Detroit critics name ‘Boyhood’ the year’s best film
“Boyhood,” director Richard Linklater’s sprawling drama that was filmed over the course of 12 years, took top honors from the Detroit Film Critic’s Society this year, the group announced Monday.
“Boyhood” was named the year’s best picture, one of four wins for the film. Linklater won for best director and best screenplay and Patricia Arquette was recognized as best supporting actress.
“Whiplash,” about a young music student and his sadistic instructor, was a double winner. Detroit-born J.K. Simmons won best supporting actor for his intense work as the movie’s teacher, and first-time writer-director Damien Chazelle was named the year’s best breakthrough.
Other winners were Michael Keaton, named best actor for his work in the surreal Broadway drama “Birdman”; Rosamund Pike, who won best actress for her role in “Gone Girl”; and “Citizenfour,” about NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, which was named best doctumentary. The best ensemble category was a three-way tie between “Birdman,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”
“Birdman” was the year’s most nominated film by the DFCS, which is made up of film critics working in a 150-mile radius of Detroit. “Boyhood” was second, with six nominations.
The DFCS was founded in 2007.
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The winners are ...
The complete list of nominees for the Detroit Film Critics Society’s 2014 awards (winners in bold):
Best Picture:“Boyhood,” “Birdman,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Under the Skin,” “Whiplash”
Best Director: Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”; Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”; Jonathan Glazer, “Under the Skin”; Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Birdman”; Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Best Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”; Brendan Gleeson, “Calvary”; Jake Gyllenhaal, “Nightcrawler”; Michael Keaton, “Birdman”;Tom Hardy, “Locke”; Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Best Actress: Essie Davis, “The Babadook”; Scarlet Johansson, “Under the Skin”; Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”; Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”; Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, “Inherent Vice”; Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”; Edward Norton, “Birdman”; Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”; J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Best Supporting Actress:Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”; Laura Dern, “Wild”; Rene Russo, “Nightcrawler”; Emma Stone, “Birdman”; Tilda Swinton, “Snowpiercer”
Best Ensemble:“Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Into the Woods”
Breakthrough:Damien Chazelle, writer-director, “Whiplash”; Jennifer Kent, writer-director, “The Babadook”; Gugu Mbatha-Raw, actress, “Belle,” “Beyond the Lights”; Chris Pratt, actor, “Guardians of the Galaxy”; Dan Stevens, actor, “The Guest”
Best Screenplay: Nicolas Giacobone and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Birdman”; Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”; John Michael McDonagh, “Calvary”; Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”; Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”
Best Documentary:“Citizenfour,” “Finding Vivian Maier,” “Jodorowsky’s Dune,” “Keep On Keepin’ On,” “Life Itself”