Elbowing aside the huddled Londoners queuing in the snow for their rations of black bread and vodka, the cineastical press pack descended on BAFTA’s Piccadilly HQ on Tuesday to see the seal officially broken on this year’s UK awards season with the nominations for The Orange Rising Star Award 2010.
The breakfast buffet duly demolished, the assorted eggy-tied celeb journos, directional young film crews and lavender film critics stuffed their pockets with gratis pastries and gathered to hear the shortlist for the sole BAFTA award to be decided on by that barometer of all things good and decent, The Public (if only Orange had taken as much notice of the masses when they replaced the nice posh voicemail lady with that new one who’s far too flipping chummy for our liking. But that’s a different rant altogether).
Happily, and despite the risks associated with allowing the Great Unwashed a say in anything (see: the National Television Awards), in the five years since its inception, the ORSA has proved a spookily accurate oracle when it comes to predicting big things for its winners. James McAvoy’s wiry charm,
the smoky intensity of Eva Green, Noel Clarke’s restless energy and Shia Laboeuf have all been celebrated.
This year’s nominations don’t quite live up to 2009, when the shortlist included not only Clarke but also the phenomenal Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Hall, but there’s enough to twist the melons of many a film fan. They are:
Jesse Eisenberg
Michael Cera was nominated last year, so he was out even if starring in Year One hadn’t already settled his hash. As World Number 2 in the Hesitant Geek stakes, Eisenberg is the go-to guy for 2010.
Nicholas Hoult
Swooning and sighs greeted Hoult’s A Single Man clip, and grown men/women wondered aloud how the wide eyed innocent from About a Boy had turned into a young Robert Redford as styled by Andy Warhol. Fortunately, Hoult was the only nominee with the good grace to actually turn up, so we all got to see that he is still actually the coltish wee lad beloved of Quality Street-wielding aunties everywhere.
Carey Mulligan
The semi-words ‘obv’ and ‘natch’ spring to mind, Mulligan having been last year’s major find in An Education. The only question is whether, after the six months she’s had, there’s any room left on her mantelpiece for another award.
Tahar Rahim
Fortuitous timing for Rahim, whose breakout role in LWLies favourite A Prophet will be seen in the UK this January. The most exciting nomination in the pack, Rahim’s performance has been somewhat overshadowed by his stylish and endlessly quotable director, Jacques Audiard, so a little more T-time wouldn’t go amiss.
Kristen Stewart
Being the most overground of all the nominees isn’t an advantage here but Stewart’s career choices since Into The Wild have been just the right side of populist.
What’s your take? Who’ll win? Or is there someone who isn’t nominated that deserves it more?
