The Actresses

Tomorrow night we'll get another look at where the Oscar race stands when the Screen Actor's Guild hands out their awards.
It's probably not gonna be an exciting night, as the SAG awards are someplace between the Golden Globes and the Oscars in terms of pretentiousness.

There is champagne on the table, so the possibility of a drunk actor is always present. One thing you hear at the SAG awards, is how the actors are being honored by their peers. That means that everyone has to mock seriousness,  act reverent toward the membership, and have a stick at least partially up their asses.
It's just not the big party that the Golden Globes is.

Something I do wonder about is, will anyone bring up the strike authorization? This is quite a divisive issue amongst the membership. Alec Baldwin will surely win as will Sean Penn...so, you see the potential. Susan Sarandon is gonna present? Wow....that's awesome.  Anything could happen.  

I'm not here with my SAG predictions, however.  I'm here to discuss the state of the race, Actresses, and how we went from abundance to lean pickings, overnight.

If I had a vote for the Oscar...I think there is only one actress that I would actually enjoy voting for.  So, let's start there.  

When Kate Winslet won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in The Reader.  I was 100% behind that choice.  I am one of the people who loved The Reader, and her performance.  But, I am also in the group of people, obviously a minority, that felt it was a Supporting role.  Not a lead.  If you don't know, the Academy has not agreed with me, and  Kate Winslet is now nominated in the Best Actress category for The Reader.  Okay.  So, what Supporting nominee does that leave me?  

If leaves me this woman right here.  

Penelope Cruz is my pick to win for Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona.   For three reasons...it was truly a Supporting role, she truly was great, and she's paid her dues. She's been making movies since she was 15.  Personally,  I fell in love with her after I saw Volver.  This woman is just learning how to translate her appeal in English.  There is something very Sophia Loren about her, and I can't wait to see where it goes.   

Of the remaining Supporting Actresses...Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,  is my next choice.  It was truly a Supporting role, she did a great job, and I loved her in Hustle And Flow.  My reasons are a bit weaker for Taraji.  They have more to do with my own love of her work.  I don't think she has a prayer of winning.  But, she's my runner up.

I guess from there I'd have to go to Viola Davis.  Viola Davis was the best thing in Doubt, in my opinion.  Her scene with Meryl Streep tore my heart out.  My problem here is that the role itself, is a cameo.  It's one scene.  One long and brilliant scene...but, one scene.  I know Judi Dench won for 8 minutes of screen time in Shakespeare In Love, and Beatrice Straight won for approximately 6 minutes of screen time in Network.  But, I don't know that I agree with handing out an award for one scene.  Unless they were to call it the Oscar for "eating Meryl Streep's lunch" in a feature film.

Next...Amy Adams for Doubt.  First of all, I love Amy.  She has a reputation for being a truly nice and hard working gal.  She was brilliant in Junebug, and I'm liking what I see from the upcoming Sunshine Cleaners.  But...the role...is more of a lead then Winslet's role in The Reader.  In fact, there were times when I was watching the film, that I felt it was Sister James' story, period. So, there's that.  But, I also noticed that Miss Adams was a bit forced.  Especially in her crying scenes.  It seemed she was conscious of those tears.  They were hard won.  Look...actors do it all the time.  You don't have a great director who can motivate you, or one who has made you do so many takes already that you just can't do another, or whatever the reason.  Sometimes, you have to use a cheat.  There was an emotional disconnect in all of these actors including Streep...I lay it on the director, who's really a writer with a good cinematographer.  

So...that leaves me with Tomei.  Her performance in The Wrestler, is okay.  She doesn't offend.  She does a nice job, and she plays a stripper who actually takes her clothes off.  Good for her.  It's just she blows her money scene in my opinion.  "I'm really here".  Well, the Ram doesn't buy it either.  When it's all said and done...I would rather the time had been spent on the father daughter relationship, instead of a "romance" that goes no where.  

So, now Best Actress. These are the actresses in a leading role. I don't have a pick.  My pick was Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road.  She is not nominated for Revolutionary Road...which presents a problem.  Her role in The Reader was impressive, as a supporting role, but I just can't find it a terribly interesting choice for Best Actress.  It ain't Sophie's Choice.  It ain't even Meryl in Silkwood or Out Of Africa.  Am I asking too much to expect the level of performance be held to that standard?  

Which brings me to Meryl Streep.  I'm a fan.  I'm a huge fan.  I even loved her in She Devil.  In fact, I loved her in She Devil more then I loved her in Doubt.  I was sooooo disappointed in her performance in Doubt.  It had it's moments of course...but, overall, I found it unfocused.  There were so many moments in the film where I was ultra aware of the "great " acting I was being treated to.  Streep should have won another Oscar for Supporting Actress in The Devil Wears Prada.  They campaigned her for lead, and she lost.  I don't even remember who to.  She should not win for this sub-Streep performance.  

Who else?  Angelina Jolie.  I can't even discuss this one note over wrought display of acting.  Please...how did she even get nominated for Changeling?  It's not a good movie, and she is the movie,  so...there you have it.  

Anne Hathaway.  She's my favorite in the category to be honest.  I loved Rachel Getting Married, and I thought she was quite good.  She could have wallowed.  She could have shed copious tears.  She didn't.  She had a brilliant director to guide her, and she came through for him.  My biggest beef with her winning, I guess is...everything else she has done has been mediocre.  Brokeback Mountain was the closest to great...but Michelle Williams still wiped her off the screen.

Who's the fifth?  Oh my...Melissa Leo.  

You know...I'm willing to bet she gave the Best Performance by a nominated Actress in a lead role...but, I haven't seen it.  This is gonna be her problem.  I haven't even gone out of MY way to see it.  Has anyone else?  She is not young, glamourous, or a movie star...people are gonna have to SEE the performance in Frozen River to choose her.  Will they?  So, shame on me.  I'm gonna track Frozen River down today, and I'll get back to you.  Maybe we have a deserving winner after all.  Stay tuned!