Tere!

Hiya.

This is a half retrospective sort of post. My main intention was to do a post about the BAFTA's and then one about the Oscars. However, that's not the case, I'm too late to pass any relevant or contextual comment on the former and, too early for the latter.

The general concensus is, the BAFTA's are a warm up ceremony for the oh so prestigious Academy Awards, 82nd this year I believe. I tend to agree. Scanning over the nominations, they're not all that different and the only definitive category for a British film is the Outstanding British Film award.

Give me a moment to get my soapbox out from the shed.

Personally, I am the opposite to patriotic. The anti-christ of Queen Victoria herself. On a cultural level, an economic level and societal level, I quite openly welcome multiculturalism, international influence and accept that with great responsibility does in fact come great power. Which is why in fact, I have a polycentric perspective on Hollywood rather than it being the devil of all international film industries. Suffice to say, the cultural clout of Hollywood film is generally lacking in style, grace and when push comes to shove, thought... on the whole it is terribly formulaeic and if vertical integration were alive today, surely it comes in the form of the Tim Burton films? Controversial? Maybe so. Soz. Again, I find myself digressing. Anyway, I can appreciate the impeccability of the Hollywood business model just as much as I can appreciate the mise en scene of Kieslowski or the leaps and structural bravery of Haneke. My point is, I'm not against Hollywood, it does what it sets out to do, make money. I'm also, in the same breath, not an Anglophile.



When it comes to the BAFTAs however. It really does get my goat. Yes, 'get my goat' - you heard. The British film industry, as it stands and in comparison, struggles through as the grey area. Not nearly as wealthy as Hollywood yet, not quite on the same level (although it's improving, this is a generalisation and if i were to conclude this in an essay, I'd prove myself wrong) ideologically, as your typical European offering. Saying that though, British film for me is something special. Whether it's being able to relate culturally, the ability to identify with the character easily or something as simple as recognising a landmark, British film has it's own unique representations and personality. Now let's look at the BAFTA nominations for best film:

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An Education
The Hurt Locker
Precious
Up in the Air

If anyone has seen An Education, you'll realise as I did that this was a sympathy nomination as it was utter gash. Let's see the Oscar nominations for best picture:

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District 9
An Education (still gash)
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up in the Air
The Blind Side
Up

As the BAFTA's feature a couple of weeks prior to the Oscars, forgive me for presuming that they're some sort of warm up ceremony. The political similarities and metaphors that can be drawn are quite clear.

I admit, this post may have seemed to have lacked direction somewhat. This is a point that I can and have argued for hours/days/weeks/years? So this is just a slight fragment of how I feel on this matter. If you wish to challenge or, bait me further, feel free to sit me down with a beverage and hit me with all you have as, sadly, perhaps, I have a lot of wind left in my film reel shaped sails when it comes to this matter.

HMPH.

RJB xxxx

PS. Today is Estonian, 1. because I like the Estonian greeting and 2. Because I miss my friend Ulla from Estonia, she's pretty fucking brill.