X Marks The Spot - Again - In The Nanny Diaries

Big Screen Little Screen (weren't they a pair of regulars on Playschool?) have posted a UK-friendly iFilm version of The Nanny Diaries trailer. Sadly, it's in the wrong aspect ratio.

Take a look at the furnishings and decoration of the appartment in which Scarlett is nannying. You'll see a far higher concentration of X shapes than in The Departed even. This time, however, it strikes me as a much more appropriate and sensible application of the motif, not to mention worthwhile and effective.

For one thing - and not the main thing, let me stress - the appartment belongs to Mr and Mrs X. That's the name given to the employers of our Nanny Diarist, both on the page and here in the adapatation. Secondly, and much more importantly, the design is used to create a very opressively ordered, choking style in the production design. The wallpaper, the chairs, everything - they look heavy, tied-down, that bit more claustrophobically enclosing than if the X structures had not been woven into them.

A very good job by directors Springer and Berman, and particularly Mark Ricker, the film's production designer.

Half Time Oranges At The Baftas

The BAFTA ceremony is on hold for twenty minutes of news and about seven hundred man hours of urination, so I thought: well, why not blog a little on part one.

Well, so far I was disappointed by Andrea Arnold not thanking Lars von Trier; for Happy Feet beating Cars; for anything beating Children of Men for special effects - and I mean anything. Ever. In the history of film. That it was Pirates 2 just made it even more silly.

I was pleased by Michael Arndt winning for his Little Miss Sunshine screenplay; for Pan's Labyrinth winning Film Not in the English language; for Emanuel Lebezki netting best cinematographer.

The rest? No strong emotions, or divided feelings at least. I'm still hoping that The Departed is shut out and doesn't take a thing, even though my hopes of Babel being cold-shouldered entirely are over.

So What?

I mean, I've seen Scarface too. What's your point, Marty? Do you even have one?

Bafta Nominations Announced

The full set of Bafta Film Award nominations is out, and there's one blank space yet to be filled in the listing. Where Little Miss Sunshine is undoubtedly nominated for best film, the actual producer nominees have yet to be named. Bafta arbitration as to who actually produced the film is clearly underway and might, just might, get mildly controversial. Yawn.

Many of the usual suspects are up for multiple gongs - The Queen, The Departed, Babel - but one notable stand out is Daniel Craig's nomination as Best Actor. This is the first time a Bafta nomination has been handed out for playing Bond, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it also become the first time a Bond has won.

The awards are to be dished out on Sunday 11th February from a new home at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Sadly, this time the ceremony will also be without Stephen Fry who handled matters so very well over the last few years.