The Obligatory Oscar Predictions Post

Yes, it's that time of the year. The awards season usually outlast its welcome around the time when the Golden Globes are given, i.e. precisely when the 3-month-long charade begins. Think about it: for a quarter of every year we are obsessed about a finite list of films and about their chances of winning the one that matters. Golden Globes, critics' circle awards from a few First World metropolises (is that the plural of metropolis?), country club (a.k.a. guild) awards, BAFTAs, Razzies ... it doesn't matter, because every single mention of these awards will be followed the mention of the Big One. It's inevitable. And say what you will about the choices that the Academy have made over the years, it is still the most prestigious award in the world. Perhaps only the Nobel prizes garner as much worldwide media mention as the Oscars, but their popularity is only boosted by their credibility (for want of a better word). Oscars, on the other hand, matter to everyone, regardless of their interest in chemistry, literature, or magic (a.k.a. economics).

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?