7th Annual Detroit Film Critics Society Awards

The Detroit Film Critics Society (DFCS) announced their awards on December 13th, 2013 with giving away the Best Film award to Her, written, directed and co-produced by Spike Jonze whereas Best Director award went to Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity. It's so nice to see Scarlett Johansson winning the award for her performance as an operating system's voice in Her. Much appreciated!

Last year, only 3 DFCS winners won the Oscars, i.e. Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence and Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway. Let's see if the following winners will also win their respective Oscars or not.

Here is the complete list of winners along with the nominations:

BEST FILM:

• Before Midnight


• Gravity


• WINNER: Her


• Short Term 12


• 12 Years a Slave

BEST DIRECTOR:

• WINNER: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)


• Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips)


• Spike Jonze (Her)


• David O. Russell (American Hustle)


• Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)

BEST ACTOR:

• Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)


• Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)


• Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips)


• WINNER: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)


• Robert Redford (All Is Lost)

BEST ACTRESS:

• Amy Adams (American Hustle)


• Julie Delpy (Before Midnight)


• Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Color)


• WINNER: Brie Larson (Short Term 12)


• Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

• Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)


• James Franco (Spring Breakers)


• WINNER: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)


• Matthew McConaughey (Mud)


• Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

• WINNER: Scarlett Johansson (Her)


• Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)


• Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)


• Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)


• June Squibb (Nebraska)

BEST ENSEMBLE:

• WINNER: American Hustle


• August: Osage County


• Blue Jasmine


• 12 Years a Slave


• The Wolf of Wall Street

BREAKTHROUGH:

• Lake Bell (In a World..., actress + screenplay + director)


• Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, screenplay + director)


• Destin Cretton (Short Term 12, screenplay + director)


• Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, actor)


• WINNER: Brie Larson (Short Term 12, actress)

BEST SCREENPLAY:

• Destin Cretton (Short Term 12)


• WINNER: Spike Jonze (Her)


• Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke (Before Midnight)


• Eric Singer and David O. Russell (American Hustle)


• Terence Winter (The Wolf of Wall Street)

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

• The Act of Killing


• Blackfish


• The Square


• WINNER: Stories We Tell


• The Unknown Known

85th Annual National Board of Review Awards

The National Board of Review (NBR) announced their awards on December 4th, 2013 with giving away the Best Film award to HER, directed and produced by Spike Jonze who also won the Best Director award. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it at all, especially after yesterday's NYFCC awards. Spike is a talented and innovative filmmaker and it's very nice of the board to appreciate his work.

All the wins are actually kind of amazing especially the Wolf of Wall Street's Adapted Screenplay award and the Secret Life of Walter Mitty (a genuine surprise - I so want to watch this film now) making it to the list of top 10 films. These are the first honors for both of these movies this award season and I'm sure the best is yet to come.

Last year, only 2 out of 11 (not counting those categories that are not recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) NBR winners actually won the Oscar, i.e. Best Documentary for Searching for Sugar Man and Best Foreign Language Film for Amour. Let's see what happens this year.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Film: HER

Best Director: Spike Jonze (HER)

Best Actor: Bruce Dern (NEBRASKA)

Best Actress: Emma Thompson (SAVING MR. BANKS)

Best Supporting Actor: Will Forte (NEBRASKA)

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (FRUITVALE STATION)

Best Original Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen (INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Terence Winter (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET)

Best Animated Feature: THE WIND RISES

Breakthrough Actor: Michael B. Jordan (FRUITVALE STATION)

Breakthrough Actress: Adele Exarchopoulos (BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR)

Best Directorial Debut: Ryan Coogler (FRUITVALE STATION)

Best Foreign Language Film: THE PAST

Best Documentary: STORIES WE TELL

William K. Everson Film History Award: George Stevens, Jr.

Best Ensemble: PRISONERS

Spotlight Award: Career Collaboration of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio

NBR Freedom of Expression Award: WADJDA

Creative Innovation in Filmmaking Award: GRAVITY

Top Films (in alphabetical order):

• 12 Years a Slave


• Fruitvale Station


• Gravity


• Inside Llewyn Davis


• Lone Survivor


• Nebraska


• Prisoners


• Saving Mr. Banks


• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty


• The Wolf of Wall Street

Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order):

• Beyond the Hills


• Gloria


• The Grandmaster


• A Hijacking


• The Hunt

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):

• 20 Feet from Stardom


• The Act of Killing


• After Tiller


• Casting By


• The Square

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order):

• Ain't Them Bodies Saints


• Dallas Buyers Club


• In a World…


• Mother of George


• Much Ado About Nothing


• Mud


• The Place Beyond the Pines


• Short Term 12


• Sightseers


• The Spectacular Now