BAFTA Long Lists reveal potentially dire nomination slates

Every year the BAFTA long lists remind us that we are sooooo glad that Oscar doesn't do this in the major category. We really like our delusional world where voters are actually watching screeners and not just voting for the most high profile things in every category. For one, BAFTA longlists have mostly ignored non-English language films that people were feeling hopeful about in the awards race (Parallel Mothers, Drive My Car, Titane, Worst Person in the World, etc) except for in the international category. Similar the animation longlist is all big studio American stuff (with the exception of Flee). These are all clear "stay in your lane!" signs from voters. For another, they actually think films like House of Gucci is worthy all of the place and that Don't Look Up has worthy elements in all four of the acting races. Argh!

But at any rate here are the BAFTA longlists. Reminder: These are NOT nominations, just what the nominations coming on February 3rd will be drawn from. The following info is pulled directly from the BAFTA site...

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Critics Prizes, Round 6

by Nathaniel R

We had quite a lull of no new awards during the holidays but it's started up again so it's time to update the scorecard. Though sometimes we see a galling conformity in Best Picture prizes this year groups have been a smidgeon (a tiny smidgeon) more 'spread the wealth' adventurous with a total of 13 films winning at least 1 top prize from 30 groups announcing thus far.  That's a much wider spread of favourites than we're seeing in the depressingly conformist read of the other "top" categories...

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Regional Critics Round 4: "The Green Knight" joins the 'Best Film' fray

by Nathaniel R

Previously in the overcrowded circus that is precursor awards, we've had three wins for Power of the Dog (Philadelphia, NY Online, and Boston Online), three for Japan's Drive My Car (NYFCC, LAFCA, and Boston). two wins for Licorice Pizza (Atlanta and NBR), and one each for Cyrano (Detroit), Dune (Sunset Circle), The Lost Daughter (Gothams) and Belfast (DC). 

We got only one "new" Best Picture winner (The Green Knight!) from the latest batch of six critips groups: Chicago, Portland, St Louis, Las Vegas, Southeastern Film Critics, Las Vegas, and the Women Film Critics Circle. You can see the selections from all of those groups after the jump...

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Spirit Award Nominations!

by Nathaniel R

Zola leads the nominations with The Novice and The Lost Daughter in runners up position

Zola, A24's raucuous stripper roadtrip comedy led the 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards with 7 nominations. A24 also scored with  C'mon C'mon (3 nods) Red Rocket (2 nods) and The Humans (1 nod) putting them in the lead for distributors. Netflix was in second place with 9 citations, 4 of those for The Lost Daughter. The big surprise, though, was arguably the very strong showing by IFC Film's horror entry The Novice which received 5 nominations.

It wasn't all good news. Passing was given the short end of the stick yet again (why can't people see its brilliance?) and due to the vagaries of juried nominations there are always a few odd omissions to consider. Full list of nominations with commentary after the jump... If there's a link it goes to our review of that picture.

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Golden Globe Nominees: "Belfast" and "Power of the Dog" lead

by Nathaniel R

Kenneth Branagh's childhood memoir Belfast and Jane Campion's stirring psychosexual western Power of the Dog lead the 79th annual Golden Globe nominations with seven each. Among comedies or musicals, which are always the highlight of the Globes since that's the only award bodies to take those genres of film seriously, early releases like Cruella and In the Heights had to settle for just one nomination each (in acting) ... but December arrivals Cyrano, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza, tick tick..BOOM!, and West Side Story all snagged multiple nominations including Best Picture. 

This year, the HFPA threw no surprises at all into their top-of-the-line nominations (which is not like them) unless you count Javier Bardem in Being the Ricardos and Mahershala Ali in Swan Song as Drama Actor nominees but the Globes have always been kind to December films led by high profile stars, whether or not they have opened or proved anything like conversational staying power. But perhaps this 'no surprise... only assumed future Oscar nominees' field is because the Globes have had other things on their mind than screenings and their ballots...

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