Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Film Award Predictions

Screen Actors Guild nominations - TONIGHT!

Golden Globes nominations - TOMORROW!

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD FILM NOMINATIONS

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
01. Carol
02. The Big Short
03. Brooklyn
04. The Martian
05. Spotlight

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
01. Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
02. Johnny Depp, Black Mass
03. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
04. Matt Damon, The Martian
05. Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
01. Brie Larson, Room
02. Cate Blanchett, Carol
03. Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
04. Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
05. Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
01. Christian Bale, The Big Short
02. Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
03. Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
04. Michael Keaton, Spotlight
05. Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role 
01. Jane Fonda, Youth
02. Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
03. Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
04. Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
05. Rooney Mara, Carol

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD NOMINATIONS

Best Motion Picture (Drama)

01. Brooklyn

02. Carol

03. Mad Max: Fury Road

04. The Revenant

05. Spotlight

Best Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical)

01. The Big Short

02. Joy

03. Grandma

04. The Martian

05. Trainwreck

Best Director 

01. Alejandro G. Iñarritu, The Revenant

02. George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

03. Todd Haynes, Carol

04. Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

05. Ridley Scott, The Martian

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)

01. Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

02. Ian McKellen, Mr. Holmes

03. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

04. Michael Caine, Youth

05. Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)

01. Brie Larson, Room

02. Cate Blanchett, Carol

03. Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road

04. Rooney Mara, Carol

05. Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical)

01. Bill Hader, Trainwreck

02. Christian Bale, The Big Short

03. Matt Damon, The Martian

04. Robert De Niro, The Intern

05. Steve Carell, The Big Short

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical)

01. Amy Schumer, Trainwreck

02. Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

03. Lily Tomlin, Grandma

04. Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van

05. Meryl Streep, Ricki and the Flash

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

01. Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation

02. Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight 

03. Michael Keaton, Spotlight

04. Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

05. Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

01. Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

02. Jane Fonda, Youth

03. Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

04. Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

05. Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria

Best Screenplay 

01. Carol

02. The Hateful Eight

03. Inside Out

04. The Martian

05. Spotlight

Best Original Score

01. Carol

02. The Hateful Eight

03. The Revenant

04. The Martian

05. Sicario

Best Original Song

01. Cold One, Ricki and the Flash

02. One Kind of Love, Love & Mercy

03. See You Again, Furious 7

04. Til it Happens To You, The Hunting Ground

05. Writing's on the Wall, Spectre

Best Foreign Language Film

01. Labyrinth of Lies

02. Mustang

03. Phoenix

04. The Second Mother

05. Son of Saul

Best Animated Feature Film

01. Anomalisa

02. The Good Dinosaur

03. Inside Out

04. Home

05. The Peanuts Movie

More of my Best of 2014 Films

So many things have happened this year that I wasn't able to finish my cheesy 2014 awards thing. Since I started reviving this blog 2 years ago, I planned on posting as many thoughts as I could mostly about films, music and Survivor, and other emotional stuff that I feel like writing. But like I mentioned, major things have happened and when it did, I had to sacrifice other stuff so I can focus with what life gave me. Priorities changed for me and it's bittersweet.

I feel like writing again though. This year has been my busiest and I'm not complaining but I really love films, and this blog is the only place where I can really post my thoughts about them. It's probably not solely "films", but more like posting my thoughts about things that I love. It just so happened that films is one of them. If only I'm a good writer because my mind is constantly moving.

At this moment, I'm inspired. But I know that this is probably just temporary. Maybe Brian Eno's The Big Ship in the background is the cause of this corny blog. It's the song they used in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl when Greg finally showed Rachel the movie he made for her. It's incredibly touching. And hey! It's appropriate that the film is about being a cinephile.

Anyway, I searched for my "best of 2014 films" list and thought I should post them for records purposes. Looking back, my opinions have changed. Just proves how some films grow better with age and some don't match their hype as time passed. So to be fair, I won't alter anything. Just don't laugh at me when you find Jennifer Aniston as my 6th Best Actress.

As of 2/17/2015

BEST ACTOR

1. Michael Keaton, Birdman

2. Miles Teller, Whiplash

3. Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel

4. Oscar Isaac, A Most Violent Year

5. Matthew McConaughey, Interstellar

6. Timothy Spall, Mr. Turner

7. Sid Lucero, Norte, The End of History

8. Eddie Redmayne, Theory of Everything

9. Jack O'Connell, Unbroken

10. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler

BEST ACTRESS

1. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

2. Julianne Moor, Maps to the Stars

3. Essie Davis, The Babadook

4. Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night

5. Julianne Moore, Still Alice

6. Jennifer Aniston, Cake

7. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Nymphomaniac

8. Mia Wasikowska, Tracks

9. Angeli Bayani, Norte, The End of History

10. Hilary Swank, The Homesman

BEST PICTURE

1. Birdman

2. Gone Girl

3. Boyhood

4. Snowpiercer

5. The Imitation Game

6. Ida

7. How to Train Your Dragon 2

8. The Grand Budapest Hotel

9. Whiplash

10. Enemy

Wasn't able to make a Best 2014 Film Character list. :( Hopefully it'll return next year. I'm pretty sure Amazing Amy, Minister Mason, Havana Segrand, Terrence Fletcher and Monsieur Gustave are all up there. 

Top 10 Supporting Actress of 2014

Time to continue where I left off with Supporting Actresses!

1

Patricia Arquette as Olivia Evans

Boyhood

As much as I am a fan of flashy performances, I'm also a huge fan of subtle yet authentic ones and that's how I would describe Patricia Arquette's performance in Boyhood. It's a real character associated with natural acting and the result? Poignant and amazing.


2
Jessica Chastain as Anna Morales
A Most Violent Year

Jessica Chastain continues to surprise as years goes by. After watching A Most Violent Year, Celia Foote is definitely not the most fun Chastain character anymore. Her turn in this film is such a joy to watch from beginning to end. The wig works for her!


3
Tilda Swinton as Minister Mason
Snowpiercer

Speaking of fun, here's Tilda Swinton as my 3rd favorite performance by a an actress in a supporting role. Snowpiercer is Tilda and this is what I'm talking about in my Arquette writeup that I equally love flashy character performances. Swinton managed to make a despicable villain an adorable one.


4
Keira Knightley as Joan Clark
The Imitation Game

Never a fan of Keira until last year when I watched Begin Again.A few months later I watched The Imitation Game and I think it sealed my love for her. Her accent is so likable, and she made what could be a boring character an enjoyable one.


5
Uma Thurman as Mrs. H
Nymphomaniac

Just watch Nymphomaniac and see for yourself. I mean look at that pic! It's such a crime that she was snubbed by almost every awards guild. I mean...

6
Naomi Watts as Lesley
Birdman

Birdman has a lot of great performances and as for the supporting actresses, in my opinion, Naomi Watts should have been nominated instead of Emma Stone.


7
Rene Russo as Nina Romina
Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal's performance wouldn't be as fun and effective if not for Rene Russo's character. Her character, even if she's supposed to be strong, was juxtaposed by her ignorance and Russo captured all of it. Her chemistry with Gyllenhaal is amazing to watch.


8
Meryl Streep as The Witch
Into the Woods

I thought Meryl did a great job as the witch in the movie. It's far from being her best but greatness is always expected and she delivered.


9
Adriana Barraza as Silvana
Cake

Isn't it funny that her name is Silvana in a movie called Cake? alol. Anyway, I thought she was nothing special in most of her appearance in the film until that one scene happened, and voila, she's in this list.

10

Jessica Chastain as Murphy

Interstellar

Jessica Chastain's 2nd sighting in this ranking. She's got a great year but none of her performances got nods in the Oscars. I thought she's one of the best things in Interstellar, both her character and her acting. 

Top 10 Supporting Actors of 2014

Not my favorite category this year but it has a couple of performances that I really love.

1

JK Simmons as Terence Fletcher

Whiplash

He's going to win the Oscar and it's very deserved. So intense, deceptively fun and thoroughly entertaining. We'll never refer to JK Simmons as Spiderman's boss ever again.

2
Edward Norton as Mike Shiner
Birdman

Thank God for his role in Birdman because we've never seen such a complex character Norton played ever since Fightclub. The level of douchebaggery of his character made room for Norton to address the rumors about him being hard to work with and I think it paid off. Mike Shiner is my favorite character in the film.


3
Ethan Hawke as Mason Evans Sr.
Boyhood

Sometimes I wonder if Ethan Hawke just played himself as the father of Mason Jr. Because he acted so naturally with so much charisma that you can't help but wish you have the same father as jolly as him despite his imperfections. Either way, it's a performance that's very likable that there's no way you'd put him out of this year's suppporting actors list.


4
Stellan Skarsgård as Seligman
Nymphomaniac

If only Nymphomaniac is a bit friendlier to the masses, Skarsgård will definitely be commended. His role as Seligman in Nymphomaniac is so subtle yet shocking and creepy.


5
Willem Dafoe as J.G. Jopling
The Grand Budapest Hotel

In a film with a huge ensemble and has lots of small roles, Willem Dafoe stands out as this bulldoggish character that is comically endearing in an ironic way. I love Willem Dafoe in this.

6
Josh Brolin as Det. Christian F. "Bigfoot" Bjornsen
Inherent Vice

It is appreciated when a serious actor like Josh Brolin acts in a silly way like Bigfoot in Inherent Vice. The film is definitely not for me but Brolin is one of the bright spots of this bleak and funny film and I would probably have not finished it if not for him.

7
Robert Duvall as Judge Joseph Palmer
The Judge

Robert Duvall, who is known for portraying bad ass, serious and grumpy characters actually made me a little teary eyed in this film. He's got some Vilma Santos in Anak skills.


8
Ben Schnetzer as Mark Ashton
Pride

In a sea of supporting male actors in this film, Ben Schnetzer definitely stood out. Of course he's got one of the flashiest role, but he disappeared in it. When I found out that he's the one who played Max in The Book Thief, I was shocked. He's a chameleon.


9
Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz
Foxcatcher

This is perhaps Ruffalo's second best performance to date, his first in The Normal Heart. Who knew Ruffalo got some depth? Here in Foxcatcher, he's so subtle and calm, no big scenes but he's so good nevertheless.


10
Logan Lerman as Pvt. Norman "Machine" Ellison
Fury

I don't think the role suited Logan Lerman in Fury, but his effort was highly appreciated. He showed some of his range and you just know that he's one of the actors to watch out in the future. He reminds me of a less intense young Christian Bale.

Top 5 Original & Adapted Screenplays

Original > Adapted obviously.

ORIGINAL

1.

Richard Linklater
Boyhood

2.

Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Alejandro González Iñárritu & Armando Bo

Birdman

3.
Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
The Grand Budapest Hotel

4.
Jennifer Kent
The Babadook

5.
John Carney
Begin Again

ADAPTED

1.
Graham Moore
The Imitation Game

2.
Damian Chazelle
Whiplash

3.
Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl

4.
Kelly Masterson & Bong Joon-ho
Snowpiercer

5.
Dean DeBlois
How To Train Your Dragon 2

Top 10 Cinematography of 2014

Cinematography of 2014 films is insanely stacked that I feel guilty including only 10 in my list. There's Under the Skin, The Homesman, Enemy, The Immigrant, Noah, Fury, Foxcatcher and the list goes on... some of these made my initial list, but eventually cut coz there's just so many amazing work last year. Hey, at least I consider these honorable mentions. :)

1.

Ryszard Lenczewski & Lukasz Zal

Ida

2.

Emmanuel Lubezki

Birdman

3.

Robert Yeoman

The Grand Budapest Hotel

4.

Fredrik Wenzel & Fred Arne Wergeland

Force Majeure

5.

Mandy Walker

Tracks

6.

Hong Gyeong-Pyo

Snowpiercer

7.

Hoyte van Hoytema

Interstellar

8.

Dick Pope

Mr. Turner

9.

Robert Elswit

Nightcrawler

10.

Roger A. Deakins

Unbroken

Top 10 Scores of 2014

3 Alexandre Desplat but outside the top 5, no Mr. Turner and a couple of randos that weren't even nominated anywhere. Here are my top 10 favorite scores of 2014.

1.

Marco Beltrami

The Homesman

2.

Joe Hisaishi

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

3.

Mica Levi

Under the Skin

4.

Jóhann Jóhannsson

The Theory of Everything

5.

Ilan Eshkeri

Still Alice

6.

Alexandre Desplat

The Grand Budapest Hotel

7.

Hans Zimmer

Interstellar

8.

Alexandre Desplar

The Monuments Men

9.

Alexandre Desplat

The Imitation Game

10.

Ola Fløttum

Force Majeure

That Thing Called Tadhana (2015, Jadaone)

Director: Antoinette Jadaone

With: Angelica Panganiban, JM de Guzman

Glad that this got a nationwide release since I didn't catch this during the CinemaOne Originals festival last year. I am sort of shocked that people dug this since it's a talky film, but not so much since we Filipinos are hopeless romantics and one reason why this got raves is because this film is about, well not necessarily "love", but it's more of about "moving on". We are emos and most of us have been through that so it's definitely identifiable. I can see why people love this but I also know that this won't be received well by some. Aside from its subject, it didn't really expand to other areas so we're stuck with these two strangers whom we only found out their names at the end, talking about their exes and heartbreaks, trying to cope up and falling sort of in love with each other before fate surprises them with a twist. Many people have compared this to Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise, and I guess, I can see why. It's talky, it involves beautiful places and it also involves two strangers embarking in a "journey". I also see it going the Before trilogy route with the help (or not) of Star Cinema. I say, Ms. Antoinette Jadaone, stick to your guns and don't let film companies hinder you to express your filled-with-profanity-and-realness feelings.

I'm amazed that I did not like it so much but I sort of understand why since I think the film really communicates more to those who just recently had a break up, or had exes they cannot forget. Yes, funny Angelica Panganiban and charming JM de Guzman have undeniable chemistry, and Jadaone's witty and inspired script earned a few chuckles from the audience but it's also a bit contrived sometimes, and some circumstances were exaggerated. Either that or I just didn't really connect with the film.

I do appreciate its value for intimacy though. The film focused only with these two characters, shot closely together most of the time and I found that cute. Uneven sometimes but it captured some pretty establishing shots of Manila, Baguio and Sagada that kind of redeems some of it's bad shots. It kind of made you want to travel along with those two characters and I find that pleasurable especially for a traveler like me.

Still, I don't think the film is about filmmaking. It's more about the message, and the story, and the journey and the feeling rather than the cinematography, or the acting, or the direction, or the writing. Just like how we should view One More Chance according to Angelica Panganiban's Mace. Plus, it's the love month and I think it's perfect for the season so don't think your money would be wasted if you watch this. I got relaxed, entertained and discovered a new talented scriptwriter and director in town. Yeah I know, this is my first Antoinette Jadaone film and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future. Her short story "The Arrow With The Heart Pierced Through It" is incredibly well written and some of the most interesting, heartfelt and original things I've seen in this film. Very impressive.