"Selma" Snubbed Again at the BAFTA's

It's honestly mind-blowing to me that the year's best film is having such a hard time with awards season. Though I suppose a lot of the blame has to be placed upon distributor Paramount for the lack of screeners being released to voters, and the hackneyed release (though that apparently has to do with how late team "Selma" was in finishing the final cut of the film).

Still, the fact that BAFTA did not give the film a single nomination is a clear snub. Instead, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" showed some very robust, and unexpected strength and managed 11 nominations, the most for any film this year.

"The Theory of Everything" predictably did very well with BAFTA, while "Boyhood", "The Imitation Game" and "Birdman" continued their status as top-tier contenders.

See the full list of nominations (and commentary) below.

Best Film:

• "Birdman"
• "Boyhood"
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "The Theory of Everything"

It seems that if we were in a year of only 5 Best Picture nominees, this would be our list. It really pains me that typical, mediocre fare like ToE and TIG were chosen over the brilliant Selma, which looks like it's really an underdog going into Oscar nomination morning.

Outstanding British Film:

• "71"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Paddington"
• "Pride"
• "The Theory of Everything"
• "Under the Skin"

FINALLY, some love for the exceptional Under the Skin by a major awards body. Also, shouldn't the inclusion of ToE and TIG bar them from receiving recognition in the Best Film category? Do we really need to nominate them 2 times over more deserving films?

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer:

• Elaine Constantine (writer/director), "Northern Soul"
• Gegory Burke (writer), "71"
• Hong Khaou (writer/director), "Lilting"
• Paul Katis (director/producer), Andrew de Lotbinere (Producer), "Kajaki: The True Story"
• Stephen Beresford (writer), David Livingstone (Producer), "Pride"

Best Film Not in the English Language:

• "Ida"
• "Leviathan"
• "The Lunchbox"
• "Trash"
• "Two Days, One Night"

Documentary: 

• "20 Feet From Stardom"
• "20,000 Days on Earth"
• CITIZENFOUR"
• "Finding Vivian Maier"
• "Virunga"

Animated Film:

• "Big Hero 6"
• "The Boxtrolls"
• "The Lego Movie"

Director:

• Aljeandro G. Iñárritu, "Birdman"
• Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
• Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• James Marsh, "The Theory of Everything"
• Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

With the exception of James Marsh, this will probably be our Oscar line-up. Let's hope the DGA can pull through for Ava DuVernay, who absolutely deserves it. 

Original Screenplay: 

• "Birdman"
• "Boyhood"
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "Nightcrawler"
• "Whiplash"

Again, probably our Oscar line-up, though "Whiplash" was deemed an Adapted Screenplay by the Academy, so it'll be interesting to see who nabs that last spot in the end. 

Adapted Screenplay:

• "American Sniper"
• "Gone Girl"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Paddington"
• "The Theory of Everything"

Leading Actor:

• Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
• Ralph Fiennes, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
• Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
• Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

The continued love for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" has me wondering if Fiennes has what it takes to breakthrough that very competitive Best Actor category. David Oyelowo has undeservedly been left off the SAG shortlist and now BAFTA's, and though the Globes recognized him, they don't vote for the Oscars. I think he still gets in, but narrowly. Him and Gyllenhaal are fighting it out for that last spot, and Fiennes could really benefit from the struggle. 

Leading Actress:

• Amy Adams, "Big Eyes"
• Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
• Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
• Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
• Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

I love Amy Adams as much as anyone else (okay, maybe not as much as the Oscars), but the fact that BAFTA included her over Marion Cotillard just goes to show you how awful the nominations are this year; wasn't it bad enough that they snubbed "Selma"? Jennifer Aniston and "Cake" fans have nothing to worry about, however; the film's late release date kept it from being eligible for this year's awards. She has the Globe + SAG + Critic's Choice trifecta and that means a lot more going in than a lone BAFTA nomination, so Adams shouldn't get too comfortable. 

Supporting Actor: 

• Steve Carrell, "Foxcatcher"
• Edward Norton, "Birdman"
• Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
• J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"
• Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"

Carrell's inclusion here is so.... weird, and not necessary. I truly don't understand the appeal of "Foxcatcher", but it doesn't matter because J.K. Simmons has this category tied up nicely. I guess Robert DuVall will take Carrell's slot come Oscar morning, but I'm really pulling for Tom Wilkinson or Chris Pine to surprise. 

Supporting Actress:

• Emma Stone, "Birdman"
• Imedla Staunton, "Pride"
• Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
• Patricia Arquette, "Birdman"
• Rene Russo, "Nightcrawler"

Great to see the fabulous Rene Russo get recognized for her venomous work in "Nightcrawler". Strange they excluded Streep since she's been such a mainstay this whole season (even though Anna Kendrick is the clear Supporting Actress MVP from that film) and not even Jessica Chastain could find love for her work in "A Most Violent Year". SAG and BAFTA has now passed on her... could Russo sneak in instead? BAFTA has helped bubble contenders like her, so anything is possible. 

Original Music:

• "Birdman"
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "Interstellar"
• "The Theory of Everything"
• "Under the Score"

Amazed at the love for "Under the Skin". If only that love could translate into an Oscar nomination. 

Editing:

• "Birdman"
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Nightcrawler"
• "The Theory of Everything"
• "Whiplash" 

Production Design:

• "Big Eyes"
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Interstellar"
• "Mr. Turner"

Costume Design:

• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Into the Woods"
• "Mr. Turner"
• "The Theory of Everything"

Make up & Hair:

• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "Into the Woods"
• "Mr. Turner"
• "The Theory of Everything"

Sound:

• "American Sniper"
• "Birdman"
• "The Grand Budapest"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Whiplash"

VFX:

• "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies"
• "Interstellar"
• X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Rising Star Award:

• Gugu Mbatha-Raw
• Jack O'Connell
• Margot Robbie
• Shailene Woodley
• Miles Teller