Katie at the movies: 2014 BAFTAs

The 67th Annual British Academy of Film Awards took place in London this evening at the Royal Opera House. Stephen Fry singled out A-List names in his opening and even got Leonardo DiCaprio to blow a kiss at that camera. His best joke was that Dame Helen Mirren was attending with her grandson -- Prince William was in attendance (where was Kate?! -- home with George?) and she of course earned a BAFTA and an Oscar for her role as the Queen. Then there was a somewhat strangely paced live performance of a rap song with clips from the nominated movies playing on an overhead screen. Then Oprah presented the first award, Outstanding British Film, to Gravity and the awards show proceeded.

I was shocked, and I mean SHOCKED that Jennifer Lawrence got Supporting Actress and not Lupita Nyong'o. Chiwetel Ejiofor won the BAFTA for Leading Actor in 12 Years A Slave and Barkhad Abdi for his supporting role in Captain Phillips. Cate Blanchett took home the award for Leading Actress. Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director for Gravity and 12 Years A Slave took home the big prize for Best Film. What was most striking about the awards ceremony was how genuinely happy the fellow nominees were for the winners. Leonardo Dicaprio stood and clapped for Ejiofor and Tom Hanks whistled. Jeremy Irons presented the Fellowship (a lifetime achievement award) with Prince William to Helen Mirren. Prince William is the president of BAFTA. He even returned the joke from the opening monologue and said he should call her granny. Also of note, with the same number of categories as the Oscars and no playing the music to cut off speeches, the BAFTAs stuck to their two and a half hour timeslot. I was puzzled by this and wondering how they do it when I came to realize, they are not broadcast live, they are edited and not all 24 awards are shown.

Outstanding British Film nominees Gravity, Philomena, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Saving Mr Banks, The Selfish Giant and Rush.

Watching the BAFTAs, host Stephen Fry brought attention to the fact that so many of the films this year are based on true stories. Four of five of the nominees for Best Film at the BAFTAs are based on true stories, no matter how loosely. Indeed, six of the nine Oscar Best Picture nominees are based on true stories.

There is a very different voting body for the BAFTAs but it may shed some light in the close Oscar categories of Production Design, Foreign Film, Documentary Feature and Original Screenplay. The Great Gatsby won the BAFTA and it has a slight edge for the Production Design Oscar. The Act of Killing is nipping at the heels of 20 Feet From Stardom for Documentary Feature and took home the BAFTA. The Great Beauty's Best Non-English Language Film win strengthens its Oscar chances. Oscar voting began February 14th and ballots are not due until February 25th. Perhaps the news of the BAFTAs will influence the Academy voters. American Hustle won best the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay. Her still has a lead in the Oscar forecast. I find it enjoyable that the Brits had nothing to do with Her and it received no BAFTA nominations.

All the more interesting are the acting categories that seemed all but predetermined for Oscar victory before tonight. The acting and supporting actor Oscar frontrunners Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto were not nominated for BAFTAs. Dallas Buyers Club is just now being seen in England and this explains that. Leto is still as good as gold but Chiwetel Ejiofor's win for 12 Years A Slave heats up the Best Actor race. Cate Blanchett has not lost a major award and will undoubtedly win the Oscar. The Best Supporting Actress race seems to have blown wide open with Jennifer Lawrence's BAFTA win. My hunch is that Lupita Nyong'o will still win the Oscar. Lawrence won the Oscar just last year and did not win the BAFTA. Personally I think Nyong'o is more deserving as well. The main take away is how Ejiofor's win will affect McConaughey's Oscar prospects.

Before the complete list of winners, the red carpet fashions.