Sing-Alongs & Fight Clubs, Divas & Heroes
Monday, March 9, 2015 at 6:30PM 
Awards growing like mushrooms as we race like mad to finish out the film year that just was since we've already started the 2015 celebration.
Musical Sequences
With actual musicals like Muppets Most Wanted, Into the Woods and "performance" musicals like Begin Again, Beyond the Lights, and Get On Up it's a decent time to be a fan of musicals. And since some of the most memorable sequences in non-musicals are musically inclined (think The Lego Movie's boisterous kick-off) and so many non-musical films have the musical spirit via awesome soundtracks (think A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), we have a category for that, too. Musicals for everyone! Sing-along with these ten nominees.
Action Sequences
Guardians, Katniss, and a sniper may have reigned supreme at the box office but Captain America: The Winter Soldier housed the year's best action sequences albeit not quite the most beautiful. The most ravishing was, incongruously, the ones starring two nuclear-slurping insect like abominations and that lizard king of monsters, Godzilla.
Divas
Two of them stop their films cold for self-important monologues. Three more regularly bring the house down. (Okay, sticklers, The Witch technically only brings the bakery door down but it's a figure of speech. Indulge me. And them; divas demand your full attention)
Heroes
2014 had not one, not two, but three moving odes to solidarity and everyman heroism in Pride, Selma, and Two Days One Night. But since this is the cinema there are heroes all over for us to live vicariously through, some of them "super," others historical. And we can't forget the year's most badass warrior, the "Full Metal Bitch" herself (Emily Blunt) in Edge of Tomorrow.
"I just thought there would be more," you say? Well there is. Also added: Best Line Reading and Breakthrough of the Year nominees and Best Movie Poster. Which mean only 5 categories are left to announce and then the medals!
Can you believe I'm actually going to finish the awards this year????? "TO VICTORY!"
Reader Comments (20)
I actually would've nominated another line reading from Rosamund Pike, "I love tests." I love the way it sets that whole scene up. Casually cruel, and funny as hell. She wins, again, and there's never going to be anything that Nick can do about it. Great, great work from Pike that's proving to be more impressive as time goes by.
Now Nathaniel, you know I love you, and these are all worthy awards, but let's not pretend there's any line, or line reading, that is more memorable or iconic than:
"You see, there are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity. Indeed that's what we provide in our own modest, humble, insignificant... oh, fuck it."
You could have chosen almost any of Fiennes' line readings in GBH.
Amir: That's EASILY the best line of the movie and I didn't wind up fawning over The Grand Budapest, which felt like 2-2.5 hours of genuinely excellent content slammed into 95 awkward minutes before credits. The Wes Anderson aesthetic and characterization style as directed by Sonic the Hedgehog.
Tabitha from Birdman should be one of the Divas.
Split Headphones Scene all the way!
Amir: Also, gun fight climax, because that worked so well in The Life Aquatic.
well best line reading is not meant to be "best line". but yes it's a silly category because generally speaking with the great performacnes you could nominated one person five times. (also I've wondered if i ought to make the acting nominees ineligible for this as one can assume that they're line readings are part of hte reason that they're nominated.)
Nathaniel, You never handed out medals for your Best Actor nominees last year. I've been dying to know: Who won?
Andy - RIGHT?!?!?!?!?!
I think he's keeping them from us for some reason. I've asked like a bazillion times.
WHY NATHANIEL, WHY?
I'd disagree with you on the whole "Thanos is lame." Ronan clearly was and everything, but Josh Brolin was at least intimidating enough that it sold this take on Thanos as the guy who doesn't want to flex until absolutely necessary but when he does there's no stopping him. And surprised Karen Gillan's Nebula or Robert Redford's Alexander Pierce didn't make the line-up in some form. On the one hand, you've got the truly great villain of that piece (and good thing she'll show up in another of the Marvel cosmic movies sometime as the main villain, even if its probably not in GOTG 2) and, on the other, you've got the perfect conspiracy thriller villain with the uber confident trustworthy Redford gravitas that makes you want to trust him.
This post is just a nice walk down memory lane, allowing me to remember some of my favourite bits of movies of the past year.
Great choices for Best Musical scenes. I agree that platinum goes to "Like a Fool" from Begin Again. The acting between Knightley & Corden is perfect, in the midst of her raw pain she gives him that look - about the kazoo. Very glad to see Boxtrolls & Muppets Most Wanted getting some recognition.
For me Amazing Amy is the Diva of the year, and the surveillance scene chills the blood, even on repeated viewings. Her sheer animal intelligence at work.
Best Line Readings: I love all of your choices but I'm surprised that, "You'll never get rid of the Babadook, dook, dook" didn't make it in there.
Break out performer of the year has to be Gugu Mbatha-Raw for acing 2 vastly different parts.
My fav line readings you mentioned are
- "I just thought there'd be more..." that scene never fails to get me.
- "This was very disrespectful"
- We make a good team, you and I"
- "No way, baby. I'm it"
And I don't think acting nominees should be exempt. Just because they gave amazing performances doesn't negate the fact that they also delivered some of the most iconic/memorable line readings of the year. Just as some performances are amazing and don't deliver any standout line readings. Ya know?
I get it, I get it, but still, #TeamRogen ("Neighbors")
Nathaniel! No "On ne change pas" from Mommy? If only as a runner up/notable mention... I am no great Céline fan and yet that scene has stayed with me since I saw the film last May.
The poster from Birdman looks like Kelsey Grammer as Tonto via Johnny Depp.
Yay for the cast of Pride getting a Hero nomination. One of the best movies of the year IMO.
I love ALL those line readings, but Emily Blunt's reading of "...and I have a BAKER" in Into the Woods surpasses them all.
Re the action sequences: my two favorite action movies of the year were John Wick, and then Lucy. I'm a little disappointed John Wick isn't in your list of semi-finalists, etc. John Wick's understanding of stunt work, action, movement of the human body, was exhilaratingly expert.
For line reading, I'd add...though it's a real speech rather than just a line...the "concrete is like blood" speech from Locke.
I think the best use of music in a non-musical was Coltrane's "Naima" in Ida...especially the scene near the end, when Anna/ida and the saxophone player are dancing in the deserted jazz club. (That simple action where she slips off her aunt's high heels before starting to dance chokes me up every time.)