Correction

Due to problems, I deleted my blog that I just created and have made a new one again, lol: http://filmoscarsandmore.blogspot.com/



So, follow that one and enjoy!

Sad/ Happy news

Hey everyone! As these things usually go nowadays with my blogging, its been over a month since I've posted on here. It's been a repeating pattern for nearly a year, and I've realized you readers deserve explanation. The reasons why I have not been posting are because there were so many things I had to do in the school year, and because I had lost my motivation for blogging. The best Actress profiles simply wore me out. I thought that during the summer I'd be able to be more active, but clearly, I haven't been. The reasons for that are I have part-time summer job (Though it's a thinner excuse then the two other ones, because I would have had more then enough time with it to begin with(, laziness, and most importantly, I'm a singer, and I'm concentrating my energy on that right now , which is why I never had the time or the drive to commit to blogging this summer.



So, I have come to a decision that it's time to shut down this blog. I think that the blog was an amazing experience for me, I loved writing all the posts, coming up with all my ideas. I'd like to thank Andrew, who was the first person who ever commented on one of my posts. I'd also like to thank Sage, who was and is an inspiration for me, who I loved your comments on my work. And Twister, whose is always so nice and enthustatuic about my posts and my opinions. And Louis Morgan, who has always commented on my posts, even when it got to the end. And to Fritz, whose work I abouseletly love, and whose opinions I really respect, although sometimes disagree. And to Dinasztie, whose blog I loved from the start. It's been amazing being a part of our group together. I'll be sad to not posting anything on Oscarfan any more.


I suppose you're all wondering what the good news is. Firstly, I am not deleting my blog from the web. Too much fond memories and hard work are on here, and I know how much fun is to browse old posts (Anyone else agree with me?). So, Oscarfan is not leaving totally. Secondly, and most importantly, I am NOT retiring from the blogger world or leaving the amazing group we have in any sense of the word. Why? Because I've decided to create a new blog. A blog that will be very similiar to this, but very different at the same time. It;ll cover the oscars of course, but I also want to post just plain movie reviews, theatre reviews, articles, rankings, of anything else that'll come to mind. Why not just do this on here? Well, I could do that, but I think creating a new blog will revive my love of blogging, and it will be a new begining instead of just updating on here more frequently. I hope you'll follow me and i promise I'll commit. I don't know what will happen in the school year, but I promise whenever I can, to dedicate myself to that blog.

I'd like to thank everyone who has worked with me and inspired me on this blog, and although this is the end of Oscarfan, it is in no way the end of Joe Burns who will keep blogging with and for you in the blogger world. And expect new updates and posts soon at my new blog, http://oscarfanandmore.blogspot.com/

B.S.A.P: Mary Astor in The Great Lie (1941)

Mary Astor received her 1st and only oscar nomination, and won for playing pianist Sandra Kovack in 1941's The Great Lie.



The Great Lie starts out terrific, with Bette Davis wonderful playing a young woman named Maggie who is in love with a man named Pete, who is married (Well, not legally) to famous concert pianist Sandra Kovack. Mary Astor is fabulous here, milking the rich, charismatic side of Sandra for all it's worth. She and Davis are terrific together in these scenes, showing their hate, yet respect for each other and their love for Pete. I also love her scenes where she is a pianist, unfortunately their not very elaborated on, but Astor make them grand and entertaining.



Unfortunately , the movie goes downhill when it is revealed that Sandra is pregnant, and Maggie , since it is believed that Pete is dead, wants the baby, for Pete's sake (No pun intended!, and will make sure Sandra is financially secure for the rest of her life. So, Maggie takes Sandra to a secluded cottage in Arizona, where she makes sure she is taking care of the baby and to keep an eye on Sandra. These scenes are the weakest and most unbelievable of the movie, and both actresses, despite trying hard to make the material work, are affected by it, and never recover. Astor's acting is still good, but a sour feeling of soapy melodrama hangs over her, which is unfortunate. Things improve though after it is revealed that Pete is really alive, because Sandra now wants the baby and Pete back. The material is still dreadful, but Astor is very fun to watch as she clashes with Davis.

So, Mary Astor gives a very entertaining and effective performance that adds to the film wonderfully at first, but falls down once the film took that awful plot twist. Still, a worthy winner. She gets

B.S.A.P: Peggy Ashcroft in A Passage To India (1984)

Peggy Ashcroft received her first Oscar nomination and won the Oscar for playing Mrs. Moore in A Passage To India. Mrs. Moore is an elderly woman who is traveling with her son's fiance (Judy Davis, my recent winner of Best Actress 1984), to meet her son and to see India. While there, she is disgusted by all the snobby English people around her and is appaled how they treat the people of India. She meets a young man named Doctor Asiaz, who she is enchanted by and he the same way.



As I've said, A Passage To India is a mixed movie for me. It's really lacking in the 2nd half, and it's not very engaging, but there's a lot of beauty and impressiveness about it too. Peggy Aschfroft's Oscar-winning performance is a big plus to the movie. She plays all her scenes with such dignity and strength, making Mrs. Moore an impressive, mysterious, and loveable character. She and Judy Davis work well together, though they don't really have correspond. Her scenes with Doctor Aziaz are terrific, both seem to have a lot of respect for each other, and their scenes have a special power to them that adds to the film. When they go into the cave, Ashcroft is able to convey her fears and the strange unsettling feeling that the echo in the cave gives her, it's very convincing. And there's another thing, Peggy Ashcroft completely disappears into this part, there's no sense of acting.


My only complaint would be that their some scenes with Judy Davis that don't really fit with the character, where's she's playing the "wise old lady". It doesn't feel true to the spirit of Mrs. Moore. Still, this is a great performance, whose presence is alive through the whole movie.

Best Supporting Actress Project

As you might have read back in March, I decided to move on from Best Actress for now, and start covering the Best Supporting Actress category. But instead of covering it year by year, I'll instead cover two decades at a time, watching each winner from the decade. Like, if I did the 90's and the 60's first, I start with Diane Wiest in Bullets Over Broadway, and then I'd do Shirley Jones from Elmer Gantry, and then another 90's winner, then another 60's winner, ect, ect. I probably will rank all the performances at the end, probably in single-number sequence, but perhaps not, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I'm so sorry for all the delays and empty promises that have been happening for the past nine months! I've just been so busy! It's been a hard year, but a rewarding one, and this summer, I'll make sure to do a lot of activity on here! And 1984 is FINALLY finished! Anyway, I'm extremely excited to begin this project and I hope you are too!


So, the first two decades I'll be covering are the 1980s and the 1940s! Hope you enjoy!



P.s: As for 2010, I think I'll wait until I get plenty of winners under my belt until I start it again, I want to focus on Best Supporting Actress

Ranking of Best Actress nominees and years so far

1. 1974


2. 1969


3. 1968



4. 1976


5. 1988


6. 2006


7. 1977


8. 2002


9. 1993


10. 2003

11. 1984





1. Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven (2002)




2. Judi Dench in Notes On A Scandal (2006)



3. Maggie Smith in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)



4. Liv Ullman in Face To Face (1976)



5. Katharine Hepburn in The Lion In Winter (1968)



6. Charlize Theron in Monster (2003)



7. Kate Winslet in Little Children (2006)



8. Holly Hunter In The Piano (1993)



9. Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977)


10. Sissy Spacek in Carrie (1976)



11. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liasions (1988)



12. Faye Dunaway in Network (1976)



13. Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo



14. Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under The Influence (1974)





15. Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)



16. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)



17. Patrcia Neal in The Subject Was Roses (1968)


18. Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)


19. Valerie Perrine in Lenny (1974)


20. Genenieve Bujold in Anne Of The Thousand Days (1969)


21. Joanne Woodward in Rachel, Rachel (1968)


22. Jane Fonda in Julia (1977)


23. Jodie Foster in The Accused (1988)


24. Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses Don't They (1969)


25. Meryl Streep in A Cry In The Dark (1988)


26. Diahaan Carol in Claudine (1974)


27. Angela Basset in What's Love Got To Do With It? (1993)


28. Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl (1968)


29. Renee Zellweger in Chicago (2002)


30. Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending (1969)


31. Diane Lane in Unfaithful (2002)



32. Vanessa Redgrave in Isadora (1968)



33. Marsha Mason in The Goodbye Girl (1977)



34. Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give (2003)



35. Penelope Cruz in Volver (2006)



36. Emma Thompson in The Remains Of The Day (1993)

37. Judy Davis in A Passage To India (1984)



38. Marie Christine-Barrault in Cousin, Cousine (1976)



39. Signourney Weaver in Gorillas In The Mist (1988)



40. Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006)



41. Anne Bancroft in The Turning Point (1977)





42. Naomi Watts in 21 Grams (2003)

43. Jessica Lange in Country (1984)



44. Nicole Kidman in The Hours (2002



45. Keisha Castle Hughes in Whale Rider (2003)

46. Sally Field in Places In The Heart (1984)



47. Shirley Maclaine in The Turning Point (1977)




48. Samantha Morton in In America (2003)


49. Vanessa Redgrave in The Bostonians (1984)



50. Debra Winger in Shadowlands (1993)



51. Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (1988)



52. Stockard Channing in Six Degrees Of Separation (1993)



53. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)

54. Talia Shire in Rocky (1976)



55. Salma Hayek in Frida (2002)

Best Actress 1984: The Resolution!

5. Sissy Spacek in The River: Besides some very brief moments of depth, Sissy Spacek is a dud in this awful, extremely odd film. All she's saddled with is the boring part of a wife who just lives for her family and she fails to spark up the role miserably.






4. Vanessa Redgrave in The Bostonians: Though she has a few good moments, this performance is nothing special and the role is so limited that it becomes confusing. What did the academy or Redgrave herself see in this film?




3. Sally Field in Places In The Heart: Sally Field gives a very good, but inconsistent performance, on one hand, she does a good job of making us feel who Edna is and for her situation and some of her moments are terrific, but on the other hand, she never goes far enough with the part, not putting enough energy or going deep enough into the character. But she's stuck in a sentimental, confusing film, and I give her a lot of credit for trying.






2. Jessica Lange in Country: Lange has a very one dimensional part, but unlike Spacek, actually tries and surprisingly completely succeeds in commanding the screen with her performance. It's not perfect since the role really isn't interesting enough to become great, but Lange is great to watch.




1. Judy Davis in A Passage To India: My heart said Jessica, but my head said Davis, and I went with the latter. As with nearly all the performances this year, Davis's character is not that interesting, still, Davis gives a subtle, extremely strong performance that hits it's peak during the court scenes, where Davis shows how excellent of an actress she can be.




Wow, a year that is as weak as it looks! None of these performances except for maybe Davis, measure up to the usual standard that I expect from the Oscars and although they make some strange nominee choices (Talia Shire, Stockard Channing, Debra Winger), I think that they could have chosen better then this.


My ranking of the nominated films:

1. Country
2. A Passage To India
3. Places In The Heart
4. The Bostonians
5. The River

Best Actress 1984: Vanessa Redgrave in The Bostonians

Vanessa Redgrave received her fourth Oscar nomination for playing Olive Chancellor, an overly controlling woman who is a member of a woman's rights society, and has taken a young woman named Verena Tarant (Madeline Porter), who is an extremely gifted speaker, under her wing, but seems to control her every move, and becomes extremely jealous and angry when Verena and her cousin (Christopher Reeve) begin a relationship.


The Bostonians was a film I found odd and tiresome at first, thought it grew on me, mostly due to Madeline Porter, who should have received an Oscar nomination for her performance. She was fantastic. But the movie is nothing very special, and the same goes for Vanessa Redgrave. I felt she was terrific in Isadora, though the film was a mess, but her role is very limited here and Redgrave just doesn't have a strong enough part. I'm pretty sure her character is supposed to be in love with Verena, and a problem with her performance is that I don't think Redgrave did a strong enough job showing her love for Verena. The love was more obesseive, and I know love is obessive, but it felt to me that it would have been better if Redgrave had portrayed her love for Porter more romanticly instead of obessively. Vanessa does do a good job of showing her anger and fear of losing Verena to her cousin, she plays it with a powrful subtlety that reminds me of Glenn Close in Dangerous Liasons, not nearly as good though. Her scenes with Porter are also good, but Porter steals and overshadows her performance so much that I just didn't care that much about her. That basically sums up my feelings about her, she has some strong moments, but it never takes off and her part is too limited to really become great. She gets

Open thread! #2

Summer at last!!!! I promise I'll finish Best Actress 1984 this weekend! PROMISE!!!!!! Since it's summer, they'll be WAYYYYYYYYYYY more free time, so expect more on this blog, even though I do have a summer job, but it's only two to three days a week, and it isn't extremely demanding, so there definetely will be more stuff coming along. But what? Here's my topic:




Do you want me to a Best Supporting Actress project like I said? Or do you want me to do more Best Actress profiles, specifically finish 2010? Or do you have any other ideas?

Open Thread and a little note

Given none of you commented on the first post, I've decided to try to do another open thread, which is when anybody can talk about anything you want to, and I want a really long one! Discuss, debate, ask questions! ! And I'm asking you to PLEASE, PLEASE comment on this one! Look, I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to be very active on this blog for nearly a year now, and the reason is that I have so much to do, give being in school, and being involved in drama at my high school. It's a demanding commitment, and frankly, we all have our own lives to live as well as doing this blog. The reason why I wanted/want to an open thread is to get the feeling of excitement back into blogging again and having an engaging conversation on here about anything you want, as long as it's not too personal. So, please join in! And I promise that during the summer, I'll be more committed to blogging. And I'm still planning on doing a Best Supporting Actress project, so that will be what I'm doing in the summer, which isn't that far away!

Best Actress 1984: Jessica Lange in Country

Jessica Lange received her third Oscar nomination for playing Jewell Ivy, a a woman who is struggling to keep her farm from foreclosure and to hold her family together (Yes, the third one in this category) in Country.



Country is actually surprisingly good. It might be something you've seen before, but it's well made and well-written for the most part and the acting is pretty good. I'd say it's worth seeing. But it's Jessica Lange we're talking about here and she does do a good job in the part. Country and the role of Jewell Ivy is very similar to The River and Sissy Spacek's role, but Jessica Lange's acting skills and the fact that Country is a much better movie help Jessica elevate the roles into something pretty good. In the beginning, the character of Jewell is pretty two-dimensional, simply a woman who seems to live for her husband, her kids, and her family, but Lange plays it so well she seems to override the fact that her part is underwritten. She has a certain radiance to her that sparks up the movie, and it's really her that's doing the lifting here, which leads me to a problem. Sam Shepard is very mediocre, and neither actors have much presence or chemistry on screen together, but I don't blame Jessica to much, because at least she put in an effort to make they're scenes work. Another problem is that her big scenes are played a little melodramatic and fake.


But during the 2nd half of the film, Jewell's character gets some development and here's where Lange really succeeds, making us feel her struggles and carrying her scenes with strength and dignity. If only the film story had been a little more exciting or interesting the performance would have been great all the way through. But still, Jessica Lange delivers a strong, competent performance that could have been flat and boring and is able to standout in a flawed, but very good film. She gets

Best Actress 1984: Judy Davis in A Passage To India

Judy Davis received her first Oscar nomination for playing Adela Questad, an engaged woman traveling with her future mother-in law Ms. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft) in A Passage To India.


A Passage To India is a movie that is mixed for me, on the one hand, it's beautifully made and the acting is overall great. My father is a huge fan of the novel, and he says that it's a good story, but it's really how it's written that makes the book so good. I myself haven't read the book, but I can see how that could be true. The story often lacks that special spark that can really make an engaging, absorbing movie. But it's still worth seeing. Anyway, Judy Davis plays Adela Questad, a young woman who is engaged to the city magistrate of a city in India, and is rather bored by all the stuffy, english people who are making a living/taking over the country, and is slowly starting to see how appalling the British, her own people, are to to the Indians, and is starting to realize she doesn't really love her future-husband at all. in these scenes, Davis does a terrific job of subtly developing this character. She doesn't say much, but Davis does do very well in showing a change in her character, and her scenes with the doctor Aziaz are excellent, as are her scenes with her fiancee, and with doctor Aziaz.. Her scenes with Ms. Moore though are often stealed by Ashcroft, though Davis still is able to do a good job,maybe it's because Adela is not a very showy character.

During the 2nd half though, her performance changes. She accuses the doctor of raping her in they're expedition in the caves, and she disappears from the movie for a little while, until the trial. Her scenes here are fantastic, she really gives her all to these scenes, powerfully showing her guilt and fear, and eventual shame. Her testimony in the courtroom is brilliantly executed by her. And her performance continues to be overall strong throughout the rest of the film.

But my issue here is that the role of Adela Questad is underwhelming, we've seen this character before, and although Davis is up to the part, she's never amazing except during the court scenes. And also I found Adela' character arc somewhat frustrating: Why does she disappear from the 2nd half for like 20 minutes or so? Why doesn't the movie clearly address why she accused the doctor (Spoiler Alert!)if he wasn't guilty? I think the whole 2nd half could have been much better executed. Still, Judy Davis excels with her part, and is able to give an excellent performance in the end. I give her a solid

Best Actress 1984: Sissy Spacek in The River

Sissy Spcek received her third Oscar nomination for playing Mae Garvie, a woman who is in financial and marital troubles with her husband Tom Garvey (Mel Gibson) in The River.


The River is a well made, at times beautiful (Imagery-wise) movie, but is very boring, and like Places In The Heart, has little point to it. Some good moments, but a lot of it didn't make sense to me, partly because I spaced out in parts. But anyway, Sissy Spacek plays Mae Garvey, a woman with two children living in a very poor, town in the middle of nowhere. She loves her husband, she takes care of the kids, and is under a lot of stress due to the fact that they might have to sell they're land. And basically, this all of Sissy's performance. Mae is such a one-dimensional, dull role that any actress could have played, and despite the fact that Sissy is well cast, she adds nothing special to this part. But really, no actress could make a great performance out of this part, so I don't really blame her, but she could have tried harder to make it memorable and really work against her clunker of a movie, but unfortunately Sissy never does that. But she does have some moments of beautiful subtlety that help her performance. Her facial expressions are sometimes quite impressive, Sissy did know how to get across certain feelings to the audience . Her best scene is when her husband's enemy is making a move on her, and she pushes him away, saying that they ended up with the spouses they have. She plays it just right, and makes us see that maybe Mae had wanted a better life, and this is probably the only thing Sissy shows in Mae, apart from being a loyal wife to her husband and kids. Which leads me to the fact that she and Mel Gibson have zero chemistry, I never believed that they loved each other, and they''re scenes are mostly boring, just like pretty much all of the movie. But their scene together in a hotel after they haven't seen one another for about a month (due to that he worked on a mine because they can't get any other job) is pretty good, and as I've said, Sissy's face shines with emotion here. but it's ruined by the fact we see nothing much from her, except that she's a loyal housewife. This also ruins a scene where her daughter's
favorite cow has just died, and she, crying, tells them she tried her hardest to save them, but as I've said, it's ruined by the fact that Mae is such a caricature.
Sissy Spacek may have a couple good moments, but mostly she is boring, and un-believable, trapped in a mediocre movie. She gets

Best Actress 1984: Sally Field in Places In The Heart

Sally Field received her 2nd Oscar nomination and won her 2nd Oscar for playing Edna Spalding, a widow during the mid-depression struggling to make ends meet, in Places In The Heart.



First of all, I'd like to point out some strange similiarities between Field and another two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank: Both won they're first Oscars on they're first nominations for performances that are largely considered some of the best Oscar-winning performances in this category in both 9-digit number years (Field in 79 for Norma Rae, and Swank in 99 for Boys Don't Cry), and both received they're only 2nd nominations and won for performances that are considered mediocre and undesrving, and both won in 4-digit number years, both five years after they're first wins (Field in 84 for Places In The Heart and Swank in 04 for Million Dollar Baby). And neither have gotten another Oscar nomination since. Weird isn't it? I know I read about this somewhere , but I caught on to most of these myself.


Anyway, Places In The Heart is a movie I hated at first, but now my feelings have changed. It's not really terrible, but it's very boring and there really is no point in making this movie. It says nothing, it's not entertaining, sure, there's some good moments, but really it's nothing special. And the ending still makes no sense to me. Sally Field as I said, plays Edna Spalding, and surprisingly, her performance wasn't as bad as I thought it was the first time. She's actually very good in many scenes. In the beginning, Field does a good job of showing Edna's grief for her husband, and she does create a character out of Edna. She makes us know Edna does not know how to live the kind of life she has to lead after her husband's death, but finds the determination inside to accomplish her goal of being able to keep her house and making her children happy. Her best moment is when John Malkovich is asking her what she looks like: It's a powerful moment, and Field plays it wonderfully. Another great moment is when she, after both John Malkovich and the man Moses tell her there is no hope to her i business idea about her cotton planting, snaps at them and tells them that she WILL make sure the business works. You suddenly see the fire and life she brought so well to Norma Rae five years previously. But this performance never is great though, she's very good, but Field does not put enough life or energy into Edna, and sometimes I felt she played her too naive, or meek. Some of her moments are also a bit flat and unconvincing.

But I can't really blame Field for not being up to giving a great performance. She tried the best she could I guess, but the film is very mediocre, and she can't save it. Still, this performance is good, but not Oscar-worthy. She gets

Best Actress 1984

Given how frustrated I am about not posting nearly anything and how slow my Rabbit Hole link is going, I've decided to put Best Actress 2010 on hold until April , and instead start another Best Actress year.


The next Best Actress year (and perhaps final Best Actress year I'll be doing before my B.SA project begin) that I'll be doing a profile/ranking on is 1984 and the nominees were:


Judy Davis in Passage To India

Sally Field in Places Of Heart

Jessica Lange in Country

Vanessa Redgrave in The Bostonians

Sissy Spacek in The River






I chose this year because, like 1994, it is considered extremely weak, but unlike, 1994, none of the nominees are ever really discussed, besides Sally Field, and ocasionally Judy Davis. Anyway, who are you rooting for? What's your ranking/predictions?

Best Suupporting Actress project

Hey everyone, I'm just gonna publish this now, since my links to Rabbit Hole are going too slow right now, and I'm dying to post SOMETHING. So, I've decided to, after I'm done with a couple more Best Actress years, to try to see all of the Best Supporting Actress winners and do a ranking of them, like Fritz is doing right now with the Best Picture winners and Sage has done in the past. I've decided on Best Supporting Actress because I've seen very few winners, I need to re-watch the winners I've already seen, and despite the fact it would be fun to a Best Actress ranking like this, I like doing the profiles for that category more. Which is why I'm still going to continue doing them, yes, even when I'm trying to watch all of these movies. See, I'll publish reviews of some of the winner's performances to keep things going and to give you an idea of what my ranking will be, but not all, because that would defeat the purpose of doing the ranking. So, I'll still continue with my Best Actress profiles, but I probably will try to choose years where one of the nominees or the winner is from the same film as a Supporting Actress winner.


So, here are the winners I've seen so far, though,as I said, I will rewatch them all:



1939: Hatte MacDaniel in Gone With The Wind


1951: Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire


1954: Eva Marie Saint in On The Watefront


1957: Miyoshi Umeki in Sayonara (Though I haven't seen her in the context of the movie)


1960: Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry


1961: Rita Moreno in West Side Story

1962: Patty Duke in The Miracle Work

1966: Sandy Denniss in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?

1967: Estelle Parsons in Bonnie And Clyde

1968: Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby (Though not in context of the film)

1971: Cloris Leachman in The Last Picture Show

1972: Eileen Heckhart in Butterflies Are Free

1974: Ingrid Bergman in Murder On The Orient Express (Though YEARS ago, so don't remember her)

1975: Lee Grant in Shampoo (Though not in context of the film)

1976: Beatrice Straight in Network

1977: Vanessa Redgrave in Julia

1982: Jessica Lange in Tootsie

1985: Anjelica Huston in Prizzi's Honor (Though not in context of film)

1986: Dianne Weist in Hannah And Her Sisters

1987: Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck


1990: Whooi Goldberg in Ghost

1992: Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny

1993: Anna Paquin in The Piano

1994: Diane Weist in Bullets Over Broadway

1995: Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aphrodite

1996: Juliette Binoche in The English Patient '

1997: Kim Basinger in L.A Confidential

1998: Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love

1999: Angelina Jole in Girl Interrupted

2000: Judi Dench in Shakespeare In Love

2001: Jenniffer Conelly in A Beautiful Mind

2002: Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago

2003: Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain

2004: Cate Blanchett in the Aviator

2005: Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener

2006: Jenniffer Hudson in Dreamgirls

2007: Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton

2008: Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barecelona

2009: Monique in Precious

2010: Melissa Leo in The Fighter

So, that's it! Any requests for performances you want me to see first? Any Best Actress years requests?

Help!/Open Thread

As you've probably noticed, I've been going slow on here again. Anyway, I wouldn't be if I could find a link to Rabbit Hole. It left my movie theatre, and the site I usualy watch movies on the internet is strangely updated, so I can't seem to watch it, without having to upload or pay to sign up for the links it gives me. I'm waiting on an email I sent asking for one, but if anyone has a link right now, tell me! If I can't find one, I might delay Best Actress 2010 till April, which is when Rabbit Hole comes out. It's your choice, really:
Do you have a link to Rabbit Hole so I won't have to delay? Or if not, would you rather me continue with B.A 2010 with Lawrence's profile and then delay Kidman's profile and the ranking till April? Or I could just delay all the unfinished aspects of B.A 2010 till April, and do some other Best Actress years I have in mind. I have to admit the latter one is tempting. I really want to do some other Best Actress years.




Anyway, how have you been? Are you sad the Oscars are over? Talk to me about ANYTHING! This is a semi-open thread. I'm willing to talk!

Oscar Results: My thoughts

Hmmm, it's over. I'm sad, but it wasn't too exciting of a year, so I'm not as crushed as I am for some. Anyway, I'm fine with The King's Speech winning Best Picture, though I need to see it again, and I'm happy for Portman, and Baale. Leo's swearing was a bit rude, and her speech is phony, but really , is she really that bad of a person for doing it? No. It was weird, but not deserving of all this hate. Anyway,Oscar season is over, but not for us, of course. It'll go on forever. Best Actress 2010 will be finished this week, and a new project may be coming up soon as well, once I take a look at it.

Oscar Predictions

So, it's the final day! Oscar season is nearly over.n I have to say I think 2010 was a good year. Much better then last year. I'm reallly sorry I've been sooooooooo slowwwwwwww this year, on my B.A profiles and on regular posts. I've just been loaded with a ton of stuff since September. Anyway, I'm planning to try harder! Here's my predictions:




Best Picture: The King's Speech is on a roll and i feel it'll win. I personally really liked it, but I need to rewatch the film soon, more for Firth's performance then anything else. The Social network stil has a chance, but I somehow don't see it. I personally would hate to see it win. I understand why The king's Speech's frontrunenr status angers a lot of people, but I think it's a worthy film. So, Will Win: TKS Should Win: TKS (Though I haven't seen Inception, or 127 Hours yet)



Best Director: This is harder to call then BP. Tom Hooper won the DGA, which makes him a very, very possible winner. David Fincher though will probably win, because he won the BAFTA, which is huge, since The King's Speech is a british film, that swept several other awards, but couldn't win Director. plus, the academy will want to honor The Social Network, besides Screenplay, and Fincher is much more overdue then Fincher. Will Win: Fincher Should Win: Darren Arfonsky, his direction was fantastic, despite the over the top special effects at the end!


Best Actor: Colin Firth is the biggest lock here, because he's overdue, lost last year, and has swept all the precursors. Early, early, on, James Franco was the runnerup, but Firth is now a total lock. Will Win: Firth. Should win: As I've said, I need to see Firth again. I found Jesse Eisenberg pretty good in retrospect, but i haven't seen the others, so I really am undecided here.



Best Actress: Natalie Portman is still the hot favorite, and the only thing really going against her is that Black Swan didn't do as well on the nomination tally as most thought, which could help Benning, who is overdue, but I think that that wasn't played up as well as it could have been this season and Bening just lost too much of her momentum to Natalie. I guess if they split, Lawrence could pull an Adrien Brody, but it's unlikely, and Williams and Kidman don't have much of a chance here. Will Win: Portman. Should win: I'm in the process of deciding that! Expect Kidman's profile by today!


Best Supporting Actor: Thoug Rush did win the BAFTA, I don't think he'll win the oscar. Bale is too big of a favorite to lose. i'll be happy to see him win. Will Win: Bale. Should win: I wouldn't mind if Bale, Hawkes, or Rush won, they were all fantastic. But in the end, it's Rush who I'd pick, though he's really a lead in my opinion.



Best Supporting Actress: Leo was the clear favorite for much of this race, but it was always somewhat open, and now that she put that add up, it is unpredictable. Steinfeld has been gaining speed, but hopefully she won't win, although it would be cool,I guess, since she's so young, But I don't think it will be her. HBC has been getting a lot of bets as well, and although she has a chance, I feel that she won't win either. Her performance isn't very Oscar-worthy, and The King's Speech will no doubt be honored in other places. I know this might sound stupid, but I really have a gut-feeling it'll be Jackie Weaver. Look at the facts: It seems to be a juicy role, but more importantly, it parallels the 2000 B.S.A race in not all, but some crucial ways: Hudson was the favorite, but seemed to lose speed (Leo), Dench won the SAG for a performance which wasn't considered that great (Helena), Frances McDormand split the vote with Hudson (Adams), and then Marcia wasn't considered much of a threat, but won anyway, and I just think that'll happen to Jackie Weaver. Will Win: I know it's silly, but Weaver! Should Win: Ironically, I've seen everyone but Weaver, and though I need to see Leo again, I really felt Adams gave the best job. A badly written part in some ways, but gives it the sould it needs and puts a lot of life into the movie. But my hope is that she'll get a lead role/win in the future, which may be possible, since she's supposd to play Janis Joplin!



Best Original Screenplay: The King's Speech will win this one, unless Inception pulls an upset, but I think the academy will favor TKS instead. Will Win: The King's Speech Should win: The King;s Speech, though I haven't seen Inception or Another Year yet.


Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network is a sure thing,unless the impossible happens like last year when Up In The Air lost to Precious.If that happens, then I guess Toy Story 3 will surprise? Will Win: TSN Should Win: TSN, I didn't care for it very much, but it had a brilliant, if annoying script.



So, there it is! I know Best Supporting Actress could be wrong, but I'm confident about the rest!

Best Actress 2010: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Natalie Portman received her 2nd Oscar nomination and is currently the frontrunner to win the Oscar tomorrow tonight for her performance as Nina Sayers in Black Swan.



The first time I saw Black Swan was over two months ago. I found it to be great, though not perfect. This time, I found it wonderfully directed, but about I don't like. Maybe it's because it's more of a vechicle for Portman who doesn't disappoint.



Nina is a very frigid, nervous person who has been isolated from everyone her entire life, presumably (More on that later). But she has great ambition as a dancer and when she finally gets the part of the Swan Queen, she is thrilled. But her insecurities start to takke toll and the film begins to plunge straight within her disturbed, paranoid mind. Throughout the whole film, the camera is focused on Nina, which is sort of strange, but actually is very effective and this really helps Natalie's performance. It is very subtle work, and so much of Natalie's expressions are facial. She remarkably shows how Nina develops, how happy she is when sge gets the part (A great moment!), how tightly wound she is, how she starts to realize she wants to escape the life she leads with her mother, ect. Natalie Portman is an actress who was terrible in the last two Stars Wars movie (Don't remember much of her in the first one), but here she excels in creating a unique character that goes from being incredibly trapped within herself to getting high on drugs and having sex with men she doesn't know.


The ending of the movie is rather campy and unbelievable for my taste, but Portman plays it with riveting strength and disturbing, yet breathtaking beauty. A fantastic performance which gets

Best Actress 2010: Annette Benning in The Kid's All Right

Annette Benning received her 4th Oscar nomination for playing Nic, a lesbian doctor who feels that her family is falling apart due to her children's discovery of they're sperm donor, Paul (Mark Ruffalo) .



I've now seen The Kids Are All Right three times, and the first I found it good, the 2nd time bad, and the third time, good, but flawed in a lot of respects. It's flawed because the script is trying to tell us that people have natural urges.feelings but it comes across as random and just doesn't work. Paul, Lazer (the son), and Joni (the daughter) are all rather one-dimensional, though the actors try they're best.



Which leads me to Annette Benning. Her performance has been very mixed with me, but now I have some newfound respect and admiration for her work. First of all, the most impressive thing about it is that bshe puts so much energy and effort into her performance. Nic is a very talkative character, and Benning has so much presence on screen. One thing that worked with me that didn't before was she and Julianne Moore. They're chemistry is fantastic, both are believable as a couple, and they're scenes are the best in the movie. During the middle of the film, Benning subtly shows Nic's need for control, and how angry she is that Paul is seeming to be taking control of her life. She also does great in her humorous scenes too. But her best moment is when she is singing at the dinner table: We're finally seeing her let loose, and Benning nails this scene.


The problem with Benning's performance is that though she tries her absolute best, the material just doesn't give her a strong enough character. It could have been amazing, if only the script had given her a more three-dimensional character. It's like the scrript is a box entrapping Benning inside: She's pushing with all her might to get out, but she just can't. Julianne Moore though gets a more developed character and and is able to be excellent as well. Both could have been amazing with a much better movie. But I still find her extremely impressive, but I just can't really love it. She gets

Best Actress 2010: Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

Michelle Williams received her 2nd Oscar nomination for playing Cindy, a depressed, beautiful, selfish person stuck in a bad marriage.



Blue Valentine is a unique, well made film that is worth seeing due to, as I said, it's uniqueness and the fact it features two excellent perfotrmances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.



Michelle Williams gives a very subtle, natural performance that is quite impressive. She uses her face and body movement to convey her feelings, whether they may be. She shows us that Cindy is a selfish, rather bitter person who only thinks of herself in most situations, but is still sympathetic given the fact that she is often trapped in bad relationships and can never seem to be liked for anything except her body. She completely disappears into her character, which is a huge acheivement because this role could have been terribly obvious. She has many extremely emotional moments, my favorite being the one where she is in the process geting an abortion. It's shattering, and sad, and revreals a lot about the character. Her chemistry with Ryan Gosling is fantastic as well, they just work so well together. But I had a problem with this performance and it's just that her character never seems to take off. No doubt there is a character varc, but the script doesn't give her enough dialogue mainly or character work to make Cindy a really interesting character.

But Williams still delivers a comletely realistic, and brilliantly done performance that was certainly worthy of it's nomination. I give her

Best Actress 2010

The next year I'll be doing a ranking/profile on is this year, 2010, and the nominees are:



Annette Benning in The Kids Are All Right



Nicole KIdman in Rabbit Hole



Jennifer Lawrence in Winters Bone



Natalie Portman in Black Swan




Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

























So who will be my choice? Will they lineup with the winner, or the frontrunner? Who are you rooting for?

Ranking of the nominees and years so far

1. 1974


2. 1969


3. 1968



4. 1976


5. 1988


6. 2006


7. 1977


8. 2002


9. 1993


10. 2003





1. Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven (2002)




2. Judi Dench in Notes On A Scandal (2006)



3. Maggie Smith in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)



4. Liv Ullman in Face To Face (1976)



5. Katharine Hepburn in The Lion In Winter (1968)



6. Charlize Theron in Monster (2003)



7. Kate Winslet in Little Children (2006)



8. Holly Hunter In The Piano (1993)



9. Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977)


10. Sissy Spacek in Carrie (1976)



11. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liasions (1988)



12. Faye Dunaway in Network (1976)



13. Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo



14. Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under The Influence (1974)





15. Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)



16. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)



17. Patrcia Neal in The Subject Was Roses (1968)


18. Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)


19. Valerie Perrine in Lenny (1974)


20. Genenieve Bujold in Anne Of The Thousand Days (1969)


21. Joanne Woodward in Rachel, Rachel (1968)


22. Jane Fonda in Julia (1977)


23. Jodie Foster in The Accused (1988)


24. Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses Don't They (1969)


25. Meryl Streep in A Cry In The Dark (1988)


26. Diahaan Carol in Claudine (1974)


27. Angela Basset in What's Love Got To Do With It? (1993)


28. Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl (1968)


29. Renee Zellweger in Chicago (2002)


30. Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending (1969)


31. Diane Lane in Unfaithful (2002)



32. Vanessa Redgrave in Isadora (1968)



33. Marsha Mason in The Goodbye Girl (1977)



34. Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give (2003)



35. Penelope Cruz in Volver (2006)



36. Emma Thompson in The Remains Of The Day (1993)



37. Marie Christine-Barrault in Cousin, Cousine (1976)



38. Signourney Weaver in Gorillas In The Mist (1988)



39. Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006)



40. Anne Bancroft in The Turning Point (1977)





41. Naomi Watts in 21 Grams (2003)



42. Keisha Castle Hughes in Whale Rider (2003)



43. Nicole Kidman in The Hours (2002)



44. Shirley Maclaine in The Turning Point (1977)




45. Samantha Morton in In America (2003)



46. Debra Winger in Shadowlands (1993)



47. Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (1988)



48. Stockard Channing in Six Degrees Of Separation (1993)



49. Talia Shire in Rocky (1976)



50. Salma Hayek in Frida (2002)

Best Actress 1977: The Results

5. Shirley Maclaine in The Turning Point: Shirley Maclaine is excellent at first, but as the movie becomes a mess, her performance weakens and is just okay, sometimes verging on annoying or simply "Shirley Maclaine'' style.






4. Anne Bancroft in The Turning Point: Anne Bancroft's role is really supporting, but she still is able to deliver an excellent performance of an extremely interesting character. The movie might put a stick in her ability to give a great performance, but she makes Emma an incredibly bitchy and interesting character.




3. Marsha Mason in The Goodbye Girl: Marsha Mason delivers a wonderful, very funny performance that brightens up the film and has fantastic chemistry with Richard Dreyfuss. A few flaws, but wonderful all the same.







2. Jane Fonda in Julia: Jane Fonda gives one of her best that I've seen. She adds depth, beauty, and overall greatness to Lillian Hellman and is impressive all the way through.






1. Diane Keaton in Annie Hall: Diane Keaton gives a luminous, funny, completely natural performance that is comic gold. A memorable and perfect comedy performance.


















A very good year, but a bit weaker then I expected. Still, Diane is the best, closely followed by Jane. It really could have been either of them, I wouldn't have minded. Marsha was great, though not as quite as good as Fonda and Diane. As for Anne, I think she should have nominated and I think she should have won there too, since the nominees I've seen from Oscar's lineup so far are disappointing, but I';ll have to see the other two to decide for sure. And Shirley wasn't worthy of a nomination, but that's the film's fault. Gosh, The Turning Point was terrible! Anyway, I've already decided on the next year and it's not that big of a surprise what it is. Any guesses?


My ranking of the nominated films:


1. Annie Hall

2. Julia

3. The Goodbye Girl

4. The Turning Point

Best Actress 1977: Jane Fonda in Julia

Jane Fonda received her third Oscar nomination for playing famous playwright Lillian Hellman in Julia.




Julia is an intelligent, beautifully made film that I really enjoyed. It is about Lillian Hellman, a playwright, who has a lifelong friendship with a woman named Julia (Vanessa Redgrave). But they seem to have lost touch over the years, because Lillian decided to become a playwright and go to America, while Julia prefered to stay in Europe, fighting against the Nazi movement. The film is basically about how they both move further and further away from each other, and how Lillian is affected by her friend's choices over the years.



As I've said, Jane Fonda plays Lillian, and she does so wonderfully. Fonda makes Lillian a very real person, someone who is very intelligent and sophisticated, yet is naive about what is going on in Europe and Julia's situations . Fonda lets us know that Lillian really cares about Julia and is more and more saddened each time they see each other. Fonda also shows a lot of different sides to Lillian, such as the fact that she is easily angered or frustrated, and can be tough on others. One of her best moments is the cafe scene with Vanessa Redgrave. Redgrave may be the more interesting character in the scene, yet Fonda is remarkable in showing how Lillian reacts to what Julia tells her. And the way she looks back at her right before she leaves is amazing. Fonda completely controls this movie, and she does so such confidence, and excellent delivery. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen her in a movie where she is more beautiful then she is here, in some moments she's simply gorgeous.


The only slight issue I have is that the script doesn't develop the friendship between them enough. I knew they were isolated from each other for years, but I simply wanted more. I also found it unbelievable(SPOILER ALERT) that Lillian would have agreed to raise Julia's baby, just like that. I simply didn't believe it.

But this is more of a complaint about the film, and it doesn't change the fact that Fonda gave a fantastic performance, that is one of her best, which gets

Hey everyone!

Hey, I'm REALLY sorry about the massive delays that are happening on this blog, and they've been happening for a while. But I will have more time soon. I just have a harder school year then I did last year and it's finals week, so I don't have too much time. But 77 will soon be finished and a reviews of some new Oscar contenders, plus predictions about who will be nominated are coming soon....


But how are YOU? Do you have any questions? Anything you won't talk about? I'd love to have a conversation on here, it doesn't matter if there are like 30 comments on here. In fact the more the better!


By the way, you know how on facebook where you can send messages to other users? Is there something like that on blogger? Please tell me!

Golden Globe predictions

Since the Golden Globes are today, I've decided to makke my prdictions:



Best Motion Picture Drama: I'll predict The Social Network since after winning the BFCA on Friday, it has all the momentum. But I wouldn't be surprised at all if The King's Speech surprises, given the Globe's love it, or perhaps The Fighter could pull a surprise upset. But I'll stick with The Social Network...



Will Win: The Social Network


Should win: The King's Speech (Though the only other one I have seen out of these is Black Swan)


Best Motion Picture musical or comedy: I'll say The Kids Are All Right, but who knows? This is an odd category to predikct.


Will Win: The Kids Are All Right

Should win: Burlesque (I've seen both Burlesque and The Kids Are All Right, and I thought Burlesque was indeed better)




Best Director: I'm confident David Fincher will win, Tom Hooper and David O. Russel lack buzz, and Fincher is overdue.

Will Win: David Fincher

Should win: Darren Arfonsky

Best Actor in a motion Picture Drama: Collin Firth certainly, I'm pretty sure.

Will Win: Collin Firth

Should win: Collin Firth (Haven't seen the others).


Best Actor in a muusical or Comedy: Gee, this is hard, I'll say Kevin Spacey. This category has gone to WTF places in the past couple years, and I just read he never won the globe.

Will Win: Spacey

Should win: Haven't seen any


Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama: Natalie should be winning here, and if she does then her frontrunner status is assured. But I think Nicole Kidman has a really good chance at surprising, though it might seem unlikely. The globes love her, and she hasn't been in the spotlight in a long time. But Portman will probably win.

Will Win: Natalie Portman

Should win: Nicole Kidman

Best Actress in a musial or comedy:

Will win: Annete is said to be a sure thing, and I think she'll still win, but if she loses, her chance of winning is unlikely. She's lost a lot of momentum to Natalie, and she'll need a win here, and a good speech to get her chances of winning up. Who's the spoiler? Julianne could win, but it's not likely. My hope is that Emma Stone will surprise, and I think she might have a shot, but I think Annnete will triumph.
Will Win: Annete Benning

Should Win: Emma Stone:


Best Screenplay: The Social Network is the frontrunner, but The King's Speech could win as well. But the globes usually go with Adapted Screen[plays here.


Will Win: The Social Network

Should win: The King's Speech


Your thoughts?

Best Actress 1977: Diane Keaton in Annie Hall

Diane Keaton received her first Oscar nomination and won for playing Annie Hall in Annie Hall. Annie meets Alvy Singer (Woody Allen), a neurotic-comedian who she falls for. They begin a beautiful, funny romance that might not work out in the end, but it is truly wonderful to watch.



Annie Hall has always been a favorite of mine, I just love the way it's directed, and written. The screenplay is golden, though Woody's character is pretty insufferable, which is the one problem I have with the movie, but more on that later. Diane Keatoin plays Annie, an odd, sort of social outcast young woman who meets Alvy on a sort of double-date with her friend and his friend. In the beginning, Diane Keaton is simply wonderful. She's natural, luminous, funny, and a joy to watch. She shows us Annie's fears, her passions, her shyness at first., her hope that Alvy might be the right guy. Her delivery is perfect, and she's just so real here. This performance has many great moments, her la de da, the scene in they're apartment, her singing, which is lovely. Diane Keaton also develops the character wonderfully too. She starts to let the audience see that she is starting to realize they're relationship won't work out because Alvy simply cannot change. Annie starts becoming more comfortable around people, and starts to try new things, and become her own person, and Diane nails all of this. Her break-up scene with Alvy might be a bit calculated, but Diane still plays it perfectly. THe chemistry between them is fantastic.



But one problem might be that although Diane does a great job developing the character, I think she could have been given a bit more to do. I think the film focuses too much on Alvy, and they should have given Keaton a little more to do too. But this is only a minor complaint because Diane Keaton still delievers a beautiful, natural, enjoyable performance that gets