Luckily, Kermode corrected her on all counts

Film   Oddly I've seen more of the films nominated for Oscars this year than Baftas though as we'll see I'm making the assumption that it'll be a foregone conclusion.  Which probably means it won't now.  Given my approach to watching cinema, the Globes, Baftas and Oscars tend to become pretty important because they guide the films that become a must see through Lovefilm in the coming months and it's rare that I'll not see something which has been nominated.  Which means there's at least three films in here which can no longer be avoided.  Sad face.

Best actress in a supporting role

Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Gauging the reaction, I've developed the opinion that when it comes to the Oscars, The Artist will sweep.  It can't help it.  It speaks backwards to the history of the industry and Hollywood seems to be pleased that its silent back catalogue might shift some units and it has a bit with a dog.  Bejo will benefit, even though it would be neat to see Sooki with a statue.

Best actor in a supporting role

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

If you listened to the frustrating BBC Radio 5 coverage of the nominations you will have heard Shelagh Fogarty who clearly has a limited interest in films, giving away the ending of The Artist, smirking that she hadn't heard of this Jennifer Lawrence (who was announcing the nominations) and trying to sound with it by suggesting that Christopher Plummer will win this because of "his body of work", perhaps because she hasn't heard of identically aged Max Von Sydow either.  Luckily, Kermode corrected her on all counts at least in mentioning von Sydow's contribution to the history of film.  Nevertheless, she's probably right.  Plummer may win.  I wish is was either Max or Ken.

Best actress in a leading role

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Inevitably, although the real controversy in this category is the appearance of Rooney Mara who if the artwork, trailers and clips I've seen are anything to go by is doing (inadvertently or no) a cover version of Noomi Rapace's Lis Salander performance which was totally ignored last year.  Of course I can't really judge until I've seen the whole thing...

Best actor in a leading role

Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Pass the broom, we're sweeping here too.  Like so many of these categories, almost the same list as the Baftas but with Bichir in for Fassbender.  At this point, I know I got my Clooney choice wrong there.  It'll be Oldman for a bronze mask.  Oh well, too late now.


Best director

Michel Hazavanicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

But good god that's a strong field.  Indeed with the final three it looks like a 70s field, presumably the one with the locusts in Days of Heaven.  Like I said when I was working through his back catalogue, one of the benefits of Woody's one film a year approach is that now and then he produces a truly great piece of work amongst the really good.  I will of course be watching Midnight in Paris once I finally get around to seeing You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger.  It's about time.

Best original Screenplay

The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
A Separation

Traditionally this is Woody's categories, but the cleaners are still in, so The Artist it will be.  Unless the voters can't get their head around a silent film with a script (having seen Hugo).  But it's also great to see Bridesmaids being offered something.

Best adapted screenplay

The Descendants
Hugo
Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

If The Artist is sweeping, this'll be Hugo's consolation prize along with some craft awards.  Note how none of the cast has been nominated in a film which does straddle between technical marvel and a big emotional story.

Best foreign language film

Bullhead
Footnote
In Darkness
Monsieur Lazhar
A Separation

Again seems inconceivable that the film which has been nominated elsewhere wouldn't win this at least.

Best animated film

A Cat in Paris
Chico And Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Rango
Puss in Boots

Wouldn't that be fascinating?  Can't imagine it'll be anything else.

Best picture

War Horse
The Artist
Moneyball
The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Best part of the telecast was when it seemed as though there were eight nominations then Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close appeared over Jennifer's head, a film I'll admit to not having even heard of despite it being released next month in the UK, being about 9/11 and having Tom Hanks in the cast.  I like that.  Reminds me of the bygone days when I'd treat myself to a copy of the US edition Premiere Magazine's preview issue to look at all the films which wouldn't be seeing the inside of the UK for at least six months.

Art direction

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Unless the academy decide that they have to give Harry Potter something after all these years.  I remember last year Deathly Hallows was being considered as Best Picture material for the same reason as Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, the commemorative thank you.  Unfortunately, that second film was deeply anti-climactic, at least for me and certainly didn't have the heart-wrenching through line of Peter Jackson's film.

Cinematography

The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Unless the academy decide that they're desperate to give a proper 3D film an award, although as I said at the time, I enjoyed Hugo despite the 3D rather than because of it.

Costume design

Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Anonymous has been nominated for an academy award.  They'll be sticking that on the box and I'll now have to watch it.  [stoney face]

Film editing

The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

In some respects this becoming like the multiple choices I used to do in primary school when you had to fill in a blob amongst other blobs down a sheet of paper.  If we ran out of time, we were instructed to fill in all the blobs in the single column on the assumption that we'd have to get some of them right.  Well, The Artist is going to win some of these.

Sound editing

Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Therefore confirming that unlike the British, who gave The Artist a nomination for Sound, the Americans in the academy are without irony.   It'll probably be Hugo.

Sound mixing

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

 Although the more obvious question is why Drive has better sound editing than Moneyball and vice-versa.

Visual effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

See above.

Make up

Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The Iron Lady

I'm with Kermode on this.  Seems unlikely that the people who made Streep look like Thatch wouldn't be covered.

Music (original score)

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

The BBC's PM programme took Bernard Hermann's widow to see The Artist in the past couple of days to see if she agreed with Kim Novak.  She didn't.

Music (original song)

The Muppets
Rio

Two songs which'll please the producers of the ceremony.