This year we don’t have the fortune of knowing exactly who will win Best Actress. We have five nominees that include two frontrunners, one possible upset and two actresses who should be honored to receive recognition for their work.
We all know they happen, those performances that are somehow ignored by the Academy voters, often in favor of lesser work. In fact it has been happening since almost the very beginning, but in these days if intense campaigning, we are much more aware of who gets snubbed and who gets the nod. What shocks me about the acting branch is that actors do the nominating and one would assume that actors would appreciate a great performance, right? Well, maybe. For whatever reason some of the finest performances of the last twelve years have been ignored by the Academy, left out to be appreciated and celebrated in articles such as this. History will bear out the fact their work was outstanding, but they will not carry the tag Academy Award nominee. I think the snubs that shock me most are those that have taken home critics awards because one would believe they are at least on the radar of the Academy, but no, they obviously are not.
So here we go, the snubs in the categories of Best Actor and Best Actress, year by year. Watch for a follow up on the supporting categories within the week. Read more on Acting Snubs in the Leading Categories (2000-2012)…
I’m back once again ladies and gentlemen to do some more Sizing Up! This time around I’m going to be tackling the somewhat slight Best Actress field. For many, this is the worst category of the majors this year and for some the hardest to figure out, especially in terms of a victor. The ultimate winner won’t be of my concern too much now, but I’m seeking to try and make sense of the category and see which ladies can actually get to the final 5. Lots can change between now and the nominations, but this is where I think things currently stand, and it’s certainly a rather fluid list now. At the very least, it’ll be interesting to see how this matches up to the eventual slate of nominees, since so much is sort of guesswork with Best Actress.
As young performers continue to make their marks in films on a more consistent basis especially this year with performances like Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild and Tom Holland in The Impossible, Elle Fanning joins the list for her turn in Ginger & Rosa.
Younger sister to Dakota Fanning, Elle has shown tremendous range thus far in works like Super 8 (2011) and Somewhere (2010). In this Sally Potter directed film, Fanning is said to deliver a remarkable turn as Ginger, a 16-year-old girl living in 1960’s London. The film was featured in this year’s New York Film Festival where Joey Magidson gave it some positive words. Read more on Do We Have an Elle in Lead Actress?…
In every corner of James Ponsoldt’s Smashed, brilliance is hinted at but rarely espoused. However, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s authentic portrayal of a woman whose life is at the mercy of her alcoholism is more than enough of a reason to give this independent drama (which is filmed in the vein of a documentary) an honest glance. Yes,indeed – Smashed is the first movie of 2012 that I’ve awarded less than three stars but am unashamed to recommend. Why? I’m unsure. Maybe it’s the screenplay’s zest for an “issue” film that works against the heavily dramatic norm, maybe it’s Winstead’s corporeal performance, or maybe it’s the need for people to see this film and demand Ponsoldt release or create an extended director’s cut. Rare is the film that you require more time with instead of less, but low and behold the abbreviated Smashed could have been something truly wonderful if it had just extended its characters’ arcs, its inspection of a heavy topic and its narrative imaginings a good thirty or forty minutes more. Instead, I felt rather cheated with Smashed’s sparse running time, and ultimately that feeling of “what could have been” wore too heavy on me to easily shake off. Read more on Smashed (**½)…
On her prom night, Carrie White is humiliated in front of the whole school and lets her telekinetic powers get out of control, killing all the people that made her life hell. Carrie (1976), the first ever Stephen King novel to be adapted into a film became a hit and a true horror classic thanks to Sissy Spacek. Read more on Women in Horror: Sissy Spacek…
Rarely has there been a tale so consistently revisited as Leo Tolstoy’s universally beloved Anna Karenina. Since the turn of the twentieth century there have been countless adaptations, from operas to ballets, musicals to radio shows, and television dramas to almost a dozen big screen interpretations. Today we find Keira Knightley stepping into Karenina’s oft-strung bodice, with regular collaborator Joe Wright bringing an ambitious slant to his director duties.
We are joined today by a very special guest, Sasha Stone of Awards Daily, the champion of Oscar blogging and the one that inspired many of us here on the site to pursue writing. We have a jammed-packed agenda getting into some fun, general Oscar talk, and much more. The agenda is listed below:
It’s May! Contenders are still far on the horizon, the summer blockbuster season is quietly underway after the impressive showing of “The Avengers.” $200 million dollars? I still can and cannot believe it. With our revamp being brought to a close, official and frequent Oscar predictions have started and will continue to be updated. As you will see from the menu and the actual pages, there are some changes, most for the better. I’ve kept the basic “For It/Against It” as you click through the contenders. Anything outside of the predicted five or ten nominees are ranked accordingly. I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to keep the ranking in perspective of the actual predicted nominees and I’m open to any suggestions. Otherwise, what you see is what you get. Now, on to actual Oscar talk which is pretty much the reason you all come here in the first place.
Predictions have begun with the NEW and IMPROVED official Oscar Predictions! I’ve begun in Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. The rest will come periodically throughout the weekend. (MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON THE PICTURES!)
These Oscar Circuit’s will be incredibly in-depth since there won’t be any place for me to include commentary on the actual pages. You can look on the sidebar for the updated Oscar Circuit’s as they become more and more frequent throughout the year. Read more on Editor Oscar Circuit – “It’s time for a face lift”…
It’s that time of the month! It’s time to talk about the “Oscarettes”. If you missed the latest edition, here is a little recap of what this segment is all about.
We will travel back a year at a time and discuss those nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress of that year. I will recognize who was nominated and who won, and I will share my opinions about them, but I want yours. I want to know who you thought deserved to win and be nominated those particular years.
This week we will not be traveling back but focusing on the 84th Academy Awards. So, here we go.
Glenn Close for “Albert Nobbs”
Oscar Scene: “I could live here.”
Viola Davis for “The Help”
Oscar Scene: “You’re a Godless Woman!”
Rooney Mara for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Oscar Scene: “He’s had a long standing sexual relationship with his co-editor of the magazine. Sometimes he performs cunnilingus on her. Not often enough in my opinion.”
Meryl Streep for “The Iron Lady”
Oscar Scene: “It used to be about trying to do something. Now it’s about trying to be someone.”
Michelle Williams for “My Week with Marilyn”
Oscar Scene: “People always see Marilyn Monroe. As soon as they realize I’m not her, they run.”
The Awards Circuit Podcasts are back! (well, almost back)
We’re still working out some kinks but it looks as though every Sunday with Your Editor-in-Chief and random members of our staff we will be bringing you “The Awards Circuit Power Hour.” We will be bringing some in-depth conversations regarding the Oscars, film, television, and much more. We’ll also be taking questions from all of you regarding anything from the state of the race to just simple chit-chat. Can’t wait to hear them.
Today’s (impromptu) episode focuses on the Acting categories with Staff Writers Joey Magidson and Joseph Braverman joining myself as we dish on this wide open race. Here’s today’s agenda.
State of the Race
Lead Actor (Clooney vs. Dujardin vs. Pitt vs. Oldman)
Lead Actress (Is Viola writing her speech already?)
Supporting Actor (Is Von Sydow giving Plummer a run for his money?)
Supporting Actress (Who deserves it vs. Who will get it?)
It’s done. With the Giants game in the background (GO GIANTS!!), I’ve completed my Final Oscar Predictions. Some notable things before I’m crucified.
I’ve stuck with seven Best Picture nominees. A big part of me wanted to exclude David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” from the shortlist but if the film would miss a Best Picture nomination, it would be unprecedented. No film has been cited by nearly all the guilds and miss out in the end. It did miss the Golden Globe and SAG nod so it’s very possible to miss. I still believe “War Horse” will make it. Can you imagine an older member of the Academy not checking off his name? I can’t. I’m foreseeing a very low show for Bennett Miller’s “Moneyball,” although I did stick with Jonah Hill but I’m crossing my fingers for him. Even though I respect Scott Feinberg, I still don’t see the “Drive” love coming through to get it nominated. It currently sits at #9 on the predictions but I couldn’t choose the film to be nominated with only one other nomination for Albert Brooks. I think it would need Editing and Cinematography and I don’t see either happening.
I’ve come, I saw, well, I didn’t conquer but I feel comfortable with the picks thus far. I’ve spent hours analyzing and looking at categories while trying to think like an AMPAS voter. The past eight days or so have presented many answers to questions we thought we knew the answer to. When looking at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and the two dozen critics’ awards that have announced their favorites for Year 2011, one thing remains clear. This is one of the most open races we’ve seen in years.
I hate using the word “lock” because as history has told us, AMPAS can “unlock” someone just as fast as we put them in. Think Paul Giamatti in “Sideways.” However, I feel comfortable using the word for a few films thus far. Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” is the clear favorite and the one to beat. It has the Oscar flair that they love and the critics have taken to it in a big way as well. I still feel the same way about it that I did when I first saw it and that means something. “Slumdog Millionaire” which had the same effect on many critics, including myself, aged very poorly and looking back, not necessarily the best film of the year. Not by a long shot. Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” has made a strong showing. George Clooney is working his magic and has encountered many awards along the way. It doesn’t hurt that he also directed and starred in “The Ides of March,” a film not locked by any means despite the Golden Globe nomination. Steven Spielberg’s great epic “War Horse” has everything that Oscar loves. While it doesn’t carry a strong showing on the performance front, the story alone will get voters checking the film off.
There is little argument that Meryl Streep is the greatest actress in the history of the cinema, she has held the title for more than a few years, deservedly so. She long ago surpassed the best performances in the history of the cinema, work from Jane Fonda in Klute (1971), Vivien Leigh in Gone with the wind (1939), Elizabeth Taylor in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and Katherine Hepburn in Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962). Streep in fact gave her finest performance at the age of twenty eight in Sophie’s Choice (1982).
Yet with Oscar season in full swing, the question again comes up as to whether or not Streep will finally win her second Oscar for Best Actress, or lose the thirteenth consecutive time to inferior nominees. Most recently she lost the Academy Award as Best Actress for her work in Julie and Julia (2009) to Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side (2009) lost the year before for her work in Doubt (2008) to Kate Winslet in The Reader (2008). In previous years Streep has been the victim of losing to sentimental choices of the Academy, such as Katherine Hepburn in On Golden Pond (1981), defeating Streep in The French Lt.’s Woman (1981), Geraldine Page in A Trip to Bountiful (1985) who won over Streep in Out of Africa (1985), and Cher in Moonstruck (1987) besting Streep in Ironweed (1987). Sometimes it has been the Academy deciding it “is time” to honor another actress, which has been the case with Bullock (for sure), and very likely for Jodie Foster in the Accused (1988) who beat Streep for A Cry in the Dark (1988), a performance that won her the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress. In fact in years that Streep has lost the Oscar, she has often found herself the winner of the critics’ awards, guild awards or the Golden Globe!!
For the first time ever, I’ll be starting off my preview of the week’s new films with the limited releases. Not because there’s anything lacking about the wide releases. Far from it, this Thanksgiving weekend is yielding several amazing-looking films both mainstream and indie. No, I’m only switching things around to keep up the theme of David Cronenberg Week. So y’all can guess by now that I’ll first be analyzing…
A Dangerous Method, based on Christopher Hampton’s play The Talking Cure, centers on the professional relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud as well as the complicating presence of the beautiful, intelligent but deeply troubled Sabina Spielrein. The film has been enjoying mostly positive reviews, with its performances, dialogue and production values being singled out for particular praise. Nevertheless, it’s clear that there is a hint of disappointment in its critical evaluations, as many (including yours truly) had initially pegged it as “the” film; the one that would finally catapult the legendary David Cronenberg to an Academy Award nomination for Best Director after a long, distinguished career ignored by the staid organization. While it’s still possible, competition from the likes of The Descendants, The Artist and War Horse required A Dangerous Method to garner more effusive “best of the year!” acclaim to stand a fighting chance considering its subject matter. Even if he personally doesn’t make it, one should still look for it in other categories. Keira Knightley, despite giving a divisive performance with a questionable accent, is showy enough and has been gushed over by quite a few critics, so she is at least on the radar. Viggo Mortensen has been cited as one of the most purely entertaining parts of the film, and Michael Fassbender could get a consolation nomination if his more acclaimed work in Shame proves too transgressive for the Academy to embrace (think Dennis Hopper). It could also get possible nods for its screenplay, art direction and costumes. Read more on Holiday Openings (November 23-27)…
Okay, so in perhaps my worst Weekend Openings yet, I predicted that Brett “rehearsing is for fags” Ratner’s Tower Heist would be “the guaranteed hit of the weekend.” Looks like my crystal ball was broken last week, or more likely I just foolishly underestimated the power of an animated cat with a Spanish accent. Not this time. Puss in Boots will probably hold on to the top spot a third time this Veteran’s Day weekend (though with my luck it’ll tumble now).
The most successful new release will most likely be Immortals. Or, at least it had better be, because dear god America will be lost forever if the other one grosses more. Declaring war on humanity, King Hyperion searches for a weapon that would free the Titans and take revenge on the Gods who imprisoned them. The Gods select as humanity’s champion Theseus to stop the king of Crete. The only interesting thing about this sword-and-sandals epic to me is that it’s from the visually creative Tarsem Singh, who at least will guarantee some great eye candy. Critics are once again dazzled by his impressionistic aesthetic but are less enthused about the film’s shameless style-over-substance. I’m going to predict an $18-23 million opening, and if Immortals ends up on the high side of that, it could be looking at Oscar nominations for Art Direction, Sound, Costume Design and/or Visual Effects. Read more on Weekend Openings (November 11-13)…
Elizabeth Olsen follows a long line of battered Best Actress winners.
This weekend sees the release of the highly anticipated thriller (and possible Oscar contender) Martha Marcy May Marlene. Many pundits, including our own Anna, Mike, and myself are predicting that Elizabeth Olsen will be among the nominees for Best Lead Actress. Beyond starring in an acclaimed indie gaining serious publicity momentum, Olsen is also young and pretty, which as we all know the voters love. But is there another element to her performance that would give her an Oscar-baiting advantage? Well, in the film, Olsen plays a young woman plagued by memories of her time spent with an abusive cult in the Catskill Mountains, and there’s her additional advantage. When a large portion of a young woman’s performance is in explicit pain, Oscar usually isn’t far behind.
Looking at the past ten years of Best Actress nominees, over half of them were for characters that go through overt forms of physical and/or mental torment. The last lineup was a very comprehensive example of this. Collectively, you had depression, poverty, physical assault, marital woes and public humiliation spread among the four nominees. The winner, Natalie Portman, spent almost the entirety of Black Swan in perpetual distress from a laundry list of inward and outward ailments including possible incest. Read more on Best Actress: Make Sure They See You Suffer…
In this nearly terrifying age where our children are growing significantly faster than we want them to, fear, anxiety, and near paranoia starts to overtake the best of parents. In America, we have witnessed, in this generation alone, some of the most evil ever conducted by mankind in all of history; the fall of the twin towers, the war in Iraq, the shooting massacre in Virginia Tech, all terrible staples in my memory and I’m not even thirty yet. What other horrors will this lifetime bring? As a new father, I want to wrap my daughter Sophia in a bubble and never let her see the light of day for fear of what she may either endure or be influenced by. Shawn Ku’s Beautiful Boy examines the aftermath of a young man, Sammy, that commits a mass shooting at his school and ultimately takes his own life. Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) are your average married couple. Held back by grief, guilt, and rage, Bill and Kate undertake the scrutiny from the presses and the families as the sole reasons for young Sammy’s demise. How could you move on from a nightmare you couldn’t wake up from?
This year we don’t have the fortune of knowing exactly who will win Best Actress. We have five nominees that include two frontrunners, one possible upset and two actresses who should be honored to receive recognition for their work.
