"Aviator" Sky-High at BAFTAs

While it wasn't firing on all cylinders, The Aviator may have gotten enough of a lift this weekend to give it a slight edge come Oscar time.

Martin Scorsese's epic biopic on bizarro billionaire Howard Hughes landed four trophies at Saturday's British Academy Film Awards, among them Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett for her dead-on channeling of Katharine Hepburn.

But Scorsese lost out in the Best Director category to hometown favorite Mike Leigh, whose Vera Drake was another multiple winner, scoring for Best Costume Design and Best Actress for star Imelda Staunton, who plays a kindly abortionist.

The British version of the Oscars, also known as the BAFTAs, isn't usually considered a major predictor for the Academy Awards because of its reliance on local fare. This year especially, since the film many people consider The Aviator's key Oscar challenger, Clint Eastwood's boxing drama Million Dollar Baby failed to tally any BAFTA nominations. Citing piracy fears, the film's distributor, Warner Bros., did not send out screeners to the approximately 6,000 BAFTA voters.

But the BAFTAs may have been accurate in one regard: No single film looks to be dominant when the real-deal Academy Awards are handed out on Feb. 27.

Despite winging 14 BAFTA nominations, The Aviator only managed a fly-by. Aside from Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress, The Aviator only won two other trophies: Best Production Design and Best Makeup and Hair. The film's star, Leonardo DiCaprio, lost in the Best Actor race to prohibitive Oscar favorite Jamie Foxx for his stunning portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray.

"We all know the grinder [Scorsese]'s gone through with awards," said Aviator coproducer Graham King of Scorsese, who's 0-for-the Oscars. "He's beyond disappointment. He's a filmmaker, and if his films get nominated he's fine."

Golden Globe winner and perhaps the next James Bond, Clive Owen, grabbed Best Supporting Actor kudos for the relationship drama Closer.

Sideways proved that it had some legs across the Pond, earning Best Adapted Screenplay for writer-director Alexander Payne and his partner, Jim Taylor.

Charlie Kaufman, meanwhile, won Best Original Screenplay for his backwards love story Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which also scored honors for Best Editing.

Best Cinematography went to Collateral, whose sleek urban nightmare vision of Los Angeles was captured on a digital camera, while Ray grabbed Best Sound.

BAFTA voters apparently liked a young Che Gueverra enough to bestow their Best Foreign Language Film award to Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries.

Here's the complete list of the night's winners:

Best Film: The Aviator Alexander Korda Award for British Film of the Year: My Summer of Love David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction: Mike Leigh, Vera Drake Best Actress: Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake Best Actor: Jamie Foxx, Ray Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator Best Supporting Actor: Clive Owen, Closer Film Not in the English Language: The Motorcycle Diaries Original Screenplay: Charlie Kauffman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Sideways Carl Foreman Award for First Feature: Amma Asante, A Way of Life People's Choice: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music: Gustavo Santaolalla, The Motorcycle Diaries Cinematography: Collateral Production Design: The Aviator Costume Design: Vera Drake Editing: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Sound: Ray Visual Effects: The Day After Tomorrow Makeup & Hair: The Aviator Short Film: The Banker Short Animation: Birthday Boy