CHLOTRUDIS 2014: THE REAL AWARDS SEASON CONCLUDES IN SATISFACTORY STYLE

Not gonna dwell on the Chlotrudis awards this year for too long, since I'm totally done with awards season and kinda enjoying a break from hearing about other people's invalid opinions. But take a look at the choices the Chlotrudis voters have made - they're pretty good, and pretty varied too. Far better than that other lot. And take a look at their nominations too: they're right here.

Best Movie

Boyhood

Best Director

Koreeda Hirokazu (Like Father, Like Son)

Best Actor

Tom Hardy (Locke)

Best Actress

Anne Dorval (Mommy)

Best Supporting Actor

J. K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress

Agata Kulesza (Ida)

Best Original Screenplay

Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Pawel Pawlikowski (Ida)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Lukas Moodysson - based on the novel by Coco Moodysson (We Are the Best!)

Best Cinematography

Ryszard Lenczewski and Lukasz Zal (Ida)

Best Editing

Sandra Adair (Boyhood)

Best Production Design

Marco Bittner Rosser (Only Lovers Left Alive)

Best Use of Music in a Film

Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Documentary

Finding Vivian Maier

Buried Treasure

Rocks in My Pockets

Visionary Award

Signe Baumane

SPIRIT AWARDS DOUBLES CHANCES WITH OSCAR - BIRDMAN AND BOYHOOD BOTH WIN BIG

Film Independent took the safe route once again with their 30th annual awards last night. Oscar frontrunners dominated, including what looks to be at least three of the four acting favourites taking home trophies. Birdman won Best Feature from voters, but they opted for Boyhood's Richard Linklater for Best Director, suggesting that tonight's duel between the two will indeed be very close. Check out their fine slate of nominees here, and their less-than-fine slate of award winners below:

Best Feature

Birdman (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan and James W. Skotchdopole)

Best Director

Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Male Lead

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Best Female Lead

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Male

J. K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Female

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Best Screenplay

Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)

Best Cinematography

Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman)

Best Editing

Tom Cross (Whiplash)

Best Documentary

Citizenfour (Mathilde Bonnefoy, Laura Poitras and Dirk Wilutzky)

Best International Film

Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski) - Poland

Best First Feature

Nightcrawler (Jennifer Fox, Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster and Michel Litvak)

Best First Screenplay

Justin Simien (Dear White People)

John Cassavetes Award

Land Ho! (Christina Jennings, Aaron Katz, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy and Martha Stephens)

18th Annual Piaget Producers Award

Chris Ohlson

21st Annual Kiehl's Someone to Watch Award

Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia (H.)

20th Annual Lenscrafters Truer Than Fiction Award

Dan Krauss (The Kill Team)

Robert Altman Award

Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro, Martin Donovan, Cassandra Kulukundis, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Serena Scott Thomas, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon)

Special Distinction Award

Foxcatcher (Anthony Bregman, Steve Carell, Megan Ellison, E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman, Jon Kilik, Bennett Miller, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum)

CRITICS' TALLY 2014 RESULTS: BOYHOOD IS BEST PICTURE

The 2014 Screen On Screen Critics' Tally has concluded, with only the Chlotrudis Society yet to reveal its winners and the results of their voting not significant enough points-wise to affect the poll as a whole. Boyhood places top in 4 of the 16 categories, Birdman in 3, with Boyhood winning Best Picture and Director. All five Best Picture nominees are granted at least one award; two are absent from the Best Director lineup, though, which grants recognition for two prominent Oscar snubs, Ava DuVernay and David Fincher. The full lists are below:

Best Picture

Boyhood (Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss and Cathleen Sutherland)

Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan and James W. Skotchdopole)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven M. Rales and Scott Rudin)

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, Nick Wechsler and James Wilson)

Whiplash (Jason Blum, Damien Chazelle, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster and Michel Litvak)

Best Director

Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Ava DuVernay (Selma)

David Fincher (Gone Girl)

Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)

Scarlett Johansson (Under the Skin)

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

J. K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Josh Brolin (Inherent Vice)

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)

Agata Kulesza (Ida)

Emma Stone (Birdman)

Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer)

Best Original Screenplay

Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)

Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)

Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)

Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)

Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice)

Nick Hornby (Wild)

Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything)

Graham Moore (The Imitation Game)

Best Cinematography

Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman)

Daniel Landin (Under the Skin)

Dick Pope (Mr. Turner)

Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar)

Robert D. Yeoman (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Editing

Sandra Adair (Boyhood)
Kirk Baxter (Gone Girl)
Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione (Birdman)
Tom Cross (Whiplash)
Barney Pilling (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Production Design
Adam Stockhausen (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
David Crank (Inherent Vice)
Nathan Crowley (Interstellar)
Dennis Gassner (Into the Woods)
Ondrej Nekvasil (Snowpiercer)

Best Music
Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Gone Girl)

Antonio Sanchez (Birdman)

Hans Zimmer (Interstellar)

Best Ensemble Cast

Zach Galifianakis, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts (Birdman)
F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Ralph Fiennes, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Lea Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and Owen Wilson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater (Boyhood)
Dylan Baker, Carmen Ejogo, Cuba Gooding, Andre Holland, Stephan James, Lonnie Lynn, Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, Wendell Pierce, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Roth, Keith Stanfield, Lorraine Toussaint, Tom Wilkinson and Oprah Winfrey (Selma)
Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Lilla Crawford, Frances de la Tour, Johnny Depp, Daniel Huttlestone, Anna Kendrick, Billy Magnussen, Mackenzie Mauzy, Chris Pine, Lucy Punch, Simon Russell Beale, Meryl Streep and Tracey Ullman (Into the Woods)

Best Animated Feature

The Lego Movie (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)

Big Hero 6 (Don Hall and Chris Williams)

The Boxtrolls (Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi)

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dean DeBlois)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Takahata Isao)

Best Documentary

Citizenfour (Laura Poitras)

Jodorowsky’s Dune (Frank Pavich)

Last Days in Vietnam (Rory Kennedy)

Life Itself (Steve James)

The Overnighters (Jesse Moss)

Best Foreign Language Film

Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski)

Force Majeure (Ruben Östlund)

Leviathan (Andrey Zvyagintsev)

Two Days, One Night (Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne)

Wild Tales (Damián Szifrón)

STRANGER BY THE LAKE IS INTERNATIONAL CINEPHILE SOCIETY'S FILM OF 2014

There was widespread love for Stranger by the Lake with the voters in the International Cinephile Society, as evidenced in the results of their awards for 2014. We'd seen it coming, as the French erotic thriller led the ICS' nominations; affection was spread across the board for nominees, though, with wins for multiple films. You can see their award winners and runners-up in full below:

Best Picture

1. Stranger by the Lake

2. Under the Skin

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel

4. Mommy

5. Boyhood

6. Two Days, One Night

7. Only Lovers Left Alive

8. Mr. Turner

9. Inherent Vice

10. The Immigrant

11. Goodbye to Language 3D

Best Director

1. Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin)

=  Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake)

3. Xavier Dolan (Mommy)

Best Actor

1. Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

2. Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner)

Best Actress

1. Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)

2. Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Patrick d'Assumcao (Stranger by the Lake)

2. Edward Norton (Birdman)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Suzanne Clement (Mommy)

=  Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars)

3. Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Ruben Ostlund (Force Majeure)

2. Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice)

=  Ebru Ceylan and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep)

3. Walter Campbell and Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin)

Best Cinematography

1. Dick Pope (Mr. Turner)

2. Daniel Landin (Under the Skin)

Best Editing

1. Tom Cross (Whiplash)

2. Jean-Christophe Hym (Stranger by the Lake)

Best Production Design

1. Adam Stockhausen (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

2. Suzie Davies (Mr. Turner)

Best Score

1. Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

2. Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Ensemble

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel

2. Mr. Turner

Best Animated Film

1. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

2. The Congress

Best Documentary

1. The Missing Picture

2. National Gallery

Best Film Not in the English Language

1. Stranger by the Lake

2. Mommy

3. Two Days, One Night

4. Goodbye to Language 3D

5. Force Majeure

6. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

7. Winter Sleep

8. The Missing Picture

9. Stray Dogs

10. Norte, the End of History

11. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

BIRDMAN LEADS 2015 CHLOTRUDIS NOMINATIONS

The Chlotrudis Society isn't technically a critics' organisation, but its membership does contain a number of film writers. It's 100% full of film lovers, however, which makes their annual award nominations always interesting to analyse. As usual, their 2014 crop is a quality one, though I'm as perplexed by their adoration for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman as with all the other groups that have lavished praise upon the overrated comedy. I've made one adjustment to the credits: assistant production manager Johanna Bourson probably ought not to be nominated for Best Production Design for The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears - what about art director Julia Irribarria?! Award winners to be announced on the 22nd of March. All the nominees below:

Best Movie

Birdman
Boyhood

A Coffee in Berlin

Ida

Like Father, Like Son

Mommy

Best Director

Jan Ole Gerster (A Coffee in Berlin)

Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)

Joanna Hogg (Exhibition)

Koreeda Hirokazu (Like Father, Like Son)

Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Pawel Pawlikowski (Ida)

Best Actor

Adam Bakri (Omar)

Jesse Eisenberg (The Double)

Fukuyama Masaharu (Like Father, Like Son)

Tom Hardy (Locke)

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Miles Teller (Whiplash)

Best Actress

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Anne Dorval (Mommy)

Paulina García (Gloria)

Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)

Agata Trzebuchowska (Ida)

Robin Wright (The Congress)

Best Supporting Actor

Michael Fassbender (Frank)

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Tom Hiddleston (Unrelated)

Edward Norton (Birdman)

J. K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress

Suzanne Clément (Mommy)

Eva Green (White Bird in a Blizzard)

Agata Kulesza (Ida)

Lydia Leonard (Archipelago)

Imelda Staunton (Pride)

Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer)

Best Original Screenplay

Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)

Steven Knight (Locke)

Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Pawel Pawlikowski (Ida)

Justin Simien (Dear White People)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson – based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon (Inherent Vice)

Andrew Bovell and Stephen Cornwell – based on the novel by John LeCarré (A Most Wanted Man)

Nick Damici and Jim Mickle – based on the novel by Joe R. Lansdale (Cold in July)

Ari Folman – based on the novel by Stanislaw Lem (The Congress)

Gary Hawkins – based on the novel by Larry Brown (Joe)

Lukas Moodysson – based on the comic book by Coco Moodysson (We Are the Best!)

Best Cinematography

Philipp Kirsamer (A Coffee in Berlin)

Daniel Landin (Under the Skin)

Ryszard Lenczewski and Lukasz Zal (Ida)

Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman)

Lyle Vincent (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night)

Robert D. Yeoman (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Editing

Sandra Adair (Boyhood)

Steve M. Choe and Kim Chang Ju (Snowpiercer)

Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione (Birdman)

Anja Siemens (A Coffee in Berlin)

Bill Weber (The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden)

Justine Wright (Locke)

Best Production Design

Marco Bittner Rosser (Only Lovers Left Alive)

David Crank (Inherent Vice)

Suzie Davies (Mr. Turner)

Julia Irribarria (The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears)

Ondrej Nekvasil (Snowpiercer)

Adam Stockhausen (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Use of Music in a Film

A Coffee in Berlin
Frank

God Help the Girl

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Only Lovers Left Alive

Under the Skin

We Are the Best!

Whiplash

Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast

Archipelago

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Like Father, Like Son

We Are the Best!

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

Best Documentary

Finding Vivian Maier

Jodorowsky’s Dune

Life Itself

Particle Fever

Tim’s Vermeer

To Be Takei

Buried Treasure

Borgman

Ilo Ilo

Rocks in My Pockets

The Strange Little Cat

Uzumasa Limelight

The Way He Looks