The LA Film Critics awards are an interesting affair because they also delve into the world of runners-up. It’s a positive thing because, like ourselves, it gives everyone a good insight into how everything is a close-knit thing when it comes to critique and opinions.
Obviously, the main winners are always going to be the ones that take the headlines and after last night’s BMIFA Awards in the UK, Richard Linklater’s 12-years-spanning tale BOYHOOD, also picked up four awards at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards snapping up Best Picture, Director, Actress for the wonderful Patricia Arquette and also an editing prize for Sandra Adair. BOYHOOD has been a huge critical success and the concept and craft that comes into making a film over 12 years with the same cast is truly phenomenal.
Wes Anderson was also reveling in the good feeling by snapping up the Best Screenplay for the wonderful THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL with a production design gong for Adam Stockhausen. Anderson’s movie had all the hallmarks of his previous affairs but was even more slick and unique than usual. It was one of my favourites of the year, so I’m really glad to see it winning more plaudits. It was also runner-up for Best Picture and Director.
None other than Tom Hardy nabbed Best Actor for his distinct, focused role in Steven Knight’s LOCKE. His layered performance was another film that stepped away from the usual approach by following his journey away from his job towards another life, one he’d made mistakenly off his own back. I’m a huge Hardy fan and once again he showed off his diverse talent.
Other awards went to Emmanuel Lubezki for his cinematography in Gonzalez Inarritu’s BIRDMAN. Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski’s IDA took home Best Foreign Language film, and Best Supporting Actress for Agata Kulesza. WHIPLASH picked up the first of what’s sure to be more this awards season, as J.K. Simmons won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the jazz-band leader, with Ed Norton taking the second spot for his turn in BIRDMAN.
Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Mica Levi shared the prize for Best Music/Score with their work on INHERENT VICE and UNDER THE SKIN respectively. The latter being part of the centre-piece for the gloriously creepy movie and adding fully to the unknowing atmosphere of Scarlett Johansson’s world. Ava DuVernay also picked up the New Generation award for her Martin Luther King Jr film SELMA, we haven’t seen it yet over here in the UK, but it’s a must-watch trailer and looks incredibly powerful.
Here are those winners in full:
Picture: BOYHOOD
Runner-up: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Director: Richard Linklater, BOYHOOD
Runner-up: Wes Anderson, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Actor: Tom Hardy, LOCKE
Runner-up: Michael Keaton, BIRDMAN
Actress: Patricia Arquette, BOYHOOD
Runner-up: Julianne Moore, STILL ALICE
Supporting actor: J.K. Simmons, WHIPLASH
Runner-up: Edward Norton, BIRDMAN
Supporting actress: Agata Kulesza, IDA
Runner-up: Rene Russo, NIGHTCRAWLER
Screenplay: Wes Anderson, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Runner-up: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, BIRDMAN
Foreign Language film: IDA
Runner-up: WINTER SLEEP
Documentary/nonfiction film: CITIZENFOUR
Runner-up: LIFE ITSELF
Animation: THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA
Runner-up: THE LEGO MOVIE
Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, BIRDMAN
Runner-up: Dick Pope, MR. TURNER
Production design: Adam Stockhausen, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Runner-up: Ondrej Nekvasil, SNOWPIERCER
Music/score: Jonny Greenwood, “INHERENT VICE,” and Mica Levi, “UNDER THE SKIN” (tie)
Film editing: Sandra Adair, BOYHOOD
Runner-up: Barney Pilling, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
New Generation: Ava DuVernay, SELMA
Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video: Walter Reuben, THE DAVID WHITING STORY
Career achievement: Gena Rowlands
Special citation: Leonard Maltin
Source: LACriticsAwards2014
