More critics groups! It's critics galore all month, as the DC critics went with the dull consensus pretty much down the line:
Best Foreign Language Film: Force Majeure
Best Art Direction: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Editing: Birdman
Best Original Score: Under the Skin
Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Best Acting Ensemble: Birdman
Best Youth Performance: Ellar Coltrane, Boyhood
Best Adapted Screenplay: Gone Girl
Best Original Screenplay: Birdman
Best Animated Feature: The LEGO Movie
Best Documentary: Life Itself
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Actor: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Film: Boyhood
Not too exciting is it? Meanwhile, the African-American Film Critics Association thankfully reveals a totally different lineup of winners, including a top ten of their own:
Best Actor – David Oyelowo, Selma
Best Actress – Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle
Best Supporting Actress – Octavia Spencer, Black or White
Best Supporting Actor – Tyler Perry, Gone Girl (Fox) / J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best World Cinema – Timbuktu
Breakout Performance – Tessa Thompson, Dear White People
Best Director – Ava Duvernay, Selma
Best Screenplay – Gina Prince-Bythewood, Beyond the Lights
Best Music – John Legend/Common, “Glory”
Best Ensemble – Get On Up
Best Independent Film – Dear White People
Best Animation – The Boxtrolls
Best Documentary – Life Itself
Top 10 of 2014
1. Selma
2. The Imitation Game
3. Theory of Everything
4. Birdman
5. Belle
6. Top Five
7. Unbroken
8. Dear White People
9. Get On Up
10. Black or White
Looks like Life Itself is going to be Citizenfour's major rival for Best Documentary this year- which is actually going to be a very close contest, because with the entire Academy voting on Documentary now, the category that used to almost always go to a political/socially important film, now tends to go with the heartugging,most sentimental option. That means the heartfelt tribute to the world's most famous film critic Roger Ebert, is probably in a very good position to win that award, should it get nominated.
