BFCA Kicks In
I have mixed feelings about BFCA’s nominations.
One one hand, I have been saying that the race is between The King’s Speech, True Grit, and Black Swan for some time. And indeed, these are the three top nominees at BFCA.
On the other hand, there are some tragic missteps, starting with Bardem.
It’s weird. I no longer participate in BFCA, yet as I was heading out the door, I made the case that if they wanted to be taken more seriously, the awards should mirror Oscar. And so now they do… though a number of the silly awards – Best Kid, Best TV movie, etc – are still there. And while the nominations for Best Actor and that ilk magically expand to keep everyone a little happier, the group couldn’t come up with 5 nominees for such challenging categories as Best Editor and Best Costume Design… and a big 3 slots for foreign language. Oy.
I do think that BFCA, which expanded its roster while critics all over America were being fired, does fit The Academy’s taste more than most groups. There are 250 or so people with pretty middling taste. The Academy voting base is 20 times bigger, but the BFCA sampling it as good a fit as there is on the precursor circuit.
I also have to say that while I might have preferred some different nominations, there isn’t a single nominee in the top 8 categories that I feel doesn’t deserve to be there. I like every one of the 10 movies. I think a few are overrated. I think a few are overrated. But I like the films… which may be a problem as we keep going through this season… how will passion play into the story?
So David, by “I have been saying that the race is between The King’s Speech, True Grit, and Black Swan for some time” do you mean you actually don’t think The Social Network is a front-runner?
Because, as we know, the Oscars are all about the story and the story this year so far seems to be the (non-existent) “relevance” and “brilliance” of the Social Network.
The BFCA finally dropped their “Best Kid’s Movie” category, Dave, although “Best Action Movie” and “Best Comedy” (slim pickings for both in 2010 btw) have (unfortunately) replaced it.
But you’re right about the BFCA nominations (and frequently the winners) being as close to the ultimate Oscar line-up as any awards-giving group out there right now.
Of course, virtually none of the films I gave multiple nominations to (“Carlos,” “Please Give,” “Somewhere”) even placed on the BFCA ballot. Can you say “disenfranchised,” lol?
The complete shut-outs of “Country Strong” (not even a song nod;
ouch!) and “How Do You Know” probably stem more from a lack of screeners than the quality of the actual movies. (I say “probably” since Sony didn’t even bother springing for “BFCA press screenings” in the Cleveland market as in previous years, so I still haven’t seen either film.)
How Do You Know not only wasn’t screenered, it wasn’t screened for BFCA in LA or, as far as I know, screened for most other groups.
And Samuel… take a look at the history of “relevance” and “brilliance” as pushed along by the media core, which is where the most rabid following of TSN is.
Maybe you could argue that American Beauty fit that. But yes, it always ends up being The Story. And what story it is this year is still pretty unclear. Until we know how True Grit does commercially, that film’s story will be unclear. Black Swan is the passionate freak. King’s Speech is Miss Congeniality.
If Social Network thinks it can win based on the “it’s relevant” argument, they should probably talk to their likely-to-win-best-screenplay screenwriter who makes it clear that the movie isn’t about society and the new media and social networking. It’s Rashomon with a laptop.
Right now, Social Network is in the Toy Story 3 category. Loved it… forgot it.
And btw, if critics groups are still high on Hurt Locker winning and thinking they were responsible, they need to rethink too. I love the movie. Thrilled it won. But its story wasn’t its brilliance or relevance, but first, its winning female director, then David v Goliath, and David won… again.
Do all those tea leaves portend another “I’ll Do Anything”-style disaster for Brooks?
As someone who actually liked “Anything” (what I wouldn’t give to see the excised musical numbers!) and has revered Brooks since “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” I’m still more anxious to see “How” than any other remaining year-end studio film. (Of course, for me that would be “Tron,” “Yogi,” ‘Fockers 3″ and “Gulliver,” none of which exactly qualify as “awards bait.”)
Hypothetical question: if “Shutter Island” had opened at the end of 2009, would it have enjoyed the same type of awards-season love as “Grit” this year?
Loved it, forgot it? Really David? Thats lame but not as lame as the oscars ratings will be with a race between those three films, unless the Swan breaks out. If the Swan breaks out, consider this point rescended.
As previously posted, I love “Black Swan,” but still can’t wrap my brain around it winning Best Picture.
Because it seems too soon to honor the Coens again (and “Grit” IS a remake after all), I’m thinking this could be one of those years (Ang Lee/”Crash;” Steven Soderbergh/”Gladiator”) where Director (David Fincher) and Picture (“King’s Speech”) are split down the middle.
Portman will receive “Swan”‘s consolation prize (even though I’d rather see it go to Bening), and Firth should have no trouble winning “King”‘s possibly only other significant award.
I certainly hope that Bardem will be nominated for the Globes, SAG and the Oscar. I hope that an inferior performance doesn’t get in. Shame on the BFCA for leaving him out.
I didn’t like The Social Network and I would like to forget it. But all of these critics groups that love it won’t let me!
No Damon for True Grit? Bummer man.
Where is “The Way Back” ?
“How Do You Know” was screened for our critics group last week.
“if they wanted to be taken more seriously, the awards should mirror Oscar”
Maybe not untrue, but depressing. Though you’ve already railed against the “tyranny of small groups” one advantage they should have is that they should be less susceptible to group think. I guess critics are fighting against their rapidly waning influence by morphing into Oscar predictors instead. I thought it was supposed to be about honoring the work that the critics thought was the best of the year, but maybe it’s just complete coincidence. At this rate I should just check out the NBR list and then I don’t have to pay attention to anyone else. You may criticize how they get there, but if they consistently wind up with the same list as everyone else, what’s the difference? (Eight out of the ten on the BFCA list were on the NBR list.) At least the Los Angeles critics broke away from the pack a little bit. I don’t know whether it will make a single extra person check out Mother, Carlos, or A Prophet, but at least it seems like a more interesting use of whatever influence they have than to award the obvious Oscar front runners.
Annette Bening won Best Actress for the New York Film Critics Awards, which didn’t surprise me. “Black Swan” was far from being a favorite in New York. I’m baffled by “Carlos”. Do people know the International Emmy Awards exist?
Is Sarina Jersey Chuck with a new dead horse to beat (e.g., that whole “made-for-television” versus “theatrical” rant)?
David,
I’m not saying The Social Network is going to win (believe me, I forgot about it too) I’m just saying that doing as well as it is I find it strange you don’t even consider it alongside True Grit, King’s Speech and Black Swan.
But yeah, I agree, it’s too early to have a clear frontrunner. It all really depends on how much Black Swan and True Grit connect with the audiences.
Also, why is Biutiful not being considered for directing?! great work by Iñarritu.
From what I understand, Black Swan had support, but was not a serious candidate for BP in either group.
The 5.5 hour version of Carlos played in theaters in both NY and LA. It is therefor eligible for critics awards from critics groups in those two cities. I don’t see why this is confusing for people (beyond those acting willingly obtuse).
Did it play before it aired on Sundance? Or does that not matter?
Film critics groups aren’t subject to the same guidelines as the AMPAS. Also, you could argue every film released by Magnolia and IFC played on demand at the same time or, in some instances, prior to their theatrical releases.
Oh OK that makes sense. Thanks.
Yeah, ages ago (well, 1994) the NY Film Critics gave Best Actress to Linda Fiorentino for THE LAST SEDUCTION, even though she was ineligible for Oscar because the film played on HBO prior to its theatrical run.
This decision must have marked Sarina at an impressionable age.
Wow. You’re all painfully awful, you realize that? Live life.
James – one can live life and still have a head full of useless movie trivia or an interest in silly awards. I bet no one tells their sports-obsessed buddies to “live life.”