The Next Year

1999

So the nominees were:

• Annette Bening in American Beauty
• Janet McTeer in Tumbleweeds
• Julianne Moore in The End of The Affair
• Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart
• Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry

Since I'm busy and have absolutely no motivation to go on with 1938 (well, um, to start it), I'm doing a year I'm really interested in. :) This is the first Bening-Swank fight though it's not as controversial despite the fact that Swank won in an upset. And let's face it, this year looks pretty stunning to me. :)

What do you think? Who's your pick? What's your prediction for my ranking? :) 

165. ...First Do No Harm

165. (20 Aug) ...First Do No Harm (1996, Jim Abraham) 49



Before fervently advocating for epilepsy patients to try the ketogenic diet, there's a tremendous amount of deck-stacking in First Do No Harm. This indictment of the medical community and insurers is oversimplified. Meryl Streep unsurprisingly brings nuance to a martyrly role though she'll never be best-remembered for playing saintly mothers. Allison Janney, as a composite character of unfeeling doctors, fares less well. The film unashamedly plays into too many telefilm clichés. By the end, even Meryl can't gloss over the contrivances.

150. Hope Springs

150. (12 Aug) Hope Springs (2012, David Frankel) 59



Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones do so much to elevate Hope Springs' script this essentially becomes a feature-length testament to their abilities. Meryl is doing what she does best, letting a scene hinge on a sly smile or hurt look. While Tommy Lee Jones delivers a subtle and genial comedic performance, Meryl breaks your heart. The first half of Hope Springs is downright bleak because of how much she life she breathes into her sorrowful, painfully optimistic character. Because of the generic nature of this genre, it's easy to predict just where the film will end; Streep and Jones make it so worthwhile getting there. (What other pair could make the movie theater scene so damn delightful?) David Frankel steamrolls over some charming moments with lame music cues.

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1988

1988

So the much anticipated ranking is:

5. Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist
I liked and admired Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist. Although I saw the dedication and her commitment to her character, somehow she never really won me over completely, which is extremely unusual for me with a performance by Siggy. She shows the passion and the development of her character wonderfully, she doesn't go too much over the top, except for some scenes. And her scenes with the gorillas are just thrilling. 

4. Jodie Foster in The Accused
Jodie Foster gives a very good and intense performance as Sarah Tobias. Although she's much less effective the second time around, her strength is occasionally captivating and she leaves a lasting impression in the end. Jodie minimises the scenery chewing and her acting is never too much in your face. And her courtroom scene is one of the best acted scenes of Jodie's career. Memorable, strong work.

3. Melanie Griffith in Working Girl

I don't care if it's fashionable or not, I love Melanie Griffith in Working Girl. I sympathized with her and felt for her character throughout the movie, no matter if she was hoovering topless or changing her look or interacting with her men. I laughed with her, got sad with her and I just always wanted her to get to the top. I loved Melanie's clear, almost naive emotions, her optimism, her glowing, funny, joyous personality.

2. Meryl Streep in A Cry in the Dark
Meryl Streep gives an excellent performance as Lindy Chamberlain. Although I'm not as enthusiastic about her in this film as so many others, I can perfectly see why they fell in love with this performance. It's compelling, complex, multi-layered and very-very effective. Some may accuse Meryl of being too calculating and planned, but to me this is one of her most natural and emotional performances, she's a real force on the screen and always a thrill to hear and look at.

1. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons
Amazing or fantastic or career-best doesn't even begin to describe how brilliant Great Glenn is as Marquise de Merteuil. Each and every movement and word of hers is so great that I just keep marvelling. Naturally, the Academy refused to acknowledge this earth-shattering performance with an Oscar win and yet that tells something about the Academy itself instead of Great Glenn who's simply electrifying. A true masterclass in acting, which makes me think if I should call Great Glenn Brilliant Glenn or Greatest Glenn from now on.

So I can proudly announce

that the winner is...

Glenn Close 

in 

Dangerous Liaisons

Glorious Great Glenn

Final thoughts: A truly interesting, wonderfully rich year, the best comeback I can imagine. :) It was the last review for Siggy and more sadly, Great Glenn (for the time being, I hope) and I'm so glad that they've both come out triumphant at least once (I'm a bit sad that I didn't leave Aliens last for Siggy). The real surprise was Melanie whom I liked way more than last time. I'm glad about her nod though it might seem weird that she got nominated instead of some very-very acclaimed performances (I guess you're very surprised by how much I liked her). But I don't really mind that she got nominated. Jodie Foster was Oscar's choice and I'm kind of baffled by her win, especially with hindsight. She went on to win another Oscar, while Great Glenn and Siggy remained Oscarless. And then there's Meryl who has a renaissance among bloggers with her Lindy Chamberlain performance. I suppose that review was the most anticipated and exciting. I don't think that anyone was surprised by my thoughts on Great Glenn and her subsequent (to me no-brainer) win. :)))

Omissions (never seen Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer but planning to):

• Jamie Lee Curtis in A Fish Called Wanda
• Carmen Maura in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

The next year:

• It will be a surprise; I don't know yet. :) It starts on 15th July.  

What do you think? Any thoughts on your mind?

Meryl Streep in A Cry in the Dark

Meryl Streep received her eighth Oscar nomination for playing the infamous Lindy Chamberlain, the Australian woman who claimed that her baby was killed by a dingo in the movie A Cry in the Dark. Although this performance seems to be one of the most celebrated and admired performances and many bloggers pick Meryl for the win nowadays, I don't think it had much of a chance of earn Meryl her third Oscar. Despite winning over critics (and later the jury of the Cannes Film Festival), she wasn't that strong of a contender for the Best Actress prize, I suppose simply because of the fact that her fellow nominees were all Oscarless and she had already won two. But if you really look she gave at the Oscars, she seemed a bit pissed (at least more than usual). Her die-hard fans must be saying that she was pulling for her overdue friend (which I would totally understand). 

I've always found A Cry in the Dark a very compelling and excellently directed picture. I wouldn't put it on my personal Best Picture ballot, but I have always thought highly of it. The director, Frank Schepisi did an excellent job, in my opinion. I especially loved the fact that we could see the reactions of the everyday people who were talking to each other about the case. And the media's part in this case is very well and subtly shown, I never felt that they were screaming directly about the media's fault (I want to say some names who would be but I try to hold myself back...). I also have to mention Sam Neill's extremely strong and effective performance, which had a great deal to do with the movie's success with me. 

However, A Cry in the Dark is clearly about Meryl Streep and her acting abilities. It really was up to her to make this movie great and multi-dimensional. It takes a very special, extremely talented actress to pull that off, but I think we all agree that Meryl is such an actress. It's kind of weird to talk about Meryl Streep in general now that she's a three-time Oscar Winner. First, because we have to get rid of the old habit of writing down "Why can't they just give her that f-ing third?". Second, I'm still quite ecstatic to reminisce about that heart-stopping moment. Besides, what new can you say about Meryl's talent that hasn't been said before? Nothing really. 

The fact is, Meryl often gets parts when peopl say: why her (again)? And then everyone says they couldn't imagine this movie with anyone else. This time I was really wondering how an Australian actress would have done in such a part. However, Meryl made this part her own so much that any thought like that left my mind. She becomes one with her character and we don't see Meryl Streep on the screen anymore, only Lindy Chamberlain, a not too likeable and weird character. 

Lindy Chamberlain is a very tricky character and Meryl made her extremely an complex creature. I lacked the real development in the cases of Jodie, Siggy and Melanie, but boy, was Meryl satisfactory in that way (as well)! I'd say that in this aspect, she even beats Great Glenn's achievement in Dangerous Liaisons. Meryl perfectly showed the changes in her character and she knew exactly what and when to show things to the audience. And strangely enough, I can't say that Meryl is so calculating here. I often point out when she does overcalculate but this time I felt that everything was coming naturally from her, while she was also being extremely aware and careful. 

When Meryl accepted the Australian Film Insitute Best Actress award this year, she joked about how she won two awards for playing two women who were the most hated in their respective countries. And you can actually easily spot the resemblances between these two performances: both of them are very dedicated, determined women who hold onto their beliefs without questioning them. Meryl approached them both with lots of sympathy and yet she unapologetically revealed all the flaws in them and as a result, she created 100% realistic people whose emotions cover a wide range, who act in many different way and who might make wrong decisions sometimes. There's coldness in both ladies and yet somehow you feel sorry for them despite all their mistakes. Above all, Meryl humanises her characters (in Thatcher's and Chambarlain's cases, some might say monsters, not me) and lets us get into these women's heads as much as she did. 

Meryl takes advantage of the situation that the audience knows that Lindy is innocent, while people in the story are uncertain about the even. As a result, Meryl is able to create such tension on the screen, especially in the courtroom scenes. She puts so much emotion into her speeches without trying to make them obvious Oscar clips. And the fact that they turned out to be Oscar clips are more due to Meryl's greatness in them. She doesn't push for your attention and never chooses to chew the scenery, even though the temptation must have been very strong. And no, she never says 'A dingo ate my baby.' :-)  

And yes, the accent: along with Out of Africa's Danish accent, this one seems to be Meryl's most famous. Geraldine Page said years earlier that one can't really believe that Meryl can speak normally. And I actually have to agree. She speaks so naturally and with so much confidence that you really can't decide if she's Australian. 

Meryl also has excellent chemistry with Sam Neill and the two actors support each other very well. It was great that Meryl didn't push to steal all the spotlight and she sometimes stepped back to let Neill have his big scene. They both wonderfully showed how much these couple tries to see God's purposes in everything. They make up such a great couple that it's hard to believe that the real Chamberlains divorced a couple of years later. 

Although Meryl is naturally fantastic here, I didn't really adore her here, at least not as much as I wanted to. This is the kind of performance that people expect you to idolise and you feel weird when you have to say: I loved her but she didn't completely blow me away. I can go on and on about her, say many adjectives that are actually true, but a bit separately and not together, if you know what I mean. It's not that she's not fantastic, it's just that I cannot get as passionate about her as many others. Still, I can't say a bad word about this performance as I really couldn't spot mistakes in it. 

To sum up, Meryl Streep gives an excellent performance as Lindy Chamberlain. Although I'm not as enthusiastic about her in this film as so many others, I can perfectly see why they fell in love with this performance. It's compelling, complex, multi-layered and very-very effective. Some may accuse Meryl of being too calculating and planned, but to me this is one of her most natural and emotional performances, she's a real force on the screen and always a thrill to hear and look at. 

What do you think? The Final Conclusion comes on Friday. :) 

Out of Africa (1985).

Out of Africa (1985). The story based on the autobiographical book Out of Africa written by Isak Dinesen (the pseudonym of the author Karen Blixen), which was published in 1937, Dinesen's book Shadows on the Grass. This film received 28 film awards, including seven Academy Awards. The book is from the 1914 to 1931, the story is about the European settlers and the native people of Kenya. The setting spans from Mombasa up to Nairobi and from Mount Kenya to Kilimanjaro.

Directed by Sydney Pollack. Cast: Meryl Streep as the Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke; Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton; and Klaus Maria Brandauer(as Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke).

The film opens as an older Karen Blixen is remembering back to a hunting expedition in Denmark, when she lived in Africa. Denys Finch Hatton, a big-game hunter whom she met when she first arrived in Africa. She was looking forward to helping her new husband Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke, start a dairy farm. Things do not go as she planned, Baron used her money to buy a coffee plantation. She struggles to maintain a coffee farm on her own, through all her struggles and many disasters, she wants to improve relations with the natives. Karen does fall in love with the the Baron over time and is heartbroken when she learns of his extramarital affairs. Karen contracts syphilis from her husband, which at the time was a very dangerous disease. She returned to Denmark for a cure using experimental medicine Salvarsan. This was before the discovery of penicillin. After she recovers she returns to Africa, a relationship between her and Denys begins to develop. She soon realizes that Denys can not settle down. She decides to open a school to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, and also some European customs to the natives.

What a very emotional movie. With the breathtaking cinematography and the beautiful musical score, makes the movie worth viewing, especially, when Denys Finch Hatton, gives Karen Blixen her first airplane ride.



FUN FACTS:

Audrey Hepburn was originally offered the role of Karen.

The film was shot on location in Africa, but local laws prohibited the use of wild animals in film. Trained lions were imported from California.

The story was originally planned as a project for Greta Garbo. At various times, Orson Welles, David Lean and Nicolas Roeg had tried to make a film about Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen).

Meryl Streep developed her accent by listening to actual recordings of Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) reading her works.

The pilot in the scene where the flamingos take flight was Sir Henry Dalrymple-White, a British Baronet and former WW2 pilot who moved in Kenya in the 1940s. He flew until he was 80.

During filming In one scene, Karen Blixen, travels across dangerous terrain to bring supply wagons to her husband's regiment. During the night, a lion attacks one of the oxen and Karen tries to fight it off with a whip. Streep was assured that the lion would be tethered by one of its back legs so he couldn't get too close. When the scene was shot, the lion had no restraint. The lion got closer than Streep anticipated; the fear on her face is real.

Isak Dinesen and Karen Blixen, lived in East Africa for twenty years making a living on their coffee plantation. Out of Africa, is a memoir of her life on the plantation and the people. The way Blixen writes you become swept up in the words and imagery. It is obvilious that Blixen loved Africa.

The Next Year

1988

So the nominees were:

• Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons
• Jodie Foster in The Accused
• Melanie Griffith in Working Girl
• Meryl Streep in A Cry in the Dark
• Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist

Continuing a Streepathon celebrating Meryl's third, a year with three previous winners of mine and two ladies I haven't yet reviewed. Great Glenn seems to be the odds-on favorite to win here but let's see if I'll jump on the Meryl bandwagon like many of my fellow bloggers or pick someone else. :)

What do you think? Who's your pick? What's your prediction for my ranking? :)

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1995

1995

 

So the much anticipated ranking is:

5. Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility

I was quite impressed by Emma Thompson's work and I feel she richly deserved the Oscar - for writing. Her contributions to the movie as a screenwriter are much significant than what she gave here as an actress. However, it would be clearly unfair from me not to emphasise how much I liked her acting as well and how connected I felt to her character. She didn't get the showiest part, that's for sure, but her talent shines even with such circumstances. 

 

4. Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County

I don't see the brilliance that many others do but I see the effort and can completely understand why many people are in love with this work. Although she definitely makes Francesca an extremely realistic woman that you can easily relate to, it's just something that wasn't too hard for the marvelous Meryl Streep. Nevertheless, I cannot deny the fact that she really elevates her movie that would just dragging along without her.  

 

3. Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking

I can conclude that Susan Sarandon gives a fantastic performance as Helen Prejean. She hits all the right notes, she displays dignity, grace and faith like nobody else. Her subtle, emotional work stays with you long after movie and is actually the most important reason to see the film. Although this part may not have been too difficult to play for an actress of Susan's calibre, it's still outstanding, brave and gutwrenching work given by a wonderful actress.

 

2. Sharon Stone in Casino

Sharon Stone gives a brutal, chaotic and disturbing performance as Ginger in Casino. She gets rid of all her vanity, glamour and sexiness in the process of creating a living piece of junk. Although the downfall of this woman is very hard to watch, Sharon makes it a wonderful experience, thanks to her wonderful talent, her intelligence and confidence. Excellent work.

 

1. Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas

What an easy call! Elisabeth Shue kills the rest of her competition with her brilliant performance that I consider one of the greatest ones ever given. If you surrender to her, it's going to be a wonderful experience for you. She makes Sera such an interesting, heartbreaking character without seeming forced for a second. It all seems to come from her so naturally: she clearly identified with this character.

 So I can proudly announce

that the winner is...

Elisabeth Shue 

in 

Leaving Las Vegas
 

Don't worry Elisabeth! You got the important one! :) 

Final thoughts: Wow, a very strong year. I've had better but it was still a treat. Elisabeth was an easy winner, the rest of the ranking, however, took some time to decide. How weird: I drew the order of the reviews, which eventually turned out to be my ranking. So strange. :) In the end, I'm quite confident about this ranking. I'm kind of disappointed that Meryl didn't win three in a row (OK, I admit that I wanted it to happen...badly) and you, of course, didn't expect it not to happen plus I think Sharon's #2 ranking is also a shocker to you. I guess I prefer prostitutes to nuns and hopeless lovers. :) It was really Elisabeth's time shine and I hope she will one day get on the podium as an Oscar winner. Anyway, I'm glad Susan Sarandon has an Oscar. 

Omissions:

• Kathy Bates in Dolores Claibourne
• Julianne Moore in Safe

The next year: 

• Intriguing, eating babies, befriending animals... :-) 

What do you think? Any thoughts on your mind?

Bad news: I'm going to really slow down. I've had some free time now, but it's only gonna be worse until 18th June. After that, however... I'm going to catch up. :) I have to focus on my studies now. :) I'm not giving this up, don't worry, I don't have writer's block, I'm full of creative energy, I just don't have time.

"IT'S JUST TILL JUNE!"

Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County

Three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep received her tenth Oscar nomination for playing Francesca Johnson, a housewife falling for a photographer in Clint Eastwood's romantic movie, The Bridges of Madison County. According to some resources, this tenth Oscar nod marks the time when the talk about Meryl's third Oscar started, which continued up to three weeks ago when she finally won her well-deserved award. In 1995, however, I don't think she had much of a chance of winning. I suppose she might have got ahead of Emma Thompson but the fact that her mention was the only one for her movie and that she hadn't won any other awards makes me doubtful about it. That being said, Meryl has won so there's nothing to worry about! :) (I'll keep saying that forever so be prepared.)

There's that song which say 'the book of love is long and boring'. Well, so is The Bridges of Madison County. You know had I had a few shots of tequila and some valium, I probably would have appreciated the slow pace of this movie but alas, I was completely sober. The endless dancing and kissing sequences are really good tests of patients though I believe most people are moved by them. I guess I'm just too cynical. That being said, Clint Eastwood's a great director but he has a terrible sense of picking the right screenplay. Furthermore, his performance here is one of the dreariest things you can ever see on the screen. He's completely robotic, adds no depth to the character and I could go on. 

Meryl, oh marvelous Meryl. I'm not saying that I've only praised her, I've said some cheeky things about her but that doesn't change the fact: she's brilliant as she is. I think Colin Firth said it best at the Oscars when he told about how much Meryl raises the bar in each of her performances so it's always a little bit more difficult for the rest. It was one of those rare moments when a speech of praise was 100% honest and true. For these reasons, I was really looking forward to watching The Bridges of Madison County, one of Meryl most praised achievements.

In The Bridges of Madison County, Meryl plays Francesca, a seemingly unhappy wife with an accent who finds passion and love in her life once a mysterious man appears. It sounds quite a lot like Out of Africa if you ask me and to tell the truth, the two performances of Meryl are not that different, either. That's why it's incredibly interesting to me why the former is so often criticised but this one is quite rarely. The circumstances and the reasons for this women are quite different and yet they share a common goal: finding happiness on the side of a man who represents completely different values than she does.  

There's something strongly working against Meryl's performance as Francesca and that's namely her movie. It's so incredibly boring at times that you just wish something happened on the screen and try not to drop off instead of focusing on Meryl. And that also says something about Meryl's work here: with a really amazing performance you can make even a mediocre movie enjoyable (see The Iron Lady). Not being amazing doesn't necesarrily mean, though, that I'm not fond of Meryl's Francesca. I just feel she suffers from the same things that Michelle does in My Week with Marilyn: I see an actress in front of me that I'm completely in love with but an almost unwatchably boring film makes it harder for me to spot that brilliance that makes me tune in to their work. 

Other than that, everything that's moving and effective about The Bridges of Madison County comes from Meryl's performance. In a story with disturbingly one-dimensional characters, her Francesca seems to be the only one who's worth being paid any attention. Meryl makes it extremely easy to sympathise with Francesca and yet her dignity and grace prevents us from feeling pity for her. She really adds lots of depth to this character, making her wonderfully layered and exciting. Meryl created a vulnerable human being: whenever we see Francesca realising how unhappy she was and how unhappy she has to remain without the love from Robert. The screenplay was trying to save some time from the end, instead of leaving out the endless dancing and the useless parts with Francesca's children. We don't get to see her suffering because of the lack of Robert. However, Meryl, on her own, communicates some of her character's pain to us. Many of that comes from the usual unhappy middle-aged housewife character itself but Meryl avoided all the clichés with such characters: there aren't many theatrical breakdowns, she sheds some tears silently, which expresses the pain much more properly. She manages to save that bitter feeling to the parts with the old Francesca, which makes those scenes particulary effective. 

Meryl's chemistry with Clint Eastwood was crucial to the movie and while Clint Eastwood's work adds nothing to the success of the story, the only level his performance works is his relationship with Meryl's character. Then you can imagine how strong Meryl is at showing Francesca's love for Robert. They make up a typical tragic romantic couple but that's something that didn't bother me. Their love scenes and occasional arguments were felt quite realistic to me and I was quite convinced that these two people mean the world to each other. 

In the end, is it one of Meryl Streep's greatest performances as some may suggest? Definitely not if you ask me, otherwise she's wonderful and extremely moving in her part as Francesca. I don't see the brilliance that many others do but I see the effort and can completely understand why many people are in love with this work. Although she definitely makes Francesca an extremely realistic woman that you can easily relate to, it's just something that wasn't too hard for the marvelous Meryl Streep. Nevertheless, I cannot deny the fact that she really elevates her movie that would just dragging along without her. 

 

You're surprised, I'm sure. :) What do you think? (I wouldn't really like to read the words undeserved, The Iron Lady, Viola Davis, Glenn Close, 2011, third if you don't mind. Thanks. Lol) 

The Next Year

1995

So the nominees were:

• Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking
• Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas
• Sharon Stone in Casino
• Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County
• Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibiliy

Thank God this year has become very timely, thanks to the well-deserved and very much anticipated third win of Meryl. :) Can you think of celebrating in a better way? She might even become my first four-time winner and the only one to gain three wins in a row (I will be completely impartial, don't worry)!

What do you think? Who's your pick? What's your prediction for my ranking? :) 

2012 Academy Award Winners

Academy Awards 2012
[for films released in 2011]





Most Awards: The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius) and Hugo (Martin Scorsese), 5 each [Iron Lady won 2]

Best Picture: The Artist 
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, Iron Lady [This was Streep's third Oscar, and her 17th nomination, the most ever; her 3rd for acting ties her with Katharine Hepburn]
Best

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 2011

2011

So the much anticipated ranking:

5. Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

I suppose my biggest issue with this performance was that Michelle could have been given so much more. She's proven it over the years that she's able to perform miracles on the screen with the right material. Well, this material just wasn't right for her. She did all that she could with this part, both technically and emotionally. It's a great performance, it's just not something to go crazy about.

4. Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs

Great Glenn's performance as Albert is not her best work, and it doesn't have the totally mindblowing and disturbing effect of some of her other roles, it's a wonderfully touching and emotional performance. It may not give you a huge experience, it's like reading a chapter from a classic novel: inspiring, uplifting and beautiful in itself and more than serves its purpuse. I stand by her!

3. Rooney Mara in The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo

Rooney Mara gives a wonderful, impressive and very complex performance as Lisbeth Salander. What may seem robotic to others is just pure greatness for me. She brilliantly portrays her character's vulnerability and humiliation, but also her cool and incredibly exciting personality. She shows so many sides and reveals so many layers of this woman so effortlessly that she might come off as doing no acting at all.

2. Viola Davis in The Help

Viola Davis is able to give a layered and heartbreaking performance as Aibileen. In each and every moment of the film, she's endlessly loveable, showing so many emotions and faces of this character. Her incredible talent shines through this somewhat thin material and is able to be wonderfully moving, natural and funny at the same time. I have my isssues about her role, but she's just fantastic

1. Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady

In the end, this is a very obvious choice in every possible way. Meryl is everything that a Best Actress winner should be. She gives a fantastic performance as Margaret Thatcher. She's just brilliant in the technical part of her performance, nails the emotional scenes and she's just thoroughly impressive playing this very controversial and divisive character. Simply brilliant.

 So I can proudly announce

that the winner is...

Meryl Streep 

in 

The Iron Lady

Hail Meryl!

Final thoughts: So Meryl wins her third... from me at the very least and FROM THE ACADEMY AS WELL! YAY!. :) Moreover, she's set a record as my only three time winner so far. Moreover, she's also my first consecutive winner. :) I hope that I won't get too repetitive with Meryl. After the rare vicious comments about her in the past, I feel like going back to her. She's downright brilliant as Thatcher. Viola was also fantastic and I wouldn't be mad if she won (I would be happy for her), just quite disappointed. Michelle was an obvious fifth, Great Glenn and Rooney were pretty much equal to me. My love for Great Glenn caused kind of a controversy here, but I was incredibly glad about the supportive comments. And I'm not someone who remains ungrateful so mrripley, Louis and Fritz can all pick a year (and of course, the previously requested years of Louis and Fritz will be done next, I just didn't have time, sorry). Thank you guys! Also, congrats to Joe Burns and greysie on the correct predictions, they can also pick a year! (Available years: 1933, 1938, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1968, 1981, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2008)

Omissions: Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids; (haven't seen the others yet, but planning to) 

The next year: 

• I Want To Live: The sequel!
• Klute: The Sequel! 

What do you think? Any thoughts on your mind? Any comments on this  Oscar year (I'll do some posts and rankings on it during the weekend)?

Winner Breakdown: Best Actress

Best Actress:
- Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
- Viola Davis (The Help)
- Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
- Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
- Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)


The big competition is in these 2 top acting categories. It's Meryl vs Viola for Best Actress, and Jean vs George in Best Actor, but I'll cover the latter tomorrow. Meryl Streep played Margaret Thatcher, both as a young(ish) woman, a woman in her 60's and an Alzheimer-riddled 90 year old. She was great as the younger Thatcher, speaking very regally and saying these inspirational quotes, I didn't completely buy it. Something about it reminded me of her role in Julie and Julia, and some other films. It was great (because its Meryl) but I was always thinking Meryl rather than Margaret. However, Meryl as the 90 year old woman is where she completely shines. She looks, acts, talks like an old woman. She completely nails it, from the shaky hands, to the slow hunched walk, and even in the makeup. Then we have Viola. Viola played Aibileen, a black maid in Mississippi in the 1950's (or 60s?). She is a woman she is sick and tired of how her and the other maids are being treated, how Hilly Holbrook is making things even worse by making them have their own toilets, and how the children love her but when they grow up, they become their mamas. She teams up with a young woman named Skeeter, who's writing a book from the point of view of the Help. Viola Davis was fantastic in this role, through and through. We can see in her face how worn she is, and how broken. But there is a power behind her too, and Viola is able to carry off both parts of Aibileen. But who will win? Right now Viola and Meryl are pretty neck in neck. Viola has the Critics Choice Award and the SAG, while Meryl has the BAFTA and the Golden Globe. Many people say Meryl is overdue for her 3rd Oscar, having not won in 29 years. Viola Davis has been nominated before, in 2009, without a win. Will the Academy choose the honor Viola, making her only the 2nd Black Woman to win Best Actress? Or will they go with Meryl, finally giving her her 3rd Oscar (Honestly, she should've won for Julia Child, that was just fantastic). I'm leaning towards Viola taking the win, here. She had a strong performance, and Meryl already holding 2 Oscars might be against her. However, it's anyone's race, although as much as I love Meryl Streep, I'm rooting hardcore for Viola, and will be really upset if she doesn't win. 

Will Win: Viola Davis
Could Win: Meryl Streep
Dark Horse: Rooney Mara
Who I Want to Win: Viola Davis

Winner Breakdown: Makeup

Makeup:
 - Albert Nobbs
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
- The Iron Lady


I think this is a pretty solid category, to be honest. There's not really any clear winner, as all are extremely strong competitors. Albert Nobbs, while I haven't seen it, just seeing Glenn Close as a man shows how well the makeup was done. Close truly looked like a male, and she is very feminine looking in real life. Harry Potter, I'm shocked it hasn't been nominated for make-up before, especially for something like the first or second film. This film was have an array of make-up for battle wounds, for goblins, and for Voldemort. While many people think it's mostly CGI, it really isn't (see photo of Fiennes in makeup here: http://www.filmonair.com/img/video/harrypotter7_voldermortsmakeup_hd.jpg). And even Hagrid and Dumbledore. Both wonderful. And finally, we have The Irony Lady, who transformed Meryl Streep into an elderly lady. The make-up, here too, was quite flawless, and Meryl looked utterly convincing as an old woman, with thick wrists and ankles, and wrinkles and liver spots. Who will win? I'd say it's a big showdown between The Iron Lady and Harry Potter, but I'm really hoping Harry Potter can take it. The make-up was truly flawless there, and this win will make it Potter's first (and possibly only) win at the Oscars, ever. I wouldn't count The Iron Lady out though. Nor Albert Nobbs.


Will Win: Harry Potter
Could Win: The Iron Lady
Dark Horse: Albert Nobbs
Who I Want to Win: Harry Potter

Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady

Another year, another nomination, another record. Meryl Streep received her seventeenth Oscar nomination for playing Margaret Thatcher, the controversial British PM in Phyllida Llyod's movie, The Iron Lady. Each and every year when Meryl is nominated there's a point (=the Golden Globes) where everybody believes that it's Meryl's year after all. However, there's always the SAG which she loses (I guess if she hadn't won for Doubt, she would have won for Julie & Julia) and then she misses the Oscar as well. Bafta may help her a bit, but I suspect that Michelle is a bigger threat for Bafta (and the Oscar) than we imagine. And finally I'm VERY happy to say that Meryl got her third Oscar. :) 

The Iron Lady is heavily criticised as a movie, and while I see the point of the haters, I should also add that I actually enjoyed it while it lasted. Sure, Phyllida Lloyd has a lot to learn as a director, but her work improved considerably since her previous dreadful effort, Mamma Mia!. It's an accurate movie when it comes to historical facts though I'm not so sure about the scenes showing Thatcher's private life. Jim Broadbent plays the weirdest role you can possibly imagine.

However, the movie mostly felt like it was made so that Meryl can finally win her third Oscar. I really don't know, either what she has to do to win that award. There's always someone, who's more due or whose movie is loved more and somehow Meryl is forced to the second place. I think she should have won her third for her Julia Child (I know that many disagree, let's not get into that) at the very least. And here we go again, two years later, another biopic, another nod and another loss coming even though now she had what worked for everybody else: movie about a British politician.

Margaret Thatcher is already a divisive figure in politics: some consider her the greatest British politician since Churchill, some say she's the Antichrist. There's nobody who's immune to Margaret Thatcher and it was up to Meryl to use this. I suppose nobody can be indifferent to this performance. I suppose it serves the supporters and the haters of Mrs. Thatcher as well. Meryl's clearly not judgemental; she's trying to ignore politics as much as possible and we don't see a politician from a certain party, we actually see a woman who happens to be a politician. The centre of Meryl's performance is actually the womanhood of Mrs. Thatcher. The seemingly cold-hearted woman has a much softer side: it's a heartbreaking moment when she has to deal with the death of her soldiers and decides to write to the mothers. Meryl wonderfully shows the more sympathetic side of her character (or as some would say, the woman behind the monster). 

From an actress of Meryl Streep's calibre, you would expect a complete transformation to the character she's playing. Meryl (as always) fulfills all the expactations in the technical part of the character: she nails the accent, the mannerisms, the walk, everything that you see on the outside of Margaret Thatcher. That's clearly no surprise considering Meryl's filmography, it was really the inner world of Mrs. Thatcher that was exciting and really challenging for her. We first get to see her as a broken-down old woman, shopping. She's slow, unable to keep up with the world (literally, too). And the best thing is when the technical and emotional side come together: she expresses so much with just walking.

The most wonderful thing about this performance was that Meryl Streep indeed disappeared in this part. As I was sitting in my chair, I actually had to remind myself that it's Meryl that I'm looking at. Her transformation is almost as terrific as Marion Cotillard's was (though Meryl doesn't get such a dynamite of a character). She's so incredibly authentic and believable as Margaret Thatcher that she's almost more "Thatcher" than the real one. :)

In this transformation, Meryl successfully hid her own joyous, fun and playful self. As Julia Child, Meryl was very much present (and some hate it, personally, I felt it made that character even more beautiful), but here we don't get to see the Meryl Streep we all know (and love). It must have been really difficult for her to play someone with absolutely no sense of humor.

The scenes with the old Margaret and her dead husband are incredibly painful to watch, especially their last scene together. Although they were written in a very chesy and sentimental way, I kept marveling at Meryl's skills to turn them into something utterly real and heartbreaking.

Meryl also successfully avoided being completely laughable in the "Iron Lady" parts where she shows Maggie as a ruthless and harsh leader. The "cowardice" and "I have done battle" scenes are on the verge of completely ruining all the things that Meryl achieved. Meryl, however, never went too much over the top with her and she was able to seem tough and really powerful instead of hysterical and bitchy.

Meryl amazingly develops her character. All the wonderful depths and layers that she shows are just magnificent. After watching this movie, you really feel like knowing Maggie Thatcher in person. Meryl lets us observe this woman along with her and it was just a fascinating journey along with her. I just felt like knowing such intimate details about her.

My only problem with this performance is that it's not groundbreaking or totally mindblowing. Although there are lots of moments of brilliance by which I was completely fascinated, I was never completely taken by her emotionally. That seems like a big problem, but Meryl made up for it with the overall fantastic achievement plus it's more of the movie's and the screenplay's fault as they didn't give her any scenes to be emotionally captivating. Viola Davis' part was easier that way: although she had less screentime, she constantly had the opportunity to leave a huge impact. Meryl didn't have the chance for that, despite the fact how showy this part seems (it's much less showy than I imagined). But I guess Thatcher is a very reserved person and it was right not to make her too emotional.

Overall, Meryl Streep gives a fantastic performance as Margaret Thatcher. Although it's high time she won an Oscar and this is terrific work, this one is bit far from being as great as some of her other works like Sophie's Choice or The Deer Hunter (but honestly, how could she get better than that?). Still, she's just brilliant in the technical part of her performance, nails the emotional scenes and she's just thoroughly impressive playing this very controversial and divisive character. Again, not one of her best, but fantastic anyhow and 100% worthy of an Oscar win.

What do you think?

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady, 2011
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Nominations Include: Best Actress (Meryl Streep), Best Makeup

Synopsis: Margaret Thatcher was the first female Prime Minister in England. This is her story, told in flashbacks  as an elderly woman, dealing with Alzheimer's. We see a recount of her life before politics, her first campaign, the trials, the triumphs, her family, and her end.

Honestly, the only reason why I wanted to see this film because I've been solidly rooting for Viola Davis to win Best Actress, and wanted to see if she really, honestly stood a chance up against Meryl.

I hate to be a real downer on this movie, but I thought it had great potential, but it was executed badly. It covered too large a range of Mrs. Thatcher's life, ranging from "last year of high school-getting into Oxford" right up until her resignation, as well as her life as a confused elderly woman, seeing visions of her long dead husband. Had the director picked a certain time in Margaret Thatcher's life, this would've been done well. For instance, we get a look at 24 year old Margaret Roberts, trying to win her way into being considered by the conservative party, meeting her husband, losing her first election, and getting engaged. These scenes I found enchanting, and the young woman playing Margaret (Alexandra Roach) was very, very good, and looked so much like Meryl Margaret. Had these scenes of her trying to become accepted as a real politician and her love life/courtship/engagement with Dennis been played out, it would've been a nice film. Or even her run for Prime Minister, with a small bit of introduction to get to know her first. Instead we got a lot of old Margaret Thatcher talking to her dead husband, her entire political lifestory, and then, finally, halfway through, she decides to run for Prime Minister.

One thing I did very much like was that the film didn't pick a side about Margaret Thatcher. They showed the good and the bad. They showed the bad choices she made, and the consequences, and they showed her triumphs and her passion. They really showed that, in the end, she did what she believed in, she didn't let herself be pushed around by someone lower than her, or someone "more intelligent", and showing both sides was admirable.

Now, to the acting. Like I mentioned previously, I thought young Margaret Thatcher was quite talented. She was authoritative enough, but also was believable. She pulled off confidence and passion very well. The home videos scenes were darling, seeing her as a mother and wife, and a happy, cheery woman. You could see both sides of this woman and I quite enjoyed her, though small her part was. Young Dennis was also dashing, and just very charming, much like Jim Broadbent, playing older Dennis Thatcher. I thought he was really, really good, and quite underrated. I'd have liked to see him up for Best Supporting Actor in the particular weak year of Supporting Actors, but alas.

And now, to Meryl. As all have said, she was great. But I must sligthly, slightly disagree. I thought was great,  but only when she was playing older Margaret. She nailed being an old, confused woman so well, it was just so believable, and I bought into it every time she was on screen. However, playing the younger version, was not as phenomenal. For a lot of it I felt she was Meryl Streep, with a British accent, dressed up as Margaret Thatcher, who had a lot of inspirational things to say. While I thought she exuded so much power, and passion, and she really was Iron, I could see Meryl in everything about it. Many times I was even seeing her portrayal of Julia Child in some things she did. Not to say her performance was bad. Not by a long shot, but she truly excelled as playing an old woman, while her other parts were great, but not amazing like I thought it would be.

Another thought, was the makeup in this film was just whatever, except for when it came to Meryl Streep's age makeup. Her aged make-up was quite phenomenal, and is done just so right. You can hardly recognize Meryl under there, but it is just so flawless. I was rooting for Harry Potter to win make-up, and while I still am, I think it just might go to this film.

Overall, I thought the film was just sort of meh. When asked how I like it, all I could respond with was a shrug. I thought it had a lot of potential to be great, but it really failed to do anything with this film. There was not a whole lot of character development being shown, which hindered the film greatly. It just covered too wide a span to have any real effect. It almost felt documentary like at some times. But overall, not a terrible film, but not a good one. I was surprised to see it was only 1 1/2 hours, after feeling like I had watched a film over 2 hours. Not bad, not good. Am I still on team Viola? Oh yes, I am.

6/10

Kramer vs. Kramer

Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979
Directed by Robert Benton
Nominated for 9 Oscars, Won 5
Won BP Over: All That Jazz, Apocalypse Now, Breaking Away and Norma Rae

Synopsis: Ted Kramer is caught off guard when his wife, Joanna, announces she's leaving him, and leaving their 5 year old son. Ted is a career man, and while he likes to think he has a clue about his son, he doesn't really. Slowly, he grows to know his son well, and become a better father than he ever was. And once he settles into that role, his son loving him and he loving his son, Joanna returns and wants their son, Billy, back.

This film won a lot of the big awards that year. Dustin Hoffman won Best Actor, Meryl Streep won Best Supporting Actress, Robert Benton won Best Director, It won best adapted screenplay, as well as Best Picture. While it was a little bit cliche, here 33 years later, I know at the time the idea was quite original. The father a workaholic, seeing divorce from (kind of) equal sides. It was a moving story about the pain of divorce, and just how selfish it is, especially when there's a child in the picture.

I thought this was an emotional piece about a father who's able to turn his life around for his kids and about how divorce ruins lives. Ted Kramer hardly knows his child when his wife leaves him (not unlike Matt King in this year's The Descendants), but after working hard, getting to know his son, and realizing just what it takes to not just be a father, but to be a "daddy" to his little son, changed their relationship. It shows just how much parenthood changes you, and just how much family matters in your life, whether you want it to or not. It's the age-old idea that while career is important, don't make it the most important thing.

Dustin Hoffman played Ted Kramer perfectly. He was able to bring out so many sides of Ted, and make him such a real person. We saw the angry sides of Ted, telling his son he hates him, angry his wife left him, and angry the lawyers in court won't listen to him when he's trying to say his son is everything to him. We see him become the better parent, supporting his son, listening to him, and realizing all his son wants is love from his father. He doesn't care if his father is doing all the "right things" a father should do, he just wants his daddy to love him. With that being said, Billy, played by Justin Henry, was also nominated for his acting. He played Billy so well, really bringing him to life, and really seeming to understand the character. We see his immense sadness, and his pure joy, and his anger. He is still, currently, the youngest nominee in Academy History, being 8 years old.

Continuing on the acting note, this was Meryl Streep's first Oscar win, and second nomination. While she didn't have a very large part in the film, she was really good. She was such an unsympathetic character, yet at the same time, you almost did sympathize her. She brought the perfect balance of vulnerability to the role, yet a fierceness of a mother wanting her child back. She captured who Joanna Kramer was so well, and, again, brought her to life. But did I expect anything less of Meryl? I did not.

Overall, I liked the film very much. It was moving, and heartbreaking, and endearing. It may me ponder the idea of marriage, and just how sad it is nobody seems to be able to keep their promises anymore. And this film showed the consequences of that. People's lives are ruined, and they are very hard to fix. So many things in marriages can be fixed if one only tries. Had Joanna sought help for her marriage, things would've been very different. But the vows say "for better or for worse". So when the worse comes, why do people use it as an excuse to divorce? If anything, that's the time to stand firm in your relationship, and really try. Because marriage isn't easy. Feelings are easy, commitment takes effort.

8.25/10

The Next Year

2011

So the nominees are:

• Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis in The Help
• Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
• Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

So, another year has come and as of now, the race is very exciting. All of them have a more or less legitimate shot at winning (except for maybe Rooney) so we'll just have to wait until SAG announces (tonight) :). 

But more importantly ;), who will get my vote? What do you think? Can Meryl get her third win from me (and become my first consecutive winner)? Or will I go with one of the four other fantastic ladies, including Great Glenn? Who's your pick? What's your prediction for my ranking? (I'm really interested in that) :) 

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1982

1982

So the much anticipated ranking is:

5. Julie Andrews in Victor Victoria

I'm not saying that Julie Andrews gives a bad performance in Victor Victoria. Although I was very amused by her occasionally, she didn't make her character as a fake drag queen very believable or interesting. It's not even really her fault, the part is just not right for her. She solves the comedy parts quite well, but she was not able to give a really layered performance. 

4. Sissy Spacek in Missing

Sissy Spacek was able to get something out of her one-dimensional character. While her performance is far from dreary, she's not able to reveal as many layers of this character as she can with other roles. Although I appreciate the massive amount of talent and effort that she put into this part, I'm simply not impressed by her work in this movie. Something is really missing. 

3. Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman

Debra Winger is incredibly great in An Officer and a Gentleman, giving a deeply layered, very emotional and haunting performance that didn' cease to amaze me. She gets so much out of this seemingly one-dimensional character with the help of her wonderful, beautiful presence. She's just wonderful all around.

2. Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice

To say that Meryl Streep is great in Sophie's Choice would be a major understatement. She goes beyond the boundaries of acting and completely becomes Sophie Zawistowska. While the technical part of this performance is brutally perfect, it also strikes you emotionally. Nothing can compare to the horror and pain that Meryl displays on the screen. 

1. Jessica Lange in Frances

Jessica Lange is downright brilliant as Frances Farmer. Everything about her is just sheer perfection: her turbulent presence, her very emotional and passionate acting and her ability to keep control of her character. I'm not willing to say yet that this is her best work (I need to see more), but it's definitely a front-runner for that prize. Chilling, marvelous, terrifying, brutally amazing job from a great, great actress.

So I can proudly announce

that the winner is...

Jessica Lange

in 

Frances

A really tough one.

Final thoughts: Overall, a good year, with two brilliant performances. First I thought the choice would be a real Sophie's choice but in the end and it was and eventually, it's Jessica, which was surprising considering how long I had been championing Meryl's performance (I still do). I think I'm going to give Meryl a special award just like I gave it to Jane Fonda for Coming Home. I think the way they gave out the award in 1982 was a wise decision. I really loved Debra though she didn't even come close. The other two were pretty much forgettable. 

And now the clues: 

• Cowardice. Cowardice. 
• But what if you don't like what I got to say? :)

What do you think? 

012. The Iron Lady

012. (10 Jan) /The Iron Lady/ (2011, Phyllida Lloyd) 46



Considerably dumber on the second go-around, it's at least easier to appreciate how very much Meryl does to better The Iron Lady. There's so little done to both establish Thatcher as a person and political figure. Even the decisive idea of having Thatcher hallucinate her dead husband is absolutely dreadful. At least I can give Oscars to Streep and the makeup.