BAFTA nominations on the way
British Academy's picks to land at 11.40 PST
Could home support push "My Week With Marilyn" into BAFTA's Best Film category?
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I'm not bothering to predict the BAFTA nominations this year because 1) the longlists largely take the guesswork out of that for us; 2) no voting group that thinks "Midnight in Paris" had better visual effects than "The Tree of Life" deserves too much of our time and attention; and 3) I mean, seriously. But anyway, they're a few hours away -- a breakfast-time announcement for the Brits, a pre-midnight one for Hollywood -- and if you have any last-minute thoughts, hopes or projections about the British Academy's selections, here's the place for them.
One thing we can be certain of: after struggling to gain traction on the US precursor circuit, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," which jointly led the longlists with 16 mentions, will finally receive a warm embrace here. The combination of literary cache, old-and-new-school British acting elite and spectacular box-office should set it up as the chief BAFTA rival to all-purpose frontrunner "The Artist," which can also expect a bucketload of nominations.
Less certain is whether the rather more surprising longlist co-leader, "My Week With Marilyn," can also score in the top categories: the film may not be the most fashionable or heavily-buzzed choice, but I sense there's rather a lot of support for it in the more conversative, even television-oriented, reaches of BAFTA; don't be surprised if it displaces a less outwardly Brit-friendly Oscar favorite like "The Descendants" or "Midnight in Paris."
Anyway, more on this in a few hours. Refresh your memory with the longlists here.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupBryan
January 16, 2012 at 9:28PM EST Reply to CommentI'd be perfectly happy with My Week with Marilyn trumping The Descendants any day, if that's what it comes down to--even at the Oscars.
Guy Lodge To quote Meryl Streep in Postcards From the Edge: "These are my choices?"
January 16, 2012 at 9:51PM ESTJJ1
January 16, 2012 at 9:49PM EST Reply to CommentMy Week with Marilyn > The Descendants.
Mykill Jack and Jill > The Descendants
January 17, 2012 at 12:15AM ESTAndrej Armond White wants his schtick back, guys.
January 17, 2012 at 12:20AM ESTJJ1 Oh, sorry. I did not even know that Armond White had that schtick. :)
January 17, 2012 at 9:03AM ESTMykill LOL, I did and I am glad that someone caught it haha
January 17, 2012 at 11:40AM ESTChris138
January 16, 2012 at 10:09PM EST Reply to CommentI was actually kind of shocked at how much BAFTA really didn't seem to like The Tree of Life at all. I think cinematography was the only thing it was on the list for. I guess it won't be getting the British vote at the Oscars?
It will also be nice to finally see love bestowed upon Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy this season. Hopefully there are some surprise nods with the Oscars next week.
/3rt
January 16, 2012 at 10:31PM EST Reply to CommentI'm still happy Kathy Bates made the long-list -- yes I didn't care for the performance but it's still attention for her film work.
Maxim
January 16, 2012 at 10:35PM EST Reply to CommentGuy, your continued use of "Midnight in Paris" as an example of how little BAFTA knows about visual effects (apart from being kind of cheap) is based on a wrong assumption. Has it occured to you that it's not the question of which has better effects but which ones they thought served the movie better?
Subtle difference, this is.
That is to say that it's really not about "Midnight in Paris" at all.
I am not saying that it wasn't weird not to see it on the shortlist. Then again, VES didn't nominate it or Super 8. Each organiazation is weird in one way or another. At least they had the good sense to consider the VFX work in Tintin. If memory serves they's recognized Wall-E too years ago. That one, deserved to be singled out too, perhaps more so than any other recent Pixar film.
The way I see it, it's just one of many, many great ommissions. What are you gonna do (I ask myself rhetorically)?
mark
January 16, 2012 at 11:10PM EST Reply to CommentGuy-How do they work? Do the ones with an asterisk automatically get nominated? If so, why even have a long list?
Guy Lodge No, they don't. The ones with the astersks merely indicate the top choices of the relevant branch/chapter, but the entire membership votes on the nominees, and they're free to vote for any of the longlisted names. That said, they usually overlap significantly with the chapter choices.
January 17, 2012 at 3:34AM ESTLaura Stewart
January 16, 2012 at 11:25PM EST Reply to CommentWhere was all this love for Williams when she was actually brilliant work in challenging films like Blue Valentine and Wendy and Lucy? She was fighting for that fifth slot last year and it was ridiculous. I don't get it.
Laura Stewart **actually doing
January 16, 2012 at 11:26PM ESTHoustonRufus I just watched her in Meek's Cutoff. Haven't seen her in MWWM yet, but I loved her in Meek's and Wendy and Lucy. Such a sensitive actress.
January 17, 2012 at 12:04AM ESTMykill I would like to know as well Laura. It really does shoe how sadly bland this year's batch of nominees are compared to last year. There are excellent alternatives out there, but they are unfortunately going to be overlooked for a bunch of easily forgotten Oscar prestige films. Even if Williams had instead gained traction for Meek's Cutoff, which I admired more than liked (but it is still way better than MWWM), I think the race would be much better off. After last night's tedious Globes ceremony I am really struggling to muster the energy to care about even watching the Oscars at this point. How did it ever get to this point I wonder?
January 17, 2012 at 12:14AM ESTAaron I agree, although honestly I did find Michelle Williams quite brilliant in My Week with Marilyn...yes, the film is a bit of a fluff and it's definitely low-key, but her performance definitely stays with you (unlike some of the performances this year). But yes, it is extremely frustrating albeit not all that baffling that her work in Wendy & Lucy and Meek's Cutoff is wildly overlooked when it shouldn't be (it goes to show that although great films, to win an Oscar you oftentimes need to be sponsored by a huge studio that has the funds for a voracious Oscar campaign. Cough Harvey Weinstein)...and one of my biggest gripes last year was the "will she or won't she" make it for Blue Valentine--um, a resounding YES she should. If the Academy had gone for Hilary Swank in Conviction instead, I may have threw a brick through my tv.
January 17, 2012 at 12:38AM ESTLaura Stewart Same here. It seems pointless to complain about the state of this years race since... well, it's here and there's nothing we can do about it but the sudden out pour of public affection and accolades for Williams' seems a bit delayed if you ask me. She has long been a critics' darling, but I wish the HFPA, SAG, and AMPAS had NOTICED her in Wendy and Lucy and Meeks Cutoff. Even with Blue Valentine, she was the alternative nominee (I still remember Anne saying that she wouldn't get nominated right before the noms were announced last year) when I thought she gave the performance of her career (still do). This is not to bash MWWM, which I like, but it's not a revelatory performance in my opinion. I'm fine with her getting her due a few years later, but people should know how great she has always been. She's one of the few consistently great actresses working today.
January 17, 2012 at 12:44AM ESTLaura Stewart @Aaron- Lol that SAG nomination for Swank was so wtf-worthy... she had to be thinking that herself!
January 17, 2012 at 12:45AM ESTThe Other James D. Oh wow, I must've completely blocked that from my memory. So hoping that Fassbender is this year's Williams-in-BV situation, and he knocks out DiCaprio and/or Bichir. Really, both he and Oldman should knock out both, but I'm hoping that Clooney's peen joke was also a sign that he has some of the top dogs in acting behind him.
January 17, 2012 at 12:54AM ESTred_wine
January 17, 2012 at 12:17AM EST Reply to CommentI expect some horrors in the noms, but that is all part of the game, I think the function of the Baftas this year is to mainly celebrate how good of a film Tinker Tailor is.
The supposed Brit Francophilia will get The Artist and Midnight In Paris into the door.
But really this should be all about Tinker Tailor. I really hope the Brits in the Academy have given Tinker Tailor atleast some kind of foothold in the race.
Aaron
January 17, 2012 at 3:26AM EST Reply to CommentIs it a pipe dream that I am predicting We Need to Talk About Kevin not only in actress, but in picture, director, supporting actor, and screenplay? It was "leading" in director, so hopefully it has some appeal within the Academy...or Lynne Ramsay may end up being one of those lone director nods.