Here Are The Nevada Film Critics Winners!


Tyler Perry in Gone Girl

Gone Girl, which — with the exception of Rosamund Pike’s performance — has not quite been the precursor powerhouse that some were expecting it to be, was named best picture by the Nevada Film Critics!

(I’m actually enjoying the precursors this year.  They’re spreading the wealth around, as opposed to every critics group moving in lockstep and slavishly honoring only one film, like they did with The Social Network.)

Check out the rest of their winners below!

Best Film
Gone Girl

Best Director
Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)

Best Actor
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

Best Actress
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Best Supporting Actor
J. K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)

Best Screenplay
Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)

Best Cinematography
Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar)

Best Production Design
Adam Stockhausen (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Visual Effects
Interstellar

Best Ensemble Cast
Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Animated Movie
Big Hero 6

Best Documentary
Citizenfour

Best Youth Performance
Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)

Here’s What The Southeastern Film Critics Honored!


The-Grand-Budapest-Hotel-580

The Oscar precursor race — which started out with Boyhood and Birdman basically winning everything — has gotten a little bit more interesting over the past week or so.  Other movies have been picking up awards.  For instance, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel!

On December 22nd, the Southeastern Film Critics named their picks for the best of 2014.  And here are the winners!

Top Ten
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Boyhood
3. Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
4. Whiplash
5. The Imitation Game
6. Gone Girl
7. Snowpiercer
8. Nightcrawler
9. Foxcatcher
10. The Theory of Everything

Best Actor
1. Michael Keaton, Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
2. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Best Actress
1. Julianne Moore, Still Alice
2. Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Best Supporting Actor
1. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
2. Edward Norton, Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Supporting Actress
1. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
2. Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

Best Ensemble
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Director
1. Richard Linklater, Boyhood
2. Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Screenplay
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
2. Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Gone Girl: Gillian Flynn
2. Wild: Nick Hornby

Best Documentary
1. Life Itself
2. CitizenFour

Best Foreign Language Film
1. Force Majeure
2. Ida

Best Animated Film
1. The Lego Movie
2. Big Hero 6

Best Cinematography
1. Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): Emmanuel Lubezki
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel: Robert Yeoman

The Gene Wyatt Award for the Film that Best Evokes the Spirit of the South
1. Selma

Here Are The 79 Songs That Could Win An Oscar!


Okay, this new is really late but, as always, better late than never!

Last Friday, the Academy announced that 79 songs had been judged to be eligible to be nominated for Best Original Song!

Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I love long lists and playing “what if.”  Quite a few Oscar commentators have said that Patty Smith is so obviously going to win the Oscar for her song from Noah that it’s pointless to even speculate about anyone else.  Well, that may indeed be the case but hey, it’s still fun to look at all of these possibilities and wonder “What if…”  Speculation is never pointless, as long as it’s fun.

“It’s On Again” from “The Amazing Spider-Man 2″
“Opportunity” from “Annie”
“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”
“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights”
“Big Eyes” from “Big Eyes”
“Immortals” from “Big Hero 6″
“The Apology Song” from “The Book of Life”
“I Love You Too Much” from “The Book of Life”
“The Boxtrolls Song” from “The Boxtrolls”
“Quattro Sabatino” from “The Boxtrolls”
“Ryan’s Song” from “Boyhood”
“Split The Difference” from “Boyhood”
“No Fate Awaits Me” from “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them”
“Brave Souls” from “Dolphin Tale 2″
“You Got Me” from “Dolphin Tale 2″
“All Our Endless Love” from “Endless Love”
“Let Me In” from “The Fault in Our Stars”
“Not About Angels” from “The Fault in Our Stars”
“Until The End” from “Garnet’s Gold”
“It Just Takes A Moment” from “Girl on a Bicycle”
“Last Stop Paris” from “Girl on a Bicycle”
“Ordinary Human” from “The Giver”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me”
“Find A Way” from “The Good Lie”
“Color The World” from “The Hero of Color City”
“The Last Goodbye” from “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“Chariots” from “The Hornet’s Nest”
“Follow Me” from “The Hornet’s Nest”
“Something To Shoot For” from “Hot Guys with Guns”


“For The Dancing And The Dreaming” from “How to Train Your Dragon 2″
“Afreen” from “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
“Yellow Flicker Beat” from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1″
“Heart Like Yours” from “If I Stay”
“I Never Wanted To Go” from “If I Stay”
“Mind” from “If I Stay”
“Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie”
“Call Me When You Find Yourself” from “Life Inside Out”
“Coming Back To You” from “Life of an Actress The Musical”
“The Life Of An Actress” from “Life of an Actress The Musical”
“Sister Rust” from “Lucy”


“You Fooled Me” from “Merchants of Doubt”
“Million Dollar Dream” from “Million Dollar Arm”
“Spreading The Word/Makhna” from “Million Dollar Arm”
“We Could Be Kings” from “Million Dollar Arm”
“A Million Ways To Die” from “A Million Ways to Die in the West”
“Way Back When” from “Mr. Peabody & Sherman”
“America For Me” from “A Most Violent Year”
“I’ll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo In Malibu)” from “Muppets Most Wanted”
“Something So Right” from “Muppets Most Wanted”
“We’re Doing A Sequel” from “Muppets Most Wanted”
“Mercy Is” from “Noah”
“Seeds” from “Occupy the Farm”
“Grant My Freedom” from “The One I Wrote for You”
“The One I Wrote For You” from “The One I Wrote for You”


“Hal” from “Only Lovers Left Alive”
“Shine” from “Paddington”
“Still I Fly” from “Planes: Fire & Rescue”
“Batucada Familia” from “Rio 2″
“Beautiful Creatures” from “Rio 2″
“Poisonous Love” from “Rio 2″
“What Is Love” from “Rio 2″
“Over Your Shoulder” from “Rudderless”
“Sing Along” from “Rudderless”
“Stay With You” from “Rudderless”
“Everyone Hides” from “St. Vincent”
“Why Why Why” from “St. Vincent”
“Glory” from “Selma”
“The Morning” from “A Small Section of the World”
“Special” from “Special”
“Gimme Some” from “#Stuck”
“The Only Thing” from “Third Person”
“Battle Cry” from “Transformers: Age of Extinction”
“Miracles” from “Unbroken”


“Summer Nights” from “Under the Electric Sky”
“We Will Not Go” from “Virunga”
“Heavenly Father” from “Wish I Was Here”
“So Now What” from “Wish I Was Here”
“Long Braid” from “Work Weather Wife”
“Moon” from “Work Weather Wife”

Begin_Again_film_poster_2014

Here Are The 7 Semi-Finalists for The Best Hair, Makeup, And Fake Nose Oscar!


Foxcatcher

Foxcatcher

Here’s a little bit of late Oscar news.  Two days ago, the Academy announced the 7 semi-finalists for the Academy Award for Best Hair and Makeup.

And the semi-finalists are:

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Did that come out this year?  Wow.)

Foxcatcher (Don’t get me started on noses.)

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Guardians of the Galaxy (yay!)

Maleficent (yay!)

Noah (uhmmm … yay?)

The Theory of Everything

Update your Oscar picks accordingly…

Mal

Here Are The Results From Chicago!


Here’s what the Chicago Film Critics picked for being the best of 2014.  A full list of their nominees can be found here.

Picture: “Boyhood”

Director: Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”

Actor: Michael Keaton, “Birdman”

Actress: Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”

Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”

Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Adapted Screenplay: Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl”

Animated Feature: “The Lego Movie”

Documentary: “Life Itself”

Foreign: “Force Majeure”

Editing: Tom Cross, “Whiplash”

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman,” and Robert D. Yeoman, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Here’s What Won In Toronto! Love you, Canada!


Love you, Canada!

Love you, Canada!

Here are the Toronto Film Critics Awards.

BEST PICTURE
“Boyhood” (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” (Fox Searchlight)
“Inherent Vice” (Warner Bros.)

BEST ACTOR
Tom Hardy, “Locke”
Runners-up
Ralph Fiennes, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Nightcrawler”

BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard, “The Immigrant”
Runners-up
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Runners-up
Josh Brolin, “Inherent Vice”
Edward Norton, “Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Runners-up
Tilda Swinton, “Snowpiercer”
Katherine Waterston, “Inherent Vice”

BEST DIRECTOR
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Runners-up
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED OR ORIGINAL
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”, screenplay by Wes Anderson
from a story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
Runners-up
“Boyhood”, written by Richard Linklater
“Inherent Vice”, screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson
based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon

BEST FIRST FEATURE
“The Lunchbox”, directed by Ritesh Batra
Runners-up
“John Wick”, directed by Chad Stahelski
“Nightcrawler”, directed by Dan Gilroy

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” (GKids)
Runners-up
“Big Hero 6″ (Walt Disney Studios)
“How to Train Your Dragon 2″ (20th Century Fox)
“The Lego Movie” (Warner Bros.)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
“Force Majeure” (filmswelike)
Runners-up
“Ida” (filmswelike)
“Leviathan” (Mongrel Media)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
“The Overnighters” (filmswelike)
Runners-up
“Citizenfour” (Entertainment One)
“Manakamana” (filmswelike)

JAY SCOTT PRIZE FOR AN EMERGING ARTIST
Albert Shin, director of “In Her Place”

Here Are The Houston Film Critics Nominations!


houston_skyline

I love it when groups from my home state make their voice known.  Here are the Houston Film Critics nominations!

Best Picture
A Most Violent Year, A24 Films
Birdman, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Boyhood, IFC Films
Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel
Inherent Vice, Warner Bros.
Nightcrawler, Open Road Films
Selma
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Imitation Game, The Weinstein Compaany
Whiplash, Sony Pictures Classics

Director
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Actor
Bendict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Eddie Redmayne, Theory Of Everything
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Tom Hardy, Locke

Actress
Essie Davis, The Babadook
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Supporting Actor
Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edward Norton, Birdman
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher

Supporting Actress
Emma Stone, Birdman
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Kiera Knightley, The Imitation Game
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., Armando Bo; Birdman
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budpest Hotel

Animated
Big Hero 6
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Book of Love
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie

Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Hoyte van Hoytema, Interstellar
Robert Elswit, Nightcrawler
Robert Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Roger Deakins, Unbroken

Documentary
Citizenfour
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Life Itself
The Overnighters

Foreign
Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
The Raid 2
Two Days, One Night

Original Score
Alexander Desplat, The Imitation Game
Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Antonio Sánchez, Birdman
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar
Johann Johannson, The Theory of Everything

Original Song
Big Eyes, Big Eyes
Everything is Awesome, The Lego Movie
Glory, Selma
I’m Not Going to Miss You, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Lost Stars, Begin Again

Texas Independent Film Award
Above All Else
Boyhood
Hellion
Joe
No No: A Dockumentary
Stop the Pounding Heart

Best Poster
Birdman
Godzilla, IMAX
Guardians of the Galaxy, Primary Theatrical
Inherent Vice
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Technical Achievement
Birdman – Creation of single long take for bulk of film
Boyhood – Filming over 12 years
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – creation of ape characters

Worst Film of the Year
Blended
Dumb and Dumber To
Left Behind
The Identical
Transformers: Age of Extinction

Like A Mythical Beast Rising From The Ashes, Here’s What Won In Phoenix!


Birdman

Here are the winners of The Phoenix Critics Circle awards!  You can see a full list of their nominees here.

Best Picture — Birdman

Best Comedy Film — The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Horror or Sci-Fi Film — Snowpiercer

Best Mystery or Thriller Film: Nightcrawler and Gone Girl

Best Actor — Micheal Keaton in Birdman

Best Actress — Reese Witherspoon in Wild

Best Supporting Actor — J.K. Simmons in Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress — Emma Stone in Birdman

Best Director — Alejandro G. Inarritu for Bidrman

Best Screenplay — Birdman

Best Animated Film — The LEGO Movie

Best International Film — Force Majeure and Ida

The Austin Film Critics Did Something Wonderful!


Gary Poulter in Joe

Gary Poulter in Joe

Earlier today, the Austin Film Critics Association announced their picks for the best of 2014.  It’s not surprising that they picked Boyhood for best film.  It’s an Austin film, after all.  However, what brings tears to my mismatched, heterochromatic eyes is that they give a special award to the late Gary Poulter for his outstanding performance in Joe!

Way to go, Austin!

(h/t to awards daily)

Best Film: Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Best Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Original Screenplay: Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Best Adapted Screenplay: Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Best Score: Antonio Sanchez, Birdman
Best Foreign Language Film: Force Majeure (Ruben Östlund)
Best Documentary: Citizenfour (Laura Poitras)
Best Animated Film: The LEGO Movie (Phil Lord, Christopher Miller)
Best First Film: Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)
Breakthrough Artist: Jennifer Kent, The Babadook
Best Austin Film: Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
Special Honorary Award: Gary Poulter, for his outstanding performance in Joe

AFCA 2014 Top Ten Films
1. Boyhood
2. Whiplash
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Birdman
5. Snowpiercer
6. Nightcrawler
7. Selma
8. The Imitation Game
9. TIE: Inherent Vice and Gone Girl

The Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Love Birdman!


Dallas is my home -- deal with it, haters!

And finally, one last group of critics announced their picks for the best of the year today.  The DFW Film Critics, who represent my hometown but have somehow failed to offer me membership (and what’s going on with that!?), today announced that — in their opinion —

Birdman is the best film of 2014!

(I know that some people will probably be surprised that the DFW Film Critics did not pick Boyhood — a film that was made in, based in, and basically about Texas — for best picture.  Personally, I suspect that if Boyhood had been set in North Texas — as opposed to the Houston area and Austin — it probably would have won.)

Check out the winners below!

Best Film: Birdman

Best Actor: Michael Keaton for Birdman

Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon for Wild

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons for Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette for Boyhood

Best Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu for Birdman

Best Foreign Language Film: Force Majeure

Best Documentary: CitizenFour

Best Animated Film: The LEGO Movie

Best Cinematography: Birdman

Best Original Score: Interstellar

The Russell Smith Award: Boyhood

Top Ten Films of the Year:

Birdman

Boyhood

The Imitation Game

The Theory of Everything

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Whiplash

Gone Girl

Selma

Wild

Nightcrawler