Baft’s contempt for British brilliance seems like self-sabotage

Bafta has some funny ideas about celebrating cinema. Their list of nominations this year gives you the impression that almost no one who voted has actually stepped into it lately. They were definitely watching Don’t look up in The power of a dog on Netflix; got DVDs to browse Belfast and licorice. After the pressure, they may have disguised themselves at a local multiplex to catch Denis Villeneuve Dunewhich would explain how she took first place with 11 nominations, standing out on her big scale in all possible craft categories.

However, due to their absence in the best film, two other titles are noticeable that could keep the fire alive for the experience on the big screen and make Bafta look much more powerful for their inclusion. The only real cashier phenomenon this year, give or take Spidey, was No time to die, which raised enough money to represent a big sigh of relief for the industry as a whole. Although it satisfied almost everyone except a few selective critics, it was ranked among the best British films.

He is five times better than the modest Kenneth Branagh, who is attractive Belfast, which she is likely to beat until this award. Great remake by Steven Spielberg West Side Story it may be twice as good again. He received five nominations, including for Ariana DeBose and the brilliant Mike Faist, but missed out on both the film and director categories.

Is Spielberg somehow punished for the relatively commercially poor performance of his film? With a budget of $ 100 million, he earned $ 62.6 million worldwide. But apparently the ker-ching factor is not true to a lot of influence on that electorate, or No Time to Die ($ 774.2 million) would be in between. You can’t win.

Bafta has certainly embraced all boutiques, alternatives and grunge this year, Dune by the side. (And even that’s roughly the biggest hit, earning $ 400 million imaginable.) There aren’t too many energetic music numbers or dizzying shots in a cocktail dress I can think of. Apart from the comic items in Licorice Pizza, the main nominees here are grim, introspective and in a special case Don’t Look Up, as unsuccessful as the seeming satire that they are more depressed than they even want to be.

Bafta, of course, is not obligated to make everyone feel good. Nevertheless, the ranking of these British awards before the Oscars is supposed to bring a share of glamor to the red carpet, while providing an opportunity to wave the flag for UK film production, bringing our own industry to the world. foreground. For a few years, resisting this desire might actually seem laudable, for fear of looking too overconfident or invigorating. This year it seems very similar to self-sabotage.

Among the acting nominations, ranging from wonderful and surprising to sad and obvious, two great British stars were also released – Olivia Colman for The lost daughter and (half British) Andrew Garfield for Tick, tick … BOOM! Both loosenesses reinforce the impression that voters overlooked what is in front of their faces this year. Perhaps they inadvertently proved that there is no firm consensus at all on what the greatest achievements of this year in cinema actually were. Lists of critics everywhere have put Joanne Hogg’s The Souvenir: Part II at the very top – quite rightly, I think. This is where he got the cycle.

Many would argue that a great achievement – only achievement – to stop cinema. The Bafta could at least acknowledge the home side’s victory in this department if they showed No Time to Die a little more respect. Bond’s return was, after all, a cinema event in its most exciting state. From the comfort of their sofas, these voters instead leaned for an awful lot of mishaps.

Baftas 2022: nominations

The best movie

Belfast
Don’t look up
Dune
Licorice pizza
The power of a dog

Best director

After loveAleem Khan
Drive my carRyyusuke Hamaguchi
HappeningAudrey Diwan
Licorice pizza Paul Thomas Anderson
The power of a dogJane Campion
TitaniumJulia Ducournau

Main actor

Adeel Akhtar, Ali & Ava
Mahershala Ali, Swan song
Benedict Cumberbatch, The power of a dog
Leonardo Dicaprio, Don’t look up
Stephen Graham, Boiling point
Will Smith, King Richard