'Boyhood' Best Film at 2014 EE BAFTA Film Awards, 'Budapest Hotel' wins five

"Boyhood" may have been the biggest winner at the 68th BAFTAs winning best film, director and supporting actress (Patricia Arquette), but it was "The Grand Budapest Hotel" that took home the most awards. The comedy-caper won five awards: best original screenplay, production design, costume design, score and make-up & hair.

Other big winners were homegrown favorite "The Theory of Everything" with wins for lead actor (Eddie Redmayne), outstanding British Film and adapted screenplay.

Joining the aforementioned in the best film race were "Birdman" which won for its cinematography, while "The Imitation Game" was shut out of its nine categories.

Of the films not nominated in the top race, "Whiplash" won three for supporting actor (J.K. Simmons), sound and editing.

 Stephen Beresford and David Livingstone won oustanding British debut for their film "Pride".

Other winners in top races were Julianne Moore for lead actress.in "Still Alice," "The LEGO Movie" winning animated feature, and Oscar-nominated films "Ida" winning for film not in the English language and "Citizenfour" for documentary.

"Interstellar" won its bid for special visual effects.

Best film- "Boyhood"

Best director- Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Lead actor- Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Lead actress- Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

Supporting actor- J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Supporting actress- Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

Original screenplay- "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Adapted screenplay- "The Theory of Everything"

Outstanding British film- "The Theory of Everything"

Outstanding British debut- Stephen Beresford and David Livingstone, "Pride"

Animated feature- "The LEGO Movie"

Film not in the English Language- "Ida"

Documentary- "Citizenfour"

Production design- "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Costume Design- "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Cinematography- "Birdman"

Score- "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Alexandre Desplat, composer)

Editing- "Whiplash"

Sound- "Whiplash"

Special visual effects- "Interstellar"

Make up and hair- "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

British short film- "Boogaloo and Graham"

British animated short- "The Bigger Picture"

Movie Review: 'The Imitation Game' Imitates Many Like it Before

The Benedict Cumberbatch Club decrypts German messages in "The Imitation Game"

Weinstein Company

The Imitation Game (2014, Directed by Morten Tyldum. U.K./U.S.A., English, Color, 114 minutes) As I headed into the theater to watch this film I did not plan to like it. From one viewing of the trailer a couple of months back I knew it was going to be a run-of-the-mill historic cliche about winning the war against the Nazis. When I left the theater, I got exactly that, but with an (unnecessary) brief look at the history of LGBT rights in the U.K., and a stupidly forced love story. It was everything I was expecting and more... and not in a good way.

This is the true story of a group of codebreakers at Bletchley Park in England assigned to decipher German messages from a machine called the Enigma. The eccentric and arrogantly annoying Alan Turing heads the group who would eventually end the war by at least two years because of their successful efforts. Their accomplishments should be heralded, but not this film.

While critic reviews are positive and audiences at film fests give it its top honors, this cliche-ridden film is nothing different than what has been shown over and over again.

Movie Review: 'Anna Karenina' an intersting book-to-film/stage adaptation

Image courtesy of Focus Features

Disclaimer: I've never read 'Anna Karenina,' seen a previous film adaptation or had previous knowledge about the story before seeing the film.

Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" is known for being one of, if not the best, novels of all time. Its story of the titular socialite with Count Vronsky is known the world over, and has been adapted into as many films as Austen's "Pride & Prejudice." But never has a production been put together in the way Joe Wright has tackled the story.