That's right -- the BAFTAs are in! Whoop whoop, celebration in the streets!
I know I've inundated anyone coming on here enough for today (with the three previous entries), but the BAFTAs are an important deal to anyone in film, so let me comment quickly:
Mare's Family and I Compete! -- That's right, we had a little BAFTA Prediction Contest, as a little warm-up before doing the same with the Oscars (a tradition if you're a film geek in any way). It was a very close race -- I ended up with 12 points (ie, the right prediction in 12 categories out of 23), Maz with 10 (I won on Adapted Screenplay and Director, is what it came down to -- she predicted Notes On A Scandal and Stephen Frears for those, for which she very well might've been right, so we pretty much tied) and Lara with 7 (she had a lot riding on Casino Royale). I get very caught up in these little contests -- if I'm by myself with no grown-ups, I yell, curse, and shake my fist when I hear results (even more so with the Oscars), partly because I want to make sure I win the bloody contest, and partly because I feel personally wronged when someone I thought should've won get fucked out of their award. So yesterday went well -- close enough, but well, and it also proves that Mare and I know what we're talking about, which is nice.
Scotland and Pan take 3 -- One of my big satisfactions of the evening was The Last King Of Scotland taking home the most gongs with three, namely Best British Film, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay (although someone will have to explain to me how The Queen can take Best Film overall, but not Best British Film, despite being a British film and nominated -- doesn't anyone feel guilty of that kind of political voting, where you treat Best British as a consolation prize, and don't straightforwardly just vote on which one you think is the bloody best?). Mare was very big on James McAvoy getting Best Supporting Actor, which I think he could've and would've deserved, but Alan Arkin took that -- undeservedly, I thought, as Arkin delivers a very good performance in Little Miss Sunshine, but in no way as layered or important to their respective movies as McAvoy's, or even Michael Sheen's perf in The Queen (my personal pick). I mean, Arkin didn't even stick out from his own cast -- I thought Steve Carrell and Paul Dano all made just as good an impression.
As for Pan getting Foreign Film, Costume Design and Make Up & Hair...I think the latter is definitely deserved. Foreign Film, well...I haven't seen Volver but I do feel somewhat bad for Pedro Almodovar, who was praised to the high heavens when the film came out, and has now pretty much been forgotten by every voting body. And as for Costume Design, I feel both Marie Antoinette and Dead Man's Chest would've been worthier choices, but what are you going to do. One thing I think Pan deserved that it didn't get was Best Music, which Babel most definitely does NOT deserve -- one of the things that ticked me off on the night.
All Films Recognized With 2 -- There was a little handful of films recognized with 2 nods, and that made me quite happy -- I personally think all of those films are damn good films, and was glad none of them got overlooked. The Queen got Best Film and, predictably, Best Actress, comforting Helen Mirren's status for the Oscar, and I think in a way making sure the film got the recognition it deserved despite not really deserving any technical awards. United 93's Best Director and Best Editing were both very well deserved, and I think Greengrass definitely deserves that nod, as his work directing that film is 100% what makes it work, no question about it, and very few people could've pulled that feat off. Little Miss Sunshine gets Best Original Screenplay -- rightly so, and it will at the Oscars too -- and Best Supporting Actor -- less deservedly so, as I said. It was nice to see Children Of Men, one of the top films of the year in my mind, to take Cinematography and Production Design -- both by far deserved, both by far earned, and unfortunately both very likely to be overlooked by the Oscars. So well done! (Good night for Alfonso Cuaron, too -- that's 5 awards for films he's directed or produced).
The Departed gets nothing -- There is a God. Somewhere, in hiding -- but there is one. In the holy words of Homer Simpson -- WOO-HOO!
Eva Green gets Rising Star -- Ridiculous. Number one, none of the actors nom'd are Rising Stars -- they're Risen Stars. They're here, man. Number two, Eva Green was an empty, annoying, unmoving Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, and there's at least a half dozen actresses who would've been better chosen. She's beautiful -- I'll give her that -- but judging from that and all her other roles, she's not that special an actress. Decent, sure, maybe good in certain parts -- but she won't make that big a splash. Mark my words.
Random Thoughts -- Helen Mirren seems like a wicked person. So does Kate Winslet. Jake Gyllenhaal is charming, good-looking -- not so funny, though. Ian McKellen is brilliant. Sienna Miller is drop dead gorgeous. The BAFTA crowd is rough as hell. Simon Pegg is funny. Stephen Frears is a rude, arrogant cunt (and I use the four-letter word fully aware of how WRONG it is). That location manager who accepted the Honorary Award gave the most intellectuallo-fartsy, incomprehensible acceptance speech I have ever, ever heard anyone utter. Andrea Arnold -- stop kidding yourself, you've won an Oscar, you're in your 40s or 50s, you hardly qualify as a newcomer. I'm annoyed at people who won't show up to collect their awards, either -- you're nominated, it's a big deal of an award, the crowning achievement of some people's career, all you have to do is fly over, get the award, say thank you, go see a show the next day, and then fly back out (I mean you, Jennifer Hudson -- how sad you'll be when Adriana Barraza walks away with your Oscar...I hope.). And what's with showing the thing on TV three hours after it actually happens, cutting out plenty of stuff? Maybe that's why people don't show up to get their awards -- if Britain isn't even going to treat its own Academy Awards with respect and importance, then why should anyone else? And why do people keep taking the piss out of Daniel Craig? So he's the Golden Boy of the night. No need to be unfunny, petty school bullies about it, you jealous fucks -- he's obviously not enjoying the "humor", and he's been through enough "funny" criticism to make you all crawl back up your Mummy's snatch, so leave the fucking guy alone. That, and he could act circles around you. With a blindfold on.
**Later this week: An update on how the work is going, and from Thurs. to Monday -- daily Berlin Film Festival posts!**
3 comments:
Dude, if there's one award Babel definitely deserves, it's best music. I loved the movie myself and I'll accept the fact that a lot of people didn't dig it as much, but, man...that music was hypnotizing. Santaolalla is brilliant.
Pan's Labyrinth deserves it, Pan's Labyrinth deserves it! ;)
I think the Babel music is just your regular 21st century artsy-fartsy big important movie music. And I can't really remember any of it. Pan's Labyrinth though was made much, much better by the score -- the most haunting I've heard in a while -- and to me that's what makes it worthier of the award.
I can see how you wouldn't agree (you NEVER agree, NEVER! ;)), but that's still where I stand.
How's you, anyway? Haven't seen you on IM in a while. :)
Well, I haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth yet, so I can't say anything about that. But we do seem to have trouble agreeing recently :)
I'm doing good, doing good. I'm on there occasionally, but I guess we're just on at different times these days. Pesky time zones. I might be on Hakari's radio show soon talking about movies (which you'll probably have opposite opinions of ;)) which should be cool, but that's really the only thing out of the ordinary that's going down right about now.
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