Friday, January 04, 2008

BAFTA longlist thoughts.

WTF doesn't necessarily indicate bad choices (though sometimes it does), just...weird ones

BEST PICTURE
American Gangster
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Charlie Wilson's War

Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Eastern Promises
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
The Lives of Others
Lust, Caution
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men

There Will Be Blood
WTF?: The Bourne Ultimatum, Control, The Kite Runner, The Lives of Others

BEST DIRECTOR
the same, except instead of Nichols for CWW there's James Mangold for 3:10 to Yuma

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale :: 3:10 to Yuma
Daniel Day-Lewis :: There Will Be Blood
Denzel Washington :: American Gangster
Emile Hirsch :: Into the Wild
George Clooney :: Michael Clayton
James McAvoy :: Atonement
Johnny Depp :: Sweeney Todd
Josh Brolin :: No Country for Old Men
Matt Damon :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Russell Crowe :: 3:10 to Yuma
Sam Riley :: Control
Tom Hanks :: Charlie Wilson's War
Tommy Lee Jones :: In the Valley of Elah
Ulrich Muhe :: The Lives of Others
Viggo Mortensen :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Bale (they couldn't go for Rescue Dawn?), Damon, Crowe (they couldn't go for American Gangster? Well, okay, they did in supporting), Muhe

BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie :: A Mighty Heart
Cate Blanchett :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Charlize Theron :: In the Valley of Elah
Ellen Page :: Juno
Halle Berry :: Things We Lost in the Fire
Helena Bonham Carter :: Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie :: Away from Her
Katherine Heigl :: Knocked Up
Keira Knightley :: Atonement
Marion Cotillard :: La vie en rose
Marketa Irglova :: Once
Martina Gedeck :: The Lives of Others
Naomi Watts :: Eastern Promises
Nikki Blonsky :: Hairspray
Tang Wei :: Lust, Caution
WTF?: Theron, Berry, Irglova, Gedeck, Watts

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada :: The Kite Runner
Armin Mueller-Stahl :: Eastern Promises
Casey Affleck :: The Assassination...
Chiwetel Ejiofor :: American Gangster
Clive Owen :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Geoffrey Rush :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hal Holbrook :: Into the Wild
Javier Bardem :: No Country for Old Men
John Travolta :: Hairspray
Paul Dano :: There Will Be Blood
Philip Seymour Hoffman :: Charlie Wilson's War
Russell Crowe :: American Gangster
Tom Wilkinson :: Michael Clayton
Tommy Lee Jones :: No Country for Old Men
Vincent Cassel :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Mahmoodzada, Mueller-Stahl, Ejiofor, Owen, Rush, Cassel

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney :: Juno
Brenda Blethyn :: Atonement
Cate Blanchett :: I'm Not There
Catherine Keener :: Into the Wild
Joan Allen :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Julia Roberts :: Charlie Wilson's War
Kelly MacDonald :: No Country for Old Men
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Hairspray
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Stardust
Romola Garai :: Atonement
Samantha Morton :: Control
Samantha Morton :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Saoirse Ronan :: Atonement
Tilda Swinton :: Michael Clayton
Vanessa Redgrave :: Atonement
WTF?: Janney, Blethyn, Allen, Pfeiffer x2

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Gangster
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Eastern Promises
Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hot Fuzz
In the Valley of Elah

Juno
Knocked Up
The Lives of Others
Michael Clayton
Once

Ratatouille
Things We Lost in the Fire
This Is England
La vie en rose

WTF?: The Golden Age, Things We Lost in the Fire, This Is England, La vie en rose

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Brick Lane

Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
Letters from Iwo Jima
Lust, Caution
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

WTF?: 3:10 to Yuma, The Bourne Ultimatum, Brick Lane, Control

Okay, so, thoughts, thoughts, as I catch up on the movies of 2007 (thank god for *cough* certain...locations)...

- Imelda Staunton still can't get nominated, even in a list of freaking 15, on her home turf?
- The BAFTA longlist always goes apeshit for one big blockbuster smash every year, don't they? Last year it was Casino Royale, which was understandable. This year, it's... The Bourne Ultimatum? Sure, why not. It was a good movie, and the Damon had a good year.
- Sweeney snubbed for Picture and Director? That can't be good. For crap like The Kite Runner?
- At first, I was pretty weirded out that Gone Baby Gone was a complete snub (especially Amy Ryan), but then I remembered that its British premiere won't be until next year; it's been pushed back becuase of the Madeleine McCann case.
- No Amy Adams? MAY GOD DEVOUR THEIR SOULS!
- Brenda Blethyn? I love her, but puhleeze, she had nothing to do in Atonement. They left out Imelda for that?
- While Michelle Pfeiffer was highly entertaining in Stardust, she really did nothing in Hairspray besides look really really bad (seriously, she looked awful. Sorry to those of you out there who are all like "SHE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ON EARTH BLAH BLAH BLAH"). John Travolta was just flat-out awful in the same movie and I truly hope he doesn't get an Oscar nomination.
- Casey Affleck is just great in The Assassination..., but LEAD. LEAD LEAD LEAD LEAD. Like, undebatable. This is possibly worse than Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain. Possibly worse than Jamie Foxx in Collateral. Jesus. The same goes for Russell Crowe in American Gangster.
- I'm glad to see all three Brionys from Atonement get in. They were all pretty damn amazing.
- I think this is the year where I realized the genius of Tommy Lee Jones. He's never quite impressed me before, but he just MIRACULOUS in No Country for Old Men and In the Valley of Elah. Thanks, BAFTA, for agreeing with me.
- Janney over Garner for Juno? BOO.
- the supporting actor noms are so... Brit-loving. Oh Clive, you know I love you...but you don't deserve to get shortlisted over... a lot of people. Chiwetel Ejiofor did nothing in American Gangster.
- I did like Marketa in Once and I'm glad she got shortlisted here, as she's pretty underrated. Her character was annoying and bizarre (dragging a vacuum cleaner through Dublin? Durrr...), but she was adorable and charming. Though, really, if you want potentially annoying/bizarre turned into adorable and charming, again, you need my girl Amy Adams.
- Jesus Christ can we get over Elizabeth, The Golden Age? That movie was a pile of suck. Cate Blanchett was highly entertaining in it, but in the same way as Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro in Stardust: bad, but so very over-the-top that you can't help but feel grateful every time she's on screen.
- the Original Screenplay longlist is half-inspired and half-horrendous.
- Yay for Atonement love, among others...
- why oh why are Laura Linney's Oscar chances/precursors d-e-a-d dead :( ?