Only they could screw up on a massive level...

"Actress In A Supporting Role" 2009

2009

And the Academy selected:

• Penelope Cruz in Nine
• Vera Farmiga in Up In The Air
• Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
• Anna Kendrick in Up In The Air
• Mo'Nique in Precious: Based On The Novel By Sapphire

My Ranking:

5. Penelope Cruz as Carla in Nine


Penelope Cruz, for some reason, had to be nominated once again the very next year after winning  an undeserved Oscar - here she plays typical Cruz, a sexy, suicidal drama queen who can't speak English. I'm so sick of watching her shtick played over and over again, her big number probably secured her nomination, but it's dreadful in form and ghastly non-worthy of a nomination.

4. Anna Kendrick as Natalie Keener in Up In The Air


Anna Kendrick's performance as young power hungry Natalie might have been better had it had better writing and played by someone else other then Anna Kendrick. She tries to play broad comedy, mixed with intelligent sensibilities and the results are expectantly off. It's a tough role to pull off in a bad movie, and she just isn't up to the challenge.

3. Maggie Gyllenhaal as Jean Craddock in Crazy Heart


She's just too good to be in such a mediocre mess. The character of Jean is so badly constructed that Maggie can barely do anything to make her more then just a plot device or the 'woman'. Obviously, her talent shines through in many scenes, and it's obvious she is doing the best she can with what she is given. The ending result though however is not that impressive.

2. Vera Farmiga as Alex Goran in Up In The Air


Another person who is largely affected by her movie is Vera Farmiga, playing the mysteriously down to earth Alex. She is the movie for me, giving it the only ray of light - showing much depth in a character that may or may not have had it in the first place. Still, she is effected from the overall blehness of the film - disappearing from time to time, and me wishing she was back on.

1. Mo'Nique as Mary Jones in Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire


In the end, there is nothing that can beat her - the shocking horror that Mo'Nique brings to the screen is astonishing. She commands the screen with her fat fist, always ready to punch the viewer whenever we least expect it. Many tout her last scene (which is far and away one of the best scenes ever in this category) but early on, she shows how much hatred and unreal terror the character of Mary has bottled up inside her, finally cracking at the end, and again, keeping it bottled up. It's an amazing, shattering performance that I continue to love.

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Honorable Omissions: Amber Heard in "The Informers".

"Actress In A Leading Role" 2011: My Ranking

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5. Rooney Mara in "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"

- Rooney Mara is all over the place in a role and film that has already been once repeated. It's not fair to compare her to another actress in another film, but when she gives a limp, lousy performance it's hard to not draw a comparison.

4. Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"

- Glenn Close may deserve a career Oscar, but her performance as Albert Nobbs is way too weird and underdeveloped to deserve any awards attention. She has a moment here or there, but carrying this awkward film is just not good enough.

3. Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"

- Meryl Steep is also carrying her film and she does a better job, however that's not saying too much. Her best moments on film are when she's in old age form acting totally forgetful and sentimental. The rest of her performance just can't hold up.

2. Michelle Williams in "My Week With Marylin"

- She recalls the spirit of Monroe wonderfully - Michelle Williams has incredible talent and she's the most watchable thing here. She has alot to work with and that's kind of what brings her down, simply because she doesn't have a full storyline to follow.

1. Viola Davis in "The Help"

- Viola Davis raises well beyond everyone else with an excellently well rounded performance that elevates her film in nearly every way. To put it in simple terms, she gives a terrific performance and didn't need to rely on much to do it.

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Honorable Omissions: CHARLIZE THERON in Young Adult, TILDA SWINTON in We Need To Talk About Kevin, KRISTEN WIIG in Bridesmaids, ELIZABETH OLSON in Martha Marcy May Marlene (there's a better lineup then the Academy's crappy one).

Michelle Williams in "My Week With Marylin"

As I said with Meryl Streep, impersonations seem to be the way to go, just in general, to get someone some awards attention. But, I have a very strong affection for Michelle Williams - I think if she's not the best actress working today, she's in the running for it, the girl came from unorthodox career roots and the Academy had any sense of humility, she would have been in the running for Wendy and Lucy back in 2008.

But, My Week With Marylin is no revelation really. The film itself is nothing to speak of, it only has about 75 doomed monologues that are endlessly boring, especially the ones with Judi Dench. Michelle Williams is the film's only saving grace - and yes, she is extremely good. She recalls the spirit of Monroe almost constantly. Even resembles her in the blink of a scene, mostly in the musical sequence. She adds emotions whenever they are needed and surprised me really throughout the film.

Still, it's not a revelation in any sort of way. Williams, I think, knew her limitations within and tried her best to work on her own vision of Marylin. It's a very good performance, in a limp movie, done by one of the best actresses working today.

Viola Davis in "The Help"

Race and the Oscars - it always be credited to the Oscars that they gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar, even though she couldn't sit in the front of the theatre. However, besides this, it should never matter. It took them 74 years to award Halle Berry, Sidney Poitier won in 1963, Louis Gossett Jr. in 1982, and Whoopi Goldberg finally became the second woman to win in 1990. Viola Davis became the second woman (behind Whoopi) to receive two nominations.

The Help is a terrific film, constantly pulling at the viewer's heartstrings without totally overdoing it. The cast works incredibly well together, and at the center is Viola Davis, playing strong willed, faithful, and repressed maid Aibleen Clark. It's nearly a stereotype, yet in Davis' hands, Aibleen becomes the humanity of 'the maid' - a person who may or may not be looked down upon, but is still a person living in the world. It's an emotional part and Davis handles it wonderfully.

Touching and heart-tugging, Viola Davis gives a wonderfully effective performance. Whatever one might say about sentimentality, The Help might have it, but there is not a touch to be found in Viola Davis' wonderful performance.

More Best Actress Nominees Seen!

Well, thanks to more lovely Youtube users, I found:

01. Merle Oberon as Kitty Vane in The Dark Angel

Merle Oberon is a great presence on-screen - playing Kitty Vane, the middle of a love triangle, she is near fascinating to watch. She nearly makes up for an inane plotline that goes on and on forever. However, she still has some stale melodrama affecting her throughout - it's not so much a bad compliment, since most acting of the time was much worse, but it can be tiresome after awhile. Still, a good performance that I am glad I watched.

While finding The Dark Angel, I also found the next to last nominee I need to see!

02. Ruth Chatterton as Jacqueline Floriot in Madame X

After recently watching Sarah and Son and this, I am convinced Ruth Chatterton is perhaps the worst actress to receive two Oscar nominations. She was unbearable in Sarah and Son, and she eats the screen in Madame X, playing a murdering mother whose unknowing son defends her in court. Maybe its the movies that kill Chatterton, but her acting is so awful, so horrible, that she cannot carry one scene without bugging out her eyes (to express happiness, sadness, madness) or moving her hands (to express feeling, sadness, depression, old age, etc.) - truly an awful performance.

And at last...I am down to one...

will she ever be reviewed.....?

Some Recent Best Actress Nominees Seen

Thanks to a lovely and incredible Youtube user, I've been able to mark some performances off of my list that I need to see!

01. Ann Harding as Linda Seton in Holiday

Holiday is a pre-code (eh, pre-entertainment) film that is perhaps only remembered because it was remade with Katharine Hepburn. The role was orginated by forgotten actress Ann Harding as the wholesome, yet funny Linda. There's not too much to the role, she isn't even that noticeable unless you are solely watching for her. Mary Astor steamrolls over her, and the result is an underwhelming, extremely boring performance.

02. Gloria Swanson as Marion Donnell in The Trespasser

The story of a stenographer (ooooh, exciting!!) who becomes a kept woman sounds interesting and the movie truly is thanks to Gloria Swanson. I wasn't expecting much, but got a whole lot more then I bargained for. This role shows off the range Swanson had, even outside of the silent pictures. Her confrontation scenes are handled without any early 'theatrical' feeling and she kills her dramatic moments, including the ending. I was shocked at how much I liked her.

03. Nancy Carroll as Hallie Hobart in The Devil's Holiday

The petite, doll looking Nancy Carroll is hardly a convincing gold-digger Hallie in The Devil's Holiday, an interesting enough film, but hardly held together by anyone. She has the spirit the character needs, but is in no way a man-eater who gets mens hearts racing. It's simply not a convincing portrayal no matter how much pep Carroll brought to the screen.

04. Elisabeth Bergner as Gemma Jones in Escape Me Never

Perhaps the most hard to find of these nominees, was also the most disappointing. Elisabeth Bergner is simply bad in a melodramatic role - filling the screen with awkwardness and awareness throughout. While Nancy Carroll had problems inhabiting the character, Bergner doesn't even know where to begin with hers. Combined with her film that is excruciating, the disappoint and general awfulness surrounding her overcomes her.

05. Ruth Chatterton as Sarah Storm in Sarah and Son

Oh boy...and I've saved the worst for last. Ruth Chatterton, armed with an overfilled bottle of melodrama, a horrible accent, and a bad script, she gives one bad performance. There's so much going on in her performance, it's hard to pinpoint when she's truly at her most bad. But, anyways, she plays a singer who goes looking for her son after her husband sells him - I'm already laughing. The film is rarely seen and is really completely lost...thank goodness.

I also watched Corrine Griffith in The Divine Lady, but since that's a silent movie and performance, I don't want to rank it among the rest. So, that means Betty Compson in The Barker, Ruth Chatteton in Madame X, and Merle Oberon in The Dark Angel are the only Best Actress nominees I have yet to see!!