I know this is the battle of the two Vietnam films but I'm just over here hoping that the other three films don't disappoint. Haven't seen a lick of these but I'm eager to get it started.
1978 Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
There are times where I have put off watching certain films for this project that are deemed classics because I want my reaction to be raw and authentic. I don't want to have watched a film a bunch already if I can help it just so the categories don't become a chore to get through. The Deer Hunter was one of those where I could have watched it already but didn't because I knew I'd get to it eventually for this blog. I was beyond excited to finally watch it because I've heard great things about it and knew the actors involved were all great and it's considered a classic and it's supposed to be a heavy film about Vietnam. I'm glad to have finally watched it but I must say I was very underwhelmed by the film. And I don't think that's because I hyped it up. The film is just over three hours long but director Michael Cimino lingers way too long on some scenes and though this won an Editing Oscar, it needed to be trimmed down considerably. The wedding scene in the beginning of the film lasted almost an hour when it shouldn't have. I get what Cimino was trying to do but less can be more. I don't know why auteurs seem to have trouble editing down their films to make cohesive sense. I don't see this as a masterpiece of filmmaking that others seem to. There are some very, very good acting performances in this film from De Niro and Walken, and Streep and the others to a lesser degree. I like the three act structure where we see the friends at home in Pennsylvania for the first hour and then they go to Vietnam for the next where we see the Russian roulette scene. And the final hour is when De Niro comes back home and adjusts and also tries to save Walken and even John Savage's character. The film just doesn't seem as great as I was lead to believe it was going to be. It doesn't feel like an all-timer and I get that expectations can spoil things but I don't think this was spoiled at all. It's really good in certain things and it's beautifully shot, the music is memorable, some of the acting is incredible, there are a ton of iconic scenes, but it also feels full of itself. The lingering scenes, the use of Russian roulette as a plot point that dehumanizes the Vietnamese (which I'm honestly not that concerned with. It's obviously an artistic choice and not an indictment of them as a people), the fact that women are basically nothing in this film. There are a lot of criticisms of this film that are legit and from what I've read, this just happened to capture the zeitgeist at the right time. A week later and this film would have been shredded by controversy but ballots had already been sent in. I don't disagree with the Academy's choice of this film as the winner. I'm actually fine with it as the winner. It's daring and very epic in scope and has great acting and tells a decent story even if it doesn't represent Vietnam. It's artistic and worth breaking down and scrutinizing and is probably a great directorial achievement. I was just underwhelmed at how this didn't live up to lofty expectations. As an aside, how morbid is it knowing that John Cazale was dying of lung cancer while filming this and didn't live to see the finished product? His filmography is amazing since every film he was in was nominated for Best Picture. Anyway, I recognize that this is a good film, but that I was also let down by how pedestrian it felt at times. Worth a watch to figure out your own thoughts about it.
Coming Home
I was very curious about how I would respond to this film going in. I knew it had four acting nominees and won two of them and was a Vietnam film about, well, coming home and dealing with the after effects of combat. I also knew that The Deer Hunter was considered the more classic of the two films so I was worried this may have been a preachy Jane Fonda film that hammers it's message into your skull. But that's why I watch the films and this one was really good. I was surprised at how much I liked it and thought it handled the PTSD subject extremely well. And I think this was one of the first films to actually deal with that side of the war (along with this year's winner - go figure) and it does so in a way that doesn't go overboard. The film is about Jane Fonda who is married to Bruce Dern, a Marine Captain, who is gung ho about going to fight in Vietnam. Fonda starts volunteering at the VA hospital on base and meets an old high school acquaintance in Jon Voight's character, a paralyzed veteran who is very angry at the world. The two develop a friendship and then a relationship and then Dern comes back home after getting wounded and is a changed man. Obviously, the film deals earnestly with what it's like to come home from a war changed without a good support system. Young men were being forced to go fight a war they didn't care about only to get injured and then dumped off on a VA healthcare system that was overwhelmed and run down. No emotional support besides the other veterans as they just sit around and waste away which in turn makes these men angry and bitter at their own country and everyone around them. We see Voight change into a man who starts caring in something when Fonda and he hit it off. I like that the film showed everything in a mostly honest way. The acting wasn't overblown and any angry outburst or emotional state seemed natural to what was going on. Voight isn't just screaming and lashing out for no reason and to show off his acting. The PTSD moments come when necessary and are even more varied than just yelling. We see a friend of Voight's who says off the wall stuff and is mad because he can't play his guitar like he used to. His damage is more mental and it shows the different ways men come back injured from war. Eventually Dern comes home as well and we see he is definitely changed from the war, calling it boring and being embarrassed at how he was injured. He, too, has anger issues and snaps at Fonda for cheating on him and walks around the house with a gun. He is the more violent side of the PTSD (without really getting violent). The story is utterly compelling and holds my interest from start to finish (I was going to watch part of it and go to bed but had to finish it in one sitting) but the acting is top notch. It would be easy to overact and be loud but no one does. Even Fonda is more understated than usual and doesn't do her preachy, advocating for a cause thing so blatantly. If not for the winner this year, I think this film would have won and probably been remembered more instead of being overshadowed. But the film is still a very intriguing look at a subject that I'm sure most people didn't want to talk about back then and this film helped push it into the national conscious even more so. I also wanted to mention the film's use of music. It has whole songs playing as an undercurrent through much of the film and I really liked it in place of a traditional score. Makes it feel more modern, yet still a bit timeless. I know some reviews disliked that the music was ever present but I liked what it brought to the film. The ending to this film is also incredibly powerful and haunting and I think more people should see this film just for the ending alone. A very good film that gets overlooked today.
Heaven Can Wait
While watching this film two things were running through my head: that a film like this would probably never get nominated for Best Picture anymore (let alone a whole bunch of Oscars) and that the Academy just absolutely loved and adored anything Warren Beatty did. This is Beatty's version of the 1941 film, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which was also nominated for Best Picture and a bunch of other Oscars. The film would again be remade in 2001 as Down to Earth starring Chris Rock but it did not get any Oscar nominations. The film is really a light, body switching comedy that has a couple pretty good laughs and is overall entertaining but doesn't offer up anything that is Oscar worthy. It's about the quarterback of the LA Rams (that would have been an outdated thing that is now not so outdated with their recent move) who dies prematurely due to an error in heaven and then wants to find a body so he can still be the QB of the Rams. He settles for an old millionaire and we go from there with the story. I think the combination of Beatty and it being a loved and respected older film remake that the old people in the Academy could latch onto is the reason it got so much love in 1978. Beatty is very good in the role and it doesn't devolve into too much Beatty like his future nominations would and he's entertaining and spunky, I guess you could say. He's good and very movie star worthy but a reason for this to be nominated for BP? Nah. I guess as a 5th to all the other serious films this could make sense but I imagine if I were alive back then I would have been upset it got in. I dunno, it's funny and has a little bit of heart to it and is kind of a feel good story. I think if you're a really big Warren Beatty fan you'll love this but everyone else will see this is a good, not great, film that doesn't stand up to a The Deer Hunter type of film this year. And that's okay.
Midnight Express
Man, I didn't even realize when watching this that the film was nominated for Best Picture. I thought it only had Hurt's nomination so I wrote his review and went on with the project only to find out close to finishing this year that, whoops, I didn't write this review. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the film but it is what it is. The film is about an American guy who gets arrested for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey and then has to deal with an unfair Turkish judicial system and an awful Turkish prison system. This seems like a really odd choice for the Academy, especially back in the 70s. This is a very dark, gritty, raw type of story with no happy ending. But it's also kind of inspired because it is so different and not in the Academy's wheelhouse. But I say that the same year that The Deer Hunter won Best Picture and it certainly isn't a bright, cheerful film, either. Interestingly enough, Oliver Stone won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for this film before going on to direct some great films, but it does have his sort of negative worldview attached to it so it makes since that he wrote it. The music for the film is probably the most interesting part of the film. I don't say that to disparage the film at all, just that it has such an 80s vibe to it that the music feels like a harbinger of what was to come. Obviously the film shows violence and torture and a lot of negative stuff when the focus is on the prison. I think that's what surprises me that this could score a Best Picture nomination. The film has some interesting supporting characters and we are transported to a part of the world we rarely ever see. It's an interesting concept for a story but I was a little let down by it. I was expecting something really gripping and intense that would be a wild ride all the way through. But some parts of the film were kinda boring, honestly, and though it was pretty tense at times, I think I wanted more action from the story. I do feel the film is worth seeing but didn't live up to the hype I'd heard about it. Admittedly, not a great review, I know, but it's an interesting choice for the Academy to make for it's top five, it just didn't fully click with me for whatever reason even though it was enjoyable for the most part.
An Unmarried Woman
I went into this film not knowing much about it other than a few reviewers I like had said this was going to be better than I thought and that had me hoping for a dark horse favorite for Best Picture. I'd heard good things about the lead performance in Jill Clayburgh and how she was robbed of an Oscar. That is all sort of the truth. I was hooked on this film from the get go and was really into it and the performance by Clayburgh. I was fully expecting this to become a new favorite but then the film slammed on the breaks about an hour and twenty minutes in, hard enough for you to smash your face on the windshield. Up to that point, this film was amazing. Legit amazing because Clayburgh was actually really great, the backdrop of NYC in the late 70s was what I live to see in this project, the dialogue was witty, yet not obnoxious, and the story moved at a brisk pace from the outset. It follows Clayburgh as we see her in her marriage living day to day life and then things get rough and her husband admits he's in love with another woman. Clayburgh takes time for herself, visits a shrink, and then has casual sex before the breaks are slammed. It reminds me of Sex and the City at times, especially when Clayburgh gets together with her friends and they just crack jokes on each other, make fun of each other, talk openly and frankly about sex and their lives, and are just a hoot to watch in general. I love their interplay and it's done convincingly and not in a screenplay, awkward dialogue kind of way. I love when she walks the street and we see late 70s NYC. It's just like a documentary of the way we were. Just one of my weird things I like about old films. But, in saying all that, the film grinds to a halt once Clayburgh meets this painter guy and they become romantic. And it's where the film stops being this amazing, must see film for me, which is unfortunate. I'm not interested in her relationship with this painter guy and I wish she would just go back to being the strong, independent woman on the prowl. But really it's just fun to see her navigate life now that she is free and can do what she wants without being tied to a husband. I liked that part of the performance a lot. Clayburgh makes the film watchable and I'd still recommend it with a caveat that it will eventually grind to a halt. The ending is satisfying, however, because Clayburgh's character stays true to her newfound independent woman spirit. This is a film that feels very modern and could probably be remade in today's Hollywood but this one is good enough for now.
Trying to figure this year out was hard. Heaven Can Wait was not an Oscar worthy film. It didn't deserve all the nominations it got and was a very forgettable film. Warren Beatty had too much sway over the Academy and that's a sad thing. Midnight Express just didn't feel like an Oscar film, simple as that. But it was a pretty unique choice. Better than the film I ranked behind it and better than some random British film or romantic comedy or something. An Unmarried Woman is actually pretty great to be nominated. It felt so modern and different as far as female fronted films go. It's worth seeking out and watching. The whole year came down to the two Vietnam films. I read something in the Oscar book I have about how Democrats were for Coming Home and Republicans were for The Deer Hunter which is just absurd. The Deer Hunter deals with the coming home aspect, too, but does make the Vietnamese look shitty in their very limited scenes. It's not representative by any means and I feel like Democrats would like both films and probably Republicans, too, if they aren't so war hungry, other races are bad types. The winner isn't as controversial as you may have been lead to think. Anyway, I am having trouble deciding between the two. Both are good and The Deer Hunter does seem like the better film, though Coming Home seems more relevant. I think my nod is to the Oscar winner but I do feel like that could easily change and I'd give it to Coming Home. I think I need more time to let these two marinate and see which one tastes better. A decent year but one that I wish was better all the way through.
Oscar Winner: The Deer Hunter
My Winner: The Deer Hunter
Coming Home
An Unmarried Woman
Midnight Express
Heaven Can Wait
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Leading Actor 1978
One day I will figure out how to put the years on the sidebar so you can jump straight to a given year like all the other blogs out there. Just a random thought but I'll get it done eventually. As for this category, I have seen none of them but I'm excited because they are all big names and some of them look intriguing on the surface.
1978 Best Actor
Jon Voight - Coming Home
I have been interested in watching this performance for such a long time to see what exactly Voight was like back then. I know the recent Voight acting and I thought a lot of his roles were okay but nothing amazing, so I wanted to see Voight at his best to see what I've been missing. Here he plays a disable veteran who is paralyzed and stuck in a VA hospital while recovering. The danger with this film and role is that it can easily be cliche and one not. We first see Voight as a very angry and bitter man who hates the world and the situation he was put in. This is something we've seen many times before and since so it's nothing earth shattering, but Voight keeps it believable as the story churns along and lets Voight grow his character. He eventually meets Jane Fonda, a married volunteer at the hospital who he went to high school with and the two strike up a volatile friendship. He uses his anger and situation to keep her interested in figuring out the real person he is and that of course leads to an eventual romantic relationship. But the whole time Voight is changing and growing in the role. The anger and frustration at his predicament changes into hope and excitement for his newfound love and freedom with a new wheelchair and living on his own in an apartment. He's a good guy deep down that was dealt a raw hand and that anger subsides like when he's called to come back to the hospital before his friend kills himself. We see these touching moments more and more as the films goes on and see that Voight is a smart, sensitive, caring, and loving man who got fucked over by the war. Voight portrays all of this almost effortlessly and wholly convincingly. His gradual change from anger and resentment to acceptance and love is enjoyable to watch. His concern by the end of the film is for Fonda and for all the young men out there who can hopefully avoid having to go to war and experience the things he did. Towards the end of the film is Voight's Oscar moment where he is talking to a group of boys as a counterpoint to joining the military and passionately gives a little speech about how it's not worth it. In that moment, if you told me that Voight had been to Vietnam and experienced everything his character did, I would have believed you. The speech is so earnest and heartfelt and real and I rewatched it because it was so damn good. Just really brilliant, effortless acting by Voight. That speech is interspersed with Dern succumbing to his demons and taking his clothes off and walking into the ocean. It's truly powerful cinema and it's made all the more stronger by Voight's speech. Just a haunting scene really and it probably seals his win for me, though I've got a couple more to see in this category.
Warren Beatty - Heaven Can Wait
I know I always try to make the Best Actor/Actress reviews pretty long to really give them their due but I was wondering just how would I do that for Beatty here. Let me back up by saying this film is about Beatty's character who is the quarterback of the LA Rams who dies prematurely due to an error in heaven. He is then allowed to pick a new body but doesn't like the choices and eventually settles on an old millionaire businessman. Beatty spends the time fixing the wrongs in that man's life and trying to get back into shape so he can still be a quarterback for the Rams. New millionaire body Beatty decides to just buy the team and install himself as the QB in his new, older body. But of course there is a curve ball (yes mixing sports terms) and Beatty needs to vacate that body and he is able to choose the current Rams QB who gets gravely injured in the Super Bowl before being resurrected and leading them to a win. Yeah, that is all pretty absurd but Beatty does a great job of using his movie star quality to keep it from actually being absurd. I wasn't a huge fan of Beatty's most current nominations because they were so Beatty focused and done to make him look perfect and most important. That still happens to a very lesser extent in this film with Beatty going into the millionaire and completely changing how his company is run so that they don't pollute and don't set off earthquakes or have a nuclear meltdown or whatever. He comes in and does the right thing and that's been my main criticism of Beatty as an actor is that he doesn't take on the roles that challenge him as a person or actor. He doesn't ever make himself look bad in any way. It's not as egregious here but he still comes out looking like the golden boy, it just doesn't annoy me in this role and film. I don't really think Beatty needed a nomination here, either, because it's not all that challenging for him and he's basically just playing up to his movie star standards. It's harmless, likable stuff from Beatty but I have come to expect a lot more from my Best Actor nominees. I was wondering how I'd make this long and not so short, well, just be disappointed by Beatty getting nominated for something others would never get accolades for. He was fine but you just know there was some other deserving actor out there who could be here instead.
Gary Busey - The Buddy Holly Story
I actually thought I had written some stuff here when I first watched half of this film a couple months ago before getting caught up in life. When I was thinking about Busey's performance, I remembered how one hundred percent into it he was and that somewhat surprised me because I forget that Busey used to be a legit actor and not just a joke. The big takeaway is how completely dedicated Busey is to the role and it raises the film up a notch. I went into this performance not really expecting much knowing that a thirty something Busey was playing a teenage/early twenties Buddy Holly. That didn't sound like a good combo but you honestly dismiss the obvious age difference because of how passionate Busey is in the role as Buddy. What seals the nomination for me is that Busey (and the other actors in the band) did all of the singing and played real instruments and sound incredible in doing so. That coupled with the dedication and passion makes this a well earned nomination that might seem pretty weird or ridiculous when you scan through the categories. Busey is utterly convincing and gives it his all and does a very good job in becoming Buddy Holly and showing his musical genius. The film itself is just a straightforward musical biopic that hits all the familiar notes without ever getting too deep into what makes Buddy who he is but I didn't mind given the performance we got. Some minor quibbles, for sure, but I think more people will be interested to watch this and come away knowing it's not actually a bad performance and that Busey does a hell of a job here. A definitely well earned nomination.
Robert De Niro - The Deer Hunter
I don't know why, but when I always thought about this film, I forgot that this was essentially a Robert De Niro flick. I guess I just automatically think of his other films over this one, probably because I had avoided watching it until just now. But yet it still doesn't feel like the typical De Niro film. I think that because his character is so quiet and withdrawn for a lot of the film is a big reason why it feels different. All of his other performances tend to be loud and dominating and oozing with charisma. De Niro as Michael in this film is withdrawn and more calculating and focused than I am used to. I like that De Niro can make that kind of character work, I guess it's just the film that makes him feel so subdued. The film gives him a lot of quiet moments and scenes in which to work and I feel like De Niro handles them well. He's basically the leader of his group of friends and is the best deer hunter. There are moments like when he talks to the Green Beret at the bar at the wedding reception and is drunk and he gets offended but it doesn't turn into typical De Niro machismo. It stays subdued and real and speaks to how different De Niro is in this role than in most everything else he's done and it works. He shows this quiet leadership among his buddies and that shows up again in the Russian roulette scene in the middle of the film. He gets his friends Steven and Nick, to calm the fuck down and figure out a way to escape and get out of the torture. And then when he comes home and goes to see Streep and is moody yet still attracted to her and they go around town, it's just different De Niro but it's still equally compelling De Niro. You still see the pain and the burden of the war in De Niro's character, it's just in a different way than his buddies. The more I think about it, the better his performance seems to me. He does so much by showing so little that it's really a treat to watch. I like that he doesn't tell us everything he's thinking and go through long expository speeches or something. He acts like a real person and he cares about his friends and goes back to Vietnam to try and get Nick (Walken) home and does what it takes. I know it sounds weird to say that this is an underrated De Niro performance, but I truly think it is because it so different than what you would typically expect from him. If not for Voight giving a performance of a lifetime, De Niro would have had another win which who knows what happens with Raging Bull if that happens. This is a surprising performance and it's nice to actually say that about an acting legend for this project.
Laurence Olivier - The Boys from Brazil
This was Olivier's 10th Oscar nomination and the funny thing is that he was rewarded with his 2nd(!) Honorary Oscar this same year. If that's not screaming to you that the Academy was looking for any reason to give him another nomination, I don't know what to tell you. That's one of those things I hate about the Academy and I don't care if it's an acting legend like Olivier or Streep or whoever. It's not necessary. Anyway, this is such an odd little film. It's basically like Jewish 007: Nazi Hunter. Which actually sounds like a pretty cool film, but this one doesn't live up to that name exactly. Olivier plays an old Jewish Nazi hunter who gets some information that Josef Mengele is hiding out in Brazil. Mengele is played by Gregory Peck, which is pretty fun but his accent is terrible. Olivier tracks down information which takes him to Brazil and then to America where he finally confronts Mengele, who was cloning Hitler in a whole bunch of boys. Like I said, a weird little film. I don't mind Olivier here. He's decent enough, though the accent wavers and isn't very good. But he's earnest in his portrayal of the Nazi hunter which is admirable but he doesn't actually do a whole lot in the role. He finds out information but anyone could do that. The fun is just seeing him and Peck and James Mason onscreen together. I don't know what makes it Oscar worthy because if you flipped Mason and Olivier, the character might have been even better. So that's what this is: a fun, yet pointless nomination for a acting giant in his twilight years. The film is so odd and almost campy that if Olivier wasn't his name, he wouldn't have been nominated. I would rather see someone else in place of him here who actually did something with their performance.
I am very happy with the Best Actor category. To start off with the negative, Olivier is no good. I mean, he's alright but that's a strange little film that doesn't deserve a nomination for his work and he got a damn Honorary Oscar anyway, so give the spot to someone else who deserves it. That's the lone bad thing, though I'm tired of the Academy's love affair with Beatty. He didn't deserve or need a nomination here. Give that spot to someone that deserves it! Yeah, I know I just said that but he's fine as well but I can at least kinda justify his spot. But here is where it gets hard. Another year and I might consider giving Busey the win. He was amazing and played his own instrument and sang the songs himself and did a great job of not just mimicking Buddy Holly. He was Buddy Holly brought to life. Go watch that performance. De Niro was also amazing and actually grew on me in the hours after watching him and writing about him. I had him third but then bumped him because he delivers a different De Niro performance but still is awesome at it. I think it will still grow on me in the coming days. But Voight is the winner for me because he does give a performance of a lifetime. I have gone back and rewatched his big scene at the end where he gives a speech to high school kids and it's some of the best acting I have ever seen. No joke there. No hyperbole. Straight truth. I'm so happy he won for this performance. But even if he didn't the two guys behind him would have been just as worthy winners which is mind blowing to think about. I will take three really great performances every year if I can. Now on to 1977.
Oscar Winner: Jon Voight - Coming Home
My Winner: Jon Voight - Coming Home
Robert De Niro
Gary Busey
Warren Beatty
Laurence Olivier
1978 Best Actor
Jon Voight - Coming Home
I have been interested in watching this performance for such a long time to see what exactly Voight was like back then. I know the recent Voight acting and I thought a lot of his roles were okay but nothing amazing, so I wanted to see Voight at his best to see what I've been missing. Here he plays a disable veteran who is paralyzed and stuck in a VA hospital while recovering. The danger with this film and role is that it can easily be cliche and one not. We first see Voight as a very angry and bitter man who hates the world and the situation he was put in. This is something we've seen many times before and since so it's nothing earth shattering, but Voight keeps it believable as the story churns along and lets Voight grow his character. He eventually meets Jane Fonda, a married volunteer at the hospital who he went to high school with and the two strike up a volatile friendship. He uses his anger and situation to keep her interested in figuring out the real person he is and that of course leads to an eventual romantic relationship. But the whole time Voight is changing and growing in the role. The anger and frustration at his predicament changes into hope and excitement for his newfound love and freedom with a new wheelchair and living on his own in an apartment. He's a good guy deep down that was dealt a raw hand and that anger subsides like when he's called to come back to the hospital before his friend kills himself. We see these touching moments more and more as the films goes on and see that Voight is a smart, sensitive, caring, and loving man who got fucked over by the war. Voight portrays all of this almost effortlessly and wholly convincingly. His gradual change from anger and resentment to acceptance and love is enjoyable to watch. His concern by the end of the film is for Fonda and for all the young men out there who can hopefully avoid having to go to war and experience the things he did. Towards the end of the film is Voight's Oscar moment where he is talking to a group of boys as a counterpoint to joining the military and passionately gives a little speech about how it's not worth it. In that moment, if you told me that Voight had been to Vietnam and experienced everything his character did, I would have believed you. The speech is so earnest and heartfelt and real and I rewatched it because it was so damn good. Just really brilliant, effortless acting by Voight. That speech is interspersed with Dern succumbing to his demons and taking his clothes off and walking into the ocean. It's truly powerful cinema and it's made all the more stronger by Voight's speech. Just a haunting scene really and it probably seals his win for me, though I've got a couple more to see in this category.
Warren Beatty - Heaven Can Wait
I know I always try to make the Best Actor/Actress reviews pretty long to really give them their due but I was wondering just how would I do that for Beatty here. Let me back up by saying this film is about Beatty's character who is the quarterback of the LA Rams who dies prematurely due to an error in heaven. He is then allowed to pick a new body but doesn't like the choices and eventually settles on an old millionaire businessman. Beatty spends the time fixing the wrongs in that man's life and trying to get back into shape so he can still be a quarterback for the Rams. New millionaire body Beatty decides to just buy the team and install himself as the QB in his new, older body. But of course there is a curve ball (yes mixing sports terms) and Beatty needs to vacate that body and he is able to choose the current Rams QB who gets gravely injured in the Super Bowl before being resurrected and leading them to a win. Yeah, that is all pretty absurd but Beatty does a great job of using his movie star quality to keep it from actually being absurd. I wasn't a huge fan of Beatty's most current nominations because they were so Beatty focused and done to make him look perfect and most important. That still happens to a very lesser extent in this film with Beatty going into the millionaire and completely changing how his company is run so that they don't pollute and don't set off earthquakes or have a nuclear meltdown or whatever. He comes in and does the right thing and that's been my main criticism of Beatty as an actor is that he doesn't take on the roles that challenge him as a person or actor. He doesn't ever make himself look bad in any way. It's not as egregious here but he still comes out looking like the golden boy, it just doesn't annoy me in this role and film. I don't really think Beatty needed a nomination here, either, because it's not all that challenging for him and he's basically just playing up to his movie star standards. It's harmless, likable stuff from Beatty but I have come to expect a lot more from my Best Actor nominees. I was wondering how I'd make this long and not so short, well, just be disappointed by Beatty getting nominated for something others would never get accolades for. He was fine but you just know there was some other deserving actor out there who could be here instead.
Gary Busey - The Buddy Holly Story
I actually thought I had written some stuff here when I first watched half of this film a couple months ago before getting caught up in life. When I was thinking about Busey's performance, I remembered how one hundred percent into it he was and that somewhat surprised me because I forget that Busey used to be a legit actor and not just a joke. The big takeaway is how completely dedicated Busey is to the role and it raises the film up a notch. I went into this performance not really expecting much knowing that a thirty something Busey was playing a teenage/early twenties Buddy Holly. That didn't sound like a good combo but you honestly dismiss the obvious age difference because of how passionate Busey is in the role as Buddy. What seals the nomination for me is that Busey (and the other actors in the band) did all of the singing and played real instruments and sound incredible in doing so. That coupled with the dedication and passion makes this a well earned nomination that might seem pretty weird or ridiculous when you scan through the categories. Busey is utterly convincing and gives it his all and does a very good job in becoming Buddy Holly and showing his musical genius. The film itself is just a straightforward musical biopic that hits all the familiar notes without ever getting too deep into what makes Buddy who he is but I didn't mind given the performance we got. Some minor quibbles, for sure, but I think more people will be interested to watch this and come away knowing it's not actually a bad performance and that Busey does a hell of a job here. A definitely well earned nomination.
Robert De Niro - The Deer Hunter
I don't know why, but when I always thought about this film, I forgot that this was essentially a Robert De Niro flick. I guess I just automatically think of his other films over this one, probably because I had avoided watching it until just now. But yet it still doesn't feel like the typical De Niro film. I think that because his character is so quiet and withdrawn for a lot of the film is a big reason why it feels different. All of his other performances tend to be loud and dominating and oozing with charisma. De Niro as Michael in this film is withdrawn and more calculating and focused than I am used to. I like that De Niro can make that kind of character work, I guess it's just the film that makes him feel so subdued. The film gives him a lot of quiet moments and scenes in which to work and I feel like De Niro handles them well. He's basically the leader of his group of friends and is the best deer hunter. There are moments like when he talks to the Green Beret at the bar at the wedding reception and is drunk and he gets offended but it doesn't turn into typical De Niro machismo. It stays subdued and real and speaks to how different De Niro is in this role than in most everything else he's done and it works. He shows this quiet leadership among his buddies and that shows up again in the Russian roulette scene in the middle of the film. He gets his friends Steven and Nick, to calm the fuck down and figure out a way to escape and get out of the torture. And then when he comes home and goes to see Streep and is moody yet still attracted to her and they go around town, it's just different De Niro but it's still equally compelling De Niro. You still see the pain and the burden of the war in De Niro's character, it's just in a different way than his buddies. The more I think about it, the better his performance seems to me. He does so much by showing so little that it's really a treat to watch. I like that he doesn't tell us everything he's thinking and go through long expository speeches or something. He acts like a real person and he cares about his friends and goes back to Vietnam to try and get Nick (Walken) home and does what it takes. I know it sounds weird to say that this is an underrated De Niro performance, but I truly think it is because it so different than what you would typically expect from him. If not for Voight giving a performance of a lifetime, De Niro would have had another win which who knows what happens with Raging Bull if that happens. This is a surprising performance and it's nice to actually say that about an acting legend for this project.
Laurence Olivier - The Boys from Brazil
This was Olivier's 10th Oscar nomination and the funny thing is that he was rewarded with his 2nd(!) Honorary Oscar this same year. If that's not screaming to you that the Academy was looking for any reason to give him another nomination, I don't know what to tell you. That's one of those things I hate about the Academy and I don't care if it's an acting legend like Olivier or Streep or whoever. It's not necessary. Anyway, this is such an odd little film. It's basically like Jewish 007: Nazi Hunter. Which actually sounds like a pretty cool film, but this one doesn't live up to that name exactly. Olivier plays an old Jewish Nazi hunter who gets some information that Josef Mengele is hiding out in Brazil. Mengele is played by Gregory Peck, which is pretty fun but his accent is terrible. Olivier tracks down information which takes him to Brazil and then to America where he finally confronts Mengele, who was cloning Hitler in a whole bunch of boys. Like I said, a weird little film. I don't mind Olivier here. He's decent enough, though the accent wavers and isn't very good. But he's earnest in his portrayal of the Nazi hunter which is admirable but he doesn't actually do a whole lot in the role. He finds out information but anyone could do that. The fun is just seeing him and Peck and James Mason onscreen together. I don't know what makes it Oscar worthy because if you flipped Mason and Olivier, the character might have been even better. So that's what this is: a fun, yet pointless nomination for a acting giant in his twilight years. The film is so odd and almost campy that if Olivier wasn't his name, he wouldn't have been nominated. I would rather see someone else in place of him here who actually did something with their performance.
I am very happy with the Best Actor category. To start off with the negative, Olivier is no good. I mean, he's alright but that's a strange little film that doesn't deserve a nomination for his work and he got a damn Honorary Oscar anyway, so give the spot to someone else who deserves it. That's the lone bad thing, though I'm tired of the Academy's love affair with Beatty. He didn't deserve or need a nomination here. Give that spot to someone that deserves it! Yeah, I know I just said that but he's fine as well but I can at least kinda justify his spot. But here is where it gets hard. Another year and I might consider giving Busey the win. He was amazing and played his own instrument and sang the songs himself and did a great job of not just mimicking Buddy Holly. He was Buddy Holly brought to life. Go watch that performance. De Niro was also amazing and actually grew on me in the hours after watching him and writing about him. I had him third but then bumped him because he delivers a different De Niro performance but still is awesome at it. I think it will still grow on me in the coming days. But Voight is the winner for me because he does give a performance of a lifetime. I have gone back and rewatched his big scene at the end where he gives a speech to high school kids and it's some of the best acting I have ever seen. No joke there. No hyperbole. Straight truth. I'm so happy he won for this performance. But even if he didn't the two guys behind him would have been just as worthy winners which is mind blowing to think about. I will take three really great performances every year if I can. Now on to 1977.
Oscar Winner: Jon Voight - Coming Home
My Winner: Jon Voight - Coming Home
Robert De Niro
Gary Busey
Warren Beatty
Laurence Olivier
Leading Actress 1978
Yeah, yeah...I've been gone a couple months because life gets in the way of this sometimes. Also because I decided to watch all of the Arrowverse shows which is like 16 seasons of TV and that kept me busy with a ton of other stuff. Anyway, it's nice to be writing these again and I've been eager to see some of these ladies perform. Why did Fonda win another Oscar? Is Clayburgh as good as I've heard about online? Is Bergman legit or just a career nod? Burstyn and Page are in the middle of their years long Oscar runs. Lots to parse through and hopefully enjoy.
1978 Best Actress
Jane Fonda - Coming Home
Jane Fonda can be hit or miss with me. Some performances are great, some are preachy, insufferable messes, and some are just not that good to me. I was worried (as I was for all of the nominees for this film, not sure why) that this would be one of those preachy performances where Fonda is clearly advocating for something and pushing an agenda. You can say that she's pushing the veteran agenda and be right, but it's not a blatant, hit you over the head message. The film deals with the PTSD angle after coming home in a very realistic way and I was glad to see that. I was also glad to see Fonda in an almost understated performance. She can be a loud, dominating actress at times but she took a step back here and let her male stars be domineering while she played the concerned, yet confused - but fully realized - woman who wants to help. I really enjoyed her in this role and I like that she didn't make it all about her and the romance, though that is a big part of the story. It just felt like everyone, and every part of the story, was getting their due. Both of her relationships felt authentic in different ways and much of that reason is because she let's the story do the work. I like the nervousness and hesitance she has when deciding to enter Voight's room in the hospital or when he comes over to her house for dinner. These little nuances of her character are done to great effect and give us a good representation of who this woman is as a person. She has these lighter touches that I wasn't expecting and certainly wasn't used to seeing from her. I guess I haven't respected her acting ability enough but this was a pleasant surprise. I also like that when Fonda confronts the base newspaper group she is a part of, they quickly dismiss her idea of an expose on the VA hospital and tell her the paper is for gossip and whatnot. They shut her down fast and easy and Fonda doesn't get that big moment of a soapbox speech that I thought she would do. She kinda says that she's ashamed while the group ignores her and she walks off. That's why I like this performance because wasn't a stage for Fonda to spout off about the war or the government or whatever. She just played her character wonderfully and showed us a very good performance. This was her second Oscar win and I can definitely see why they voted for her. Plus, she was in three different Oscar nominated films this year (this, Comes a Horseman, and California Suite). I think in most years she wins easily. I'll have to see if Bergman or Clayburgh give her a run like I've heard about.
Ingrid Bergman - Autumn Sonata
As is customary, I went into this film and performance wondering if this was just a career nomination or if Bergman actually earned it. Thankfully, I can say that it's not just a career nod. I mean, it still is because this was her last major film role and I think the Academy was glad to be able to nominate her again so late in her career. But, Bergman also earned it by portraying the distant mother in this depressing Ingmar Bergman film (not related and their only collaboration) like the veteran actress she was. That's my big takeaway from her performance is that Bergman is solid and a strong actress and puts the work in for a difficult role. You can tell this is an actress that is still at the top of her game and knows how to get the most out of a character and a scene. She plays a concert pianist who was never really there for her daughter and family and she has come back for a visit with them and old wounds get reopened and hashed out. There is a lot of introspective speeches and dramatic back and forth between mother and daughter that is very intense and depressing and full of great acting with Liv Ullman playing the daughter. Bergman is up to the task of making her character look pitiful and scared and sorrowful and strong and hopeful and all these different emotions that is necessary to convey about this complex character. I was glad that she did a great job in her performance because, as you should know by now, the thing I hate the most is undeserved nominations especially to veterans actors. But Bergman earned this nomination and had to have been in the running to win along with Fonda and Clayburgh. She already had a couple wins so her missing out her wasn't a terrible thing. I'm excited that as I go back, I get to watch more of her films and performance, which is nice to look forward to.
Ellen Burstyn - Same Time, Next Year
One thing about Ellen Burstyn that I've enjoyed about her acting through the course of a couple nominations is that she is pretty diverse as an actress. Her six nominations have been wide ranging and I like that she isn't just getting nominated for romantic comedy drivel or the same role over and over again. This is probably going to end up as her weakest nomination (even with having not seen two of her earlier nominations) as the role isn't really all that compelling or interesting for the big screen. I say that even though she won a Tony award for playing the same role on Broadway a few years earlier. And that's why I don't really like this film or performance all that much - it's a play on film and it doesn't really translate well. It obviously has more impact if seen on the stage but it doesn't work for me. The film is essentially just Alan Alda and Burstyn on screen for two hours. The two met up one day when both were traveling and hooked up though both were married. They fell in love with each other and decided to meet every year on the same weekend at the same place. The film covers their meetups in five year increments over like thirty years and we see them get together as their other lives seep into their relationship. There are twists and turns as each person sort of changes with the times or becomes the opposite of the other (a square instead of a hippy). Alda was annoying because his character was full of guilt on cheating yet a sex maniac and just a dopey guy overall. I never really believed that Burstyn was madly in love with him that she would cheat and do it year after year, but that was more because I didn't think she and Alda had much chemistry. I thought Burstyn was fine in the role and she was obviously comfortable as the character since she won a Tony for playing this woman, but it was like watching her go through the motions. That's more of a knock on the film being so tepid and without any real passion. There isn't really anything that Burstyn could do to salvage the performance for me other than replacing Alda with someone else. Best Actress has a lot of nominees who have won or been nominated for stage roles before getting nominated for the film version and I think the Academy just loves that type of performance for whatever reason. No different for Burstyn here as they nominate a Tony winning performance that is a let down for the screen version.
Jill Clayburgh - An Unmarried Woman
Another one of those reviews where I stared at the screen forever not knowing how to start this. I had heard a lot about Clayburgh giving a brilliant performance and that she probably should have won and was robbed by Jane Fonda of an Oscar. That was why she was nominated in 79 for a lesser performance sort of as an apology by the Academy (at least, that's how it looks anyway). I was eagerly looking forward to watching Clayburgh in this film for that exact reason and I must say she didn't disappoint at all. She has the tough task of appearing in every single scene of this film and has to carry it while still giving a great performance all the way through. The film is about a woman who is married, yet having problems. Her husband eventually confesses he's having an affair and they divorce and she has to get back out in the world as a single woman. Or an unmarried woman, if you will. Clayburgh reminds me a ton of Diane Keaton, in looks as well as her quirky charm. She had me hooked from the beginning when she is doing ballet moves around her big apartment in her underwear and it actually came off not annoying or cloying. It told me a lot about her character right from the start and Clayburgh really made her performance a natural one. I liked that Clayburgh didn't devolve into cliches and give us a tired performance that we had seen before. Instead, it was inspired and fun and felt thoroughly modern. Her and her friends are talking frankly about sex and they say some cuss words that don't feel forced into the script and she deals with her new issues in a realistic way. I just like that it didn't feel like a 70s performance. It could have been done in the 80s or 90s without skipping a beat and Clayburgh brought that timeless quality to her acting. She is vibrant throughout the whole film and watching this performance was refreshing in that she's not just playing a love interest, or a mother, or some basic female role. She gets to portray a real woman and makes it compelling and interesting and a must watch. And when you look at the other women nominated and who they played, this one just stands out as memorable and different than the usual role. I really liked Clayburgh here and can see why people say she was robbed. With one more performance to watch, this might be my front runner over Fonda. I'd recommend this one easily.
Geraldine Page - Interiors
I did not like this Woody Allen film very much. It's a Bergman imitation (which, hey, we get an actual Bergman film nomination in this very category!) that I guess lives up to the original master but it doesn't make for very interesting viewing. Page, who I have liked in some of her other nominated roles, plays the matriarch of an upper class family. She is an interior designer/decorator and has been sick. When we meet her she is estranged from her husband and the two eventually get divorced. What strikes you about the performance right off the bat is that she has a very soft, tired voice that betrays the authority she speaks with. She manipulates and commands her three daughters in a passive aggressive way and that sort of defines the film as a whole. The whole family is a dour, depressing, negative bunch led by Page as the mother. Page is good in the role for what is asked of her but I don't like her character at all which I can't really hold against Page because that's the point of her character. She is very moody and manipulative and has the family trying to placate her as she acts dramatic. Page has certainly been better and if I didn't know it was Page, I never would have guessed it was her. I think she has done better work than this and feel like the role was pretty limited in it's aspects. I think I was just expecting more out of Page from what I've already seen and this didn't deliver. She's good in the role but it's not anything revelatory or amazing. Just a decent Woody Allen female nomination.
Obviously this was a much better group than 1979 and therefore I'm not as angry in my writing this wrap up. All things considered, this was a pretty good group. Even though I have Burstyn and Page bringing up the rear, they are still decent enough performances. I just felt Burstyn was played out and the film was too boring for her to save. Page has to combat and unlikeable character with a not so great Allen film and does okay but not anything memorable. Fonda is my middle pick because I don't think she really deserved the win. I know she campaigned hard for her film and there was a huge anti The Deer Hunter sentiment because it dehumanized the Vietnamese, which Fonda was very against. I'm thinking all that coupled with maybe a split of the serious vote for Clayburgh and Bergman allowed her to win? We'll never know but I thought she was very good but overshadowed by the men in her film and not as strong as my top two. Bergman just puts out a strong international performance that is essential viewing for any of her fans. But Clayburgh just wowed me almost from the start. The performance is so modern and enjoyable and such a tour de force (and I hate that fucking term) that she can't be ignored. I think she deserved to win and it's a shame she didn't. Fonda certainly didn't need another win and it would have probably kept her film talked about instead of being forgotten like it is today. Anyway, a very good year and I'm always grateful for good Best Actress years.
Oscar Winner: Jane Fonda - Coming Home
My Winner: Jill Clayburgh - An Unmarried Woman
Ingrid Bergman
Jane Fonda
Geraldine Page
Ellen Burstyn
1978 Best Actress
Jane Fonda - Coming Home
Jane Fonda can be hit or miss with me. Some performances are great, some are preachy, insufferable messes, and some are just not that good to me. I was worried (as I was for all of the nominees for this film, not sure why) that this would be one of those preachy performances where Fonda is clearly advocating for something and pushing an agenda. You can say that she's pushing the veteran agenda and be right, but it's not a blatant, hit you over the head message. The film deals with the PTSD angle after coming home in a very realistic way and I was glad to see that. I was also glad to see Fonda in an almost understated performance. She can be a loud, dominating actress at times but she took a step back here and let her male stars be domineering while she played the concerned, yet confused - but fully realized - woman who wants to help. I really enjoyed her in this role and I like that she didn't make it all about her and the romance, though that is a big part of the story. It just felt like everyone, and every part of the story, was getting their due. Both of her relationships felt authentic in different ways and much of that reason is because she let's the story do the work. I like the nervousness and hesitance she has when deciding to enter Voight's room in the hospital or when he comes over to her house for dinner. These little nuances of her character are done to great effect and give us a good representation of who this woman is as a person. She has these lighter touches that I wasn't expecting and certainly wasn't used to seeing from her. I guess I haven't respected her acting ability enough but this was a pleasant surprise. I also like that when Fonda confronts the base newspaper group she is a part of, they quickly dismiss her idea of an expose on the VA hospital and tell her the paper is for gossip and whatnot. They shut her down fast and easy and Fonda doesn't get that big moment of a soapbox speech that I thought she would do. She kinda says that she's ashamed while the group ignores her and she walks off. That's why I like this performance because wasn't a stage for Fonda to spout off about the war or the government or whatever. She just played her character wonderfully and showed us a very good performance. This was her second Oscar win and I can definitely see why they voted for her. Plus, she was in three different Oscar nominated films this year (this, Comes a Horseman, and California Suite). I think in most years she wins easily. I'll have to see if Bergman or Clayburgh give her a run like I've heard about.
Ingrid Bergman - Autumn Sonata
As is customary, I went into this film and performance wondering if this was just a career nomination or if Bergman actually earned it. Thankfully, I can say that it's not just a career nod. I mean, it still is because this was her last major film role and I think the Academy was glad to be able to nominate her again so late in her career. But, Bergman also earned it by portraying the distant mother in this depressing Ingmar Bergman film (not related and their only collaboration) like the veteran actress she was. That's my big takeaway from her performance is that Bergman is solid and a strong actress and puts the work in for a difficult role. You can tell this is an actress that is still at the top of her game and knows how to get the most out of a character and a scene. She plays a concert pianist who was never really there for her daughter and family and she has come back for a visit with them and old wounds get reopened and hashed out. There is a lot of introspective speeches and dramatic back and forth between mother and daughter that is very intense and depressing and full of great acting with Liv Ullman playing the daughter. Bergman is up to the task of making her character look pitiful and scared and sorrowful and strong and hopeful and all these different emotions that is necessary to convey about this complex character. I was glad that she did a great job in her performance because, as you should know by now, the thing I hate the most is undeserved nominations especially to veterans actors. But Bergman earned this nomination and had to have been in the running to win along with Fonda and Clayburgh. She already had a couple wins so her missing out her wasn't a terrible thing. I'm excited that as I go back, I get to watch more of her films and performance, which is nice to look forward to.
Ellen Burstyn - Same Time, Next Year
One thing about Ellen Burstyn that I've enjoyed about her acting through the course of a couple nominations is that she is pretty diverse as an actress. Her six nominations have been wide ranging and I like that she isn't just getting nominated for romantic comedy drivel or the same role over and over again. This is probably going to end up as her weakest nomination (even with having not seen two of her earlier nominations) as the role isn't really all that compelling or interesting for the big screen. I say that even though she won a Tony award for playing the same role on Broadway a few years earlier. And that's why I don't really like this film or performance all that much - it's a play on film and it doesn't really translate well. It obviously has more impact if seen on the stage but it doesn't work for me. The film is essentially just Alan Alda and Burstyn on screen for two hours. The two met up one day when both were traveling and hooked up though both were married. They fell in love with each other and decided to meet every year on the same weekend at the same place. The film covers their meetups in five year increments over like thirty years and we see them get together as their other lives seep into their relationship. There are twists and turns as each person sort of changes with the times or becomes the opposite of the other (a square instead of a hippy). Alda was annoying because his character was full of guilt on cheating yet a sex maniac and just a dopey guy overall. I never really believed that Burstyn was madly in love with him that she would cheat and do it year after year, but that was more because I didn't think she and Alda had much chemistry. I thought Burstyn was fine in the role and she was obviously comfortable as the character since she won a Tony for playing this woman, but it was like watching her go through the motions. That's more of a knock on the film being so tepid and without any real passion. There isn't really anything that Burstyn could do to salvage the performance for me other than replacing Alda with someone else. Best Actress has a lot of nominees who have won or been nominated for stage roles before getting nominated for the film version and I think the Academy just loves that type of performance for whatever reason. No different for Burstyn here as they nominate a Tony winning performance that is a let down for the screen version.
Jill Clayburgh - An Unmarried Woman
Another one of those reviews where I stared at the screen forever not knowing how to start this. I had heard a lot about Clayburgh giving a brilliant performance and that she probably should have won and was robbed by Jane Fonda of an Oscar. That was why she was nominated in 79 for a lesser performance sort of as an apology by the Academy (at least, that's how it looks anyway). I was eagerly looking forward to watching Clayburgh in this film for that exact reason and I must say she didn't disappoint at all. She has the tough task of appearing in every single scene of this film and has to carry it while still giving a great performance all the way through. The film is about a woman who is married, yet having problems. Her husband eventually confesses he's having an affair and they divorce and she has to get back out in the world as a single woman. Or an unmarried woman, if you will. Clayburgh reminds me a ton of Diane Keaton, in looks as well as her quirky charm. She had me hooked from the beginning when she is doing ballet moves around her big apartment in her underwear and it actually came off not annoying or cloying. It told me a lot about her character right from the start and Clayburgh really made her performance a natural one. I liked that Clayburgh didn't devolve into cliches and give us a tired performance that we had seen before. Instead, it was inspired and fun and felt thoroughly modern. Her and her friends are talking frankly about sex and they say some cuss words that don't feel forced into the script and she deals with her new issues in a realistic way. I just like that it didn't feel like a 70s performance. It could have been done in the 80s or 90s without skipping a beat and Clayburgh brought that timeless quality to her acting. She is vibrant throughout the whole film and watching this performance was refreshing in that she's not just playing a love interest, or a mother, or some basic female role. She gets to portray a real woman and makes it compelling and interesting and a must watch. And when you look at the other women nominated and who they played, this one just stands out as memorable and different than the usual role. I really liked Clayburgh here and can see why people say she was robbed. With one more performance to watch, this might be my front runner over Fonda. I'd recommend this one easily.
Geraldine Page - Interiors
I did not like this Woody Allen film very much. It's a Bergman imitation (which, hey, we get an actual Bergman film nomination in this very category!) that I guess lives up to the original master but it doesn't make for very interesting viewing. Page, who I have liked in some of her other nominated roles, plays the matriarch of an upper class family. She is an interior designer/decorator and has been sick. When we meet her she is estranged from her husband and the two eventually get divorced. What strikes you about the performance right off the bat is that she has a very soft, tired voice that betrays the authority she speaks with. She manipulates and commands her three daughters in a passive aggressive way and that sort of defines the film as a whole. The whole family is a dour, depressing, negative bunch led by Page as the mother. Page is good in the role for what is asked of her but I don't like her character at all which I can't really hold against Page because that's the point of her character. She is very moody and manipulative and has the family trying to placate her as she acts dramatic. Page has certainly been better and if I didn't know it was Page, I never would have guessed it was her. I think she has done better work than this and feel like the role was pretty limited in it's aspects. I think I was just expecting more out of Page from what I've already seen and this didn't deliver. She's good in the role but it's not anything revelatory or amazing. Just a decent Woody Allen female nomination.
Obviously this was a much better group than 1979 and therefore I'm not as angry in my writing this wrap up. All things considered, this was a pretty good group. Even though I have Burstyn and Page bringing up the rear, they are still decent enough performances. I just felt Burstyn was played out and the film was too boring for her to save. Page has to combat and unlikeable character with a not so great Allen film and does okay but not anything memorable. Fonda is my middle pick because I don't think she really deserved the win. I know she campaigned hard for her film and there was a huge anti The Deer Hunter sentiment because it dehumanized the Vietnamese, which Fonda was very against. I'm thinking all that coupled with maybe a split of the serious vote for Clayburgh and Bergman allowed her to win? We'll never know but I thought she was very good but overshadowed by the men in her film and not as strong as my top two. Bergman just puts out a strong international performance that is essential viewing for any of her fans. But Clayburgh just wowed me almost from the start. The performance is so modern and enjoyable and such a tour de force (and I hate that fucking term) that she can't be ignored. I think she deserved to win and it's a shame she didn't. Fonda certainly didn't need another win and it would have probably kept her film talked about instead of being forgotten like it is today. Anyway, a very good year and I'm always grateful for good Best Actress years.
Oscar Winner: Jane Fonda - Coming Home
My Winner: Jill Clayburgh - An Unmarried Woman
Ingrid Bergman
Jane Fonda
Geraldine Page
Ellen Burstyn
Supporting Actor 1978
I find it funny that the times I really want to watch films for the
project are usually when I can't because I'm at work or wherever. Then
when I get home I get distracted or feel too tired to watch a two hour
film or I don't want to watch one that I know has 3-4-5 reviews to write
because I'll finish at midnight and have to get up early for work and I
want to write when my memory of the performances is freshest. It would
be cool if this was my job and if anyone wants to finance that, I'd be
more than willing! Until then, I go at a slow pace. As per usual now, I
haven't seen any of these but I'm interested to see the Vietnam war
films and to see what Farnsworth and Hurt can bring.
1978 Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
I have waited so long to watch this film and performance and am glad that I can finally cross it off my list. I've always thought it was neat that Walken had an Oscar win, and not just a nomination, because we know of him as his own sort of signature style with the vocal delivery and the SNL skit and the dancing and all of that other stuff. But there was a time when he was a serious actor and won a damn Oscar for a very dramatic role. He's different in the separate acts of the film. In the first hour when the group of friends are still at home and dealing with the wedding stuff and going hunting, it is clear that Walken is the heart of the group, the one that cares about all the others and looks out for them. Walken does a good job in showing that side of his character and it's interesting to just hear him because he sounds like a normal person and not the Christopher Walken we know. Once the film moves to Vietnam and Walken is put into the Russian roulette scene, we see a terrified, confused, broken man. We see a wide range of emotions after he pulls the trigger and is still alive and I think Walken nails what his character is and should be feeling. Once they are free and Walken makes it onto a chopper while his other two friends don't, we see the radical change. He wanders around whatever city he's in lost and hopeless and broken in his mind before stumbling onto the Russian roulette gambling ring. That's after his breakdown scene that is subtle yet so believable in the military hospital and is really great acting when he's asked his parents' birthdates to prove who he is and you can see that's when everything comes crashing down mentally. The ending scenes shows there was no coming back for him as a person because he just couldn't escape the terrors that he saw and face reality and home and his friends any more. It's a different, yet similar, look at the whole PTSD angle of what happens after combat and, in Walken's character' case, torture. I'm glad that his win holds up as a legitimate win because I was worried going in that it was possible he won because the film itself won. But Walken is singularly great in this film and definitely deserved his Oscar.
Bruce Dern - Coming Home
I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to Dern's performance in this film. I enjoyed his nomination for Nebraska a lot and have seen him in a few more movies since then but I didn't know how he was as an actor before being the grumpy old man. I know he was well respected in Hollywood and his daughter is Laura Dern and all that. But I didn't know what his style was like in his younger days. In this film, Bruce plays a Marine Captain who is gung ho about going to fight in Vietnam and is married to Jane Fonda. He ships out early in the film and we reunite with him while on leave in Hong Kong as he meets up with Fonda. By then he's already changed as a person. He complains about being bored and how the war isn't what he thought and expected and he frankly seems a little pissed off by it. And that happens. War isn't a Hollywood cliche. It's boring and frustrating among many other things at different times but I felt Dern's portrayal of that sort of mental switch in thinking was interesting. Some of the knock on his performance that I read was about how Dern's character is generic and cliche and his turn isn't as convincing. But I disagree. I think Dern plays his role as it should be in the beginning as the gung ho Marine. Even how he acts towards Fonda in the domineering, military way is familiar to me and it works. I think Dern really shines when he returns home for good after getting shot in the leg. He's even more changed and angry and almost violent and it rings as very true to life. The way he explodes at Penelope Milford when she questions him shooting himself in the leg as an accident is so raw and real and I saw the damaged veteran in that moment. Even when he sorta holds Fonda and Voight at gunpoint is compelling because Voight appeals to him on a brotherly veteran level that shows where Dern's mind is at regarding the situation. He acts erratic and doesn't deal with the affair in a rational way and that is just another way that men come back changed from war - there's letdown in not being an actual hero. I just felt it was a strong portrayal of a veteran coming home and feel like Dern could have won an Oscar here.
Richard Farnsworth - Comes a Horseman
This was Farnsworth's first real speaking role after being a stunt man and background actor for almost 40 years prior. He was noticed and finally given a good role and got rewarded with an Oscar nomination for it. I loved the hell out of his second nomination for The Straight Story and he should have won the Best Actor Oscar for it despite the heavy, super famous actors he was up against. This feels like the natural start to the progression of that character. Meaning I can see this character become the old man riding a lawnmower. I think it speaks to Farnsworth's ability that he was easy to view as a ranch hand as he was here. He was Jane Fonda's go to ranch hand and was clearly perfect for the part. He's talkative in his short scenes and funny when shown but the film doesn't care about him as a character until convenient. That is the life of most supporting characters and Farnsworth makes the most of it given his previous experience. I'm sure if I was back in 1978 that I'd be mad that this got nominated but knowing how good Farnsworth is makes this nomination more than okay. He's great in the role and I like it. But I can't say "if I was back then" always because I wasn't and it accomplishes nothing so we go off today. I'm sure, though, that his history of being a stunt man and background actor for like 40 years contributed to him getting the nomination here and I can't fault anyone for that. Farnsworth was fine for a Supporting role.
John Hurt - Midnight Express
I was very let down by this performance and this film as a whole. I had heard so much about this film as it being a genesis for the Turkish prison reference. Hurt was great in Alien and The Elephant Man and a bunch of other films after this, but he isn't all that amazing here. This film is about an American kid who gets stopped for smuggling hashish in Turkey and has to deal with the unfairness of the Turkish judicial system as he rots in prison. Hurt is an Englishman who has been in the prison for seven years and knows everything including the right lawyers. Yet, Hurt's character isn't a prominent figure in the film. He answers the American's questions and is part of the trio who tries to escape but he doesn't do much. He does drugs in prison and shows the weariness and degradation of his being that you'd assume one goes through in a Turkish prison. Hurt gives us more of a wisp of a performance and I'm not sure if that was intentional on his part or just because he wasn't a big part of the main story. I wanted to know more about his character and see him be more than just a mythical, shadowy, reactionary presence. The film is worth watching but Hurt isn't going to be your main draw unfortunately. He's decent but could have been much more important to the story and thus give a better performance overall.
Jack Warden - Heaven Can Wait
I like Jack Warden as a character actor in some of his later work, and looking through his filmography, he's been in a bunch of really classic, great films. That doesn't come as a surprise because he is a very good actor and that shines through in this puff piece performance. I say puff piece because it's not a lot of hard acting for Warden. He plays the LA Rams trainer that is friends with Warren Beatty who dies prematurely due to an error in heaven and who then has to find a suitable body to switch into to try and still be the QB for the Rams. It's a light comedy and a remake and a concept you've seen a countless number of times. Warden provides the comedic relief and is very funny at times like when he's training the old millionaire who Beatty leaps into along with his mansion staff. So he's there for support (naturally) and brings added levity to the situations and does a great job of just being a fun, likable character. I would say his real Oscar moment is at the end where he is in the locker room after the Super Bowl when Beatty has leaped into the actual Rams QB's body for good but doesn't recognize Warden as the original QB. It's a sad, emotional realization for Warden's character and is well done by him. This was never going to win but I enjoyed his performance and that's a win in and of itself.
This category was so much better than 1979 and was a welcome relief from that year. I liked all of these performances even if some were weaker than others. Farnsworth unfortunately comes in last because his role is fine but nothing all that amazing. You can tell he's actually a great actor and it only took like 40 years for him to get the recognition which is something I think plays into his nomination. I'm fine with that. Warden is enjoyable but the film is so not Oscar worthy that he suffers from being a slight character in the film. Probably not Oscar worthy itself, but Warden is good. I dunno, it's a weird one. Hurt disappointed me as he doesn't do much in the film but is still good at being mysterious and a druggie. Dern was fantastic and would have won if not for Walken being amazing. Which I'm glad that Walken is a winner because it just feels like he should have one. It was a decent enough year, but I do wish that I could get some better films and stronger performances instead of just liking them all even if they aren't Oscar worthy. I know I'll get there again.
Oscar Winner: Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
My Winner: Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
Bruce Dern
John Hurt
Jack Warden
Richard Farnsworth
1978 Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
I have waited so long to watch this film and performance and am glad that I can finally cross it off my list. I've always thought it was neat that Walken had an Oscar win, and not just a nomination, because we know of him as his own sort of signature style with the vocal delivery and the SNL skit and the dancing and all of that other stuff. But there was a time when he was a serious actor and won a damn Oscar for a very dramatic role. He's different in the separate acts of the film. In the first hour when the group of friends are still at home and dealing with the wedding stuff and going hunting, it is clear that Walken is the heart of the group, the one that cares about all the others and looks out for them. Walken does a good job in showing that side of his character and it's interesting to just hear him because he sounds like a normal person and not the Christopher Walken we know. Once the film moves to Vietnam and Walken is put into the Russian roulette scene, we see a terrified, confused, broken man. We see a wide range of emotions after he pulls the trigger and is still alive and I think Walken nails what his character is and should be feeling. Once they are free and Walken makes it onto a chopper while his other two friends don't, we see the radical change. He wanders around whatever city he's in lost and hopeless and broken in his mind before stumbling onto the Russian roulette gambling ring. That's after his breakdown scene that is subtle yet so believable in the military hospital and is really great acting when he's asked his parents' birthdates to prove who he is and you can see that's when everything comes crashing down mentally. The ending scenes shows there was no coming back for him as a person because he just couldn't escape the terrors that he saw and face reality and home and his friends any more. It's a different, yet similar, look at the whole PTSD angle of what happens after combat and, in Walken's character' case, torture. I'm glad that his win holds up as a legitimate win because I was worried going in that it was possible he won because the film itself won. But Walken is singularly great in this film and definitely deserved his Oscar.
Bruce Dern - Coming Home
I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to Dern's performance in this film. I enjoyed his nomination for Nebraska a lot and have seen him in a few more movies since then but I didn't know how he was as an actor before being the grumpy old man. I know he was well respected in Hollywood and his daughter is Laura Dern and all that. But I didn't know what his style was like in his younger days. In this film, Bruce plays a Marine Captain who is gung ho about going to fight in Vietnam and is married to Jane Fonda. He ships out early in the film and we reunite with him while on leave in Hong Kong as he meets up with Fonda. By then he's already changed as a person. He complains about being bored and how the war isn't what he thought and expected and he frankly seems a little pissed off by it. And that happens. War isn't a Hollywood cliche. It's boring and frustrating among many other things at different times but I felt Dern's portrayal of that sort of mental switch in thinking was interesting. Some of the knock on his performance that I read was about how Dern's character is generic and cliche and his turn isn't as convincing. But I disagree. I think Dern plays his role as it should be in the beginning as the gung ho Marine. Even how he acts towards Fonda in the domineering, military way is familiar to me and it works. I think Dern really shines when he returns home for good after getting shot in the leg. He's even more changed and angry and almost violent and it rings as very true to life. The way he explodes at Penelope Milford when she questions him shooting himself in the leg as an accident is so raw and real and I saw the damaged veteran in that moment. Even when he sorta holds Fonda and Voight at gunpoint is compelling because Voight appeals to him on a brotherly veteran level that shows where Dern's mind is at regarding the situation. He acts erratic and doesn't deal with the affair in a rational way and that is just another way that men come back changed from war - there's letdown in not being an actual hero. I just felt it was a strong portrayal of a veteran coming home and feel like Dern could have won an Oscar here.
Richard Farnsworth - Comes a Horseman
This was Farnsworth's first real speaking role after being a stunt man and background actor for almost 40 years prior. He was noticed and finally given a good role and got rewarded with an Oscar nomination for it. I loved the hell out of his second nomination for The Straight Story and he should have won the Best Actor Oscar for it despite the heavy, super famous actors he was up against. This feels like the natural start to the progression of that character. Meaning I can see this character become the old man riding a lawnmower. I think it speaks to Farnsworth's ability that he was easy to view as a ranch hand as he was here. He was Jane Fonda's go to ranch hand and was clearly perfect for the part. He's talkative in his short scenes and funny when shown but the film doesn't care about him as a character until convenient. That is the life of most supporting characters and Farnsworth makes the most of it given his previous experience. I'm sure if I was back in 1978 that I'd be mad that this got nominated but knowing how good Farnsworth is makes this nomination more than okay. He's great in the role and I like it. But I can't say "if I was back then" always because I wasn't and it accomplishes nothing so we go off today. I'm sure, though, that his history of being a stunt man and background actor for like 40 years contributed to him getting the nomination here and I can't fault anyone for that. Farnsworth was fine for a Supporting role.
John Hurt - Midnight Express
I was very let down by this performance and this film as a whole. I had heard so much about this film as it being a genesis for the Turkish prison reference. Hurt was great in Alien and The Elephant Man and a bunch of other films after this, but he isn't all that amazing here. This film is about an American kid who gets stopped for smuggling hashish in Turkey and has to deal with the unfairness of the Turkish judicial system as he rots in prison. Hurt is an Englishman who has been in the prison for seven years and knows everything including the right lawyers. Yet, Hurt's character isn't a prominent figure in the film. He answers the American's questions and is part of the trio who tries to escape but he doesn't do much. He does drugs in prison and shows the weariness and degradation of his being that you'd assume one goes through in a Turkish prison. Hurt gives us more of a wisp of a performance and I'm not sure if that was intentional on his part or just because he wasn't a big part of the main story. I wanted to know more about his character and see him be more than just a mythical, shadowy, reactionary presence. The film is worth watching but Hurt isn't going to be your main draw unfortunately. He's decent but could have been much more important to the story and thus give a better performance overall.
Jack Warden - Heaven Can Wait
I like Jack Warden as a character actor in some of his later work, and looking through his filmography, he's been in a bunch of really classic, great films. That doesn't come as a surprise because he is a very good actor and that shines through in this puff piece performance. I say puff piece because it's not a lot of hard acting for Warden. He plays the LA Rams trainer that is friends with Warren Beatty who dies prematurely due to an error in heaven and who then has to find a suitable body to switch into to try and still be the QB for the Rams. It's a light comedy and a remake and a concept you've seen a countless number of times. Warden provides the comedic relief and is very funny at times like when he's training the old millionaire who Beatty leaps into along with his mansion staff. So he's there for support (naturally) and brings added levity to the situations and does a great job of just being a fun, likable character. I would say his real Oscar moment is at the end where he is in the locker room after the Super Bowl when Beatty has leaped into the actual Rams QB's body for good but doesn't recognize Warden as the original QB. It's a sad, emotional realization for Warden's character and is well done by him. This was never going to win but I enjoyed his performance and that's a win in and of itself.
This category was so much better than 1979 and was a welcome relief from that year. I liked all of these performances even if some were weaker than others. Farnsworth unfortunately comes in last because his role is fine but nothing all that amazing. You can tell he's actually a great actor and it only took like 40 years for him to get the recognition which is something I think plays into his nomination. I'm fine with that. Warden is enjoyable but the film is so not Oscar worthy that he suffers from being a slight character in the film. Probably not Oscar worthy itself, but Warden is good. I dunno, it's a weird one. Hurt disappointed me as he doesn't do much in the film but is still good at being mysterious and a druggie. Dern was fantastic and would have won if not for Walken being amazing. Which I'm glad that Walken is a winner because it just feels like he should have one. It was a decent enough year, but I do wish that I could get some better films and stronger performances instead of just liking them all even if they aren't Oscar worthy. I know I'll get there again.
Oscar Winner: Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
My Winner: Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
Bruce Dern
John Hurt
Jack Warden
Richard Farnsworth
Supporting Actress 1978
Once I've finished this category, I'll be half way through the whole year with three of the films having multiple nominations. I both love and hate when that happens. It's awesome because it shouldn't take as long but I hate it because then I have 3-4 reviews for the same film which is exhausting at times. I've seen none of these but I am very excited about finally watching them.
1978 Best Supporting Actress
Maggie Smith - California Suite
This was Maggie Smith's second Oscar win, yet you know her better as Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter films. This was her fourth of six Oscar nominations which is amazing that Smith could have so many yet fly under the radar even with her late resurgence as an actress. I liked one and disliked the other of her two previous (latest) nominations. In this film, Smith plays an Oscar nominated actress (so meta) flying into LA for the awards ceremony and has a loveless marriage with Michael Caine, who is gay. She's nervous and anxious about the Academy Awards and the two stars quip and snipe each other with funny, acerbic lines. Smith has great comedic timing and a good rapport with Caine so their part of the story is fun to watch. There are three other stories that don't mix (though I think they are all staying at the same hotel) including Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby in a comedy of errors, Walter Matthau in a comedy of errors, and Alan Alda and Jane Fonda in a dramatic story. It's a weird Neil Simon written mix-match of ideas and Fonda and Smith are the most fleshed out. Smith is what you expect Smith to be in her performances with her dry, biting humor and her pursed lips and scrunched up nose and standoffish air that hides a vulnerable, emotional person underneath. That's Smith in this film and her last scene is really well done emotionally where she is worried about where her career goes from there and becoming older and the lack of opportunities and all that. It's a very dramatic scene but it also sticks out from the film that is more about comedy and funny situations. I read that this was around the point that Smith sort of cemented her acting style to what we know today and in her later nominations which makes me want to see her early nominations to see what the difference is, if any. Maybe this was a new direction for her and the Academy responded well to it. That's the problem with going backwards in this project instead of in chronological order - I miss out on changes in style and some of the nuances of earlier to later performances. Smith is very good in this role, though, and is easy to like. I just don't know yet if this was worthy of a second Oscar win.
Dyan Cannon - Heaven Can Wait
I really feel like this could be a very short review. She's not in the film all that much and doesn't do anything of note other than scream and, well, that's about it. Seriously. Cannon is the younger wife of an old millionaire businessman who is sleeping with his executive assistant and who has just tried to kill him before Warren Beatty popped into his body after a bungled job by Heaven for his original body. Cannon screams hysterically when she first sees him because she doesn't expect him to be alive and that's really the only memorable thing about her performance. From there she is just the wife that Beatty doesn't care about because he knows she tried to kill him and isn't interested in her. She has some other scenes in which she doesn't do much and then at the end with the investigation she speaks more than the rest of the film but nothing that sticks out. Certainly nothing that makes you sit up and go wow, that's great acting that the Academy should reward because it really adds to this film and should be remembered for all time. I guess she just got through because the film was so beloved for some odd reason and she came along for the ride. She certainly isn't worth a win and she's not really worth a nomination. You will watch this film and struggle to find a reason, not just a good one, that she should be on this list. I hate to be so snarky and negative but there isn't anything here and yet she is Oscar nominated while whatever other good supporting performance this year is overlooked and forgotten about.
Penelope Milford - Coming Home
Going into this performance, I was expecting the worst. This is a name I've never heard of in a supporting category for a film that got a lot of acting nominations. That usually means the unknown name rides a wave of goodwill and love for the film to a nomination even though it's not deserving. Happens all the time. So I was expecting Milford to have a nothing role and a meh at best performance. Well, she at least has a good performance in a okay role. She plays Fonda's friend who works at the VA hospital with her, her boyfriend is a marine in Fonda's husband's company, and her brother lives at the VA hospital because he is having mental issues after going to Vietnam. She is the support to Fonda while she starts an affair with a disabled veteran but she is also a vessel to see how the PTSD affects a family since her brother is mentally damaged from the war and she can't understand why because he seems so normal otherwise. It's not a very deep performance and it's one that gets too easily overshadowed by the three titans she shares scenes with and gets lost in the story towards the end. But I did think she is able to hold her own in a role without much depth and give something at least a little more interesting than say Dyan Cannon's pointless performance. Her big moment is after her brother has an incident and she goes to a club and gets drunk and goes back to a hotel with some guys and does a drunken, pathetic, sad striptease and breaks down. The scene should be better and resonate more than it does because Milford seems so unsure of herself but at least it gives her performance something more than just reactions. The performance is better than you are thinking but not as good as you're hoping it will be. The film just has too many other big names giving great performances for anyone to really try to champion this for a win.
Maureen Stapleton - Interiors
I thought Stapleton was okay in her win for Reds, but that it was a small role that she did well with. In this film, Stapleton plays Pearl, a new girlfriend of the recently divorced father figure of the film and then eventual wife. The film is about an upper class family who has the parents get divorced while the three sisters deal with that news and their own issues. The film is a Bergman clone, which means something to those who have actually seen his films (I've only seen like two or three, so I am far from a Bergman expert) but it doesn't matter for this performance other than the film is kinda depressing and dour and not all that accessible personally. Stapleton shines because she is a breath of fresh air that the film desperately needs. Her girlfriend/wife character is vibrant and like a normal person. That matters because everyone in this film is so depressing and negative and full of their own insecurities and shortcomings. And here comes Stapleton as this electric force that you'd rather the film focus on because she talks a mile a minute and responds to the sisters' negative questions with common sense answers that puts them to shame. As in, they ask stupid questions and she answers with well, why would you think that stupid thing when this is more enjoyable. You get the idea that she lives life to the fullest and is happy and doesn't let negativity play a role in her life. Stapleton plays that character perfectly and it does say something that it feels like she rescues this film at the last second from life support. When she realizes the sisters hate her, you can feel her pain because Stapleton emotes so well. It's a good performance from Stapleton that benefits from being the only positive thing in a very dour film.
Meryl Streep - The Deer Hunter
So here it is at last, after twenty (!) nominations, my final Meryl Streep review. Of course, Streep will probably go on to get five more nominations in the future, so this probably isn't the actual last review. But it's sad that going on with this project means no more young Streep nominations to watch. I have been anticipating this film for years and this performance, too, since it started Streep off on her Oscar path through the years. I will say that I was underwhelmed with the film and that the film treats the women as mostly nothing important. Streep herself acknowledged that point and stated she only took the role because her boyfriend at the time, John Cazale, was in the film and dying of a terminal disease and it allowed her to be with him. She plays the fiancee of Christopher Walken's character but she kinda is into Robert De Niro's character, too. And that's really all there is to her character arc. It's like she's a background character shoehorned into a love triangle that isn't really addressed in the story and mostly goes nowhere. Any other actress and this role would stay a nothing role and be forgotten about at awards time. But Streep tries to make it a fully realized performance. I read that director Michael Cimino told Streep it wasn't much of a role but that she could come up with whatever lines she wanted for her character. If that's true, then Streep rescues her character with her own work and makes it something that gets your attention. It's obvious from this performance why she would go on to be in such huge demand in the next couple years and win a couple Oscars. She has this presence in the film where she can't be ignored but the film gives her nothing to do. So you are expecting something from this actress and the film keeps overlooking. It says a lot about Streep that she can turn a nothing role into something and get nominated for it.
This year kinda sucks. I'm not sure I'd vote for any of these women for a win. Cannon is so pointless as a nomination and not interesting at all that I can only assume she got in because of Warren Beatty. It's not a good performance. Milford gets in because of the strength of the other actors and the film as a whole. She isn't anything Oscar worthy, though she does do a good job with what she is given. It just really isn't something that deserved a nomination. Stapleton breathes life into a dead film but that's because her character is the opposite of everyone else in the film. It's fun to watch and she's good but I think she would be a 5th in most years but a third here because the other two are pretty weak. I was (and still am) unsure of who should be the winner. Smith for me was funny and good at what she does but it was a role that just leaves you scratching your head that she won her second Oscar for it. I don't if it was all that worthy of a win but in this year with three bad to meh performances and then a newcomer who wasn't winning because she was new...well, your winner by default is Smith and I think that's how it happened. I actually like what Streep was able to do with her performance because it rescues a stock role and turns it into something more interesting though not amazing because the film doesn't allow it to be so. I know I've given Streep so many wins, but it seems like there are years where no one else stacks up. It would be cool if she won but I don't even think her performance is award worthy. Normally I should let the winner stay the same, but I don't think Smith deserves that second win so here we are. I can just only hope that 1977 is much better than this incredibly weak year.
Oscar Winner: Maggie Smith - California Suite
My Winner: Meryl Streep - The Deer Hunter
Maggie Smith
Maureen Stapleton
Penelope Milford
Dyan Cannon
1978 Best Supporting Actress
Maggie Smith - California Suite
This was Maggie Smith's second Oscar win, yet you know her better as Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter films. This was her fourth of six Oscar nominations which is amazing that Smith could have so many yet fly under the radar even with her late resurgence as an actress. I liked one and disliked the other of her two previous (latest) nominations. In this film, Smith plays an Oscar nominated actress (so meta) flying into LA for the awards ceremony and has a loveless marriage with Michael Caine, who is gay. She's nervous and anxious about the Academy Awards and the two stars quip and snipe each other with funny, acerbic lines. Smith has great comedic timing and a good rapport with Caine so their part of the story is fun to watch. There are three other stories that don't mix (though I think they are all staying at the same hotel) including Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby in a comedy of errors, Walter Matthau in a comedy of errors, and Alan Alda and Jane Fonda in a dramatic story. It's a weird Neil Simon written mix-match of ideas and Fonda and Smith are the most fleshed out. Smith is what you expect Smith to be in her performances with her dry, biting humor and her pursed lips and scrunched up nose and standoffish air that hides a vulnerable, emotional person underneath. That's Smith in this film and her last scene is really well done emotionally where she is worried about where her career goes from there and becoming older and the lack of opportunities and all that. It's a very dramatic scene but it also sticks out from the film that is more about comedy and funny situations. I read that this was around the point that Smith sort of cemented her acting style to what we know today and in her later nominations which makes me want to see her early nominations to see what the difference is, if any. Maybe this was a new direction for her and the Academy responded well to it. That's the problem with going backwards in this project instead of in chronological order - I miss out on changes in style and some of the nuances of earlier to later performances. Smith is very good in this role, though, and is easy to like. I just don't know yet if this was worthy of a second Oscar win.
Dyan Cannon - Heaven Can Wait
I really feel like this could be a very short review. She's not in the film all that much and doesn't do anything of note other than scream and, well, that's about it. Seriously. Cannon is the younger wife of an old millionaire businessman who is sleeping with his executive assistant and who has just tried to kill him before Warren Beatty popped into his body after a bungled job by Heaven for his original body. Cannon screams hysterically when she first sees him because she doesn't expect him to be alive and that's really the only memorable thing about her performance. From there she is just the wife that Beatty doesn't care about because he knows she tried to kill him and isn't interested in her. She has some other scenes in which she doesn't do much and then at the end with the investigation she speaks more than the rest of the film but nothing that sticks out. Certainly nothing that makes you sit up and go wow, that's great acting that the Academy should reward because it really adds to this film and should be remembered for all time. I guess she just got through because the film was so beloved for some odd reason and she came along for the ride. She certainly isn't worth a win and she's not really worth a nomination. You will watch this film and struggle to find a reason, not just a good one, that she should be on this list. I hate to be so snarky and negative but there isn't anything here and yet she is Oscar nominated while whatever other good supporting performance this year is overlooked and forgotten about.
Penelope Milford - Coming Home
Going into this performance, I was expecting the worst. This is a name I've never heard of in a supporting category for a film that got a lot of acting nominations. That usually means the unknown name rides a wave of goodwill and love for the film to a nomination even though it's not deserving. Happens all the time. So I was expecting Milford to have a nothing role and a meh at best performance. Well, she at least has a good performance in a okay role. She plays Fonda's friend who works at the VA hospital with her, her boyfriend is a marine in Fonda's husband's company, and her brother lives at the VA hospital because he is having mental issues after going to Vietnam. She is the support to Fonda while she starts an affair with a disabled veteran but she is also a vessel to see how the PTSD affects a family since her brother is mentally damaged from the war and she can't understand why because he seems so normal otherwise. It's not a very deep performance and it's one that gets too easily overshadowed by the three titans she shares scenes with and gets lost in the story towards the end. But I did think she is able to hold her own in a role without much depth and give something at least a little more interesting than say Dyan Cannon's pointless performance. Her big moment is after her brother has an incident and she goes to a club and gets drunk and goes back to a hotel with some guys and does a drunken, pathetic, sad striptease and breaks down. The scene should be better and resonate more than it does because Milford seems so unsure of herself but at least it gives her performance something more than just reactions. The performance is better than you are thinking but not as good as you're hoping it will be. The film just has too many other big names giving great performances for anyone to really try to champion this for a win.
Maureen Stapleton - Interiors
I thought Stapleton was okay in her win for Reds, but that it was a small role that she did well with. In this film, Stapleton plays Pearl, a new girlfriend of the recently divorced father figure of the film and then eventual wife. The film is about an upper class family who has the parents get divorced while the three sisters deal with that news and their own issues. The film is a Bergman clone, which means something to those who have actually seen his films (I've only seen like two or three, so I am far from a Bergman expert) but it doesn't matter for this performance other than the film is kinda depressing and dour and not all that accessible personally. Stapleton shines because she is a breath of fresh air that the film desperately needs. Her girlfriend/wife character is vibrant and like a normal person. That matters because everyone in this film is so depressing and negative and full of their own insecurities and shortcomings. And here comes Stapleton as this electric force that you'd rather the film focus on because she talks a mile a minute and responds to the sisters' negative questions with common sense answers that puts them to shame. As in, they ask stupid questions and she answers with well, why would you think that stupid thing when this is more enjoyable. You get the idea that she lives life to the fullest and is happy and doesn't let negativity play a role in her life. Stapleton plays that character perfectly and it does say something that it feels like she rescues this film at the last second from life support. When she realizes the sisters hate her, you can feel her pain because Stapleton emotes so well. It's a good performance from Stapleton that benefits from being the only positive thing in a very dour film.
Meryl Streep - The Deer Hunter
So here it is at last, after twenty (!) nominations, my final Meryl Streep review. Of course, Streep will probably go on to get five more nominations in the future, so this probably isn't the actual last review. But it's sad that going on with this project means no more young Streep nominations to watch. I have been anticipating this film for years and this performance, too, since it started Streep off on her Oscar path through the years. I will say that I was underwhelmed with the film and that the film treats the women as mostly nothing important. Streep herself acknowledged that point and stated she only took the role because her boyfriend at the time, John Cazale, was in the film and dying of a terminal disease and it allowed her to be with him. She plays the fiancee of Christopher Walken's character but she kinda is into Robert De Niro's character, too. And that's really all there is to her character arc. It's like she's a background character shoehorned into a love triangle that isn't really addressed in the story and mostly goes nowhere. Any other actress and this role would stay a nothing role and be forgotten about at awards time. But Streep tries to make it a fully realized performance. I read that director Michael Cimino told Streep it wasn't much of a role but that she could come up with whatever lines she wanted for her character. If that's true, then Streep rescues her character with her own work and makes it something that gets your attention. It's obvious from this performance why she would go on to be in such huge demand in the next couple years and win a couple Oscars. She has this presence in the film where she can't be ignored but the film gives her nothing to do. So you are expecting something from this actress and the film keeps overlooking. It says a lot about Streep that she can turn a nothing role into something and get nominated for it.
This year kinda sucks. I'm not sure I'd vote for any of these women for a win. Cannon is so pointless as a nomination and not interesting at all that I can only assume she got in because of Warren Beatty. It's not a good performance. Milford gets in because of the strength of the other actors and the film as a whole. She isn't anything Oscar worthy, though she does do a good job with what she is given. It just really isn't something that deserved a nomination. Stapleton breathes life into a dead film but that's because her character is the opposite of everyone else in the film. It's fun to watch and she's good but I think she would be a 5th in most years but a third here because the other two are pretty weak. I was (and still am) unsure of who should be the winner. Smith for me was funny and good at what she does but it was a role that just leaves you scratching your head that she won her second Oscar for it. I don't if it was all that worthy of a win but in this year with three bad to meh performances and then a newcomer who wasn't winning because she was new...well, your winner by default is Smith and I think that's how it happened. I actually like what Streep was able to do with her performance because it rescues a stock role and turns it into something more interesting though not amazing because the film doesn't allow it to be so. I know I've given Streep so many wins, but it seems like there are years where no one else stacks up. It would be cool if she won but I don't even think her performance is award worthy. Normally I should let the winner stay the same, but I don't think Smith deserves that second win so here we are. I can just only hope that 1977 is much better than this incredibly weak year.
Oscar Winner: Maggie Smith - California Suite
My Winner: Meryl Streep - The Deer Hunter
Maggie Smith
Maureen Stapleton
Penelope Milford
Dyan Cannon
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