Best Actress 1974: Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under The Influence

Gena Rowlands received her first Oscar nomination for playing Mabel Longhetti in A Woman Under The Influence. Mabel is obviously a lonely, and stressed person, who has become completely crazy. Her husband (Peter Falk) does not know what to do about it and when it all becomes too much, he sends her to the ayslum. When she comes back, it is very hard for her to connect with her family and friends and Mabel might not be completely better. Let me just start by saying that A Woman Under The Influence has to be one of the weirdest, horrifying films I've ever seen and it was very exhausting to sit through. Not to mention, it was extremely long and I never want to see it again. But Gena Rowlands delivers an extraordinary performance in it. She is completely convincing and disturbing as a mental person. It's scary to watch. But she also shows that Mable does have some real emotion in her. We see her loneliness and her longing to have a stable relationship with her husband. She also shows us her love for her children and also wanting to have a good relationship with them. The scene when she is trying to be committed is a little over the top, but that's how it's supposed to be played. But she goes onto a whole other level when she comes home. It's devastating to watch and again Rowlands is completely convincing. The ending is near ridiculous and shouldn't work, but Rowlands and Falk make it work anyway. So, a tour de force performance that is completely real and is gut wrenching which gets

Me

I've decided to make a list of things about myself instead of doing a ranking, since I think all of us Oscar bloggers should at least once make a post about themselves. So, here we go:

1. I'm a person with a lot of highs and lows. Sometimes I can be very happy, while other times I can be very depressed. But I'm in mostly a good mood by the end of the day.

2. I have too low self confidence and too high confidence in other people.

3. I'm good at poetry and writing in general.

4. I LOVE cats! I'll eventually upload a picture of one of my cats on here, because they're both so cute!.

5. My real name (if you didn't know this already) is not Joe Burns. I just don't feel comfortable using my real name.

6. Sometimes I can be terribly manipulative and do things just to get attention. It's something that I've been slowly figuring out, and I'll try to work on it.

7. My favorite show ever, most likely, is The Golden Girls, followed by Law And Order.

8. I've always wanted to be an actor, screenwriter, singer. Something in the show business.

9. Some of my favorite foods are: Spaghetti, Mexican food in general, egg rolls, german chocolate cake, gyros, ect.

10. I LOVE musicals! Some of them are too old fashioned, but I love so many! Wicked, Chicago, Rent, The Sound Of A Music, most Sondheim musicals, too many too list!

So, if you care enough to comment, tell me what you think! And if you want, say a few things about yourself!

Best Actress 1974: Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Ellen Burstyn received her third Oscar nomination and won for playing Alice Hyatt in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Alice's husband dies in a car accident and she and her foul mouthed kid leave their home to go to Monterey. Alice is looking for a job as a singer, and she gets one, but when that doesn't work out, she movies to Tuscan and gets a job as a waitress, and there she meets a man named David who she falls in love with. Ellen Burstyn is simply terrific in this movie. She is always so real, funny, and believable. She makes Alice a very moving character and one that we can identify with and she shows us her flaws. Her romance with Kris Kristofferson is a little underwritten, but they work great together. Her scenes with her son are just wonderful to watch and they form the core of the movie. I thought that she had a little too many crying scenes, but most of them are done superbly especially the one in the club she goes in before her audition and the one in the car after she can't find her son. She also is able to make Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore a great experience to watch, and she makes up for the flaws in the script. Ellen Burstyn gives a natural, enjoyable, and outstanding performance which gets

Best Actress 1974: Diahann Carol in Claudine

Diahaan Carol received her first Oscar nomination for playing Claudine, an African-American woman who is a single mother, raising six kids and she meets a man named Rupert (James Earl Jones) , who she falls in love and he falls in love with her and he bonds with her kids. First of all, Claudine is an awful movie in my opinion. It's cliched, boring, and the ending just makes no sense. But amazingly, Diahann Carol's performance is never brought down by the horrible material. She is always real and believable as Claudine and she makes the film watchable, whenever she's on screen. Her scenes with James Earl Jones have a beautiful intimacy to them and I thought she did a fantastic job in the scenes with her children, especially the ones with her oldest son and the ones her older daughter. The performance certainly grew on me through out the film and and it's a really impressive achievement. So, a very strong performance that makes the film worth watching, which gets

Best Actress 1974

The next year I'll be doing a profiles/ranking on is 1974 and the nominees were:

Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Diahann Caroll in Claudine

Faye Dunaway in Chinatown

Valerie Perrine in Lenny

Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under The Influence





















So who will be my pick? Who are you rooting for?

Final thoughts and ranking of the nominees so far

What a great year! Close, Streep, and Foster were all great! Weaver was very good , and while Griffith brings the year down a little, I don't really mind her nomination. A stronger year then 2002, and almost as strong as 2006.



1. Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven (2002)

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

3. Kate Winslet in Little Children (2006)

4. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

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

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

7. Jodie Foster in The Accused (1988)

8. Diane Lane in Unfaithful (2002)

9. Renee Zellweger in Chicago (2002)

10. Penelope Cruz in Volver (2006)

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

12. Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006)

13. Nicole Kidman in The Hours (2002)

14. Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (1988)

15. Salma Hayek in Frida (2002)

From now on, I'll be posting both my thoughts on the completed year and the ranking of the nominees together.

Best Actress 1988: The Resolution!

5. Melanie Griffith in Working Girl:

Griffith has some good moments, but she mostly doesn't handle the character very well, and the material drags her down.




4. Signourney Weaver in Gorillas In The Mist: Signourney Weaver delivers an outstanding performance that is sometimes brought down by the flatness of the script, but is very powerful work.




3. Jodie Foster in The Accused:

Foster is completely real and heartbreaking as Sarah, who shouldn't be a likeable person, but Foster is able to put us on her side and she is exceptional all the way.



2. Meryl Streep in A Cry In The Dark:

Meryl Streep gives one of her best performances, always intriguing the audience. Subtle, fascinating work.




1. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons:

Close gives a chilling, brilliantly layered performance which is never overplayed or underplayed. Brilliantly executed.