BAFTA Nominations

The nominees for the British Academy of Film & Television Awards are:

BEST PICTURE

• Avatar
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
• Up in the Air

No surprises here as An Education was the biggest British picture of the year for American terms-- of course if the Oscars were doing a tradition top 5 this year, it would be substituted for Inglourious Basterds.



BEST BRITISH FILM

• An Education
• Fish Tank
• In the Loop
• Moon
• Nowhere Boy

Eclectic mix of British films this year-- 60s period piece, coming of age drama, sci fi oddity, political satire, and John Lennon nostalga film. Of the five only An Education, In the Loop and Moon have been released stateside. Should be an easy win for An Education.

BEST DIRECTOR

• Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
  
• Neill Blomkamp, District 9
  
• James Cameron, Avatar
• Lone Scherfig, An Education
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds

Nice mix of directors here-- two women, a South African native and two American giants.



BEST ACTOR

• Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
• George Clooney, Up in the Air
• Colin Firth, A Single Man
• Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
• Andy Serkis, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

The Brits weren't fans of Invictus I gather evidenced by the zero nominees and the lack of an easy one for Morgan Freeman...that's okay be me, it's nice that they substituted him for the homespun Serkis, even cooler would have been a nomination for Sam Rockwell (Moon) or Sharlto Copely (District 9.)

BEST ACTRESS

• Carey Mulligan, An Education
• Saorsie Ronan, The Lovely Bones
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
• Audrey Tautou, Coco Before Chanel

Surprised about Tautou, and the general admiration for Coco Before Chanel, since it's been long forgotten over here-- shockingly no Bullock, but maybe not so-- The Blind Side wears it's red, white and blue stronger than any film of 2009.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Alec Baldwin, It's Complicated
• Christian McKay, Me & Orson Welles
• Alfred Molina, An Education
• Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
• Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

I still think McKay stands a shot at an Oscar nod, because he's playing Orson Welles- the AMPAS loves mimickry-- shocked it took this long for Molina to get acknowledged. I'm guessing The Messenger didn't open in Britian to qualify for this, but still there has to be a better nod than Alec Baldwin, right? Doesn't really matter since it's Christoph Waltz's to lose.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Anna-Marie Duff, Nowhere Boy
• Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
• Mo'Nique, Precious
• Kristen Scott Thomas, Nowhere Boy

Again digging the local British pride this year-- the last couple of years it just seems the BAFTA's have been gunning for Oscar prognisticators, lacking any sort of an original voice...I like that it's come back a lot more this year.


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• The Hangover- John Lucas & Scott Moore
• The Hurt Locker- Mark Boal
• Inglourious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino
• A Serious Man- Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
  
• Up- Bob Peterson & Pete Doctor

The Hangover over (500) Days of Summer--- please! I realize the film was a huge hit, and even admit to laughing a couple of times, but it's not an awards worthy film-- it's sophomoric filmmaking at best-- the dialouge and structure could have been written in any frat house around the world. It's a hit, but not an artistic triumph! Damn you, BAFTA why must you make me sound like this....


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• District 9- Neill Blomkamp & Terri Thatchell
• An Education- Nick Hornby
• In the Loop- Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Ianucci & Tony Roche
• Precious- Geoffrey Fletcher
• Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

I suppose I should actually watch In the Loop.


BEST FOREIGN FILM

• Broken Embraces
• Coco Before Chanel
• Let the Right One In
• A Prophet
• The White Ribbon

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• Coraline
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Up

BEST MUSIC

• Avatar- James Horner
  
• Crazy Heart- T-Bone Burnett & Steven Bruton
• Fantastic Mr. Fox- Alexandre Desplat
• Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll- Chaz Jankel
• Up- Michael Giacchino

Am I the only one who felt the score to Avatar was annoying and derivivative, am I? If so I'll shut up, but if not, why does it keep popping up on best score lists-- is it lazyness? Lack of proper hearing on voting bodies? Just curious...


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Avatar- Mauro Fiore
• District 9- Trent Opaloch
• The Hurt Locker- Barry Aykroyd
• Inglourious Basterds- Robert Richardson
• The Road- Javier Aguirresarobe

BEST FILM EDITING

• Avatar- Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua & James Cameron
• District 9- Julian Clarke
• The Hurt Locker- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
• Inglourious Basterds- Sally Menke
• Up in the Air- Dana E. Glauberman

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

• Avatar- Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg & Kim Sinclair
• District 9- Phillip Ivey & Guy Poltgieter
• Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince- Stuart Craig & Stephanie McMillan
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus- TBA
• Inglourious Basterds- David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds Wasco

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Bright Star- Janet Patterson
• Coco Before Chanel- Catherine Lettierer
• An Education- Odile Dicks-Mireaux
• A Single Man- Arriane Phillips
• The Young Victoria- Sandy Powell

BEST SOUND

• Avatar
• District 9
  
• The Hurt Locker
• Star Trek
• Up

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• Avatar
• District 9
• Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
• The Hurt Locker
• Star Trek

BEST MAKE-UP\HAIRSTYLING

• Coco Before Chanel
• An Education
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
• Nine
• The Young Victoria