Saturday, February 7, 2009

Meditations on...The BAFTAS


With the BAFTAs airing tommorow night, it seemed more fitting to turn in my final predictions than to star with my ever-delayed Countdown to Oscar series. So, lets dive in, shall we ?
I've decided to place each category in order of relevance to the oscars.
The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
Michael Cera
Noel Clarke
Michael Fassbender
Rebecca Hall
Toby Kebbell
Having only heard of Cera, Fassbender and Hall, this prediction should be taken with a grain of salt, even though I'm almost positive one of these three shall win.
Since it's voted upon by the public, I'm inclined to pick Cera, but I think that if Michael Fassbender wins anywhere, it'll be here.
Will/Should Win: Michael Fassbender
Snubbed: Dev Patel, and David Kross.
Carl Foreman award for special achievement by a Brit in their first feature film
Simon Chinn - Man on Wire (producer)
Judy Craymer - Mamma Mia! The Movie (producer}
Garth Jennings - Son of Rambow (writer)
Steve McQueen - Hunger (director/writer)
Roy Boulter and Solon Papadopoulos - Of Time and the City (producers)
Steve McQueen won this the day the nominations were announced.
Will/Should Win: Steve McQueen
Snubbed: Martin McDonagh for In Bruges, even though he already has an oscar for his excellent short, Six Shooter, how did he not get in for his feature length debut ?
Best Sound
Changeling – Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
The Dark Knight – Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
Quantum of Solace – Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
Slumdog Millionaire – Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
WALL-E – Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood
I have no idea how Changeling made it in, I think it's safe to write that off immediately. The dark Knight, Quantum of Solace and Wall-e would all be deserving winners, and Slumdog, which I think has no buisness in this category. I think this will go to either Wall-e or The Dark Knight, but if pressed, batman picks this up.
Will Win: The Dark Knight
Should Win: The Dark Knight or Wall-e
Snubbed: Defiance. I adored the movie, and I still cant understand why it recieved so little love this year. It's a shame.
Best Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Eric Barba, Craig Barron, – Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams
The Dark Knight – Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – Pablo Helman
Iron Man – Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow
Quantum of Solace – Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug
This is easily between Button, The Dark Knight and Iron Man. Of the three, The dark Knight is probably the weakest due to the real effects used during the movie as far as the explosions go. Iron Man had great effects and probably would have won had Button not been nominated. I just cant see how any awards body could ignore the masterful technical prowess displayed in Ben Button
Will/Should Win: The Curious case of Benjamin Button
Snubbed: Nothing comes to mind.
Best Makeup and Hair
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan
The Dark Knight – Peter Robb-King
The Duchess – Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
Frost/Nixon – Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
Milk – Steven E. Anderson, Michael White
It seems wierd to me that the brits include hair in this category but I think that the only film that stands a chance is The curious case of Benjamin Button. The actors are aged and de-aged marvelously in the movie. And that fact that it spans throughout decades only helps it's chances.
Will/Should Win: The Curious case of Benjamin button
Snubbed: Synecdoche, New York, despite featuring the best and most realistic aging make up I've ever seen, it has been shunned and snubbed by every awards group.
The Duchess, Changeling, and Benjamin Button are the only realistic contenders for this award. All three movies feature great costumes which makes it difficult to predict a winner. Because of this, I have to go with my BAFTA montra: When in doubt, go with a British film". The Duchess wins.
Will Win: The Duchess
Should Win: Changeling
Snubbed: The Other Boleyn Girl had fantastic costumes.
Best Production Design
Changeling – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
The Dark Knight – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
Revolutionary Road – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
Slumdog Millionaire – Mark Digby, Michelle Day
This is a tough one. Changeling, Revolutionary Road and Butto all feature fantastic period design work. The Dark Knight was contemporary design marvel, and Slumdog Millionaire's Mumbai is brought to life through it production design. I think the weakest films are Slumdog and The Dark Knight so they're out. Revolutionary Road isnt getting anything so its out. Which leaves us with Button and Changeling. I prefere Changeling, but I think Button picks this one up.
Will Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Should Win: Changeling
Snubbed: The great sets and art direction of Indianna Jones IV, which were the best part of an otherwise unsatisfying film.
Mama Mia!'s inclusion is a joke, but otherwise anyone of these films would be derserving winners. I know that Slumdog Millionaire most likely takes this in a cake walk, but I would like to believe that a work as good as Howard and Zimmer's The Dark Knight score will win at least one major award. Alas, Slumdog wins this one as it has done all season long.
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Should Win: The Dark Knight
Snubbed: I loved the scores for Che, Defiance and especially In Bruges. Carter Burwell's work was sublime and incredibly haunting, Albert Iglesias did great mood molding work in Che, and James Newton Howard's Defiance score was exactly the type of grand, eloquent work that I love when it comes to film scores.
Take your pic here. I've seen all the nominees, but because of Persepolis inclusion I feel completely thrown off. I think that because of Persepolis, Waltz With Bashir and the other animated film will suffer a vote split type situation, knocking both of them out of the running.
Baader hasnt recieved the best of reviews and I disliked it so I'm crossing that one off, leaving two excellent films in Gommorah and I've Loved You So Long. I'm think they'll go with Gommorah to one up the Oscars and make them look foolish for the ridiculous snub.
Will/Should Win: Gommorah
Snubbed: The Class, one of the best films of the last three years and the most deserving Palm d'Or winner in a while.
Theres no reason to comment here.
Will Win/Should Win: Wall-e
Snubbed: Kung Fu Panda, what can I say ? I loved it.
Best Film - British (Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film)
Hunger
In Bruges
Mamma Mia! The Movie
Man on Wire
Slumdog Millionaire
I think that Slumdog has Best Film wrapped up with a bow, and I'm pretty sure that this award usually splits. I doubt that Mama mia! will win any best picture type award, if it couldnt win a globe, this is impossible. I'm not sure about Man on Wire's chances, despite being phenominal how often does a doc win this type of an award ? I just cant see it. This leaves Hunger and In Bruges. Both wonderful. Both Unique. Both auteur driven films. I think that McQueen's win earlier in the night is the films consolation prize, which leaves my personal fav In Bruges for the win.
Will/Should Win: In Bruges
Snubbed: I'm not sure, I guess The Reader is the most obvious snubee as it was directed, produced and written by brits.
I hate this category this year as i am at a loss. Last year I felt I had a personal favorite to win which led me to correctly predict There Will be Blood, but this year no film had photography that just completely grabbed me and spoke to me. Hunger comes the closest, but it was snubbed.
I'm going to go with Slumdog Millionaire, but I prefer The Dark Knight and Changeling slightly more.
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Should Win: The Dark Knight
Snubbed: Hunger's cinematography was a true technical achievement, and a testament to Bobbit's skill as a dp and McQueen's talent as a director.
Simon Beaufoy, a brit, wins this as easy as one, two, three.
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Should Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Snubbed: I think The Dark Knight had the most criminally passed over screenplay of 2008. It created a world that captured the minds of people all over the world, and featured some of the best dialogue ever written, especially in the case of The Joker's monologues throughout the film.
The only movie I can see winning here is In Bruges.
Will Win/Should Win: In Bruges, heres hoping that Oscar is next !
Snubbed: Vicky Cristina Barcelona, just like at the oscars, for some reason Woody is being screwed this year despite seeing his best reviews in years.
I'm out for the night, part two comes tommorow morning, I promise.
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