Each year, the BAFTAs never fail to find new and frustrating ways to surprise me.
It wasn’t hard to guess that “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Slumdog Millionaire” would come out on top here — though even as a fan of the latter film, I do wonder whether nominations for Best Production Design and Best Supporting Actress are pushing it a little. (Sure, Freida Pinto is gorgeous, but… )
But look closer and the oddities come thick and fast. Who would have guessed, come nomination morning, that “Changeling” would land 8 nominations (including mentions for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay), while “Happy-Go-Lucky” gets zilch? I was aware that Mike Leigh’s delightful film has played better with critics Stateside than it did over here in the spring, but failing to even nominate Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins is a blatant — and in my opinion, unforgivable — slap in the face.
As I predicted, despite the film’s mixed reception, BAFTA voters responded well to “The Reader,” which lands in the Best Film derby alongside four of the Oscar favourites in the category. While I thought “Milk” might miss with the Brits, it was actually “The Dark Knight” that came up short — and while I’m not entirely surprised that it proved too genre-oriented for their top category, their failure to nominate Brit helmer Christopher Nolan is pretty stunning.
Bar the Hawkins snub, the acting categories name most of the usual suspects, though there’s still room for typically BAFTA-esque eccentricities. Brendan Gleeson is an pleasant surprise in the Best Supporting Actor category, and while I anticipated Brad Pitt’s appearance in that field for “Burn After Reading,” Tilda Swinton’s Supporting Actress nod for the same film is the kind of out-of-nowhere hometown favoritism that only BAFTA can come up with. The real headscratcher in that category, however, is Amy Adams’ inclusion at the expense of Viola Davis — one has to wonder whether voters actually watched “Doubt,” or voted on name recognition alone.
(More thoughts, and the full list of nominees, below the cut.)
The overall impression one gets, however, is of an awards body still in a state of identity crisis — torn between honouring their own and inviting Hollywood to the red carpet. The former urge is still apparent in the overwhelming welcome given to a widely frozen-out film like “The Reader,” as well as bizarre sidesteps like that Swinton nod. The latter, however, manifests itself in an open invitation (or should that be plea?) for Brangelina to grace their red carpet, which leaves outstanding (but less familiar) local thesps like Hawkins and Michael Fassbender on the sidelines.
But it’s a moot point. “Slumdog” will likely sweep the board at the Royal Opera House on February 8, taking advantage of the fact that a British-grown film hasn’t been the belle of the awards-season ball in a good few years. Meanwhile, it’s likely that Kate Winslet will convert one of her two Best Actress nominations (my money’s on “The Reader”), unless vote-splitting hands it to compatriot Kristin Scott Thomas. So British talent will inevitably be well-served on BAFTA night. Whether the right British talent is getting represented is another matter altogether.
Best Film
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
Best British Film
“Hunger”
“In Bruges”
“Mamma Mia!”
“Man on Wire”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Director
Clint Eastwood, “Changeling”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Actor
Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Dev Patel, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Best Actress
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr, “Tropic Thunder”
Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Brad Pitt, “Burn After Reading”
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Freida Pinto, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Tilda Swinton, “Burn After Reading”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
Best Original Screenplay
Joel and Ethan Coen, “Burn After Reading”
J. Michael Straczynski, “Changeling”
Martin McDonagh, “In Bruges”
Philippe Claudel, “I’ve Loved You So Long”
Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”
Best Adapted Screenplay
Eric Roth, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon”
David Hare, “The Reader”
Justin Haythe, “Revolutionary Road”
Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Foreign Language Film (announced earlier)
“The Baader Meinhof Complex”
“Gomorrah”
“I’ve Loved You So Long”
“Persepolis”
“Waltz With Bashir”
Best Animated Feature
“Persepolis”
“WALL-E”
“Waltz With Bashir”
Best Production Design
“Changeling” (James Murakami; Gary Fettis)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Donald Graham Burt; Victor Zolfo)
“The Dark Knight” (Nathan Crowley; Peter Lando)
“Revolutionary Road” (Kristi Zea; Debra Schutt)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Mark Digby; Michelle Day)
Best Cinematography
“Changeling” (Tom Stern)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Claudio Miranda)
“The Dark Knight” (Wally Pfister)
“The Reader” (Chris Menges; Roger Deakins)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Anthony Dod Mantle)
Best Costume Design
“Changeling” (Deborah Hopper)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Jacqueline West)
“The Dark Knight” (Lindy Hemming)
“The Duchess” (Michael O’Connor)
“Revolutionary Road” (Albert Wolsky)
Best Film Editing
“Changeling” (Joel Cox; Gary D. Roach)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Kirk Baxter; Angus Wall)
“The Dark Knight” (Lee Smith)
“Frost/Nixon” (Mike Hill; Dan Hanley)
“In Bruges” (Jon Gregory)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Chris Dickens)
Best Makeup & Hair
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Duchess”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
Best Music
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Alexandre Desplat)
“The Dark Knight” (Hans Zimmer; James Newton Howard)
“Mamma Mia!” (Benny Andersson; Bjorn Ulvaeus)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (A.R. Rahman)
“WALL-E” (Thomas Newman)
Best Sound
“Changeling”
“The Dark Knight”
“Quantum of Solace”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
Best Visual Effects
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crustal Skull”
“Iron Man”
“Quantum of Solace”
Carl Foreman Award (for debut British writers, directors and producers)
Simon Chinn (producer), “Man on Wire”
Judy Craymer (producer), “Mamma Mia!”
Garth Jennings (writer), “Son of Rambow”
Steve McQueen, (writer/director), “Hunger”
Solon Papadopoulos and Roy Boulter (producers), “Of Time and the City”
Orange Rising Star Award (announced earlier; voted by the public)
Michael Cera
Noel Clarke
Michael Fassbender
Rebecca Hall
Toby Kebbell
Comments
61 responses to “‘Slumdog,’ ‘Button’ lead BAFTA pack with 11 nods each”
Was kind of thinking “Milk” would have some trouble here, but it did okay for itself. Personally, I dig the love for “Changeling,” and the BAFTA being BAFTA, you gotta love the shout-outs for Pitt and Swinton in “Burn.”
And the biggest snub: SALLY HAWKINS. Ouch.
Freida Pinto for “Slumdog”? Over, say, Viola Davis in “Doubt”? That’s crazy talk!
~Steven
Boy, The Reader has really been getting a lot of love lately. That has to spell bad news for The Dark Knight more than any other film I think. TDK already had enough competition, and now Reader and Gran Torino are starting to come on rather strong.
Damn, you’re right Steven, that is bad.
I’d love for “The Reader” to pull through, honestly. I thought it was a great adaptation with wonderful performances all around. An overall beautiful film.
Maybe Stephen Daldry can slip into the lone director slot? He’s done so before…
~Steven
The non-performance of Dev Patel, getting credit for the good work done by the younger Jamal, is one thing. But nominating Freida Pinto? Hopeless.
Wow… I am just about tired of how bad leo is getting snubbed. I was never a fan of leo’s until Scorsese added some guidence to his career. Since the Aviator he has been among the best in hollywood. Now this group would like people to believe that Brad Pitt (who was nicely suttle, but nothing special acting wise) and Dev Patel gave better performances than his in Revolutionary Road. Not to mention the almost complete snubbing of Michael Shannon who gave just about as important supporting role to a movie as anyone else… Other than Heath and Robert Downey Jr. The Reader was goog but undeserving of the foriegn acclaim. All I really could say is that these nominations are the most biased I have ever seen. Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Tilda Swinton, the reader, and on… what a joke. Not to mention that if they were going to warm up to any american story for a few more nominations, Revolutionary Road would have been an exceptionally better choice than Changeling.
No TDK in best picture or director categories… =(
What’s even sadder, Jake, is seeing the inferior Benjamin Button take so many undeserved nominations. And a snub for Samantha Morton, one of their own? Shameful…
I actually think that Pitt nod for BAR is one of the most deserved. Thats really a Suporting Character
There does seem to some sort of culture here in the UK of knocking people who have left the UK and gone to America and actually made over there.
You often see a backlash against a popstar or actor who have gone to America and become successful.
I think this is why Nolan didnt a get nomination.
I’d be interested to know if anyone else agrees.
Adam: Yeah, there may be something to that. But overall, I just think “TDK” isn’t the cultural force in the UK that it was Stateside — “Mamma Mia!” (gah) kind of stole its summer thunder.
I thought BAFTA’s desire to keep up with the Academy would help Nolan and the film along, but obviously not.
And Faceit: I loved Pitt in “Burn After Reading.” No problem with that nomination at all. It perplexes me that he keeps cropping up for “Button,” though.
* I realize my “keep up with the Academy” remarks reads strangely given that we don’t know what will happen there yet.
What I mean is BAFTA often tries to jump on board trains they think are Oscar bound, even if there isn’t massive love in the UK for the film — though frequently they misjudge things, as we saw last year with those curious nominations for “American Gangster.”
I wonder if that, to an extent, is what happened with “Changeling” this year.
Glad to see so much Changeling love, especially in the tech categories. Certainly a lot of oddities and omissions. WTF is up with Mamma Mia for music? That is a joke. Same with Swinton, a bit far fetched ey?
As for the rest, The Reader has become a new outsider to take TDK’s place, although I still find it unlikely.
Dev Patel? Please. Literally any 18 year old can do what he did in that film- if anyone should ahve been nominated it was the Millionaire host and I wouldn’t have nominated him either.
The most non-descript, unchallenging role ever to be nominated.
Except for the nomination of the woman ,who did even less. Total embarrassment.
Mamma Mia for Best British film and Best Score??? WTF???
Baader Meinhof keeps getting nominated but is still crap.
Worst. Nominations. Ever.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you about “Mamma Mia!” cropping up, especially for Best Music — the BAFTAs almost always nominated stage musical adaptations in that category.
Thank God they resisted nominating Meryl Streep or Julie Walters.
I don’t mind Dev Patel’s nomination so much — even if he wouldn’t come near my list, he carries the film effectively enough. But nominating Freida Pinto is pretty ridiculous.
As for Tilda Swinton, I thought she was a hoot in “Burn After Reading,” but it was barely a performance.
Just read at awards daily, Ryan Adams is congradulating BAFTA for nominating Dev Patel and Freida Pinto. To me it is a joke, and cements the Golden Globes as the most credible awards show yet this year. If anything the child actors do more for the movie than the adult versions. He gives way to much credit to the two and shows how this year is heading for recognition for just the few best picture films and leaving out the great variety of films. There is no way that the few films for best picture stand head and shoulders above so many other films in all catagories. Most of all Slumdog and Benjamin Button are all about story and style, but do not compare acting wise to Revolutionary Road, The Wrestler, Doubt, and Frost/Nixon. Yet we keep seeing acting nominations in the two films over more deserving actors. If anything Brad Pitt in my opinion gives a better performance in Burn after reading than Benjamin Button.
The problem with Changeling is that the US reviews were so biased that we really dont know what AMPAS really thinks about the movie. The some with Jolie. Thats a spetacular performance, and I really dont see any other actress doing better. She is subtle and never goes over the top. It still amazes me that some people actually thinks thats a poor performance.
I don’t don’t think the reviews were necessarily “biased,” Faceit. A lot of critics just didn’t respond to the film. Bias and negativity are different things.
I certainly didn’t like it, but I wasn’t biased against it.
“If anything Brad Pitt in my opinion gives a better performance in Burn After Reading than Benjamin Button.”
Hell, yes.
It’s complete bullshit that Michael Fassbender has to settle for a consolation prize of Orange Rising Star (if he gets enough public votes) will that Dev guy gets an acting nod.
Can anybody who is opened minded and sane, and who has seen both slumdog and hunger say that Dev deserved that Best Acting nom over Michael Fassbender?
Please help me fucking understand this? WTF?
“Can anybody who is opened minded and sane, and who has seen both slumdog and hunger say that Dev deserved that Best Acting nom over Michael Fassbender?”
No. Obviously. Not even up for discussion. (Though Brad Pitt is the dodgiest inclusion in that category, I think.)
The problem, I guess, is that very few BAFTA voters could be bothered to sit through a film as bleak and low-key as “Hunger,” and that’s a crying shame.
I wasn`t talking about you. I also think the movie has some problems, the screenplay and the direction. But Jolie performance, the Production Design, the Custumes and cinematography are great IMO.
I know you weren’t, Faceit. But I think people can be very quick to equate poor reviews with “biased” reviews.
I agree on the production values — it’s an undeniably handsome film, if nothing else.
It’s not bias against Britons that have “sold out” to Hollywood-Mike Leigh is THE MOST pro-Briton, anti-Hollywood figure the UK has in cinema today-and his film was still snubbed.
Let’s not bash the BAFTAs too much-we can’t forget that last year they named all four acting Oscar winners, including the mildly surprising Tilda Swinton and Marion Cottiard.
So? That doesn’t necessarily mean they were right.
Well, the ‘Mamma Mia!’ nod has to be for the UK love the film received. I can only hazard a guess that the BAFTA needs its audience as much as the Academy does. I love the film and watched it twice, but no awards except for those people’s choice types, please. Good thing they didn’t nominate anyone for the acting.
And Guy, I hear you. I’m still perplexed over the lack of nods for Michael Shannon, Leonardo diCaprio, Viola Davis and Sally Hawkins, but Viola Davis and Michael Shannon’s snubs are grating on me the most. I guess they went on name recognition with nominating a supporting actress from ‘Doubt’.
And two Best Actress nods for Kate Winslet? Yes, we know it’s Kate Winslet’s year, she’s awfully due, and this is BAFTA, but she’s starting to look desperate to me. I think they’ll give it to her for ‘The Reader’, not unless BAFTA comes up with a surprise win, and I’ll be very disappointed if that were the case, since I like Revolutionary Road more.
I really want to be surprised. Is no one going to shake things up before the Oscars? It’s turning out to be a safe, predictable, and unexciting awards year for me, especially since it’s almost always the same movies, every single time.
[…] Full nomination list including the fore-posted Foreign Language and Rising Star nominees below. [In Contention]  Best Film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button†“Frost/Nixon†“Milk†“The […]
Anyone think Scott-Thomas might be able to challenge in actress against Winslet? Probably a long shot but she is very well loved in Britain.
Overall okay nominations. Didn’t really expect some snubs like Hawkins and Hathaway. I was even expeting Blanchett to finally get some recognition for her spectacular performance. I was also surprised by the exclusion of Viola Davis in Doubt. I hope th Oscar nominations next week rectify some of these snubs.
Question for anyone who knows: Does BAFTA voting works like the Academy here in the U.S. – actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors, etc.?
Guy: I agree, it certainly doesn’t mean they were right.
It does mean, however, that we shouldn’t underestimate their relevance.
How is Kate Winslet getting a double nomination make ‘her’ look desperate? Its not like she decided to nominate herself twice, she gave two really great performances in the same year, maybe she should have phoned in for one of those films instead? The backlash against her is very strange.
I had noticed that Guy left out Robert Downey, Jr., and Amy Adams from his Bafta predictions, and now they have been nominated. Sometimes it’s best just to go with the best performances and not try to analyze the decision-making body, I guess.
Robert: No, it’s a different (and slightly odd) system.
The nominees in all categories are determined by the entire voting membership — with exception of Best Foreign Language Film, which has its nominees voted on by a smaller chapter of voters.
However, when it comes to the the winners, only Best Film, Best Foreign Language Film and the four acting awards are voted by the entire membership. In all other categories, the winners are determined by a chapter or jury of professionals/experts in the relevant field.
It explains why the nominations can often look quite uninformed (that’s how “Mamma Mia” gets in for music, for example), while the winners, particularly in the craft fields, are frequently more idiosyncratic.
Frank: Yeah, I screwed up big-time in the supporting categories, but was happy to be wrong in several cases. Cynicism doesn’t always pay!
However, if you’re implying that nominees like Amy Adams and Freida Pinto represented “the best performances,” then I beg to differ.
Hey, could Someone post the total noms each film received from the diferent guilds? i know it means nothing, but i just got lost in all the post and i was wondering how they all did in total numbers!
I think it’s a crime to nominate “The Reader” over “Revolutionary Road,” and as good as “Slumdog” was Frieda Pinto can’t act.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention how happy I am to see Scott Thomas nominated, and the movie getting attention in general is good. It’s still in my top 3 of the year.
Is there a lot of fluoride in the drinking water over there? These nominations are even worse than I expected them to be.
Nothing for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
These really kind of suck.
“Changeling” for Sound and Editing? Wahh??
I swear to god if TDK is not nominated for Best Pic at the Oscars I’m never going to watch the show again and I’m gonna drive from Minneapolis to LA and beat the shit out of Ron Howard.
Why are people surprised about Changeling and Hawkins? Changeling was MUCH better received outside the US, and Hawkins wasn’t even nominated for SAG….
They didnt pick Adams OVER Davis. It’s not like they could only pick one from the movie. It’s more like Pinto and Swinton OVER Davis. Adams got both a GG nom and a SAG so this cant be to suprising.
Oh, once again less deserving actors are nominated while those who were impeccable get snubbed.
I am quite thrilled with the Kristin Scott Thomas nod, that is obviously well deserved. But Dev Patel over DiCaprio, or even Farrell for In Bruges?? Yikes. And let’s not even start on the Freida Pinto nomination. How discouraging.
I’m quite upset with my fellow Brits snubbing their own in favor of getting the big Hollywood names to the red carpet. Shame on you!
Guy, do you think there’s any hope for Michael Fassbender to sneak a Best Actor Oscar nom? That’s a shocker I would love to see! Stranger things have happened…
I thought he was a dark horse possibility earlier in the season, Kate, but now I don’t think it’s possible, sadly. “Hunger” simply got buried in the December release crush.
Yeah, that’s what I figured. Unfortunate. I’d also love to see Aronofsky get a directing nod but that too is a long-shot.
“Can anybody who is opened minded and sane, and who has seen both slumdog and hunger say that Dev deserved that Best Acting nom over Michael Fassbender?â€
No. Obviously. Not even up for discussion. (Though Brad Pitt is the dodgiest inclusion in that category, I think.)
The problem, I guess, is that very few BAFTA voters could be bothered to sit through a film as bleak and low-key as “Hunger,†and that’s a crying shame.
Thanks for confirming my suspicions Guy. That’s a goddamn shame. Although, I also suspect that the BAFTAs didn’t want to glorify an actor playing an IRA supporter, Bobby Sands.
(btw, dude, friend my on Facebook)
Kate, with BAFTA snubbing Fassbender like this, the Oscars have another reason to snub him too. You should visit my Fassinating Fassbender website where I continue my bitching there in full mode. (click on my name) Thx!
still pissed…
I’m glad both Meryl and Kate got noms. They deserve it!
The Dev Patel nomination is like Daniel Radcliffe getting nominated for Harry Potter or Elijah Wood for LOTR – there is nothing wrong with the performance, and while the whole “innocent, befuddled, blury-eyed cuteness” works well for the film, the role doesn’t have an ounce of difficulty.