2012 Best Actresses

I've been something of a ghost around here, and many factors go into that. For one thing, I really have no interest in blogging anymore; it was an amazing thing being able to see and review all the nominees nearly 2 years ago, however I don't think I could ever do it again. There's just not that interest anymore, especially since everyone started reviewing the same categories. Second, life is very hectic, different, and more fulfilling. So no time to blog!

However, I'll always have time for the Best Actress category.

 I doubt I will have time in the next few weeks to track down these nominees. Which makes me sad I can't have a definite opinion on Oscar night.

However, I have seen the two frontrunners, and I'm glad they are both extremely good.

Jennifer Lawrence's characterization is something special. It brings back the old days when nominees could be entertaining, realistic, and unexpected. It's a fun performance considering most of the comedy doesn't revolve around her, she's more of a side character who is forced unto the audience like a storm. In the end, this is a fantastic performance that was shockingly unexpectedly great. Shows Jennifer Lawrence's power as an actress.

However, the Oscar should go to Jessica Chastain.

To say the performance is layered is an understatement. From the moment we meet her, her fragility is obvious, and as strength grows, the line about being a 'killer' is more and more accurate. At the end, those tears signify how the character has transformed. It's the true definition of a Oscar winning performance.

She's Baaack

Oscar #2

#327: Exile In Guyville, Liz Phair

To rock off my ranking of 500 albums, I thought I would start with the album that I've become obsessed with in the past year or so. Liz Phair is a bit frowned upon these days, ever since she 'abandoned' her indie roots and took up with the founders of Avril Lavinge. However, many music critics will always cite the exception of her debut album as proof enough of her talent.

Exile In Guyville was a debut of mostly unreleased songs that Liz had compiled on her Girlysound indie, raw, lo-fi, homemade cassette tapes, so basically this is a greatest hits type of album that she compiled. Her incomplete, weary voice matches her world-weary, self-aware lyrics completely. And the frank, sexual discussion unheard of females at the time didn't hurt either. But, the musical interpretation is what makes Exile In Guyville a masterpiece.

She took classic rock, grunge, and folk (my favorite genres) and mixed them with her post-feminist lyrics about divorce, one night stands, revenge, flying over Chicago and many other topics. If she never topped it, well, few could.

Top Tracks: really nearly every song is fantastic, but 'Fuck and Run', 'Divorce Song', 'Shatter', '6'1', and 'Strange Loop' stand out the most.

I Could Live Without Ever Hearing Again: Well, no song is not worth listening too - I don't really care for 'Johnny Sunshine' or 'Gunshy', but they are not bad.

5/5

Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time

Having already covered alot of film on this blog, and frankly, not being interested in Oscars anymore (at least not ranking them) so I'm moving on to something a little the same, but in the same vein. Rolling Stone magazine announced in 200 what the 500 best albums of all time are, and why not rank them myself!

I will skip around and not simply go by their own ranking, at least not at first. Hope you enjoy :)

Marsha Mason's Birthday

Today is the birthday of forgotten, or better said, obscure actress Marsha Mason. But, back in let's say 1979, she was a hot ticket, making movies every year and making a name for herself, picking up 4 Oscar nominations for Best Actress in a span of 8 years. Marrying Neil Simon in 1973, she made a name for herself appearing in hit films based on his most famous plays.

What was it about her that made her such a force of nature during this time, but quickly faded away, ironically, after she divorced Neil Simon. Her most notable appearance after 1981 was in Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge. Her big eyebrows, weirdly seductive looks, and superior attitude was apparent in nearly everyone of her performances. When she appeared in The Goodbye Girl (her best performance) she left behind the sexy, smoky performance she gave in Cinderella Liberty. She even played a version of herself in Chapter Two, receiving her 3rd Oscar nomination. This neurotic, romantic character was what she was a pro at playing.

Yet, that still doesn't answer the question of what made her such a force during this time. It's probably the answer of the 1970s where a diverse, wild, and incredibly interesting era of Oscar history. And in the end, I like Marsha Mason and her Oscar nominated performances. She may of not have had a career that was promised from her early success, but her image is left on the screen and maybe it is all left to Neil Simon or maybe just luck. Or maybe the Academy just knew how to recognize more actresses, giving them multiple nominations in a short period.

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".