Terminal Volume: Phoenix Critics Circle picks Birdman as top film

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Phoenix Critics Circle picks Birdman as top film

At a reception tonight at the Phoenix Film Foundation, the recently formed Phoenix Critics Circle announced the 2014 film awards with Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) taking the top honors, including best film, best actor, best supporting actress, best director and best screenplay.

The Alejandro González Iñárritu-written and -directed character study, about a washed-up actor slowly losing his mind while directing a play in New York City, was a critical darling early this awards season with buzzworthy openings at the Venice, New York and Telluride film festivals. The hype was especially noteworthy for award-winning star Michael Keaton, who turned in what many critics are calling the performance of a lifetime. The semi-autobiographical role is noteworthy because Keaton, a former Batman, plays an aging actor who is trying to step out of the shadow of a winged comic character he played many years before. Former Phoenician Emma Stone, who plays Keaton's daughter in the film, won best supporting actress.

Other winners include Reese Witherspoon for best actress in Wild, in which she plays a hiker on a trip of self-discovery on a 2,000-mile trail, and J.K. Simmons for best supporting actor in Whiplash, in which he plays a deranged music instructor and band leader. The Phoenix Critics Circle, of which I'm a member, also honored genre films with Snowpiercer as best horror/sci-fi, The Grand Budapest Hotel as best comedy, The Lego Movie as best animated film, and Gone Girl and Nightcrawler tied for best mystery/thriller. Force Majeure and Ida tied for best international film.

Here's the Phoenix Critics Circle site (here), and full list of winners:

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Best Picture

Birdman