Monday 19 February 2018

Last night's BAFTA awards

Yesterday was one of only two nights in the year when I stay up well beyond 9 p.m. - the other being the Eurovision Song Contest, usually in May.
In the event I got much satisfaction from the awards, and hardly any disappointment - even if most of the awards came out as predicted. 

Won't argue about 'Three Billboards' getting 'Best Picture' - as well as 'Best British Film' (Yes! - qualifying as such because its director and most of its financing came from this country). I'd have probably given 'Best Picture' to 'Phantom Thread', though only by the slenderest of whiskers.

Few could seriously complain about Frances McDormand scooping 'Best Actress' - and anyone who did complain would be simply wrong! (Sally Hawkins, your time will yet come, darling! - I've yet to see 'Shape/Water'.) 
I was equally happy to see Sam Rockwell taking 'Best Supporting Actor' for that same film, which didn't have quite the same certainty.

Daniel Kaluuya was a good choice for 'Rising Star' in the very disturbing 'Get Out'  - but the tightest competition for the males was surely in the 'Best Actor' category. Although I'd have given it to Daniel Day Lewis, again by just a (phantom) thread, so that he could ride off into retirement sunset in full glory. Nevertheless, I'm not in the least disappointed that the no less deserving Gary Oldman was the actual winner.  

And to finish the evening with that looooooooong speech of overflowing, cringeworthy 'appreciation' from Ridley Scott for being awarded the BAFTA Fellowship - oh, put a sock in it, Rid! Couldn't you see that after three hours continuous (as unedited), everyone was shifting about in their seats, with some absolutely dying for a wee! It was too much for me and I went to bed while he was still in mid-flow.

Joanna Lumley did very well for her first stint as EmCee, apparently without the same level of nervousness which Stephen Fry had often (very understandably) been subject to in previous years, even if she didn't have the same flashes of humour and wit that he always seemed to come up with. 

Btw: On the review of those in the industry who'd passed on over the last twelve months, did I blink or did they really forget to mention the late, incomparable John Hurt?

This morning one of the right-wing tabloids has gone to town complaining that Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, was the only female there (apart from Frances McDormand!) not to be wearing a black dress. To which I can only say "Oh, piss off, you scummy rag!" 

Over to you, Oscars!

13 comments:

  1. Nice review raymondo ...glad Billboards did well

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    1. No one could really claim that 'Billboards' didn't deserve to win BIG, JayGee - and that they surely did!

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  2. I thought that Kate was quite clever in her choice of dress colour in that it wasn't black and therefore didn't infringe on royal protocol - but being dark green, to the casual glance it looked black.
    Hoping to see "Three Billboards" this weekend, it looks like a good film.

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    1. I wouldn't have minded what colour she chose, Derek, although I'd like to think that we'd all agree that wearing a black dress is not overtly 'political' as such, and we'd all agree with the sentiments, it doesn't do for royalty to jump with the crowd so blatantly. For me the black belt was sufficient acknowledgement to put the subject to rest as far as she was concerned.

      I'll be astonished if yo don't like 'Billboards' though I'm worrying just a little that your expectations may be so high that you're going to feel let down. I hope not. Go with an open mind.

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  3. I just heard about Kate in green and that royals don;t make political statements. BUT, green is a color of the suffragette movement and she wore emeralds as a sign of hope.
    Also, no ire for McDormand? C'mon, if you're gonna get pissy, people, get pissy at all the people.

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    1. I was mildly surprised at the absence of audience censure at McDormand not wearing black too, Bob, though, as you'll have seen, her outfit was red AND black (if that half-way position is okay). However, it did rather stand out conspicuously amongst all the rest, which I suspect she may have regretted.

      Green, along with purple and white, was ONE of the suffragette colours, though I'm not sure that it would have been in Kate's mind when she decided on it - though of though of course, being no fool as I think she isn't, she MAY have. I think it's a subject not to get flustered about.

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  4. I have lost interest in these award shows. Normally, I would have been watching along with you, but the suspense is gone. You can accurately announce the winner before the presenter opens the envelope.

    Months ago, when the trailer for "The Darkest Hour" was released showing Oldman shouting that speech and looking unrecognizable, I said to myself, here is the winner of "The Best Actor Award" All you have to do is shout and portray an historical figure I would have given "Best Actor" to Day-Lewis and "Best Picture" to 'Phantom Thread' but by a wide margin. The film is a masterpiece - so layered- that I had to return to the theater a second time, just to unfold more layers. DDL - what a beautiful exit from the films!

    And on a sidenote: Is there ever an award that Allison Janney hasn't won?

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    1. Yes, I agree they have become rather humdrum now, Paul. It took last year's Oscar envelope mix-up to give the show some REAL talking point, and there was nothing like the same 'interesting' feature last night. It started up on a tedious note, an over-long kind ballet on ropes referring to 'Shape of Water'. My first yawn came within five minutes!

      With no regrets at Oldman getting his predicted prize it's 'Thread' that I'd much, MUCH rather see again rather than the Churchill. It's Day-Lewis' extraordinary portrayal that still haunts me. As I infer above, a prize for him in that would have capped off his career so aptly - and I won't give up hoping that it wasn't his last.

      Alison Janney was a name that hadn't registered with me though I now see that she's been in several recent-ish films I have seen - 'Spy', 'Way Way Back' and 'The Help'. I won't be seeing 'Tonya' until next week but it's not looking at all bad.

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  5. The wearing black business is total crap in any case. Says absolutely nothing, is not a great sign of doing anything purposeful, just pathetic. The papers I read named several who, thankfully, did not feel it necessary to wear black notwithstanding they of course support the cause of women not being assaulted by men. I find the whole thing sick in that the girls all gladly took their film parts having slept with the director and then years later started to complain. Perhaps it would be better if they all gave the money they earned from the films to charities.

    I do not award shows at all. I think the Thread film was crap and if it did not get any awards, then good.

    Thanks for the report Ray.

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    1. I think wearing black caught on more as a default option to avoid being criticised rather than as showing active support for the proposition that women should never more be demeaned or taken advantage of because of their sex - after all, who in their right mind could disagree with that? I suppose there must be some current actresses who owe the start (and, sometimes, continuance) of their careers by having given way to some leery, out-of-control males headstrong with their perceived power and influence through money. I'm not sure that many of these actresses are secure enough to be able to bravely and publicly show that they were dupes then, but now no longer, though a few are already starting to do that. If they can now give appropriate monies earned to charities, so much the better.

      'Phantom Thread' remains my film of the year so far, and I felt deeply that it failed to win anything at all in the BAFTAs. I don't expect it to fare much better at the Os. DD-L's only realistic chance would have been if Gary Oldman hadn't been in the running.

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    2. They quite happily went to bed for a part, and showed off on the director's arm. These sort of 'cry wolf later' women get little sympathy from me.

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    3. Yup. No one can seriously argue that certain men don't deserve the lion's share of blame of course, but to see ALL their victims as having had no alternative but to comply I'm less sure about. Trouble is, there were only two people present at the time so we'll never know.

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    4. No alternative but to comply is I am afraid utter bollocks. If they felt so strongly about not wanting to do any sexy things with him then they should have told him what they thought and walked away. That is the most pathetic excuse I have ever heard "they had no alternative". They do female a great injustice if men believe this.

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