Birdman Leads Spirit Nominations 2014. Discuss!
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 1:15PM Sony Pictures Classics leads the nominations for the Spirit Awards this year with an incredible 15 nominations though Fox Searchlight's Birdman leads all films with 6 nominations. And rather ridiculously even at the Spirits we have to play category fraud with Alfred Molina dubbed supporting in the marriage drama Love is Strange while his screen hubby John Lithgow is declared lead. (sigh). But we're happy that Love is Strange did so well wtih 4 nominations including Best Feature.
In case you forgot last year's nominations and would like a comparison, you can see them here as well as the eventual winners. Of all the awards shows you'd think that Spirit Awards could at least be a little different but last year they weren't with Best Picture and all four acting prizes repeating on Oscar night. Will this year have a greater and thus more exciting and wealth-spreading disconnect? We'll see but given the nominees in the acting categories (many from presumed Oscar hopefuls, we could well see a four for four again.
Complete list of 2014 nominees is after the jump...
BEST FEATURE
- BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF INNOCENCE)
- BOYHOOD
- LOVE IS STRANGE
- SELMA
- WHIPLASH
A strong lineup. But also one that's likely to repeat with Oscar save Love is Strange which never really got an Oscar campaign going despite its brilliance.
BEST DIRECTOR
- Damien Chazelle, Whiplash (podcast)
- Ava DuVernay, Selma (brief chat)
- Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, Birdman (review)
- Richard Linklater, Boyhood (review)
- David Zellner, Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter (review)
Another lineup we could see repeating at Oscar minus Zellner who is the true "indie" director of this lineup.
Relieved that LOVE IS STRANGE, one of the year's best, has not been forgotten.BEST SCREENPLAY
- BIG EYES - Scott Alexandder & Larry Karaszewski
- A MOST VIOLENT YEAR- J.C. Chandor (premiere chat)
- NIGHTCRAWLER - Dan Gilroy
- ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE - Jim Jarmusch
- LOVE IS STRANGE -Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias
That Big Eyes was eligible is a surprise given that it's a Burton film and his films are about as far from Independent as you can get given his firm status as a globally successful mainstream director. A nice mix of topics and genres here for this particular prize.
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
- A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT - Ana Lily Ampour (review)
- DEAR WHITE PEOPLE - Justin Simien (review)
- NIGHTCRAWLER - Dan Gilroy (review)
- OBVIOUS CHILD - Gillian Robespierre (review)
- SHE'S LOST CONTROL - Anja Marquardt
Three female driven films here which is a nice antidote to the male-centric "Best Feature" list.
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Appropriate Behavior - LOVE this underseen movie
- APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, Desiree Akhavan (review)
- LITTLE ACCIDENTS, Sara Colangelo
- THE ONE I LOVE, Justin Lader
- SHE'S LOST CONTROL, Anja Marquardt
- DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, Justin Simien
At Sundance very early this year I was all in Appropriate Behavior's corner as the best of the two wild NY girls sleeping around and growing up face/off with Obvious Child. Obviously this one's profile is still miniscule but I think it's funnier.
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Which is the best feature made with a budget under 1/2 a million. The award goes to the writer, director and producer.
TEST resurfaces for one nomination
- BLUE RUIN - Jeremy Saulnier
- IT FELT LIKE LOVE - Eliza Hittman
- LAND HO! - Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens (review)
- MAN FROM RENO - Dave Boyle
- TEST - Chris Martin (interview)
Land Ho! and Test are both worth seeing. Alas I still need to see the others so cannot, as of yet, vouch for them.
BEST FEMALE LEAD
TILDA !
- MARION COTILLARD, The Immigrant (fyc)
- RINKO KIKUCHI, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
- JULIANNE MOORE, Still Alice (review)
- JENNY SLATE, Obvious Child
- TILDA SWINTON, Only Lovers Left Alive (review)
Tilda came to global fame as the ancient protagonist of Orlando who just kept writing on living through various centuries. She's back to those immortal tricks 22 years later as a vampire in Jarmusch's latest. She always feels right under the Spirit tent.
BEST MALE LEAD
- ANDRE BENJAMIN, Jimi: All is By My Side
- JAKE GYLLENHAAL, Nightcrawler
- MICHAEL KEATON, Birdman
- JOHN LITHGOW, Love is Strange
- DAVID OYELOWO, Selma
With Birdman leading the nominations Michael Keaton is the man to beat here. Though Spirit wins used to surprise. If they return to their old wilder ways you could see an upset via Gyllenhaal or Oyelowo
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
We're at war here!
Oh calm down, Jes. It's just the Spirits!
- PATRICIA ARQUETTE, Boyhood
- JESSICA CHASTAIN, A Most Violent Year
- CARMEN EJOGO, Selma
- ANDREA SUAREZ PAZ, Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
- EMMA STONE, Birdman
You'll have to save your "this was very disrespectful" jokes for a future snubbing of Jessica Chastain because she made it to this lineup. This could well be the Oscar lineup, minus Suarez Paz in a true indie.
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- RIZ AHMED, Nightcrawler
- ETHAN HAWKE, Boyhood
- ALFRED MOLINA, Love is Strange
- EDWARD NORTON, Birdman
- J.K. SIMMONS, Whiplash
Another category that will have significant overlap in that the winner will also take the Oscar. It's either Norton or Simmons with the latter currently looking most likely.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- THE IMMIGRANT - Darius Khonjdi
- BIRDMAN - Emmanuel Lubezki
- IT FELT LIKE LOVE - Sean Porter
- A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT - Lyle Vincent
- SELMA - Bradford Young
An amazing category with Birdman's transcendent virtuousity up against The Immigrant's period glow, A Girl's black and white creepiness, and of course Bradford Young who is awesome.
BEST EDITING
- BOYHOOD -Sandra Adair
- WHIPLASH - Tom Cross
- NIGHTCRAWLER - John Gilroy
- A MOST VIOLENT YEAR - Ron Patane
- THE GUEST - Adam Wingard
You always know that the nominating committee's really thought about a particular achievement when it's the only nomination for that film. So congratulations to Adam Wingard for his work on The Guest.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- 20000 DAYS ON EARTH
- CITIZEN FOUR
- STRAY DOG
- THE SALT OF THE EARTH
- VIRUNGA
Debra Granik (aka Glenn's new bestie) of Winter's Bone fame is up against Nic Cave and other very buzzy docs. Will Citizen Four take every doc prize this year?
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
- FORCE MAJEURE (Sweden)
- IDA (Poland)
- LEVIATHAN (Russia)
- MOMMY (Canada)
- NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY (The Philippines)
- UNDER THE SKIN (UK)
An absolutely amazing lineup here. Oscar would do well to take note (only Under the Skin is ineligible in the corresponding Oscar category)
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
This ensemble prize is given to the film's director, casting director and the cast. They never have nominees. Just a winner.
- INHERENT VICE - Paul Thomas Anderson, Cassandra Kulukundis & Cast
SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Strangely both of these films were ineligible for other prizes. So why did the IFP feel insistent on honoring them when there are hundreds of actually independent productions which could have used the publicity from an organization created to honor independent films?
17th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
This $25,000 unrestricted grant is meant to honor rising producers who work with limited resources but demonstrate creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality film.
- Chad Burris
- Elisabeth Holm
- Chris Ohlson
Missed this one at Sundance. Dying to see it!20th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
This award goes to a film and filmmaker with singular vision that is still waiting to be appropriately recognized. Consider it a "discovery" type deal
- A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, Ana Lily Ampour
- H., Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia
- THE RETRIEVAL, Chris Eska
19th ANNUAL STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Another $25,000 grant but this one is for documentary filmmakers waiting for significant recognition.
- APPROACHING THE ELEPHANT, Amanda Rose Wilder
- EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL, Darius Clark Monroe
- THE KILL TEAM, Dan Krauss
- THE LAST SEASON, Sara Dosa
And that's all! The Spirit Awards ceremony will be held on Saturday February 21st, the day before the Oscars as usual.
Reader Comments (59)
Marion! Jenny! Tilda! Bless us all.
too bad they showed love for Nightcrawler and Love is Strange yet snubbed there supporting ladies - Rene Russo and Marisa Tomei.
I love that INHERENT VICE is being acknowledged in such an overt way. I wonder how it will translate with other awards bodies.
No Adams, No Waltz, No problem!
Riz Ahmed! YES!
Riz Ahmed! YES!
Great too see the diversity even if there will be some cross over.
So so happy they remembered The Immigrant and Love Is Strange.
P.S. Molina is the co-lead, people!
Shocker! I have seen (or will have seen) almost all of these by the day of the ceremony. This has never happened before. What's going on?
I love the lists of Best Feature and Best Male Lead nominees (even if I haven't seen them all yet). Those names! Really gotta catch Nightcrawler, Birdman and Love Is Strange ASAP.
Nina-- On Oscar morning if Love Is Strange over-performs expect a nomination for Marisa. Her two subsequent nominations after her controversial win were coattail despite being deserving on merit alone.
btw (and I know I ask this every year) but who are the nominators and who votes? I understand the parameter is 20M (give or take) and under budget.
Andrea Suarez Paz, Rinko kikuchi, and Andre Benjamin!!! All nominated in the acting categories, who saw that coming
So thrilled for "Norte"! I hope this will help boost its chances significantly.
So thrilled for "Norte"! I hope this will help boost its chances significantly.
So thrilled for Marion Cotillard and Darius Khondji “Immigrant” nominations!!! Richly deserved.
wow did WILD get shutout?!? was it even eligible???
I'm really happy to see "Test" on the Cassavettes list -- a moving, beautifully shot film about the 80s in San Francisco.
Nathaniel -- note that the director of Test is Chris Mason Johnson. (Not the guy formerly married to Gwyneth :^)
Boyhood just might dominate, but then again, this is SUCH a strange awards year. Is it really boiling down to Boyhood v. Birdman?
yay cotillard! (I joke about her never getting a follow-up nomination, but she's something else in "the immigrant")
San Fran -- i interviewed him right here at the blog!
YES Marion! Perhaps it's The Immigrant that could finally get her that nomination. It's more traditional Oscar stuff than Two Days, One Night. Hopefully, Golden Globes and SAG will follow suit, they both nominated her for Rust And Bobe. Though for Globes it'll be for Two Days, One Night which they'll nominate for Foreign Language Film (it's foreign with a Hollywood star).
I thought Wild was eligible??? If so, that's a major snub.
But any chance to reward Saint Tilda is a GO in my book.
Biggest shock: The Guest got an editing nom but Dan Stevens couldn't even get in for it.
A look at Actress: Nail in the coffin for, in order of surprise, Knightley, Woodley, Aniston, Swank, Adams AND, probably (we don't know Wild's exact budget, but Forbes guessed it was probably less than $20 million) even Witherspoon.
Current guess for the top 7 after this announcement?:
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Scarlett Johannson, Under the Skin
Anyone know if Cake/Aniston was ineligible due to release dates? Because this would have been a strong place for her to start that campaign.
FYI, IFP has no involvement in these awards. The full name is "Film Independent Spirit Awards" :)
I went to the web site for the awards and I think the British films fell short of qualifying so no snub. I also think Theory's budget was too large.
5. Except for the category of Best International Film and Best Documentary, all nominations go to American productions.
The Spirit Awards defines an
“American production” as:
a. A film in which U.S. citizens or permanent residents are credited in at least two of the following categories of responsibilities:
director, writer or producer. This can be fulfilled by one person with multiple duties or by separate individuals;
OR
b. The film is set primarily in the United States and at least 70% financed by companies whose principal
offices are in the U.S.
YES! YES! YES! I'm over the moon right now! Watching the greatest actress of all time, the one and only Marion Cotillard being nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her insuperable performance as Ewa Cyluska in The Immigrant fills me with joy and excitement. She should sweep all the awards with her immensely powerful and hauntingly beautiful work in Gray’s film. Any list of Best Actress Oscar contenders would look empty without the incomparable Marion Cotillard of either The Immigrant or Two Days, One Night in the lead. Both performances should be considered among the 10 greatest performances ever put on film. She gave the absolute best (Two Days, One Night) and the absolute second best female performance (The Immigrant) at the same year. I’ll be more than excited to watch her win a second Oscar for either.
Volvagia - I wasn't expecting ANY recognition for THE GUEST so one nomination for editing is fantastic news!
Wished SKELETON TWINS had some nominations though. Also weird shut out for WILD and IMITATION GAME.
Ryan T.: Wild WAS shut out, but The Imitation Game (and The Theory of Everything, for that matter) are probably counted as international titles, which aren't really eligible for main Spirit categories. (That's also why I don't think ScarJo not getting cited in the Actress category here really hurts her chances at all.) As for Dan Stevens not getting in for The Guest? If the best they could scrounge up other than him was Andre Benjamin's bad Hendrix movie, I think we CAN count that as a surprise, and not a good one at that.
Imitation Game wasn't eligible. Wild, on the other hand, would seem to have been perfect for these so I'm surprised it doesn't show anywhere. I wonder if there is another reason it fell short? Not submitted, submission mistake?
It's hard to complain with such worthy picks all around ("love is strange", Cotillard, "Selma") but I'm still bummed for Rene Russo...this was her best shot at a major nom. :( hopefully one of the critics groups will still call her out
Henry - actually i'm hearing over and over again that IMITATION GAME *was* eligible in all categories. so it's complete shut out is interesting if non-consequential (the Academy voters i've talked to love it and its right in their wheelhouse anyway)
theory of everything was not eligible.
I haven't seen The Guest, but André is outstanding as Hendrix. So pleased by this nomination!
Also, the full THR video is up and there's a moment where Hilary Swank, in an uncharacteristic moment of wisdom, says "All roads lead back to Laura Dern."
Nat- I would have thought, with it being all over the British Indies, as well as it's pedigree, that is wouldn't have been but I see it has US production money so..........interesting. I wonder if it was late to the party? Timing is everything.
My three big takeaways.
1) A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night deserves all the recognition it can get. Phenomenal film.
2) Tilda Swinton should be in the Best Actress discussion for Only Lovers Left Alive. Phenomenal work. Tom Hiddleston should be in the Best Actor discussion, too, but I'm not holding my breath for a male actor that young being recognized for something this off-beat.
3) Screenplay for Only Lovers Left Alive would be amazing. Could that be where this sneaks in for bigger recognition throughout awards season?
Yes, yes. I'm excited for Birdman. I'm surprised in the best way possible for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and Only Lovers Left Alive.
volvagia - Knightley, Woodley, Aniston, Swank, Adams and Witherspoon don't have to worry. Well, maybe Aniston... The Spirits are not that big of a deal in terms of Oscar unless the person *REALLY* needs the attention. Entirefly different voting bodies and habits.
But if any of them miss BFCA or Globes next week (which both line up quite a bit with Oscar) they should worry.
Really happy for two things: the inclusion of Cotillard, who blows all of her competition out of the water (and I loved a lot of female performances, so that's saying a lot). Also love the exclusion of teller, who is not special in whiplash, but expected him to figure here given the love for his film.
THR just posted a piece on snubs and who was and wasn't eligible. They are saying Imitation Game wasn't but Wild and many others were.
Just realized... was SNOWPIERCER eligible?
Was hoping/expecting Nightcrawler to be even stronger, and nail best pic and Rene Russo, given its relative box office success and insider connections. I hope this isn't the end for Rene Russo.
Hoping this means Boyhood or Birdman has the insider track to win Best Pic at the Oscars (and not prestige garbage like Theory of Everything). Those would be two really strong choices.
Nice lineup, though I'm wondering if "Pride" was eligible?
So happy for Cotillard and Khonjdi. The cinematography in The Immigrant was stunning.
Also happy for Love is Strange but bummed that they couldn't find room for Tomei.
And as much as I love Russo I was a little confused with what she was doing in Nightcrawler. I never saw that moment where she decided to get on board with his demands. It was a major shift in her character arc that happened off screen.
Henry - i don't know who to believe any more. Other outlets were insistent that it was eligilble. who knows...
Cotillard in her best performance; Khondji in his hest work. All the way to the Oscars!
Good lord! The international movie lineup is extremely strong! I am rooting for Norte (home country bias though this is the best film from the Philippines in a long time) though I have not seen Leviathan.
i guess i should watch THE IMMIGRANT again. so many people say this but i preferred her in Two Days One Night and Rust & Bone recently.
"Nail in the coffin for, in order of surprise, Knightley, Woodley, Aniston, Swank, Adams AND, probably (we don't know Wild's exact budget, but Forbes guessed it was probably less than $20 million) even Witherspoon."
Nail in the coffin?! Let's not get carried away with proclamations. No awards snub is a "nail in the coffin," but especially one this early / with unclear eligibility requirements. The idea that Jenny Slade has a better chance at an Oscar nom than Amy Adams for a Weinstein movie is particularly lolzy.
It's a great list, but man, I wish that Altman Award could have gone to Pride.
eurocheese, I'd normally say "but it's ineligible because it's entirely british", but then, INHERENT VICE ain't exactly eligible either, so...
I have heard IMITATION GAME was eligible due to it being funded by America? Either way, it's no big loss. It's not like Oscar voters are suddenly going to say "well, no indie spirit nod, I guess I'll just have to vote for OBVIOUS CHILD instead."
I am so happy for Ana Lily Amirpour and Lyle Vincent for A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, Andrea Suarez Paz, LOVE IS STRANGE, Adam Wingard (their editor category is frequently the home of a solo surprise or two) and several others. The only Cassavetes nominee I haven't seen is MAN FROM RENO, but IT FELT LIKE LOVE, LAND HO and BLUE RUIN (the likely winner, I suspect) are all excellent. I wasn't as keen on TEST, but I like that it showed up here. That international film category, too, is quite something.
Also, APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR may be "underseen", but that's because it hasn't actually been released yet. It's out in January, but eligible here (much like KUMIKO) because they accept festival releases.