Tuesday, January 17, 2012

BAFTA Noms: As Close to Right as We’re Gonna Get

While this morning’s BAFTA nominations cemented much of what we already know (people love The Artist and Hugo), they paved way for a few surprises as well.

British film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a movie with, in my opinion, great acting and not much else, killed it with 11 nominations, while most every major category nominated a curveball to hopefully help Oscar voters realize that The Artist and The Descendants weren’t the only two well-made movies from 2011.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the BAFTA nominations are the best this awards season is going to get. Enjoy them, because come Jan. 24, we’re all going to be disappointed. Again.

BEST FILM
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Seeing Drive here is epic. But this being a British film awards show, expect Tinker Tailor to take it. Or The Artist, obviously.

BEST DIRECTOR
Tomas Alfredson – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Lynne Ramsay – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive
Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Alfredson vs. Hazanavicius. A win for Refn would be remarkably validating. But his nomination is his gift.

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need to Talk About Kevin
LOVE seeing Shame here, but Tinker Tailor will win this without breaking a sweat.

LEADING ACTOR
George Clooney – The Descendants
Jean Dujardin – The Artisit
Michael Fassbender – Shame
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt – Moneyball
For the first and only time this awards season, I get to say that Michael Fassbender actually has a chance at winning something. It’ll go to Oldman, but still.

LEADING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo – The Artist
Viola Davis – The Help
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn
Finally, someone acknowledges that Bejo’s role in The Artist is a lead one, not supporting.  This is wide open, could go to any of them.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
Jim Broadbent – The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill – Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Ides of March
I will never understand the ecstatic recognition Jonah Hill has received for Moneyball. Good enough, but better than all the snubbed performances? Not a chance. No matter, Plummer’s to lose.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Carey Mulligan – Drive
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Judi Dench – My Week with Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer – The Help
Because Mulligan is the only worthy Brit here (Dench was great, but underused), she actually has a shot. BAFTAs will probably follow suit and give it to Spencer though.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
John Michael McDonagh – The Guard
Abi Morgan – The Iron Lady
Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids
A month ago, I would’ve told you that The Artist would win the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, among other things. But I think the tide is shifting toward Woody Allen, for the BAFTA and beyond.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – The Ides of March
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash – The Descendants
Tate Taylor – The Help
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin – Moneyball
This will be the only award Alexander Payne’s film wins all night.

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Attack the Block
Black Pond
Coriolanus
Submarine
Tyrannosaur
Paddy Considine winning for Tyrannosaur would be a remarkable, albeit slight, recognition of his great (and greatly overlooked) debut film.

FOREIGN FILM
Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Even though it has no chance, a win for Incendies would be incredible. A Separation director Asghar Farhadi can start drafting his speech now.

Click here for a full list of the nominees.

10 comments:

  1. welp, better luck next time Malick

    ReplyDelete
  2. BAFTAs are always quite embarassing because they nominate people nobody else does - since they are their favorites. I was hoping at least some love for Harry Potter will happen here, but no :/ TTSS is fine, but 11 noms including one for Oldman, who really didn't do much and was easily outshined by Strong and others is really silly. If he wins over Fassbender I may skip watching the ceremony next year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Sati. I actually usually really like the BAFTA noms, but this is just more of the same. Well, it looks like you'll have a free night next February, because I highly doubt Oldman loses this. Obviously, I hope I'm wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Can't agree more in that it's the best award nominations I've seen so far. Obviously Drive is a big reason I agree with them (Refn and even Mulligan getting noms!) but I loved The Help and TTSS so it was good to see them get in over Hugo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Alex Thomas Glad you like Drive, bummed that you like The Help. Ahh just kidding, I've got to start taking it easier on that film, I guess.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Haha I think 'love' was a bit of an overstatement from me but I didn't really enjoy Hugo (or Tree of Life) and this was probably the first awards that didn't give Hugo a best picture nomination.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @Alex Thomas Hmm good point. A lot of films this year appear to polarize us bloggers. You either loved or hated Tree of Life, Hugo, The Help, Shame, Drive; a lot of them. At any rate, was Drive your favorite movie from 2011? Or should I wait for you to post your Top 50 list ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very True, Drive seems to be the most Loved/Hated movie I can think of, not many people in the middle.

    And with my header on my website I guess it's not really a big spoiler that Drive will be my number one ;) Seen it 5 times now!

    ReplyDelete
  9. @Alex Thomas Such a badass flick. SHAME hasn't come your way yet has it?

    ReplyDelete