The 2014 Bergy Awards

What a wonderful year in the cinema we have had! It is so strange to think that it is already over. It seems as though it went so fast. It is so hard to nail down the deserving parties for a lot of these categories for many reasons, either a category that is beyond crowded (like Best Actor) or a film that could make the list but has not been widely available for general consumption (Short Term 12). These are not Oscar predictions for myself, but rather what I believe were the most worthy parties of the year, and I am giving out awards that I believe are deserved. I hope you enjoy my thoughts, and I encourage comments and thoughts. Regardless, all of these movies are worth seeing, and I hope you get a chance to explore the year in cinema! Go to a theatre! Get it on DVD or Blu-Ray! Just make sure you take advantage and support all the wonderful work being done in the cinema!

The Bergy Lifetime Achievement Award this year goes to Peter O'Toole. God rest his soul, and may "Lawrence" [one half of the blog's namesake] be forever remembered for his amazing contributions to cinema. "Lawrence" will always hold a very, very special place in my heart.

Best Picture

12 Years a Slave
Frances Ha
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Mud

Best Picture Honorable Mentions

American Hustle
Before Midnight
Gravity
Nebraska
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Best Director

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen - Inside Llewyn Davis
Alfonso Cuarón - Gravity
Spike Jonze - Her
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Lead Actor

Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club and Mud

Best Lead Actress

Amy Adams - American Hustle
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Dame Judi Dench - Philomena
Adèle Exarchopoulos - Blue is the Warmest Color
Greta Gerwig - Frances Ha

Best Supporting Actor 

Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
Harrison Ford - 42
James Franco - Spring Breakers
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress

Scarlett Jonhansson - Her
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Carey Mulligan - Inside Llewyn Davis
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
June Squibb - Nebraska

Best Ensemble Cast

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumbetbatch, Brad Pitt, etc. - 12 Years a Slave
Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Robert De Niro, etc. - American Hustle
Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, etc. - Inside Llewyn Davis
Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, Bob Odenkirk, Mary Louise Wilson, Angela McEwan, etc. - Nebraska
Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, etc. - Prisoners

Best Original Screenplay

Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine
Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig - Frances Ha
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen - Inside Llewyn Davis
Spike Jonze - Her
Bob Nelson - Nebraska

Best Adapted Screenplay

Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope - Philomena
Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater - Before Midnight
Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen - This is the End
John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave
Terrence Winter - The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Cinematography

Sean Bobbitt - 12 Years a Slave
Roger Deakins - Prisoners
Bruno Delbonnel - Inside Llewyn Davis
Emmanuel Lubezki - Gravity
Hoyte van Hoytema - Her

Best Production Design

K.K. Barrett - Her
Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler - American Hustle
Jess Gonchor - Inside Llewyn Davis
Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy - The Great Gatsby
Adam Stockhausen - 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Score

Arcade Fire, Owen Pallett - Her
Thomas Newman - Saving Mr. Banks
Mark Orton - Nebraska
Steven Price - Gravity
Hans Zimmer - 12 Years a Slave


Notes:

• So many of these categories are beyond crowded this year, so if something was left off there is a good chance I believe that (blank) was excellent, but just didn't make the list. There really were some painful omissions this year. 
• I have not seen many of the animated, foreign, or documentary features of the year, so I do not feel as though I have the ability to give out awards for those categories.
• As stated in the Gutty Awards, there were a few excellent movies that came out this year that I chose not to nominate in any categories, and some that I did not love so much that I did nominate. There were a lot of great movies this year that deserve a look, so give it to them.
• Please, if you wish to watch any of these movies, I ask that you watch them though legal means that will support the filmmakers. The reason that cinema continues to exist is because of the patronage of the filmgoers. I will pay money to see good films because I want to make sure that those filmmakers can continue to make good films. That being said, Frances Ha is already on Netflix and I highly recommend it for all appreciators of film. 12 Years a Slave is something that everyone should see, and I recommend that you see it whenever you are able.
• A special recognition of the Bergy's goes to Alan Tadian for his continued appreciation and support for the Bergy's and Gutty's.