I never know the best way to facilitate doing these categories. I mean I always start in the same order but when say Supporting Actress has a film that has 3-4-5 nominees that I have to write about, should I start there first and knock out a couple reviews with one film? Or should I start with the single nominee films because it's quicker to write and I don't get bogged down in writing about the same film for hour and hours and days and days when I'm worn out writing about American Hustle or similarly nominated films? Should I mix them together to give myself a break? Or should I (like I did for this year) do the most nominee'd ones first? I knocked out 11 reviews for just 3 films this year but was mentally fatigued after! I worry that towards the end my writing begins to suffer and I can't make any good points or observations or tap into what I'm really feeling and trying to say about something. I'll probably keep mixing it up as I go with whatever suits me at the time. Figured I'd give a look into my thought process for this project. I haven't seen any of them besides Winslet so hopefully that works out well!
1997 Best Actress
Helen Hunt - As Good as It Gets
There's an Oscar factoid that whenever I read about Hunt for this film, it was accompanied by the mention that when Jack Nicholson won his three Oscars, the Best Actress winner also came from the same film. I just also wanted to mention that fact so I wouldn't be the odd man out. As for Helen Hunt, she is up to the task of matching Nicholson. We first meet her as the only waitress that can stand Nicholson's persona and we see she's tough and takes none of Jack's bullshit. Her character, however, has a sadness to her and she seems constantly on edge, which makes sense with her home life and caring for a sick child. Her comedic chops aren't too bad here, either, delivering them with some dripping sarcasm and wit helped most likely from her TV sitcom days. She has a great scene where she's arguing/talking with her mom and when she's done she gives this exasperated, honest "Okay" that comes off so amazing. The way she says that one word makes her performance that much better. It felt like an improv or add on or something like that. I say this because I think that's where Hunt succeeds is in the intimate moments with her mom, with Jack, with Kinnear. However, I still don't exactly buy the love story. It seems very forced to me, and I honestly can't picture Hunt and Nicholson together at all. I guess it's that she brings out the good in Nicholson's character but I just don't get it and I certainly wasn't rooting for them to fall in love or anything. I do like that Hunt's character calls Jack on his behavior and even threatens to stop seeing him when he continues to be his asshole self. That feels more real than their relationship. I guess I don't fully know how to judge Hunt's performance. She does a great job with her character and balances out Nicholson's domineering persona but I just don't feel all that attached to her. I'm watching her act and nodding that it's good but it's not compelling me to feel anything for her character. I think that's mostly on the film but still some falls on Hunt. She's good but not the one for me.
Helena Bonham Carter - The Wings of the Dove
This is a hard performance to review. Every so often I get hit with a performance that isn't bad at all but also doesn't leave me writing effusive praise. This is one of those that sort of falls in between the two extremes, though I wouldn't go so far as calling it meh. I actually quite liked Bonham Carter in this role, she really fit the Henry James woman well. Maybe because it is a Henry James adaptation that I can't rightfully dissect Bonham Carter's performance because it's so nuanced and layered. Maybe it's also because I don't have anything insightful to say other than I really enjoyed Bonham Carter's performance. Roger Ebert called it emotionally violent and I loved that phrase so much that I had to write it here. The film really is emotionally violent because even though Bonham Carter's character is in love with Merton and friends with Millie, she still schemes to use the two to get what she wants but in a more tender way. It's as if there is tact in all the lying and half truths and deceit. And Millie tolerates it even though she is wildly rich because she gets partly what she wants before she dies and Merton gets to travel with two beautiful women who both want him but use him all the same. It's a deeply layered film and Bonham Carter is the same way. She doesn't have any loud moments, she just remains diligently observing and steadfast in her lies and friendships. You watch it and know it's good but struggle to say why. I like the performance and I think Bonham Carter is very memorable in her role and that's good enough for me. I'm glad the Academy nominated her for this one.
Julie Christie - Afterglow
I'm sorry but I'm going to be harsh because this does not belong among those known as Oscar nominated. I don't care what Julie Christie has been nominated for in the past, this is a garbage movie. It might think it's clever in tying up it's threads at the end of it but it just reeks of cheesy. She's a housewife whose husband is a handy man (Nick Nolte) who bangs all of his customers and is generally having a lot of fun in his role. She isn't too loving and also had a child that wasn't Nolte's though told him it was until like 15 years later and he was mad and they've had marital strife ever since because that child ran away because she heard Nolte say she wasn't his and didn't love her or some crap. This movie sucks, first of all. Second, there's too much going on to really give a hoot about. Nolte is a philanderer but Christie decides to cheat too and cheats with the husband of the gal Nolte is currently banging, conveniently enough. Christie's performance is basically just jilted lover and bored housewife without being anything interesting. It's insanely boring and she does nothing worthy of being nominated! This has to be an example where the Academy saw the name and decided to vote for it because it sucks. She's meant to look all sexy in her 50s but just ends up looking dumb. It's barely a leading performance on top of being a boring performance. I'd say this is one of the least deserving nominations and one of the worst Oscar nominations ever. It's legit garbage.
Judi Dench - Mrs. Brown
I'll admit I was wary of this film and performance knowing it was Judi Dench playing another Queen role and backed by Miramax. I'll also admit my apprehension was unnecessary because this is a fantastic little film. This may have been Dench's first nomination but it honestly doesn't feel like it. By that I mean it takes all the strong parts of her other performances and throw them together and you'd get her portrayal of Queen Victoria. I've groaned about her playing the same role time and time again but this one felt fresh and new even though it was our first real introduction of her by way of the Oscars. Her performance as Victoria is very stately but I don't mean that in a stuffy, noble way. It's a very smart, measured performance that flows with her character wonderfully. In the beginning she is in mourning for the death of her husband Prince Albert and she is fittingly sort of dour and morose, going through the motions. Once John Brown arrives, he shakes her from her depressing stupor and gets her to liven up, as much as the Queen is able to in strict society. This doesn't happen in one big grand occasion but rather in a gradual way as we see Dench bring the character to life slowly. Towards the end we know she's more happy and sure of herself but we also see the confidence come back to her and we see the Queen become the Queen again. It's stellar work by Dench because this all comes along slowly but deliberately and doesn't feel forced or rushed or too slow, it feels just right. There's no doubt that Billy Connolly helps Dench out by giving his own masterful performance and Dench is able to play off his charisma and let him take the lead and bring her own character along accordingly. There's no pressure for Dench to do anything unnecessary with her character so we get a really thought out performance. I was surprised by how much I liked Dench and this film but it really is a great little film, in large part because of Connolly who is truly awesome in this. A well earned first nomination for Dench.
Kate Winslet - Titanic
I think people forget that Winslet was nominated once before this in a supporting role so it makes sense to me that she would be singled out again for a box office smash like Titanic was. I've read all sorts of arguments online about whether she really deserved a nomination for this role but it almost seems like how could the Academy not? She's the main actress in a billion dollar film and part of the reason why so many people loved it - it's really as simple as that. As for Winslet's performance, I always thought she was very stiff in the beginning of the film, like she was trying to figure out her character onscreen and how to act like an upper class lady. When she admonishes Jack for asking if she loves her fiance, that whole exchange is rather cringe worthy because it comes off as an actress unsure of how to really act. A bit harsh, yes, but when you compare that scene to her later ones you can really see the difference in her acting ability. Maybe it's part of the woes of establishing a character from the beginning but later Rose is a lot better than this. After her romance with Jack has had some time to blossom and she's fighting for her survival on the sinking ship, does Winslet really come into her own. Obviously her character grows more confident about who she is as the story unfolds and Winslet benefits in not having to play someone that's somewhat boring. It may not have been enough for a win but Winslet cemented herself as a leading lady and showed just how good she could be as evidenced by her later nominations and win. There's no doubt, however, that Winslet is Rose.
This was a decent enough group as far as Best Actress goes. I'm starting to resign myself that strong years from top to bottom will be very rare and I'm going to have to suffer through some bad films and performances to get to them. I at least know I'll have deserved it when I finally do! This year is not too bad, though Christie is the one true stinker. I just didn't like her performance at all and the movie was more movie of the week type stuff than an Oscar player. No thanks. Winslet is my 4th simply because she is so green and it shows in the beginning. She's good enough, but not for a win. This is where it gets muddled for me. I like Bonham Carter but I don't know if I articulated it well enough other than it being her presence, this would be my 2nd because it's at least memorable to me. Hunt just didn't do enough for me as a winner even though she held her own against Jack Nicholson. Dench surprised me in how much I liked her performance and the film. She looks better because of her co-star but she's plenty good on her own. I've admitted to being underwhelmed by some of her nominations in the past but not here. She is excellent in Mrs. Brown and deserves my win. A good group that could have been better without Christie.
Oscar Winner: Helen Hunt - As Good as It Gets
My Winner: Judi Dench - Mrs. Brown
Helena Bonham Carter
Helen Hunt
Kate Winslet
Julie Christie
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