Broadcast Film Critics Association

Or... as I like to call them "The Talking Heads You See on TV or Columnists at Papers and Popular Web Destinations and a Smattering of Film Critics Association" though that doesn't sound as prestigious as just "Film Critics" and the acronym is unwieldy. Like the NBR, the BFCA only exist to anticipate the tastebuds of and prepare meals for the great Oscar beast. I believe in my heart of hearts that the Golden Globes would go on existing and being their weirdass star-f***ing selves if the Oscars ceased to exist [shudder -no!] and, so too, would the big city critics awards since film critics are by and large loudmouths about what constitutes "the best" in cinema... as they probably should be. But the BFCA and NBR would be the first to die, their purpose in life snuffed out.

That's it! I'm done mocking* I'm not so longwinded this year, huh?

PICTURE: (10 Nominees) American Gangster, Atonement, The Diving Bell and Butterfly, Into the Wild, Juno, The Kite Runner, Michael Clayton, No Country For Old Men, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood
Snubbed in this category... Before The Devil Knows You're Dead which did reasonably well with them otherwise, but I guess since they know it's not going to be a Best Picture nominee...
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd), The Coen Bros (No Country For Old Men), Sidney Lumet (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead), Sean Penn (Into the Wild), Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and Butterfly), Joe Wright (Atonement)


ACTOR: George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd), Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl), Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Viggo Mortenson (Eastern Promises)
ACTRESS: Amy Adams (Enchanted), Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth the Golden Age), Julie Christie (Away From Her), Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose), Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart), Ellen Page (Juno)
Bad news for The Lovely Laura Linney who is much stronger in The Savages than Cate Blanchett is in Elizabeth duh-- I mean deux. Ah well. Let's see what the Globes do.
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilsons War), Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild), Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
I know I'm not the most unbiased person when it comes to Phillip Seymour Hoffman but he really showboats in Charlie (lots of smug screaming and joking) and I really wish they'd shown some discernment and rewarded the legendary Max von Sydow instead for his sensitive work in The Diving Bell and Butterfly (which they clearly loved) --his role is every bit as moving as Holbrook's lovely Into the Wild moment. Damnit. Still this is very conceivable as the eventual Oscar list.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There), Catherine Keener (Into the Wild), Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Keener is an interesting choice and she's dependably good in that film. Otherwise it's the expected suspects. I suspect Blanchett, Ryan and Swinton are good to go for Oscar but the race for the 4th and 5th slots might see some surprises. We shall see.

for the rest of it you'll have to go here (they have a ton of categories... this helps their "predictive ratio" which they're so found of touting) --oops, I promised to be nice! hugs and kisses BFCA. You rule!


P.S. I kid, I kid.
*Maybe tis but jealousy since I'd love to spread my opinions far and wide on internets (oh wait I already do that) and televisions (next!) everywhere. Good for them I suppose.