And the BAFTAs Went To...

I love how random the BAFTAs usually are. They seem to have decided to celebrate James Bond's fiftieth anniversary by inviting Tom Jones but not by having say Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Daniel Craig present Best Picture...

Daniel Radcliffe looked so happy to be there! He kept doing huge smiles as if he was auditioning for Broadway again.

Queen Meryl looked positively regal for once, may she please wear something this magnificent to the Oscars.

Jonah Hill has such a mancrush on Brad Pitt, don't ya think?

I was shocked to see Kristen Wiig presenting because she was so brilliant last night on SNL that one would think she'd need a few days to recover and charge her brilliant batteries. In my mind she and Jean Dujardin (who was stunningly awesome on SNL too) flew together and she went through her Bridesmaids airplane skit. Or maybe just maybe she kept her 20's flapper dress and traveled via Dujardin's favored way of transportation:

I love how Octavia Spencer just radiates with joy every time she sees Viola Davis.

Well done Paddy! His Tyrannosaur won Best British Debut.

Sigh.

Oh you magnificent creature... 

The BAFTAs always offer the strangest combinations. Why would Christina Ricci and Jeremy Irvine be together? Also, what was up with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Billy Bob Thornton being there?

The Artist swept the awards even winning Best Original Screenplay.
I have nothing against the movie and contrary to what its director would think, I knew it had a screenplay.
What I don't get is how it would win for originality when it's such a rehash of so many movies? The clip they played for this category even featured the Vertigo score!

R.I.P.

This man's voice! For a minute he made me wish the BAFTAs turned into Dogville and Nicole Kidman showing up to kick everyone's asses...

Chris O'Dowd is just the cutest.

Senna not only won Best Documentary, it also upset The Artist taking Best Editing. Really people. if you have not seen this movie, run and find it now.

Don Draper is mad!

Joan knows better...

(I love that they played "All the Lovers" when she presented an award)

Meryl Streep makes winning awards both pleasurable and award-worthy within itself. When she left her shoe on the stairs going up to receive her Best Actress award, not only did she create her own headlines about being Cinderella and loosing at the balls for more than 30 years now, she also made me wonder if this was all planned. She is known for her perfect technical prowess. 

She even made me love that Colin Firth was there, even if it should be Jesse Eisenberg handing her out awards.

All bow to Queen Meryl!

Yay Pe!

Pe handing out Best Actor justifies Natalie Portman not being there. I feel like she's been out of the spotlight for too long...a bit over a year fine, but let me be!

Just give this man his Oscar already. I don't get how anyone would have anything bad to say about him, he's so charming and gorgeous and unlike Clooney and Pitt, he does act in his movie. He doesn't play himself...

Why can't the Oscars come up with interesting presenters for Best Picture?

Is it me or does Bérénice Bejo look like she could've given birth to Emma Stone?

I love how Marty is always so happy to win awards, however to be honest he's been so mistreated by awards bodies that I wish he'd go all Woody Allen on their asses and forever ignore them.

Did you enjoy the BAFTAs?

BAFTA Style.

The British Academy Awards more often than not offer a more idiosyncratic vision in the red carpet than anything we ever see at the Oscars.
Europeans, and Americans in Europe, tend to be bolder even if that often means dressing like that they don't give a damn.
The BAFTAs usually offer a monochromatic palette (find me a BAFTA winner that isn't Tilda Swinton in something other than black, white or blue and I'll be surprised).
Last night wasn't that different but among the understated were some outstanding looks.


Saoirse Ronan has become a woman and she was "head to toes" in Burberry.
The playfulness of the white fluffy mini served to cover the subversive punk-ness of her leather bracelets and dark nails. Talk about versatility she was dressed for cocktails and a rock concert.


Vera Farmiga had never looked as lovely as she did in an overflowing white Marchesa gown with asymmetrical cuts and black sash.
Watching her walk the red carpet had a heavenly feel to it.


Stella McCartney gave Kate Winslet the excitement she had been lacking in previous red carpets. Not only did she look amazingly thin but that leg and those see through sides were mouth watering.


The insulting Audrey Tautou was gorgeous in Lanvin. She gave the event an unexpected splash of color and proved she's not the pale faced girl she plays in "Coco Before Chanel".
The candy colored heels and lips were sweet indeed.


Before yesterday I'd never heard the name Vionett, yes bad bad fashionista I know.
But after watching Carey Mulligan wear what I'm almost ready to call the best dress of this awards season (unless Oscar gives us something spectacular she has this in the bag) by the very exclusive French house, all I want to do now is spend the day submerging into the rich history of Madeleine Vionett's house.
This dress reminds me slightly of what Meryl Streep wore to the SAGs, but unlike the legend who was literally drowned by the flowered pattern, Mulligan owns it by seeming to spring from the black and white flowers in waifish glory.
Notice how she pulls off asymmetrical cuts, flowered patterns, a bold new hairdo and a short/long leg at the same time!
She's a style miracle.


I think that Kristin Scott Thomas was a bit too Cruella de Vil in this Louis Vuitton creation that seemed to be made from a buffalo she'd killed with her bare hands.

However once she took away the top she was all kinds of lovely and so elegant even if it looked she was carrying a dead fox to the show.

We're BAFTA-ing! Part 2.

As BAFTA announced the winner of its Rising Star award I was overjoyed at the possibility of seeing Carey Mulligan win a big award but then I remembered this is voted by the audience so of course Kristen Stewart won.


I know, Tahar, I was baffled she won as well (especially over Carey and you...)


The wonderful Peter Capaldi presented Best Animated Feature Film which obviously went to "Up"
Isn't it strange that "The Secret of Kells" was snubbed in its own homeland? (I mean the UK not England obviously...)
Seeing Capaldi made me want to puke when I remembered he was snubbed for Best Supporting Actor when Alec Baldwin got in of all people...


Penélope Cruz wasn't nominated for anything, "Nine" got one nod and so did "Broken Embraces". Watching her light up the screen when Foreign Language Film was presented made me wonder why are the Brits so enamored with Audrey Tautou's one note performances?
If I'm not mistaken she was nominated for "Amélie" where she's not all that, the movie yes, her performance meh and now she got in Best Actress for the dull "Coco Before Chanel" when Cruz for example was soooo marvelous in "Broken Embraces".
Assuming of course that they just wanted the foreign language factor...if not they could've nominated Katie Jarvis, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Abbie Cornish etc.


"A Prophet" won Best Foreign Language Film and the brilliant Jacques Audiard brought his posse to receive the award, The woman translated his speech while the adorable Tahar Rahim smiled in the background.


It was no surprise to see Kathryn Bigelow win Best Director for "The Hurt Locker". She of course looked fantastic and in her great speech encouraged people never to abandon "the need to find a resolution for peace".


When Kate Winslet came out to present Best Actress I was taken aback by how magnificent she looked.
Remember last year when she looked so constipated at every awards show (with the straight gowns in dull colors and severe hairdos)? This time she seemed floaty as she handed out the award to Colin Firth.


The sadly underrated actor made a great speech and confessed he almost said no to the part but never emailed director Tom Ford that answer because a repairman came over just as he was about to hit send.


The incomparable Ford looked proud and a million kinds of handsome as Firth compared meeting him as being "resuscitated" and advised the audience "don't ever press send and have your fridges repaired".


The awesome Mickey Rourke messed up his teleprompter lines and got one of the funniest jokes from the host who said he was sure Mickey hadn't been back home since winning the BAFTA in 09.


The undervalued Carey Mulligan finally won an award and looking breathtaking she confessed she hadn't expected to win (who can blame her with the preposterous way she's been treated in all these awards?).
"I wish I could make this speech like Colin firth and talk about fridges" she said completely ignorant of the fact that she was making my heart melt.


When Best Film came it was a bit stunning to see "The Hurt Locker" win the big one (especially when BAFTA is so nationalist) but it was a choice you really can't argue with, the win made sense after the show ended though...(read below).


While most shows are done with once the big award is handed out, BAFTA made us wait while Prince William and Uma Thurman (gotta LOVE those presenting pairs they come up with!) presented the legendary Vanessa Redgrave with an Academy Fellowship.


Redgrave was visibly moved as she went on telling stories about her childhood and told things she learned about Maria Callas (without the opera legend's knowledge).
She also made a penis joke and wrapped the whole thing up with a beautiful ode to the constantly changing medium of film.

Watching Redgrave appear onstage was glorious (especially when paired with a roaring standing ovation) and made me want to strangulate the people who moved the Honorary Oscars to a private dinner!
Shouldn't movies also be about preserving the great ones? Do we have to enjoy having the "Twilight" kids imposed on us while people like Roger Corman and Lauren Bacall get little sideshows?
Tisk tisk tisk AMPAS, BAFTA kicked your ass on this one.

Now back to "The Hurt Locker", just when I was thinking no film had won big, the announcer showed us the awards that had been presented earlier (BBC tape delayed this) and I was astounded to realize that "The Hurt Locker"'s tally had come down to:

• Best Film
• Best Director
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Editing
• Best Sound

it only lost two awards! "Avatar" got exactly that number of trophies but so did "The Young Victoria"...

I'm hoping this bodes well for Bigelow's masterpiece in two weeks, if not I can always use the snob card and say I prefer the Brits.
Wouldn't you?

We're BAFTA-ing! Part 1.

An intimidating set with a massive structure that said "FILM" announced the arrival of the BAFTAs.
The sign, I like to think, was a reminder that these awards were conceived to honor the craft that goes into the art of filmmaking.
Of course this isn't completely true as politics, popularity, nationalism (especially here) and heck even the weather may have influence over the eventual winners.
Still though the winners tonight were less embarrassing than everything I'm expecting Oscar to be and as much as the Brits tend to love Hollywood too much none of the awards were vomit inducing.

If there is something were Oscar still excels is in putting together a show.
BAFTA host Jonathan Ross was a bit on the weak side and his jokes made you laugh out of awkwardness.
I must say when he introduced Clive Owen as someone "smoother than a waxed otter" I really laughed hard but the rest went pretty meh.
Perhaps the Brits have a weirder humor? Perhaps this too American kind of hosting doesn't work for a country that loves tradition and elegance?


Christoph Waltz won the Best Supporting Actor award as expected and gave one of his less trippy speeches of the season as he thanked the "fates who dropped him in front of Quentin Tarantino".
He then made a wonderful play of words around the support he's been getting as a supporting actor and how cool was it that they played David Bowie's "Cat People" when he walked to collect his award? (Bowie's own son won an award for best debut film).
Since BAFTA has made a habit out of playing random songs to announce winners and presenters, as opposed to musical cues from their own films, my favorite were:

• Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" when "Fish Tank" won for Best British Film (isn't it odd that "An Education" lost this one and also Best Picture?) perhaps they were making reference to Katie Jarvis character's love of dance?

• Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Freemasons' "Heartbreak Make Me a Dancer" was used in the red carpet segment and had great stylish effects.
• When Carey Mulligan came out to present Best Foreign Language Film they played the awesome "Bulletproof" by Laroux!
• Clive Owen was introduced to the beat of Lily Allen's "The Fear".
  

I still have no idea how they pick their presenters and am still puzzled over what was Matt Dillon doing there to present Mo'Ni...err Best Supporting Actress.
He didn't even win when he was nominated for "Crash"!


I do love "The Hurt Locker" but I'm not sure I like it winning screenplay awards. Yes I'm biased on the prettiness of Quentin Tarantino's work in this category.
Waltz himself said QT does poetry but still yay for Mark Boal's win for making "an unpopular story about an unpopular war" so damn powerful.