I've only seen Julia before among this group and I already know that she's most likely my winner. I'm not sure if a role ever fit an actress so well because Julia is Erin is Julia. The other 4 have a lot to live up to!
2000 Best Actress
Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich
Has an Oscar win ever fit so damn well? If this film were title Julia Roberts it would still make sense. I'm pretty sure that's why everyone, including me, loved this performance so much because it's just as much Julia as it is Erin Brockovich - and we don't care that we see both sides. Seriously, Julia's personality comes out tenfold in this performance probably because the real Erin and her are so similar. But while this would detract from other actresses attempting the same thing, it strengthens Julia's performance here. She gets to be America's Sweetheart here but in a more Julia way. For the record I'll say I hated all those trashy outfits not because I'm a prude or anything but because they just made her look so ugly to me and took away from the performance even though that's part of what Erin was about. And the beginning of the film really puts an emphasis on those outfits which doesn't help things. Once she settles in and it becomes less about the shock factor, Julia really gets into the Erin character and lets loose. She's obviously having fun and it shows. And she's obviously very in tune with the character of Erin and it shows. What I do like a lot about her performance is how natural and easy it feels. That's where the whole not sure if you're watching Julia or Erin thing comes into play because if someone told me it was all ad-libbed, I wouldn't doubt them. So yeah, I think this was the perfect role for Julia and she definitely made the most of it. An easy choice for the Academy here.
Joan Allen - The Contender
I was really hoping for a knockout performance after reading the description for the film (which I initially thought was going to be a boxing film) because I think it's a really juicy role for any female lead. Joan Allen plays a Senator who is tapped to become the next Vice President due to a vacancy and she must go through the rigors of the confirmation process. That means the Republicans, because she's a Democrat, asking all sorts of sordid questions about her past and leaking false info to the internet and all that I guess a screen writer in the late 90s thinks a woman would or should go through if this were true. There are all these very sexual rumors and half truths and lies that come out about Allen's character and she has to deal with that so she can potentially be the first female Vice President. It's a very interesting concept that does get bogged down in the liberalness and super democratic aspect of things. Allen handles herself gracefully and imbues in the character a sense of power and stateliness. She doesn't want to even address the false rumors and wants to keep her private life private which is noble, especially following Clinton's boners (pun!) and this shows how maybe a woman would fare but Allen and her character stay strong and on course. You can almost feel the weight of the character bearing down on Allen's shoulders as if this performance is for real because this is the closest we've gotten to a woman actually getting into office besides Ferraro or Palin. I like that Allen doesn't overact but she does seem to play it a bit too cool and perfect. She says all the right things even if the film wants to misdirect us at every turn and make us believe things are going terribly for her. I just think that Allen rises to the challenge of portraying a female Vice Presidential candidate with plenty of balls. She does a good job even if her running and playing basketball is sooooo incredibly awkward and makes you think she's never done either before this film. She also like to run through I guess the National Cemetery? Arlington maybe? It's just super weird like she runs through the headstones which I kinda think is really disrespectful even if it was meant to show how much she cares about the country. Never run over veteran graves! A decent performance from Allen that could be stronger.
Juliette Binoche - Chocolat
I was a little interested in seeing what Binoche could bring to a movie I always thought (without having seen it) was just a fluffy, feel good, makes Midwesterners feel cultured type of movie. Having finally seen it, I don't think that description is too far off really. So what does Binoche bring to the role of the woman who moves from town to town and sets up a chocolaterie? Well, she gives an effortless, but boring, performance. I watched her and the first word that sprang to mind for this review was casual. As in Binoche's character is just very casual and relaxed for most of the movie which should tell you that she doesn't go through a whole bunch of complex emotions in this and only towards the end does she really kind of step outside of her normal demeanor. It wasn't sickly sweet or anything like that but it was just very relaxed. She's not welcome in the town because it's very religious and the mayor feels she's corrupting the townspeople. But for most of the beginning she just takes it all calmly in stride without much turmoil until the end when her daughter was almost killed and she wanted to move but decided to stay because a few of the townsfolk decided to help out her chocolate shop. So as you can see not the most intricate or involved of performances and it really sums up Chocolat as a whole, honestly. It's a movie that bored me and this is a performance that bored me. I think it's the fact that there's just not a whole lot for her character to do. I know Binoche can be better than she does here but she's not even given the chance in this one. Unfortunately this is as forgettable a nomination and performance as a bag of generic chocolate.
Ellen Burstyn - Requiem for a Dream
I'm not sure if I've been as excited to watch a film for this project as I have been to watch this one. I've heard so much about this film and it being crazy and all kinds of things that I'm so glad I was able to mark it off my list. This was absolutely the cautionary tale everyone told me it was going to be. Something we should show to teenagers so they think twice about getting addicted to drugs. Ellen plays a woman whose son is a junkie but she herself is addicted to tv and eventually becomes further addicted to diet pills so she can go on a certain tv show. Addiction is what this whole film is about from legit drugs to tv and diet pills to sex. Ellen is representative of the entire film because it's a bit different and not exactly up the Academy's alley. Ellen does do a fantastic job as the mother who becomes addicted to the diet pills and can't quite get the thrill of the uppers she's on because she's seeing a hack so she increases it herself and then gets sick and goes to an ER and they put her in a psych ward and then she gets some electroshock done to her brain which is completely fucked up. This is the extreme for watching tv and buying diet pills but it makes a statement on America as a whole that we are a consumer culture that want everything solved now - whether that's colds or weight loss or bigger things such as addictions. I don't dislike this nomination as a whole because it's really great that addiction can be talked about in these terms but I don't feel Ellen should have won because it's way too obvious she was nominated because of the film as a whole. The ass to ass thing was crazy even if Keith David is a nice dude (I've met him at the film fest I work for - awesome dude!) and I admire Aronofsky's willingness to tell a story about something most people don't want to hear about. This is an eye opener and something most people should be aware of the fucked up nature of the subject. A must watch for everyone.
Laura Linney - You Can Count On Me
When it comes to smaller film nominees, and even first time nominees, such as this, I always hope that the Academy got it right. I always hope that this will be a hidden gem that has gone overlooked by many yet is in reality a wonderful, instant favorite, engaging, and most importantly deserving of the nomination. So that's kind of what I always judge these smaller type performances on - did it grab me and wow me? And for Laura Linney in You Can Count on Me, well, let's just say that it didn't do either one. Which is unfortunate because I like Linney in a lot of her other roles, especially in The Mothman Prophecies (one of my personal faves). What's disappointing is that her two Oscar nominations are for performances that are simply not very memorable (Kinsey was super meh for me). In this film, Linney plays a woman in small town New York State who has a kid but no husband and then her brother comes back in town out of the blue and we see a slice of their life with all their problems and history. Critics seemed to love it as a day to day life snapshot and a quietly affecting film. I mean, I guess so but I feel like I've seen this film a hundred times and it just did not have any affect on me like it did these critics. Linney was fine with her acting but I thought Mark Ruffalo was the star of the film. Linney doesn't have any big acting moment and doesn't exactly shine above everyone else, either. She steadfastly gets the job done and does a good job at it. The story doesn't demand all that much from her and she doesn't exceed expectations, unfortunately, because I know she can do way better work than this. And if you are going to have a "realistic" slice of life film like this then Linney needs to be on point and I was kept waiting for a moment where I could go Aha! that's why the Academy chose her. It never came. I do also realize that I'm again judging a film on stuff I've seen since 2000 and it kind of reminded me of all those mumblecore movies where we peer into someone's life and it's this existential take on raising a family, or being married, or looking for love. Those movies are more believable and more naturally acted than this and I wanted this film to be like that and for Linney to act like that. It's sort of unfair to expect that but it's what I want from an indie like this. Anyway, I'm starting to ramble so I'll wrap this up by saying that I know Linney could have given us a much better take on her character and I don't really see this as belonging on the Oscar list.
I'm always optimistic about this category. This year offered up a group that I knew the winner was deserving but could anyone else dethrone her and where would everyone else fall. Let's face it, Julia was made for that role and was legit the best of the year. I truly think that. But then it becomes who fleshes out the rest of the four. I think second goes to Joan Allen for a very strong and gutsy portrayal of a woman ascending to the highest office in the land for a woman so far and bringing a certain no bullshit attitude to it. From there it's whatever. Ellen Burstyn is in a seriously haunting movie and lots of people should see it. She does an alright job but the message of the film outweighs her. Then Linney enters with a very boring nomination followed by Binoche in a movie I hate. Just boring and not worth spending time exploring or getting to know. I always have faith that the previous year is going to give me an instant classic and something to be revered but until then I'm stuck with these jokes.
Oscar Winner: Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich
My Winner: Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich
Joan Allen
Ellen Burstyn
Laura Linney
Juliette Binoche
No comments:
Post a Comment