Washington Area Film Critics Awards 2014: Birdman, Boyhood, Roger Ebert’s Life Itself and the Best DC Movie of the Year

Posted on December 8, 2014 at 8:01 am

I’m proud to announce the winners of the 2014 awards from the Washington Area Film Critics. It is especially meaningful to me that we chose Roger Ebert’s story, “Life Itself,” as our top documentary of the year. It’s not about movies. It’s about life, and Steve James made a movie that Ebert would definitely honor with two thumbs up.

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

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Washington Area Film Critic Awards 2014: Nominations

Posted on December 6, 2014 at 11:12 pm

The Washington Area Film Critics Association is proud to announce our nominees for our 2014 awards:

Best Film:
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
Gone Girl
Selma
Whiplash

Best 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 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The LEGO Movie

Best 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

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Emmy Nominations: Looks a Lot Like Last Year

Posted on July 10, 2014 at 12:15 pm

The Emmy nominations are in!  And they look a lot like last year.

Reliable favorites like “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones” garnered a lot of nods.  But once again the Academy overlooked Tatiana Maslany of “Orphan Black,” whose multiple characters should earn her a handful of Best Actress nominations.  And of course Jon Hamm deserves a nomination, but what about Elisabeth Moss?  I agree with New York Magazine that Peggy is the star of the show.

It was good to see outstanding new series like “Silicon Valley,” “True Detective,” and “Cosmos” included, and I was especially glad to see Martin Freeman nominated for two different series, “Fargo” and “Sherlock” and Lizzy Kaplan for “Masters of Sex.”

I was sorry to see “The Americans” and “The Good Wife” were overlooked.  I suppose the bad news there is also the good news.  While no broadcast drama from the three major commercial networks was nominated, that just means that the new media outlets are giving the old school some serious competition.  Go, “Orange is the New Black!”

The nominees are:

Drama series
Breaking Bad, AMC
Downton Abbey, PBS
Game of Thrones, HBO
House of Cards, Netflix
Mad Men, AMC
True Detective, HBO

Comedy series
The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Louie, FX
Modern Family, ABC
Orange Is the New Black, Netflix
Silicon Valley, HBO
Veep, HBO

Actor, drama series
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Woody Harrelson, True Detective (HBO)
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)

Actress, drama series
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Kerry Washington, Scandal (ABC)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)

Actor, comedy series
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Ricky Gervais, Derek (Netflix)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

Actress, comedy series
Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly (CBS)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)

Supporting actor, drama series
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland (Showtime)
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Josh Charles, The Good Wife (CBS)

Supporting actress, drama series
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)

Supporting actor, comedy series
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
Adam Driver, Girls (HBO)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family (ABC)
Fred Armisen, Portlandia (IFC)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)

Supporting actress, comedy
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)

Actor, miniseries or movie
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge (Starz)
Idris Elba, Luther (BBC America)
Martin Freeman, Fargo (FX)
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo (FX)

Actress, miniseries or movie
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor (BBC America)
Minnie Driver, Return to Zero (Lifetime)
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)
Kristen Wiig, Spoils of Babylon (IFC)

Variety 
The Colbert Report, Comedy Central
The Daily Show, Comedy Central
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ABC
Saturday Night Live, NBC
Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NBC

Reality competition 
The Amazing Race, CBS
Dancing With the Stars, ABC
Project Runway, Lifetime
So You Think You Can Dance, Fox
Top Chef, Bravo
The Voice, NBC

Reality host
Betty White, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (NBC)
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night (NBC)
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway (Lifetime)
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
Anthony Bourdain, The Taste (ABC)

Miniseries
American Horror Story: Coven, FX
Fargo, FX
Luther, BBC America
Bonnie & Clyde, A&E
Treme, HBO
The White Queen, Starz

Movie
Killing Kennedy, National Geographic Channel
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight, HBO
The Normal Heart, HBO
Sherlock: His Last Vow, PBS
Trip to Bountiful, Lifetime

Guest actor, drama series
Paul Giamatti, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Reg E. Cathey, House of Cards (Netflix)
Robert Morse, Mad Men (AMC)
Beau Bridges, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Joe Morton, Scandal (ABC)
Dylan Baker, The Good Wife (CBS)

Guest actress, drama series
Dianna Rigg, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Kate Mara, House of Cards (Netflix)
Allison Janney, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Kate Burton, Scandal (ABC)
Margo Martindale, The Americans (FX)
Jane Fonda, The Newsroom (HBO)

Guest actor, comedy series
Nathan Lane, Modern Family (ABC)
Steve Buscemi, Portlandia (IFC)
Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Bob Newhart, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Gary Cole, Veep (HBO)

Guest actress, comedy series
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Natasha Lyonne, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Joan Cusack, Shameless (Showtime)

Animated program
Archer, FX
Bob’s Burgers, Fox
Futurama, Comedy Central
South Park, Comedy Central
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Project, Nickelodeon

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And the Oscar Will Go To….Oscar Nominations 2014

Posted on January 16, 2014 at 9:07 am

Wolf-of-Wallstreet-585x370This year’s Oscar nominees were announced this morning. I’m sorry to see “Inside LLewyn Davis,” “The Butler,” “Fruitvale Station,” “Saving Mr. Banks” and “Enough Said” overlooked and I really wanted to see Scarlett Johansson get a nomination for “Her,” but overall, it’s an impressive list that spreads recognition among some outstanding films.

Best Picture
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actor
Christian Bale (American Hustle)
Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Wolf of Wall Street)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Actressamerican-hustle-cast
Amy Adams, (American Hustle)
Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
Judi Dench (Philomena)
Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)
Best Supporting ActorDallas-buyers-club
Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
Jonah Hill (Wolf of Wall Street)
Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)
Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)
June Squibb (Nebraska)
Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
Best Director
Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)
David O. Russell (American Hustle)
Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Alexander Payne (Nebraska)
Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)
Best Adapted Screenplay
John Ridley (12 Years a Slave)
?Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater, (Before Midnight?)
Terence Winter, (The Wolf of Wall Street?)
Billy Ray, (Captain Phillips)
?Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, (Philomena)
Best Original Screenplay
David O. Russell and Eric Singer (American Hustle)
Bob Nelson (Nebraska)
Spike Jonze (Her)
Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack (Dallas Buyers Club)
Woody Allen (Blue Jasmine)
Best Foreign Film
Denmark, The Hunt
Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown
Italy, The Great Beauty
Palestine, Omar
Cambodia, The Missing Picture
Best Documentary Feature
20 Feet from Stardom
The Act of Killing
Dirty Wars
The Square
Cutie and the Boxer
Best Animated Feature
The Wind Rises
Frozen
Despicable Me 2
The Croods
Ernest & Celestine
Best Song
“Alone Yet Not Alone” (Alone Yet Not Alone)
“Happy” (Despicable Me 2)
“Let It Go” (Frozen)
“The Moon Song” (Her)
“Ordinary Love” (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”

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