This was the year of huge surprises. As far as I can remember, no-one expected Castle-Hughes or Morton to get nominated (both were longshots in supporting, where they were being campaigned).
The nominees for this year in Best Actress were: Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider as "Paikea" Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give as "Erica Barry" Samantha Morton in In America as "Sarah" Charlize Theron in Monster as "Aileen Wuornos" Naomi Watts in 21 Grams as "Cristina Peck"
My Ranking: 1. Theron - I don't think she can be beaten. This is a brilliant performance that shows the human side to a monstrous woman. Makeup work aside, she's fully committed to the character and it is definitely one of the best performances of the year.
2. Watts - She's fine, but I found all of her screaming grating and kind of campy. It reminds me, now, of Angelina Jolie's performance in Changeling - a lot of "big scenes" but no underlying thread holding them together.
-. Castle-Hughes (saw the film too long ago to remember) -. Keaton (haven't seen the film) -. Morton (haven't seen the film)
My Personal Ballot: 1. Charlize Theron in Monster as "Aileen Wuornos" 2. Nicole Kidman in Dogville as "Grace Mulligan" 3. Uma Thurman in Kill Bill (vol. 1) as "The Bride" 4. Angela Bettis in May as "May Dove Canady" 5. Kati Outinen in The Man Without a Past as "Irma"
"Notorious was nice, but it’s not in the color purple range" "Angels and Demons may get nominated for cinematography the imagery was profound" "District Nine will definitely win for best foreign film it made money and everyone loved it" ~ 8movies
Posts: 2714 | Location: nz | Registered: January 12, 2009
#1. Charlize Theron, Monster -After being seen as an ingenue for the past 8 years in Hollywood with small roles in movies like "That Thing You Do!" and supporting roles in "The Cider House Rules" and "The Italian Job", Charlize Theron proved herself to be a very strong actress with her performance in "Monster", as Aileen Wournos, she knocks it out of the park. A very strong performance that will be remembered for many years to come.
#2. Naomi Watts, 21 Grams -A great performance that did get close to being considered "over-the-top" but I found it to be appropriate and she could've won this Oscar without my complaints. However, this performance is nowhere near the zenith she reached in her breakout role as Betty/Diane in "Mulholland Dr."
#3. Samantha Morton, In America -It has been so long since I've seen "In America" that I barely remember it, but from what I do remember, I really liked Morton's performance but felt that her nomination was reward enough.
#4. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider -First of all, her being nominated in lead was the BIGGEST shocker I've had while watching the Oscar nominations, because she broke through the "child actor" ghetto in lead that many felt Evan Rachel Wood would've done AND the Academy put her in lead where she belonged after she was being campaigned and was nominated at SAG in Supporting (one of the biggest category frauds EVER!!). She was very natural and sweet in "Whale Rider" and a very beautiful person, but I was more taken by Evan Rachel Wood that year.
#5. Diane Keaton, Something's Gotta Give -Diane Keaton has given great performances ("Annie Hall", "Looking for Mr. Goodbar", and "Reds"), and this was a good performance that deserved some of its recognition, but compared to the other people on this list, she was the weakest.
Posts: 1293 | Location: WV | Registered: October 23, 2005
01. Keaton (an unpopular choice, but I thought she was great) 02. Theron 03. Castle-Hughes 04. Morton 05. Watts
My ballot:
01. Sarah Bolger, In America 02. Scarlett Johansson, Lost in Translation / Girl with a Pearl Earring 03. Diane Keaton, Something's Gotta Give 04. Uma Thurman, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 05. Charlize Theron, Monster
My Rank: 1. Diane Keaton - Something's Gotta Give 2. Charlize Theron - Monster Haven't seen the rest
My Ballot 1. Diane Keaton - Something's GOtta Give 2. Scarlett Johansson - Girl With a Peal Earring 3. Nicole Kidman - Cold Mountain 4. Charlize Theron - Monster 5. Helen Mirren - Calendar Girls
Thankfully not a stinker in the bunch. A very good line-up from top to bottom, but the Academy got it right. To date, Theron's work in "Monster" was the performance of the decade.
"A movie is not good because it arrives at conclusions you share, or bad because it does not. A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it: about the way it considers its subject matter, and about how its real subject may be quite different from the one it seems to provide." - Roger Ebert, from the introduction to "Awake in the Dark" (2006)
I would've loved to have seen Johansson's fantastic performance in Girl With A Pearl Earring recognized. One of the few times (thus far) she really gave it all and the best part was that it was so subtle and beautifully understated.
Uma I would've nommed a year later for Vol 2, where I thought she was infinitely better.
Best of the snubbed: Charlotte Rampling, Swimming Pool Evan Rachel Wood, Thirteen Jamie Lee Curtis, Freaky Friday Patricia Clarkson, The Station Agent Elisabeth Moss, Virgin
And if Angels in America were released in theaters, La Streep would've given Theron a bit of a run for her money methinks.
------------------------------------- Member on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Posts: 1181 | Location: Phoenix, AZ | Registered: May 08, 2003
