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San Diego Film Critics vote on year's best
Guest writer Earl Stiff was there to cover it for The Big Screen.
Let me begin by thanking Marx and Lickona for allowing me to cover the San Diego Film Critics Society year-end vote for The Big Screen. It's been my pleasure to work the society pages at The Shelter Island Picayune for the past 47 years and it thrills me to think that someone might actually read something of mine.
This year's top prize went to Spike Jones' She -- the sci-fi remake of Bells Are Ringing took home best picture -- followed by Alphonse Carone, best director honoree for Weightless. Other award recipients were Kate Blankett, so convincing as Gena Cassavetes in Woody Alan's Blue Jasmine Glick, and Oscar-hopeful Oscar Issac, star of the Cohan Brothers' winningly mediocre Inside Doug Llewellyn.
This year's vote was held at the Media Arts Center's Digital Gym on El Cajon Blvd. The U-T's Anders Wright, president of the SDFCS was there, so was About.com's Rebecca Murray. San Diego LGBT Weekly's Ted Gidonse, sporting a billowing chin-tribute to John Huston, sat in the back row next to The Sobering Conclusion's Ian Forbes who modeled a smart black cotton Lego Drive t-shirt. CinemaStance.com's David Pinson handed out the voting slips and MovieWallas.com's Yazdi Pithavala -- being the only person in the room capable of pronouncing Chiwetel Ejiofor -- read off the winning names. The East County Gazette's Diana Saenger wowed the crowd in a lush Christmas sweater while the The Saenger's Syndicate's Jean Lowerson set aside her normally kaleidoscopic vines in favor of a winsome black wrap.
Dailyactor.com's Lance Carter was there, so was San Diego City News' Jim Colt Harrison. East County Magazine's Brian Lafferty brought the donuts -- kudos on the non-jelly-filled assortment -- while City Beat's Glenn Heath who also works at the MACSD -- made sure that everyone policed the area. MovieMaven.com's Jeri Jacquin yucked it up with NickJr.com's Lois Alter Mark while Cinema Spartan's Robert Patrick and Andrew Younger mentally dressed each other. Fox 5's Josh Board took his position in the way way back while Marx and Lickona sat apart and didn't speak a word to each other during the vote. Trouble in Reader paradise?
The biggest disappointment for this reporter was the best non-American speaking picture going to Judge Ito's Drug Ward. Not that I watched it, mind you. It's not my habit to succumb to Commonist perversion with the talking written at the bottom. IMHO giving an award to any film with the word 'drug' in its title sends out a bad message.
Here is the complete list of nominees with the winners highlighted in bold for your perusing pleasure. Gotta' go plant my lawn chair in front of the Gashouse in anticipation of this Friday's premier of The Hobbit. Drive safely during this and every holiday season, folks. Happy yuletide!
BEST FILM
HER
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuarón, GRAVITY
Destin Cretton, SHORT TERM 12
Joel and Ethan Coen, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Spike Jonze, HER
Steve McQueen, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
BEST ACTRESS
Adèle Exarchopoulos, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
Brie Larson, SHORT TERM 12
Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE
Emma Thompson, SAVING MR. BANKS
Sandra Bullock, GRAVITY
BEST ACTOR
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Joaquin Phoenix, HER
Matthew McConaughey, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Oscar Isaac, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Tom Hanks, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elizabeth Banks, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
Jennifer Lawrence, AMERICAN HUSTLE
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Sally Hawkins, BLUE JASMINE
Shailene Woodley, THE SPECTACTULAR NOW
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Daniel Bruhl, RUSH
James Gandolfini, ENOUGH SAID
Jared Leto, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Michael Fassbender, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Sam Rockwell, THE WAY, WAY BACK
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Aaron Guzikowski, PRISONERS
Joel and Ethan Coen, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Nicole Holofcener, ENOUGH SAID
Spike Jonze, HER
Woody Allen, BLUE JASMINE
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Billy Ray, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Destin Cretton, SHORT TERM 12
John Ridley, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, BEFORE MIDNIGHT
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, THE SPECTACULAR NOW
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
DRUG WAR
THE HUNT
BEST DOCUMENTARY
LET THE FIRE BURN
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Bruno Delbonnel, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Emmanuel Lubezki, GRAVITY
Emmanuel Lubezki, TO THE WONDER
Roger Deakins, PRISONERS
Simon Duggan, THE GREAT GATSBY
BEST ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME 2
GET A HORSE
THE CROODS
THE WIND RISES
BEST EDITING
Alan Edward Ball, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger, GRAVITY
Christopher Rouse, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Eric Zumbrunnen, Jeff Buchanan, HER
Joe Walker, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Adam Stockhausen, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Andy Nicholson, GRAVITY
Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy, THE GREAT GATSBY
K.K. Barrett, HER
Michael Corenblith, SAVING MR. BANKS
BEST SCORE
Arcade Fire, HER
Bjorn Eriksson, BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN
Hans Zimmer, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Hans Zimmer, RUSH
Steven Price, GRAVITY
BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
12 YEARS A SLAVE
AMERICAN HUSTLE
PRISONERS
SHORT TERM 12
THE WAY, WAY BACK
KYLE COUNTS AWARD
DESTIN CRETTON