And the 2014 film awards are over! Yes, after last night's Academy Awards, the year's celebrations have reached an end to somewhat mixed results. Predictable could be the word to use, but in some cases it is clear that mistakes were made (and I don't just mean for The LEGO Movie - but c'mon Academy! You let them build LEGO Oscars for some people but don't offer a real one yourselves?!). Anywho, let's get started with...
Best Supporting Actor
And the winner is...
J.K Simmons (Whiplash)
Wow, what a non-shocker! Simmons has been the frontrunner for the award since the film first premièred last year on the festival circuit, and how rightful this win is. He is a fantastic actor and his character is absolutely incredible. Bravo, Mr. Simmons!
Best Costume Design
And the winner is...
Milena Canonero (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Hey look, it's the winner of my Best of 2014! A rightful win for just how creative the designs were. I mean, how can you make that purple coat work so well. I'd like one please.
Best Make Up and Hairstyling
And the winner is...
Frances Hannon & Mark Coulier (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
In a category with only three nominations (this, Guardians of the Galaxy and Foxcatcher), it was always going to be a tough call, and the transformation of Tilda Swinton is a spectacular one. It's hard not to love what you see there, but I do believe that Guardians had this in the bag. It had a large array of characters and an even larger amount of different designs needed. But kudos to Grand Budpaest!
Best Sound Mixing
And the winner is...
Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins & Thomas Curley (Whiplash)
Music is a hard one when it comes to film. To synch the music to the instruments perfectly is a challenge within itself, but with the fast pace that Whiplash has to follow, it's an even tougher challenge. But it was a challenge that succeeded, as it was a true tour de force.
Best Sound Editing
And the winner is...
Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman (American Sniper)
What an odd choice. The sound in American Sniper wasn't particularly notable, aside from the convention gun shots and explosion sound effects. Nothing more, nothing less. A better choice? Intestellar.
Best Supporting Actress
And the winner is...
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Everyone knew Arquette would win. Like Simmons, she won every award she could, and in the end succeeded in the big show. And it's no surprise, as she is a true great within the film and arguably the best thing on offer aside from the 12 year storyline. The only disappointment? This was the only win for Boyhood. For shame.
Best Visual Effects
And the winner is...
Paul J Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter & Scott R Fisher (Interstellar)
The only award where mainstream blockbusters come to play, it's no surprise that Interstellar ended up with the gold, despite the large praise for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. It looks magnificent, and the blend of practical and computer effects is something to be astounded by. Great work guys.
Best Animated Feature
And the winner is...
Disney does it again! After last year's immense success with Frozen, they repeat their success with their Marvel collaboration. I personally wasn't a big fan of the film - it was fine but nothing special - but a win is pleasing against How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dreamworks is now in deep trouble). But, you know...LEGO Movie.
Best Production Design
And the winner is...
Adam Stockhausen & Anna Pinnock (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Hello again, Budapest! Yes, another successful win for the most charming film of the year. The attention to detail is something to marvel at, so its no surprise that a win was given. I mean, just look at all the props!
Best Cinematography
And the winner is...
Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))
Yes I plan on writing the full title every time. As expected, Birdman won the prize it so deserved. How else could all these one shots be done with such efficiency? An award more deserving than any of the others - but arguably one of the few it deserved.
Best Film Editing
And the winner is...
Tom Cross (Whiplash)
For similar reasons as its win for Sound Mixing, music is a hard thing in film. But just like that, the production team behind Whiplash managed to succeed with absolute ease. Bravo, gentlemen. You did far more than a good job.
Best Original Song
And the winner is...
Glory - Common and John Legend (Selma)
Selma was criminally nominated for only two awards - this and Best Picture. Nothing for David Oyelowo or Ava DuVarney, which was a huge disappointment. That said, when the original nominations came out (where I had only heard two of the songs nominated, from Begin Again and The LEGO Movie) I brushed this song off. When I finally heard it during the end credits of Selma, my opinion changed. Yes, Everything is Awesome is a great song (even if it stuck out like a sore thumb at the Oscars when sang live), but Glory made its audience tear up. It's a powerful song, and deserving of its win.
Best Original Score
And the winner is...
Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
I've included the full soundtrack here. Why? Because it's amazing. It won my Best of 2014 for Best Score, and I've felt like it was criminally underrated at the award shows (although kudos to the score for The Theory of Everything, which is also particularly good). But a win here is certainly pleasing, as I've loved this score since I first heard it in March last year. Plus, Desplat finally won.
Best Original Screenplay
And the winner is...
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris & Armando Bo (Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))
Told you I wouldn't. To my surprise, Birdman took the gold here, and honestly...I don't think it should have. Yes, it has some great dialogue and there isn't much to fault with it, but it features a segment which basically tells the audience that they want explosions, not talky films, whilst featuring a one-note antagonist in the form of Lindsey Duncan. It's not a bad screenplay, but the best? Budapest Hotel, Boyhood or Nightcrawler might have been better suited here
Best Adapted Screenplay
And the winner is...
Graham Moore (The Imitation Game)
At last, a win for Imitation Game! Yes, I'm a fan of the Alan Turing biopic, and it has a strong screenplay. The strongest film nominated? No, Theory of Everything and Whiplash were worthy contenders. But The Imitation Game was less safe with where it was willing to go, whereas the others were either straight adaptations or, in the case of Whiplash, an elongation of a short film.
Best Director
And the winner is...
Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))
And this surprises no one. As with cinematography, the overall style of Birdman is one to be amazed by. It works so well, and only Iñárritu could succeed with this.
Best Actor
And the winner is...
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
There were last minute doubts that Redmayne would pull it off, that Michael Keaton would get the gold. But it's so satisfying to see Redmayne win, as he was by far the best on offer this year. Arguably the next Daniel Day-Lewis, he transformed himself superbly into the genius that is Stephen Hawking, and deserves this win no matter what critics think following Jupiter Ascending.
Best Actress
And the winner is...
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Still Alice is one of the few Oscar films not to be released in the UK as of yet (unless you kept up with the Sony hack last year), so I've not had the pleasure of seeing Miss Moore in action as the early Alzheimer's patient. But what I've seen and heard is stellar (expect a review next month when it finally comes out). But with so many past nominations, it's nice to see her finally win, especially in such a prestigious category.
Best Picture
And the winner is...
Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Every film nominated for Best Picture this year won at least one award - some deserving, others not. But Birdman has been chosen cream of the crops with the top prize. But deserving? I beg to differ.
Before the awards, I tweeted the following:
Whilst none (bar American Sniper) could be considered a bad film, I felt that Birdman wasn't the best out there, remarking it as more of a technical piece than a strong overall feature - this year's Gravity so to speak. Add that this is the third film about Hollywood in four years to win (The Artist in 2012 and Argo in 2013), it seems like the Academy is simply congratulating itself for what it's achieved rather than as an overall piece of cinema. Take into account the other films:#Oscars - From worst to best: American Sniper, Selma, Birdman, Imitation Game, Theory of Everything, Boyhood, Grand Budapest Hotel, Whiplash
- The Imitation Game portrays a character not rewarded for his achievements but tarnished by his real persona, at the cost of his own life.
- The Theory of Everything has someone going against all the odds and lasting far beyond his two year life expectancy but whilst not having a happy ending, instead a realistic one for young love.
- Boyhood is about growth of human life - it has no actual story, but instead a set of events which make up who you are when you grow up and become your own person.
- The Grand Budapest Hotel shows off the classic filmmaking style with artistic flair and integrity, with a strong story and cast to boot
- Whiplash is a character piece where there is no hero, and shows just how far people will go to be perfect - the musical version of Daniel Day-Lewis playing Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln
Birdman instead strives on pointing out the flaws in modern cinema - strong arguments, but nothing substantial enough for a Best Picture award.
For more coverage on awards:
The initial response and predictions for the awards (here)
My personal Best of 2014, which lacks a majority of people because they were 2015 releases in the UK (here)
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