Best Supporting Actress 2002

1. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly in Chicago: I know she has her share of haters, but Zeta-Jones forever left her mark on me in Chicago, which is one of my Top five favorite films. She has an electric presence whenever she performs and I think she nails Velma's selfishness and sadness underneath her confident persona.

2. Meryl Streep as Susan Orlean in Adaptation: Meryl Streep gives a unique, perfectly done performance which is very memorable. It's a little hard to describe given that it's so weird, but Streep is no doubt wonderful.

3. Julianne Moore as Laura Brown in The Hours: Although I don't think it come close to the brilliance of her work in Far From Heaven and Boogie Nights, Moore still excels in this film. She perfectly shows Laura's frustration and sadness living in her situation and we feel for her. There's a few shaky moments, but her last scene is magnificent.

4. Queen Latifah as Matron Mama Morton in Chicago: The role of Mama is a small one, but in my opinion, not underwritten. Meaning that it isn't a thin role, just one that doesn't have a lot of screentime, and Latifah does a great job with it. She's perfectly cast and she makes Mama a three dimensional character. Great voice too!

5. Kathy Bates as Roberta in About Schmit: Bates is very funny and she does add some air to the film. But unlike Latifah, her role is too underwritten. We get moments of bitterness from her, but they're never developed enough and Bates isn't able to rise above the underwritten material.


I know I did this category a few months ago, but if you can remember, you can see my thoughts and ranking have changed somewhat due to rewatching some of them and changing my mind. Overall, I'd say that this wasn't a great year for this category, nor was it a bad one. I loved Catherine, and I liked some of the other nominees a lot, but I don't think they were amazing. But who would be your pick and what are your thoughts on this lineup?

Rent

I decided to make this post due to Andrew's musical blogathon tomorrow, and I decided on Rent. The stage version was a smashing success, having won four tonys and gaining huge fans. But the film version was a critical failure and didn't do well with it's fans, except for me. I love Rent, and the film was what caused me to become a huge fan of it. It is about a group of eight friends living in New York in the late 80's, who are dealing with poverty, AIDS, drugs, homlessness, and other problems, but find love and friendship with each other in the course of one year. The director decided to keep nearly all the original cast members in the film (Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Jesse.L Martin, Wilson Jermain Heredia), but added two new ones, Rosario Dawson as Mimi and Traci Thoms as Joanne. All of the cast members do great work, but I thought Dawson, Menzel, and Thoms were especially great. The film is really entertaining and I think it works, although the "bursting out into song isn't realistic" thing sometimes becomes too noticeable and sometimes it lacks the soul of the original production. But the music is flawless. There are so many great songs and so many that I love! I don't think I could choose a favorite, but I love La Vie Boheme, Light My Candle, Out Tonight, Take Me Or Leave Me, I'll Cover You, I love them all. So, if you have seen it or heard of the musical, please tell me your thoughts.

Best Actress 1976: Faye Dunaway in Network

Faye Dunaway received her third Oscar nomination and won for playing Diana Christionson in Network. Diana is an intelligent, yet ruthless woman who would do anything to get ratings up and is power hungry. When she discovers that Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is having an emotional breakdown and going into mad rantings on air, she immediately sees an opportunity to make a huge hit out of Howard's new "insights" into the world and this causes terrible consequences ahead. I couldn't imagine anyone else but Faye Dunaway playing Diana and Faye plays it perfectly. She make's Diana's monolgues about television incredibly mesmerizing and it's like she's grabbed us by the throat and never lets go. Faye brings Diana thrillingly to life without going over the top , and makes her a fascinating character. She never lets Diana become one-note or a stereotype, which any other actress could have done. She and William Holden work superbly together, making their relationship believable and interesting. When he breaks up with her, Faye shows that Diana does know, deep down, what she is and that she is completely immersed in the world of television , so much so that it has become her whole life. Faye Dunaway gives a fabulous performance that adds a lot of depth to both her character and the film, which gets

Best Actress 1976: Liv Ullman in Face To Face

Liv Ullman received her second Oscar nomination for playing D.r Jenny Isaksson in Face To Face. Jenny is a doctor who deals with mental illness, but she suddenly finds herself dealing with it herself with horrifying things to come. In the beginning, Liv Ullman plays Jenny in a subtle, arresting way- Jenny doesn't seem to have any sense of self , or she doesn't seem to know herself, and Ullman plays it perfectly. Jenny is a very difficult role to play, since Ullman must make her mental condition 100% convincing and not to get lost in her disturbing scenes by overracting or not knowing what to do with her character. And Ullman nails this. Another thing that makes her performance so stunning is that not only does she make Jenny's illness completely realistic, but also makes Jenny's struggle with her condition and her relationship with those around her incredibly real and heartbreaking. Liv Ullman gives a towering, mesmerizing performance, a must see, which gets

Best Actress 1976

The next year I'll be doing a profile/ranking on is 1976 and the nominees were:

Marie Christine Barrualt in Cousin, Cousine

Faye Dunaway in Network

Talia Shire in Rocky

Sissy Spacek in Carrie

Liv Ullman in Face To Face

















So, who do think will by pick? Who are you rooting for?

Ranking of the nominees and years so far

1. 1969

2. 1974

3. 2006

4. 1988

5. 2002


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. Kate Winslet in Little Children (2006)

5. Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)

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

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

8. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liasions (1988)

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

10. Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)

11. Valerie Perrine in Lenny (1974)

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

13. Genevieve Anne Bujold in Anne Of The Thousand Days (1969)

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

15. Diahaan Carol in Claudine (1974)

16. Jodie Foster in Accused (1988)

17. Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending (1969)

18. Diane Lane in Unfaithful (2002)

19. Renee Zellweger in Chicago (2002)

20. Penelope Cruz in Volver (2006)

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

22. Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006)

23. Nicole Kidman in The Hours (2002)

24. Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (1988)

25. Salma Hayek in Frida (2002)

Best Actress 1969: Final Thoughts

WOW, another amazing year! Just like 74 , all of these women gave brilliant performances and strangely, I gave the same ratings for both 74 and 69 (My first pick and second pick got 5, the rest got 4, 5/5). But I have to say that none of their films (Except for They Shoot Horses Don't They?) reached the level of fantastic. Still, what a year! I've changed my mind and are now separating my final thoughts and my ranking of the films with the ranking of the nominees and the years I've done so far.





1. They Shoot Horses Don't They?

2. The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie

3. Anne Of The Thousand Days

4. The Sterile Cuckoo

5. The Happy Ending