Best Actress 1972

The 1972 Oscar's featured alot of sad nominees for some reason, but here are some of the highlight's (lowlights?) of the Best Actress category:

Raquel and Gene presented the award with little-to-no enjoyment at all. Raquel gave us a nice look at her plastic looking boobs, as Gene tries not to get distracted. She claims that not only are the nominees "unforgettable players", but they are all "friends". Yeah, sure Raquel. Slumber party at Liza's tomorrow night! Then Gene goes on about "talent" and how you're born with it and blah, blah, blah...

 Liza looked pretty good in her macaroni and cheese colored outfit, but also looked incredibly anxious; sitting there with no smile or anything. It's also hard to tell if she even has a neck! That choker isn't helping for sure.

Diana, who looked like she was attending a funeral, wasn't all that happy either. Looking constipated and angry is never a good mix, but Di must have known that they wouldn't give a black woman the award until much later on.

Cicely Tyson looked somewhat happy to be there with her man, who seems to eyeing someone else but her. Until Diana, she actually looks comfortable. Whoa!

Oh. My. God. This is the best one yet. Liv Ullman nominated again, and losing again, looked somethin' freaky. She honest to God looks like she wants to rip off Raquel's head and make Hackman eat it. Jeez Liv, it's just the Oscar's, why so intense?

Liza is announced the winner! Liv pretends to be happy, Tyson's reaction is genuine, and Diana is waiting to out to the lobby to burst into tears.In fact she actually did cry, as Shelley Winters tried to comfort her. Don't bother Shel, she may be really beautiful, but she's also really mean (as Juno tells us).

"Thank you for giving me this award, you have made me very happy!"

Okay we get it Liza, you're not your mom and it wasn't a make-up award.

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Supporting Actress Ranking: 2002

The Field: -Three Hearts - Two rotten eggs, two gems, and one fair player. 2002 was the last real good year for films (besides 1999), but this lineup (all with talented ladies) could have been a great year for Supporting Actressing if work had been stronger and nominees had been replaced. Not as bad as the year after, but a tad mediocre.

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My Pick:

Meryl Streep, Adaptation. - Five Hearts -
Streep's film career in the 2000's is something to behold; taking new risks in roles and acting at an older age, and still getting Oscar nominations for them. Always known for her precise, calculated, actorly performances in a span of thirty years, Streep's masterclass achievement as Susan Orlean is proof that she's still capable of turning in fresh, vibrant characterizations so late in the game. Orlean is a woman who has sifted through her mundane writing career, marriage, and overall life. She doesn't even seem to realize all of this because she has always gone with the flow, instead of following her own path. But once Susan meets John Laroche (an equally flawless Chris Cooper) her entire life begins to shift. She starts meeting up with John because he is the topic of her latest piece of journalism/book. John's a character who looks at life as a beautiful landscape of posibility, and is looked upon as a compelling enigma by Susan. Streep fully conveys Susan's quest to unlock her most inner desires and passions, underlied with sadness, and does so with haunting, humane nuance. Susan now realizes that she has not been living life to the fullest, and for once experiences life and all its beauties. She finally feels passionate about something, and feels alive like she never has before. Her rappaport with Cooper is electrifying and magnetic, and both find love and happiness within each other - and to see Streep's Susan evolve from a hollow, cardboard creation to blossomed flower is fascinating beyond belief. Her two standout scenes include the colorful, imaginative dial tone scene, and during the climax at the swamp. In the dial tone sequence, Streep makes psychedelic hysteria seem almost a natural state of mind, and once her lover has been killed Streep allows Susan's new persona fall to reveal her true sadness ("I want my life back...everything got so fucked up") - and it's wrenching to watch. Some of the best work the category's seen in years.
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Also My Pick:
Julianne Moore, The Hours - Five Hearts -
Moore's Laura Brown provides her artsy-fartsy film with a level-headed, fresh, unpretentious anchor which manuevers the proccedings with swift percision. I consider Moore the soul of the film, because she is the essential link between these three woman and their lives. Laura's arc is actually very simple to follow; artfully contructed and powerfully expressive. The Hours is something I would call an actor's field day, because the script has the actors act like crazy - basically the whole project has Oscar written all over it. Laura is perhaps the most engaging, compelling character in the film and most of the credit for that goes to Moore's absorbing performance. In one day, Laura begins to see the constraints and realities of her life flash before her eyes. Finally confronting her unhappiness, she's now more confused both mentally and emotionally. She loves her son and husband, but there's a missing piece to the puzzle of her life. Her deterioration of the way she views her surroundings is heartbreaking, and eventually decides that she can no longer go through life with the pain. She finally sees her life laid out in front of her, and realizes that she really does feel suffocated by her role in the world, after trying to mask it for years. Moore's subtle performance lets us explore this woman's tortured psyche, and lets every emotion, feeling, and thought wash over her face like a wave of desperation. She holds back and invites us in. Through careful nuance, Moore shows us each part of Laura's life and the different ways she treats each situation, and makes them all click without ever keeping us disconected. Her final monoluge is beautiful, and that one moment where Claire Danes walks over and hugs her and the way she responds, sends goosebumps up my arms and a knot in my throat. A performance for the ages.

Queen Latifah, Chicago - Three Hearts -
First of all, I love the Queen; she has a natural appeal as a dramatic actress and has the timing of a comedic one. It saddens me that she isn't given heavier material to work with because she is capable and willing. Her role in Chicago as the sassy matron of murderess' row isn't really a great role at all. The part is just underwritten, but Latifah makes Mama an interesting, memorable creation. She's always in control of the character and knows this woman and her motivations. I often think of her like I do Arden in Mildred Pierce, where an actress makes something special out of a small throwaway role. Her big single musical number is delivered with an infectious toe-tapping zest, where she makes use of her lung power and singing talent. Funny, subtle, engaging - Latifah's is a definite worthy nomination.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago - One Heart -
What Jones misses completley in the part is finding a way to weave her character into the rest of her surroundings. During the scenes where Roxie steals the spotlight, Jones makes Velma even more disconnected from the proceedings when we are supposed to really connect to the character. Never bringing to life Velma's flaws, fears, and insecurities. It's as if Jones doesn't know which way to steer her characterization - she should do this or that - and let me tell you, she steers in the wrong way and crashes hard. On top of that she lacks the gusto, zest and pizzaz that Latifah and Zellweger have to really make something out of the role. Sure, Jones' footwork and vocals are top notch and she's a real firecracker when preforming, but that doesn't equal a great performance. Many believe that Catherine's show-stopping numbers are, by nature, enough for her run off with the golden boy. Twister thinks not. Her focus seemed to be on her big dance numbers, instead of actually crafting a character. So as a result Jones' missfire of a performance, (which is a blank misreading of the character) leaves Twister with a unsatisfying, bland aftertaste.

Kathy Bates, About Schmidt - One Heart -
What the hell can I say? She climbs in a jaccuzi naked, we see things we don't want to see, and she gets a nomination. More painful to watch than Annie Wilkes.
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That's right, for the time being I can't choose between Streep or Moore.

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The Nominations Are Out!

Well, now that their are ten Best Picture nominees it makes things a bit more interesting. For the category I suspect that Avatar will collect the award; rave reviews +  outstanding box office reciepts = Oscar.

It's nice to see that Tarantino is back again and up for Best Director, but I have a feeling he won't be winning - he should have won in '94. Will James Cameron get the golden boy again? If not, pehaps Lee Daniels may take home Oscar. And congrats to Kathryn Bigelow for scoring a Best Director nom when their have only been three female nominees beforehand.

I see Jeff Bridges taking home Best Actor. He's had a solid career, has had past failed nominations and the rest of the field have not have the same momentum.

Supporting Actress has a lock named Mo'Nique. She has swept prizes all throughout awards season and is this years Jennifer Hudson. The Up in the Air gals will split the vote, Gyllenhaal's is a surprise nom with not much backing, and Cruz just won last year. But no nomination for Julianne Moore?! When will this woman just get an Oscar?! She hasn't been nominated for SEVEN YEARS!

The only Supporting Actor nominee I've seen is Tucci and although he wasn't "bad", I can't say that he was "amazing" either. He's scary as shit, but the character had little to no depth. I think Christoph Waltz may just be the first winner from a Tarantino film to win. But Sam Jackson should have been the first.

I have a sinking feeling that Bullock might take Best Actress, but before this year, was she ever thought of as an Oscar-calibar actress? No, and I still don't think she is. Sidibe may have a good shot for the many who saw Precious, but Streep (again) feels like a default filler nom. I wouldn't have minded seeing Saorise Ronan on here for The Lovely Bones, but the only teenage actress nominated for a lead in recent years was Kiesha Castle Hughes.


Thoughts? Worries?

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Check Out My Video!

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Time of the Season

Click on title to watch video on YouTube!

Enjoy!

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Miss Swan

"Okay, okay, I tell you every ting"

Priceless

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Best Supporting Actress 1988

1. Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist

"Warm, sweet, and enduring. Davis succeeds by keeping Muriel open and inviting through her barrage of non-sequiturs and avoids cruelty or coldness in her reactions and line-readings. I still feel that Davis could have done more to illuminate Muriel's darker shades and given her a bit more depth, but still - fantastic memorable work."

2. Joan Cusack in Working Girl

3. Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Liasons

4. Frances McDormand in Mississippi Burning

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5. Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl

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I will eventually do a heart ranking for this group, but jusk ask me in the comments if you want to know about how I arranged them.

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Norma Takes It!

Unsurprisingly, Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond is declared the wniner of my poll.

Swanson won 14 votes (58%), followed by Bette Davis with 8 votes, and Judy Holiday getting 2 votes. Eleanor Parker and Bette's costar Anne Baxter sadly recieved zero votes.

I really should re-watch Sunset to get a second look at Swanson's performance, but for the time being my vote goes to Davis who carries her whole enterprise. All about Eve? Please, it's all about Margo!

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