It’s finally here – this year’s nominations for the British Academy Film Awards have been announced… and include some excellent comic book movie talent.
It’s been a bumper year of brilliant films in 2014 and 2015 so far… and with the BAFTA’s announcing this year’s nominations, that’s reflected in just about every category. But how are our fellow geeks represented in this year’s Awards?
Luckily, it looks as though some magnificent comic book talent and even some of our top sci-fi movies have made the cut.
Here’s the rundown of this year’s nominations:
Best Film
- Birdman
- Boyhood
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- The Imitation Game
- The Theory of Everything
This year’s Best Film is certainly a strong category with the likes of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood likely to grab the top spot. But after an excellent return to form, I can’t help but hope that Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel is in with a shot. But my ultimate favourite has to be Birdman – the story of a middle-aged former comic book movie star struggling to come to terms with his faltering celebrity status.
Best Director
- Alejandro González Iñárritu – Birdman
- Richard Linklater – Boyhood
- Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
- James Marsh – The Theory of Everything
- Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Similar to Best Film, this category drops The Imitation Game in favour of Damien Chazelle directing Whiplash – an American drama which follows a young jazz drummer under the tutelage of his school’s terrifying maestro, played by J.K Simmons. Will Anderson nab the top spot or could Richard Linklater walk away with both top Awards?
Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game as Alan Turing
- Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel as Monsieur Gustave
- Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler as Lou Bloom
- Michael Keaton – Birdman as Riggan Thomson
- Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything as Stephen Hawking
One of my favourite films of the year, I’m glad to see Nightcrawler get its first nomination. And I can’t help thinking that Jake Gyllenhaal might well clinch it. Of course, he’ll be facing off against former-Batman Michael Keaton who put in a frankly stellar performance as Riggan in Birdman. But will Gyllenhaal’s creepy Nightcrawler prevail?
Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Amy Adams – Big Eyes as Margaret Keane
- Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything as Jane Hawking
- Julianne Moore – Still Alice as Alice Howland
- Reese Witherspoon – Wild as Cheryl Strayed
- Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl as Amy Elliott-Dunne
Although I’d love to cheer on Man of Steel’s Amy Adams for her leading role in Tim Burton’s Big Eyes, I can’t help thinking that Rosamund Pike deserves to take home Best Actress. After all, her performance in Gone Girl was as painful as it was mesmerising.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Edward Norton – Birdman as Mike Shiner
- Ethan Hawke – Boyhood as Mason Evans, Sr.
- K. Simmons – Whiplash as Terence Fletcher
- Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher as Dave Schultz
- Steve Carell – Foxcatcher as John Eleuthère du Pont
Although Edward Norton’s Mike Shiner would probably loathe the term Supporting Actor, I’d love to see the 45-year-old actor pick up a BAFTA for Birdman. The chemistry between Norton and Keaton was truly fantastic as he managed to get up everybody’s nose… but I can’t help thinking that Ethan Hawke may clinch this one for his performance in Boyhood.
Still, it’s a novelty to see two Hulk’s in one category…
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Emma Stone – Birdman as Sam Thomson
- Imelda Staunton – Pride as Hefina Headon
- Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game as Joan Clarke
- Patricia Arquette – Boyhood as Olivia Evans
- Rene Russo – Nightcrawler as Nina Romina
The Amazing Spider-Man actress Emma Stone finds herself up for Best Actress this year for her performance in Birdman… which is fast becoming an Award favourite. But I can’t help thinking that despite her rather full-on rant at Michael Keaton, tearing chunks out of his career, that there’s someone a bit more worthy on this list.
Rene Russo was simply magnificent as the controlling yet out-of-control broadcasting controller, Nina Romina… and with every one of Jake Gyllenhaal’s sinister advances, she conveyed the emotions of a woman being worn down.
Of course, there are still plenty of other categories… and we see some of our favourite comic book movies making a grab for Special Visual Effects – including ‘Guardians of The Galaxy’ and ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ as they go up against the fantasy and sci-fi giants ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ and ‘Interstellar’.
For a full list of nominations, visit the BAFTA website.
And then there’s the Production Design category which sees Interstellar getting another nod. Although I severely disliked elements of the movie, I have to admit – production design is where the film really shone. And perhaps Nolan will pick up a gong in this department.
Thankfully there’s another nod for Guardians of the Galaxy – this time for Make-up and Hair. And with Dave Bautista sporting the all-over tattoo look, I can’t help thinking that the make-up department at Marvel really deserves that one.
All-in-all, it’s a very interesting year with Birdman and Boyhood finding a significant number of nominations. But which films will clean up? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
What was your film of the year? Are there any categories that missed some obvious nominations? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
