This year's BAFTAs (as seen on TV)
Feb. 17th, 2025 05:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessI wasn’t all that invested in who won, apart from being glad that Dune part 2 and Wicked got the awards that they did. In an open year (apart from the Emilia Perez controversy) most films apart from the Bob Dylan one* got something. The final two results were slight shocks. Best No, I’m Not Disappointed Face goes to Demi Moore, while Brady Cobert had to suffer getting Best Director, but The Brutalist getting shut out for Best Film by Conclave, whose director hadn’t been up for a nom. In that the BAFTAs aren’t entirely a guide for the Oscars, that may be the British bias coming through (it was produced by well-regarded Brit producer Tessa Ross, for instance.) Both films won four, and Best British film isn’t going to be a category at the Oscars. (Love Lies Bleeding was the nominee that really jumped out as ‘British? Really??’)
Poor Selina Gomez – David Tennant should have gone to Kate Winslet or Soirse Ronan at the start of his singalong to 500 Miles. He was fine as a host. Overall it wasn’t all that political, but apparently the BBC coverage cut out a few Trump jokes. Although ‘dreamers’ was the word of the night, it doesn’t have the same connotation as it would in the USA, whereas there is relevant political context for Kneecap’s win.
Most women went for black gowns, of which the best, I think, was Zoe Saldana’s. Anyone who didn’t wear black therefore got some boost. Mikey Madison looked demure in ivory, Cynthia Errivo looking majestic in a Wonderland sense, and Pamela Anderson looking classy. I liked Letitia Wright’s gown a lot too, but I think Isabella Rossellini’s floral kaftan was the most appealing/relatable to civilians. I had expected to be able to see Demi Moore’s dress/homage to stained glass windows on the stage… For the men, Tennant brought out the kilt again, and then changed into a very dapper jacket. Only Simon Pegg of the presenters/winners seemed to go for a pattern, although Colman Domingo went for an eye-catchingly louche shirt (although I doubt he hung around too long outside in a cold London in February.)
Some of the presenting bits worked better than others, I laughed at Lupita N’yongo’s little joke, but everyone laughed at Stephen Merchant. To no-one’s surprise, Vanessa Kirby is a less stiff performer than Orlando Bloom’s. The choices for presenting the big awards got a bit weird, Anna Kendrick was funny, but they should either have gone for an actress/actor without a directing credit or got a director (there’s something nice about former winners handing a gong out.) Pamela Anderson seemed genuinely overwhelmed, and it was clearly a ‘sorry for not nominating you, have this moment…’ for her. Chiwetel Ejofor and Leo Woodall got called upon to promote Bridget Jones, and got upstaged by the director cutting to Hugh ‘Scene Stealer’ Grant. Heh.
I’m…unconvinced by the new Best Children and Family award, as of yet, because all the nominations were animated (and maybe that’s deserved) but all the animated films nominated were children and family films, so why bother? They were very nearly the same shortlists!? It became an excuse to give Wallace & Gromit two awards (it must have been screened in some cinemas before appearing on telly then?) which was popular in the room. I had meant to vote for Rising Star (it would have been for Marisa Abela, although that was the only performance I’d seen). David Jonsson, who won was very engaging, although I bet his win had more to do with having been in Alien: Romulus, which more people would have seen. (Presumably someone explained that that is how this voted-for-by-the-public award works to Mikey Madison, and you’d rather get a lead acting award, wouldn’t you?
Jesse Eisenberg seemed surprised by winning best original screenplay, but managed a good speech, and he was back out again to accept Kieran Culkin’s award, key bit being ‘sick relative’ to explain why he wasn’t there to the four nominees who were. Zoe Saldana absolutely lost it during her speech, although she’d clearly crafted it for the BAFTAs and learned it, but I suspect that all the controversy thanks to her co-star made her worry she wouldn’t get it.
I really liked the special awards. I was aware of Medicinema, but this was a great platform, and they showcased Warwick Davis’s career well – I didn’t realise he started on RotJ when he was ELEVEN! They made a convincing case for his work as a character actor and due respect for setting up agencies to represent actors with dwarfism and extremely tall actors.
Take That turned up – with Mark Owen in full-on charmer mode – because a version of one of their songs was in Anora or something, and never mind that the Robbie biopic where he’s a chimp had been up for an award. The ‘In Memorium’ section ended with Maggie Smith, but left me wondering if I’d registered before that John Amos had passed away this year.
*Is it just me who has difficulties with remembering which one is ‘A Complete Unknown’, ‘Better Man’ and ‘A Right Pian’. It probably helps if you’ve seen them…
Poor Selina Gomez – David Tennant should have gone to Kate Winslet or Soirse Ronan at the start of his singalong to 500 Miles. He was fine as a host. Overall it wasn’t all that political, but apparently the BBC coverage cut out a few Trump jokes. Although ‘dreamers’ was the word of the night, it doesn’t have the same connotation as it would in the USA, whereas there is relevant political context for Kneecap’s win.
Most women went for black gowns, of which the best, I think, was Zoe Saldana’s. Anyone who didn’t wear black therefore got some boost. Mikey Madison looked demure in ivory, Cynthia Errivo looking majestic in a Wonderland sense, and Pamela Anderson looking classy. I liked Letitia Wright’s gown a lot too, but I think Isabella Rossellini’s floral kaftan was the most appealing/relatable to civilians. I had expected to be able to see Demi Moore’s dress/homage to stained glass windows on the stage… For the men, Tennant brought out the kilt again, and then changed into a very dapper jacket. Only Simon Pegg of the presenters/winners seemed to go for a pattern, although Colman Domingo went for an eye-catchingly louche shirt (although I doubt he hung around too long outside in a cold London in February.)
Some of the presenting bits worked better than others, I laughed at Lupita N’yongo’s little joke, but everyone laughed at Stephen Merchant. To no-one’s surprise, Vanessa Kirby is a less stiff performer than Orlando Bloom’s. The choices for presenting the big awards got a bit weird, Anna Kendrick was funny, but they should either have gone for an actress/actor without a directing credit or got a director (there’s something nice about former winners handing a gong out.) Pamela Anderson seemed genuinely overwhelmed, and it was clearly a ‘sorry for not nominating you, have this moment…’ for her. Chiwetel Ejofor and Leo Woodall got called upon to promote Bridget Jones, and got upstaged by the director cutting to Hugh ‘Scene Stealer’ Grant. Heh.
I’m…unconvinced by the new Best Children and Family award, as of yet, because all the nominations were animated (and maybe that’s deserved) but all the animated films nominated were children and family films, so why bother? They were very nearly the same shortlists!? It became an excuse to give Wallace & Gromit two awards (it must have been screened in some cinemas before appearing on telly then?) which was popular in the room. I had meant to vote for Rising Star (it would have been for Marisa Abela, although that was the only performance I’d seen). David Jonsson, who won was very engaging, although I bet his win had more to do with having been in Alien: Romulus, which more people would have seen. (Presumably someone explained that that is how this voted-for-by-the-public award works to Mikey Madison, and you’d rather get a lead acting award, wouldn’t you?
Jesse Eisenberg seemed surprised by winning best original screenplay, but managed a good speech, and he was back out again to accept Kieran Culkin’s award, key bit being ‘sick relative’ to explain why he wasn’t there to the four nominees who were. Zoe Saldana absolutely lost it during her speech, although she’d clearly crafted it for the BAFTAs and learned it, but I suspect that all the controversy thanks to her co-star made her worry she wouldn’t get it.
I really liked the special awards. I was aware of Medicinema, but this was a great platform, and they showcased Warwick Davis’s career well – I didn’t realise he started on RotJ when he was ELEVEN! They made a convincing case for his work as a character actor and due respect for setting up agencies to represent actors with dwarfism and extremely tall actors.
Take That turned up – with Mark Owen in full-on charmer mode – because a version of one of their songs was in Anora or something, and never mind that the Robbie biopic where he’s a chimp had been up for an award. The ‘In Memorium’ section ended with Maggie Smith, but left me wondering if I’d registered before that John Amos had passed away this year.
*Is it just me who has difficulties with remembering which one is ‘A Complete Unknown’, ‘Better Man’ and ‘A Right Pian’. It probably helps if you’ve seen them…
