So you think it's overwhelming when the Oscars announce their nominees, with five nominees per category and a whole lot of number crunching to do? Try the British Academy Film Awards on for size. The group commonly called BAFTA announced their longlist nominees for all 17 of their awards, with 15 nominees in each category (except Animated Film, which has). Let's see, carry the five, multiply by two.... that's 245 nominations! And like half of them are taken up by Meryl Streep and Ralph Fiennes.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Frost/Nixon-- neither of them British films, mind you-- led the nominees with 14 apiece, with Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Changeling and The Dark Knight right behind them at 13. More notable than the inclusions were the snubs, because come on, they even had room to nominate John Malkovich for both Changeling and Burn After Reading. Critically acclaimed British films Happy-Go-Lucky and Hunger both failed to find room in the Best Picture slot, and a good handful of suporting actors from movies that did make the Best Picture list couldn't find room here. There's no Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, no James Franco for Milk, and no Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road, even though Kathy Bates, with a much less dynamic role in the film, made her category.
Poke around through the list below, which is taken from Variety. There's way too many names here to get apoplectic about anything, and it's debatable how much influence the British Academy Awards have on our homegrown version. But of course, it's fun to debate anyway.
Longlist for the British Academy Film Awards:
BEST FILM "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight "
"Doubt"
"Frost/Nixon"
"In Bruges"
"I've Loved You So Long"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"Wall-E"
"The Wrestler"
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"The Baader Meinhof Complex"
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight "
"Dean Spanley"
"Defiance"
"Doubt"
"The Duchess"
"Frost/Nixon "
"Gomorrah"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Persepolis"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
DIRECTOR
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight "
"Doubt"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Hunger"
"In Bruges"
"I’ve Loved You So Long"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"The Wrestler"
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"Che Part One"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"Hunger"
"In Bruges"
"I’ve Loved You So Long"
"Milk"
"Rachel Getting Married"
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
"The Visitor"
"W."
"Wall-E"
"Waltz With Bashir"
"The Wrestler"
MAKE UP & HAIR
"Australia"
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Brideshead Revisited"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"The Duchess"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"The Wrestler"
VISUAL EFFECTS
"Australia"
"Changeling"
"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"
"Cloverfield"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Hancock"
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army"
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
"Iron Man"
"Quantum of Solace"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"Tropic Thunder"
"Wall-E"
"Waltz With Bashir"
SOUND
"Australia"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Frost/Nixon"
"In Bruges"
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
"Iron Man"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Quantum of Solace"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"Wall-E"
EDITING
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Doubt"
"Frost/Nixon"
"In Bruges"
"Man on Wire"
"Milk"
"Quantum of Solace"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"The Wrestler"
COSTUME DESIGN
"Australia"
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Brideshead Revisited"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"The Duchess"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Sex and the City"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"The Wrestler"
PRODUCTION DESIGN
"Australia"
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Brideshead Revisited"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"The Duchess"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Milk"
"Quantum of Solace"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Australia"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Doubt"
"The Duchess"
"Frost/Nixon"
"In Bruges"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Milk"
"Quantum of Solace"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"The Wrestler"
ANIMATED FILM
"Persepolis"
"The Tale of Despereaux"
"Wall-E"
"Waltz With Bashir"
MUSIC
"Australia"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"The Duchess"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Milk"
"Quantum of Solace"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"The Visitor"
"Wall-E"
LEADING ACTOR
Benicio del Toro - "Che Part One"
Brad Pitt - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Christian Bale - "The Dark Knight"
Colin Farrell - "In Bruges"
Dev Patel - "Slumdog Millionaire"
Frank Langella - "Frost/Nixon"
George Clooney - "Burn After Reading"
Javier Bardem - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Josh Brolin- "W."
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Revolutionary Road"
Michael Fassbender — "Hunger"
Michael Sheen - "Frost/Nixon"
Mickey Rourke - "The Wrestler"
Richard Jenkins- "The Visitor"
Sean Penn - "Milk"
LEADING ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie - "Changeling"
Anne Hathaway - "Rachel Getting Married"
Cate Blanchett - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Frances McDormand - "Burn After Reading"
Kate Winslet - "Revolutionary Road"
Kate Winslet - "The Reader"
Keira Knightley - "The Duchess"
Kristen Scott Thomas - "I’ve Loved You So Long"
Meryl Streep - "Mamma Mia!"
Meryl Streep - "Doubt"
Nicole Kidman - "Australia"
Penelope Cruz - "Elegy"
Rebecca Hall - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Sally Hawkins - "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Scarlett Johansson - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Brad Pitt - "Burn After Reading"
Brendan Gleeson - "In Bruges"
David Kross - "The Reader"
Eddie Marsan - "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Heath Ledger - "The Dark Knight"
John Malkovich - "Burn After Reading"
John Malkovich - "Changeling"
Josh Brolin - "Milk"
Kevin Bacon - "Frost/Nixon"
Peter O’Toole - "Dean Spanley"
Philip Seymour Hoffman - "Doubt"
Ralph Fiennes - "The Duchess"
Ralph Fiennes - "In Bruges"
Ralph Fiennes - "The Reader"
Robert Downey Jr. - "Tropic Thunder"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - "Doubt"
Charlotte Rampling - "The Duchess"
Elsa Zylberstein - "I've Loved You So Long"
Emma Thompson- "Brideshead Revisited"
Freida Pinto - "Slumdog Millionaire"
Judi Dench - "Quantum of Solace"
Julie Walters - "Mamma Mia!"
Kathy Bates - "Revolutionary Road"
Marisa Tomei - "The Wrestler"
Penélope Cruz - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rebecca Hall - "Frost/Nixon"
Tilda Swinton - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Tilda Swinton - "Burn After Reading"
Vera Farmiga - "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
Viola Davis - "Doubt"
