BLACK SHEEP REVIEWS presents THE 2013 MOUTON D’OR AWARDS

In September of last year, I gave GRAVITY a 5-Sheep review. It was my first 5-Sheep review for any new film that year and I thought to myself, what a horrible year for film if it took me nine months before seeing something that brilliant. As I take the time to select winners in each of this year’s Mouton d’Or Award categories though, I am forced to recognize that, while 2013 might not have had a great start, it certainly finished strong, showcasing some of the most distinct and moving film experiences of any year I can recall.

Going into this year’s Mouton d’Or Awards, 12 YEARS A SLAVE and AMERICAN HUSTLE led the nominations with eight nods each, followed closely by GRAVITY and INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, each with seven. As usual, a little love is spread amongst all the major nominees but there are a couple of clear leaders this year who take home big hauls. Who takes home the top prize though? You will have to read on to find out … or scroll furiously to the end of this post right away. I leave the option in your hands.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2014 Black Sheep Reviews Mouton d’Or Awards!

(Click any film title to read the original Black Sheep review.)

BEST BIG MOVIE

Nominees:

FROZEN

GRAVITY

PRISONERS

RUSH

THIS IS THE END

Winner:

I defy you, much like GRAVITY defied all, to find another film from last year that demanded being seen on as big a screen as physically possible as GRAVITY did. You won’t succeed. Hands down, the easiest win of the bunch!

best little movie

Nominees:

ALL IS LOST

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR

FRANCES HA

FRUITVALE STATION

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

Winner:

It was a very competitive year this year but that does not explain how so many passed of showering the Coen brothers with accolades for this tender film. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS may not be the warmest of films, which I think is what kept some away, but it is near perfection and should not be missed.

THE WORST MOVIE I SAW ALL YEAR

Nominees:

THE BIG WEDDING

GANGSTER SQUAD

I’M SO EXCITED!

IDENTITY THIEF

TRANCE

Loser:

Although I decided to go with THE BIG WEDDING, an unfunny, racially offensive, tediously predictable embarrassment of a pay check movie, I dedicate this award to the fine, young gentleman who chastised me online so many months ago when I proclaimed GANGSTER SQUAD the first contender for worst film of the year in January. He declared me an idiot for making such a grand statement of hyperbole so early into the new year. I am happy to say that clearly I know crap when I see it.

THE BLACK SHEEP READERS CHOICE AWARD

Nominees:

12 YEARS A SLAVE

AMERICAN HUSTLE

BEFORE MIDNIGHT

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

FRANCES HA

FROZEN

GRAVITY

HER

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Winner:

It is so great to get so many responses from readers sharing their favourite films year after year and they are always surprising choices to me. In the end, the nominees are always films I am proud to see grouped together. Not only am I reminded that BSR has loyal readers but also that they have great taste too. After every vote was counted, the people went the way of Steve McQueen’s 12 YEARS A SLAVE.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Nominees:

FROZEN

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

THE WIND RISES

Winner:

I know the proper choice is to honour the legend that is Hayao Miyazaki for his last film but I just had so much more fun at FROZEN. It was refreshing to see Disney on top of their game and to fall in love with two princesses who recognized their own strengths and used those attributes to help each other grow. Who needs a prince to save you when you can save yourself … and sing along jubilantly at the same time?!

BEST LOOKING MOVIE

Nominees:

GRAVITY

HER

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

NEBRASKA

PRISONERS

Winner:

It was a very pretty year at the movies. The art direction and production design of HER was both subtle and sumptuous; NEBRASKA is black and white decadence; the tones and colours in INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS are not like any I’ve seen before; and that scene in PRISONERS where Jake is driving to the hospital in a snowstorm is gorgeous enough to warrant a win; at the end of the day though, GRAVITY is a marvel of movie making magic. Heck, it’s practically a miracle.

BEST SOUNDTRACK / SCORE

Nominees:

AMERICAN HUSTLE

GRAVITY

THE GREAT GATSBY

HER

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

Winner

Surely, as I am no music expert, and simply an admirer, I cannot comment on one being any better than the other. I can just say that I keep coming back to the soothing sounds of INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS time and time again. It was very difficult not to include Oscar Isaac in the Best Actor category this year but I cannot ignore the talent he puts forth on this record. It makes me wish he would continue to record in the future.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Nominees:

BARKHAD ABDI for CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

BRADLEY COOPER for AMERICAN HUSTLE

MICHAEL FASSBENDER for 12 YEARS A SLAVE

JAMES GANDOLFINI for ENOUGH SAID

JONAH HILL for THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

JARED LETO for DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Winner:

It is no secret that I am a big Michael Fassbender fan. I have already rewarded him for his work in SHAME and still haven’t recovered from his omission at the Oscars for that film. You could accuse me of bias but it is very hard to argue with work that is as consistently incredible as his is. In 12 YEARS A SLAVE, his ignorance and hatred were frighteningly real.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Nominees:

SALLY HAWKINS for BLUE JASMINE

JENNIFER LAWRENCE for AMERICAN HUSTLE

LUPITA NYONG’O for 12 YEARS A SLAVE

OCTAVIA SPENCER for FRUITVALE STATION

JUNE SQUIBB for NEBRASKA

OPRAH WINFREY for LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER

Winner:

It is amazing when chances are taken on unproven talent and they turn out this great. Lupita Nyong’o demonstrated such a complex range of emotions in 12 YEARS A SLAVE, from playfulness and naiveté to cunning and strength, and finally, to total desperation. And she did it with grace and command of her character. A beautiful promise of what is to come for Nyong’o.

BEST ACTOR

Nominees:

BRUCE DERN for NEBRASKA

LEONARDO DICAPRIO for THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR for 12 YEARS A SLAVE

TOM HANKS for CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY for DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

ROBERT REDFORD for ALL IS LOST

Winner:

You may be starting to notice a trend here. With Chiwetel Ejiorfor’s win for Best Actor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE takes three of the four acting categories. Their run ends there, as they have no lead actress nomination, but what a place to end on. Ejiofor is mind blowing as Solomon Northup; the way that character’s plight embodies Ejiofor’s skin is uncanny and a true testament to what Northup lived through. Ejiofor has struggled getting good parts up until now and this role assures he never will again.

BEST ACTRESS

Nominees:

AMY ADAMS for AMERICAN HUSTLE

CATE BLANCHETT for BLUE JASMINE

SANDRA BULLOCK for GRAVITY

JUDI DENCH for PHILOMENA

MERYL STREEP for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

EMMA THOMPSON for SAVING MR. BANKS

Winner:

This award has belonged to Cate Blanchett since BLUE JASMINE came out this summer. Yes, so many other great performances have come along since, performances that in any other year would easily be worthy of the win, but Blanchett found her character’s true core and burrowed her way in there and stayed there until the cameras stopped rolling. Given how crazy she got, I question how easy it was for Blanchett to come back from this particular trip. Hers is the best performance of all the nominees in all the acting categories this year.

BEST ENSEMBLE

Nominees:

12 YEARS A SLAVE

AMERICAN HUSTLE

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

BLUE JASMINE

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

Winner:

With all the actors from 12 YEARS A SLAVE winning individual awards, this felt like the right place to honour the incredible acting in AMERICAN HUSTLE. The film itself is clever and twisted but it does’t necessarily carry a lot of depth with it. Any depth there is though stems directly from the acting. Each actor brings a great deal of backstory and inhabited presence to their roles and it is their combined humanity that shapes the meaning of the film.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Nominees:

AMERICAN HUSTLE, written by David O. Russell and Eric Warner Singer

BLUE JASMINE, written by Woody Allen

FRANCES HA, written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach

HER, written by Spike Jonze

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Winner:

Just like I challenged you to find a film more monumental film than GRAVITY this year, I dare you now to find a film that embodies the idea of “original” more than Spike Jonze’s brilliant HER. Jonze’s first solo crack at screenwriting proves that he can explore the furthest reaches of our expansive minds and universe without the help of Charlie Kaufman. By looking at love in a completely different light, Jonze has come closer than most to understanding that forever complicated gift.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Nominees:

12 YEARS A SLAVE, written by John Ridley

BEFORE MIDNIGHT, written by Richard Linklater, Julie Deply and Ethan Hawke

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR, written by Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix

PHILOMENA, written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, written by Terence Winter

Winner:

It is still mind boggling to me how anyone can watch THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and think that, even for a second, it glorifies Wall Street culture and presents it as something for people to aspire to. Terence Winter’s masterful screenplay seems pretty clear about its satirical intentions right up front to me. And the fact that he can take us and keep us riveted and fascinated for another three hours is a huge accomplishment. He shows us how ugly people can be and then reminds us that there are those amongst us who never show any signs of remorse, and he does so with such a frank take on it all that the audience is left consumed by the absurdity.

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Nominees:

DON JON, directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt

FRUITVALE STATION, directed by Ryan Coogler

THIS IS THE END, directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen

Winner:

My hat goes off to Joseph Gordon Levitt and Seth Rogen for their successful and promising debuts behind the camera but their works are just not as significant as FRUITVALE STATION. Ryan Coogler demonstrated great bravery in making this movie. He could have over dramatized Oscar Grant’s life but instead he, with the help of a breakthrough performance by Michael B. Jordan, gives the man just enough of a face to show us how Grant is just one of many and to remind the masses that there still is a massive problem of racial unrest in America today. I look forward to seeing what he will bring us next.

BEST DIRECTOR

Nominees:

Ethan Coen and Joel Coen for INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

Alfonso Cuaron for GRAVITY

Spike Jonze for HER

Steve McQueen for 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Martin Scorsese for THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Winner:

Every time I give an award to GRAVITY, I feel like it should be obvious to all that this was the clear winner. I mean, c’mon! Look at what Alfonso Cuaron did here! Yes, he had a team of people helping him out but he was at the helm of this monstrous beast of a project and he made it look effortless on screen. He took us to outer space like no other filmmaker before him and, even though it was incredibly tense to be there, I didn’t want to leave when it was done. Couldn’t we knock Sandra Bullock around a little while longer just so we can stay up in space for one more glorious minute? Alas, no.

BEST PICTURE

Nominees:

12 YEARS A SLAVE

AMERICAN HUSTLE

GRAVITY

HER

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Winner:

It was easy to pick GRAVITY in all the other categories it won but this category presented a fiercely competitive playing field. I’d like to say that this made it harder to choose but it didn’t really. I love all the films nominated here, and still wish a little bit that INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS was among them, but I knew GRAVITY was the movie of the year the moment I saw it. It is a revelation in filmmaking. Not only is it an incredible feat of technical mastery but it is also extremely entertaining. Most importantly though, it is more than just a movie. It is an event motion picture that will surely be remembered as an important piece of film history.

And so, there you have it. Now all you’ve got to do is get through the Oscars and we can start the whole race over again! Thank you as always for reading and for your support. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.

Bon cinema 2014!