The Hollywood Reporter and Variety are going bat shit over how Into the Wild received seven nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), but when they nominate 10 films for best picture, six fellas for best actor, director and writer it becomes obvious how one film could squeeze out a few more nominations. I really don’t think Emile Hirsch is going to get an Oscar nom for best actor and I think the Keener nom for best supporting actress is going to be a 50/50 move even though I think it is a good call. I do think it is odd though how Into the Wild can get nommed for best actor, supporting actor and supporting actress and then not be considered one of the best acting ensembles. I really think it just goes to show that not a lot of logic goes into critical awards, and if you take TIME’s Richard Corliss to heart it is just critics fighting over which hardly seen movie they want to call the best of the year.
Lucky for me I am fascinated by what other people like and dislike and I do believe that several of these films are the best of the year. It does confuse me though how films like The Bourne Ultimatum, Once, Knocked Up and Hairspray get ignored come critical award time. Of those four films just mentioned the lowest RottenTomatoes score is 90% for Knocked Up, yet Once is the only one to get a nom and it was for best song. Does that make any sense?
If you are thinking that the numbers are skewed because RT takes into account plenty of other critics that “don’t matter” let’s just take a look at the “Cream of the Crop” scores for those four movies:
- Knocked Up (97%)
- The Bourne Ultimatum (97%)
- Hairspray (97%)
- Once (100%)
Yeah, Once is sitting at 100%, so why was it ignored? It certainly is obscure enough that only critics know about it. It only made $9,433,149 at the box-office so it fits that mold. Is it because it was made by three people that no one has ever really heard of? Perhaps, but that would mean The Diving Bell and the Butterfly would also be ignored for the most part yet it managed to score three noms including Picture.
It has also become apparent that it you are a crass comedy you are going to get ignored no matter how much people liked your movie. Judd Apatow needs to just be happy that everyone likes his movies and they make hundreds of millions of dollars because it doesn’t appear any gold hardware is coming his way any time soon.
However, as Corliss says, “[Critics] give prizes to whom they damn well please. No problem with that; it’s their gig, and obviously they should pick their favorites.”
That said, here is the list of the BFCA nominations:
Best Picture
American Gangster
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Best Actor
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling – Lars and the Real Girl
Emile Hirsch – Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Best Actress
Amy Adams – Enchanted
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page – Juno
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook – Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
Catherine Keener – Into the Wild
Vanessa Redgrave – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
Best Acting Ensemble
Hairspray
Juno
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
Gone Baby Gone
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Best Director
Tim Burton – Sweeney Todd
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men
Sidney Lumet – Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Sean Penn – Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright – Atonement
Best Writer
Diablo Cody – Juno
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton
Nancy Oliver – Lars and the Real Girl
Sean Penn – Into the Wild
Aaron Sorkin – Charlie Wilson’s War
Best Animated Feature
Bee Movie
Beowulf
Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
Best Young Actor
Michael Cera – Juno
Michael Cera – Superbad
Freddie Highmore – August Rush
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada – The Kite Runner
Edward Sanders – Sweeney Todd
Best Young Actress
Nikki Blonsky – Hairspray
Dakota Blue Richards – The Golden Compass
AnnaSophia Robb – Bridge to Terabithia
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Best Comedy Movie
Dan in Real Life
Hairspray
Juno
Knocked Up
Superbad
Best Family Film
August Rush
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Hairspray
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Best Picture Made for Television
“The Company”
“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”
“Tin Man”
“The War”
Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
La Vie en Rose
Lust, Caution
The Orphanage
Best Song
“Come So Far”, Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley – Hairspray
“Do You Feel Me”, Anthony Hamilton – American Gangster
“Falling Slowly”, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Jesse L. Martin and Cast – Once
“Guaranteed”, Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild
“That’s How You Know”, Amy Adams – Enchanted
Best Composer
Marco Beltrami – 3:10 to Yuma
Alexandre Desplat – Lust, Caution
Clint Eastwood – Grace Is Gone
Jonny Greenwood – There Will Be Blood
Dario Marianelli – Atonement
Alan Menken – Enchanted
Best Documentary
Darfur Now
In the Shadow of the Moon
The King of Kong
No End In Sight
Sharkwater
Sicko
