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.")

100 Desert Island Songs

So my brother came up with a list of his top 100 songs and, naturally, I had to follow suit. So. Given some totally bizarre desert-island anti-modern-technology rules, if I could only keep 100 songs from my iTunes library, what would they be? (This ends up being somewhat more expansive then an album list, which is forthcoming.)

First, a few stats:
Genre break down:
Alternative/Alternative-Rock/Garage Rock/Other Punk/Post-Punk/Punk-Pop/Rock: 24
Grunge/Hard Rock: 10
American Traditional Rock/Classic Rock/Mainstream Rock: 9
Alternative Pop/ Indie Pop/Synth Pop: 8
Classical/Choral: 6
Psychedelic: 6
Original Film&TV Music/Soundtrack: 5
Blues, Boogie & Southern/ Honky Tonk & Outlaw/Nashville Sound/Rockabilly: 4
British Indie Rock/Pop/British Invasion: 4
Stage Musicals: 4
Folk/Contemporary Folk: 3
Classic Pop Vocals: 2 (that would be Patti LuPone & Liza Minelli, which is how you know this list is complete and desert island approved.)
Oldies: 2
Singer-Songwriter: 2
Adult Contemporary: 1
Celtic: 1
Classic Soul/R&B: 1
Dance: 1
Hop Hop/Rap: 1
Jazz Vocals: 1
Latin Pop: 1
New Wave: 1
Surf Rock: 1
Thrash & Speed Metal: 1
World Fusion: 1

Year break down (although some of these are recording years, not composition years. For instance, the 80s includes a recording of a piece from the 12th century.)
2010-2014: 6
2000-2009: 26
1990-1999: 25
1980-1989: 7
1970-1979: 18
1960-1969: 15
1950-1959: 1
1833: 1
1720: 1

And now, the list (also here on youtube). In alpha order (and with the songs that overlap with my brother's list bolded):
#1 Crush - Garbage
All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
American Girl - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Another Day - RENT OBC/ Jonathan Larson
Anything Goes - Patti LuPone/Cole Porter
Ave Maria (arr. David McIntyre) - San Francisco Girls Chorus
Baba O'Reilly - The Who
Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
Call Me - Blondie
Carmen: Act 3: Halte! Quelqu'Un Est Là Qui Cherche À Se Cacher! - Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras, Etc.; Herbert Von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Paris National Opera Chorus/Georges Bizet
Cold War - Janelle Monae
Criminal - Fiona Apple
Delilah - The Dresden Dolls
(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
Down On Me - Big Brother & the Holding Company
Dream On - Aerosmith
Duet - Philip Glass (performed by Sugar Vendil, Trevor Gureckis)
El Tango de Roxanne - Ewan McGregor, Jose Feliciano and Jacek Koman
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
End Transmission - AFI
Even Flow - Pearl Jam
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues ft. Kristy MacColl
The Foggy Dew - The Chieftains & Sinead O'Connor
Foolish Games - Jewel
Freedom '90 - George Michael
Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
Glycerine - Bush
Go with the Flow - Queens of the Stone Age
Gold Dust Woman - Fleetwood Mac
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley/Leonard Cohen
Happy Home - Garbage
Hey Pretty - Poe
The Highwayman - Loreena McKennitt
House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
Hysteria - Muse
I Think I'm Paranoid - Garbage
I'd Like - Freshlyground
I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys
In Like the Rose - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Intro/Sweet Jane - Lou Reed
Jai Ho - A.R. Rahman ft. Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah & Mahalaxmi Iyer
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - The Killers
Jessica - The Allman Brothers Band
Just Like Heaven - The Cure
Killer Queen - Queen
The Kiss - Trevor Jones
Knights in white satin - Moody Blues
Lights - Journey
Lonely for a Lifetime - Dana Fuchs
Mack the Knife (live) - Ella Fitzgerald/Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht
The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
Marat/Sade: Homage To Marat; Marat We're Poor; People's Reaction; Poor Old Marat - Judy Collins/Richard Peaslee
Marry Me a Little - Raul Esparza/Stephen Sondheim
Mein Herr - Liza Minelli/ Kander & Ebb
Midnight Radio - John Cameron Mitchell
Momma Look Sharp -  Scott Jarvis (I think?) / Sherman Edwards
New Fang - Them Crooked Vultures
Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
O Euchari - Emma Kirkby, Gothic Voices / Hildegard von Bingen
Oh What a Circus - Antonio Banderas & Madonna/ Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice
Ojos Asi - Shakira
Piano Man - Billy Joel
Pipeline - The Chantays
Proud Mary - Ike and Tina Turner
Ready to Go - Republica
Reasons to be Beautiful - Hole
Resistance - Muse
Ride - Lana Del Rey
Runaway - Del Shannon
Satellite Mind - Metric
Save Me - Joan Armatrading
Shake it Out - Florence + the Machine
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
The Snow Leopard - Shearwater
Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane
The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Spark - Tori Amos
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Suffragette City - David Bowie
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
Time of the Season - The Zombies
Toccata and Fugue in d minor - J.S. Bach
Tonight, Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
Touch Me - The Doors
Two Years Before the Mast - Astronautalis
Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
Veni, Veni Emanuel - San Francisco Girls Chorus (French trad. melody)
Waking Up - Elastica
Walk - Foo Fighters
Walkin' After Midnight - Patsy Cline
Whatsername - Green Day
White Room - Cream
Winter (Allegro Non Molto) - A. Vivialdi
The Wolf - Phildel
Wonderwall - Oasis
Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The funny thing is that he and I picked a lot of the same artists, but different songs (Walkin' After Midnight as opposed to Crazy; Sound of Silence vs. Only Living Boy in New York; Down on Me over Me and Bobby McGee; Touch Me vs. Light My Fire; The Man Comes Around over Walk the Line; Smells Like Teen Spirit > Come As You Are, and I picked two AFI songs to his one (Morningstar)) I do like that he managed to get a Cab Calloway in there, along with Moby, Gnarls Barkley, Magnetic Fields, and the Beach Boys (although he excluded classical songs). And already today, I wonder at what point the last Cranberries/Distillers/No Doubt/Adele/Beck song bit the dust, or when I lost the second Green Day/Tori Amos song, or Destroy Everything You Touch by Ladytron or Repatriated by the Handsome Furs...

Mostly the entire exercise makes me really, really glad to live in an era of mp3 players.

Golden Globe Wishes

I'm so far behind on my last batch of 2014 films that I'm not going to be able to make any good predictions on what is going to win today. But I can quickly go through what I'm hoping will win:

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

I still need to see both Boyhood and Foxcatcher, but I'm going Boyhood on this one. Imitation Game wasn't good enough, and I've been hearing rumbles that Foxcatcher makes some weird decisions with the narrative.

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

It will probably be Julianne, but I haven't seen it, and I have yet to see Wild. But Rosamund Pike was wonderful in Gone Girl. 

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

Hands down.

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

Again, yet to see Boyhood and A Most Violent Year, but of the remaining three, definitely Emma Stone.

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

Edward Norton is awesome in Birdman, but J.K. Simmons for sure.

Best Director
Ava DuVernay, Selma
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, Birdman
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

I'd really be okay with any of these. But I so enjoyed Inarritu's vision and audacity. 

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Gillian Flynn, "Gone Girl"
Alejandro González Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Caveat on Boyhood (4/5!), but I'm going Birdman. I'd be happy with Grand Budapest, too. 

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

Hey! I've seen 4 of these, too! Birdman. Obviously. Grand Budapest was wonderful, too. Pride was cute, but not great, and Into the Woods just didn't quite hit the mark.

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

Yet to see Inherent Vice (stupid late roll-out), and I'm glad to see Ralph Fiennes, on here, but Michael Keaton for sure. I can't imagine how I'm going to choose who to root for for the Oscars between him and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred Foot Journey
Quvenzhané Wallis, Annie
 
Ummm.... a) has Maps to the Stars even been released? And I get that Quvenzhane is cute, but no. That leaves us with Emily Blunt.

Best TV Series, Drama 
The Affair
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards

GOOD WIFE. GOOOOOOOD WIIIIIIIIIFE!

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama 
Claire Danes, "Homeland" 
Viola Davis, "How to Get Away With Murder" 
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife" 
Ruth Wilson, "The Affair" 
Robin Wright, "House of Cards"

Best Actor in a TV series, Drama
Clive Owen, The Knick
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan 
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist
Dominic West, The Affair

James Spader? Seriously? This is a weird, weird group.

Best Comedy
Girls
Jane the Virgin
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent

I've heard great things about Transparent and Jane the Virgin. And I've only seen one episode of Silicon Valley, so I really have no dog in this fight. 

Best Actress in TV Series, Comedy
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Gina Rodriguez, "Jane the Virgin"
Taylor Schilling, "Orange is the New Black"

?

Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
Ricky Gervais, "Derek"
William H. Macy, "Shameless"
Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"

Seriously? Ricky Gervais? I don't know here. Again, I hear great things about Jeffrey Tambor. I'm happy to see Shameless finally recognized for something, but the show finally went so dark this season, I couldn't finish it. Although I hear Jimmy comes back, and I do want to know what happens to Lip, so... maybe I'll catch up at some point.

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
Olive Kitteridge
Fargo
The Missing
True Detective
The Normal Heart

I haven't seen The Normal Heart (well, this adaptation), partly because Patrick Breen and Matt McGrath were SO good in the 2012 version at ACT. I want to put some more distance between that version and seeing Mark Ruffalo take it on. Also I really, really enjoyed True Detective, but I thought it could have ended stronger, whereas Fargo was pretty taught the whole way through. I'd be totally okay with True Detective though, just because they don't do TV direction at the globes, and I love Cary Fukunaga and I love, love, loved the cinematography.

Best Supporting Actor in TV Miniseries or TV Movie
Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Colin Hanks, Fargo
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

I'd be totally fine with Colin Hanks, too. 

Best Supporting Actress in TV Miniseries or Movie
Uzo Aduba, "Orange is the New Black"
Kathy Bates, "American Horror Story"
Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"
Allison Janney, "Mom"
Michelle Monaghan, "True Detective"

Is this for Coven? Because I will always, always love Kathy Bates for this:

I'd also be fine with any of the others that aren't Joanne Froggatt, because I hate her. And seriously, Downton is supposed to be terrible now. Stop nominating it.

Best Actor in a TV Miniseries or Movie
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew Mcconaughey, True Detective
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo

See, this is a group of nominations that makes sense. They all did great work. 

Best Actress in a TV Miniseries or Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Frances O'Connor, The Missing
Allison Tolman, Fargo 

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

I haven't actually seen it, but Laika forever. 

Best Foreign film
Force Majeure (Sweden)
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (France)
Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)

Le sigh. I haven't been able to see ANY of these. But I really want to see Force Majeure, Ida, and Leviathan. So, one of those three, please. 

Best Original Song 
"Big Eyes," Big Eyes, Lana Del Rey
"Glory," Selma, John Legend and Common
"Mercy Is," Noah, Patty Smith and Lenny K [Ed: Patti. Honestly, journalists.]
"Opportunity," Annie [Ed: Sia, I think.]
"Yellow Flicker Beat," The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I, Lorde

I love Lana, but Big Eyes is not one of my favorites of hers. Same for Patti. But I really, really enjoy Yellow Flicker Beat.  I'd also be happy with Glory.

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Johann Johannson, The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez, Birdman
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar

Hmmm - I really liked Gone Girl, after I thought Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross made a bit of a misstep on Dragon Tattoo. I personally loved the sound mix in Interstellar, and quite enjoyed the score there. I'm a little surprised Alexandre Desplat wasn't up for Grand Budapest, but I thought the score in the Imitation Game was very good. The drumming in Birdman was so singular that it really stood out, although I thought occasionally too much. I'd be okay with any of them (haven't heard Theory of Everything. I think Hans Zimmer edges it out just because I thought the sound was one of the best parts of Interstellar.

2014 mixes - Mashups

Since I (finally!) went to Bootie this year, I thought it would be a good time to make a mix of some of my favorite mashups:

1. Run This Town and Fugue - Johann Sebastian Bach vs. Jay-Z ft. Rihanna and Kanye [DJs from Mars]
2. Bad Things Roll with the Devil - Marilyn Manson vs. Christina Aguilera vs. Jace Everett vs. Rihanna vs. Lady Gaga vs. Katy Perry vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. Drowning Pool vs. 666 vs. Mike Oldfield [Titus Jones]
3. Cruelly Good Summer Feeling - Flo Rida vs. Avicii vs. Ace of Base vs. Sak Noel vs. Jason Derulo vs. Stanton Warriors vs. Aura Dione vs. Tatu vs. Adele vs. Travie McCoy vs. Groove Armada vs. Britney Spears [DJ Schmolli]
4. Hello Girl, Let's Party Til the End - Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette vs. Britney Spears vs. LMFAO vs. No Doubt vs. Sum 41 vs. Vanilla Ice [Titus Jones]
5. Any Way You Gotta Feeling - Journey vs. Black Eyed Peas vs. Robin Thicke [Voicedude]
6. Stupid Girls, Holla if You Hear Me - Garbage vs. 2pac [?] {Video has been taken down. Sadness.}
7. We Are Never Ever Getting the Sweater - Taylor Swift vs. Weezer [A Plus D]
8. Jump on the Fifth - House of Pain vs. Walter Murphy vs. Soulwax [The Bootleague]
9. Eine Kleine Big Booty Bonkers - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart vs. Dizzee Rascal vs. Bombs Away [DJs from Mars]
10. Call Me A Hole - Nine Inch Nails vs. Carly Rae Jepsen [pomDeter]
11. Call Me Uprising - Blondie vs. Muse [CjR]
12. Crazy Diamonds in the Midnight Sky - M83 vs. Rihanna vs. TLC vs. Seal vs. Carly Rae Jepsen vs. Shirley Bassey vs. Incubus vs. The Eagles [DJ Schmolli vs. Lobsterdust]
13. Dance Alarm - Nicki Minaj vs. Avicii vs. Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen vs. Britney Spears vs. Eminem vs. Lady Gaga vs. Taio Cruz vs. Cascada vs. Etta James vs. Dev [Titus Jones]
14. Otherside - Red Hot Chili Peppers Bootleg Club Mix [DJs from Mars]
15. Levels that I Used to Know - Gotye ft. Kimbra vs. Avicii [?]
16. Timber Party - Pitbull ft. Ke$ha vs. Rihanna vs. Rednex vs. Garbage [Shahar Varshal]
17. Stardust Kids - David Bowie vs. MGMT [A plus D]
18. I Want It All/We Will Rock You Mashup - Queen [Sucker Punch Sndtk]
19. 99 Problems (Linkin Park Remix) - Jay-Z vs. Linkin Park
20. Overtime - Smashing Pumpkins vs. Three 6 Mafia vs. Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock vs. Laid Back vs. Wonderland Avenue vs. Fleetwood Mac vs. 69 Boyz vs. Folk Implosion vs. Technotronic [Girl Talk] {I actually love All Day best, but.... that's its own list.}
21. Don't Stop Believin' In This Love on Earth - Lady Gaga vs. Belinda Carlisle vs. Journey vs. Madonna vs. Ke$ha vs. Bruno Mars vs. Leona Lewis vs. New York Outlaw [Titus Jones]
22. Dance Dreams - Lady Gaga vs. Eurythmics [Divide & Kreate]
23. Bella's Finals: Price Tag/Don't You (Forget About Me)/Give Me Everything/Just the Way You Are/Party in the USA/Turn the Beat Around [The Barden Bellas, Pitch Perfect Sndtk]
24. Bittersweet Dirt Off Your Shoulder - Jay-Z vs. the Verve [?]
25. Titanium 500 - David Guetta ft. Sia vs. The Proclaimers vs. Midnight Oil [DJ Schmolli]
26. Last Bulletproof Dance Night - Katy Perry vs. Robyn vs. LaRoux [Marc Johnce]
27. Crazy Logic - Gnarls Barkley vs. Supertramp vs. Rockwell [Arty Fufkin]
28. Royals Hotel California - Lorde vs. The Eagles vs. Massive Attack [Shahar Varshall]

2014 Mixes - Mix 2

The even more random assortment:

1. Panic at the Disco - Casual Affair

2. Bastille - Things We Lost in the Fire


3. Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Club Clique Remix)

4. Chvrches - Science/Visions

5. Club 8 - Into Air

6. Holy Ghost! - Dumb Disco Ideas


7. Tiësto - The Feeling ft. Ou Est Le Swimming Pool. Technically Outside Lands, but I was at another stage.

8. Watsky - Pumped Up Kicks remix. Outside Lands.

9. Mika - Elle Me Dit. (His Boum Boum Boum is a more fun video.)

2014 mixes - Mix 1

I didn't listen to a lot of new music this year, so I'm mixing in my Outside Lands songs with the things I did listen to this year. Videos embedded where they exist. Links to the songs without videos. 2010 lives here, 2011 here, here and here, 2012, and 2013. Only just realizing that 2008 and 2009 never got their own posts. Whoops!

[Ed: Fixed now! 2008 and 2009.]

1. Lana Del Rey - Cruel World

2. Ruby Friedman Orchestra - You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive. Justified closes out each season with a rendition of this song. This is my favorite so far. (What do we think Boyd's chances are of making it out of the final season alive?)

3. Brody Dalle - Meet the Foetus/Oh the Joy ft. Shirley Manson. These fucking women. I like the first half of the song, but I am obsessed with Oh the Joy when Shirley joins in.


4. Tom Petty - Runnin' Down a Dream. Outside Lands. Tom Petty was awesome. He played all the hits and it was wonderful. (Did not realize there was a Little Nemo video for this song.)


5. White Denim - At Night in Dreams


6. Queens of the Stone Age - I Sat by the Ocean. Speaking of Mr. Brody Dalle... I saw them play the Bill Graham in April and it was easily one of the best concerts I've been to. They were absolutely amazing.

7. TV on the Radio - Satellite

8. Alt-J - Left Hand Free


9. Spoon - I Turn My Camera On. Outside Lands. So I ended up closing out Sunday at OL by managing to be in the front row for Spoon, The Flaming Lips, and The Killers. It was AMAZING. Spoon was fab. (There is a video for this song, but I can't find a high quality version.)