18th "An Irish Boy" FILM Awards RECAP!!

P.S. Check out the list of 2013 releases I've seen

OUTSTANDING PICTURE:

01. 12 Years a Slave (Produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bill Pohlad, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan & Anthony Katagas)

02. Her (Produced by Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze & Vincent Landay)

03. American Hustle (Produced by Charles Roven, Richard Suckle & Megan Ellison))

04. Blue is the Warmest Colour (Produced by Abdellatif Kechiche, Brahim Chioua & Vincent Maraval)

05. Blue Jasmine (Produced by Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum & Edward Walson)

06. Short Term 12

07. The Broken Circle Breakdown

08. Before Midnight

09. All is Lost

10. Stories We Tell

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR:

J.C. Chandor for All is Lost

Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

Spike Jonze for Her

Park Chan-wook for Stoker

Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR:

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in “THE WOLF OF WALL STREET”

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

Oscar Isaac as Llewyn Davis in “INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS”

Mads Mikkelsen as Lucas in “THE HUNT”

Joaquin Phoneix as Theodore Twonbly in “HER”

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS:

Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser/Lady Edith Greensly in “AMERICAN HUSTLE”

Juliette Binoche as Camille Claudel in “CAMILLE CLAUDEL 1915”

Cate Blanchett as Jeanette “Jasmine” Francis in “BLUE JASMINE”

Adèle Exarchopoulos as Adèle in “BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR”

Brie Larson as Grace in “SHORT TERM 12”

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Bradley Cooper as FBI Agent Richard “Richie” DiMaso in “AMERICAN HUSTLE”

Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps in “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

James Gandolfini as Albert in “ENOUGH SAID”

Matthew Goode as Charlie Stoker in “STOKER”

Keith Stanfield as Marcus in “SHORT TERM 12”

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Kaitlyn Dever as Jayden in “SHORT TERM 12”

Julianne Nicholson as Ivy Weston in “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY”

Lupita Nyong’o as Patsey in “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

Sarah Paulson as Mary Epps in “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

Lea Seydoux as Emma in “BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR”

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Eric Warren Singer & David O. Russell for American Hustle

Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine

Nicole Holofcener for Enough Said

Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig for Frances Ha

Spike Jonze for Her

OUTSTANDING ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Screenplay by Tracy Letts; Based on August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, August: Osage County

Screenplay by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke: Based on Before Sunrise (1995) written by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan, Before Midnight

Screenplay by Destin Cretton; Based on the 2008 short film by Destin Cretton, Short Term 12

Screenplay by John Ridley; Based on Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave

Screenplay by Terence Winter; Based on The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED FILM:

The Croods (Directed by Kirk De Micco & Chris Sanders)

Ernest & Celestine (Directed by Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar & Benjamin Renner)

Frozen (Directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee)

Turbo (Directed by David Soren)

The Wind Rises (Directed by Hayao Miyazaki)

OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION:

Production Design by Judy Becker; Set Design by Heather Loeffler for American Hustle

Production Design by K.K. Barrett; Set Design by Gene Serdena for Her

Production Design by Philip Messina; Set Design by Larry Dias for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Production Design by Thérèse DePrez; Set Design by Leslie Morales for Stoker

Production Design by Adam Stockhausen; Set Design by Alice Baker for 12 Years a Slave

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH/DEBUT:

Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby)

Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Colour)

Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station)

Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)

Annika Wedderkopp (The Hunt)

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Philippe Le Sourd for The Grandmaster

Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity

Bruno Delbonnel for Inside Llewyn Davis

Chung Chung-hoon for Stoker

Sean Bobbitt for 12 Years a Slave

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN:

Michael Wilkinson for American Hustle

William Chang Suk Ping for The Grandmaster

Casey Storm for Her

Trish Summerville for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Patricia Norris for 12 Years a Slave

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY:

The Act of Killing (Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer & Christine Cynn)

Let the Fire Burn (Directed by Jason Osder)

The Square (Directed by Jehane Noujaim)

Stories We Tell (Directed by Sarah Polley)

20 Feet from Stardom (Directed by Morgan Neville)

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE:

American Hustle (Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Louis C.K., Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro, Paul Herman, Jack Huston, Jennifer Lawrence, Alessandro Nivola, Jeremy Renner, Elisabeth Röhm, Shea Whigham)

August: Osage County (Abigail Breslin, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep)

Frances Ha (Charlotte d’Amboise, Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Grace Gummer, Josh Hamilton, Patrick Heusinger, Maya Kazan, Justine Lupe, Mickey Sumner, Britta Phillips, Juliet Rylance, Dean Warenham, Michael Zegen)

Short Term 12 (Stephanie Beatriz, Alex Calloway, Kaitlyn Dever, John Gallagher Jr., Kevin Hernandez, Brie Larson, Rami Malek, Kieth Stanfield)

12 Years a Slave (Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Tarran Killam, Scott McNairy, Lupita Nyong’o, Adepero Oduye, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard)

OUTSTANDING FILM EDITING:

Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy & Crispin Struthers for American Hustle

Alfonso Cuarón & Mark Sanger for Gravity

Jeff Buchanan & Eric Zumbrunnen for Her

Nicolas De Toth for Stoker

Joe Walker for 12 Years a Slave

OUTSTANDING FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

Blue is the Warmest Colour (Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche)

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Directed by Felix Van Groeningen)

The Grandmaster (Directed by Kaw Wai Wong)

Laurence Anyways (Directed by Xavier Dolan)

A Touch of Sin (Directed by Jia Zhangke)

OUTSTANDING MAKEUPAND HAIRSTYLING:

Evelyne Noraz &Lori McCoy-Bell for American Hustle

Adruitha Lee & Robin Mathews for Dallas Buyers Club

Kris Evansm Selena Evans-Miller, Glenn Hetrick, Ve Neill & Nikoletta Skarlatos for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Fae Hammond, Mark Coulier & Kristen Chalmers for Rush

Ma Kalaadevi Ananda, Jean A. Black, Nikki Brown, Nana Fischer, Nick London & Denise Pugh-Ruiz for 12 Years a Slave

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE:

Daniel Hart for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

Alex Ebert for All is Lost

Christophe Beck for Frozen

Owen Pallett for Her

Clint Mansell for Stoker

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG:

“Let it Go”, Frozen (Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson Lopez & Robert Lopez)

“Over the Love”. The Great Gatsby (Music and Lyrics by Stuart Hammond, Kid Hairpoon, Aaron Foulds & Florence Welch)

“Young and Beautiful”, The Great Gatsby (Music by Rick Howels; Lyrics by Lana Del Rey)

“The Moon Song”, Her (Music by Karen O; Lyrics by Spike Jonze & Karen O)

“So You Know What It’s Like”, Short Term 12 (Music and Lyrics by Keith Stanfield)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMER:

Amy Adams (American Hustle, Her, Man of Steel)

Ben Foster (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Kill Your Darlings, Lone Survivor)

Brie Larson (Don Jon, Short Term 12, The Spectacular Now)

Rooney Mara (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Her, Side Effects)

Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club, Mud, The Wolf of Wall Street)

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING:

Steve Boeddeker & Richard Hymns for All is Lost

Robert Mackenzie & Traithep Wongpaiboon for The Grandmaster

Glenn Freemantle for Gravity

Craig Weintraub for Stoker

Ryan Collins, Robert C. Jackson & Jon Vogl for 12 Years a Slave

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING:

Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg & Gillian Arthur for All is Lost

Myron Nettinga, John Ross & Tom Williams for American Hustle

Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead & Chris Munro for Gravity

Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff & Peter F. Kurland for Inside Llewyn Davis

Andy Koyama, Beau Borders & David Brownlow for Lone Survivor

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS:

Pierre Buffin for The Grandmaster

Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk & Neil Corbould for Gravity

Roy Cancino, Joseph Pancake & Elia Popov for Her

Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton & Eric Reynolds for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Steve Cremin, Christian Eubank, Pete Kelley, Joe Love, Wes Mattox, Paul Sabourin, Richard Terry Tjelmeland & Sparky Willis for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

MOST NOMINATIONS:

13 nominations: 12 Years a Slave

10 nominations: American Hustle, Her

6 nominations: Gravity, Short Term 12, Stoker

5 nominations: The Grandmaster

4 nominations: All is Lost, Blue is the Warmest Colour, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 

3 nominations: August: Osage County, Blue Jasmine, Frozen, Inside Llewyn Davis

2 nominations: Enough Said, Frances Ha, The Wolf of Wall Street

1 nomination: 20 Feet from Stardom, The Act of Killing, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Before Midnight, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Camille Claudel 1915, The Croods, Dallas Buyers Club, Ernest & Celestine, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hunt, Laurence Always, Let the Fire Burn, Lone Survivor, Rush, Stories We Tell, The Square, A Touch of Sin, Turbo, The Wind Rises

MOST WINS:

7 wins: 12 Years a Slave

3 wins: Gravity

2 wins: All is Lost, American Hustle, Her

1 win: Blue is the Warmest Colour, Blue Jasmine, Enough Said, Frozen, Stories We Tell, The Wind Rises

OUTSTANDING PICTURE

12 Years a Slave (Produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bill Pohlad, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan & Anthony Katagas)

American Hustle (Produced by Charles Roven, Richard Suckle & Megan Ellison)

Blue is the Warmest Colour (Produced by Abdellatif Kechiche, Brahim Chioua & Vincent Maraval)

Blue Jasmine (Produced by Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum & Edward Walson)

Her (Produced by Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze & Vincent Landay)

AND THE WINNER IS:

12 YEARS A SLAVE

With this win 12 Years a Slave total wins amount to seven from fourteen nominations. The film this award along with director, lead actor (Ejiofor), supporting actress (Nyong’o), adapted screenplay, costume design, film editing. The film was also nominated for supporting actor (Fassbender), supporting actress (Paulson), art direction, cinematography, ensemble, makeup & hairstyling and sound editing.

The film has been called important for how it portrays slavery in a way we have never seen and of course the film is expertly made about the experiEnce of slavery with the difference being from a view of a free man who became a slave. The film is truly special for how really the experiEnce of the slave trade is made so personal and dark for the many forms of slavery that went on during the times. With some great performances by the main quartet of Ejiofor, Fassbender, Nyong’o and Paulson make their whole section of the film on the Epps plantation that shining moment of the movie in a film filled with many interesting events that take place. Ultimately the succeSs in making the film is that it actually we be seen and hopefully be able to inform many of how important slavery was then and now.

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in “THE WOLF OF WALL STREET”

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

Oscar Isaac as Llewyn Davis in “INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS”

Mads Mikkelsen as Lucas in “THE HUNT”

Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twonbly in “HER”

AND THE WINNER IS:

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR AS SOLOMON NORTHUP IN “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

This is the first win and second nomination for Chiwetel Ejiofor. He was previously nominated for Serenity (2005).

For years since his breakthrough in 1997’s Amistad Ejiofor has been consistently working and with some odd roles were he was great it is finally in Steve McQueen’s epic 12 Years a Slave that he is given the lead role his talents have been waiting to have. The story told centres around Solomon Northup being played by Ejiofor and in every scene your eyes are fully drawn to Ejiofor. The role never really calls for him to give a performance that is highly dramatic and instead is an example of how subtle acting really can be very effective. Ejiofor gives such a brilliant performance that the real surprise of this years award season has been how Ejiofor never has been awarded what he really deserves to be winning.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser/Lady Edith Greensly in “AMERICAN HUSTLE”

Juliette Binoche as Camille Claudel in “CAMILLE CLAUDEL 1915”

Cate Blanchett as Jeanette “Jasmine” Francis in “BLUE JASMINE”

Adèle Exarchopoulos as Adèle in “BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR”

Brie Larson as Grace in “SHORT TERM 12”

AND THE WINNER IS:

CATE BLANCHETT AS JEANETTE “JASMINE” FRANCIS IN “BLUE JASMINE”

This is the third win and fifth nomination for Cate Blanchett. She previously won individually and with the ensemble of I’m Not There (2007). She was also nominated for Elizabeth (1998) and with ensemble The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

Blanchett from the very first minute of Blue Jasmine to the dark final moments of Blue Jasmine was no question as to being the best leading actress winner of the year. This gift of a performance becomes one of the greatest rarities of all time on a close level with Vivien Leigh in Streetcar. Blanchett is released onto the screen in such a way that she rules the screen almost blinding everything else in the film where you are fully drawn to Blanchett in every frame of the film. Blanchett proves once again that she belongs on the screen which is why this return to the screen is well welcomed.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

J.C. Chandor for All is Lost

Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

Spike Jonze for Her

Park Chan-wook for Stoker

Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave

AND THE WINNER IS:

STEVE MCQUEEN FOR 12 YEARS A SLAVE

This is the first win and fourth nomination for Steve McQueen. He was previously nominated for directing Hunger (2008), Shame (2011) and writing Hunger.

McQueen burst out with his film feature debut of Hunger followed by Shame and with his third feature film he finally is able to show the everyone how talented he truly is. The darkness of the deep south has never been captured how it is in this feature as the mystery of the tale is show but we never really know what has happened. McQueen chooses such unique shots such as the off shot of the inner parts of the boat add to the inner struggle of the world created throughout the film. This film really is the directorial achievement of the year.

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Eric Warren Singer & David O. Russell for American Hustle

Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine

Nicole Holofcener for Enough Said

Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig for Frances Ha

Spike Jonze for Her

AND THE WINNER IS:

SPIKE JONZE FOR HER

This is the second win and sixth nomination for Spike Jonze having previously won for directing Where the Wild Things Are (2009). He was also nominated for acting in Three Kings (1999), producing Synecdoche, New York (2008), directing Being John Malkovich (1999) & writing Where the Wild Things Are.

Spike Jonze worked with Charlie Kaufman early in his career and after a great singular film in Where the Wild Things Are his latest film Her is a truly an original Jonze creation. Again a great original screenplay about love but this time the film makes a commentary on the modern relationship with technology. The world created in the screenplay feels large and vast which is a great joy in how the main focus of the film is normal and never has any characters disgusted by this advancement. The sympathies of the film start really with the Samantha character and by the end of the film this sympathy goes towards Theodore who is the one left behind. Jonze makes such an impression with this film showing all the talent he had displayed in his directing achievements creating one of the most interesting and special screenplays of the year.

OUTSTANDING ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Screenplay by Tracy Letts; Based on August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, August: Osage County

Screenplay by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke: Based on Before Sunrise (1995) written by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan, Before Midnight

Screenplay by Destin Cretton; Based on the 2008 short film by Destin Cretton, Short Term 12

Screenplay by John Ridley; Based on Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave

Screenplay by Terence Winter; Based on The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street

AND THE WINNER IS:

SCREENPLAY BY JOHN RIDLEY; BASED ON TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE BY SOLOMON NORTHUP, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

This is the first win and nomination for John Ridley.

Adapted by John Ridley from the book of the same name by Solomon Northup, Ridley was able to take this terrifying story of this ordeal of slavery and make this long history fit into the nearly two and half hour film. The dialogue never tries to modernise the language of the time but takes from the language used during the time to great success. The script of the movie works on another level as the life of this man is told so well and while the film mainly tells the story of a working slave I do love how in smaller details the film shows more types of slavery such as the sex slavery and the different types of slave owners with minor differences which all work together to create the best adapted screenplay of the year.

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG

“Let it Go”, Frozen (Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson Lopez & Robert Lopez)

“Over the Love”. The Great Gatsby (Music and Lyrics by Stuart Hammond, Kid Hairpoon, Aaron Foulds & Florence Welch)

“Young and Beautiful”, The Great Gatsby (Music by Rick Howels; Lyrics by Lana Del Rey)

“The Moon Song”, Her (Music by Karen O; Lyrics by Spike Jonze & Karen O)

“So You Know What It’s Like”, Short Term 12 (Music and Lyrics by Keith Stanfield)

AND THE WINNER IS:

“LET IT GO”, FROZEN (MUSIC AND LYRICS BY KRISTEN ANDERSON LOPEZ & ROBERT LOPEZ)

No song in a movie has really come close to what was Let it Go created by the great married writing team that is Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez. The song changed the whole movie from an average film to a much more moving story. The film allows the conflicted Elsa to finally as the song suggest’s let it go. The song itself has become a message in itself of how embracing yourself is really the best option.

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE

Daniel Hart for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

Alex Ebert for All is Lost

Christophe Beck for Frozen

Owen Pallett for Her

Clint Mansell for Stoker

AND THE WINNER IS:

ALEX EBERT FOR ALL IS LOST

This is the first win and nomination for Alex Ebert.

An odd choice for a score nominee considering that the score is so understated and quiet throughout the whole film just like the film overall when thought of on reflection it becomes even more impressive. The work done by Alex Ebert shows how a subtle score as impressive as this can create a atmosphere of loneliness being watched on the screen. The score does not stay completely invisible for long but even when it is allowed to standout still the score is almost uplifting in the misery filled circumstance that seems to be in the story.

OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION

Production Design by Judy Becker; Set Design by Heather Loeffler for American Hustle

Production Design by K.K. Barrett; Set Design by Gene Serdena for Her

Production Design by Philip Messina; Set Design by Larry Dias for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Production Design by Thérèse DePrez; Set Design by Leslie Morales for Stoker

Production Design by Adam Stockhausen; Set Design by Alice Baker for 12 Years a Slave

AND THE WINNER IS:

PRODUCTION DESIGN BY K.K. BARRETT; SET DESIGN BY GENE SEDENA FOR HER

This is the second win and nomination for Gene Serdena having previously won for Being John Malkovich (1999). K.K. Barrett also won for art directing in 1999 with previous nominations for Marie Antoinette (2006) and Where the Wild Things Are (2009).

While not the flashiest art direction to ever portray the distant future what was designed for this film never tries to go for anything over the top. When looking past the drama of the film you can see that the sets work quite well. From the dazzling bright place where Theodore works to simply the apartment where most of the relationship is set we see how inside he lives in this small apartment. This work done by K.K. Barrett should be studied for how the future can look close to how the present looks but improved on.

OUTSTANDING FILM EDITING

Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy & Crispin Struthers for American Hustle

Alfonso Cuarón & Mark Sanger for Gravity

Jeff Buchanan & Eric Zumbrunnen for Her

Nicolas De Toth for Stoker

Joe Walker for 12 Years a Slave

AND THE WINNER IS:

JOE WALKER FOR 12 YEARS A SLAVE

This is the first win and third nomination for Joe Walker. He was previously nominated for editing Hunger (2008) & Shame (2011).

While 12 Years a Slave is my favourite film editing of the year it was in quite a competition between it and the runner up Gravity. Both could not be completely different films with one set in space and the other set in the south on Earth. The films do share in common that the directors like to have scenes that are long continuos takes. The past of America is captured quite beautifully from the great landscapes to the inner horror that was once present in these plantations. When the film features long takes they really show the tragedy of the story in all it’s dark colours.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Kaitlyn Dever as Jayden in “SHORT TERM 12”

Julianne Nicholson as Ivy Weston in “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY”

Lupita Nyong’o as Patsey in “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

Sarah Paulson as Mary Epps in “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

Lea Seydoux as Emma in “BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR”

AND THE WINNER IS:

LUPITA NYONG’O AS PATSEY IN “12 YEARS A SLAVE”

This is the first win and nomination for Lupita Nyong’o.

A breakout nominee this year Lupita Nyong’o wins my supporting actress trophy for her haunting portrayal of the forever tragic Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. When we first meet Patsey the first information we are told is that she is a great picker of cotton for the evil Edwin Epps but later we learn not she is not just a worker slave but also a sex slave for the master herself and for most of the film she is quiet like most slaves would have been at the time which is why the scene where Patsey finally confronts her devil becomes even more powerful but also because of the brilliant performance being given by Lupita. Nyong’o in her first acting role shows such talent that for how long her career lasts first it will be such a pleasure to see her grow and possibly be given more chances such as she has in this film winning on her first nomination.