Diane Warren has an unmatched reputation for composing ear worms for movies. With “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights,” she has returned to the Oscar race with her seventh nomination after a 13-year absence. HitFix recently spoke to her about work on that film, her previous nominated songs and her return to the race.

HitFix: What”s it like to be back in the Oscar race?

Diane Warren: It”s awesome. I love it. There have been songs I”ve done since [my last nomination] – I wrote a song for Cher, “You Haven”t Seen the Last of Me,” that won the Golden Globe. It didn”t get nominated [for the Oscar] and I thought it would. This year, the night before the nominations, I thought, “There”s no chance. Look at the list of superstars.” No one really saw this movie, as amazing as it is, but I kind of pushed on my own because I take matters into my own hands. But still, after all that, I thought, “I”m not going to wake up at 5:30.” But 5:30, I got up, and I started getting emails and texts and I was like, “Are you kidding me!?” I was lying in bed with my cat and I flew out and my cat flew with me!

How did you end up composing original songs for films?

A lot of things I do are for movies but a lot of things I do aren”t for movies. When I was a kid, my Dad said he would support me if I went to college. I didn”t want to go to college so I took a bunch of film courses at college in California. I sat at the back of class watching these amazing movies and knew that”s what I wanted to do.

Does your approach change depending on who is singing the song?

I always just try to write a great song. None of these songs I”ve been nominated for did I know who I was writing for. A great song can be sung by different artists.

What was your first Oscar nomination like for “Mannequin?”

It was a long time ago and it was the only one I didn”t write myself; I had a co-composer. How do you get inspired to write a song about a guy that”s in love with a mannequin and that”s the movie”s story?? I never saw it coming as a “classic.” I never thought of that at all. Another one like that was “Coyote Ugly” – it”s become a kind of cult classic and I never saw that coming.

Did you expect any of your songs had the potential to be massive hits? How about “I Don”t Want to Miss A Thing” in particular?

I knew that was possible but a lot has to happen for that to be the case. With Aerosmith, I got so lucky. Kathy Nelson was a good friend of mine and suggested Aerosmith sing the song. I never thought it was going to happen. They had never done a song they didn”t at least co-write (except “Come Together,” a Beatles song). I was shocked when they decided to do the song. I was sitting at the piano, teaching Steven Tyler to sing the song, hearing that voice, and I never thought that would happen…I didn”t write it for them!

What about “How Do I Live” from “Con Air?” That was the year that “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” won…

That was the year that everybody went to the Oscars and, though I don”t drink much, we all could have gotten drunk. Nothing against that movie was going to win. There was definitely mock surprise from Madonna when she opened the envelope. The funny thing is Trisha Yearwood sang [“How Do I Live”] in the movie and Leanne Rimes had a pop hit and Trisha had a #1 Country track. It sold close to 50,000,000 singles. It had all these lives to it, that song. Both [the Yearwood and Rimes versions] were examples of records/artist companies being smart – that”s what having that “Oscar moment” does for a song.

What inspired you to write “Grateful?”

Seeing this movie! A friend of mine had told me about it and said, “You”re going to get an Oscar for this. It”ll be the one.” I saw the movie and I loved it and I thought, after all [the character] goes through, she finally finds who she is, and that inspired me to write “Grateful.”  The thing is, when I do a song for a movie, it has to resonate first and foremost for that movie. But I want people to embrace it [outside the movie] as well.

How would you compare it to other songs you”ve been nominated for?

I think it”s as good as any of these songs. I love this song, what it says, its point of view. You can go through the worst shit imaginable in your life but you can still be grateful.

If it's the beginning of February we're not just talking about who is going to win the Oscars in a few weeks, but who is going to be nominated next year. That's right, another edition of the Sundance Film Festival has come to an end and with it a slew of potential awards season players.  

Sure, we know what you're thinking: “Really? Sundance? Doesn't awards season really start in earnest at Cannes?” Actually, no, no it doesn't. Since it appears this fact escapes anyone who covers the movie industry — let alone Oscar — let's go over it one more time shall we?  

Some quick facts:

– A film that debuted at Sundance has been nominated for Best Picture six out of the last nine years. There were three years, including 2015, where two films were nominated (the other was 2010 when “An Education” and “Precious” and 2011 when “Winter's Bone” and “The Kids Are All Right” earned nods).*

– While a Best Actor nomination is bizarrely rare (“Half Nelson's” Ryan Gosling is the last nominee* and “Shine's” Geoffrey Rush is the only winner), Best Actress is certainly not. Quvenzhané Wallis (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”), Michelle Williams (“Blue Valentine”), Annette Bening (“The Kids Are All Right”), Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter's Bone”) Carey Mulligan (“An Education”), Gabourey Sidibe (“Precious”), Catalina Sandino Moreno (“Maria Full of Grace”), Laura Linney (“The Savages”), Melissa Leo (“Frozen River”) and Sissy Spacek (“In the Bedroom”) all started their nomination journeys in Park City. And, yes, there were two nominees each in 2010 and 2011.

– Best Supporting Actress is hot and cold with Helen Hunt (“The Sessions”), Jacki Weaver (“Animal Kingdom), Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), Amy Adams (“Junebug”), Holly Hunter (“Thirteen”) and Patricia Clarkson (“Pieces of April”). Oh, and one of the most worthy winners of the last decade, Mo'Nique for “Precious.”

– Best Supporting Actor is also up and down, but Mark Ruffalo (“The Kids Are All Right”), John Hawkes (“Winter's Bone”), Woody Harrelson (“The Messenger”), Alec Baldwin (“The Cooler”) and two winners in Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) and Kevin Spacey (“The Usual Suspects”) is nothing to sneeze at.

– Best Director has been tough to crack with Lee Daniels (“Precious”) breaking an 11-year drought following Scott Hicks' nod for “Shine” in 1997. Only Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”) and Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”) have made the cut since.

– Best Adapted Screenplay nominees include “Before Midnight,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Winter's Bone,” “In the Loop,” “An Education,” “The Motorcycle Diaries” “American Splendor,” “In The Bedroom” and one winner, “Gods and Monsters.”

– Best Original Screenplay has found love for “Boyhood,” “Margin Call,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The Messenger,” “In Bruges,” “Frozen River,” “The Savages,” “The Squid and the Whale,” “You Can Count On Me,”  “Shine” and two winners in “The Usual Suspects” and “Little Miss Sunshine.”

And no, we're not going to forget “It's Hard out Here for a Pimp” from “Hustle & Flow” winning Best Original Song (you wouldn't let us anyway).

Now that that is out of the way, how about we talk about what America's greatest film festival will bring to the table in the upcoming season?

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have two potential Best Picture nominees and their names are “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and “Brooklyn.” Boy, Fox Searchlight, who picked up both films after intense bidding wars, has quite a bounty on their hands.  

“Earl,” which won both the Grand Jury Dramatic prize and the Audience Prize, isn't a coming of age movie for kids. It's a coming of age movie for adults. I've raved about it already, but here's a Park City anecdote to consider. One noted filmmaker, whose film appeared at Sundance last year and did quite well at the box office, said that “Earl” “makes me want to be a better filmmaker.” And then he said he couldn't believe he actually said that out loud.

There was a quick backlash from the initial euphoric reaction after the world premiere (basically, media who — predictably — subconsciously went in wanting to tear down what they didn't experience for themselves in the first two public screenings), but once it won the Grand Jury prize over “The Witch” (the cause célèbre of almost every writer under 30) it all flipped. That's because “Earl” was basically anointed, intentionally or not, by jury members Edgar Wright and beloved Sundance alum (“Sin Nombre”) and “True Detective” season one helmer Cary Fukunaga. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, who has worked in Hollywood for quite awhile on the television side, is up for early consideration in the Best Director category and Jesse Andrews will get kudos for adapting his own novel. Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (“Oldboy”) cannot be discounted, regardless of the fact that no Sundance premiere film has ever earned a nod in this category (ouch). Lead Thomas Mann is great, but his performance is likely to earn a nod in a very weak field. Olivia Cooke (aka “the Dying Girl”), on the other hand, may have a much better shot in Best Supporting Actress. And Brian Eno (yes, that Brian Eno) shouldn't be discounted in the original score race either.

“Brooklyn,” however, may become Searchlight's trump card. Adapted by Nick Hornby (“About a Boy,” “Wild”), this is another tearjerker that is just as much a story of female empowerment as a classic romance. Saoirise Ronan has to be considered for Best Actress (it may be her best work to date), Emory Cohen for Best Supporting Actor and even the scene-stealing Julie Walters for Best Supporting Actress. John Crowley will earn Best Director consideration for pulling off a very tough proposition (an earnest tale that plays it “real” when it needs to). Yves Bélanger (“Wild,” “Dallas Buyers Club”) may actually pull off the first Sundance cinematography nod (although if he couldn't for his last two…), and Michael Brook (“Into the Wild,” “The Fighter”) offers a score that's hard to forget. Frankly, one reason “Brooklyn” will become such a player is that, essentially, it's not a typical Sundance film. Half of it takes place in Ireland (the other in period Brooklyn), it's based on a popular novel and it has a classic old Hollywood feel you rarely see in Park City.  It is absolutely an independent production, but usually “Brooklyn” is the sort of movie that would premiere at Telluride or Toronto. In fact, we're going to assume that if it's held for release until Fall, Searchlight is going to try and convince Telluride to break their long tradition of not re-screening Sundance films (outside of tribute-oriented screenings like “An Education'), because “Brooklyn” would kill with that crowd.

But wait, there's more!

Jason Segel is already getting buzz for his first real serious role as author David Foster Wallace in “The End of the Tour.” We'll guess it's a co-lead with Jesse Eisenberg, but A24 might be able to convince people it's supporting if they so choose. Segel is very good in my opinion (not amazing), but many critics adored his performance, which is where it all starts.

It's hard to imagine “The Witch” becoming a Best Picture player, but director Robert Eggers certainly has a shot and is probably an Indie Spirit lock. We've already noted how incredibly tough it is for Sundance films to break the cinematography field, but if there is any justice Jarin Blaschke will at least be a part of the conversation. Katie Dickie (“Game of Thrones,” “Prometheus”) could sneak into Best Supporting Actress, but the movie would really need to break out in a big way for A24 (interesting, them again) to even consider a campaign.

In a perfect world Bel Powley would be considered for Best Actress, but as much as we love “The Dairy of a Teenage Girl” (and we really love it), Sony Classics may be facing an uphill battle for that one considering the subject matter.

Oscar winner Nicole Kidman is quite superb in “Strangerland,” but we're not sure the film will play well enough with art house audiences, let alone SAG or the Academy to allow, for any traction.  It may just be another performance along the lines of “Birth,” “The Paperboy” and “Margot at the Wedding” that just gets added to Kidman's increasingly remarkable resume.

Outside of the narrative categories, Best Documentary Feature has been Sundance's bread and butter for over two decades. 2015 resulted in just one nomination (seriously, that's pitiful for Sundance), but the upcoming season could see “The Wolfpack,” “The Hunting Ground,” “The Russian Woodpecker,” “Meru,” “Cartel Land,” “Best of Enemies,” “Going Clear” and “Western” find themselves in the mix.

And yes, the next awards season doesn't begin in earnest until August, but bookmark this and come back to it before all the fun begins again, won't you?

*Updated thanks to the smart eyes of our loyal readers.

http://players.brightcove.net/4838167533001/BkZprOmV_default/index.html?videoId=4910151389001

BEVERLY HILLS – This year's Oscar-nominated actors and filmmakers convened at the Beverly Hills Hotel Monday afternoon for the Academy's annual Nominees Luncheon. It's a unique event that often finds a number of talented circuit staples in the same room for the first time as relationships are rekindled, new ones are forged and the reality of Oscar dreams really begins to crystallize.

Take “Whiplash” writer/director Damien Chazelle, for instance, nominated for his screenplay. Here is a young man who was an Oscar geek for years, following the race annually, reading sites like In Contention (he was a big fan of the Oscar Talk podcast and skewered me over the weekend for folding it). Now he's standing on a set of risers next to Oprah Winfrey as…an Oscar nominee. His mind must have been blown.

“Song of the Sea” director Tomm Moore, nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, was grinning ear to ear as he flashed a selfie he'd captured with “Birdman” star and Best Actor nominee Michael Keaton. Best Original Song contender Gregg Alexander (“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”) bent “The Boxtrolls” director Anthony Stacchi's ear for a bit about seeing the stop-motion film back home in London and loving its detailed cultural flourishes. And “Boyhood” star Ellar Coltrane, there as a guest of director Richard Linklater's, told me he was excited to track down “American Sniper's” Bradley Cooper and tell him how brilliant he was in “The Elephant Man” on Broadway. (Both Cooper and “Birdman's” Emma Stone, by the way, are back on a flight in the morning to fulfill those stage commitments – she's starring in “Cabaret.”)

Folks like me, we sometimes find ourselves in the unique position of being able to introduce a number of these individuals to one other; while we in the media may talk to them countless times throughout the season, they often miss each other as figures in the overall circus. “The Imitation Game” screenwriter Graham Moore, for instance, often writes while listening to Hans Zimmer's scores. And today he had a chance to meet the composer. After I made the introductions, Moore was nearly speechless listening to the “Interstellar” nominee go on about how much he adored “The Imitation Game” and how he himself was a long-time Alan Turing fanatic desperate to see the mathematician's life depicted on screen. Moments like that, it appears, are what make the event special.

I was seated at a fun table, with “Whiplash” producer David Lancaster (he also produced “Nightcrawler” and, like a number of people, remains bummed that Jake Gyllenhaal couldn't slide into the Best Actor category), “The Boxtrolls” director Graham Annable, “The Phone Call” director Mat Kirkby (Best Live Action Short) and “The Bigger Picture” producer Christopher Hees. On the latter, that was a joy, to be able to talk to him about what is one of the most dynamic and inventive movies nominated in the animated short category. He brought the film's cinematographer Max Williams along as his guest.

A few big names couldn't make the trip, like Alejandro González Iñárritu (still up in Calgary shooting “The Revenant,” which I'm beginning to hear looks AMAZING) and “Inherent Vice” writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson. Some like to gauge the crowd, listening for who gets the biggest burst of applause, but it's sort of obvious that the big stars get the big pops. When Keaton's name was read by Ed Begley Jr., he did get a rousing burst. But “The Theory of Everything's” Eddie Redmayne got a respectably enthusiastic one, too. As did Cooper, for that matter. So there were no clues there to be had regarding the Best Actor race, I'm sorry to report.

Meanwhile, Academy Awards host Neil Patrick Harris was also on hand. Oscarcast producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan said it was a rarity for the host to be available for the luncheon, so that was a nice addition.

They finished the fish, gobbled the dessert, took the big class photo and said their goodbyes. Many of them will be catching flights at the end of the week for the BAFTA Awards, where they'll perhaps run into each other once again in a completely different heady atmosphere. It's all heady, though, particularly for the first-timers. And as Zimmer, who has been to this dance 10 times now, put his arm around Moore, he offered a single note of advice and put it into perspective: “Take it all in. This is for you. It means nothing, and it means everything.”

That would probably be a great tagline for the Oscar season.

Check out this year's Oscar Class of 2014 photo below. You can click for a larger version.

It's been a long and winding road for Eddie Redmayne since “The Theory of Everything” debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.  He's won a Golden Globe, a SAG Award and could be your next Oscar winner in the Lead Actor category.  Somehow, he also managed to find time to get married and begin filming “The Danish Girl” while still trekking back and forth between New York and Los Angeles for numerous awards season events including today's prestigious Oscar luncheon.

One of those events happened to be a private screening of “Theory” hosted by none other than Robert De Niro right before the holidays. As you may know, Redmayne's big Hollywood break came in De Niro's 2006 drama “The Good Shepherd” alongside Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie.  In an incredibly competitive year where many have noted Michael Keaton's numerous Academy friends and Ben Affleck publicly supporting Bradley Cooper that Redmayne has his own share of supporters as well such as De Niro and Anne Hathaway.

Of course, Redmayne is also incredibly deserving of his honor. It's worth noting that considering that “Theory” and “Birdman” have made about the same at the box office and “Imitation Game” has made as much as those two dramas combined that Redmayne still took the Best Actor prize at the SAG Awards. Redmayne's transformation into Stephen Hawking in “Theory” is remarkable and his ability to share the details of his performance (having to jump between different stages of Hawking's condition on the same day of shooting) has only impressed his peers even more.

[And as a commenter noted before I could finish editing this post, we haven't even begun to talk about his expected BAFTA support]

It's going to come down to one of the closest best actor races since Adrien Brody's upset win in 2002.  Sometimes it doesn't hurt to have a little well-deserved love from your friends.

Mauritanian Oscar entry “Timbuktu” came away with top honors at the 2015 Lumière Awards. The film won two prizes, for Best Film and Best Director. Nominations leader “Saint Laurent” took Best Actor for Gaspard Ulliel.

Check out the full list of winners below, the nominees here and the rest of the madness at The Circuit.

Best Film
“Timbuktu”

Best Director
Abderrahmane Sissako, “Timbuktu”

Best Actor
Gaspard Ulliel, “Saint Laurent”

Best Actress
Karin Viard, “The Belier Family” and “Lulu in the Nude”

Best Screenplay
“Serial (Bad) Weddings”

Best Cinematography
“To Life”

Best New Actor
Kevin Azais, “Love at First Fight”

Best New Actress
Louane Emera, “The Belier Family”

Best First Film
“Love at First Fight”

Best French Film from Outside of France
“Two Days, One Night”

Special Award
“Girlhood”

If you couldn't tell from the reactions on social media, It was a very good year in Park City (well, at least on the narrative side). The 2015 Sundance Film Festival featured a dramatic competition with far fewer bad eggs than usual, a NEXT slate which once again got people excited, a number of the noncompetitive premieres that surprised (we're looking at you “Brooklyn”), two closing night films that were reportedly pretty good (a rare occurrence for any film festival) and acclaimed movies that landed distribution deals which you'll be talking about all year long.  

While we endeavored to post as many individual reviews as possible the intensity of Sundance often makes it quite difficult to review everything.  Especially, when you've seen 23 1/2 movies over 8 days.*  Therefore, this post will include a number of capsule reviews for films HitFix has not individually reviewed, my thoughts on films Drew McWeeny and Dan Fienberg may have taken a crack at and links to the complete reviews filed over the festival.  Basically, it's a one-stop shop for all the major independent releases you'll be seeing in your local multiplex or art house theater over the next 12 months.

*The 1/2 is for one film I walked out of that I hope to fully catch down the road. No. 23 will come later this week.

Capsule Reviews:

“Strangerland”
Grade: B-
Lowdown: Kim Farrant's directorial debut finds Nicole Kidman and Joseph Fiennes as two parents trying to adjust to a recent move to a small town in the Australian outback.  One night their sexually rebellious teenage daughter Lily (Maddison Brown) and introverted 12-year-old son Tommy (Nicholas Hamilton) head out for a walk in the desert and – surprise – don't come back.  Admirably, Farrant and screenwriters Michael Kinirons and Fiona Seres are much more interested in the impact this event has on Kidman's somewhat repressed character than the inevitable search itself.  Kidman is quite good here. In fact, it might be one of her finer performances this decade.  The problem, arguably, is that Farrant is too precious with the material. She attempts to throw layers upon layters of artistic significance to the story which drag out the proceedings (oooh, another moody aerial shot over the desert).  The result is a drama with impressive performances across the board (including Hugo Weaving as the equivalent of a local Sheriff) that simply leaves you wanting at the end.

“Songs My Brothers Taught Me”
Grade: A-
Lowdown: Already one of the more underrated films of this year's festival, “Brothers” is a captivating portrait of a Johnny (John Reddy), a young Native American who plans on leaving South Dakota's Pine Ridge reservation and following his girlfriend to Los Angeles after high school graduation.  His 13-year-old sister, Jashaun (Jashaun St. John), takes this news particularly hard and begins to venture out in the community looking for other male role models to fill his expected void.  Johnny, who sells alcohol on the black market, is just trying to survive the threat of reservation gangs and the local police catching him in time to make the trip.  Writer and drector Chloé Zhao fashions an absolutely heartbreaking and compelling tale that provides an insight into this little seen part of modern day America without becoming preachy or becoming distracted from her narrative.  Outside of the charismatic performances from local residents, Zhao benefits from the exemplary camerawork from cinematographer Joshua James Richards.

“Results”
Grade: C-
Lowdown: Director Andrew Bujalski has his fans after mumblecore classics such as “Computer Chess” and “Funny Ha Ha,” among other films, but his first effort with real Hollywood talent just doesn't work. Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders play physical trainers who appear destined for a romantic relationship, but only their insufferable client (Kevin Corrigan) seems to recognize it.  Unfortunately, the film's biggest problem is that Pearce and Smulders just don't have any natural chemistry on screen together. The fact Corrigan's character is also incredibly grating and unsympathetic only makes the proceedings less compelling. Anthony Michael Hall shows up towards the end as a funny Russian Cross Fit advocate, but when he's really the only character generating any laughs (and this is clearly supposed to be a comedy), you've got issues.

'Nasty Baby'
Grade: B-
Lowdown:  Sebastián Silva returns to Sundance two years after “Crystal Fair” and “Magic Magic” with a Brooklyn-set story about a gay couple (Silva, TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe) trying to have a baby with one of their best friends (Kristen Wiig).  While the film's main plot line centers on Silva's character trying to convince his partner to donate his sperm once his own is deemed insufficient, “Nasty Baby” also focuses on the seemingly constant disruption caused by an older neighbor (a very good Reg E. Cathey) who is clearly suffering from mental issues (and harasses Wiig's character on a number of occasions.)  Silva takes the story down a very dark road, but why is truly unclear. “Baby” often seems like two films.  One, a modern take on the complexities of three people trying to have a baby together (never easy no matter how good the intentions) and, two, a window into the clashes gentrification can lead to on just one city block.  In theory, both subjects are ripe for a realistic portrayal on the big screen, but Silva can't make it work cohesively.  Wiig and Adebimpe, in particular, give strong performances that help elevate the material when it needs it.

Additional takes:

“Z for Zachariah”
Grade: B
Drew McWeeny's review: A-
My take: Margot Robbie and Chiwetel Ejiofor are fantastic in Craig Zobel's adaptation of the classic Robert C. O'Brien novel.  Unfortunately, the ending feels anti-climactic (especially when you learn how the book ended).

“I Am Michael”
Grade: B-
Drew McWeeny review: C+
My take: James Franco gives one of his better performances in recent memory and Justin Kelly is more talented than he's been given credit for so far, but you question whether the film's insistence of trying to play both sides of this “Ex-Gay's” story was the right way to go.  Is it irresponsible? Is it fair? I still can't decide.

“The Bronze”
Grade: C+
Drew McWeeny review: C+
My take: Melissa Rauch came up with a great idea. Hope, a former America's sweetheart who dramatically won a Bronze medal, can't get over her one shot in the spotlight and, 12 years later, is forced to coach the nation's next potential gold medal gymnast (a wonderful Haley Lu Richardson). There is a lot that should work here, but Rauch should have excused herself from playing the title character.  She just can't make Hope likable enough so that when the redemption arc hits in the third act the audience actually cares. Moreover, outside of one amazing sex scene with Sebastian Stan (seriously, it's great), the movie just isn't funny enough and, often, that's because Rauch's one note portrayal of Hope.  Worth noting, however, that Thomas Middleditch comes close to saving the movie as Ben, Hope's unexpected love interest.

“The Stanford Prison Experiment”
Grade: B+
Drew McWeeny review: A –
My take: Kyle Patrick Alvarez fashions an intentionally uncomfortable drama about the notorious 1971 psychological experiment that might make you angry it happened in the first place (which is a good thing). More impressive, the up and coming twentysomething cast is superb across the board. Not a false note from any of them.

“The End of the Tour”
Grade: B
Dan Fienberg review: B+
My take: Jason Segal is very good as David Foster Wallace, but its hard to understand why the weekend the film depicts meant so much to David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg),a reporter assigned to interview the famed author. James Ponsoldt, who brought a soulful realism to “The Spectacular Now” and “Smashed,” might have been better served by a screenplay that didn't diminish some of the darker revelations from Lipsky's memoir the film is based on, “Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself.”

“The Witch”
Grade: B
Drew McWeeny review: A
My take:  Gorgeously shot with strong performances, Robert Eggers' period thriller is not as original as it portends to be until a surprising third act which leaves you wishing the film had teased it's ending a bit more.

“Mississippi Grind”
Grade: B-
Drew McWeeny review: B
My take: If you love movies about hustlers and people with gambling addictions than “Grind” is for you.  It's well made and has some wonderful lines of dialogue, but, boy, you need to love the subject matter.  That being said, it's nice to see that Ryan Reynolds has realized if he plays characters with a little less snark he can be the new George Clooney for the next decade (and that's a compliment).

Here's a listing of films I fully reviewed with links to the complete review included.

“I Smile Back”
Grade: C
Complete review

“Dope”
Grade: B+
Complete review

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”
Grade: A
Complete review

“The Overnight”
Grade: B+
Complete review

“Brooklyn”
Grade: A-
Complete review

“Mistress America”
Grade: A-
Complete review

“True Story”
Grade: C+
Complete review

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl”
Grade: A –
Complete review

“The D Train”
Grade: B+
Complete review

“Stockholm, Pennsylvania”
Grade: C
Complete review

“Summer of Sungaile”
Grade: B-
Complete review

A review of the fantastic “Tangerine” will be coming later this week.

SANTA BARBARA – Saturday night the Santa Barbara International Film Festival shook things up a bit with the annual Modern Master Award tribute, this year dedicated to “Birdman” star Michael Keaton. Colleagues and co-stars sent pre-recorded messages to honor the actor, emotions ran high at the end of the evening and the fest had a special surprise in store for moderator Leonard Maltin as well.

First, the retrospective. It was a typical deep dive into a career, the highlights of which you can read in our recent series of interviews with the actor. Keaton was clearly overwhelmed by seeing things in this context as his “Multiplicity” co-star Andie MacDowell was on hand to present an introductory clip package of career highlights. “I feel like I'm gonna pass out,” he said as he took the stage to begin the evening.

Maltin noted Keaton's first scene from “Night Shift,” as we hear the boisterous Blaze Blazejowski grunting The Rolling Stones' “Jumpin' Jack Flash” before we see his shadow through a frosted window pane and suddenly watch him burst through the door with a casual “what's up” head bob. “Here was the debut of a new screen personality,” Maltin said. Interestingly enough, and due respect to the Stones, Keaton found the comedic, boppy rhythm of the character by listening to Bruce Springsteen's “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”

Keaton talked about needing a way into the character of Batman so as not to feel silly that the Caped Crusader's secret identity wouldn't be patently obvious. So he focused on a growl for the voice. But the incredible discomfort of the heavy Bat suit (which constricted his breathing), allowed the claustrophobic actor to go deeper and darker inside an alienated soul and it ended up working for the character, he said.

He praised the work of John Schlesinger (“Pacific Heights”) and the fortunate opportunity of being able to collaborate with him. He recalled laughing all day long on the sets of “Multiplicity” and “The Other Guys” (the latter his first real foray into comedy in some time). And he explained the blessing of needing to change his name from Michael John Douglas to Michael Keaton in order to satisfy SAG rules. “It meant 'this is my work, and this is my life,'” he said, as he does not use the Keaton surname in any other element of his life. That's notable for an individual who so fiercely maintains an out-of-the-fray lifestyle.

Throughout the evening, Keaton was surprised by little video messages from friends and colleagues. His Montana neighbor Jeff Bridges sent one in via iPhone, twirling around and shouting, “I think you're gonna win this thing, maaaannn! Wooooo!” Winona Ryder, in introducing a “Beetlejuice” clip, offered touching thoughts from snowy Sundance. “The Paper” and “A Shot at Glory” co-star Robert Duvall praised sharing a set with him and “listening and talking,” as the 84-year-old actor likes to boil acting down to. Alejandro González Iñárritu offered a thoughtful ode to his new friend and cohort. And maybe the biggest surprise for Keaton came when his “Johnny Dangerously” and “Batman Returns” co-star Danny DeVito took the stage to present the actual award itself.

But before that moment, SBIFF Executive Director had a surprise for Maltin as well. Maltin has always moderated this particular evening, the Modern Master tribute. It's the highest honor the fest bestows, and from now on, Durling said, it will be known as the Maltin Modern Master Award, Keaton receiving the first annual. It was a touching aside, but it came after a hugely emotional moment for Durling on a personal note.

The film enthusiast, who has turned this event into something truly special over the last many years, used to own a coffee shop in Summerland a few stops down the 101. And Keaton would often come in for a cup of joe and to talk about movies with him. It always meant a lot to Durling, that this star would take that time to build that relationship – this was long before Durling's affiliation with the festival – and it was enough for Durling, holding back tears, to say that he felt all of this, growing the festival, establishing a series of tributes during the annual awards season, was so that one day he would be able to honor his friend.

He had the opportunity to finally do that Saturday, just as the Academy, of course, has the opportunity to finally do that on Feb. 22. And it was a heartwarming moment for an event that seems to top itself in that regard each and every year.

http://players.brightcove.net/4838167533001/BkZprOmV_default/index.html?videoId=4911571971001

The 42nd Annual Annie Awards were handed out on a busy Saturday night in the awards world and “How To Train Your Dragon 2” was the big winner.  

The DreamWorks Animation blockbuster (it's true) took home six Annies including Best Animated Feature and Directing (Dean DeBlois). While the entire Academy votes on the Best Animated Feature category, this endorsement from the animation community can't hurt in a very competitive year.

Other big winners included “The Simpsons,” Amazon's “Tumble Leaf” and Oscar frontrunner “Feast” for the Best Animated Short Subject honor. “The Boxtrolls'” Sir Ben Kingsley took home the award for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production and Phil Lord and Christoper Miller won for Writing in an Animated Feature for “The LEGO Movie.”

A complete list of this year's honorees is as follows:

Best Animated Feature
“How to Train Your Dragon 2,” DreamWorks Animation

Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Dean DeBlois, “How to Train Your Dragon 2”; DreamWorks Animation

Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Aaron Springer, “Disney Mickey Mouse”; Disney Television Animation

Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
“The Simpsons,” Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television

Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For a Childrens Audience
“Gravity Falls,” Disney Television Animation

Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children
“Tumble Leaf,” Amazon Studios

Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, “The LEGO Movie”; Warner Bros. Pictures

Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Darrick Bachman, “Disney Mickey Mouse”; Disney Television Animation

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Sir Ben Kingsley as the voice of Archibald Snatcher, “The Boxtrolls”; Focus Features/Laika

Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Bill Farmer as the voice of Goofy and Grandma, “Disney Mickey Mouse”; Disney Television Animation

Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial
“Flight of the Stories,” Aardman Animations

Best Animated Special Production
“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” Voyager Pictures LLC

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Paul Lasaine, Tom McClure, August Hall, “The Boxtrolls”; Focus Features/Laika

Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Narina Sokolova, “Mickey Shorts”; Disney

Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
Fabio Lignini, “How to Train Your Dragon 2”; DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Justin Nichols, “Wander Over Yonder”; Disney Television Animation

Character Animation in a Video Game
Mike Mennillo, “Assassin's Creed Unity”; Ubisoft

Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Daniel Barrett, Paul Story, Eteuati Tema, Alessandro Bonora, Dejan Momcilovic, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”; Weta Digital

Best Animated Short Subject
“Feast,” Walt Disney Animation Studios

Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Steve Avoujageli, Atsushi Ikarashi, Pawel Grochola, Paul Waggoner, Viktor Lundqvist, “Edge of Tomorrow”; Sony Pictures Imageworks

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Michael Kaschalk, Peter DeMund, David Hutchins, Henrik Falt, John Kosnik, “Big Hero 6”; Walt Disney Animation Studios

Music in an Animated Feature Production
John Powell, Jónsi, “How to Train Your Dragon 2”; DreamWorks Animation

Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Christopher Willis, “Disney Mickey Mouse”; Disney Television Animation

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Paul Sullivan, Sandra Equihua, Jorge R. Gutierrez, “The Book of Life”; Reel FX

Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Benjamin Balistreri, “Wander Over Yonder”; Disney Television Animation

Best Video Game
“Valiant Hearts: The Great War,” Ubisoft

Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
John K. Carr, “How to Train Your Dragon 2”; DreamWorks Animation

Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Illya Owens, “Disney Mickey Mouse”; Disney Television Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Truong “Tron” Son Mai, “How to Train Your Dragon 2”; DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Joaquim Dos Santos, “Legend of Korra, Venom of the Red Lotus”; Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Best Student Film
Jason Rayner, “My Big Brother”; Savannah College of Art and Design

Winsor McCay Award
Didier Brunner
Lee Mendelson
Don Lusk

June Foray Award
Charles Solomon

UbIwerks Award
DreamWorks Animation”s Apollo Software

Special Achievement Award
The Walt Disney Family Museum

The Art Directors Guild handed out their 2015 awards and outside of a Marvel Studios win in the Fantasy Film category, there weren't many surprises.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” arguably the Oscar frontrunner, took home the Period Film honor. “Budapest's” studio stablemate “Birdman” won the Contemporary Film award and “Guardians of the Galaxy” beat out “Interstellar” and “Into the Woods” in the Fantasy Film category.  

Notable TV winners included “Game of Thrones,” “True Detective,” “Silicon Valley” and the 86th Academy Awards.

The night also featured Anne Hathaway presenting the Guild's Cinematic Imagery Award to Christopher Nolan and George Clooney handing Production Designer Jim Bissell (“E.T.,” “300,” “Good Night, and Good Luck.”) the Lifetime Achievement Award.  

Presenters on hand included Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”), Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”), Tony Hale (“Veep”), Mayim Bialik (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Margo Martindale (“The Americans”).

A complete list of all of this year's winners is as follows;

FEATURE FILM

Period Film
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen

Fantasy Film
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
Production Designer: Charles Wood

Contemporary Film
“Birdman”
Production Designer: Kevin Thompson

TELEVISION

One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Television Series
“Game of Thrones” – “The Laws of Gods and Men,” “The Mountain and the Viper”
Production Designer: Deborah Riley

One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Television Series
“True Detective” – “The Locked Room,” “Form and Void”    
Production Designer: Alex DiGerlando

Television Movie or Mini-Series
“American Horror Story: Freak Show” – “Massacres and Matinees”
Production Designer: Mark Worthington

Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series
“Silicon Valley” – “Articles of Incorporation,” “Signaling Risk,” “Optimal Tip-To-Tip Efficiency”
Production Designer: Richard Toyon

Multi-Camera Television Series
“The Big Bang Theory” – “The Locomotive Manipulation,” “The Convention Conundrum,” “The Status Quo Combustion”
Production Designer: John Shaffner

Awards or Event Special
“86th Annual Academy Awards”
Production Designer: Derek McLane

Short Format: WebSeries, Music Video or Commercial
Apple – “Perspective”
Production Designer: Sean Hargreaves

Variety, Competition, Reality, or Game Show Series
“Portlandia” – “Celery”
Production Designer: Tyler B. Robinson

LOS ANGELES – It may be hard to believe, but the USC Scripter Award is honoring its 27th recipient this year. The Scripter is the equivalent of an Adapted Screenplay honor for both the screenwriter and the author of the original source material. The last five winners were “Up in the Air,” “The Social Network,” “The Descendants,” “Argo” and “12 Years A Slave.” Your 2015 winner? The duo behind “The Imitation Game.”

Andrew Hodges, author of “Alan Turing: The Enigma,” wasn't on hand, but screenwriter Graham Moore was and the Oscar nominee seemed to be caught off guard by the win.

“I need to thank the man who made 'The Imitation Game,' my director Morten Tyldum,” Moore said in accepting the award. “I would do an impression of his Norwegian accent, but all he'd say was, 'Good job Gra-ham!' Our producers Nora Grossman and Teddy Schwarzman, whose tireless dedication brought this story to life and Alan Turing's life on screen. They are the reason I am here now.”

He continued, “I'll tell you guys now that if you want to write for the screen there is this actor and if you get him to read your lines it seems witty and smart and brilliant and his name – it's weird to say – it's Benedict Cumberbatch. Look him up. Swear to god, that kid is going places.”

Moore also noted, “Alan Turing never got to stand on a stage and hear people applaud for his name and I do right now and that's a profound injustice. All I can do is that state is that for the rest of my life I can endeavor to repair it. This is for Alan.”

Other nominees on hand included Anthony McCarten (“The Theory of Everything”), author Cheryl Strayed (“Wild”). Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”), Paul Thomas Anderson and Thomas Pynchon (“Inherent Vice”), Jane Hawking (“The Theory of Everything”) and Hodges did not attend the ceremony.

The event, which acts as a fundraiser for the USC Libraries, also honored writer Walter Mosley with the Scripter Literary Achievement Award. Best known for his novel “Devil in a Blue Dress,” Mosley gave an insightful speech about how it was the librarians who were the last line of holding individual freedoms after the events of Sept. 11.

As for Moore, he'll go up against Damien Chazelle for “Whiplash,” Jason Hall for “American Sniper” as well as Anderson and McCarten for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar on Feb. 22.

The 2015 Sundance Film Festival concluded on Saturday (January 31) night with a Tig Notaro-hosted award ceremony in which it seemed like nearly everything was given an award by one of the Festival's juries.

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, won both the US Dramatic Jury Prize and Audience Prize, an increasingly less rare double.

On the US Documentary side, Crystal Moselle's “The Wolfpack” won the Grand Jury Prize, but “Meru” won the Audience Award.

John Maclean's “Slow West” won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, while Chad Garcia's “Russian Woodpecker” was the World Cinema Documentary Grand Prize winner.

While “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” was one of the most buzzed-about titles in the US Dramatic Competition, several other rave-winners picked up key prizes on Saturday night, including the Grand Jury Directing Award to Robert Eggers for “The Witch,” the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Tim Talbott for “The Stanford Prison Experiment” and a cinematography prize to Brandon Trost for “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.”

The exhaustive honorees are as follows:

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary:
The Wolfpack / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) 

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews)

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary:
The Russian Woodpecker / United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) 

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic:
Slow West / United Kingdom, New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: John Maclean) 

The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary:
Meru / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi)

The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews)

The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary:
Dark Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond)

The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic:
Umrika / India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair)

The Audience Award: NEXT:
James White / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) 

The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary:
Matthew Heineman for Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman)

The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic:
Robert Eggers for The Witch / U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers)

The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary:
Kim Longinotto for Dreamcatcher / United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) – 

The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic:
Alanté Kavaïté for The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, The Netherlands (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté)

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic:
Tim Talbott for The Stanford Prison Experiment / U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott)

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact:
Marc Silver for 3½ MINUTES / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver)

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Vérité Filmmaking:
Bill Ross and Turner Ross for Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross)

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Break Out First Feature:
Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe for (T)ERROR / U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe)

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography:
Matthew Heineman for Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman)

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography:
Brandon Trost for The Diary of a Teenage Girl / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller)

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Excellence in Editing:
Lee Haugen for Dope / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa)

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Collaborative Vision:
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang)

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Unparalleled Access:
The Chinese Mayor / China (Director: Hao Zhou)

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact:
Pervert Park / Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors)

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing:
Jim Scott for How to Change the World / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell)

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography:
Germain McMicking for Partisan / Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) 

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting:
Jack Reynor for Glassland / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) 

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting:
Regina Casé and Camila Márdila for The Second Mother / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert)

Last night “Key & Peele” delivered a Super Bowl-centric special edition of their regular show on Comedy Central and, needless to say, it killed. Show stars and creators Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key delivered another edition of their popular East/West Bowl skits, but they also released a bit that is laugh-out-loud funny for anyone who follows both awards season and the NFL.

With Peele playing Seattle Seahawk Marshawn Lynch and Key as his energetic teammate Richard Sherman, a mandatory press conference turned into, well…honestly, we just can't spoil it.

(Hint to Neil Patrick Harris and the Academy Awards producers who shall not be named: Maybe these guys should present this year? Or give them a skit? It's not too late is it?)

Enjoy and remember: “Biscuits and Gravy.”

(Oh and you can check out the latest edition of the East/West bowl below it.)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_ozofiGPJo]

SANTA BARBARA – Controversy was at the forefront of discussion Saturday at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's annual Writers Panel featuring behind-the-keyboard talent involved with some of the year's most celebrated films, all of them nominated for Academy Awards for their work.

With “American Sniper” lighting up the box office and a tempest swirling around who Chris Kyle was, screenwriter and former actor Jason Hall claimed his work wasx was a willful dissection of a soldier “back home, but not back.” Moderator Anne Thompson framed a question regarding negative response to the film quite favorably for Hall, calling it a “Rorschach” reflective of personal politics, so anything regarding Kyle's reported racism wasn't directly addressed. But Hall did say that the late soldier's memoir should be considered in a certain context.

“This book is out in the world, so people think this is Chris Kyle,” he said. “But this guy was back from the war, he had PTSD, and this is what we created. It's unnatural to take a human life. These people have to become something else to do this job…We know what we intended to do. This is a movie about a soldier, exploring the archetype of a warrior and what that cost is and what that cost is to his family.”

The moment got a burst of applause from the audience, but much like “Unbroken's” filmmakers frequently calling that film a story of forgiveness – information more or less tossed away in the film's postscript cards – this is a thematic assertion largely unexplored in the text of “American Sniper,” a movie that never comes around to depicting Kyle in any notably unlikable terms. There was no follow-up with this in mind.

Meanwhile, “The Imitation Game” writer Graham Moore was asked about the perception that his film skirts the issue of computer pioneer Alan Turing's homosexuality by not depicting any sort of relationship or tryst. “Most of the movie takes place at Bletchley, where he was famously celibate,” Moore said, also noting that he didn't feel that Turing ever fell in love again after an early romance. “He wrote a letter to a friend where he described Bletchley as a 'sexual desert.' It's not like we cut it out. It never came up.”

However, spinning things in the direction of the film's current campaign strategy – Harvey Weinstein and Benedict Cumberbatch, along with actor Stephen Fry, recently called for the pardon of the 49,000 British men persecuted in the 1950s for being gay, as Turing was – he noted that the controversy is a good thing. “I'm excited about the debate happening around 'The Imitation Game' because it's a debate I want to happen in culture,” Moore said. “We're really glad our film can be a part of that conversation…Alan Turing wasn't a gay mathematician, he was a mathematician who happened to be gay, and we felt that was an important cultural statement.” Moreover, he said the film was never intended as the last word on Alan Turing. It was intended as the first word.

There was no conversation, however, about the notion that Turing's covering for a spy in the film (a fabrication to make a dramatic point about him being closeted) has left many in the UK offended, as that would constitute treason.

Others on the panel included Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”), Max Frye (“Foxcatcher”), Alex Dinelaris (“Birdman”), Dan Gilroy (“Nightcrawler”) and Anthony McCarten (“The Theory of Everything”).

Chazelle addressed the Academy's unexpected decision ahead of the nominations announcement to categorize his film as an adapted screenplay rather than original. This despite the fact that it was a published original script before a short film was produced using one of its scenes. “The fact that we were talking about what category the script would be considered in for an Academy Award, we were like, 'This is the greatest problem in the world,'” he joked. Ironically, though, after the panel he said there was discussion in the “Whiplash” camp early on about where they should campaign the script, but all involved felt an adapted push would be category fraud. And now…

Dinelaris talked a bit about the unique process of writing “Birdman” with so many collaborators. He recalled the impetus for the idea, when he got a call from director Alejandro González Iñárritu. “He said, 'I want to try and do a film in one take,'” Dinelaris recalled. “'And it will take place in a theater. And it's a comedy.' I was like, 'Who is this?'” To say the least, such a project was outside of the auteur's wheelhouse.

There was a lot of Skyping involved between Los Angeles, New York and Buenos Aires to realize the script, but the biggest challenge, Dinelaris said, “is that you realize when you do a film like this, 95% of what you put on the page is going to be on the screen. That's the scariest thing in the world.” Indeed, with the rhythms of the film being absolute and not a construct of post-production and editing, things had to be planned rigidly in advance, not just with production, but in the writing process, too.

Frye was a highlight, cracking a few jokes with the jovial panel. Listening to everyone talk about their upcoming projects – Hall with Steven Spielberg, McCarten with George Clooney, Moore with Michael Mann – he felt like he really needed to get things into gear. “This is why I don't read the trades,” he quipped. He also talked a bit about he and co-writer Dan Futterman (who worked separately) finding their way into “Foxcatcher” by realizing the importance of Dave Schultz to the story. The character was not originally part of the mixture.

Gilroy, meanwhile, talked about the freedom of writing something as rule-breaking as “Nightcrawler,” which became a financial and critical success in the heightened genre realm. “I feel increasingly strained by the small box you're in [as a writer],” he said. “'Characters have to be redemptive.' 'You have to like them.' And I was just in an ornery mood. So I came up with a character who has no arc, no redemption.” The crowd, full of its share of screenwriters, erupted into applause at that.

Finally, McCarten talked about having wanting to tell Stephen Hawking's story on screen, but feeling locked out of much of its power because of the famed physicist often blocking any meaningful glimpse at his private life. Jane Hawking's book changed that, and so he hopped on a train and showed up on her front door, hat in hand.

“This book was extremely candid insight,” he said. “It's always the person who is the footnote in history, but he himself said he couldn't accomplish what he did without her.”

Speaking of which, yes, the elephant in the room was broached by Thompson: there were no women on the panel. Apparently the festival tried to lure “Gone Girl” writer Gillian Flynn, but she couldn't make it. Would anyone in this group be willing to address the question of why there aren't more female screenwriters in the industry? No one seemed to be willing to touch it, and perhaps with good cause.

“I don't think anyone here is qualified to address that question,” Moore said. “We're all a bunch of dudes.”

One thing was pretty certain going into Friday night's ACE Eddie Awards ceremony honoring the best in editing: “Boyhood” was an odds-on lock to win the drama prize, and is, as ever, the frontrunner to win the Oscar in the category. So that happened. With “Birdman” tearing up the guild circuit, though, certainly plenty of us had an eye on it coming out on top in the comedy field, despite a lacking Oscar nod. Alas, that didn't happen.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which was nominated for a film editing Oscar, came out on top. Cue more “what does it all mean” dialogue. It doesn't mean that much, though. There used to be a stat some folks would cling to re: ACE's place in the Best Picture build, but “12 Years a Slave” (nor “Gravity,” for that matter) didn't win there. “The King's Speech” didn't win there. “No Country for Old Men,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “American Beauty,” “Shakespeare in Love,” etc. Let's not put too much on it.

And I'm not saying “Birdman” is sitting pretty, either. No, this race is super close, with at least five films right in the thick of the Best Picture hunt. That's a good thing! But answers aren't readily available, either. And I don't even think the DGA can clear things up if they go with anyone other than Alejandro G. Iñárritu. So all eyes turn to them next weekend. For now…

Check out the full list of ACE winners below, nominees here and the rest of the fun at The Circuit.

Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)
“Boyhood” (Sandra Adair, ACE)

Best Editing Feature Film (Comedy or Musical)
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” (Barney Pilling)

Best Edited Animated Feature Film
“The LEGO Movie” (David Burrow & Chris McKay)

Best Edited Documentary (Feature)
“CITIZENFOUR” (Mathilde Bonnefoy)

Best Edited Documentary (Television)
“The Roosevelts: An Intimate History” – “Episode 3: The Fire of Life” (Eric Ewers)

Best Editing Half-Hour Series for Television
“Veep” – “Special Relationship” (Anthony Boys)

Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television
“Sherlock” – “His Last Vow” (Yan Miles)

Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television
“True Detective” – “Who Goes There” (Affonso Gonçalves)

Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television
“The Normal Heart” (Adam Penn)

Best Edited Non-Scripted Series
“Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” – “Iran” (Hunter Gross)

Best Student Editing
Johnny Sepulveda (Video Symphony)

Lifetime Career Achievement
Diane Adler

Lifetime Career Achievement
Jerry Greenberg

Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award
Frank Marshall

Wow, what a Sundance! The 2015 edition of America's most prestigious film festival was once again full of standing ovations, slight controversies and late night bidding wars for films that will be headed your way very soon. And that's a major emphasis on why a throng of the nation's media head to Park City every year.

By the end of the year films such as “Dope,” “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” “The Witch” and “Brooklyn” might be on your personal top 10 list. You likely will have caught documentaries such as “Going Clear,” “Montage of Heck” and “How To Dance in Ohio” on HBO, “Dreamcatcher,” “Listen to me, Marlon” and “Prophet's Prey” on Showtime, “The Hunting Ground” on CNN and “What Happened, Miss Simone” on Netflix. And notable pockets of the country will buzz about “The Overnight,” “The D Train” and “Knock, Knock” (and not for the reasons you might suspect).

Sundance was once again a smorgasbord for upcoming American movies that don't feature Captain America or a talking teddy bear (not that those are bad things) and, trust us, you have a lot to look forward to at your local art house movie theater or multiplex.

Keeping all that in mind, check out our best and worst of this year's festival in the embedded story gallery below.

Oh, and a personal “best” from the HitFix staff: It's always great (and a rare occurrence) when no one gets sick at Sundance. Whew.

Which Sundance title are you most excited to see? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is already well underway this year and the tribute circuit got off to the races last night with a toast to “The Theory of Everything” stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Tonight Jennifer Aniston will get the same treatment while Michael Keaton makes the stop tomorrow.

Over the weekend, the event's annual Screenwriters Panel (“It Starts With The Script”) will take place with Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”), Alex Dinelaris (“Birdman”), Max Frye (“Foxcatcher”), Dan Gilroy (“Nightcrawler”), Jason Hall (“American Sniper”), Anthony McCarten (“The Theory of Everything”) and Graham Moore (“The Imitation Game”) commiserating about the fear of a blank page.

That will be followed by a panel of producing talent (“Movers and Shakers”) featuring Lisa Bruce (“The Theory of Everything”), John Kilik (“Foxcatcher”), John Lesher (“Birdman”), Robert Lorenz (“American Sniper”), Teddy Schwarzman (“The Imitation Game”) and Cathleen Sutherland (“Boyhood”).

There will also be the annual Virtuosos event on Sunday, which used to be pretty confined with four upstarts or breakouts being recognized. But it's become a bit unruly as of late. This time around Chadwick Boseman, Ellar Coltrane, Logan Lerman, David Oyelow, Rosamund Pike, J.K. Simmons and Jenny Slate will each take the stage for a few choice minutes each. (Assuming no one bails like recent years.)

Next week, the directors panel will take place – featuring an awards component this time around (they're all getting an Outstanding Director of the Year Award). Chazelle, Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”), Bennett Miller (“Foxcatcher”), Laura Poitras (“CITIZENFOUR”) and Morten Tyldum (“The Imitation Game”) will participate. And the tributes will continue as well, as Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette will get a combined fete Thursday and “Foxcatcher” star Steve Carell will wrap those up on Friday.

Things will wind down with the annual women's panel (“Women in the Biz”), featuring producers Bonnie Arnold (“How to Train Your Dragon 2”), Carolyn Blackwood (“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”), Kristin Hahn (“Cake”), Joanna Natasegara (“Virunga”) and Kristina Reed (“Feast”), as well as directors Rory Kennedy (“Last Days in Vietnam”) and Aneta Kopacz (“Joanna”).

It's a full program, one that has become even more packed to the gills, it seems, over the years. It's a well-positioned fest to capitalize on the awards season and showcase the talent of the circuit one more time on the road to the Oscars, and I'll dip my toe in this weekend and next week for some of the fun myself.

The 30th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival is on-going and runs through Saturday, Feb. 7.

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“A Most Violent Year” may not have cracked any of the Academy's categories…but so what? It's one of the best films of last year, a stylish ode to the oft-longed-for craftsmanship of the '70s with two of the year's most compelling performances from Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain (and nothing to sneeze at from their co-stars, to be sure).

Isaac and Chastain studied acting together at Juilliard, and as director J.C. Chandor notes in the exclusive featurette above, they've pretty much known each other as long as their husband and wife characters in the film. That dynamic makes for fun fireworks on screen and the whole cast is really dialed in, from Albert Brooks' consigliere of sorts to David Oyelowo's dogged district attorney. Alex Ebert's emotive score (and amazing closing credits song), Bradford Young's jaw-dropping cinematography – it's a very rich cinema experience, and it's finally opening wide tomorrow.

So consider that a hearty recommendation for the weekend if you haven't seen the film yet. It'll be well-remembered, Oscars or not.

Learn more from behind the scenes in the clip above.

SANTA MONICA – It's been really easy for the media to talk about “Birdman” and Michael Keaton's award-winning performance in terms of being a “comeback,” and of course, the meta angle of playing an actor who formerly starred as a superhero is just begging for attention. On one hand it's a fortunate hook to help sell the movie, but on the other, it's been a pretty simplistic reduction, not necessarily one that Keaton has had a big problem with, but one that could certainly be discussed with a little more nuance.

You might have to go back to the late '90s for examples of the actor's work that really landed culturally, but in the time since, while he's certainly taken a few breathers, he's worked very consistently. He's done TV spots on popular shows. He's starred in acclaimed TV movies like “Live from Baghdad” and the TNT miniseries “The Company.” He's struck up a relationship with Pixar and he's even cranked out a directorial debut.

So in wrapping up a series of chats with the actor today, we focus a bit on that, what he's done over the last decade or so and what's been important to him during that stretch, the build to “Birdman” and the work that went into a powerhouse performance that now finds him nominated for his first Oscar.

Read through the back and forth below.

“Birdman” was nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Actor. The film hits DVD/Blu-ray Feb. 17.

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HitFix: Congratulations on the Golden Globe win. I loved your speech. Obviously I don't know you but just observationally, it seemed to capture who you are in this business. It wasn't a broad, lofty statement or anything. It was personal. I thought that was nice.

Michael Keaton: Oh, thanks.

A certain amount of people every year get to go on this weird awards circuit roller coaster. What's been the most unexpected thing about it for you?

Probably – and you'd think one would, after a while, figure this out or learn this – that things are very often not what you think they're going to be. I wouldn't have predicted that it would have been as easy for me to do all this and talk about – I don't really like talking about myself very much, and unfortunately, you don't have a choice for these months. But I'm a little surprised that it's as easy to do all this stuff as it is. I mean it's really grueling in a lot of ways but I guess I'm surprised. I think maybe the reason it's easy is, as a couple of the other actors on the movie have said, it's so easy to talk about this movie and promote this movie. And I don't think I've even hit 60% of everything that you can discuss about this movie. I could really bore people to death and take up too much of their time going into so much about this movie, because there's so many levels to it, so many angles to discuss if you really want to. I like it so much and I'm so knocked out by it.

I always say, take me out of the equation, I'm still knocked out by this movie; it doesn't even matter if I'm doing this. And I'm pretty convinced that as much as people think they're getting what Alejandro did, they're not getting what he did. Forget the long shot thing. It's all the things he managed to say and do and how unapologetic he is about what he wants to say about really raw human things and do it with laughs and then do it with subtlety and then be huge and then be small. And then the way he and Chivo, the accomplishment in shooting with one camera and the look and sometimes even the psychedelic vibe to it. There's a portion in the movie that's a big ass action movie for a minute. I mean, it's a full-on – all of a sudden you're in a giant action movie. And then for him to stay on top of the acting and what we wanted to say, if you talk about filmMAKING, making a film, directing a film, beginning to end, with a vision, writing it and then completing it, how do you not – sorry man…

And a lot of people get hung up on the meta thing, too, but it's obviously so much more than that. It's like there's so much paint splattered on the canvas, but when you step back and look, it's immaculate and controlled.

Yes. Exactly. That's a really good way to put it. And then when it's not controlled, you dig the parts that are not controlled and then you are amazed with the parts that are controlled. And we shot it in 29 days. What he and Chivo did, and I guess the cast, too, but just from a directing standpoint, I'm sorry. For my money, it ain't even close. And I'm telling you I'd say this if I wasn't in that movie. I would say this is another level.

You've worked with Tim Burton a couple times, a master of expressionism, right? What's on the outside is reflecting what's on the inside. For me, that's very much what this is. It's expressionism.

Yes. That's what Tim does. Tim is such a physical kind of artist in terms of visuals and impact.

I've obviously seen people talk about this in regards to a “comeback,” and I've seen you deflect that a bit. I think on one hand they just haven't been paying close attention. Obviously you've been working. But I do think it's fair to say that it's been low key working.

Yeah. And I did do a version of dropping out here and there. But what people call dropping out and I call dropping out I think may be two different things because I've probably done that before. And I do get the comeback thing. If it wasn't, “So he's an actor [in 'Birdman'] who played [a superhero]” – you know, if it wasn't those things, they may not say it as much. I mean, to me it's lazy, and it's the easy way, but I understand why.

Right, same thing with that meta stuff.

Yeah. But I get where that comes from and I don't resist that. I really don't care. It's OK with me, honestly.

For me I'm just curious, over these last 10 or 15 years, what has been important to you?

Look, you know, everybody talks about, “Oh, you turned down so much.” And I go, “Yeah, I do,” but it sounds like I turn it down because I'm so cool or I turn it down because – sometimes I turn it down and it's a good thing I turned down. Sometimes I turn it down because I've got stuff to do in my life. A big part of all of this, going way back to when I was getting thrown scripts every 15 minutes, was I was raising a kid, you know? Separately from his mom. I was a really involved dad, not because I'm such a wonderful person. I like being a dad. So I turned down movies just because I didn't want to go on location. Or I wanted to be able to pick him up from school, take him to school, you know? And there was a lot of stuff I wasn't being offered. It sounds like I was getting offered great shit all the time because there's some stuff I'd go, “You know, that one there, wouldn't do it.” I mean this busboy cleaning these tables wouldn't do it. They weren't that great. It just was what it was.

Right.

I'd be the first to tell you if I was turning down wonderful projects. Also, things that probably would have been OK for me to do, I thought, “I already did that. I already said that.” I get tired of hearing the same – my voice in a movie or seeing me do the same kind of thing, you know? And I understand from the corporate point of view why they wanted me to do a certain thing. “There's less risk if they go get him to do that in this kind of movie. At least we'll make that much money and we might get lucky and make a lot of money.” Like, I totally get it. If I was running a company and I wanted to make my money back, I would probably play it safe. But I had a manager that was tougher on this shit than I was. He'd say “no” more, because he kept saying, “No. There's no reason when I see that guy getting that, that [Michael] shouldn't get that movie,” and he stuck to it. We stuck to it. We said, “No, man. Get me that. You've got to get me that kind of movie.”

Well you obviously ended up with a hell of a project, finally, and everything's coming full circle.

And people don't have to believe it when I say I have more fun watching everybody else enjoy this for me that were around through everything and watched and observed, but it's true. Or just people who are, you know, just fans or friends or something. I have more fun watching them have fun than me having fun. My hand to God, I really – I'm having so much fun watching them enjoy this and them saying, “Oh, shit,” or whatever they're saying. I don't need to say it. I'm cool. I'm good with everything. I have a nice life.

You're Batman. You're very secure in that.

[Laughs.] No, honestly, I never had that issue of desperation. If you want something bad enough or you're in deep trouble and you might be going to jail, you get desperate, or you're running out of dough you might get desperate. But I never had that thing.

If it was me I wouldn't be doing anything, to be honest. If I was Batman I would be in Montana right now. I'd be soaking it up!

I told Zach [Galifianakis], I said, “I think we're going to do this movie 'Spotlight.'” He looks at me with a funny smirk. I go, “What's that about?” And he goes, “Man, if I was you, I wouldn't be doing nothing. Just sitting back and enjoying everything.”

[Laughs.] That's very laid-back, southern boy of him.

He likes getting on his tractor. He digs it. It's fun. It gives you time to think.

But there's interesting choices in this stretch we're talking about. Like, you worked with Michael Hoffman for peanuts on “Game 6.”

Yeah. Nothing.

And “White Noise” was that same year.

Yeah, you know, “White Noise” was – and I'll be really honest with you. Those movies at the time, if you pick the right one – you know what that movie opened to? When I read box office now and I see people go, “Hey,” you know, “17 million” or something, I go – I don't know. What do you think “White Noise” cost? Ten at the most, maybe? It opened to 24 and a half million dollars.

Yeah, and a January release. It was in a good spot.

Yes, and at the time nobody tried that release for those kind of movies, and it happened to work. I think they gave up on it after that because 24 and a half million dollars for a movie like that, you know, that's unbelievable. And I'm not saying it was a brilliant movie but it was at least a little – the conceit was really interesting to me and it worked to some degree, I guess. I don't really know. But sometimes you can make a lot of money and you can do really well to afford to do what I'm talking about. To go, “OK, now let me wait for the really good one,” or, “Let me wait for the one that means” – and then I did a couple of stupid things, you know? Not everything's a brilliant move. There are a couple of things you do that just suck, you know? I did a movie that was – I don't remember the name of it but a girl graduating and getting ready to go to college, a really sweet, nice…

I guess that's either “First Daughter” or “Post Grad.”

You know, Forest Whitaker [who directed “First Daughter”], Forest is a great actor and really I think a good director and a really smart guy. For that I thought, “Yeah, I'd like to be in business with guys like Forest Whitaker.” Then there was another movie in there and I can't remember the name of it. But that came around the time we were about to go on strike and…

There was a Michael Caine film that went to DVD. “Quicksand?”

No, it was a different movie. They were about to go on strike and to be honest, the work schedule was so easy and so light – I'm really transparent – and the check at the time was really good. I went, “I just have to go to the valley like twice a week for” – you know. I am pretty discerning and I think I've made mistakes, but I've also done a couple practical moves in order to stay around so that you get a “Birdman” or you can get a “Much Ado About Nothing” or you can get those things. You've got to be smart about it. But the Caine thing is funny because I used to joke early on, people would say, “What kind of things do you want to do?” I'd say, “I don't know. I want to do a 'Caine' kind of movie.” And they'd go, “What's a 'Caine' kind of movie?” And I said, “Caine kind of admittedly would take films based on location and good food.”

Yeah, totally. I've read that.

And I said, “I would do one of those. I've never done those. I always go work, like, at Stupidville,” you know? “I've got to do one of those movies.” Well one comes along, which actually had potential. That director directed a really, really good English mob movie and I remembered seeing it and I went, “Wow.” Now he didn't necessarily pull it off with this movie but he did direct a really cool little English movie. And then I thought, “It's with Caine. And it's in the south of France.” I actually ended up doing a Caine movie with Caine!

[Laughs.]

Don't ever do that. Don't ever do it for the food or the money. Yvon Chouinard is a friend of mine who started Patagonia and he said, “Every time I've made a decision that was financial, based in finances, making money, almost every time I've made a mistake.”

It's kind of fun to balance it all out, though, I guess.

Yeah. And it's so fun to talk to a film-savvy dude. It's cool because it makes me want to talk about it.

Ha, well thanks! And then the Pixar relationship along the way was nice as well. You voiced characters in “Cars” and “Toy Story 3.”

You know, I'm slow to come to those movies. They had been out for probably years before I ever saw any of those Pixar movies. I thought, “What's the big deal?” And I watched “The Incredibles” at home one time and I went, “Holy shit.” And I saw “Ratatouille” and I was watching it and I go, “These are kind of unbelievably remarkable things.” And you know who I just worked with? These dudes from “Minions.”

Oh, yeah.

Man, are they funny. Brian Lynch and those guys? Man are they funny. And that director. Those guys are really funny. That is a breeze to be in a room with those guys.

You've got to be a certain kind of fun or crazy to even come up with that world.

Yeah. Yeah. Who knew that he would create that thing and language and people would totally jump on board? Little kids go insane for those guys.

You also did the English version of my favorite Miyaziki film, “Porco Rosso.”

And, you know, I don't think I was as appreciative at the time when I did that. They said, “Hey, do you what?” And I was not really aware about it. Somebody said, “Did you ever see this,” and I know what it is but I never saw it. And he said, “Major league, dude.” Then I read it and I went, “God, I'll do that. That'll be fun.” And then later on I started to piece it together. I felt what he did at the Governors Awards thing was so classy and simple and just cool and unassuming.

I didn't even think about that, that you were there while he was getting his award.

I didn't either until the time. I didn't get a chance to go say hi to him.

You've never met?

No.

Well just to bring it back to “Birdman” here, I mentioned this to you I think at the Governor's Awards, that the meta thing is easy to talk about, but what I saw in the movie – all these movies we've been talking about, villains, heroes, comedy, drama – it's all in “Birdman.”

And more.

And it kind of crystallizes what you can do, what you've done. Did you see that in the project coming into it?

No. That I didn't at all. All I saw was I wanted to be in business with guys like Alejandro González Iñárritu. Look, man, it's so hard to even get a shot at doing anything for the average actor or writer or director, anybody, that if you have the luxury of being around – I mean I'm talking right now to a director that called me and wanted me to do a supporting role. And I can't quite say yet, but this guy's so fucking great. This film is going to have to suck for me to say “no,” just to go put in some time with these kind of guys. And I keep saying this, that script from Alejandro would have had to have been horrible or embarrassing for me to say “no.” And even then I might have said “yeah” and crossed my fingers. So right from the get-go, you just want to be in that world. That's why I take a little role with Soderbergh. Or, you know, you take a small role with Tarantino. To be part of great films is so unbelievably fortunate. I think of a guy like [John] Schlesinger [who directed “Pacific Heights”]. I mean, come on. This is unbelievable, you know? So just for that alone, you want to be in that neighborhood. Because of the schedule one time I couldn't go and be in a Robert Altman movie, and to this day I go, “Oh, man, I could have added Robert Altman to this list. Jesus.” And it was a really good little movie, too. But I couldn't make it. And sometimes I think to myself, “You know what? Maybe if I'd have changed something or forced something to be moved, maybe I could have done it.”

So “Birdman,” there's that. And then I read it and it was really good and it was really daring and risky. And I hadn't been around anything. I had done that Larry David thing and I had done “The Other Guys,” you know? And I got to turn the dial and focus and right around “The Other Guys” and a couple of other things, I started to go click, click, click, click, click and I was on a mission. So then you do “Robocop” and then you do the HBO thing with Larry David and then I go, “Yeah. Yeah. I'm kind of in the groove of what I've got.” And then “Birdman” comes along, and I'm not making money on most of these little things. And you say, “Yeah, I want to be in this role and step out there, take a risk,” because that gets really exciting. That gets you going again. You don't get bored with stuff like “Birdman.” And I don't think I had time to even think about it. I just had to focus on the work and the scene one day at a time and just go and bear down and stay locked in. And then I guess I kind of put it together later.

I imagine once you found yourself in the middle of making “Birdman,” particularly on such a tight schedule, there isn't a lot of time to put it together in the moment.

I didn't know how I was going to make certain transitions, like three or four in the course of, like, eight minutes sometimes. I went, “Oh, man. I don't know how I'm going to do that. I don't know how I'm going to go from the craziness at the top to, like, a quiet moment, to being in sync.” Because you look at the character – just when things might for a couple minutes get settled, another fucking thing happens, you know? He essentially has a breakdown, and the trippiness of it all – like when I leave the scene with Emma and walk in the hallway, that beautiful shot, that kind of gloomy, kind of hazy, smoky thing down the hallway.

Yeah, and I talk to DPs a lot but I couldn't get Chivo on the phone until a few weeks ago, because they've been up in Calgary doing that thing. But obviously we could go on about that technical part of the accomplishment.

Chivo's great. Chivo and Alejandro together are a sight to behold. And I'll bet you they'd drive you really crazy at times, but look what you get.

And while the physicality of the camerawork is one thing, just being able to consistently light while doing that is nuts.

Dude, the lights were physically moved and people had to run around the whole thing. I mean, that's what I mean. It's not like they got lucky. Alejandro was so meticulous about making that work. And the thing I love about it is he never pandered, not one time. Not one character in that movie begs to be loved, where it makes you feel sorry for them, where he'd say, “I achieved this with all these obstacles in my life,” you know, with swelling music. He said, “Fuck that. We're not doing any of that shit. I'm playing fucking drums and I'm gonna show ugliness. I'm gonna show crazy.” Everything he accomplished inside a movie that is an entertaining movie. It's not just an art movie, you know? All that art inside a movie that is really accessible. I'm telling you, I don't get it. I've been trying to think of when I saw somebody do something as bold.

Michael Keaton will receive a career tribute and the Modern Master Award at the 30th annual Santa Barbara Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 31.