The 10 Best Films of 2009

1) The Hurt Locker (August)
Not only the best film on the Iraq war to date, but one of the greatest war movies ever made. This testosterone fuelled account of Bravo Company’s bomb disposal unit is excruciatingly tense from start to finish. Politically interesting and authentically filmed with digital hand held cameras, Bigelow has well and truly flown the flag for female directors the world over.

2) Let The Right One In (April)
This enchanting yet unnerving coming-of-age vampire story, set in the snow laden town of Blackeberg, Sweden, is rich in its poetically minimal direction.

3) The White Ribbon (November)
The deranged psyche of Michael Haneke is unveiled to us yet again, but this time suppressed and abused village dwelling children are at the centre of strange events. Most interestingly though, the tone of the film is so downbeat that we find ourselves most on edge every time a character expresses the slightest hint of happiness.

4) Up (October)
It may not have been as experimental as last year’s Wall-E but this sweet tale about an old man’s floating house has the most emotionally provoking opening ten minute sequence to a film ever conceived. Once again Pixar push the boundaries of the children’s film format to great success.

5) Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (February)
The real life Spinal Tap has been found. With one last chance to make it to the big time after 40 years of barely scraping a living in the far reaches of Canada, you really find yourself willing the band to succeed. The sheer pathetic organisation of their European tour twinned with such colourful characters has to be seen to be believed.

6) The Wrestler (January)
A career defining performance for Mickey Rourke, he should have won the Oscar!

7) Moon (July)
An homage to the Sci-fi films of the 1960s and 1970s based on substantial ideas about the human condition rather than flashy special effects. Duncan Jones (or Zowie Bowie) has made a stunning debut and having shaken off the burden of his father’s legacy he will no doubt develop into a fine filmmaker indeed.

8) Fish Tank (September)
Andrea Arnold’s second feature, since her debut Red Road, won this year’s Jury Prize at Cannes and rightly so. Newcomer Katie Jarvis gives a fine performance as a lower class angst ridden teenager and plays off the ever brilliant Michael Fassbender with ease.

9) A Serious Man (December)
The Coens have quite simply done it again! As Larry Gopnik’s life falls apart, his deadpan attitude is tested to the limit in this fantastic black comedy. Think 'the dude' from The Big Lebowski trying to live in an American 1960s surburbia.

10) District 9 (September)
The complex allegory for the racial politics and immigration issues in South Africa is an extremely enjoyable romp.

Runners Up: Mesrine (both parts), Gran Torino, Public Enemies, Martyrs, In The Loop

The 10 Worst Films of 2009

1) The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Scott Fitzgerald’s short story was well and truly drawn out as long as it could stretch, and then a bit. Quite arguably David Fincher’s worst piece of work to date, the blandness of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were just impossible to empathise with.

2) Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
Michael Bay adds more CGI explosions and provides Megan Fox with less clothes to truly alienate audiences. There is only so far you can take a plot which centres around metal things endlessly hitting each other.

3) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
All the darkness, evil and maturity which was at the centre of Rowling’s book was crammed into the last 20 minutes of the film. By which at this point the two hours of tedious St. Trinians schoolyard politics had ruined whatever material that was set to proceed it.

4) Slumdog Millionaire
Easily the most overrated film of the year. Danny Boyle’s happy love story really wasn’t all that.

5) X-Men Origins: Wolverine
With internet geeks leaking out footage to millions, the piracy debate which built up to the film’s release was more exciting than actual the movie itself. This prequel is essentially a pointless series of events which will blight the engaging puzzle of X2, the best superhero film ever made, for those who have not seen it.

6) Terminator Salvation
A disappointing sequel which not only single-handedly spoiled James Cameron’s chilling dystopia, but could also not quite live up to the intensity of Christian Bale’s infamous rant on set.

7) Watchmen
The Citizen Kane of the comic book world was degraded and stripped of all its significance by the self proclaimed fanboy Zack Synder.

8) Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
Enough said really.

9) Twilight: New Moon
Released after Let The Right One In and just before Thirst, this was not even the best vampire movie of this year, let alone of all time as many fans seem to think.

10) Inglorious Basterds
Ten years in the making, and all we get is this tiresome piece of work.

Runners Up: Night at the Museum 2, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Crank: High Voltage, Saw VI, Broken Embraces

Quartets: a growing trend too far?

Once upon a time trilogies were a rarity. Even sequels could be a struggle to produce. But if a movie makes enough money in our current filmmaking climate then an entire trilogy is likely to be green lit before the additional scripts are even written. More often than not directors and actors find themselves contracted to a bankable franchise and a series of films just as the first is being released With each instalment having the potential to make a greater profit than its predecessor typically Hollywood is more concerned with bashing out the latest film asap while the original still resonates in the public’s psyche rather than taking time to produce an even better film. AKA quantity and not quality.

A major turning point in the development of trilogies came with the films Pirates of the Caribbean and The Matrix. Films which on paper should not have been successful (One was based on a Disney theme park ride and the other was based on Postmodernist Jean Baudrillard’s book Simulcra and Simulation) took the box office by storm. These brilliant standalone films were not initially conceived to be trilogies but this was before the backstage politics of Hollywood got involved. For the first time, both the 2nd and 3rd films of each franchise were made together as one big film to be released in two separate halves. What was mistaken for filmmakers making two films together to maintain and complete their vision was in fact a publicity stunt as well as a way of making two films quicker for a cheaper price whilst all the original cast and crew were still on board. In each case the second films The Matrix Reloaded and Dead Man's Chest were watchable, containing a minuscule amount of formula which made the first ones so successful. However both the third films The Matrix Revolutions and At World’s End had completely run out steam and were simply dull films making little sense but were nevertheless successful. By making a sequel that was similar to the first this was enough to reel viewers into the God awful third films thus making more than enough money back with audiences queuing up, desperate to see how each trilogy ended.

But now with Terminator Salvation and X-men Origins: Wolverine kick starting our CGI blockbuster filled summer of 2009, the latest Hollywood sequel trend now seems to be the fourth instalment: the quartet.

Similarly both Terminator and Wolverine were subject to massive controversy on the eve of their releases. I wouldn’t go so far as to claim there is a mass conspiracy going on within the film industry but it is rather convenient how mass media exposure to each film contributed to their success at the top of the Box office chart. A few weeks before the release of Wolverine a major leak from within the production company meant thousands of people had been able to illegally download a rough cut of the film before its release, thus reawakening the piracy debate in the most explosive scandal in cinema history. First of all 20th Century Fox claimed the copy which leaked was not quite finished and needed to be seen at the cinema to be truly experienced. But then, perhaps with the realisation that those who had seen the almost finished film knew it was very poor, Fox decided to play the sympathy card as Hugh Jackman himself expressed just how upset he was by the leak pleading for people to go to the cinema. This seemed to work.

Then there is Christian Bale’s infamous four minute rant at the poor DP who distracted Bale when adjusting a light causing the film star to completely lose it and aggressively yell at him, still in character. Again with such media exposure unwittingly one of the world’s biggest stars completely losing it brought a lot of intrigue to the table. Viewers put their hands in their pockets not out of sympathy but out of curiosity, to see the piece of work which appeared to drive such a man to near madness. It seems clear that these acts themselves were not intentional, films leak all the time and actors always lose their cool but it was how the PR companies cleverly dealt with these mishaps and turned them right around into free marketing tools which contributed to their mass success.

Then we come to the films themselves. Both trilogies began life as landmark films which both rewrote the genre rule books. The Terminator was made on a shoestring budget by rising director James Cameron who managed to pull off a dark apocalyptic sci-fi film staring a bodybuilder. Similarly X-Men was the first in a long line of Marvel comic book adaptations. Staring a mixture of accomplished stage actors and nobodies, Bryan Singer’s characterisation and humanisation of the much loved mutant characters was strong enough to kick start Marvel film studios even before Sam Raimi’s Spiderman. But interestingly both films then had sequels which were superior films to their initial work. Auteurs Singer and Cameron were given full control as well as bigger budgets and were able to reach the peak of their visions to produce what is widely considered one of the best action films of all time, T-2, and the best comic book adaptation of all time, X-2. The films only needed one letter and one number in their titles rather than their wordy sequels desperately trying to reclaim our confidence.

But then with the third instalments came the trilogie's downfalls. In each instance the third films were met with development hell. X-men was without its visionary, Singer, who had decided (wrongly) to give birth to another dead franchise, Superman. So Layer Cake and Stardust Director who made his name producing Guy Richie movies, Michael Vaughn, was signed up. But after singing Vinne Jones on board as the Juggernaut he soon left, unable to cope with the pressure. Finally the third film was given to loud mouth talentless Brett Ratner. Thus the film was a mess, nothing other than a series of action set pieces and little heart. Similarly after ten years of constant rumours Terminator 3 finally came into being and Arnie now in his mid-fifties returned to the gym. Both directors were lucky enough to be given all the original stars and thus attempted to continue the vision which Cameron and Singer created and give it sufficient closure. Each third film may have been worst in the trilogy but they were still watchable to a degree and still attempted to continue the original story and partially develop the characters further. They were simple films that failed in enhancing the franchises but did nevertheless add to them. They will be remembered simply as lesser sequels added onto the first two works of art.

But my main concern with these fourth films is that they have deeply affected the original film’s plot perhaps even ruined their significance. With no plot left to expand, each fourth film has attempted to delve into the back-story of Wolverine and the adult John Connor who initiates the events in the previous films. Each film is depicting the events that we never see, the driving force of each narrative. Wolverine’s shady past made him a mystifying character in X-men and discovering his identity is what made X- 2 the best superhero film of all time. But with X-men Origins: Wolverine his past is exposed as a boring straightforward, unimaginative and nonthreatening period of events thus rendering the originals pointless. Similarly this dark dystopia we briefly see in the first Terminator which Kyle Reece describes in a terrifying monologue is exposed as a camp futuristic transformers full of robots hitting other robots and clichéd dialogue rather than a horrifying fight for human survival. The trilogies have survived due to our sense of discovery and imagination. Wolverine was a troubled man uncertain of himself and John Connor was a mythic figure, the greatest leader the world has ever seen. The initial films required us to use our imaginations and what we didn’t know was precisely the driving force behind each narrative. But with this degree of mystery gone there is only endless and disjointed CGI crammed into its place.

Neither film should have been made. Hugh Jackman is a talented actor who brought millions of viewers back to the Oscars. Wolverine contributed to him becoming a household name, but it was time for him to move on five years ago, hopefully he won’t find himself typecast. But Christian’s involvement in the fourth terminator film is quite strange. Surely he has enough money and has offers coming in from all angles. He is also aware that the third was the worst of the Terminator trilogy and that he would only join the fourth film if script changes were made and it was an intelligent action film, which it is not. Other than that none of the original cast had returned to either franchise. Both Professor Xavier and Arnie are forced to be brought to life through CGI imagery rather than their actual presence towards the film’s end. Perhaps we will not need actors in the future as a film industry, already blinded by the wonders of CGI, will take things too far and leave Computers to dictate the films just like Skynet itself.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. There is no conceivable way yet another wolverine/x-men film could be made. The Terminator franchise is dead but it’s ambiguous ending suggests the worst is yet to come. This is what I fear, countless fourth installments ruining landmark films the world over. Hopefully the lack of quality in each film will discourage Hollywood into making quartets trendy thus rendering the youth of today to exclaim, ‘the quartet is the new trilogy’ and ‘the trilogy was soooo 2007’! But given the box office success, this could be highly likely.

Christian Bale Apology

Old news really as I've been mega busy with University work of late.

But nevertheless integral as I do believe in the right for people to explain themselves.

He does sound genuinely sorry I think.

To give him credit, he is currently the hottest action star in Hollywood right now which means he wouldn't have to apologise and he would still make millions. So the fact he went out of his way to ring a fairly small radio station is rather laudable. He seems to have a sense of humour about it all which is always good...........



He must be a bit of a hot-head though, he cannot deny the fact that he attacked his mother and sister!

21 Years - 21 Films

Having recently reached the milestone that is 21, I thought I would commemorate the occasion by picking out 21 key films that have charted my development from childhood into manhood. The films that have helped shape me as a person:

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
As the first ever full length animated feature this is not only a landmark film in terms of cinema, but it is particularly special to me as it was the first film I ever saw at the cinema. Roughly 4 years old, I cannot remember the experience personally, this is the initial film which may have subconsciously kick started my love for cinema.

2. Aladdin
Released back in the mid-nineties Disney era this still remains my favourite cartoon feature. After receiving it for my birthday on VHS, it would keep me motivated throughout school. Often bored as the teacher droned on, the thought of being able to watch Robin Williams’s genie as soon as I got in would help get me through the day. Childhood escapism at it’s finest.

3. A Muppet Christmas Carol
One of my first and fondest memories is going to the cinema to watch this with my dad. Whenever I read A Christmas Carol or watch one of the many other adaptations I am overcome with feelings of nostalgia.

4. Toy Story
Another milestone in the history of cinema, this was the first full length CGI feature which turned Pixar into an overnight success. As well as being a technological achievement, it was the characters and the story which captured my imagination more than anything else. Even Before I had seen the film I was gripped by the characterisation having read the junior novelisation prior to my cinema trip.

5. Star Wars IV: A New Hope

Back in 1996 the original trilogy was re released on the big screen and I became an instant fan. No blockbuster will ever as be as good given the nature of todays profit hungry Hollywood.

6. Terminator 2
No film have I seen more times than this one. Back when I had it recorded on video I watched it often enough for the tape inside the cassette to disintegrate. After complaining to my father he was kind enough to sellotape it back together so I could watch it some more!

7. Die Hard

The first 18 I ever watched which paved the way for my love of action movies before I got into dramas and art house material.

8. American Pie

Every generation has their Breakfast club, a film which perfectly captures and understands what it's like to grow up in the culture of the time. It was not just the vulgar humour which made this popular but it was the sense of camaraderie between the male leads and the adult issues it dealt with.

9. Jackass the Movie

As I was in my last year of school I had an unhealthy obsession with the MTV amateur stunt show. Not being 18 at the time of its release I downloaded it from Kazaa and brought all my friends round to watch it. Then when I got it on DVD I watched it endlessly with and without the commentaries. I just couldn’t get enough of it, I wanted to be a member of their gang.

10. Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Simply another film I have watched a countless amount of times. When it was finally released on TV I was swept up by the hype, the coolness it oozed and the witty dialogue.

11. Pulp Fiction

This is probably the first film that marked my transition from action films to more complex, adult material. Initially just a fan of Bruce Willis’s plot strand I soon started to understand the more adult humour.

12. Fight Club
Probably the most important film on the list. When I first saw this masterpiece I couldn't stand it. Thoroughly bored for over two hours I never planned on seeing it again. However somewhere in my mind it's intrigue and it's mystique stuck in my mind. A year later when it was aired on TV again I chose to watch it and I couldn’t believe the sheer intelligence of the material I had missed out on. This film again marks the transition in my life from enjoying brainless action films to more philosophical and existential dramas.

13. Goodfellas

Such a kinetic, violent yet mesmerising film, I was transfixed throughout. This is what instantly made me a fan of De Niro and Scorsese who still remain to be my favourite actor and director. This is also probably where my love for gangster films began.

14. The Godfather Trilogy
With my growing fascination of gangster films I purposefully sought out the trilogy which has heavily been regarded as the best and I was not let down. The Godfather Part II still remains my favourite film of all time to date.

15. This is Spinal Tap

The greatest comedy ever made really confused me when I first watched it. I must have watched this mockumentary three times to get my head around the concept and it’s original style of humour. Even now as my favourite comedy film, every time I watch it I still pick up something different. Easily The most rewarding watch on the list.

16. Sin City
This is the first 18 I saw on the big screen. I was only 17 at the time and I was taken aback by the stark visual style. My dad however felt a tad queasy with all the vivid violence.

17. Requiem for a Dream
When I finally decided to study film academically my teacher recommended this film to me and I have never looked back since. Never has a film been so moving, depressing and touching as a director reaches the peak of his artistic craft.

18. Anchorman
Overshadowed by the theatrical release of inferior Dodgeball this cult DVD hit was one of those films I watched repeatedly at University as it also helped me bond with others. Will Ferrel has not yet been able to surpass his performance as Ron Burgundy.

19. The Big Lebowski

Already fairly familiar with some of the Coen’s stuff, nothing could prepare me for the brilliance of Jeff Bridge’s ‘The Dude’ and his nihilistic attitude towards life. I must have rented it several times from the library before I finally bought it.

20. The Departed
With Scorsese being my favourite filmmaker this was the first of his films that I was able to see on the big screen. Coincidentally it was his first Oscar winner. It may not be his best by a long shot but I still love it.

21. There Will Be Blood
One of my favourite films to be released in the last few years. Luckily enough I managed catch it at my local art house cinema and it was the last film I saw that truly captured, confused and bewildered me. Daniel Day-Lewis's Daniel Plainview remains the greatest performance ever seen on film.

15 films funnier than Groundhog Day

During a debate with my father who proclaimed his favourite comedy film to be Groundhog Day I claimed that I could name 15 better comedy films. After several agonising hours of prioritising here is the list I came up with:


1. This is Spinal Tap - Christopher Guest

2. The Big Lebowski - The Coen Brothers

3. Monkey Business - The Marx Brothers

4. Annie Hall - Woody Allen

5. There's Something About Mary - The Farley Brothers

6. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam

7. Dr. Strangelove - Stanley Kubrick

8. The Man Who Wasn't There - The Coen Brothers

9. The King of Comedy - Martin Scorsese

10. Modern Times - Charlie Chaplin

11. Anchorman - Adam McKay

12. Clerks - Kevin Smith

13. The 40 Year Old Virgin - Judd Apatow

14. The Naked Gun - Jerry Zucker

15. The Producers - Mel Brooks

16. Groundhog Day - Harold Ramis

As you can probably tell, some are on the list for their contribution to the art of cinema whereas some are simply personal favourites of mine.

Do you agree/ disagree? What are your favourite comedy films?

Watchmen

Who watches The Watchmen?

DETAILS:
Released - 6 March 2009
Certificate - 18
Running Time - 162 min
Director - Zack Snyder
Screenwriters - David Hayter and Alex Tse
Producers - Wesley Coller, Herb Gains, Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Deborah Snyder, Thomas Tull
Cinematography- Larry Fong
Editing - William Hoy
Music - Tyler Bates
Theatrical distributor - Paramount
Country - USA
SYNOPSIS:
In this dark alternative to 1985 the world is gradually being brought to its knees. Democracy in particular remains in constant jeopardy as the cold war is still in full flight and war hungry Nixon remains president of the United States. Furthermore, illegal vigilantes consisting of the scantily clad ‘Silk Spectre' (Malin Akerman), blue ‘Dr Manhattan’ (Billy Crudup), camp ‘Ozymandias’ (Matthew Goode), shady ‘Rorschach’ (Jackie Earle Haley) and technical whiz ‘Nite Owl’ (Dan Dreiberg) are forced to reunite due to the suspicious death of their former associate ‘The Comedian ‘(Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and a conspiracy threatening the future of mankind.

REVIEW:
The studio politics which surround Watchmen are almost as complex as the source material itself. Having already suffered at the hands of Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass, who both famously abandoned the project deeming it impossible to make, the project was left on the scrapheap for many years before it was picked up by self proclaimed ‘fanboy’ Zack Snyder. His previous work may have received a great deal of critical backlash but the fact he has risen to a challenge that was beneath Gilliam and Greengrass is a laudable achievement in itself.

And as the opening credits role it does feel as if Snyder has managed to actualise the impossible. His beautifully shot opening montage skims through an entire back story of superheroes and effectively crams in all the essential information you need to contextualise the period in a matter of minutes. As his vibrant visuals leap off the screen to Bob Dylan’s "The Times They Are a-Changin", you feel as if you could be in for something special.

But despite the fact Snyder may be able to produce such fantastic imagery, he is unable to back it up with any substance. As events unfold the film itself feels like an extended montage of breathtaking images glossed over with pop culture references and some brief political context without actually delving beyond the surface.

This is not an adaptation of the comic book but more of a tribute to its brilliance. Instead of developing his own screen narrative to give the film its own cinematic identity, Snyder has simply tried to cram far too much of the original story in as possible which has resulted in a rather disjointed and over long picture.

Constantly switching between the development of several characters, those unfamiliar with the source material will often feel bored, confused and alienated. It is the compelling story of Rorschach, brilliantly captured by Jackie Earle Haley, which keeps the film together. Whenever his film noir narrative is left behind to concentrate on the pointless latex eye candy that is Silk Spectre or the sombre and far from engaging Dr. Manhattan the film loses its momentum.

Similarly the fight scenes are just as unimaginative as every single one annoyingly unfolds in the same way. Primarily used as a device to prevent people from nodding off, the punch -ups themselves become more boring than the actual ‘talking bits’ as it were. With every punch and kick perfectly landing in exactly the right place whilst Snyder adds pointless slo-mo to drag these set pieces out for as long as possible, the results are tedious. If it were not for CGI, visual effects and a team of people below him Zack Snyder would not have a career as he is unable to direct drama, tension, characters or storyline.

Therefore fans of the comic book will either feel grateful for watching a film as faithful as this or let down for it’s dumbing down of the original story. Whereas those who are not familiar with the book will wonder what on earth all the fuss is all about as what is widely considered the Citizen Kane of the comic book world has not been given its due.

TO SUM UP:
Watchmen looks impressive but it has nothing profound to say in the long run. A rather plain film that does have its compelling moments through Rorschach's character this was a missed opportunity that will severely divide its fan base. What was originally a satire and a deconstruction of the comic book superhero has now become a stereotypical, albeit fairly entertaining and watchable, product of the genre

The Kermodes 2009

In this, 'the corrective to the oversights of the Oscars' as he puts it, here are the results of my favourite film critic's own awards ceremony:

Best Supporting Actress

Ashley tisdale High School Musical 3

Supporting Actor
Eddie marsan - Happy Go-Lucky

Best Actress

Belen ruede - The Orphanage

Best Actor

Michael fassbender - Hunger

Best Screenplay

Garth Jennings - Son of Rambow

Best Foreign Film

Gomorrah – Roberto saviano

Best Film + Best Director

Terence Davies - Of Time And The City

Fellowship Award

Terry Gillingham

The 81st Academy Awards 2009

This year, Australian screen and stage actor Hugh Jackman did a fine job in presenting the Oscars. His old fashioned sing and dance approach reeled in 36 million viewers which was approximately 4 million more than last year's all time low. It still nevertheless failed to beat 1998's record of 55 million where viewers all across the world tuned in to see Titanic sweep the board.

I may prefer the more cynical comedic approach, like that of previous host John Stewart, but this year's musical theme was still very entertaining, witty, accessible, and derivative of the old Billy Crystal days. Cynics have been quick to point the finger claiming that it was obvious to see a very stripped down Oscar night in light of the recession but Jackman's more 'show' and less 'bizz' theme paid off. With its fast paced proceedings the ceremony was confined to a brief, by Oscar terms, three and a half hours and I don't think the hotly tipped Ricky Gervais could have produced something so upbeat.

Unfortunately I cannot get the Sky Movies Channel in my poky student house and I was somewhat unwilling to fork out £40 to watch it online so I was subjected to Radio 5 Live's commentary which was far from like being there but I will give you the best coverage I can.

Here is the list of winners in full with my wrong predictions highlighted in red, actual winners in green, with a short critique underneath interspersed with video highlights:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Richard Jenkins in The Visitor


• Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon


• Sean Penn in Milk


• Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

The Shock and bewilderment was certainly felt in the Radio 5 Live studio as the commentators shared a brief silence at the biggest surprise of the night. Although at the actual event the audience all gave Sean a standing ovation and the loudest applause of the night as he walked towards the podium. His speech was certainly politically courageous, moving, respectable to his fellow nominees (particularly Mickey), delivered with great rhetoric and above all proved that he actually had a sense of humour as he took a slight dig at himself.....

Nevertheless I still believe Mickey was robbed. He put everything into this role and it was far more demanding of him. Its emotional power was more hard hitting than Sean's Harvey Milk and everyone will agree with me that Milk's assassination was nowhere near as devastating as Randy's teary eyed breakdown in front of his own daughter. For Sean this was yet another 'standing on a soapbox' preacher character which was simply more engaging and likeable than usual. This was Rourke's Raging Bull his Godfather Part II, a career high that cannot be surpassed. Penn I’m sure will have better characters in him because as skilled as his performance was I just don't think he put as much into it. Some say it was due to the political climate of California at the time that influenced voters and with Rourke later claiming if he had won he would have dedicated his Oscar to 'all the heterosexuals out there' means this may not be too far from the truth. Do not fear though, I'm sure Rourke will get an Oscar five years down the line for a role that isn't as good due to an academy Scorsese esque guilt trip.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Josh Brolin in Milk


• Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder


• Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt


• Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight


• Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Emotional scenes at the Oscars as Heath's family picked up the award on his behalf. A brave and I think correct decision by the academy to invite those closest to him. The second ever posthumous acceptance in the Oscars history, the first went to Sidney Howard for his Gone With the Wind screenplay in 1939. The statuette will be given to Heath's four year old daughter when she grows eighteen, and she will then have the right to sell it if she so wishes with permission from the academy. Many claim that Heath only won the Oscar due to his sudden death but all you need to do is compare his performance to the all the other nominees to see that none of them come close in terms of depth, scope and imagination. Robert Downey Jr. had no right to be nominated at all for his impersonation of a stereotype.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married


• Angelina Jolie in Changeling


• Melissa Leo in Frozen River


• Meryl Streep in Doubt


• Kate Winslet in The Reader

I thought the academy would hold out and grant Angelina the award but it seemed the favourite was destined to win. Strangely she won not for her better role in Revolutionary Road but for her more controversial character in The Reader. It seems the Academy thought it was about time they granted her a win after five strong and unsuccessful previous nominations. Perhaps she was granted a statuette for her perseverance more than anything else, but it is good to see a Brit win an award. Her speech here was a lot less embarrassing than her Golden Globe acceptance, a bit more yucky than the BAFTAs but so many years in the public eye with nothing to speak of she deserves to immerse herself in the spotlight.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Amy Adams in Doubt


• Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona


• Viola Davis in Doubt


• Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

It certainly wasn't The Wrestler's night! I had not seen Vicky Christina Barcelona whilst making my predictions but if I had, I probably would have put my money on Penelope. Her speech seemed more genuine than Kate's and echoed her co-star Javier Bardem's acceptance speech of last year as she spoke in her first language to thank her family back home. Her depiction of a woman on the edge of breaking point in despite what seemed a quite brief screen time had more to it than Marisa's compassionate lapdancer. All actresses chasing such an award should bear in mind that this is the third time that Woody Allen has written and directed a character that has led an actress to pick up a statuette.

Best animated feature film of the year

• Bolt


• Kung Fu Panda


• WALL-E

Definitely a no-brainer. WALL-E was a film that deserved to win best picture, never mind best animated feature, especially given the simple children's films it was competing against. I much more admired the BAFTA's decision to pit it against the far more artistic Persepolis and Waltz with Bashir.

Achievement in Art Direction

• James J. Murakami and Gary Fettis - Changeling


• Donald Graham Burt and Victor J. Zolfo - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Nathan Crowley and Peter Lando - The Dark Knight


• Michael Carlin and Rebecca Alleway - The Duchess


• Kristi Zea and Debra Schutt - Revolutionary Road

Makes sense really, this dreadful film was purely carried by its art direction and nothing else.

Achievement in Cinematography

• Tom Stern - Changeling


• Claudio Miranda - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight


• Chris Menges and Roger Deakins - The Reader


• Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire

I thought The Dark Knight would at least pick up another award for its imagery but it lost out to Slumdog's vibrant visuals which I certainly have no qualms about. The most exciting thing about this award however was Ben Stiller's impression of Joaquin Phoenix's recently bizarre appearance on David Letterman's show. Apparently this joke didn't quite pick up the laughs that it was after on the night but this clip is still quite amusing....

Achievement in Costume Design

• Catherine Martin - Australia


• Jacqueline West - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Michael O'Connor - The Duchess


• Danny Glicker - Milk


• Albert W Revolutionary Road

The award is in the name of the genre really: "costume drama".

Achievement in Directing

• David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon


• Gus Van Sant - Milk


• Stephen Daldry - The Reader


• Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Hoorah I got this right. It appears the academy agreed with me that Boyle's direction made this simple concept work due to his vibrancy and energy which he emphasised through his Tigger jumping:

Best Documentary Feature

• The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)


• Encounters at the End of the World


• The Garden


• Man on Wire


• Trouble the Water

More success for British cinema. This BBC documentary on Phillipe Petit's amazing achievement of walking between the twin towers on a tightrope was produced in a way that made you feel as if you were there. Its effective filming of photographs of the incident twinned with its music blurred the lines between the artistic and the documentary, a worthy winner. Still, it would have been nice to see the brilliant King of Kong at least pick up a nomination. Petite demonstrated that the enthusiasm he expressed on screen was no trick as he proceeded to balance the statuette on his chin!

Best documentary short subject

• The Conscience of Nhem En


• The Final Inch


• Smile Pinki


• The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

If anyone knows how I can get hold of a copy of this short film then I would be intrigued to watch it.

Achievement in film editing

• Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Lee Smith - The Dark Knight


• Mike Hill and Dan Hanley - Frost/Nixon


• Elliot Graham - Milk


• Chris Dickens - Slumdog Millionaire

If Frost/Nixon was going to pick up an award, it was here. The editing between the two characters heightened the tension which was the whole point of the film. However, it was business as usual for Slumdog. It’s understandable why this won the award as the quick editing certainly enhanced the pace and emotions of the film.

Best foreign language film of the year

• The Baader Meinhof Complex - Germany


• The Class - France


• Departures - Japan


• Revanche - Austria


• Waltz with Bashir - Israel

The second biggest upset of the night. This Japanese film has only been seen by a select few, and it has yet to be released in this country. It is encouraging that members of the academy can only vote in this category once they have seen all the films nominated but it'll take a lot to convert my allegiances from my 3rd favourite film of last year. It's certainly interesting to note that the winner of this category at the BAFTAs, the French film I’ve Loved You So Long, did not even pick up a nomination here as didn't Gomorrah which was such a realistic depiction of the Naples Mafia that the filmmaker is still on the run from them!

Achievement in makeup

• Greg Cannom - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan - The Dark Knight


• Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz - Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Before the Oscars started the last thing I said a colleague was that Benjamin Button only deserved to win two Oscars and this was one of them. Turning Brad Pitt into a convincing elderly midget is the greatest achievement of this film.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• James Newton Howard - Defiance


• Danny Elfman - Milk


• A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire


• Thomas Newman WALL-E
  

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• "Down to Earth" from WALL-E Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman


• "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire Music by A.R. Rahman


• "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire Music by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
  

A lot of controversy has surrounded this particular award. Initially Peter Gabriel pulled out altogether and then he refused to play a segment of his song on stage as part of the big musical number for all those nominated as he only wanted to play his song if he could play it from start to finish. Similarly many have been in uproar as Bruce Springsteen's original song for The Wrestler was not officially recognised by the academy which has echoed Johnny Greenwood's lack of a nomination last year, which still make me feel bitter as he should have won it! Call me tone deaf but all the music in Slumdog sounded the same to me. Nevertheless it added to the feeling of experiencing the Mumbai slums.

Best motion picture of the year

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Frost/Nixon


• Milk


• The Reader


• Slumdog Millionaire

Not Danny Boyle's best film by any stretch of the imagination. Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Sunshine have all been greater achievements cinematically in my eyes. But it is still without doubt the best flick nominated and my faith in the academy has been restored somewhat as they stayed clear of the God awful Ben Button. This is hopefully a step forward for the British Film Industry as a film which struggled with funding from the start and was originally going to be released straight to DVD has now received the highest accolade possible. As Danny Boyle explained to a reporter after the ceremony, people in the film industry do not start out in blockbusters such as The Dark Knight and it is these smaller indie films that deserve recognition. I for one agree, blockbusters get their achievements through profit, the smaller films deserve them through critical achievements. It was heart warming seeing Mumbai slum children having the opportunity to walk on the red carpet and hopefully this film will help their economy somewhat. Also, let's hope Boyle keeps his promise and goes back there and parades the Oscar through the street as a thank you.

Best animated short film

• La Maison en Petits Cubes


• Lavatory - Lovestory


• Oktapodi


• Presto (Pixar)


• This Way Up
  

Best live action short film

• Auf der Strecke


• Manon on the Asphalt


• New Boy


• The Pig


• Spielzeugland (Toyland)
  

Achievement in sound editing

• Richard King - The Dark Knight


• Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes - Iron Man


• Tom Sayers - Slumdog Millionaire


• Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood - WALL-E


• Wylie Stateman - Wanted
  

Achievement in sound mixing

• David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick - The Dark Knight


• Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty - Slumdog Millionaire


• Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt - WALL-E


• Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt - Wanted
  

Achievement in visual effects

• Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


• Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin - The Dark Knight


• John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan - Iron Man

Anyone who can turn Brad Pitt into an elderly dwarf deserves recognition.

Adapted screenplay

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay by Eric Roth


• Doubt Written by John Patrick Shanley


• Frost/Nixon Screenplay by Peter Morgan


• The Reader Screenplay by David Hare


• Slumdog Millionaire Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Full Monty scriptwriter, Simon Beaufoy now has an Oscar to his name and it is well deserved. A script that can turn a gameshow fable into a film is very skilled indeed.

Original screenplay

• Frozen River Written by Courtney Hunt


• Happy-Go-Lucky Written by Mike Leigh


• In Bruges Written by Martin McDonagh


• Milk Written by Dustin Lance Black


• WALL-E Screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon
  

Two brilliant pieces of writing here. Unlike the BAFTAs however, the academy opted for the political struggle over the sharp witty narrative. If any screenplay was going to lose out to McDonagh's then it had to be this one. Not just because WALL-E had hardly any dialogue and Mike Leigh films are heavily improvised, but because this film was not a preachy film in any way shape or form but a thoroughly engaging experience derived from real events that made it very educational indeed.

Other highlights of the ceremony included this massive musical number involving Beyonce who was previously seen at President Obama's inauguration (big year for her) and the leading stars of High School Musical 3:

Overall this was a worthwhile night had by all! Mainly the favourites won but it was still enjoyable to watch, or so I’ve heard. The films didn't quite reach the quality of last year, namely No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood but this is still the most exciting and hotly anticipated night for film every year. Critics try to claim its apparent wilting influence but millions of viewers cannot be wrong.

One stark change to proceedings however was the decision to replace clips of actor's performances during the listing of the nominations with past winners reading out monologues. This was rather uncalled for as it was a device which purely drew attention to how prosperous the academy is and how no other organisation can put so much talent under one roof. And it was another way to increase the so-called yuck factor. Although it did however put a new spin on the reading out of nominations and if mixed with clips of the films it could better the experience.

Although what I really want to know is, where was Jack Nicholson this year?
Every ceremony you can bet good money he will be sat on the front row in his shades looking seedy, not this time.

The 29th Annual 'Razzie' Awards 2009

Created by John Wilson in 1980, the "Razzies" were created to counterpoint the academy awards by honouring the worst achievements in film. Each year this ceremony continues to grow in scale and significance with its greatest highlight being back in 2004 when Halle Barry accepted her award in person by giving a speech which parodied her own oscar acceptance speech three years earlier. She later fired her agent and has not appeared in successful film since.

So on the eve of the greatly anticipated Oscars here are the recipients of such accolades this year:

Worst Picture:
The Love Guru
Disaster Movie + Meet the Spartans

The Happening

The Hottie and the Nottie

In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Worst Actor:
Mike Myers -The Love Guru
Larry the Cable Guy - Witless Protection

Eddie Murphy - Meet Dave

Al Pacino - 88 Minutes and Righteous Kill

Mark Whalberg - The Happening and Max Payne

Worst Actress:
Paris Hilton -THE HOTTIE AND THE NOTTIE

Jessica Alba - The Eye and Love Guru

The Cast of The Women (Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Meg Ryan)

Cameron Diaz - What Happens in Vegas

Kate Hudson - Fools' Gold and My Best Friend's Girl

Worst Supporting Actress:
Paris Hilton - REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA

Carmen Electra - Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans

Kim Kardashian - Disaster Movie

Jenny McCarthy - Witless Protection

Leelee Sobieski - 88 Minutes and In the Name of the King

Worst Supporting Actor:
Pierce Brosnan -MAMMA MIA!

Uwe Boll (as himself) - Uwe Boll's Postal

Ben Kingsley - The Love Guru and The Wackness

Burt Reynolds - Deal and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Verne Troyer - The Love Guru and Uwe Boll's Postal

Worst Screen Couple:
Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore, THE HOTTIE AND THE NOTTIE

Uwe Boll and any actor, camera or screenplay

Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, What Happens in Vegas

Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy, Witless Protection

Eddie Murphy in Eddie Murphy, Meet Dave

Worst Prequel,Remake, Rip-off or Sequel(Combined Category for 2008):
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull

The Day the Earth Blowed Up Real Good

Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans

Speed Racer

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Worst Director:
Uwe Boll - 1968: Tunnel Rats,In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,and Postal

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer - Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans

Tom Putnam - The Hottie and the Nottie

Marco Schnabel - The Love Guru

M. Night Shymalan - The Happening

Worst Screenplay:
The Love Guru Written by Mike Myers & Graham Gordy
Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans Both written by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer

The Happening written by M. Night Shymalan

The Hottie and the Nottie Written by Heidi Ferrer

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale Screenplay by Doug Taylor

Worst Career Achievement:
Uwe Boll
(Germany’s Answer to Ed Wood)

“Wins” Per Picture:
The Love Guru = 3 Awards:Worst Picture, Actor and Screenplay
The Hottie and The Nottie = 3 Awards:Worst Picture, Actor and Screenplay
In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale = 1 Award: Worst Director
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull = 1 Award:Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel

Mike Myers was the biggest loser of the year with his latest release recieving worst film, actor and script (all of which are the most significant components when it comes to putting together a comedy film). Looks like you've let your voicing of a big green ogre get in the way of your comic talents Mr Myers, back to the drawing board!

Although his film just missed out on worst director to Uwe Boll whose work rate simply cannot be kept up with, well done on your lifetime achievement award sir.

BAFTA Ceremony 2009

Here are the results of Britain's warm-up to the Oscars:






BEST FILM
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
FROST/NIXON – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
MILK – Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen THE READER – Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris

I think this is what everyone expected really. At a head to head race with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the better film won. No one was really suprised either as the British film won at a British ceremony. The most eye-opening aspect to this award was the decision to use Mick Jagger to present it. As he swaggered his way towards the podium he owned the stage without the use of a band. His comment after Mickey Rourke's acceptance speech claiming that he expected Jonathan to be 'doing all the fucking' was a stroke of genius.

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
MAN ON WIRE – Simon Chinn, James Marsh
HUNGER – Laura Hastings-Smith, Robin Gutch, Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
IN BRUGES – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
MAMMA MIA! – Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman, Phyllida Lloyd, Catherine Johnson
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy


In my opinion the fantastic horror film Eden Lake deserved a nomination but such films, no matter how skilled, have never been award friendly. However when Man on Wire won, everyone was certain that Slumdog was destined to win best picture, this award is set aside for the more artistic, smaller works which is very comendable.


THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
STEVE McQUEEN (Director/Writer) – Hunger
SIMON CHINN (Producer) – Man On Wire
JUDY CRAYMER (Producer) – Mamma Mia!
GARTH JENNINGS (Writer) – Son of Rambow
SOLON PAPADOPOULOS, ROY BOULTER (Producers) – Of Time And The City

Hunger was definately the right choice but I still think James Watkins definately deserved a nomination for his film Eden Lake which was certainly outstanding for his debut script and direction. Nevertheless it would not have beaten McQueen's politcally conscious work of art which truly deserved award recognition somewhere.


DIRECTOR
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - Danny Boyle
CHANGELING – Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – David Fincher
FROST/NIXON – Ron Howard
THE READER – Stephen Daldry


This award was presented by Magneto and Professor X. themselves (that's Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian Mackellen for those of you not familiar with the X-men films) who are currently starring together in Samuel Beckett's Nihlist play Waiting For Godot. The BAFTA awards may not be able to acttract the level of stars on the scale of the Oscars but they certainly do enough to rival them. As Boyle picked up his award he found it hard to keep focused as his son Gabriel shouted 'I love you Dad' from the crowd.


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
IN BRUGES – Martin McDonagh
BURN AFTER READING – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
CHANGELING – Joe Michael Straczynski
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Philippe Claudel
MILK – Dustin Lance Black

The two people who presented this award were Michael Sheen, who played David Frost in Frost/Nixon, and David Frost himself. An ingenious idea for the presentation of an award, this is something at least the Oscars would not have been able to do. The decision for this particular script to win may have been slightly biassed but I think it will struggle to win at the Oscars as comedy is always a difficult genre to crack unless you are Woody Allen.


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Simon Beaufoy
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON – Peter Morgan
THE READER – David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Justin Haythe


FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Yves Marmion, Philippe Claudel
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX – Bernd Eichinger, Uli Edel
GOMORRAH – Domenico Procacci, Matteo Garrone
PERSEPOLIS – Marc-Antoine Robert, Xavier Rigault, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner, Yael Nahlieli, Ari Folman


A slightly different set of nominees for this particular award in comparison to the Oscars. In particular the BAFTA's were right to nominate Gomorrah which has been overlooked. It is also interesting to point out that the winner here I've loved you so long is not even nominated at Oscars, so there was a really diverse set of opinions here in relation to the LA based Academy. Nevertheless I still think Waltz With Bashir should have won as it was easily the most daring, powerful and artistic of those nominated.

Animated Film in 2008
WALL•E – Andrew Stanton
PERSEPOLIS – Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Ari Folman

Here it was a more advanced decision by BAFTA voters to nominate animated films that dealt with adult subject matter. This was certainly a more interesting and closer competition than the Oscars who for some reason stupidly decided to nominate Bolt and Kung-Fu Panda as well as WALL-E in this catagory. Such tension was never felt on the BBC though as we were subjected to Stanton's acceptance speech whislt the credits roled over his face.

LEADING ACTOR
MICKEY ROURKE – The Wrestler
FRANK LANGELLA – Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL – Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN – Milk
BRAD PITT – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


It was an ambitious decision to nominate Dev Patel as he had no hope in hell of winning against such established talent. But he should be well in line for a rising star award next year if he gains a few more roles which I'm sure he will not find difficult. Michael Sheen deserved a nomination in place of either Brad's plain or Dev's debut performances as it was severly overlooked. Frank Langella would have not been as effective without such a strong performance to feed off. All in all though Rourke was the right winner and his blunt speech on how he had 'fucked up' his career for the last fifteen years was met with an equally hilarious comeback by the razor sharp Ross who found his infamous 'improbable comment' by claiming Rourke would now face 'four months suspension'.

LEADING ACTRESS
KATE WINSLET - The Reader
ANGELINA JOLIE – Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I’ve Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP – Doubt
KATE WINSLET – Revolutionary Road


This was the only awards ceremony to get it right in nominating Kate twice in the leading actress catagory. After the travesty of the catagorising of the Golden Globes where they for some reason thought her Revolutionary Road acting was a supporting performance couldn't have been any further from the truth. Although I'm sure she didn't mind winning two awards on the night.
Despite two nominations I still find it odd how she didn't win for her better performance in Rev Road and hasn't even been nominated for this character at the Oscars. Oh well, at least she kept the yuck factor of her speech down in front of her home audience due to the backlash she has recieved from the press from her daft Globes acceptance speech.


SUPPORTING ACTOR
HEATH LEDGER - The Dark Knight
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. – Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON – In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Doubt
BRAD PITT – Burn After Reading


I don't understand why Brad Pitt and Downey Jr. were nominated in this award and it must have felt slightly insulting for Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brendan and Heath's family. There was never any doubt that Heath would win but Ray Fiennes' mob boss in In Bruges could have done with a nomination nod.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
PENÉLOPE CRUZ – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
AMY ADAMS – Doubt
FREIDA PINTO – Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON – Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI – The Wrestler



MUSIC
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – A. R. Rahman
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Alexandre Desplat
THE DARK KNIGHT – Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! – Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
WALL•E – Thomas Newman


Mamma Mia was probably one of the most ill founded nominations here. Yes the film was a musical and relied on such music, however it was terribly original having been written by ABBA twenty odd years ago!


Cinematography in 2008
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Anthony Dod Mantle
CHANGELING – Tom Stern
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Claudio Miranda
HE DARK KNIGHT – Wally Pfister
THE READER – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins


Editing in 2008
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Chris Dickens
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
As there was a tie in this category there are six nominations


Production Design in 2008
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
CHANGELING – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
THE DARK KNIGHT – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Mark Digby, Michelle Day


Costume Design in 2008
THE DUCHESS – Michael O'Connor
CHANGELING – Deborah Hopper
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jacqueline West
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lindy Hemming
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Albert Wolsky


Costume dramas are always a favourite for this particular award.

Sound in 2008
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
CHANGELING – Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
WALL•E – Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood

Special Visual Effects in 2008
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Barba, Craig Barron, Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams
THE DARK KNIGHT – Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – Pablo Helman, Marshall Krasser, Steve Rawlins
IRON MAN – Hal Hickel, Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben SnowQUANTUM OF SOLACE – Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug


I have no idea why Indiana Jones was nominated for this catagory as the CGI looked so fake it did in fact suck a lot of the proverbial fun from this film. Ben Button was the deserved winner as its greatest achievement was turning Brad into a withered old baby midget.


Make Up & Hair in 2008
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan
THE DARK KNIGHT – Peter Robb-King
THE DUCHESS – Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
FROST/NIXON – Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
MILK – Steven E. Anderson, Michael White


Again, Brad Pitt as a midget, hilarious!


Short Animation in 2008
WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH – Steve Pegram, Nick Park, Bob Baker
CODSWALLOP – Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod
VARMINTS – Sue Goffe, Marc Craste


An unimaginative choice here. Nick Park's animation was not any different from any of his previous short films and didn't really push the format. However, it may have in fact deserved to win as I have not seen the other films nominated and Park's preservation of stop montion animation does need to be kept up.


Short Film in 2008
SEPTEMBER – Stewart le Maréchal, Esther May Campbell
THE DREAMER – Kate Ogborn, Tony Grisoni
LOVE YOU MORE – Caroline Harvey, Anthony Minghella, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick MarberRALPH – Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler
VOYAGE D’AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP) – Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis

ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
NOEL CLARKE
MICHAEL CERA
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
REBECCA HALL
TOBY KEBBELL


This award was placed in an odd section of the ceremony. Broadcast just after the obituaries it was quite a downer for this award. Whether it was intentionally put before the rising star award to demonstrate that there are rising stars in relation to the deaths I'm not sure and I'm not all that convinced that if this was the intention that it paid off. It was fairly ironic however that the recipient of last year Shia Lebeouf has not starred in anything other than Eagle Eye since. This may have been why he chose to turn up this time when awarding it rather than recieving it last year, but Im sure he is busy on the set of Transformers 2 which sort of demonstrates how he has not really progressed or developed in his roles. I think Noel Clarke was a good decsion to be presented with this award. His last film may have been a bit cliched and too ambitious but he is nevertheless a force to be reckoned with as he is a writer, director and star unlike the other nominees. It's just a shame his acceptance speech was very chavvy indeed!

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
PINEWOOD STUDIOS AND SHEPPERTON STUDIOS


All I can say is I can't believe these world reknown studios haven't won such an accolade sooner, that is of course unless they haven't won it in previous years.


ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
TERRY GILLIAM

A master of cinema this American turned British citizen is a credit to our industry. As a fan of Jeff Bridges it was good to see his tribute to an old friend. It's just a shame Gillingham's speech and montage of films were severly and abruptly cut so by BBC editors. I just hope his next film The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus lives up to our expectations and I have every faith that it will with Gillingham having said on several occasions that it is the film he is most pleased with in a long, diverse and colourful backlog of films.



All in all I felt slightly sorry for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who both looked bored throughout having made such a journey to our rainy little island without an award for their efforts. Oh well at least it is a vote of confidence for BAFTA who don't simply hand out awards to the biggest A-listers they can manage to attract.

As Danny Boyle looked lovingly on as the majority of his crew picked up BAFTA masks these should be possitive omens for the fastly looming Oscars.

The best thing about this awards ceremony was the fact BAFTA had such a fruitiful choice of British films to pick from this year. With the credit crunch putting pressures on our small film industry which struggles to find money at the best of times I just hope such a healthy output of talent can continue to blossom.

It is Film Four who are the real winners this year as if it were not for their persistence, films like Slumdog and In Bruges would not even exist. Hopefully their efforts will be recognised in the next few years by BAFTA with an 'Outstanding contribution to cinema' award.