richard Linklater - "Boyhood"

Best Actor, TV Series Comedy
WINNER: Jeffery Tambor, Transparent
Louis C.K., Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Ricky Gervais, Derek
William H. Macy, Shameless

Best Foreign Language Film
WINNER: "Leviathan"
"Force Majeure"
"Ida"
"Tangerines"
"Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem"

Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
WINNER: Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Frances O'Connor, The Missing
Allison Tolman, Fargo

Best TV Series
WINNER: The Affair
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama
WINNER: Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Clive Owen, The Knick
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
James Spader, The Blacklist
Dominic West, The Affair

Cecile B. DeMille Award
George Clooney


Monday, December 15, 2014

'Birdman' Leads Critics' Choice Nominees with 13; 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' with 11



The Broadcast Film Critics Association (of which I am a voting member) has announced their nominees for the 20th annual Critics' Choice Awards, and they tend to be a pretty good indicator for the Academy Awards. That's despite the BFCA being made up completely of film critics (hence the name, duh) who have nothing to do with the Academy whatsoever. And if this year's nominations are anything to go by it's going to be a huge year for Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Boyhood.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman led the way with 13 nominations, in all the major categories one would expect. The Grand Budapest Hotel was a close second with 11, while Richard Linklater's Boyhood rounded up an impressive 8.  While some like to consider film critics as separate from general audiences in the way they analyze movies, the Critics' Choice is a counter to that argument. It's one of the largest and most mainstream awards shows around, including categories such as Best Action Movie and Best Sci/Fi Horror Movie. You'll find box office hits like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy in those categories, along with an indie horror like Jennifer Kent's The Babadook.

Full list of nominees below. The Critics' Choice Awards will be held on January 15th.

BEST PICTURE
Birdman
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Nightcrawler
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken
Whiplash

BEST ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton – Birdman
David Oyelowo – Selma
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston – Cake
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin – Inherent Vice
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Tilda Swinton – Snowpiercer

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Ellar Coltrane – Boyhood
Ansel Elgort – The Fault in Our Stars
Mackenzie Foy – Interstellar
Jaeden Lieberher – St. Vincent
Tony Revolori – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Quvenzhane Wallis – Annie
Noah Wiseman – The Babadook

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Selma

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay – Selma
David Fincher – Gone Girl
Alejandro G. Inarritu – Birdman
Angelina Jolie – Unbroken
Richard Linklater – Boyhood

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman – Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo
Boyhood – Richard Linklater
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy
Whiplash – Damien Chazelle

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
The Imitation Game – Graham Moore
Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theory of Everything – Anthony McCarten
Unbroken – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson
Wild – Nick Hornby

BEST CINEMATOGRAPY
Birdman – Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Robert Yeoman
Interstellar – Hoyte Van Hoytema
Mr. Turner – Dick Pope
Unbroken – Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION
Birdman – Kevin Thompson/Production Designer, George DeTitta Jr./Set Decorator
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Adam Stockhausen/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
Inherent Vice – David Crank/Production Designer, Amy Wells/Set Decorator
Interstellar – Nathan Crowley/Production Designer, Gary Fettis/Set Decorator
Into the Woods – Dennis Gassner/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
Snowpiercer – Ondrej Nekvasil/Production Designer, Beatrice Brentnerova/Set Decorator

BEST EDITING
Birdman – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
Boyhood – Sandra Adair
Gone Girl – Kirk Baxter
Interstellar – Lee Smith
Whiplash – Tom Cross

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero
Inherent Vice – Mark Bridges
Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood
Maleficent – Anna B. Sheppard
Mr. Turner – Jacqueline Durran

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP
Foxcatcher
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Into the Woods
Maleficent

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie

BEST ACTION MOVIE
American Sniper
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Edge of Tomorrow
Fury
Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Tom Cruise – Edge of Tomorrow
Chris Evans – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Brad Pitt – Fury
Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – Edge of Tomorrow
Scarlett Johansson – Lucy
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Zoe Saldana – Guardians of the Galaxy
Shailene Woodley – Divergent

BEST COMEDY
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
St. Vincent
Top Five
22 Jump Street

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jon Favreau – Chef
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Bill Murray – St. Vincent
Chris Rock – Top Five
Channing Tatum – 22 Jump Street

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Rose Byrne – Neighbors
Rosario Dawson – Top Five
Melissa McCarthy – St. Vincent
Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Kristen Wiig – The Skeleton Twins

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
The Babadook
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Interstellar
Snowpiercer
Under the Skin

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
Two Days, One Night
Wild Tales

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Citizenfour
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Last Days in Vietnam
Life Itself
The Overnighters

BEST SONG
Big Eyes – Lana Del Rey – Big Eyes
Everything Is Awesome – Jo Li and the Lonely Island – The Lego Movie
Glory – Common/John Legend – Selma
Lost Stars – Keira Knightley – Begin Again
Yellow Flicker Beat – Lorde – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

BEST SCORE
Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game
Johann Johannsson – The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez – Birdman
Hans Zimmer – Interstellar

Thursday, December 11, 2014

'Birdman' Tops the 2015 Golden Globes with Seven Nominations


Not to disparage our own WAFCA Awards or any other critic group awards, but now the big boys are coming out to play. This morning the Hollywood Foreign Press Association revealed their nominees for the 2015 Golden Globes, and while there were a few surprises to be found it was Birdman and Boyhood maintaining their strong momentum.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's meta Hollywood satire led all with seven nominations, including Best Director, Best Picture- Comedy or Musical, Best Actor-Comedy or Musical for star Michael Keaton, and Best Supporting Actress for Emma Stone. Boyhood was tied with The Imitation Game with five nominations, while David Fincher's Gone Girl came away with four. Also with four was Ava DuVernay's Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, Selma, which only yesterday was completely snubbed by the Screen Actors Guild. DuVernay becomes the first African-American woman ever nominated for a Golden Globe in the category.

Jennifer Aniston earned a Best Actress nod for her performance in Cake, although much of the attention seems focused on how unglamorous the role is. The British gay rights comedy Pride surprisingly was nominated for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), while Julianne Moore earned Best Actress nominations for both comedy and drama for Maps to the Stars and Still Alice. Full list of nominees is below.

The Golden Globes will be hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey on January 11th.

Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Boyhood”
“Foxcatcher”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama

Jennifer Aniston, “Cake”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Nightcrawler”
David Oyelowo, “Selma”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Best Picture — Comedy or Musical


“Birdman”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Into the Woods”
“Pride”
“St. Vincent”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical
Amy Adams, “Big Eyes”
Emily Blunt, “Into the Woods”
Helen Mirren, “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
Julianne Moore, “Maps to the Stars”
Quvenzhané Wallis, “Annie”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical

Ralph Fiennes, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Bill Murray, “St. Vincent”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Inherent Vice”
Christoph Waltz, “Big Eyes”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Jessica Chastain, “A Most Violent Year”
Keria Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”

Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Best Director — Motion Picture

Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Ava DuVernay, “Selma”
David Fincher, “Gone Girl”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”
Best Animated Feature Film
“Big Hero 6″
“The Book of Life”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2″
“The LEGO Movie”
Best Foreign Language Film
“Force Majeure”
“Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem”
“Ida”
“Leviathan”
“Tangerines”
Best Original Score from a Motion Picture
“The Imitation Game,” by Alexandre Desplat
“The Theory of Everything,” by Jóhann Jóhannsson
“Gone Girl,” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
“Birdman,” by Antonio Sanchez
“Interstellar,” by Hans Zimmer
Best Original Song — Motion Picture
“Big Eyes,” from “Big Eyes,” by Lana Del Ray
“Glory,” from “Selma,” by John Legend and Common
“Mercy Is,” from “Noah,” by Patty Smith and Lenny Kaye
“Opportunity,” from “Annie”
“Yellow Flicker Beat,” from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1,” by Lorde
Best Television Series – Drama
“
The Affair,” Showtime
“Downton Abbey,” PBS
“Game of Thrones,” HBO
“The Good Wife,” CBS
“House of Cards,” Netflix
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder”
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
Ruth Wilson, “The Affair”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Clive Owen, “The Knick”
Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”
Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”
James Spader, “The Blacklist”
Dominic West, “The Affair”
Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy
“Girls,” HBO
“Jane the Virgin,” The CW
“Orange is the New Black,” Netflix
“Silicon Valley,” HBO”
“Transparent,” Amazon Instant Video
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy
Lena Dunham, “Girls”
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
Julia Louis Dreyfus, “Veep”
Gina Rodriguez, “Jane the Virgin”
Taylor Schilling, “Orange is the New Black”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy
Louis C.K., “Louie”
Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”
Ricky Gervais, “Derek”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“Fargo,” FX
“The Missing,” Starz
“The Normal Heart,” HBO
“Olive Kitteridge,” HBO
“True Detective,” HBO
Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Honorable Woman”
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”
Francis McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge”
Frances O’Connor, “The Missing”
Allison Tolman, “Fargo”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Martin Freeman, “Fargo”
Woody Harrelson, “True Detective”
Matthew McConaughey, “True Detective”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Normal Heart”
Billy Bob Thornton, “Fargo”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black”
Kathy Bates, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”
Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey”
Allison Janney, “Mom”
Michelle Monaghan, “True Detective”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Matt Bomer, “The Normal Heart”
Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife”
Colin Hanks, “Fargo”
Bill Murray, “Olive Kitteridge”
Jon Voight, “Ray Donovan”

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

'Selma' gets Shut Out of Surprising SAG Awards Nominations


The awards season is in full swing, and while much of the attention has surrounded Richard Linklater's Boyhood and the momentum it is building, there has been a growing buzz for Ava DuVernay's Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, Selma. Earning nominations at the Indie Spirits, Satellite Awards, and our own WAFCA Awards, the film seems like a sure-fire lock for the Oscars, if not for DuVernay than for star David Oyelowo. But one group apparently didn't take to it at all, as the Screen Actor's Guild completely snubbed it in their nominations announced today.

For the most part critics groups see the same movies. Selma was wrapped pretty late in the game and Paramount moved mountains to get screenings ready in time for most nominations. Maybe SAG couldn't gather enough folks to check it out on such short notice. Whatever the case, it's still a glaring omission for a film many see as a major Oscars favorite. The other nominees are pretty standard with a couple of notable exceptions. Jennifer Aniston entered the Best Actress race for her little-seen performance in Cake, in which she plays a woman scarred emotionally and physically. Jake Gyllenhaal was recognized for the nocturnal thriller, Nightcrawler, and so was Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher. Somehow, SAG decided Naomi Watts' performance in St. Vincent as a pregnant Russian stripper was Best Supporting Actress worthy. Selma no, pregnant Russian strippers yes.

The rest of the nominations are below.

Best Actor In A Motion Picture
Steve Carell - "Foxcatcher"
Benedict Cumberbatch - "The Imitation Game"
Jake Gyllenhaal - "Nightcrawler"
Michael Keaton - "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne - "The Theory Of Everything"

Best Actress In A Motion Picture
Jennifer Aniston - "Cake"
Felicity Jones - "The Theory Of Everything"
Julianne Moore - "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike - "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon - "Wild"

Best Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture
Robert Duvall - "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke - "Boyhood"
Edward Norton - "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo - "Foxcatcher" 
JK Simmons - "Whiplash"

Best Supporting Actress In A Motion Picture
Patricia Arquette - "Boyhood"
Keira Knightley - "The Imitation Game"
Meryl Streep - "Into The Woods"
Emma Stone - "Birdman"
Naomi Watts - "St. Vincent"

Best Cast In A Motion Picture
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"The Theory Of Everything"

Stunt Ensemble: Motion Picture
"Fury"
"Get On Up"
"The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies"
"Unbroken"
"X-Men: Days Of Future Past"

Television

Best Actor In A Drama
Steve Buscemi - "Boardwalk Empire"
Peter Dinklage - "Game Of Thrones"
Woody Harrelson - "True Detective"
Matthew McConaughey - "True Detective"
Kevin Spacey - "House Of Cards"

Best Actress In A Drama
Claire Danes - "Homeland"
Viola Davis - "How To Get Away With Murder"
Julianna Marguiles - "The Good Wife"
Tatiana Maslany - "Orphan Black"
Maggie Smith - "Downton Abbey"
Robin Wright - "House Of Cards"

Best Ensemble In A Drama
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Downton Abbey"
"Game Of Thrones"
"Homeland"
"House Of Cards"

Best Actor In A Comedy
Ty Burrell - "Modern Family"
Louis C.K. - "Louie"
William H. Macy - "Shameless"
Jim Parsons - "The Big Bang Theory"
Eric Stonestreet - "Modern Family"

Best Actress In A Comedy
Uzo Aduba - "Orange Is The New Black"
Julie Bowen - "Modern Family"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Veep"
Amy Poehler - "Parks & Recreation"

Best Comedy Ensemble
"Big Bang Theory"
"Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
"Modern Family"
"Orange Is The New Black"
"Veep"

Best Actor In A TV Movie/Miniseries
Adrien Brody - "Houdini"
Benedict Cumberbatch - "Sherlock: His Last Vow"
Richard Jenkins - "Olive Kitteridge"
Mark Ruffalo - "The Normal Heart"
Billy Bob Thornton - "Fargo"

Best Actress In A TV Movie/Miniseries
Ellen Burstyn - "Flowers In The Attic"
Maggie Gyllenhaal - "The Honorable Woman"
Frances McDormand - "Olive Kitteridge"
Julia Roberts - "The Normal Heart"
Cicely Tyson - "The Trip To Bountiful"

Stunt Ensemble: Comedy & Drama Series
"24: LIve Another Day"
'Boardwalk Empire"
"game Of Thrones"
"Homeland"
"Sons Of Anarchy"
"The Walking Dead"

Monday, December 8, 2014

'Birdman' Soars to Five 2014 WAFCA Award Wins; 'Boyhood' Earns Best Film



The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, of which most of us are members, has announced the winners of the 2014 WAFCA Awards, and it continues the string of success for Richard Linklater's coming-of-age drama, Boyhood. The indie film took home four awards, including wins in the Best Film and Best Director category. Best Supporting Actress went to Patricia Arquette while the Best Youth Performance (for actors under age 20) went to star Ellar Coltrane.

Taking the most victories with five was Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's meta-comedy, Birdman, with Michael Keaton winning Best Actor. Best Animated Feature went to The Lego Movie, while Julianne Moore won for portraying a woman with Alzheimer's Disease in Still Alice. Keeping up with the beat was JK Simmons who won Best Supporting Actor for his role as a sadistic drum instructor in Whiplash, while in a surprise victory Under the Skin won for Best Original Score.

The full list of winners is below:

THE 2014 WAFCA AWARD WINNERS:

Best Film:
Boyhood

Best Director:
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Actor:
Michael Keaton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Actress:
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Actor:
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Best Acting Ensemble:
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Youth Performance:
Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)

Best Original Screenplay:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Animated Feature:
The LEGO Movie

Best Documentary:
Life Itself

Best Foreign Language Film:
Force Majeure

Best Art Direction:
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decorator: Anna Pinnock (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Cinematography:
Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Editing:
Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, ACE (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Original Score:
Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

'Birdman' Takes Top Honors at the 2014 Gotham Awards


The New York Film Critics Circle weren't the only group to unveil their awards winners yesterday, as the Gotham Awards got into the conversation with their own announcements. And while NYFCC gave the early nod to Richard Linklater's Boyhood, causing some to claim it as the frontrunner in the Oscar race, Gotham switched things up by awarding Best Feature to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman.

Birdman also earned Michael Keaton a victory for Michael Keaton in the Best Actor category, while Julianne Moore took home Best Actress for the weepie drama, Still Alice. The Edward Snowden doc Citizenfour won Best Documentary, while Tessa Thompson won Breakthrough Actor for her tremendously funny performance in Dear White People. Full list of winners below.

Best Feature
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) — WINNER
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, director; Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Boyhood
Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, producers (IFC Films)

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson, director; Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Love Is Strange
Ira Sachs, director; Lucas Joaquin, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)

Under the Skin
Jonathan Glazer, director; Nick Wechsler, James Wilson, producers (A24 Films)

Best Actress
Julianne Moore in Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics) — WINNER
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin (A24 Films)
Mia Wasikowska in Tracks (The Weinstein Company)

Best Actor*
Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures) — WINNER
Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year (A24 Films)
Miles Teller in Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)
*The 2014 Best Actor nominating panel also voted to award a special Gotham Jury Award jointly to Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum for their ensemble performance in Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics).

Best Documentary
CITIZENFOUR — WINNER
Laura Poitras, director; Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky, producers (RADiUS, Participant Media, and HBO Documentary Films)
Actress
Robert Greene, director; Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, Robert Greene, producers (The Cinema Guild
Life Itself
Steve James, director; Zak Piper, Steve James, Garrett Basch, producers (Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films)
Manakamana
Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez, directors; Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel, producers (The Cinema Guild)
Point and Shoot
Marshall Curry, director; Marshall Curry, Elizabeth Martin, Matthew Van Dyke, producers (The Orchard and American Documentary / POV)

Spotlight on Women Filmmakers "Live the Dream" Grant
For the fourth consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers "Live the Dream" grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.
Chloé Zhao, director, Songs My Brothers Taught Me — WINNER
Garrett Bradley, director, Below Dreams 
Claire Carré, director, Embers

Independent Film Audience Award
Boyhood — WINNER

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Ana Lily Amirpour for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Kino Lorber) — WINNER
James Ward Byrkit for Coherence (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Eliza Hittman for It Felt Like Love (Variance Films)
Justin Simien for Dear White People (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)

Breakthrough Actor
Tessa Thompson in Dear White People (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions) — WINNER

Riz Ahmed in Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Macon Blair in Blue Ruin (RADiUS)
Ellar Coltrane in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Joey King in Wish I Was Here (Focus Features)
Jenny Slate in Obvious Child (A24 Films)

Monday, December 1, 2014

Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood' Named Best Film by New York Film Critics Circle


Just because the New York Film Critics Circle feels the need to be the first awards out of the gate each year doesn't mean they hold sway over the Oscar race. In fact, they absolutely don't if last year's three honors for American Hustle are anything to go by. This year they are again first in line to reveal their winners, and it's Richard Linklater's coming-of-age drama Boyhood leading the pack with three wins.

Boyhood won for Best Director, Best Film, plus a victory for Patricia Arquette in the Best Supporting Actress category. Best Actress went to Marion Cotillard for the divisive (and mostly forgotten) period drama, The Immigrant, while Timothy Spall won Best Actor for Mr. Turner. Unsurprisingly, The Lego Movie won for Best Animated Feature, while Best First Feature Award went to Jennifer Kent for her inventive horror, The Babadook. If there's one category where a win might actually be a prelude to further victories, it's the Best Supporting Actor award which went to J.K. Simmons for Whiplash. Full list of winners is below:

Best Film
Boyhood


Best Actor
Timothy Spall,
Mr. Turner

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, 
The Immigrant; Two Days, One Night

Best Director
Richard Linklater, 
Boyhood

Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons, 
Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, 
Boyhood

Best Foreign Language Film
Ida 
(Poland, dir. Pawel Pawlikowski)


Best Animated Film
The Lego Movie
 (dirs. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller)

Best Screenplay 
The Grand Budapest Hotel (dir. Wes Anderson)

Special Award
Adrienne Mencia


Best Cinematography
Darius Khondji,
The Immigrant 

Best First Film 
Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook

Best Non-fiction Film (Documentary)
Citizenfour
 (dir. Laura Poitras)

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

'Birdman' Tops Indie Spirit Awards Nominations with Six



Okay, so the term "independent feature" has lost a lot of its meaning lately as budgets for art house movies continue to expand, but the Independent Spirit Awards are still a big deal and the first major nominations of the season. Are you ready to open the flood gates? Here we go.

The Indie Spirit Awards announced their full list of contenders for their 2015 show, and leading the way with six nominations is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's meta-comedy Birdman, including Best Feature, Best Actor for Michael Keaton, Best Supporting Male for Edward Norton, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Female for Emma Stone. In a major surprise considering nobody saw Kumiko the Treasure Hunter (I did, and loved it), Rinko Kikuchi earned a Best Female Lead nomination, along with Jenny Slate for Obvious Child, Marion Cotillard for The Immigrant, Tilda Swinton for Only Lovers Left Alive, and Julianne Moore for Still Alice. Picking up five nominations are Richard Linklater's Boyhood, Ava Duvernay's Selma, and Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

In a move that has me utterly baffled and I suspect was done only so he might appear on stage, Andre Benjamin earned Best Male Lead nomination for his sleepy performance as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All is by My Side. He'll go up against David Oyelowo for Selma, Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler, Keaton for Birdman, and John Lithgow for Love is Strange.

Today is a big day for debut writer/director Justin Simien whose race-based comedy Dear White People earned him a Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay nomination. Also performing well with four nods was Damien Chazelle's crowd-pleasing jazz drumming thriller Whiplash, including one for Best Director and another for J.K. Simmons as Best Supporting Male. Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice will be honored with the Robert Altman Award, while Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher will be presented with the Special Distinction Award.

Full list of nominees is below. The Indie Spirit Awards takes place on Saturday, February 21st.

BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole
Boyhood
Producers: Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen Sutherland
Love is Strange
Producers: Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, Jay Van Hoy
Selma
Producers: Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey
Whiplash
Producers: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster, Michael Litvak

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle
Whiplash
Ava DuVernay
Selma
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater
Boyhood
David Zellner
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski
Big Eyes
J.C. Chandor
A Most Violent Year
Dan Gilroy
Nightcrawler
Jim Jarmusch
Only Lovers Left Alive
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias
Love is Strange

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Producers: Justin Begnaud, Sina Sayyah
Dear White People
Director/Producer: Justin Simien
Producers: Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe
Nightcrawler
Director: Dan Gilroy
Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak
Obvious Child
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Producer: Elisabeth Holm
She’s Lost Control
Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt
Producers: Mollye Asher, Kiara C. Jones

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Desiree Akhavan
Appropriate Behavior
Sara Colangelo
Little Accidents
Justin Lader
The One I Love
Anja Marquardt
She’s Lost Control
Justin Simien
Dear White People

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
Blue Ruin
Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
It Felt Like Love
Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman
Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner
Land Ho!
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens
Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy
Man From Reno
Writer/Director: Dave Boyle
Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman
Producer: Ko Mori
Test
Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson
Producer: Chris Martin

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Marion Cotillard
The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore
Still Alice
Jenny Slate
Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton
Only Lovers Left Alive

BEST MALE LEAD
André Benjamin
Jimi: All Is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal
Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)John Lithgow
Love is Strange
David Oyelowo
Selma

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Patricia Arquette
Boyhood
Jessica Chastain
A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo
Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Emma Stone
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Riz Ahmed
Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke
Boyhood
Alfred Molina
Love is Strange
Edward Norton
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
J.K. Simmons
Whiplash

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Darius Khondji
The Immigrant
Emmanuel Lubezki
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Sean Porter
It Felt Like Love
Lyle Vincent
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Bradford Young
Selma

BEST EDITING
Sandra Adair
Boyhood
Tom Cross
Whiplash
John Gilroy
Nightcrawler
Ron Patane
A Most Violent Year
Adam Wingard
The Guest

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
20,000 Days on Earth
Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson
CITIZENFOUR
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras
Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Stray Dog
Director: Debra Granik
Producer: Anne Rosellini
The Salt of the Earth
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders
Producer: David Rosier
Virunga
Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel
Producer: Joanna Natasegara

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Force Majeure
(Sweden)
Director: Ruben Östlund
Ida
(Poland)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Leviathan
(Russia)
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Mommy
(Canada)
Director: Xavier Dolan
Norte, the End of History
(Philippines)
Director: Lav Diaz
Under the Skin
(United Kingdom)
Director: Jonathan Glazer

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum

18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 18th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Chad Burris
Elisabeth Holm
Chris Ohlson

21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21st annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
H.
Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia
The Retrieval
Director: Chris Eska

20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
– The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.
Approaching the Elephant
Director: Amanda Rose Wilder
Evolution of a Criminal
Director: Darius Clark Monroe
The Kill Team
Director: Dan Krauss
The Last Season
Director: Sara Dosa

Friday, August 15, 2014

Win Free Tickets to See 'Boyhood', in Theaters Now!


"Brilliant." "Tour de Force." "Masterpiece." This are just a snapshot of the high praise heaped upon Richard Linklater's coming-of-age drama, Boyhood, a film that has captivated audiences and critics since it hit theaters. Shot over the course of twelve years with the same cast, Linklater's story of one boy's journey into adulthood is one many are calling a definite contender for Best Picture.

We have five free passes for you to see Boyhood in theaters right now! Plus, one of the winners will also receive a copy of the Boyhood soundtrack, which includes a number of eclectic hits. Simply use the Punchtab widget below where you'll be asked a question regarding this summer's movies. Don't forget to include your mailing address!! Winners will be chosen randomly on Sunday, August 17th.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Box Office: 'Apes' Retains Top Spot, 'The Purge: Anarchy' Kills while 'Sex Tape' Flops


1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes- $36M/$138.9M
Unsurprisingly, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes held on to the top spot, but what is a little surprising is the small 49% decline. Thank a number of superlative reviews with many claiming it to be the best tentpole film of the summer. Internationally it has added another $32M for a total of $171M, right at the estimated $170M production budget.
2. The Purge: Anarchy- $28.3M
Although The Purge: Anarchy's $28M debut falls short of The Purge's $34M just last year, it perhaps has a better shot at performing better in the long run. The film is getting relatively good reviews for expanding the core premise of a national holiday where all violent crime is legal. That concept has always been the biggest hook, and with audiences happy at seeing more of it, the film has a 'B' Cinemascore, it should mean solid word of mouth buzz.
3. Planes: Fire and Rescue- $18M
The only film with an 'A' Cinemascore this week is Disney's largely unwanted sequel, Planes: Fire and Rescue. The last film began life as a straight-to-DVD project before the Mouse House decided to bring it to theaters, and it succeeded with $219M. 'Fire and Rescue' may not reach those levels but it doesn't really need to in order to be profitable. These movies cost about $50M, are sure to make bank overseas, and are basically just feature-length TV commercials for Cars/Planes merchandise.
4. Sex Tape- $15M
The biggest fail of the week was Sex Tape, the toothless R-rated comedy with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel. It's actually a pretty funny film, just not as edgy as the marketing suggested, and that has driven many of the bad reviews that have played a part in it doing so poorly. The film inexplicably cost $40M and should manage to recoup that, but it says something that Sex Tape is lagging behind Diaz's most recent sex-themed comedy, The Other Woman, which opened at $25M and ended up with a whopping $190M worldwide. Bad Teacher, which featured the same cast and director, similarly started off slow before ending up with $216M, and maybe Sex Tape will rebound in the same way. Doubtful, but anything's possible.
5. Transformers: Age of Extinction- $10M/$227.1M
$886M and counting for Michael Bay's fourth Transformers flick. It should surpass Maleficent and X-men: Days of Future Past's domestic haul probably by the end of today, and may steal the top slot from Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
6. Tammy- $7.6M/$71.2M
7. 22 Jump Street- $4.7M/$180.5M
8. How to Train Your Dragon 2- $3.8M/$160.6M
9. Maleficent- $3.3M/$228.3M
10. Earth to Echo- $3.2M/$31.9M

Zach Braff's Kickstarter-funded Wish I Was Here opened to decent business with $495K at only 68 sites. Richard Linklater's apparent Oscar-contender Boyhood was the big art house winner of the week, expanding to 33 locations with a hefty $36K per-site-average for $1.2M. Overall the film has earned $1.8M and will continue to roll into more cities over the next few weeks. 

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Cinema Royale #70- Sex Tape; Boyhood; Comic-Con Preview



On this week's Cinema Royale it's time to grow up, geek out, and reach for the cloud. Richard Linklater's epic coming-of-age drama Boyhood finally hits theaters after twelve years in the making. The film was a smash at Sundance and we'll see if the wait was truly worth it. Plus, Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz try to get their Sex Tape down from the cloud in their new comedy. The "DC Film Girl" +Lauren Veneziani  joins me to look at two very different summer movies.

With San Diego Comic-Con just days away, fellow attendee Wilson Morales of Blackfilm.com will call in to preview some of the biggest panels, events, premieres, and news from the massive geek event. Marvel, Lucasfilm, DC, they'll all be on hand and we'll give you just a taste of what you can expect to see revealed!

Cinema Royale is part of the Hashtag Studios Broadcast Network and brings you movie reviews and news straight from the Nation's Capital! Go to www.cinemaroyaleshow.com and subscribe, and while there consider signing up for the premium service for more content and to be entered in our monthly prize drawing.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Review: Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood' Starring Ethan Hawke and Ellar Coltrane


 NOTE: This is a reprinted review from the Sundance Film Festival.

Over the last twenty years we've grown accustomed to Richard Linklater's obsession with the passage of time through his Before Sunsettrilogy. Every nine years we catch up on his cherished couple as they've gone from meeting to marriage and who knows where in the future. It's kind of strange to call Boyhood Linklater's latest film considering he began the ambitious project more than twelve years ago, filming it a few days each year to cover one boy's journey into adulthood. Nothing of its type has ever been attempted before, not even through Michael Apted's terrific Updocumentary series. Combining hyper-realism with a fictional narrative, Linklater has created the purest of coming-of-age movies, but was the long wait truly worth it? Or was it all just one long, drawn out stunt without any real benefit?

Well, the answer is....somewhere in between. A middle of the road answer for a film that, while great at exploring how one's life evolves in big and small ways over the course of time, still manages to feel unfinished after such a long production and a 3-hour run time. It has nothing to do with the soundtrack, which Linklater admitted afterwards is still uncleared and may change when the final version is released. It has to do with the incompleteness in the story of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), a Texas boy who is at 7 years old at the time we meet him. The film largely centers on him and his troubled upbringing in an affluent but broken home. Four central characters accompany Mason on this 12 year odyssey, growing and changing right alongside him: headstrong older sister Samantha (Lorelai Linklater, Richard's daughter); his mom Olivia (Patricia Arquette); and estranged father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke), who flits in and out of the film playfully dropping pearls of Linklater-esque wisdom on philosophy, politics, music, and of course, women.

Contrary to the title, the film is as much about parenthood and the subtle effects parenting can have on children as they develop. Presenting in episodic fashion, flashing us through the years at what seems so be a rapid pace initially, the kids are dragged through Olivia's consistent relationship troubles. As she goes from one toxic boyfriend to the next, we see the impact of it on Mason and Lorelai, and how it informs who they become as adults. Their parents' initial separation seems tame compared to the volatile divorces she would have in the future with men consumed by alcohol and depression. After one particularly violent episode, we see how it emboldens the typically-quiet Mason to be more vocal to his mother when she starts to slip.

Captured in vivid images and told in Linklater's typically astute, observational style similar to his 'Before' movies (expect lots of walking and talking), perhaps the greatest achievement is how natural it all flows together given the fractured manner in which the film was constructed. Presented as snapshots of time and place, Linklater uses music and technology as cultural touchstones, and it's especially interesting to watch the different ways everybody communicates over the years.

While there is no true story arc for any one character, because life is an ever-evolving thing, every character undergoes dramatic changes far beyond the physical. With his long moppy head of hair and features that grow to resemble a young Ethan Hawke, Mason maintains a hopeful gleam in his eyes and an inquisitive nature inspired by his father. With a film of this length there are periods that sag and lack in depth. The second hour is particularly flat as Mason reaches his teenage years, a crucial time when most people are trying, failing, making hard decisions, trying and failing once again. Making mistakes is a part of life and a crucial part of a person's development, but we never see Mason actually do anything. A sense of true discovery is sorely missing in the construction of Mason as a man.

Linklater is a master of crafting large sagas on a small-scale, and Boyhoodfits perfectly into his canon. Despite some narrative issues, there's no denying this sad, funny, and hopeful film is a technical and emotional achievement.
 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Saturday, July 12, 2014

'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' and 'Boyhood' Mashed-Up into the Awesome 'Apehood'


So in most markets this weekend you have a couple of great films to pick from, both technical achievements of very different stripes. One is Matt Reeves' CG marvel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The other is Richard Linklater's Boyhood, a small coming-of-age film developed over a fairly large span of time. They may be about as different as two movies can be, but then again maybe not?

Nelson Carvajal has masterfully edited footage from 'Dawn' and Rise of the Planet of the Apes with the nostalgic music from Boyhood to create something that's hilarious but also pretty moving. It's very cool stuff so check it out below. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is out now (review here), while Boyhood opens here in DC next week although you can check out an early review here.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Jon Hamm, Kevin Hart Eye Richard Linklater's 'Mr. Limpet'; New Clip from 'Boyhood'



In a couple of weeks Richard Linklater will finally release his 12-year coming of age epic, Boyhood (catch my review here), and he'll be following it up with another project that has been in the works for some time. Zach Galifianakis has long been attached to star in Linklater's remake of Don Knotts comedy, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and with the project officially moving forward a talented cast is starting to assemble around it.

Jon Hamm, Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Key & Peele, Sarah Silverman, and Danny McBride are in talks to join the film, a live-action/animated hybrid based on the Theodore Pratt novel that inspired the 1964 movie. Galifianakis plays a bearded beach bum and activist who is turned into a fish and sets out to save the aquatic population and his town. Hamm would play the villain, a businessman who mines the ocean floor. McBride and Silverman are expected to take human roles while the rest will be voicing animated fish.

Linklater will be employing an animated style still similar to his Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, which may take kids a little getting used to. Filming could begin this fall if everything comes together.

But first Linklater has Boyhood to open in theaters, and even if it's not your typical summer tentpole it's an achievement bigger films can't come close to matching. Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Linklater's daughter Lorelai shot the movie over the course of twelve years, filming a few weeks at a time. It allows us to see these characters evolve naturally, and the same goes for the actors portraying them. The story centers on Mason (Coltrane) as he grows up in a broken-but-loving home, and in this scene he's getting a lecture from his Dad about having a natural conversation.

Boyhood opens in limited release July 11th, here in DC a week later.[TheWrap]

Friday, April 25, 2014

First Trailer for Richard Linklater's Decade-Spanning Epic, 'Boyhood'


Movies that attempt to capture a natural progression of time are not unprecedented. Perhaps the finest example is Michael Apted's 7 Up series of documentaries, which follow the same people in seven year increments. A chronological year passed fluidly in Horikazu Koreeda's abandonment drama, Nobody Knows, and was largely successful at it. But what Richard Linklater has done with Boyhood, a film he shot over the course of twelve years with the same actors, is something truly extraordinary.

The first trailer for Boyhood has been replaced, an achievement in and of itself considering Linklater began the project way back in 2002. Starring Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, and Linklater's daughter Lorelai, the film spans twelve years in the life of a boy as he evolves into a man. Along the way he'll deal with family hardships, find first love, and overcome other personal obstacles that influence his future. Linklater shot the film in bits and pieces each year, and one of the most intriguing aspects is watching how each actor ages and improves in their performances.

It's a film I was impressed by at Sundance but perhaps not as much as others, saying that despite its technical and emotional achievements "there are periods that sag and lack in depth", while a "sense of true discovery is sorely missing" in the lead character's development.

Boyhood opens on July 11th.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Sundance Review: 'Boyhood' Directed by Richard Linklater




Over the last twenty years we've grown accustomed to Richard Linklater's obsession with the passage of time through his Before Sunset trilogy. Every nine years we catch up on his cherished couple as they've gone from meeting to marriage and who knows where in the future. It's kind of strange to call Boyhood Linklater's latest film considering he began the ambitious project more than twelve years ago, filming it a few days each year to cover one boy's journey into adulthood. Nothing of its type has ever been attempted before, not even through Michael Apted's terrific Up documentary series. Combining hyper-realism with a fictional narrative, Linklater has created the purest of coming-of-age movies, but was the long wait truly worth it? Or was it all just one long, drawn out stunt without any real benefit?

Well, the answer is....somewhere in between. A middle of the road answer for a film that, while great at exploring how one's life evolves in big and small ways over the course of time, still manages to feel unfinished after such a long production and a 3-hour run time. It has nothing to do with the soundtrack, which Linklater admitted afterwards is still uncleared and may change when the final version is released. It has to do with the incompleteness in the story of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), a Texas boy who is at 7 years old at the time we meet him. The film largely centers on him and his troubled upbringing in an affluent but broken home. Four central characters accompany Mason on this 12 year odyssey, growing and changing right alongside him: headstrong older sister Samantha (Lorelai Linklater, Richard's daughter); his mom Olivia (Patricia Arquette); and estranged father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke), who flits in and out of the film playfully dropping pearls of Linklater-esque wisdom on philosophy, politics, music, and of course, women.

Contrary to the title, the film is as much about parenthood and the subtle effects parenting can have on children as they develop. Presenting in episodic fashion, flashing us through the years at what seems so be a rapid pace initially, the kids are dragged through Olivia's consistent relationship troubles. As she goes from one toxic boyfriend to the next, we see the impact of it on Mason and Lorelai, and how it informs who they become as adults. Their parents' initial separation seems tame compared to the volatile divorces she would have in the future with men consumed by alcohol and depression. After one particularly violent episode, we see how it emboldens the typically-quiet Mason to be more vocal to his mother when she starts to slip.

Captured in vivid images and told in Linklater's typically astute, observational style similar to his 'Before' movies (expect lots of walking and talking), perhaps the greatest achievement is how natural it all flows together given the fractured manner in which the film was constructed. Presented as snapshots of time and place, Linklater uses music and technology as cultural touchstones, and it's especially interesting to watch the different ways everybody communicates over the years.

While there is no true story arc for any one character, because life is an ever-evolving thing, every character undergoes dramatic changes far beyond the physical. With his long moppy head of hair and features that grow to resemble a young Ethan Hawke, Mason maintains a hopeful gleam in his eyes and an inquisitive nature inspired by his father. With a film of this length there are periods that sag and lack in depth. The second hour is particularly flat as Mason reaches his teenage years, a crucial time when most people are trying, failing, making hard decisions, trying and failing once again. Making mistakes is a part of life and a crucial part of a person's development, but we never see Mason actually do anything. A sense of true discovery is sorely missing in the construction of Mason as a man.

Linklater is a master of crafting large sagas on a small-scale, and Boyhood fits perfectly into his canon. Despite some narrative issues, there's no denying this sad, funny, and hopeful film is a technical and emotional achievement.



Monday, January 13, 2014

Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood' Late Addition to Sundance Line-Up


Twelve years in the making and one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2014, the curtain is finally about to be lifted on Richard Linklater's wildly ambition drama, Boyhood. Today the Sundance Film Festival announced the film as a late addition to their slate, with a special screening to be held January 19th.

Linklater was at the festival just last year with Before Midnight, but Boyhood marks a very special occasion and will surely be the centerpiece movie of the entire event. Since 2002 Linklater has spent a few weeks every year shooting  the film, covering twelve years in the life of a single family.  Newcomer Ellar Salmon is at the center of it as Mason, who along with his sister is taken on an emotional journey from childhood to adulthood. Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelai Linklater, and Ethan Hawke co-star.

The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 16th-26th.