Now that we are nearing the big awards of the season, it is time to revisit the nominations and predictions for the 2013 BAFTAs. Part 2 will cover the following categories: (see part one here)
- Best Film
- Best British Film
- Leading Actor
- Leading Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Director
The EE BAFTA Awards will take place on February 10th, 2013.
BEST FILM
Argo
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Most of the nominees have been critically acclaimed for their unique style, whether it is outstanding creativity or the ability to encapsulate the drama and emotion of a tense situation. After its success at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, Argo looks like a clear winner – and a deserving one too.
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
Anna Karenina
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Seven Psychopaths
Skyfall
The exception of dark comedy Sightseers aside, the nominees are notable entries in the British film industry. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Seven Psychopaths may gain support from the Academy members who prefer the independent to the mainstream, but given its incredible success in boosting British film on a global scale, as well as affirming itself as a firm favourite in a 50-year series, Skyfall should win a long-awaited prize.
LEADING ACTOR
Ben Affleck – Argo
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
LEADING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard – Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Dame Helen Mirren – Hitchcock
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
This year’s outsiders in the Leading Actress nominations are Cotillard (strangely excluded from this year’s Academy Awards) and Mirren, whose performance as the independent and focussed Alma Reville shone out of what was an unfortunately average movie. Based on performance, the award should go to Jessica Chastain for her role as the compelling Maya in Zero Dark Thirty.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin – Argo
Javier Bardem – Skyfall
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
A curious category as the nominees are practically the same for the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, with the exception of Bardem. None of the nominees have been singled out during the awards season, so predicting a winner will be difficult. Judging on the acclaim received for his role, it looks like Philip Seymour Hoffman will have another prize to add to his collection.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – The Master
Dame Judi Dench – Skyfall
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
If a quick glance at the nominees looks familiar, it is because it has suffered the same exclusion as the Best Supporting Actor category, where Skyfall has been pushed aside to make room for Silver Linings Playbook. However, there is no need to deliberate and weigh up the chances of the nominees – Anne Hathaway has already won a Critics’ Choice Award, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for her incredible performance as the tragic Fantine, making the BAFTA a sure winner.
DIRECTOR
Ben Affleck – Argo
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Michael Haneke – Amour
Ang Lee – Life of Pi
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
There are no surprises here, besides the welcome inclusions of Affleck and Bigelow – two directors who were weirdly not included in this year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Director. Each director has their own unique quality to justify their nomination, ranging from Tarantino’s flair for the unexpected to Lee’s visual creativity, but Kathryn Bigelow deserves to win the BAFTA for creating such an emotional rollercoaster of a movie.