The 2015 Essential Film Awards

Celebrating the cinematic achievements of 2014

Official 2014 Selections

 

 

 

 

 

Best Film of the Year

BOYHOOD

Richard Linklater

165 Minutes • 1.85:1 • United States

Color • English • IFC

Principal Cast: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater

Writer: Richard Linklater

Producers: Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss

Cinematography: Lee Daniel, Shane Kelly

                              

Best Actor in a Leading Role

BIRDMAN

Michael Keaton

                              

Best Actress in a Leading Role

GONE GIRL

Rosamund Pike

                              

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

WHIPLASH

J.K. Simmons

                              

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

NIGHTCRAWLER

Rene Russo

                              

Best Ensemble Cast

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Owen Wilson, Harvey Keitel, Tony Revolori

                              

Best Director

BOYHOOD

Richard Linklater

                              

Best Screenplay - Original Material

NIGHTCRAWLER

Dan Gilroy

                              

Best Screenplay - Adapted or Historical Material

GONE GIRL

Gillian Flynn

based on her novel Gone Girl

                              

Best Film - Animated Feature

THE LEGO MOVIE

Chris Miller, Phil Lord

                              

Best Film - Documentary Feature

LIFE ITSELF

Steve James

                              

Best Film - Foreign Language Feature

IDA

Pawel Pawlikowski

                              

Best Film - Limited Theatrical Release

ENEMY

Denis Villeneuve

                              

Best Cinematography

IDA

Ryszard Lenczewski, Lukasz Zal

                              

Best Film Editing

BOYHOOD

Sandra Adair

                              

Best Visual Design

SNOWPIERCER

Ondrej Nekvasil - Production Design

Stefan Kovacik - Art Direction

Catherine George - Costume Design

                              

Best Visual Effects

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Stephane Ceretti

Nicolas Aithadi

Jonathan Fawkner

Paul Corbould

                              

Best Stunts and Stunt Choreography

THE RAID 2

Bruce Law - Car Stunts Coordinator

Yee Man Law  - Assistant Car Stunt Coordinator

Mike Leeder - Stunts

Yayan Ruhian - Fight Choreographer

Larnell Stovall - Guest Fight Choreographer

Iko Uwais - Fight Choreographer

                              

Best Make-Up Effects

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou

David White

                              

Best Music - Original Score

INTERSTELLAR

Hans Zimmer

                              

Best Music - Original Song

THE LEGO MOVIE

"Everything is Awesome"

Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson

                              

Best Music - Soundtrack Compilation

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Awesome Mix Vol. 1

                              

Best Sound Design

WHIPLASH

Craig Mann

Ben Wilkins

Thomas Curley

                              

Best Action/Adventure Film

THE RAID 2

Gareth Evans

                              

Best Comedy Film

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Wes Anderson

                              

Best Fantasy Film

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2

Dean DeBlois

                              

Best Horror/Thriller Film

THE BABADOOK

Jennifer Kent

                              

Best Science Fiction Film

INTERSTELLAR

Christopher Nolan

                              

Best Animated Short Film

FEAST

Patrick Osborne

                              

Best Live Action Short Film

THE PHONE CALL

Matt Kirkby

                              

Best Voice Acting Performance

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Bradley Cooper as "Rocket"

                              

The following films did not win any Essential Film Awards but are noteworthy for their cinematic contributions in 2014:

BIG HERO 6

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

CHEF

COHERENCE

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

EDGE OF TOMORROW

FORCE MAJEURE

FOXCATCHER

THE GUEST

THE IMITATION GAME

JODOROWSKY'S DUNE

JOHN WICK

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE

STILL ALICE

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

UNDER THE SKIN

WILD

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

The 25 Greatest Academy Award Winners

In honor of this weekend's Academy Awards, The Essential Films presents the 25 greatest films to ever win an Academy Award. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

                                                           

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
1968 • Stanley Kubrick

Oscar Wins
Best Effects, Special Visual Effects

Oscar Nominations
Best Director - Stanley Kubrick
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

                                                           

ALIEN
1979 • Ridley Scott

Oscar Wins
Best Effects, Visual Effects

Oscar Nominations
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

                                                           

THE APARTMENT
1960 • Billy Wilder

Oscar Wins
Best Picture
Best Director - Billy Wilder
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White
Best Film Editing

Oscar Nominations
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Jack Lemmon
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Shirley Maclaine
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Jack Kruschen
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
Best Sound
                                                           

APOCALYPSE NOW
1979 • Francis Ford Coppola

Oscar Wins
Best Cinematography
Best Sound

Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Robert Duvall
Best Director - Francis Ford Coppola
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Best Film Editing
                                                           

BACK TO THE FUTURE
1985 • Robert Zemeckis

Oscar Wins
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing

Oscar Nominations
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Best Sound
Best Music, Original Song - "The Power of Love"



                                                           

CASABLANCA
1942 • Michael Curtiz

Oscar Wins
Best Picture
Best Director - Michael Curtiz
Best Writing, Screenplay

Oscar Nominations
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Humphrey Bogart
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Claude Rains
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
                                                           

CHINATOWN
1974 • Roman Polanski

Oscar Wins
Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Jack Nicholson
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Faye Dunaway
Best Director - Roman Polanski
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Best Costume Design
Best Sound
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
                                                           

CITIZEN KANE
1941 • Orson Welles

Oscar Wins
Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Orson Welles
Best Director - Orson Welles
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White
Best Sound, Recording
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture
                                                           

THE DARK KNIGHT
2008 • Christopher Nolan

Oscar Wins
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Heath Ledger
Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Oscar Nominations
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Makeup
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
                                                           

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
1980 • Irvin Kershner

Oscar Wins
Best Sound
Best Visual Effects (Special Achievement)

Oscar Nominations
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Best Music, Original Score

                                                           

FANNY AND ALEXANDER
1982 • Ingmar Bergman

Oscar Wins
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Best Costume Design
Best Foreign Language Film

Oscar Nominations
Best Director - Ingmar Bergman
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
                                                           

THE GODFATHER
1972 • Francis Ford Coppola

Oscar Wins
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Marlon Brando
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Oscar Nominations
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - James Caan
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Robert Duvall
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Al Pacino
Best Director - Francis Ford Coppola
Best Costume Design
Best Sound
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
                                                           

THE GODFATHER PART II
1974 • Francis Ford Coppola

Oscar Wins
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Robert DeNiro
Best Director - Francis Ford Coppola
Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score

Oscar Nominations
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Al Pacino
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Michael V. Gazzo
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Lee Strasberg
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Talia Shire
Best Costume Design
                                                           

GOODFELLAS
1990 • Martin Scorsese

Oscar Wins
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Joe Pesci

Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Lorraine Bracco
Best Director - Martin Scorsese
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Best Film Editing
                                                           

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
1962 • David Lean

Oscar Wins
Best Picture
Best Director - David Lean
Best Cinematography, Color
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color
Best Sound
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Score - Substantially Original

Oscar Nominations
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Peter O'Toole
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Omar Sharif
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
                                                           

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
1976 • Milos Forman

Oscar Wins
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Jack Nicholson
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Louise Fletcher
Best Director - Milos Forman
Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material

Oscar Nominations
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Brad Dourif
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
                                                           

PULP FICTION
1994 • Quentin Tarantino

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Oscar Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - John Travolta
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Samuel L. Jackson
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Uma Thurman
Best Director - Quentin Tarantino
Best Film Editing

                                                           

RAN
1985 • Akira Kurosawa

Oscar Wins
Best Costume Design

Oscar Nominations
Best Director - Akira Kurosawa
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
                                                           

THE RED SHOES
1948 • Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Oscar Wins
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
Best Writing, Motion Picture Story
Best Film Editing





                                                           

SCHINDLER'S LIST
1993 • Steven Spielberg

Oscar Wins
Best Picture
Best Director - Steven Spielberg
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Original Score

Oscar Nominations
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Liam Neeson
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Ralph Fiennes
Best Costume Design
Best Sound
Best Make Up

                                                           

SPIRITED AWAY
2001 • Hayao Miyazaki

Oscar Wins
Best Animated Feature









                                                           

SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS
1928 • F.W. Murnau

Oscar Wins
Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Janet Gaynor
Best Cinematography

Oscar Nomination
Best Art Direction



                                                           

SUNSET BLVD.
1950 • Billy Wilder

Oscar Wins
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - William Holden
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Gloria Swanson
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Erich von Stroheim
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Nancy Olson
Best Director
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
Best Film Editing
                                                           

THERE WILL BE BLOOD
2007 • Paul Thomas Anderson

Oscar Wins
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Achievement in Cinematography

Oscar Nominations
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Achievement in Directing - Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
                                                           

THE THIRD MAN
1949 • Carol Reed

Oscar Wins
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White

Oscar Nominations
Best Director - Carol Reed
Best Film Editing

FORCED PERSPECTIVE, Ep.57 – Selma, with the Big Eyes (OSCAR-MANIA 2015, Part 2)

With the ACADEMY AWARDS only 3 DAYS AWAY, your favorite movie podcast returns to conclude OSCAR-MANIA 2015!

Join SportsGuy515 and Adolfo as they review the Oscar nominated films Into the Woods, Selma, The Theory of Everything, Foxcatcher, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, as well as the Oscar-snubbed Tim Burton film, Big Eyes. PLUS:

-SportsGuy and Adolfo’s TOP 10 FILMS of 2014

-Final OSCAR predictions

-Will Adolfo go on another Butler-esque rant on SELMA?

–KURT ANGLE on Team Foxcatcher?

-The awesomeness of THE RAID 2

-The fake baby in AMERICAN SNIPER

-Criterion loves WES ANDERSON

-The unavailability of the OSCAR-nominated short films

-…and MORE – including a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT on the future of the show!

ALMOST 2 HOURS OF CONTENT!! DOWNLOAD/STREAM NOW!!!

FORCED PERSPECTIVE, Ep.56 – Interviews Can Give You Whiplash (OSCAR-MANIA 2015, Part 1)

Your favorite movie podcast has gloriously returned with an ALL-NEW EPISODE! On this edition of FORCED PERSPECTIVE, join SportsGuy515 and Adolfo as they review recent releases The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 and The Babadook. Then, they recap the SONY PICTURES HACK before reviewing the film at the center of the controversy, The Interview. And finally, the duo begin the road to the ACADEMY AWARDS with a recap of the Golden Globe Awards, a look at this year’s Oscar nominees, and a review of Best Picture nominee Whiplash. PLUS:

-Does Adolfo like musicals?

–GOLDEN RASPBERRY nominees

-The Ghostbusters reboot

-Marvel washes its hands of FANTASTIC FOUR

-Why Meryl Streep should be in the next TRANSFORMERS film

-…and MORE!

OVER 2 HOURS OF EPIC CONTENT!! DOWNLOAD/STREAM NOW!!!

FORCED PERSPECTIVE, Ep.54 – The Turbo Man Rises

THE HOLIDAY TRADITION CONTINUES…

SuperfriendsUniverse.com is proud to present FORCED PERSPECTIVE, Episode 54 – “The Turbo Man Rises.” Join SportsGuy515 & Adolfo, along with special guests BIG D, MR. EDDIE, and HAMZA, as they record a commentary track to the Arnold Schwartzenegger holiday classic JINGLE ALL THE WAY! Throw in your copy of the film on your Blu-ray/DVD player and follow along with them as they give their wacky insights on what is unfolding on-screen!

PLUS – as a special BONUS, the crew gives their thoughts on the STAR WARS: EPISODE VII – THE FORCE AWAKENS teaser trailer, as well as a possible foreshadowing of NEXT YEAR‘s holiday commentary track!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us here at FORCED PERSPECTIVE and SUPERFRIENDS UNIVERSE. PUT THAT COOKIE DOWN and DOWNLOAD/STREAM NOW!

FORCED PERPSECTIVE, Ep.53 – The Interstellar Nightcrawler

***WARNING – The reviews of BOTH Nightcrawler and Interstellar will contain SPOILERS, which start at the 23 minute and 1 hour, 17 minute marks, respectively, of Episode 53. Do not listen past those points if you have not seen the films and don’t want to be spoiled. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED***

Kick off your holiday week with the first of TWO episodes of your favorite movie podcast! On this episode of FORCED PERSPECTIVE, join SportsGuy515 and Adolfo, along with their special guest co-host BRANDON DRAVEN, as they travel through time and space to bring you super in-depth *SPOILER* reviews of two recent theatrical releases – Nightcrawler (starring Jake Gyllenhaal) and Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Interstellar (starring Matthew McConaughey). PLUS – remembering Mike Nichols, praising James Gunn, will the “superhero film bubble” burst soon, the characteristics of a sociopath, the secret not-really-a-cameo, the ending of Interstellar, comparisons to 2001: A Space Odyssey and MORE! A SOLID 2 HOURS OF CONTENT!! DOWNLOAD/STREAM NOW!!!

FORCED PERSPECTIVE, Ep.52 – The Birdman is Gone!

***WARNING – The review of Gone Girl will contain SPOILERS, which start at the 1 hour, 22 minute mark of Episode 52. Do not listen past that point if you have not seen the film and don’t want to be spoiled. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED***

Your favorite movie podcast is BACK with an ALL-NEW EPISODE! Join SportsGuy515 & Adolfo as they dive headfirst into Fall 2014 with reviews of The Skeleton Twins, Annabelle, Left Behind, The Judge, Men, Women, & Children, and Birdman, as well as a *SPOILER REVIEW* of Gone Girl. PLUS – more Avengers 2 trailer hype, a Spider-Man film about Aunt May, Tarantino’s retirement, Suicide Squad, why Christian films are always so cheesy, Oscar buzz for Keaton and Norton, Adolfo gets WORKED by David Fincher, and more! ALMOST 2 HOURS OF CONTENT!! DOWNLOAD/STREAM NOW!!!