Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Preview and Predictions

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association announces their winner tomorrow, on the heels of the recent NYFCC and NBR winners. Those two organizations chose Boyhood and A Most Violent Year, respectively. The Gold Rush Gang thinks LAFCA will side with New York and choose Boyhood as 2014’s top film.

Looking at our predictions there is complete alignment in Best Picture (Boyhood), Best Director (Richard Linklater, Boyhood), Best Actor (Michael Keaton, Birdman) and Best Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons, Whiplash). But it’s Best Actress and Best Screenplay that sees a real fight going on. Although most of the Gold Rush Gang have chosen Julianne Moore in Still Alice to prevail, Matt M and Peter have two outliers ready to spoil. Best Screenplay is the most diverse with four different picks, highly unusual for this late in the predictions. Birdman has the most votes with three but who will come out triumphant tomorrow?

Matt L didn’t submit his predictions in time for this piece and you can listen to today’s podcast for Richard’s picks.

The list:

Best Picture
Boyhood – Erik, Alexander, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth, Matt M, Peter

Best Director
Richard Linklater, Boyhood – Erik, David, Evan, Kenneth, Matt M, Peter

Best Actor
Michael Keaton, Birdman – Erik, Alexander, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth, Matt M, Peter

Best Actress
Anne Dorval, Mommy – Matt M
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night – Peter
Julianne Moore, Still Alice – Erik, Alexander, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth

Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash – Erik, Alexander, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth, Matt M, Peter

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood – Erik, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth, Matt M, Peter
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year – Alexander

Best Screenplay
Birdman – Alexander, David, Jason, Matt M
Inherent Vice – Evan, Kenneth
A Most Violent Year – Peter
Mr. Turner – Erik

Best Cinematography
Mr. Turner – Erik, Alexander, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth, Matt M, Peter
Birdman – Birdman

Best Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Erik, Alexander, David, Evan, Kenneth, Peter
Mr. Turner – Matt M

Best Editing
Birdman – Alexander, Matt M
Boyhood – David, Evan, Peter
Whiplash – Erik, Jason, Kenneth

Best Music Score
Under the Skin – Erik, Alexander, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth, Matt M, Peter

Best Foreign-Language Film
Leviathan – Alexander
Mommy – Matt M
Two Days, One Night – Erik, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth, Peter

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film
Citizenfour – Erik, Alexander, David, Evan, Jason, Kenneth, Matt M, Peter

Best Animation
The LEGO Movie – Alexander, David, Kenneth
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya – Erik, Evan, Jason, Matt M, Peter

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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