AAN: The BAFTA nominations w/ Fassy, Loki and Owen

I was going to do a Golden Globes recap, but it didn't make much sense since I never saw the show and every man and his dog has blogged about it. All I have to say is this: if The Descendants wins Best Picture or Best Actor, I'll be fuming. I'm one of the few who wasn't terribly impressed by it or by the Cloon's performance. There, I'm unpopular.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on the BAFTAs and how they'll affect the Oscar race, along with Fassy, Loki and Owen in some of the categories (not all, because there are a lot).

Best Film

The Artist / The Descendants / Drive / The Help / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

YAY for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy! I haven't seen the film, but I am glad that it is finally getting some love. I thought it would be a huge player in the awards race, but it has been virtually non-existent. Such a shame, as it looks so great. And yay for Drive. I will be reviewing that film later tonight, and it was really good. I'm a bit surprised by The Help's nomination, since there are some far better films than that out there, but I'm happy for the inclusion. The Artist and The Descendants are pretty much locks for Best Picture, and The Artist will definitely win. As for The Descendants, meh. This is a brilliant line-up, so I'll give it the Happy Fassy.

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist / Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive / Martin Scorsese - Hugo / Tomas Alfredson - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / Lynne Ramsay - We Need to Talk About Kevin

What I love about this category is the fact that these directors are nominated because they created wonderful, visual, atmospheric films, unlike the directors who are just nominated because their films are in the best picture category (you know, like Alexander Payne for The Descendants or Steven Spielberg for War Horse). I've only seen Drive and Hugo, but those two are some of the most well-directed films I've seen from 2011, Drive for the style and Hugo for the pretty visuals. Hazanavicius is nominated because he dared to make a silent film, and Alfredson and Ramsay are probably nominated for the atmosphere they create in their films. These nominations are what the directors category should aspire to be, not the ones where directors become a default nomination just because their film is nominated for Best Picture.

Leading Actor

Brad Pitt - Moneyball / Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / George Clooney - The Descendants / Jean Dujardin - The Artist / Michael Fassbender - Shame

Even though it doesn't have Leonardo DiCaprio, this is one bloody good line-up. Sure, I'm pretty meh about George Clooney (I mean, he was quite good, but I don't think he quite deserves to be winning all of these awards), but he is lock whether I like it or not. What I'm most glad to see, though, is Gary Oldman getting some love, finally, as I thought that this would be his year. How does he keep missing out?! I have a feeling that Michael Fassbender has a huge chance here, considering the Brits will be more likely to shower love upon Shame than anyone else. But this should be Pitt's year, though that is looking more and more unlikely. Dujardin could be the upset, though. I love this category!

Leading Actress

Berenice Bejo - The Artist / Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady / Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn / Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin / Viola Davis - The Help

Interesting to see that Bejo, a Supporting Actress regular, is in this category. The BAFTAs like to do this a lot, though. This is pretty much our average category, with Streep likely to take the award home. I'm a bit sad that Rooney Mara is getting forgotten a lot for her excellent performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but there seems to be a slight aversion to young, up-and-coming actresses like her, Felicity Jones or Elizabeth Olsen. I'm pretty 'meh' about this category overall, probably because I have only seen The Help. I could go and see The Iron Lady, but I'm not going to pay to see Meryl Streep be great but everything else not living up to her.

Rest of the nominees after the jump...



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

HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?! THIS CATEGORY IS SO WEAK, AND THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT SUPPORTING ACTORS OUT THERE! Where is Alan Rickman?! Or the 10 actors they're campaigning for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?! Just, anyone? I think because we all know that Christopher Plummer is going to win they're not looking for any real competition. It is sad, really, because some great performances are missing out, whereas there are some questionable choices. This category is turning into my Overwhelming Owen category, right throughout the season.

Supporting Actress

Carey Mulligan - Drive / Jessica Chastain - The Help / Judi Dench - My Week with Marilyn / Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids / Octavia Spencer - The Help

Hmmmmm. What is this category? I admit, Carey Mulligan was really good in Drive, but a lot of people said that she was the weak link in the film. I thought she'd be nominated for Shame, but that ship seemed to have sailed and sunk long ago. And how does she get a nomination, while the much better Ryan Gosling doesn't get anything? Weird. Another surprise is Judi Dench, who has been absent from everything else even though she's apparently quite good in the otherwise lacklustre My Week with Marilyn. And we have Melissa McCarthy again. Yay. Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer are the only regulars here. It is a very confusing category indeed.

Original Screenplay

Michael Hazanavicius - The Artist / Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids / John Michael McDonagh - The Guard / Abi Morgan - The Iron Lady / Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

Ah, The Iron Lady? That seems a little...off. Glad The Guard got nominated, though, since it was rather hilarious. The Artist, Bridesmaids and Midnight in Paris are our usual suspects. Meh.

Adapted Screenplay

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash - The Descendants / Tate Taylor - The Help / George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Bean Willimon - The Ides of March / Steven Zallian, Aaron Sorkin - Moneyball / Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Pretty much the usual suspects here, with the exception of The Help and maybe Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I'm quite surprised by how much love The Help is getting here, because it is such an American movie. Still, got nothing against it, though. (the Loki rating is for both of the categories, they're so meh)

AND FOR THE REST OF THE AWARDS...

Outstanding British Film
My Week with Marilyn / Senna / Shame / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / We Need to Talk About Kevin
Yay for Senna!

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Joe Cornish - Attack the Block / Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley, Sarah Brocklehurst - Black Pond / Ralph Fiennes - Coriolanus / Richard Ayoade - Submarine / Paddy Considine, Diarmid Scrimshaw - Tyrannosaur
Yay for Ralph Fiennes!

Foreign Language Film
Incendies / Pina / Potiche / A Separation / The Skin I Live In
Yay for Incendies, even if it has no chance of getting an Oscar nomination this year! (haha)

Documentary
George Harrison: Living in a Material World / Project Nim / Senna
Yay for Senna!

Animated film
The Adventures of Tintin / Arthur Christmas / Rango
Yay for Tintin!

Original music
The Artist / The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / Hugo / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / War Horse
Yay for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo! Not so yay for no Hanna.

Cinematography
The Artist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / Hugo / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / War Horse
Where the eff is The Tree of Life?!

Production design
The Artist / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 / Hugo / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / War Horse
So this is Harry Potter's first appearance? I'm disappointed in you, BAFTA.

Costume design
The Artist / Hugo / Jane Eyre / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Make up & hair
The Artist / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 / Hugo / The Iron Lady / My Week with Marilyn

Sound
The Artist / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 / Hugo / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / War Horse
It makes me laugh that a silent film is up for best sound.

Special visual effects
The Adventures of Tintin / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 / Hugo / Rise of the Planet of the Apes / War Horse
Yay for the fact that I've seen four of these films!

Rising Star Award
Adam Deacon / Chris Hemsworth / Chris O'Dowd / Eddie Redmayne / Tom Hiddleston
Last year's line-up was so good. But why didn't Jessica Chastain get in here?!

Anyone think that the BAFTAs have a pretty interesting line-up, which could shake up the Oscar nominations? I liked most of them. What are your thoughts?