BAFTA Winners: Boyhood Makes a Comeback!

"Birdman" may have sailed to frontrunner status with wins at the PGA, DGA and SAG, "Boyhood" hit the ground running at the BAFTA's, winning in Supporting Actress, Director and Picture. Birdman, on the other picked up a win with Cinematography, with Eddie Redmayne (expectedly) walking away with the Best Actor trophy. He is the favorite to win the Oscar at this point.

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" also picked up some major wins; it's clear that the enthusiasm is spread between these three films; but which one is going to end up on top come Oscar time?

Take a look at the full list of winners below.

Recap: Last Night's Golden Globes

Margaret Keane's best "Big Eyes" painting was in attendance at last night's ceremony.

If there's anything learned watching last night's Golden Globes, it's that the HFPA really is into doing their own thing. Several categories went in a completely different direction, awarding the underdogs in their respective races. It seems like the Globes are really trying their best to distance themselves away from the organization that nominated "The Tourist" back in 2011, especially in regards to the television categories.

Golden Globe Predictions: Boyhood vs. Selma?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this has been the strangest Oscar season in recent history. All of the contenders have been seen, and though "Boyhood" cleaned up the critic's awards, we still don't have a true frontrunner (remember, critics don't vote for the Oscars, just ask "The Social Network"). Next Sunday, the first major awards group from phase 2 (post-critics) will announce their winners: The Golden Globes. 

In recent years, the Globes have become a pretty substantial precursor, at least in predicting the nominees (sometimes you can win a Golden Globe and it doesn't really do much for winning momentum, ex: Jessica Chastain of "Zero Dark Thirty"). This year especially, the Globes seem to be trying to establish themselves as a serious awards body; gone is the group who nominated Angelina Jolie for just about anything ("The Tourist"); she and "Unbroken" were completely shut out this year in favor of non-household names such as Ava DuVernay ("Selma"). 

Speaking of DuVernay, her film is picking up a lot of (deserved) steam in this race, giving "Boyhood" quite the run for its money, heading into phase 2. That late release date barred its inclusion from many of the critic's awards and SAG, but its recognition at the Globes, the worldwide acclaim and assured box office success should give it all it needs to clean up nomination-wise at the Oscars in the coming weeks. If Richard Linklater and company have anyone to worry about at the Globes next Sunday, its team "Selma". 

Read my predictions, complete with commentary, below.

Critics, Globes & SAG: What Do They Tell Us?

I can't remember the last time an Oscar race was so unpredictable; though "Boyhood" is the "critical favorite" of this year, I don't know if it's our Best Picture winner yet. "Birdman" is the film that's getting the most notices in many of the other craft categories, while "The Theory of Everything" and "The Imitation Game" are playing well for Academy members, and showed surprising strength over more ensemble-like fair such as "Into the Woods" with the Screen Actors Guild. Then there are critical favorites like "Nightcrawler" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" that are winning traction outside of the categories they were originally predicted in. Waiting in the wings, is Ava Duvernay's MLK biopic, "Selma", which is poised to one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, not to mention, it's Academy friendly material that appeals to the zeitgeist. In other words, it's a real toss up.

Let's see who is up and who is down after the busy week.

Boyhood: A Film 12 Years in the Making

Our eponymous "boy" played by Eller Coltrane as he ages through the film's 164 minute duration. 

By now, I'm sure everyone has heard of Richard Linklater's "Boyhood"; its the film that took literally 12 years to make. Over this period of 12 years, for a few days, Linklater (serving not only as the film's director, but writer as well) and his cast and crew would assemble for a few days or so every year to revisit the characters, slowly inching towards its emotional conclusion.

Boyhood is a strangely simple title given the laundry list of themes the film explores. Sure, at the center is Mason (Coltrane) who we are watching literally age and grow up. But besides that, Linklater tackles abusive relationships, coming of age, falling in love, absent parents, and (briefly) sex, drugs and alcohol; with Boyhood, Linklater has taken snapshots in time and assembled them into the human experience.