comment #1

Markj74 says ...

Nice to see Terry Gilliam get ome recognition. Great speech too.

comment #2

/3rtfu11 says ...

Please God let the Oscar have some major surprises!

comment #3

Calraigh Bracken says ...

Nice to see Steve McQueen getting the Best British Film award for Hunger and Best Original Screenplay going to Martin McDonagh too.

comment #4

Gordon27 says ...

"Please God let the Oscar have some major surprises!"

There's almost always one surprise in the acting categories. The question now becomes, which Bafta winner won't get the Oscar? Will Penn or Brolin channel the 'Milk'-love into an award? Will Streep (or somebody) overcome the Winslet juggernaut?

My pick for a "surprise" is Viola Davis for supporting actress. But I'm usually a lot more sure of the acting categories than I am this year.

comment #5

ROTC says ...

Gordon - Viola Davis wouldn't surprise anyone (except perhaps you). There's been Oscar buzz about her performance since even before the film was released. Supporting Actress is a very hot contest this year, and the only upsets would be if either Amy Adams or Taraji P. Henson won.

comment #6

Gordon27 says ...

ROTC - I would agree with you if there wasn't such an overwhelming belief that Penelope Cruz is a lock, because she won every single critical year-end prize and now this Bafta, and it's presumed she would've won the Golden Globe if Winslet hadn't been slipped into supporting.

It would be a "surprise" in at least the same way that Murphy losing to Arkin was a "surprise". For this year to have a surprise on the level of, say, Adrien Brody winning Best Actor, Ledger would have to lose.

comment #7

Gordon27 says ...

(BTW, it's pretty easy to say nothing is a surprise if you pick three things to win one category.)

comment #8

bfm says ...

Slumdog was always going to sweep the Baftas and Winslet was a sure thing too. There's always a strongly British bias.

comment #9

Gordon27 says ...

you say that as if Slumdog, Danny Boyle, and Kate Winslet aren't all the front-runners at the Oscars as well.

comment #10

raygo says ...

My vote for upset is Josh Brolin for Milk. Something tells me Ledger might not be the favorite here.

comment #11

Gordon27 says ...

ray - I had been thinking that for a long time in the build-up to the Oscars. I thought there were a few big things that could work against Ledger. But, in the past few weeks, it just seems *so* inevitable that I have come to accept it. That's not to say you're wrong, at all; I only hope you're wrong, because I'll feel stupid for going against my initial instinct if Brolin does wind up winning it (I would definitely agree that, if Ledger loses, he loses to Brolin).

I'd say the big thing in Brolin's favor is that voters will feel like they owe 'Milk' something -- but I think that feeling will help Penn more than Brolin.

comment #12

warmsounds says ...

There is no way Ledger does not win. He's won pretty much every award leading up to the Oscar's. And in a completely unrelated note that usually does not constitute an Oscar win, he actually deserves it.

comment #13

Gordon27 says ...

Yeah, I confess, I never fully understand when one performance gets crowned and decided upon -- like Forrest Whitaker for 'Last King of Scotland'. It's a great performance, sure, but when every critic group rewards the same performance, and everybody award goes to it, I never really get where the lockstep comes from. I've just learned it's foolish to bet against it.

That said, Brolin won several of the top critical awards; either New York or LA Critics, plus the NBR, at least.