The BAFTAS

The British Film Academy Award nominees were announced today! They are often referred to as the BAFTAS, which stands for British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and that is how I will be referring to them...so keep up! This awards group is another important group on our journey to the Oscar for many reasons, mainly because British people have a bigger majority in the Academy than any other country. The other main reason would be because they try to, maybe unintentionally, imitate what the Academy might do. They have a place in the awards race, for a reason, and their nominations, like any major group at this point in the race, show the strengths of certain contenders and the weaknesses of others. So lets look at and discuss their nominations this year, category by category, as per usual.

Best Picture:
Gravity
American Hustle
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Philomena

Thoughts- The first four have not been shut out of a single major award. They are definitely going to be Best Pictured nominated, without a shadow of doubt. The exclusion of Wolf of Wall Street is a bit surprising considering they nominated Scorsese for Best Director, but I think that is because they at least wanted to nominate one British movie in their top category; hence the Philomena nomination. Philomena is one that I have yet to see, but it does stand an outside chance for a Best Picture nomination, I just think that it is a very small chance.

Best Director:
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Thoughts- They followed suit with the DGA nominees, and I believe this is the Oscar nominated 5. Their is still a chance for anyone like Spike Jonze for Her, Alexander Payne for Nebraska, Coen bros for Inside Llewyn Davis to possibly sneak in at the Oscars. Anyone not mentioned here would be a shock to me.

Best Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Christian Bale, American Hustle

Thoughts- This category is just way to difficult to choose, and their is definitely no consensus. Leo is on a roll with award nominations now that his movie has been seen by everyone, and I truly believe his performance deserves to win him the Oscar; but because he is so famously snubbed every time he has an Oscar caliber performance, it could just as easily happen again. Bruce, Chiwetel, and Hanks are the only ones that have not missed a nomination and I believe they are locked in for Oscar. I am unsure of Robert Redford's chances of a nomination, for All is Lost, now that he has been snubbed by another major group, and honestly I hope to see him left out if it means Leo or Bale gets nominated for superior performances. I am shocked to see Matthew McConaughey get left out, more so, the complete shut out of Dallas Buyers Club, even the front runner to win Jared Leto for Supporting Actor was snubbed. I expect Jared to win the Oscar, and rightfully so. I love this list of Best Actor nominees, and would be happy to see it for Oscars, but I think Matthew deserves a spot; then that would mean someone would have to be taken out, and I would probably have to choose Bale. Like I said this category is too crazy and unpredictable, and I like it that way. As long as I see Leo's name on the Oscar nominations list, Jeremy will be happy.

Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Judi Dench, Philomena
Amy Adams, American Hustle

Thoughts- It is about time this category gets shaken up. The fact that Amy Adams was able to push out Meryl Streep, just shows the strength of American Hustle right now. I loved Amy's performance in American Hustle, but Meryl was a beast in August: Osage County. I think Amy could easily get in though if American Hustle continues to surge through the awards season. Right now, I will continue to say and hope Meryl will be in over Amy, but I would not be totally upset if Meryl gets snubbed and Amy gets it. IF and that is one big if, Amy gets nominated, she may pull of a surprise upset win. People could see her has the one who has never won an Oscar, in a category filled with Oscar winners; but news flash, I am willing to bet she will win this category next year...so it is better off if she is snubbed and Meryl gets it, that way Amy can make her case even stronger for next year!

Best Supporting Actor:
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Barhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Danil Bruhl, Rush
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra

Thoughts- The first three have not missed out on a big nomination, and again I say I think they are locks. That leaves two spots, one is for sure going to Jared Leto, who is the one to beat, and the other is somewhat of a fight between Bradley Cooper and James Gandolfini. I think Cooper has it. The reason Matt Damon showed up here is because in England, Behind the Candelabra was considered a feature film where as in the US it aired on HBO as a TV film, so it has been resigned to TV nominations at the Golden Globes and SAGs.

Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Oprah Winfrey, The Butler
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Thoughts- The top three are for sure locks for the Oscar. Oprah, Sally, and June Squibb from Nebraska will be fighting for the last two spots. I said awhile ago Sally was a dark horse and she would need to really fight for a nomination, and that she is doing. Until I see Nebraska, I am okay with these nominations. Jennifer, Julia, and Lupita give fierce performances that I do not know who I want to win. I am surprised at June's snub, she has not missed out on a nomination until this, and I suspect her to be nominated at the Oscars, but who knows.

Adapted Screenplay:
The Wolf of Wall Street
12 Years a Slave
Philomena
Captain Phillips
Behind the Candelabra

Original Screenplay:
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

Thoughts- Her, like Dallas Buyers Club, was shockingly shut out of being nominated for anything. I can not see it not being nominated at the Oscars, at least for this category and likely Best Picture. The fact that Gravity showed up in screenplay here is huge, because that means it has huge support, that screenplay is widely considered "eeehhh". I expect some differences come Oscar nominations, but the shut of Her is the only big surprise here.

Best Animated Feature:
Frozen
Despicable Me 2
Monsters University

Thoughts- The Wind Rises, which won almost every critics award for this category keeps getting left off some of the major awards groups, which I find confusing. I have not seen it, nor do I care much to. All I know is I LOVED Frozen and Monsters University, they deserve their nominations! Frozen I think should win here, but at the Oscars there will be two more nominees, The Wind Rises will be one of them, which will give it some major heat.

The other categories that I have no big opinions on.....

Outstanding British Film:
Philomena
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks
The Selfish Giant
Rush

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer
Colin Carberry and Glenn Paterson (writers), Good Vibrations
Kelly Marcel (writer), Saving Mr. Banks
Kieran Evans (director/writer), Kelly + Victor
Paul Wright (director/writer) Polly Stokes (producer), For Those in Peril
Scott Graham (director/writer), Shell

Foreign Language Film
Blue is the Warmest Color
The Act of Killing
The Great Beauty
Metro Manila
Wadjda

Documentary
The Act of Killing
Blackfish
The Armstrong
Tim's Vermeer
We Steal Secrets: The story of Wikileaks

Original Music:
12 Years  a Slave
The Book Thief
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks

Cinematography:
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

Editing:
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Rush
The Wolf of Wall Street

Production Design:
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Behind the Candelabra
Gravity
The Great Gatsby

Costume Design:
American Hustle
Behind the Candelabra
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
Saving Mr. Banks

Make Up & Hair:
American Hustle
Behind the Candelabra
The Butler
The Great Gatsby
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Sound:
All is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Rush

Special Visual Effects:
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
Pacific Rim
Star Trek into Darkness

British Short Animation:
Everything I Can See From Here
I am Tom Moody
Sleeping with the Fishes

British Short Film:
Island Queen
Keeping up with the Joneses
Orbit Ever After
Room 8
Sea View


Overall these nominations have shaken up the race to Oscar. Truly I say to you, nothing is set in stone, it is anyone's game. I would rather it be this way, than any specific film sweep, unless it was a movie truly deserving a sweep. I hope you have fastened your seat belts by now.

Onward to The Golden Globes! Sunday. Do not miss it! I will share my predictions before hand, and my thoughts and rundown after.