GG nom thoughts

Well, the upside of a wide-open race is that each announcement is interesting, and that the love is getting spread around.

Golden Globe Thoughts:
Boo snubbing most of the Spotlight ensemble.
It is weird that the HFPA *didn't* go for Johnny Depp.
WHO NOMINATES THE SPECTRE THEME SONG?!?
No one can decide who is supporting and who is lead. Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander have both been nominated in both categories for the same performance. (So was Mya Taylor, but she was sadly not nominated for the Globes, sadly.)
Yay Mad Max!

And on the tv side:
Holy Hell YES EVA GREEN!
Rachel Bloom! Yay!
woohoo Outlander!
Yay Mr. Robot and Rami Malek!
Huh - Flesh and Bone got a nod? Maybe I should get on watching that.
I'm still torn on watching Bloodline. I like Ben Mendelsohn, so I'm glad he's got a nom.
Boooo - no Jessica Jones noms.
BOOOO NO JUSTIFIED.

And as Vulture put it: "Sorry, networks: Starz shows have more nominations than ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and the CW. Starz." 

The Emmy Nominees - Everything else

Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight
Late Show with David Letterman
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

That's really all that needs to be said about that category.

Outstanding Limited Series
American Crime
American Horror Story: Freak Show
The Honorable Woman
Olive Kitteridge
Wolf Hall
Babylon?

Poldark was not eligible. That said, Freak Show? Really? REALLY? I'm glad it's up for title design, but that season was a MESS. What about Babylon? I've yet to see it, but a Danny Boyle show MUST be better. And I heard good things about the Wrong Mans... There aren't a lot of limited series, but you don't HAVE to nominate something when it goes wildly off the rails (see: The Good Wife).

Helen McCrory did it better.

Outstanding Television Movie
“Agatha Christie’s Poirot” Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, Acorn
Bessie, HBO
Grace of Monaco, Lifetime
Hello Ladies: The Movie, HBO
Killing Jesus, National Geographic
Nightingale, HBO

Aw, yay, Poirot! I also appreciate that the BoJack Horseman Christmas episode was eligible. I'm not sure why Death Comes to Pemberly wasn't eligible - I really enjoyed that.

Outstanding Actress in a Mini-series or Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Queen Latifah, Bessie
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Emma Thompson, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Live from Lincoln Center

WHAT? LIVE SWEENEY TODD IS ELIGIBLE? IS IT ONLINE? EXCUSE ME I NEED TO GO SEE IT.

Outstanding Actor in a Mini-series or Movie
Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge
David Oyelowo, Nightingale
Adrien Brody, Houdini
Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall
Ricky Gervias, Derek

Ok?

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Richard Cabral, American Crime
Denise O’Hare, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Finn Wittrock, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Michael Kenneth Williams, Bessie
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall

Yay. I'm glad Finn got a nomination to committing so hard for some very bad writing. And... Denise?

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Regina King, American Crime
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Angela Bassett, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Mo’Nique, Bessie
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Zoe Kazan, Olive Kitteridge

Okay.

Outstanding Special Class Program
Beyonce and Jay Z On the Run
The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards
The Oscars
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Live From Lincoln Center)
68th Annual Tony Awards

SWING YOUR RAZOR WIDE, SWEENEY!


And finally:

Pajiba has a great reaction post to the nominations. To which I would add:

Biggest waste of a potential story line: Finn - Good Wife

(Runner up: Sansa and Petyr Baelish on Game of Thrones. I was so excited to see these two all through the hiatus, and then he goes and marries her off? Boring. Stupid.)

Best way to hide a pregnancy: Shaw - Person of Interest

Best tracking shot: It's Always Sunny - Charlie Work
Runner Up: Daredevil - The Hallway Fight

Best sketch: Inside Amy Schumer - 12 Angry Men (runner up: Key & Peele - Aerobics Meltdown)

Best balloon: Daredevil

Best score: The Knick

Best intro music: True Blood - Eric meeting Ginger for the first time, #1 Crush - Garbage

Best Wedding: Outlander. Duh.

Most Underwhelming: Galavant. Doesn't it seem like a musical with a Mel Brooks sensibility should have been more memorable?

Most welcome return: SNL Celebrity Jeopardy - 40th Anniversary show. Not the best bit, but... Sean Connery! Burt Reynolds!

Best gag that I couldn't believe had never been done before: Doctor Who - the TARDIS getting smaller on the outside.

Best thing that should fit in a category somewhere - wait, what was nominated for best song: Too Many Cooks [Update: it's not up, but Darren Criss is for Glee. Aww.]

Not Eligible in 2015, but amazing: Hannibal's European Vacation.

THANK YOU BRYAN

Dumbest enjoyable plotline: Orphan Black - Alison & Donnie become drug dealers

Best Fight Music: Agent Carter - Peggy Lee 

Biggest bombshell: The Americans - "I need to know the truth. I don’t care what it is. But if you love me, if you really love me, then please tell me. What are you, in the witness protection program? Did you kill someone? Are you guys drug dealers like your friend Gregory? Are we adopted? Are we aliens? What?”

Best character ever: The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher

Best Finale: Justified. Way to stick the landing, guys. 

The Emmy Nominees - Comedy

I care much less about the comedies, as I've seen fewer of them. If only I didn't need sleep...

Outstanding Comedy Series
Louis
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
Jane the Virgin, Broad City, It's Always Sunny, Moone Boy

I'm very excited!

This is a pretty great category! (Terrible Modern Family inclusion aside.) Inside Amy Schumer and Key & Peele are down under Variety Sketch Show. I couldn't get into Last Man on Earth, but I know a lot of people were disappointed in its exclusion.

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Drunk History, Comedy Central
Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central
Key & Peele, Comedy Central
Portlandia, IFC
Saturday Night Live, NBC

Yay Key & Peele, Inside Amy Schumer, and Portlandia!

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy
Anthony Anderson, Blackish
Louis CK, Louis
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
William H Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambour, Transparent
Adam Scott, Parks & Rec
Joel McHale, Community
Jonathan Groff, Looking 

Om nom nom

Well, it's silly that Shameless is in comedy at all. I had to finally quit season 4 because it got too dark for me. I didn't like writing of Last Man, but I generally like Will Forte, so good for him. As the true dramedy entry (shouldn't that be a category now? It could be Shameless, Transparent, OITNB, Nurse Jackie...), I'm guessing Jeffrey Tambour has the lead here. And I like Matt LeBlanc, but... really? That said, I don't watch a ton of comedies, so I don't have a long list of snubs here. I would have liked to see Adam Scott recognized for Ben Wyatt at some point. He played a believable funny straight man, which is a hard line to toe. And while I eventually stopped watching Community, I with Joel McHale would have been recognized once for his work there. I've heard good things about Jay Baruchel in Man Seeking Woman and have been meaning to watch it.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Aya Cash, You're the Worst 

Yay Amy Poehler! Yay Amy Schumer! Yay Lisa Kudrow and Lily Tomlin. I've yet to see veep, but go JLD. That said, Gina Rodriguez. She won the Golden Globe, for chrissake. Also, Constance Wu has been getting acclaim for Fresh Off the Boat. And, as stupid as it is for Shameless to compete as a comedy, Emmy Rossum was consistently great on it (as far as I watched). Finally, I feel like I should give a shout out to Aya Cash, who was once my roommate at summer camp.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Niecy Nash, Getting On
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Allison Janney, Mom
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent
Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Anna Chlumsky, Veep

Why does this category get 8??? That said, yay Anna Chlumsky! Yay Kate McKinnon! I'm not even mad at Mayim, because I like her. That said, if Keegan-Michael Key is up for supporting, it feels like Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer should be in here.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Adam Driver, Girls
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tony Hale, Veep
Jordan Peele, Key & Peele
Nick Offerman, Parks & Rec

Key without Peele, really? Again with the Shameless: I've heard Cameron Monaghan and Noel Fisher did their best work this season, and Jeremy Allen White was always my favorite on the show. And I know a lot of people thought that other members of the Veep and Silicon Valley casts were snubs.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Mel Brooks, The Comedians
Paul Giamatti, Inside Amy Schumer
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live
Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live
Bradley Whitford, Transparent
Jon Hamm, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Josh Charles, Inside Amy Schumer
John Hawkes, Inside Amy Schumer 

I'm surprised the Comedians was canceled - I heard good things. I also heard mixed things about Jon Hamm on Kimmy Schmidt. Yay everyone else. But Josh Charles and John Hawkes were also brilliant on Inside Amy Schumer.

Fun with the ballot: I enjoyed Werner Herzog on Parks & Rec.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Christine Baranski, The Big Bang Theory
Gaby Hoffmann, Girls
Pamela Adlon, Louie
Elizabeth Banks, Modern Family
Joan Cusack, Shameless
Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Kathryn Hahn, Parks & Rec

Sure? I will say I always liked Kathryn Hahn on Parks & Rec.

Outstanding Directing of a Comedy Series
The Last Man on Earth, “Alive in Tucson”
Louie, “Sleepover”
Silicon Valley, “Sand Hill Shuffle”
Transparent, “Best New Girl”
Veep, “Testimony”

It's Always Sunny, "Charlie Work"

IT IS CRIMINAL THAT CHARLIE WORK IS NOT NOMINATED.

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Episodes, “Episode 409″
The Last Man on Earth, “Alive in Tucson”
Louie, “Bobby’s House”
Silicon Valley, “Two Days of the Condor”
Transparent, “Pilot”
Veep, “Election Night”
Broad City, Knockoffs

It is boring that the same 5 shows are up for directing and writing. As I mentioned, I'm not a fan of the writing for Last Man on Earth, but the pilot was the best of the episodes I saw, so good on Will Forte there. But... Parks and Rec? Jane the Virgin? Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which got so many other nods? Girls? Hell, I even heard New Girl rebounded this year.

The Emmy Nominees - Drama

Predictably terrible. Granted, Hannibal wasn't eligible this go-around, but JUSTIFIED AND THE AMERICANS SURE AS HELL WERE.

(Here were my wishes last year and the eventual reactionary post).

Okay. Let's do this.

Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mad Men
Orange is the New Black
The Americans
Justified 
The Knick
Daredevil
Outlander 

Me, too, Raylan. Me, too.

Clearly, The Good Wife and The Fall whiffed this season, nor was I entirely thrilled with Broadchurch S2. Sons of Anarchy was a snub for lots of folk, and the Leftovers and Rectify have small, but devoted followings. I've heard S2 of Halt and Catch Fire is a huge improvement from S1. I haven't finished Outlander quite yet, but the first half was fab (THERE'S A COSTUME DRAMA FOR YOU, OLDER EMMY VOTERS), and easily better than Downton. I mean, seriously: nominating Downton and Homeland at this point is ridiculous, I'm kinda almost okay with HoC and OITNB, but GoT is just fucking irresponsible. THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD TV OUT THERE AT THIS POINT, EMMYS. YOUR JOB IS TO WATCH IT.

(Fun with the ballot: True Blood was submitted for its final season! BWAHAHAHAHA.)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Timothy Olyphant, Justified
Matthew Rhys, The Americans 
Sam Heughan, Outlander
Charlie Cox, Daredevil
Grant Gustin, The Flash
Josh Hartnett, Penny Dreadful

I know several of those sound like fan service, but hear me out.

First off, no Timothy Olyphant? Unacceptable.

ME TOO.

I'm surprised that Josh Hartnett was submitted as a lead for Penny Dreadful, but he had a terrific arc this season. I've never been a fan of his, but he's really surprised me on this show. Plus, he is responsible for my single favorite, most believable moment on tv this year:

And, in that moment, we were all Ethan Chandler.

And granted, it shouldn't surprise me that the Emmys overlook genre work - it took Tatiana three years to be nominated - but it's such a shame to have so much good work overlooked. Speaking of which:

*sniffle*

Daredevil was surprisingly good, and with Charlie Cox's portrayal of Matt Murdock gave us some great scenes, like Matt being surprised by Fisk, his chats with his priest, or - what I think is the crowning bit of the series - Matt and Foggy's episode long-fight when Foggy discover's Matt's secret. It was so devastating and so well played by the two of them. Oh - and he played blind really well.

*open sobbing*

The Flash is, let's face it, a superhero show on the CW, and one that has astoundingly stupid villain names and a hyper-intelligent talking gorilla. Plus it took a few episodes to find its footing -- but damn if it didn't get great. Part of that was due to the season-long arc with Tom Cavanagh's excellent, complex villain. But at this point? I care waaaaay more about Barry Allen's emotional well-being than... most other superheroes. Certainly most of the Avengers. And Grant Gustin gets several great scenes to play: meetings with his father in prison, any father/son scenes with Jesse L. Martin - particularly the finale, watching his mother die AGAIN. Basically, what I'm saying is: the boy cries well.

(I haven't seen S2 of Peaky Blinders yet, so I can't be sure, but I'd be surprised if Cillian Murphy weren't excellent. And I've heard the same for Aden Young in Rectify. He'll never be up, but I love Michael Emerson on Person of Interest.)

OH. PETER CAPALDI. Why is he not eligible for Doctor Who? I LOVED his take on the character.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Taraji P Henson, Empire
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Keri Russell, The Americans
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
Hayley Atwell, Agent Carter 
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander 
Olivia Colman, Broadchurch 

Helena to all the other nominees

Huzzah for Tatiana! ABOUT DAMN TIME. (Even if I was less thrilled with S3 than previous ones).

And I would like to have seen these ladies included as well:

That is some serious intensity

At least someone does

Finally, The Fall fell off a cliff (heh) at the end of S2, but Gillian Anderson did some more great work up to that point. I haven't seen The Affair, but I love Ruth Wilson so much from Luther, that I'll add her in here.

2014 wrap-up, part 5 and last: JWD award winners

Best Film
Calvary
Only Lovers Left Alive (tie)
Birdman
Tracks
Whiplash
Nightcrawler
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wild
Night Moves
The Double

Best Popcorn Flick
Snowpiercer
The Babadook
Gone Girl
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Veronica Mars
Interstellar
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Actress
Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Essie Davis (The Babadook)
Mia Wasikowska (Tracks)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Rinko Kikuchi (Kumiko the Treasure Hunter)
Tessa Thompson (Dear White People)

Best Actor
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
Tom Hiddleston (Only Lovers Left Alive)
Brendan Gleeson (Calvary)
Ralph Fiennes (Grand Budapest Hotel)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Double, Night Moves)

Best Supporting Actress
Rene Russo (Nightcrawler)
Laura Dern (Wild)
Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer)
Mia Wasikowska (The Double, Only Lovers Left Alive)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Carrie Coon (Gone Girl)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Frank)

Best Supporting Actor
Edward Norton (Birdman)
JK Simmons (Whiplash)
Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler)
Michael Fassbender (Frank)
Andrew Scott (Pride)

Best Ensemble
Grand Budapest Hotel
Birdman
Foxcatcher
Into the Woods
Nightcrawler
Pride
Gone Girl
Wild (weird, I know. But I thought all the supporting turns were fantastic.)
Interstellar

Best Director
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)
Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest Hotel)
Jim Jarmush (Only Lovers Left Alive)
Jennifer Kent (The Babadook)
Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)
Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)
John Michael McDonagh (Calvary)

Best Screenplay - Original/Adapted
Birdman (Original)
Nightcrawler (Original)
Grand Budapest Hotel (Original)
Dear White People (Original)
Whiplash (Original)
Calvary (Original)
Gone Girl (Adapted)
Wild (Adapted)
Snowpiercer (Adapted)

Best Visual Effects
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
Maleficent
Edge of Tomorrow

Best Costumes
Grand Budapest Hotel
Gone Girl
Wild
Maleficent
Foxcatcher

Best Art/Production Design
Grand Budapest Hotel
Snowpiercer
The Babadook
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Interstellar
Foxcatcher
Nightcrawler

Best Makeup
Foxcatcher
Snowpiercer
Guardians of the Galaxy
Hunger Games (I have yet to see it but... still.)
Maleficent
The Hobbt (Ditto.)
Grand Budapest Hotel
X-Men

Best Cinematography
Birdman
Wild
Night Moves
The Double
Tracks
Interstellar
Gone Girl
Foxcatcher
Snowpiercer
Grand Budapest
The Babadook

Best Editing
Whiplash
Wild
Edge of Tomorrow
Night Moves
Nightcrawler
Interstellar
Grand Budapest Hotel
Calvary

Best Song
Agony - Into the Woods
Hate the Sport - We Are the Best
I Love You All - Frank
Bread and Roses - Pride
Hal - Only Lovers Left Alive
Untitled Self Portrait - The Lego Movie

Best Score
Gone Girl
Only Lovers Left Alive
Godzilla
Whiplash
Interstellar
The Double
(As the Playlist pointed out, Cliff Martinez's score for The Knick deserves special recognition.) 

Best Sound Editing & Mixing
Godzilla
Interstellar (I really liked the sound mix! I know it was divisive, but it worked for me.)
Birdman
Maleficent
Edge of Tomorrow
Gone Girl
Into the Woods
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
X-Men
Captain America

Best Animated Short
The Dam Keeper
Me and My Moulton
Sticky
The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl
The Jump
Virtuous Virtuell
Une Balade a la Mer
Close the Lid Gently

Best Live Action Short
Numbers and Friends
Projections in the Forest
Phone Call
Boogaloo and Graham
Las Cieni/ The Shadow Forest
Farewell My King
Campandas
A Sign (Belgian, can't find it online)
Sugar Plum Fairy
Intersection
The Activists (can't find it online)

Film I didn't get to that I am most looking forward to:
Enemy
Cold in July
Beyond the Lights
Ida
Inherent Vice
A Most Violent Year

Best Poster
Enemy
Birdman Also this one
Nightcrawler
Gone Girl
Winter Sleep
Foxcatcher
Borgman
White God
The Final Member
Inherent Vice
Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Trailer
Guardians of the Galaxy
Birdman
Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler
Gone Girl
Maleficent

Best Quote
"There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity." - Grand Budapest Hotel
“In a lesser known epic poem, Dante’s Inferno 2: Hell Freezes Over, ten years after escaping the Nine Circles, Dante returns, you know, for old time’s sake.” – Veronica, Veronica Mars
"What if I forgave myself? I thought. What if I forgave myself even though I'd done something I shouldn't have? What if I was a liar and a cheat and there was no excuse for what I'd done other than because it was what I wanted and needed to do? What if I was sorry, but if I could go back in time I wouldn't do anything differently than I had done? What if I'd actually wanted to fuck every one of those men? What if heroin taught me something? What if yes was the right answer instead of no? What if what made me do all those things everyone thought I shouldn't have done was what also had got me here? What if I was never redeemed? What if I already was?" -  Wild

2014 wrap-up, part 4: the winners and breakdown

So... I got 21/24. I'm not sure how to feel about doing well after barely following most of the season.  (I think I would've been more disappointed in not being able to obsessively track everything if Nightcrawler had been up for more. I really like Birdman and Whiplash, and I'm glad they got their due, but I really wanted Nightcrawler to get more recognition. Or, you know. Any of my other favorites that were never in contention.)

...

Best Picture
Boyhood
The Imitation Game
Birdman - Should Win/Will Win/Did Win
The Theory of Everything
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Whiplash
Selma
American Sniper

Boo. Pour one out for Nightcrawler/Gone Girl/Wild/Inherent Vice/Calvary/Only Lovers Left Alive/Snowpiercer. 

Best Actress
Julianne Moore, Still Alice - Will Win/Did Win
Reese Witherspoon, Wild - Should Win (haven't seen Still Alice)
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night

Best Actor
Michael Keaton, Birdman - Should Win
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything - Will Win/Did Win Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper

Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash - Should Win/Will Win/Did Win
Edward Norton, Birdman
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall, The Judge

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood - Will Win/Did Win
Emma Stone, Birdman
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Laura Dern, Wild - Should Win (haven't seen Boyhood)

Best Director
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman - Will Win/Did Win
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

I have a hard time saying Iñárritu *should* win over Linklater, because his feat is pretty monumental. And really, I think we can all agree Miller shouldn't be in here.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game - Will Win/Did Win
Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash - Should Win
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice (I hear this is the favorite amongst critics, but I've yet to see it)

Where the fuck is Wild? THAT SCREENPLAY WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN IMITATION GAME. THAT'S HOW YOU DO FLASHBACKS.

Best Original Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, Birdman Did Win First upset! Totally happy - I liked Birdman's script ever so slightly more than Budapest.
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Will Win
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler - Should Win
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, Foxcatcher

Best Foreign Film
Ida (Poland) - Should Win/Will Win/Did Win
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)
Timbuktu (Mauritania)
Wild Tales (Argentina)

Best Documentary Feature
Citizenfour - Should Win/Will Win/Did Win
Last Days in Vietnam
Virunga
Finding Vivian Maier
The Salt of the Earth

Best Animated Feature
Big Hero 6 Did Win Second upset! Also okay. Want to see their San Fran/Tokyo mashup.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Will Win
The Boxtrolls
Song of the Sea - Should Win
The Tale of Princess Kaguya - Should Win

I haven't seen ANY of them, but those two look the best in trailers. 

Film Editing
American Sniper
Boyhood - Will Win
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash - Should Win Did Win Third upset! Happy because I liked their editing (even if I feel bad that Boyhood was practically shutout!).

Best Song
Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley, and Nick Southwood, "Lost Stars" (Begin Again)
John Legend and Common, "Glory" (Selma) - Will Win/Should Win/Did Win
Shawn Patterson, Joshua Bartholomew, Lisa Harriton, and The Lonely Island, "Everything Is Awesome" (The Lego Movie)
Diane Warren, "Grateful" (Beyond the Lights)
Glen Campbell, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" (Glen Campbell ... I'll Be Me)

Best Original Score
Johann Johannsson, The Theory of Everything
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel - I am really hoping the swell of technical Oscars for Budapest means that Desplat won't split his own votes and that he wins it here. Otherwise, it's going to the Theory of Everything, I think. Did Win (thank god)
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar - Should Win
Gary Yershon, Mr. Turner

Where the fuck is Gone Girl? And could we not have gone for the Desplat trifecta and included Godzilla?

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman - Should Win/Will Win/Did Win
Dick Pope, Mr. Turner
Robert D. Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ryszard Lenczewski and Łukasz Żal, Ida
Roger Deakins, Unbroken

I'll be much happier when Emmanuel Lubezki wins for this. I also love that Ida made it in here.

Costume Design
Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods - NO.
Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive, Maleficent - Should Win
Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Will Win/Did Win
Jacqueline Durran, Mr. Turner
Mark Bridges, Inherent Vice

I'm actually fine with the Grand Budapest costumes, but I think Maleficent gets the edge here for me. I mean, those wings are staggeringly gorgeous.
   

Makeup and Hairstyling
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, Foxcatcher
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Should Win/Will Win/Did Win
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, Guardians of the Galaxy

Production Design
Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Should Win/Will Win/Did Win
Suzie Davies and Charlotte Watts, Mr. Turner
Dennis Gassner and Anna Pinnock, Into the Woods
Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis, and Paul Healy, Interstellar
Maria Djurkovic and Tatiana Macdonald, The Imitation Game

Sound Editing
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, American Sniper - Will Win/Did Win
Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock, Birdman
Brent Burge and Jason Canovas, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
Richard King, Interstellar - Should Win
Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro, Unbroken

Sound Mixing
American Sniper
Birdman
Unbroken
Interstellar - Should Win
Whiplash - Will Win/Did Win (I am actually the tiniest bit sad about this one.)

Visual Effects
Interstellar - Should Win/Will Win/Did Win
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
X Men: Days of Future Past
Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Short Film, Live Action
Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis, Aya (Chasis Films)
Michael Lennox, director, and Ronan Blaney, Boogaloo and Graham (Out of Orbit) - But I'm totally rooting for this one.
Hu Wei and Julien Féret, Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak) (AMA Productions) - Should Win
Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger, Parvaneh (Zurich University of Arts)
Mat Kirkby, director and James Lucas, The Phone Call (RSA Films) - Will Win/Did Win

Short Film, Animated
Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees, The Bigger Picture (National Film and Television School)
Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, The Dam Keeper (Tonko House) - Should Win
Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed, Feast (Walt Disney Animation Studios) - Will Win/Did Win
Torill Kove, Me and My Moulton (Mikrofilm in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada)
Joris Oprins, A Single Life (Job, Joris & Marieke)

The Oscars tend to go more radical in animated short, so I have hope for the Dam Keeper. But Feast was enjoyable, so I don't have an issue with it winning. 

Documentary Short Subject
Perry Films, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 - Will Win/Did Win
Wajda Studio, Joanna
Warsaw Film School, Our Curse
Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, The Reaper (La Parka)
Weary Traveler, White Earth

Haven't seen the rest, so no opinion on what should win. 

2014 wrap-up, part 3: The Oscars - Who Should Win and Who Will Win

Y'know. Maybe? Because these predictions are going to be rough.

In addition to barely knowing what is likely to win, I'm just upset all over again at how weak the nominees are this year. Do better next year, Academy.

Best Picture
Boyhood
The Imitation Game
Birdman - Should Win/Will Win
The Theory of Everything
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Whiplash
Selma
American Sniper

Boo. Pour one out for Nightcrawler/Gone Girl/Wild/Inherent Vice/Calvary/Only Lovers Left Alive/Snowpiercer. 

Best Actress
Julianne Moore, Still Alice - Will Win
Reese Witherspoon, Wild - Should Win (haven't seen Still Alice)
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night

Best Actor
Michael Keaton, Birdman - Should Win
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything - Will Win Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper

Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash - Should Win/Will Win
Edward Norton, Birdman
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall, The Judge

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood - Will Win
Emma Stone, Birdman
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Laura Dern, Wild - Should Win (haven't seen Boyhood)

Best Director
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman - Will Win
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

I have a hard time saying Iñárritu *should* win over Linklater, because his feat is pretty monumental. And really, I think we can all agree Miller shouldn't be in here.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game - Will Win
Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash - Should Win
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice (I hear this is the favorite amongst critics, but I've yet to see it)

Where the fuck is Wild? THAT SCREENPLAY WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN IMITATION GAME. THAT'S HOW YOU DO FLASHBACKS.

Best Original Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Will Win
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler - Should Win
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, Foxcatcher

Best Foreign Film
Ida (Poland) - Should Win/Will Win
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)
Timbuktu (Mauritania)
Wild Tales (Argentina)

Best Documentary Feature
Citizenfour - Should Win/Will Win
Last Days in Vietnam
Virunga
Finding Vivian Maier
The Salt of the Earth

Best Animated Feature
Big Hero 6
How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Will Win
The Boxtrolls
Song of the Sea - Should Win
The Tale of Princess Kaguya - Should Win

I haven't seen ANY of them, but those two look the best in trailers. 

Film Editing
American Sniper
Boyhood - Will Win
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash - Should Win

Best Song
Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley, and Nick Southwood, "Lost Stars" (Begin Again)
John Legend and Common, "Glory" (Selma) - Will Win/Should Win
Shawn Patterson, Joshua Bartholomew, Lisa Harriton, and The Lonely Island, "Everything Is Awesome" (The Lego Movie)
Diane Warren, "Grateful" (Beyond the Lights)
Glen Campbell, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" (Glen Campbell ... I'll Be Me)

Best Original Score
Johann Johannsson, The Theory of Everything
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel - I am really hoping the swell of technical Oscars for Budapest means that Desplat won't split his own votes and that he wins it here. Otherwise, it's going to the Theory of Everything, I think.
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar - Should Win
Gary Yershon, Mr. Turner

Where the fuck is Gone Girl? And could we not have gone for the Desplat trifecta and included Godzilla?

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman - Should Win/Will Win
Dick Pope, Mr. Turner
Robert D. Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ryszard Lenczewski and Łukasz Żal, Ida
Roger Deakins, Unbroken

I'll be much happier when Emmanuel Lubezki wins for this. I also love that Ida made it in here.

Costume Design
Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods - NO.
Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive, Maleficent - Should Win
Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Will Win
Jacqueline Durran, Mr. Turner
Mark Bridges, Inherent Vice

I'm actually fine with the Grand Budapest costumes, but I think Maleficent gets the edge here for me. I mean, those wings are staggeringly gorgeous.
   

Makeup and Hairstyling
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, Foxcatcher
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Should Win/Will Win
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, Guardians of the Galaxy

Production Design
Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock, The Grand Budapest Hotel - Should Win/Will Win
Suzie Davies and Charlotte Watts, Mr. Turner
Dennis Gassner and Anna Pinnock, Into the Woods
Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis, and Paul Healy, Interstellar
Maria Djurkovic and Tatiana Macdonald, The Imitation Game

Sound Editing
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, American Sniper - Will Win
Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock, Birdman
Brent Burge and Jason Canovas, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
Richard King, Interstellar - Should Win
Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro, Unbroken

Sound Mixing
American Sniper
Birdman
Unbroken
Interstellar - Should Win
Whiplash - Will Win

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

Short Film, Live Action
Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis, Aya (Chasis Films)
Michael Lennox, director, and Ronan Blaney, Boogaloo and Graham (Out of Orbit) - But I'm totally rooting for this one.
Hu Wei and Julien Féret, Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak) (AMA Productions) - Should Win
Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger, Parvaneh (Zurich University of Arts)
Mat Kirkby, director and James Lucas, The Phone Call (RSA Films) - Will Win

Short Film, Animated
Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees, The Bigger Picture (National Film and Television School)
Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, The Dam Keeper (Tonko House) - Should Win
Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed, Feast (Walt Disney Animation Studios) - Will Win
Torill Kove, Me and My Moulton (Mikrofilm in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada)
Joris Oprins, A Single Life (Job, Joris & Marieke)

The Oscars tend to go more radical in animated short, so I have hope for the Dam Keeper. But Feast was enjoyable, so I don't have an issue with it winning. 

Documentary Short Subject
Perry Films, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 - Will Win
Wajda Studio, Joanna
Warsaw Film School, Our Curse
Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, The Reaper (La Parka)
Weary Traveler, White Earth

Haven't seen the rest, so no opinion on what should win. 

2014 wrap-up, part 2: The JWD Awards

2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Best Film
Calvary
Only Lovers Left Alive
Birdman
Tracks
Whiplash
Nightcrawler
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wild
Night Moves
The Double

Best Popcorn Flick
Snowpiercer
The Babadook
Gone Girl
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Veronica Mars
Interstellar
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Actress
Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Essie Davis (The Babadook)
Mia Wasikowska (Tracks)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Rinko Kikuchi (Kumiko the Treasure Hunter)
Tessa Thompson (Dear White People)

Notable Omissions: Julianne Moore - Still Alice, Felicity Jones - the Theory of Everything, Alicia Vikander - Testament of Youth, Gugu Mbatha-Raw - Beyond the Lights/Belle, Hilary Swank - The Homesman, Jennifer Lawrence - Hunger Games Mockingjay, Jenny Slate - Obvious Child, Jessica Chastain - The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Keira Knightley - Laggies/Begin Again, Kristen Wiig - Skeleton Twins, Marion Cotillard - Immigrant/Two Days One Nights, Scarlett Johanson - Under the Skin, Anne Dorval - Mommy. I'd say Juliette Binoche, too, but I think Clouds of Sils Maria comes out here next year?

Best Actor
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
Tom Hiddleston (Only Lovers Left Alive)
Brendan Gleeson (Calvary)
Ralph Fiennes (Grand Budapest Hotel)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Double, Night Moves)

Notable Omissions: David Oyelowo - Selma, Joaquin Phoenix - Inherent Vice, Bill Hader - Skeleton Twins, Oscar Isaac - A Most Violent Year, Timothy Spall - Mr. Turner, Jack O'Connell - Starred Up/Unbroken, John Lithgow - Love is Strange, Philip Seymour Hoffman - A Most Wanted Man, Chadwick Boseman - Get On Up, Guy Pearce - Rover. 

Best Supporting Actress
Rene Russo (Nightcrawler)
Laura Dern (Wild)
Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer)
Mia Wasikowska (The Double, Only Lovers Left Alive)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Carrie Coon (Gone Girl)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Frank)

Notable Omissions: Carmen Ejogo - Selma, Dorothy Atkinson/Marion Bailey - Mr. Turner, Jessica Chastain - A Most Violent Year, Julianne Moore - Maps to the Stars, Kristen Stewart - Still Alice, Marissa Tomei - Love is Strange, Patricia Arquette - Boyhood, Robin Wright - A Most Wanted Man, Elisabeth Moss - Listen Up Philip, Minnie Driver - Beyond the Lights,  Katherine Waterston - Inherent Vice

Best Supporting Actor
Edward Norton (Birdman)
JK Simmons (Whiplash)
Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler)
Michael Fassbender (Frank)
Andrew Scott (Pride)

Notable Omissions: Ethan Hawke - Boyhood, Miyavi - Unbroken, Albert Brooks - A Most Violent Year, Alec Baldwin - Still Alice, Jake Lacy - Obvious Child, Luke Wilson - Skeleton Twins, Robert Duvall - the Judge, Josh Brolin/Martin Short - Inherent Vice. Also apparently Archipelago finally got a release, so at least someone was gunning for Tom Hiddleston in that.

Best Ensemble
Grand Budapest Hotel
Birdman
Foxcatcher
Into the Woods
Nightcrawler
Pride
Gone Girl
Wild (weird, I know. But I thought all the supporting turns were fantastic.)
Interstellar

Notable Omissions: Selma, Boyhood, Mr. Turner, Inherent Vice, A Most Violent Year, Still Alice, The Homesman, Unbroken, Mommy

Best Director
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)
Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest Hotel)
Jim Jarmush (Only Lovers Left Alive)
Jennifer Kent (The Babadook)
Damien Chazelle - Whiplash
Dan Gilroy - Nightcrawler
John Michael McDonagh - Calvary

Notable Omissions: Ana Lily Amipour - A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Angelina Jolie - Unbroken,  LC Chandor - A Most Violent Year, Richard Linklater - Boyhood, Pawel Pawlikowski - Ida

Best Screenplay - Original/Adapted
Birdman (Original)
Nightcrawler (Original)
Grand Budapest Hotel (Original)
Dear White People (Original)
Whiplash (Original)
Calvary (Original)
Gone Girl (Adapted)
Wild (Adapted)
Snowpiercer (Adapted)

Notable Omissions: Linklater - Boyhood, Chandor - A Most Violent Year, DuVernay/Webb - Selma, Sachs/Zacharias - Love is Strange, Coens/etc. - Unbroken, Anderson - Inherent Vice, Stewart - Rosewater

Wow. No wonder I'm sort of underwhelmed at the year in film. I really can't think of 10 scripts I really loved.

Best Animated
umm.... yeah. Totally behind on animated this year. I hear great things about the Tale of Princess Kaguya!

Notable Omissions: Tale of Princess Kaguya, Big Hero 6, Boxtrolls, Song of the Sea

Best Visual Effects
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
Maleficent
Edge of Tomorrow

Best Costumes
Grand Budapest Hotel
Gone Girl
Wild
Maleficent
Foxcatcher

Notable Omissions: Mr. Turner,  Inherent Vice, Selma, A Most Violent Year, Get On Up

Best Art/Production Design
Grand Budapest Hotel
Snowpiercer
The Babadook
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Interstellar
Foxcatcher
Nightcrawler

Notable Omissions: Mr. Turner, the Hobbit, A Most Violent Year, Inherent Vice

Best Makeup
Foxcatcher
Snowpiercer
Guardians of the Galaxy
Hunger Games (I have yet to see it but... still.)
Maleficent
The Hobbt (Ditto.)
Grand Budapest Hotel
X-Men

I find it hilarious that the Makeup guild nominated Captain America. Like, they were really into Bucky's smeared guyliner?

Best Cinematography
Birdman
Wild
Night Moves
The Double
Tracks
Interstellar
Gone Girl
Foxcatcher
Snowpiercer
Grand Budapest
The Babadook

Notable Omissions: Mr. Turner, Unbroken, Ida, Fury, Inherent Vice, A Most Violent Year, Locke, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, The Immigrant.

Best Editing
Whiplash
Wild
Edge of Tomorrow
Night Moves
Nightcrawler
Interstellar
Grand Budapest Hotel
Calvary

Notable Omissions: Boyhood,  A Most Violent Year

Best Song
Agony - Into the Woods
Hate the Sport - We Are the Best
I Love You All - Frank
Bread and Roses - Pride
Hal - Only Lovers Left Alive
Untitled Self Portrait - The Lego Movie

Notable Omissions: Get On Up, the Skeleton Twins, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Inherent Vice, The Rover, Mommy

Best Score
Gone Girl
Only Lovers Left Alive
Godzilla
Whiplash
Interstellar
The Double
(As the Playlist pointed out, Cliff Martinez's score for The Knick deserves special recognition. 

Best Sound Editing & Mixing
Godzilla
Interstellar (I really liked the sound mix! I know it was divisive, but it worked for me.)
Birdman
Maleficent
Edge of Tomorrow
Gone Girl
Into the Woods
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
X-Men
Captain America

Notable Omissions: Hobbit,  Get On Up

Best Animated Short
The Dam Keeper
Me and My Mouton
Sticky
The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl
The Jump
Virtuous Virtuell
Une Balade a la Mer
Close the Lid Gently

Best Live Action Short
Numbers and Friends
Projections in the Forest
Phone Call
Boogaloo and Graham
Las Cieni/ The Shadow Forest
Farewell My King
Campandas
A Sign (Belgian, can't find it online)
Sugar Plum Fairy
Intersection
The Activists (can't find it online)

Film I didn't get to that I am most looking forward to:
Enemy
Cold in July
Beyond the Lights
Ida
Inherent Vice
A Most Violent Year

Best Poster
Enemy
Birdman Also this one
Nightcrawler
Gone Girl
Winter Sleep
Foxcatcher
Borgman
White God
The Final Member
Inherent Vice
Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Trailer
Guardians of the Galaxy
Birdman
Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler
Gone Girl
Maleficent

Best Quote
"I'm pretty sure the answer is "I am Groot."" - Peter, Guardians
“Did he just throw my cat out of the window?” - Kovacks, Grand Budapest
"There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity." - Grand Budapest Hotel
“In case it slipped your mind, Piz is the one without the baggage and the drama.” “I will say this for him: he almost never gets charged with murder.” – Wallace & Mac, Veronica Mars
“In a lesser known epic poem, Dante’s Inferno 2: Hell Freezes Over, ten years after escaping the Nine Circles, Dante returns, you know, for old time’s sake.” – Veronica, Veronica Mars
"If you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket." - Lou, Nightcrawler
"Dear White People, the minimum requirement of black friends needed to not seem racist has been raised to two. Sorry, your weed man Tyrone doesn’t count." - Samantha, Dear White People
"What if I forgave myself? I thought. What if I forgave myself even though I'd done something I shouldn't have? What if I was a liar and a cheat and there was no excuse for what I'd done other than because it was what I wanted and needed to do? What if I was sorry, but if I could go back in time I wouldn't do anything differently than I had done? What if I'd actually wanted to fuck every one of those men? What if heroin taught me something? What if yes was the right answer instead of no? What if what made me do all those things everyone thought I shouldn't have done was what also had got me here? What if I was never redeemed? What if I already was?" -  Wild
"Where are my lesbians?" - Pride
"I think forgiveness has been highly underrated." - Calvary
And pretty much all of TARS.

Other Superlatives:
Best Foreign Film: We Are the Best! (Runner Up: Harmony Lessons. I think I included the Strange Little Cat in last year's list, but if not, then that.)
Best Documentary: The Overnighters (Runner Up: Island of Lemurs) (I still really want to see Virunga, Citizenfour, Tales of the Grim Sleeper, Mankamana, National Gallery, the Internet's Own Boy, Finding Vivian Maier)
Best Female Action Star: Emily Blunt - Edge of Tomorrow
Best Trailer for a 2015 film: Mad Max Fury Road
Best Action Scene: the Tunnel scene - Snowpiercer (Runner Up: the many deaths of Tom Cruise montage - Edge of Tomorrow)
Best destruction of San Francisco: Godzilla (Runner Up: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
Movie You Wanted to Love But Just Couldn't: X-Men Days of Future Past (there were so many right elements here, but the final mix just felt so hollow to me.) (Runner Up: Foxcatcher)
Best Scene in an otherwise okay film: the HALO jump in Godzilla (Runner up: Quicksilver, X-Men Days of Future Past)
Most wasted potential of an idea: The Sacrament. A horror film basically recounting Jonestown should have been so much more horrifying.
Most wasted potential (runner up): Into the Woods. Kill Rapunzel, cast a teenage Red, fix the set and CGI. Anna Kendrick and Emily Blunt were good, Chris Pine was great, and a movie adaptation of Sondheim should be sublime. 
Worst Scene in an otherwise sometimes brilliant, sometimes not so great film: Matt Damon's arc in Interstellar
Best Chase: Jeff Goldblum & Willem Dafoe - Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cameo: Justin Long (Veronica Mars)
Best Breakthrough: Andre Holland (haven't also seen Gugu, Jack O'Connell, Katherine Waterston, etc.)
Best Ending (the McKayla Maroney award): Whiplash (runners up: Calvary, Night Moves)
Worst Ending: Words and Pictures. I swear to god the last scene was left in by accident - it's so bad.
Creepiest Teacher: Alison Pill, Snowpiercer
Best Priest fight: Calvary
Best indication Charlie Day can make me laugh in anything: the Lego Movie
Best Dance: Come and Get Your Love - Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Villain: Fletcher, Whiplash
Most Timid Narrative Choices: The Imitation Game
Best Impressions: The Trip to Italy
Most WTF (bad): Tip Top
Most WTF (good): A Field in England
Best Sidekick: Black Widow, Captain America (Runner Up: Rocket, Guardians of the Galaxy)
Worst Paycheck Performance: Gary Oldman - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Best Sociopath: Lou Bloom - Nightcrawler (Runner Up: Amy Dunne - Gone Girl)
Best Cheekbones: Maleficent
Most Overrated: The Lego movie
Best Taylor Swift shoutout: Dear White People
Best Tree: Cinerella's ghost mother willow - Into the Woods, (Runner Up: Groot)
Best Cat: Gone Girl
Best Fish: Snowpiercer
Best Raven: Sam Riley - Maleficent
Best Guinea Pig: Cashew (House of Cards)
Best Ode to Night: Only Lovers Left Alive
Best TV Show: Hannibal BECAUSE IT CANNOT BE SAID ENOUGH. Seriously, the things Bryan Fuller and his merry band of psychopaths are doing at Hannibal rival anything in theaters. Petition to get it onto IMAX screens, too!

2014 wrap-up, part 1: Top 21 films

Well, I pretty much dropped the ball on film in 2014. Part of that was due to personal circumstance (I worked a metric shit-tonne of overtime), which meant a lot less time at the theater. And part of that was due, I'm sure, to the rapid proliferation of great tv. For example, the hours I spent watching Hannibal or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries were obviously not ones in which I was catching up on my film wish list.

All of which is to say, there are going to be a lot more "notable omissions" than usual.

In addition, I missed my normal routine of predicting the Oscar nominees. Hell, I barely STARTED my Oscar spreadsheet this year. So my guesses for tomorrow are likely going to be the sorriest predictions I've ever made.

But! To start with. Of the films I DID see, what did I love?

2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 here. (*cough* notice how they get posted later and later... *cough*)

Given the late hour, I'm just going to post these without commentary:

1. Calvary

2. Only Lovers Left Alive

3. Tracks 

4. Snowpiercer 

5. The Babadook

(yeah, nope.)

6. Birdman 

7. Nightcrawler 

8. Whiplash

9. The Grand Budapest Hotel 

10. Wild

11. Gone Girl (as Haley Mlotek wrote; "I can’t remember the last time I saw an American movie where an American woman washed off blood in a shower and the blood wasn’t hers.")