Best Supporting Actress Smackdown 1954: My Ballot

The monthly series Best Supporting Actress Smackdown is back today over at The Film Experience. If you've been following along this summer, so far we've covered 1979, 1948, 1995 and this month brings us to 1954. Started by Stinkylulu at their website, the Smackdown brings together a different group of panelists each month to reexamine and decide which Supporting Actress that year truly gave the best performance and is deserving of the Oscar win. Sometimes the Academy doesn't always get it right (um...like most of the time, but their heart is in the right place). The panelist rate each performance on a scale from 1 (boo! how'd you get this nom?!?) to 5 hearts (words can't describe the cinematic heights you've reached). But the best part is that readers are the last member of the panelist submitting their rankings of the films they've seen from that year. And the Smackdown year is celebrated each month with posts and tidbits about the other goings on in the world of film that year. For 1954, I wrote about one of my favorite classic Hollywood stars, Audrey Hepburn, focusing on her stylish ensembles in the film Sabrina and the scandal that was caused with the costume design Oscar win that year. (Read all about Audrey's style here.)

A secretary, a Mexican as a Native American, a girl grieving for her brother's death, a fading beauty, and a brassy loud-mouth, 1954 was kinda all over the place in quality with some truly bizarre choices in nominations. How The High and the Mighty, a multi-character Cinemascope relic with John Wayne as the leading man, managed to score not one but two nominations in this category for this year is just beyond me. Especially when their two spots could have easily been taken by another pair of actresses giving memorable performance in a bonafide classic: Thelma Ritter and Grace Kelly in Rear Window. And it's hard to imagine that all four of these movies were even made in the same year, they're all so wildly varying in tone, with the clear standout being On the Waterfront. Sometimes when the winner, in this case Eva Marie Saint, is so clearly above the other nominees the inevitable march to Smackdown victory isn't necessarily the goal. It's the journey in discovering these films that I definitely wouldn't have seen without this series and their nominations. So let's jump right in and take a look at these performance from Nina Foch, Katy Jurado, Eva Marie Saint, Jan Sterling, and Claire Trevor.

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Nina Foch Executive Suite

The Role: Although she appeared in Best Picture winner An American n Paris a few years earlier and would star in sword and sandals epics like The Ten Commandments and Spartacus, the Dutch born actress received her sole Oscar nomination for her role as a secretary in this star-studded ensemble.

My Take: Effortlessly gliding down the halls of Tredway Corporation with quite authority as she gathers board members, organizes last minute meetings, and pretty much keeps the office running smoothly and efficiently, Foch's Erica Martin is the picture-perfect ideal of a secretary. (Yes, secretary. This is the '50s after all. No Administrative Assistants here.) And even when the man she works for, CEO Avery Bullard, happens to die of a heart attack, Erica remains steadfast in her duties, loyal to the company and her deceased boss. Erica is exactly the type of employee you want working for you - because it's hard to picture her living any sort of life outside of the office (and I'm not sure the filmmakers or the actress has thought about it either). And while Foch's polished and professional performance sells this portrayal of those dutiful women that safely keeps the company secrets locked away in their desk drawer, she ultimately remains as blank as a page in her steno notebook. As knowable as the distant voice on the other line asking you to "please hold". ♥♥

Katy Jurado Broken Lance

The Role: In a remake of a New York City-set film only 5 years old, Jurado plays the matriarch of the Devereaux clan, an Irish settlement in the Old West that has King Lear levels of familial inheritance issues. 

My Take: With her performance as the mistress of a cattle ranch in this flashback-set western, Jurado had the honor of becoming the first Mexican performer nominated for an acting Oscar. It's just a shame that the distinction came from her work here in which the Latina plays a turquoise-sporting Native American (yes, it's just as bad as it sounds) and not her far superior work two years earlier in the classic High Noon. Reduced to the subservient role of wife and mother, Jurado's role is here to service the men in her life. Referred to only as "Princess" or "Señora", she's not even given a proper name, let alone an actual character to play. Only a few years older than Robert Wagner as her son, it's difficult to realistically imagine her as his mother, even when they try to age her by putting an insane amount of gray in her hair like she's in a high school play production. And her scenes with Spencer Tracy just made me feel uncomfortable as she continually addressed him as "My Husband" and is forced to practically grovel at his feet. ♥

Eva Marie Saint On the Waterfront

The Role: Having already appeared on Broadway in The Trip to Bountiful opposite silent screen star Lillian Gish the year before, Saint would win the Oscar for her only career nomination in her big screen debut at the age of 30 as Edie Doyle, a young woman whose brother is killed by the local mob. Edie starts a relationship with the man who may have had a hand in her sibling's death.

My Take: You can't ask for a better film debut then working opposite Marlon Brando in one of his most iconic performances in a film that won Best Picture and a place among the all-time greats. And while Saint might have been new to the big screen, she had already honed her skills as an actress on stage, in television work, and training at the Actor's Studio. Her performance of Edie Doyle is not the work of some fresh-faced ingenue awkwardly charming their way through the part, but that of a craftsman just as studied and committed as her celebrated scene partner. And the two play off each other beautifully. Brando is often praised for the scene where Saint accidentally drops her glove and he improvises by picking it up and using it. But if you watch the scene again with the focus on Saint, you'll notice that without her reaction and ability to play along, it could've easily become a take that made it to the cutting room floor. Confused by her feelings for him, yet drawn to him at the same time, Saint uses this tension in trying to secure her glove back from him until she finally succeeds, giving herself over to her desires as well. And it's watching that internal struggle play out that makes Saint's performance so compelling. ♥♥♥♥

Jan Sterling The High and the Mighty

The Role: In her early 30s at the time, Sterling's only Oscar nomination came for her role as Sally McKee in this film in which she plays a former "Popularity Contest Winner" that worries that her beauty is starting to fade. She won the Golden Globe that year for this performance.

My Take: Outfitted in a fashionable travel suit, with platinum blonde hair and a heavily made-up face that reminded me of the first Barbie doll, Sterling's glamor girl is entirely defined by her looks from the very beginning. Even a popularity contest she won years ago was based on her appearance. (Although if movies have taught us anything, it's that pretty girls are popular. That's a fact.) And those good looks are all she has to cling to because apparently at the ripe ol' age of 30 it's all going downhill. That's right - she's already long in the tooth at 30. She's so consumed by how it's all starting to fade away that she's agreed to marry a man she's never even met. But she's deceived him by sending a picture when she was so much younger...than 30. She ends up having a breakdown on the flight in which she tearfully rubs off her make-up, including her drawn-on eyebrows and false eyelashes. It's a startling moment and Sterling doesn't shy away from exposing herself. But the moment would have more of an impact if it didn't feel so phony. Seconds later she's reapplying as if nothing happened, making you feel foolish for having felt any sort of sympathy for her shallowness. ♥♥

Claire Trevor The High and the Mighty

The Role: The only actress this year previously nominated, the former Best Supporting Actress winner (discussed in 1948) received her third and last nomination in this category as May Holst, a woman returning from vacation that unfortunately finds herself on an ill-fated trip.

My Take: Each of the other characters in this disaster film are introduced to the audience one at a time as they check-in for their soon-to-be failed flight, allowing the audience to take them in and immediately identify their "type". But Claire Trevor bulldozes her way into the film as the other passengers wait to board the plane as she loudly proclaims her dislike of Hawaii. And it's this type of brash and bossy deliver that will characterize the entire performance. Playing what can only be described as a sassy broad, she makes every moment count in her very limited screen time by playing to the back row as if she's on a vaudeville stage. In her most memorable moment, as the other passengers try to lighten the load of the plane by tossing off their heavy luggage, Trevor takes the mink coat off her back and kisses it good-bye as she flings it out the door. It makes zero sense as its weight couldn't possible make a difference. Which could very easily describe the performance itself, a senseless and weightless diversion that ultimately doesn't matter. ♥

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The Oscar that year went to a very pregnant Eva Marie Saint and I can't help but whole heartily agreeing with the Academy on this one. It seems unfair to even compare Saint to these other ladies since she's given so much more to work with from the start, thanks to an amazing script and a role that's arguably lead, giving her much more screen time to form a fully-developed character. But it's also hard for me to imagine the Academy even seriously considering any of there other 4 ladies for the actual win. Despite Sterling's previous victory in this category at the Golden Globes. Seriously, what was going on that year?! Be sure to check out who was chosen over at The Film Experience (you can probably guess. It's Claire Trevor, of course!) and share your thoughts on this mixed bag of films and performances in the comments!

Best Supporting Actress Smackdown 1995: My Ballot

Over at The Film Experience there's a monthly feature called The Best Supporting Actress Smackdown. Originally began by Stinkylulu over at their website, it was brought back to life by Nathaniel at TFE and has to be one of my favorite things on the entire internet. The concept is simple: a year is chosen and a rotating panel of pundits re-examinze all 5 of the nominees in that category with a grade of 1 to 5 hearts depending on how effective/good they find the performance all these years later. The year chosen for July was 1995 (and to give the year context, I wrote a piece on Nicole Kidman's breakout year). 1995 is a year that has a special place in my heart because it was the first one that launched my obsession with all things Oscar. I blame Kate Winslet in Sense & Sensibility. (Oh, spoiler alert, I guess you know who I chose already...) The last member of the panelists is actually readers who submit their own takes on the performances and weigh-in on who should've gone home with the golden guy that year. Below are my own thoughts on the 5 women nominated for Best Supporting Actress that year. Before this year of films, I had always watched the Oscars and rooted for whatever Disney film was up for Best Song and Music and loved any period piece that was nominated for costume design. But this was the year that I became more than just a casual viewer and took my interest in the awards to the level where I now write about the annual event year round. I remember seeing Sense & Sensibility with my mother and just falling in love with Kate Winslet's performance. It was my first introduction to her as I was a little too young for Heavenly Creatures the year before, but it made me a devoted fan. Her performance in that film is one of my all-time favorites and I used to watch it once a week in high school. (I even told her when I eventually met her years later.) So looking back on 1995, it was a little hard for me to be biased when it came to judging her performance. But let's look at how I felt about her competition that year, Joan Allen, Kathleen Quinlan, eventual winner Mira Sorvino, and Mare Winningham, and see if any of these actresses came close to dethroning Winslet for me.

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Joan Allen Nixon

The Role: In her first of two back-to-back Supporting Actress nominations, the Tony winner took on Pat Nixon, the wife of one of the most controversial American presidents that ever served office.

My Take: Trying to infuse some life and humanity into a woman that was known in real life as "Plastic Pat" is a daunting task for even the most skilled actress. Luckily with Joan Allen at the helm, an actress whose gravitas and intelligence make even the most underwritten part feel fully-formed and bursting with interior life, there's already an assurance of meticulous care and craft. Because without Allen's natural abilities to draw in the audience, Pat Nixon, as written in Oliver Stone's meandering mess of an opus, remains just as impenetrable and artificial as she was perceived. Asked to play only one of two actions throughout the film: steadfast supporter or privacy-seeking reluctant (sometimes inexplicably within the same scene), Allen's Pat seems like an afterthought in Nixon's hazy structure. That Allen remains unscathed by Anthony Hopkins' histrionic devouring of not just the scenery but everything in his wake is a testament to her strength and fortitude as an actress to command attention even when the film is content to keep her as an unknown. ♥♥

Kathleen Quinlan Apollo 13

The Role: Quinlan received her sole Oscar nomination for playing Marilyn Lovell, the wife of stranded astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), in Ron Howard's Best Picture nominated take on this true-life story.

My Take: With misty eyes fixed on her television, Quinlan's Marilyn is intended to be our emotional connection to the loved ones patiently waiting back home while the "brave" men drift in space. But every time the film unnecessarily cuts away from the action of the men's survival it feels more like a chore or a narrative necessity without bringing any substantial catharsis to justify it. (It's telling that we aren't even granted a reunion scene at the end, the film having no use for Marilyn once the men are safe.) And Quinlan is given not so much scenes to play but brief flashes in which the camera focuses on her silently observing, fearful yet hopeful. Even when she's given a little more to play, like telling her son or mother-in-law about what has happened to Jim, it's reduced to a single sentence and Quinlan, ever the dutiful wife and not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, seems to think that less is more in those moments. However when given nothing to begin with, her modestly played character disappears from the screen entirely, swallowed up by the major events surrounding her. ♥

Mira Sorvino Mighty Aphrodite

The Role: For her Oscar-winning performance, Sorvino (the daughter of actor Paul Sorvino) played a ditzy prostitute named Linda Ash, the biological mother of Lenny (Woody Allen)'s adopted son.

My Take: Aiming for Judy Holliday levels of brilliance, but feeling more like Victoria Jackson in an SNL sketch that airs right before the host says good-night, Sorvino's whiny-voiced dimwit is a one-joke creation that hasn't been fleshed out enough (by the actress or Allen's screenplay) to sustain an entire film. And Sorvino seems to think that having made the choice to give her Linda a nasally monotone is enough to build a whole character, playing every scene with a sameness that starts to grate depending on how funny you found her initially. (Apparently even Woody started to get irritated with her asking Sorvino to change her voice after they had been filming for a couple of days already.) But there's still something endearing about the sweet dopiness Sorvino bring's to her simple sex worker, especially when she reveals her dreams (to be a hairdresser) and shares stories of regret about the son that she gave up for adoption. Giving us glimpses of genuine substance behind the dumb blonde jokes. ♥♥

Mare Winningham Georgia

The Role: Winningham (who won the Independent Spirit Award for this performance) plays the title character, a musician whose life is constantly uprooted by her troubled younger sister (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh in a role written for her by her mother). 

My Take: Anyone with siblings knows that it's always a fight to compete for attention and with Jennifer Jason Leigh's manic Sadie demanding we notice her, it's amazing that the Academy chose to ignore her cry for attention and instead focus their efforts on the less showy sister, Georgia, played with subtlety and deceptive effortlessness by Winningham. As the sister that has it all together, (successful music career, stable relationship with a loving husband) the normalcy of Georgia and her life could very easily become dull, her character in danger of being nothing but the caring, support system for her troubled younger sibling. But Winningham's Georgia isn't some saintly bore, but a woman capable of anger and resentment. She sees her sister as a burden, tied to her through familial obligation. And instead of reluctantly bearing it, she calls Sadie out for her destructive ways in confrontations that Winningham wins with calm and composure. It's a performance reminiscent of the folk music Georgia sings, unassuming and simplistic, but embedded within its framework, complexity and soulfulness. ♥♥♥♥

Kate Winslet Sense & Sensibility

The Role: The impulsive romantic to her older sister Elinor (Emma Thompson)'s heady reason. Winslet, in the first of her six Oscar nominations, is Marianne Dashwood in the film adaptation of Jane Austen's first published novel.

My Take: In a society where women are meant to be seen and not heard, Winslet uses these imposed silences to covey all of Marianne's emotions through her expressive face and body. She doesn't even speak a word in her first scene in the film, but we learn so much about her already (her strained relationship to her sister, her indulgence in melancholy, and her cheeky sense of self-interest). But hardly one to strictly follow the rules of propriety, Winslet's Marianne is certainly not afraid of being heard as well as seen if the moment demands it. Like when she shouts Willoughby's name across a crowded dance floor (scandal!) or schools Edward in the proper way to "feel despair" in a poetry reading. Winslet indulges every passionate impulse that defines Marianne's romanticism, which is all the more heart-breaking when that openness forces her to gain newfound maturity. But it's in those later scenes that Winslet brings a greater depth and understanding to the character, allowing the change to not crush our heroine's spirits but make her cautiously optimistic when it comes to matters of the heart. ♥♥♥♥♥

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In a surprise to absolutely no one, Kate Winslet still remains my winner with Mare Winningham giving an impressive showing. I'm most surprised about how much Mira Sorvino just doesn't work for me seeing the film 20 years later. I remember at the time thinking that she was very funny in the role and even if I didn't want her to win, I could see how she did. Now I'm just confused as to how she had such an easy road to victory. Maybe because she hasn't really done anything of note since. Or maybe I'm just bitter that I had to buy a DVD copy of Mighty Aphrodite just to re-watch it. Certainly not a good sign for an Oscar-winning role only 20 years old...Be sure to head on over to The Film Experience to read everyone else's take on this year and tell me all about how much you love Kate Winslet in this role in the comments!  

Best Supporting Actress Smackdown 1948: My Ballot

Over at The Film Experience there's a monthly feature called The Best Supporting Actress 

Smackdown. It is the brainchild of practicing actressexual Stinkylulu who hosted many a Smackdown over the years at his on site before finding its new home at TFE. (If you haven't read the previous years' debates, cancel your plans for a week and get lost in the actress-loving splendor here.) The concept is simple: a year is chosen and a selected panel of pundits (which changes each month) re-examinze all 5 nominees with a grade of 1 to 5 hearts depending on how effective/good they find the performance. With some distance, it's a way to see who the actual winner should've been that year. The year chosen for June was 1948. But most importantly, reader's write-in ballots are the final voters on the panel, helping determine the ultimate fate of the lucky actress named the victor. Below are my own thoughts on the 5 women nominated for Best Supporting Actress that year. Prior to this month's Smackdown, I had never seen the four movies which garnered nominations for these actresses. So I was going into this with no pre-conceived ideas of who should win nor really knowing what to expect. While I did find myself a little underwhelmed by the category this year, I still enjoyed correcting this oversight in my Oscar knowledge. Of the nominated films, I would recommend Johnny Belinda, which won Jane Wyman the Best Actress Oscar. Tackling a subject matter once considered taboo by the censors, I was surprised by its frankness and Wyman, playing a young deaf-mute, is more than deserving of her win. But without further ado, let's take a look at Barbara Bel Geddes, Ellen Corby, Agnes Moorehead, Jean Simmons, and the Academy's pick for Best Supporting Actress of 1948, Claire Trevor:

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Barbara Bel Geddes I Remember Mama

The Role: In only her second film, Bel Geddes was nominated for playing aspiring-writer and rememberer of Mama, Katrin Hanson, the oldest daughter in a Norwegian immigrant family living in San Fransisco.

My Take: As the narrator of this nostalgic trip down memory lane, Bel Geddes, although appearing in almost every scene of the film, seems so much an observer that you hardly remember she's even on screen. Blonde, bland, and boring, the film appears to have used all its efforts to make Irene Dunn's saintly Mama the only character worth caring about that it forgot to include any personality traits for Bel Geddes' Katrin. And the actress seems content to play her as written. More like a fly on the wall than an actual person, Bel Geddes brings no sense of who this girl is and even her closing act wish to become a writer seems like a convenient device to frame the narrative. In a film thats sole existence is based on fond remembrances, it's a shame that Bel Geddes remains so forgettable. ♥

Ellen Corby I Remember Mama

The Role: Before earning 2 Emmys for playing Grandma Walton, Corby scored her sole Oscar nomination for portraying Aunt Trina, the put-upon youngest sister of Irene Dunne's Mama that just wants to get married to the love of her life...an undertaker named Thorkelson.

My Take: With a nervous flutter, Corby's Aunt Trina enters the film with a determination to wake it up from its dreamy haze. And while Corby brings some much needed new energy and welcome light-heartedness to the somber proceedings, her ditzy slapstick seems to have wandered in from another film (perhaps entering from that door that she comically walks into) and her urgency in getting married is resolved almost as quickly as it's brought up. But there's no denying that Corby is sweetly charming and her persistent tenacity allows the meek and mousy character moments of gumption that allow you to admire her ability in actually standing up for herself. But the film is as bullying as her two objecting older sisters, pushing her aside to make room for Mama. If only she had been able allowed to share a few more moments with us. ♥♥

Agnes Moorehead Johnny Belinda

The Role: Her third of an eventual 4 Best Supporting Actress nominations (without a win), Moorehead plays the spinster aunt, Aggie MacDonald, to the film's heroine Belinda (Jane Wyman) as they try to survive on their farm in rural Nova Scotia. 

My Take: Moorehead, with her no-nonsense style of acting, is always a welcome and dependable presence in any film. But for her first few scenes, her toughened character quickly becomes in danger of becoming one-note. And her hard-nosed aunt role hardly seems like a challenge for an actress that makes even the smallest supporting part worth watching. But in the scene where the doctor confides in her about Belinda's condition, Moorehead lets Aggie's hardness give way to familial compassion. She expresses such heartfelt concern, that you can feel how years of neglecting her niece and taking her for granted have caught up with her emotionally and Moorehead plays the scene as if a weight has been lifted from her heart. Finally allowing her to show a softer side, without completely losing the toughness that has defined her. ♥♥♥

Jean Simmons Hamlet

The Role: Soft you now, the fair Ophelia. Shakespeare's wronged lover that goes a bit mad. She would give you some violets, but they withered all when her father died. Stabbed through by her boyfriend. Tough break.

My Take: From the bizarre Swiss Miss girl braids to the vacant look in her eyes, there's an immediate feeling that something's off about Simmons' Ophelia. And I'm not talking about her eventual descent into madness (which in Olivier's version seems to only exist because it's in the plot, with Simmons doing nothing to justify her character's fate). In a shrill voice that keeps modulating in strange patterns, I'm completely convinced that Simmons had no idea what any of the words are that she's saying. In her early scenes, one minute she seems to strike poses as if she's competing on Shakespeare's Next Top Model, without a thought in her head. Then she'll randomly flail a limb as if she's been directed to do so without any action behind it. And if Olivier was so set against Vivien Leigh playing the role (thinking her fame would upstage the role), then why did he cast an actress that looks so much like her? Taunting us with what could have been. ♥

Claire Trevor Key Largo

The Role: Oscar winner Trevor plays Gaye Dawn in this Bogie and Bacall Florida-set crime thriller. 

My Take: The cynical yet vulnerable gangster's moll is a well-worn noir trope in a genre that thrives on stock characters. And Trevor's boozy lounge singer with the name of a drag queen (and giving the kind of performance that could find its way into one of their acts) is just the sort of awards-bait role that garners attention, winning the eventual Oscar with a single scene. Forced to sing for her liquor, Trevor's soulful a cappella version of "Moanin' Low" is an emotional showcase. And the actress pours her heart out, conveying the helplessness and desperation of her character through her raw and imperfect vocals. I only wish Trevor had allowed herself the same authenticity within her other scenes. Uneven and at times so outright bad that I couldn't decide if it was Trevor the actress not delivering or a conscious choice since the character is a washed-up performer, it's a flawed but fascinating performance, much like the character herself. ♥♥♥

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The Academy handed the award to Claire Trevor and her drunken antics and of these five nominees, I'm going to have to agree with that decision. Ranking the 5 woman from best to worst: Trevor, Moorehouse, Corby, Simmons, and Bel Geddes. (I'm giving the edge to Simmons over Bel Geddes in a fight for the bottom spot. Even though I didn't care for either performance, at least Simmons is giving me something.) Be sure to read how it all went down over at The Film Experience. And share your own thoughts about these 5 ladies below. Or just express it through a mournful song...

Best Supporting Actress Smackdown 1979: My Ballot

Over at The Film Experience there's a monthly feature called The Best Supporting Actress Smackdown. It was originally started by Stinkylulu at their website and I strongly encourage you to visit past years there. The concept is simple: a year is chosen and a selected panel re-examinzes all 5 nominees with a grade of 1 to 5 hearts depending on how effective/good the performance is. Also for that month, there are even articles based on other films that year to give the nominated films context. May was 1979. I personally contributed a post looking at that year: Bette Midler's Best Actress nominated film debut in The Rose. There's also a reader's write-in ballot for the Smackdown that is taken into consideration for the eventual outcome. Below is my ballot of the 5 women nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1979. I almost feel bad for the other ladies going up against the inevitable winner, Meryl Streep, because not only is it one of her best performance in a career packed with memorable turns, but her character is far and away the best written and developed. Let's take a look:

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Jane Alexander Kramer Vs. Kramer

The Role: Alexander plays Margaret Phelps, the Kramer's neighbor that has previously been through a divorce and the support system for Dustin Hoffman's Ted Kramer

My Take: At a time when people quote the divorce rate at 50% (everyone knows someone who's divorced), it's almost quaint now to think about how this film was tackling a subject that hadn't been really discussed before. And while the story might center on Kramer Vs. Kramer, it's Alexander's single divorced mother that becomes the face of the issue. Talking honestly about how she feels, stating that she'll never remarry, and confessing that taking the vow "till death do us part" means something, Alexander's "liberated" woman feels just as alone in her new life as she did in her marriage. She's the person Hoffman's character can talk openly about how he's feeling and what Alexander does beautifully in all her scenes with him is actively listen. With a lesser actress, the role could very easily feel like a stock friend or a stand-in for the film's topics, but Alexander manages to make Margaret feel like a woman that has a life outside of the film's narrative, making her feel like a real person.  ♥♥♥♥

Barbara Barrie Breaking Away

The Role: Billed as "Mom", veteran actress Barrie plays Evelyn Stoller the mother of a young man in Indiana that dreams of bigger things as a competitive cyclist.

My Take: Sometimes the goodwill for a Best Picture nominee in a crowd-pleasing film allows actors to ride the momentum and score nominations. Such is the case for Barrie, a perfectly lovely actress that is given next to nothing to do in this film. In the Academy's wheelhouse of Supporting Actress types, Barrie's supportive mother is all heart and motherly encouragement to her Italian-loving cyclist son. Barrie brings an easy warmth to her scenes with Dennis Christopher as her son. And delivers her lines in that off-handed actressy way meant to convey natural realism, but always kinda seems too calculated in its execution to ever feel completely genuine. Especially her "business" with her passport in the only scene close to allowing us any insight to her character's life. But the film isn't really interested in allowing her to be anything other than mother and wife, unwavering in her devotion. ♥♥

Candice Bergen Starting Over

The Role: Jessica Potter, an aspiring singer/songwriter recently separated from her husband (Burt Reynolds).

My Take: Anyone that grew up with Bergen as Murphy Brown knows that she has a gift for comedy (with 5 Emmys for the role to prove it). But at the time Bergen scored her sole Oscar nomination for this romantic comedy, she had been known mostly for dramatic roles. It seems the Academy wanted to reward her for showing versatility, but in this strained performance Bergen still seems to be trying to find her comedic rhythm without succeeding as hard as she's trying. And boy is she trying. It doesn't help that her character is written as a clueless basket case with absolutely no self-awareness. And Bergen, with her air of sophistication and intelligence, is too smart an actress to believably play such an oblivious woman. Particularly in the scenes where she talks about her budding music career. Bergen, the actress, knows how bad a singer she is and seems to be silently laughing at the ridiculousness of Jessica's delusional aspirations. The role calls for light and ditzy. But Bergen plays everything unnecessarily serious and her comedic skills set tends to play better with witty and dry banter. ♥♥

Mariel Hemingway Manhattan

The Role: The young actress plays the 17-year-old lover to Woody Allen's 42-year-old television writer, Isaac Davis.

My Take: The character of Tracy, as written, is supposed to convey to the audience how sophisticated for her age she is and how, unlike the supposed adults of the film, she has it all figured out. (And in case you didn't get it, Woody actually says as much at the end of the film.) But nothing about Hemingway, with her baby doll voice and wide-eyed innocence never feels like she's more than the child she is. When she speaks about things like sex and love, she's just reciting lines without any weight, history, or subtext to make it seem believable. She's the weak link in a great movie and seems to have scored a nomination on the strength of the film surrounding her. Her nod more a celebration of her her youth and beauty than for any skill as an actress. ♥

Meryl Streep Kramer Vs. Kramer

The Role: The second of back-to-back supporting actress nominations (out of a career total of 19 acting nominations and counting), Streep won for playing Joanna Kramer, a mother and wife unhappy in her marriage, seeking a divorce.

My Take: Streep has become synonymous with acting greatness with nearly every performance she creates nominated for an Oscar (whether it deserves to be or not) that it can be easy to take her for granted. But even in her early work the craft and brilliance are there - fully formed, waiting for the world to catch-up. In the past, Streep has been criticized for relying too heavily on craft and technique, finding a character through accent work, vocal change, and wardrobe. But stripped of any artifice, as she is in this film, playing just a regular, everyday woman, she skillfully manages to plunge the depths of Joanna's conflicting emotions while making the actions of what could be seen as an unsympathetic character understandable. Haunting, troubled, and completely compelling, Streep often steals scenes with nothing more than quietness and the pained look in her eyes. The Academy doesn't always recognize genius immediately, but with this performance they completely got it right. ♥♥♥♥♥

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Just like the Academy, I couldn't resist Streep's performance. A worthy winner that blows the competition out of the water. Be sure to read the panel's choice (I think you know who) here!

Year in Advance Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actress 2015

We've now come to the end of my year in advance Oscar predictions. If you haven't already, be sure to check out my picks for Actor, Actress, and Supporting Actor and make sure to come back when the nominees are announced in January to see how well I did. Some years I just don't know...but I'm feeling good about my choices this year -continuing with the 5 actresses I've chosen for Best Supporting Actress. Last year I didn't guess a single one correctly (well, I did have Meryl, but in lead), let's hope this year fares better. There are two former Best Actress winners (including one that hasn't been recognized by the Academy since her win), a couple of Best Actress nominees, and one newbie making up the 5 women I've ultimately chosen. We've previously discussed 4 out of 5 of these films when predicting their co-stars in the lead categories, but surely these actresses' work will shine just as brightly as their scene partners.  

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Best Supporting Actress

Marion Cotillard Macbeth

Rooney Mara Carol

Ellen Page Freeheld

Alicia Vikander The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet Steve Jobs

Marion Cotillard Macbeth

The Role: "Out, damned spot!" Best Actress winner (and recent nominee) looks to return this year for her role as Shakespeare's manipulative, power-hungry wife Lady Macbeth opposite Michael Fassbender's Scottish king. 

Why She'll Be Nominated: There have actually only been 12 performances from Shakespeare's characters that have managed to score Oscar nominations in any of the 4 acting categories. The last time in this category was 50 years ago with double noms for Maggie Smith's Desdemona and Joyce Redman's Emilia in Olivier's film version of Othello (neither won). And the last acting nomination for a Shakespearen role was Kenneth Branagh 26 years ago for Henry V, so Cotillard definitely has her work cut out for her. But she also has some important key things on her side. Despite versions from Polanski and Welles, there has never been a definitive film version of the Scottish play (which as Shakespeare's shortest and bloodiest seems perfect for cinema), so her interpretation of the character could become the new standard. Having previously been played on stage by Judi Dench, Vivien Leigh, and Helen Mirren, Cotillard finds herself in good company and the character herself has always been an amazing showcase for actresses. And lastly, now that Cotillard, one of the best actresses working today, managed to finally secure a surprise second nomination with the Academy post win (after being passed over for work in Nine and Rust and Bone), it seems that she's in their good graces again. She very well could earn a third nom and a first for a performance in English - and Elizabethan English at that!  

Rooney Mara Carol

The Role: Mara plays Therese Belivet, a young, lonely girl that has moved to New York City to begin her life and longs to be a theater set designer. One day while working at a department store, Therese meets the elegant and older Carol (potential Best Actress nominee Cate Blanchett). The two women soon begin to see each other, forming a romantic relationship. 

  

Why She'll Be Nominated: Like Blanchett in the Lead category, I already predicted that Mara would receive a nomination for her work in this film last year and just like Blanchett, I'm predicting her again. Director Todd Haynes' past three projects have all garnered awards attention for the actresses involved (Winslet, Blanchett, and Moore) because he he's interested in telling women's stories and provides wonderful complex characters for the actresses involved. Mara hasn't really been in the conversation regarding the Oscars since her Best Actress nomination for 2011's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but the fact that she's already been nominated before should help nudge votes in her direction. I personally would've liked to have seen Mia Wasikowska, who had originally been cast in the role, but Mara has a melancholy quality that I enjoy and should do well in the part.   

Ellen Page Freeheld

The Role: In her first major role since publicly coming out as a lesbian last February, Page plays Stacie Andree, a car mechanic whose partner Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) is diagnosed with cancer. Despite their legal status as domestic partners, Andree would not be allowed Hester's pension after she passed away - a right that would not have been denied if Hester had been in a domestic partnership with a man. Based on a true story, the women fought to change this.

Why She'll Be Nominated: In what sounds like a very personal project for Page (who was previously nominated for Best Actress for 2007's Juno), the actress not only stars in the film but also works as a producer and has been involved in the development of this film for over 6 years. While marriage equality is still being fought in the US, Hester and Andree's story will resonant with those that have fought for the right. And despite the advances made in acceptance for same sex couples, during filming the filmmakers encountered some prejudice of their own when a school they had been set to shoot in denied them access because of the film's subject matter. Page seems passionate about the film and I'm sure that passion will come across in her performance. Hopefully the Academy will be paying attention as well.

Alicia Vikander The Danish Girl

The Role: Swedish actress Alicia Vikander plays artist Gerda Wegener in 1920s Copenhagen. She was married to fellow artist Einar (Best Actor winner Eddie Redmayne) and one day when her model didn't show up for a sitting asked Einar if he wouldn't mind taking the female model's place. After he poses several times in the feminine clothing, Einar finds that he wants to transition into becoming a woman, a decision that his wife supports. But she soon finds that once Einar becomes Lili that the relationship is not as it was.

Why She'll Be Nominated: While it seems that Redmayne may be set to receive the bulk of the praise for transforming himself in this film, it seems that just like in The Theory of Everything, that while the husband's story is the one that fascinates people, it is the wife's that is the emotional center. Gerda was a much more famous artist than her husband as well (known for her work in erotica, you can view it here) and her portrait of Lili brought them notoriety. Vikander, who was wonderful in Anna Karenina (2012) and Oscar-nominated Best Foreign Language Film A Royal Affair (2012), is set to have a huge 2015 with around 8(!) films to be released, everything from big-budget action films like Guy Ritchie's The Man from U.N.C.L.E, to a star-studded film about a chef starring Bradley Cooper, and Derek Cianfrance's The Light Between Oceans (co-starring Fassbender and Rachel Weisz). But it's her work in this film that should grab the Academy's attention and lead to a first nomination in what is hopefully a big year for the actress.  

Kate Winslet Steve Jobs

The Role: After being circled by Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, and Jessica Chastain, it is Winslet that will be playing the part of Joanna Hoffman in the film about the Apple creator. Hoffman was one of the original members of the Macintosh team and was the sole rep for the company's marketing team for the first year and half. She went on to be the head of International Marketing. She has been described as the only person that was able to stand up to Jobs and challenge him.

Why She'll Be Nominated: I love Kate Winslet and with six nominations and a Best Actress win for The Reader, the Academy used to as well. But following her win almost 7 years ago, she has not been nominated since and her film projects recently have not been of the same quality as her previous work. But with a lead role in the Aussie film The Dressmaker, a part in the ensemble that includes Oscar nominees Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Casey Affleck in the crime drama Triple Nine, and her biggest box office success since Titanic with the Divergent films (the sequel opens in a couple weeks), here's hoping that 2015 is the start of a Winslet comeback. But if any of the projects are going to get her back in Oscar's good graces again, it seems most likely with this film. And I will personally be championing her Oscar return.  

Other Possibilities: Helena Bonham Carter Suffragettes, Kirsten Dunst Midnight Special, Jennifer Jason Leigh The Hateful Eight, Elizabeth Olsen I Saw the Light, Amy Ryan St. James Place

How I Did With My Year in Advance Predictions and Final Oscar Predictions

Tonight are the 87th Academy Awards and before the ceremony I thought it would be best to look back on my predictions for acting nominations made after last year's ceremony to see how well of an Oscar psychic I was. And also predict who will be taking home gold tonight. Three out of the four acting categories seem to be wrapped up (Yay! Julianne Moore!), but it seems like Best Actor is still up for grabs for a couple of actors (well, except for Carell. That's just not gonna happen). So let's dive right in...

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"I've been smelling an Oscar nomination since the first day of filming..."

Best Actor

Year in Advance Predictions

Chadwick Boseman Get On Up

Steve Carell Foxcatcher

Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game

Jack O'Connell Unbroken

Joaquin Phoenix Inherent Vice

The Actual Nominees:

Steve Carell Foxcatcher

Bradley Cooper American Sniper

Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game

Michael Keaton Birdman

Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything

How Many Correctly Guessed: 2/5

Last year was my best year yet in this category, just a Tom Hanks shy (my prediction instead of Christian Bale) of having all 5 of the Best Actor nominees correctly chosen. This year I've gone down considerably, but sadly it was still my best category in predicting. There had been early buzz for Carell's work in Foxcatcher for literally years (as it was supposed to come out in 2013), but I'm actually surprised that he found his way in the final five as I was not impressed by his performance (or the movie as a whole). It seemed the film was losing momentum, but Oscar voters were more enamored than I thought. Cumberbatch was always going to get in because of where he is in his career at the moment, the nature of the role, and the Harvey Weinstein factor. I knew at the time that predicting Boseman and O'Connell both was a little younger than what the Academy usually goes for in this category, but the baitiness of both roles just seemed right up their alley. Boseman's performance as James Brown was electric, but the film just never really found an audience and the August release, instead of building momentum, just made it fade from memory as the months passed. O'Connell is still one of my favorite discoveries of this past year and I hope he finds Oscar attention in the coming years because he's very talented. Unbroken seemed like such a sure-thing on paper, but Angie just hasn't found her voice yet as a director (O'Connell made my own list of Best Actor performances this year...but for Starred Up). And Joaquin, coming off great work in The Master and her, seemed like an easy call to make. But Inherent Vice was...I don't wanna say a disaster, but it's pretty unwatchable for me. I'm surprised it managed the few Oscar nominations it did.

Keaton had been in the running for my year in advance predictions, but I decided to leave him off because I wasn't sure how successful González Iñárritu, usually so dour, would be with what everyone was billing as a comedy. The film ended up being more satirical and more darkly funny than I had initially imagined it to be. And now it appears that Keaton could actually win the whole thing...if it wasn't for Eddie Redmayne. Redmayne, who is relatively young for this category, does the kind of performance that wins Oscars with the biopic synopsis and his difficult physical transformation. Both men have been sharing the precursor prizes, with the slight edge going to Redmayne who won at SAG (the past 10 SAG winners in this category have all gone on to win Oscars) and there's also late-breaking dark horse Bradley Cooper, who received his third nomination in a row and whose film has been a huge success. But for whatever reason, I think they're going with Keaton, not just because he's great in the film, which plays on the actor's own career, but because he might not have a shot again. This seems like his moment.   

My Ranking of the Nominees: Keaton, Redmayne, Cumberbatch, Cooper, Carell
Who Will Win: Tough call (and the only one of the night in the acting categories), but I'm going with Keaton
Who Should Win: Keaton

"Dear Diary, I'm surprised as you that Fincher has become a go-to for Best Actress nominations..."

Best Actress

Year in Advance Predictions

Amy Adams Big Eyes

Cate Blanchett Carol

Rosamund Pike Gone Girl

Emma Stone Untitled Cameron Crowe Film

Meryl Streep Into the Woods

The Actual Nominees:

Marion Cotillard Two Days, One Night

Felicity Jones The Theory of Everything

Julianne Moore Still Alice

Rosamund Pike Gone Girl

Reese Witherspoon Wild

How Many Guessed Correctly: 1.5/5 (The half is for Streep...in the wrong category.)

My early predictions would have had three of the five actresses just nominated in this category making their return, but luckily none of them made their way back here...well, at least in Best Actress. Meryl is always gonna find her way into Oscar's heart. Don't get me wrong, I love to be right, but It's nice that the Academy isn't so predictable, always nominating the same actresses. Although, it did seem like Amy Adams could've still made it in here. (I was even still predicting her as the final fifth nominee that thankfully went to Cotillard.) But her film was not well received and I think most felt if she was gonna get a 6th nomination, it might as well be something she has a shot at winning for. Blanchett's film was always an iffy call as it hadn't started filming until April, but I thought it would be ready in time. It wasn't, but she just might make an appearance on my predictions for this year...And Meryl is always a default nominee. After last year when she went lead when she could've gone either way, I thought she would do that again. The film is truly an ensemble and could've gone either way, she would've gotten the nom either way (although, I personally don't think it ranks as some of her best work) and I'm sure Felicity Jones is grateful she went supporting. Emma Stone was another person that seemed ready for an Oscar nomination and I was right in predicting she would receive one this year...but in the wrong film and the wrong category. This film won't even be released until May of this year now (finally titled Aloha) and, judging from the leaked Sony emails, not one of Cameron Crowe's best. Rosamund Pike was the only actress I successfully predicted, but I think that anyone that played that part would've been nominated because of the character and Fincher's involvement. (I don't, however, think that she was all that successful with her take on it.)

But I couldn't possibly have predicted who would eventually win for Best Actress this year because her film wasn't even on the radar a year ago. It didn't even have a distributor until this fall. But here she is, our Best Actress front-runner, Julianne Moore in Still Alice. Although her performance doesn't rank among her best work for me and I think both Cotillard (who barely made it in, but gives the best performance in this category) and Witherspoon are much stronger in their films, I am very happy that Juli will finally be an Academy Award winner. And not to say that she's bad in the film - she's actually very good - I've just seen her give better performances and the film itself does her no favors. But it's definitely Juli's time, there is no other competition for the win this year. And I'm just happy that she's finally winning! 

My Rankings of the Nominees: Cotillard, Witherspoon, Moore, Pike, Jones
Who Will Win: Julianne Moore will finally be able to add "Academy Award Winner" before her name
Who Should Win: Cotillard, who gave two amazing performances this year

"Nice job, on predicting me. The only thing I'll throw at you are accolades..."

Best Supporting Actor

Year in Advance Predictions

Benicio Del Toro Inherent Vice

J.K. Simmons Whiplash

Channing Tatum Foxcatcher

Christopher Walken Jersey Boys

Christoph Waltz Big Eyes

The Actual Nominees:

Robert Duvall The Judge

Ethan Hawke Boyhood

Edward Norton Birdman

Mark Ruffalo Foxcatcher

J.K. Simmons Whiplash

How Many Guessed Correctly: 1/5

I knew after Sundance that Simmons was making his way here, but I didn't suspect that his road to victory would be so easy. The only actor that I successfully predicted, Simmons has dominated every Best Supporting Actor category this year coasting to an Oscar win tonight. The other four men that found their way in this category along Simmons have all been nominated here before, but Simmons is assured the win. I say it every year, but this category is always the hardest to predict a year in advance. And as the same 5 men kept being nominated over and over again this awards season, it seemed that no one seemed all that interested in it to begin with. I knew I should have gone with Ruffalo as the Supporting nominee from Foxcatcher since Tatum's category placement was so up in the air, but it just never felt right to put him in over Chan (who gives my favorite performance in the film). I should probably stop predicting Christopher Walken, it never seems to pan out. But his surprise nom from Catch Me If You Can makes him a default for me in predicting this category. And he was arguably the best part of a terrible movie. (God, Jersey Boys was just bad.) Benicio Del Toro is another one like Walken that I always want to include because I think he's an amazing actor, but his film was polarizing and his part in it was way too small to make an impact. If anyone was getting a nomination it would've been Josh Brolin, who obviously didn't. Two-time winner in this category, Christoph Waltz, paired with Amy Adams and Tim Burton seemed like a safe bet, but there was category confusion with his film, which was pretty much a non-starter (outside of Adams' outside chances) to begin with. 

My Rankings of the Nominees: Norton, Hawke, Ruffalo, Simmons, Duvall
Who Will Win: It's been Simmons all season
Who Should Win: Norton

"Don't you judge me. I've been playing your mother for 12 years and have a guaranteed Oscar - I'm celebrating."

Best Supporting Actress

Year in Advance Predictions

Emily Blunt Into the Woods

Viola Davis Get On Up

Marcia Gay Harden Magic in the Moonlight

Anna Kendrick Into the Woods

Rooney Mara Carol

The Actual Nominees:

Patricia Arquette Boyhood

Laura Dern Wild

Keira Knightley The Imitation Game

Emma Stone Birdman

Meryl Streep Into the Woods

How Many Guessed Correctly: 0/5 (whomp, whomp...)

So what happened here? I didn't get a single nomination correctly predicted. I always give early predictions to Keira Knightley (I did previously for A Dangerous Method and Anna Karenina) and it never works out, I debated with including her in my year in advance predictions for Imitation Game but figured my love for her as an actress just wasn't the same as the Academy's. I guess they chose this year to finally prove me wrong...Mara, a former nominee,  might've made it, if her film had actually come out this year. Into the Woods just wasn't as good as I wished it would be (which had no impact on Streep - it never does), but no one seemed to notice either Blunt (who campaigned in lead) nor Kendrick from the film. I actually prefer both over Streep in this, but am perfectly fine in not successfully predicting their nominations as neither were good enough to warrant nods. And poor Viola Davis and Marcia Gay, both exceptional actresses in thankless cameo roles. Davis fares a little better, nailing the one big scene she's in, and might've been more of a contender if the film had been more successful. But I just watched Magic in the Moonlight a couple weeks ago and can barely remember that Marcia Gay was even in it.

Of course, none of the actresses I predicted a year ago nor the ones that actually made it in the category stand a chance for the win against Patricia Arquette in Boyhood. Like Simmons and Moore, she was won almost every precursor award and hopefully will have memorized her speech for this evening. It took a little longer for people to catch-up with Hawke as a nominee, but almost since it was released this summer, Arquette's performance in Boyhood has been praised as one of the film's best elements - especially her speech when Mason goes off to college. It's a long way to come for an actress that made her debut in Nightmare on Elm Street 3 in 1987, but as her decade plus performance in Boyhood showed, Arquette excels at the long game.

My Rankings of the Nominees: Arquette, Dern, Stone, Knightley, Streep
Who Will Win: Arquette's 12 year performance that's the heart of Boyhood
Who Should Win: Of these nominees, Arquette. But I'm honestly not that excited about any of them

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Make sure to come back all this week as I make my Year in Advance Predictions for 2015!