The 87th Annual Academy Awards: Results and Reactions

Boyhood vs. Birdman – The Oscars Grow Up and Soar Into the Sky

By Chris Sabga

Before the Show

The big buzz this year seems to be centered around "Boyhood" vs. "Birdman" and which one will win? Almost everyone I know seems to admire "Boyhood," but very few can bring themselves to love it. Will that spell success for "Birdman"? Or will the two front-runners split the vote, leading to an upset victory for one of the other six movies? (Yeah right! But stranger things have happened.)

The Red Carpet

I'm sure that one actress looked great and that other actress over there looked like she was wearing a garbage bag or brick wall. And did you see that hideous suit/hairstyle/facial hair on that actor who was in that movie.

The Oscar Ceremony

Full results are listed at the end.

I enjoyed the unexpected involvement of Anna Kendrick and Jack Black in the opening number, and Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris (NPH) being inserted into past classics such as "Risky Business" and "Willy Wonka," among others. It was a fun segment – if a bit long – and you have to admire how much work NPH must have put into it.

NPH delivered a great zinger equating "American Sniper's" box office success to Oprah – who was in the audience – with the other movies' respective earnings being compared to everyone else in attendance.

I was hoping against hope that Robert Duvall would win for Best Supporting Actor, but I knew better. I am very happy for J.K. Simmons though, who has long been one of my favorites and absolutely deserves to be rewarded on Oscar's grand stage. He is a hard-working journeyman actor, and exceptionally good at what he does. It's nice to see his years of supporting roles and small parts – including, seemingly, a million and one episodes of "Law & Order" – finally pay off.

Octavia Spencer is sitting next to her "Red Band Society" co-star Charlie Rowe. It's a shame that show didn't last.

I'll be a broken record about this every year, but these live musical performances only slow an already overlong show to a crawl. I really wish the Oscars were shorter and more streamlined. That isn't a criticism of the artist, who was fine, just the sluggish format of the Academy Awards ceremony in general.

I really hope NPH is joking about the overly-expensive and unnecessarily exorbitant gift bags the Oscar attendees receive – but I doubt he is. Doesn't Hollywood realize how that comes across to the rest of the world?

I really thought "Foxcatcher" would win for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Was I the only one? But "The Grand Budapest Hotel" got it. I guess Lobby Boy's hairstyle really wowed the Academy.

It's no Adela Dazeem, but Chiwetel Ejiofor is a chewy mouthful, to say the least. I'm glad NPH got it right...I think.

"Ida" is pronounced "Eeda," apparently. I'm glad it won. But bad form, Academy, for trying to cut off Pawel Pawlikowski's acceptance speech. I wonder how Pawel Pawlikowski is pronounced.

LEGOs are awesome, and this musical number is awesomely weird as hell – blue tuxes, rats, cowboys, construction workers, astronauts, Batman, and other references to the movie and toy line. Where can I get one of those amazing LEGO Oscar statuettes?

"The Phone Call" won Best Live Action Short. Yes! Yes! Yes! Another successful Oscar pool prediction for me!

I need to win an Oscar now so I can get a free donut from the Pump Street Bakery like the "Phone Call" folks.

When there are two Oscar winners, I hate it that only one of them is seemingly "allowed" to really speak – as was the case with "The Phone Call." That "rule" didn't stop the "Crisis Hotline" winners though, and good for them!

Silver Screen Sister the Second: "John Travolta looks like wax plastic." Poor Vinnie Barbarino.

Harry Belafonte after winning the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: "Arts are in fact the voice of civilization." I like that.

NPH is right: British accents really do make everything better.

Silver Screen Sister the Second: "You can tell Oprah is still aggravated with him [NPH] about the joke."

I really want Patricia Arquette to win for Best Supporting Actress. Like J.K. Simmons, she has been around a long time and really deserves the recognition.

Silver Screen Sister the Second (about Meryl Streep): "How is this Oscar worthy?" My response: "Because it's [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] Meryl Streep, and they have to nominate her for everything."

Patricia wins! Patricia wins! Patricia wins!

Her sentiment about wanting equal wages for working women in America is admirable – I agree wholeheartedly – but is this really the place for it? I hate it when Oscar winners use the ceremony as a soapbox for unrelated causes, no matter how noble they may be. Besides, no one else will ever be able to top Marlon Brando's bizarre, outlandish stunt on behalf of Native Americans. (Look it up, kids.)

And … Silver Screen Sister the Second taps out after an hour-and-a-half! "Would you be mad if I went home?" She left right before the musical number. Smart sister!

Kevin Hart – who is presenting the Best Animated Short – is surprisingly natural and convincing reading lines that were most likely written for someone else.

Finally, The Rock has come back to the Academy Awards!

He and Zoe Saldana are presenting the award for Best Animated Feature.

The Rock: "I can remember crying my eyes out during The Lion King."

Zoe Saldana: "How old were you?"

The Rock: "Not important."

He was 20. That was genuinely funny.

NPH introduces the President – long pause! – of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I saw the punchline coming a mile away, but the joke still worked.

We still have – assuming my count is accurate – ten awards left, and I'm getting sleepy. That isn't a criticism of the show, which has been fine – I just wish it were faster.

For all of the grief "Queen Meryl" gets, Meryl Streep did a beautiful job of introducing the "In Memoriam" segment.

Geoffrey Holder (Punjab from "Annie") died? No! I knew about most of the others, but for some reason, that one caught me off-guard and made me especially sad. Childhood memories!

How in the hell does "Boyhood" lose for Film Editing? ("Whiplash" won instead.) "Boyhood" should've snapped this up, if nothing else. I am guessing this doesn't bode well for its Best Picture chances. Does "Whiplash" now have an outside chance for the big prize, based on this surprising result? We'll see.

I don't usually notice these things, but Octavia Spencer's dress is absolutely gorgeous. Fascinating fact from her: In response to Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in 1968, the Oscars were postponed that year. I never knew that.

NPH on Benedict Cumberbatch: "It's not only the most awesome name in show business, it's also the sound you get when you ask John Travolta to announce Ben Affleck." Then Adela Dazeem herself – Idina Menzel – is announced afterward with Travolta, who finally gets her name right (he famously mispronounced it last year). And, as he's about to say the names of the nominees for Best Original Song, she offers to do it instead. That's great.

"Selma" wins Best Song, and this may be the speech of the night.

"Secrets and Lies" commercial: Ryan Phillippe's name is pronounced "Fill-a-pee," not "Fill-eep-ay"? Now I feel like John Travolta. So does everyone who thinks Ralph Fiennes' name is pronounced "Ralph." (It's "Rafe." Go figure! And "Fines," I assume. I'd hate to find out it's "Fee-en-iss" or something like that.)

Seven awards left. Yep, this is going past midnight. At least it doesn't feel slow.

Julie Andrews hugging Lady Gaga after Her Ladyship's tribute to "The Sound of Music" may be the sweetest moment of the evening.

Graham Moore, winner for Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Imitation Game," revealed that he tried to commit suicide when he was 16 because he felt "weird" and "different." Unlike Patricia Arquette's earlier aside about equal wages for women, this made more sense for him to bring up in the middle of his Oscar speech because it was a personal and heartfelt story from his own life, and a nice contrast to his present circumstances of accepting an Oscar.

"Birdman" won Best Director – and several others. "Boyhood" only won Best Supporting Actress. I think it's obvious by now that this won't be "Boyhood's" night.

Eddie Redmayne wins Best Actor, and he's clearly overcome by the moment. I always prefer these emotional speeches to bland blathering thanking the Academy, family and friends, cast and crew, pet goldfish, etc.

That Best Actress clip for "Gone Girl" is a major spoiler. Why do the Oscars always do this?

NPH's "Oscar predictions" – a hilarious recap of the show instead of the expected list of which films he thought would win – was pretty clever. Overall, he was a pretty good host – friendly, funny, and a comforting presence – a modern-day Billy Crystal in a way (and that's high praise coming from me). I hope he returns next year.

Best Picture, finally. Will we get an upset?

Nope. "Birdman" wins.

I wrote that before "Birdman" was announced.

I was right!

The tale of the tape:

Birdman – 4

Boyhood – 1

I wasn't expecting it to be quite so lopsided.

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" also won four awards.

During the Best Picture award, "Birdman" director Inarritu started talking about Mexico. After giving so many other speeches already tonight, maybe he finally ran out of things to say about the movie?

Full Results

Best Picture: "Birdman"

Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, "Birdman"

Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Best Actress: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

Best Original Screenplay: Alejandro Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Armando Bo, "Birdman"

Best Adapted Screenplay: Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Best Animated Feature: "Big Hero 6"

Best Foreign Language Film: "Ida" (Poland)

Best Documentary – Feature: "Citizenfour"

Best Documentary – Short: "Crisis Hotline"

Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Original Song: John Legend and Common, "Glory" ("Selma")

Best Sound Editing: "American Sniper"

Best Sound Mixing: "Whiplash"

Best Production Design: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Cinematography: "Birdman"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Costume Design: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Film Editing: "Whiplash"

Best Visual Effects: "Interstellar"

Best Live Action Short: "The Phone Call"

Best Animated Short: "Feast" 

Review: Predestination

Your Grandfather's Time Travel Tale. Here's Why That's a Good Thing...

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: January 9, 2015 – U.S.

Rating: R

Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery

Running Time: 97 minutes

Directors: The Spierig Brothers

Writers: The Spierig Brothers, 

Robert A. Heinlein (story)

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, 

Noah Taylor

What if you could kill the person that ruined your life and definitely get away with it?

That's one of the questions posed by "Predestination," a time travel movie that sets its own rules. Your knowledge of "Back to the Future," "Timecop," and "Looper" won't be of much help here.

A barkeep (Ethan Hawke) is really a "temporal agent" sent back to the 1970s to prevent a terrorist known as the Fizzle Bomber from destroying ten blocks of New York.

Then "Predestination" seemingly gets sidetracked in an interesting way: The man behind the bar strikes up a conversation with one of his patrons – a rugged, no-nonsense guy – who boasts that he has "the best story you've ever heard." They bet on it – a bottle of bourbon – and then the customer opens up about his life. He begins: "When I was a little girl..."

The first half of the film shows flashbacks of Jane (Sarah Snook), who was orphaned as an infant, bullied as a child, and eventually recruited by a clandestine corporation because they saw something special in her. It's not the direction I expected a movie like this to go in – what happened to the main storyline about the time traveler chasing after a mad bomber? – but I was absolutely riveted by Jane's journey.

Of course, that story ends and the film gets back to time travel and other assorted odds and ends. What else can I say without spoiling anything?

The events of "Predestination" are strange, but never confusing the way most strange things are. There will be time paradoxes upon time paradoxes. My advice: Just go with it!

Ethan Hawke is one of my favorite actors, but I think everyone who sees this movie will end up talking about Sarah Snook. It is a star-making performance for her. English actor Noah Taylor also does fine work as the mysterious, shadowy Mr. Robertson.

"Predestination" is not something I can recommend blindly and casually to just anybody, but if you're open-minded and adventurous, I wholeheartedly urge you to see it. It's one of the most fascinating films I've had the pleasure of watching in quite some time – and one of my favorites so far this year.

How could something this good come out of nowhere? As it turns out, it's based on a classic short story – "All You Zombies" (which, thank God, has nothing to do with actual zombies) – written by one of the masters of the genre, Robert A. Heinlein. Even more amazing for work so original and interesting: it was first published all the way back in 1959. It was ahead of its time then and remains every bit as relevant and prescient today.

The writers and directors, brothers Michael and Peter Spierig, have done a fantastic job of adapting Heinlein's story for the screen. "Predestination" is very faithful to the basic plot of "All You Zombies" – with a few details and wrinkles added to flesh out the original narrative. The Spierig Brothers also worked with Ethan Hawke on 2009's "Daybreakers," which I found to be one of the coolest and most creative vampire movies to come along in years.

The Spierigs' films are few and far between – it took them six years between "The Undead" (their first feature-length motion picture, which is about zombies) and "Daybreakers," and then another five years for "Predestination" – but their projects are clearly worth the wait.

I thought nothing would excite me more than the collaborations between Ethan Hawke and writer-director Richard Linklater, but Hawke may have found a second great partnership in the Spierigs. 

The 87th Annual Academy Awards: Nominations and Analysis

Thoughts, Snubs, and Probably Wrong Predictions

By Chris Sabga

The nominations for the 87th Annual Academy Awards are here! And as always, there is much to discuss.

Once again, I've broken down the major categories into three sections:

Thoughts: Just my general take on the various nominations.

Snubs: What I feel got left out. I knew certain movies wouldn't make it to the Oscars, but that doesn't mean I can't personally champion them myself.

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: Don't make your Oscar pool picks based on my thoughts.

And the Oscar goes to...

Best Picture

"Boyhood"

"Birdman"

"Selma"

"American Sniper"

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"The Imitation Game"

"The Theory of Everything"

"Whiplash"

Thoughts: No surprises here, really. This is more or less the list I expected.

Snubs: I thought "The Judge" was a fine film. Others disagreed. That mixed reception probably doomed it. I don't know if I can call it a "snub" though, because I wasn't expecting it to be nominated in the first place.

My heart belonged to "Chef," but I knew there was no way in hell it would show up on the Best Picture list. Sometimes I think the Academy overlooks fun a little too much. I wouldn't have minded, for example, if "City Slickers" had been nominated for Best Picture back in 1991. Think about it: Was there a more purely enjoyable movie released that year? But that doesn't factor in with the Oscars, unfortunately.

Speaking of entertaining, some might be surprised by the omission of "Gone Girl," but I'm not. It's a b-movie at heart – a damn good one – but sometimes the stuffy Academy voters can convince themselves that a film is more than that ("Gladiator"), and sometimes they can't.

No "Lego Movie" either, which comes as a mild shock to many. But that's why the Academy created a "Best Animated Feature" category – to assign those movies to their own ghetto (99 percent of the time anyway). Oh, wait, "Lego" ain't there either. Oops!

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: I think this will be "Boyhood's" year.

Best Director

Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, "Birdman"

Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Bennett Miller, "Foxcatcher"

Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"

Thoughts: I didn't expect to see "Foxcatcher" on this list. That's a genuine surprise, at least to me.

Snubs: No David Fincher or Clint Eastwood, but I'm not sure I was expecting either of them to show up here.

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: Richard Linklater will finally win his first Academy Award.

Best Actor

Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"

Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper"

Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"

Thoughts: I am so happy that Michael Keaton is back in the game. He is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood and was under-the-radar for far too long. It's also nice to see Steve Carell recognized. He could end up having a career like Tom Hanks if he continues to pick smart parts.

Snubs: Where is Ellar Coltrane for "Boyhood"? Perhaps the Academy was worried that it was "too coached" or "too much of a gimmick" or whatever other silly objections they might've come up with. I think the real problem is that it wasn't a "showy" enough role. But if you sit back and think about it, it's an extraordinary performance by an inexperienced child who was basically doing this film as a summer job and had very few other roles under his belt during the twelve years it took to put "Boyhood" together.

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: Eddie Redmayne, because he's not really paralyzed or a scientific genius. He can also sing – but not in this movie.

Best Actress

Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"

Marion Cotillard, "Two Days, One Night"

Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Thoughts: I'll turn this over to my friend Lauri: "Who saw 'Two Days, One Night'? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Does Marion Cottilard REALLY deserve the Best Actress nom or are the voters just showing their snootiness? 'Oh look, we saw some obscure foreign film. Let's vote for something the general public has never heard of.'"

Snubs: One could argue that Patricia Arquette's role in "Boyhood" was leading, not supporting, but let's not split hairs here – at least she got nominated!

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: Rosamund Pike. She was fantastic in "Gone Girl," and I'm glad the Academy recognized her for it.

Best Supporting Actor

J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Robert Duvall, "The Judge"

Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"

Edward Norton, "Birdman"

Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"

Thoughts: I'm pleasantly surprised – no, make that shocked – to see Robert Duvall nominated for "The Judge," which was otherwise shut out of the Oscars. It's well-deserved, though.

Snubs: I'm the only one who thinks this, but Tyler Perry's performance in "Gone Girl" was my favorite of the year. Of course, I didn't expect to see him nominated.

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: Mark Ruffalo. Call it a gut feeling.

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

Laura Dern, "Wild"

Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"

Emma Stone, "Birdman"

Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

Thoughts: Congratulations, Meryl, you're nominated again. Lauri again: "The only major nomination for 'Into the Woods' was Queen Meryl???? I could just scream! Emily Blunt was SO much better."

Snubs: You mean to tell me – gasp – that Meryl Streep wasn't also nominated for her other roles in 2014, "The Giver" and "The Homesman"? And here I thought they were about to rename the Oscars the Meryls.

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: Meryl Streep. Okay, no. Patricia Arquette.

Best Original Screenplay

Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Alejandro Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Armando Bo, "Birdman"

E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, "Foxcatcher"

Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Dan Gilroy, "Nightcrawler"

Thoughts: "Boyhood" must have been incredibly difficult and tricky to script – because so much can change in twelve years.

Snubs: Not that I expected "The Judge" to be nominated, but this is what I said about it at the time: "Despite its extended running time, it's tightly scripted. Every conversation, every line, means something and leads somewhere. That might be the most impressive feat of all." I still feel that way.

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: "Boyhood"

Best Adapted Screenplay

Jason Hall, "American Sniper"

Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Paul Thomas Anderson, "Inherent Vice"

Anthony McCarten, "The Theory of Everything"

Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

Thoughts: This could be one of the more unpredictable races. I have no idea which way the Academy will go.

Snubs: The omission of "Gone Girl" genuinely surprises me, because it was both a buzzed-about bestselling novel and one of the hottest films of the year.

Early (and Probably Wrong) Prediction: "The Theory of Everything."

_____

Other thoughts: I'm happy to see "Ida" in the Foreign Language category. But where is "Two Days, One Night"? Lauri will be so upset!

"The Lego Movie" being left out of the Best Animated Feature race will probably be considered one of the biggest snubs of the year.

_____

The rest of the categories and nominees are:

Best Animated Feature

"Big Hero 6"

"The Boxtrolls"

"How to Train Your Dragon 2"

"Song of the Sea"

"The Tale of Princess Kayuga"

Best Foreign Language Film

"Ida" (Poland)

"Leviathan" (Russia)

"Tangerines" (Estonia)

"Timbuktu" (Mauritania)

"Wild Tales" (Argentina)

Best Documentary – Feature

"Citizenfour"

"Finding Vivian Maier"

"Last Days in Vietnam"

"Salt of the Earth"

"Virunga"

Best Documentary – Short

"Crisis Hotline"

"Joanna"

"Our Curse"

"The Reaper"

"White Earth"

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Alexandre Desplat, "The Imitation Game"

Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

Gary Yershon, "Mr. Turner"

Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"

Best Original Song

Shawn Patterson, "Everything Is Awesome" ("The Lego Movie")

John Legend and Common, "Glory" ("Selma")

Diane Warren, "Grateful" ("Beyond the Lights")

Glen Campbell, "I’m Not Gonna Miss You" ("Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me")

Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois, "Lost Stars" ("Begin Again")

Best Sound Editing

"American Sniper"

"Birdman"

"The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies"

"Interstellar"

"Unbroken"

Best Sound Mixing

"American Sniper"

"Birdman"

"Interstellar"

"Unbroken"

"Whiplash"

Best Production Design

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"The Imitation Game"

"Interstellar"

"Into the Woods"

"Mr. Turner"

Best Cinematography

"Birdman"

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"Ida"

"Mr. Turner"

"Unbroken"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, "Foxcatcher"

Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Best Costume Design

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"Inherent Vice"

"Maleficent"

"Mr. Turner"

"Into the Woods"

Best Film Editing

"American Sniper"

"Boyhood"

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"The Imitation Game"

"Whiplash"

Best Visual Effects

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"

"Guardians of the Galaxy"

"Interstellar"

"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Live Action Short

"Aya"

"Boogaloo and Graham"

"Butter Lamp"

"Parvaneh"

"The Phone Call"

Best Animated Short

"The Bigger Picture"

"The Dam Keeper"

"Feast"

"Me and My Moulton"

"A Single Life"

2014: A Year of Unique Movies

Plus: My Favorite Film and Other Random Musings

By Chris Sabga

Let's face it: so many movies look the same, sound the same, are the same. It's very rare to watch something that truly feels new and fresh. Of course, there is a certain comfort that comes from those familiar storylines and well-worn formulas. Sometimes it's easier to just kick back and relax, to be spoon-fed exactly what you expect. I'm as "guilty" as anyone else of scanning Netflix and picking a TV movie starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Amy Smart ("12 Dates of Christmas") or a silly Christmas special with The Miz in it ("Christmas Bounty") instead of something a little more, ahem, substantial. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. It's safe and easy – and sometimes that's what we need in life.

Even genuinely good movies – such as St. Vincent, for example – tend to cover similar ground, but they do it in a way that elevates the material. My favorite film of the year – see below – isn't particularly unique, but it's the best example of "comfort food" that I can imagine.

With that said, it's exhilarating to watch movies that push the boundaries, try new things, and deliver original experiences. 2014 was a great year for that.

Boyhood: Filmed over a period of twelve years with the same actors, Richard Linklater's ambitious experiment of a film follows its young protagonist, Mason (played by Ellar Coltrane), from kindergarten to college. "Boyhood" has its critics, but there's nothing else like it. (Michael Apted's "Up" series of documentaries comes close, and possibly inspired this, but even that only chronicles its subjects once every seven years.) Any list of unique films in 2014 has to begin with "Boyhood." A full review is forthcoming.

Cheap Thrills: The premise is simple: What would you do for $200? What would you do for much more than that? "Cheap Thrills" is a violent, shocking film with no redeeming morals or values – I wish Roger Ebert had lived long enough to pen one of his scathing zero-star reviews – but I have to give it credit for being original and entertaining. Don't say I didn't warn you though.

The Grand Budapest Hotel: All of Wes Anderson's films are unique. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is about the madcap misadventures of a hotel owner and his lobby boy. In many ways, it's a throwback to older movies – but Wes Anderson gives it its own distinct look and feel. His movies can only be considered normal if they're being compared to each other.

Ida: A Jewish nun. Need I say more? Okay, I will. If I didn't know any better, I'd think "Ida" was actually made in the 1960s. This black and white foreign film feels like one of those rare cinematic treasures you're exposed to in a dusty film class.

Her: A lonely man dates his computer's operating system (think a near-future version of Windows or iOS with Siri on steroids). The movie, I'll admit, did not entirely work for me – but I can't help but admire its attempt to do something different.

Locke: Films that take place primarily in one small area have been done before – "Twelve Angry Men," "My Dinner With Andre," "Death and the Maiden," and the more recent "Buried" are among them – but it remains a brave and risky cinematic choice. "Locke" takes place entirely behind the wheel of a car. We only see the driver, Ivan Locke. He interacts with several other people throughout the course of the drive, but we only ever hear them – through his cell phone. In order for that to work, a strong cast is essential. Tom Hardy owns the screen with an intense, incredible performance, but the other actors deserve equal credit for breathing life and humanity into a series of otherwise faceless voices.

This is, I'm sure, by no means a comprehensive list of 2014's most unique films – just a few that stood out to me. But none of them were my favorite. That honor belongs to a more traditional slice of movie heaven.

My Favorite Film of 2014 – Chef: There were more innovative movies released this year – see above – and probably more "important" ones too. But what can I say? The heart responds to what the heart responds to. "Chef" made my heart sing and my tastebuds salivate. It's the kind of movie that just plain makes you feel good after you see it. I walked out of the theater floating with joy. That's an all-too-rare experience. I cherish "Chef" for having that effect on me.

Other random musings

My favorite television show of 2014 was "Gracepoint." The American remake of "Broadchurch" was billed as a ten-episode mystery event. Was "Broadchurch" better? Probably (I still haven't seen it), but there's something to be said about seeing famous American actors like Nick Nolte in a high-class miniseries. That's also why I gravitated toward the U.S. remake of "Life on Mars." Its 1970s American cop show setting and Harvey Keitel tickled my nostalgia bone in a way the original and apparently superior British version would never be able to. "Gracepoint" had its flaws, to be sure, but for ten glorious weeks, it created a fevered conversation among those unspoiled by "Broadchurch" as we traded theories about who killed Danny Solano. Honorable mention – "Forever": It's a unique blend of genres that combines a cop procedural with mystery, history, and a dash of supernatural fantasy. I hope more TV viewers give it a chance.

My favorite performance of the year came from Tyler Perry in "Gone Girl." Were there better actors and roles this year? Probably. Some of them might have even been in "Gone Girl" with Perry! But none of them made me smile the way Perry's slick lawyer did. He was, to put it in scientific terms, the man. There was no performance I enjoyed more. Will Oscar agree with me?

Of course, I saw several older movies too. Among them, perhaps because of of the shocking death of Robin Williams, "Bicentennial Man" stands out for me this year. Watching "What Dreams May Come" would have been too much to bear, but "Bicentennial Man's" futuristic setting provided an oddly comforting odyssey about life, death, and the value of both.

My biggest disappointment of the year – sorry "Gojira" fans – was "Godzilla." Too long, too slow, people I couldn't bring myself to care about even after an excess of character and plot development, and action scenes that bored me more than thrilled me. In one "titanic battle," the two beasts looked like they were having sex. No, I'm not kidding. I couldn't even bring myself to write a review afterward – that's how little I cared about what I'd just seen. 2013's "Pacific Rim" was much better in every way. Watch that instead.

On a brighter note, today marks the second anniversary of Silver Screen Surprises. Thank you so much for reading, following, and commenting over the past two years.

Review: Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever

The Citizen Kane of Christmas Cat Meme Movies?

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: November 29, 2014 – U.S.

Rating: G

Genre: Comedy, Adventure

Running Time: 90 minutes

Director: Tim Hill

Writers: Tim Hill, Jeff Morris

Cast: Grumpy Cat, Aubrey Plaza, 

Megan Charpentier, Daniel Roebuck, 

Isaac Haig, Evan Todd

I love Grumpy Cat. I can't help it. The famous feline's sour expression makes me laugh.

Grumpy Cat's real name is Tardar Sauce (their spelling, not mine), and Grumpy's permanent grump is actually an effect of feline dwarfism.

However, in the Lifetime movie "Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever," she's referred to as just "Grumpy Cat" or "Grumpy." Yes, Grumpy is a she, not a he, as most people assume. It's one of the many things the movie pokes fun at. The reason she's so grumpy in the movie version of "Grumpy Cat" is because she's stuck at a pet store and no one wants to adopt her. Poor Grumpy.

Grumpy Cat is voiced by Aubrey Plaza ("Parks and Recreation," "The To Do List"). There are a few other animals – most notably a dog, a bird, and a snake – that are also given voices. Ms. Plaza seems like a pleasant enough actress, and maybe that's the problem. Where's the grump? While Grumpy's dialogue indicates that she's in a perpetual bad mood, Plaza's high-pitched voice makes her come across as more of a sarcastic teenager. It's the wrong tone for Grumpy Cat – as least as far as my imagination is concerned. A deeper voice was needed (the late Bea Arthur would've been perfect). Plaza does the best she can, but perhaps making this a "talking animal movie" was the wrong way to go about it?

If it were up to me, I would've had all of the Grumpy's dialogue flash across the screen as text, similar to the hilarious memes found online. Then again, a talking animal flick that has more subtitles than a French foreign film might have been a disaster of another kind. Grumpy doesn't say that much though. Am I taking this too seriously?

The central storyline actually isn't that bad: A lonely little girl named Chrystal (Megan Charpentier) is looking for a best friend – which, of course, turns out to be Grumpy Cat. The supporting characters and side plots are more hit or miss. The best of these is a seemingly bumbling mall cop played by the underrated Daniel Roebuck, who knows what kind of movie he's in and has fun with it. Roebuck's character is obviously supposed to remind everyone of Kevin James in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" – but in case anyone misses the similarities, one of the bad guys helpfully makes sure to call him "Paul Blart." Thanks for that! There's also a sad pet store manager. He's in danger of having his shop shut down by the big boss, who looks like an overgrown 15-year-old. The main villains are a couple of idiotic rock band stoners who break into the mall to steal a million dollar dog from that pet store. What the hell did I just type?

What follows is an escape attempt through the mall – oddly reminiscent of the 1980s horror cheesefest "Chopping Mall" – and a high-speed car chase, among other things. What? Were you expecting realism from a movie about a talking cat?

Grumpy's "imagination" is shown through little skits. In one of them, she envisions herself becoming an internet sensation. In another, "Worst Christmas Ever" turns into a black and white silent film for a minute or two. Clever cat!

There is one genuine surprise in the movie that caught me completely off-guard, but then I realized the reason why I was so shocked: because it made absolutely no sense based on what we had seen before. It's easy enough to bamboozle someone when a little thing like logic is thrown out the window.

"Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever" is at least self-aware. It's littered (yuk! yuk!) with in-jokes – such as when Grumpy narrates the logical course of action for one of the characters to take, but then concedes that the movie would be over too quickly if that were to happen. Even the Lifetime network doesn't escape unscathed from Grumpy's grumpiness. When the mother asks the little girl if anyone did anything to her, Grumpy retorts with, "No, that's another Lifetime movie." It's a genuinely funny and witty quip.

During the movie, Grumpy asks everyone to tweet the hashtag #WhyAmIWatchingThis. Good question. At least two other reviews I found used "the worst Christmas movie ever" in the headline. Not exactly original. (Sorry, Entertainment Weekly. Hire me anyway!) I prefer mine: "The Citizen Kane of Christmas Cat Meme Movies?" Since there's only one Christmas cat meme movie and I used a question mark at the end, it's technically not inaccurate. That and it made me laugh, so I kept it. But is "Worst Christmas Ever" really the worst Christmas movie ever? Not when Netflix is overrun with so much Christmas crap. One of the actual worst – and most offensive – is "A Country Christmas," in which a woman with terminal cancer ends up being cured by Santa's magic powers. If only one kid out there asks Santa to cure Mommy because of "A Country Christmas," it has already caused irreparable harm. Grumpy's cinematic sins seem mild in comparison.

"Worst Christmas Ever" isn't the worst Christmas movie ever – it's bizarre, certainly; memorable, yes (in a way) – but is it good? I don't know if I can go quite that far. This is strictly for Grumpy Cat diehards only. I'll confess: If "Grumpy Cat's Worst Vacation Ever" turns out to be a legitimate sequel and not just another in-joke made during this movie, I might – might – watch it. Like I said, I love Grumpy Cat.

"Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever" probably could have showcased its hilarious feline star in a much funnier way, but hey, at least this gives her something else to be grumpy about.

Review: St. Vincent

Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy Share the Screen in This Unexpected Comedy-Drama

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: October 24, 2014 – U.S.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Running Time: 102 minutes

Director: Theodore Melfi

Writer: Theodore Melfi

Cast: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, 

Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, 

Terrence Howard, Jaeden Lieberher  

Who living among us right now would qualify for sainthood? It's a good question asked by Brother Geraghty (Chris O'Dowd), a priest who teaches at a Brooklyn Catholic school. The least likely candidate, of course, would be Vincent McKenna (Bill Murray). He's a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, compulsive gambler who frequently gets together with a "lady of the night" (Naomi Watts, complete with a ridiculous but endearing Russian accent). A single mom and her young son, Maggie and Oliver (Melissa McCarthy and Jaeden Lieberher), soon move in next door to Vince – and they have no idea what to make of their new neighbor.

Through a series of events and decisions that could probably only happen in a movie, Vin becomes a very unlikely babysitter for Oliver. The plot and performances both seem to be a step or two removed from reality, but it works because the film never once wavers from that tone – even when the story takes a more serious turn. Indeed, audiences will likely go into "St. Vincent" expecting a comedy, but the second half is unexpectedly dark and dramatic.

Also surprising: Melissa McCarthy, who usually provides the comic relief, plays it straight here. (She does have one scene, though – a meeting with the priests at her son's school – where she delivers perhaps the most hilarious line in the film.) Bill Murray, however, gets to dish out some great zingers throughout.

As you would expect from one of Bill Murray's offbeat characters, Vin isn't the typical babysitter. He teaches the boy how to fight and takes him to a bar and the racetrack. Unfortunately, betting on losing horses has left Vin deeply in debt – and at the mercy of the unsavory Zucko (Terrence Howard, in a small role), who has come to collect.

There are other developments, but those are best left for you to discover.

In most movies, the relationship between the old man and the little boy would be used as a predictable plot device to soften the main character's crusty demeanor – the tried and true formula of a child's wide-eyed innocence and its magical effect on that special crotchety someone – and then everyone lives happily ever after. "St. Vincent" doesn't make that mistake. What it does instead is peel away at Vin's layers to reveal a full-fledged but flawed human being that's more than just a collection of curmudgeonly film stereotypes.

The movie isn't perfect. There are a couple of loose threads – mostly involving Zucko and some money – and it can be slightly over-the-top at certain points. Still, by the time the film takes an emotional turn, these characters have earned our empathy. I felt for them, rooted for them, and wanted them to ultimately be okay.

Saints were originally human beings with their own set of foibles and failings, but as Bill Murray's character demonstrates in "St. Vincent," those obvious faults don't always tell the whole story about who a person actually is.  

Horror Movies I Grew Up With: The 1980s

Exploring a Memorable Decade for the Genre

By Chris Sabga

Oh yes, that's George Clooney!

I was in a film class a few years ago when the professor started running down the 1980s as a bad decade for movies. Needless to say, her words left me in a state of deep shock. How could this be? The '80s were great. Okay, they weren't the '70s, where so many classic films and directors emerged; and they weren't the '90s, which was the period of the indie renaissance. But I'll forever defend the '80s as an underrated decade for movies. Perhaps no genre was better represented in those years than horror. Here are some of my favorite fright flicks from childhood:

A Nightmare on Elm Street (series – 1984-1994): A demented boogeyman goes around killing teenagers, but only in their dreams. Was I afraid to go to sleep afterward? Not at all! Freddy Krueger was cool. He had claws on his hands! I always wanted a Freddy costume for Halloween, but my parents said no. (They were probably right.) Ironically, the series became more kid-friendly as it progressed: Freddy was funnier by the third film. But I first discovered Freddy when he was still "scary." I saw the first two movies when I was only in the second grade. A friend recommended them to me. (What the hell were two 7 or 8-year-olds doing staying up late to watch stuff like this?) The series had its ups and downs, but I made sure to see all of them. My favorite: "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare." Poor Carlos!

The Fly (1986): My sister still can't bear to watch Jeff Goldblum in anything. His transformation in "The Fly" from man to mutation after an experiment gone awry is just that good, disturbing, and chilling. With great acting by Goldblum and Geena Davis, and even better makeup and effects, "The Fly" is one of the greatest remakes of all time – and one of the most memorable horror movies of the '80s.

Phantasm II (1988): The "Tall Man" from the first film is back. I jumped into this series with this sequel, and truth be told, it's still the only one I've seen. When you're a kid, you're able to fill in the blanks and be more open-minded. I didn't feel like I'd missed anything. Watching it seemed like being in a waking nightmare – a delirious fever dream. It ranks among the coolest horror experiences of the '80s. It definitely left an impression on me.

The Lost Boys (1987): Today's teenage vampires – such as the ones in the "Twilight" saga – are moody little pretty boys who sparkle. I weep for the current youth of America. "The Lost Boys" was one of the first modern teen vampire films – if not the first – and it's still one of the best. These vampires were cool, dangerous, even a little bit scary. They didn't shine in the yellow sunlight – they shed red blood when it was pitch black, and they loved it. "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire." That was the advertising tagline for "The Lost Boys" and it's one of the most memorable of all time – and the movie itself lives up to it in every way.

Howling V: The Rebirth (1989): Don't expect Oscar-caliber acting, Oscar-caliber directing, or Oscar-caliber anything from this "Rebirth" to the "Howling" film franchise. Truthfully, I can't remember if I've ever seen any of the others, or whether this ties into those, but I doubt it matters much. The premise: A group of people are stuck together in an old castle, and one of them is the wolf. As the death toll deepens, so does the mystery. "Howling V" seems to be a loose take on the Agatha Christie novel "Ten Little Indians." A classic framework like that is almost impossible to screw up. Some stories just work no matter what, as this "adaptation" of sorts proves even with the barest of budgets.

Return to Horror High (1987): The dilapidated venue I saw this in – a rundown mall movie theater that had seen much better days – probably made this seem scarier than it actually was. I haven't revisited it since childhood, so I can't tell you how it holds up now. Somehow, I doubt it will have the same effect on me. I'd love to be able to claim that I noticed future megastar George Clooney and predicted great things for him based on his role here, but that would be a lie. I was only 8 years old at the time, and really, George probably wasn't exactly given Oscar-worthy material to work with. For years, I didn't even know if there was an original "Horror High" movie. (There was, but the two – oddly enough – appear to be completely unrelated.) I'll watch this again one day – if I dare.

Fright Night Part II (1988): I suspect this film has very few defenders, which is a shame, because it's actually the rare of example of a sequel that lives up to the original – and surpasses it, if you ask me. (I know I'm in the minority with that viewpoint.) The head vampire in "Part II" – the sister of Chris Sarandon's character from the first – is certainly much easier on the eyes. Ditto for the main character's girlfriend. It also features some pretty solid acting – especially from William Ragsdale and Roddy McDowall – and a good script with enough twists and turns to keep things interesting.

Some honorable mentions:

The Serpent and The Rainbow: The Haitian voodoo setting is deeply unsettling.

Hello, Mary Lou: Prom Night II: I vividly remember a chalkboard and letters of the alphabet coming alive – creepy!

The Monster Squad: Technically, I didn't grow up with this – I only saw it for the first time a few years ago, and it's more of a comedy anyway – but it's great fun with some hilarious lines. "Give me the amulet, you bitch!" makes me laugh every time.

Gremlins and Ghostbusters: What list of '80s "horror" movies would be complete without them? You've seen them already, of course. If not, what are you waiting for?