At the San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC) annual voting meeting, we decide on the best—if not our favorite—movies of the year. As laid out in my two previous posts, this is curtailed by theatrical distribution and then extensively worried over in email volleys, Facebook exchanges, tweets on Twitter, telephone calls and one-on-one discussions. By the time we get to the voting meeting (which this year was hosted by the Variety Club), we're informed and ready to argue for or against the final two nominations in each category. Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of being a member of SFFCC is this opportunity to hear my colleagues express informed opinions in active debate. I learn so much by listening and, here and again, am convinced to change my vote. What follows are our awards for the 2014 season.
BEST ACTOR: Michael Keaton, Birdman
BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Edward Norton, Birdman
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
BEST SCREENPLAY, Original: Birdman, Alejandro González Iñárritu; Nicolas Giacobone; Alexander Dinelaris; Armanso Bo
BEST SCREENPLAY, Adapted: Inherent Vice, Paul Thomas Anderson
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ida, Ryszard Lenczewski; Lukasz Zal
PRODUCTION DESIGN: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Adam Stockhausen
EDITING: Boyhood, Sandra Adair
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: The Lego Movie
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE: Pawel Pawlikowski, Ida
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Laura Poitras, CitizenFour
BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
BEST PICTURE: Boyhood
SPECIAL CITATION: The One I Love
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: Joel Shepard, Film/Video Curator for the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco