Film, News, Reviews
Jan 18, 2015

20TH ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Last week The Broadcast Film Critics Association announced the winners of the 20th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards at the Hollywood Palladium. Not surprisingly the winners were well deserved and seemed to pick up the slack in any spots the Academy Awards seemed to miss in their nominations.

This was most noticeable in the Best Animated movie category where The Lego Movie picked up the prize. A fantastic feat of storytelling and imagery the movie was all but ignored by the Academy Awards this year much to everyone’s surprise. Thankfully the critics’ saw the blunder and more than made up for it.

A lot of the awards seem to really hit home and, let’s hope, give a sign of who will win when the Oscars come around. Boyhood picked up Best Picture as well three additional wins including Best Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette, Best Young Actor/Actress for Ellar Coltrane, and Best Director for Richard Linklater. While I don’t totally agree with Arquette’s win for the picture an Oscar win for Richard Linklater has been a long time coming.

Unsurprisingly the other film to sweep the show was Birdman, a monumental piece of filmmaking. The most nominated film of the evening, the movie won seven awards including Best Actor for Michael Keaton, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay for Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Armando Bo, Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki, Best Editing for Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione, Best Actor in a Comedy for Michael Keaton, and Best Score for Antonio Sanchez.

Another wrong was righted at the award show with Life Itself not only getting nominated but winning for Best Documentary. While I may not agree with it winning against its competition it is a crime it wasn’t even nominated for an Academy Award.

Below is a complete list of winners:

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