Another year has come and gone so it’s time to announce the 2012 BAM award Nominations. These awards are based solely on my opinion and what I was able to watch during the past year.

To see what qualified you can check any of these three posts for film, actor and behind-the-scenes categories.

I recently announced shortlists, and barring a few last minute entries, these nominations will come from those films.

If you want more insight into the history and development of the awards I have re-posted most of my old lists starting with 1996.

Winners will be announced, complete with my rationale, on Friday, January 4th.

I will be posting this as a live blog through the course of the night as decisions are finalized.

Best Picture

Anna Karenina
The Cabin in the Woods
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
The Dynamiter

Kauwboy
Les Misérables
North Sea Texas
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Turin Horse

Best Foreign Film

Found Memories
Holy Motors
Kauwboy
Magic Silver
Monsieur Lazhar

North Sea Texas
The Raid: Redemption
La Rafle
Simon and the Oaks
The Turin Horse

Most Underrated Picture

The Aggression Scale
The Dynamiter
In the Family
Intruders
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Kauwboy
Magic Silver
Meeting Evil
On the Ice
Simon and the Oaks

Best Director

Bavo Defurne North Sea Texas
Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight Rises
Quentin Tarantino Django Unchained
Béla Tarr The Turin Horse
Joe Wright Anna Karenina

Best Actress


Erika Bók The Turin Horse

Keira Knightley Anna Karenina

Magaly Solier Amador

Tilda Swinton We Need to Talk About Kevin

Noomi Rapace The Monitor

Best Actor


Dane DeHaan Chronicle
Logan Lerman The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln

Denis Lavant Holy Motors

Matthew McConaughey Killer Joe
Hugh Jackman Les Misérables

Best Supporting Actress

Samantha Barks Les Misérables
Sally Field Lincoln
Gina Gershon Killer Joe
Anna Gunn Sassy Pants
Anne Hathaway Les Misérables

Best Supporting Actor

Mikkel Boe Følsgaard A Royal Affair
Leonardo DiCaprio Django Unchained
Samuel L. Jackson Django Unchained
Matthew McConaughey Bernie
Eddie Redmayne Les Misérables

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role

Ryan Simpkins Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Sophie Nélisse Monsieur Lazhar
Yle Vianello Corpo Celeste

Natasha Calls The Possession

Ane Viola Semb Magic Silver

Rachel Mwanza War Witch

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

Thomas Horn Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

James Rolleston Boy

Émilien Néron Monsieur Lazhar

Jelle Florizoone North Sea Texas
Rick Lens Kauwboy

Thomas Doret The Kid with a Bike

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role

Isabelle Allen Les Misérables

Marie-Ève Beauregard Monsieur Lazhar
Jeanne Disson Holy Motors

Ashley Gerasimovich We Need to Talk About Kevin
Bailee Madison Parental Guidance

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role

Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu Boy
Sebastian Banes In the Family
Kyle Breitkopf Parental Guidance
Peter DaCunha The Barrens
Pierce Gagnon Looper
Daniel Huttlestone Les Misérables

Best Youth Ensemble

Ane Viola Semb, Johan Tinus Lindgren, etc. Magic Silver
Émilien Néron, Brigitte Poupart, Jules Philip, Seddik Benslimane, Marie-Ève Beauregard, Sophie Sanscartier, Vincent Millard, Louis-David Leblanc, Gabriel Verdier, Marianne Soucy-Lord Monsieur Lazhar
Ben Van den Heuvel, Nathan Naenen, Noor Ben Taouet, Jelle Florizoone, Nina Marie Kortekaas, Mathias Vergels North Sea Texas
Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush, Kyle Breitkopf, Cade Jones, Mavrick Moreno, Madison Lintz, Justin Kennedy, Jade Nicolette Parental Guidance
Nick Romeo Reimann, Fabian Halbig, Leonie Tepie, Manuel Steitz, Javidan Imani, Robin Walter, David Hürten Vorstadtkrokodile 3: Freunde Fur Immer
Jean Texier, Louis Dussol, Harold Werner, Nathan Parent, Clément Godefroy, Théophile Baquet, Ilona Bachelier, Thomas Goldberg, Grégory Gatignol War of the Buttons

Best Cast

Fellag, Sophie Nelisse, Emilien Neron, Marie-Eve Bearegard, Vincent Millard, Seddik Bensilmane, Louis David Leblanc, Dranielle Proux Brigitte Poupart, Jules Philip Monsieur Lazhar
Ben Van den Heuvel, Eva van der Gucht, Thomas Coumans, Katelijn Damen, Nathan Naenen, Noor Ben Taouet, Jelle Florizoone, Nina Marie Kortekaas, Mathias Vergels, Luk Wyns North Sea Texas
Keira Knightley, Aaron Johnson-Taylor, Jude Law, Kelly MacDonald, Olivia Williams, Emily Watson, Matthew Macfayden, Oskar McNamara, Alicia Vikander, Eros Vlahos Anna Karenina
Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Straithairn, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Cross, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gulliver McGrath, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Bruce McGill, Tim Blake Nelson, Lucas Haas, Dane DeHaan Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, Sach Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter Eddie Redmayne, Elizabeth Allen, Daniel Huttlestone Les
Misérables

Best Original Screenplay

Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard The Cabin in the Woods
Quentin Tarantino Django Unchained
Leos Carax Holy Motors
Patrick Wang In the Family
Laszlo Krasznahorki, Bela Tarr The Turin Horse

Best Adapted Sceenplay

Tom Stoppard (Leo Tolstoy) Anna Karenina
Bavo Defurne (Andre Sollie) North Sea Texas
Stephe Chbosky (Stephen Chbosky) The Perks of Being a Wallflower
William Nicholson (Claude-Michel Schoenberg, Alain Boubil, Victor Hugo, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean-Marc Natel, James Fenton) Les Misérables
Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan (Ian Fleming) Skyfall

Best Score

Adriano Cominotto North Sea Texas
Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese The Raid: Redemption
Helge Slikker Kauwboy
Christopher Young Sinister
Mihály Víg The Turin Horse

Best Editing

Joe Bini We Need to Talk About Kevin
John Guerdebeke Keyhole
Mary Joe Markey The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Melanie Oliver Anna Karenina
Els Voorspoels North Sea Texas

Best Sound Editing/Mixing

Chronicle
Django Unchained
Neighboring Sounds
Sinister
The Woman in Black

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins Skyfall
Benjamin Kasulke Keyhole
Fred Kelemen The Turin Horse
Seamus McGarvey Anna Karenina
Anton Mertens North Sea Texas

Best Art Direction

Anna Karenina
Cloud Atlas
Magic Silver
Les Misérables
The Turin Horse
The Woman in Black

Best Costume Design

Anna Karenina
Cloud Atlas
Django Unchained
Holy Motors
The Turin Horse

Best Makeup

The Devil’s Rock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Hitchcock
Holy Motors
The Moon Child

Best Visual Effects

The Cabin in the Woods
Cloud Atlas
Beyond the Black Rainbow
John Carter
ParaNorman

Best Song

“You Are the One” Ricky Koole Kauwboy
“The Big Machine” Mark Duplass Safety Not Guaranteed
“Giving It All” Troye Sivan Spud
“Skyfall” Adele Skyfall
“The Thunder Buddy Song” Mark Wahlberg and Seth Macfarlane Ted

So last year the deliberations took a very long because I never stared so many possibilities in the face. The idea this year is to break up some of that time.

Much of the time is spent splitting hair so the shortlists will trim the fat. If you compare the BAM Consideration lists in Film, Acting and Behind the Scenes the idea is to have these lists be at minimum 50-66% smaller.

Best Picture

Total to Start: 55
Goal: 26

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Woman in Black

The Turin Horse

We Need to Talk About Kevin
Boy

Raid: The Redemption

The Cabin in the Woods
Monsieur Lazhar
In the Family

Ted

Goon
North Sea Texas

The Dark Knight Rises
The Odd Life of Timothy Green

ParaNorman

Sinister

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Skyfall
Anna Karenina

Lincoln

The Aggression Scale

Holy Motors

Kauwboy

Killer Joe
The Dynamiter
The Avengers

Note: while these films, barring a few last minute entries, will likely contain my Best Picture nominees they will also make up much of my top 30, but that is not guaranteed. The year has some life in it yet.

Best Foreign Film

Started with: 55
Goal: 27


La Rafle

The Turin Horse
Moon Child

Raid: The Redemption

Monsieur Lazhar

Found Memories

The Matchmaker

North Sea Texas

[REC] 3: Génesis


Nimmermeer

Amors Baller

Magic Silver

Elena

Teddy Bear


Shun Li and the Poet

War of the Buttons

Simon and the Oaks

The Other Son
Holy Motors

Neighboring Sounds

Casa de mi Padre

Headhunters

Kauwboy

Klown

War Witch
The Boy with the Bike

Note: Time permitting I’ll also do a dedicated foreign film list.

Best Documentary

This is honestly a category whose eligible titles are too few to shortlist. I’m still on the fence about whether to pick one. I feel strongly about a few so I likely will with a caveat.

Most Overrated Picture

If you look at the considerations you’ll note there are only five films listed. Based on some recent thoughts, I may pass on this category this year. I’ll delve into the why if I do.

Worst Picture

Recently I’ve sought to have 10 films in every category wherever possible. I could populate the consideration list for this category a bit more. This category likely will happen, but again too short to halve.

Most Underrated Picture

Started with: 55
Goal: 27

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Turin Horse

Moon Child

Meeting Evil

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
First Position

In the Family

The Samaritan

People Like Us

Intruders

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Nimmermeer

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Magic Silver

The Dynamiter

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

War of the Buttons

Simon and the Oaks
Cloud Atlas

On the Ice

Bernie

Anna Karenina

The Aggression Scale
Get the Gringo

Kauwboy

Silent Night

Killer Joe


Break. More to come in the morning.

Best Cast

Started with: 100
Goal: 50


Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
La Rafle

The Turin Horse
The Cabin in the Woods
Boy

Being Flynn

We Need to Talk About Kevin
Monsieur Lazhar
Michael

The Matchmaker
Ted

Goon
Safety Not Guaranteed

North Sea Texas

The Dark Knight Rises
The Samaritan
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Intruders

The Campaign

[REC] 3: Génesis
The Master

Amors Baller

Sinister
The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Robot & Frank
Looper

The Monitor
Seven Psychopaths
Elena

Shun Li and the Poet
Argo
Simon and the Oaks
Skyfall
A Separation

Anna Karenina
Lincoln

The Other Son

Holy Motors
Get the Gringo

Kauwboy

A Separation
Killer Joe

A Royal Affair

Best Actress

Started with: 73
Goal: 36


Sandra Bullock Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Mélanie Laurent La Rafle

Erika Bók The Turin Horse

Lynn Collins John Carter

Magaly Solier Amador

Tilda Swinton We Need to Talk About Kevin

Jennifer Lawrence The Hunger Games
Kristen Connolly The Cabin in the Woods

Yle Vianello Corpo Celeste

Sonia Guedes Found Memories

Aubrey Plaza Safety Not Guaranteed

Eva van der Gucht North Sea Texas

Ashley Rickards Sassy Pants
Ruth Negga The Samaritan

Gretchen Lodge Lovely Molly

Leticia Dolera [REC] 3: Génesis

Cristina Brindo Penumbra

Martina Garcia The Hidden Face

Eira Stuedhal Amors Baller

Emma Watson The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Noomi Rapace The Monitor
Nadhedza Markina Elena
Tao Zhao Shun Li and the Poet

Judi Dench The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Helen Sjöholm Simon and the Oaks
Leila Hatami A Separation

Keira Knightley Anna Karenina
Edith Scob Holy Motors

Irma Brown Neighboring Sounds

Rachel Weisz Deep Blue Sea
Karina Gidi Abel
Rachel Mwanza War Witch

Lola Creton Goodbye First Love
Juno Temple Killer Joe

Alicia Vikander A Royal Affair
Cecile De France The Boy with the Bike

Best Actor

Started with: 105
Goal: 52


Thomas Horn Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Gad Elmaleh La Rafle

Daniel Radcliffe The Woman in Black

Jánis Derszi The Turin Horse

Jonah Hill 21 Jump Street

Josh Hutcherson The Hunger Games

Paul Dano Being Flynn

James Rolleston Boy

Fellag Monsieur Lazhar

Dane DeHaan Chronicle

Michael Fuith Michael

Kanji Furutachi Hospitalité

Sacha Baron Cohen The Dictator
Andrew Garfield The Amazing Spider-man
Tuval Shafir The Matchmaker

Seann William Scott Goon

Mark Duplass Safety Not Guaranteed

Jelle Floorizoone North Sea Texas
Christian Bale The Dark Knight Rises
Samuel L. Jackson The Samaritan

Kaoru Kobayashi Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog

Clive Owen Intruders

CJ Adams The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Will Ferrell The Campaign
Zach Galiafinakis The Campaign

Joaquin Phoenix The Master

Philip Seymour Hoffman The Master

Ethan Hawke Sinister
Logan Lerman The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Frank Langella Robot & Frank

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Looper

Colin Farrell Seven Psychopaths

Kim Kold Teddy Bear

Rade Serbedzija Shun Li and the Poet
Bill Nighy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Bill Skarsgård Simon and the Oaks
Daniel Craig Skyfall
Payman Maadi A Separation

Jack Black Bernie
Aaron Taylor-Johnson Anna Karenina

Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln

Denis Lavant Holy Motors

Mel Gibson Get the Gringo

Will Ferrell Casa de mi Padre
Aksel Hennie Headhunters
Anders Danielsen Lie Oslo, August 31st

Rick Lens Kauwboy
Jimmy Bennett Bones

Matthew McConaughey Killer Joe

Mads Mikkelsen A Royal Affair

Best Supporting Actress

Started with: 70
Goal: 35


Viola Davis Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Sylvie Testud La Rafle

Kelly McGillis The Innkeepers

Janet McTeer The Woman in Black

Anna Hutchison The Cabin in the Woods

Mira Sorvino Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Charlize Theron Snow White & the Huntsman

Pasqualina Scuncia Corpo Celeste

Lisa Fávero Found Memories

Kelly McAndrew In the Family

Kateljin Damen North Sea Texas

Anna Gunn Sassy Pants

Anne Hathaway The Dark Knight Rises

Penelope Cruz To Rome with Love

Dee Wallace Exit Humanity

Pilar Lopez de Ayala Intruders

Alexandra Holden Lovely Molly

Sarah Baker The Campaign

Amy Adams The Master

Emily Blunt Looper

Valérie Maës Sexual Chronicles of a French Family

Elena Lyadova Elena

Maggie Smith The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Katharina Schüttler Simon and the Oaks

Rosabelle Kunnanna Rexford On the Ice

Shirley MacLaine Bernie

Kelly MacDonald Anna Karenina

Emily Watson Anna Karenina

Areen Omari The Other Son

Sally Field Lincoln


Kylie Minogue Holy Motors

Brit Marling Sound of My Voice

Gena Varela Devil’s Rock

Sarah Silverman Take This Waltz

Gina Gershon Killer Joe

Best Supporting Actor

Started with: 111
Goal: 55

Dennis Quaid Beneath the Darkness
Max Von Sydow Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Ciaran Hinds The Woman in Black
Mihaly Kormos The Turin Horse
Channing Tatum 21 Jump Street
Celso Bugallo Amador
Taika Waititi Boy
Refet Abazi The Forgiveness of Blood
Michael B. Jordan Chronicle
Tatsuya Kawamura Hospitalité
Jesse McCartney Chernobyl Diaries
Josh Brolin Men in Black 3
Christopher Lloyd Piranha 3DD
Trevor St. John In the Family
Adir Miller The Matchmaker
Jay Baruchel Goon
Marc-André Grondin Goon
Mathias Vergels North Sea Texas
Luk Wyns North Sea Texas
Thomas Coumans North Sea Texas
Haley Joel Osment Sassy Pants
Diedrich Bader Sassy Pants
Michael Caine The Dark Knight Rises
Joseph Gordon-Levitt The Dark Knight Rises
Tom Hardy The Dark Knight Rises
Tom Wilkinson The Samaritan
Steve Zahn Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Devon Bostick Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Richard Ayoade The Watch
Dylan McDermott The Campaign
Lázaro Mur Pan Negro
Harald W. Bord Weedon Amors Baller
James Ransone Sinister
Ezra Miller The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Kristoffer Joner The Monitor
Christopher Walken Seven Psychopaths
Jim Broadbent The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
John Goodman Argo
Alan Arkin Argo
Jan Josef Liefers Simon and the Oaks
Ben Whishaw Cloud Atlas
Hugo Weaving Cloud Atlas
Jim Broadbent Cloud Atlas
Hugh Grant Cloud Atlas
Ben Whishaw Skyfall
Javier Bardem Skyfall
Shahab Hosseini A Separation
Matthew McConaghuey Bernie
Jude Law Anna Karenina
Pascal Elbé The Other Son
Tommy Lee Jones Lincoln
Michael Sheen The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
Gael Garcia Bernal 
Casa de mi Padre
Nicolaj Coster-Waldau 
Headhunters
Hans Olav Brenner 
Oslo, August 31st
Loek Peters 
Kauwboy

Shahab Hosseini A Separation

Peter DaCunha The Barrens
Donal Logue 
Silent Night
Malcolm McDowell Silent Night
Matthew McConaughey 
Magic Mike
Emile Hirsch 
Killer Joe
Mikkel Boe Foesgaard 
A Royal Affair

Best Youth Ensemble

Started with: 71
Goal: 35

La Rafle
The Woman in Black
Moon Child
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Boy
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Monsieur Lazhar
From Time to Time
Michael
The Matchmaker
North Sea Texas
The Dark Knight Rises
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Intruders
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
The Campaign
Spud
The Possession
Vorstadtkrokodile 3: Freunde Fur Immer
Amors Baller
Magic Silver
The Road
The Dynamiter
War of the Buttons
Simon and the Oaks
Cloud Atlas
Anna Karenina
Home Alone: Holiday Heist

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role

Started with: 17
Goal: 8

Ryan Simpkins Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Sophie Nélisse Monsieur Lazhar
Chloe Grace Moretz Hick
Yle Vianello Corpo Celeste
Natasha Calls The Possession
Leonie Tepie Vorstadtkrokodile 3: Freunde Fur Immer
Ane Viola Semb Magic Silver
Elya Inbar Off White Lies
Rachel Mwanza War Witch
Quvenzhané Wallis Beasts of the Southern Wild

I purposely over-shot the goal by one here to defer further decisions. Deeper field than expected.

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

Started with: 29
Goal: 14

Thomas Horn Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Quentin Challal Moon Child
James Rolleston Boy
Émilien Néron Monsieur Lazhar
Jelle Florizoone North Sea Texas

CJ Adams The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Troye Sivan Spud
Francesc Colomer Pan Negro
Nick Romeo Reimann Vorstadtkrokodile 3: Freunde Fur Immer
Kåre Hedebrant Amors Baller

Johan Tinus Lindberg Magic Silver
Jonatan S. Wächter Simon and the Oaks
Rick Lens 
Kauwboy

Jimmy Bennett Bones
Thomas Doret The Boy with the Bike

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role

Started with: 42
Goal: 21

Adèle Excharpolous La Rafle
Chloë Grace Moretz Texas Killing Fields
Ashley Gerasimovich We Need to Talk About Kevin
Moerangi Tihore Boy
Marie-Ève Beauregard Monsieur Lazhar
Chloë Grace Moretz Dark Shadows
Nina Marie Kortekaas North Sea Texas
Ella Purnell Intruders
Odeya Rush The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Madison Davenport The Possession
Marina Comas Pan Negro
Katherine McNamara Girl vs. Monster
Clare Foley Sinister
Sarina Farhadi A Separation
Diana Zriek The Other Son
Mary Wisselmann The Other Son
Jeanne Disson 
Holy Motors


Susan Radder 
Kauwboy
Sarina Farhadi A Separation

Avery Kristen Pohl Sound of My Voice

Break 2 – Actors are complete after next list then on to the technical side.

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role

Started with: 90
Goal: 45

Gulliver Hecq Film Socialisme
Ahmaogak Sweeney Big Miracle
Fergus Riordan Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance
Jasper Newell We Need to Talk About Kevin
Liam Broggy Being Flynn
Ryan Lee Meeting Evil
Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu Boy
John Bell Wrath of the Titans
Louis-David Leblanc Monsieur Lazhar
Vincent Millard Monsieur Lazhar
Seddik Benslimane Monsieur Lazhar
The Forgiveness of Blood
Kwayedza Kureya From Time to Time
Gully McGrath Dark Shadows
Chandler Canterbury A Bag of Hammers
Philipp Stöger Michael
Xavier Atkins Snow White & the Huntsman
Christian Martyn Citizen Gangster
Sebastian Banes In the Family
Aedin Mincks Ted
Bretton Manley Ted
Ben van Den Heuvel North Sea Texas
Nathan Naenen North Sea Texas
Mathias Vergels North Sea Texas
Aramis Knight The Dark knight Rises
Michael Hall D’Addario People Like Us
Robert Capron Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Christian Martyn Exit Humanity
Izán Corchero Intruders
Grant Goodman The Campaign
David Hürten Vorstadtkrokodile 3: Freunde Fur Immer
Michael D’Addario Hall Sinister
Pierce Gagnon Looper
Vetle Qvenild Werring The Monitor
Torkil Johannes Swensen Høeg The Monitor
Renz Valerio The Road
John Alex Nunnery The Dynamiter
Karl Martin Eriksson Simon and the Oaks
Brody Nicholas Lee Cloud Atlas
Clément Godefroy War of the Buttons
Théophile Baquet War of the Buttons
Louis Dussol War of the Buttons
Harold Werner War of the Buttons
Nathan Parent War of the Buttons
Eros Vlahos Anna Karenina
Oskar McNamara Anna Karenina
Gulliver McGrath Lincoln
Peter DaCunha Home Alone: Holiday Heist
Kevin Hernandez Get the Gringo

Serge KanyindaWar Witch
Peter DaCunha The Barrens

Best Director

Started With: 60
Goal: 30

Stephen Daldry Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
James Watkins The Woman in Black
Béla Tarr The Turin Horse
Lynne Ramsay We Need to Talk About Kevin
Drew Goddard The Cabin in the Woods

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Monsieur Lazhar
In the Family
Goon
Safety Not Guaranteed

North Sea Texas
The Dark Knight Rises
Intruders
ParaNorman
Sinister

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Looper
The Dynamiter
Argo
Skyfall

Bernie
Anna Karenina
Lincoln

The Aggression Scale


Holy Motors



Kauwboy

Klown


Killer Joe

Best Cinematography

Best Cinematography

Started with: 69
Goal: 34

The Woman in Black
The Turin Horse
We Need to Talk About Kevin
The Raid: Redemption
Citizen Gangster

Corpo Celeste
Keyhole
Found Memories
The Amazing Spider-man
North Sea Texas

The Dark Knight Rises
Intruders
The Whisperer in Darkness
ParaNorman
Nimmermeer

Sinister
Looper
Magic Silver
The Road
Simon and the Oaks

Cloud Atlas
Skyfall
On the Ice
Lincoln
Anna Karenina

Life of Pi

Holy Motors

Beyond the Black Rainbow

Kauwboy


Deep Blue Sea
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Killer Joe

A Royal Affair

Best Makeup

Best Makeup

Started with: 51
Goal: 24

The Woman in Black
The Turin Horse
Moon Child
The Cabin in the Woods
The Dictator
Keyhole
Prometheus
Goon
The Dark Knight Rises
Exit Humanity
The Whisperer in Darkness
[REC] 3: Génesis
The Possession
Sinister
Looper
Magic Silver
Anna Karenina

The Aggression Scale


Holy Motors

Hitchcock


Devil’s Rock

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Killer Joe

A Royal Affair

Best original Screenplay

Best Original Screenplay

Started with: 55
Goal: 27

The Turin Horse
Taika Waititi Boy
Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard The Cabin in the Woods
Gareth Evans The Raid: Redemption
Chronicle
Michael
Keyhole
Found Memories
In the Family
Ted
Safety Not Guaranteed
ParaNorman
[REC] 3: Génesis
Nimmermeer
Sinister
Robot & Frank
Looper
Magic Silver
The Monitor
Seven Psychopaths
Wreck-It Ralph
On the Ice

The Aggression Scale


Holy Motors


Kauwboy


Klown


Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Adapted Screenplay

Started with: 35
Goal: 17

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Woman in Black
We Need to Talk About Kevin
From Time to Time
The Amazing Spider-man
The Matchmaker
Goon
North Sea Texas
The Dark Knight Rises
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Skyfall
Bernie
Rise of the Guardians
Anna Karenina
Klown

Killer Joe

A Royal Affair

Best Editing

Started With: 73
Goal: 36

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Turin Horse
The Grey
Moon Child
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Being Flynn
The Raid: Redemption
Boy
From Time to Time
Chronicle
Michael
Keyhole
In the Family
Goon
Safety Not Guaranteed
North Sea Texas
The Dark Knight Rises
ParaNorman
Sinister
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Looper
Magic Silver
The Dynamiter
Argo
Simon and the Oaks
Cloud Atlas
Skyfall
Wreck-It Ralph
Anna Karenina
Rise of the Guardians

The Aggression Scale


Holy Motors


Headhunters


Kauwboy


Killer Joe

A Royal Affair

Best Score

Best Score

Started with: 83
Goal: 41

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
La Rafle
The Turin Horse
Moon Child
The Hunger Games
Wrath of the Titans
The Raid: Redemption
John Carter
Monsieur Lazhar
Hick
Keyhole
In the Family
The Amazing Spider-man
The Matchmaker
Ted
Goon
North Sea Texas
The Dark Knight Rises
Safety Not Guaranteed
Absentia
Exit Humanity
The Whisperer in Darkness
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
ParaNorman
Nimmermeer
Sinister
The Dynamiter
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Argo
War of the Buttons
Simon and the Oaks
Cloud Atlas
Skyfall
On the Ice
Anna Karenina
Rise of the Guardians
Lincoln
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

The Aggression Scale

Holy Motors


Casa de mi Padre
Beyond the Black Rainbow

Kauwboy

War Witch

Killer Joe

A Royal Affair

Best Sound Editing/Mixing

Started With: 50
Goal: 24

The Woman in Black
The Turin Horse
The Cabin in the Woods
Safe House
John Carter
Wrath of the Titans
Chronicle
Battleship
Prometheus
The Dark Knight Rises
Intruders
The Whisperer in Darkness
Sinister
Looper
Argo
Cloud Atlas
Skyfall
Anna Karenina
Rise of the Guardians


Holy Motors


Neighboring Sounds

Headhunters


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Killer Joe

Best Visual Effects

Started with: 38
Goal: 19

The Woman in Black
John Carter
The Cabin in the Woods
Wrath of the Titans
The Hunger Games

Chronicle
Prometheus
The Amazing Spider-man
Ted
The Dark Knight Rises

The Whisperer in Darkness
ParaNorman
[REC] 3: Génesis
Sinister
Looper

Cloud Atlas
Skyfall
Beyond the Black Rainbow
Anna Karenina

Best Art Direction

Started with: 77
Goal: 38

The Woman in Black
The Turin Horse
John Carter
We Need to Talk About Kevin
The Hunger Games
The Raid: Redemption
The Cabin in the Woods
From Time to Time
Dark Shadows
Michael
The Dictator
Keyhole
Found Memories
In the Family
North Sea Texas
Sassy Pants
The Dark Knight Rises
The Whisperer in Darkness
ParaNorman
Pan Negro
The Master
Nimmermeer
Sinister
Magic Silver
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Simon and the Oaks
Cloud Atlas
Skyfall
Anna Karenina

Holy Motors


Get the Gringo

Beyond the Black Rainbow
Deep Blue Sea


Killer Joe

A Royal Affair

Best Costumes

Started With: 66
Goal: 33

La Rafle
The Woman in Black
The Turin Horse
John Carter
Boy

The Cabin in the Woods
From Time to Time
Dark Shadows
Keyhole
Found Memories

The Amazing Spider-man
Goon
North Sea Texas
The Dark Knight Rises
The Whisperer in Darkness

The Odd Life of Timothy Green
ParaNorman
Pan Negro
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Magic Silver

War of the Buttons
Simon and the Oaks
Cloud Atlas
On the Ice
Anna Karenina

Lincoln

Holy Motors


Kauwboy

Deep Blue Sea

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey


Magic Mike

A Royal Affair

Best Song

Best Song

Started With: 42+
Goal: 21

“When the Blaze is Blue” The Americans Texas Killing Fields
“The Next Episode” The Dictator
“The Song of General Sargeant Aladeen” The Dictator
“Afro Circus” Madagasgar 3
“The Thunder Buddy Song” Ted

“The Big Machine” Safety Not Guaranteed
“Rise” The Dark Knight Rises
“Just One of the Boys” Spud
“Giving it All” Spud
“You Had Me At Hello” Girl vs. Monster

“Who Were We” 
Holy Motors

“Casa de Mi Padre” 
Casa de mi Padre
“You Are the One” Ricky Koole 
Kauwboy

“Song of the Lonely Mountain” 
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
“Ladies of Tampa” 
Magic Mike

“Skyfall” Skyfall
“Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” Spud
Aivaaq’s Rap On the Ice

As those who are my friends on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter know, in December I am gearing up for my annual film awards (The BAM Awards), and that only partially explains my recent reposting of all past winners.

Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was no public knowledge.

This is because essentially the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was even more frustrating. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen.

Back then I was ticket stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues, however, it was just for me at the time.

I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name even at the time so eventually it just became BAM.

Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could.

The publication was an exciting and unnerving process regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of this period of time share what I thought an why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them.

So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them and other people and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason.

Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at who was chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away.

I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown.

So here goes…

2009

The Following are the BAM Award nominations. They reflect only the opinion of this critic and are based solely on the films he was able to see during the course of the past calendar year.
Unlike previous years only films released in the calendar year qualified. This narrowed the pool somewhat but there are good things to be found within indeed. A statement about the year in
film will follow with the winners and with the winners you will also get photos and with the special awards a little more info. The winners will be published on December 31st, 2009.

Best Picture

Where the Wild Things Are

My One and Only

Lymelife

Inglourious Basterds

Up

Whatever Works

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

A Single Man

Before Tomorrow

Is Anybody There?

Best Director

John Crowley Is Anybody There?

Spike Jonze Where the Wild Things Are

Derick Martini Lymelife

Quentin Tarantino Inglourious Basterds

David Yates Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Actor

Sacha Baron Cohen Brüno

Sharlto Copley District 9

Colin Firth A Single Man

Logan Lerman My One and Only

Viggo Mortensen The Road

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock The Blind Side

Kelly Macdonald The Merry Gentleman

Michelle Monaghan Trucker

Mélanie Laurent Inglourious Basterds

Renee Zellweger My One and Only

Best Supporting Actor

Michael Caine Is Anybody There?

Peter Capaldi In the Loop

Zach Galifianakis The Hangover

Christian McKay Me & Orson Welles

Christoph Waltz Inglorious Basterds



Best Supporting Actress

Anna Chlumsky In the Loop

Diane Kruger Inglourious Basterds

Julianne Moore A Single Man

Maggie Smith Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Charlize Theron The Road

Best Cinematography

Lance Acord Where the Wild Things Are

Javier Aguirresarobe The Road

Norman Cohn and Félix Lajeunesse Before Tomorrow

Bruno Delbonnel Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Chris Seager The Merry Gentleman

Best Makeup

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Unborn

Inglourious Basterds

The Road

A Single Man



Most Overrated Film

Drag Me to Hell 

Orphan

In the Loop

Sin Nombre

Paranormal Activity

Most Underrated Film

Aliens in the Attic

Shorts

Old Dogs

Hotel for Dogs

Before Tomorrow

Worst Picture



Pandorum

Orphan

The Uninvited

Halloween II

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Best Editing

Norman Cohn, Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Louise Dugal & Félix Lajeunesse Before Tomorrow

James Haygood and Eric Zumbrunnen Where the Wild Things Are

Alan Edward Bell (500) Days of Summer

Joan Sobel A Single Man

Mark Day Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Song

“The Climb” Miley Cyrus Hannah Montana: The Movie

“Quiero que Me Quieras” Gael Garcia Bernal Rudo y Cursi

”Raining Sunshine” Miranda Cosgrove Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Best Score

Carter Burwell and Karen O. Where the Wild Things Are

Abel Korzeniowski A Single Man

Marco Beltrami Knowing

Mark Isham My One and Only

James Horner Avatar

Best Sound Editing



Aliens in the Attic

District 9

2012

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Avatar

Best Visual Effects

Avatar

District 9

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Star Trek

Where the Wild Things Are

Best Cast

Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Cristoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, B.J. Novak and Mike Myers Inglourious Basterds

Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode and Nicholas Hoult in A Single Man

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, etc. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Renee Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Mark Rendall, Kevin Bacon and Nick Stahl My One and Only

Rory Culkin, Kieran Culkin, Emma Roberts, Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton and Cynthia Nixon Lymelife

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Jimmy Bennett Trucker

Bill Milner Is Anybody There?

Kodi Smit-McPhee The Road

Chandler Canterbury Knowing

Max Records Where the Wild Things Are

Best Original Screenplay

Quentin Tarantino Inglourious Basterds

Woody Allen Whatever Works

Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (500) Days of Summer

Mark Burton and Adam F. Goldberg Aliens in the Attic

John Lucas and Scott Moore The Hangover

Best Adapted Screenplay

Spike Jonze, David Eggers and Maurice Sendak Where the Wild Things Are

Susan Avingaq, Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Madeline Ivalu and Jørn Riel Before Tomorrow

Steve Kloves and J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman and Gene Roddenberry Star Trek

Joe Penhall and Cormac McCarthy The Road

Best Art Direction

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Is Anybody There?

Aliens in the Attic

My One and Only

A Single Man



Best Costumes



My One and Only

Me & Orson Welles

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Where the Wild Things Are

A Single Man


The Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award


Werner Herzog

The Robert Downey, Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year


Michael Keaton

Nominations

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince– 11

Where the Wild Things Are and A Single Man– 9

My One and Only, Inglourious Basterds– 7

The Road– 6

Before Tomorrow, Is Anybody There?– 5

Lymelife, District 9, In the Loop, Aliens in the Attic, Avatar– 3

Whatever Works, The Merry Gentleman, Trucker, The Hangover, Me & Orson Welles, Orphan, Knowing, Star Trek, (500) Days of Summer– 2

Brüno, The Blind Side, The Unborn, Drag Me to Hell, Uninvited, Sin Nombre, Paranormal Activity, Halloween II, Shorts, Old Dogs, Pandorum, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Hotel for Dogs, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Rudo y Cursi, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 2012– 1

As those who are my friends on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter know, in December I am gearing up for my annual film awards (The BAM Awards), and that only partially explains my recent reposting of all past winners.

Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was not public knowledge.

This is because essentially the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was even more frustrating. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen.

Back then I was ticket stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues, however, it was just for me at the time.

I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name even at the time so eventually it just became BAM.

Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could.

The publication was an exciting and unnerving process regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of this period of time share what I thought an why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them.

So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them and other people and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason.

Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at who was chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away.

I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown.

So here goes…

2008

OK same disclaimer as always. BAM stands for Bernardo Academy of Movies, the name stinks but I was fifteen when I made it up and I won’t be changing it now. These awards are also based on my opinion alone and cannot be swayed only debated. Conversely if I did not see something that could be why it’s not nominated. You may also see some ’07 titles that I was unable to see until early ’08.

Winners and my rant re: 2008 will come in a day or two.

Winners are both BOTH and pictured.

Best Picture (Top 10)

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)
Mother of Tears (La Terza Madre)
Australia
La Vie en Rose (La Mome)
Son of Rambow
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)
Tropic Thunder
Juno
The Substitute (Vikaren)
The Spiderwick Chronicles

Best Director

Thomas Alfredson Let The Right One In
Garth Jennings Son of Rambow
Baz Luhrmann Australia
Julian Schnabel The Diving Bell & The Butterfly
Ben Stiller Tropic Thunder

Best Actor

Mathieu Almaric The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Javier Bardem Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Steve Carell Get Smart
Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man
Sean Penn Milk

Best Actress

Asia Argento Mother of Tears
Marion Cotillard La Vie en Rose
Rebecca Hall Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Nicole Kidman Australia
Ellen Page Juno

Best Supporting Actor

Tom Cruise Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. Charlie Bartlett
Robert Downey Jr. Tropic Thunder
Heath Ledger The Dark Knight
Will Poulter Son of Rambow

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Jennifer Garner Juno
Alison Pill Milk
Joan Plowright The Spiderwick Chronicles
Mary Steenburgen Step Brothers

Best Cinematography

Caleb Deschanel The Spiderwick Chronicles
Frederic Fasano Mother of Tears
Hoyte Van Hoytema Let the Right One In
Janusz Kaminski The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tetsuo Nagata La Mome

Best Makeup

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Mother of Tears
Let the Right One In
Australia

Most Overrated Film

The Dark Knight
Twilight
Pineapple Express
Wall-E
The Incredible Hulk

Most Underrated Film

The Spiderwick Chronicles
Son of Rambow
X-Files: I Want to Believe
Get Smart
The Love Guru

Worst Picture

The Happening
The Incredible Hulk
Mirrors
Prom Night
Twilight

Best Editing

Thomas Alfredson and Daniel Jonsäter Let the Right One In
Walter Fasano Mother of Tears
Richard Marizy La Mome
Michael Kahn The Spiderwick Chronicles
Juliette Welfling The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Song

A Capella rendition of “Sweet Child O’Mine” in Step Brothers
“Boats and Hoes” Step Brothers
“The Boys are Back” High School Musical 3
“A Night to Remember” High School Musical 3
“Booty Sweat jingle” Tropic Thunder

Best Soundtrack

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Mother of Tears
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Juno
La Vie En Rose

Best Sound Editing

The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
La Terza Madre
Indiana Jones and the Legend of the Crystal Skull
The Dark Knight

Best Visual Effects

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Substitute
Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Dark Knight

Best Cast

Paprika Steen, Ulrich Thomasen, Johan Wandschneider, Nikolai Falkenberg-Klok, Emme Jule Justesen, Mollie Maria Gilmartin, Josephin Gents, etc. The Substitute
Lina Leandersson, Kare Hedebrant, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg, Ika Nord and Martin Ram Let the Right One In
Amy Hall, Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr., Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Danny R. McBride, Brandon T. Jackson, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaghuey and Brandon Soo Hoo Tropic Thunder
Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Allison Pill, Joseph Cross and Diego Luna Milk

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Kare Hedebrant Let the Right One In
Freddie Highmore The Spiderwick Chronicles
Lina Leandersson Let the Right One In
Will Poulter Son of Rambow
Brandon Walters Australia

Best Original Screenplay

Woody Allen Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Dustin Lance Black Milk
Diablo Cody Juno
Garth Jennings Son of Rambow
Ben Stiller, Justin Thoreau and Ethan Cohen Tropic Thunder

Best Adapted Screenplay*

Johan Ajvide Lindqvist Let the Right One In
Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer and Bob Kane The Dark Knight
Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby Iron Man
Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely and C.S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, John Sayles, Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black The Spiderwick Chronicles

Best Art Direction

La Vie En Rose
Let the Right One In
The Strangers
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Substitute

NOMINATIONS
——————-

Let the Right One In– 10 Nominations
The Spiderwick Chronicles– 10 Nomination
Tropic Thunder– 7 Nominations
Mother of Tears– 6 Nominations
Son of Rambow– 6 Nominations
Vicky Cristina Barcelona– 6 Nominations
Australia– 5 Nominations
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly– 5 Nominations
Juno– 5 Nominations
The Dark Knight– 5 nominations
La Vie en Rose– 5 Nominations
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian– 4 nominations
The Substitute-4 Nominations
Milk– 4 nominations
Step Brothers– 3 nominations
High School Musical 3: The Senior Year– 3 Nominations
Iron Man– 2 nominations
Get Smart– 2 Nominations
Charlie Bartlett, Twilight, Wall-E, The Incredible Hulk, Pineapple Express, X-Files: I Want to Believe, The Love Guru, Mirrors, Prom Night, The Happening, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Strangers– 1 nomination

As those who are my friends on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter know, in December I am gearing up for my annual film awards (The BAM Awards), and that only partially explains my recent reposting of all past winners.

Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was not public knowledge.

This is because essentially the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was even more frustrating. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen.

Back then I was ticket stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues, however, it was just for me at the time.

I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name even at the time so eventually it just became BAM.

Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could.

The publication was an exciting and unnerving process regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of this period of time share what I thought an why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them.

So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them and other people and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason.

Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at who was chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away.

I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown.

So here goes…

2007

Disclaimers:

1. These awards are fictitious and represent only my, Bernardo Villela’s, opinions about the past year in film….
2. BAM stands for Bernardo Academy of Movies. Lame, hence I made it up in High School. And has no connections with Emeril Legasse whatsoever…..
3. Some titles I was unable to view in 2006 were eligible in 2007. Films I didn’t see are not eligible

Message: You’ll notice that there are 10 best picture nominees but not because 2007 was the best year in film history quite to the contrary it was probably the weakest since this award officially began (1996). However, the choices seem to be easier when there are standout films all around these decisions were hard and allowed me to finally make a top 10 list. Other unusual decisions follow and will be explained within.

Winners are in BOLD and pictured.

Best Picture

August Rush
Hairspray
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Last Mimzy
Brand Upon the Brain!
The Departed
Across the Universe
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
Hot Fuzz
Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor)

Note: Even picking ten wasn’t easy honorable mentions to Bridge to Terabithia and The Simpsons Movie, Notes on a Scandal.

Best Director

Guy Maddin Brand Upon the Brain!
Edgar Wright Hot Fuzz
Timur Bekmambetov Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor) 

Martin Scorcese The Departed
Julie Taymor Across the Universe

Note: Director was a lot easier to discern.

Best Actor

Daniel Radcliffe Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Josh Hutcherson Bridge to Terabithia
Rowan Atkinson Mr. Bean’s Holiday
Leonardo DiCaprio The Departed
Christian Bale 3:10 to Yuma

Best Actress

AnnaSophia Robb Bridge to Terabithia
Emma Watson Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Isabella Rossellini Brand Upon the Brain!
Nikki Blonsky Hairspray
Cate Blanchett Notes on a Scandal

Best Supporting Actor

Logan Lerman 3:10 to Yuma
Rupert Grint Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Russell Crowe 3:10 to Yuma
Jack Nicholson The Departed
Nick Frost Hot Fuzz

Best Supporting Actress

Imelda Staunton Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Maggie Smith Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Galina Tyunina Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor)
Judi Dench Notes on a Scandal
Julie Walters Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix


Best Cinematography

Benjamin Kasulke Brand Upon the Brain!
Bruno Delbonnel Across the Universe
Jess Hall Hot Fuzz
Joel Ransom The Seeker: The Dark is Rising
Sergei Trofimov Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor)

Best Makeup

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Pirates of the Carribbean: At World’s End
28 Weeks Later
Grindhouse
Hairspray

Most Overrated Picture

Pirates of the Carribbean: At World’s End
28 Weeks Later
Superbad
Shrek the Third
High School Musical 2

Most Underrated Picture

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising
Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor)
Mr. Bean’s Holiday
August Rush
The Last Mimzy


Worst Picture

Pirates of the Carribbean: At World’s End
The Messengers
28 Weeks Later
High School Musical 2
The Last Sin Eater

NOTE: While it had great production values I fell asleep watching it and would’ve have stayed asleep of my snoring wasn’t interfering with other people’s “enjoyment” of the film.

Best Editing

Mark Day Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
William Steinkamp August Rush
Thelma Schoonmaker The Departed
Dmitri Kiselev Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor)
Chris Dickens Hot Fuzz

Best Song

“Witch Doctor” Alvin and the Chipmunks
“Christmas Don’t Be Late (The Chipmunk Song)” Alvin and the Chipmunks
“You Can’t Stop the Beat” Hairspray
“The New Girl in Town” Hairspray
“Spiderpig” The Simpsons Movie

Best Score

Nicholas Hooper Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Nick Mancina August Rush
James Newton Howard The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
Howard Shore The Last Mimzy
Philip Glass Notes on a Scandal

Best Soundtrack

Hairspray
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Across the Universe
August Rush

Mr. Bean’s Holiday

Best Costume Design

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
Hairspray
Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor)
Bridge to Terabithia

Best Sound Editing

August Rush
Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor)
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
The Last Mimzy
Hot Fuzz


Best Visual Effects

Across the Universe
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
Alvin and the Chipmunks
The Last Mimzy
Day Watch (Dnevoy dozor)

Best Cast

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton, Jason Isaacs, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Julie Walters, David Thewlis, Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Isabella Rossellini, Gretchen Kirch, Sullivan Brown, Maya Lawson and Katherin E. Scharhon Brand Upon the Brain!
Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Amanda Bynes, Elijah Kelly, Christopher Walken, John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer and Britney Snow Hairspray
Chris O’Neil, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Joely Richardson, Timothy Sutton, Michael Clark Duncan and Rainn Wilson The Last Mimzy
Leonardo Di Caprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Matt Damon The Departed

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Josh Hutcherson Bridge to Terabithia
AnnaSophia Robb Bridge to Terabithia
Logan Lerman 3:10 to Yuma
Freddie Highmore August Rush
Alex Etel The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
Daeg Faerch Halloween

NOTE: The six nominees in this category is due to the incredible talent level of the field.

Best Original Screenplay

Guy Maddin and George Toles Brand Upon the Brain!
Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, Eli Roth and Jeff Rendell Grindhouse
Simon McBurney, Hamish McColl, Robin Driscoll and Rowan Atkinson Mr. Bean’s Holiday
Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean et al. The Simpsons Movie
Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright Hot Fuzz

Best Adapted Screenplay

Micheal Goldenberg and J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Bruce Joel Rubin, Toby Emmerich, James V. hart, Carol Skiken, Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore The Last Mimzy
Robert Nelson Jacobs and Dick King-Smith The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
Leslie Dixon, John Waters, Thomas Meehan and Mark o’Donnell Hairspray
Timur Bekmambetov, Alexander Talal, Vladimir Vasiliev and Sergei Luyanenko Day Watch (Dnevnoy dozor)

Best Art Direction

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
Captivity
Day Watch (Dnevnoy dozor)
The Last Mimzy

Nominations


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 14 nominations (4 wins)

Day Watch 11 Nominations (3 wins)….
The Last Mimzy 9 nominations (1 win)….
Hairspray 9 nominations (2 Wins)….
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep 8 nominations (1 Win)….
Hot Fuzz– 7 nominations (2 wins)….
Brand Upon the Brain!, Bridge to Terabithia (1 Win)- 6 nominations ….
August Rush (2 Wins), The Departed (2 Wins), Across the Universe– 5 nominations….
3:10 to Yuma, Mr. Bean’s Holiday – 4 nominations….
Pirates of the Carribbean: At World’s End (1 Win), Alvin and the Chipmunks, Notes on a Scandal– 3 Nominations….
Superbad (1 Win), The Simpsons Movie, 28 Weeks Later, The Seeker: The Dark is Rising ( 1 win), Grindhouse, High School Musical 2, 1408– 2 nominations….
The Last Sin Eater, Halloween, Captivity, 1408– 1 nomination