2014 Buckle Awards

The 2014 Buckle Awards. Not much to say, other than this was hard to narrow down and on another day I might have gone with a different nominee, or even winner.
 
But, every film and person and achievement is more than worthy of recognition, even if they don't get it at the Oscars (for the most part, unlikely).

What is interesting is that Inside Llewyn Davis was considered for last years awards - in fact it was the first film I watched in 2014 - but it received no nominations at all. What was I thinking? I have enjoyed it even more over subsequent viewings but I have not included it here. So, you never know how are you going to feel 12 months, 5 years or 10 years down the track. This is 2014 in review. 

Best American/British Feature Film

Only Lovers Left Alive *WINNER*
Under the Skin *Runner Up*
Nightcrawler
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Birdman
Snowpiercer
All is Lost
Foxcatcher
Enemy
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Best International/Foreign Language Film

Why Don't You Play in Hell? *Runner Up*
Two Days, One Night
Mommy *WINNER*
Winter Sleep
Ida
The Great Beauty
Force Majeure
Tom at the Farm
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Girlhood

Best Australian/New Zealand Feature Film

These Final Hours
Son of a Gun
What We Do In the Shadows *WINNER*
The Dark Horse
The Babadook
The Infinite Man *Runner Up*

Best Director

Jim Jarmusch - Only Lovers Left Alive - *Runner Up*
Dan Gilroy - Nightcrawler
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Xavier Dolan - Mommy/Tom at the Farm - *WINNER*
Jonathan Glazer - Under the Skin
Sion Sono - Why Don't You Play in Hell?
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Birdman

Best Lead Male Performance

Antoine-Olivier Pilon - Mommy
Jack O'Connell - Starred Up
Jake Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler *WINNER* TIE
Channing Tatum - Foxcatcher
Robert Redford - All is Lost
Haluk Bilginer - Winter Sleep
Michael Keaton - Birdman *WINNER* TIE

Best Lead Female Performance

Tilda Swinton - Only Lovers Left Alive
Anne Dorval - Mommy *WINNER*
Scarlett Johansson - Under the Skin
Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night *Runner Up*
Essie Davis - The Babadook
Julianne Moore - Still Alice
Gugu Mbatha-Raw - Beyond the Lights

Best Supporting Female Performance

Suzanne Clement - Mommy *WINNER*
Rene Russo - Nightcrawler
Carrie Coon - Gone Girl
Imelada Staunton - Pride
Kristen Stewart - Clouds of Sils Maria *Runner Up*
Melisa Sozen - Winter Sleep

Best Supporting Male Performance

Edward Norton - Birdman *Runner Up*
Jemaine Clement - What We Do in the Shadows
Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher *WINNER*
Pierre-Yves Cardinal - Tom at the Farm
Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
Ciaran Hinds - The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

Best Original Screenplay

Only Lovers Left Alive
Mommy
Birdman *WINNER*
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler
Foxcatcher
Force Majeure *Runner Up*

Best Adapted Screenplay

Snowpiercer *WINNER*
Under the Skin *Runner Up*
Tom at the Farm
A Most Wanted Man
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Tokyo Tribe
Enemy

Best Cinematography 

Violet
Birdman *WINNER*
Only Lovers Left Alive
Nightcrawler
Mommy
Ida *Runner Up*
Winter Sleep
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

Best Original Score/Soundtrack

Only Lovers Left Alive *WINNER* Score
Under the Skin
Mommy
The Double
Fury *Runner Up* Score
Pride *WINNER* Soundtrack
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Tom at the Farm
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night *Runner Up* Soundtrack
It Follows

Best Documentary

20, 000 Days on Earth
Jodorowsky's Dune
Virunga *Runner Up*
The Possibilities Are Endless *WINNER*
Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Tim's Vermeer 

Best Scene  

'Diamonds' + hotel - Girlhood
The stakeout/pursuit - Nightcrawler *Runner Up*
The beach (of many) - Under the Skin
'Nothing's Going to Stop Us Now' - The Skeleton Twins
THAT montage - Mommy *WINNER*
Riggan locked out - Birdman
'The sandwich' - What We Do in the Shadows 
Weight loss - Foxcatcher
The reunion - Only Lovers Left Alive 

Top nominations: Mommy (9), Only Lovers Left Alive (7), Nightcrawler (7), Birdman (7), Under the Skin (6), Foxcatcher (5), The Grand Budapest Hotel (4)