It’s spry versus spy as frothy silent movie “The Artist” and moody thriller “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” lead the race for the British Academy Film Awards, Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars.
“The Artist” received 12 nominations and “Tinker Tailor” 11, with each film up for best picture and director, and best actor nominations for leading men Jean Dujardin and Gary Oldman.
The other best-film nominees, announced at a ceremony Tuesday by actors Daniel Radcliffe and Holliday Grainger, were “The Descendants,” ”Drive” and “The Help.”
In a diverse field not dominated by any single film, there are also multiple nominations for “Hugo,” ”My Week With Marilyn,” ”The Iron Lady” and “The Help.”
The nominations are another feather in the cap of “The Artist,” a black and white French film about a silent screen star’s fall with the rise of talkies.
And they are a boost for “Tinker Tailor,” an atmospheric adaptation of John le Carre’s espionage classic that has received rave reviews but has so far been snubbed during the U.S. awards season.
“Tinker Tailor” producer Tim Bevan said the film was a “particularly British cultural phenomenon. It’s great that it’s being recognized at the BAFTAs but that it hasn’t at the Golden Globes is not surprising.”
“‘The Artist’ seems to be the film with the momentum, and rightly so,” he said. “It’s been an OK year but not a brilliant year for movies, and ‘The Artist’ defines what cinema should be. It’s brave, different, it’s got a great shot.”
The best actor contest pits Oldman and Dujardin against Brad Pitt for “Moneyball,” George Clooney for “The Descendants” and Michael Fassbender for “Shame.”
The best actress category includes two performers playing real-life icons — Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in “My Week With Marilyn” and Meryl Streep as former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.”
The other nominees are Berenice Bejo for “The Artist,” Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and Viola Davis for “The Help.”
The prizes will be awarded at a ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House on Feb. 12. They are considered an important indicator of prospects at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles two weeks later.
In recent years, the awards, known as BAFTAs, have helped small British films gain momentum for Hollywood success.
In 2010, Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” won seven BAFTAs, including best film; it went on to take eight Oscars. Last year “The King’s Speech” won seven BAFTAs and four Oscars, including best picture.
“My Week With Marilyn,” the story of the movie legend’s time shooting an ill-starred comedy in England, received six BAFTA nominations, including a supporting-actor nod for Kenneth Branagh, who plays Laurence Olivier.
He is up against Christopher Plummer for “Beginners,” Jim Broadbent for “The Iron Lady,” Jonah Hill for “Moneyball” and Philip Seymour Hoffman for “The Ides of March.”
The supporting actress category features Carey Mulligan for “Drive,” Jessica Chastain for “The Help,” Judi Dench for “My Week With Marilyn,” Melissa McCarthy for “Bridesmaids” and Olivia Spencer for “The Help.”
The multinational best-director contest pits Denmark’s Nicholas Winding Refn, for the turbocharged “Drive,” against France’s Michel Hazanavicius for “The Artist,” Sweden’s Tomas Alfredson for “Tinker Tailor,” Britain’s Lynne Ramsay for “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and Martin Scorsese of the United States for “Hugo.”
The best British film category contains “My Week With Marilyn,” racing documentary “Senna,” sex-addiction drama “Shame,” family tragedy “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”
Steven Spielberg’s equine adventure “War Horse” was overlooked in the major categories but gained five nominations including cinematography, visual effects and music.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More