Leading Actress 2013

I was none too enthused about this group when the nominees were announced. I'm still none too enthused about this group 2 years later.

2013 Best Actress

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine

I never, ever understood the hype for Blanchett in this film. I get that people were eager to see her in a Woody Allen written role but after watching it, I didn't get all the effusive love. Maybe it just never clicked with me, but I didn't think it was worth a second win for Blanchett. First of all, she plays the character so over the top that it was hard for me to really become invested in the character. Plus, Woody wrote her as such an insufferable character which also leads to not really caring about her. I get that the character was a bit over the top to begin with but I do think Blanchett just overplays it. It's too on the nose and too obviously acting. I was just as annoyed at Blanchett as the old lady in the beginning of the film who had to sit next to her character on the plane and she wouldn't shut up. Her story arc wasn't compelling in the least, it was way too short, and no one is gonna care about a very rich woman who loses her wealth only to lie to try and get it back and trick another man. There is no doubt that Blanchett is a great actress. That great acting ability shines through a lot in this performance but it doesn't save it unfortunately. The very end of the film is really some nice acting by Blanchett and felt like her Oscar moment. It also speaks to the whole mental illness thing which I've harped on a lot but her character clearly suffers from something and it's glossed over and used as a joke quite often. Maybe a more serious look at her problem would make for a better film, obviously that wouldn't be a very Woody Allen film, though. There just seems to be a lot lacking from Blanchett's character for me to really understand why this was so loved and why it won here. I think voters just really like Woody Allen female nominations for some reason and really liked the overacting from Blanchett. To me, I wanted a whole lot more from the performance.

Amy Adams - American Hustle

I really wanted to like Amy Adams in this performance, I really did. But unfortunately I really disliked it and this might be the first performance of hers that I haven't liked (at least Oscar nominations wise). For whatever reason it just never clicked with me. I felt her character was uninspired and Adams wasn't able to salvage anything from it with her performance. She was essentially there to look hot and be the meat for the male characters to ogle and fight over. And in a film where everyone is overacting and the plot is ridiculous (no matter how true) Adams doesn't really do much to stand out. It's frankly a boring performance, which is unfortunate because we all know Adams is incredibly talented. Probably doesn't help that I don't look at Adams as any kind of sex symbol, so when the sex appeal is all her character has then there is nothing else to save it. I'd say the one plus I can think of is that she has decent chemistry with Bale, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. But other than that, I really can't muster up anything else to say about her performance. It's not very interesting and not one that I want to come back to any time soon.

Sandra Bullock - Gravity

I was pretty harsh on Bullock in the past for the abomination that was The Blindside, but damn if this isn't a really, really good performance. I know that she's capable of giving them but it's nice to actually see it and see it rewarded. This is kind of the quintessential strong female leading performance. One that should be pointed to when talking about how women don't get many leading roles in science fiction or big budget movies as an example of why they should be given that chance. Bullock is a good role model for young women to look up to with this role. A scientist who becomes an astronaut who, while faced with certain death and insurmountable adversity, prevails and successfully returns to Earth. Hell, that's someone everyone could look up to! Now, in the beginning Bullock is pretty annoying with her whole nervous, super newbie persona and you start to think oh no, they're making the woman astronaut out to be a complete joke. But eventually Bullock musters up her courage and training and pulls it together and gets things done. When I was first watching I was really worried she would stay this sort of bumbling wreck but I'm glad she didn't. Obviously the writers wanted her character to show growth and luckily Bullock is good in not making that transition seem insincere or forced. Bullock's performance is pretty strong as I said and I really enjoy seeing her persevere and figure out how to survive to the next obstacle. Maybe that's a little sadistic, I don't know, but I enjoyed seeing her overcome all the odds. I know this sounds like I'm underselling the performance or that I wasn't that into it but I was and her performance is the best to me out of this sad group.

Judi Dench - Philomena

I know it's unfair but, man, I'm tired of Judi Dench nominations, legit over them. I'm over them because they are all pretty much the same with some minor variations here and there and once you've seen one, you've basically seen the rest. I get that Dench is a great actress but I know for sure that some of her nominations aren't worth being included in the Oscar world. Yeah, that's harsh but I think people reading this can definitely understand where I'm coming from. So is Dench's performance in Philomena an example of what I'm talking about? Yes and no. It's the same sort of meek character that eventually proves to be this really strong woman underneath her surly/shy/whatever demeanor. This time she's an older woman whose daughter tells Steve Coogan (who I absolutely love by the way) about how a nunnery made her give her son away for an American couple to adopt so they could make money. Coogan is a journalist and writes an expose about the bullshit nunnery who hid behind religion to enact atrocities on underprivileged, desperate young women. However, Dench's character is this daft old lady who makes for a boring watch. Every time Dench was talking or the focus of the story, I got bored. Steve Coogan is the only saving grace of the film. And the only voice of reason as Dench's character is an idiot who doesn't press to know what happened to her son and when learning she was screwed out of meeting him potentially forgives the idiot, asshole religious people who kept it a secret. Just watching this a second time, I dislike it when before I was like ok, not bad. Nah, not anymore. Not a fan and the whole forgiveness angle rings hollow. Just another Dench performance I'm not that enthused about.

Meryl Streep - August: Osage County

Another year, another Meryl Streep nomination. A couple things about this one, though: this performance is in the wrong category to me. Switch out Julia Roberts for this one and make Meryl the Supporting and things would be way more accurate. They felt Roberts might have a better chance to win in Supporting but it just looks ridiculous. Meryl is clearly supporting to me and she should be in that category. The other thing is that this is actually a pretty decent Meryl performance, even by her standards. Sure, she gets the benefit of the doubt way too much (her nomination in the next year is an example of that) but this one is good. She plays the matriarch of a family in Oklahoma who has cancer but is still an ornery asshole. The whole family comes back to town for the father's funeral and we get a day in the life situation. Streep's character is very unlikable. She berates her kids and makes fun of them and calls them out for their shortcomings all the while she's had issues herself. It feels true to life with a matriarch ruining a family gathering because she is stuck on her own power trip. And that's what it is. A power trip. It's the mother not wanting to concede power just because she is sick and continuing to hound her family. There are moments where Streep can make the character feel sympathetic but then she immediately cancels it out with a mean remark and you go back to hating her. Streep nails the accent as usual and looks and walks the part with her missing hair and shuffling demeanor. She's really great as the matriarch putting down her progeny and is also good in the tender moments, few they may be. It's typical mid level Streep performance and is not a bad inclusion for Oscar if only it were in the right category!


I hated, HATED how this category turned out and how it was essentially over very early. It was Blanchett's to lose since the beginning really and it made for one boring year for Best Actress. No one else really came close. Maybe Bullock but not really. She was my winner and one I thought was more than deserved and if I could replace her win earlier for The Blindside, well, maybe I could right some wrongs. I guess Streep comes in second because she's the lesser of what's left even though she deserves to be in Supporting. But whatever. Blanchett, Dench, and Adams. Just blech. I'll never watch any of their performances again while I'm alive and if I do it's because someone is torturing me.

Oscar Winner: Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
My Winner:   Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Meryl Streep
Cate Blanchett
Judi Dench
Amy Adams