I try to avoid watching sports where the losers sit on the field looking dejected and bummed out. I am aware of the fact that they worked like hell out there, and it seems unfair everyone can’t win…but that’s life.
So here we’ve come to the day my colleagues and I in Washington get to see how many of those with whom we spend so much time in the dark actually agree with us about what constitutes a ‘winner’–The announcement for this year’WAFCA awards was made this morning. Not only have I lost no respect for them, I am reminded how wonderful they all are. We agree on so very few movies, but we certainly accept we all have our reasons for what we love and hate in each year’s choices!
2014 has been a strange year in film. Some amazing Indies surprised and moved me, and some mainstream movies that one would have expected would be ridiculous turned out to be wonderful. Who would have imagined The LEGO Movie would have been less about toy-pimping and more about subversiveness?
Boyhood deserves the attention it has garnered, and will be known in the distant future for its cinematic fearlessness. Birdman must be seen to be appreciated, with Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, and Ed Norton build the film together spectacularly.
The perennial problem is there always have to be losers, and numbering among them is some amazing artistry and some amazing performances. Fortunately, in a year where taste and perspective is all over the place, other critics groups have already celebrated most of them.
This year, the best actor category was insane. I was blown away by Brendan Gleeson, Tom Hardy, and James McAvoy, in Calvary, Locke, and Filth, respectively. David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King in Selma is also a must-see. All these movies need to be seen by movie lovers looking for actors working at the top of their craft.
The film Pride had an amazing ensemble cast, including a portrayal by Andrew Scott that still stays with me. JK Simmons, who won the WAFCA for best supporting actor, is only one part of Whiplash making it worth consideration for screenplay, director, and best film noms come Oscar time.
The Imitation Game, which was sorely missing from the WAFCA winners list, was a beautifully written adaptation of a true story we should all know, and Benedict Cumberbatch nailed the character’s quirky mix of genius and awkwardness. Keira Knightly gets to play one of the best roles for women in recent memory.
Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything shows he deserves his rise to the top of the Hollywood A-list.
As to Mica Levi’s Under the Skin win for best score, it points to the continued attention given to smaller more electronically based pieces by experienced rock musicians who are first timers to scoring. My preference lies with those created for Interstellar, The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game, which were beautiful, orchestral affairs in the more traditional vein.
Congrats to all the WAFCA winners! I look forward to hearing your opinions about the films as you see them, and as you rate them yourself on your own “best of 2014” list.
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
The 2014 WAFCA AWARD NOMINEES ARE:
| Best Film:Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)BoyhoodGone GirlSelmaWhiplashBest Director:
Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) Ava DuVernay (Selma) David Fincher (Gone Girl) Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) Richard Linklater (Boyhood) Best Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) Oscar Isaac (A Most Violent Year) Michael Keaton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) David Oyelowo (Selma) Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) Best Actress: Scarlett Johansson (Under the Skin) Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) Julianne Moore (Still Alice) Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) Reese Witherspoon (Wild) Best Supporting Actor: Ethan Hawke (Boyhood) Edward Norton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher) Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year) Laura Dern (Wild) Emma Stone (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer) Best Acting Ensemble: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel Into the Woods Selma Best Youth Performance: Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood) Mackenzie Foy (Interstellar) Jaeden Lieberher (St. Vincent) Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel) Noah Wiseman (The Babadook) Best Adapted Screenplay: Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice) Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) Nick Hornby (Wild) Best Original Screenplay: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) Richard Linklater (Boyhood) Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel) Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie) Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) |
Best Animated Feature:Big Hero 6The Book of LifeThe BoxtrollsHow to Train Your Dragon 2The LEGO MovieBest Documentary:
Citizenfour Jodorowsky’s Dune Last Days in Vietnam Life Itself The Overnighters Best Foreign Language Film: Force Majeure Ida Mommy Two Days, One Night Wild Tales Best Art Direction: Production Designer: Kevin Thompson, Set Decorator: George DeTitta Jr., SDSA (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decorator: Anna Pinnock (The Grand Budapest Hotel) Production Designer: Nathan Crowley, Set Decorator: Gary Fettis (Interstellar) Production Designer: Dennis Gassner, Set Decorator: Anna Pinnock (Into the Woods) Production Designer: Ondrej Nekvasil, Set Decorator: Beatrice Brentnerova (Snowpiercer) Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) Robert Yeoman, ASC (The Grand Budapest Hotel) Hoyte Van Hoytema, FSF, NSC (Interstellar) Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC (Unbroken) Daniel Landin, BSC (Under the Skin) Best Editing: Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, ACE (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) Sandra Adair, ACE (Boyhood) Kirk Baxter, ACE (Gone Girl) Lee Smith, ACE (Interstellar) Tom Cross (Whiplash) Best Original Score: Antonio Sanchez (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (Gone Girl) Hans Zimmer (Interstellar) Jóhann Jóhannsson (The Theory of Everything) Mica Levi (Under the Skin) The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC: Anita Captain America: The Winter Soldier Kill the Messenger Selma X-Men: Days of Future Past |
