The Grand Owen Awards 2014 - The Results!

It has quite literally been a year. And in this year, a number of things happened. But, chiefly amongst these things, some films were released. And chiefly amongst these films, some of them were good. Some of them were very good. Very, very good indeed.

Of course, this happens every year, even if 2014 was notably just for the quantity of greatness.It was a really good year, the kind of year that makes me glad the Grand Owen Awards were formed in a moment of self-indulgence back in 2012. Yes, that's right- This is the third year of the Grand Owen Awards, and to celebrate, we're doing exactly the same thing as usual, and announcing the results!

The final say on awards comes from the One-Man jury, but, the one man naturally has a wandering opinion, and so must stand by his choices, which includes not giving Oscar Isaac a nomination for Inside Llewyn Davis. The absolute fool. There's a fair chance he would have won.

As such, this makes the awards the most genuine out there. No harboring, no voting for the consensus, no pretending you've seen stuff when you haven't. Just one man, who sat through 200 films released in 2014, presenting the cream of the crop. These are the awards the actors, directors and writers alike really want to win. The Oscars are just a formality.


Eligibility is based on UK cinema release dates. For example 12 Years a Slave (Released January 2014) qualifies, but Birdman (Released January 2015) does not. This year's nominations saw the aforementioned 12 Years a Slave and the brilliant Boyhood tied with 6 nominations apiece, a feat only three films have previous achieved (The World's End holds the all-time record with 7 nominations). Michael Fassbender and Scarlett Johansson are both double nominees this year, with Fassbender picking up two nods in the Best Supporting Actor category, while Johansson has one in either actress section. For his performance in Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal also becomes the first actor to be nominated three times, and the only person to have received a nomination at every single Owen Awards to date (Including a win in 2012 for End of Watch).

Negative categories are not present this year (This is a celebration of cinema, after all), though Martin Freeman can give himself a third consecutive award for 'Best Actor in a Bad Film'. Cameron Diaz, meanwhile, picks up where Bruce Willis and Taylor Kitsch before her left off to win the Worst Contribution To Cinema award, an unofficial thing we do in this preamble because I want to provide the bloody woman with as much scorn as possible without bringing the tone down. So, on that note, let's begin with the 2014 GRAND OWEN AWARDS!


BEST ANIMATED FILM -  THE LEGO MOVIE

Our first award tonight, and it's less a competition and more a coronation. The LEGO Movie is one of the best films, end of, of the last few years, never mind the best animated film. There was some strong competition from worthy nominees such as The Boxtrolls and The Wind Rises, but nothing as smart, as witty, as gleeful, as irreverent, as good as The LEGO Movie. A hugely deserving winner.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - DAVID DELBONNEL - INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

Look at the shot above. Just look at it. It's utterly beautiful. It's the film in microcosm; the elements against Llewyn Davis. The cinematography really sets the tone for Inside Llewyn Davis- Warm, yet negative and intimidating. It might not have the flashy visuals of Interstellar or The LEGO Movie, but Inside Llewyn Davis looks so good you feel you've seen more, even though you're aware you've seen less.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG - I LOVE YOU ALL - FRANK

A stupidly strong category. Begin Again, The Muppets: Most Wanted and Inside Llewyn Davis could all have quite easily filled out the entire category on their own, and yet they're all narrowly beaten out by The Soronprfbs, Frank's own band and the brilliant I Love You All. Hauntingly catchy, it'll stay with you long after the film finishes.


BEST SOUNDTRACK - MICA LEVI - UNDER THE SKIN

Every score or soundtrack recognised on this year's nominations list is phenomenal, so for Under The Skin to be quite the run away winner it is is pretty remarkable. Endlessly chilling, Mica Levi's score is just as important to the film's atmosphere as the work of fellow nominees Jonathan Glazer or Scarlett Johansson. The sound editing is also incredible, and this award goes out as much for it's use as the creation of the sound itself. One of the strongest fields this year is won by one of the strongest winners this year.

BEST SCREENPLAY - JON RONSON - FRANK

Another very strong category pipped by Frank. Muscian-turned-novelist-turned-screenwriter Jon Ronson makes up for being confused with film composer Jon Brion in the nominations announcement with the much-coverted award for his spectacular, layered screenplay for Frank. While word must go out to the likes of Pride and The LEGO Movie, Frank blends comedy, pathos and study with such lowness you won't see the join.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - PATRICIA ARQUETTE - BOYHOOD

And the Boyhood love-in begins. Patricia Arquette commits so completely to Olivia Evans. Inspired by her own mother and shot over 12 years, Arquette gives a performance so personal, you wouldn't believe she isn't Ellar Coultrane's mother. There are some good performances in the rest of the category, in films of varying quality, but nothing comes close to the rawness or passion Arquette conjures up in Boyhood.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - ETHAN HAWKE - BOYHOOD

While the Owen Awards are nominally a one-man decision, Ethan Hawke's triumph was not. So tight was the race between Hawke and Fassbender, both turning in career-best supporting turns, that I could not decide until a few days before the awards were announced. At which point I had a discussion with my father, who having seen Boyhood one week ago, simply wanted to talk about the nuance of Hawke's performance, as Mason's father. The Boyhood of the title refers just as much to Mason Sr's emotional growth as it does his son's physical development. The slow change over the 12 years is managed with such delicacy and naturalism, you wouldn't even notice. An incredible performance.

BEST ACTOR - JAKE GYLLENHAAL - NIGHTCRAWLER

For the second year running, far and away the tightest category. Any of the actors nominated, or even a number who weren't, could quite easily have won the award. And yet, Jake Gyllenhaal's unblinking sociopathic turn in Nightcrawler narrowly pips McConnaughey, Ejiofor, Pearce... The whole lot. Gyllenhaal has hit something of a career purple patch at the moment, and is churning out amazing film after amazing film, and this is a just reward.

This award, also, incidentally, makes him the single most-successful Owen Award nominee of all-time. He has more nominations and more wins than anybody else, in any category. He has been nominated for Best Actor at every Owen Awards since they began. Long may his reign continue.




BEST DIRECTOR - RICHARD LINKLATER

There are many things somebody can do with the toolset presented by film, and the directing category presents many of them at their peaks. Tim Burton projects emotion, David Michoud brings intensity, the Coen brothers create a gorgeous tone and landscape, Steve McQueen tells a vitally important story and Jonathan Glazer shines light on our everyday actions. But with Boyhood, Richard Linklater inspired love. Love for the characters, love for the film, love that ultimately spills over to him. It's an almost unbelievable feat that deserves all the recognition it can get, and hopefully this award will help towards that.



BEST ACTRESS - SCARLETT JOHANSSON 

There was no competition. Scarlett Johansson is so good in Under The Skin. There'sa great number of fantastic performances by her fellow actresses this year just gone, but Johansson is so cold, so removed, and yet so reflective. She plays against type and is entirely alien, whilst her natural movie star charisma helps her tie down an audience. It's a role very few actresses could have played, but none with the conviction, dedication and subtly Johansson does. It's a sensational performance and a well-deserved trophy.










BEST PICTURE - BOYHOOD

...And the love-in concludes. Simply put, there has never been a film like Boyhood, and it's possible there never will be again. The 12 year nature is so much more than a gimmick, and the performances from the totally committed cast are really special (As shown by the two awards and third nomination previously handed out). What Richard Linklater has done is not so much create a film, but to create a life. Boyhood is everything. It is the world we live in, presented through the most positive, humanist light. Boyhood is beautiful and wonderful and, without competition, the best film of 2014.


And finally, the unofficial, informal Actor/Actress Of The Year award (Previous unofficial winners include Jennifer Lawrence) goes to Jack O'Connell, very narrowly beating out Mia Wasikowska- Both had brilliantly prolific years, and really established themselves as forces to be reckoned with. The fact that O'Connell narrowly missed out on a nomination may have seen him swipe this, though. Sorry, Mia, and congratulations. This, of course, isn't a real award, though. Unless it is. It's my rules.

So, folks, that was the 2014 ceremony! Some esteemed names have added the One That Counts to their cabinets, and some have been left to lick their wounds. It's a really rather emotional evening all round. We'll see you next year for the 2015 Awards, where we'll find out if anything as good as Whiplash gets released! See you then!