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Shame on us: The National Movie Awards 2007

Simon Brew


Whoever let ITV decide they could hand out the UK's National Movie Awards should be stopped. Really. Here's why...

Published on Oct 1, 2007
Previously, we’d reported on the nominations for the inaugural UK National Movie Awards. Another awards show dreamed up by ITV to compensate for the fact that they can only broadcast the Soap Awards once a year, the theory is that these are the people’s awards, voted for no doubt over premium rate phone numbers that might not get through, but will always charge you for your call. Allegedly.

Well, to the shame of our nation, Britain has spoken. Or, more to the point, the kind of person who sits at home voting on such shows has spoken. And here is the list of winners:

Best Action/Adventure Film
CASINO ROYALE

Best Animation Film
THE SIMPSONS

Best Comedy Film
HOT FUZZ

Best Family Film
HARRY POTTER & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Best Male Performance
DANIEL RADCLIFFE, Harry Potter

Best Female Performance
EMMA WATSON, Harry Potter

So let’s go through them. Best Action/Adventure Film was pretty much a shoo-in, given that Bourne Ultimatum didn’t qualify and every other nominee was some way behind the standards that Casino Royale set. No argument there.

Best Animated Film: The Simpsons? Did you, like, actually watch it? Sure, it wasn’t bad, but it beat the wonderfully-crafted Flushed Away, which had both a cracking script and top quality animation. Even the most devouring lover of The Simpsons Movie surely concedes that it was little more than a mishmash of two so-so episodes? Surely?

Best Comedy Film I think we got off pretty light. Hot Fuzz was no Shaun Of The Dead, but given its fellow nominees included Night At The Museum and Mr Bean’s Holiday, I think you have to rate that one a narrow escape. Likewise, it’s hard to argue that Harry Potter wasn’t the best of the family films nominated: nobody was really going to vote for Fantastic Four, were they?

But here’s where the whole shebang veers off the road, with dramatic style. Daniel Radcliffe, boys and girls, gave the Best Male Performance of the year. Really? I’ve got nothing against Daniel Radcliffe, and he’s got the potential to be a really strong actor, but surely it was his lack of gravitas that hurt the last Potter movie? And as for Emma Watson winning Best Actress, you can only conclude that it was 13-year olds that were allowed to vote. Watson has long been the superior of the three actors who underpin the Potter films, but even so, does she even deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Judi Dench, yet alone beat her to an award?

So all in all, another example of ITV rewarding people for, on the whole, work that’s below the usual standard of the winners, or for being really popular over being really talented. Casino Royale exempted.

At least it kept X Factor off the telly for a bit…

 
Tags
itv national movie awards harry potter emily watson daniel radcliffe

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Users Comments

Re: Shame on us: The National Movie Awards 2007
Posted By twosheds 1 October 1, 2007 09:02:50 AM

The problem here is the title of the awards ceremony - 'People's popular couch-potato award' would give some idea of the basis behind the awards. 'National Movie Awards' suggests a far tougher criteria than getting Radcliffe's teenage fan-club to fry their mobile bills on his behalf.

Re: Shame on us: The National Movie Awards 2007
Posted By Liberace 1 October 1, 2007 09:54:43 AM

I suspect who won what was largely determined by who actually was prepared to turn up on the night.

Re: Shame on us: The National Movie Awards 2007
Posted By sitar_tattoo 1 October 1, 2007 10:26:15 AM

This just in: the British public are crap.

Re: Shame on us: The National Movie Awards 2007
Posted By Spidergirl 1 October 1, 2007 10:26:40 AM

My TV is broken and I don't even care.

Re: Shame on us: The National Movie Awards 2007
Posted By simonbrew 1 October 1, 2007 10:27:32 AM

Apparently it was a public vote. It beggars belief...

Re: Shame on us: The National Movie Awards 2007
Posted By garlicsmack 1 October 1, 2007 11:54:44 AM

Hot Fuzz was better than Shaun of the Dead. (fin) I did enjoy the five minutes my housemate passed over the awards, playing the fun game of 'what's the name of that presenter? Didn't he used to be in that thing with the other one?' It wasn't as funny as the Greatest Briton, unfortunately, seeing as it did actually pull in a few star names. Weird.
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Daniel Radcliffe: the best actor of the year. Sigh. Daniel Radcliffe: the best actor of the year. Sigh.
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