This Sunday, the BAFTAs will unfurl.
We pretty much know going in that this is going to be a King’s Speech free-for-all. ¬†The BAFTAs have been known to shock, however. ¬†Last year’s Hurt Locker win, for instance, was a bit of a heartstopper. ¬†No one really expected that one and by then The Hurt Locker’s Oscar prospects were all but a certainty (though many still predicted Avatar to win the Big Prize). ¬†Slumdog Millionaire also took the BAFTA before nearly clean-sweeping the Oscars. ¬†Tilda Swinton won for Michael Clayton just before winning the Oscar, as did Marion Cotillard. ¬†Famously, Roman Polanski won Best Director at the BAFTA before then winning the Oscar as well for The Pianist. ¬†Strange things can occur from BAFTA to Oscar as we get set to at last merge the two to form the BAFTAMPAS.
But let’s go through the BAFTAs category by category – predicting them is like herding cats, one should be advised. ¬†Usually we have a reader who writes in his predictions but I haven’t gotten his yet, so I will muddle through them. ¬†But buyer beware, my BAFTA prediction record stinks.
BEST FILM
- BLACK SWAN
- INCEPTION
- THE KING’S SPEECH
- THE SOCIAL NETWORK
- TRUE GRIT
Prediction: The King’s Speech – pip pip cheerio!
Wild card: Black Swan
When hell freezes over: The Social Network
DIRECTOR
- 127 HOURS – Danny Boyle
- BLACK SWAN – Darren Aronofsky
- INCEPTION – Christopher Nolan
- THE KING’S SPEECH – Tom Hooper
- THE SOCIAL NETWORK – David Fincher
Prediction: Christopher Nolan, Inception – just to shake things up
But probably: Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Possible: David Fincher, The Social Fincher
LEADING ACTOR
- JAVIER BARDEM – Biutiful
- JEFF BRIDGES – True Grit
- JESSE EISENBERG – The Social Network
- COLIN FIRTH – The King’s Speech
- JAMES FRANCO – 127 Hours
Prediction: Colin Firth — no contest
LEADING ACTRESS
- ANNETTE BENING – The Kids Are All Right
- JULIANNE MOORE – The Kids Are All Right
- NATALIE PORTMAN – Black Swan
- NOOMI RAPACE – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- HAILEE STEINFELD – True Grit
Prediction: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Possible upset: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Wouldn’t be shocked: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- CHRISTIAN BALE – The Fighter
- ANDREW GARFIELD – The Social Network
- PETE POSTLETHWAITE – The Town
- MARK RUFFALO – The Kids Are All Right
- GEOFFREY RUSH – The King’s Speech
Prediction: Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
But it may be: Christian Bale, The Fighter
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- AMY ADAMS – The Fighter
- HELENA BONHAM CARTER – The King’s Speech
- BARBARA HERSHEY – Black Swan
- LESLEY MANVILLE – Another Year
- MIRANDA RICHARDSON – Made in Dagenham
Prediction: Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech (because who else could it be?)
The only other Oscar nominee: Amy Adams, The Fighter
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
- 127 HOURS
- ANOTHER YEAR
- FOUR LIONS
- THE KING’S SPEECH
- MADE IN DAGENHAM
Prediction: The King’s Speech
Would love it if it was: Another Year
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
- THE ARBOR – Director, Producer – Clio Barnard, Tracy O’Riordan
- EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP – _Director, Producer – Banksy, Jaimie D’Cruz
- FOUR LIONS – Director/Writer – Chris Morris
- MONSTERS – Director/Writer – Gareth Edwards
- SKELETONS – Director/Writer – Nick Whitfield
Prediction: Exit Through the Gift Shop (Because I have no clue)
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- BLACK SWAN – Mark Heyman, Andrés Heinz, John McLaughlin
- THE FIGHTER – Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
- INCEPTION – Christopher Nolan
- THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT – Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
- THE KING’S SPEECH – David Seidler
Prediction: David Seidler, The King’s Speech
Possible: Christopher Nolan, Inception
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- 127 HOURS – Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel
- THE SOCIAL NETWORK – Aaron Sorkin
- TOY STORY 3 – Michael Arndt
- TRUE GRIT – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Prediction: The Social Network, as the one prize it could actually win
But it could also be: True Grit
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
- BIUTIFUL
- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
- I AM LOVE
- OF GODS AND MEN
- THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES
Prediction: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (just because they seemed to like it a lot)
ANIMATED FILM
- DESPICABLE ME
- HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
- TOY STORY 3
Prediction: Toy Story 3
Major upset possible: How to Train Your Dragon
ORIGINAL MUSIC
- 127 HOURS – AR Rahman
- ALICE IN WONDERLAND – Danny Elfman
- HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – John Powell
- INCEPTION – Hans Zimmer
- THE KING’S SPEECH – Alexandre Desplat
Prediction: Hans Zimmer, Inception
Spoiler: The King’s Speech (always a threat anywhere it appears)
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- 127 HOURS – Anthony Dod Mantle, Enrique Chediak
- BLACK SWAN – Matthew Libatique
- INCEPTION – Wally Pfister
- THE KING’S SPEECH – Danny Cohen
- TRUE GRIT – Roger Deakins
Prediction: It can be no one else but Roger Deakins.
But if anyone else wins here: Wally Pfister, Inception
You just never know: The King’s Speech
EDITING
- 127 HOURS – Jon Harris
- BLACK SWAN – Andrew Weisblum
- INCEPTION – Lee Smith
- THE KING’S SPEECH – Tariq Anwar
- THE SOCIAL NETWORK – Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
Prediction: The Social Network (because it deserves it but…)
Could also be: Inception
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- ALICE IN WONDERLAND – Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara
- BLACK SWAN – Thérèse DePrez, Tora Peterson
- INCEPTION – Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat
- THE KING’S SPEECH – Eve Stewart, Judy Farr
- TRUE GRIT – Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh
Prediction: Inception
Alternate: Alice in Wonderland
COSTUME DESIGN
- ALICE IN WONDERLAND – Colleen Atwood
- BLACK SWAN – Amy Westcott
- THE KING’S SPEECH – Jenny Beavan
- MADE IN DAGENHAM – Louise Stjernsward
- TRUE GRIT – Mary Zophres
Prediction: Alice in Wonderland
Alternate: Black Swan
SOUND
- 127 HOURS
- BLACK SWAN
- INCEPTION
- THE KING’S SPEECH
- TRUE GRIT
Prediction: Inception
Or it could be: True Grit
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
- ALICE IN WONDERLAND
- BLACK SWAN
- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
- INCEPTION
- TOY STORY 3
Prediction: Inception can’t lose here
MAKE UP & HAIR
- ALICE IN WONDERLAND
- BLACK SWAN
- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
- THE KING’S SPEECH
- MADE IN DAGENHAM
Prediction: Alice in Wonderland
You just never know: The King’s Speech