'Birdman' is now fancied to go on and win the Oscar.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's stunning comedy-drama Birdman won top prize at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday evening (Januart 25, 2014), beating heavy favorite Boyhood and effectively blowing the race for Best Picture at the Oscars wide open. The bookmakers responded immediately, cutting the movie's odds to leave it almost level-pegging with Richard Linklater's coming-of-age epic.
Michael Keaton turns in a career best performance in the epic Birdman
Perhaps crucially, the SAG Awards are often an accurate barometer for the Oscars - far more so than the Golden Globes. If that holds true this year, than Birdman could find itself as a Best Picture winner, while Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore will be crowned with the major acting awards. The British actor's turn as Dr Stephen Hawking saw him topped Michael Keaton for Birdman, while Moore won for Still Alice. The supporting gongs at the SAG's went to J.K Simmons for his explosive performance in Whiplash, while Patricia Arquette won for Boyhood. Both are heavily favoured to win Oscars.
More: Birdman and Boyhood among AFI's Top Films of 2014
In the television categories, drama Downton Abbey and Netflix's Orange is the New Black were the big winners. The latter earned the TV female actor gong for Uzo Aduba - who plays Crazy Eyes. Kevin Spacey won male actor in a drama series for House of Cards, which returns for a third season in February.
More: Make no mistake, Boyhood could blitz the Oscars in 2014
The guild's lifetime achievement award went to Debbie Reynolds, who received a standing ovation from the star-studded audience. The 82-year-old starred in Hollywood classics such as 1952's Singing in the Rain.
The SAG Awards aired live on TBS and TNT from the Shrine Exposition Hall in Los Angeles.
More: Michael Keaton and Birdman have Oscars in sights after Telluride Festival
This may be the third reboot of this franchise in 15 years, risking audience exhaustion,...
Mitch Rapp truly has nothing left in his life to lose. Following the death of...
It turns out that Tony Stark makes a better Avenger than a mentor. After a...
This is the story of Ray Kroc, the man who created the concept of McDonald's....
Ray Kroc is a milkshake maker salesman who is intrigued by a large number of...
Peter Parker is a teenager who has a lot to deal with after being bitten...
This film demonstrates that you don't need guns to make an exciting thriller. Based on...
Michael Rezendes is a dedicted reporter for the Boston Globe and part of their Spotlight...
Utterly charming, this silly prequel rewrites the origin story of the minions and sends them...
Since the dawn of time, the Minions have been desperately looking for a master. From...
It's a wonder why the prehistoric tribe of Minions have managed to survive so long...
Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu continues to reject traditional narrative structures with this whizzy, ambitious...
The cast and crew of 'Birdman' discuss the visionary filming techniques behind the movie in...
Riggan Thomas (Michael Keeton) is faced with a serious problem. In an attempt to make...