BAFTA Predictions – Film
This Sunday night the BAFTA’s will be handed out live from London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. This year’s races don’t seem to be as hotly contested as in years past, but there are a couple categories that could pull off surprises. Here are my predictions:
BEST FILM
BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole
BOYHOOD Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson
THE IMITATION GAME Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
Boyhood has the momentum in this category. It’s won practically every Best Picture award and continues to pick up steam. There’s no stopping Boyhood, and none of the other Best Picture nominees even comes close. Though I would say The Theory of Everything is a much much better film.
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
’71 Yann Demange, Angus Lamont, Robin Gutch, Gregory Burke
THE IMITATION GAME Morten Tyldum, Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman, Graham Moore
PADDINGTON Paul King, David Heyman
PRIDE Matthew Warchus, David Livingstone, Stephen Beresford
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING James Marsh, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
UNDER THE SKIN Jonathan Glazer, James Wilson, Nick Wechsler, Walter Campbell
I’m hoping The Theory of Everything wins in this category. It’s the best film of the lot, much better than the slightly disappointing The Imitation Game. I’m not even sure why Pride is a nominee – Mr. Turner was much much better. Shame on the Academy for leaving this one out.
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
ELAINE CONSTANTINE (Writer/Director) Northern Soul
GREGORY BURKE (Writer), YANN DEMANGE (Director) ’71
HONG KHAOU (Writer/Director) Lilting
PAUL KATIS (Director/Producer), ANDREW DE LOTBINIÈRE (Producer) Kajaki: The True Story
STEPHEN BERESFORD (Writer), DAVID LIVINGSTONE (Producer) Pride
Again, not too sure what Pride is doing on this list, but Gregory Burke should take it for his excellent retelling of a young British soldier in the army in Ireland in 1971. And it’s starring the hot Jack O’Connell who’s on everyone’s radar at the moment.
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
IDA Pawel Pawlikowski, Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzieciol, Ewa Puszczynska
LEVIATHAN Andrey Zvyagintsev, Alexander Rodnyansky, Sergey Melkumov
THE LUNCHBOX Ritesh Batra, Arun Rangachari, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga
TRASH Stephen Daldry, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Kris Thykier
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Denis Freyd
Two Days, One Night is lead by a powerful performance by Marion Cotillard, though Ida could take it because of it’s story about the Holocaust.
DOCUMENTARY
20 FEET FROM STARDOM Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Gil Friesen
20,000 DAYS ON EARTH Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard
CITIZENFOUR Laura Poitras
FINDING VIVIAN MAIER John Maloof, Charlie Siskel
VIRUNGA Orlando von Einsiedel, Joanna Natasegara
I’ve not seen all of the nominees but I think that 20,000 Days on Earth (about a couple days in the life of Nick Cave) is a masterpiece. But Citizen Four, a documentary about Edward Snowden), looks like it will win, plus it just won at the London Critic’s Circle Awards back in January.
ANIMATED FILM
BIG HERO 6 Don Hall, Chris Williams
THE BOXTROLLS Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable
THE LEGO MOVIE Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
The Boxtrolls was dark and grimy, so I would give this one to The Lego Movie, which has made tons of money for Warner Bros.
DIRECTOR
BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu
BOYHOOD Richard Linklater
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING James Marsh
WHIPLASH Damien Chazelle
Give this one to Richard Linklater – he (and his cast) devoted 12 years to making this film – talk about dedication. And Linklater has won almost every Director trophy award this season. However Iñárritu’s directing in Birdman was so different, and Marsh did a beautiful job bringing Stephen Hawking’s life to the big screen in The Theory of Everything.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BIRDMAN Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, Armando Bo BOYHOOD Richard Linklater
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Wes Anderson
NIGHTCRAWLER Dan Gilroy
WHIPLASH Damien Chazelle
Birdman is the most original film of the five nominees, though Boyhood could take it as it’s expected to sweep the night.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
AMERICAN SNIPER Jason Hall
GONE GIRL Gillian Flynn
THE IMITATION GAME Graham Moore PADDINGTON Paul King
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Anthony McCarten
The best film of 2014 is The Theory of Everything, and it’s screenplay adaptation of the book by Stephen Hawking’s ex-wife Jane was beautifully told in every aspect of the film.
LEADING ACTOR
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH The Imitation Game
EDDIE REDMAYNE The Theory of Everything
JAKE GYLLENHAAL Nightcrawler
MICHAEL KEATON Birdman
RALPH FIENNES The Grand Budapest Hotel
The best performance of the five nominees is Redmayne’s. Michael Keaton comes a distant second but Redmayne’s performance is more memorable and moving.
LEADING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS Big Eyes
FELICITY JONES The Theory of Everything
JULIANNE MOORE Still Alice
REESE WITHERSPOON Wild
ROSAMUND PIKE Gone Girl
Moore should and will win in this category in her portrayal of a woman stricken with Alzeihmer’s. It’s the kind of performance that many an actress could not pull of, but Moore does, and it’s a devastating performance.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
EDWARD NORTON Birdman
ETHAN HAWKE Boyhood
J.K. SIMMONS Whiplash
MARK RUFFALO Foxcatcher
STEVE CARELL Foxcatcher
Sentiment may be with popular actor Hawke who plays the father in Boyhood, but Simmons has wowed many a film critic as the bullying and sadistic music teacher in Whiplash. It’s a true actors acting role. So Simmons will win, just like he won the Golden Globe.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
EMMA STONE Birdman
IMELDA STAUNTON Pride
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY The Imitation Game
PATRICIA ARQUETTE Boyhood
RENE RUSSO Nightcrawler
Arquette will win for Boyhood. And while the performances in this category are not as strong as last years (Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave shockingly lost out to Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle), Arquette gives the most eloquent and memorable performance, though Stone was excellent as the messed up daughter in Birdman.
EE Rising Star in 2015
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Jack O’Connell
Shailene Woodley
Margot Robbie
Miles Teller
This award has to go to Jack O’Connell. Not only was he excellent in both ’71 and Starred Up, but he was handpicked by Angelina Jolie to star in her film Unbroken, which shockingly received no nominations.