2014 Detroit Film Critics Society Award Nominations - Complete List

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

2014 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards nominations:

BEST FILM
    Boyhood
    Birdman
    The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Under the Skin
    Whiplash

BEST DIRECTOR
    Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
    Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin
    Ajejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
    Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR
    Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
    Brendan Gleeson, Calvary
    Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
    Michael Keaton, Birdman
    Tom Hardy, Locke
    Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
    Essie Davis, The Babadook
    Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
    Julianne Moore, Still Alice
    Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
    Reese Witherspoon, Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
    Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
    Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
    Edward Norton, Birdman
    Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
    JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
    Laura Dern, Wild
    Rene Russo, Nightcrawler
    Emma Stone, Birdman
    Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

BEST ENSEMBLE
    Birdman
    Boyhood
    Guardians of the Galaxy
    The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Into the Woods

BREAKTHROUGH
    Damien Chazelle, Whiplash (director, screenplay)
    Jennifer Kent, The Babadook (director, screenplay)
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle, Beyond the Lights (actress)
    Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy (actor)
    Dan Stevens, The Guest (actor)

BEST SCREENPLAY
    Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
    Nicolas Giacobone and Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
    Richard Linklater, Boyhood
    John Michael McDonagh, Calvary

BEST DOCUMENTARY
    CitizenFour
    Finding Vivian Maier
    Jodorowsky’s Dune
    Keep On Keepin’ On
    Life Itself

Ruby Barnhill to Play "Sophie" in Spielberg's "The BFG"

Newcomer Ruby Barnhill Has Been Cast as “Sophie” in Spielberg’s Adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The BFG”

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios announced today that newcomer Ruby Barnhill has been cast as the young girl, Sophie, in Roald Dahl’s beloved classic story, “The BFG.” Steven Spielberg will direct the film adaptation of the children’s novel. Published in 1982, “The BFG” is the tale of a young London girl and the mysterious Giant who introduces her to the beauty and peril of Giant Country. Barnhill joins Mark Rylance who has been cast as the “Big Friendly Giant.”

    “We have discovered a wonderful Sophie in Ruby Barnhill.”

“The BFG” will be 10-year-old Ruby Barnhill’s first feature film role. She has been acting for two years and will appear in the upcoming BBC BAFTA award-winning children’s drama “Four O’Clock Club.” Ruby lives in Cheshire with her parents, younger sister and Tom the cat and is a member of her local youth theatre.

“I feel incredibly lucky and I’m so happy,” said Ruby Barnhill. “Sophie gets to go on this wonderful adventure and I’m so excited that I get to play her.”

“After a lengthy search, I feel Roald Dahl himself would have found Ruby every bit as marvelous as we do,” said Steven Spielberg. “We have discovered a wonderful Sophie in Ruby Barnhill.”

Luke Kelly, Managing Director of the Roald Dahl Literary Estate and Roald Dahl's grandson, said, “The character of Sophie is one of the most endearing young heroes in Roald Dahl’s stories. She is as brave as she is curious and has an innate sense of wonder. Many congratulations to Ruby on landing the role. We hope that making ‘The BFG’ proves an utterly magical adventure for her.”

DreamWorks acquired the rights to the book in 2010 after Kathleen Kennedy brought it to the company. Melissa Mathison, who last teamed with Spielberg and Kennedy on "E.T.," has written the screenplay. Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer will produce while Kennedy, John Madden and Michael Siegel are on board as Executive Producers. Kristie Macosko Krieger and Adam Somner are Co-Producers.

Spielberg will begin production on "The BFG" in early 2015 and it will open in U.S. theaters on July 1, 2016. The Walt Disney Company is distributing the film in the U.S. and select international territories while Mister Smith Entertainment is handling distribution in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. DreamWorks’ partner, Reliance, will distribute the film in India.

About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $180 million at the U.S. box office and was nominated for twelve Academy Awards® with Daniel Day-Lewis winning for Best Actor. Other releases include “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” starring Helen Mirren, Steven Spielberg’s "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award® nominations with Octavia Spencer winning for Best Supporting Actress.

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.

About "The BFG"
First published in 1982, "The BFG" was Roald Dahl’s own favorite of his stories. Today, the book is published in 38 foreign languages, including Vietnamese, Korean, Ukrainian, Indonesian, Albanian, Estonian, Hebrew and Welsh.

“The BFG” will be the latest Roald Dahl title to be adapted for stage and screen, following major films including “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (1971), “James and the Giant Peach” (1996), “Matilda” (1996), “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005) and “Fantastic Mr Fox” (2009). The phenomenally successful award-winning “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical” continues playing to packed audiences in the West End and on Broadway. In 2015, the show is set to open in Sydney and begin touring the USA. Additionally, over a million people have seen the West End musical production of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” since its opening in June 2013.

About Roald Dahl and his legacy
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was one of the world’s most inventive, mischievous and successful storytellers. His stories are currently available in 58 languages, and, by conservative estimate, he has sold more than 200 million books. Ten percent of all the Roald Dahl royalties are donated to the two Roald Dahl charities - Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Roald Dahl Day is marked annually all over the world on Roald Dahl’s birthday, September 13th, and in 2016 there will be global celebrations for the Centenary of his birth, which will coincide with the release of “The BFG” movie.

For further information on “The BFG” and the wonderful world of Roald Dahl please visit:

www.roalddahl.com
www.facebook.com/TheBFGByRoaldDahl
www.twitter.com/roald_dahl

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Review: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is a Sensation

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Running time: 161 minutes (2 hours, 41 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images
DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson
WRITERS: Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro (from the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien)
PRODUCERS: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Carolynne Cunningham, and Zane Weiner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jabez Olssen
COMPOSER: Howard Shore
Academy Award nominee

FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE with elements of drama

Starring:  Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Sylvester McCoy, Graham McTavish, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, and Benedict Cumberbatch (also voice)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013 fantasy film from director Peter Jackson.  The film is the second of three movies which are based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (better known by its abbreviated title, The Hobbit).  Set sixty years before The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is the story of a curious Hobbit who joins a band of Dwarves on a mission to reclaim their homeland from a powerful dragon.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug finds Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) still in The Company of Dwarves, led by would-be dwarf king, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage).  These 13 dwarves are on a quest to reclaim their homeland, Erebor, from the dragon, Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch).  Their goal is the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug slumbers.

Along the way, Bilbo and the Dwarves are pursued by Azog the Defiler and a party of Orcs.  They also encounter the Wood-elves and their arrogant king, Thranduil (Lee Pace), and are eventually pursued by two elves, Legolas Greenleaf (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), who are proficient at killing Orcs.  Meanwhile, the wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), investigates the growing evil at the ruins of Dol Guldur.

I gave the first Hobbit film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey a grade of “9” out of 10 on my rating scale, although I had complaints about the movie.  My biggest complaint was that it was too long, with the first hour meandering like a drunken narrative looking for a bottle of plot.

I have no complaints about The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  I love it.  I have seen it once, and watched most of it several more times on different HBO channels.  Like the prior films based on the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien,  The Desolation of Smaug is a glowing spectacle.  It is not trapped by the “middle chapter” narrative difficulties that afflict the middle films of some movie trilogies, like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.  [By the way, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was the middle film in a trilogy and did not at all suffer from middle chapter problems.]

Perhaps, for me, The Desolation of Smaug is personal.  I feel for the characters, and I am a champion for their causes, examining the stakes and decisions from every angle.  Director Peter Jackson is in love with The Hobbit, and it shows in this wonderful film.  I cannot pick out particular thing that stands out as great, although I love Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug.  It is as if all elements come together to make a great film.

Over the years, I have read The Hobbit many times, and I am happy that these Hobbit movies, especially this one, are connecting with me in ways I never expected.  If you are already a fan of the previous Peter Jackson Tolkien films, you will be a fan of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  Or like me, you will fall in love with it.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, and Tony Johnson), “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, and Eric Reynolds), and “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Brent Burge and Chris Ward)

2014 BAFTA Awards:  2 nominations: “Best Make Up/Hair” (Peter King, Richard Taylor, and Rick Findlater) “Best Special Visual Effects” (Eric Reynolds, David Clayton, Joe Letteri, and Eric Saindon)
Tuesday, December 16, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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It's "Boyhood" for Chicago Film Critics

The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization that hands out the Chicago Film Critics Awards, hold critics roundtables, and takes on industry and artists’ rights issues. The parent association was founded in 1990 by film critic Sue Kiner after the successful launch of the Chicago Film Critics Awards in 1989.

The 2014 Chicago Film Critics Awards Winners:

BEST PICTURE: Boyhood

BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater -- 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 ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Wes Anderson -- The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Gillian Flynn -- Gone Girl

BEST ART DIRECTION: The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (TIE): Birdman -- Emmanuel Lubezki and The Grand Budapest Hotel -- Robert Yeoman

BEST EDITING: Whiplash -- Tom Cross

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Under the Skin -- Mica Levi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: The Lego Movie

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Life Itself

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: Force Majeure

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Jack O'Connell -- Starred Up/Unbroken

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER: Damien Chazelle -- Whiplash

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San Diego Film Critics Pick "Nightcrawler" as Best Film of 2014

The members of the San Diego Film Critics Society write and/or broadcast for a San Diego County based outlet.  The society’s mission statement is “to provide diverse critical opinion about movies, advance film education and awareness, and recognize excellence in cinema.”

2014 San Diego Film Critics Award winners were announced Monday, December 15, 2014.

San Diego Film Critics Society Top Films of 2014:

BEST FILM
NIGHTCRAWLER

BEST DIRECTOR
Dan Gilroy, NIGHTCRAWLER

BEST ACTOR
Jake Gyllenhaal, NIGHTCRAWLER

BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard, TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mark Ruffalo, FOXCATCHER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rene Russo, NIGHTCRAWLER

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dan Gilroy, NIGHTCRAWLER

BEST ADAPATED SCREENPLAY
Gillian Flynn, GONE GIRL

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
FORCE MAJEURE

DOCUMENTARY
CITIZENFOUR

ANIMATED
THE BOXTROLLS

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Robert Elswit, NIGHTCRAWLER

EDITING
James Herbert, Laura Jennings, EDGE OF TOMORROW

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pincock, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

BEST SCORE
James Newton Howard, NIGHTCRAWLER

BEST ENSEMBLE
BIRDMAN

BODY OF WORK
Willem Dafoe – JOHN WICK, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, A MOST WANTED MAN & NYMPHOMANIAC 2

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St. Louis Film Critics Choose "Boyhood" as Best Film of 2014

The St. Louis Film Critics is an association of professional film critics operating in metropolitan St. Louis and adjoining areas of Missouri and Illinois.  Founded in late 2004, the group’s goals (according to the website) are to serve the interests of local film critics, and to promote an appreciation for cinema both as an art form and for its societal, cultural and historical context and impact.

The eligibility requirements for a SLFC Award, according to the group’s website:  a film must have been shown in the greater St. Louis area in a theater or at a film festival or series, or made available to SLFC members by screening or screener during the past year. Films opening in limited run elsewhere for Oscar qualification but which will open in the St. Louis area early in the next year are eligible.

Winners of the 2014 SLFC Awards were announced on Monday, December 15, 2014.

2014 SLFC Awards:

Best Film: “Boyhood”

Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Birdman”)

Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal (“Nightcrawler”)

Best Actress:  Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”)

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”)

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”)

Best Original Screenplay:  “Birdman” (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo

Best Adapted Screenplay: “Gone Girl” (Gillian Flynn)

Best Cinematography: “Birdman” (Emmanuel Lubezki)

Best Visual Effects: “Interstellar”

Best Musical Score: “Birdman”

Best Soundtrack: “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Art Direction: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Best Animated Film: “The Lego Movie”

Best Art-House or Festival Film: “Whiplash”

Best Comedy: “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Documentary: “Citizenfour”

Best Non-English Language Film: “Force Majeure”

Best Scene (favorite movie scene or sequence): “X-Men: Days of Future Past” – Quicksilver Escape from the Pentagon

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"Interstellar" Passes $100 Million in IMAX Tickets Sold

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND WARNER BROS. PICTURES’ “INTERSTELLAR” CROSSES $100 MILLION MILESTONE IN IMAX® THEATRES AROUND THE GLOBE

THE FILM WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY IN 12 IMAX THEATRE LOCATIONS THROUGH DECEMBER

Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed film “INTERSTELLAR” has surpassed $100 million in IMAX® Theatres worldwide since its release on November 5, marking the fourth time an IMAX film has crossed the $100 million threshold.

While “INTERSTELLAR” concluded its circuit-wide domestic run in IMAX theaters on December 14, the film will continue to play through at least the weekend of December 19, 2014 in the following North American IMAX 70mm film locations:

Austin, TX     IMAX Theater Austin
Branson, MO     Elite Cinema 3/Ozark IMAX
Chantilly, VA     Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX
Dearborn, MI     Henry Ford IMAX
Des Moines, IA     SCI IMAX Dome Theater
Huntsville, AL     Spacedome IMAX Theater
Indianapolis, IN     White River IMAX
Philadelphia, PA     Tuttleman IMAX - Franklin Institute
San Jose, CA     Hackworth IMAX
Seattle, WA     Boeing IMAX - Pacific Science Center
Tampa, FL     Museum of Science and Industry
Washington, D.C.     Lockheed Martin IMAX Theatre

Continuing the legacy begun by IMAX trailblazer Nolan and his use of the 15 perf 65mm IMAX® cameras in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, more than an hour of “INTERSTELLAR” was shot using IMAX cameras. Exclusively in IMAX theatres, these sequences expand to fill the entire screen and deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and provide audiences with a truly cinematic and immersive experience.

Sequences of “INTERSTELLAR” shot in 35mm film have been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology.  The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

“INTERSTELLAR” stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human history; traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars.

The film is directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst.

To date, “INTERSTELLAR” has earned more than $621 million at the worldwide box office.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures meets worldwide tastes and demands with a diverse mix of filmed entertainment and is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films.  The International Division operates offices in 24 countries and releases films in over 125 international territories, either directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures.  Internationally, the Studio has been the market leader in six of the last 13 years, having surpassed $1 billion in grosses a total of 15 years, 12 of which were consecutive years, and crossed $2 billion five times, including 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of September 30, 2014, there were 880 IMAX theaters (751 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 110 institutions) in 60 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX Is Believing® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

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