Few filmmakers can put together a hangout movie like Richard Linklater has, and his crowning achievement in that realm is, to this day, 1993’s high school cult classic Dazed and Confused. The movie’s trailer recommended you “watch it with a bud,” but most of us who’ve seen it know that there’s no need; Linklater’s wonderfully funny, charismatic, super cool characters are all the company you could ever want.

Billed as the “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused, Linklater’s latest, Everybody Wants Some, follows its predecessor’s formula to great success, its director’s tools now several times sharper than before. The two films share a general locale with both taking place in Southeast Texas, but while Dazed followed its characters on the last day of high school in the ’70s, the new film takes us to the early ’80s, following a fictional university’s baseball team as they shack up and party on over the long weekend before the start of the fall semester.

Bromance and romance overflow as we watch the boys get acquainted with each other and with the pretty girls scattered around their little college town. Our in is Jake (Blake Jenner), a chipper freshman who’s joining the team as pitcher. When he arrives at the semi-decrepit campus house designated for the team, he’s met with a mixed reaction: the older players don’t take kindly to pitchers, while Jake’s fellow wide-eyed newbies have no problem palling around. The common denominator is the team’s passion for partying, and party they do. By day, they laze about, smoke pot, sit in circles and space out to psychedelic rock records; by night, they’re tearing it up at local clubs and trashing their already-crumbling abode beyond recognition with all-night ragers.

While this may sound like a re-up of Animal House, the film actually skews more toward the arthouse, with Linklater threading some unexpected poignancy underneath all of the (incredibly funny, entertaining) shenanigans. Jake’s more than happy to partake in all the meathead madness, but as we learn more about where he’s from and the people he used to hang out with, it becomes clear that he’s a bit smarter and more compassionate than the lovable lugs he’s bunking up with. Jake’s full personality is brought out when he meets Beverly (Zoey Deutch), a theater major with the proverbial key to his heart. She has a way of stopping him dead in his tracks, and their hot August romance is a showstopper in itself; Jenner and Deutch are that rare onscreen couple who are so easy with each other that you suspect their romance may spill over into the real world.

Enough can’t be said about the rest of the feathery-haired cast as well. Square-jawed Tyler Hoechlin plays team captain McReynolds, whose violent competitive streak is at first repugnant, though his die-hard dedication to the team makes him more endearing as the weekend rolls on. Each of the dozen-or-so housemates has a similar, gradual development to their character that’s facilitated by both the memorable performances and Linklater’s uncanny dialogue, which sounds so natural it’s staggering to learn that absolutely none of it is ad-libbed. Some of the movie’s highlights involve the guys just lounging around, saying stupid stuff. It’s easy, simple viewing on one level, but the artistry lies in the affection that grows for the characters as we spend time with them.

Everyone will walk out of this movie with a favorite character, and the fact that (at my screening, at least) they varied wildly speaks to how great they are. There’s Finn (Glen Powell), the faux-intellectual ladies man; Dale (J. Quinton Johnson), the cool-as-a-cucumber, cultured team veteran; Willoughby (Wyatt Russell), the golden-haired, guru-like stoner with a secret; Beuter (Will Brittain), the cowboy outsider with a needy girlfriend back home. The list goes on, and every one of them is fantastic and hilarious. My favorite is Plummer (Temple Baker), a secondary character who nonetheless makes a big impression with his sleepy-dumb-guy appeal. I had a friend just like him in college (that’s a line you’ll hear a lot of people say walking out of the theater). This was actually Baker’s first acting role, but Linklater’s casting instincts are ridiculously good at this point in his career. The chemistry between the cast members is like butter, which is and always will be the key to hangout movies.

One of the most extraordinary things about Boyhood is that it doesn’t have any sort of forced dramatic agenda. It’s a quality Everybody Wants Some!! shares; there are no big fist fights, shocking betrayals or tearful breakup scenes to be found. There’s emotion running throughout, but it all flows and arises organically, which takes away a lot of the anxiety we’re used to swallowing in coming-of-age tales. This is easy viewing through and through, though that’s not to say it’s shallow. It’s far from it, in fact; living with Linklater’s characters as they explore life, unsupervised, without inhibition, engages the heart and takes you back to a freewheeling, optimistic state of mind and body that many of us let go of a long time ago.

In one of the biggest, baddest episodes of the Way Too Indiecast yet, we welcome two of the best directors in the game as we hear from Richard Linklater about his ’80s college hangout movie Everybody Wants Some!! and are joined by Jeff Nichols, whose sci-fi thriller Midnight Special hits theaters this weekend as well.

WTI’s very own Ananda Dillon chats with Bernard about what she saw of AMC’s new Preacher series at WonderCon this past weekend, and if that wasn’t enough, the Dastardly Dissenter himself, CJ Prince, chimes in to talk about the recent controversy surrounding the Tribeca Film Festival and share his Indie Pick of the Week. Whew! What are you waiting for? Dive into the deep end of this week’s pool of ooey gooey Indiecast goodness!

And if that last sentence grosses you out…um…just hit play and enjoy.

Topics

• Indie Picks (5:18)
• Richard Linklater (18:42)
• Preacher Preview (32:17)
• Tribeca Vaxxed Controversy (51:13)
• Jeff Nichols (1:06:32)

Articles Referenced

• City of Gold Interview
• Fireworks Wednesday Review
• Everybody Wants Some!! Interview
• Midnight Special Interview
• Preacher Preview

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They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. But what about movies? We’re huge fans of well-designed movie covers here at Way Too Indie, and while we wouldn’t say the design impacts our overall judgment of the film, we admit a good design may influence us to watch it in the first place. So we created a list of the 75 Greatest Movie Cover Designs of all-time, comprised of new and old titles, special edition releases, and from boutique distributors like the Criterion Collection (clearly our favorite, earning 34 spots on this list).

12 Angry Men (Criterion Collection)

Brilliant design with 12 hand-drawn portraits of the jury featured in this essential courtroom drama, each with red backgrounds except for the one in the middle, which represents Henry Fonda as the man who stands out from the group with his own opinion. [DJ]

127 Hours

It may not be immediately obvious, but the sides of the canyon form an hourglass timer and the setting sun looks like sand. Very fitting with the tagline of the film, “Every second counts.” [DJ]

A Clockwork Orange

Simply an iconic poster with minimal design that somehow makes the ’70s block font used on the title tolerable. [DJ]

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is an eerie, experimental film, so it’s only fitting that its home video release includes eerie, experimental cover art. [BH]

Adaptation

A funny little image that hints at the madness of Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze’s hilarious and painful world. [RS]

Almost Famous (Special Edition)

Cameron Crowe’s magnum opus gets a fantastically ornate and fun cover for its Bootleg Cut. Have a magnifying glass handy. [NG]

Anatomy of a Murder (Criterion Collection)

The first of several Saul Bass designs on this list. This striking design is such a classic that Spike Lee essentially stole the design for his 1995 film Clockers. [DJ]

Artificial Intelligence

Using the kid from the film as the ‘i’ in Intelligence and then inversing him to form the ‘a’ in Artificial is a simple, yet clever design. [DJ]

As Above, So Below

The design fits the title of the film so perfectly. [DJ]

Being John Malkovich (Criterion Collection)

There’s more brilliance than meets the eye in this simple Criterion cover of Being John Malkovich, perfectly suiting the eccentric nuances of the film. [NG]

Bicycle Thieves (Arrow)

The shadow from the two main characters form a bicycle. Great use of…foreshadowing.[DJ]

Blade Runner (Steelbook)

The rainy spotlight shines on the origami in this gorgeous Blade Runner Blu-Ray steelbook, evoking the pulpy, mysterious mood of the classic sci-fi noir. [NG]

Blind Woman’s Curse (Arrow)

The original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Through beautiful design, Teruo Ishii’s exploitation classic practically jumps off the cover. [NG]

Blue Is the Warmest Color

Simple but gorgeous artwork which plays off the color from the film’s title. [DJ]

Boogie Nights

Simply a beautiful retro design on the special edition release of this masterpiece. [RS]

Boyhood

The contrast from the grass provides excellent contrast for the title. Plus, it wonderfully represents the dreamlike ideology of boyhood. [DJ]

Buried (Steelbook)

This cover explains the entire premise of the film; a man buried under ground and trapped inside a box. [DJ]

The Cabin in the Woods

The cabin pictured in the design looks almost like an Rubik’s cube, hinting at the puzzling plot found in the film. [DJ]

The Complete Jacques Tati (Criterion Collection)

Might be the best on the list because it doesn’t just come with one spectacular looking design cover, it’s a collection of several beautiful illustrated covers in one package. [DJ]

The Conjuring

At first glance it looks like an ordinary horror film cover, until you notice the shadow near the bottom. [DJ]

The Dark Knight Rises (Steelbook)

The broken mask and heavy rain combine for one dramatic looking design. [DJ]

The Devil’s Backbone (Criterion Collection)

There’s very little ambiguity in Criterion’s cover design for The Devil’s Backbone. A wartime horror film dealing with the paranormal receives artwork that seamlessly bridges the gap between those two subjects. It’s impressive, to say the least. [BH]

Day For Night (Criterion Collection)

Francois Truffaut’s masterpiece is a love letter to the beautifully chaotic nature of making a movie, and Criterion’s cover art for the film perfectly encapsulates the vibe of Day for Night. [BH]

Days of Heaven (Criterion Collection)

I love how sharply in focus and imposing the house is in relation to Gere’s fuzzy appearance in the foreground. [BB]

Dogtooth

A man staring at grass infront of a fence accurately sums up the absurd censorship portrayed in the film. And after you’ve seen the film the airplane makes a lot of sense too. [DJ]

Diabolique (Criterion Collection)

A dazzling illustration of a key scene in this French thriller. The rippling water effect on the typeface is a brilliant touch. [DJ]

Dressed To Kill (Criterion Collection)

A wonderful composition equal parts suggestive and creepy, totally befitting De Palma as a master of erotic thrillers. [RS]

Drive (Steelbook)

This Steelbook cover has rad ’80s flair thanks to hot pink lettering and the neon sign looking design. [DJ]

Enemy

The Toronto skyline transposed over Jake Gyllenhaal’s head signifies the brain-teasing doppelganger story found in the film. [DJ]

Enter the Void

Bright neon colors. Overstimulated visuals. Odd angles. The cover design perfectly matches the film. [DJ]

Escape From Tomorrow

The easy to recognize drawing of a certain iconic Disney character covered in blood captures the frightening twist this film has of the “happiest place on earth”. [DJ]

Eyes Without A Face (Criterion Collection)

Those eyes!! Edith Scob’s piercing gaze is captured in haunting fashion by Criterion’s designers here, made all the more striking by its ingenious choice of white as facelessness. [NG]

Foreign Correspondent (Criterion Collection)

The vibrant Criterion cover, with its 3D-like rain and sea of murky umbrellas, elevates one of Alfred Hitchcock’s lesser-known films to must-own status. Watch the behind the curtains video for this particular design. [NG]

The Game (Criterion Collection)

A brilliant design for a film about a man brought to the edge by both temptation and the illusory structure of society finally forgets his weight and allows gravity to pull him downward. [EH]

Hard Candy

The bright red hoodie draws your focus in like a target, and the trap fits well with the cat and mouse theme in the film. [DJ]

High and Low (Criterion Collection)

Perfect use of the epicenter motif that couldn’t be paired with a better image from the film. [BB]

House (Criterion Collection)

Those eyes just don’t leave you. It’s a fiery and startling image that you can’t help but pause to take a second look at while browsing through the DVD racks. [BB]

The Human Condition (Criterion Collection)

A simple design but not one without the kind of quiet power that characterizes Kobayashi’s work. [BB]

Jaws

I was tempted to write nothing here, quite possibly the most iconic cover in all of film it pretty much speaks for itself. [RS]

Jurassic Park

The iconic logo (which is used all over in the film) helped make this design an instant classic. [DJ]

The Lobster

Technically, this is a poster design for a film that hasn’t been properly released yet, but we’re including it anyways. Fantastic use of negative space. [DJ]

Lord Of War

Nicolas Cage’s face made out of bullets is exactly what the world needs. [DJ]

Make Way For Tomorrow (Criterion Collection)

Wonderfully represents two companions forced apart by circumstances out of their control, drifting gradually but surely down separate, melancholic paths. [EH]

Medium Cool (Criterion Collection)

A tremendously striking image from the juxtaposition of its colors to the image-within-an-image design. [BB]

Melancholia (Plain Archive)

Great contrast between the sepia tone still from the film and the turquoise script lettering of the title. [DJ]

Memento (Special Edition)

Nothing fancy here. Just pure, unfiltered, genius. Presenting Memento in the form Leonard’s case file will put an insta-smile on every fan, while enticing anyone who hasn’t seen the film to peek inside and get their minds blown. [NG]

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (Criterion Collection)

A fittingly flamboyant explosion of color and a gorgeous application of the mirroring effect. [BB]

Moonrise Kingdom (Criterion Collection)

The latest Wes Anderson on Criterion is one of his very best films, aptly honored by one of Criterion’s most epic and intricate designs. [NG]

Network (Arrow)

A wonderful rendering of a rouge news anchor ‘telling it how it is’ on air, with the finger-pointing arm coming out of the TV set. [DJ]

Nymphomaniac (Vol. 1 and 2)

The whole marketing campagin behind the film was very on point, and so is this cover design featuring nine characters mid-orgasm. [DJ]

On The Waterfront (Criterion Collection)

This screen print looking design is splendid, especially with the inclusion of the birds, which are a major theme in the film. [DJ]

Onibaba (Eureka)

This formidable Masters Of Cinema cover, alluding to the dementia in Shindo’s classic ghost tale, does Criterion one better! [NG]

Quadrophenia (Criterion Collection)

The choice to color and arrange The Who lyrics in a way that replicates the band’s logo and circles the film’s main character is simply awesome. [BB]

The Raid (UK Steelbook)

One of the best-looking steelbook designs around, the picture on this cover of The Raid paints a thousand words of glorious violence. [NG]

Repo Man (Criterion Collection)

It makes perfect sense for a decidedly West Coast punk rock film to receive a punk rock artwork over a map of Los Angeles. It’s a bit surprising that Criterion is the distributor to make that happen, but they have done a fantastic job. [BH]

Repulsion (Criterion Collection)

This Criterion cover recalls the broken nerves and intense paranoia of Roman Polanski’s classic apartment horror in loud and disorienting whiteness. [NG]

Scanners (Criterion Collection)

Criterion’s cover design for one of Cronenberg’s most beloved films features a different kind of head explosion, but it’s extremely clever nonetheless. [BH]

Seconds (Criterion Collection)

A strange and interesting design that draws me in every time I come across it. [RS]

The Secret of the Grain (Criterion Collection)

Hands held high in the air but eyes facing the Earth and a disparity of light and darkness on either side: will the story end in glory or tragedy? [EH]

The Shining

Saul Bass designed equally amazing the yellow theatrical release poster, but the actual cover used for the home release of the film is great too. Very Kubrickian. [DJ]

Submarine

Using a white background allows the colorful text and images to really stand out. Great example of a clean design. [DJ]

The Sweet Smell of Success (Criterion Collection)

It’s rare for DVD art to double as something that could easily be hung on the wall and admired. This is one of those rarities. [BB]

Talk To Her

Like the film itself, shows a wonderful use of color and Pedro Almodovar’s great imagery. [RS]

The Thing

Never fails to capture my attention. I always end up watching the film if I stare at this cover too long, usually only takes a minute or so. [RS]

Three Colors Trilogy (Criterion Collection)

Criterion borrows one the most emblematic shots from Kieslowski’s indelible Trilogy for this spectacular mixture of red, white, and blue. [NG]

Trance

A chatoic arrangement of shapes, colors, and an image of a man screaming. As the title suggests, it puts you in a trance. [DJ]

The Tree of Life

Gorgeous snapshots of life are found throughout the film, so it’s fitting that the cover contains a bunch as well. [DJ]

Under the Skin

Scarlett Johansson’s colorful face blended in with outer space personifies her character in the film perfectly. [DJ]

The Vanishing (Criterion Collection)

Possibly the most brilliant cover I’ve ever seen, the simplistic design brilliantly reflects the painful frustration of the protagonist as the more you step away the clearer the image becomes. [RS]

Vertigo

The figures appear to be falling into the vortex of the geometrical downward spiral which symbolizes the meaning of the film’s title. And the imperfect hand lettering of Saul Bass. [DJ]

Videodrome (Criterion Collection)

Setting aside the disturbing central image, the color bars in the Criterion bar and the subtle horizontal lines running throughout make this an inspired design. [BB]

We Are Still Here

With We Are Still Here, writer-director Ted Geoghegan pays tribute to old-school Italian horror. Its brilliant cover design pays tribute to traditional haunted house films. It’s a damn-near-perfect artistic interpretation. [BH]

Wings of Desire (Criterion Collection)

An angel looks down at the world, a well-meaning voyeur, and his gaze shows a fusion of both inquisitiveness and sorrow. [EH]

World on a Wire (Criterion Collection)

An individual trapped in the center of a sideways cultural venn diagram, unsure of whether the environment surrounding him is the reality he’s used to, or merely a simulation brought forth by the incomprehensible Simulacron. [EH]

Y tu Mama Tambien (Criterion Collection)

A brilliant composition of blended images meant to look like an old photograph; slighly out of focus, large sun burst, and faded colors. A perfect summer road trip vibe. [DJ]

You’re Next

Even the pull quotes are aesthetically pleasing on the You’re Next home video cover, which is as aggressive and in-your-face as the home invasion masterpiece. [BH]

Zodiac (Director’s cut)

I’m a sucker for covers that double as pseudo-props from the movie like this Zodiac letter addressed to the San Francisco Chronicle. [RS]

Zazie dans le métro (Criterion Collection)

A clean, flat design which visually expresses the zany and cartoonish main character. [DJ]

Bernard has friends again! Some very special, very talented friends, as it turns out. Along with editor-in-chief Dustin Jansick, Bernard is joined on today’s podcast by filmmaker J.P. Chan and actor/director/editor/colorist/everything Andy Pang to talk about their latest film, A Picture of You. Also, in our main topic of the week, the boys share their favorite movie mothers in honor of Mother’s Day, as well as offer up their Indie Picks of the Week. Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the indie moms across the world!

Topics

• Indie Picks of the Week (5:33)
• A Picture of You (19:50)
• Favorite Movie Mothers (31:06)

WTI Articles Referenced in the Podcast

Roar review
A Picture of You review
A Picture of You J.P. Chan interview
Kumiko The Treasure Hunter review
Boyhood review

Subscribe to the Way Too Indiecast

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• and don’t forget to leave us a rating and quick review!

All week long we’ve slowly been revealing our choices for Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far, and today we’ve reached the top of the list. While every film we’ve chosen thus far represents the incredible cinematic achievements made during the first half of this decade, the following ten films are the best of the best. Here’s to an amazing first five years of the decade, and hoping the next five lead to even bigger and better things.

Next week we will release our Best 50 Songs of the Decade So Far and later this month we will feature Best Albums and Best Television Shows!

Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far
(#10 – #1)

The Act of Killing

The perspective Joshua Oppenheimer presents to his audience in his landmark documentary The Act of Killing is simply extraordinary. The most fitting comparison might be when horror movies in the 1980’s started using forced perspective shots from the killer. But The Act of Killing is about real life—and the genocide that spread through Indonesia in the mid 1960’s is far from the events of Camp Crystal Lake. The Act of Killing primarily does two things. First, it describes the Indonesian murders the gangsters committed in almost meticulous detail. Oppenheimer gives Anwar Congo and the other executioners the stage (quite literally) to create a historical record of what they did and how they did it. In doing so, the film becomes a deep and surprising character study of these men, who may easily be described as real life monsters. The boldest result of the documentary’s format, however, is how it forces these men to reflect on themselves—what was probably described to them as a showcase of their personalities, perhaps even as a way to show the world who they really are, instead forces the subjects to return to their crimes and reconsider them. This “act” is probably something Congo has done a million times in braggadocious retellings to friends and enemies, but there is something in the reenactment that incites a break in his character. The Act of Killing is quite disturbing, but also incredibly cathartic. [Aaron]

Blue is the Warmest Color

This film sent ripples around the festival circuit pretty quickly, and if you’ve seen it, it isn’t hard to see why. It has been described in a variety of ways, from “coming out narrative” to “bildungsroman,” and undoubtedly has provoked plenty of discussion around its sex scenes alone. But Blue is the Warmest Color does not fit into any one of the many labels it recalls, because it is not one movie. It is as easily placed into a genre as one can place the life of a woman into a genre. Because that is exactly what this film is: a life, a narrative that has more emotional reality than plot, and more symbolic function than events. To describe it in a summary of plot events does it little justice, because said events bear the relative significance of a wall to a house: indispensable, undoubtedly, but not anywhere near the defining feature. For one film to tackle love, art, literature, culture, class, education and above all, consumption, is ambitious enough, but to do so while seamlessly jumping a few years in time, and then leave us wanting more at the end of nearly three hours? That is truly remarkable. [Pavi]

The Turin Horse

Béla Tarr’s self-declared final film The Turin Horse is, if nothing else, a perfect ending to an amazing career. Tarr has defined himself for his use of long, elaborate takes, shooting long films in as few shots as possible. The most extreme example of this would be his 430-minute epic Satantango, which only contains about 150 shots. The Turin Horse runs at a considerably smaller length of 150 minutes, and only in 30 shots, but it can be a grueling experience. Taking place over six days, the film follows a farmer and his daughter as they live out an existence that almost amounts to nothing. Tarr spends over an hour of his film watching them go through the exact same daily motions, before slowly removing one aspect after another from their lives. First their horse won’t move, then the well dries, and by the sixth day things take an apocalyptic turn. The Turin Horse doesn’t exactly sound like a fun time, but its power is immense. Tarr has a style that’s all his own, and his work behind the camera (along with regular cinematographer Fred Keleman) is nothing short of extraordinary. There are plenty of grim films, but few can pull off the all-encompassing and evocative world Tarr creates here. The Turin Horse isn’t a pleasant experience, but it’s one that’s well worth taking. [CJ]

The Social Network

Let’s talk about unlikely masterpieces. “The Facebook Movie” interwove three timelines, two litigations, a hard-to-like protagonist, and the deterioration of his relationships, both personal & professional, into a story that more closely resembles Citizen Kane than other social media-based projects like Catfish or Unfriended. This coming from a filmmaker whose most iconic film works depict a serial killer who bases his murders on biblical sins and on an underground group of brawling men. Like most of David Fincher’s films, part of what makes The Social Network so distinctive is that it features his collaborators operating at peak ability. The movie features Jesse Eisenberg’s only truly transcendent performance, one that turns his neurosis into focused passive aggression. Both Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake are stellar here as well. Aaron Sorkin’s script tosses around computer programming jargon with the elegance of a ‘30s screwball comedy. The Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross score, their first contribution to Fincher’s films in what has since become a partnership, is likely the best of their collaborations to date with “In Motion” still a standout among the many great tracks they’ve produced. The Social Network captures the qualities of ambition and selfishness innate in the origins of wildly successful people, with an engrossing, modern aesthetic. [Zach]

12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen’s unflinching depiction of slavery in the mid-19th century is the type of harrowing portrayal of true-life tragedy that rarely emerges from American cinema (perhaps explaining why this picture came from a British director). A thoughtful, focused look at an ugly but historic American institution is stripped of the hero’s journey narrative forced on a majority of studio-made films. There are few moments of triumph in 12 Years a Slave, barely any speechifying, and thankfully a notable lack of angelic, white savior figures to save Solomon Northrup. Instead McQueen implements his signature long takes to become a fly on the wall to the truly awful treatment that slaves received. Scenes involving the brutality of slave owners unfold in real-time, and without allowing the audience the benefit of a cutaway to more pleasant scenes. None of the movie should feel like a revelation to anyone with knowledge of America’s tainted past; however, the no frills honesty with which McQueen approaches his subject seems the only proper approach to this sad era of history. Complimented by stellar performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson and a terrifying Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave is the type of film tragedy deserves, an unwavering representation of both the power of the human spirit and the evils of which humans are capable. [Zach]

Under the Skin

These days, science fiction seems to be all about the big budget FX. Recent sci-fi offerings ranging from the cerebral Interstellar to the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy all rely on huge FX set-pieces to sell their sizzle to the audience. It wasn’t always this way. In fact, one of the greatest, yet simplest, sci-fi entries of all time wasn’t even a movie—it was a radio show. Performed by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the Air players in 1938, The War of the Worlds, adapted from the H.G. Wells novel of the same title, proves in retrospect that all the digital cinematic wizardry in the world can’t trump the powerful simplicity of a solid story and terrific performances. The same can be said about Jonathan Glazer’s 2013 film Under the Skin. Sure, it has some dazzling FX, but it’s the simplicity of story—a mysterious woman of otherworldly origins assumes the characteristics of another girl and methodically hunts men in Scotland—and a career-defining performance from Johansson (which is saying something), that makes the film not only mesmerizing, but an entry worthy of mentioning in the same breath as The War of the Worlds. It might be disguised as an art house film, but have no illusions, Under the Skin is a seminal entry in the sci-fi genre, setting a new standard of excellence and positioning itself to be the topic of discussion for decades to come. [Michael]

Nightcrawler

There are antiheroes, there are villains, there are sociopaths, and then there is Lou Bloom. Jake Gyllenhaal as the emaciated and determinedly self-assured young Bloom is more intricate than the average villainous protagonist. I’m not sure he can even be described as a sociopath because his motivations in becoming a scumbag video journalist, capturing the gruesome aftermath of horrendous Los Angeles crimes and accidents late at night, is decidedly an emotional investment. An investment in his own shockingly self-absorbed and narcissistic ambitions. A sociopath has no sense of their wrong-doing, Bloom knows and has already decided his own need to excel takes precedence. As the film debut of Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler is especially impressive. Each action-filled scene made darkly beautiful by Robert Elswit’s camerawork—and the pace steadily increasing as Bloom’s thirst for notoriety increase—the film portrays the seedy side of Los Angeles and insightfully proves the darkest capabilities of humanity don’t always lie with the guy holding the gun. With exceptional work from Renee Russo—who proves she can shine when given the chance—as well as Bill Paxton and Riz Ahmed as Bloom’s unfortunate protege, the film is unsettling and yet guiltily fun. After all any sociopath or villain is only as compelling as how well they provoke us to consider how far our own ambitions could take us. Gyllenhaal’s Bloom sets a new bar for controlled crazy. But its exactly that control that makes this film so amazing and unsettling. [Ananda]

Her

Quite a turn from Spike Jonze’s last feature film in 2011, Where the Wild Things Are, which he also produced and directed, 2013’s Her was a necessary science-fictional exploration into a concern that has been discussed to no end since the introduction of the handheld mobile device. What would it lead to? Where could it take us? Jonze had already touched on those questions with his 2010 short I’m Here, but was able to delve a lot deeper with a feature film and a larger budget; and with the invention of Siri in 2011, the discussion became even more pronounced and more imaginative. Artificial Intelligence isn’t a new concept by any means in the world of science fiction, however this one tends to hit close to home. When one can barely go out in a crowd without most of the faces in it being buried in their phones, it doesn’t seem quite as far fetched as it used to be portrayed. We are already exceedingly further dependent on our devices than anyone is truly comfortable with. Spike Jonze capitalizes on that concern without actually getting preachy or sinister, while at the same time opening a window into the possibilities and allowing us to draw our own conclusions and moral stances on the subject. The response to the movie was hugely positive and it was considered a strong contender for the Best Picture category at the Oscars. It didn’t win but it did win an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Screenplay. With an original score composed by Arcade Fire, it was also considered for an Oscar for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. Joaquin Pheonix is left alone to create most of the dramatic tension, emotional conflict, and plot-furthering entirely on his own physically-speaking, an incredible accomplishment. Although he was overlooked for an Oscar nomination, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. This futuristic love story holds just enough logic to be thought provoking, and its charming portrayal of a future society that seems only a few steps removed from our own makes for a mesmerizing watch. [Scarlet]

Boyhood

We’re constantly fighting time: we rush to work in a sweat, take medicine to extend our lives, agonize as we procrastinate instead of doing our taxes. Our war against time—the most unyielding, unstoppable thing in the universe—is a losing one, but with the advent of movies we discovered a way to cheat time, in a sense. With movies we can capture moments and relive them again and again, trick ourselves into thinking we’re someplace else, and even spend time with those who’ve long since left our world. It’s a wondrous thing. Richard Linklater’s Boyhood captures time in a most fascinating way, stuffing a sprawling 12-year story about a boy and his family into a 165-minute bottle of modest, elegant filmmaking. All movies help us cope with time in their own way, but what’s special about Boyhood is that it beautifully reminds us how lucky we are that we need not face life alone. The people who stand by us through all the ups and downs, through the little triumphs and the massive failures, through the mundane, ephemeral moments that fill up most of our days—they’re our greatest gift. Boyhood isn’t about extraordinary people. It’s about ordinary people who’ve shared lots of time together, and in doing so have found love in one another. It’s a film about family in the deepest sense of the word, and there have been few films over the past half-decade more worthy of your precious time. [Bernard]

The Tree of Life

It’s 2011, and the venerable Terrence Malick is set to make his Cannes debut with a new film. Six years passed since The New World, his last film, which was met with hushed response (though, many would later cozy up to it). So, nobody could really tell how The Tree of Life  would play out. Aside from Malick, the flames of intrigue were stoked by the casting of Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, and rumblings of it being Malick’s most personal film to date. Fast track to 2015, and The Tree Of Life is a Palme D’Or winner, an important player in the year that turned out to be The Year Of Jessica Chastain (forget Pitt and Penn, though the former is outstanding here as well), and a gargantuan critical darling. Case in point: Sight & Sound released their updated Greatest Films Poll (updated once every 12 years) in 2012, and The Tree Of Life was just shy of cracking the Top 100.

All of this makes complete sense to most of us here at Way Too Indie (it’s No. 1 on my personal list, too). Terrence Malick has found a way to tap into the wonders of the human experience unlike any other director in the decade so far. Malick’s vision, and his creative impulse to search for God in the details of this semi-autobiographical story of a remembered childhood, is perfectly partnered with Emmanuel Lubezki’s luminous cinematography. The result is a limitless exploration into the essence of what makes us who we are, what we take from our mothers (materialized in Chastain’s eternal mother) and fathers (materialized in Pitt’s mortal father), and where God fits into it all. Like Linklater’s quest for life’s defining moments in Boyhood, Malick’s quest is similar, but with him the end result is a much more solemn and incorporeal one. More than any other film of the century so far, The Tree Of Life expands the boundaries of the art to its furthest corners. [Nik]

See the rest of our Best Movies Of The Decade lists!

View Other Lists of this Feature:
Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far (#50 – #41)
Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far (#40 – #31)
Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far (#30 – #21)
Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far (#20 – #11)

Granted, this year’s Oscars were by no means the most exciting, scandalous, or even most amusing we’ve seen in a while. But that’s not to say the evening didn’t have some great moments. Because honestly, at over three hours long what program is ever going to seem to be a hit in its entirety? The Oscars always have us talking about something, here’s the top moments from the 2015 Oscars that stood out.

#1. The Opening Number

Obviously Neil Patrick Harris is most known for his amazing Tony Awards hosting where he always does musical numbers. Which are of course expected for an evening celebrating theater. The Oscars also have a long history of musical openings, so this was an obvious but excellent decision. NPH sang a touching and catchy tune celebrating movies (of course) but the whole number was stepped up several notches when he was joined by current American Sweetheart Anna Kendrick donning her lovely Cinderella dress from Into the Woods. Just in case anyone worried it would get in schmaltz territory, Jack Black brought some dark moodiness to the affair joining the two on stage and bringing us back to the modern era by reminding us most people watch movies on their “screens in their jeans.” It’s our new favorite hashtag (#screensinjeans).

#2. J.K. Simmons Uses His Acceptance Speech to Get Us All to Call Our Parents

One hears a wealth of emotional and inspiring things in acceptance speeches, and often parents are thanked and appreciated in such speeches, but its more rare for the audience to be chided for neglecting their parents. Not that Best Supporting Actor winner J.K. Simmons meant to make us all feel super guilty that we only call our parents every once in a while, but when the man who threw stools at Miles Teller’s head tells you to call your parents you get the impression he means NOW. On it, sir.

#3. Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island’s Performance of “Everything is Awesome”

Considering we all knew they weren’t nominated and weren’t likely to win anything at the Oscars, the people behind The Lego Movie still got the point across that they know their film is awesome and nothing has changed. Complete with dancers dressed as characters from the film and with that awesome energetic beat, “Everything is Awesome” was one of the bigger spectacles of the night and by far one of the lighter and more fun moments. When Will Arnett came out to do his solo as Lego Batman, the awesome levels truly were at an all-time high. The real winners were lucky audience members who were handed Lego statuettes, a throwback to director Philip Lord’s tweet that an Oscar nomination mattered not, he could make his own.

#4. NPH’s Birdman/Whiplash Mashup

Running around in his tightie-whities was good enough. Making the connection between Birdman’s erratic drums soundtrack and Miles Teller in Whiplash was perfect. A mostly naked NPH telling Teller his playing was “not my speed” made for some of the biggest laughs of the evening. And those feeling slightly scandalized by the whole thing are just silly. It’s the perfect meta-moment when a live television program references a film scene in which a celebrity endures a ridiculous moment during another piece of live theater. It’s a great scene in the movie and was great when NPH did it as well.

#5. Patricia Arquette’s Simple But Passionate Acceptance Speech/Meryl Streep’s Reaction

These two tie, mostly because they happened at the same time. Upon winning her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Patricia Arquette thanked all the appropriate people, referenced the sanitation organization she’s involved with and then somewhat unexpectedly threw out that it was time for equality for women in the workplace. Nothing new, granted, but during a night when everyone seemed to have left their soapboxes at home, it was a refreshing reminder that women especially need to use the spotlight whenever it’s given to them to remind others of where we stand. Almost just as stirring was Meryl Streep’s instant reaction, jumping to her feet and raising her arms in support (now our new favorite gif). The fact that such simple statements still get a rise out of those who hear them, means we’re not quite there yet with women’s equality—(not to mention the clarity the Sony hacking gave us in the differences in paychecks still happening in the industry). Thank you Patricia for the needed reminder.

#6. Common and John Legend’s Performance of “Glory”

We’ve seen this one performed a few times, the Golden Globes and the Grammys most recently, but somehow this performance beat out all the rest. For one because Common and John Legend had a powerful group of people walking slowly behind them as though down the road to Selma. The visuals were truly fantastic, but also since Selma was snubbed in many ways for these Oscars, it was as though these two men were committed to giving the film the recognition it deserved. And boy did they move us. There were tears a plenty in the audience, most notably streaming down star David Oyelowo’s face and also Chris Pine’s (causing female hearts around the country to simply snap in two.) The performance made their win for Best Song even more deserved, and the two men spoke so eloquently and with such conviction all the feels just came rushing back. A sincere congratulations to everyone involved with Selma.

#7. First Time Writer/Winner Graham Moore’s Acceptance Speech

As a complete newbie, it was heartwarming to see the young Graham Moore pick up an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game, but his speech went even further in making us love him. Falling in line with the slew of “it gets better” style speeches we’ve seen lately, Moore spoke of his attempt to commit suicide at 16 and that anyone out there thinking those same thoughts needs to “Stay weird. Stay different. And when it’s your turn, pass this message on to the next person.” It’s the sort of message we can always use reminding of. And those trolls of the Internet who poked fun at Moore, saying for someone calling for “weird and different” he had one of the more boring scripts of the year, should do well to remember it’s adapted. You can only work with what you got, people.

#8. John Travolta is Ridiculously Creepy to Idina Menzel

So John Travolta made for the best joke of last year’s Oscar show by weirdly mispronouncing Idina Menzel’s name as “Adele Dazeem” before her performance of “Let It Go” from Frozen. An entire meme was formed and we all had a great laugh. Idina Menzel got her much deserved revenge by announcing John Travolta as “Glom Gazingo” when he joined her on stage last night. This was plenty funny and much deserved but as though overly trying to endear the audience (and apparently Menzel) Travolta got extra touchy, weirdly closing in on Menzel and touching her face. It was strange and just reinforced our preconceived notion that Travolta is turning into one of the more eccentric characters in Hollywood.

#9. Eddie Redmayne Wins Best Actor and Oozes Adorableness

Even we were slightly torn over who would take this one home, Keaton and Redmayne had us guessing, even after Keaton took home the Spirit Award the night previous. So when Eddie Redmayne won the award for his role in The Theory of Everything we were happy for him and no one can say he didn’t deserve it. But his baffled expression, his humongous grin, and the exuberance with which he accepted the award sure make him that much more lovable. It’s the sort of excitement one hopes to see from an actor when they’ve truly done work that merits such accolade.

#10. Birdman Wins Best Picture

Ok, so this is obvious, whoever gets Best Picture always achieves one of the bigger events of the evening, but this one feels all the more significant because it didn’t seem likely to happen. Not that Birdman is any dark horse by any means. They were a close second pick in our minds, but Boyhood getting exactly one award (Best Supporting Actress) of its six nominations is a bit shocking. And maybe even a bit harsh. But once again the Academy proves their nostalgia and narcissism picking a film focused on the arts rather than a film that’s artistry was highly involved and historical. Rants aside, Birdman is an excellent picture and pitting two such dissimilar films against one another is hardly an even battle. Congrats to all, and Boyhood, don’t worry. You’ll still make it into all the history books.

Honorable Mentions: Lady Gaga killing it in her performance of songs from The Sound of Music in recognition of its 50th anniversary and then melting our hearts when hugging Julie Andrews. Sean Penn and his awkward and ill-timed joke before announcing Best Picture. Outrage online around Joan Rivers missing from the In Memoriam (despite being far more influential to the red carpet than to film itself.)

Tonight’s the night! Years of work (12 in at least one case), a year of movies, and a lot of hard work leads toward what is considered Hollywood’s highest honor, the Academy Awards. That said, the Academy’s tastes are particular and after last night’s Birdman upset at the Spirit Awards, we can expect a few surprises tonight, but perhaps not in the bigger categories.

Refresh on our predictions. But remember, as they say it absolutely is an honor to be nominated.

List of 2015 Oscar Winners

(Winners highlighted in bold font)

Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Highlight: That it won AT ALL?! Not expecting it, but tough competition this year and Boyhood still holds our respect. 

Best Actor
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Highlight: His adorable bashfulness and utter surprise and happiness at winning. 

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Highlight: Her joke about winning an Oscar adding years to one’s life (what science is that based on?!) which helps her out since she’s married to a younger man and also her call to trying to get patients of alzheimer’s to be seen and call attention to the disease. 

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
Highlight: J.K. tells us all to call our parents. Lazy Sunday night parents everywhere tell their kids to “call back later.”

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Highlight: Patricia used a portion of her speech to call attention to her ecological sanitation organization givelove.org as well as an impassioned shoutout to women calling for “wage equality once and for all.”

Best Director
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game

Best Foreign Language Film
Ida – Poland
Leviathan – Russia
Tangerines – Estonia
Timbuktu – Mauritania
Wild Tales – Argentina
Highlight: Director Pawel Pawlikowski defies music deadlines and says his keep, thanking those he wishes to thank.

Best Animated Film
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Best Documentary Feature
CitizenFour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga
Highlight: Neil Patrick Harris cracks the joke: “The subject of Citizenfour, Edward Snowden couldn’t be here for some treason.”

Best Original Screenplay
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

Best Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Best Original Score
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything
Highlight: Preceded by an amazing performance by Lady Gaga performing songs from The Sound of Music for its 50th Anniversary. 

Best Original Song
“Everything Is Awesome” – The Lego Movie
“Glory” – Selma
“Grateful” – Beyond the Lights
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” – Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
“Lost Stars” – Begin Again
Highlight: Common and John Legend call attention to the current struggle for justice and spotlight on the number of black incarcerated men in America in an impassioned speech bringing tears to many eyes in the audience. 

Best Cinematography
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Mr. Turner
Unbroken

Best Editing
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash
Highlight: Tom Cross thanks director Damien Chazelle for pushing him to create great art. 

Best Visual Effects
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Best Sound Editing
American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

Best Sound Mixing
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

Best Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner

Best Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Live Action Short Film
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call

Best Documentary Short Subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper (La Parka)
White Earth

Best Animated Short Film
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

Obviously we’re big fans of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, since we named it our favorite film of last year. And we’re definitely expecting it to grab some gold next weekend at the Oscars. But even we need to step back and admit that even the films we love most have flaws and poking fun at the blind spots of critics is the best way to keep us all honest.

YouTube channel ScreenJunkies have been dissecting and breaking down even the seemingly most impeccable films for years now and Boyhood gets its moment in their spotlight as they point a few of the film’s more hilarious failings—and a few on the part of us adoring audience members as well.

If the BAFTA’s are a sign of what’s going to happen at the Oscars then fans of Boyhood have a lot to look forward to. It may of not of swept the board but it took home the two biggest awards of the night winning best film with best director also going to Richard Linklater. Patricia Arquette also throughly deserves the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance grounded Boyhood giving it the emotional backbone that held the multiple strands of its story together.

Read: Full List of 2015 BAFTA Winners

I predicted that The Theory of Everything would win best film but whilst it may have missed out on that award it went on to take Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Eddie Redmayne (who else was going to win it) picked up the BAFTA for Best Actor. With Steven Hawking in the audience the awards for The Theory of Everything also gave the academy to excuse to celebrate a British Icon. It was also stronger film than The Imitation Game and deserved to win the battle of the biopics.

It would have been a travesty had J.K. Simmons not one Best Supporting Actor for his performance and thankfully there was no disappointments on that front. Whiplash also went on to win Best Editing which was well deserved, if surprising to me, along with the more predictable Best Sound award.

There clearly is a lot of love in the UK for The Grand Budapest Hotel and it was one of the most successful films of the night. Wes Anderson’s film won a whole host of awards including Production Design, Costume Design, Best Original Music and Screenplay. Those of you who read Way Too Indie’s 2014 Best of the Year feature will know I am a big fan of the film and it was pleasant surprise to see the film walk away with so many awards. Losing out to The Grand Budapest Hotel marked a disappointing night for Birdman. The fact that it only picked up best Cinematography and may lead to some to predict that it will lose out to Boyhood at the Oscars.

Read: Our 2015 BAFTA Predictions

Elsewhere Ida was a predictable winner for best Foreign Language film, even if I felt that the academy might go for Leviathan. Coming from Nottingham myself I was proud to see Jack O’Connell win the Rising Star Ward and referencing the Television Workshop in the city as a key to his success. Although I was disappointed however to see 71’, starring O’Connell miss out on best debut film. However, given the success of the film director Yann Demange will hopefully have more opportunities to win awards in the future.

The BAFTA’s as it always has been was a rather tame awards ceremony. Stephen Fry was on auto-pilot and his jokes were painfully bad. It left you wondering whether the awards could do with a new presenter to liven the show, especially considering Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s performance at the Golden Globes. The highlight of the night came from Mike Leigh who came to collect BAFTA Fellowship award and gave a brilliant speech on the importance of independent film. Leigh thanked those who had financed his films throughout his career. Yet, with his typical dry sense of humour, he also thanked those who had not describing them as ‘boneheads, Philistines and skinflints’, who could all ‘rot in hell’. Celebrating such an influential British director is what the BAFTA’s is all about and it almost made up for Mr. Turner picking up no awards at the ceremony.

At today’s British Academy Film Awards there were some expected wins (Boyhood) and some unexpected overhauls (The Grand Budapest Hotel), while one Oscar snub got their comeuppance (The Lego Movie). The Brits gave love to their own by bequeathing a couple of awards on The Theory of Everything, while The Imitation Game went home empty-handed. Stephen Hawking, himself, even made an appearance handing out the award for Visual Effects to a standing ovation.

Nothing too surprising, but a few satisfactory awards to those who will likely not find gold come February 22nd at the Oscars.

BEST FILM

BIRDMAN
BOYHOOD
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
THE IMITATION GAME
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

’71 Yann Demange, Angus Lamont, Robin Gutch, Gregory Burke
THE IMITATION GAME Morten Tyldum, Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman, Graham Moore
PADDINGTON Paul King, David Heyman
PRIDE Matthew Warchus, David Livingstone, Stephen Beresford
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING James Marsh, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
UNDER THE SKIN Jonathan Glazer, James Wilson, Nick Wechsler, Walter Campbell

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

ELAINE CONSTANTINE (Writer/Director) Northern Soul
GREGORY BURKE (Writer), YANN DEMANGE (Director) ’71
HONG KHAOU (Writer/Director) Lilting
PAUL KATIS (Director/Producer), ANDREW DE LOTBINIÈRE (Producer) Kajaki: The True Story
STEPHEN BERESFORD (Writer), DAVID LIVINGSTONE (Producer) Pride

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

IDA
LEVIATHAN
THE LUNCHBOX
TRASH
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

DOCUMENTARY

20 FEET FROM STARDOM
20,000 DAYS ON EARTH
CITIZENFOUR
FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
VIRUNGA

ANIMATED FILM

BIG HERO 6 Don Hall, Chris Williams
THE BOXTROLLS Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable
THE LEGO MOVIE Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

DIRECTOR

BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu
BOYHOOD Richard Linklater
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING James Marsh
WHIPLASH Damien Chazelle

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, Armando Bo
BOYHOOD Richard Linklater
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson
NIGHTCRAWLER Dan Gilroy
WHIPLASH Damien Chazelle

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

AMERICAN SNIPER Jason Hall
GONE GIRL Gillian Flynn
THE IMITATION GAME Graham Moore
PADDINGTON Paul King
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Anthony McCarten

LEADING ACTOR

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH The Imitation Game
EDDIE REDMAYNE The Theory of Everything
JAKE GYLLENHAAL Nightcrawler
MICHAEL KEATON Birdman
RALPH FIENNES The Grand Budapest Hotel

LEADING ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS Big Eyes
FELICITY JONES The Theory of Everything
JULIANNE MOORE Still Alice
REESE WITHERSPOON Wild
ROSAMUND PIKE Gone Girl

SUPPORTING ACTOR

EDWARD NORTON Birdman
ETHAN HAWKE Boyhood
J.K. SIMMONS Whiplash
MARK RUFFALO Foxcatcher
STEVE CARELL Foxcatcher

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

EMMA STONE Birdman
IMELDA STAUNTON Pride
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY The Imitation Game
PATRICIA ARQUETTE Boyhood
RENE RUSSO Nightcrawler

ORIGINAL MUSIC

BIRDMAN Antonio Sanchez
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Alexandre Desplat
INTERSTELLAR Hans Zimmer
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jóhann Jóhannsson
UNDER THE SKIN Mica Levi

CINEMATOGRAPHY

BIRDMAN Emmanuel Lubezki
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Robert Yeoman
IDA Lukasz Zal, Ryzsard Lenczewski
INTERSTELLAR Hoyte van Hoytema
MR. TURNER Dick Pope

EDITING

BIRDMAN Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Barney Pilling
THE IMITATION GAME William Goldenberg
NIGHTCRAWLER John Gilroy
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jinx Godfrey
WHIPLASH Tom Cross

PRODUCTION DESIGN

BIG EYES Rick Heinrichs, Shane Vieau
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
THE IMITATION GAME Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
INTERSTELLAR Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
MR. TURNER Suzie Davies, Charlotte Watts

COSTUME DESIGN

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Milena Canonero
THE IMITATION GAME Sammy Sheldon Differ
INTO THE WOODS Colleen Atwood
MR. TURNER Jacqueline Durran
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Steven Noble

MAKE UP & HAIR

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Frances Hannon
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou, David White
INTO THE WOODS  Peter Swords King, J. Roy Helland
MR. TURNER Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jan Sewell

SOUND

AMERICAN SNIPER Walt Martin, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
BIRDMAN Thomas Varga, Martin Hernández, Aaron Glascock, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wayne Lemmer, Christopher Scarabosio, Pawel Wdowczak
THE IMITATION GAME John Midgley, Lee Walpole, Stuart Hilliker, Martin Jensen
WHIPLASH Thomas Curley, Ben Wilkins, Craig Mann

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Erik Winquist, Daniel Barrett
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White
INTERSTELLAR Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Tim Crosbie, Cameron Waldbauer

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD

GUGU MBATHA-RAW
JACK O’CONNELL
MARGOT ROBBIE
MILES TELLER
SHAILENE WOODLEY

As we inch closer and closer to Oscar night, more guilds, organizations, critics and associations continue handing out gold trophies to the best of 2014 in film. With the BAFTA Awards happening this Sunday, Way Too Indie writers C.J. Prince (from Canada) and Eddy Haynes (from the U.K.) sat down to discuss the awards and give their predictions.

C.J. Prince: I guess it makes sense that a Brit and a Canuck should predict the BAFTAs. I’ll be honest: I haven’t really paid attention to the BAFTAs over the years, and I’ve been meaning to change that. But I gotta say, these nominations seem a little off to me. Why did Mr. Turner not get any nods outside of a few small categories? I’m sure my predictions will be horrible since I have no idea how the BAFTAs go, so bear with me dear readers (and Eddy). Maybe you can help me out here Eddy. Are the BAFTAs like the Oscars, in that they tend to go for a certain kind of film (ex. weepy biopics and the like)?

Eddy Haynes: The BAFTAs usually follow the Oscars with the odd exception every now and then just to rebel a little. There is occasionally a bit of controversy, like how the Outstanding British Film had some people up in arms about Alfonso Cuaron winning for Gravity last year (the film was shot in the UK, but the director and cast are not British). (Article)

I was not surprised to see Mr. Turner lose out for Oscar nominations, but I was disappointed to see the BAFTAs not nominate the film for any of the big awards, especially Timothy Spall for Best Actor.  The whole point of the BAFTA’s is to celebrate British film, and it seems unjust to not acknowledge such a strong British performance. The same goes for missing out on a chance to give Mike Leigh a much deserved BAFTA for the film. The cynical part of me thinks as the film was released in the UK in October it has simply been forgotten about.

There has been a diverse range of films nominated this year, so it’s hard to predict, although if anyones going to win the lions share of awards it might be Theory of Everything.

C.J.: Well since you introduced that nice opportunity to segue, let’s start with the biggest category of them all:

BEST FILM

BIRDMAN
BOYHOOD
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
THE IMITATION GAME
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

C.J.: Best film! I don’t know if the Brits will handle this one differently, but looking at the US it’s a battle between Birdman and Boyhood. I’m personally going to say Boyhood wins this one. I don’t think the Hollywood/industry aspects of Birdman will work on BAFTAs as much as it has been for those in the US, so Boyhood will get the edge here.

Eddy: Yes, I agree. Although we may give it to Theory of Everything out of love for the Britishness of the film. It would be a bit of a shock, but I wouldn’t rule out The Grand Budapest Hotel either. I am not sure about Boyhood. The BAFTAs usually tries to distance itself from the same decisions as the Golden Globes, even if it follows the Oscars.

C.J.: Well speaking of Britishness, let’s look at Outstanding British Film.

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

’71 Yann Demange, Angus Lamont, Robin Gutch, Gregory Burke
THE IMITATION GAME Morten Tyldum, Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman, Graham Moore
PADDINGTON Paul King, David Heyman
PRIDE Matthew Warchus, David Livingstone, Stephen Beresford
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING James Marsh, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
UNDER THE SKIN Jonathan Glazer, James Wilson, Nick Wechsler, Walter Campbell

Eddy: I would love Under the Skin to get the BAFTA, but I don’t think it is going to happen. It will probably go to The Theory of Everything. Pride might be a dark horse candidate. That would be a surprise.

C.J.: I have a feeling The Imitation Game will probably take this one because it has the prestige element behind its back, but Theory of Everything has been gaining a lot of momentum. In all honesty I’d prefer Under the Skin or Pride to win because a) Under the Skin is just plain weird, and b) I find the kind of gooey feel good qualities of Pride more enjoyable than “serious film” Oscar fare like The Imitation Game or The Theory of Everything.

Eddy: It is perhaps a little cynical, but there is also guilt in the UK about Alan Turing and how he was treated. He did get a royal pardon last year. I wonder if politics might lead to it getting the BAFTA (More Info Here, Warning Potential Spoilers).

C.J.: It’s possible. I personally didn’t factor that into my decision, but it could play a role in deciding its outcome in the category.

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

ELAINE CONSTANTINE (Writer/Director) Northern Soul
GREGORY BURKE (Writer), YANN DEMANGE (Director) ’71
HONG KHAOU (Writer/Director) Lilting
PAUL KATIS (Director/Producer), ANDREW DE LOTBINIÈRE (Producer) Kajaki: The True Story
STEPHEN BERESFORD (Writer), DAVID LIVINGSTONE (Producer) Pride

Eddy: ‘71 was one of my favourite films of the year, and it stands a pretty good chance of winning, but I think Pride is probably the favourite for this one.

C.J.: Agreed. I haven’t seen ’71 (I’m dying to!), but Pride looks like it’ll take this one. Huge crowd pleaser. If only every category was this easy to predict.

Pride

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

IDA
LEVIATHAN
THE LUNCHBOX
TRASH
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

C.J.: I haven’t seen Trash but come on.

Eddy: Yes, I haven’t seen it either, but I wondered how much of a film has to not be English to qualify.

C.J.: I will research that (over 50% of the film’s dialogue must not be in English in order for it to qualify). For me this is another easy category. I know Leviathan winning the Golden Globe put a little wrench in the system, but I think Ida will win. It’s been getting every award under the sun for foreign film.

Eddy: I would rather have Ida win than Leviathan, which I didn’t really connect with. I think Leviathan might win just because it would annoy Putin (Article). I think Two Days, One Night is the strongest film in the category, but I don’t think it will win.

C.J.: Two Days, One Night is fantastic and should be the frontrunner. And thank you for not thinking Leviathan was all that. It’s one of those “Serious Films” that was too straightforward for me. I found it kind of boring, gorgeous cinematography aside.

Eddy: I thought I was alone. Every critic seems to have fallen in love with it. Ida is one of the most visually stunning films this year, and if doesn’t win here I hope it wins Best Cinematography.

DOCUMENTARY

20 FEET FROM STARDOM
20,000 DAYS ON EARTH
CITIZENFOUR
FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
VIRUNGA

Eddy: Well I thought Citizenfour was a strong film even if it was a little rushed at times. It’s probably my favourite to win in this category.

C.J.: Yeah, I mean this category is a joke. You have a feel good doc about backup singers, Nick Cave’s head up his own ass, a guy trying to profit off of a dead woman’s photography collection, some dumb looking activist doc about gorillas (I hate most primates), and then a documentary about one of the most important things happening in the world today. If Citizenfour doesn’t win, it’ll remove any credibility from this category in the future.

ANIMATED FILM

BIG HERO 6 Don Hall, Chris Williams
THE BOXTROLLS Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable
THE LEGO MOVIE Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

C.J.: An easy category since it has 3 nominees, and I’ve only seen one of them. I’m going with The Lego Movie on this. I love it to pieces, and the Oscar snub has people on its side.

Eddy: I am in the same boat. I think The Lego Movie will win, although part of me wants The Boxtrolls to win just to see Twitter explode.

C.J.: It’s Twitter. That place is always exploding over something.

DIRECTOR

BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu
BOYHOOD Richard Linklater
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING James Marsh
WHIPLASH Damien Chazelle

Eddy: I think this is probably going to be between James Marsh and Richard Linklater. This one may go the same way as whoever gets Best Film.

C.J.: Yeah, Best Director and Best Film matching up is par for the course. Since I predicted Boyhood for Best Picture I’m going to say Richard Linklater takes this one. Ultimately I think the achievement of making the film over 12 years will trump the other nominees

Eddy: It will certainly give Linklater a lot to talk about in his speech.

Richard Linklater

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, Armando Bo
BOYHOOD Richard Linklater
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson
NIGHTCRAWLER Dan Gilroy
WHIPLASH Damien Chazelle

C.J.: First off, what a great selection. Nightcrawler, Whiplash and The Grand Budapest Hotel all have terrific screenplays. But for some dumb reason Birdman’s dog shit script keeps winning, so I’m going to predict Birdman.

Eddy: Birdman would be the only winner whose opening line contains the phrase “Smells like balls.” Nightcrawler should win, but I think it will probably go to Birdman. The Grand Budapest Hotel might stand an outside chance though. It has been praised for its clever script.

C.J.: How can anyone hear a line like “Smells like balls” and think it’s some sort of brilliant piece of writing? Ugh. Anyway, I’ll stop myself. I can rant about Birdman’s awful script for hours.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

AMERICAN SNIPER Jason Hall
GONE GIRL Gillian Flynn
THE IMITATION GAME Graham Moore
PADDINGTON Paul King
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Anthony McCarten

C.J.: Adapted screenplay is a lot more interesting to me. I’m going to say The Theory of Everything wins this one.

Eddy: Yeah I am going to agree with you on The Theory of Everything. I would love to see the look on the academy’s face if Paddington won. I think Gone Girl should win purely because the script is such an improvement on the book. It has been adapted rather well.

C.J.: I absolutely agree with you. Gone Girl would be my pick for what should win. Gillian Flynn did a great job adapting her own book.

LEADING ACTOR

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH The Imitation Game
EDDIE REDMAYNE The Theory of Everything
JAKE GYLLENHAAL Nightcrawler
MICHAEL KEATON Birdman
RALPH FIENNES The Grand Budapest Hotel

Eddy: I think Eddie Redmayne is going to get this. I can’t see anyone else getting it. I think only Michael Keaton stands a chance of stealing it from him.

C.J.: I’m really fascinated by how this category turned out. It was hyped up as one of the most competitive categories before the season started, and then Keaton became the frontrunner, only for Redmayne to slowly catch up and take over. I’m with you on this one. Eddie Redmayne will win. But let’s give a special mention to Jake Gyllenhaal (my personal pick) and Timothy Spall (why the hell isn’t he nominated??!?!)

Eddy: It is shocking about Spall, especially since he won at Cannes. I thought he was an odds on favourite to get nominated. Jake Gyllenhaal should win, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of love for Nightcrawler at the awards so far.

C.J.: Yeah, Nightcrawler is a very dark movie. I think time will ultimately work in Gyllenhaal’s favour. It’s a performance he’ll be remembered for.

Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything

LEADING ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS Big Eyes
FELICITY JONES The Theory of Everything
JULIANNE MOORE Still Alice
REESE WITHERSPOON Wild
ROSAMUND PIKE Gone Girl

Eddy: I think Felicity Jones will get this. I have yet to see Still Alice, but it has been getting a lot of buzz, so Julianne Moore might stand a good chance.

C.J.: I have seen Still Alice and it’s bad. Moore will win this one though. She’s a beloved actress, and this certainly feels like her time to win the big awards. I don’t mind her winning. I love J-Mo. I just wish she won for a better film.

Eddy: Personally I loved her in Maps to the Stars and was hoping she would get nominated. A win for Still Alice might make up for it.

C.J.: I actually prefer her role in Maps to the Stars, but that movie is far too strange to get proper recognition.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

EDWARD NORTON Birdman
ETHAN HAWKE Boyhood
J.K. SIMMONS Whiplash
MARK RUFFALO Foxcatcher
STEVE CARELL Foxcatcher

C.J.: This might be the easiest acting category to predict, but it’s easy because everyone agrees that one performance towers above the rest. J.K. Simmons will win.

Eddy: Yes I expect J.K. Simmons will. I find it odd that Steve Carell was nominated here, since I saw that role as a lead. It’s a shame because he deserves recognition for that role.

C.J.: Yeah, that is strange. It could be a strategic choice since Best Actor was crowded this year. I think that nose will give him all the recognition he needs.

Eddy: It is one of the most disturbing noses in film.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

EMMA STONE Birdman
IMELDA STAUNTON Pride
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY The Imitation Game
PATRICIA ARQUETTE Boyhood
RENE RUSSO Nightcrawler

C.J.: I guess this is another easy category to predict. It seemed a little wide open early on in the season, but Patricia Arquette has emerged as a frontrunner. Personally I want to high five all the BAFTA members who nominated Rene Russo.

Eddy: Yes! Rene Russo’s performance was as good as Jake Gyllenhaal’s, and the film wouldn’t have worked without her. But I can’t see Patricia Arquette losing this one.

Patricia Arquette in Boyhood

ORIGINAL MUSIC

BIRDMAN Antonio Sanchez
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Alexandre Desplat
INTERSTELLAR Hans Zimmer
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jóhann Jóhannsson
UNDER THE SKIN Mica Levi

C.J.: Now we move on to the smaller, more technical categories, where I have no idea what to pick.

Eddy: I think Interstellar might stand a chance as they sometimes give the techs to big budget films that miss out at the main awards. The favourite to win is probably Birdman, though. It would be weird if Boyhood got it. I don’t remember the soundtrack being that great.

C.J.: Wasn’t Boyhood all songs? I don’t remember it having an original score.

Eddy: It might have been picked because it was nominated for Best Film.

C.J.: Well for this category I adore Mica Levi’s score for Under the Skin, but Birdman will probably win. Looks like we’re in agreement on this one.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

BIRDMAN Emmanuel Lubezki
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Robert Yeoman
IDA Lukasz Zal, Ryzsard Lenczewski
INTERSTELLAR Hoyte van Hoytema
MR. TURNER Dick Pope

Eddy: Ida was stunning, but Mr. Turner surely has to get something. Something tells me Birdman could get this award too.

C.J.: Yeah, Birdman is all show so it’ll win. But personally I want Mr. Turner (Dick Poop!) or Ida to win.

C.J.: I actually don’t care much for Ida as a film, but it has excellent cinematography. There were a lot of great looking films last year. I would even be happy with The Grand Budapest Hotel winning.

EDITING

BIRDMAN Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Barney Pilling
THE IMITATION GAME William Goldenberg
NIGHTCRAWLER John Gilroy
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jinx Godfrey
WHIPLASH Tom Cross

C.J.: Amazingly, Boyhood wasn’t nominated here since it seems to be the favourite everywhere else. I’m gonna say Whiplash wins this one. Birdman might be the odds on favourite, but I love love love Whiplash’s editing.

Eddy: It’s very odd that Boyhood wasn’t nominated. Surely a film shot over 12 years would get some praise for its editing. If The Theory of Everything gets best film, it will also get best editing. They usually seem to be paired together.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

BIG EYES Rick Heinrichs, Shane Vieau
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
THE IMITATION GAME Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
INTERSTELLAR Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
MR. TURNER Suzie Davies, Charlotte Watts

Eddy: I think Interstellar might get this, but I want Mr. Turner to get it. It needs some awards.

C.J.: I’m going to go with The Grand Budapest Hotel. I have no idea why. I remember being really impressed by the design of the hotel. Mr. Turner would be the only other competition in my eyes because it’s a period piece. Like I said earlier, once we get down to these categories I get sort of lost.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

COSTUME DESIGN

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Milena Canonero
THE IMITATION GAME Sammy Sheldon Differ
INTO THE WOODS Colleen Atwood
MR. TURNER Jacqueline Durran
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Steven Noble

C.J.: For Costume Design, I feel like people just vote for whatever looks like it had the most work done. In that case it comes down to Mr. Turner or Into the Woods. I think Into the Woods will take this.

Eddy: I agree. Into The Woods will probably get it, although I will be happy if Mr. Turner gets it of course. I have no idea why The Theory of Everything has been nominated here, but it could win too.

MAKE UP & HAIR

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Frances Hannon
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou, David White
INTO THE WOODS  Peter Swords King, J. Roy Helland
MR. TURNER Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Jan Sewell

Eddy: I’m going to pick Guardians of the Galaxy just because Zoe Saldana’s skin was green, but Into the Woods will probably get it

C.J.: I wouldn’t be surprised if BAFTA voters pick Guardians of the Galaxy for the same reason. I’m going with the same pick, and Into the Woods will be my back-up pick in case voters want to give the award to a more “worthy” (aka prestigious) film.

SOUND

AMERICAN SNIPER Walt Martin, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
BIRDMAN Thomas Varga, Martin Hernández, Aaron Glascock, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wayne Lemmer, Christopher Scarabosio, Pawel Wdowczak
THE IMITATION GAME John Midgley, Lee Walpole, Stuart Hilliker, Martin Jensen
WHIPLASH Thomas Curley, Ben Wilkins, Craig Mann

Eddy: I enjoyed the sound work in Birdman, but Whiplash has to win this.

C.J.: I’ll go with Whiplash as well. Part of me wants to go with American Sniper since usually these kinds of awards go to films with a lot of action, but Whiplash’s sound is so essential to the film.

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Erik Winquist, Daniel Barrett
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White
INTERSTELLAR Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Tim Crosbie, Cameron Waldbauer

C.J.: I’m going with Interstellar. In my eyes, they’re just objectively the best special effects of this category. I think it’ll be an easy win for the film.

Eddy: Interstellar will probably win, although the scale of motion capture work is impressive in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Interstellar

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD

GUGU MBATHA-RAW
JACK O’CONNELL
MARGOT ROBBIE
MILES TELLER
SHAILENE WOODLEY

C.J.: Now the final award, which gets voted on by the public. That means we could have actually voted on this one, I guess. I’m going to go with Jack O’Connell here. He really impressed me in Starred Up, and he seems to be making great choices for roles. But every person nominated here is terrific. I wouldn’t be surprised if Shailene Woodley ended up winning due to her having a YA novel fanbase, thanks to her work in Divergent and The Faults in our Stars

Eddy: Jack O’Connell is my pick as well. He’s been on great form recently. I will be interested to see who wins this one. Tom Hardy has won it previously, along with James McAvoy, so it can be good at predicting big stars. Then again, Shia LaBeouf was a winner too.

C.J.: Shia LaBeouf is a rising star. He’s just rising from a much lower place than everyone else!

Okay, so that wraps it all up. Any final thoughts before we see what happens this Sunday?

Eddy: Overall, other than Mr. Turner I find myself generally happy with the nominees this year. There have been some fantastic films from 2014, and there have been some quirky films like Birdman, which wouldn’t traditionally be considered awards bait. The only sad thing is that, in such a strong year, some films like Nightcrawler seem to fail to pick up all the nominations it deserves.

C.J.: Yeah, I think the BAFTAs have some weird choices and snubs, but after going through them like this I think they’re pushing more in the right direction than the Oscars. The Nightcrawler nods are great, as well as Damien Chazelle getting nominated for Best Director. Mr. Turner and Selma not showing up in major categories is pretty strange though. Ah well. I mean after all of our predicting I still feel pretty confused and unsure about the whole thing. Guess we’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out!

Like most years, there was a lot of controversy over the Academy’s choices for Oscar nominations this year. Some felt that the lack of Selma representation, namely in Best Actor and Best Director categories since it did receive a Best Picture nom, spoke volumes about the predominately white demographic of the Academy. Though lets not forget last year’s Best Picture winner was appropriately given to 12 Years a Slave. At the time of announcement others felt the love for American Sniper was a bit of a reach, though the film has since set numerous opening box office records. But don’t think for one second I’m completely siding with the Academy, there were big time snubs in most categories (including the enormous neglect for The LEGO Movie). Below are predictions on who will win an Oscar, who deserves to win, and who should’ve been nominated in all the major categories.

Complete List of 2015 Oscar Predictions

BEST PICTURE
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Ida – Poland
Leviathan – Russia
Tangerines – Estonia
Timbuktu – Mauritania
Wild Tales – Argentina

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
CitizenFour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Mr. Turner
Unbroken

BEST EDITING
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Everything Is Awesome” – The Lego Movie
“Glory” – Selma
“Grateful” – Beyond the Lights
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” – Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
“Lost Stars” – Begin Again

BEST SOUND EDITING
American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

BEST SOUND MIXING
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

While Birdman comes in with the most Independent Spirit Award nominations this year with a total of six, I’m predicting Richard Linklater’s Boyhood winning the most awards with four (including most of the big ones). Birdman will likely pick up at least two awards, same as Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler, and the rest of the field should be fairly spread out. You’re likely to see wins for smaller independent films like Dear White People, Blue Ruin, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and CITIZENFOUR.

In addition to picking the winners, I explain the reasoning behind my picks underneath each category. There’s still plenty of time for some shakers and movers between now and when the winners are revealed as the award season continues on. Tune into IFC on Saturday, February 21st at 2PM PT and watch live to see if my predictions hold up.

2015 Independent Spirit Award Predictions

(My prediction for the winners are highlighted in bold red font)

Birdman
Boyhood
Love is Strange
Selma
Whiplash

Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Ava DuVernay – Selma
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
David Zellner – Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

André Benjamin – Jimi: All Is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton – Birdman
John Lithgow – Love is Strange
David Oyelowo – Selma

Marion Cotillard – The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi – Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton – Only Lovers Left Alive

Riz Ahmed – Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Alfred Molina – Love is Strange
Edward Norton- Birdman
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo – Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz – Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Emma Stone – Birdman

Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski – Big Eyes
J.C. Chandor – A Most Violent Year
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler
Jim Jarmusch – Only Lovers Left Alive
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias – Love is Strange

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Dear White People
Nightcrawler
Obvious Child
She’s Lost Control

Desiree Akhavan – Appropriate Behavior
Sara Colangelo – Little Accidents
Justin Lader – The One I Love
Anja Marquardt – She’s Lost Control
Justin Simien – Dear White People

Darius Khondji – The Immigrant
Emmanuel Lubezki – Birdman
Sean Porter – It Felt Like Love
Lyle Vincent – A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Bradford Young – Selma

Sandra Adair – Boyhood
Tom Cross – Whiplash
John Gilroy- Nightcrawler
Ron Patane – A Most Violent Year
Adam Wingard – The Guest

Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
Mommy
Norte, the End of History
Under the Skin

20,000 Days on Earth
CITIZENFOUR
Stray Dog
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

Blue Ruin – Jeremy Saulnier
It Felt Like Love – Eliza Hittman
Land Ho! – Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens
Man From Reno – Dave Boyle
Test – Chris Mason Johnson

Among the many organizations dolling out awards for the best movies and performances of 2014, The International Online Film Critics’ Poll this morning announced the winners of their biannual awards for excellence in film. These awards, now in their fourth cycle, allow for a comparison between different movie seasons to pick the absolute best of the biennium. The IOFCP was voted on this year by over 100 film critics from USA, UK, Italy, Spain, Canada, France, Mexico, Australia, India, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Estonia, Pakistan, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden.

2014 awards front-runner Boyhood took home the IOFCP’s award for Best Film. The film’s director Richard Linklater and one of its stars, Patricia Arquette, won the votes for Best Director and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

The other movies that won in three categories were The Grand Budapest Hotel (Best Ensemble Cast, Best Production Design and Best Original Score) and Gravity (Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Visual Effects). While The Grand Budapest Hotel was also nominated for Best Film, Gravity was not.

2015 Oscars frontrunners Michael Keaton (Birdman) and JK Simmons (Whiplash) won the votes for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor; however, 2014 Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for her performance in Blue Jasmine.

4th Bi-Annual IOFCP Awards

TOP TEN FILMS (alphabetical list)
12 Years a Slave
Blue is the Warmest Colour
Birdman
Boyhood
Her
Ida
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Great Beauty
The Imitation Game
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST PICTURE
12 Years a Slave
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro González Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Paolo Sorrentino – The Great Beauty
Roman Polanski – Venus in Fur

BEST ACTOR
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mads Mikkelsen – The Hunt
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Adele Exarchopoulos – Blue is the Warmest Colour
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Marion Cotillard – The Immigrant

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Edward Norton – Birdman
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave
Emma Stone – Birdman
Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
June Squibb – Nebraska

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
12 Years a Slave
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman
Boyhood
Calvary
Her
The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 Years a Slave
Gone Girl
Snowpiercer
The Imitation Game
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman
Gravity
Ida
Nebraska
The Great Beauty

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Gravity
Her
Mr. Turner
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game

BEST EDITING
Birdman
Boyhood
Gravity
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Gravity
Her
Interstellar
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Interstellar
Gravity
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Academy finally announced their Oscar nominations for 2015, and they certainly created a lot of controversy. With plenty of surprise nominations (American Sniper?!), snubs (Selma), and surprises (Marion Cotillard!), there was plenty to like (and plenty more to dislike). On this edition of the Way Too Indiecast, editor-in-chief Dustin Jansick sits down with C.J. Prince to discuss the most interesting and surprising nominees. Topics include what might be the biggest snub of the year (hint: this snub was definitely the opposite of awesome), why people love nominating Meryl Streep for everything, a strange choice in Best Director, the success of The Grand Budapest Hotel and more.

Topics

• 2015 Oscar Nominations (0:35)
• Biggest Snubs (13:15)
• Best Foreign Films (18:30)
• Grand Budapest Hotel (24:25)

WTI Articles Referenced in the Podcast

2015 Oscar Nominations List

American Sniper Review

Selma Review

Into the Woods Review

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Like them or not, the 2015 Oscar nominations are in.

Snubbing seems to happen every year, apparent front-runners don’t receive nominations and the list of nominations are questioned. No The Lego Movie in Best Animated Film. No Life Itself or The Overnighters in Best Documentary Feature. Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo walk away empty-handed. Gone Girl left out of Best Picture, Best Director, and (strangest of all) Best Adapted Screenplay. Foxcatcher has good enough direction, acting and screenplay, but not good enough for a Best Picture nomination.

Sometimes the list of snubs can shine a light on a great year, which by all means 2014 was (or at the very least, 2014 was better than people think). We all knew that categories like Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, etc. were going to be tight races, so it’s too easy for one of our favorites to just miss the cut (like Jake Gyllenhaal).

Shifting to a positive note, Way Too Indie favorites Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel led the nominations with nine each. Boyhood received six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and both supporting acting categories. Despite its snubs in all the other major categories, Selma was recognized with a Best Picture nomination. Ida, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, also received a nomination for its stunning black-and-white cinematography. While we expected to see Force Majeure and Two Days, One Night on the list for Best Foreign Language Film, we’re equally happy to have Wild Tales and Leviathan. Meanwhile, Whiplash hauled in a whopping six nominations including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

Finally, American Sniper, a film that didn’t seem to have much buzz, received six nominations. And somehow the dismal Angelina Jolie film Unbroken wound up with three nominations. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Full list of 2015 Oscar Nominations

BEST PICTURE
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Ida – Poland
Leviathan – Russia
Tangerines – Estonia
Timbuktu – Mauritania
Wild Tales – Argentina

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
CitizenFour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Everything Is Awesome” – The Lego Movie
“Glory” – Selma
“Grateful” – Beyond the Lights
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” – Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
“Lost Stars” – Begin Again

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Mr. Turner
Unbroken

BEST EDITING
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past

BEST SOUND EDITING
American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

BEST SOUND MIXING
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper (La Parka)
White Earth

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

So our first big awards ceremony of the season has now come and gone. In their third and final turn hosting, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler owned the opening monologue with some direct, honest, brave and spot-on hilarious jokes. Their were upsets (and quite a few instances where we didn’t predict the winners correctly) but here are our reactions to this year’s Golden Globe Awards.

Ananda Dillon

So there are plenty of things I didn’t call, let’s start there. The Grand Budapest Hotel taking home Comedy or Musical. I guess the only explanation I can think of there is that Birdman hardly fit the category anyway, though it was definitely the one we were expecting to hear called and that I was personally rooting for. There were the long shots I was hoping for, most specifically my call for Rosamund Pike for Actress in a Drama and Emma Stone for Supporting Actress. I knew they weren’t likely and am incredibly happy for Julianne Moore and Patricia Arquette so no hard feelings. All the other actor awards I called spot on. So I guess I can gloat about that. I had hoped the HFPA would get a little wacky with the women’s categories, but they went for the more obvious calls.

Obviously I wasn’t surprised by Richard Linklater‘s win for Best Director, nor Boyhood’s major take home as Best Drama, and while we were dead wrong about Best Screenplay it made me incredibly happy to see Alejandro G. Iñárritu up on stage accepting an award. We were also wrong when it came to the musical categories, but understand that the HFPA decided to be a bit more standard in those choices as well. We were also off with our choices for Foreign Language film and am a bit surprised they went with Leviathan over Ida, or even my backup vote of Force Majeure. Just makes it hard to predict where the Oscars might go. But the one category that I absolutely am flabbergasted by is the HFPA’s choice of How to Train Your Dragon 2 for Best Animated Film over the amazing and incomparable The Lego Movie. I’ve never had strong feelings about an animated film before and I’m truly despondent over their decision. Whatever, I expect the Academy to get it right.

I will say I thought Amy and Tina killed it, delivering jokes that were both daring and hilarious. Their jokes regarding Bill Cosby were of course the more triggering but they went next level delivering their best Cosby impressions, which before this whole scandal was everyone’s favorite way of poking fun at Cosby. It was absolutely meta and the best way to truly express the way humor allows us to showcase that no one deserves safety when using humor to cope with tragedy. Their jab at George Clooney and his more accomplished wife was pitch perfect in calling out Hollywood’s tendency to lose perspective, and the joke that Selma “totally worked and now everything is fine” was delivered perfectly by Tina Fey, casting a great light on unreasonable expectations for films of its ilk while also impressing that this isn’t the sort of conversation that should ever really end.

As for TV, once again the HFPA gets premature and gives too much love to first-season shows rather than reward the ones that have gotten stronger (a difficult feat these days) but if it gets more people to watch Transparent, fine by me. All in all, it was a fun evening, if a somewhat confusing one, and whether we can use much in the way of predictions for next Thursday’s Oscar nominations announcement seems unlikely.

C.J. Prince

Well, I guess I can’t say it was a particularly safe night, so that’s a positive. Tina and Amy were great, even though they were only on for a brief time after their monologue. But for the second year in the row they pull off a great George Clooney burn, and probably did the first funny Bill Cosby joke since that whole scandal broke out (there’s no point tiptoeing around it, so good for them for getting as tasteless as possible for network broadcast). But this is an awards show, so I guess I should talk about those…

I have to mention something about the TV awards first. In typical HFPA fashion, the awards went to freshmen shows instead of old favorites (remember Brooklyn Nine-Nine winning last year?). Sometimes that can lead to weird choices (how many people scratched their heads at Jane the Virgin winning Best Actress?), but other times an awesome show like Transparent ends up winning Best Comedy and Best Actor. So this is me saying that Transparent is an incredible show that deserves its awards, and if you haven’t seen it yet please do so immediately. So that’s that about TV.

Going back to the predictions Ananda and I made a few days ago, we wound up splitting on the acting awards. I was right about Julianne Moore, she was right about Eddie Redmayne. Apparently the HFPA love it when actors play people with horrible diseases. Don’t be surprised if Jennifer Aniston winds up playing a genius with ALS next year that discovers she has Alzheimers. We both wound up being right about Michael Keaton and Amy Adams in the comedy acting awards, but those seemed like obvious ones. What really took me by surprise (along with everyone else, I’m sure) is The Grand Budapest Hotel winning over Birdman. While I don’t love Wes Anderson’s latest film (I think it’s a pretty enjoyable trifle), I’m so happy it won over the annoying, unfunny Birdman. And hey, Wes Anderson just officially became a contender (I think?). HFPA also got the supporting actor/actress awards right, so good for them. Very happy Patricia Arquette won, and J.K. Simmons deserves every award under the sun for Whiplash. Some awards didn’t interest me in the slightest (I know my prediction was wrong about Best Score, but I don’t care about that category whatsoever), so I’ll just mention some notable wins and/or losses: Leviathan taking Best Foreign Film over Ida was great, and it gives me hope that Ida won’t get that Oscar so easily. I haven’t seen The Theory of Everything, but I’m bummed Oyelowo didn’t win for Selma. Ditto for Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler. And The Lego Movie losing Best Animated might have been my biggest disappointment because it totally deserved it.

So all in all, a little more interesting than usual I guess. I’m sad to see Tina and Amy go as hosts, and I’m sure the HFPA will have a hard time picking a suitable replacement. And, oh yeah, Boyhood. Well I’m not surprised it won. You might have seen my thoughts on Boyhood already. I say good for Linklater, because he’s always been a great director. I just wish all of these trophies went to a different, better film by him, like Bernie or any of the Before films or hell, even School of Rock. After tonight, I think that the big Oscar for Best Picture is Boyhood‘s to lose at this point. What’ll be interesting is seeing what other films will end up getting nominated with it.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has released their nominations for this year’s awards, the 68th annual, airing February 8th. Releasing just a few days before the Golden Globes air and a week before Oscar nominations come out, our British comrades made a few interesting decisions deciding to favor the lighter fare over the heavier. A stark contrast to last year where Gravity led the pack with 11 nominations, this year it’s Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel with the same amount.

The BAFTAs are now considered a safer bet when making Oscar predictions, then say the Golden Globes, so we’ll see if this list is a preview of what we can expect to see next Thursday. Look for our BAFTA predictions closer to the ceremony and our Oscar coverage begins next week with the nominations.

2015 BAFTA Nominations

BEST FILM
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
’71
The Imitation Game
Paddington
Pride
The Theory of Everything
Under The Skin

DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Damian Chazelle – Whiplash
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
James Marsh – The Theory of Everything

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, Armando Bo
Boyhood – Richard Linklater
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson
Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy
Whiplash – Damien Chazelle

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Sniper – Jason Hall
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
The Imitation Game – Graham Moore
Paddington – Paul King
The Theory of Everything – Anthony McCarten

LEADING ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

LEADING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – Big Eyes
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
JK Simmons – Whiplash

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Rene Russo – Nightcrawler
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Imelda Staunton – Pride
Emma Stone – Birdman

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Ida
Leviathan
The Lunchbox
Trash
Two Days, One Night

DOCUMENTARY
20 Feet from Stardom
20,000 Days on Earth
Citizenfour
Finding Vivian Maier
Virunga

ANIMATED FILM
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman – Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Robert Yeoman
Ida – Lukasz Zal, Ryszard Lenczewski
Interstellar – Hoyte van Hoytema
Mr. Turner – Dick Pope

EDITING
(Due to a tie in voting in this category, there are six nominations)
Birdman – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Barney Pilling
The Imitation Game – William Goldenberg
Nightcrawler – John Gilroy
The Theory of Everything – Jinx Godfrey
Whiplash – Tom Cross

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Elaine Constantine (writer/director Northern Soul)
Gregory Burke, Yann Demange (writer and director ’71)
Hong Khaou (writer/director Lilting)
Paul Katis, Andrew De Lotbiniere (director/producer and producer Kajaki: The True Story)
Stephen Beresford, David Livingstone (writer and producer Pride)

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Big Eyes – Rick Heinrichs, Shane Vieau
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
The Imitation Game – Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
Interstellar – Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
Mr. Turner – Suzie Davies, Charlotte Watts

COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything

MAKE UP & HAIR
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Frances Hannon
Guardians of the Galaxy – Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou, David White
Into the Woods – Peter Swords King, J Roy Helland
Mr. Turner – Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener
The Theory of Everything – Jan Sewell

ORIGINAL MUSIC
Birdman – Antonio Sanchez
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat
Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
The Theory of Everything – Johann Johannsson
Under the Skin – Mica Levi

SOUND
American Sniper – Walt Martin, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
Birdman – Thomas Varga, Martin Hernandez, Aaron Glascock, Jon Taylor, Frank A Montaño
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wayne Lemmer, Christopher Scarabosio, Pawel Wdowczak
The Imitation Game – John Midgley, Lee Walpole, Stuart Hilliker, Martin Jensen
Whiplash – Thomas Curley, Ben Wilkins, Craig Mann

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Erik Winquist, Daniel Barrett
Guardians of the Galaxy – Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R Christopher White
Interstellar – Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley
X-Men: Days of Future Past – Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Tim Crosbie, Cameron Waldbauer

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
The Bigger Picture – Chris Hees, Daisy Jacobs, Jennifer Majka
Monkey Love Experiments – Ainslie Henderson, Cam Fraser, Will Anderson
My Dad – Marcus Armitage

BRITISH SHORT FILM
Boogaloo and Graham – Brian J Falconer, Michael Lennox, Ronan Blaney
Emotional Fusebox – Michael Berliner, Rachel Tunnard
The Karman Line – Campbell Beaton, Dawn King, Tiernan Hanby, Oscar Sharp
Slap – Islay Bell-Webb, Michelangelo Fano, Nick Rowland
Three Brothers – Aleem Khan, Matthieu de Braconier, Stephanie Paeplow

RISING STAR AWARD
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Jack O’Connell
Margot Robbie
Miles Teller
Shailene Woodley

This Sunday the 11th at 8pm ET we’ll be gluing our eyeballs to NBC ready for the real action of awards season to finally begin. With Amy Poehler and Tina Fey hosting, and the ever plentiful booze flowing, we imagine this year’s Golden Globe Awards should provide plenty of entertainment. And since the Golden Globes are unique in the crazy amount of categories they fill, the competition is plenty fierce.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association tends to shake things up a bit (I mean who are they really anyway?) and Hollywood never fails to come out to pat themselves on the back. But honestly, the Globes are a great way to start getting Oscar predictions queued up (nominations are out next Thursday the 15th.) So since these awards are really just to spark discussion and squabbling, fellow staff writer CJ Prince and I lay out our predictions.

Other than Fey and Poehler undoubtedly dousing us with comedy gold, what do you expect will happen Sunday night? Let us know in the comments.

Our 2015 Golden Globe Predictions:

Best Motion Picture – Drama

CJ: Boyhood
Because: The current narrative of awards season has the race coming down to Boyhood and Birdman. Thanks to the Golden Globes splitting Drama and Musical/Comedy, Boyhood has no competition in this category. It’s Boyhood’s to lose (I wouldn’t mind Selma taking the gold, though).

Ananda: Boyhood
Because: Months later I still remember my initial impression of Boyhood, and while I have strong love for Foxcatcher, I don’t see it appealing as universally. This one’s a no-brainer.

All nominees: Boyhood, Selma, The Imitation Game, Foxcatcher, The Theory of Everything

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

CJ: Birdman
Because: I’d honestly prefer Grand Budapest to take this, but Birdman has it locked. Without Boyhood in the category, and with no real buzzy films competing, this one’s a no-brainer.

Ananda: Birdman
Because: All of these movies are awesome, and to be honest I think Birdman is a stretch in this category although it has very hilarious moments, but mostly I think it stands out because it’s not 100% comedy, though that may be an unfair advantage.

All nominees: Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, St. Vincent, Into the Woods, Pride

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

CJ: Benedict Cumberbatch
Because: Harvey Weinstein. He knows how to push a movie to voters, and he’s gotta take something home. My bet is he’ll convince HFPA voters to give this to Cumberbatch because it’s a respectable pick. If Oyelowo gets it I’ll be happy, and if Gyllenhaal gets it my whole night will be made. But for now my bets are on Cumberbatch.

Ananda: Eddie Redmayne
Because: Interesting to note all but one of these performances is based on a real-life person. And in a perfect world I’d say Steve Carell hands down, and Gyllenhaal would be awesome, but Redmayne just had the more overt transformation with his role.

All nominees: Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), David Oyelowo (Selma)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

CJ: Julianne Moore
Because: She’s been racking up every award under the sun, and honestly it’s time. Give Julianne the damn award already. Plus, if anyone wants to join I’ll be holding a prayer ceremony on Sunday night where I pray for Jennifer Aniston to go home empty-handed. Sorry Jennifer, but that’s a campaign, not a performance.

Ananda: Rosamund Pike
Because: I may be reaching a bit, but based on Cate Blanchett’s win last year I just think Pike’s twisty cerebral performance has a chance over Moore’s more obvious dramatic turn.

All nominees: Jennifer Aniston (Cake), Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Reese Witherspoon (Wild), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

CJ: Michael Keaton
Because: After the completion of the McConaissance, we’ve all been itchy for another actor to make their triumphant return to the A-list. And with Keaton doing a great job in Birdman, it’s all a matter of time before the Keatonaissance begins! Personally I would give this one to Ralph Fiennes, but Fiennesaissance doesn’t have a nice ring to it (not that he needs a renaissance, he’s always been awesome).

Ananda: Michael Keaton
Because: Birdman was my favorite movie of the year and it had much to do with how brilliant Keaton was. No competition in my eyes, though he’s among great company.

All nominees: Michael Keaton (Birdman), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Christoph Waltz (Big Eyes), Bill Murray (St. Vincent), Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

CJ: Amy Adams
Because: I’ve only seen Maps to the Stars in this category, so I’m blindly guessing Amy Adams because she’s a great actress and has been getting plenty of praise for her role in Bright Eyes.

Ananda: Amy Adams
Because: I don’t even necessarily think this is Adams most award-worthy performance, but considering the competition it’s all hers.

All nominees: Amy Adams (Big Eyes), Emily Blunt (Into the Woods), Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars), Helen Mirren (The Hundred-Foot Journey), Quvenzhané Wallis (Annie)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

CJ: J.K. Simmons
Because: See Whiplash. Seriously, I don’t need to explain it. If you’ve seen it, you know exactly why I picked Simmons. If you haven’t seen it, fix that problem immediately.

Ananda: J.K. Simmons
Because: I can say awesome things about everyone nominated, but nobody freaked me out more than Simmons as the nazi-like music teacher from hell.

All nominees: Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Robert Duvall (The Judge), Edward Norton (Birdman)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

CJ: Meryl Streep
Because: Personally rooting for Patricia Arquette here, but awards shows handing statues to Meryl Streep is about as boring and predictable as the roles Meryl Streep chooses to play.

Ananda: Emma Stone
Because: Since no one has a problem writing a great supporting role for a female (if only lead roles were the same), this category should have at least five more names in it (Laura Dern? Rene Russo?). But from what we’ve got I’m going out on a limb and thinking they’ll stick with what they did last year with J-Law and push the young blood forward.

All nominees: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game), Emma Stone (Birdman), Meryl Streep (Into the Woods), Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)

Best Director – Motion Picture

CJ: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Because: This was the toughest category for me to make a decision on because it comes down to Birdman or Boyhood. Ultimately I figured the HFPA would give it to Iñárritu because it’s the kind of direction that calls attention to itself. Usually awards like this tend to go to the most direction, not the best.

Ananda: Richard Linklater
Because: Also a tough call in terms of my own affection for all of these director’s work this past year, but Linklater spent 12 years on his film and that kind of perseverance deserves respect.

All nominees: Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Ava DuVernay (Selma), David Fincher (Gone Girl), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

CJ: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Because: Much like Spike Jonze winning for Her, or Quentin Tarantino winning for Django Unchained, Best Screenplay goes to the kind of film where the writing really shines. Wes Anderson’s nesting egg structure and quick paced quippy dialogue makes it an easy pick for this award.

Ananda: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Because: It won’t win anything else and it’s a truly great film. Plus, Anderson is really getting his whole layered stories and quirky relationships thing down to an art.

All nominees: Boyhood, Birdman, Gone Girl, The Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

CJ: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (Yellow Flicker Beat)
Because: I figured one of the white pop girls would win, and Lorde seems to be more popular now (the honest truth: I’ve only heard this song out of the bunch).

Ananda: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (Yellow Flicker Beat)
Because: I’ve been rocking out to this on the radio for months so…

All nominees: Big Eyes: Lana Del Ray (Big Eyes); Selma: John Legend, Common (Glory); Noah: Patty Smith, Lenny Kaye (Mercy Is); Annie: Sia (Opportunity); The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1: Lorde (Yellow Flicker Beat)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

CJ: Gone Girl: Trent Reznor
Because: It’s a great score, and Reznor has earned himself a great reputation as a composer since collaborating with Fincher. I considered putting Birdman here (and won’t be shocked if it wins), but part of me feels like some people might be turned off by the nonstop percussion.

Ananda: Birdman: Antonio Sanchez
Because: I loved all the music listed below, but Sanchez’s sporadic and pulsating drums were one of the most noticeable (in a good way) soundtracks I’ve ever encountered.

All nominees: The Imitation Game: Alexandre Desplat, The Theory of Everything: Jóhann Jóhannsson, Gone Girl: Trent Reznor, Birdman: Antonio Sanchez, Interstellar: Hans Zimmer

Best Animated Film

CJ: The Lego Movie
Because: It’s an animated movie that’s funny without pandering, and it has an incredible, universal message. And I’m sick of Disney. They’re a meat factory.

Ananda: The Lego Movie
Because: Well duh. It’s beyond clever to watch and to look at it, but it also embodied the very message it was spouting to: think outside the box and forget the supposed instruction manuals of life.

All nominees: The Book of Life, The Boxtrolls, Big Hero 6, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Lego Movie

Best Foreign Language Film

CJ: Ida
Because: Middlebrow Holocaust movie from Europe that strikes the perfect balance of arty without being too arty? Ida easily wins the Foreign Language Film jackpot. Just another statue for the mantle until it takes home the Oscar.

Ananda: Ida
Because: A difficult decision for sure, but damn if if Ida isn’t both pretty and universally appealing.

All nominees: Ida, Leviathan, Force Majeure, Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, Tangerines

We’re only predicting movie nominations this year, but if you want to make your own guesses on the TV categories or have a full list of the nominations on hand for the live broadcast, here’s a complete list of the nominations. And if you can’t watch, or someone talks over a winner announcement, we’ll be live updating the winners as they are announced.

I’m certainly not the first to admit 2014 wasn’t a ground-breaking year for cinema—Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter conceded it was “far from a great year,” Robbie Collin at The Telegraph declared it “a relatively placid year,” and Dana Stevens of Slate confessed it had “been kind of a rough year.” And I’m sure I won’t be the last to say 2014 wasn’t phenomenal. But that doesn’t mean it was a horrible year for movies. In fact, our overall favorite film of the year, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, wasn’t just the best film of the year—it’s one of the best film of the past five years—at least in the humble opinion of this writer. So if it wasn’t such a poor year, why do many critics insist on calling it one? It might have something to do with release dates.

Movie studios spend a lot of time figuring out when they should release their film. And there’s a lot of different factors at play in this decision. The most important consideration is what kind of film they’re promoting. Summer months are for blockbuster movies like the latest Michael Bay film or the latest reboot of a comic book franchise. If a studio believes they have a flop on their hands they’ll screen it in what’s called the “dump months,” time periods which follow high attendance months when commercially promising movies are released. The dumping grounds are typically in the months of January/February and August/September. Now when a studio knows (or at least thinks) they have a critical hit, they’ll save it for an award season push sometime between October and December. There are outliers of course, but the movie industry has been around for a long time and have this strategy pretty much ironed out.

The Huffington Post recently did a study which found 77% of Oscar Best Picture winners were released between October and December, the three months before the Academy releases their list of Oscar nominations. Which makes perfect sense when you think about it. Films that remain fresh in the memories of voting members would logically increase their chances of being nominated. Studios are aware of our short-term memories and seize the opportunity by spending large amounts of money for an Oscar campaign.

The same basic principles of short-term memory applies to critics and moviegoers too. Our perception of an entire year’s worth of movies could easily be effected by the movies at the end of the year. Which might explain why 2013 felt like a speculator year for movies. Last year was stacked with good Oscar season releases, resulting in an exciting Oscar race led by two films which were released in October; 12 Years A Slave and Gravity. In fact, not a single film in last year’s Best Picture category was released before October. While it’s still too early to make definitive predictions for this year’s Oscars, since nominations haven’t even been announced yet, Boyhood seems to be the front-runner; a film that received the dreaded August wide release date.

Ellar Coltrane growing up in Boyhood

Boyhood is not alone. On our list of the 20 Best Films of 2014, 10 of those films were released before October. That means exactly half of our favorite films of the year were outside that favorable award season release zone. And most of them weren’t even close. All but one of those 10 films were released in June or even earlier.

Furthermore, several of our year-end favorites defied all odds by screening in the first few months of 2014. Specifically, The LEGO Movie which won over audiences all the way back in February and The Grand Budapest Hotel back in March, yet still found their way on Metacritic’s Top 20 list at the end of the year. Other great films including Under the Skin, Blue Ruin, Only Lovers Left Alive, and Oculus reached audiences as early as April. It’s impossible to predict what the impact would’ve been if these films waited for an October release instead, but they’d have better odds of landing higher on year-end lists.

Late season standouts this year included Alejandro González Iñárritu’s dazzling Birdman, Dan Gilroy’s creepy Nightcrawler, David Fincher’s murder mystery Gone Girl, Damien Chazelle’s brutal Whiplash, and Ava DuVernay’s vital Selma. But aside from Birdman, it was rare to find any of those picked as the Best Film of the year. There were several major studio films like Fury, The Theory of Everything, Interstellar, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and The Imitation Game which didn’t meet expectations and only made some Top 10 lists. Not to mention complete duds such as Unbroken, Annie, The Gambler, and Exodus: Gods and Kings. Even critic favorite Paul Thomas Anderson failed to crack most Top 10’s with his highly anticipated, but ultimately perplexing, Inherent Vice.

So what does all of this mean? Perhaps the batch of underwhelming movies towards the end of the year, combined with the excellent but distance memory of the first half, altered people’s overall impression of 2014 in terms of its movies. Maybe 2014 wasn’t such a downer year after all, and it was just more front-loaded than we’re used to. So if the year’s releases had been reversed, the discussion might just have been about how strong 2014 was for movies.

Not everyone likes the terms “overrated” and “underrated,” and it’s easy to understand why. For some, the words aren’t so much about the films they are applied to as much as a commentary on people’s opinions, and that direct line of attack on the majority can seem a little arrogant. But on the flip side, it’s hard to find two better words that describe what it’s like to disagree with the consensus.

And here at Way Too Indie, we have a wide, diverse group of writers. Want proof? Just look at our list of the Best Films of 2014, where we have a feel-good foodie comedy, a 3+ hour Turkish drama and an animated kids’ movie all on the same list. But there are plenty of times where we don’t all agree on the same thing.

This year we decided to give all of our writers an opportunity to vent out their frustrations at some of the films that either got too much love or not enough. We assigned all of our writers with a task: pick one film you find overrated, one you find underrated, and explain your picks. Read on to see the results, and don’t forget that these picks reflect each writer’s individual thoughts, not the site as a whole. Or, to put it a different way: make sure your hate mail goes to the right person.

Way Too Indie’s Most Overrated and Underrated Films of 2014

Dustin Jansick

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Whiplash is Overrated

Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash received overwhelming praise during its festival run and now sits at a whopping 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, creating the perfect storm for overestimation. Especially considering the film is a glorified sports movie that substitutes drum sticks for sporting equipment. And like most sports movies, Whiplash is wholly predictable and light in the story department. Here an aspiring drummer (Miles Teller) wants to join an elite jazz ensemble so badly that he’ll letting nothing—and I mean nothing—stand in his way. He briefly courts a pretty girl only to dump her just as quick, trying to show how little he cares about anything else. Then there’s the ludicrous car wreck scene where he crawls out of the vehicle covered in blood, yet he’s only concerned with getting to the performance on time (and somehow he manages to play!) The saving grace of the film is the fully committed J.K. Simmons as a perfection-demanding band instructor that most drill sergeants would be afraid of. When someone isn’t playing at his precise speed, he stops the show, humiliates the person in front of everyone, and insists the tempo changes. When played faster, it’s too fast. Slower, and it’s too slow. This gets repeated over and over until the point is made frustratingly clear. While it’s true Whiplash is exhilarating at times, as a whole it’s a slightly above average film about pushing people past their limits.

Like Father, Like Son is Underrated

Unlike the film mentioned above, Like Father, Like Son turns an outlandish situation into an unexpectedly profound narrative. Two Japanese families learn their children were switched at birth after six years of raising them as their own. Writer and director Kore-Eda Hirokazu explores the complex debate between nature and nurture without a predetermined right answer, making a case for both sides. Does six years of parenting outweigh genetics? You be the judge. Kore-eda adds to this philosophical dilemma by introducing contrasting social class between the two families: one family has a ton of wealth but lacks affection while the other family lacks financial prosperity yet provides undivided attention to their children. Like Father, Like Son displays expert craftsmanship, delightful performances (especially the adorable six-year-old), and an emotionally stirring narrative. Like all great films, Like Father, Like Son encourages discussion and inspires you to think. For reasons I don’t understand, the buzz generated during its Cannes premiere (has it really been two years?!) quickly faded. It’s a shame because this film deserves more attention.

C.J. Prince

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Boyhood is Overrated

I didn’t particularly care for Boyhood, which left me feeling pretty cold emotionally when I saw it earlier this year. I couldn’t explain my issues with it more succinctly than Fandor’s Kevin B. Lee, who said Boyhood “feels too much like an all-purpose anthem for the coming-of-age experience” and “lacks the intimacy and specificity” of Richard Linklater’s best work. The film never delves too much into its characters’ lives, sketching out details just enough to ensure as many people can relate to it without getting too precise, perhaps out of fear of alienating viewers.

In a way, I can’t blame Linklater for doing it this way; the shooting method probably made it difficult to get too detailed or specific (it could also explain why Linklater largely eschews narrative). But by doing this, Linklater sacrifices the emotional impact of the story for me, and that broadness leads to something bland. Yes, everyone has something they can relate to in Boyhood, and that’s the problem. It’s perfectly content with doing very little, acting as a blank canvas for viewers to project all they want on to it. And a blank canvas can be pretty boring to look at.

Oculus is Underrated

While everyone and their mother believes The Babadook is the best horror film of 2014 (I came very close to making it my overrated pick), I’m going with Mike Flanagan’s Oculus. It’s a horror film with an unconventional villain: a haunted mirror with the ability to mess with people’s heads, making them see things that aren’t really there. The more time one spends around the mirror, the harder it gets to discern between reality and illusion. And what Flanagan does so brilliantly is make his own film feel like it’s under the influence of the mirror, slowly throwing viewers into a headspace where it’s impossible to understand whether or not what’s on screen is actually happening.

It starts when the mirror shows its malevolence to the film’s two protagonists. The editing starts violating expectations, heightening the awareness of elliptical cuts (in other words, you can no longer fill in the blanks between each shot). And then the film’s flashback structure collapses in on itself, suddenly merging past and present into one. By its climax, Oculus reaches a disorienting fever pitch that’s a marvel to behold. Most horror movies have a hard time creating actual characters; Oculus gets inside its characters’ heads with an effectiveness rarely seen in today’s horror films.

Blake Ginithan

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Guardians of the Galaxy is Overrated

Comic book movies are a dime a dozen now a days, thus one only really needs to be good to stand out. Marvel seemingly has a stranglehold on the market at the moment and is releasing anything it can to make money. Guardians of the Galaxy is neither enjoyably good nor enjoyably bad. It’s pure middle of the road boredom. I’d rather watch a gloriously bad movie that shoots for the stars than a film that plays everything by the numbers. Guardians of the Galaxy is a very bland comic book movie that isn’t interesting for a second. It contains not a single exciting character and not a single enjoyable scene. The action scenes fall pretty flat and the choice to use soul and funky pop songs as the soundtrack is a pretty dire, annoyingly distracting decision. Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t bad by any means; Chris Pratt proves that he will be a movie star in no time and director James Gunn shows he can handle a big budget. But Guardians of the Galaxy only shoots for middle ground and never once wants to rise above the crème to become something better.

Edge of Tomorrow is Underrated

I’m convinced the Tom Cruise we see outside of the movies (the one who jumps on couches) has ruined the Tom Cruise we see on the silver screen. It’s unfortunate, because Tom Cruise shows with Edge of Tomorrow that he is far and away the best movie star of all time. Here Cruise turns in one of his best performances not just of the last few years, but possibly of his entire career. It’s easy to dismiss Edge of Tomorrow as a sci-fi knock off of Groundhog Day but it’s so much more than that. The way we see Cruise’s character go from a complete pussy to an ass-kicking soldier throughout the course of this movie is sensational. And who better as his sidekick than Emily Blunt, who proves she can destroy aliens as aptly and easily as Ripley could? We can talk about the weak ending all we want, fine, but to deny everything you see before it is a sin. Edge of Tomorrow is one of the best Hollywood big budget films to be released in some time. It’s fun, grandiose, energetic, loopy, amusing, kinetic, emotional, and pulsating. Edge of Tomorrow was wrongly missed out on during its initial theatrical run.

Ananda Dillon

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It Felt Like Love is Overrated

The great part about the Internet is I don’t need to worry about all of you out there shaking your heads at my opinion on It Felt Like Love. I hear what many of you have said about the film (including quite a few WTI staff; read our review): about how it portrays the difficulties of growing up in this modern age of sexual inundation on youth; about how honest Eliza Hittman’s depiction of crossing the line from girl to woman is conveyed; about its realistic and observational style of filmmaking. I’m sorry, but no. I was a teenage girl and nothing Lila (Gina Piersanti) experiences in this film resonates with any memories I have. I get that she’s a motherless, confused young lady motivated by envy and peer pressure, but her every decision in this film is so awkward it’s painful. Not even as a teenager did I know anyone so utterly unable to pick up on social cues. First she throws herself at a boy who, even as a known player, quite obviously wants nothing to do with her. Then it ends with her throwing herself into the way of molestation. It’s not an honest coming-of-age; it’s a scary look into worst-case-scenario for an oblivious girl being taken advantage of. Adding to the uncomfortable viewing experience is a lack of plot and excruciatingly slow pacing. It seems to me it’s easy to confuse amateur, awkward filmmaking for deliberate depth, and I found this film too uncomfortable to enjoy.

The Signal is Underrated

So it only received middling reviews after its Sundance premier and then limited release this year, and even I decried its more flagrant failings in my review, but despite what you’ve heard I’m here to say The Signal is still worth watching. In part it’s worth a watch only so that later when director William Eubank is off making huge sci-fi films that have us all (finally) buzzing, we’ll be able to say “I’ve appreciated his work since The Signal.” So there are bragging rights involved. But additionally The Signal also proves that a perfect film is near impossible to find, and what Eubank gets right far outweighs what he gets wrong. In fact, it’s less that he gets much wrong; he’s just missing a few key elements… like enough plot points. But let’s be honest; if any genre is guilty of putting form over function, it’s sci-fi. So even though the film decides not to answer all our questions, ultimately what we’re left with is the memory of the film’s stunning visuals. Eubanks got his start as a cinematographer, and The Signal showcases some imagery that would leave Michael Bay drooling. The film manages to be stylistic and artistic while also bombastic and blockbuster-looking, which is no easy feat. And despite plot discrepancies, there is no denying the steady tension he incites with this mystery. The reveals are truly shocking, and so, in some ways, you could argue The Signal is TOO good. It sets itself up so well in the first two-thirds that almost no ending could really satisfy. At least that’s my generous conclusion. But trust me on this, The Signal may be a head-scratcher, but it’s not a waste of time.

Bernard Boo

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The LEGO Movie is Overrated

I must preface this by saying that The LEGO Movie was one of my favorite films of the year, which I understand may come off as a bit, well, confusing, as I’ve chosen to also label it as one of the year’s most overrated films. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s brand of witty, subversive humor speaks to millennials so directly that I understand (and share) all the adoration. But what bothers me about the enthusiasm behind The LEGO Movie is that it seems to come from a place that’s unreasonably dismissive of kids movies. Almost every time I read praise for The LEGO Movie, there’s some line that essentially says it’s “got heart, unlike other dumb kids movies”, which I can’t help but read as ignorant snark. All-ages movies are NOT intrinsically inferior. For every bad kids movie, there’s an equally horrendous rom-com, horror movie, or indie drama (just go to your local indie film festival for proof). Yes, The LEGO Movie is excellent, but excellent kids movies aren’t all that rare. Wreck-it Ralph, whose similarities to The LEGO Movie are innumerable, is just as good, just not edgy enough for cynical bloggers. Consider other kids movies from this year: Big Hero 6 wasn’t “dumbed-down”; The Boxtrolls was incredibly sincere and well-written; How to Train Your Dragon 2 is one of the best movie sequels of the past 5 years. The LEGO Movie was the best of the bunch, but geez…let’s all calm the eff down.

The Better Angels is Underrated

Most of the criticism levied against A.J. Edwards’ The Better Angels, a hypnotic period piece about a young Abraham Lincoln (played by Braydon Denney and referred to in the script as simply, “Abe”), is that it derides too blatantly and too much from the work of its producer, Terrence Malick. There’s fairness to that point, but the comparison seems to cloud the fact that, informing all of the low-angled, heavenly nature shots, there’s a beautiful story of spirituality and family that’s quite good. More importantly, these themes make the Malick-ian imagery entirely appropriate for the story Edwards is trying to tell. Terrific performances from Denney, Diane Kruger, Brit Marling, Jason Clarke, and Wes Bentley give the black and white visuals further richness. No, Edwards doesn’t do Malick better than Malick does Malick, but Malick’s given him the Malick stamp of approval, so if you love Malick like I love Malick (who doesn’t love Malick?), give this arthouse origin story a second (or first) try.

Aaron Pinkston

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Jodorowsky’s Dune is Overrated

Every year is basically a great year for documentary film and 2014 is no exception. The pitch-perfect, clear-eyed portrait of Roger Ebert in Life Itself; the cloudy and pained portrait of a pastor in The Overnighters; the experimental vibrancy of Manakamana; the political nuance of Citizenfour—these (and many other) docs gave us integral and beautiful stories from around the world. Jodorowsky’s Dune is a fine film in itself, but it comes nowhere near the best docs of the year, though it seems many would hold it there. It knocks on two of my biggest cinematic pet peeves—one is basically unavoidable given the film’s story, while the other is completely inexcusable. First, I am always wary about using interviews as a shortcut to verify art, and this film goes there a lot, with talking head after talking head exclaiming how amazing Jodorowsky’s Dune would have been without letting the art speak for itself. Alejandro Jodorowsky is a very compelling figure and his films are among the most bizarre and wonderful ever made. And for some reason Frank Pavich makes a documentary chronicling the tale of the filmmaker’s flawed attempt at bringing the un-filmable novel Dune to the cinema with all the slickness and mainstream vibe that Jodorowsky despises. Sure, watching Jodorowsky ramble on about his worldview is something to see, and the “bringing the team together” section of the film is indeed entertaining, but overall, Jodorowsky’s Dune feels like a lot of wasted potential, much like its source story. Maybe that is what they were going for…

Noah is Underrated

Darren Aronofsky made his biggest movie in 2014, an oft-told tale which manages to feel very personal. Noah has its supporters (who might even outnumber its detractors), but I can’t help but get the feeling that it has already been forgotten. It has basically zero awards buzz, despite Aronofsky’s momentum after his most successful film Black Swan. I can only hope that it bounces back through a strong, loving minority that have championed Aronofsky’s The Fountain, but it probably is slightly too mainstream-feeling for that sort of audience to even give it a chance. Noah, though, is an almost perfect blend of the Hollywood blockbuster and its creator’s vision—it remains a little weird (the stop-motion rock monsters and animated sequences and such) though is probably Aronofsky’s most approachable work. Biblical epics are very hard to bring to the screen without pandering to the religious folks who pay to see them, but Noah balances ideas of the Christian God with atheist philosophies extraordinarily well. I am not a religious person, so I greatly appreciate the filmmaker’s focus on the relevant themes of this story with a naturally questioning tone. For a non-believer, he tells this story with a lot of grace. I was left deeply pondering our impact and place on this world, which is the right effect Noah’s tale should have.

Edward Haynes

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Palo Alto is Overrated

Directed by Gia Coppola, this drifting, meandering, dull film has arguably drawn more praise than it deserves because of the legacy of the Coppola name. Adapted from James Franco’s series of short stories, Palo Alto attempts to weave the lives together of its leads into one coherent piece of storytelling, but ultimately fails. It’s also filled with unlikable characters, who are difficult to relate to and painfully irritating. This would not necessarily be an issue if Palo Alto offered any sort of meaningful insight into youth culture, but you don’t learn anything from this film that couldn’t have been picked up from MTV. One redeeming feature in the film is Emma Roberts’ performance as April, but this is ruined by weak dialogue and an uninspiring performance by James Franco acting alongside her. It’s shot beautifully; Gia’s style is reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s. You can have all the great cinematography in the world, but it won’t save a film with a poor script.

Obvious Child is Underrated

Obvious Child is a film that takes a refreshingly personal and honest approach to abortion. This alone is reason enough for the film to be commended, but just as importantly, Obvious Child puts as much emphasis on being an entertaining, funny and enjoyable film as it does on conveying any political message. This has possibly led to the film receiving less attention come awards season than it might have gotten had it conveyed its pro-choice message more forcefully. Yet its subtlety and reluctance to judge others make it an evocative and poignant film. Obvious Child also deserves praise for creating easily some of the most likeable characters of the year in a romantic comedy. Jenny Slate is brilliant in this film, funny and intelligent, as is Jake Lacey in a role that refreshingly subverts the ‘man-child’ stereotype perpetrated by Judd Apatow films. The need for more sweet and heartfelt romantic comedies like this has never been more apparent considering the cynical phase the genre seems to be in at the moment.

Michael Nazarewycz

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Wild is Overrated

Inspired by actual events, Wild tells the story of Cheryl Strayed, a woman with a troubled past who, in an effort to find herself, embarks on a 1,000-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s important to note that anyone who pulls themselves out of the darkness of addiction is worthy of praise, but as backstories go, Strayed’s is not all that remarkable. There’s no lack of people who’ve partaken in self-destructive behavior after a personal tragedy, and director Jean-Marc Vallée does nothing to indicate why Strayed’s story is more deserving to be told than anyone else’s … other than that 1,000-mile hike, of course. As for that hike, Vallée may highlight Strayed’s physical challenges–water shortages, backpack weight, bad shoes, etc.–but it is only ever an exercise in list-making. The hike is presented less as a journey and more as a highlight reel of Strayed’s most memorable moments on the trail. With both past and present unremarkable, tying them together is almost impossible, and the result is a random collection of flashbacks shown during oft-unrelated moments along the linear hiking trail. Witherspoon may shine, but her commitment to character is only a distraction.

John Wick is Underrated

To say John Wick is “underrated” is to make something of a relative statement. The film has certainly received praise, but that praise has felt somewhat faint. “John Wick is a great movie … for what it is.” But “for what it is” should be a compliment, not a caveat. In a cinematic action landscape that is overcrowded with men in tights, John Wick, starring the sharply dressed and perfectly stoic Keanu Reeves, is part homage to the action films of the ’80s and part ballet of violence, with every scene meticulously choreographed, blocked, shot, and edited. The excellence of the technical execution is what makes the film work, and all credit belongs to Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. Between them, the first-time co-directors have over 150 stunt-related film credits. This experience gives them the understanding necessary to turn John Wick from just another shoot-em-up to something stylish in design, exhausting in execution, and incredibly satisfying in total. Awards season always brings a lament that comedies don’t get their due. Maybe it’s time to include action films to that list.

Nik Grozdanovic

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We Are The Best! is Overrated

Being derisive about Lukas Moodysson’s raucously titled We Are The Best! — currently standing at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes – might peg me as a self-loathing killjoy, but let me make something clear: I don’t hate it. The moments we spend with Bobo and Klara are filled with insatiable sweetness, which obviously touched a nerve (you’d have to be literally made of stone if you walked away feeling spiteful). But it’s nowhere near as good as critics make it out to be.

By placing it entirely in a 13-year-old world, the film is akin to spending an afternoon with 2 obnoxious pre-teenage girls who are screaming terrible lyrics in your ear and desperately seeking your attention. And it’s funny, because Bobo and Klara hate attention, but Moodysson’s complete imbalance of tone and stubborn insistence to keep the film’s rhythm strumming the same note for the full hour and 40 minutes is so desperate for it, the movie becomes an utterly disjointed experience. It’s as if the girls are directing him, which is fun for the first twenty or so minutes, but then it becomes a movie that feels like it’s directed by a 13-year-old. Yeah, I get it, THESE KIDS ARE SO CUTE, but that’s not enough to keep me interested in their impulsiveness and immaturity, regardless of how much your nauseating cinéma vérité in-your-face camera wants me to. Barkhammar, Grosin, and Liv LeMoyne are the best thing in it so Moodysson clearly knows how to create a freeing atmosphere on set. Too bad his direction smothers this freedom and, by unsubtly using a music genre only most adults can relate to, creates a manipulative and glaringly twee film, which is the complete opposite of punk, creating even more discord. But, yeah, they’re so adorable!

The Rover is Underrated

Premiering at Cannes, the follow-up to David Michôd’s critically acclaimed Animal Kingdom with Guy Pearce and a post-Twilight Robert Pattinson in central roles had most everyone smacking their lips in anticipation. However, the film’s anti-narrative approach to a story set in a post-apocalyptic Australian desert world, and the opaque development of Eric (Pearce) and Rey (Pattinson), left critics feeling, well, very critical. It currently stands at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, but I’m convinced The Rover is headed toward years of re-evaluation with a more sober hindsight on its quiet, gripping, and poetic powers.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way; Pearce and Pattinson (yes, Pattinson) are both exceedingly intense, determined, and unwaveringly subtle in embodying their characters. The kind of performances commanded by quick looks and haunting stillness; they both add layers without speaking a word. Michôd’s bold approach (he must have realized he’d alienate so many people) to have almost no exposition and just let this one simple story (which he developed with Joel Edgerton) of a man wanting his car back in a financially fossilized and Godforsaken world speak for itself. It’s a sign of respect towards the fundamental rule of this craft; showing without telling, so being shot on 35mm film becomes even more symbolic. Natasha Braier’s cinematography also stands out thanks to the format, however, and the film’s colorful supporting characters all weigh in with their own individual ways. Not a perfect film by any stretch, but absolutely more worthy of praise than scorn.

It’s that time of year again when we reflect back on everything we’ve seen in the past 12 months and attempt to make a grand verdict on the best films of 2014. For what it’s worth, 2014 was another strong year for independent film: at least half of our Best 20 Films of 2014 were independently made, and there were dozens more that just missed our list (Stray Dogs, The Guest, Only Lovers Left Alive and Oculus to name a few). It was weak year for blockbusters (though Guardians of the Galaxy was close to making our list) and a relatively quiet year for award season releases (save for a few like Selma and Inherent Vice, which weren’t seen in time by enough of our staff). Our results seem to suggest 2014 was front-loaded, as many of our favorites came out at the beginning of the year, including our top pick, which might not just be the best of this year, but one of the better films we’ve seen in recent years.

For your perusal and discussion, Way Too Indie presents our selections for the top 20 films of 2014.

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2014

#20 – Chef

Give me a movie with succulent shots of a crunchy, gooey grilled cheese sandwich and I’m hooked. Under the tutelage of Roy Choi, Chef writer/director Jon Favreau spent a week in intensive culinary boot camp to ensure his cooking scenes were on point. Many actors have been praised for doing their own death-defying stunts or putting their bodies through drastic weight changes for a role. Not to be overlooked, however, is the risk involved with the mad chopping skills of a true chef. And Favreau really brings it. But his appreciation of the culinary arts isn’t the only thing that shines through in this heartwarming film. Delving into the internal struggles of a man who sold out his unique genius for security, we see a man in need of redefinition, not only of who he is in the kitchen, but in the world. In his process of bottoming out professionally and creatively, and taking on a new venture in food-trucking, he also gets a chance to reconnect with his son. From the colors and flavors of Miami to French Quarter beignets and Austin’s smokehouse brisket, Chef is a gastronomical road trip of discovery that succeeds in capturing the supernatural powers of food. [Scarlet]

#19 – The Double

In 2010, cult comedian Richard Ayoade released his first feature, Submarine, which garnered mostly positive reviews and was a pretty decent directorial début. His follow-up, The Double, is a much darker and more stylish film, a quantum leap for the young filmmaker. The Double is bolstered by Jesse Eisenberg’s superb double performance as all-too-forgettable office lackey Simon James and his ultra-confident alter-ego James Simon, who unexpectedly shows up in Simon’s life to wreak havoc. Taking obvious tones from Brazil, the dystopian office environment is awesomely designed and endlessly funny. It is a horrendous, dingy world, which would undoubtedly be a miserable experience, though it seems to come entirely from Simon’s own worldview – in all, it is one of the best depictions of what it feels like to be a nameless, faceless workingman wishing to be noticed while entirely without the aptitude to stand out. Despite its intense outlook on life and its equally intense Dostoevsky source material, it is superbly shot and edited, with terrific wit, making The Double a strangely breezy, playful experience. [Aaron]

#18 – Foxcatcher

I wouldn’t place the affect of Foxcatcher entirely on Steve Carell’s shoulders (although clearly I’ve already written about the brilliance of his performance), but the profundity of this true-tale balances entirely on what he brings to this film. It could be the depressing, and not particularly exhilarating, tale of a man with any number of mental instabilities performing a heinous crime against an innocent man. Instead—with arresting ensemble collaboration with Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum—Foxcatcher becomes a nuanced look into the various ways we pursue fulfillment. As quiet and slow-paced as the film is, its tension builds as well as it does because the characters’ motivations are ones everyone experiences. Tatum’s Mark Schultz and Carell’s John du Pont, two men born into very different family and societal situations, seek the same thing: a sense of affirmation and respect. It’s what everyone wants in some small way, and the mental extremes both go to in pursuit of them remind us of what we might all be capable of. Bennet Miller has proven his capabilities with a film that never gets in its own way or stumbles over its huge performances. He clearly understands the delicacy of the craft.  [Ananda]

#17 – Two Days, One Night

The Dardenne brothers were bound to work with a famous actor at some point in their career, and in Two Days, One Night their first collaboration with an A-lister proves to be terrific, and for fans, assuaging. The Dardenne’s gritty, no-frills style of storytelling is challenging for any actor to interpret, but Marion Cotillard stuns as a dangerously depressed factory worker who over a weekend must convince her co-workers to forego their bonuses to save her job. Her conversations with her colleagues range from heart-warming, to infuriating, to violent, to uplifting, though they’re all awkward and uncomfortable. Two Days, One Night an exquisite, bite-sized tale that’s as engrossing as it is hyper-relevant to today’s economic landscape. One of the brothers’ best. [Bernard]

#16 – Wild

We’ve already declared Reese Witherspoon’s performance in Wild to be one of the best of the year. It takes, however, quite a collaboration to allow an actor’s skills and talents to be able to come to fruition within a two hour time span. It begins with an incredible story, and it helps that it’s true. Cheryl Strayed’s memoir had already been Number 1 on the New York Times’ Best Seller list for seven weeks straight in 2012. Successfully adapting it into a movie would take skilled screenwriter Nick Hornby and director Jean-Marc Vallee, who directed last year’s Academy Awards’ winners for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in Dallas Buyers Club. Throw in the incredible cinematography of Yves Belanger to capture the beautiful span of nature along the Pacific Crest Trail and I would say we’d have one of the best pictures of the year. The only thing missing might be a heart-wrenching performance by the glorious Laura Dern. But then, they have that too. [Scarlet]

#15 – Nymphomaniac

Lars Von Trier gave an extensive interview recently, confessing that he’s been high and drunk while writing a lot of his screenplays, and that Nymphomaniac was the first screenplay he’d written sober (it took him 18 months). If that’s the case, then he’s proven his talents even while sober because the 4 1/2 hour sex-capade—split into two volumes for release—is an embarrassment of cinematic riches in all shapes, sizes, and vocal groans. It follows Joe’s (Charlotte Gainsbourgh) story of sexual awakening (the Young Joe is played by Stacy Martin, a brilliant first-timer that we signaled out as one of the year’s best performers) as she tells it to the asexual hermit Seligman (Stelan Skarsgard) in Vol. 1. Her story continues into adulthood as a mother and a wife in Vol. 2, where laughs are exchanged for dark decisions and reflections. Nymphomaniac is novelistic in structure, operatic in scale, painterly in design, yet wholly, insatiably, and helplessly cinematic in result. It’s funny, dark, at moments gorgeous, at others repulsive, but never ever dull and always intellectually stimulating. The film packs in everything that’s been interesting and fascinating to von Trier recently, so it’s also—at its core—a look inside the mind of one of the world’s most fascinating and audacious artists. [Nik]

#14 – The Babadook

What makes Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook so terrifying is that long before the monster appears, the film is a study of a single mother’s descent into parental madness. The protagonist is a woman who is not only haunted by the loss of her husband six years prior, but slowly terrorized by the reminder that her six-year-old son is tangentially to blame for that loss. This builds a simmering parental resentment that is as unsettling as it is unnatural. Kent further builds on this by making the child an oppressive force of hyperactive energy and piercing volume, whose singular obsession is his terrorization by a monster that doesn’t (yet) exist. Add sleep deprivation, the weight of a demanding and thankless job, a collection of unsympathetic friends with enviable suburban lives, and absolutely no chance of finding love again anytime soon, and you have a woman on the brink of both implosion and explosion. You have a woman so weak, she is ripe for a good haunting. And a good haunting she gets. [Michael]

#13 – Blue Ruin

Blue Ruin is a rare film. A violent, wholly uncompromising thriller where the stakes of violence are raised with every turn. We see lots of films portraying vengeance but not a lot, if any, that involve a protagonist who is so amateurish at it. The film involves an unknown drifter, Dwight, who seeks retribution on a trashy small town Southern family who wronged his own family years before. Dwight is one of the most flawed anti-heroes in a long time. The best thing about the film is how little information we are given; Blue Ruin is bare bones, giving only the information needed to understand the dilemma. What I love about the film is how it shows the consequences of violence, a rare facet in films these days. Writer/director Jeremy Sauliner tells the story without any fat on its bones. His filmmaking is so focused and acute that the audience is able to feel Dwight’s every wound; emotional and physical. [Blake]

#12 – Mr. Turner

Whilst biopic’s are often awards-bait they are also films that are difficult to get right. They can be—when directed badly—pretentious, dull affairs. Yet with Mr. Turner, Mike Leigh has overcome inherent biopic challenges to produce one of the outstanding films of the year. Lit majestically by cinematographer Bob Pope, many of the film’s scenes echo the breathtaking beauty of Turner’s paintings. Mr. Turner features a standout performance from Timothy Spall, who grunts and wheezes his way into the shoes of the larger than life character. Yet Spall is also supported by brilliant performances from the rest of the cast, particularly Dorothy Atkinson, who puts in a subtle yet moving performance as Turner’s underappreciated housekeeper. Mr. Turner also adeptly manages the balance comedy and drama; Leigh pokes fun at Turner without the film being reduced to a ‘parody’, and equally celebrates the man’s artistic genius without pretentiousness, never losing sight of the very human flaws behind the brilliance. Mr. Turner, is a thought-provoking character study, energetic comedy and a brilliant piece of arthouse filmmaking which may well be Leigh’s best film yet. [Eddy]

#11 – Snowpiercer

Bong Joon-ho’s wickedly entertaining Snowpiercer was the subject of heavy word-of-mouth hype this summer after its distributors, The Weinstein Company, gave the movie a limited late June release before dumping it on VOD in July. At a time when Transformers and Tammy were at the top of the box office, Snowpiercer’s groundswell of support felt less like an indictment of Weinstein’s handling of the film, and more like a plea to get audiences to pay attention to a thrilling, sci-fi/action flick that dared to exhibit originality. Brought to life through Ondrej Nekvasil’s immersive production design, the bizarre world of Snowpiercer features a completely unique setting, brutal action, and a bonkers performance from Tilda Swinton. As Chris Evans’ Curtis battles his way from the back of the train to the front with his multi-ethnic cohorts, each new section brings a fresh set of circumstances and surprises. Finding out what actually goes into the protein blocks, discovering how the society aboard the train indoctrinates its youth, and realizing that even the train’s elite are stuck in a blissfully unaware state of drug addiction (kronol, please!) are all exciting revelations in the absurd and absurdly entertaining Snowpiercer. [Zachary]

#10 – Gone Girl

David Fincher is known for making some of Hollywood’s most intense thrillers throughout his 20-year tenancy in the film capital of the world, but none are more scathing and vicious than his newest film based on Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel. While Gone Girl is, at first, about the disappearance of a small town housewife, it’s really about peeling back the layers a seemingly happy couple upholds to expose the not so greener pastures that exist underneath. And when the media gets involved, Gone Girl narrows the lens on society’s own snap judgements and expectations of people we don’t truly know but have no problem judging. Aided by a scorching script written by Flynn herself, Fincher’s film is led by a duo of virtuoso lead performances in Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. Affleck has hardly, if ever, been better and Pike gives 2014’s best performance – man or woman. Give her the Oscar already. The film isn’t one of Fincher’s best by any means, but is nonetheless a stellar addition to his already impressive canon. [Blake]

#9 – Ida

The brilliance of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida starts with the bleak elegance of its aesthetic: a black-and-white palate presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio that is haunting in its simplicity. It’s the perfect presentation for the film, as it belies the weight of the story, yet sets the proper stage for it. And what a weighty story it is: on the brink of taking her final vows, a novice Catholic nun in 1960s Poland learns she is Jewish. She and her only living relative—an estranged, world-weary aunt with a formidable reputation as a post-war prosecutor—embark on a journey to learn the truth of their family’s past. The two women were strangers just days before, but as the story progresses and truths unfold, they find themselves dependent on each other in ways neither had anticipated. First-timer Agata Trzebuchowska is mesmerizing as the holy ingenue with hypnotic eyes, but it’s the devastating performance Agata Kulesza gives as Aunt Wanda, who begrudgingly plays part parent, pit bull, party gal, and private eye. And she’s not without her own soul-searching, either. Ida rightly earns every accolade and award it receives, as well as its spot on this list. [Michael]

#8 – Winter Sleep

Walking away with this year’s coveted Palme D’Or is pretty much tasting the crème de la crème of film awards (sorry, but not really, Oscars). And yet, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest masterwork Winter Sleep has really loud detractors who call it “lesser Bergman” and deride it for its extensive dialogue scenes and interior shots. Not sure what those people have watched, but there’s simply no other film that will suck you into its world faster and smoother than this opulent Turkish delight. Set in the mountainous regions of Cappadocia, the film follows hotel owner Aydin (Haluk Bilginer) while he purveys the small town as its landlord and kingly lion in winter. The film truly comes alive in the conversations he has with wife Nihal (Melisa Sözen) and sister Necla (Demet Akbag), and the various townsfolk he meets along the way in the course of the film. Humanity is peeled in syllables, and the sins that shackle the human condition surface through jolts and pangs of emotional, subtle, revelations. Critics hail Boyhood as the film that most wholly reflects life in a grander scope, but in this writer’s opinion, that mantle belongs to Winter Sleep, as it digs much deeper towards what truly makes us who we are. [Nik]

#7 – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson can be an acquired taste and is often mocked and celebrated in equal measure. With The Grand Budapest Hotel however, Anderson has created his most accessible film to date. It has all the hallmarks of Wes Anderson (watch our video essay on his unique style); it’s typically kitschy and kooky, with its intricately detailed sets, elaborate costumes and dry sense of humor. Yet the real strength of the film comes from the relationship between hotel concierge Gustav H (Ralph Fiennes) and the lobby boy, Zero (Tony Revolori). This is due to a charming performance from Ralph Fiennes who clearly relishes escaping from the serious dramatic roles he seems to have been too often restricted to over the years. Tony Revolori also gives a terrific performance as Zero, Gustav’s bellboy, with Anderson seeming to have a knack for finding young talented actors and really letting them shine. The warmth in the relationship between these two helps prevent the film from becoming detached from its characters. This makes The Grand Budapest Hotel easily one of the most heartfelt films he has made, enjoyable and accessible even to those outside Anderson’s cult audience. It’s one of the funniest and most charming movies of the year, a feel good film with real class and a supporting cast including Tilda Swinton, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, and long time collaborator Bill Murray all in top form. [Eddy]

#6 – Whiplash

Who knew a movie about jazz drumming would become 2014’s most exhilarating film? Whiplash follows first-year music student Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) as he endures an onslaught of abuse from his jazz instructor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Fletcher firmly believes in the end justifying the means, destroying the hopes and dreams of hundreds of young students if it means pushing one of them to become the next Buddy Rich. What Neiman represents for Fletcher is the opportunity he’s been waiting for: someone willing to swallow his twisted, bullshit philosophy without question.

Writer/director Damien Chazelle does what some would consider the unthinkable: he shows Fletcher’s horrifying methods paying off. But Chazelle also shows the agonizing, dehumanizing costs of getting to that point: shutting out loved ones, removing a social life, and not even caring for your own well-being if it gets in the way of “true greatness.” Yes, the film’s incredible finale depicts Andrew finally getting the approval he desperately seeks, but it’s a Pyrrhic victory. We watch in awe at the skills and primal fury on display, but we also stare in horror at what Andrew has become. [C.J.]

#5 – The LEGO Movie

Are there more pleasantly surprising filmmakers than Phil Lord and Christopher Miller working today? First, they turned a kids book into a cult classic. Then they revamped a 1980s television series at a time when reboots and rehashes were becoming sickening, and made a brilliantly funny and original comedy hit. Should we have ever doubted that these two could make a resonant, beautiful, and hilarious film based entirely on block toys? The LEGO Movie is widely being considered not just the best animated film of the year, but one of the most beloved films of 2014. From an animation standpoint, the film is interesting and beautiful, using the LEGO form beyond its furthest extent. The LEGO Movie features an eclectic group of voice performers, including Will Arnett’s take on the caped crusader, perhaps the best film representation of Batman there has ever been. The filmmaking duo’s sharp satirical wit and unique look at popular culture are on full display, making it one of the year’s best comedies for both kids and adults. But the film also has a lot of heart. Its messages of good teamwork and being yourself don’t feel cheap or dumbed down for a younger audience. Its greatest message, however, is aimed to the older generation who have let rules and stipulations get too involved with their entertainment pursuits. Toys (video games, films, cosplay outfits, etc.) are about creativity and imagination and don’t need to meet anyone else’s plans or expectations. The LEGO Movie wonderfully lives in this spirit. [Aaron]

#4 – Under the Skin

Of all the films on our list, none are as cinematically daring and bizarre as Jonathan Glazer’s sci-fi anomaly, Under the Skin. Scarlett Johansson stars as a predatory being from elsewhere, prowling the streets of Glasgow, using her body to ensnare hapless horny fellows off the street. The performance is divine: her face is stuck in a zombified state throughout the film, but her eyes tell another story, transforming from those of a sharp predator to those of a sick, lost puppy. If Johansson’s career-defining acting wasn’t enough, the film’s score is ethereal and unnerving, and Glazer’s imagery is minimalistic, elegant, and vicious, arguably the highest visual achievement of the year.

Several colleagues I’ve spoken to about Under the Skin didn’t click with the film quite like I did. But one thing they all say, without fail, is that it’s an important film whose artistic value is pretty much unimpeachable. As film lovers we should be staunch evangelists for risk-taking filmmakers like Glazer because, pass or fail, their films help expand the horizons of cinema past what we’re comfortable with or conditioned to accept. And where Johansson’s career goes from here is anybody’s guess, because for a young actress to star in The Avengers and yet still have the hunger to tackle a role like this is what earns the respect of peers, audiences, and critics alike. [Bernard]

#3 – Birdman

How to explain the significance of a film about a washed up actor trying to rebuild his reputation with the seemingly selfish act of creating his own spotlight and walking into it? Hollywood notoriously loves introspective films, but what makes Birdman unique in this regard is that not only does it poke fun of that egotism, and indeed hints at the madness behind it, but director Alejandro G. Iñárritu uses our beloved medium as a weapon, hitting any self-ascribed film enthusiast, actor, stage savant, or critic in the face with the art of it. Birdman contains some of the most impressive camera-work in a film all year, much of it in extended dizzying takes, a feat that also serves to prove the brilliance of the film’s performances as everyone in the film has to be amazing without much editing room help, and all of it is literally underscored by spastic moody jazz drums that provide one of the most inspired scores of the year. It’s a lot. And it’s just enough.

As a former superhero film star and failing father trying to prove his worth, Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson is an insecure, egotistical, surreally magical, and often pathetic creature. And even while laughing at him, or wondering at the level of certifiability to his madness, he’s an engaging and easy to root for loser. And Keaton is just the tip of the acting greatness in the film. There’s Emma Stone as his daughter, reminding Riggan how out of touch he is; Edward Norton’s egomaniacal co-star demeaning his every attempt to be taken seriously; Zach Galifianakis as his tense and pandering best friend, producer and lawyer; Lindsay Duncan as a theatre critic determined to take Riggan down; and a host of others who all bring their A-game. What keeps Birdman from the darker end of the black comedy spectrum is the insinuation that all this madness might just be the key to great art. To which I say, go as mad as you want Iñárritu, it looks pretty damn good. [Ananda]

#2 – Nightcrawler

Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler is a nasty piece of work, and I mean that in the best way possible. Some have described it as a media satire, but that would be missing the forest for the trees. Gilroy sets his sights on the current state of business in America, viciously tearing into and exposing how the country’s late capitalist system thrives on sadism. That message takes the form of Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal in his best performance to date), the kind of person who drinks and regurgitates the corporate Kool-Aid with a grin on his face. Bloom, an unemployed and undereducated man whose go-getter attitude is really a sign of psychosis, discovers the potential for an exciting new business opportunity: capturing the bloody aftermath of crime scenes on camera and selling the footage to morning news outlets. Once he finds a news producer (Rene Russo, also doing amazing work) willing to buy his footage, Bloom begins building an empire on the pain and suffering of others.

Gilroy, making his directorial début, doesn’t hide his anger for one second. In a just world, Louis would get shunned or locked up for his behavior. Instead he’s rewarded, and the more he stomps on ethics and morals, the more successful he becomes. Nightcrawler makes it abundantly clear that this is a state of the nation address rather than a cautionary tale, a world where the moral compass has been replaced by the bottom line. It’s an uncompromising, cynical, darker than dark film, with such strong directing, writing, acting and cinematography (from the great Robert Elswit) it feels like the work of an established master instead of a first-time director. What Nightcrawler makes terrifyingly clear is that, through seeing Bloom’s sociopathic behavior push him up the ladder rather than into the gutter, this isn’t a case of the inmates taking over the asylum; it was always supposed to operate that way. [C.J.]

#1 – Boyhood

Despite all the early award season speculation and dominating year-end lists, there’s seemingly no limit to the amount of praise for the epic 12-year project Boyhood. Few films in the history of cinema have portrayed ordinary life so profoundly as Richard Linklater’s masterpiece. Yet for a film that took over a decade to make and spans nearly three hours, it’s remarkably simple. Boyhood literally observes actor Ellar Coltrane grow up on-screen from his early childhood through his adolescent years. But instead of focusing on pivotal milestones in life—first love, school dances, marriage, etc.—the film is about those moments between those milestones which are equally memorable. Rather than putting up title cards to signal a new year, Boyhood makes effective use of pop culture, technology advances, and haircuts for its transitions in time. These also serve as a nostalgic time capsule for the ’00s. Throughout the years the land-line phone, colorful iMac G3, and Gameboy Advance are naturally phased out by a cell phone, slim laptop, and Xbox 360. While these are all seemingly simple achievements, rarely do filmmakers take such an organic approach the way Linklater does here.

Even though the title implies just a coming-of-age story of a boy, it could have easily been called “Parenthood.” Patricia Arquette experiences the difficulties of raising two kids as a single-parent and it’s heartbreaking to watch her bounce from one abusive relationship to the next. While she’s the glue that holds everything together, frequent Linklater collaborator Ethan Hawke displays the most range as a character. Hawke first shows up as a reckless father who abandoned his children. But by the end he matures into a responsible parent and a caring husband happily remarried. This film demonstrates the process each of us undergoes on a constant basis, the evolution of trying to find ourselves at every age. A decade is a long time to shoot a film, but perhaps it’s the perfect way to capture the way life passes by. Boyhood is a sprawling cinematic achievement that could only come around every 12 years or so, and probably even more rarely than that. [Dustin]

In a minor surprise, the Online Film Critics Society named Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel as the Best Picture of the year. Richard Linklater received Best Director for Boyhood and Birdman received two acting awards.

The Online Film Critics Society is an international body of online film journalists and writers, established in 1997 as an alternative to the more exclusive print journalist societies. We have a couple of staff writers here at Way Too Indie that belong to the OFCS.

See below for the full list of the 18th Annual Online Film Critics Society awards winners:

Best Picture: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Animated Picture: The Lego Movie
Best Film Not in the English Language: Two Days, One Night
Best Documentary: Life Itself
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Actor: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Best Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton, Birdman
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Adapted Screenplay: Gone Girl
Best Editing: Birdman
Best Cinematography: The Grand Budapest Hotel

At an obscenely early ceremony, the Hollywood Foreign Press announced the nominees for the 2015 Golden Globes.

On the film side, Birdman led all nominees with seven – and will surely be helped pull in some awards being in the arguably less competitive “Musical or Comedy” categories. Boyhood and Selma each have five nominations, though they will have to battle each other in the Drama categories.

Because the Golden Globes breaks up lead acting and best film into the two categories, there are few major snubs. In the Best Actor categories, Carell, Cumberbatch, Gyllenhaal, Redmayne, Oyelowo, Keaton and Phoenix all got love, though more than likely two of them won’t be so lucky come Oscar noms, which is shaping up to be a brutally contentious group.

Possibly the biggest snub is no Best Picture for Gone Girl, despite receiving nominations for Best Actress, Director and Screenplay (no adapted/original clarification for the Globes). This may not be a death sentence for an Oscar nom, though, assuming ten nominees, Gone Girl would certainly get more love than a few of the nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Unbroken, however, may have received a bad omen when it comes to the Oscars, as it received zero nominations here.

The Golden Globes takes place on January 11th and will be hosted by a returning Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

2015 Golden Globe Nominations

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Boyhood
Selma
The Imitation Game
Foxcatcher
The Theory of Everything

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
St. Vincent
Into the Woods
Pride

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
David Oyelowo, Selma

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes
Bill Murray, St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars
Helen Mirren, The Hundred-Foot Journey
Quvenzhané Wallis, Annie

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Edward Norton, Birdman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year

Best Director – Motion Picture
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Ava DuVernay, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Boyhood
Birdman
Gone Girl
The Imitation Game
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Big Eyes: Lana Del Ray (Big Eyes)
Selma: John Legend, Common (Glory)
Noah: Patty Smith, Lenny Kaye (Mercy Is)
Annie: Sia (Opportunity)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1: Lorde (Yellow Flicker Beat)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
The Imitation Game: Alexandre Desplat
The Theory of Everything: Jóhann Jóhannsson
Gone Girl: Trent Reznor
Birdman: Antonio Sanchez
Interstellar: Hans Zimmer

Best Animated Film
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
Big Hero 6
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie

Best Foreign Language Film
Ida
Leviathan
Force Majeure
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Tangerines

Television Categories

Best Television Series – Drama
“Downton Abbey”
“The Good Wife”
“House of Cards”
“Game of Thrones”
“The Affair”

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“Girls”
“Orange Is the New Black”
“Transparent”
“Silicon Valley”
“Jane the Virgin”

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“Olive Kitteridge”
“True Detective”
“Fargo”
“The Missing”
The Normal Heart

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”
Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”
James Spader, “The Blacklist”
Dominic West, “The Affair”
Clive Owen, “The Knick”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder”
Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Ruth Wilson, “The Affair”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”
Ricky Gervais, “Derek”
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Louis C.K., “Louie”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Lena Dunham, “Girls”
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Taylor Schilling, “Orange Is the New Black”
Gina Rodriguez, “Jane the Virgin”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Martin Freeman, “Fargo”
Billy Bob Thornton, “Fargo”
Matthew McConaughey, “True Detective”
Woody Harrelson, “True Detective”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Normal Heart”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Honourable Woman”
Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge”
Frances O’Connor, “The Missing”
Allison Tolman, “Fargo”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jon Voight, “Ray Donovan”
Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife”
Bill Murray, “Olive Kitteridge”
Colin Hanks, “Fargo”
Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Allison Janney, “Mom”
Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
Kathy Bates, “American Horror Story”
Michelle Monaghan, “True Detective”
Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey”

While we anxiously await tomorrow’s Golden Globe nominations we can parse through today’s Screen Actor’s Guild announcements to see if there is any indication of how things may stack up. Birdman led with four nominations, including Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Boyhood, Theory of Everything, and Foxcatcher’s actors all got recognition as well.

If the Hollywood Foreign Press focuses on performances, the SAG nominations will be a useful road map. Inherent Vice, American Sniper, and A Most Violent Year are noticeably absent. At any rate we’re excited Jake Gyllenhaal is getting more traction for Nightcrawler, and Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl. Not to mention a big fat huzzah to J.K. Simmons for his role in Whiplash! We do have to wonder if Meryl Streep’s Supporting Actor nomination for Into the Woods has something to do with some secret rule that Meryl Streep must be nominated for something in any given year. Not that we’re sure she’s not wonderful, but seeing her name on these things is as commonplace as punctuation. Also a strange addition to that category is Naomi Watts for her role as a Russian stripper named Daka in St. Vincent alongside Bill Murray. Considering how cookie-cutter her ditzy stripper was, not to mention how distracting her accent was, this is incredibly surprising. Especially with Laura Dern’s amazing performance in Wild and Rene Russo’s turn in Nightcrawler being considerably stronger nomination options. Seriously SAG?

Anyway, look for Way Too Indie’s Best Performances list Monday, Dec. 15 to see our own picks for who wowed us this year.

The SAG Awards will air Sunday, January 25on TNT and TBS, live from the Shrine Auditorium in LA. See here for a more detailed list, along with television award nominations.

Here’s the film-related nominations list:

21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
STEVE CARELL / John du Pont – FOXCATCHER
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH / Alan Turing – THE IMITATION GAME
JAKE GYLLENHAAL / Louis Bloom – NIGHTCRAWLER
MICHAEL KEATON / Riggan – BIRDMAN
EDDIE REDMAYNE / Stephen Hawking – THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
JENNIFER ANISTON / Claire Bennett – CAKE
FELICITY JONES / Jane Hawking – THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
JULIANNE MOORE / Alice Howland-Jones – STILL ALICE
ROSAMUND PIKE / Amy Dunne – GONE GIRL
REESE WITHERSPOON / Cheryl Strayed – WILD

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
ROBERT DUVALL / Joseph Palmer – THE JUDGE
ETHAN HAWKE / Mason, Sr. – BOYHOOD
EDWARD NORTON / Mike – BIRDMAN
MARK RUFFALO / Dave Schultz – FOXCATCHER
J.K. SIMMONS / Fletcher – WHIPLASH

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
PATRICIA ARQUETTE / Olivia – BOYHOOD
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY / Joan Clarke – THE IMITATION GAME
EMMA STONE / Sam – BIRDMAN
MERYL STREEP / The Witch – INTO THE WOODS
NAOMI WATTS / Daka – ST. VINCENT

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
BIRDMAN
BOYHOOD 
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL 
THE IMITATION GAME 
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild 51st Annual Life Achievement Award
DEBBIE REYNOLDS

As Richard Linklater’s Boyhood continues to be praised as we’re approaching end-of-year best-of lists and awards season, IFC Films has released a making of doc to make sure we absolutely don’t forget about its epic production.

The 10-minute featurette, called ‘The Making of Boyhood – 12 Years on Film,’ gives an extensive look into the unique 12-year production with behind-the-scenes footage of Linklater and the core cast. This will likely be the first among many looks behind the curtain (we’re eagerly awaiting the Criterion Collection treatment), so it’s a must-watch for any fan of the film.

Boyhood featurette

With the beginning of December, the New York Film Critics Circle became the first of many critics groups to release their year-end awards earlier today. Top honors went to IFC Films’ Boyhood, which not only claimed Best Picture but saw its director Richard Linklater and one of its stars Patricia Arquette win prizes. Some of the other big winners were worthy albeit more surprising picks, notably Best Actor going to Mr. Turner‘s Timothy Spall and Best Actress to Marion Cotillard for two films, The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night.

While seen by many as the “first precursor” awards to the Oscars, last year’s New York Film Critics Circle winners overwhelming went Oscar-less at that year’s ceremony. Only Cate Blanchett and Steve McQueen prevailed at both ceremonies, while the other 9 NYFCC winners were passed over by the Academy Awards. This year’s crop of winners contains several suspected frontrunners, including Best Supporting Actor winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash). Check out the full list of winners below:

Best Picture: Boyhood
Best Director: Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Best First Film: Jennifer Kent (The Babadook)
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard (for The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night)
Special Award: Adrienne Mancia
Best Actor: Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner)
Best Cinematography: Darius Khondji (The Immigrant)
Best Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Best Nonfiction Film: Citizenfour
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida
Best Animated Film: The Lego Movie

December hasn’t even started yet, and the lists are already starting to come out. Sight & Sound just put out their list of the year’s best films, and it’s quite the mix between awards fare and more out there material. Now you may be asking yourself, “Why are we talking about this list?” Well it’s because Sight & Sound, run by the BFI, is one of the most respected film publications in the world. They’re also responsible for the survey on the greatest films ever made that gets updated once a decade, the gold standard when it comes to all-time lists.

So what’s on this list? First off, it’s based on UK release, so some films like Wolf of Wall Street and The Wind Rises are on the list despite coming out last year in the US. Putting those aside, the top of the list doesn’t come as a surprise with Richard Linklater’s Boyhood at number one. Seeing the number 1 next to Boyhood is going to be a sight we all have to get used to by the end of the year (not that anyone’s complaining, though). After that it’s a range of titles from the more mainstream (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ida, Mr. Turner, Birdman) to the extreme arthouse picks (Jauja, Horse Money, Goodbye to Language). In other words, watching these movies will give you a fair share of the accessible and inaccessible in 2014.

Read the list below, check out our reviews for some of the films by clicking on them, and take a peek over at the Sight & Sound website for more information on the list. And be sure to check out all of Way Too Indie’s year-end coverage coming up throughout December, when we reveal our list of the best films of 2014 at a more reasonable date than the end of November.

Sight & Sound’s Best Films of 2014

1. Boyhood
2. Goodbye to Language 3D
3. (tie) Leviathan
3. (tie) Horse Money
5. Under the Skin
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel
7. Winter Sleep
8. (tie) The Tribe
8. (tie) Ida
8. (tie) Jauja
11. (tie) Mr. Turner
11. (tie) National Gallery
11. (tie) The Wolf of Wall Street
11. (tie) Whiplash
15. The Duke of Burgundy
16. (tie) Birdman
16. (tie) Two Days, One Night
18. (tie) Citizenfour
18. (tie) The Look of Silence
18. (tie) The Wind Rises

It’s starting to feel like Christmas already as the nominations for our favorite awards show, the Film Independent Spirit Awards, were announced moments ago. Leading the pack with a total of six nominations was Alejandro G. Iñárritu‘s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) grabbing nods for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Editing, and three acting categories. Not far behind it was Richard Linklater‘s masterful Boyhood which received a total of five nominations in major categories. Also landing five nominations were Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler, and Ava DuVernay’s Selma.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the absence of Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyer’s Club follow-up Wild, since a lot of people have been talking about Reese Witherspoon’s performance in it. However, the biggest snub this year belongs to The Overnighters for not getting a nod for Best Documentary, as this indie doc is getting some serious Oscar buzz. Also, I had to do a double take when seeing André Benjamin’s name under the Best Actor category, which seems a little out of left-field but also edged out Ellar Coltrane for Boyhood and Oscar Isaac for A Most Violent Year.

Here at Way Too Indie, we were especially happy to see nominations for some smaller films such as A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (which picked up 3 noms and landed on our Must See Indie list), The One I Love, and It Felt Like Love. The 2015 Independent Spirit Awards will broadcast live (new this year) on IFC at 2:00/5:00pm PT/ET on Saturday, February 21, 2015.

Watch For: Our Spirit Award predictions coming soon.

2015 Independent Spirit Award Nominations:

Birdman
Boyhood
Love is Strange
Selma
Whiplash

Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Ava DuVernay – Selma
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
David Zellner – Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski – Big Eyes
J.C. Chandor – A Most Violent Year
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler
Jim Jarmusch – Only Lovers Left Alive
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias – Love is Strange

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Dear White People
Nightcrawler
Obvious Child
She’s Lost Control

Desiree Akhavan – Appropriate Behavior
Sara Colangelo – Little Accidents
Justin Lader – The One I Love
Anja Marquardt – She’s Lost Control
Justin Simien – Dear White People

André Benjamin – Jimi: All Is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton – Birdman
John Lithgow – Love is Strange
David Oyelowo – Selma

Marion Cotillard – The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi – Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton – Only Lovers Left Alive

Riz Ahmed – Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Alfred Molina – Love is Strange
Edward Norton – Birdman
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo – Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz – Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Emma Stone – Birdman

Darius Khondji – The Immigrant
Emmanuel Lubezki – Birdman
Sean Porter – It Felt Like Love
Lyle Vincent – A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Bradford Young – Selma

Sandra Adair – Boyhood
Tom Cross – Whiplash
John Gilroy – Nightcrawler
Ron Patane – A Most Violent Year
Adam Wingard – The Guest

Force Majeure (Sweden)
Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Mommy (Cananda)
Norte, the End of History (Philippines)
Under the Skin (United Kingdom)

20,000 Days on Earth
CITIZENFOUR
Stray Dog
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

Blue Ruin – Jeremy Saulnier
It Felt Like Love – Eliza Hittman
Land Ho! – Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens
Man From Reno – Dave Boyle
Test – Chris Mason Johnson

Foxcatcher

Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

Chad Burris
Elisabeth Holm
Chris Ohlson

Amanda Rose Wilder – Approaching the Elephant
Darius Clark Monroe – Evolution of a Criminal
Dan Krauss – The Kill Team
Sara Dosa – The Last Season

Ana Lily Amirpour – A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia – H.
Chris Eska – The Retrieval

You might be thinking “Already?!” but yes, award season is already starting. Today, New York’s Gotham Independent Film Awards put out their nominees, a list filled with pleasant surprises and some very obvious choices.

Let’s start with the obvious choice: Boyhood. Any indie award would be insane to deny Richard Linklater’s film, possibly the indie event of the year, some love, so Gotham understandably gave it four nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Ethan Hawke), Best Actress (Patricia Arquette) and Breakthrough Actor (Ellar Coltrane). Also unsurprising is Birdman nabbing three nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor (Michael Keaton). Expect to hear even more about Birdman in the months to come.

Because the Gotham Awards are about independent film, that gives some great underrated films and performances the chance for some exposure through a nomination. The biggest surprise might be Under the Skin and Scarlett Johansson scoring nominations for Best Picture and Actress. It’ll be unlikely for Jonathan Glazer’s strange sci-fi to get much love outside of critics’ circles this year, so nominations like these are nice to see. Another great choice by Gotham: Giving Ira Sachs’ wonderful Love is Strange a Best Picture nomination. Sachs’ film, a quietly heartbreaking drama, seems bound to get left out this year once the awards race kicks into high gear (if Best Actor weren’t so competitive this year, John Lithgow and Alfred Molina would have been locks). Any recognition for Love is Strange is a huge plus.

Read on below for the full list of nominees, including the nominees for Breakthrough Director and Actor. For those more interested in the bigger awards, take note of Oscar Isaac’s nomination for A Most Violent Year. The film hasn’t come out yet (it opens AFI Fest next month), so this nomination might be a hint of another shake-up in the coming weeks. And if anyone’s wondering where current Best Actor frontrunner Steve Carrell is, Gotham decided to give Carrell and co-stars Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo a special award for their ensemble performances in Foxcatcher.

The Gotham Independent Film Awards will hold their awards ceremony on December 1st.

Best Feature

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Love Is Strange
Under the Skin

Best Actor

Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood
Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year
Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Miles Teller in Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Actress

Patricia Arquette in Boyhood
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights
Julianne Moore in Still Alice
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin
Mia Wasikowska in Tracks

Best Documentary

Actress
CITIZENFOUR
Life Itself
Manakamana
Point and Shoot

Breakthrough Actor

Riz Ahmed in Nightcrawler
Macon Blair in Blue Ruin
Ellar Coltrane in Boyhood
Joey King in Wish I Was Here
Jenny Slate in Obvious Child
Tessa Thompson in Dear White People

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award

Ana Lily Amirpour for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
James Ward Byrkit for Coherence
Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler
Eliza Hittman for It Felt Like Love
Justin Simien for Dear White People

Summer 2014 is coming to a close, and on episode 2 of The Way Too Indiecast we take a look back at the best and worst movies of the summer as well as look ahead to our most anticipated films of the fall. From indie duds (The Sacrament) to arthouse studs (Boyhood), from mainstream cop-outs (The Expendables 3) to foreign knockouts (Snowpiercer), this summer has given us loads of highs and lows at the movie theater. The upcoming fall schedule boasts a wealth of films to get excited about, including the latest from David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, and Alejandro González Iñárittu. In addition to our summer and fall discussions, Bernard and Ananda go head-to-head in our brand new game, “Synopsis Scramble”.

Topics

• Synopsis Scramble (1:00)
• Best & Worst of Summer 2014 (8:15)
• Fall Preview (27:52)

Please subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave us some feedback. Also, don’t hesitate leave us a comment below if we missed a film that should’ve been included!

With Boyhood, Richard Linklater‘s “12-Year Epic”, gearing up for wide release following its limited opening this past weekend, the indie guru has been on a whirlwind press tour, promoting the film across the country. This past Thursday, the tour found him in San Rafael, California, at the Smith Rafael Film Center, where he participated in an audience Q&A and chatted with some high-profile guests at the after party, all organized by the California Film Institute.

“It had to be one movie that felt all the same, and all you could notice was the people getting older. The film itself had to feel consistent,” Linklater said at the Q&A (moderated by CFI Director of Programming Richard Peterson) when asked how he kept the tone of the film steady over the course of the 12-year production. “People ask me, ‘Did you evolve over the 12 years as a filmmaker?’ and I say, ‘I hope not.’ If I evolved, it was maybe in the other films.”

When asked about how many scenes fell to the cutting room floor, Linklater gave a startling answer, considering the enormity of the production. “There’s very little on the floor. There will never be another version [of the film.] I probably cut out less material, ratio-wise, than most films.” It speaks to his efficiency as a filmmaker, which he touched upon with us in our chat last year about Before Midnight.

Following the Q&A, Linklater moved from the packed theater, booming with applause, to a private room where several of his peers awaited to shower him with praise (and nibble on some tasty treats, of which I may have stolen a few.) In attendance were Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, a film buff and Bay Area musical mainstay, Pixar mastermind Brad Bird, CFI Executive Director Mark Fishkin, and an assortment of industry vets who were universally touched by Mr. Linklater’s sweeping passion project.

Boyhood is picking up some serious momentum, and with luck (and more publicity tours), Linklater and his crew could ride the wave all the way to the Oscars.

With last year’s Before Midnight being clearly one of the best of 2013 (at least in our opinion), it would seem Richard Linklater, whose films can be somewhat hit or miss (Me and Orson Welles was a bit more on the miss side), is reaching some kind of maturation. Like a fine wine. It would be easy to say he peaked in the 90’s and early 2000’s where his youthful film angle seemed perfectly suited for his age, but with Before Midnight, he proved he could grow with his subject matter. So how to classify Boyhood? A film that shows that Linklater can not only mature with his work, but one that required planning ahead for over a decade’s worth of work.

Boyhood was shot over 12 consecutive years with the same actors, an impressive feat in and of itself. Complicated production aside, the film is quite simple. 6-year-old Mason (Ellar Coltrane) lives with his single mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and older sister, Samantha (Lorelie Linklater), in Texas. He goes to school, hangs out with his friends, argues with his sister, and watches his mother bounce from failed relationship to failed relationship. Some years they move. Others their estranged father (Ethan Hawke) bounces into their lives, attempting to assert his place in their lives and his genuine love for them. Nothing especially out of the ordinary happens, the height of the drama being an especially bad marriage situation that Olivia is forced to endure and eventually escape from. Mostly we watch Mason grow up. Looking wide-eyed and too-wise as a child, greasy and awkward in middle school, thoughtful and rebellious in high school. This is an average lower-middle class family — divorced, single-parented, all-American. And somehow at an unholy two hours and forty-five minutes, from a man known to embrace free-form “plot-less” filmmaking, there is never a second of Boyhood that isn’t entirely mesmerizing.

While I can hardly imagine being a 6-year-old and committing to spend a few days of every year until college on a movie, Linklater seems to have gotten incredibly lucky with his cast. Each of them somehow managing to channel their character on demand for each consecutive chapter of their, and their character’s, lives while effectively showcasing the undeniable maturity that comes with one’s personal aging. It’s a film full of absolute honesty because it’s made in a format that embraces reality. When Ethan Hawke shows up for his first visit onscreen as Mason Sr., it’s the younger scragglier version of him we haven’t seen since the late 90’s, and by the time the film closes, in a scene where Mason Sr. explains to his son that no one in life really knows what they are doing, he’s the older, grayer Hawke we saw in Before Midnight. And not a drop of CG.

The most extraordinary and intriguing transformation is that of Ellar Coltrane, who must find it surreal to watch a film that showcases his every bad haircut of adolescence, and those in-between years of baby fat and sudden pubescent shift. Within two scenes his voice goes from high and childish to a deeper adult sound, the sort of brutal realism a film is hardly able to capture in its normal production methods. Aside from how intriguing it is to watch Mason/Ellar age, more extraordinary is Linklater’s ability to capture the molding of his mind and personality. All the musings and thoughts we see running through his head, as though we’re literally watching him learn and grow, even when we’re not privy to what those thoughts are. Linklater, a lover of loquacious films, turns off that impulse in Boyhood and allows Mason’s silences and observations to do all the telling.

Even if Mason’s experiences aren’t exactly mirrored personally with audiences, the literal zeitgeist peppering each scene and giving it so much cultural context will make it impossible not to remember those years, not so long ago, and to feel utterly transported. Moreso than other historical-ish films even, because unlike a documentary, this film has literally captured time. Britney Spears songs, Harry Potter book releases, and political references are all genuinely reflective of the fervor surrounding them in real-time. It’s not a nostalgic remembrance — though it induces nostalgia — instead Boyhood is like watching a home video. It’s a preservation of time wrapped up in an every-man/child’s life story.

As a fascinating study in mixing reality and fiction, Boyhood stands out from say scripted reality shows in that it simply and effectively holds a lens up to the reality inherent in all films. A nuance that perhaps couldn’t be captured in anything less than 12 years, and which, it turns out, is so fascinating it turns an almost 3 hour film about almost nothing into a remarkable piece of art.

Boyhood trailer

Have we ever mentioned how much we love Alamo Drafthouse here at Way Too Indie? This small theater chain from Austin, TX constantly ranks as one of the best theaters in the world. And for good reason. The theater has fixes for all the things you hate about typical movie theatre experiences. In addition to it’s fantastic custom programming before each screening, up-scale food and drink options, and not allowing children in under the age of six, Alamo Drafthouse has a strict no talking/no texting policy. To help educate the audience members on its etiquette policy, Alamo Drafthouse plays hilarious PSA announcements before each film begins. In the past, guests in their videos have ranged from George Romero, Will Ferrell, Nicolas Winding Refn, Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, and Danny DeVito to name a few.

Now Richard Linklater has joined in on the fun as his anticipated film Boyhood hits its theatrical run. With Wilco’s “Hate it Here” song playing in the background, Linklater reveals before getting into his career as a filmmaker he used to be a “paid hitman”. He then demonstrates how to take care of a texter/talker with a straw. The video satirically states, “Please don’t talk or text or someone might stab a straw into your brain”. Watch the video below.

Richard Linklater’s ‘Don’t Talk’ PSA

Watch the Tim League recommends Boyhood video. Purchase a ticket to see Boyhood at a Alamo Drafthouse.

Shot periodically over a 12 year period, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood chronicles the life of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) between the ages of 6 and 18. That kind of scale for one project isn’t exactly unheard of (Linklater’s Before trilogy takes place over 2 decades, and Michael Apted’s Up series has been going on for over 56 years) but the fact that he’s condensed it within one film makes it an unprecedented experience. With that kind of ambition it isn’t unreasonable to expect something monumental in the end, but surprisingly Boyhood emerges as nothing more than a pleasant slice-of-life film.

Aside from some melodramatic moments early on, Linklater keeps things loose as our glimpses into Mason’s life are mostly relaxed or subdued. The aimless, shaggy dog approach both help and hurt the film. The way major events merely pass by everyone might be the most true-to-life aspect of the film (Arquette’s final scene, one of the strongest in the film, addresses this aspect directly), but by the end there’s a distinct, lacking feeling as a result of Linklater’s filmmaking. The film amounts to a nice collection of the kind of naturalistic scenes Linklater excels at, but none of it comes together in a wholly satisfying way. In other words, it’s less than the sum of its parts.

Just don’t take any of this the wrong way. Boyhood is a good film, and the experience of watching its cast age over 2 and a half hours makes for a unique (but not especially remarkable) experience. It’s just that, considering all the effort put into the film (and the fervent response it’s received since premiering at Sundance), “good” feels disappointing in this case.

As the name implies, North by Northeast can be seen as a sort of partner to Austin, TX’s South by Southwest. The festival takes place in Toronto from June 13-22, and will see plenty of bands, comedians, films, artists and more show off their stuff. Like SXSW, NXNE is expanding its horizons beyond music and into film. Up until now the festival only screened films involving music, but in its 20^th year the program has expanded to include non-music related films.

In advance of this year’s festival, we were able to catch 6 films set to play between June 13 and 15 at the gorgeous Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. This is merely a sampling of what’s available, as short films and music videos will also be screening with select titles. By far the most anticipated film in this year’s line-up is Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, which will have its Canadian premiere on June 14^th.

But don’t forget to take a peek at what else is playing at NXNE. And I don’t just mean the films either. There are hundreds of live acts playing the festival, so be sure to spare some time and look at what else is going on at the festival. Read on to see our thoughts on the 6 films playing, along with dates and times. You can find more information, including how to buy passes, at www.nxne.com. If you don’t want to buy a pass, you can buy individual tickets for the films here.

Riot on the Dance Floor

Screens Friday, June 13 at 9:30pm

Riot on the Dance Floor is a documentary about City Gardens, a club in Trenton, NJ that was home to a surprisingly vibrant music scene. Club promoter Randy Now booked a wide variety of acts at the club throughout the 80s and 90s. Bands like Nirvana, Black Flag, R.E.M., Dead Kennedys, Fugazi, Bad Brains, De La Soul and The Ramones are just a few of the bands that played City Gardens over the years. The club was seen by some as a sort of CBGB for suburban kids in New Jersey, and the eclectic bookings by Now (reggae, punk, metal, soul, alternative, etc.) gave the club a legendary status to those who knew it.

Director Steve Tozzi interviews locals, members of bands that played over the years and Now himself to paint a picture of City Gardens as a truly unique, and mostly unheard of piece of music history. Stories of the club helping establish Ween, Butthole Surfers trying to burn down the place, and a notoriously awful show by the band Venom are a few of the more entertaining pieces here. Tozzi constructs a pleasant, nifty documentary, although it might be a little alienating to people without any knowledge of the alternative scene.

For those with some familiarity, watching everyone wax nostalgic about City Gardens from Jello Biafra to Jon Stewart (he was a bartender at City Gardens for several years) is fun to watch. Tozzi gets a little too indulgent, letting his film run close to the 2 hour mark and dedicating too much time to Trenton’s past, but it isn’t long before another crazy anecdote gets the film moving again. And despite all of the focus on the club itself, Tozzi makes sure that Now is the film’s centerpiece. Randy Now may be an unsung hero, but Riot on the Dance Floor makes sure he finally gets his due.

Whoops!

Screens Saturday, June 14 at 12:30pm

Whoops! is pretty nonsensical, but its concept is a fun one. Rose Clements (Elaine Glover) is a caring but clumsy wife and mother of two. Rose is accident prone, but in a very particular way: her mistakes end up inadvertently killing someone. Her first kill happens when she mistakes a man in a parking lot for a stalker trying to attack her. She leaps out and hits him in defense, only to take out one of his eyeballs with her car keys. Rose’s husband Dave (Philip Rowson), fearing how the death will look to the authorities, hides the body. It doesn’t take long before Rose unintentionally kills again, and for the cops to start suspecting the happy couple.

It’s odd how almost all of Rose’s murders happen as a result of her fear of getting attacked by a man. Someone could take it as a kind of commentary on the very real fears women have, and how badly things end up for them when they act on it, but that might be giving Whoops! too much credit. This is primarily a silly, dark comedy, and it’s surprising how much it works. The cast is strong, with Olwen May getting most of the laughs as the hard-headed cop investigating Rose’s killings (also good: Paul Tomblin as one of Dave’s dim-witted co-workers). Dave’s decision to cover up his wife’s crimes is a little far-fetched, along with how May’s character manages to solve the case, but the entire film is so inherently ridiculous it feels silly to complain about implausible behaviour.

Unfortunately Whoops! falls into the usual horror/comedy trap of going for a sentimental climax. This is a film more about getting laughs at Rose and Dave’s deathly incompetence, not about their loving relationship. Still, Whoops! is a gory little romp that, despite its copious amounts of blood, is pretty harmless.

Luck’s Hard – Ron Hawkins and the Do Good Assassins

Screens Saturday, June 14 at 10pm

The winner of the most Canadian film in the NXNE line-up will probably go to this film, a profile of Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Hawkins (probably known most from the band Lowest of the Low) and the new direction he’s taking his solo career: touring with a backing band and recording a double album with them. Directors David Brown and Daniel Williams spend some time on the music, but prefer to profile Hawkins along with the members of The Do Good Assassins.

Fans of Hawkins’ music, seen as a small but fiercely dedicated group in the film, will definitely have a good time with Luck’s Hard. The doc operates more as a puff piece than a serious work, something that would probably work best as a bonus feature on the band’s double album, but for the most part Hawkins and his band get by on their inoffensive charm. Brown and Williams admirably try to expand the scope of their work, using Hawkins as a symbol for a standard DIY indie artist and exploring how these kinds of artists can hack it in today’s music scene. A few choice moments, like the band’s bassist explaining why Toronto is one of the best music scenes in the world, are tailor-made for the NXNE crowd but the film’s appeal will still be limited. If you’re a fan of Hawkins, or interested in his music (some of which you can sample here) Luck’s Hard is worth catching during NXNE.

Well now you’re Here, There’s No Way Back – The Quiet Riot Movie

Screens Sunday, June 15 at 9:45pm

Regina Russell’s film finally answers the question “What would a 110 minute documentary about Quiet Riot be like?” The answer is, somewhat unsurprisingly, a bit of a mixed bag. The first 45 minutes are engaging and thorough, as Russell culls together her own interviews along with archival footage to give a brief history of the 80s rock band’s heyday. Vocalist Kevin Dubrow and drummer Frankie Banali made up the nucleus of the band, as one interview subject puts it, and their album “Metal Health” ushered in the glam metal era. “Metal Health” actually dethroned “Thriller” on the charts, and bands like Poison and Twisted Sister probably wouldn’t have been as successful if Quiet Riot didn’t pave the way for them.

The band’s story ends on a tragic note in 2007 when Dubrow died of a drug overdose, but the doc’s second (and weaker) half dedicates itself to following Banali’s attempts to restart the band with a new vocalist. Banali is clearly resentful of Dubrow’s death, looking at it as an act of selfishness that took away his career, and the doc’s look at Banali’s coping is one of the strongest part of the film, but it’s all too brief. Unfortunately it’s bogged down by an overindulgent runtime and stale touring segments, the kind of material with no appeal to anyone who might not be a fan of the band. Russell also proves to be pretty weak as a director, with several blatantly staged sequences that have more in common with a Bravo reality series than a piece of documentary filmmaking (also of note: a title card at the end reveals Banali and Russell got engaged after she finished filming). Those issues in the second half aside, Russell still crafts a decent “rock doc” any fan of the band or metal music will find fulfilling.

Voice of the Voiceless

Screens Friday, June 13 at 6pm

Give credit where it’s due: Writer/director Maximón Monihan clearly has a strong vision for his debut feature. The Voice of the Voiceless takes the point of view of Olga (Janeva Adena Calderon Zentz), a Central American deaf girl, and the film’s audio mix replicates Olga’s hearing. That means no audible dialogue, just low frequencies and dull thuds for anything especially loud. It’s a bold choice for a first-time filmmaker, but it doesn’t necessarily constitute a successful one.

Olga is lured to New York City under false pretenses of joining a sign language school. In reality, an international crime syndicate tricks her into becoming their slave. Day after day Olga gets on subway trains handing out “I am deaf” cards asking for donations, all of which go to her captors. Monihan spends a considerable chunk of his film repeating Olga’s daily routine to show off its mundane horrors, but this constant repetition does more to induce boredom than emphasize Olga’s horrifically banal routine.

Monihan’s choice to go for a pseudo-silent film is admirable, but the execution is seriously lacking. Eventually subtitles come into the picture, and information is relayed in ways that are either too vague to understand (I had to refer to the film’s official synopsis in order to understand that Olga was lured under the pretense of joining a school) or so blatantly defined it’s hard not to laugh (a box of rat poison saying POISON FOR RATS in massive lettering). The result is a tonal mess, a film that carelessly veers between broad, possibly unintentional comedy and cheap, miserablist drama.

Still, Monihan deserves some credit for trying something so unorthodox with a fact-based drama (Monihan was inspired by an article about a racket similar to the one in the film that went on in NYC for years). Ultimately it’s an interesting but failed experiment.

Lies I Told My Little Sister

Screens Sunday, June 15 at 3pm

Written by a woman in her 60s with no screenwriting experience and directed by a 21 year old NYU student, Lies I Told My Little Sister is one of the more torturous films I’ve had to sit through in a long time. Cory (Lucy Walters) and Jane (Michelle Petterson) are getting over the recent loss of their older sister Sarah (Alicia Minshew) when Jane suggests the entire family go on a weekend getaway to Cape Cod. Jane is an overly protective wife and mother who resents Cory’s free spirited lifestyle working as a nature photographer, so naturally they’re bound to clash once they spend time together. Will Jane and Cory be able to get along? Will everyone learn to move on from their recent tragedy? Will Cory happen to find love during her short getaway? The answer to all of those is yes.

Lies I Told My Little Sister is a twee indie hellscape, the sort of Sundance bottom feeder that feels more like a parody than an attempt at something sincere. Writers Jonathan Weisbrod and Judy White infuse their script with false profundities and metaphors so bad (“The past is the past, and you can’t wear it around your neck like a garlic clove”) even Zach Braff would cringe at them. Every conversation and dramatic moment ends with characters laughing together or hugging because feel-good movies do that, I guess. It’s all meant to be realistic or relatable, when the exact opposite is true. Lies I Told My Little Sister looks like aliens came down to earth and tried to make their own version of a heartwarming family dramedy. I didn’t think there could be a more inhuman film this year than Under the Skin, but here we are.

On the (very minor) plus side, the cinematography and cast are surprisingly good, but that’s kind of it. If you love montages scored with ukulele, glockenspiel and pounding piano riffs sounding like rejected Spoon songs, you might enjoy yourself. For me, the cloying non-stop attempts at ‘snappy dialogue’ and cutesy moments were insufferable. The film ends with Jane’s precocious son gathering his family around a campfire, making them hold hands and say “Om” together. “Are we Buddhists now?” Jane’s husband asks. “No,” Cory says, looking up at the stars. “We’re just alive.”If that doesn’t make you want to claw your face off, Lies I Told My Little Sister might be right up your alley.

Let’s Ruin it With Babies

Screens Sunday, June 15 at 6:30pm

Way Too Indie was able to see Let’s Ruin it With Babies earlier this year at the San Francisco Indiefest. In our review herewe said it was an “über-cute road flick with real drama and savvy, hard-hitting humor.” Be sure to read our review, as well as our interview with director/writer/star Kestrin Pantera.

Other films screening at the festival:

Born to Ruin (screens Saturday, June 14 at 3pm) – This music documentary follows Toronto-based band The Wildlife over 3 months as they record their sophomore album. The doc promises it will “inevitably change the common perception of life in a music studio.”

Boyhood (screens Saturday, June 14 at 6pm) – Do I need to say anything more? Richard Linklater’s coming of age tale is unprecedented in that it filmed its main character’s coming of age in real time; Linklater began shooting in 2002, periodically filming more scenes over the years until finally wrapping in 2013. The film has been a massive hit at Sundance, Berlin and SXSW, and now NXNE is happy to host its Canadian premiere. For those who can’t wait until July, this is your chance to catch one of 2014’s most-anticipated films.

Vann “Piano Man” Walls – The Spirit of R&B (screens Sunday, June 15 at 12:30pm) – Vann “Piano Man” Walls might not be well-known, but his influence sure is. The piano player worked as a musician at Atlantic Records, helping record some of R&B’s biggest songs (including Joe Turner’s “Chains of Love”). The documentary follows Walls’ history in the music business along with the recording of his final album.

Richard Linklater created a coming of age story unlike anything ever done before by remarkably filming the same cast for 12 years in an ambitious project entitled Boyhood. Linklater began filming a six-year-old boy named Mason (played by Ellar Coltrane) in 2002, and over the next 12 years we literally get to see him grow up. Although the film is primarily about life through the eyes of a child, the film is also about parenting, capturing Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as parents struggling to raise a child.

The trailer offers a small taste of how captivating this development process is to watch, see for yourself in the trailer below.

Watch Boyhood trailer

Today, the San Francisco Film Society (and its new executive director Noah Cowan) announced the full lineup for the 57th annual San Francisco International Film Festival, running from April 24-May 8. Consisting of 169 films from 56 countries, the festival looks to present a broad selection of both domestic and world cinema features. 200 filmmakers and special guests are expected to attend.

Opening up the festival will be Hossein Amini’s The Two Faces of January, a Greece-set suspense-thriller starring Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, and Oscar Isaac. Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto will serve as the fest’s Centerpiece Film, while actor Chris Messina’s directorial debut Alex of Venice, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Don Johnson, will wrap up the festival’s 15-day run.

Receiving awards at this year’s festival will be Pixar’s John Lasseter (2014 George Gund Craft III of Cinema Award), Richard Linklater (Founders Directing Award), screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (Kanbar Award), and film historian David Thomson (Mel Novikoff Award), with more to be announced.

Some standouts: Kelly Reichardt’s (Meek’s Cutoff) environmental activist drama Night Moves starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard, looks to be another excellent entry into the acclaimed indie filmmaker’s oeuvre;  The Skeleton Twins, a sibling drama starring SNL favorites Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, who will be in attendance at the fest; Young & Beautiful, a drama from Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool) billed as “a portrait in four seasons and four songs”; and Boyhood, Linklater’s unprecedented coming-of-age story filmed over 12 years.

For the full schedule, check out sffs.org

The San Francisco Film Society will honor Richard Linklater with the 2014 Founder’s Directing Award at the 57th annual San Francisco International Film Festival, which runs from April 24-May 8. Linklater wowed the SFIFF festival goers last year with the excellent Before Midnight and looks to do the same this year with the ambitious Boyhood. His incredible catalogue of films also includes Slacker, Dazed & Confused, Waking Life, Before Sunset/Sunrise, and many more.

For more info, visit sffs.org

From the official press release:

San Francisco, CA — The San Francisco Film Society announced today that filmmaker Richard Linklater will be the recipient of the 2014 Founder’s Directing Award at the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival(April 24 – May 8), honoring the quintessentially American director’s expansive body of work and celebrating the upcoming release Boyhood, his groundbreaking new film. The award will be presented to Linklater at Film Society Awards Night, Thursday May 1 at The Regency Center.

Linklater will also be publicly honored at An Evening with Richard Linklaterat the Castro Theatre, Friday May 2, 7:00 pm. An onstage interview and a selection of clips from his notable directing career will be followed by a screening of Boyhood. Filming over the course of 12 years, Linklater and his cast depict a young man’s journey from a 6-year-old boy to 18-year-old college freshman. The resulting film “has no precedent” according to the Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy. “Never has the long arc of the journey from childhood to college been portrayed as cohesively and convincingly as Richard Linklater has done.”

“Richard Linklater is one of our country’s great creative minds,” said San Francisco Film Society Executive Director Noah Cowan. “His curiosity about cinema’s endless possibilities and his landmark collaborations with many of the world’s most interesting actors mark him as a profound and important force in our medium. It is our great honor to welcome him here to accept the 2014 Founder’s Directing Award.”

One of the most profound and prolific American independent filmmakers of the last 20 years, Richard Linklater first burst onto the scene with his scrappy time capsule of Austin weirdness, Slacker (SFIFF, 1991). Since then Linklater’s work has graced international film festival lineups, helped launch the careers of a number of prominent movie stars (Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey) and garnered multiple Oscar nominations. Boyhood is his 18th feature film.

The Film Society and its year-round programs in exhibition, education and filmmaker services will benefit from the Film Society Awards Night fundraiser honoring Linklater. The star-studded event will also honor the recipients of the Peter J. Owens Award for excellence in acting and the Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting. Honorees in recent years have included Harrison Ford (Owens Award 2013), David Webb Peoples (Kanbar Award 2012), Judy Davis (Owens Award 2012), James Toback (Kanbar Award 2009), Robert Redford (Owens Award 2009) and Robert Towne (Kanbar Award 2007). Victoria Raiser and Todd Traina are co-chairs of this year’s gala.

The Founder’s Directing Award is presented each year to a master of world cinema and is given in memory of Irving M. Levin, visionary founder of the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1957. It is made possible by Irving’s son and current SFFS board member Fred M. Levin and Fred’s wife Nancy Livingston. The award was first bestowed in 1986 on iconic filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, and for many years carried his name.

The award has brought many of the world’s most visionary directors to the San Francisco International Film festival over the years. Previous recipients are Philip Kaufman, USA; Kenneth Branagh, England; Oliver Stone, USA; Walter Salles, Brazil; Francis Ford Coppola, USA; Mike Leigh, England; Spike Lee, USA; Werner Herzog, Germany; Taylor Hackford, USA; Milos Forman, Czechoslovakia/USA; Robert Altman, USA; Warren Beatty, USA; Clint Eastwood, USA; Abbas Kiarostami, Iran; Arturo Ripstein, Mexico; Im Kwon-Taek, Korea; Francesco Rosi, Italy; Arthur Penn, USA; Stanley Donen, USA; Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal; Ousmane Sembène, Senegal; Satyajit Ray, India; Marcel Carné, France; Jirí Menzel, Czechoslovakia; Joseph L. Mankiewicz, USA; Robert Bresson, France; Michael Powell, England; and Akira Kurosawa, Japan.

After last year’s surprise breakout film Short Term 12, many people are wondering if the SXSW Film Festival will premiere another indie sensation. Only time will tell if lightning will strike twice in Austin, but at the very least the festival’s reputation is at an all-time high. With a hefty lineup of 133 feature films, there are plenty of independent films to choose from, but I managed to narrow down ten of my most anticipated films at the 2014 SXSW Film festival.

I will be attending SXSW this year for Way Too Indie, so make sure to check back for coverage and follow us on Twitter for instant updates.

Creep

I am not ashamed to admit that the main reason Creep landed on this list is because Mark Duplass is listed as a co-writer and lead actor. And then I read the wacky synopsis for the film–a man strapped for cash comes across a Craigslist ad for a $1,000 one-day job in a remote mountain town, but then discovers that the client may not be who he says he is. Adding to the overall intrigue, Creep supposedly fits into the genres of comedy, horror, and romance; a curious mixture that I cannot wait to witness.

Frank

Despite receiving a mixed response from its premiere at Sundance, Frank remains a must-see for me at the festival. This oddball comedy features Michael Fassbender as the mysterious musical genius who spends the majority of the film wearing a gigantic plastic head. The satirical tone of the film looks to be only outmatched by its absurdity, making it easy to understand why audiences are so divided on Frank.

Open Windows

Open Windows is Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo’s third feature film and the first of which to be in the English-language. This is a real-time suspense thriller about a man’s desperate search to track down his abducted girlfriend. Open Windows is said to be heavily influenced by ‘70s paranoid thrillers and is shown through the point of view of a screen on a laptop computer. I am excited to see what the filmmaker has up his sleeve, considering his history of making high-concept sci-fi thrillers (Timecrimes and Extraterrestrial).

Boyhood

Richard Linklater’s coming of age drama, Boyhood, received the Best Director award a couple weeks ago at the Berlin Film Festival. This ambitious project follows a family over the course of 12 actual years, which allows the audience to observe the cast members mature as they would in real life. Although Boyhood is not a documentary like Michael Apted’s Up series, Linklater experiments with a similar concept and the results could be quite intriguing.

Animals

In his first full-length feature, Collin Schiffli’s Animals tells the story of a troubled young couple who live out of their car and rely on stealing in order to survive. The reality of their situation is realized when one of them gets hospitalized. The film stars David Dastmalchian (Prisoners, The Dark Knight) and Kim Shaw (The Good Wife) and has one of the founding members of Passion Pit (Ian Hultquist) as the composer for the original score.

The Heart Machine

After combing through the entire festival lineup (a daunting task), The Heart Machine caught my eye for a few reasons. The primary reason is that the film stars John Gallagher Jr., who was the talk of the town in Austin after starring in last year’s Short Term 12. Another attention-grabbing credit is the director Zachary Wigon, a current film critic for The Village Voice. Lastly, the idea behind the film is fascinating–a man in a long-distance relationship begins to suspect his girlfriend to actually be living in the same city as him all along.

Joe

There are many reasons why the film Mud comes to mind when looking at David Gordon Green’s Joe. Not only are both films named after the three-letter name of their main character, but both films also star Tye Sheridan as a young kid who forms an unlikely bond with said characters. This indie film might just be what Nicholas Cage’s career needs at this point in order for people to start respecting him as an actor again.

Oculus

Our very own C.J. Prince caught Oculus last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and praised the film for its originality and well-written screenplay. Mike Flanagan’s Oculus will screen in the Midnighters section of SXSW, a program that features various hair-raising horror films to a midnight crowd. The film centers on an antique mirror called the Lasser Glass, which forces its owners to harm themselves as well as others. There is a good chance that audiences in Austin are going to be freaked out by the film, I surely hope I am as well.

The Guest

Another film I want to see from the Midnighters program is Adam Wingard’s The Guest. Similar to his recent work in You’re Next, Wingard seems to mix together equal parts humor and horror in this throwback thriller. The Guest received unanimously positive responses from the midnight crowd during its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year. And I expect similar results at SXSW.

Before I Disappear

Based on his 2013 Academy Award winning short film Curfew, Shawn Christensen’s film is about a man whose suicidal thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a phone call from his estranged sister. The wide range of emotions he was able to pack into a short film impressed me, but I wondered how the film would transition into a full-length feature some day. Luckily, I will not have to wonder for much longer.

The dust is now settling in Park City after Sundance finished up a week or two ago, meanwhile the people in Austin are getting prepared for the onslaught of crowds for the SXSW festival of films, music, and technology. Today the lineup for the 2014 SXSW Film Festival has been revealed. As usual, there were a couple Sundance standouts such as Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank that will be making an appearance at the festival. Other noteworthy titles in the lineup include; Creep that was written by and stars Mark Duplass, Nacho Vigilondo’s Open Windows, David Gordon Green’s Joe, Nicholas Stoller’s Neighbors, Bad Words, and many, many more. See the full list of films below.

I will be attending SXSW this year, so be sure to check back for coverage and follow us on Twitter for instant updates.

SXSW 2014 Full Lineup

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:

10,000KM (Spain)
Director: Carlos Marques Marcet, Screenwriters: Carlos Marques-Marcet, Clara Roquet Autonell
A year of a long distance relationship, two computers and two cities – Los Angeles and Barcelona, can love survive 6,000 miles? Cast: Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer (World Premiere)

Animals
Director: Collin Schiffli, Screenwriter: David Dastmalchian
Jude and Bobbie are a young, homeless couple who masterfully con and steal in an attempt to stay one step ahead of their addiction. They are ultimately forced to face the reality of their situation when one of them is hospitalized. Cast: David Dastmalchian, Kim Shaw, John Heard (World Premiere)

Before I Disappear
Director/Screenwriter: Shawn Christensen
Based on the 2013 Academy Award® winning short film Curfew. At the lowest point of his life, Richie gets a call from his estranged sister, asking him to look after his eleven-year-old niece, Sophia, for a few hours. (World Premiere)
Cast: Shawn Christensen, Fatima Ptacek, Emmy Rossum, Paul Wesley, Ron Perlman, Richard Schiff

Fort Tilden
Directors/Screenwriters: Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers
It shouldn’t be this hard for Allie and Harper to get to the beach. (World Premiere)
Cast: Bridey Elliott, Clare McNulty, Griffin Newman, Jeffrey Scaperrotta, Neil Casey

The Heart Machine
Director/Screenwriter: Zachary Wigon
A man begins to suspect that his long-distance girlfriend, whom he met online but has never met in person, has been living in the same city the whole time and sets out to find her. (World Premiere)
Cast: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Lyn Sheil, David Call, Louisa Krauss

I Believe in Unicorns
Director/Screenwriter: Leah Meyerhoff
I Believe in Unicorns follows the lyrical journey of an imaginative teenage girl who runs away from home with an older punk rock drifter, but not even unicorns can save her now. (World Premiere)
Cast: Natalia Dyer, Peter Vack, Julia Garner, Amy Seimetz, Toni Meyerhoff

The Mend
Director/Screenwriter: John Magary
A dark comedy about rage, doubt, lust, madness and other brotherly hand-me-downs. (World Premiere)
Cast: Josh Lucas, Stephen Plunkett, Lucy Owen, Mickey Sumner, Austin Pendleton

Wild Canaries
Director/Screenwriter: Lawrence Michael Levine
When their elderly neighbor suddenly drops dead, a young Brooklyn couple investigates signs of foul play. (World Premiere)
Cast: Sophia Takal, Lawrence Michael Levine, Alia Shawkat, Annie Parisse, Jason Ritter

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

Selected from 892 submissions, the eight world premieres in the Documentary Feature category bring real world stories to life, demonstrating innovation, energy and bold voices.

Films screening in Documentary Feature Competition are:

Beginning With The End
Director: David Marshall
Beginning With the End takes viewers on a profound, and profoundly moving, journey with a group of high school seniors working as trained hospice volunteers — a story of beginnings and endings in a year of self-discovery and awakening. (World Premiere)

Born To Fly
Director: Catherine Gund
Born To Fly pushes the boundaries between action and art, daring us to join choreographer Elizabeth Streb and her dancers in pursuit of human flight. (World Premiere)
*SXsports screening

The Great Invisible
Director: Margaret Brown
Penetrating the oil industry’s secretive world, The Great Invisible examines the Deepwater Horizon disaster through the eyes of oil executives, explosion survivors and Gulf Coast residents who were left to pick up the pieces when the world moved on. (World Premiere)

The Immortalists
Directors: Jason Sussberg, David Alvarado
Two eccentric scientists struggle to create eternal youth in a world they call “blind to the tragedy of old age.”  As they battle their own aging and suffer the losses of loved ones, their scientific journeys ultimately become personal. (World Premiere)

Impossible Light
Director: Jeremy Ambers
Impossible Light reveals the drama and the daring of artist Leo Villareal and a small team of visionaries who battle seemingly impossible challenges to turn a dream of creating the world’s largest LED light sculpture into a glimmering reality. (World Premiere)

Mateo
Director: Aaron I. Naar
Mateo follows America’s most notorious white mariachi singer on his misadventures in Cuba. (World Premiere)

Print the Legend
Directors: Luis Lopez, Clay Tweel
The 3D Printing revolution has begun. Who will make it? (World Premiere)

Vessel
Director: Diana Whitten
A fearless sea captain, Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, sails a ship through loopholes in international law, providing abortions on the high seas, and leaving in her wake a network of emboldened activists who trust women to handle abortion on their own terms. (World Premiere)

HEADLINERS

Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres & gala film events with major & rising names in cinema.

Films screening in Headliners are:

Chef
Director/Screenwriter: Jon Favreau
Chef is a rich and vibrant comedy – the story of Carl Casper (Favreau), who loses his chef job and cooks up a food truck business in hopes of reestablishing his artistic promise. At the same time, he tries to reconnect with his estranged family.
Cast: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey, Jr., Emjay Anthony (World Premiere)

Joe
Director: David Gordon Green, Screenwriters: Larry Brown, Gary Hawkins
A gripping mix of friendship, violence and redemption erupts in the contemporary South in this adaptation of Larry Brown’s novel. Cast: Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan
(U.S. Premiere)

Neighbors
Director: Nicholas Stoller, Screenwriters: Andrew J. Cohen, Brendan O’Brien
Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne lead the cast of Neighbors, a comedy about a young couple suffering from arrested development who are forced to live next to a fraternity house after the birth of their newborn baby. Cast: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Lisa Kudrow
(Worldwide Debut – work-in-progress)

Predestination (Australia)
Directors/Screenwriters: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
A riveting adventure through time centered on a secret government time traveling agency designed to prevent future killers and terrorists from committing their crimes.
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor
(World Premiere)

Veronica Mars
Director/Screenwriter: Rob Thomas, Screenwriter: Diane Ruggiero
Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars gets pulled back to her hometown, an ex-boyfriend with baggage, and an unraveling murder mystery.
Cast: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Krysten Ritter, Ryan Hansen, Enrico Colantoni
(World Premiere)

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT

High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American or US Premieres at SXSW.

Films screening in Narrative Spotlight are:

Break Point
Director: Jay Karas, Screenwriters: Gene Hong, Jeremy Sisto
Two estranged brothers reunite to make an improbable run at a grand slam tennis tournament. The mismatched pair, with some unlikely help from a precocious 11-year-old boy, re-discover their game and their brotherhood.
Cast: Jeremy Sisto, David Walton, Joshua Rush, J.K. Simmons, Amy Smart (World Premiere)
*SXsports screening

CESAR CHAVEZ
Director: Diego Luna, Screenwriters: Keir Pearson, Timothy J. Sexton
Chávez chronicles the birth of a modern American movement led by famed civil rights leader and labor organizer, Cesar Chavez. Cast: Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich, Michael Pena, America Ferrera, Gabriel Mann (North American Premiere)

Faults
Director/Screenwriter: Riley Stearns
An expert on cults is hired by a mother and father to kidnap and deprogram their brainwashed daughter. He soon begins to suspect the parents may be more destructive than the cult he’s being hired to save her from. Cast: Leland Orser, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Ellis, Lance Reddick, Jon Gries (World Premiere)

The Frontier
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Rabinowitz, Screenwriter: Carlos Colungu
An estranged son travels back home to confront his overbearing father to see if there is any relationship left between them.
Cast: Max Gail, Coleman Kelly, Anastassia Sendyk, Katherine Cortez, Oliver Seitz
(World Premiere)

Kelly & Cal
Director: Jen McGowan, Screenwriter: Amy Lowe Starbin
Kelly & Cal explores the heartfelt, somewhat absurd moments in our lives when we seek out a little bit of extra attention. Cast: Juliette Lewis, Jonny Weston, Josh Hopkins, Cybil Shepherd
(World Premiere)

The Mule (Australia)
Directors: Angus Sampson, Tony Mahony, Screenwriters: Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson
In 1983, a naive man is detained by Australian Federal Police with lethal narcotics hidden in his stomach. Caught, ‘The Mule’ makes a desperate choice…to defy his bodily functions and withhold the evidence…literally. Cast: Hugo Weaving, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Ewen Leslie, Geoff Morrell, Georgina Haig, Noni Hazlehurst, John Noble
(World Premiere)

A Night In Old Mexico (USA / Spain)
Director: Emilio Aragón, Screenwriter: William D. Wittliff
Forced to give up his land and home, Texas rancher Red Bovie isn’t about to retire quietly in a dismal trailer park. Instead he hits the road with his estranged grandson for one last adventure.
Cast: Robert Duvall, Jeremy Irvine, Angie Cepeda, Luis Tosar, Joaquín Cosio
(World Premiere)

Patrick’s Day (Ireland)
Director/Screenwriter: Terry McMahon
A young man with mental health issues becomes intimate with a suicidal air hostess but his obsessive mother enlists a dysfunctional cop to separate them.
Cast: Kerry Fox, Moe Dunford, Catherine Walker, Philip Jackson
(World Premiere)

Sequoia
Director: Andy Landen, Screenwriter: Andrew Rothschild
Faced with stage three cancer, a young woman sets out to end her life on her own terms, in Sequoia National Park. Cast: Aly Michalka, Dustin Milligan, Todd Lowe, Demetri Martin, Sophi Bairley
(World Premiere)

She’s Lost Control
Director/Screenwriter: Anja Marquardt
Ronah’s life unravels when she starts working with a new client, Johnny.
Cast: Brooke Bloom, Marc Menchaca, Dennis Boutsikaris, Laila
(North American Premiere)

Take Care
Director/Screenwriter: Liz Tuccillo
After being hit by a car, a woman (Leslie Bibb) comes home to realize her friends don’t really want to take care of her. Desperate for help, she turns to an unlikely source.
Cast: Leslie Bibb, Thomas Sadoski, Betty Gilpin, Michael Stahl David, Nadia Dajani
(World Premiere)

Thank You a Lot
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Muir
A struggling, two-bit music manager will lose his job unless he signs a reclusive country music singer, James Hand, who also happens to be his estranged father. Cast: Blake DeLong, James Hand, Robyn Rikoon, Sonny Carl Davis, Jeffery Da’Shade Johnson
(World Premiere)

Things People Do
Director: Saar Klein, Screenwriters: Joe Conway, Saar Klein
Bill Scanlin loses his job and embarks on a life of crime. As Bill stays ahead of the law, he discovers that sometimes the only thing worse than getting caught is getting away with it.
Cast: Wes Bentley, Jason Isaacs, Vinessa Shaw, Haley Bennett
(North American Premiere)

Two Step
Director/Screenwriter: Alex R. Johnson
Two Step is a fast-paced Texas thriller in which the lives of James, a directionless college dropout, and Webb, a career criminal with his back against the wall, violently collide.
Cast: Beth Broderick, James Landry Hébert, Skyy Moore, Jason Douglas, Ashley Rae Spillers
(World Premiere)

We’ll Never Have Paris
Directors: Jocelyn Towne, Simon Helberg, Screenwriter: Simon Helberg
We’ll Never Have Paris is a clumsy and at once human account of screwing up on a transcontinental level in a noble effort to win back “the one.” Cast: Simon Helberg, Maggie Grace, Melanie Lynskey, Alfred Molina, Zachary Quinto, Jason Ritter
(World Premiere)

DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT

Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. Premieres at SXSW.

Films screening in Documentary Spotlight are:

Above All Else
Director: John Fiege
A former stuntman and high wire artist puts his family and future on the line when he rallies a group of East Texas landowners and activists to blockade the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. (World Premiere)

Butterfly Girl
Director: Cary Bell
Abbie came of age in honky tonks, defying her life threatening disease, but all the while longing for an identity of her own. Now that she is 18, how much is she willing to sacrifice for her independence? (World Premiere)

DamNation
Directors: Travis Rummel, Ben Knight
This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. (World Premiere)

Doc of the Dead
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
The definitive zombie culture documentary, from the makers of The People vs. George Lucas. Doc of the Dead traces the rise and evolution of the zombie genre, its influence on pop culture, and investigates the possibility of an actual zombie outbreak. (World Premiere)

Harmontown
Director: Neil Berkeley
A comedic, brutally honest documentary following self-destructive TV writer Dan Harmon (NBC’s Community) as he takes his live podcast on a national tour. (World Premiere)

LADY VALOR: The Kristin Beck Story
Directors: Sandrine Orabona, Mark Herzog
A former U.S. Navy Seal seeks life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness living life as a transgender woman. (World Premiere)

The Legend Of Shorty (UK)
Directors: Angus MacQueen, Guillermo Galdos
The Legend of Shorty is the story of a man and a myth. (World Premiere)

Manny
Directors: Ryan Moore, Leon Gast
From abject poverty to international hero, Manny Pacquiao rose to fame in the boxing ring. At the height of his career, Manny entered the political arena. As history’s only boxing Congressman, Manny is faced with a new challenge. (World Premiere)
*SXsports screening

Seeds of Time
Director: Sandy McLeod
Seeds of Time follows agriculture pioneer Cary Fowler’s global journey to save the eroding foundation of our food supply in a new era of climate change. (North American Premiere)

Supermensch
Director: Mike Myers
Mike Myers makes his directorial debut with this star-packed documentary about the legendary Shep Gordon, who managed the careers of Alice Cooper, Blondie, Luther Vandross, and Raquel Welch — and still had time to invent the “celebrity chef”. (U.S. Premiere)

That Guy Dick Miller
Director: Elijah Drenner
That Guy Dick Miller is the incredible true story of the wannabe-writer, turned accidental character-actor.
(World Premiere)

Wicker Kittens
Director: Amy C. Elliott
Every January, the country’s largest jigsaw puzzle contest is held in St. Paul, Minnesota. Wicker Kittens invites you to choose your favorite team and watch them try to put the pieces back together. (World Premiere) *SXsports screening

VISIONS

Audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape that demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.

Films screening in Visions are:

Arlo and Julie
Director/Screenwriter: Steve Mims
A neurotic couple’s obsession with a mysterious puzzle comically unravels their world, disconnecting them from reality and jeopardizing their fragile relationship.
Cast: Alex Dobrenko, Ashley Spillers, Chris Doubek, Sam Eidson, Hugo Zesati (World Premiere)

Beyond Clueless (UK)
Director: Charlie Lyne
Narrated by cult teen star Fairuza Balk, Beyond Clueless is a dizzying journey into the mind, body and soul of the teen movie, as seen through the eyes of over 200 modern coming-of-age classics. (World Premiere)

Big Significant Things
Director/Screenwriter: Bryan Reisberg
A week before they move across the country together, Craig lies to his girlfriend in order to go on his first road trip – to the south. Alone. Cast: Harry Lloyd, Krista Kosonen (World Premiere)

Buzzard
Director/Screenwriter: Joel Potrykus
Devil masks, metal, video games, Mountain Dew, and a Party Zone. Scheming slackers of the world unite and take over!
Cast: Joshua Burge, Joel Potrykus, Teri Ann Nelson, Alan Longstreet, Rico Bruce Wade (World Premiere)

Creep
Director/Screenwriter: Patrick Brice, Screenwriter: Mark Duplass
When a videographer answers a Craigslist ad for a one-day job in a remote mountain town, he finds his client is not at all what he initially seems. Cast: Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice (World Premiere)

Cumbres (Heights) (Mexico)
Director/Screenwriter: Gabriel Nuncio
Due a tragedy, two sisters abruptly escape from their hometown in Northern Mexico. Their journey creates a bittersweet relationship marked by pain, guilt and love.
Cast: Aglae Lingow, Ivanna Michel, Abdul Marcos, Sergio Quiñones, Ganzo Cepeda (U.S. Premiere)

The Dance of Reality (Chile / France)
Director/Screenwriter: Alejandro Jodorowsky
The Dance of Reality is a 2013 independent autobiographical film written, produced and directed by Alejandro Jodorowosky. Cast: Brontis Jodorowsky, Pamela Flores, Jeremias Herskovits, Cristobal Jodorowsky, Bastián Bodenhöfer, Alejandro Jodorowsky (U.S. Premiere)

Evaporating Borders (USA / Cyprus)
Director: Iva Radivojevic
Evaporating Borders is a poetically photographed and rendered film on tolerance and search for identity. Told through 5 vignettes portraying the lives of migrants on the island of Cyprus, it passionately weaves themes of displacement and belonging. (North American Premiere)

Evolution of a Criminal
Director: Darius Clark Monroe
How does a 16 year-old evolve into a bank robber? (World Premiere)

Housebound (New Zealand)
Director/Screenwriter: Gerard Johnstone
When Kylie Bucknell is sentenced to home detention, she’s forced to come to terms with her unsociable behaviour, her blabbering mother and a hostile spirit who seems less than happy about the new living arrangement.
Cast: Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Cameron Rhodes, Millen Baird (World Premiere)

The Infinite Man (Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: Hugh Sullivan
The Infinite Man is a time travel comedy-romance about a man whose attempts to construct the perfect romantic weekend backfire when he traps his lover in an infinite loop.
Cast: Josh McConville, Hannah Marshall, Alex Dimitriades (World Premiere)

Open Windows (Spain)
Director/Screenwriter: Nacho Vigalondo
Nick’s a lucky guy – he’s having dinner with Jill Goddard, the hottest actress on earth. Then a guy named Chord calls: dinner’s been canceled. And it’s Jill’s fault. But Chord’s got something better… A 21st Century Rear Window. Cast: Elijah Wood, Sasha Grey, Neil Maskell, Adam Quintero, Ivan Gonzalez (World Premiere)

Other Months
Director/Screenwriter: Nick Singer
Marking time as an itinerant plumber, and haunted by recurrent nightmares, Nash hungers for the fleeting ecstasies of nightclubs and bedrooms. Other Months is a stark, honest portrait of disconnection—a young man coming to face his paralysis. Cast: Christopher Bonewitz, Britannie Bond, Emma Morrison-Cohen, Liam Ahern, David Rudi Utter (World Premiere)

The Possibilities Are Endless (UK)
Directors: Edward Lovelace, James Hall
Scottish musician, Edwyn Collins’ world was shattered by a devastating stroke. After fighting back from the brink of death, he discovers that life, love and language mean even more to him that he could ever have imagined. (World Premiere)

Premature
Director/Screenwriter: Dan Beers, Screenwriter: Mathew Harawitz
On the most important day of his young life, a high school senior is forced to relive his failed attempt at losing his virginity over and over again, until he gets it right.
Cast: John Karna, Katie Findlay, Craig Roberts, Carlson Young, Adam Riegler (World Premiere)

Song from the Forest (Germany)
Director: Michael Obert
A modern epic set between rainforest and skyscrapers. (North American Premiere)

Space Station 76
Director/Screenwriter: Jack Plotnick, Screenwriters: Jennifer Cox, Sam Pancake, Kali Rocha, Michael Stoyanov
Welcome to the future of the past.
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler, Matt Bomer, Marisa Coughlan, Kylie Rogers (World Premiere)

Surviving Cliffside
Director: Jon Matthews
A West Virginia family faces illness, addiction, and gun violence—while their daughter makes a run for Little Miss West Virginia. (World Premiere)

The Wilderness of James
Director/Screenwriter: Michael Johnson
A restless teenager explores the wilderness of his city while struggling with the absence of his father. Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Virginia Madsen, Isabelle Fuhrman, Evan Ross, Danny DeVito (World Premiere)

EPISODIC (*New screening section)

Featuring innovative new work aimed squarely at the small screen, Episodic tunes in to the explosion of exciting material on non-theatrical platforms, including serialized TV, webisodes and beyond.

Shows premiering in Episodic are:

COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey
Directors: Brannon Braga, Bill Pope, Screenwriters: Ann Druyan, Steven Soter
COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey is a thrilling, 13-part adventure across the universe of space and time revealed by science, exploring humanity’s heroic quest for a deeper understanding of nature.
Narrator: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Deadbeat
Director: Troy Miller, Written And Co-Created By: Cody Heller, Brett Konner
Kevin Pacalioglu may have no money and no clue, but he does have one thing–he can see dead people. Faced with New York’s most stubborn ghosts, our hapless medium goes to whatever lengths necessary to help finish their unfinished business. Cast: Tyler Labine, Cat Deeley, Brandon T. Jackson, Lucy DeVito (World Premiere)

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series – Pilot
Director/Screenwriter: Robert Rodriguez
The Gecko Brothers are back. Based on the thrill-ride film, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is a supernatural crime saga from Creator, Director and EP Robert Rodriguez premiering March 11 on El Rey Network.
Cast: D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz, Eiza González, Jesse Garcia, Lane Garrison, and Wilmer Valderrama, and Don Johnson (World Premiere)

Halt and Catch Fire
Director: Juan Jose Campanella, Screenwriters: Christopher Cantwell, Christopher C. Rogers
Halt and Catch Fire captures the rise of the PC era in the early 1980s, during which an unlikely trio – a visionary, an engineer and a prodigy – take personal and professional risks in the race to build a computer that will change the world as they know it. Cast: Lee Pace, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Rio Davis, Kerry Bishe, Toby Huss, David Wilson Barnes (World Premiere)

Penny Dreadful (USA / UK)
Directors: John Logan, Juan Antonio Bayona, Screenwriter: John Logan
Penny Dreadful is a psychological horror series that re-imagines literature’s most terrifying characters (Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and iconic figures from the novel Dracula) in a whole new light.
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Reeve Carney, Rory Kinnear, Billie Piper, Danny Sapani, Harry Treadaway (World Premiere)

Silicon Valley
Director: Mike Judge, Created By: Mike Judge & John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky,
Episode One Written By Mike Judge & John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky.
Episode Two Written By Carson Mell.
The new HBO series Silicon Valley takes a comic look at the modern-day epicenter of the high-tech gold rush, where the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success.
Cast: Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Zach Woods, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr, Josh Brener, Christopher Evan Welch, Amanda Crew, Matt Ross (World Premiere)

24 BEATS PER SECOND

Showcasing the sounds, culture & influence of music & musicians, with an emphasis on documentary.

Films screening in 24 Beats Per Second are:

The 78 Project Movie
Director: Alex Steyermark
The 78 Project is a journey to connect today’s musicians with the recordings of the past. Using a 1930’s Presto recorder, artists get one take to cut a 78rpm record anywhere, finding in that adventure a new connection to our shared cultural legacy. (World Premiere)

AMERICAN INTERIOR (Wales)
Directors: Dylan Goch, Gruff Rhys
Two men. Two quests. Two centuries apart. Four ways to experience the search for a lost tribe. Film. Book. Album . App. (World Premiere)

The Case of the Three Sided Dream
Director: Adam Kahan
The documentary film on the life and legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk – a one of a kind musician, personality, activist and windmill slayer who despite being blind, becoming paralyzed, and facing America’s racial injustices – did not relent. (World Premiere)

Deep City
Directors: Dennis Scholl, Marlon Johnson
Deep City is an inspirational story that explores the early days of soul music in South Florida, the pioneers of that era and their lasting contributions to the broader American musical landscape. (World Premiere)

God Help the Girl (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Stuart Murdoch
An indie musical from Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian about two girls and a boy and the music they made one Glasgow summer.
Cast: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray, Pierre Boulanger, Cora Bissett

JOHNNY WINTER: DOWN & DIRTY
Director: Greg Olliver
A down & dirty documentary on the life and career of blues legend Johnny Winter, featuring Edgar Winter, James Cotton, Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Luther Nallie, Tommy Shannon, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and more. (World Premiere)

Leave The World Behind (UK)
Director: Christian Larson
A documentary following the break-up of Swedish House Mafia and their subsequent One Last Tour. A rare look at the electronic scene, amazing live footage and the psychological drama of 3 guys who walked away from everything to save their friendship. (World Premiere)

Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton (This Is Stones Throw Records)
Director: Jeff Broadway
Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton is a feature-length documentary about avant-garde Los Angeles-based record label Stones Throw Records.

Que Caramba es la Vida (Germany)
Director: Doris Dörrie
In the macho world of Mariachi music, very few women can hold their own. Just like the songs they play, this film is a snapshot of life, death and the things in between – seen from a bird’s-eye perspective. (World Premiere)

Road To Austin
Director: Gary Fortin
Road To Austin, chronicles how Austin, Texas became the Live Music Capital of the World, dating from 1835 to present day. The film builds to a climax and weaves its way towards an all-star live performance led by Stephen Bruton and his 14-piece band. (World Premiere)

Rubber Soul
Director/Screenwriter: Jon Lefkovitz
Rubber Soul reconstructs portions of two historical interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono based on available transcripts and audio, juxtaposing them in order to explore the dynamic nature of Lennon’s identity over time. Cast: Joseph Bearor, Denice Lee, Dillon Porter, Andrew Perez (World Premiere)

Sheffield: Sex City (UK)
Director: Florian Habicht
Dylan said ‘Don’t Look Back’ – but what happens if you do? (World Premiere)

Soul Boys of the Western World (UK)
Director: George Hencken
A voyage through the heart of the 80s with one of the decade’s most iconic bands, Spandau Ballet, this archive-only film tells the story of a group of working-class London lads who created a global music Empire, but at a price none of them imagined. (World Premiere)

SVDDXNLY
Director: David Laven
SVDDXNLY uncovers the young life and career of A$AP Rocky and the A$AP Mob, from humble Harlem beginnings to their rapid rise to fame. (World Premiere)

Take Me to the River
Director: Martin Shore
Take Me to the River is a film about the soul of American music. The film follows the recording of a new album featuring legends from Stax records and Memphis mentoring and passing on their musical magic to stars and artists of today. (World Premiere)

The Winding Stream
Director: Beth Harrington
The Winding Stream is the story of the American music dynasty, the Carters and Cashes, and their decades-long influence on popular music. (World Premiere)

SXGLOBAL

A diverse selection of International filmmaking talent, featuring innovative narratives, artful documentaries, premieres, festival favorites and more.

Films screening in SX Global are:

The Desert (Argentina)
Director: Christoph Behl
The failed story of a love triangle in a post-apocalyptic world.
Cast: Victoria Almeida, William Prociuk, Lautaro Delgado (North American Premiere)

For Those in Peril (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Paul Wright
In a remote Scottish town, a young man is the lone survivor of a strange fishing accident that claimed the lives of 5 men. Spurred on by sea-going folklore, the village blames him for this tragedy, making him an outcast amongst his own people.
Cast: George Mackay, Michael Smiley, Nichola Burley, Kate Dickie (North American Premiere)

The Special Need (Germany / Italy / Austria)
Director: Carlo Zoratti
Searching for “the first time” Alex, Carlo and their autistic friend Enea find a lot more than they were looking for… (North American Premiere)

Ukraine Is Not A Brothel (Australia)
Director: Kitty Green
A feature documentary that reveals the truth behind Ukraine’s topless feminist sensation, ‘Femen’.

Wetlands (Germany)
Director: David F. Wnendt, Screenwriters: Claus Falkenberg, David F. Wnendt
18-year-old Helen has her very own view on life, hygiene and good sex. she loves to shock people with unexpected and un-girly behavior.
Cast: Carla Juri, Christoph Letkowski, Meret Becker, Marlen Kruse, Peri Baumeister

A Wolf at the Door (Brazil)
Director/Screenwriter: Fernando Coimbra
A nerve-rattling tale of a kidnapped child and the distraught parents left behind that captures the darkness that ensues when panic breeds suspicion and love turns to hate.
Cast: Milhelm Cortaz, Leandra Leal, Fabiula Nascimento (U.S. Premiere)

FESTIVAL FAVORITES

Acclaimed standouts & selected previous premieres from festivals around the world.

Films screening in Festival Favorites are:

Bad Words
Director: Jason Bateman, Screenwriter: Andrew Dodge
Jason Bateman’s feature directorial debut is the subversive comedy Bad Words. Bateman stars as Guy, who finds a loophole in the rules of a national spelling bee and causes trouble by hijacking the competition.
Cast: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Philip Baker Hall, Allison Janney

Boyhood
Director/Screenwriter: Richard Linklater
One family’s journey shot over the course of 12 years.
Cast: Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater

The Case Against 8
Directors: Ben Cotner, Ryan White
A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Dog
Directors: Allison Berg, Frank Keraudren
An astonishing documentary portrait of the late John Wojtowicz, whose attempted robbery of a Brooklyn bank to finance his male lover’s sex-reassignment surgery was the real-life inspiration for the classic Al Pacino film Dog Day Afternoon.

For No Good Reason (England)
Director: Charlie Paul
Johnny Depp pays a call on his friend and hero Ralph Steadman and we take off on a high-spirited, raging and kaleidoscopic journey discovering the life and works of one of the most distinctive radical artists of the last 50 years.

Frank
Director: Lenny Abrahamson, Screenwriters: Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan
Frank is a comedy about a young wannabe musician, Jon, who discovers he’s bitten off more than he can chew when he joins a band of eccentric musicians led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank and his terrifying sidekick, Clara. Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender, Scoot McNairy, Carla Azar

Hellion
Director/Screenwriter: Kat Candler
When 13-year-old Jacob’s delinquent behavior results in the authorities placing his little brother Wes with their aunt, he and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for their actions and each other in order to bring Wes home. Cast: Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars

The Internet’s Own Boy:  The Story of Aaron Swartz
Director: Brian Knappenberger
The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, from the development of RSS and Reddit to his groundbreaking work in political organizing and the tragic taking of his own life at the age of 26.

JIMI: All Is By My Side
Director/Screenwriter: John Ridley
Covering a year in Hendrix’s life from 1966-67, the film presents an intimate portrait of the sensitive young musician on the verge of becoming a rock legend.
Cast: Andre Benjamin, Hayley Atwell, Imogen Poots, Ruth Negga, Adrian Lester (U.S. Premiere)

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Director/Screenwriter: David Zellner, Screenwriter: Nathan Zellner
A lonely Japanese woman abandons her structured life in Tokyo to seek a satchel of money rumored to be hidden in the Minnesota wilderness.
Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Nobuyuki Katsube, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Shirley Venard

No No: A Dockumentary
Director: Jeffrey Radice
In the 1970s Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD and courted conflict and controversy, but his latter years were spent helping others recover from addiction. No No: A Dockumentary weaves a surprising story of a life in and out of the spotlight.
*SXsports screening

Obvious Child
Director/Screenwriter: Gillian Robespierre
Obvious Child is an unapologetically honest comedy about what happens when 27 year‑old Brooklyn stand-up comedian Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) gets dumped, fired and pregnant just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Cast: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, David Cross

Only Lovers Left Alive
Director/Screenwriter: Jim Jarmusch
A story centered on two vampires who have been in love for centuries.
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, Anton Yelchin

Ping Pong Summer
Director/Screenwriter: Michael Tully
Coming soon…Summer 1985.
Cast: Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet

The Raid 2
Director/Screenwriter: Gareth Evans
Picking up from right where the first film ends, The Raid 2 follows Rama as he goes undercover and infiltrates the ranks of a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and uncover the corruption in the police force.
Cast: Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadwo

SPECIAL EVENTS

Live Soundtracks, cult re-issues & much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected & unique film event one-offs.

All American High: Revisited
Director: Keva Rosenfeld
All American High: Revisited is a time capsule of teen life in the 1980s, a long-lost documentary that captures an unforgettable era through the eyes of those who lived it.

Double Play: James Benning and Richard Linklater (France / Portugal / US)
Director: Gabe Klinger
A documentary portrait of the friendship between the renowned filmmakers James Benning and Richard Linklater. (U.S. Premiere)

GODZILLA: THE JAPANESE ORIGINAL (Japan)
Director: Ishiro Honda, Screenwriters: Takeo Murata, Ishiro Honda
The 1954 classic that inspired the modern monster movie (national re-release from Rialto Pictures in April). Q&A with Gareth Edwards, director of the summer 2014 film Godzilla, from Warner Bros Pictures and Legendary Pictures. Cast: Takashi Shimura, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Extended Q&A with Wes Anderson
Director/Screenwriter: Wes Anderson
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.  The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains, sleds, and skis; and the sweetest confection of a love affair – all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – 40th Anniversary Screening
Director/Screenwriter: Tobe Hooper, Screenwriter: Kim Henkel
An idyllic summer afternoon becomes a terrifying nightmare for five young friends after they stumble upon the home of a depraved Texas clan. Cast: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim

A special preview screening of Richard Linklater’s ambitious new project, Boyhood, has been added to the Sundance 2014 lineup.

The film, also known as the “12 Year Project”, is an unprecedented undertaking: for the past 12 years, Linklater has made one short film a year that follows a boy named Mason (played by Ellar Coltrane), along with his sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater, the auteur’s daughter), as he navigates the rocky road from boyhood (age 6) to adulthood (age 18).

Coltrane, who began filming in 2000, ages with his character in real time, an idea that, if nothing else, will be visually unlike anything ever seen on film. Playing Coltrane and Linklater’s parents (and aging along with him during the shoot) are Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. To watch Coltrane physically transform from a tiny tot into a young man within the running time of a feature film, “like timelapse photography of a human being”, as Hawke told The Playlist last year, is a uniquely compelling incentive to keep our eyes on Linklater’s latest.

ABOVE: Linklater in San Francisco, April 2013

This is the auteur’s second project to utilize the real-life passing of time as a storytelling device, following his Before series (whose latest entry, Before Midnight, was my favorite film of 2013), a trio of romance movies separated by 9 years each starring Hawke and Julie Delpy. That series celebrated its 18th birthday last year (a somewhat poetic coincidence). We chatted with Mr. Linklater about the series in an extended interivew last April at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

Linklater has a long-standing relationship with the festival, premiering several of his films there: Before Sunrise (1995), subUrbia 1997, Waking Life (2001), Tape (2001), and Before Midnight (2013).

Boyhood premieres Sunday, January 19th, rounding out the 121 feature-length film lineup. The 2014 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 16th-26th in Park City, Utah.