Thursday, January 08, 2009

BFCA Winners

<-- Brad & Angelina worked old school Hollywood glamour for the BFCA show though neither emerged as a winner. (They got the most camera time, too, with Marisa Tomei and Anne Hathaway trailing just behind)

The wins:

Picture, Director, Score, Screenplay, Young Actor: Slumdog Millionaire
Animated: WALL•E
Documentary:
Man on Wire
Foreign Film:
Waltz With Bashir
Comedy:
Tropic Thunder
TV Movie: John Adams
Action:
The Dark Knight
Song: "The Wrestler" Bruce Springsteen
Actor & Acting Ensemble:
Sean Penn and the cast of Milk
Actress: (tie) Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married and Meryl Streep for Doubt... an attempt at a Devil Wears Prada reunion. Good instincts there, BFCA, except Meryl didn't show. Nevertheless, it was surely the highlight. WATCH IT HERE. Viola Davis accepted for Streep and was wonderful.
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet for The Reader

The BFCA prides themselves on being strong Oscar predictors, so these are obviously the films and performances they think will take gold. Do you think these will repeat? Or more pointedly... which won't?
*

64 comments:

Anonymous said...

I literally jumped and screamed "TIE!?!?!"

So happy for MILK and Penn.

RahulB said...

I'm starting to be iffy about Benjamin Button's chances at the top 5.

I know it's blasphemy to say so, but it seems kind of lacking in wins, just nominations.

adam k. said...

I'm really sad I missed the tie.

Anonymous said...

I'm so very happy for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, Kate Winslet, and Heath Ledger.

If would've been great if Meryl was there WITH Anne, but Viola was a fantastic substitute. More on Hathaway... she gave the "you really really WANT to see me win an Oscar now" speech.

Overall I was very much pleased with the winners tonight.

rosengje said...

Loved that Anne Hathaway was clearly too overwhelmed to even form coherent sentences but still managed to get a dig in at the end about her dastardly ex.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Rahul... does anyone think that Benjamin Button could be snubbed for a BP nomination? It seems like TDK is stealing its "epic" thunder and its precursor tally thus far is mediocre. I think the GG will be a big test for Button.

Anonymous said...

This gave us our first taste of a (public) posthumous win for Ledger and… it was pretty much what I expected: an untidy mix of joy and poignancy. The combination of Laura Dern choking up and the standing ovation said it all.

I miss him so much…

RJ said...

Go Anne!

Anonymous said...

I was sooooo happy when Anne Hathaway tied with Meryl Streep! Even though the BFCA's are annoying, they managed to surprise us with this year's most exciting category.

Can Anne Hathaway actually win the Oscar? If she wins the SAG, her chances are very likely. I'm pretty sure she has Meryl's approval, which is always a good thing.

Anonymous said...

Meryl Streep is the frontrunner for Oscar. Period.

gabrieloak said...

Hathaway will not win the Oscar. I think the best actress award is between Streep and Winslet.

Anonymous said...

I think Winslet is the only acting winner who won't repeat (at least in this category) at the Oscars.

Anonymous said...

I don't Anonymous. I think if she DOES get nominated for Supporting then it will be VERY tempting to award her there leaving the Actress trophy for Streep or Hathaway.

But I feel (cautiously) optimistic of Winslet's chances of walking away with an Oscar this year. It'd be a dream.

Leah P. said...

I like to think that the oscar voters will surprise me this year and not follow the opinions of others. It's just so damn subjective this year. Last year it was pretty unanimous what was excellent and what was shit. This year, who knows.

Anonymous said...

I do not think Kate Winslet will win lead actress at the Oscar. The BFCAs showed they can reward her in the supporting actress. Winslet has definitely intensified the supporting actress race between Marisa Tomei, Penelope Cruz, and Viola Davis. I still think that Penelope Cruz has a good shot at winning the Golden Globe, though.

The Best Actress race this Sunday @ the globes is going to be sooo exciting between Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. I truthfully have no idea how it's going to go...maybe Streep since she's a double nominee, but Hathaway solidified herself as a strong contender.

Frankly, the best actor and best supporting actor races are sealed. Sean Penn and Heath Ledger have it in the bag, unless Clint Eastwood gets an Oscar nomination, then all bets are off.

I'm not really worried about Benjamin Button...epics typically do not fare well with the Critics nowadays, it seems. I'm pretty confident it will win Best Picture Drama at the Globes, unless the Slumdog lovefest continues (which is probable).

Most pissed losers of the night---Penelope Cruz and Angelina Jolie. And Kate Beckinsale flat out looked depressed, poor girl.

The Pretentious Know it All said...

I don't really think that Sean Penn has it in the bag. If you ignore Hilary Swank, the AMPAS are pretty choosy about who they give multiple acting awards to. Winning multiple Globes and Critics Choice Awards is one thing. Look at Russell Crowe in 2001. He virtually swept the precursors, and they still gave it to Denzel Washington. Being a previous winner, and so recently, is a bigger hurdle for Penn to overcome than a lot of people realize. I'm not saying a win is impossible. But it's definitely tight between him and Rourke.

Anonymous said...

Ugh! Please dont write about the Crwe snub. That was the most foul thing that AMPAS has done recently.

As far the Best Actress race, I think Hathaway has a real shot. Not because of her BFCA but because of other precursors and love for the movie. Another crime against humanity would be to nominate Jolie. I mean, she was far better in A Mighty Heart and we know how that ended. Don't we Laura Linney ?

Anonymous said...

I think this is where the races currently stand in terms of Oscar:

PIC- Slumdog Millionaire (longshot: MILK)
DIR- Boyle (possible: Fincher)
ACTOR- Penn (if he takes the Globe on Sunday its over)
ACTRESS- Winslet vs. Streep (Hathaway has too many detractors still)
S. ACTOR- Ledger (about as locked up as Helen Mirren)
S. ACTRESS- Cruz vs. Winslet (the Globes will help settle this)
A. SCREENPLAY- Slumdog (longshot: Frost/Nixon)
O. SCREENPLAY- Milk (done deal)

Joe Reid said...

I'm not sure the Globes ever settle anything in terms of who wins the Oscar.

Anonymous said...

I wonder why Cruz was given so little camera time tonight? Jolie, Hathaway, Tomei, and Adams seemed to showing up quite often.

The Pretentious Know it All said...

Warning: Rant ahead...

I don't get this need that some people have to see Streep win her THIRD Oscar and for this particular performance. I love Streep as much as the next guy, but come on...

Consider that Winslet hasn't won one yet and gave a better performance in both her films. Consider that Hathaway gave the best performance between the three of them--by a wide margin. Wise up people!

This is one of the few instances in which I don't think winning an Oscar will hurt the career of a rising star(let). It would have hurt Ellen Page. It would have hurt Ryan Gosling. I don't believe it will hurt Hathaway. She's not as "new" as they were and we've known she's had this in her for sometime.

This is also one of the few instances in which I'm vehemently against an Oscar-nominated (or soon to be) Streep performance, one of the other times being "Out of Africa." Let's hope for a similar outcome.

Rant over.

Anonymous said...

The nomination for Anne Hathaway is enough of a reward for the career stretch. Ridiculous to think that at this point she is in the same class as Streep or Winslet.

I think Winslet has a really strong chance of winning Supporting. Unless they decide to put her in lead for Reader, I think it's kind of a done deal. Viola Davis' star is rising, Penelope Cruz has a lot of exciting projects lined up, so they feel more like solid nominees. A lot of people want to see Meryl winning her 3rd and Kate winning her 1st, and having them win in separate categories is an easy compromise.

Does anyone else think Frank Langella has a shot at Best Actor? With Penn winning so recently/ having a divisive reputation (esp. with recent support for Chavez) and Rourke making trouble for himself, I think Langella is the dark horse. A win for him wouldn't be a "safe" choice since he gives a great performance in F/N and isn't controversial (aside from the "he already won a Tony for it" argument, which hasn't stopped others from winning before).

As of now, for the wins:

Actor- Langella
Actress-Streep
Supp. Actor- Ledger
Supp. Actress- Winslet

Anonymous said...

Are you all kidding me? Sean Penn has it sewn up.

Did you notice the standing ovation he got tonight?! Plus, if the Academy throws him (semi) surprise noms for “Sweet & Lowdown” and “I Am Sam”, I think its safe to say they like him. They REALLY like him.

Belive me. The Oscar is his.

Anonymous said...

The whole "will Kate Winslet win Best Actress" debate could be a mute point. At this point I am not even sure she will even get nominated. I believe the fifth spot (after Meryl, Anne, Melissa Leo and Sally Hawkins) is between Jolie and Kate.

I definitely WANT to see Kate get the nod, but who knows.

She should beat out Cruz for Supporting though.

And I am still saying Dark Knight for BP. I may change my mind when I put up my final predix in a few weeks, but ...

Keelay! said...

While watching, I couldn't help but realize how over Slumdog Millionaire I am. It was a good movie, I enjoyed it, but I just don't understand. I mean, to each his own, but....

I'm just preparing myself, because I have a feeling the Globes and Oscar will be eating it up as well. :(

Anonymous said...

1) So happy for Winslet!

2) Keelay, can you please change your photo? You're too cute. I hate the drooling. :p


Jim

Anonymous said...

Nathaniel, what are your thoughts on Anne winning the Oscar? Do you think it's possible? I'm a little conflicted, because she did give arguably the best performance of the year, but looking at her overall career - she shouldn't be in the same class as Winslet et al.

I think when determining the Oscars, the Academy should look at the former, but you know that's not how it works.

Emma said...

oooh, a tie! That's exciting!

Anonymous said...

It's probably insane but I'm tempted to predict Kate Winslet's double win. There is no frontrunner in either actress or supporting actress category, many people want her to win; and many people think she should win as the leading actress (even if "Revolutionary Road" is indeed the weaker one - I haven't seen "The Reader" yet).
Well, if I'd say 40% of them will vote for her role in "Revolutionary Road", another 40% for "The Reader" and the rest of votes will split between Streep&Hathaway (critics' pet, young&beautiful) / Davis&Cruz, she might make it.
Isn't it possible?

Howler

Anonymous said...

This article says that the golden globe winner for actress-drama has been accidentally leaked.


Maybe she really is the winner but some people might not want to know before the ceremony. So I just give the URL.


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a141212/hathaway-golden-globe-win-leaked.html




Jim

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I'm stupid. I just saw that the name is a part of the URL.

Sorry...


Jim

Anonymous said...

(Feeling chatty today, ha)

There are still so many things I don't understand about this whole awards circuit thing, I'll ask just a few ones not to look completely (notice I say completely) stupid.

First, what is the real influence of any award that is given once the nomination ballots have been sent and probably already filled and returned?
Second. Well, this isn't a question. I just don't believe in ties. No with all the possible ways to vote there are to avoid them.
Third. The Reader/VCB. Aren't both Weinstein's? If so, why do the push two possible winners in the same category, thus competing against each other? I realize putting Winslet as lead for The Reader would make her compete against herself, but from the Weinstein point of view it'd be wiser not having Winslet/Cruz competing against each other, imo.

And regarding Winslet win, I think if she gets the Globe in the supporting category, she'll be a likely Oscar winner à la Jolie in Girl Interrupted.

Ramification said...

I watched The Reader this week, Winslet is fantastic in it, to me it sits on the edge of a 'supporting' performance (Nathaniel I know how strongly you feel about category fraud). Even though the film is very much about her, we never view it from her point of view but as observed by the Ralph Fiennes / David Kross character and how it affected him, I don't know its a tough call. She is my favorite actress, I'd love to see her win in the lead category personally.

Anonymous said...

cruz lead th e critics groups early then tailed off in favour of tomei,so she is not the big lock for the win say wiest was in 94,winslet wins supp and streep lead and then now they know anne has it in her next time she wins just in her 30's is right just like keira will win later on,they make some people wait.

NATHANIEL R said...

i think the supporting campaigns for every actor in The Reader settles the question of whether or not it's fraud.

It is ;)

Kate has deserved the Oscar for a long time but it frankly just ain't fair that Cruz & Davis & Tomei have to compete with that performance. Kate gets to carry a whole movie to show off her stuff, you know?

I mean there are gray areas with "is that supporting or lead?" every year and for those... who cares how they campaign? (i actually don't believe it or not...)

Iggy -- it wasn't entirely up to the Weinsteins since Kate made it very clear that she would not support The Reader @ the expense of Revolutionary Road. So obviously this compromised worked out for them.

and to your first question. Most Oscar ballots were returned already so these wins mean nothing in terms of nominations (and neither will the Globe wins) but what happens at awards shows does affect the eventual Oscar outcome in that people can make cases for themselves with good or bad or great speeches.

I was shocked at how well played Sean Penn's speech was. He was even funny. And since he's known as humorless... that helps.

Rich Aunt Pennybags said...

The whole "will Kate Winslet win Best Actress" debate could be a mute point. At this point I am not even sure she will even get nominated. I believe the fifth spot (after Meryl, Anne, Melissa Leo and Sally Hawkins) is between Jolie and Kate.

Yes, it seems weird, but I'm still not sure she'll be nominated for Best Actress or even double nominated. It seems like such a sure thing, but with the category fraud and possible vote splitting, and with both movies not really doing that well with critics and with audiences, I think she could be left out in leading or in supporting if they decide that she's more worthy to be nominated leading for The Reader.

Of course, the BFCA win certainly helped her chances now at not only the fraudlent nomination, but also a possible win now. I'll just wait to see what the Globes do. I think Cruz will win there and Davis or her the SAG, so I think that the momentum will quickly shift back to them instead of Winslet. I just don't feel like there's enough love for either role for her to be a frontrunner in either category, and she'll likely lose both if nominated twice. Unless they go with my nightmare scenario which is a consolation supporting prize for her. I had no trouble with Blanchett winning one since her's was a truly supporting role, and I never felt that she won it just out of pity and because the Academy felt like they had to finally give her one for snubbing her before, but if Winslet wins this year for The Reader, it's going to feel like her Scent of a Woman win, and she's too young to have to settle for that kind of win.

I don't get this need that some people have to see Streep win her THIRD Oscar and for this particular performance. I love Streep as much as the next guy, but come on...

I would like to see her win her third, maybe not for this role, but if Nicholson can win his third for As Good As It Gets instead of waiting to reward him for About Schmidt, then I have no problems at Streep winning this year since while there seems to be more depth this year than last year in the category, there doesn't seem to be a clear frontrunner at all, and this would finally be her best chance to win in awhile.

Are you all kidding me? Sean Penn has it sewn up.

I believe he does too. I know that he's not exactly beloved like some other stars at least for his personality like say Tom Hanks, but they do love him in terms of his acting ability. So when he finally got past the bad boy image and settled down with a family, they finally started nominating him and then awarding him later on. I don't think it will be that close as some people think between him and Rourke. Rourke has made a successful comeback so far, but his outbursts just a few months ago and now this rumor on bashing Penn which he may not have done but sounds like classic Rourke who sabotages himself when things are going well for him, are all going to be remembered and held against him just like his abusive past and his pretty mediocre resume will be. I think the nomination will be the reward for Rourke's comeback, but I don't think they're ready to give him an Oscar yet especially a leading one until they know if this period is just a blip in his career or if the turnaround is for real.

Unless Penn pulls a Russell Crowe and bitchslaps a producer or someone else, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't reward him his second. Besides Original Screenplay which is a weak category this year, he'll probably be the only place they will reward Best Picture nominee Milk, and he's swept most of the major awards so far, unlike Rourke who usually comes in a distant second. Plus, one word biopic.

Ramification said...

I dont buy the 'career' argument though, if Hathaway is 'best' then it shouldn't matter should it.

Ramification said...

Are they running a campaign for David Kross as supporting , now that is ridiculous!

Anonymous said...

Is Frost/Nixon nominated for Best Picture and win 0 Oscars???.

Anonymous said...

the winslet debate had me thinking of 10 scenarioes

1 - double nomination wins neither
2 - double wins best supp actress
3 - double wins actress
4 - nom actress rev r only looses
5 - nommed actress only rev r wins
6 - nommed supp only loses
7 - nommed supp only and wins
8 - snubbed in lead & supp
9 - nommed lead reader wins
10 - lead nom reader loses

Anonymous said...

11. She wins both :p




Jim

Anonymous said...

Meryl Streep should win the Oscar to Anne Hathaway... She deserves her third Oscar now!

Anonymous said...

Is it possible for her to win both? I mean, do you think the Academy would ever be tempted enough to award an actor TWICE in one year?

Some things seem too much, you know?

Michael Parsons said...

Well when Leo had two films out and they were trying to make the same argument for his performance in 'The Departed' as being supporting, he ended up competing against himself and the role that people knew was lead eventually got in 'Blood Diamond'. That could easily happen this year.

Keelay! said...

Sorry Jim, didn't realize my photo had an affect on anyone! I'll see if I can change it to something else soon. ;)

This Kate Winslet thing is giving me a headache. But, I do pretty much love how exciting everything is looking to be. Besides Supporting Actor, I really don't see any clear frontrunner for ANY Oscar prize. I'm just preparing myself (just in case) for Slumdog Millionaire to win everything.

Anonymous said...

Yay "Slumdog Millionaire"! But where was Dev Patel?

Brangelina was awesome. Jason Alexander sucked. The tie was great, and the best speeches of the night happened there with Anne Hathaway and Viola Davis.

I thought that Mickey Rourke could edge out Sean Penn here. Looks like Penn is on his way to Oscar #2 now.

Kate Winslet over Penelope Cruz and Viola Davis, both critics darlings? Hmmmm.

Weird show, but most of the winners were good.

Anonymous said...

I used to love the Oscars but too many category frauds, inexcusable snubs and absurd wins (I mean... Hilary Swank won the Oscar twice over Annette Bening, you're kidding me, right?) killed that love.

Now I don't take the Oscars too seriously... I mean, sometimes even the Golden Globes make better choices.

Anonymous said...

It's not that we NEED to see Streep win a third Oscar, it's that her performance is stunning and her winning would be a message from the Academy that maybe they have finally learned to reward the performances and not the people.

I do think that Hathaway has a pretty good lock on the prize; she's hip, she's gorgeous, she's made good movies and she's apparently stellar in "Rachel Getting Married" (I live in the middle of nowhere and haven't seen it yet).

That said, I cannot imagine her performance being stronger than Streep in "Doubt". Am I wrong?

A question: Can the Academy ever really start rewarding performances rather than people now that there is such strange Oscar inequality?

NATHANIEL R said...

Jer --i personally think Hathaway's performance is much better than Streep's. This year I mean... Obviously Streep is pretty untouchable as general talent goes ;)

everyon -- i'll agree that says Best Actor is sewn up for Sean Penn (barring a Clint resurgence should he get nominated). If it wasn't, this speech probably sealed it. Funny and gracious (two things they often say he isn't)

Anonymous said...

and nat if streep won you'd be pissed.

Anonymous said...

and nat if streep won you'd be pissed.

NATHANIEL R said...

a streep win would piss me off?

where'd ya get that from?

She's only in my top 5 actresses of all time. I always love to see Streep's acceptance speeches. she's the best at awards shows. THE best.

Anonymous said...

Nathaniel,
That's true... Meryl is amazing at the awards ceremonies. A very funny, witty, charming and warm lady.

I liked when Meryl gave Peter O'Toole his honorary Oscar.

Anonymous said...

The idea that Winslet winning this year would be like 'scent of a woman' is utterly absurd.

Aside from the fact that 'The Reader' is up there with her very best work, perhaps her best - she is not like Pacino was in the 1990's at all. His career had spanned 20 years, Winslet's just over a decade. The number of nominations is misleading to this point. She is only 33. As much as I would adore a win for her this year in either catergory - she'll win sooner or later.

Classy lady. I hope she wins a Globe on Sunday -

David Giancarlo said...

Also when Streep and Tomlin prsented to Robert Altman.

Anonymous said...

I have now seen all of the actresses ... best and supporting... Kate Winslet ( although she has gone without one forever, Oscar, that is ).., does not qualify for me as a winner in either of her movies... She will do better in the future..
Streep is excellent, but not the winner here, eiher ( although she is my favorite actress ) ... just because she should have won many times before... she is not the best THIS year...

I think Melissa Leo gave the best female performance this year ... I hope she will even be nominated for the Oscar.

Glenn Dunks said...

I'm really hoping Melissa Leo sneaks into Oscar's list too. Even in the spot of Kate Winslet. I really want Frozen River noticed for something. I can't believe how incredibly impressed I was by that movie.

I wrote this on the TIE best actress entry, but I'll paste it here too:

So, basically, the BFCA are hedging their bets that Winslet will be Oscar snubbed for Rev Road and will win for The Reader. Meanwhile they couldn't decide who would actually win best actress and so "tied" it for Meryl and Anne. What a revolting awards show. Disgraceful in every regard. Did the entire BFCA member group get up onstage to award Best Picture like last year? Vile.

Anonymous said...

There wasn't anything "vile" about it. They had a tie. Big f-ing deal. It was a great moment, and I'm glad that Anne Hathaway had her time in the spotlight like that. They got what they wanted out of things by rewarding three buzzed-about A-listers (Meryl, Kate, and Anne), and the fans got something to yap about until the Globes air and change the game again.

Anonymous said...

I think that the tie was great, although in my honest opinion, Anne Hathway is the best in that category. I'm still missing some, but I think that her portrayal of Kym is one of the best performances of the year, definately one of my favorites so far (alongside Viola Davis, Frank Langella, Heath Ledger, Sean Penn, and Josh Brolin)

To see her getting awarded makes me very happy as the film is not doing as well as I would like (no nomination from the WGA? REALLY?!?!)

Glenn said...

Anon, I mean merely the BFCA awards in general are vile. But it's no wonder that the BFCA tie so often, they're a small group who think they're important and whenever they can't decide who they think the Academy will honour they split it between two.

(yes, yes, I know they "vote" but pfft to that)

Rich Aunt Pennybags said...

The idea that Winslet winning this year would be like 'scent of a woman' is utterly absurd.

I meant that to some people, (maybe they're just fan boys who are just affecting me too much though), it seems like that she just has to win this year especially if she's double nominated, and it doesn't matter if she's the best or not. She's fine in both roles, but I don't know I just feel like that if she won this year it's because the Academy felt like they just had to award her this year rather than it being about her having the best performance in either category (even though I know there's a lot of debate about what truly is the best performance of the year). With Blanchett, certainly losing for Elizabeth and then not even being nominated for the myriad of baity film roles that she did before The Aviator certainly gave her an advantage over Natalie Portman and Virginia Madsen, but I felt like the performance did matter too. In Winslet's case, if she won leading for Revolutionary Road, it wouldn't seem quite right since she already did somewhat of the same thing in Little Children when Maggie Gyllenhaal should have been nominated that year instead of Winslet. If she wins supporting for The Reader, I would feel like it was a consolation prize because they couldn't award her lead even though it's category fraud, and she would be winning over competition who truly were supporting actress. The best case scenario for me is if she won leading for The Reader since I do think that's her best leading role this year, but it looks like too many awards group have bought into the category fraud for her to be nominated leading for that performance.

Oh well, I guess it's just yet another reason for me to hate Harvey Weinstein because if he had only held off in releasing The Reader next year, she probably would have won then, and Cruz had a better chance of winning this year for a truly great supporting performance. Now Winslet might lose both times because support for either performance really hasn't gelled that much just yet at least enough for voters to know where they should vote for her, or Cruz will end up losing because of Weinstein pushing this category fraud.

Anonymous said...

I can see Kate Winslet winning for both if the voters are thinking "I want her to win, but which performance should I vote for? I'll vote for her for both, and hopefully she'll win one." You know what I mean?

Anonymous said...

Yes, Jordan, but hopefully not...

NATHANIEL R said...

If she wins both, I have this horrible suspicion that we won't see her for a long time... onscreen or at the oscars.

i don't know why.