The 87th Annual Academy Awards kicked off with Neil Patrick Harris, Anna Kendrick, and Jack Black performing an elaborate musical number. The 2015 Oscars marked Harris’ first time as host and the opening musical number was the highlight of his hosting duties.
– Complete list of winners and recap of the 87th Academy Awards
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The 87th Academy Awards held on Sunday, February 22, 2015 kicked off with a huge musical number led by first-time Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris. Into the Woods‘ Anna Kendrick quickly joined in on the musical celebration of nominated films, with Jack Black also part of the production and bringing a Tenacious D twist to the song.
The number was terrific, but the jokes that followed mostly fell flat. NPH is no stranger to hosting awards shows, however, the 2015 Oscars marked his first time handling Hollywood’s biggest awards show and the writers didn’t do him any favors in his rookie outing. Over the course of the three-and-a-half-hour-plus show, more jokes missed than hit, and those that did work appeared to have sprung from Harris going off script.
Even Harris going full-on Michael Keaton in Birdman by taking the stage in his underwear wasn’t met with a lot of enthusiasm by Oscar watchers on Twitter.
Overall, the 2015 Oscars broadcast was a sluggish affair that, fortunately, had enough memorable speeches and musical numbers to save it from being deemed a complete disaster. Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette used her limited time on stage to campaign for fair pay for women while The Imitation Game‘s screenwriter Graham Moore moved the audience by discussing his attempted suicide and telling those who feel like outcasts to “stay weird, stay different, and then when it’s your turn and you’re standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person.”
Best Actor Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne was so overwhelmed by the honor that he could barely get through his speech, while Common and John Legend earned standing ovations (and brought some members of the audience to tears) with their emotional speech after winning the Best Original Song Oscar.
Stand-out musical performances included Common and Legend singing “Glory” from Selma, Lady Gaga’s tribute to The Sound of Music, and the trippy take on “Everything is Awesome” from The LEGO Movie performed by The Lonely Island and Tegan & Sara.
Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel were this year’s big winners with Birdman flewing away with the Best Director, Best Picture, Original Screenplay and Cinematography Oscars. The Grand Budapest Hotel went home with the Production Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Costume, and Original Score Oscars.
Best Picture
“American Sniper” Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan, Producers
WINNER: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, Producers
“Boyhood” Richard Linklater and Cathleen Sutherland, Producers
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson, Producers
“The Imitation Game” Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky and Teddy Schwarzman, Producers
“Selma” Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
“The Theory of Everything” Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce and Anthony McCarten, Producers
“Whiplash” Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook and David Lancaster, Producers
Best Actor
Steve Carell in “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper in “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
WINNER: Eddie Redmayne in “The Theory of Everything”
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall in “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke in “Boyhood”
Edward Norton in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Mark Ruffalo in “Foxcatcher”
WINNER: J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash”
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard in “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones in “The Theory of Everything”
WINNER: Julianne Moore in “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike in “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon in “Wild”
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER: Patricia Arquette in “Boyhood”
Laura Dern in “Wild”
Keira Knightley in “The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Meryl Streep in “Into the Woods”
Animated Feature Film
WINNER: “Big Hero 6” Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
“The Boxtrolls” Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable and Travis Knight
“How to Train Your Dragon 2” Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold
“Song of the Sea” Tomm Moore and Paul Young
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” Isao Takahata and Yoshiaki Nishimura
Achievement in cinematography
WINNER: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Emmanuel Lubezki
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Robert Yeoman
“Ida” Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski
“Mr. Turner” Dick Pope
“Unbroken” Roger Deakins
Achievement in costume design
WINNER: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Milena Canonero
“Inherent Vice” Mark Bridges
“Into the Woods” Colleen Atwood
“Maleficent” Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive
“Mr. Turner” Jacqueline Durran
Achievement in directing
WINNER: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Alejandro G. Iñárritu
“Boyhood” Richard Linklater
“Foxcatcher” Bennett Miller
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Wes Anderson
“The Imitation Game” Morten Tyldum
Adapted screenplay
“American Sniper” Written by Jason Hall
WINNER: “The Imitation Game” Written by Graham Moore
“Inherent Vice” Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Theory of Everything” Screenplay by Anthony McCarten
“Whiplash” Written by Damien Chazelle
Original screenplay
WINNER: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
“Boyhood” Written by Richard Linklater
“Foxcatcher” Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
“Nightcrawler” Written by Dan Gilroy
Best documentary feature
WINNER: “CitizenFour” Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
“Finding Vivian Maier” John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
“Last Days in Vietnam” Rory Kennedy and Keven McAlester
“The Salt of the Earth” Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and David Rosier
“Virunga” Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
Best documentary short subject
WINNER: “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1” Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
“Joanna” Aneta Kopacz
“Our Curse” Tomasz Sliwinski and Maciej Slesicki
“The Reaper (La Parka)” Gabriel Serra Arguello
“White Earth” J. Christian Jensen
Achievement in film editing
“American Sniper” Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach
“Boyhood” Sandra Adair
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Barney Pilling
“The Imitation Game” William Goldenberg
WINNER: “Whiplash” Tom Cross
Best foreign language film of the year
WINNER: “Ida” Poland
“Leviathan” Russia
“Tangerines” Estonia
“Timbuktu” Mauritania
“Wild Tales” Argentina
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
“Foxcatcher” Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard
WINNER: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
“Guardians of the Galaxy” Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
WINNER: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Alexandre Desplat
“The Imitation Game” Alexandre Desplat
“Interstellar” Hans Zimmer
“Mr. Turner” Gary Yershon
“The Theory of Everything” Jóhann Jóhannsson
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie”
Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson
WINNER: “Glory” from “Selma”
Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights”
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me”
Music and Lyric by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”
Music and Lyric by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois
Achievement in production design
WINNER: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“The Imitation Game” Production Design: Maria Djurkovic; Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
“Interstellar” Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“Into the Woods” Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“Mr. Turner” Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts
Best animated short film
“The Bigger Picture” Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
“The Dam Keeper” Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
WINNER: “Feast” Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
“Me and My Moulton” Torill Kove
“A Single Life” Joris Oprins
Best live action short film
“Aya” Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
“Boogaloo and Graham” Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney
“Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak)” Hu Wei and Julien Féret
“Parvaneh” Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
WINNER: “The Phone Call” Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
Achievement in sound editing
WINNER: “American Sniper” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
“Interstellar” Richard King
“Unbroken” Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro
Achievement in sound mixing
“American Sniper” John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga
“Interstellar” Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
“Unbroken” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee
WINNER: “Whiplash” Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
Achievement in visual effects
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
“Guardians of the Galaxy” Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
WINNER: “Interstellar” Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer
Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas saved Adam Sandler, the Turtles, Hercules, and transforming robots from being the big winners at the 2015 Golden Raspberry Awards which recognized the worst in films released in 2014. The 35th Annual Razzie Awards were announced on February 21, 2015 and Cameron’s critically panned/little seen film took home four Razzies including the top prize of Worst Picture of 2014.
2015 Razzie Award Winners and Nominees:
Worst Actor 2014
WINNER: Kirk Cameron – Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas
Nicolas Cage – Left Behind
Kellan Lutz – The Legend of Hercules
Seth MacFarlane – A Million Ways To Die in the West
Adam Sandler – Blended
Worst Supporting Actor 2014
Mel Gibson – Expendables 3
WINNER: Kelsey Grammer – Expendables 3, Legends of Oz, Think Like a Man Too and Trannies #4
Shaquille O’Neal – Blended
Arnold Schwarzenegger – Expendables 3
Kiefer Sutherland – Pompeii
Worst Actress 2014
Drew Barrymore – Blended
WINNER: Cameron Diaz – The Other Woman and Sex Tape
Melissa McCarthy – Tammy
Charlize Theron – A Million Ways to Die in the West
Gaia Weiss – The Legend of Hercules
Worst Supporting Actress 2014
Cameron Diaz – Annie
WINNER: Megan Fox – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Nicola Peltz – Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
Susan Sarandon – Tammy
Brigitte Ridenour (nee Cameron) – Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas
Worst Director 2014
WINNER: Michael Bay – Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
Darren Doane – Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas
Renny Harlin – The Legend of Hercules
Jonathan Liebesman – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Seth MacFarlane – A Million Ways To Die in the West
Worst Picture 2014
WINNER: Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas
Left Behind
The Legend of Hercules
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
Worst Remake, Sequel, or Rip-off 2014
WINNER: Annie
Atlas Shrugged #3: Who Is John Galt?
The Legend of Hercules
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
Worst Screen Combo 2014
Any Two Robots, Actors (or Robotic Actors) – Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
WINNER: Kirk Cameron & His Ego – Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas
Cameron Diaz & Jason Segel – Sex Tape
Kellan Lutz & Either His Abs, His Pecs or His Glutes – The Legend of Hercules
Seth McFarlane & Charlize Theron – A Million Ways To Die in the West
Worst Screenplay 2014
WINNER: Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas – Written by Darren Doane and Cheston Hervey
Left Behind – Screenplay by Paul LaLonde and John Patus, Based on the Novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Sex Tape – Screenplay by Kate Angelo and Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction – Written by Ehren Kruger, Based on Hasbro’s Transformers Action Figures
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Written by Evan Daugherty and Andre Nemec & Josh Applebaum, Based on Characters Created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman
Redeemer Award 2014
WINNER: Ben Affleck – From RAZZIE “Winner” for Gigli to Oscar darling for Argo and Gone Girl
Jennifer Aniston – From 4-time RAZZIE nominee to SAG award nominee for Cake
Mike Myers – From RAZZIE “Winner” for Love Guru to Docu Director of Supermensch
Keanu Reeves – From 6-time RAZZIE nominee to the critically acclaimed John Wick
Kristen Stewart – From 6-time RAZZIE “Winner” for Twilight to the art house hit Camp X-Ray
-By Rebecca Murray
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Birdman soared at the 2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards, earning the Best Feature, Best Male Lead (Michael Keaton), and Best Cinematography awards during the star-studded event held on Saturday, February 21st. The Spirit Awards recognize the best in independent films and are always held the day before the Oscars. The Spirit Awards ceremony is much more casual than the Academy Awards and usually takes place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
This year’s ceremony was hosted by Kristen Bell and Fred Armisen.
Best Feature: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood (IFC Films)
Best Screenplay: Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Best First Feature: Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Director: Dan Gilroy, Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak
Best First Screenplay: Justin Simien, Dear White People (Roadside Attractions/ Lionsgate)
John Cassavetes Award (For best feature made under $500,000): Land Ho! (Sony Pictures Classics)
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens, Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy
Best Supporting Female: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood (IFC Films)
Best Supporting Male: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best Female Lead: Julianne Moore, Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best Male Lead: Michael Keaton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Robert Altman Award: Inherent Vice (Warner Bros.)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis, Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Hong Chau, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Sasha Pieterse, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Kenneth Williams.
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Best Editing: Tom Cross, Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best International Film: Ida (Poland – Music Box Films)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Best Documentary: CITIZENFOUR (RADiUS-TWC / HBO Documentary Films / Participant Media)
Director: Laura Poitras; Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Special Distinction Award: Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics)
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik, Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman, Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum
– Complete list of 2015 Spirit Awards nominees
-By Rebecca Murray
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What do you think of this first official photo of Jason Momoa as Aquaman? Batman v. Superman director Zack Snyder teased fans with this first look at Momoa in costume looking like a comic book superhero version of his Game of Thrones character, Khal Drago. The teaser image comes with the “Unite the Seven” tag which most likely refers to uniting the Justice League members.
“There is only one true King. #unitetheseven” – @ZackSnyder
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice opens in theaters on March 25, 2016. Justice League (with Aquaman) will be released on November 17th, 2017 followed by the Aquaman solo movie on July 27th, 2018.
SundanceTV says filming will begin next week on season three of Rectify, the original drama created by Ray McKinnon (Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy). Season three will air this summer with Aden Young and Abigail Spencer back in starring roles. The cast of season three also includes J. Smith Cameron, Luke Kirby, Clayne Crawford, Adelaide Clemens, Bruce McKinnon, and Jake Austin Walker.
McKinnon, Mark Johnson, and Melissa Bernstein executive produce the series which will once again be filming in Griffin, Georgia.
The Rectify Season 3 Plot:
Rectify follows the life of Daniel Holden (Young), recently released from prison after serving nineteen years on death row for the rape and murder of his teenage girlfriend. When DNA evidence casts doubt on his conviction, Holden returns to his family and his hometown where the murder occurred and where many still believe he is guilty. Daniel spent all of his adult life waiting to die; now he must learn how to live again or decide if he even wants to while others determine whether or not he will have that chance.
Season 3 picks up where Season 2 left off, on the very afternoon of Daniel’s plea deal. Will the deal be accepted? Will Daniel be forced to leave town? And when the body of a missing person is discovered, law enforcement once again turns to him for answers. Amantha attempts to have a life outside of Daniel’s situation and is offered a promotion at Thrifty Town. Tawney and Ted Jr., meantime, struggle to decide if their marriage has a future. As they both delve into their pasts for answers, parental ghosts abound which may help them understand how to navigate the present.
Chris Pratt, Channing Tatum, Meryl Streep, and Iggy Azalea were among the celebrities who earned their first-ever Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards nominations with the announcement of the 2015 nominees. Nick Jonas is set to host this year’s ceremony to be held on March 28th in Inglewood, CA, and featuring four new awards categories: Favorite Talent Competition Show, Favorite Family TV Show, Most Addicting Game, and Favorite New Artist.
Voting is now open in all 21 categories via Nick.com as well as on Twitter (use the #KCA hashtag).
This year’s top nominees in the movie category are the latest X-Men and The Amazing Spider-Man movies, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, and Maleficent. Iggy Azalea and Ariana Grande lead the music categories and The Big Bang Theory was one of the top nominees in the TV categories.
Favorite Talent Competition Show*
America’s Got Talent
American Idol
America’s Next Top Model
Dancing with the Stars
So You Think You Can Dance
The Voice
Favorite Family TV Show*
Gotham
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Modern Family
Once Upon a Time
The Big Bang Theory
The Flash
Most Addicting Game*
Angry Birds Transformers
Candy Crush Saga
Disney Infinity 2.0
Mario Kart 8
Minecraft
Skylanders: Trap Team
Favorite New Artist*
5 Seconds of Summer
Echosmith
Fifth Harmony
Iggy Azalea
Jessie J
Meghan Trainor
Favorite Kids TV Show
Austin & Ally
Dog with a Blog
Every Witch Way
Henry Danger
Jessie
Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn
Favorite TV Actor
Benjamin Flores Jr. (The Haunted Hathaways)
Charlie McDermott (The Middle)
Grant Gustin (The Flash)
Jack Griffo (The Thundermans)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally)
Favorite TV Actress
Chloe Bennet (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Debby Ryan (Jessie)
Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time)
Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting (The Big Bang Theory)
Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans)
Laura Marano (Austin & Ally)
Favorite Cartoon
Adventure Time
Phineas & Ferb
SpongeBob SquarePants
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teen Titans Go!
The Fairly OddParents
Favorite Reality Show
American Ninja Warrior
Cupcake Wars
Dance Moms
MasterChef Junior
Shark Tank
Wipeout
Favorite Movie
Guardians of the Galaxy
Maleficent
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Favorite Villain
Angelina Jolie (Maleficent)
Cameron Diaz (Annie)
Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1)
Jamie Foxx (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)
Favorite Movie Actor
Ben Stiller (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb)
Hugh Jackman (X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Jamie Foxx (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Mark Wahlberg (Transformers: Age of Extinction)
Steve Carell (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)
Will Arnett (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Lego Movie)
Favorite Movie Actress
Angelina Jolie (Maleficent)
Cameron Diaz (Annie)
Elle Fanning (Maleficent)
Emma Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Jennifer Garner (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)
Megan Fox (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Favorite Animated Movie
Big Hero 6
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Penguins of Madagascar
Rio 2
The Lego Movie
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
Favorite Male Action Star
Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Channing Tatum (Jupiter Ascending)
Chris Evans (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Hugh Jackman (X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1)
Favorite Female Action Star
Ellen Page (X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)
Halle Berry (X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Scarlett Johansson (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Favorite Music Group
Coldplay
Fall Out Boy
Imagine Dragons
Maroon 5
One Direction
OneRepublic
Favorite Male Singer
Blake Shelton
Bruno Mars
Justin Timberlake
Nick Jonas
Pharrell Williams
Sam Smith
Favorite Female Singer
Ariana Grande
Beyoncé
Katy Perry
Nicki Minaj
Selena Gomez
Taylor Swift
Favorite Song Of The Year
“All About That Bass” (Meghan Trainor)
“Bang Bang” (Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj)
“Dark Horse” (Katy Perry)
“Fancy” (Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX)
“Problem” (Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea)
“Shake It Off” (Taylor Swift)
Favorite Book
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
Divergent series
The Heroes of Olympus series
Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods
The Fault in Our Stars
The Maze Runner
For the uninitiated, DUFF stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend, although as Robbie Amell’s high school jock character points out in The DUFF, a DUFF doesn’t have to be either ugly or fat. The DUFF is that one friend who isn’t quite in the same league looks-wise as his or her BFFs and is therefore deemed to be the approachable one of the group, the one you go to to find out the scoop on the person’s better-looking friends. In the big screen adaptation of Kody Keplinger’s bestseller, the DUFF (played by Mae Whitman) turns to her platonic male friend (Amell) to help her overcome her DUFF designation and get the hair-tossing guitar-playing hottie she has set her sights on, all while battling the school’s mean girls and her own low self-esteem.
The plot sounds an awful lot like She’s All That, Can’t Buy Me Love, 10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls, or even Some Kind of Wonderful, and it would be easy to dismiss sight unseen The DUFF as a copycat/rip-off of high school coming-of-age films from decades past. However, The DUFF is so smartly written and well acted that to brush it off without giving the PG-13 comedy the opportunity to work its magic means you’ll be missing out on one of the few teen comedies that may remain relevant (and entertaining) for years to come. Simply saying it’s been done before is a lazy and, in this case, unfair dismissal of a movie that takes a familiar premise and puts its own unique spin on the subject matter while injecting the characters with fresh personalities all their own. Other than the lead Queen of Mean (played by Bella Thorne), The DUFF‘s characters are all fully fleshed out and not just stereotypes lifted from the pages of other teen comedy scripts.
The DUFF has a dressing room montage, a party at the mean girl’s house, and all of the pieces fall in place at the formal high school dance. But it also has genuinely funny and touching moments, and the integration of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) into the plot was a wickedly smart choice. The DUFF elevates standard teen movie plot devices and never feels like a paint-by-numbers production, even when it’s treading familiar ground. The hunky jock is a manwhore but also intelligent and thoughtful. The gorgeous BFFs are loyal to a fault and stand up to the mean girls, and the DUFF doesn’t wear glasses or a pigtail and in fact never undergoes a real physical makeover but instead learns to just be comfortable in her own skin (a refreshing change from the standard teen makeover movie). The ending is telegraphed from the beginning but how the story gets from point A to B to C is a pleasure to watch.
There hasn’t been a teen film worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as John Hughes’ classic coming of age movies since 2010’s Easy A…that is, until 2015’s The DUFF. Amell has exceptional timing and his chemistry with Whitman is natural and playful. And Whitman, finally given the opportunity to shine as the lead rather than the sidekick, is an irrepressible, engaging presence on screen. Whitman’s delivery is spot-on and her Bianca is someone you’d want to hang out with, someone the audience can get behind and support.
The Bottom Line:
“While meticulously drawn, the film’s characters are so stereotypically representative that only the lamest of moviegoers will not determine their respective backgrounds and problems long before the plodding movie does.” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Does director John Hughes really believe, as he writes here, that ‘when you grow up, your heart dies.’ It may. But not unless the brain has already started to rot with films like this.” – Variety
“Mr. Hughes, having thought up the characters and simply flung them together, should have left well enough alone.” – New York Times
“Director Amy Heckerling has failed to provide the raunch or poignancy that would interest young moviegoers, all of whom have seen American Graffiti and its 467 imitators. Ridgemont High? A nice place to visit, but who would want to transfer there?” – TIME Magazine
The first three quotes are all lifted from reviews of The Breakfast Club. The fourth quote is from TIME Magazine’s review of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Will The DUFF directed by Ari Sandel still be connecting with audiences 30 years from now? The above quotes prove a film’s reviews at the time of its theatrical release aren’t the best way to gauge a movie’s shelf life. The DUFF is one of the best teen comedies to hit theaters in years and one that, surprisingly, connects with all ages and both sexes. Hopefully, it won’t be dismissed as just another teen make-over because that’s not what this sweet, charming, and occasionally mildly raunchy movie is all about.
GRADE: B+
MPAA rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual material throughout, some language and teen partying
Release date: February 20, 2015
Running time: 110 minutes
Marvel and Netflix announced three more actors have signed on to Marvel’s A.K.A. Jessica Jones starring Krysten Ritter. Erin Moriarty, Wil Traval, and Eka Darville have been confirmed as part of the cast of the 13-episode series coming this year to Netflix.
“All three of these enormously talented actors bring even more layers of depth and nuance to Jessica’s world,” said Jeph Loeb, Executive Producer/Marvel’s Head of Television. “Together they help flesh out what is already a phenomenal cast in a series we believe will be truly remarkable.”
The three new cast members will be joining Ritter (Jessica Jones), David Tennant (Kilgrave), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Rachael Taylor (Patricia “Trish” Walker), and Carrie-Anne Moss. Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg is the series’ showrunner and executive producer.
Per Netflix and Marvel’s announcement, here are the descriptions of who the new members of the cast will be playing:
– Eka Darville plays Malcolm, a neighbor of Jessica’s whose own journey will intertwine with her quest in a surprising way. “Eka brings such depth, humor and nuanced performance to the characters he plays, which makes him the perfect person to portray Malcolm,” stated Rosenberg. “I’m looking forward to seeing what he will bring to this role.”
– Erin Moriarty plays Hope, a young girl who becomes a client of Alias Investigations. “In Erin I immediately recognized an incredibly talented, mature and complex actress, who brings myriad levels to every scene,” explained Rosenberg. “She has an incredible career in front of her and I’m delighted we have someone of her caliber for this important role.”
– Wil Traval plays an NYPD cop who takes “protect and serve” very seriously. “Wil Traval is a very emotionally courageous actor, able be profoundly vulnerable, or venal, or funny or fierce,” said Rosenberg. “I’ve been searching for an opportunity to work with both Erin and Wil again, and am excited to see them in these roles.”
Open Road Films says filming is now underway on Snowden, director Oliver Stone’s dramatic film based on the books The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to play Edward Snowden in the film co-written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald.
In addition to Gordon-Levitt, the confirmed cast includes Timothy Olyphant, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, and Joely Richardson. Moritz Borman, Eric Kopeloff, and Philip Schulz-Deyle are producing.
Open Road Films plans on releasing Snowden in theaters on December 25, 2015. Pathé Films will release the movie in France on December 30, 2015.
