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!  

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

Realistic Intimacy Amid the Surreal

Sometimes love, as it's depicted on screen, seems too romanticized to feel real. Love on film is epic. Men risk life and limb for it while the object of their affections swoon in ecstasy. Love on film is Ryan Gosling in a rain storm telling Rachel McAdams that he's waited for her all these years and built her the house of her dreams. (You can't beat a sexy bearded man and prime real estate.) It is Ralph Fiennes in a too-small bathtub with Kristin Scott Thomas (making it look cozy instead of cramped) declaring that he owns the hollow at the base of her neck and somehow making the possessiveness seem beautiful and not creepy. As Judi Dench says in Shakespeare in Love, "They make it pretty, they make it comical, or they make it lust, but they cannot make it true."

Film very rarely captures all the little, mundane things that encompass a relationship–the messiness and the silences. The everyday things that make it feel lived-in. Which is why it seems odd to think that one of the most truthful relationships on screen involves the out-there concept of a couple erasing each other from their memories. Somehow Michel Gondry's mind-bending film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, from Charlie Kaufman's Oscar-winning script, with all its imaginative flights of fancy seems to keep its couple grounded in reality. And 10 years after its release, it still feels as fresh as ever in its storytelling and remains one cinema's best and most honest love stories. That film's relationship is also the center of this year's inaugural edition of Hit Me With Your Best Shot from Nathaniel at The Film Experience.

Eternal Sunshine has always held a special place for me since the first time I saw it in the theaters 10 years ago. I went because I loved the weird worlds that Charlie Kaufman had created with his previous screenplays for Being John Malkovich and Adaptation and, of course, for my favorite actress, Kate Winslet. I went in with high admiration for both already, but came out of the theatre with an even greater adoration. The work from both was new and exciting. Kaufman had managed to give us the cerebral head-trip we had come to expect from his work, but elevated it by giving it a pulsing heart. While Kate as Clementine Kruczynski seemed infused with a different energy. Usually restrained to period films, she came alive in her orange hoodie and multi-colored hair as if we'd never seen her on-screen before. I saw the film 3 times in the movie theatre (which at the time was a lot of money for me) finding new things to discover at each viewing. And rewatching it again this past weekend for the countless time, I was still uncovering and still moved by Joel and Clementine's story.

The moment that always affects me the most is the one that I've chosen as my Best Shot. Joel (Jim Carrey, also at his best) is in the process of erasing his former girlfriend Clementine from his memory. After one too many fights, perhaps already starting to drift apart, the two have broken up for good. Joel discovers that Clementine has already had him erased from her own memory (she's the impulsive one) and Joel, more in retaliation than actual want, decides to undergo the procedure as well. But as the memories of the couple are replayed in his mind, he realizes that whatever present pain he might feel is not worth the lose of the love he had. It is in this moment that is the turning point in the film.

The couple, nestled under the covers, perhaps on a lazy Sunday, are protected from the outside world. The light shines through the blanket like sun through a chapel's stained-glass window, illuminating Clementine as she makes a confession. When she was little she had an ugly doll that she gave her name to. She would yell at it to be pretty hoping that it would transform herself as well. Its the kind of painful memory that shaped Clementine into becoming the woman she is. By allowing Joel to peer into her soul with such trust, free of judgment, she allows her love to make herself vulnerable to him. At that moment, it is just the two of them. That intimacy that they share is the catalyst Joel needs to remember that this is what love is all about. It is ugly and beautiful. It's not being afraid to share yourself with someone else among a fort of blankets and secrets. Knowing that no matter what animosity may later arise, there was always glimmers of close perfection. Quite simply, it was real.

A Year In Advance Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Actress

Boy, I did not do very well in this category last year. The only one I predicted that got nominated was Helen Hunt and they went and put her in Supporting. I need to stop predicting Keira Knightley. If they didn't nominate her for Anna Karenina–it's just not gonna happen for her. But, that was last year and this year brings some Aussies playing princess and La Streep in what one can safely assume will bring her 18th(!) Oscar nomination.

Best Actress

Nicole Kidman Grace of Monaco

Julia Roberts August: Osage County

Meryl Streep August: Osage County

Naomi Watts Diana

Kate Winslet Labor Day

Look into my eyes...I AM Grace Kelly

Nicole Kidman Grace of Monaco

The Role: Best Actress Oscar winner, Kidman, plays Best Actress Oscar winner, Grace Kelly. Rather than a biopic that spans the entire life of the movie star turned princess, the film focuses on the early 60's when Kelly was a new monarch to the principality and intervenes with her husband Prince Rainier (Tom Roth) and Charles de Gaulle of France regarding the tax laws of Monaco. The film is being directed by Olivier Dahan who directed Marion Cotillard to an Oscar win for La Vie en Rose.

Why Her: Sometimes I let my love for Nicole cloud my judgement regarding her Oscar chances. Last year, I predicted her for a movie that was not only not released, but wasn't even made in the first place. That's the other thing with Nicole, she commits and drops out of projects all the time. I could do an entire post about it (maybe I will...). But, this film is actually made! There's photographic evidence to prove it! And it's scheduled for a late 2013 release–the perfect time for Oscar. 

There was awhile in the mid 00's were everyone decided that they didn't like Nicole anymore (was it Bewitched or the botox?), but recent years have brought another nom for Rabbit Hole and an almost nom for last year's bat-shit crazy The Paperboy. I think it's safe to say, all is forgiven. I have the feeling that Kidman playing an actress as well-known and admired as Grace Kelly will be too perfect to resist.

Julia Roberts August: Osage County

The Role: Three-time Oscar nominee (and Best Actress winner), Roberts, plays the eldest daughter, Barbara, in the Weston family. It's based on the Tony and Pulitzer prize winning play of the same name. The play concerns a family in Oklahoma who's father goes missing. When the family comes together sparks fly as Barbara tries to keep everything together while dealing with her verbally abusive, pill-addicted mother (Streep). Although Streep has the more showy role, it's Robert's role that is the actual lead and heart of the story. 

Why Her: I go through phases of admiration for Roberts. Of course I love her in Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich. She may not be a versatile performer, but no one brings a believability while bringing huge movie stardom the way she does. But, then I see her in dreck like Eat, Pray, Love and wonder what it is I like about her again. But, I really have confidence that she can pull this role off (true a more natural choice would have been Laura Linney or Amy Ryan) in  way that no one else could. Plus, going head-to-head with Greatest Actress in the History of the World, Streep, is a job only a movie star of her caliber can take on without being eaten alive.

Meryl Streep August: Osage County

The Role: Violet Weston, the acid-tongued matriarch of the family who has recently suffered from mouth cancer and is now forming an addiction to pills. She is extremely combative and critical of her family, especially oldest daughter Barbara (Roberts).

Why Her: Um, do I really need to fill this out? The woman has 17 nominations and 3 wins. She's the most nominated actor of all time and the closest is Kate Hepburn and Jack Nicholson at a distant 12 noms each. If Streep is in anything remotely Oscary–she's getting nominated. And this role was a huge awards magnet, winning the Best Actress Tony for actress Deanna Dunagan. 

"Biopic–Check. Beloved icon–Check. Oscar nom–Duh. Man, why didn't I do this sooner?"

Naomi Watts Diana

The Role: Playing the part of Diana: Princess of Wales, the film focuses on the last 2 years of Diana's life after her divorce from Prince Charles, her campaign to stop land mines,  her relationship and wish to marry Dr. Hasnat Khan (Lost's Naveen Andrew), and her death in a car accident with Dodi Fayed.

Why Her: The word most often used to describe Watts as an actress is: fearless. From her dual role in her breakthrough (and what should have been her first Oscar nomination) in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive to her Oscar nominated performances as suffering mothers in 21 Grams and lat year's The Impossible, Watts dives in full-force not afraid to expose herself emotionally or go to dark places. Even if the film itself doesn't work, I think the fact that Watts was fearless enough to take on such an iconic role as Diana will reward her with a nom. And she's the only one of my predicted 5 not to win, so perhaps this is the role that brings her gold...

Look, it was just cheaper to use my costumes from Little Children

Kate Winslet Labor Day

The Role: Oscar nominated director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) directs 6-time Oscar nominated actress, Winslet, in her first cinematic lead role since her Oscar winning performance in The Reader back in 2008. The film stars Winslet as agoraphobic, depressed, divorced mother Adele in the 80's who after being talked into going out for a drive with her son, picks up a bloody man (Josh Brolin) looking for a ride (cause that sounds like a good idea). He turns out to be an escaped convict, but I'm sure a romance blossoms despite the impossible odds...

Why Her: Once considered the greatest actress of her generation, she got a case of the Annie Hathaway-hate game post Oscar win. The media that once celebrated her and demanded she have an Oscar suddenly felt like she was too needy and desperate for it. To avoid the media's hatred, she took herself out of the spotlight, appearing only in the HBO miniseries (and Emmy awarding winning role) Mildred Pierce and supporting roles in Carnage and Contagion over the past 5 years. But, I think enough time has passed and we've (well, certainly, I have) been ready for Kate to tackle another complex role in an adult drama. Pairing up with Reitman, who got great performances out of Ellen Page in Juno and Charlize Theron in Young Adult seems like a smart move as well. She's always been an actress that challenges herself and a nom here would be a way of welcoming back one of our best.

Other Contenders: Sandra Bullock Gravity, Marion Cotillard Lowlife, Julie Delpy Before Midnight, Jennifer Lawrence Serena, Amanda Seyfried Lovelace

Sisterly Bonds

If one were to make a film adaptation of the work of Jane Austen, Regency England, and the bond of sisters, a male, Taiwanese director doesn't immediately stand out as the ideal person for the job. But, such is the brilliance of Academy Award winning director, Ang Lee. In his English language film debut, 1995's Sense and Sensibility, the director crafted a film that still ranks as the best film version of Jane Austen's work (Sorry, Joe Wright) and one of the best film's of the 90s. Not being English and steeped in the legend and reverence of Austen, he was able to look at the material through a fresh pair of eyes. And he has stated that his culture is all about repressed emotions, which people don't understand in the same way they did during Austen's time. It allowed him to get inside the psyche of these characters, who hid their true feelings, and capture the heartache of unrequited and unspoken love. And, yes, at it's heart Sense and Sensibility is very much a love story. But, the love that holds the film together is not romantic love, but the relationship between sisters– sensible Elinor (Emma Thompson) and wildly romantic Marianne (Kate Winslet)–that is the heart of the film.

I have highlighted three scenes that I feel best capture the relationship of the two and the growth it undergoes.

The Tease

Elinor: I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him. I greatly esteem him. I like him

Marianne: Esteem him? Like him? Use those insipid words again and I shall leave the room this instant.

Elinor: Very well. Forgive me. Believe my feelings to be stronger than I declared, but further than that you must not believe. 

After the death of their father, the Dashwood sisters are left virtually penniless as all his money and estate, by law, belong to his son of a previous marriage. Their half-brother and shrewish sister-in-law Fanny (Harriet Walter) have come to their soon-to-be-home, displacing the life the girls of the only life they have known. Elinor's repressed emotions are also put in an uproar as she begins to form an attachment to Fanny's visiting brother Edward (Hugh Grant). 

Up until this point, Marianne, who very much wears her heart on her sleeve, has been sulking about the home (all melancholy, downward looks and dreary piano songs). This is the first real, intimate interaction the sisters share with each other in the film. Marianne has gone to Elinor's room to inquire about her sister's affections. 

Marianne believes that real love is the kind that is hot to the touch and burns you with emotion. Elinor, careful with her emotions, is not outwardly showing her devotion the way Marianne prefers. Marianne gently teases her sister in this scene–berating Edward's lack of passion for reading poetry and for the limpid response Elinor gives when asked if she loves him. 

The scene quickly illustrates how each feels about the other. Despite all Marianne's teasing, she is devoted to her sister, even saying that she can't imagine living without her when she marries. Thompson and Winslet have a naturalness with each other and a playfulness that feeds off each other. Ang had them live together during the production so they could deepen their relationship off-screen, thus making the bond that much more believable onscreen. 

Heartbreak and Understanding after the jump

Epically Epic: Titanic

100 years ago today, the Titanic made history as the unsinkable ship hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. And ever since that fateful day, people–and Hollywood–have been fascinated by this tragic event. Just 29 days after the sinking, a silent film was released called Saved From the Titanic starring actress Dorothy Gibson, who actually survived the incident. That was just the beginning of countless film and television movies have been made since about the tragedy (including the latest that aired last night and tonight on ABC from Downton Abby's Julian Fellowes. The first season of Downton even begins with the event.) But, the most poplar telling of the story, by far, is James Cameron's 1997 film that won 11 Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and became the highest grossing film of all-time (it has since been replaced by another Cameron film, Avatar). 

I saw the film the day that it opened on December 19, 1997. Thanks to her performances in Sense and Sensibility and Heavenly Creatures, I was a huge Kate Winslet fan already and told my friends that we had to see her latest performance in Titanic as soon as possible. I was in High School at the time and the film definitely had a huge impact on me. I lost count how many times I saw it in the theatre (it's somewhere around 12) and I don't even know how many times I've seen it in total. I haven't seen the theatrical release in 3-D that just came out, yet. But, I plan on it. Even though over the past 15 years it has become fashionable to bash the film (I'll admit, the dialogue isn't the best, but it's a lot better than Avatar's), it still has a hold on me as a film lover.

"Just pretend you're listening to James and then, when he's not looking, run..."

In honor of the 100th anniversary, I decided it would be a perfect time to take another look at the film. (It's also the start of a monthly series I'm starting called Epically Epic, in which I'll explore some of cinema's most sweeping epics. Next month Giant). So, join me as we explore the film that launched Leo and Kate's careers into the stratosphere, revolutionized the way computer graphics were used in film, and gave us a song so good, it makes Kate wanna puke...

Are you ready to go back to Titanic?

5 Actresses That Should be Broadway Bound

It was announced last week that three-time Academy Award Nominee, Amy Adams, will be making her New York stage debut as the Baker's Wife (a role that won Joanna Gleason a Tony back in 1988) in The Public Theater's production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. The show is part of the theater company's 50th Anniversary of the annual Shakespeare in the Park–a New York tradition of free shows performed in Central Park. (The other show this year is As You Like It with Lily Rabe and Oliver Platt. You know, some actual Shakespeare to go along with the name of the whole thing...)

Amy Adams started her career doing Summer Stock and has sung on-screen before in Enchanted, Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day, and The Muppets, but hasn't appeared on stage since becoming a star. So, it comes as no surprise that she's finally gonna be treading the boards. I've heard from people that work in casting that Amy Adams is usually at the top of the wish list for any musical being produced on Broadway. It makes sense since she actually has training and experience doing musicals on stage and she just happens to be a famous actress that can get butts in seats. She would have been a more natural choice for Cinderella in Into the Woods, so it'll be interesting to see if she can pull-off the more harder edged character of the Baker's Wife. My only real concern now is how it's gonna be impossible to get tickets to see her. I can't camp-out in the park with all the bugs and...nature; that sound's miserable. And they have a virtual line that I did literally everyday last year until I finally won (and this was for two obscure Shakespeare plays with no well-known stars. I can only imagine how insane it will be to see Amy. I hope The Public's mainframe can handle it...). It will also be interesting to see if she reprises her role in Rob Marshall's intended film version of the musical.

Casting Hollywood actresses in Broadway musicals is nothing new. In fact, tonight's episode of 'Smash' was all about a fictional Hollywood starlet (played by Oscar nominee, Uma Thurman!) being cast in the show's production of the Marilyn Monroe musical, so the show could get funding through the big-name star attached to it. This got me thinking about what other Hollywood actresses should try their hand in a musical on the New York stage. Here are my Top 5 Choices:

5. Evan Rachel Wood

She may have lost the role of Eponine in the Les Miz movie to theater actress, Samantha Banks (thank God it wasn't Taylor Swift), but the girl has some definite singing chops. She appeared in Julie Taymor's Beatles musical, Across the Universe, and was originally supposed to work with the director again as Mary Jane in the Spiderman musical. The show was plagued from the start and Evan dropped out after the first time it lost financing (funny, Taymor isn't involved in the show anymore either...). I would love to see her in a vamp kinda role like Lola in Damn Yankees, something with some bite to it. I don't know if I'd buy her as an ingenue. And after her performance of Justin Beiber's 'Baby' on Jimmy Fallon, she showcased not only her talented vocals, but that she was game for anything.

4. Michelle Pfeiffer

One of the three-time Oscar nominee's earliest role was in the movie musical, Grease 2. She's since gone on to sing in a number of films from her memorable turn atop a piano in The Fabulous Baker Boys to her voice-over work in the animated The Prince of Egypt and as the villain in the film version of the Broadway musical (which was based on the movie...Got that?), Hairspray. She even auditioned for the part of Evita during one of the many times it was in development, before it was finally made with Madonna. Michelle has only appeared professionally once on stage, during the 1989 Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night. The notoriously shy actress may need some coaxing to appear again on stage, but there's no doubt she would be sensational. Hey, just saying, the Shakespeare in the Park's production of Into the Woods still needs its Witch...

3. Kate Winslet

The Oscar winner is only a Tony away from her EGOT. Maybe a Broadway musical is the way to go? (She's apparently in talks to appear in David Hare's play Skylight, so she's ready to get that Tony regardless.) Although she's yet to appear in a stage musical, the actress has sung many times before on screen including her film debut in Heavenly Creatures, in her first Oscar nominated performance in Sense and Sensibility, and in John Turturro's musical-esque film, Romance and Cigarettes. She even recorded a single that was released in Europe for an animated version of A Christmas Carol (the proceeds went to charity). And during her opening monologue when she hosted Saturday Night Live, she showed-off her live signing and tap dancing(!) skills. Clearly she has the skill for the job, she'll just have to decide what kinda show to do: musical comedy or dramatic rock opera?

2. Gwyneth Paltrow

She's already won an Emmy for playing a singing substitute teacher on Glee and reprised the performance during the live Grammys telecast. In fact, Gwynie was GOOPing her way through tons of live performances to promote her turn as a country singer in Country Strong, so obviously she's comfortable with singing on stage. (And who can forgot her lite-rock staple of 'Cruisin' with Huey Lewis? The late-night music of choice of grocery stores across the country.) I, for one, would love to see Gwyneth in a Broadway musical. Maybe something like High Society that can take advantage of her class and regal elegance. There were talks that she was gonna record an album, but doing a musical would be a better use of her talents as an actress and singer.

1. Anne Hathaway

My friend was telling me that he heard she had been in talks to play Cinderella in the Park's Into the Woods (Can you imagine if Annie and Amy were both in the same production? There's now rumors that Meryl Streep will play the Witch. My head can't process...). Although, Annie probably couldn't fit it in with all the promotional work she's gonna have to do for The Dark Knight Rises (the part went to theatre actress, Jessie Mueller). But, it just goes to show how everyone is waiting for Annie to appear on stage in a musical. She's currently in musical mode filming the film version of Les Miz as Fantine (she already has a history with the show having performed a song from it during the Oscar telecast). In 2002 (with only The Princess Diaries as her claim to fame) she appeared in City Center's Encores presentation of Carnival. She even did a workshop of Promises, Promises but never made it to the Broadway production. And as far back as 2009, it was announced that Annie was set to star in a Broadway production and biopic about Judy Garland. So far, neither has seen any development. As evident from her tribute to Meryl at the Kennedy Center Honors, she's just a Broadway Baby and it's not a question of if she'll be on Broadway any time soon, but when!

Happy Oscar Sunday!

Well, time got the best of me and I never got to finish my posts on the acting categories. But, I shall be talking about them here tomorrow and this week brings my year in advance Oscar nominees. Enjoy the show tonight! Is it Meryl or Viola? Is The Artist gonna sweep? Too much excitement. I leave you with a recent Oscar highlight:

'Isn't That A Daytime Emmy?' 'It Still Counts!'

Last week at the Grammys, producer, Scott Rudin, became the 11th person in history to join the EGOT club. For those of you not familiar, the EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony- the four major awards in the performing arts profession for television, music, film, and theatre. Rudin joins the ranks of actors, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, and Whoopi Goldberg, composers, Richard Rodgers, Marvin Hamlisch, and Jonathan Tunick (I don't know who that is either), director, Mike Nichols, and comedian/writer/director, Mel Brooks.

Since I'm always looking ahead, I wondered who is one award away from joining the EGOT ranks. But, the task of looking up every single person who's won awards at 4 different ceremonies over the past decades seemed a little daunting. Luckily, I live in 2012 and have the internet. Let someone else do the work! Thanks, internets! (Seriously, how did people find out anything back in the olden days without Wikipedia?) Because I had some time on my hands after not having to personally do the research, I decided to pursue another one of my loves- list making. I present to you the 10 Most Likely People to Receive the EGOT. Some of the people (and the award they need) may surprise you.

10. Ellen Burstyn, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Vanessa Redgrave, Geoffrey Rush, Maggie Smith What they need: Grammy
So, say you're a respected actor that has the triple crown of acting awards. You're a respected star of stage and screen. But, the odds of you winning a Grammy for Best Pop Song by a Group or Duo aren't looking very likely. How do you win that Grammy? The answer is simple- Best Spoken Word Album. You think Audrey Hepburn and John Gielgud were recording rap albums? Of course not. It's the surefire way for a respected actor to get that Grammy. Any of these six actors would have a great chance of winning if they did. In fact, Ellen Burstyn has been nominated in this category before. Perhaps all six should get together and record a multi-part collection of The Complete Works of Shakespeare so they can get it done in one shot. Perfect.

9. Cynthia Nixon What she needs: Oscar
Nixon is best known for playing Miranda Hobbs on 'Sex and the City' and won an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Emmy Award for it in 2004. She won a second Emmy in 2008 for her guest-starring role on 'Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit'. But, she's just as active on the stage and even appeared in two Broadway shows at the same time in 1984. In 2006, she won a Tony award for her role in the play Rabbit Hole (the role brought Nicole Kidman an Oscar nomination in the film version). She may even win a second Tony this year for MTC's revival of Wit. And what did she win a Grammy for, you ask? Why, you guessed it, Best Spoken Word Album in 2009 for An Inconvenient Truth. So, hard can it be to win an Oscar? Well, it's not the easiest thing (just ask Glenn Close). But, with the right role in an independent film, I could conceivably see Nixon winning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Although she's never even been nominated for an Oscar, she's apt at both comedy and drama and is well respected in the industry. People have won with a lot less.

8. Lily Tomlin What she needs: Oscar
This comic was America's favorite lesbian long before Ellen came along (and also before we knew she officially was gay). And thanks to her Emmy nominated work on 'Laugh-In', she became one of the most famous comediennes in history–paving the way for females in the world of comedy. Her comedy album, 'This Is a Recording', won her a Grammy in 1972 and hit #15 on Billboards Hot 100 that year–the highest ranking a solo female comedy album has ever received. She has won 4 Emmys (out of 16 career nominations) for her comedy specials and a Daytime Emmy for voicing Miss Frizz on the animated show 'The Magic School Bus'. In 1986, she won the Best Lead Actress in a Play Tony Award for her one-woman show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. She even received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in her film debut, Robert Altman's Nashville. She still appears in film, most notably in Flirting With Disaster, I Heart Huckabee's, and A Prairie Home Companion. If she can garner another role that highlights her quirky charm, she would have a pretty good shot at an Oscar.

7. Robin Williams What he needs: Tony
The Juilliard trained actor/comedian has always tried to balance both the comedy (his 2 Emmys come from comedy specials and his 5 Grammys were awarded for his comedy albums) and the dramatic (his Oscar win was for playing Matt Damon's shrink in 1997's Good Will Hunting) in his work. Last year, he made his Broadway debut in the play A Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and received good reviews. If he continues to pursue roles on stage, and put that Juilliard training to use, he could very well land himself with a Tony for his efforts.

6. Trey Parker and Matt Stone What they need: Oscar
Who would have thought the duo behind a crudely animated show about four foul-mouthed children would be one award away from the EGOT? But the thing about 'South Park' (which has brought them 4 Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program) and Broadway's The Book of Mormon (which brought them 4 Tonys for Best New Musical, Director, Book, and Score and a recent Grammy for Best Musical Show Album) is that along with the off-color humor is a smartness, wit, and, yes, heart that elevates the material. It's never offensive just for shock value- there's always thought behind it. They've been Oscar nominated before in the Best Song category for 'Blame Canada' from the 'South Park' movie. I think they could very easily win an Oscar, especially if a film version of Mormon ever hits the big screen.

Marty, Mary Poppins, Liza with a 'Z' and Number 1, after the jump

Heavenly Creature

The new ad campaign for St. John Spring 2012 featuring Academy Award winner, Kate Winslet, hit the internets today and will be featured in print starting in February. This is the second season that Kate has been the face (or body) of the clothing line. I used to have a picture from her last St. John campaign as my laptop wallpaper (until it was replaced by Charlize). My roommate asked me if I was a middle-aged woman on the Upper East Side. If only. I'd be one step closer to being like Lucille Bluth when I get older. That is my goal in life. And isn't that just like Kate- always subconsciously trying to help me reach my goals. Winslet, you've done it again...

Oh, wind machine- Don't mind me. Just lounging on a fur rug, studying a script. The usual...

Jack, I want you to draw me like one of your French girls. Wearing this- a clutch and...bathrobe

Based on the Novel...

The HBO miniseries of Mildred Pierce directed by Todd Haynes and starring Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Melissa Leo, and Evan Rachel Wood is finally out today on DVD and Blu-ray. (If you prefer your Winslet more contemporary and sickly as opposed to Emmy-award-winning and motherly- you're in luck! Contagion is also out today. Anyone up for a Kate movie marathon?)

I've get you now Emmy. Tony-you're in my sights...

I know a lot of reviewers and viewers were a little disappointed in the final product. The comment I heard the most was that it was a little slow paced or, you know- boring. I actually saw the complete miniseries, all five and half hours of it, in one day at the Museum of Moving Image on Mother's Day. And it flew by. I didn't find it boring at all. I found it engaging and interesting. Watching mother and daughter, Mildred and Veda, going at each other was the perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day. It was all build-up for those last scenes between the two and Winslet and Wood really brought it. Eight months later, I still think about their confrontation scene in the bedroom.

I've seen the Joan Crawford version from the 40's as well and you can't really compare the two. The film from the 40's added a murder plot and had a film noir feel to it. Todd Haynes said that he wanted the miniseries to be more faithful to the book by James Cain. The miniseries length really allowed him to do just that. He was able to delve in, explore the relationships, and give them a real slow burn. So it had me wondering what other classic films based on hefty novels would benefit from an updated miniseries version? After the jump, my four picks...

Welcome

So, for years I've been reading blogs about entertainment and always thought: man, I should do that. But, you know, I'm really lazy. There's TV to be watched, dammit. So, here we are. I've finally done it. It's definitely a work in progress. Right now the design is a little blogger 101. But, my goal is to bring news, thoughts, and complete randomness to this blog. It will mainly focus on films (new and old), actors and acting (I love Kate Winslet and Daniel Day-Lewis, so I probably won't be talking about oh, say, Selena Gomez. Except to say how baaaaaaad she is. Seriously, I just saw Monte Carlo. How is this girl getting paid to do this?), and then just whatever I may feel like bringing up. I want to inspire lively discussions so feel free to comment. And, most importantly, let's have some fun!