'Boyhood' gets lots of love from L.A. Film Critics
Boyhood edged the competition at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards Sunday, winning four awards — best picture, director, actress and editing.
The wealth also was shared by Grand Budapest Hotel and Polish film Ida, with two awards apiece.
Best picture went to Boyhood (Grand Budapest Hotel was the runner-up). The director prize went to Richard Linklater for Boyhood (Wes Anderson was the runner-up for Budapest).
Top acting awards went to Patricia Arquette for her performance as a struggling single mom in Boyhood and to Tom Hardy for his one-man tour-de-force as a contractor trying to keep his life together in Locke.
J.K. Simmons was named best supporting actor for his portrayal of a dictatorial music instructor in Whiplash and Polish actress Agata Kulesza won supporting actress for her role as a novice nun in 1960s Poland in Ida.
Some were expecting Birdman to make a stronger showing to differentiate the West Coast critics' vote from that of New York, which also gave best picture to Boyhood. But the L.A. critics echoed their New York and Boston counterparts in their support for Linklater's 12-years-in-the-making opus.
There was, however, a groundswell of support for Birdman among the Los Angeles voters. Though it didn't win many prizes, the film took the cinematography honors, for Emmanuel Lubezki, (who wins his fourth award from LAFCA) and placed second for screenplay and best actor.
The screenplay award went to Wes Anderson for his whimsical Grand Budapest Hotel, which also was recognized for Adam Stockhausen's vibrant production design.
Best documentary went to Citizenfour, Laura Poitras' unnerving film about Edward Snowden, the former CIA and NSA administrator who leaked classified information. Foreign language film went to Ida, about a young Polish nun-to-be who discovers a dark family secret.
Writer/director Ava DuVernay won the new-generation award for directing and co-writing the powerful and timely civil-rights drama Selma.
The Japanese-made The Tale of the Princess Kaguya won for animation, with The Lego Movie coming in second.