Aim for the Head, Hit the Heart: My Favorite 2014 Films

One year when I was living in L.A., I think I saw something like 125 movies in theaters. My roommate and I would hit up the Pacific Theater at the Grove on the regular (it was way easier to double- or triple-dip there than at the Arclight, if somewhat less snazzy) and many a Friday night were spent at the movies with grad school friends. This year (meaning 2014), in Arizona, I saw less than half of that. That's a function of both living in the desert and having a Real Adult Job. So that's my long way of saying that this is hardly a comprehensive list. But I did see most of the big tentpole movies and awards-season films, as well as a good number of critical darlings—a few of which I had to wait until the calendar flipped to see. It's a good thing I did, too, as a few of those films wound up making this list. Speaking of which, I'm doing it a little differently this year than in years past. Instead of somewhat lengthy write-ups for my top 10, I'll be doing shorter write-ups for my top 20. But, first things first:  honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):  Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Frank, Grand Budapest Hotel, Only Lovers Left Alive, The Purge: Anarchy

20) Gone Girl
Directed by: David Fincher
Written by: Gillian Flynn
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon, Tyler Perry

I walked out of Gone Girl thinking it was just so-so, a well-made crowd pleaser with little depth or complexity. Much the same could be said of my thoughts on Rosamund Pike's performance—pretty but vacant. Of course, that's probably part of the point in a movie that's all about perception and outward appearances. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the film was built around Pike's performance—she never broke character, and neither did Fincher. The result is the most mainstream film of his career, but one that manages to weave in some wonderfully subversive commentary on sensationalist media and the power dynamics of marriage. Add in some of my favorite supporting performances of the year (especially Coon), another ominously cool Reznor/Ross score, and DP Jeff Cronenweth's typically immaculate shooting, and you've got a more-than-worthy entrant on this list.

19) X-Men: Days of Future Past
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Written by: Simon Kinberg
Starring: James MacAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage

Two things about this movie: 1) It has inarguably the best (read: coolest) opening of any movie on this list. It's one of the best action sequences of the year—tense, well paced, with great special effects. 2) It has inarguably the worst ending of any movie on this list. This is a common theme with X-Men movies (and comic book movies in general). Remember in X3 when Magneto threw the Golden Gate Bridge? Well, at least they toned it down this time—he only threw a baseball stadium. Comic book movies have gotten much better at character development, but it usually all gets thrown out in the third act (the Captain America sequel was another example of that this year). It's no coincidence that the best modern comic book movie (The Dark Knight) went out of its way to *not* feature explosions in its third act. Here's hoping Marvel (I know, this is Fox) can learn that lesson soon.

18) Under the Skin
Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
Written by: Jonathan Glazer and Walter Campbell
Starring: Scarlett Johansson

I don't know if it says more about me or 2014 films in general, but Under the Skin is the highest-ranking female-led film of the year. (Note that Only Lovers Left Alive and Gone Girl had a female co-lead and that Wild, Obvious Child, and Happy Christmas were among the films that just missed the cut.) That out of the way, Under the Skin is simultaneously hypnotic and unsettling, a stylish, subtle exploration of female beauty and male lust. It features a career-best performance from ScarJo, who turns her natural good looks into an impenetrable mask—which, of course, is removed (along with much, much else) by the end of the film. (The ending is also one of the best of the year, perhaps behind only Whiplash.) Finally, I would be remiss to not mention the year's best score, courtesy of Mica Levi. It —and the film itself—have stayed in my head long after the first viewing. How (or why) the Oscars overlooked is a mystery to me.

17) The Rover
Directed by: David Michôd
Written by: David Michôd (story by Michôd and Joel Edgerton)
Starring: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy

This was a great year for small, gritty revenge thrillers—at least four appear on this list. (Shout-out to Frank Grillo and The Purge: Anarchy in the HM's). The Rover is the sparest and slow-burningest (real word) of the bunch—but what else do you expect from Australia? In the same tradition as The Square (also co-written by Edgerton) and The Proposition, The Rover interlaces small moments of character building with shocking scenes of sudden violence, all against the backdrop of the Australian wilderness. It also adds a dystopian angle—but it's only explored about as much as the characters' backstories... which is to say not at all. No, this is a movie solely of action, and of reaction, motivation be damned—only in the final few frames does the other 99% of the movie finally make sense. But when it clicks, it clicks, like the last rusted key on a key ring, unlocking a glimpse into the meager remnants of a forsaken man's soul... or something. See the movie and you'll get what I mean.

16) Nightcrawler
Directed by: Dan Gilroy
Written by: Dan Gilroy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed

If Nightcrawler was as sharp a satire as it wanted to be, or as violent and disturbing and it should have been, it probably would have landed a top-5 spot on this list. As it is, it's a nice median between American Psycho and Taxi Driver, with a committed performance by Gyllenhaal that's 1/3 Patrick Bateman, 1/3 Travis Bickle, and 1/3 the kind of goofy earnestness that was Gyllenhaal's calling card early in his career. (Just watch Bubble Boy and try to tell me you don't see a bit of him in Lou Bloom. I'm dead serious.) It's a shame the Academy couldn't find a spot for his performance—I'd have bounced anyone but Keaton, including the winner. Rene Russo was certainly worthy of a Supporting nomination herself for channeling Faye Dunaway in Network, while Bill Paxton was clearly having a lot of fun as Gyllenhaal's rival. Finally, props to Ahmed for serving as the movie's moral compass—a role that was never going to end well in this movie's warped version of nighttime Los Angeles (aka my entire wheelhouse). I have a feeling this will prove to be a lasting favorite from this year's movie crop.

15) Interstellar
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine

Interstellar is the kind of spectacular misstep that I wish there were more of in Hollywood. It's ultimately a failure as a film, but only in that it fails to reach the lofty ambitions it sets for itself—the next 2001 it is not. It's not even the next Gravity. But at least it strives to escape the low orbit of most other blockbusters, sci-fi or otherwise. Michael Bay is content to smash rocks into the earth and robots into each other like a cinematic toddler (remember, as always, that I'm fan—but he's making it hard to be these days), while Kevin Feige and his cadre of hired guns tap into our collective adolescence—Christopher Nolan may be the only director with a nine-digit budget who makes movies for grown-ups. Even though the story holds up about as well as an IKEA-made tesseract, one can't help but admire its scope—who are we? where do we come from? where are we going? why do we exist? It's a noble failure (much like Prometheus), and I'd absolutely brave a dust storm to see Nolan's next movie. He's got an Oscar in him someday.

14) Snowpiercer
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Written by: Bong Joon-ho and Kelly Masterson
Starring: Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Jamie Bell

Unless you've never seen a movie before, you know that the train that "never stops" in Snowpiercer will stop before the movie ends. I just wish that the film's often-propulsive narrative momentum didn't stop before the train did. Instead, it crashes and burns just like the train itself, as a too-long d'état with Ed Harris brings the narrative to a screeching halt. Fortunately, there are a number of bravura sequences leading up to the unfortunate denouement that it almost doesn't matter—the icy "disarming," the bridge fight (that fucking bridge fight!), the school car, Tilda Swinton's teeth. Even if it doesn't stick the landing (although the final shots works quite well), Snowpiercer is still a magnificently weird movie (what else do you expect from a Korean director?) that isn't afraid to take risks. I almost shudder to think of the neutered version we'd have seen had Harvey Weinstein gotten his way. We need more weird movies, not less.

13) A Most Violent Year
Directed by: J.C. Chandor
Written by: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Albert Brooks, David Oyelowo

A Most Violent Year is perhaps the most well-made film on this list, like one of the immaculately tailored suits that Oscar Isaac's character wears throughout the film. The script is tightly wound and perfectly executes its themes, the performances are finely tuned, the cinematography is painterly, the music foreboding yet elegant, and Chandor's assured direction is the Windsor knot that ties it all together. Had the film been released earlier and marketed a bit better, there surely could have been Oscar nominations for at least Chastain, Chandor's script, and Bradford Young's cinematography (not to mention the costumes). Isaacs could have nabbed a nom in a weaker year, but something tells me his first isn't too far off —although it won't be for the Star Wars or X-Men sequels he'll be starring in in the next 18 months. Long story short, get ready for the Oscar Isaac takeover. (I've been on board since Drive. Just sayin'.)

12) Selma
Directed by: Ava DuVerney
Written by: Paul Webb and Ava DuVerney
Starring: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Carmen Ejogo

Selma fits into the category of films that I immensely respect, but don't necessarily enjoy or plan on watching again anytime soon. (Other examples are films like 12 Years a Slave, The Master, A Separation, etc.) I have a hard time placing films like that on my year-end lists because entertainment value and rewatchability are *huge* components of how I rate movies. (This is why I could never be a film critic. Well, that and my penchant for way overusing parentheses.) That said, Selma is a pretty fucking sensational film and it absolutely should have been recognized for more than just Picture and Song at the Oscars. Oyelowo, Ejogo, DuVerney's direction, Bradford Young's cinematography (again—here's another dude to look out for)—all were more deserving than some of the actual nominees. Come for MLK's speeches (originals written by DuVerney due to licensing issues), stay for the Pettus Bridge sequence. There wasn't a more harrowing, yet beautiful, sequence put to film this year.

11) 22 Jump Street
Directed by: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Written by: Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel, and Rodney Rothman
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Jillian Bell

If there was ever an argument against trying to rank films at the end of the year, this is it. 22 Jump Street ahead of Selma? I'm not even going to try to defend it... but remember what I just said about entertainment value and rewatchability? Well, I've already seen this three times and laughed just as hard each time I watched it. Hill and Tatum's effortless chemistry, vintage Ice Cube, Jillian Bell's foulmouthed villainess, the (not always subtle) meta-commentary on sequels, expert deployment of "Turn Down for What"... what's not to love? Oh, how about the funniest scene of the year? That do anything for you? No? Well, fuck you. This is my list. I do what I want. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be playing stickball in the field behind old Pop Wiggledy's sweet shop.

10) Blue Ruin
Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
Written by: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Macon Blair, Amy Hargreaves, Devin Ratray

Blue Ruin is the smallest movie on this list, pulling in less than $300,000 domestically—which is a shame because it's a small-scale masterpiece, a gripping, genre-inverting indie gem. It's a revenge thriller, yes, but it also takes everything you know about the genre and chucks it out the window about 20 minutes in while going 60 down a Virginia highway. Protagonist Dwight Evans is the anti–Bryan Mills—played by Macon Blair, he's a bushy-bearded homeless man with the sad eyes of a wounded animal, not the steely, don't-fuck-with-me-eyes of Liam Neeson. He's entirely unsuited to the task of offing the recently released con who murdered his parents, but, even absent a "particular set of skills," he pulls the task off—and there' still over an hour of movie left. The movie goes unexpected places, even until the end, which makes me excited for writer/director's next film, Green Room. It features Patrick Stewart playing a white supremacist. All. In.

Bonus shout-out to Cold in July here. I saw it too late to be able to put it in this list, but it's another great, you guessed it, indie revenge thriller that takes genre conventions and gives 'em a Texas-style ass whuppin'. Except the score, which is a okay-by-me John Carpenter knock-off. Also, Dexter has a mulletstache. It's glorious.

9) Guardians of the Galaxy
Directed by: James Gunn
Written by: James Gunn and Nicole Perlman
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel

This one doesn't need much explaining. It's the most purely entertaining movie of the year, and the second-best Marvel movie behind The Avengers. Like most Marvel movies, the plot is a bit McGuffin-y (Cube? Tesseract? Orb? Who cares!), but director Gunn wisely foregrounds the characters, relegating the plot to the sidelines. (And, really, nothing happens in the movie that greatly affects the Marvel cinematic universe as a whole.) And the characters are really what make this movie tick—from Pratt's wounded, wisecracking Star-Lord to Bautista's hilariously literal Drax the Destroyer to the breakout duo of Cooper's Rocket and Diesel's Groot (and Groot, Jr.), their spitfire dialogue and growing bond is really what drives the movie, not the rather unmemorable story. (Um, also Zoe Saldana looks good in green. Really wish they gave her more to do.) It definitely wet my whistle for Avengers 2, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the two story lines cross. (Avengers 3? 4?)

8) The Guest
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Written by: Simon Barrett
Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Leland Orser, Lance Reddick

If Blue Ruin is a deconstruction of the revenge thriller genre, then The Guest is an action thriller pastiche—a little Terminator here, a little Stepfather there, and essence of John Carpenter sprinkled liberally throughout (so glad to see a resurgence in appreciation of his work of late). It doesn't hurt that it centers around the most handsomest antagonist/antihero I've ever seen, Mr. Dan Stevens. It's entirely obvious he's the villain from pretty much the get-go, but you don't care because you melt every time he smiles. It's a good thing, too, because the movie flat-out wouldn't work with just about anyone else playing the role. He's so good that you're actually cheering for the telegraphed "twist" ending. My only complaint is that the overarching plot is introduced a bit early (the mystery of his identity could have been played out a bit longer) and that is's a bit ho-hum (not weird enough), but when things finally come to a head, the tension is ratcheted to 11, leaving a trail of bodies on its way to a nearly perfect climax (both cinematically and in my pants). More like this, please.

7) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Written by: Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver
Starring: Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell

First things first: Yes, that's an ape carrying a gun while riding a horse, and, yes, that happens in the movie. Second things second: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was the best blockbuster sequel of the year, and probably of the last few years. It's perfectly paced, with a fuse that's lit in the first few minutes that slowly burns until the inevitable third-act pyrotechnics—but they're actually earned this time, as the final battle sequence (buckwild and a whole lot of fun) actually makes sense dramatically and doesn't feel tacked on (cough*Winter Soldier*cough). It's also technically masterful—from cinematography to set design to the editing. But what really makes it stand out is some of the best CGI I've ever seen—this movie is the first time I can recall seeing CGI characters emote on a human (or near-human) level. Andy Serkis (as always) and Toby Kebbell give two of the finest motion-capture performances of all time. I'm not sure there needs to be an Oscar category to recognize their work, but giving the Visual Effects Oscar to this film instead of the bigger (but not better) Interstellar would have been a start.

6) The Raid 2
Directed by: Gareth Evans
Written by: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais, Afirin Putra, Tio Pakusadewo, Oka Antara

The original Raid was a lean, mean, martial-arts machine: one location, shot in real time, no frills. (It also has one of the best fight scenes of all time. R.I.P., Sgt. Jaka.) The Raid 2 is, well, more—with four times the budget, almost an hour longer, and a vastly wider scope, it's like The Godfather 2 of martial arts movies. It takes a while to get going, but once it does, it's an absolutely visceral moviegoing experience. Movies have left me slack-jawed before (see the movie ranked at number two), but none like this—you're almost as exhausted as Rama (Uwais) by the time he makes his way through the gauntlet of prisons, crime lords, baseball bats, hammers, and a brutal kitchen fight scene that's almost as good as Mad Dog vs. Jaka. Of course, his trials aren't even close to over. The Raid 3 can't come soon enough. ...actually, it can. I'm still recovering from this one.

5) Edge of Tomorrow (or Live Die Repeat, or All You Need Is Kill)
Directed by: Doug Liman
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendon Gleeson, Bill Paxton

It must be noted that Edge of Tomorrow is perhaps the blandest possible title for this movie. I mean, it sounds like a slogan for a Gillette razor or something. Warner Bros. must've realized its mistake, as the movie was released on DVD seemingly titled Live Die Repeat, which is better—but not as good as All You Need Is Kill, the title of the Japanese novel the movie is based on. Title rant out of the way, this is easily the best sci-fi action movie in a long time, and firmly puts Tom Cruise back in movie star mode. It's also the best video game movie that isn't based on an actual video game. What's more is that the "live die repeat" cycle is actually explained in a way that (sort of) makes sense, unlike in most video games (or in Groundhog Day), where it's basically arbitrary. Once the plot is explained relatively early on, the rest of the movie allows the filmmakers to have fun with the premise (watching Cruise fail over and over at first is great) and the characters to inch closer and closer to the final confrontation and to each other. The typical romantic subplot is handled with sweetness and subtlety—and I'm not just talking about the one between me and Emily Blunt in my head. For once, I was actually rooting for the corny ending—and was happy when I got it. This is the best major Hollywood release of the year (and, of course, it was trounced at the box office by Trans4mers) and one that I know will withstand multiple "repeat" viewings. (Sorry, had to.)

4) Inherent Vice
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson (based on the Thomas Pynchon novel)
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston

My favorite movie review of the year is just about all you need to know about Inherent Vice: "Every ticket to Inherent Vice should come with the choice of a joint or a second ticket to Inherent Vice. You will need one or the other." Quite apt—following the plot of Inherent Vice is like listening to directions from a stoner to a place he's never been. "Well, first Doc Sportello goes to a massage parlor, but there's also this cop, then there's a dentist... something about a Golden Fang..." That's pretty much all I could tell you what happened in the movie myself, and I wasn't baked. (And I haven't seen it a second time.) It doesn't matter though—much like its spiritual antecendent, The Big Lebowski, the plot is just a loose framework in which the characters operate, not a blueprint to be closely followed. Phoenix keeps finding new leaves to turn over—Doc Sportello couldn't be much different from his characters in The Master and Her—and Brolin and Martin Short especially are a whole lot of fun. (Jena Malone also gives a memorable monologue in a bit role.) Raucously funny, wonderfully hazy, and with memorable characters and perfect period music to accompany Johnny Greenwood's score, Inherent Vice is an obvious cult classic in the making and PTA's most original film since Punch-Drunk Love.

3) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Directed by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Written by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., and Armando Bó
Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone

I can't say the Academy erred too grievously on Oscar night—they merely picked my third-favorite film of the year rather than my favorite (slight spoilers). While I was wrong about which film AMPAS would pick that night, I'm fairly sure I'll prove to be right about one thing: the reputation of Boyhood will only be buoyed by the Oscar snub, while I think that of Birdman will fade. (Basically the exact same thing that's already happened with The Social Network/The King's Speech.) But enough about what Birdman *isn't*—what it *is* is an extended take (pun intended) on "that little prick called ego," specifically the artist's ego—a topic I can certainly relate to, although not on the same level as Keaton's Riggan Thomson (or Iñárritu for that matter). It's about how you put yourself on the line every time you create something, about how there is no such thing as a safety net when you bleed your heart out on the stage (or screen, or page), about how insane the creative process can make you feel. My only complaint is the final scene—it's ambiguity for ambiguity's sake, which is lazy to me (besides, the magical realism works a lot better if it's all in Thomson's head). That said, it's got the year's smartest script, the best cinematography, and the finest performances—a worthy Best Picture winner when you think about it.

2) Whiplash
Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Written by: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist

This is the other movie that left me speechless and slack-jawed this year. I'm of course talking about the final 10 minutes of the film, in which abused and broken jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Teller) rises from the emotional rubble of the grand finale of psychotic music teacher Terence Fletcher's (Simmons) series of humiliations to deliver a rousing 6-minute jazz drum solo. While the scene is a technical and physical marvel (Teller actually played drums throughout the movie), it's a morally complicated one. Did Fletcher's savage, callous methods work on Andrew? Even thornier, does the movie somehow endorse those homophobic, chair-slinging methods? I think the answers are "kind of" and a resounding "no"—you can't watch the previous hour and a half and think that. Simmons—in the best performance of his career and of any actor this year—is terrifying, a black-t-shirt-clad study in sociopathy, an embodiment of the tortuous hell he thinks great artists must go through. He's like R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket meets Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate, only more controlled. If the movie was more widely seen, he'd go down as one of cinema's great villains (hell, he still might anyway), so you can't say the movie thinks he's in the right. But he also pushes Andrew father than he'd ever push himself—and the resulting performance is the crux of the film. But I don't look at the scene as the validation of Fletcher's methods. Rather, I view it as Andrew's big "fuck you" to his "mentor"—he's not going to let the monster win. He's not trying to impress him, he's trying to beat him at his own game. And a big part of me thinks he'll walk out of that music hall never to touch a drum kit again—the ultimate "fuck you" to Fletcher. *This* is how you pull an ambiguous ending off. I'm still thinking about it, and still picking my jaw up off the floor.

1) Boyhood
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Written by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater

I'll come out and say it: Boyhood is a masterpiece, the kind of movie that comes along every 4-5 years and serves not so much as a touchstone but as a monument to artistic achievement. They rarely win Best Picture. The Social Network didn't. There Will Be Blood didn't. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind didn't. In the Mood for Love didn't. And, of course, Boyhood didn't. It doesn't matter though—the achievements of these films speak for themselves. What Linklater and his cast accomplished will be remembered long after those of any other movie on this list. Boyhood distills 12 years of human life—12 awkward, painful, frightening, difficult years—into a 2 1/2 hour emotional crucible that leaves the viewer wondering how they survived it themselves. (And that probably goes twice-over for any parents—this could just as easily be called Motherhood or Fatherhood.) It's a testament to Linklater and his editor, the Oscar-snubbed Sandra Adair, that the movie works as well as it does—the passage of time feels natural—and the cinematography of Lee Daniel and Shane Kelly give the whole thing a dreamy, sun-washed quality that fits perfectly with the Texas backdrop. All together, the film plays like a family movie with the scope of a Tolstoy novel. It's The Tree of Life without without the metaphysical bullshit. (And, admittedly, without Emmanuel Lubezski's cinematography.) I pay no heed to the chief complaint levied against the film—that Coltrane is a poor actor. Of course he is, as he's not a professional. And his natural awkward aloofness lends itself perfectly to the adolescent years the film spans. Anyone who's lived through those years (that is to say, *everyone*) should be able to see a little bit of themselves in Coltrane. Be they male or female, white or black, poor or rich, watching Boyhood should feel a little bit like watching yourself up there on the screen. It's beautiful, it's truthful, and it's ego-free. If Birdman is meant for the head, then Boyhood is meant for the heart. I have little doubt as to which will prove to be the more lasting achievement.

2015 Oscar Predictions (continued)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

BEST EDITING
Sandra Adair, Boyhood

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock, The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST MAKEUP
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST SCORE
Jóhann Jóhannsson, The Theory of Everything

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Common and John Legend, "Glory" (Selma)

BEST SOUND MIXING
Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, Thomas Curley, Whiplash

BEST SOUND EDITING
Alan Robert Murray and Bob Asman, American Sniper

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, and Scott Fisher, Interstellar

BEST ANIMATED FILM 
How to Train Your Dragon 2, Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Ida, Pawel Pawlikowski (Poland)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Citizenfour, Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutsky

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
The Dam Keeper, Robert Kondo and Daisuke Tsutsumi

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
The Phone Call, Mat Kirby and James Lucas

Of Birds and Boys: 2015 Oscars Predictions

There doesn't seem to be an overarching narrative in the buildup to this year's Oscars. In years past, we've had 12 Years a Slave and the atonement/validation it represented, Argo and the *very* different atonement/validation it represented, and The King's Speech vs. The Social Network (I'm still smarting about that one). The last year with no clear narrative was 2012, the year of The Artist—unless you count the general blah-ness of the nominees as a narrative. This year the opposite is true—the field is pretty strong. There are some quibbles to be made (the shortfall of nominations for Selma seemingly in favor of stately, bland British dramas being the most egregious), but for the most part, the Academy has embraced a superb group of veteran auteurs, accomplished stars, and intriguing new talents. There are some duds in the mix though—whether or not the Academy chooses to ignore them (as they did not on nomination morning) will go a long way toward determining the narrative of this year's ceremony. I'll see if I can get a head start with my predictions. As usual, I've seen all the major nominees, so let's just assume I know what I'm talking about. (Probably a bad idea.)

Gold = predicted winner

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into The Woods

Barring a major upset, three of the four acting categories are firmly locked in. This is not the category in question. Patricia Arquette has won just about every major precursor award, and her final scene in the movie is an A+ Oscar reel. The only one of the rest of the nominees that's even close to a nocturnal equine is Stone, whose nomination here puts her firmly on the path to Next Julia Roberts status. If AMPAS goes WAY overboard with Birdman love, maaaybe... but no. Not happening. Dern is the best of the rest, but her all-flashback performance isn't on the same level as Arquette's presence over 12 cinematic and real-life years. Knightley give a severely underwritten role her trademark sparkle and Streep is a witch who sings or whatever, let's just nominate her. This statue is Arquette's, and deservedly so.

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

Here's another acting category with a front-runner no one's gonna catch. J.K. Simmons has been a one-man wrecking crew with the precursors, and, like Arquette, is a hardworking veteran of film, TV, voice work, commercials—you name it. He's Juno's dad, J. Jonah Jameson, the Farmer's Insurance guy. But his Terence Fletcher is a truly transcendent performance, eyes glinting and twitching, veins bulging, with a sociopathic intensity I can rarely recall having seen on film. Maybe Annie Wilkes. It was my favorite performance of the year, and I can't wait to give it a wine-tipsy standing O on Oscar night. Of the rest, I feel bad for Hawke and, especially, Norton. They'd be shoo-in winners in just about any other year—Hawke for his effortlessly portrayed, ever-maturing "cool dad" and Norton for his spasmodic, highwire comeback performance. Ruffalo brought a much-needed dose of humanity to balance Carell's vacant creepiness and Tatum's vacant intensity. Oh, and I just watched The Judge and was kind of on board until Duval had fucking CANCER. Spoilers, if anyone cares. But no one is spoiling Simmons's night.

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory Of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Our third and final acting category lock. I don't need to extol the virtues of Julianne Moore—of Amber Waves, of Maude Lebowski, of Clarice Sterling, of just Julian. She'll finally win an Oscar (after 5 tries) for her portrayal of Dr. Alice Howland. It's not the best performance of her career, or the most resonant, but it's among her most affecting and accomplished—she slips further and further into the clutches of Alzheimer's with limited histrionics and conveys a sense of grace in a way that this year's presumptive Best Actor winner couldn't do even with magical acting elves controlling the gears in his skull. If the Academy chooses to deny Moore again, Pike or Witherspoon could be the beneficiary. Pike would be a curious choice given the lack of any other nominations for the film (although the same could be said of Still Alice), but her emotive iciness is Streep-like and I'm fascinated to see what she does next. Witherspoon was better in Wild than her Oscar-winning performance and has quite the Oscar reel, but I can't see her getting a second statue before Moore has one. Ditto Cotillard (for an excellent, unadorned performance). Jones is fine, I guess—but would it have killed the filmmakers to portray marital discord in any other way but restrained?

Best Actor
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory Of Everything

This is the one we've been waiting for. There are three contenders here—Carell (stunt casted and unconvincing, sorry not sorry) and Cumberbatch (Sherlock without the humor) are out. That leaves Cooper, Keaton, and Redmayne. Keaton is my personal favorite and would easily get my vote—his Riggan Thompson is a thoroughly lived-in, bizarrely heartfelt gem of a performance. It's also an actor playing an actor, which the Academy loves (cough, Jean Dujardin, cough). Redmayne is the presumptive front-runner, and he does a fine job imitating Stephen Hawking's mannerisms, but he does very little actual acting in the film. (He's a far sight better as a non-talking, wheelchair-bound character than in most of his speaking roles though.) That leaves Bradley Cooper, he of the three consecutive nominations and endless charm. Neither of those are enough to elevate his Chris Kyle above the terse, uncomplicated "Legend" of the terse, uncomplicated American Sniper, but I think it'll be enough when the two guys who have been duking it out all awards season—Keaton and Redmayne—split the ballot. (Note that I was much more confident in this a few weeks ago in the midst of the Sniper faux controversies.) Cooper's name would look like a pretty good choice on a ballot—better, perhaps, than Keaton (a largely comedic performance, which AMPAS typically doesn't reward) and Redmayne (unproven, uncharismatic). If I'm wrong, it'll probably be Redmayne... but I'm still holding out hope for Keaton, who is easily the best of the bunch.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game

This is one I have ZERO confidence in. The only one that can (probably) be safely ruled out is PTA's script for Inherent Vice, one of my favorite films of the year. There are a number of reasons it won't win, but chief among them is that it's a stoner comedy. PTA will have to wait for his first Oscar. (It'll happen, like it happened to the Coens and will happen to Linklater, Anderson, and/or Iñárritu this year.) I think Hall is the least likely of the other nominees—who saw American Sniper and said, "Man, what a screenplay!"? That's pretty typical of Eastwood joints though. Not even Million Dollar Baby won Adapted Screenplay, and it won Best Picture. If ballot splitting really is a thing and not just something Oscar prognosticators make up, it's not hard to see it happening for McCarten's and Moore's scripts. Both were also dull, surface-level affairs and would be a real snoozer of a winner. That leaves Damien Chazelle's miscategorized script as my pick. (It's based on a short film, which, wait for it, was adapted from the same script that's nominated here to get funding for the feature.) While the script isn't the strongest element of the film (it gets real wonky at the end of the second act—dat ending doe!), it's a film AMPAS loved to the tune of 5 noms. If it's not Chazelle, one of the Brits (I'm just assuming they're both Brits) will take it. Moore's work seems to be slightly better regarded, so, uh, man, I feel a yawn coming on already...

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

This one's purely about the numbers. The Grand Budapest Hotel tied Birdman for the most total nominations with nine. It stands to reason that it won't walk away without one of the major awards (although it wouldn't be unprecedented—just look at American Hustle last year). It's not winning Director or Picture, so this is the Academy's best shot to give Wes Anderson (and Hugo Guinness) the Oscar that's been eluding him for years. To quote one of my favorite bands, "If not now, when?" As far as the other nominees, if not Wes Anderson, who? It could very well be the Birdman gents, who only "lost" at the WGAs because they weren't eligible due to some guild rule or another. But I have a feeling that having four credited writers will have caused more than a few voters to blanch and pass the (very worthy) film over. Birdman would get my vote, and I'd be pleased if it won, but I'm totally okay with Wes Anderson winning an Oscar too. Boyhood seems to be out because of the improvisational nature of the dialogue (but screenwriting is more than dialogue, and someone had to come up with the idea for each scene and how they fit together as a whole...). Unfair, but there's a good chance Linklater will walk away with one of the big boys. The last two nominees are just happy to be there. For the record, I'm not a Foxcatcher fan (too obtuse), but I am a Nightcrawler fan (although I wouldn't say the script is the best thing about it).

Best Director
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

In a category that *should* have been a one-woman-and-four-man race (Miller over DuVernay? Really?), this is likely a two-man race between Iñárritu and Linklater. The Academy seems to love Miller in much the same way they love Stephen Daldry. His work is certainly unique, but too sterile for me. (And not in a good way like Michael Haneke.) Tyldum certainly knows how to make a polished film—The Imitation Game is one good-looking movie—but it's not clear he knows how to make an insightful or emotionally complex one. The film is all surface. I'm interested to see what he does next though (rumors of a William Gibson adaptation—not Neuromancer, unfortunately.) I like but don't love Wes Anderson. I'm happy to see him finally nominated here though—he certainly deserves it, even if his too-twee stylings don't always mesh with my particular aesthetic palate. It's tough to pick between the remaining two—Boyhood and Birdman were two of the best, and best-directed, films of the year, albeit for different reasons. Birdman is a technical marvel, a magical-realist fable, and a meta commentary on blockbuster culture all in one, complete with a super-awkward subtitle. And Boyhood, well, surely everyone knows about the whole "shot over 12 years with the same actors, many of them non-professionals" thing, right? It's hard to say which is the more impressive feat. It's also hard to say if this award will have any impact on the Best Picture race. Will one film win both awards? Will they split so the Academy can award both? It's rare that the Director race doesn't shine much light on the Picture race. It's also rare that the DGA winner doesn't win the Oscar. (It's been 10 years.) But I think this is a year it happens, and the Oscar will go to Richard Linklater over DGA winner Iñárritu. Call it a hunch, call it heart over head, call it wrong come Monday, but I think it's the right choice.

Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory Of Everything
Whiplash

The inclusion of the achingly dull The Theory of Everything aside, this is a pretty strong field. The Imitation Game and American Sniper are well-made and -acted pieces of entertainment (even if both largely remove complexity from their characters' lives), and I feel better about the state of the film industry when talented, idiosyncratic filmmakers like Wes Anderson are recognized on the big stage. Selma and Whiplash are stellar achievements by a pair of up-and-coming auteurs in Ava DuVernay and Damien Chazelle, whose films are two of the most intense, potent, and vital of the year. None of those films is winning, however. (Although I certainly wouldn't protest—too much—at an upset by either of the latter two.) No, this is between Boyhood and Birdman. The former was the front-runner pretty much since it was released, but the latter has been charging hard as of late (and has actually won more of the precursor awards) and is seemingly the current front-runner. (Keeping in mind that voting has actually been over for a few days.) It's a tough choice, and one without a wrong answer, must like last year's ceremony. I also don't think there's really any big dichotomy at play here. There's a perception amongst both prognosticators and the general public that Hollywood (read: the Academy) is always eager to award "insider" films. There's certainly evidence to back it up (see: Argo, The Artist). But I don't think giving the Best Picture Oscar to Birdman would be representative of some kind of industry solipsism—rather, Birdman is a *very* good movie and would be a deserving winner. I just don't think it's as good of a movie as Boyhood, which I think will withstand the late charge from Birdman and take the Oscar it most definitely deserves. It's the best movie of the year, and maybe of the decade that's nearly half over—although The Social Network is a formidable challenger. Perhaps Boyhood will suffer the same fate as that film. But I don't think it will—surely the Academy can recognize a touching, poignant, groundbreaking, singular masterpiece when it sees one, right?

...Right?

(Stay tuned for the rest of the categories, in much less verbose form.)

2015 Oscar Nominations Predictions (or The Unexpected Virtue of Procrastination)

It's weird. I hate winter, but pretty much all my favorite events of the year happen within its chilly clutches—New Year's, Heath Day (R.I.P.), the Super Bowl, the first round of March Madness... and, of course, perhaps my favorite, the Oscars. Yes, I know they don't really "mean" anything, and, yes, they're a bit pompous and stuffy, and, yes, they rarely pick the "right" movie, but I can't help myself. I love nothing more than to throw on a suit, crack open a bottle of wine, slice a fine cheese, and fill out an Oscar pool entry. But before any of that can happen, we need to know who the nominees are. And if I I'm the kind of guy who tries to predict the winners (I am), you can bet your ass I'm the kind of guy who will try to predict the nominees. So, as is tradition, with the announcement mere hours away, here are my predictions. I went 35/44 last year (which basically anyone who reads two or three Oscar blog posts can do). Let's see if I can do one or two better this year. (Everything is listed in order of likelihood.)

* = haven't seen it
^ = early winner prediction

BEST PICTURE
Boyhood^
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Selma
Gone Girl
Foxcatcher
Nightcrawler
---
Next in line:
American Sniper*
Into the Woods
Unbroken*

Comments: The race for the winner seems all but decided at this point—this is Boyhood's year, as it should be—but what films round out the last few nominations should be more interesting than usual. There seems to be a consensus that there could be 10 nominees for the first time since 2010 (when the number of nominees was set at 10). And there's not even a below-average film among the contenders (like Philomena last year). But first, the "locks" (oh, Oscar lingo, how I've missed thee). Boyhood is a no-brainer, as are Birdman and the film that upset it at the Globes, Grand Budapest Hotel. Those three are also among the best (i.e., my favorite) films of the year. Less so two other presumed locks, The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything. But they're both the kind of hyper-competent (that's a backhanded compliment) awards bait that gets nominations most years and wins in weak years, so they're both in. Whiplash and Selma seem to be the last two sure things—and these powerful, personal films are both two of my favorites of the year as well. That leaves anywhere from, well, zero to three other films to make the cut. Since a film only needs 5% of first place votes at this juncture, that only means a few hundred voters (out of 6,000–7,000) need to have a film at the top of their ballot. I think there will be enough support for a box office and critical hit like Gone Girl as well as the two oddball drama/thrillers, Foxcatcher and Nightcrawler. I just don't see such a late entrant like American Sniper gaining much support (especially considering Clint Eastwood hasn't had a nomination in any category in 7 years, and none in this category in 9). Into the Woods and Unbroken have basically no shot, but they're all that's left in the cupboard.

Wishful thinking: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Snowpiercer, Under the Skin

BEST DIRECTOR
Richard Linklater – Boyhood^
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVerney – Selma
Damiel Chazelle – Whiplash
---
Next in line:
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game
Clint Eastwood – American Sniper*
David Fincher – Gone Girl
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler

Comments: Damn, what a tough category to pick. Beyond the first three, it's a crapshoot. Linklater, Iñárritu, and Anderson seem like sure things, with Linklater likely to repeat his win at the Globes last Sunday. All three are worthy. Linklater and Anderson somehow have never been nominated and are more than "due," while the technical achievements of Birdman are vast, for which Iñárritu deserves a lion's share of the credit. Hard to believe his last film was Biutiful. The other two spots are likely between the next four names—DuVerney, Chazelle, Tyldum, and Eastwood. Given the Director's branch has found spots for both younger and minority directors in recent years, I think they can find room for both DuVerney (a minority *and* a woman) and Chazelle (who is all of 29... great, now I feel like a failure) for their vibrant, formally interesting work, rather than nominating the staid, impersonal filmmaking of Tyldum (he's like a Tom Hooper knock-off) and Eastwood (obviously haven't seen Sniper, but Eastwood's workmanlike technique seems out of place given the rest of the contenders). The always-interesting Fincher could swoop in and snag the fifth spot and it wouldn't shock (or disappoint) me, and Gilroy looks like an up-and-coming talent and his movie seems to have a lot of support, so you can't count him out. This is the category I'm the most anxious about, and the results tomorrow could tell us a lot about the current state of the Academy.

Wishful thinking: Jonathan Glazer – Under the Skin, Bong Joon-ho – Snowpiercer

BEST ACTOR
Michael Keaton – Birdman^
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
David Oyelowo – Selma
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
---
Next in line:
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper*
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Timothy Spall – Mr. Turner*

Comments: This is a pretty loaded field, and it probably goes even deeper than this. We'll start, as always, with the "locks," of which there are only two—Keaton and Redmayne. Those two will be battling for the statue over the next few weeks, and I think Keaton's masterful work (and humble, touching Golden Globes acceptance speech) will put him over the top. Redmayne is fine in Theory (and he's certainly come a long way from My Week with Marilyn—god, what an awful movie/performance), but it's the kind of unemotive physical impression that I just can't get behind. Of the rest, Cumberbatch is the closest to a sure thing—he's asked to do a bit more than Redmayne, but I can muster up no better adjective than "fine." But he also seems to be a presumptive lock vulnerable to a lack of top-end support, a la Tom Hanks at this time last year. It wouldn't surprise me to see him fall out of the top five. There are plenty of contenders ready to take his place should he slip. Chief among them is Oyelowo, who combines bombast and tranquility in a surprisingly gregarious take on MLK, Jr. He—and the movie as a whole—has just enough passion and talent to rise above the "awards bait" tag some of his competitors have been slapped with (by me and others). Finally, the last spot (should my previous predictions prove correct) should be between Gyllenhaal, Carell, and Cooper. Cooper has been the recipient of a lot of love from the Academy lately, but I have a hard time seeing him being nominated for the third time in three years. And Carell has the whole "comedian goes serious" thing going for him, but "different" doesn't mean "good"—and I didn't think Carell was particularly good in Foxcatcher. That leaves Gyllenhaal, who managed to channel Travis Bickle and Patrick Bateman, yet somehow made the character his own. That should be enough to get him his first lead Actor nomination. (Fiennes and Spall would be right in the conversation in any other year. But maybe one of them shocks the world in the morning.)

Wishful thinking: Macon Blair – Blue Ruin, Miles Teller – Whiplash

BEST ACTRESS
Julianne Moore – Still Alice*^
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Jennifer Aniston – Cake*
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
---
Next in line:
Amy Adams – Big Eyes
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night*

Comments: As is usually (and unfortunately) the case, the field for Best Actress is much more barren than Actor. The top five are your likely nominees, with little potential for a surprise. The consensus seems to be this is Moore's time to finally win a statue, but the movie hasn't come out in Arizona yet, so I can't comment. I actually thought Witherspoon's statue-winning performance in 2009 was less than impressive, but, as happened last year with Sandra Bullock, a future performance wound up validating the award for me. For Bullock, it was The Blind Side and Gravity. For Witherspoon, it was Walk the Line and now Wild. Good movie, great performance. Pike was something to behold in Gone Girl—icy and calculating, like Tilda Swinton or Meryl Streep in their more restrained roles (Michael Clayton or Doubt, say). I have no... doubt we'll be seeing her here again someday. I haven't seen Aniston's film so I can't comment, but I suspect the opportunity to nominate a beloved veteran like her will be too hard for the Actor's branch to pass up. I have the same things to say about Jones as I did about Cumberbatch above—watch out for a shocking snub. If that were to happen, Adams (very good, as always) or Cotillard (one of my favorites, especially in her native language—I'll be seeing her film either way) would stand to benefit.

Wishful thinking: Scarlett Johannson – Under the Skin

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash^
Edward Norton – Birdman
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
Josh Brolin – Inherent Vice*
---
Next in line:
Robert Duvall – The Judge*
Tom Wilkinson – Selma
Riz Ahmed – Nightcrawler

Comments: This is another category that should have very little drama come morning. The top four are basically sure things, which leaves one spot up for grabs... but no one really there to grab it. Of the locks, Simmons is the front-runner, and very deservedly so—his was my favorite performance, regardless of gender or category, of the year. I'll have much more to say about it in future posts. Ditto Norton's, which happens to be my second favorite performance of the year. And both Hawke and Ruffalo were wonderful in a movie I adored (Boyhood) and a movie I was very put off by but begrudgingly respect (Foxcatcher). As far as the fifth spot goes, I've seen a lot of pundits saying the Actor's branch will play the veteran card and go in for Duvall, but... well, I'm pretty much not putting him because I don't want to see the movie. It looks like schlock (and the reviews and the box office take seem to back that up), and I'm hoping the Academy is better than that. (They're not.) I'm hoping they can instead find room for Brolin (whose movie I can't *wait* to see), the venerable, talented Wilkinson, or, especially, the quietly excellent Ahmed (he'd be the Barkhad Abdi equivalent this year).

Wishful thinking: Bill Hader – The Skeleton Twins

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood^
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year*
Rene Russo – Nightcrawler
---
Next in line:
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Laura Dern – Wild

Comments: This category has slightly more intrigue than it seems on the surface. Arquette (your eventual winner) and Stone are locked in, but after that, who knows. (They're both fantastic, by the way, richly internal then cracklingly external in their signature scenes.) It's always a bad idea to bet against Streep, and I'm not gonna do it here. She does Streep-y things, as usual, and gets extra points for singing, I guess. (Not a huge fan of the movie, obviously.) Most prognosticators have Knightley riding the tide of polite applause for her movie to an easy nomination. She's actually one of the best parts of the movie (and a personal favorite of mine), but I'm gonna zig when everyone else has zagged and say she misses the cut in favor of not-quite-star Chastain (it's coming) and a tip of the cap to the hardworking veteran Russo. I'd be happy to be wrong though, as everyone wins when Knightley puts on an evening gown and flashes her stunning smile on the red carpet. (Dern is another respected vet who could sneak into the final spot for a lovely, bittersweet performance.)

Wishful thinking: Carrie Coon – Gone Girl, Melanie Lynskey – Happy Christmas

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo – Birdman^
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler
Mike Leigh – Mr. Turner*
---
Next in line:
Paul Webb – Selma
E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman – Foxcatcher
J.C. Chandor – A Most Violent Year*

Comment: If there's a theme so far, it's "four locks and a ???" (as it is most years). Linklater, Iñárritu, and Anderson are surefire nominees and are all contenders for the award. This is the first category yet that I'm even a bit unconfident in who the eventual winner will be. (But it won't be that easy, will it, AMPAS?) I'm going with the Birdman boys, fresh off their Globes win, until the SAGs. Gilroy is something less than a lock and something more than a question mark, but I think he's pretty safe. His is also the only wholly original story (other than longshot Chandor's) of the other contenders (all are based on historical events). I think that works in his favor. For the fifth spot, most of the predictions I've perused have it between Selma and Foxcatcher. Both are problematic for behind-the-scenes reasons—authorship (director DuVerney largely rewrote the script) and historical accuracy for Selma and one of the main figures in the movie publicly bashing the script (Mark Schultz) for Foxcatcher. I think that leaves just enough room for an old guy like Leigh to get one last shot at the gold. Critics seem to love Mr. Turner, and I could see the Writer's branch going out on a limb for him. Chandor already has a nomination here and figures to get one for the big chair in the near future. He's probably an also-ran here this year, but I'm very excited to see his film.

Wishful thinking: Jeremy Saulnier – Blue Ruin

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl^
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Anthony McCarten – The Theory of Everything
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Nick Hornby – Wild
---
Next in line:
Paul Thomas Anderson – Inherent Vice*
Jason Hall – American Sniper*
Wildcard!

Comments: This is the one category where I have absolutely no idea what will happen. The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything are the kind of prestige biopics that always get nominated here and figure to receive nominations. I just can't see the voters being able to tell them apart enough to give either one the award. I think Flynn (who adapted her own novel) could come away with a statue if that were to come to pass. All three seem to be safe choices for nominations though. As for the other two spots... Chazelle really belongs in the Original category (as the movie is based on his own short film), and his chances could suffer because of perceived category fraud. But it's a tight script with two very meaty roles, so Chazelle should hear his name called at least here in the morning. (He's also a darkhorse for the statue.) Finally, Hornby's script for Wild is a nice, structurally interesting piece of screenwriting and would be a fine fifth nominee. If not him, then look for either PTA or Hall to nab a nom (for movies I haven't seen). I would think adapting Thomas freaking Pynchon would be a tougher task than adapting a problematic autobiography, but we shall see. (Don't discount the kind of out-of-nowhere nomination that is more common in Original here though.)

Wishful thinking: Gillian Robespierre – Obvious Child

RANDOM PREDICTIONS/OBSERVATIONS:
*Movie I'm probably overrating: Nightcrawler
*Movie I'm probably underrating: American Sniper*
*I have very little grasp on the screenwriting categories this year (which is bad for someone with a master's in screenwriting).
*I'll be rooting the most for Whiplash and Selma to do well in the big categories (movies like Boyhood and Birdman don't need much help).
*There's a shocker coming in one of these categories, but I obviously don't know what it is.

A bit longer than usual, but in at right about the same time. Once again, the number to beat is 35/44. We'll find out how I did in a few hours. Before the actual ceremony, you'll get my favorite movies post and, obviously, my final predictions. Until then. Thanks for reading!

Predicting the Unpredictable: 2015 Golden Globes

Much like last year, there are a number of films/performances in the Comedy categories that will be in the Oscar conversation. That's not the case every year. But that also means that the Globes will be even less of a precursor for the Oscars than normal. So why write about the Globes? Because they're interesting, they're unpredictable, they're fun. And, c'mon, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are pretty great hosts. (As much as I like NPH, I'm a little dubious on his hosting capabilities.) So, fresh off seeing the last two important multiple nominees I hadn't seen (Selma and The Theory of Everything), let's make some nearly baseless, barely researched predictions, shall we?

* = a film or performance I haven't seen
bold = my prediction

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

Logic: The Oscar seems to be Arquette's to lose at this point—not that that necessarily means anything in this race. I don't think Chastain or Knightley have much of a shot here—Chastain's movie has barely been released, and Knightley's seems to have lost a bit of critical traction. You can never count Streep out, and her movie did get 3 nominations, but I just don't see it happenening against two vastly superior performances—Arquette's and Stone's. Stone was great and is a potential spoiler both here and come Oscar time, but hers was maybe the 3rd- or 4th-best performance in her movie. That leaves Arquette, who has been racking up film critic society awards and figures to make the Globe the first of many Oscar precursors. She's well deserving as a resilient bundle of frayed nerves in the year's best film.

Spoiler: Stone
My Vote: Arquette
Snubbed: Carrie Coon, Gone Girl

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

Logic: After I saw Boyhood, I didn't think I'd see a supporting performance better than Ethan Hawke's. Then I saw two... in the same day. I did a Birdman/Whiplash double feature and left the theater floored by Norton and Simmons. There are not two better performances—lead or supporting, male or female—in any film this year. Choosing between them will be difficult for critics and voters alike. No disrespect to Hawke (very, very good) and Ruffalo (the best part of a deeply flawed film), but the choice is clearly between Norton and Simmons. In Birdman, Norton showed us that he still has the natural ability that made everyone think he was a once-in-a-generation talent when he burst onto the scene—let's hope he keeps choosing roles that let him shine. But my vote (and, I believe, the Globe) goes to Simmons, who was simultaneously demonic and magnetic in a career-best performance from one of the best character actors around. Never was I more rapt this year then when watching him work. (Oh, and I have no idea what Robert Duvall is doing here.)

Spoiler: Norton
My Vote: Simmons
Snubbed: Riz Ahmed, Nightcrawler

Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred-Foot Journey*
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars*
Quvenzhané Wallis, Annie*

Logic: Remember when I said that there were "a number of films/performances in the Comedy categories that will be in the Oscar conversation"? (Buckley) (Yes, I just cited myself.) Well, I wasn't talking about this category. Maaaybe Amy Adams has a chance, but that's it. And she doesn't figure to win here—Big Eyes, while a solid film, was little-seen and has pretty much zero critical buzz. I wouldn't count her out because she's Amy Adams, and who doesn't like Amy Adams, but couldn't you say the same thing about Emily Blunt? She's as lovely as ever in Into the Woods, which has a much higher profile than Adams's film, and Adams just won last year, so voters might want to spread the wealth. An Adams win wouldn't surprise me though. (Haven't seen any of the other performances, but I'd be *shocked* if any of them won.)

Spoiler: Adams
My Vote: Adams
Snubbed: Jenny Slate, Obvious Child

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

Logic: Michael Keaton is perhaps the Oscar front-runner at this point—a rarity for a potential winner here. It basically happens once a decade, and the last was three years ago (Jean Dujardin for The Artist). He's definitely got a challenger here though in Fiennes. As for the rest, Murray was as good as he's been in years in St. Vincent, but it's a pretty minor movie. Two-time Oscar winner (!) Waltz is just filler here (he's fine in the movie), and I have't seen Phoenix's movie (I can't wait though—he's one of my favorite working actors). But back to the contenders. Budapest has made quite a surge of late for an early-year release, and Fiennes gives it his all as a profane, libidinous, corageous conceirge in the best performance in a Wes Anderson movie since, well, Bill Murray in Rushmore. I just don't think he's on the same level as Keaton. It's a comeback, it's meta, and it's really damned fine acting. Just like Mickey Rourke in 2009. (Who won the Globe but lost the Oscar...)

Spoiler: Fiennes
My Vote: Keaton
Snubbed: Michael Fassbender, Frank

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

Logic: This one's purely based on critical consensus. This seems to be "the year" for Julianne Moore. She's one of the best actresses around and somehow still doesn't have an Oscar. That figures to change this year, and it starts with her (likely) picking up a Golden Globe on Sunday. (She already has one of those, but it's for a miniseries playing, believe it or not, Sarah Palin.) I haven't seen Aniston's film, but supposedly she's in the mix for an Oscar nomination as well, making her the (potential) answer to the future trivia question, "Who is the only Friends alum to be nominated for an Oscar?" (There's still time, Matt LeBlanc!) The other three performances range from solid (Jones) to very good (Witherspoon), with the most interesting being Pike's. I walked out of the theater thinking she was the weak link of the film, but reflection has me thinking she was one of the best parts. And dat scene with NPH doe. Should make for some interesting jokes should she get nominated for an Oscar...

Spoiler: Witherspoon
My Vote: Witherspoon
Snubbed: Scarlett Johannson, Under the Skin

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

Logic: Sometimes it can be a mistake to assume that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will automatically go for the non-American (especially British) option (see last year with McConaughey over Ejiofor or 2010 for The Social Network over The King's Speech). That could leave the door open for Oyelowo's fiery yet refined performance as MLK, Jr. in Selma (just saw it today—a really great film). But I think the Cumberbatch/Redmayne duo will be too tempting. Of the two, Redmayne had the harder job (i.e., more showy), and I think the HFPA will take the bait. Cumberbatch is a definite contender, but he basically just plays Sherlock, and he hasn't won a Globe for that show yet. My favorite performance of the bunch (not best—that would be Oyelowo's) is Gyllenhaal's as a nouveau Travis Bickle in a movie that I can't wait to watch again. (And Carell... stunt casting at its finest. All I have to say.)

Spoiler: Oyelowo or Cumberbatch
My Vote: Oyelowo
Snubbed: Macon Blair, Blue Ruin

Best Screenplay
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game

Logic: This is a tough one—Budapest, Boyhood, and Birdman are all contenders. Moore is just filler for his neutered screenplay, while Flynn's effective adaptation is a bit out of its depth here. I think Birdman's technical and acting achievements are greater than those of its writing (and it may be a bit too clever and cynical for its own good—not that I'm complaining). Between Anderson and Linklater, I think the improvisational vibe of Boyhood works against it, while Anderson's witty, baroque script for Budapest is more obviously "written." I think it'll pick up the win but, like I said, this one is difficult to forecast.

Spoiler: Linklater
My Vote: Iñárritu, et al.
Snubbed: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash

Best Director:
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Logic: This is a strong field. As (almost) always, David Fincher elevates the material, bringing out a career-best performance from Ben Affleck and creating a chilly atmosphere that keeps audiences questioning everything. DuVerney imbues what could have been another hagiographic biopic with a full moral palette and emotional vocabulary. I've said it about Wes Anderson before—he's a one-trick pony, but it's a pretty good trick. I can only imagine what he could do if he ever learned a new one. Speaking of new tricks, Iñárritu emptied his old bag and learned a whole set of audacious new ones (still not sure what to think about that ending though). That leaves Linklater, whose film might not be as technically adroit as Iñárritu's, but he more than makes up for it in emotional deftness and reimagining the scope of what a film can do. If that isn't award-worthy, I don't know what is.

Spoiler: Iñárritu
My Vote: Linklater
Snubbed: Bong Joon-ho, Snowpiercer

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

Logic: This one is between Birdman and Budapest. Into the Woods is okay, I guess, for a musical (Chris Pine steals the show), St. Vincent is just charming enough to make up for the maudlin third act, and I'm not sure what a Pride is, so I won't say anything about it. Between the two contenders, neither of them really seem to be the kind of film the HFPA usually goes for, but there wasn't a musician biopic to miscategorize or an actually prestigious musical, so we're left between a metatextual superhero movie and zany, twee crime caper. Of the two, Birdman would seem to have the upper hand, both critically speaking and timing-wise. It's also an insider movie—which might, incidentally, hurt it with the HFPA. If it does, Budapest would benefit. This will be one of the most interesting races of the night.

Spoiler: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Vote: Birdman
Snubbed: Frank

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

Logic: This category features three pretenders (Foxcatcher, Imitation, Theory), one very good runner-up (Selma), and one clear-cut winner. First, the pretenders. There are 1-2 movies every year that fall in the "dislike, but respect" category (Tree of Life is one obvious example), and this year's is Foxcatcher. It's emotionally and visually sterile, awkwardly staged, and poorly paced. But the absolute strangeness of it all is somehow captivating. Imitation and Theory are pretty much the same movie—take a complicated, fascinating individual, remove said traits, add simplistic plots, and voila: awards bait. (Imitation is the superior of the two.) Selma is powerful, prescient, and complex—it puts movies like Lincoln to shame and is vital given the current events in places like Ferguson. But, this is the year of Boyhood. I'll have more to say about it in my best movies and Oscars posts, but it's the year's best film and should have no trouble winning a Golden Globe.

Spoiler: Selma
My Vote: Boyhood
Snubbed: Whiplash

TV Notes: Shows I'll be rooting for include Game of Fucking Thrones, Orange Is the New Black, Silicon Valley, Louie, and my favorite show of the year, True Detective.

Little Bit of Magic: Best Music of 2014

The 2015 Grammy nominations have been out for a few weeks now, and I can't decide if a) the Grammys are getting more and more irrelevant, or b) I am getting more and more out of touch with popular music. In favor of the latter: I have listened to precisely ZERO of the Album of the Year nominees, and of the Song/Record of the Year nominees, two are among the worst songs of the year ("Fancy" and "All About That Bass") and I have no idea what a Sia or a Sam Smith are. (I guess that Hozier song is pretty good though, if overplayed.) That leaves... Taylor Swift (up for Song/Record but, inexplicably, not Album). People who have known me for a long time may (or may not) be surprised to know that I LOVED 1989. Like, seriously, it's a fantastic album, easily the best pop album since Teenage Dream. I can't imagine "Shake It Off" *not* winning Song or Record of the Year, or both. So maybe there's hope for me (and the Grammys yet). Anyway, in the spirit of the Grammy nominations (and in following last year's format), I've devised my own categories, nominees, and winners. So, let's see who made the cut and hand out some fake awards!

* = saw live this year

Best Punk(ish) Album
Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues*
Joyce Manor - Never Hungover Again
The Lawrence Arms - Metropole
The Menzingers - Rented World
The Shrine - Bless Off
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Honorable Mentions: Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else, Little Big League - Tropical Jinx, Modern Baseball - You're Gonna Miss It All, New Found Glory - Resurrection*, Restorations - LP3

In a genre that's become increasingly fragmented and pushed to the fringes of the mainstream (remember when one-time punk band Green Day was among the biggest bands in the world?), it was great to see an important punk album released in 2014. No one knew what to expect when Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel came out as transgender and became known as frontwoman Laura Jane Grace. Personally, I wasn't sure if there would ever be another Against Me! album. The band (and singer in particular) had always had a prickly relationship with the punk community—cries of "sellout!" followed the band as they got bigger (and, yes, better)—and it wasn't clear what the reaction would be to such a monumental change. Thankfully, it was nothing but positivity. I saw the band twice this year and heard nary a slur and plenty of heartfelt applause. As for the album itself, it's a step back in production value and a step forward in songwriting, perhaps closer to the band's roots than their last few releases, a sub-30 minute collection of snarling defiance and raucous anthems. Some of the song titles seem ripped from the back pages of a junior high notebook ("FuckMyLife666," "Dead Friend," "Osama bin Laden as the Crucified Christ"), but I think that's part of the point—Laura Jane is putting it all out there and doesn't care what anyone thinks. I can't think of a better message—or person—to represent punk in 2014.

The rest of the nominees (and honorable mentions) point toward a solid year for punk music. It's a good thing any time Brendan Kelly or Chris McCaughan release new music, and especially so with their powers combined as The Lawrence Arms. Metropole was their first record in 8 years and it did not disappoint—another brazen, emotive, introspective set. The Menzingers very much mine that same territory, and Rented World is another strong release from yet another great Rust Belt punk band. Joyce Manor and The Shrine both hail from that other hotbed of punk music, southern California, but couldn't be more different. Joyce Manor specializes in 2:00-minute emo/punk song-stories, while The Shrine sound like a Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack tribute band in the best possible way. Lots of solid stuff from all across the genre spectrum this year.

Best Rap Album
Atmosphere - Southsiders
Childish Gambino - STN MTN / Kauai
Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2*
Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
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Honorable Mentions: G-Eazy - These Things Happen, Grieves - Winter & the Wolves

This year was a stronger one than 2013 in just about all respects. The only real exception was rap music. Yeezus obviously towered over the genre last year, but there were also releases from Drake, Eminem, and Jay-Z. Oh, and a little duo by the name of Run the Jewels. El-P and Killer Mike... maybe you've heard of them? Their (phenomenal) debut had the misfortune to be released the same year as Yeezus, but 2014 offers no such competition. That said, RTJ2 is not as strong an album as the group's debut—it just doesn't feel as urgent, as berserk, as iconoclastic (as if that were possible). And this is an album with song titles like "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" and "Lie, Cheat, Steal," as well as a track with a refrain of "Dick in her mouth all day" ("Love Again"). But it is still a very good album, with easily the best beats of the year (mostly courtesy of El-P, again pulling double duty as a producer) and rhymes that stick in your skull like shurikens: "I'm trained in vagina whisperin', glistenin', waitin' for the christenin' / I know the neighbors can't help but listen in" ("Close Your Eyes"). I'm not sure how the MC duo has enough energy, but they're set to release another album in 2015. Perhaps it will be Kanye vs. RTJ in this space again next year?

The rest of the releases were good but not great. Childish Gambino's mixtape/EP combo STN MTN / Kauai comes the closest to greatness. Hip-hop mixtape STN MTN showcases a more focused MC than could be found on 2013's Because the Internet, while on the Kauai EP, he explores the R&B that's always been a (small) part of his repertoire. "Pop Thieves (Make It Feel Good)" is an absolute jam. Elsewhere, the new Atmosphere release is confident and competent, if not a bit lengthy. Schoolboy Q's album continues the West Coast gangsta rap resurgence I didn't know I needed. Speaking of West Coast rappers, the best rap song of 2014 is easily the Kendrick Lamar-featuring "Never Catch Me" from producer Flying Lotus's album You're Dead! I absolutely cannot wait for Kendrick's next release. (And I know You're Dead! isn't strictly a rap album, but I'm slotting it here anyway.)

Best Electronic(ish) Album
Chromeo - White Women*
Dum Dum Girls - Too True
EMA - The Future's Void
Phantogram - Voices*
TV on the Radio - Seeds
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Honorable Mentions: Future Islands - Singles, Warpaint - Warpaint*, Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter

Okay, okay—I'm really stretching genre definitions here. This category might as well be called "Best Album that Makes Use of a Keyboard and/or Electronic Production Flourishes," but that's a bit of a mouthful, no? With those broad parameters in mind, easily the best of the bunch is Phantogram's second record, Voices. They had been one of those "heard of, but never heard" bands for me, but I decided to check them out when I found out they were coming through town. I listened to the album just enough to get me excited for the show, but it wasn't until I saw them live that the album really clicked for me. It's a volatile mix of mischievous keys, sinister beats, and foreboding lyrics ("Fireworks exploding in my hands / If I could paint the sky / Would all the stars be shining bloody red?" from "Black Out Days"), all held together by Sarah Barthel's haunting, sultry voice. She flits effortlessly between power balladry ("My Only Friend"), trip-hop lilt ("Black Out Days"), and dreamy, shoegaze monotone ("Bill Murray"), often in the same song ("Nothing But Trouble," "Howling at the Moon"). (This is, of course, not to discount the contributions of guitarist/part-time vocalist Josh Carter—although his two tracks on vox didn't do as much for me.) Even if their album doesn't quite capture the energy and atmosphere of their live show (it would be a contender for my favorite concert of the year in a year in which I didn't go to Outside Lands), it's one of the best of the year, a perfect compliment to night drives, dance parties, and anything in between.

Of the rest of the nominees, my favorite is Chromeo's new disc, White Women. I've been a fan since the Fancy Footwork days, and I had the pleasure of finally seeing them live this year under the San Francisco sun and half a flask of whiskey at Outside Lands. While I think I might still prefer 2010's Business Casual, "Old 45's" might be the best song they've ever written. I also got into the Dum Dum Girls this year, and was enchanted for a spell by their darkly sly electro-pop jams, especially "Rimbaud Eyes." The new TV on the Radio album was a late entry (and I'm still exploring it), and while it doesn't hold up to Dear Science and Nine Types of Light at first blush, it's still eminently listenable. Finally, the new EMA record feels like a sonic and thematic sister to one of my favorite recent records, Metric's 2012 album Synthetica. (And, honestly, I'm on board with just about any record with songs called "Cthulu" and "Neuromancer.")

Best (Indie) Rock Album
Desert Noises - 27 Ways
Spoon - They Want My Soul
Strand of Oaks - HEAL
Sun Kil Moon - Benji
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
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Honorable Mentions: Cheap Girls - Famous Graves*, Cory Branan - The No-Hit Wonder, Drive-By Truckers - English Oceans, Real Estate - Atlas

This was the most difficult category to pick, as the albums are split among ones I more like (Desert Noises, Spoon), and ones I more respect (Strand of Oaks, Sun Kil Moon, The War on Drugs). You know, the whole pop vs. art thing. I changed my mind a couple of times, but, in the end, I went with the album that split the difference the best—Strand of Oaks' excellent HEAL. It's a perfect combination of weighty subject matter, immaculate production, virtuosic instrumentation, and just enough pop sensibility to keep me coming back no matter my mood. The album starts of with the killer riffage of origin story/righteous jam "Goshen '97," then segues into the synth-propelled introspection of title track "HEAL." It meanders through genres, tempos, instruments, and emotions, eventually ending with "Wait for Love," a mournful, conflicted ballad. The centerpiece of it all, for me anyway, is "JM," a towering, emotive tribute to fellow Midwestern singer-songwriter Jason Molina and surefire song of the year contender. It's a powerful record and one I know I'll continue to explore in the new year and beyond (as well as his older stuff, which I still have yet to check out.)

The other nominee I almost went with was Desert Noises, which was the album of the five I actually listened to most. 27 Ways has some of the tightest, most focused songwriting of the year—clean production/vocals, polished harmonies, and soaring guitar work—and another of my favorite tracks of the year, "Angels." Speaking of soaring guitar work, The War on Drugs released probably the best guitar album of the year (or the last few years) in Lost in the Dream. Adam Granduciel is probably the closest thing to Mark Knopfler we have right now. (And this coming from the biggest Dire Straits fan I know.) But the album loses a bit of momentum in the second half and I found myself listening to it more passively than some of the rest—actually getting lost in the dream. Benji is my first experience with Mark Kozelek, and the album—basically just a dude, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, and a guitar—is most decidedly not in my musical wheelhouse. But I found myself drawn to his earnestness, and, obviously, "I Love My Dad" too. I'm eager to explore the rest of his discography as well. And Spoon has always been a "like, not love" band for me, and They Want My Soul isn't going to change that, but "Rainy Taxi" and a few other tracks wormed their way into my brain and haven't left yet.

Best (Mainstream) Rock Album
Counting Crows - Somewhere Under Wonderland
Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams*
Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams*
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye*
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Honorable Mentions: The Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt*, Jack White - Lazaretto, The Kooks - Listen*, Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In the End

First off, Counting Crows and Ryan Adams both released excellent albums this year (both are in my top 10). But, other than my #1 album of the year (see below), there might not be a band/album more in tune with my personal taste than The Hold Steady. Let's see... guitar rock? Check: The addition of second guitarist Steve Selvidge makes this record—check out the riff from "I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You" if you don't believe me. Witty, literate lyrics? Check: "Weak handshakes and great expectations / Chemistry, currency / Plastic and magic" from "On With The Business." Obsession with urbanity and modernity? Check. "The kid that went down isn't dead / He just can't find his phone" from "Almost Anything." Just enough genuine emotion to keep the cynicism at bay? Check: Just listen to "Spinners." I should also mention the fact that I have that dream where your teeth fall out ALL THE TIME, so that resonated with me. Oh, AND their live show was absolutely phenomenal. It was at my favorite local venue (Crescent Ballroom) and I was close enough to get splashback from Craig Finn's brow sweat. Add it all up and you have a pretty strong album of the year contender, just as I predicted in April. Welcome back, Hold Steady.

Like I said, I really loved the Counting Crows and Ryan Adams records. Somewhere Under Wonderland in particular was on constant rotation for a couple months after it came out. I'd never been a huge fan before, but now I'm thoroughly on board with Adam Duritz, awful dreads or no. "Dislocation" is one of my favorite songs of the year and the album as a whole is the most pleasant surprise. I was also behind the times on Ryan Adams, although I must say I prefer the bigger, shinier sound on this self-titled album than his rougher, older stuff (remember that I worship at the church of Tom Petty). "Gimme Something Good," "Kim," "Feels Like Fire"... they all tickled my classic rock funny bone (even if I'm a little bitter he didn't play the last two live). Speaking of Tom Petty, his newest effort with the Heartbreakers continues their career resurgence that started with 2006's Highway Companion (a Petty solo album in name only). Although Hypnotic Eye isn't as impressive an effort as 2010's Mojo, it's still a strong album—and it totally WAILS live, especially "Shadow People." Their set at Outside Lands was easily the best 2+ hours of live music I've ever seen. (Oh, and the Foos... Sonic Highways is fairly "meh," but I'm an unapologetic Dave Grohl fanboy and none of the HMs really did much for me. But "I Am A River" is a pretty great track.)

Best Female Pop/Rock Album
Courtney Barnett - The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas

Hospitality - Trouble
Jenny Lewis - The Voyager*
Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
Taylor Swift - 1989
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Honorable Mentions: St. Vincent - St. Vincent

Two things about this category: 1) I cheated a bit with the Courtney Barnett album. It was a 2013 release, but didn't get physically released in the US until this year. 2) There's a compelling case to be made that this should just be the album of the year category—4 of the releases appear in my top 10 (and 3 in my top 5). It also features—SPOILERS—my #1 album of the year, Jenny Lewis's nigh-flawless The Voyager. Rilo Kiley were one of my favorite bands, but if it took their breaking up to bring The Voyager into my life, well, then, it's (almost) worth it. I can't think of an album I fell harder for faster in a long time (maybe The King Is Dead by The Decemberists back in 2011?). From the vocal sample and sensuous keys that kick off "Head Underwater" to the lovely outro on the title track to wrap up the album, I was completely absorbed from the first listen. This is the best album from one of my favorite artists since 2004's Rilo Kiley masterpiece, More Adventurous, and in many ways it feels like a 10-years-later follow-up. It's got the same mix of lush production, personal songwriting, wry, winsome lyrics, and a sense of timelessness. Lewis has always had a knack for writing songs about fictional characters that have just enough personal detail to make you wonder (see "A Man/Me/Then Jim" and "Late Bloomer"), and, just like "Love and War (11/11/46)," "Can't Outrun 'Em" deals with the death of a loved one. Personal favorite "She's Not Me" feels like a companion to "I Never"—both are stunning ballads about complicated women with a vintage girl-pop feel to them. This is just an amazing album that I know will hold up as the years pass, one that I'll revisit again and again.

It's a testament to the albums released by Taylor Swift and Lydia Loveless that I can say I love them *almost* as much as The Voyager. After being charmed nearly to death by "Shake It Off" on the radio, I took the plunge and downloaded 1989—by the time I got to track 3 ("Style," easily one of my favorite songs of the year), I was hooked. What surprised me most though was its staying power—aren't pop albums supposed to be disposable? Not so this one. Lydia Loveless's album is also one that has stayed with me since I first heard it—she's got a voice like Stevie Nicks and the lyrical sensibilities of Alanis Morissette circa "You Oughtta Know," all delivered with a country charm that's impossible to resist. (Oh, and her band rocks as well.) "Head" is the standout here, and is my second-most listened to track of the year (after my song of the year... see below). Hospitality has largely traded in their twee-pop confections for a moodier aesthetic, and it suits them well—"Last Words" is an especially ambitious achievement with its pulsating bass line, sly horns and keys, and nimble guitar solo. As for interloper Courtney Barnett, she was one of the acts I regretted missing at Outside Lands. She's a brilliant, ironic lyricist, and her unadorned (but effective) musicianship allows the stories she tells to shine through.

Song of the Year
Counting Crows - "Dislocation"
The Hold Steady - "I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You"*
Jenny Lewis - "She's Not Me"*
Lydia Loveless - "Head"
Taylor Swift - "Shake It Off"
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Honorable Mentions: Chromeo - "Old 45's"*, Drive-By Truckers - "Grand Canyon", Hospitality - "Last Words", Ryan Adams - "Gimme Something Good"*, Strand of Oaks - "JM"

You have to go all the way back to 2011 to find a year where my favorite song wasn't written by a woman (The Decemberists' "This Is Why We Fight"). In 2012, it was Metric's "Speed the Collapse." Last year, it was Tegan and Sara's "I Was a Fool." This year's might be better than any of them—Jenny Lewis's "She's Not Me" is easily the most gorgeous song since Tegan and Sara's pitch-perfect ballad last year. Both songs have a delicate, crystalline sound that suggests feminine vulnerability. But both songs subvert that expectation with their titles, albeit in different way. Tegan Quin is, of course, pining for another woman and still remains a fool—the "Was" of the title is ironic. The twist of "She's Not Me" is a different, more complex one—this is no sassy breakup song like the title might suggest. Consider the (beautiful) chorus: "She's not me / she's easy." The narrator of "She's Not Me" (whether Lewis or merely a facet of her personality) is a regretful ex, both admitting culpability for a breakup ("Remember the night I destroyed it all / when I told you I cheated?") and seemingly resigned to her ex's happiness without her ("Heard she's having your baby / and everything's so amazing"). But the linchpin of the song, the line that makes your heart go a-flutter for a cheating lover (and not the cheated-upon partner), is "Bet you tell her I'm crazy." Her voice just drips heartache, nearly cracking as she sings. It's the kind of line that demolishes the stereotype of the "crazy ex," the one guys have complained about since time immemorial. Lewis imbues the archetype with humanity, injects the cliché with pathos. It's "easy" to call an ex crazy. But maybe uncomplicatedness isn't necessarily a virtue. Not with women like Lewis around.

The other four songs are so good I wish I could hand out five awards. (I mean, I could, as they're fake awards, but I have my principles.) "Head" is my second favorite song of the year, and not because it's about exactly what the title suggests: oral sex. In fact, it's probably the most poignant song about oral sex I've ever heard—and this is the man-on-woman kind, not the other way around. It's nostalgic without being sentimental, a little sexy, and, oh yeah, has a killer guitar solo. It's a song that won't be leaving my... head any time soon. Next... "Shake It Off." Obviously. I actually almost went with "Style," T-Swift's ultracool stab at the Drive soundtrack genre, but "Shake It Off" was just too massive to ignore. It's silly, self-referential, has a simple, infectious beat, and the most giddy, ear-wormiest chorus... maybe ever. It won me over at first listen and still has me 50+ listens later (even with the awkward white girl rap interlude). (Also, don't sleep on "New Romantics," an excellent 1989 bonus track.) Oh, and I guess dudes made some good music in 2014 as well. "I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You" has my favorite riff of the year and is a fine example of Craig Finn's bar-poet-laureate storytelling—"There was a side of this city I didn't want you to see" says it all. Speaking of great storytelling, Adam Duritz is no slouch himself, and "Dislocation" is perhaps the catchiest, most rollicking song about feeling so disconnected that you wish for the apocalypse I've ever heard. Anyone who's ever spent a lot of time in L.A. knows exactly how he feels. (Just ask Maynard James Keenan.)

Best Album of the Year
Counting Crows - Somewhere Under Wonderland
The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams*
Jenny Lewis - The Voyager*
Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
Taylor Swift - 1989
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Honorable Mentions: Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues*, Hospitality - Trouble, Phantogram - Voices*, Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams*, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye*

All right, I'm up to almost 4,000 words and I've said just about all I can say about these albums (and I'm sure you're sick of the Jenny Lewis album cover by now), so I'll just leave you with my top 10 in order (aka the TL; DR version):

1. Jenny Lewis - The Voyager*
2. The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams*
3. Taylor Swift - 1989
4. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
5. Counting Crows - Somewhere Under Wonderland
6. Phantogram - Voices*
7. Hospitality - Trouble
8. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams*
9. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues*
10. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye*

This was a really good year for music, but I'm sure I missed something. Let me know your favorites in the comments. As always, thanks for reading!