My Top Movies of 2014

I've been hesitant to post this list for weeks because I keep questioning where to place a couple of titles. I've been rolling my eyes at Boyhood ever since it was released and scored a perfect 100 on Metacritic. I mean, I thought it was an extraordinary experience, but I found several of its individual scenes clunky. I was so engrossed with what Birdman was accomplishing up until the last 20 minutes and then it just lost me and I left the theater shrugging my shoulders. And I found Selma incredibly rousing and effective, but I can't tell how much I'm rooting for its timeliness and the personal stories of the team involved with it more than I am actually judging it as a piece of art.

I struggled with the placement of several other titles, some because I questioned my initial love of them as I thought about them some more (Whiplash, Dear White People), or I questioned if they were too small/not ambitious enough (Ida, Only Lovers Left Alive, The LEGO Movie, Obvious Child), or I was ignoring major flaws in them because I just enjoyed them so much (Snowpiercer, Edge of Tomorrow), or I realized my admiration grew in my mind after initially writing them off for certain immediate flaws I found (Grand Budapest, Gone Girl, Babadook, Nightcrawler).

Even if I didn't unequivocally LOVE a single film this year, there were at least 30 movies I saw this year that I really liked, revealing that 2014 was a really rich year for cinema. I realized Under the Skin was my clear number one choice when I really thought about which movie I found the most resonant and a distinctive cinematic achievement of genre, mood, style, and substance. 2014 really was a great year for genre films, even if they were almost entirely outside of the Hollywood system. This year was decent for Hollywood movies, I guess, but I just saw a bunch of B/B-/C+ movies that ended up blending together in my head, although I liked Godzilla way more than I should have...

Anyway! Here's my list:

1. Under the Skin
2. Boyhood
3. Ida
4. Only Lovers Left Alive
5. Selma
6. Birdman
7. Snowpiercer
8. The LEGO Movie
9. Obvious Child
10. Stranger by the Lake
11. Whiplash
12. The Grand Budapest Hotel
13. Life Itself
14. Gone Girl
15. Edge of Tomorrow
16. Starred Up
17. Force Majeure
18. The Babadook
19. Nightcrawler
20. Calvary
Runners-Up: Wild, Begin Again, Dear White People, Love is Strange, Beyond the Lights, We Are the Best!, Finding Vivian Maier, The Guest, Jodoworsky's Dune, Le-Weekend

Movies I Admired More Than I Actually Liked: Two Days, One Night; CITIZENFOUR; A Most Violent Year; Foxcatcher; The Immigrant
Sequels I Liked But Not As Much as the Originals I Loved: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, How to Train Your Dragon 2, 22 Jump Street
Most Notable Movies I Felt MEH About: Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Pride, Top Five, Blue Ruin, Enemy, Locke, Mr. Turner

Only Straight Up Bad Movies I Saw This Year: Noah, Maleficent
Most Important Movies I Still Have to See: Mommy, The Interrupters, Goodbye to Language, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Winter Sleep, Child's Pose, The Missing Picture, Stray Dogs, Actress, Manuscripts Don't Burn

I kept track and rated all the movies I saw (84 and counting as of now!) on my Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/gayzosam/list/2014-movies/

Phew. Finally done with that. Cig time.

My Top TV of 2014

1. Fargo
2. Transparent
3. Broad City
4. Orange is the New Black
5. Game of Thrones
6. The Honourable Woman
7. Rectify
8. Olive Kitteridge
9. Hannibal
10. Review
Runners-Up: The Good Wife, The Americans, Veep, The Comeback, Bob's Burgers
Honorable Mentions: Jane the Virgin, Masters of Sex, You're the Worst, The Knick, The Walking Dead

Other Dramas I Watched: Sherlock, Downton Abbey, True Detective, House of Cards, Orphan Black, Justified, Mad Men, The Leftovers, American Horror Story, Nashville, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, Parenthood
Other Comedies I Watched: Looking, Girls, Parks and Recreation, Community, Trophy Wife, Silicon Valley, Louie, New Girl, The Mindy Project, Marry Me, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Getting On
Reality Shows I Watched: Under the Gunn, The Face, Big Brother Canada, RuPaul's Drag Race, So You Think You Can Dance, Big Brother, Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, Survivor, Top Chef, Project Runway All-Stars

Shows I Still Need to Watch: Shameless, The Missing, Manhattan, Please Like Me, In the Flesh (plus catching up on pre-2014 releases The Fall, Black Mirror, and I'm finally going to watch The Wire this year!)

Shows I Might Watch: Rick and Morty, Inside Amy Schumer, Black-ish, Halt and Catch Fire, Nurse Jackie

Shows that Got Canceled that I was Meaning to Watch but probably Never Will: Enlisted, Surviving Jack, Selfie, Extant

Shows I Dropped in 2014: True Blood (I watched the first couple of episodes this season and was like, nahhh, but watched the finale and was like, ugh), Homeland (I'm free!!), Modern Family (I'm protesting it winning every TV award), The Affair (I quit halfway through the second episode), and Raising Hope and The Bridge (both of which I was behind on and then I heard they got canceled and was like, k fine bye!)

Shows I Need to Catch Up On but Might Eventually Drop: Archer, Portlandia

Shows I'm Legitimately Considering Dropping: Nashville, Downton Abbey

Shows I'm Tempted to Drop But Most Likely Won't: American Horror Story, Community, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl, The Mindy Project, The Leftovers, How to Get Away With Murder

Other Notable Shows I Didn't/Don't Watch: Boardwalk Empire, Sons of Anarchy, Outlander, 24: Live Another Day, The Killing, Call the Midwife, The Strain, Tyrant, Banshee, Ray Donavan, Cosmos, Years of Living Dangerously, Vikings, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Flash, Arrow, Gotham, Legit, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Key and Peele, The Kroll Show, Nathan For You, Workaholics, The League, Maron, Episodes, House of Lies, American Idol, The Voice

2015 Shows I'm Most Looking Forward To: Empire, Better Call Saul, Fresh Off the Boat, Unbreakable Kenny Schmidt, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, The Last Man on Earth, Roadies, Narcos, Westworld, Untitled HBO Rock 'N' Roll Project

Final 2013 Oscar Predictions

Best Picture
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. Gravity
3. American Hustle
4. The Wolf of Wall Street
5. Captain Phillips
6. Nebraska
7. Dallas Buyers Club
8. Her
9. Philomena
Will/Should Win: 12 Years a Slave
Could Win: Gravity
My Nine Would Have Been: 12 Years a Slave, Before Midnight, Inside Llewyn Davis, Stories We Tell, The Act of Killing, Short Term 12, Her, Frances Ha, and Enough Said

Best Director
1. Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
2. Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
3. David O. Russell, American Hustle
4. Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
5. Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron
Should/Could Win: Steve McQueen
My Five Would Have Been: Steve McQueen, Alfonso Cuaron, Joel and Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis), Spike Jonze (Her), and Sarah Polley (Stories We Tell)

Best Actor
1. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
2. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
3. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
4. Bruce Dern, Nebraska
5. Christian Bale, American Hustle
Will Win: Matthew McConaughey
Should/Could Win: Chiwetel Ejiofor
My Five: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Joaquin Phoenix (Her), Matthew McConaughey, and Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Actress
1. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
2. Amy Adams, Her
3. Sandra Bullock, Gravity
4. Judi Dench, Philomena
5. Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Will/Should Win: Cate Blanchett
Could Win: None
My Five: Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color), Brie Larsen (Short Term 12), Julie Delpy (Before Midnight), Cate Blanchett, and Julia-Louis Dreyfuss (Enough Said)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
2. Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
3. Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
4. Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
5. Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Will/Should Win: Jared Leto
Could Win: None
My Five: Jared Leto, Michael Fassbender, Keith Stanfield (Short Term 12), Bradley Cooper, Jonah Hill

Best Supporting Actress
1. Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
2. Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
3. June Squibb, Nebraska
4. Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
5. Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Will/Should Win: Lupita Nyong'o
Could Win: Jennifer Lawrence
My Five: Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Color), Lupita Nyong'o, Jennifer Lawrence, Sally Hawkins, Kaitlyn Dever (Short Term 12)

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
2. Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena
3. Terrence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street
4. Billy Ray, Captain Phillips
5. Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, and Richard Linklater, Before Midnight
Will Win: 12 Years a Slave
Could Win: Philomena
Should Win: Before Midnight
My Five: Before Midnight, 12 Years a Slave, Blue is the Warmest Color, Short Term 12, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Original Screenplay
1. David O. Russell and Eric Singer, American Hustle
2. Spike Jonze, Her
3. Bob Nelson, Nebraska
4. Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine
5. Craig Borten and Melissa Wallack, Dallas Buyers Club
Will/Should Win: Her
Could Win: American Hustle
My Five: Inside Llewyn Davis, Her, Enough Said, Frances Ha, Nebraska

Best Cinematography
1. Gravity
2. Inside Llewyn Davis
3. Nebraska
4. Prisoners
5. The Grandmaster
Will/Should Win: Gravity
Could Win: None

Best Costume Design
1. The Great Gatsby
2. American Hustle
3. 12 Years a Slave
4. The Invisible Woman
5. The Grandmaster
Will Win: The Great Gatsby
Could Win: American Hustle
Should Win: n/a (I didn't see The Invisible Woman)

Best Film Editing
1. Gravity
2. Captain Phillips
3. 12 Years a Slave
4. American Hustle
5. Dallas Buyers Club
Will Win: Captain Phillips
Could Win: Gravity or 12 Years a Slave

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
1. Dallas Buyers Club
2. The Lone Ranger
3. Jackass Present's Bad Grandpa
Will Win: Dallas Buyers Club
Could Win: None
Should Win: n/a (I didn't see Bad Grandpa or Lone Ranger)

Best Original Score
1. Gravity
2. Her
3. Philomena
4. The Book Thief
5. Saving Mr. Banks
Will Win: Gravity
Could Win: Her
Should Win: n/a (I didn't see The Book Thief, but I bet I would vote for Her)

Best Original Song
1. "Let it Go," Frozen
2. "Happy," Despicable Me 2
3. "Ordinary Love," Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
4. "The Moon Song," Her
Will/Should Win: "Let it Go"
Could Win: "Happy"

Best Production Design
1. The Great Gatsby
2. 12 Years a Slave
3. Gravity
4. Her
5. American Hustle
Will Win: The Great Gatsby
Could Win: 12 Years a Slave or Gravity
Should Win: Her

Best Sound Editing
1. Gravity
2. Captain Phillips
3. Lone Survivor
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
5. All is Lost
Will Win: Gravity
Could Win: None?
Should Win: n/a (I refuse to watch any of the Hobbit movies but I bet I would go with All is Lost)

Best Sound Mixing
1. Gravity
2. Captain Phillips
3. Lone Survivor
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
5. Inside Llewyn Davis
Will Win: Gravity
Could Win: None
Should Win: n/a (I refuse to watch any of the Hobbit movies but I bet I would go with Gravity)

Best Visual Effects
1. Gravity
2. Star Trek Into Darkness
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
4. Iron Man 3
5. The Lone Ranger
Will Win: Gravity
Could Win: None
Should Win: n/a

Best Animated Feature
1. Frozen
2. The Wind Rises
3. The Croods
4. Despicable Me 2
5. Ernest and Celestine
Will/Should Win: Frozen
Could Win: None

Best Documentary Feature
1. 20 Feet From Stardom
2. The Square
3. The Act of Killing
4. Dirty Wars
5. Cutie and the Boxer
Will Win: 20 Feet From Stardom
Could Win: The Square or The Act of Killing
Should Win: The Act of Killing

Best Foreign Language Film
1. The Great Beauty (Italy)
2. The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
3. The Hunt (Denmark)
4. Omar (Palestine)
5. The Missing Picture (Cambodia)
Will Win: The Great Beauty
Could Win: The Broken Circle Breakdown or The Hunt
Should Win: n/a (I didn't see Omar or The Missing Picture)

Best Animated Short
1. Get a Horse!
2. Mr. Hublot
3. Room on the Broom
4. Feral
5. Possessions
Will Win: Get a Horse!
Could Win: Mr. Hublot
Should Win: Feral

Best Documentary Short
1. The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
2. Karama Has No Walls
3. Facing Fear
4. CaveDigger
5. Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Will Win: The Lady in Number 6
Could Win: Karama Has No Walls
Should Win: Prison Terminal

Best Live Action Short
1. Helium
2. Avant Que de Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)

3. The Voorman Problem

4. Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)

5. Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)

Will Win: Helium

Could Win: Just Before Losing Everything or The Voorman Problem

Should Win: Just Before Losing Everything

2013 Oscar Nomination Predictions

Best Picture
1.  12 Years a Slave
2. American Hustle
3. Gravity
4. Captain Phillips
5. The Wolf of Wall Street
6. Nebraska
7. Her
8. Dallas Buyers Club
9. Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Saving Mr. Banks
Backup: Philomena
Long Shots: Blue Jasmine; August: Osage County, Fruitvale Station
I have no idea how many nominees there will be in Best Picture. It could be 6-10. I feel like my top 7 could be the final nominees, or 8 if Dallas Buyers Club is really as beloved as the precursors have suggested so far (ugh). I just listed 10, just in case. I'm holding out hope that the Oscars will rescue Inside Llewyn Davis after its lousy run through the precursors so far and that Philomena isn't really as possible as everyone is reporting (Scott Feinberg, one of the best Oscar predictors, has it as number 7 and Inside Llewyn Davis as number 11 but ughhh I just can't).

Best Directing
1. Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
2. Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
3. David O. Russell, American Hustle
4. Spike Jonze, Her
5. Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Backups: Alexander Payne, Nebraska; Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
Long Shots: Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis; Jean-Marc Valee, Dallas Buyers Club
The first three on my list are locks. I'm pretty sure Spike Jonze will make it (representing the old Lone Director slot that used to go to artistic movies that didn't make it into Best Picture, before they expanded Best Pictures beyond 5 nominees). Then I kinda think it's a toss-up between Greengrass, Payne, and Scorsese.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
1. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
2. Bruce Dern, Nebraska
3. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
4. Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
5.  Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Backups: Robert Redford, All is Lost; Christian Bale, American Hustle; Forrest Whitaker, Lee Daniels' The Butler
Long Shots: Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station; Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis; Joaquin Phoenix, Her
God, this category is such a clusterfuck. Robert Redford was a lock throughout all of the fall, but then everything opened and everyone delivered. I kinda have a feeling both DiCaprio and Redford will make it and one of the locks (Hanks or Dern or McConaughey) will be shockingly snubbed. But I don't know how to predict that, so I'm going with the easiest snub to predict. I don't feel confident at all.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
1. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
2. Sandra Bullock, Gravity
3. Judi Dench, Philomena
4. Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
5. Amy Adams, American Hustle
Backup: Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Long Shots: none (it would be Adele Exarchopoulos for Blue is the Warmest Color or Brie Larson for Short Term 12 but neither of this is going to happen).
It feels insane predicting a snub for Meryl Streep, but August: Osage County isn't really doing well and maybe they no longer overdue after winning that third Oscar two years ago. The popular choice for most of the Oscar bloggers right now is to predict Amy Adams replacing Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio replacing Robert Redford, but I feel like the Oscars are never that easy. We could easily see the same five frontrunners and no Amy Adams in this category. I really wanna predict Judi Dench getting snubbed, but the love for Philomena is probably way too high for that. People also love Emma Thompson, even if they don't love Saving Mr. Banks. So I guess I'll jump on the bandwagon and predict Amy Adams replacing Meryl Streep, but I'm not confident about that either.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
2. Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
3. Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
4. Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
5. Will Forte, Nebraska
Backups: Daniel Bruhl, Rush; James Gandolfini, Enough Said; Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Long Shots: none
I feel pretty good about my top 4. Will Forte is the biggest limb I'm going out on for my predictions. Daniel Bruhl has been nominated for everything, but there's only at least one person who got all the precursors and missed the Oscar. Also, I just don't think Rush is going to be a factor at all. Then again, I also couldn't believe Nick Nolte would get nominated in 2011 for Warrior, and he did. So what do I know? I also couldn't believe Jonah Hill would get nominated that year, either. And he very well might sneak in this year, too. I don't understand why this category always ends up so screwy.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1. Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
2. Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
3. June Squibb, Nebraska
4. Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
5. Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels' The Butler
Backups: Octavia Spencer, Fruitvale Station; Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Long Shots: Jennifer Garner, Dallas Buyers Club; Sarah Paulson, 12 Years a Slave
This category is so boring. I'm almost positive it will be the same five nominees that we've been getting all season. The only interesting outcome I could see happening is if Oprah actually gets snubbed (like she did with the Globes). I don't know who would take her place, though. I don't think that'll happen, though.

Best Screenplay (Adapted)

1. John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave

2. Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy, Before Midnight

3. Billy Ray, Captain Phillips

4. Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena

5. Terence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street

Backup: Tracy Letts, August: Osage County

Long Shot: Abdellatif Kekiche and Ghalia Lacroix, Blue is the Warmest Color

I'm bored of typing explanations for all the categories now. Time to copy and paste!

Best Screenplay (Original)

1. Spike Jonze, Her

2. David O. Russell and Eric Singer, American Hustle

3. Bob Nelson, Nebraska

4. Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis

5. Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine 

Backups: Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith, Saving Mr. Banks; Alfonso and Jonas Cuaron, Gravity

Long Shots: Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station; Nicole Holofcener, Enough Said; Destin Cretton, Short Term 12

Best Cinematography

1. Gravity

2. 12 Years a Slave

3. Inside Llweyn Davis

4. Nebraska

5. Prisoners

Backups: Captain Phillips, The Grandmaster

Long Shots: Her, Rush

Best Costume Design

1. 12 Years a Slave 

2. The Great Gatsby 

3. American Hustle 

4. The Invisible Woman 

5. Saving Mr. Banks 

Backups: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Wolf of Wall Street, Lee Daniels' The Butler

Long Shots: Inside Llwyen Davis, The Book Thief

Best Film Editing

1. Gravity

2. 12 Years a Slave

3. Captain Phillips

4. American Hustle

5. The Wolf of Wall Street

Backups: Rush, Her, Nebraska

Long Shots: Saving Mr. Banks, All is Lost

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

1. American Hustle

2. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

3. The Great Gatsby

Backups: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Dallas Buyers Club, The Lone Ranger

Long Shot: Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters

Best Music (Original Score)

1. 12 Years a Slave  

2. Gravity

3. The Book Thief 

4. Saving Mr. Banks

5. Captain Phillips

Backups: Philomena, All is Lost, Her

Long Shots: Monsters University, Rush

Best Music (Original Song)

1. "Let It Go," Frozen

2. “Ordinary Love,” Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

3. "Young and Beautiful," The Great Gatsby 

4.  “Atlas," The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

5. "In the Middle of the Night," Lee Daniels' The Butler

Backups: “The Moon Song," Her; "I See Fire," The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug;"You and I Ain't Nothin' No More," Lee Daniels' The Butler; “Happy,” Despicable Me 2; "So You Know What It's Like," Short Term 12

Long Shots: "Unfinished Songs," Unfinished Song; Desperation," 20 Feet From Stardom; “Sweeter Than Fiction,” One Chance

Best Production Design

1. 12 Years a Slave 

2. The Great Gatsby 

3. Gravity

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 

5. Saving Mr. Banks

Backups: American Hustle, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Invisible Woman

Best Sound Editing

1. Gravity

2. Captain Phillips

3. Lone Survivor

4. All is Lost

5. Rush

Backups: Frozen, Monsters University, Pacific Rim, Man of Steel, 12 Years a Slave

Best Sound Mixing

1. Gravity

2. Captain Phillips

3. Lone Survivor 

4. Inside Llweyn Davis 

5. Rush

Backups: 12 Years a Slave, All is Lost, Frozen, Iron Man 3

Best Visual Effects: 

1. Gravity

2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 

3. Pacific Rim 

4. Oblivion

5. World War Z

Backups: Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Elysium, The Lone Ranger

Best Animated Feature Film

1. Frozen

2. Monsters University 

3. The Wind Rises

4. Ernest and Celestine

5. The Croods

Backups: Despicable Me 2, A Letter to Momo, Epic

Long Shots: Khumba, The Legend of Sarila, The Fake, O Apóstolo, Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie – Rebellion, Rio: 2096 A Story of Love and Fury, Free Birds

Best Documentary - Feature

1. Blackfish 

2. 20 Feet From Stardom 

3. The Square 

4. The Act of Killing

5. Stories We Tell

Backups: Dirty Wars, Tim's Vermeer, God Loves Uganda, Cutie and the Boxer

Long Shots: The Crash Reel, Life According to Sam, First Cousin Once Removed, The Armstrong Lie, Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, Which Way to the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington

Best Foreign Language Film

1. The Hunt (Denmark) 

2. The Great Beauty (Italy) 

3. The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium) (WAFCA-W)

4. Omar (Palestine)

5. Two Lives (Germany) 

Backups: The Missing Picture (Cambodia), The Grandmaster (Hong Kong), The Notebook (Hungary), An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Best Short Film (Animated)

1. Feral

2. Gloria Victoria

3. Hollow Man

4. Get a Horse!

5. Room on the Broom

Backups: Requiem for Romance, Mr. Hublot, The Missing Scarf, Possession, Subconscious Password

Best Documentary - Short Subject

1. The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

2. Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

3. Facing Fear

4. Recollections 

5. Karama Has No Walls 

Backups: SLOMO, CaveDigger, Jujitsu-ing Reality

Best Short Film (Live Action)

1. Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)

2. Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)

3. Record/Play

4. Tiger Boy

5. Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)

Backups: Throat Sog, Dva (Two), The Voorman Problem, Helium, Kush

My Top Movies of 2013:

1. Before Midnight
2. 12 Years a Slave
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
4. Stories We Tell
5. The Act of Killing
6. Short Term 12
7. Her
8. Frances Ha
9. Enough Said
10. American Hustle
11. Nebraska
12. Gravity
13. Blue is the Warmest Color
14. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
15. The Wolf of Wall Street
16. No
17. Frozen
18. The Great Beauty
19. The Square
20. Captain Phillips

Worst of the Year:
1. Elysium (ugly and generic and cynical and badly-acted)
2. Oz: The Great and Beautiful (just a stupid kid's movie that I really wanted to be good)
3. The Great Gatsby (so many bad choices--and it was boring. The Great Gatsby! Boring?!)
4. Pacific Rim/Man of Steel/Star Trek Into Darkness (should have been great, were all just dumb)
5. Drinking Buddies (ughhh Olivia Wilde's character was completely just a straight man's jizz fantasy)
6. Dirty Wars (distracting visuals and way too narcissistic for a documentary that was trying to be important)
7. Byzantium/Stoker (I only watched these because I was bored)
8. The Counselor/Only God Forgives (obviously the worst movies of the year but so much fun to make fun of!)

You Can See my full list of the 72 movies (and counting) I watched this year on My Letterboxd.

My Top TV of 2013:

1. Breaking Bad
2. Orange is the New Black
3. Top of the Lake
4. Game of Thrones
5. The Good Wife
6. Masters of Sex
7. Orphan Black
8. Mad Men
9. Enlightened
10. American Horror Story: Coven
Runners-Up: Veep, Scandal, Parks and Recreation, The Americans, Justified
Honorable Mentions: New Girl, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project

The Other Dramas I Watch: Downton Abbey (ugh), House of Cards, Homeland (double ugh), The Walking Dead, Broadchurch, Hannibal, The Bridge, Parenthood, Nashville
The Other Comedies I Watch: Trophy Wife, Girls, Modern Family, Archer (I need to watch season 4), Portlandia (I need to watch season 3), Raising Hope (I need to watch season 3), Community (I stopped watching after a couple of episodes of season 4 but I'm back now)
The Reality Shows I Watch: Survivor, So You Think You Can Dance, RuPaul's Drag Race, Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, The Face, Big Brother (don't judge me)

Shows I Quit on in 2013: Smash, Glee, Revenge, The X-Factor, American Idol, The Voice
Shows Still on my List: The Returned (I'm halfway through the season--it's really good and I meant to finish it so it would end up on my list, but I didn't. So, whatever. Don't judge me.), Black Mirror, Rectify, Shameless, Bob's Burgers, Bates Motel, Nurse Jackie (maybe?)
Notable Shows I Don't/Didn't Watch: Boardwalk Empire (I quit after season 1), The Newsroom, Eastbound and Down, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Episodes, House of Lies, How I Met Your Mother (or any comedy on CBS), anything on Cartoon Network

2013 Emmy Nomination Predictions

Best Drama Series:
1. Homeland
2. Mad Men
3. Breaking Bad
4. Game of Thrones
5. Downton Abbey
6. House of Cards
Alternates: Boardwalk Empire, The Americans. The Newsroom, The Good Wife

Best Comedy Series:
1. Modern Family
2. The Big Bang Theory
3. 30 Rock
4. Girls
5. Arrested Development
6. Louie
Alternates: Veep, Parks and Recreation, New Girl, The Office

Best Drama Actor:
1. Damian Lewis, Homeland
2. Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
3. Jon Hamm, Mad Men
4. Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
5. Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
6. Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Alternates: Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Matthew Rhys, The Americans; Kelsey Grammer, Boss

Best Drama Actress:
1. Claire Danes, Homeland
2. Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife
3. Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
4. Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
5. Kerry Washington, Scandal
6. Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Alternates: Kerri Russell, The Americans; Robin Wright, House of Cards; Glenn Close, Damages; Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel

Best Comedy Actor:
1. Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
2. Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
3. Louis C.K., Louie
4. Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
5. Don Cheadle, House of Lies
6. Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Alternates: Jake Johnson, New Girl; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Matthew Perry, Go On; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory

Best Comedy Actress:
1. Julie Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
2. Tina Fey, 30 Rock
3. Lena Dunham, Girls
4. Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
5. Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
6. Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Alternates: Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly; Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project; Laura Dern, Enlightened; Portia de Rossi, Arrested Development

Best Drama Supporting Actor:
1. Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
2. Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
3. Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
4. Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad
5. Corey Stall, House of Cards
6. Sam Waterston, The Newsroom
Alternates: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Games of Thrones; Noah Emmerich, The Americans; Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire; Dan Stevens, Downton Abbey

Best Drama Supporting Actress:
1. Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
2. Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
3. Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
4. Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
5. Moncia Potter, Parenthood
6. Christine Baranksi, The Good Wife
Alternates: Morena Baccarin, Homeland; Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey; Joanne Froggart, Downton Abbey; Kate Mara, House of Cards

Best Comedy Supporting Actor:
1. Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
2. Ty Burrell, Modern Family
3. Ed O'Neil, Modern Family
4. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
5. Will Arnett, Arrested Development
6. Max Greenfield, New Girl
Alternates: Jeffrey Tambour, Arrested Development; Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live; Simon Helberg, The Big Bang Theory; Adam Driver, Girls

Best Comedy Supporting Actress:
1. Julie Bowen, Modern Family
2. Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
3. Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
4. Jessica Walter, Arrested Development
5. Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory
6. Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Alternates: Allison Williams, Girls; Merritt Weaver, Nurse Jackie; Betty White, Hot in Cleveland; Ellen Barkin, The New Normal

Best Drama Guest Actor:
1. Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife
2. Nathan Lane, The Good Wife
3. Ray Romano, Parenthood
4. Jimmy Smitts, Sons of Anarchy
5. Dylan Baker, The Good Wife
6. Matthew Perry, The Good Wife
Alternates: Jim Beaver, Justitifed; Rupert Friend, Homeland; Robert Morse, Mad Men; Bradley Whitford, Shameless

Best Drama Guest Actress:
1. Shiley MacLaine, Downton Abbey
2. Jane Fonda, The Newsroom
3. Martha Plimpton, The Good Wife
4. Stockard Channing, The Good Wife
5. Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones
6. Margo Martindale, The Americans
Alternates: Linda Cardelinni, Mad Men; Carrie Preston, The Good Wife; Joan Cusack, Shameless; Alfre Woodard, True Blood

Best Comedy Guest Actor:
1. Bob Newhart, The Big Bang Theory
2. Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live
3. Will Arnett, 30 Rock
4. Matthew Broderick, Modern Family
5. Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live
6. Patrick Wilson, Girls
Alternates: Martin Short, Saturday Night Live; Matt Damon, House of Lies; Andrew Rannells, Girls; Ben Stiller, Arrested Development

Best Comedy Guest Actress:
1. Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock
2. Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live
3. Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
4. Parker Posey, Louie
5. Liza Minnelli, Arrested Development
6. Melissa Leo, Louie
Alternates: Elizabeth Banks, Modern Family; Sarah Jessica Parker, Glee; Catherine O'Hara, 30 Rock; Judy Greer, Arrested Development 

Best TV Movie/Miniseries:
1. Behind the Candelabra
2. American Horror Story: Asylum
3. Top of the Lake
4. Parades End
5. Political Animals
6. The Bible
Alternates: Phil Spector, The Big C: Hereafter, Mary and Martha, The Girl

Best TV Movie/Miniseries Actor:
1. Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
2. Al Pacino, Phil Spector
3. Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
4. Benedict Cumberbatch, Parades End
5. Toby Jones, The Girl
Alternates: Kenneth Branagh, Wallander; Ben Whishaw, The Hour; Diogo Morgado, The Bible; Billy Campbell, Killing Lincoln

Best TV Movie/Miniseries Actress:
1. Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
2. Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake
3. Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
4. Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals
5. Laura Linney, The Big C: Hereafter
Alternates: Rebecca Hall, Parades End; Brenda Blethyn, Martha and Mary; Hillary Swank, Martha and Mary; Angela Bassett, Betty and Coretta

Best TV Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actor:
1. James Cromwell, American Horror Story: Asylum
2. Jeffrey Tambour, Phil Spector
3. Peter Mullan, Top of the Lake
4. Rob Lowe, Behind the Candelabra
5. Zachary Quinto, American Horror Story: Asylum
Alternates: Dan Aykroyd, Behind the Candelabra; James Woods, Mary and Martha; Evan Peters, American Horror Story: Asylum; David Wenham, Top of the Lake; Oliver Platt: The Big C: Hereafter

Best TV Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actress:
1. Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Asylum
2. Holly Hunter, Top of the Lake
3. Alfre Woodard, Steel Magnolias
4. Ellen Burstyn, Political Animals
5. Lily Rabe, American Horror Story: Asylum
Alternates: Imelda Staunton, The Girl; Frances Conroy: American Horror Story: Asylum; Miranda Richardson, Parades End; Cynthia Nixon, World Without End; Condola Rashad, Steel Magnolias

Best Reality Competition Series:
1. The Amazing Race
2. The Voice
3. Top Chef
4. Project Runway
5. Dancing With the Stars
6. So You Think You Can Dance
Alternates: American Idol, Survivor, RuPaul's Drag Race, The Glee Project