The 2nd Annual Todd Awards - Winners

The 2nd Annual Todd Awards

-Winners-

Here I am, once again, to celebrate my favorite films of 2013 and to give recognition to the films that may or may not receive any Oscar love. I will be the first to admit that these nominations and winners are selected solely based upon my on bias. There may be winners that, technically speaking, do not stand up to others, but they stood out to me, and since these are my awards I can do as I please. Enough of the silly talk. Let's move on to see who the winners are:

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA

Prisoners

Gravity

12 Years a Slave

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Lone Survivor

Winner: 12 Years a Slave

Once in a while, a movie comes along that is not only powerful filmmaking, but also a story that everyone should see. 12 Years a Slave, like Saving Private Ryan or Schindler's List, is one of those films. You'll hate almost every scene, but it's important that you see it. Outstanding performances, direction, cinematography, music, everything.

BEST PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

This Is The End

The Way Way Back

Frozen

Saving Mr. Banks

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Winner: Saving Mr. Banks

The exact details of this story may have been altered to make it more of a feel-good drama, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this film is made with charm, filled with tremendous performances, especially from Colin Farrell. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are at the top of their games and bring these characters to life in a beautiful way. 

BEST ACTOR - DRAMA

Chadwick Boseman - 42

Hugh Jackman - Prisoners

Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips

Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave

Mark Wahlberg - Lone Survivor

Winner: Chiwetel Ejiofor

Every emotion you feel during 12 Years a Slave is generally a result from Chiwetel Ejiofor's brilliant portrayal of Solomon. I was so moved by his performance. 

BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA

Rooney Mara - Side Effects

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine

Shailene Woodley - The Spectacular Now

Sandra Bullock - Gravity

Jennifer Lawrence - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Winner: Jennifer Lawrence

Katniss Everdeen is a complex character. One of the advantages of the books is that we get to hear all of her thoughts and feelings. That narrative is omitted from the screen adaptations, and so Jennifer Lawrence must convey fear, trauma, determination, anger, sadness, resolve, and love all with sometimes just her facial expressions. In my opinion, she has never been better on screen than she is in Catching Fire, and that includes her great Oscar winning role in Silver Linings Playbook. The final scene alone will have you believing in the awesome abilities of Jennifer Lawrence.

BEST ACTOR - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Jonah Hill - This Is The End

Liam James - The Way Way Back

Tom Hanks - Saving Mr. Banks

Will Ferrell - Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street

Winner: Tom Hanks

There is a certain scene in Saving Mr. Banks in which Walt Disney (Hanks) is recalling his experiences as a child and the kind of man his father was. It was in this scene that I marveled at how talented Tom Hanks is as an actor. The dialogue could have easily been forced or felt too contrived in the hands of a lesser actor. Instead, the scene is one of the most powerful in the film all because of Mr. Hanks. He really is in the top echelon of actors.  

BEST ACTRESS - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Tina Fey - Admission

Sandra Bullock - The Heat

Melissa McCarthy - The Heat

Amy Adams - American Hustle

Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks

Winner: Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson is a skilled actress. Her role in Saving Mr. Banks is a difficult role to pull off. In a lot of ways, she is the antagonist of the film, yet she also provides much of the film's heart. Not an easy task to pull off. Thompson hit it out of the park. In my opinion, she's never been better.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Benedict Cumberbatch - Star Trek Into Darkness

Sharlto Copley - Elysium

Jake Gyllenhaal - Prisoners

Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave

Colin Farrell - Saving Mr. Banks

Winner: Jake Gyllenhaal

I never thought much of Jake Gyllenhaal. I neither liked him nor disliked him. In Prisoners, I was floored by his convincing, powerful, yet subtle performance. He has now entered my radar of excellent young actors. In a crime story, the detective is often the least interesting character, but Gyllenhaal made Detective Loki so much more than just a cop. He was a living, breathing character with a lot of fire. I absolutely loved this movie, and quite honestly, Jake Gyllenhaal was my favorite part.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kristin Scott Thomas - Only God Forgives

Melissa Leo - Prisoners

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave

Cameron Diaz - The Counselor

Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle

Winner: Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita Nyong'o really took me by surprise. A relative unknown actress, Lupita held her own against the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender. The whipping scene, in particular, will have you crying for her. She will break your heart.

BEST DIRECTOR

Denis Villeneuve - Prisoners

Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity

Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips

Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave

David O. Russell - American Hustle 

Winner: Alfonso Cuaron

I am a believer that whatever film wins Best Picture, that film's director should win Best Director. However, I am willing to make an exception here. Cuaron spent years making Gravity a reality. He had to help invent the right technology to make this film even possible. The vision this man had to constantly maintain while filming is astounding to me. After seeing the first 15 minutes of the film, which is one continuous shot, I knew that this man was the best director of the year.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Aaron Guzikowski - Prisoners

John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave

Simon Beaufoy & Michael Arndt - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

David O. Russell & Eric Warren Singer - American Hustle

Spike Jonze - Her

Winner: Aaron Guzikowski

I love a well-written film, and even more, I love a well-written crime drama. Prisoners is the most intense and dramatic crime dramas to come along since Mystic River. It is long, but every scene is important and vital to the film as a whole. I would not change a thing. Much of this success is due to the outstanding script by Aaron Guzikowski.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Sean Bobbitt - The Place Beyond the Pines

Amir Mokri - Man of Steel

Anthony Dod Mantle - Rush

Roger Deakins - Prisoners

Sean Bobbitt - 12 Years a Slave

Winner: Roger Deakins

This was an extremely tough category. Not many pay attention to cinematography, but it is a huge component of filmmaking. Roger Deakins has beautifully shot many great films, and Prisoners is one of his best. The photography in the film is dark and gloomy, but so masterfully crafted and executed. It complements the film so incredibly well.

BEST EDITING

Joel Cox & Gary D. Roach - Prisoners

Alfonso Cuaron & Mark Sanger - Gravity

Christopher Rouse - Captain Phillips

Joe Walker - 12 Years a Slave

Colby Parker, Jr. - Lone Survivor

Winner: Alfonso Cuaron & Mark Sanger

The edits and cuts in this film are few and far in between, but they are extremely deliberate and enhance the film in a tremendous way.

BEST VISUAL/SPECIAL EFFECTS

Star Trek Into Darkness

Man of Steel

Elysium

Gravity

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Winner: Gravity

Has there ever been a movie that has made space feel more real? No, there hasn't. Watch the opening scene and you will be amazed at how real it all looks. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Hans Zimmer - Man of Steel

Ryan Amon - Elysium

Steven Price - Gravity

Hans Zimmer - 12 Years a Slave

Thomas Newman - Saving Mr. Banks

Winner: Hans Zimmer

John Williams' iconic score for the original Superman films will always remain a part of pop culture, especially when discussing Superman in any context. To fill in those shoes is no easy task, and there was no one better to do it than Hans Zimmer. His simple theme for Man of Steel can do so many things. It can reflect the soft dramatic side of Clark Kent, it can give the audience a sense of hope and that anything is possible, and it can be boisterously played as Superman is flying at supersonic speeds. I absolutely love what he did with the music. It is very different from Williams' score, which is smart, yet still captures the essence of Superman.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

The Croods

Despicable Me 2

Monsters University

Frozen

Winner: Frozen

There is no denying that Frozen is a full-blown phenomenon, and deservedly so. A great story involving the unbreakable bond between two sisters, superb and beautiful animation, and music that'll have you singing at the top of your lungs over and over again.