BAFTA 2012 Should-Winners

The 2012 BAFTAs will be handed out today. Because the ubiquitousness of the award ceremonies, it is a futile effort to predict the winners or dish out one's own wish list. If you predict for one ceremony, you predict for them all. There will be a full-on Oscar post later in the month, but I felt obliged to write up my BAFTA nominations for two reasons:

1. BAFTA got one thing very right - nominating Drive for a few awards.
2. BAFTAs are a little bit more wide-reaching in their nominations and having categories dedicated to British films, some of the unsung heroes of yesteryear get their name mentioned amongst the industry behemoths.

What follows is a should-winner list, not predictions. Same rules apply to previous should-winner lists: I must have seen at least 3 films in any given category to pick a should-winner. What do you think?


Best Film
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Should-winner: Drive (what else?)

Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film
My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Should-winner: I can't decide between Senna and Shame

Best Actor
George Clooney for The Descendants
Jean Dujardin for The Artist
Michael Fassbender for Shame
Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt for Moneyball
Should-winner: Michael Fassbender is to Shameless what Robert DeNiro is to Taxi Driver

Best Actress
Bérénice Bejo for The Artist
Viola Davis for The Help
Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn
Should-winner: Tilda Swinton's performance was a class above the rest of the nominees.

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn
Jim Broadbent for The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill for Moneyball
Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Ides of March
Christopher Plummer for Beginners
Should-winner: Philip Seymour Hoffman should win every time he's nominated.

Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain for The Help
Judi Dench for My Week with Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan for Drive
Octavia Spencer for The Help
Should-winner: Melissa McCarthy was a revelation in a role that could easily have outlasted its welcome.

David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction
Tomas Alfredson for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk About Kevin
Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive
Martin Scorsese for Hugo
Should-winner: Nicolas Winding Refn's deft touches made Drive Arctic-cool.

Best Screenplay (Original)
Michel Hazanivicius for The Artist
Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids
John Michael McDonagh for The Guard
Abi Morgan for The Iron Lady
Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
Should-winner: Not a strong line-up, I must admit, but I'd reluctantly give it to Woodster.

Best Screenplay (Adapted)
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash for The Descendants
Tate Taylor for The Help
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon for The Ides of March
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin for Moneyball
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Should-winner: Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan's script was outstanding.

Best Editing
Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Matthew Newman for Drive
Thelma Schoonmaker for Hugo
Gregers Sall, Chris King for Senna
Dino Jonsäter for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Should-winner: Gregers Sall and Chris King. This shouldn't even be close.

Best Film Not in the English Language
Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live in
Should-winner: The Skin I Live in, which was the best film of 2011.

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Joe Cornish for Attack the Block
Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley, Sarah Brocklehurst for Black Pond
Ralph Fiennes for Coriolanus
Richard Ayoade for Submarine
Paddy Considine, Diarmid Scrimshaw for Tyrannosaur
Should-winner: Submarine was fantastic, so Ayoade should win this.

Before I leave, I would like to add that I'm quite disappointed in the lack of nominations for Kill List, Meek's Cutoff, and The Tree of Life. I understand the first two not getting nominated to a certain extent, but The Tree of Life? Now, that's disappointing.