Prince Charming, a Couple of Aussies and Silent Cinema : The BAFTAs 2012

Ah the BAFTAs. The biggest night of the year for British cinema, shown on a 2 hour delay on the BBC. Well done everybody.

Apart from that ridiculous oversight, it was a good night. We had The Artist win big, Colin Firth proving that there are real life Prince Charmings out there and Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe being genuinely funny (“Rusty”, “Jacko”).

Stephen Fry was a delight as the host. Personally I was never a fan of Jonathan Ross, he didn’t seem to fit in with the prestige of the BAFTAs where as Stephen Fry just oozes class and is an all round smart guy.

I thought Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy would maybe have won a few more; BAFTA has been known to slightly favour British films over others in recently years. I admit; I thought Gary Oldman would have walked away with the Best Actor BAFTA. Not that I mind Jean Dujardin winning; the more I think about his role in The Artist the more I think it was amazing. He’s a funny guy and I loved that he mentioned Benny Hill.

Smooth operator. 

George Clooney and Brad Pitt were there but I never felt they had a chance of winning. It’s nice to have some actual Hollywood stars there too. Especially when I kept seeing Dermot “Smug” O’Leary and Fearne “How do I keep getting these jobs?” Cotton. They really should not have been sitting with ‘The Talent’. It’s embarrassing for everybody.

Colin Firth proved to everybody what we all assumed he was; a true gent. Running after a lost high heel and then helping the (Iron) lady into said shoe, it was a lovely moment.

Why the BBC cram a handful of awards basically over the end credits, I really don’t know. And I thought they were quite big awards- Animated Film, Film Not In The English Language, Cinematography? No, the BBC don’t think so. Bit of a shame. The Oscars don’t get treated like this.
Maybe next year we can see the BAFTAs live; I really don’t think they need to worry about a group of middle-aged British actors running amok, swearing and causing havoc. They’ve watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; they are probably the most well behaved group of people ever.

One last thing. Gary Oldman? Looking boss. (That’s what the kids say, right?)