The Meryl Wins BFCA.

"I'm so happy my gums are receding."
Anne Hathaway quotes her screenwriter Jenny Lumet accepting her Best Actress award.

...but it's co-winner Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married" who steals the show for once.
"I don't know how to win awards, I know how to not be nominated for them" she says as she sets the bar for the kind of Julia Roberts speech that will get a voter or two picking her just to see how gracious, funny and natural she'd be up the podium.
This got me thinking about her performance in the movie which might count to some as deglam, but is in fact more of a study in subtlety.
She does right thanking her director as you know it was him who chose the quiet scenes where Kym just takes a punch at your gut (dancing with her eyes closed during the party, it should be her Oscar clip!).
I wasn't taking her chances so seriously but she makes sense in the way Academy voters have been making their choices lately and with no huge biopic contestant this year, it looks like the path might be clear for her, unless they have the sudden urge to be nice to the vastly underrated (yes she is...) Kate Winslet.
Now, if they'd only start taking Rosemarie DeWitt into consideration as well...if your Best Actress winner calls someone "incandescent, intelligent, loving, exquisite celluloid sister" you should be listening!

BFCA Predicts the Oscars.

The Critics Choice Awards were held tonight and as their main goal and whole raison d'etre seems to predict who will win the Oscars they went with most of the favorites.
Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Score went to "Slumdog Millionaire" as well as their bizarre juvenile award (which went to Dev Patel).
Heath Ledger paved his way to the Oscars (they just won't resist the need for a standing ovation) winning Best Supporting Actor and Kate Winslet was a sorta unexpected winner for Best Supporting Actress in "The Reader".
This award interests me a lot, because not only am I rooting for Penélope Cruz as anyone who reads me knows by now, (I've yet to see Winslet's film though...) but it might be one of those awards overdue actors get.
Like the time when Cate Blanchett won for "The Aviator" (who also happened to be terrific in her movie), it's like one of those "rules" that say give them the supporting award because they're never getting the lead one, unless you're Al Pacino.
Proving they need to force themselves as Oscar pronosticators Best Actress was a tie and went to Meryl Streep for "Doubt" who is the one everyone thinks should win and Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married" which is the one horny Academy award members would choose.
See, the BFCA isn't as frisky with ties as AMPAS, but I don't see this happening ever again.
As usual, once the BFCA show is over we're still left with the same old questions and boredom as before.
Bring the Globes on!