BAFTA Nominees: 'Avatar', 'Hurt Locker', 'Education'

Is Precious better than Inglourious Basterds? Well, if "Best" means best, then according to BAFTA voters, yes. I would disagree for a number of reasons, although there's no denying the strength of the performances in Precious. But it received a Best Film nomination and Basterds did not, although the other four in the running for the main prize across the pond are not unexpected. Avatar and The Hurt Locker will have another showdown, with Up in the Air and the homegrown An Education receiving nominations, as well. And An Education is not there simply because it's British. It will be a Best Picture nominee for the Oscars, too, and rightly so. Best Director contains Tarantino but not Lee Daniels, and you'll also find Education's Lone Scherfig there, plus Neill Blomkamp. There are a couple other surprises as we go down the list (for example, I was thrilled to see Christian McKay nominated for Me and Orson Welles), and you can read all of the categories at In Contention. Best Film
Avatar
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Precious
Up in the Air
Best British Film
An Education
Fish Tank
In the Loop
Moon
Nowhere Boy
Best Director
James Cameron, Avatar
Neill Blomkamp, District 9
Lone Scherfig, An Education
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Andy Serkis, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Best Actress
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Saoirse Ronan, The Lovely Bones
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Audrey Tautou, Coco Before Chanel
Best Supporting Actor
Alec Baldwin, It’s Complicated
Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
Alfred Molina, An Education
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress
Anne-Marie Duff, Nowhere Boy
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’Nique, Precious
Kristin Scott Thomas, Nowhere Boy
Best Original Screenplay
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up
Best Adapted Screenplay
District 9
An Education
In the Loop
Precious
Up in the Air
Best Foreign Language Film
Broken Embraces
Coco Before Chanel
Let the Right One In
A Prophet
The White Ribbon
Best Animated Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up
Best Cinematography
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The RoadThe BAFTAs arrive a couple weeks before the Academy Awards. I think it's the time difference. Anyway, they'll be handed out on February 21st.