Members of the Broadcast Film Critics
Association (BFCA) bestowed their honors in film during the 20th Annual
Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (CCMA). These honors coincided with the revealing
of the coveted Academy Awards nominations (January 15)—which can be either a
feather in your cap or a hard pill to swallow. In the latter case, three films
were vindicated: “Life Itself” won Best Documentary Feature while “The LEGO Movie” won Best Animated Feature and “Force Majeure” won Best Foreign Language
Film, all of which are shockingly absent in the Oscar race. At the end of the
day—or night, in this case—filmmakers can walk away knowing that their CCMA
award was garnered by people (critics) who spend countless hours in dark
theaters analyzing film by peeling back the layers, down to the minutest of details
that general audiences may have missed.
It was a star-studded night, as they say,
at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, complete with iconic tall beam
lights that shined up into a clear night sky. Stars arrived on the Red Carpet,
posed for photos, gave sound bites to reporters, and were whisked inside to
their respective tables all to applaud on cue as the show aired live on A&E,
hosted by the energetic Michael Strahan.
Strahan opened the show with a bang as
tuxedo-clad “Magic Mike” dancers, who at the end of the number were wearing
only their spandex shorts, surrounded him. Strahan followed suit, mentioning
his up-coming appearance in the sequel to “Magic Mike” while taking off only
his trousers followed by a joke about his legs. He displayed a large,
charismatic stage presence and comfortably moved amongst the tables in the
audience during various points in the show.
“Birdman” was the big winner of the night
with a whopping seven awards, including Best Actor for Michael Keaton, Best
Acting Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay for Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás
Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Armando Bo, Best Cinematography for
Emmanuel Lubezki, Best Editing for Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione, Best
Actor in a Comedy for Michael Keaton, and Best Score for Antonio Sanchez.
Michael Keaton is the first person in the twenty-year
history of the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards to win three awards in a single
year (Best Actor, Best Actor in a Comedy, and as part of the “Birdman” Best
Ensemble). Yes, he was busy jaunting to and from the stage and, at one point,
he tripped on a step and fell approximately four feet off the stage. Ethan
Hawke came to his rescue, at which time he regained this balance and seemed to
be walking fine.
Keaton was as humble as in his memorable
Golden Globe acceptance speech this past Sunday, stating from the podium,
“I just wanna thank anybody who’s ever thrown me a solid.”
“Boyhood” was named Best Picture and was
presented by Sir Ben Kingsley, who, by the way, sat next to me at my assigned
table. The film had three additional wins, including Best Supporting Actress
for Patricia Arquette, Best Young Actor/Actress for Ellar Coltrane, and Best
Director for Richard Linklater.
Linklater was grinning ear to ear as he
accepted. He reminisced about his personal “boyhood.” He grew up shuffled back
and forth between households, having the stigma of “child of divorce” along
with being a product of “a failed marriage, a broken home.” Clearly, his view
of his childhood changed. He said, “Especially as I got older, I realized, you
know, no one was broken. No one failed. This happens to so many people, you
know. It’s just life. All of these little imperfections that we carry around
with us, that is really just the essence of life itself. Life doesn’t give you
perfect, but it does give us all an opportunity to care about one another and
be supportive.”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” claimed three
awards, including Best Comedy, Best Art Direction for Adam Stockhausen
(Production Designer) and Anna Pinnock (Set Director), and Best Costume Design
for Milena Canonero.
On the Red Carpet, we talked with “the
lobby boy,” Tony Revolori, who stated upon being asked about his famous
penciled-on mustache, “Wes Anderson would not allow the make-up people to put
it on me. I had to do it myself every day. Every single scene you see me
applying the mustache is mine.”
He further stated that working with Wes
Anderson was, “Nothing but spectacular; he’s an amazing genius who’s twenty
steps ahead of you. I learned so much from him.”
Julianne Moore, seated a table away, won
for Best Actress for “Still Alice.” She looked stunning while walking to the
podium, giving a heartfelt speech centering on her role as a woman with Early
Onset Alzheimer’s disease.
“Thank you very much to the Broadcast
Critics for this award. Thank you for noticing a little movie and thank you for
honoring me among these really wonderful women. One thing I know about myself
for sure is that I’m a girl’s girl. I love talking to women, hanging out with
women, acting with women. One of the things about being an actress, the hardest
part is that you never get to act with other women — or very rarely, anyway.
“I’d like to thank all the women who I
spoke to who are living with Alzheimer’s disease. They are truly, truly
amazing. I want to thank them for their time and their generosity, and sharing
their experience. I really hope I did you justice. And I want to give a special
shout out to my friend Sandy Oltz [50 years of age], my redheaded sister who
has been living with Alzheimer’s for the last three years. Thank you very, very
much for this.”
J.K. Simmons won for Best Supporting Actor
for “Whiplash,” Bradley Cooper for Best Actor in an Action Movie for “American
Sniper.” Both were not present.
Emily Blunt won for Best Actress in an
Action Movie for “Edge of Tomorrow,” Jenny Slate for Best Actress in a Comedy
for “Obvious Child,” Gillian Flynn for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Gone Girl,”
with Common and John Legend for Best Song for “Selma.”
Best Action Movie winner “Guardians of the
Galaxy” picked up an additional award for Best Hair & Makeup.
“Interstellar” won for Best Sci-Fi/Horror
Movie and Best Visual Effects went to “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”
Kevin Costner received the “Lifetime
Achievement Award,” celebrating more than three decades of outstanding work in
film. Rene Russo (“Tincup” costar with Costner) presented the award.
As Costner took the stage, he was given a
standing ovation. He began his grateful speech stating, “I stand here and can’t
help but think there’s been some kind of mistake, like this isn’t for me, like
I’m really accepting this for Sean Connery or Gene Hackman because they
couldn’t be here themselves.
“I don’t know about you, but I miss them.
The weight that Sean and Gene gave to our business, the way they carried the
title ‘leading man.’ So, however this happened, however my name found its way,
stumbled onto the list of actors of a certain age that happen to be in town,
I’m humbled and honored by your selection tonight.”
Those comments received applause from the
crowd as he touched on how actors do choose an end date to their careers. He
continued by saying that it was his dream to act, thanking the writers first
and then the directors. He then mentioned his drivers, craft service, his
assistants, film crews, and fellow actors. Costner finished by thanking his
parents, wife, and his children, whom he stated, “Are bigger than the movies.”
Ron Howard and Jessica Chastain also
received special honors at the ceremony. Chris Hemsworth presented the “Critics’
Choice LOUIS XIII Genius Award,” established to honor an icon who has
demonstrated unprecedented excellence in the cinematic arts, to multiple
award-winning director, producer, and actor Ron Howard. Chris Pratt presented
the inaugural “Critics’ Choice MVP Award,” to Jessica Chastain, recognizing an
extraordinary actress for her work in several standout movies throughout a
single year – “Interstellar,” “Miss Julie,” “A Most Violent Year (which also
earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination this year),” and “The
Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.”
“Life Itself” trio Chaz Ebert (looking
very glamorous), Steve James, director, and Garrett Basch, producer, walked the
Red Carpet and spoke with us about the film’s message.
Chaz Ebert said, “I can tell you, talking
about this movie and talking about the takeaways, which are … you know,
talking about love, just … it enlarges your heart. It really enlarges your
purpose on this Earth. It helps give you more empathy and compassion for other
people. And those are the principles that Roger stood for. And that’s why he,
when he said, “Cinema at its most noble will do those things. To be able
to talk about the film and talk about Roger, it does a lot for me.”
Steve James commented, “Well, I hope they
take a lot of different things away from this film. Roger, I think, looked at
his life like a movie, but in the most deepest way. Sometimes, it was a grand
adventure. It was often a love story, especially in the later years. Sometimes,
it had tragedy to it, but yet, he and Chaz, they kind of got through it. They
soldiered on, so to speak, as Herzog would say. So I think his life is a great
sort of model for how to live your life, really.”
Garrett Basch summed up his thoughts,
“It’s a long take, but I would say that I am very proud to be standing here
with these two people, and it wouldn’t have happened without them, and it
wouldn’t have happened without Roger and it wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t
written that book. That’s it. I’m just proud and grateful.”
Highlights of attending the awards show
were the interactions between the stars and the critics during the commercial
breaks. Table-hopping, chatting, and photo taking were all accepted and the
norm. Sitting beside Sir Ben Kingsley was incredible in and of itself. He was
charming and toasted with my husband and me after he was poured a glass of
champagne. When speaking about his colossal amount of film roles, he told us,
“They are like my children, I have no favorites, and who knows what’s to come
ahead…that may be my favorite.” No need to do too much table-hopping when
you’re sitting with a legend. Jessica Chastain, however, was someone I wanted
to meet. She is very beautiful in person; we spoke about her work with Liv
Ullmann and the film “Miss Julie.” Chastain had nothing but praise for Ullmann,
noting her good fortune to be directed by such a talented woman.
Other memorable stars in attendance, in no
particular order, were Jennifer Aniston, David Oyelowo, Melissa McCarthy,
Angelia Jolie, Emily Blunt, Marion Cotillard, Alexandre Desplat, Ava DuVernay,
Jon Favreau, Rosamund Pike, Chris Hemsworth, Eddie Redmayne, Reese Witherspoon,
Amy Adams, Oprah Winfrey, Jared Leto, Sir Patrick Stewart, Chris Pratt, Robert
Duvall, Cuba Gooding Jr., John Legend, Diane Krueger, and many more.
The lavish after-party was held a few
blocks away at the Hollywood Athletic Club, which few stars attended, although
twelve-year-old Jaeden Lieberher, who stars alongside Bill Murray in “St.
Vincent,” chatted about how “Bill” always cracked jokes on set every day
and that he was constantly laughing, which was not the case with his movie mom,
Melissa McCarthy. She was much more serious. As in the film, he’s very
comfortable with adults.
WINNERS OF THE 20th ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE
AWARDS
Best Picture – “Boyhood”
Best Actor – Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Best Actress – Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Best Supporting Actor – J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Best Supporting Actress – Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Best Young Actor/Actress – Ellar Coltrane, “Boyhood”
Best Acting Ensemble – “Birdman”
Best Director – Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Best Original Screenplay – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás
Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Best Adapted Screenplay – Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl”
Best Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Best Art Direction – Adam Stockhausen (Production
Designer), Anna Pinnock (Set Decorator), “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Editing – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione,
“Birdman”
Best Costume Design – Milena Canonero, “The Grand
Budapest Hotel”
Best Hair & Makeup – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Best Visual Effects – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Best Animated Feature – “The Lego Movie”
Best Action Movie – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Best Actor in an Action Movie – Bradley Cooper, “American
Sniper”
Best Actress in an Action Movie – Emily Blunt, “Edge of Tomorrow”
Best Comedy – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Actor in a Comedy – Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Best Actress in a Comedy – Jenny Slate, “Obvious Child”
Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie – “Interstellar”
Best Foreign Language Film – “Force Majeure”
Best Documentary Feature – “Life Itself”
Best Song –
“Glory”, Common and John Legend, “Selma”
Best Score – Antonio Sanchez, “Birdman”
(Image Credits: Getty Images and the author.)
