criterionforum.org

Cahiers Du Cinema Top 10 Films Of 2014
1. Bruno Dumont: Li’l Quinquin
2. Jean-Luc Godard: Goodbye to Language
3. Jonathan Glazer: Under the Skin
4. David Cronenberg: Maps to the Stars
5. Hayao Miyazaki: The Wind Rises
6. Lars von Trier: Nymphomaniac
7. Xavier Dolan: Mommy
8. Ira Sachs: Love Is Strange
9. Alain Cavalier: Le Paradis
10. Hong Sang-soo: Our Sunhi

John Waters' 2014 Top 10

01. Maps to the Stars
02. Charlie Victor Romero
03. The Kidnapping of Michel Ouellebecq
04. The Smell of Us
05. Gloria
06. Who Took Johnny
07. Li'l Quinquin
08. Nymphomaniac
09. Violette
10. The Films of Joanna Hogg (retrospective)

Wow, I've only even heard of half of those

NY Film Critics Circle Awards

Best Picture:
Boyhood

Best Director:
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Best Screenplay:
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Actress:
Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night

Best Actor:
Timothy Spall, Mr. Turner

Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Best Supporting Actor:
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Best Foreign Language Film:
Ida

Best Cinematography:
Darius Khondji, The Immigrant

Best Nonfiction Film:
Citizenfour

Best First Film:
Jennifer Kent, The Babadook

Best Animated Film:
The Lego Movie

Wow, I've only even heard of half of those

What's a Lego?

Something you don't want to step on.

mfunk9786 wrote:John Waters' 2014 Top 10

10. The Films of Joanna Hogg (retrospective)

So that's a third member of our cult!

The films on the Oscar Documentary Feature shortlist:



“Art and Craft,” Purple Parrot Films
“The Case against 8,” Day in Court
“Citizen Koch,” Elsewhere Films
“CitizenFour,” Praxis Films
“Finding Vivian Maier,” Ravine Pictures
“The Internet's Own Boy,” Luminant Media
“Jodorowsky's Dune,” City Film
“Keep On Keepin’ On,” Absolute Clay Productions
“The Kill Team,” f/8 filmworks
“Last Days in Vietnam,” Moxie Firecracker Films
“Life Itself,” Kartemquin Films and Film Rites
“The Overnighters,” Mile End Films West
“The Salt of the Earth,” Decia Films
“Tales of the Grim Sleeper,” Lafayette Film
“Virunga,” Grain Media

Of the ones that I've seen thus far: The Kill Team is the only head-scratcher (this year's long on politics, short on substance version of Dirty Wars), CitizenFour ought to win, though the personality profiles of Ebert, Maier and even Jodorowsky might appeal more to Academy blue hairs. I wish bolder more experimental films like Manakamana would at least have a shot at making the short list.

mfunk9786 wrote:John Waters' 2014 Top 10
06. Who Took Johnny

Who Took Johnny appears to be streaming here, for free, from the filmmakers' own site.

National Board of Review:

BEST PICTURE
"A Most Violent Year"

BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Eastwood, "American Sniper"

BEST ACTOR (TIE)
Oscar Isaac, "A Most Violent Year"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

BEST ACTRESS
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Edward Norton, "Birdman"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain, "A Most Violent Year"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, "The Lego Movie"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, "Inherent Vice"

BEST ENSEMBLE
"Fury"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Wild Tales"

BEST DOCUMENTARY
"Life Itself"

SPOTLIGHT AWARD
Chris Rock for writing, directing, and starring in "Top Five"

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCES
Jack O'Connell, "Starred Up" and "Unbroken"

DEBUT DIRECTOR
Gillian Robespierre, "Obvious Child"

WILLIAM K. EVERSON FILM HISTORY AWARD
Scott Eyman

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
"Rosewater"
"Selma"

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES (alphabetical)
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"Fury"
"Gone Girl"
"The Imitation Game"
"Inherent Vice"
"The Lego Movie"
"Nightcrawler"
"Unbroken"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE NOMINEES (alphabetical)
"Force Majeure"
"Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem"
"Leviathan"
"Two Days One Night"
"We Are the Best!"

BEST DOCUMENTARY NOMINEES (alphabetical)
"Art and Craft"
"Jodorowsky's Dune"
"Keep On Keepin' On"
"The Kill Team"
"Last Days in Vietnam"

BEST INDEPENDENT FILMS (alphabetical)
"Blue Ruin"
"Locke"
"A Most Wanted Man"
"Mr. Turner"
"Obvious Child"
"The Skeleton Twins"
"Snowpiercer"
"Stand Clear of the Closing Doors"
"Starred Up"
"Still Alice"

National Board of Movies That We Got to See Early

What is it with this weird awards season persistence of The Kill Team? It's not as if the subject matter isn't interesting. More like there's only 10-15 minutes of new content (a TV news magazine segment's worth at best) in this otherwise unremarkable film. The New Yorker article about the same incident was far more compelling and necessary.

Is it just me or is this shaping up to be one of most ho-hum awards years ever?

I'm bummed that National Gallery was not even shortlisted. What's the consensus of Wiseman on the board? I don't think we even have a dedicated thread for him. Or am I overlooking something?

Oh man, always to the rescue. Thank you. I'm slightly embarrassed.

One of my annual favorite year-end treats is David Ehrlich's video countdown of his favorite films. This year is no exception. Every time I think it has been a shitty year for cinema, he convinces me otherwise via excellent clip selection, editing, and music.

Check out his 25 best films of 2014.

lacritfan wrote:Is it just me or is this shaping up to be one of most ho-hum awards years ever?

It's been a great year for movies, though my interest in the awards season is surprisingly lacking. I think part of it, for me at least, is that I have already seen most of my highly anticipated movies, and the ones I have left to fill in the gaps I should be seeing sooner rather than later.

Jeff wrote:One of my annual favorite year-end treats is David Ehrlich's video countdown of his favorite films. This year is no exception. Every time I think it has been a shitty year for cinema, he convinces me otherwise via excellent clip selection, editing, and music.

Check out his 25 best films of 2014.

That was awesome. Thanks for sharing.

I honestly think if you have decent theaters in your town, you'll rarely have a bad year for movies. It's just that 99% of the oxygen is taken up by the same stupid franchise movies every year, and most people in the general public wind up basing their opinion off them.

I've been under a self-imposed superhero movie ban for a few years now (haven't even seen The Avengers) and it makes a world of difference re: perception of the quality/repetitiveness of movies these days.

Shortlist for Best Visual Effects Oscar:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Maleficent
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Transformers: Age of Extinction
X-Men: Days of Future Past

What do you think is the best?