"Darkest Hour" Joins the Fray at BAFTA

by Nathaniel R

Nomination leaders: Shape of Water, Darkest Hour, Three Billboards, Dunkirk and Blade Runner 2049

Though The Shape of Water (12 nominations) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (9 nominations) continued their stamped across precursor season as the (probable) films to beat come Oscar night, Darkest Hour finally made a significant awards mark. The Joe Wright helmed World War II Winston Churchill drama really should have started its theatrical run in October in the US to build steam but perhaps it wasn't too late if the BAFTA nominations convince Academy voters this week to check the film out before completing their ballots. The other nomination leaders were Blade Runner 2049 and Dunkirk (with 8 nominations each). Other major Oscar contenders had to settle for less. I Tonya continued its Nathaniel-defying (argh!) upward trajectory this awards season with 5 nominations beating out previously more ballyhooed prestige competition like Call Me By Your Name (4 noms), Lady Bird (3 noms) and Get Out (2 noms).

But the biggest loser this morning in terms of nominations is Steven Spielberg's The Post which received not a single nomination. That also happened to it at the SAG nominations, this complete shut-out. Most pundits don't seem to think it's in trouble but wouldn't any other film shut out completely from SAG and BAFTA be considered "in trouble" for Oscar nods? Is its Mecha-Bait 'done-deal-on-paper' status working against it in this new more volatile "what makes a movie an Oscar movie?" era of voting? It's surely food for thought if you'd like to nibble in the comments.

Phantom Thread with 4 nominations and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool with 3 nominations also did better than expected this morning. Full list of nominations with commentary for each category is after the jump...

Outstanding British film

• Darkest Hour
• The Death of Stalin
• God’s Own Country 
• Lady Macbeth
• Paddington 2
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Outstanding film

• Call Me By Your Name
• Darkest Hour
• Dunkirk
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BAFTA really needs to iron out why they have two separate best film categories, especially since they share so many nominees. Either actually make a film only eligible for one or the other or quit it and just have a top ten list or some such. Isn't is absolutely silly that Dunkirk, for example, is not considered a "British" film while Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri is.

We're not here for the gaming of awards systems and awards bodies really shouldn't be either. It invariably makes them look bad when they allow distributors and campaign strategist decide how things work. 

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

• The Ghoul – Gareth Tunley (writer/director/producer), Jack Healy Guttman & Tom Meeten (producers)
• I Am Not a Witch – Rungano Nyoni (writer/director), Emily Morgan (Producer)
• Jawbone – Johnny Harris (writer/producer), Thomas Napper (director)
• Kingdom of Us – Lucy Cohen (director)
• Lady Macbeth – Alice Birch (writer), William Oldroyd (director), Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (producer)

Should we be looking out for some of these stateside? Lady Macbeth and The Ghoul received stateside releases, the latter on just 4 screens this past summer, but the rest did not. 

Best film not in the English language

• Elle
• First They Killed My Father
• The Handmaiden (a best picture nominee on this site just last year)
• Loveless
• The Salesman

And here we see yet more shady awards game mentality in that every voting body wants to be an Oscar influencer rather than simply sitting down to honor "the best" as they see fit. Elle, which was not eligible last year at BAFTA, hit the foreign film category BUT the great Isabelle Huppert's highly successful awards campaign last season is now 'old news' so notice that she doesn't show up in the Best Actress list... though you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks the film isn't brilliant that doesn't credit her as the defining genius of the film. It's just ridiculous; her brilliance doesn't fade just because the calendar turned a corner.

Best documentary

• City of Ghosts
• I Am Not Your Negro
• Icarus
• An Inconvenient Sequel
• Jane

With the exception of last year's Oscar nominated James Baldwin doc I Am Not Your Negro, the rest of this field is still in the running and hoping for an Oscar nomination from the 15 wide finalist list this year here in the States.

Best animated film

• Coco
• Loving Vincent
• My Life as a Courgette

Might My Life as a Courgette, which had quite a good awards run last season winning the European Film Award and snagging an Oscar nomination, give Coco a run for its money since the eligibility calendar placed it in 2017 for BAFTA?

Best director

• Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049
• Luca Guadagnino, Call Me by Your Name
• Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
• Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
• Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Oooh, a genuine surprise. Denis Villeneuve shows up for his ambitious Blade Runner sequel despite the film not showing up in either Best Film list. And he couldn't have pulled "home team" votes either since he's Canadian rather than British. Are we underestimating him in the Best Director contender list?

Best original screenplay

• Get Out
• I, Tonya
• Lady Bird
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BAFTA mostly ignored Lady Bird and Get Out but at least they showed up in the category that they will probably compete for the win in at the Oscars in March. That is unless the resurgent I Tonya becomes the flavor of the spring. Which it might.

Best adapted screenplay

• Call Me by Your Name
• The Death of Stalin
• Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
• Molly’s Game
• Paddington 2

Best actress

• Annette Bening, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
• Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
• Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
• Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Best actor

• Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
• Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
• Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
• Jamie Bell, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
• Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name

Another genuine surprise -- and a double whammy one: Both Jamie Bell and Annette Bening appear in the highly competitive lead acting races for their aching duet in the drama about Gloria Grahame's final cancer ridden days. In case you haven't guessed I really like this movie.

Consider us shocked that Daniel Kaluuya made the list, though, considering the BAFTA voters didn't go crazy for his film. Yes, he's great in the film but it's not the kind of role that usually wins acting nominations UNLESS the film itself is doing some of the awards work. Best Actor remains unusually competitive... is it because no one much cared about the category this year with Best Actress getting so much of the press?

Is Lesley Manville heading for one of those surprise Oscar nominations? The timing *might* be right.

Best supporting actress

• Allison Janney, I, Tonya
• Kristin Scott Thomas, Darkest Hour
• Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
• Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
• Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

The Oscar frontrunners (it's Janney vs Metcalf for the gold) welcome a mostly new set of competitors at BAFTA. Octavia Spencer has been showing up intermittently in the Supporting competitions but two of the greatest screen actresses in the world, Kristin Scott Thomas and Lesley Manville now join the fray for Darkest Hour and Phantom Thread respectively. Both are still distinct possibilities in what's been kind of a volatile Supporting Actress competition.

Best supporting actor

• Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
• Hugh Grant, Paddington 2
• Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
• Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

What a strange category this is turning out to be this season, no? It's as if everyone is stumped as to who to include which makes no sense because MICHAEL STUHLBARG is right there, people?!? (Also have you voted on our Three Billboards cop vs cop poll, yet?)

Best original music

• Blade Runner 2049
• Darkest Hour
• Dunkirk
• Phantom Thread
• The Shape of Water

I've been predicting Darkest Hour in "original score" for a long time despite no supportive evidence. Haha. Will my prediction hold up? This is the first indication that it might. 

Best cinematography

• Blade Runner 2049
• Darkest Hour
• Dunkirk
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

As someone who does not hate Three Billboards (I use the disclaimer since so many people online do and it is imperative that the next comment not come across and knee-jerk hatred of the movie so that my horrified confusion will be heard) "what the what now? CINEMATOGRAPHY?" This is as weird as that time when The King's Speech kept getting cinematography nominations. But why? It's supposed to be a craft nomination, not just "here's a movie we like!" 

Best editing

• Baby Driver
• Blade Runner 2049
• Dunkirk
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Not nominating Get Out in this category is absurd. If Oscar also commits this atrocity we will be furious. 

Best production design

• Beauty and the Beast
• Blade Runner 2049
• Darkest Hour
• Dunkirk
• The Shape of Water

A mystery of awards season that hasn't been discussed much. Will Beauty and the Beast secure Oscar nominations in eye candy categories. On the one hand it seems like a default player under "Most" in craft categories but on the other hand it couldn't even snag a single Golden Globe nomination and it would have seemed a shoo-in there given their traditional fondness for musicals. 

Best costume design

• Beauty and the Beast
• Darkest Hour
• I, Tonya
• Phantom Thread
• The Shape of Water

I still think this category is wildly up in the air and could hold significant surprises on Oscar nomination morning. For instance I don't think ANY of these films are secure (though any of them could transfer) You?

Best make up & hair

• Blade Runner 2049
• Darkest Hour
• I, Tonya
• Victoria & Abdul
• Wonder

All but Blade Runner 2049 made the parallel finals in the Oscar category though Oscar stupidly only allows 3 nominees in the category (despite every other category getting at least five). Remember when Chris gave Darkest Hour "Best Wig" in his fun year in review wig-snatching post? Good times. 

Best sound

• Baby Driver
• Blade Runner 2049
• Dunkirk 
• The Shape of Water
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Baby Driver is something of a mystery this Oscar season. Hollywood in general (and the public, too) seems to really like it but it's not "prestigious" in the typical (however useless) sense so will AMPAS members in the craft departments go for it or forget about it with more Best Picture-like films staring them in the face. 

Best special visual effects

• Blade Runner 2049
• Dunkirk
• The Shape of Water
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• War for the Planet of the Apes

Blade Runner 2049 made quite a mark in the craft categories, didn't it? Will it be a fierce competitor on Oscar nomination morning? The record for most nominations without a Best Picture nod in the relatively short window of the new Oscar system with its expanded Best Picture field is held by Carol (2015) with six nominations. Can Blade Runner 2049 tie Todd Haynes masterpiece or will it have to settle for something slightly more Skyfall'ish (5 nods) in the realm of "non Best Picture nominee with abundant nominations"?

SOME CRAZY TALK: Dear Awards voters, maybe you should consider giving the actual visual effects trophy to the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy? It's been nominated every time at both BAFTA and Oscar and neither body ever wants to say "okay okay... you're doing brilliant work. Here's your trophy!" 

Best British short animation

• Have Heart
• Mamoon
• Poles Apart

None of these films are on the Oscar finalist list -- any UK readers want to fill us in on their must-see status?

Best British short film

• Aamir 
• Cowboy Dave
• A Drowning Man
• Work
• Wren Boys

EE Rising Star award (voted for by the public)

• Daniel Kaluuya
• Florence Pugh
• Josh O’Connor
• Tessa Thompson
• Timothée Chalamet

Previously discussed here at TFE. It's so easy to forget that Kaluuya is British isn't it, since his breakout is in such a quintessentially American film (Get Out). Will a Brith win this prize or will one of the Americans (Timothée or Tessa) take it? What'cha think readers?

Comments

[Bette Streep]

To those of you who are puzzled with the Best Film and Best British Film categories , you should see what the Australian Academy (AACTA) have done. They have two separate awards shows. One for all the AUSTRALIAN films and co-productions ( this year Lion won 12 awards including Best Picture) and an INTERNATIONAL awards that are held in Hollywood. This is a (rather pathetic) attempt by the AACTA to try and make themselves look important ....and of course an opportunity for the executives to get a free trip to the USA to mingle with celebrities. This year they gave their Best picture to ...yep ...3 billboards. But what is strange is that they nominated Nicole Kidman for The Killing of a sacred deer and Hugh Jackman for Logan.

[LadyEdith]

Just read that Joanna Lumley will be hosting the BAFTAS- this will be the best ever.

[Zo]

Being on the board means nothing. Being nominated does and that's two separate bodies now. If Post wasn't eligible, it would've been a story by now.

[shawshank]

Rachel Morrison just got an ASC nomination! I love all the encouragement to nominate female directors, but I feel like Rachel Morrison needs to be championed just as much if not more than Greta Gerwig, not just because no woman cinematographer has EVER been nommed at the Oscars, but because her work is so stunning and absolutely DESERVES to be in the top 5.

[Josh R]

Is now the time to mention that Darkest Hour is, in my estimation, one of the dullest exercises in taxidermy ever committed to celluloid? To the point that it makes The King's Speech look like Pulp Fiction? Can I say that now? The industry awards shows are so predictable - adhere to the formula, make it classy and British and period, wrap it in latex and mimcry, and Voila - a frontrunner is born. Sigh.

[NATHANIEL R]

Josh -- wow we had such wildly different reactions to that movie. I feel like I am the first person to be bored with Great Man Biopics and that movie really held my attention from the first scene because the filmmaking was so interested in making it entertaining, I mean, it won't be in my top ten list but I liked it enough to attend three screenings.

[Raul]

Between Darkest Hour and I, Tonya, this may be a painful Oscars for me. While I did not hate Darkest Hour the way I did I, Tonya, it's just not an interesting film worthy of recognition. It's essentially a two hour Oscar clip for Gary Oldman and its make-up crew. I spent the two hours studying the make-up job and marveling how well the seams were hidden. That's not a good sign that the film is good. I'm fine with nominating Oldman and make-up but not best picture when this was a year filled with great films.

[Bradley]

DUNKIRK was deemed eligible for Best British Film but WB abstained from submitting it.

THREE BILLBOARDS is a Blueprint Films/Film 4 joint - British Originated and Developed (and Written/Directed/DoP etc) and Financed by the USA.

The BFI Cultural Test for Film and Media is a points based system. I can't remember the number (16 I think?) that it has to rack up in Brit Points - as it were - to qualify as British.

[Leon]

Just in case, the Oscar voting deadline is this Friday.

[Glenn Dunks]

I'm super happy for Jamie Bell who's giving career best (and potentially career redifining!) work in FILM STARS and absolutely deserves to be spoken about alongside Chalamet and Kaluuya in the "wow, these young men are really giving great performances this year".

The Meryl no-shows is so odd since it's her best work in a decade since PRADA/JULIE & JULIA.

The thing with the Best British Film category is that it used to be voted on by an independent committee so you'd often get splits and tiny films like THIS IS ENGLAND and FISH TANK winning. They no longer do that and so, yeah, THREE BILLBOARDS will probably win and maybe they'll give DUNKIRK best feature.

[brandz]

Never, ever count Meryl Streep out when it comes to Oscar.

[Aaron]

The biggest shock is no Judi Dench in Best Actress...I mean, this is a huge loss for her as no other group loves her more than BAFTA (they nominated her for My Week with Marilyn, for chrissakes).

I still think it's Ronan/McDormand/Robbie/Hawkins/Streep for best actress, with Meryl just barely squeaking in.

[gigi]

@Nathaniel

3 screenings of Darkest Hour!?! That's insane. It's a terrible film. A one-time obligatory watch because Oldman is the frontrunner, so you need to see who is winning the Oscar. But after that homework is done, no one ever needs to watch that movie again. I'm still having nightmares from that godawful Train scene, where some random black dude and a little girl (among others) convince Churchill to take the fight to Hitler. Who writes such rubbish?

Oldman does what he can, but it's not even in his top 10 performances. Great actor, but this is a career oscar (which I don't begrudge. He's deserved more awards than he's gotten), and the performance and film will be forgotten about in pretty short order.

Josh is 100% right. Not to be a cynica Nathaniel, but I saw on twitter that Oldman has been buttering up critics and BFCA members with personally signed notes and photos of himself as Churchill. Did you by chance get one of those presents from Oldman?

[Pete]

Yay no Meryl again! Let's hope AMPAS finally wakes up to the fact that they had been nominating her for undeserving performances for the longest time.

[leon]

Well, the Franco rumors have return in worse time and stories. This is gonna be a huge mess.

[Dg]

Oh, the Streep haters are going to be sooo exhausted to see Meryl get her 21st nomination this month !

[brookesboy]

Pete--shout it from the rooftops!!!! YES!

[Ishmael]

I can't believe that Gary Oldman is the front runner. Timothée Chalamet should have the Oscar in the bag.
Has Hollywood forgotten what a right wing nut-bar Oldman is? Remember, this is the guy who called Nancy Pelosi a "fucking useless cunt", and this is the guy who choked and smashed a telephone on his ex-wife's face. His misogyny and homophobia is fowl. This is the guy who supported Mel Gibson's antisemitic rants, just like he did when he supported Alex Baldwin for his use of the word "fagot". And finally, this is the guy who, a few years ago, called the Golden Globes "a meaningless event"! I guess it's only meaningless when they don't nominate you, right Gary? And, yet, here he is proudly holding one. When he proclaimed "boy, does this world needs changing" (sic) during his Globe win, all I could think was that I hope it doesn't change into Oldman's world.
Any thoughts on why Oldman's toxic behaviour is not being discussed anywhere? And yes, I really really want Timothée Chalamet to win this Oscar.

[Marcos]

About McDormand's bad mood... I guess she must have become good pals with Amy Madigan and Ed Harris, the King and Queen of bad vibes in Hollywood awards circuit.

[grrr]

Dg ... so hoping you are correct!

[NATHANIEL R]

Gigi -- LOL. Gary Oldman would have to work much much harder than that to change my opinion of him and a handwrittten note or photo wouldn't do it. Why would I even want one as a non fan?

my opinion is always my own. I just like the film more than you do (and I love Joe Wright's flamboyance from his director's chair)