Amy Adams, Doubt
Pros: They snubbed her for Enchanted. In a film where she's destined to get notice. Got the precursor nominations that matter. She's Jesus.
Cons: She plays the sweet innocent again. Of the four principal characters in her film, she got the worst reviews (not that they were bad but you know). No precursor wins.
Do I think she's in? Yes but I wouldn't be surprised to see her snubbed. She is the definite fifth.
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Pros: In a Woody Allen movie. Great reviews and her buzz never died. A great role. Hollywood glamour for the red carpet.
Cons: Backlash and her buzz is finally dying down in a big way. If the foreign- and VCB-loving Globes didn't give her the award...
Do I think she's in? Yes.
Viola Davis, Doubt
Pros: She owns Meryl Streep in a scene in Doubt. That's all I need to say. (and quite a few precursors including the ones that matter. And it's a Tony-winning role already.) Extremely reliable and underappreciated character actress.
Cons: Um... from what I remember she has a small role, but it's one of those "small but knock-your-socks off" performances, so that doesn't really matter. Hasn't won tons of precursors.
Do I think she's in? Yes.
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Pros: Title role and apparently a large one at that. She's gotten good reviews and several precursors.
Cons: Minus Hathaway, hype seems kind of dead around this film. No precursors that anyone would notice (SAG, BAFTA, Globes).
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Pros: She ages in the movie. Apparently she is extremely lovable too. BFCA and SAG nominations. Reliable and underappreciated character actress.
Cons: Hype is dying down around this movie and nobody was ever really making a big deal about her to begin with. Viola Davis already fulfills their "racially diverse reliable and underappreciated character actress" slot, right?
Do I think she's in? No, but she's #6 and I wouldn't be surprised if she did make an appearance on the 22nd.
Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire
Pros: Fantasy girlfriend character. Very pretty and glamorous on the red carpet. The insane hype for Slumdog Millionaire.
Cons: No precursors other than BAFTA. I don't think her acting is as widely-praised as Patel's.
Do I think she's in? No.
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Pros: AMPAS likes her, and she's playing one of their all-time favorite roles, a hooker/stripper with a heart of gold. Great reviews. She's got several precursors, including winning a bunch of minor ones.
Cons: She missed out on SAG. Rourke's getting most of the attention for the movie.
Do I think she's in? Yes.
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Pros: Kate Winslet. Double Globe win. Several precursor awards. She puts on an accent and deglams/ages. Holocaust/WWII movie. Great reviews.
Cons: She hasn't won all that many of the precursors due to Penelope and Marisa. Speech backlash. Some people may put this role in leading. The film hasn't gotten tons of attention.
Do I think she's in? Yes.
Showing posts with label best supporting actress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best supporting actress. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Is it a bad thing to be the first BSA frontrunner?
2004 - Virginia Madsen wins the lion's share of critics' awards. At the Globes, Natalie Portman wins. At SAG, Cate Blanchett wins. At the Oscar, the voters suddenly go, "OMG Cate Blanchett never won!!! We're sorry about Elizabeth now" and give her the Oscar.
2005 - Amy Adams wins the lion's share of critics' awards. At the Globes and after, though, it's all Rachel Weisz, Rachel Weisz, Rachel Weisz, and she ends up winning the Oscar.
2006 - Jennifer Hudson wins some critics' awards, more so than the other ladies mentioned here I think, but Cate Blanchett and Rinko Kikuchi got most of the critics' awards. I think. This is probably the exception to the rule, since everyone was like "JENNIFER'S GOING TO WIN" since Day 1.
2007 - Amy Ryan wins the lion's share of critics' awards and everyone says that her race is over like two weeks into the award season. By the time the Oscars roll around, Best Supporting Actress ends up being the most exciting race of the whole night, and the unexpected Tilda Swinton gets the gold.
2008 - Penelope Cruz seems to be the early frontrunner with her many critics' awards. But Kate won the most important critics' award (BFCA) and if the foreign- and Vicky Cristina Barcelona-loving Globes didn't give Pe (I was in Spain for like four months, I can officially call her that) the prize... she's not totally out at all, but I think people overestimate her chances at this point.
2005 - Amy Adams wins the lion's share of critics' awards. At the Globes and after, though, it's all Rachel Weisz, Rachel Weisz, Rachel Weisz, and she ends up winning the Oscar.
2006 - Jennifer Hudson wins some critics' awards, more so than the other ladies mentioned here I think, but Cate Blanchett and Rinko Kikuchi got most of the critics' awards. I think. This is probably the exception to the rule, since everyone was like "JENNIFER'S GOING TO WIN" since Day 1.
2007 - Amy Ryan wins the lion's share of critics' awards and everyone says that her race is over like two weeks into the award season. By the time the Oscars roll around, Best Supporting Actress ends up being the most exciting race of the whole night, and the unexpected Tilda Swinton gets the gold.
2008 - Penelope Cruz seems to be the early frontrunner with her many critics' awards. But Kate won the most important critics' award (BFCA) and if the foreign- and Vicky Cristina Barcelona-loving Globes didn't give Pe (I was in Spain for like four months, I can officially call her that) the prize... she's not totally out at all, but I think people overestimate her chances at this point.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
where did THAT come from?!
The lovely and talented Ms. Amy Ryan is going to be on the season finale of The Office? It's random, but, oh, I'm pretty excited. Her work on stage and in 2007 films is awesome, and The Office doesn't cast people, even for teeny bit parts, unless they're at the tippy-top of their game. And after Ms. Ryan's characters in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Gone Baby Gone, I'm dying for her to bust out some comic chops.Why must all Supporting Actress Oscar-nominated Amys be on The Office ;)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Threeish years later...
Rachel Weisz still rocks. Sorry, Jesus, but she kicked your ass that year (and all the other nominees', and Maria Bello's, and Laura Linney's, and Scarlett Johansson's, and anyone else you can think of - and you know it pained me to write that about Amy, Laura, and Scarlett ;) ). One of the most-deserved Oscar wins, um, well, probably ever in that category, actually (even if she is borderline lead, and I have her in lead).
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The Pulpys 2007 - Best Supporting Actresses.
yay. 6 nominees in every category except Supporting Actress - M/C because I couldn't think of another worthy performance
Best Supporting Actress :: Musical / Comedy
and the nominees are
Jenna Fischer as Darlene Madison in Walk Hard
Jennifer Garner as Vanessa Loring in Juno
Jennifer Jason Leigh as Pauline in Margot at the Wedding
Leslie Mann as Debbie in Knocked Up
Samantha Morton as Deborah Curtis in Control
and the winner is
Samantha Morton
Best Supporting Actress :: Drama
and the nominees are
Deborra-Lee Furness as Jude in Jindabyne
Romola Garai as Briony in Atonement
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Krysta Now in Southland Tales (HA! I'm CRAZY!)
Samantha Morton as Mary, Queen of Scots in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton
and the winner is
Romola Garai
If I had to combine them into 5:
Deborra-Lee Furness
* Romola Garai *
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Samantha Morton
Tilda Swinton
With apologies to Nicole Kidman in The Golden Compass, Marisa Tomei in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Kelly MacDonald in No Country for Old Men, and Charlotte Gainsbourg in I'm Not There, who I would have loved to include on a lineup somewhere.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Analyzing Best Supporting Actress.
My rankings, and analyzing their chances. So very fun. Also, the order of these nominees are very subject to change, because... it's me.
5. Ruby Dee, American Gangster.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy little tiny Ruby Dee slapping the human charisma machine Denzel, and she's undoubtedly had an awesome career, but she simply didn't have the screentime to develop a full character. She did way more than just "read the lines" like some have accused her of doing, but she really didn't have much of a character to work with - yes, that's the script's fault, but she's gotta take the fall for it. Not at all embarassing, but a win would be ridiculous overkill.
Why she might win: Overdue. SAG winner is usually a pretty good indication. Oscar loves the geezers in this category. You know some of them out there loved American Gangster and might want to reward it.
Why she might not: The peformance is really short and has a lot of backlash. This category is crazy.
4. Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone.
Amy Ryan here reminds me of Laura Linney in Kinsey; given a stock role, she doesn't sleepwalk through it. She earns her nomination as opposed to coasting into it with the role. She has an utterly unsympathetic character, yet she adds nuance enough to earn your sympathy. My only problem with her is that this performance gets showy at times. Still, her job is tough - gaining sympathy through an essentially unsympathetic role, showing depth in an unchanging character - and I certainly acknowledge her achievement.
Why she might win: Dominated the critics' awards. The Oscars love the "monster/crazy mom" role. Oscar loves deglam. She had a good year. You know there are those out there that love her theater work.
Why she might not: Lost the Globe and the BAFTA. Ask poor Virginia Madsen if the critics' choice always wins the Oscar. Her character isn't likable (but this is made up for by the fact that monster moms are some of Oscars' favorite roles). This category is crazy.
3. Saoirse Ronan, Atonement.
This performance is extremely overrated by the Atonement crazies (actually, I don't know why I said that in such a derogatory manner, as I love the film too), but that's not to say it isn't very good. One thing I truly loved about Ronan was her absolute refusal to make Briony a "likeable" character. She's a pretentious little twat with a sick, insane jealousy that leads her to actually ruin a man's life; why hide it? It's kind of amazing that such a young actress would give such an unsympathetic performance.
Why she might win: When the Oscars like little kiddies, they like them in the supporting categories. Crazy vote-splitting? She's in a Best Picture nominee.
Why she might not: The only one in this category to emerge without major awards. Her character isn't sympathetic (if Oscar likes little kiddies, they like 'em likable). This category is crazy.
2. Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There.
Sorry ya'll Haynes fans, but I thought I'm Not There was...pretty awful. What the hell was the point? There were no discernable characters. Dylan is ambiguous AND SO ARE REAL PEOPLE! OMG SO DEEP. Thanks, Todd. Didn't get that. Just like I didn't get the racism and homophobia in Far from Heaven, but that's another story for another time. Anyway, with such a bizarre narrative, many of the actors and actresses in this piece have no time to create actual characters - Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw are absolutely victims of this, and Richard Gere is just terrible. I don't know whether I too was affected by the "OMG CATE BLANCHETT IS A DUDE!!!" thing, but she seemed to be the only Dylan that actually created a living, breathing entity, both absolutely recognizable and frustratingly obscure. In addition, she bought some humor to the piece, which it really needed. At any rate, it's Cate's only deserved nomination this millennium, so good on her I guess...
Why she might win: She's Cate Blanchett - added to that, she's got the bonus of having a gimmick to attract voters. She was the frontrunner forever. Globe winner. Harvey Weinstein (WHY do I always write Harvey Fierstein? They are very different people!!!!) is promoting the shit out of her.
Why she might not: She wasn't exactly the precursors' darling. She lost the BAFTA and SAG. Nobody saw her movie (that might not matter, since I think Harvey is trying to make sure every Academy member sees at least Cate's performance, if not the movie...). This category is crazy.
1. Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton.
Truth be told, before 2007, I absolutely despised Tilda Swinton. I thought she was a not-really-talented oddity that got overrated because of her novelty. She was okay in Orlando and The Deep End, but her physical awkwardness and bland on-screen persona was often just way too much to handle. Then came Michael Clayton - and well, to be honest, my entire opinion changed. Tilda's role in Michael Clayton could have been hopelessly generic or even, as I read somewhere, misogynistic; instead, she transforms it into a true cinematic achievement. I was amazed anyone could get so much out of a character that is, basically, a giant, quivering orb of fear. When Michael says "for such a smart person, you really are lost, aren't you?" he really knows her - and so do we all, thanks to Tilda's simply fantastic performance. For the first time ever, her utter strangeness totally works for her. Now I feel obliged to go back and check out the rest of her filmography.........dammit.
Why she might win: BAFTA winner. In a Best Picture nominee that doesn't appear to be picking up any awards at all, this might be a good way for the Academy to reward it (though I always think this way of thinking is kind of stupid. All the members of AMPAS do not gather in a room and say "we're snubbing X here, so we've got to give X this category here." Dumb.). Career achievement?
Why she might not: She's obscure. Besides the BAFTA she hasn't won any other major awards. You know that weird thing about her having two boyfriends/husbands/lovers/whatever is gonna squick out some members of the Academy. This category is crazy.
Will win: I'm predicting Cate Blanchett, but nobody would be shocking.
Might win: Everyone (Saoirse has a slightly smaller chance than the other four, but it still wouldn't be a shock).
Dark horse: Could the crazy vote-splitting let Saoirse win? Wouldn't that be insane?
The snubbed: As far as those that might have gotten noticed by Oscar for whatever reason, I liked Vanessa Redgrave in Atonement, Marisa Tomei in Before the Devil..., Kelly MacDonald in No Country for Old Men, and Jennifer Garner in Juno. I prefer all of these to Saoirse, Amy, and Ruby (not to say that these performances were bad - I am pretty enthusiastic over the Academy's choices). And of course, there are a number of outstanding performances that the Oscars wouldn't have looked twice (or even once, in some cases) at...but you'll have to wait for my personal awards to see some of those ;)
5. Ruby Dee, American Gangster.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy little tiny Ruby Dee slapping the human charisma machine Denzel, and she's undoubtedly had an awesome career, but she simply didn't have the screentime to develop a full character. She did way more than just "read the lines" like some have accused her of doing, but she really didn't have much of a character to work with - yes, that's the script's fault, but she's gotta take the fall for it. Not at all embarassing, but a win would be ridiculous overkill.
Why she might win: Overdue. SAG winner is usually a pretty good indication. Oscar loves the geezers in this category. You know some of them out there loved American Gangster and might want to reward it.
Why she might not: The peformance is really short and has a lot of backlash. This category is crazy.
4. Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone.
Amy Ryan here reminds me of Laura Linney in Kinsey; given a stock role, she doesn't sleepwalk through it. She earns her nomination as opposed to coasting into it with the role. She has an utterly unsympathetic character, yet she adds nuance enough to earn your sympathy. My only problem with her is that this performance gets showy at times. Still, her job is tough - gaining sympathy through an essentially unsympathetic role, showing depth in an unchanging character - and I certainly acknowledge her achievement.
Why she might win: Dominated the critics' awards. The Oscars love the "monster/crazy mom" role. Oscar loves deglam. She had a good year. You know there are those out there that love her theater work.
Why she might not: Lost the Globe and the BAFTA. Ask poor Virginia Madsen if the critics' choice always wins the Oscar. Her character isn't likable (but this is made up for by the fact that monster moms are some of Oscars' favorite roles). This category is crazy.
3. Saoirse Ronan, Atonement.
Why she might win: When the Oscars like little kiddies, they like them in the supporting categories. Crazy vote-splitting? She's in a Best Picture nominee.
Why she might not: The only one in this category to emerge without major awards. Her character isn't sympathetic (if Oscar likes little kiddies, they like 'em likable). This category is crazy.
2. Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There.
Sorry ya'll Haynes fans, but I thought I'm Not There was...pretty awful. What the hell was the point? There were no discernable characters. Dylan is ambiguous AND SO ARE REAL PEOPLE! OMG SO DEEP. Thanks, Todd. Didn't get that. Just like I didn't get the racism and homophobia in Far from Heaven, but that's another story for another time. Anyway, with such a bizarre narrative, many of the actors and actresses in this piece have no time to create actual characters - Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw are absolutely victims of this, and Richard Gere is just terrible. I don't know whether I too was affected by the "OMG CATE BLANCHETT IS A DUDE!!!" thing, but she seemed to be the only Dylan that actually created a living, breathing entity, both absolutely recognizable and frustratingly obscure. In addition, she bought some humor to the piece, which it really needed. At any rate, it's Cate's only deserved nomination this millennium, so good on her I guess...
Why she might win: She's Cate Blanchett - added to that, she's got the bonus of having a gimmick to attract voters. She was the frontrunner forever. Globe winner. Harvey Weinstein (WHY do I always write Harvey Fierstein? They are very different people!!!!) is promoting the shit out of her.
Why she might not: She wasn't exactly the precursors' darling. She lost the BAFTA and SAG. Nobody saw her movie (that might not matter, since I think Harvey is trying to make sure every Academy member sees at least Cate's performance, if not the movie...). This category is crazy.
1. Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton.
Truth be told, before 2007, I absolutely despised Tilda Swinton. I thought she was a not-really-talented oddity that got overrated because of her novelty. She was okay in Orlando and The Deep End, but her physical awkwardness and bland on-screen persona was often just way too much to handle. Then came Michael Clayton - and well, to be honest, my entire opinion changed. Tilda's role in Michael Clayton could have been hopelessly generic or even, as I read somewhere, misogynistic; instead, she transforms it into a true cinematic achievement. I was amazed anyone could get so much out of a character that is, basically, a giant, quivering orb of fear. When Michael says "for such a smart person, you really are lost, aren't you?" he really knows her - and so do we all, thanks to Tilda's simply fantastic performance. For the first time ever, her utter strangeness totally works for her. Now I feel obliged to go back and check out the rest of her filmography.........dammit.
Why she might win: BAFTA winner. In a Best Picture nominee that doesn't appear to be picking up any awards at all, this might be a good way for the Academy to reward it (though I always think this way of thinking is kind of stupid. All the members of AMPAS do not gather in a room and say "we're snubbing X here, so we've got to give X this category here." Dumb.). Career achievement?
Why she might not: She's obscure. Besides the BAFTA she hasn't won any other major awards. You know that weird thing about her having two boyfriends/husbands/lovers/whatever is gonna squick out some members of the Academy. This category is crazy.
Will win: I'm predicting Cate Blanchett, but nobody would be shocking.
Might win: Everyone (Saoirse has a slightly smaller chance than the other four, but it still wouldn't be a shock).
Dark horse: Could the crazy vote-splitting let Saoirse win? Wouldn't that be insane?
The snubbed: As far as those that might have gotten noticed by Oscar for whatever reason, I liked Vanessa Redgrave in Atonement, Marisa Tomei in Before the Devil..., Kelly MacDonald in No Country for Old Men, and Jennifer Garner in Juno. I prefer all of these to Saoirse, Amy, and Ruby (not to say that these performances were bad - I am pretty enthusiastic over the Academy's choices). And of course, there are a number of outstanding performances that the Oscars wouldn't have looked twice (or even once, in some cases) at...but you'll have to wait for my personal awards to see some of those ;)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I like what someone said...
TILDA! I actually LIKE you now! I KNOW!Ryan for the critics + BFCA.
Blanchett for the Globe.
Dee for the SAG.
Swinton for the BAFTA.
...RONAN FOR THE OSCAR!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
ohhh yeahhh, I was supposed to do SAG reactions
- Good on The Sopranos. It was always an absolutely exemplary television show, and the last season was no different.
- I can't believe I'm going to say this, but that statue should have been Cate Blanchett's. The supporting one, obviously. I don't have a problem with Ruby Dee, though. And it's good to see at least one race be a wild card! (I think I'm still predicting Blanchett, though. The Academy is really wet for her.)
- No one was really dressed all that well. Marion Cotillard is absolutely gorgeous and everyone seems to be going on and on about her dress, but I wasn't that impressed. It was okay but not mind-blowing. I gotta say, Angelina Jolie looked gorgeous in what she was wearing, even though it was...crazy. Also everyone looked pregnant. I saw Cate Blanchett and was like "WHOAH WHAT'S UP WITH THAT????" then I remembered she actually is pregnant. Whoops.
- The Office won??!?!??!? Obviously, I'm thrilled (and yes, JKras was there. Ahhh... he is one tall drink of water). But...did they win for the fourth season? Because haven't they only had like...eight episodes? Not that it matters! Better than any other show on television!
- And that's, uh, that.
- I can't believe I'm going to say this, but that statue should have been Cate Blanchett's. The supporting one, obviously. I don't have a problem with Ruby Dee, though. And it's good to see at least one race be a wild card! (I think I'm still predicting Blanchett, though. The Academy is really wet for her.)
- No one was really dressed all that well. Marion Cotillard is absolutely gorgeous and everyone seems to be going on and on about her dress, but I wasn't that impressed. It was okay but not mind-blowing. I gotta say, Angelina Jolie looked gorgeous in what she was wearing, even though it was...crazy. Also everyone looked pregnant. I saw Cate Blanchett and was like "WHOAH WHAT'S UP WITH THAT????" then I remembered she actually is pregnant. Whoops.
- The Office won??!?!??!? Obviously, I'm thrilled (and yes, JKras was there. Ahhh... he is one tall drink of water). But...did they win for the fourth season? Because haven't they only had like...eight episodes? Not that it matters! Better than any other show on television!
- And that's, uh, that.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
personal acting finalists '07
20 in each category in alpha order, as to not give much away. I hope I've made both interesting and viable choices. The ones I haven't seen: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Talk to Me, Things We Lost in the Fire, We Own the Night, The Great Debaters, Paris je t'aime, and Black Book, most notably...
BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination...
Casey Affleck, Gone Baby Gone
Christian Bale, Rescue Dawn
Josh Brolin, No Country for Old Men
Steve Buscemi, Interview
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Chris Cooper, Breach
Russell Crowe, American Gangster
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Jude Law, Breaking and Entering
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
James MacAvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muhe, The Lives of Others
Gordon Pinsent, Away from Her
Brad Pitt, The Assassination...
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Enchanted (okay, I'll ruin this one for you, because it's pretty fucking obvious: she's winning Best Actress from me.)
Juliette Binoche, Breaking and Entering
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Katherine Heigl, Knocked Up
Ashley Judd, Bug
Nicole Kidman, Margot at the Wedding
Laura Linney, Jindabyne
Laura Linney, The Savages
Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Rose McGowan, Planet Terror
Sienna Miller, Factory Girl
Sienna Miller, Interview
Ellen Page, Juno
Christina Ricci, Black Snake Moan
Dakota Blue Richards, The Golden Compass
Belen Rueda, The Orphanage
Tang Wei, Lust, Caution
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (kind of a weird year.......)
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
John Carroll Lynch, Zodiac
Jeff Daniels, The Lookout
Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood
Robert De Niro, Stardust
Robert Downey Jr., Zodiac
Morgan Freeman, Gone Baby Gone
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
James Marsden, Enchanted
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad
Armin Mueller-Stahl, Eastern Promises
Jeremy Piven, Smokin' Aces
Paul Rudd, Knocked Up
Ed Sanders, Sweeney Todd
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Justin Timberlake, Alpha Dog (JUUUSTIN.)
Christopher Walken, Hairspray (anyone that would nom Travolta over him is ON CRACK.)
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Steve Zahn, Rescue Dawn
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rosario Dawson, Death Proof
Jenna Fischer, Walk Hard (PAM!)
Deborra-Lee Furness, Jindabyne
Charlotte Gainsbourg, I'm Not There
Romola Garai, Atonement
Jennifer Garner, Juno
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Southland Tales
Nicole Kidman, The Golden Compass
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Margot at the Wedding
Kelly MacDonald, No Country for Old Men
Leslie Mann, Knocked Up
Samantha Morton, Control
Samantha Morton, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Vanessa Redgrave, Atonement
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Imelda Staunton, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Marisa Tomei, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Kerry Washington, I Think I Love My Wife
BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination...
Casey Affleck, Gone Baby Gone
Christian Bale, Rescue Dawn
Josh Brolin, No Country for Old Men
Steve Buscemi, Interview
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Chris Cooper, Breach
Russell Crowe, American Gangster
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Jude Law, Breaking and Entering
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
James MacAvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muhe, The Lives of Others
Gordon Pinsent, Away from Her
Brad Pitt, The Assassination...
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Enchanted (okay, I'll ruin this one for you, because it's pretty fucking obvious: she's winning Best Actress from me.)
Juliette Binoche, Breaking and Entering
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Katherine Heigl, Knocked Up
Ashley Judd, Bug
Nicole Kidman, Margot at the Wedding
Laura Linney, Jindabyne
Laura Linney, The Savages
Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Rose McGowan, Planet Terror
Sienna Miller, Factory Girl
Sienna Miller, Interview
Ellen Page, Juno
Christina Ricci, Black Snake Moan
Dakota Blue Richards, The Golden Compass
Belen Rueda, The Orphanage
Tang Wei, Lust, Caution
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (kind of a weird year.......)
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
John Carroll Lynch, Zodiac
Jeff Daniels, The Lookout
Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood
Robert De Niro, Stardust
Robert Downey Jr., Zodiac
Morgan Freeman, Gone Baby Gone
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
James Marsden, Enchanted
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad
Armin Mueller-Stahl, Eastern Promises
Jeremy Piven, Smokin' Aces
Paul Rudd, Knocked Up
Ed Sanders, Sweeney Todd
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Justin Timberlake, Alpha Dog (JUUUSTIN.)
Christopher Walken, Hairspray (anyone that would nom Travolta over him is ON CRACK.)
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Steve Zahn, Rescue Dawn
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rosario Dawson, Death Proof
Jenna Fischer, Walk Hard (PAM!)
Deborra-Lee Furness, Jindabyne
Charlotte Gainsbourg, I'm Not There
Romola Garai, Atonement
Jennifer Garner, Juno
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Southland Tales
Nicole Kidman, The Golden Compass
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Margot at the Wedding
Kelly MacDonald, No Country for Old Men
Leslie Mann, Knocked Up
Samantha Morton, Control
Samantha Morton, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Vanessa Redgrave, Atonement
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Imelda Staunton, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Marisa Tomei, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Kerry Washington, I Think I Love My Wife
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Overrated supporting actresses.
I just realized that for every year since 1998, I find an popular Supporting Actress choice to be either extremely overrated, or just plain bad. (Here's me being grumpy again.) So, here they are.
1998: Joan Allen, Pleasantville (you know how sometimes, you just don't see what other people see in a performance, and you can't really explain why? Yeah. That's the case here. So well-described, I know.)
1999: Thora Birch, American Beauty (as far as supporting actresses in that film go, Mena Suvari schooled her. Thora pouted a lot and was terribly boring, but she flashed her boobs at 16 so the guys liked her. Thora Birch is really a pretty awful actress; she doesn't add any depth to her performances, but because people tend to relate to her characters, they like her more. Except for Paradise, I've never liked her in anything.)
2000: Kate Hudson, Almost Famous (more ridiculously overrated than bad. I wouldn't have screamed and cried had she got the Oscar, though Harden was better.)
2001: Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind (utterly awful. Her Oscar win is a joke)
2002: Julianne Moore, The Hours (like Hudson, not bad, just ridiculously overrated. And lead. Can't touch Zeta-Jones or Streep as well as several others, way outclassed by Collette in the scene between the two, and wayyyy inferior to her turn in Far from Heaven. I've found more than one person that considers this the best performance of her career, and one of the best of all time...frightening.)
2003: Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April (oh Patty. You're capable of so much more. Like The Station Agent and All the Real Girls this very same year.)
2004: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator (I'll never understand the praise for this. Shallow, empty, one-dimensional, and without an ounce of the fun Hepburn exuded.)
2005: Amy Adams, Junebug (good, yes. Better than a lot of other supporting actresses that year [Bello, Linney, Weisz, Williams, Zhang, Gyllenhaal, Johansson, Keener in 40-Year-Old-Virgin...], no. Heck, she wasn't even the best red-haired supporting actress that year; that honor goes to Isla Fisher. The way some people were calling this the "best performance ever" caused me to think this chick was so overrated. I still like her, though. She's adorable, and a great example of how an annoying performance can be good.)
2006: Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada (need I say more? [I will anyway] Remember how I was saying Cate was one-dimensional? Well, Emily might get away with it a little better, because her character isn't as well-written, but it doesn't mean she gets away with it. Not even people who are good at writing about movies can defend her properly. They're all just like "err...she's funny! And then her character gets desperate! Funny! Ha!" Emily's hardly alone, though; Blanchett in Notes [a blatant co-lead] and Kikuchi in Babel are also hideously overrated. Blanchett was both unspecific in her character choices and way over-the-top, and though I hate to simplify performances like this [though I did it for Thora up there, I suppose], all Kikuchi did was flash her vagina a lot and make odd faces.)
ranking these, best to worst:
Amy Adams
Kate Hudson
Julianne Moore
Joan Allen
Emily Blunt
Patricia Clarkson
Thora Birch
Jennifer Connelly
1998: Joan Allen, Pleasantville (you know how sometimes, you just don't see what other people see in a performance, and you can't really explain why? Yeah. That's the case here. So well-described, I know.)
1999: Thora Birch, American Beauty (as far as supporting actresses in that film go, Mena Suvari schooled her. Thora pouted a lot and was terribly boring, but she flashed her boobs at 16 so the guys liked her. Thora Birch is really a pretty awful actress; she doesn't add any depth to her performances, but because people tend to relate to her characters, they like her more. Except for Paradise, I've never liked her in anything.)
2000: Kate Hudson, Almost Famous (more ridiculously overrated than bad. I wouldn't have screamed and cried had she got the Oscar, though Harden was better.)
2001: Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind (utterly awful. Her Oscar win is a joke)
2002: Julianne Moore, The Hours (like Hudson, not bad, just ridiculously overrated. And lead. Can't touch Zeta-Jones or Streep as well as several others, way outclassed by Collette in the scene between the two, and wayyyy inferior to her turn in Far from Heaven. I've found more than one person that considers this the best performance of her career, and one of the best of all time...frightening.)
2003: Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April (oh Patty. You're capable of so much more. Like The Station Agent and All the Real Girls this very same year.)
2004: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator (I'll never understand the praise for this. Shallow, empty, one-dimensional, and without an ounce of the fun Hepburn exuded.)
2005: Amy Adams, Junebug (good, yes. Better than a lot of other supporting actresses that year [Bello, Linney, Weisz, Williams, Zhang, Gyllenhaal, Johansson, Keener in 40-Year-Old-Virgin...], no. Heck, she wasn't even the best red-haired supporting actress that year; that honor goes to Isla Fisher. The way some people were calling this the "best performance ever" caused me to think this chick was so overrated. I still like her, though. She's adorable, and a great example of how an annoying performance can be good.)
2006: Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada (need I say more? [I will anyway] Remember how I was saying Cate was one-dimensional? Well, Emily might get away with it a little better, because her character isn't as well-written, but it doesn't mean she gets away with it. Not even people who are good at writing about movies can defend her properly. They're all just like "err...she's funny! And then her character gets desperate! Funny! Ha!" Emily's hardly alone, though; Blanchett in Notes [a blatant co-lead] and Kikuchi in Babel are also hideously overrated. Blanchett was both unspecific in her character choices and way over-the-top, and though I hate to simplify performances like this [though I did it for Thora up there, I suppose], all Kikuchi did was flash her vagina a lot and make odd faces.)
ranking these, best to worst:
Amy Adams
Kate Hudson
Julianne Moore
Joan Allen
Emily Blunt
Patricia Clarkson
Thora Birch
Jennifer Connelly
Monday, May 07, 2007
Oscar winners from the '90s and beyond...
ouch...who don't make my acting lineups for that year in their respective categories. Sometimes, it's because it was a fantastic year in that category and while they may have been incredible, I just don't have room for them (Mirren '06). Sometimes, it's cuz they blew hard (Connelly '01). Of course, to further procrastinate, I've included handy-dandy notes.
Best Actor
1992: Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman (horrendous. I love the Pach, but this is one of the worst Oscar wins ever. Ugh. What a joke. I like to pretend this is for his superb work in Glengarry Glen Ross the same year...shh, let me pretend)
1993: Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (I adore this performance but it is a very crowded year)
1998: Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful (almost ruined the film. Another horrendous win)
2002: Adrien Brody in The Pianist (not offensive like Pacino or Benigni, but not great either. Probably the worst in his category, and so far below Cage, Day-Lewis, and Nicholson that it's not even funny.)
2005: Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (fantastic but no room in a crowded year)
Best Actress
1994: Jessica Lange in Blue Sky (a joke, and an awful win)
1995: Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking (I will admit to not being as big a fan of this performance as others. I do like it, however, but I have no room for it. '95 rocks in terms of actresses)
1997: Helen Hunt in As Good as It Gets (I do not find this the "worst Best Actress win ever" like it was recently voted. In fact, it's quite a great comedic performance. But 1997 is very crowded, and at least eight others TOWER over her)
2000: Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich (Quite good, just misses my lineup)
2001: Halle Berry in Monster's Ball (Not "an abortion" like some have called it, but least of the nominees. Nowhere near my lineup.)
2002: Nicole Kidman in The Hours (great and just misses my lineup, but probably the least great of her works in that fantastic 01-04 period of hers)
2004: Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (great, but the year is incredibly high in quality and she isn't really anywhere near my lineup)
2006: Helen Mirren in The Queen (amazing in an UNBELIEVABLE year)
Best Supporting Actor
1991: Jack Palance in City Slickers (or, I dunno. I might nominate him. This year, in this category, is EMPTY.)
1992: Gene Hackman in Unforgiven (only if I count the Glengarry boys as individual units instead of tying them all for first...at any rate, great performance)
1993: Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive (yeah I don't know what they were thinking there)
1996: Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire (ditto?)
1997: Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting (not bad. Not anywhere near my lineup.)
1998: James Coburn in Affliction (see above...but slightly closer to my lineup)
1999: Michael Caine in The Cider House Rules (not bad, but well below his other nominees. However, I adore his speech from this year!)
2001: Jim Broadbent in Iris (I love him, and he makes it for Moulin Rouge!)
2005: George Clooney in Syriana (good, but not quite Oscar-worthy)
2006: Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine (just...wha? He was only like the third-best male supporting role in his own movie.)
Best Supporting Actress
1996: Juliette Binoche in The English Patient (great, and I have McDormand in Supporting because I'm weird like that...Binoche is my #6 so if I ever put McDormand in lead she'll be on the list. Great performance)
1997: Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential (great...but there were five greater)
1999: Angelina Jolie in Girl Interrupted (not very good)
2000: Marcia Gay Harden in Pollock (NONE of the nominees this year would make my lineup. Harden comes closest, I think. Pretty good.)
2001: Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind (sucked. big. time.)
2004: Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (not more than mediocre, in a year very weak in this category she comes nowhere near it for me)
that's all?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
surging along. Best Supporting Actress
well, I don't have any homework (and clearly no dates HA), and all my friends do, so...
(sorry about the lack of "tags" for this post. blogger was being silly)
Analyzing: Adriana Barraza, Babel
My rank among the nominees: 4th
How'd she get nominated: Great reviews/performance + Babel support
Pros: Support for Babel. Sympathetic role.
Cons: Not famous. Not Jennifer Hudson. Vote splitting with Rinko.
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: No.
Analyzing: Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
My rank among the nominees: 5th
How'd she get nominated: Cate Blanchett
Pros: The movie has support. Juicy undebtably lead role. Critics awards.
Cons: Just won here 2 years ago (undeservedly, may I add bitchily). Not Jennifer Hudson.
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: A teeny chance, but no, not really.
Analyzing: Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
My rank among the nominees: 3rd
How'd she get nominated: Adorable, easy-to-support role in a Best Picture contender.
Pros: See "how'd she get nominated." People hate voting against cute little kids.
Cons: Not Jennifer Hudson. No critics awards other than breakthrough stuff. Couldn't even get nominated at the Globes.
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: Yes, but it's not very big...
Analyzing: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
My rank among the nominees: 1st
How'd she get nominated: "And I Am Telling You..."
Pros: See "how'd she get nominated." Dreamgirls support - you know they did like it (but not as much as we all thought). Tremendous audience reaction to her (when I saw it, the person behind me kept going "UH HUH GIRL"). American Idol reject - a triumph over failure. Hyperbolic reviews and a virtual year of hype. The most critics awards in this category.
Cons: Backlash. That ridiculous question, "since when is good singing good acting?" (Since musical theater has been around and people have had to interpret roles, idiots)
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: Ummm...no duh
Analyzing: Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
My rank among the nominees: 2nd
How'd she get nominated: Baity role
Pros: Baity role. Babel support. Great reviews/critical support. Critics awards.
Cons: Not Jennifer Hudson. Vote splitting with Barraza.
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: Eh. Teeny but not really.
Analyzing: Best Supporting Actress as a whole
Who will win: Jennifer Hudson. Um...yeah.
Who should win: Jennifer. Now is when I quote the people sitting behind me at Dreamgirls and say UH HUH GIRL.
Unlucky sixth placer: Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada. Hahahahhahaaaaa!!!
Snubbed: I would have loved to see Catherine O'Hara here for For Your Consideration and Toni Collette for Little Miss Sunshine, out of those with any hype/precursors at all. As far as those without any, I loved Mia Kirshner in The Black Dahlia, Shareeka Epps in Half Nelson, Claire Hope-Ashitey in Children of Men, Kerry Washington in Last King of Scotland, Emma Thompson in Stranger than Fiction (yeah her hype died.), Vera Farmiga in Running Scared...
Random cool fact about this category: Well, uh, it has no Emily Blunt in it. That's pretty awesome.
(sorry about the lack of "tags" for this post. blogger was being silly)
Analyzing: Adriana Barraza, Babel
My rank among the nominees: 4th
How'd she get nominated: Great reviews/performance + Babel support
Pros: Support for Babel. Sympathetic role.
Cons: Not famous. Not Jennifer Hudson. Vote splitting with Rinko.
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: No.
Analyzing: Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
My rank among the nominees: 5th
How'd she get nominated: Cate Blanchett
Pros: The movie has support. Juicy undebtably lead role. Critics awards.
Cons: Just won here 2 years ago (undeservedly, may I add bitchily). Not Jennifer Hudson.
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: A teeny chance, but no, not really.
Analyzing: Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
My rank among the nominees: 3rd
How'd she get nominated: Adorable, easy-to-support role in a Best Picture contender.
Pros: See "how'd she get nominated." People hate voting against cute little kids.
Cons: Not Jennifer Hudson. No critics awards other than breakthrough stuff. Couldn't even get nominated at the Globes.
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: Yes, but it's not very big...
Analyzing: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
My rank among the nominees: 1st
How'd she get nominated: "And I Am Telling You..."
Pros: See "how'd she get nominated." Dreamgirls support - you know they did like it (but not as much as we all thought). Tremendous audience reaction to her (when I saw it, the person behind me kept going "UH HUH GIRL"). American Idol reject - a triumph over failure. Hyperbolic reviews and a virtual year of hype. The most critics awards in this category.
Cons: Backlash. That ridiculous question, "since when is good singing good acting?" (Since musical theater has been around and people have had to interpret roles, idiots)
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: Ummm...no duh
Analyzing: Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
My rank among the nominees: 2nd
How'd she get nominated: Baity role
Pros: Baity role. Babel support. Great reviews/critical support. Critics awards.
Cons: Not Jennifer Hudson. Vote splitting with Barraza.
Basically, does she have a chance of winning?: Eh. Teeny but not really.
Analyzing: Best Supporting Actress as a whole
Who will win: Jennifer Hudson. Um...yeah.
Who should win: Jennifer. Now is when I quote the people sitting behind me at Dreamgirls and say UH HUH GIRL.
Unlucky sixth placer: Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada. Hahahahhahaaaaa!!!
Snubbed: I would have loved to see Catherine O'Hara here for For Your Consideration and Toni Collette for Little Miss Sunshine, out of those with any hype/precursors at all. As far as those without any, I loved Mia Kirshner in The Black Dahlia, Shareeka Epps in Half Nelson, Claire Hope-Ashitey in Children of Men, Kerry Washington in Last King of Scotland, Emma Thompson in Stranger than Fiction (yeah her hype died.), Vera Farmiga in Running Scared...
Random cool fact about this category: Well, uh, it has no Emily Blunt in it. That's pretty awesome.
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