I've said it before and I'm forced to say it again. I'm *so* glad that the American Academy does not publish a long list. i.e. the semi-finals. You see, It's so much more bearable / engaging when you can imagine that straight up great achievements or achievements you really responded to personally but you knew might have trouble rallying huge swaths of support were in 6th or 7th place or 10th place in voting. The way BAFTA does it, however, you are forced to understand that Oscar buzz is everything and Super Size Mediocrities will always triumph over critical darlings or more challenging Art.
Take the Best Picture categories for a prime example. Notice that Weekend for example, a very British and very acclaimed film is not one of their "outstanding" homegrown products (they might want to check the reviews again) and notice that auteurist films frequently called masterpieces by their fans (The Tree of Life and Melancholia) are also absent. Other films ignored because you have to have space for The Lukewarmly Reviewed Biopics About Lady Actresses and Lady Politicians are... no, no. It's too horrible to start listing them!
Best Film The Artist, The Descendants, Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, The Iron Lady, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, My Week with Marilyn, Senna, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse, and We Need to Talk About Kevin
BAFTA voters went crazy 4 My Week With Marilyn, longlisted many many timesFilm Not in the English Language Abel, As If I Am Not There, The Boy Mir – Ten Years in Afghanistan, Calvet, Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries), Incendies, Little White Lies, Pina, Post Mortem, Potiche, Le Quattro Volte, A Separation, The Skin I Live In, Tomboy and The Troll Hunter
More long list looniness with commentary after the jump...
The other insanity that is the annual release of the BAFTA longlists is that they show you who is out front in early voting which seems... tacky. So leaders can fear that their support will crumble and other longlisters can feel despair. 'Oh, i'm so close. But it's not going to happen!' They don't tell you who is out front in the film categories but they do everywhere else.
Director and Actor lists follow with voter leaders in red.
Director Hazanavicus -The Artist, Payne -The Descendants, Refn - Drive, Fincher -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , Taylor -The Help , Scorsese -Hugo, Clooney -The Ides of March, Lloyd - The Iron Lady, Eastwood - J. Edgar, Allen - Midnight in Paris, Miller - Moneyball , Curtis - My Week with Marilyn, Alfredson -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Spielberg - War Horse, Ramsay - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Oscarables? I keep wanting to predict Nicolas Winding Refn in Best Director for Drive. But the director's branch within Oscar is so much less adventurous than they once were. Do you think they'll go for his hot genre skill?
More annoyingness: There's a certain someone who shows up in Best Director who doesn't show up in Best Film and we don't want to complain about him again. But an American icon on autopilot over British directors of BAFTA's favorite homegrown films? I mean, don't they care about their own industry. If there's one extra spot there why not the 'make the most of what you've got' invention of Joe Cornish from Attack the Block, the gutsy double-duty immediacy of Ralph Fiennes, the bravely bold long takes and weird fusion or operatic and minimalism from Steve McQueen from Shame or the actor's actor brutality of Paddy Considine for Tyrannosaur. what a world what a world. sigh.
Leading Actor Antonio Banderas – The Skin I Live In, Brad Pitt – Moneyball, Brendan Gleeson – The Guard, Daniel Craig – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Eddie Redmayne – My Week with Marilyn, Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, George Clooney – The Descendants, Jean Dujardin – The Artist, Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar, Michael Fassbender (Brandon) – Shame, Owen Wilson - Midnight in Paris, Peter Mullan – Tyrannosaur, Ralph Fiennes - Coriolanus, Ryan Gosling – Drive, and Ryan Gosling – The Ides of March
Uh... Look, I like Eddie Redmayne a lot. I even think he made the most of that very limited role in My Week With Marilyn as I said in my review. But a longlist for BEST performances? Look, I love Daniel Craig. I was singing his praises long before James Bond ever made him globally famous. But how are these roles meaty enough to consider the work "best". Especially when you have to shun both Weekend boys (Tom Cullen and Chris New) to include them? It's just aggravating and lazy fame defaulting. But BAFTA has that problem each year.
Leading Actress Bérénice Bejo – The Artist, Carey Mulligan – Shame, Charlize Theron – Young Adult [our interview], Emma Stone – The Help, Helen Mirren – The Debt, Jodie Foster – Carnage, Kate Winslet – Carnage, Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids, Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady, Mia Wasikowska – Jane Eyre, Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn, Olivia Colman – Tyrannosaur [our interview], Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin and Viola Davis – The Help
I fear if I look at this any longer I will notice someone amazing they left off and be sad sad sad. So I should look away quickly while it's still looking like a strong list. ARGH TOO LATE. Just noticed that Kirsten Dunst is missing from Melancholia. The earth is evil.
Supporting Actor Alan Rickman (Prof. Severus Snape) - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Albert Brooks (Bernie Rose) – Drive, Ben Kingsley (George Méliès) – Hugo, Benedict Cumberbatch (Peter Guillam) – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Christopher Plummer – Beginners , Colin Firth (Bill Haydon) - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Eddie Marsan– Tyrannosaur, Ezra Miller (Kevin Teenager) – We Need to Talk About Kevin, George Clooney (Mike Morris) – The Ides of March, Jim Broadbent (Denis Thatcher) – The Iron Lady, John Hurt (Control) – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Jonah Hill– Moneyball, Kenneth Branagh (Sir Laurence Olivier) – My Week with Marilyn, Paul Giamatti (Tom Duffy) – The Ides of March and Philip Seymour Hoffman– The Ides of March
They aren't fooling around with the men of The Ides of March and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. BAFTA's long list is definitely enamored of men in suits. Interesting that despite love for J Edgar in director and actor and a gajillion craft categories, Armie Hammer does not appear.
Oscarables: A long long time ago I thought Philip Seymour Hoffman would be a default nomination for screaming at Ryan Gosling in Ides of March in the Supporting Actor field. Will we see a resurgence of Ides and its players come Oscar nom morning?
Supporting Actress Alexandra Roach – The Iron Lady , Bryce Dallas Howard– The Help, Carey Mulligan – Drive , Emily Watson - War Horse , Evan Rachel Wood – The Ides of March, Jessica Chastain – The Help [our interview], Judi Dench– My Week with Marilyn , Kathy Bates – Midnight in Paris , Kathy Burke – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy , Marion Cotillard – Midnight in Paris , Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids , Octavia Spencer – The Help, Olivia Colman – The Iron Lady [our interview], Shailene Woodley – The Descendants, and Zoe Wanamaker – My Week with Marilyn.
All five of the THE HELP principles were longlisted and four of them were vote leaders in their categories!
I don't like to assume the worst but the longlists always make me fear that BAFTA voters are, by and large, dimwitted. And otherwise I always generically assume that British people are smart which I'm sure is a byproduct of decades of movie culture generally portraying Brits as more educated and cerebral than their American counterparts. Anyway... BAFTA is telling me that all 15 of these women (including Bryce Dallas Howard's cartoon and multiple Kathy cameos and and and and and and ) are superior to Vanessa Redgrave in Coriolanus. Which I will not have. Sorry BAFTA. You lose.
Just for fun let's look at one craft category since we virtually have no clue what Oscar might like in Costume Design.
Queen Elizabeth always sends the hearts of Costume Designers aflutterCostume Design Lisy Christl - Anonymous* , Mark Bridges - The Artist* , Bojana Nikitovic - Coriolanus , Denise Cronenberg - A Dangerous Method , Trish Summerville - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 , Sharen Davis - The Help , Sandy Powell - Hugo* , Consolate Boyle - The Iron Lady , Deborah Hooper - J. Edgar , Michael O'Connor - Jane Eyre* , Sonia Grande - Midnight in Paris , Jill Taylor - My Week with Marilyn* , Jacqueline Durran - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Joanna Johnston - War Horse
You know, when I first say Anonymous I thought 'costume design nomination' but then I backed away because I thought maybe the film would be too shrugged off the consciousness straightaway. Perhaps I should've followed the first instinct?
Complete Long List in all categories.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT BAFTA'S LONG-LISTING: What would you trade in and out?