2004
So the much anticipated ranking is:
What could Hilary do in this movie, where a great actress like Margo Martindale becomes a caricature? Nothing, but remaining what the screenplay intended her to be: a cliché, nothing more than that. She does the Oscar scenes the way she's supposed to, she's easy to sympathize with so what else can I ask for? Truth and honesty, no cheap, shallow emotions.
I'm saying that I was once again impressed by Catalina's screen debut as Maria. She played this character with lots of dedication and confidence, while avoiding the obvious traps. She never becomes 'obvious' in her acting, totally identifies with her character and develops her wonderfully. I can only praise her for her incredible, extremely heart-breaking performance.
Pure
delight! Annette's performane as Julia reminded me of Pauline Collins
in Shirley Valentine. It may not be a huge dramatic achievement but
she's so delightful and I was so in love with the character that I
couldn't get enough of her. She took this wonderful part and turned it
into a fascinating, wonderful creation that's incredibly delightful.
After
all, I can't say anything negative about Imelda Staunton as Vera Drake.
Although I don't love her as much as I used to, I still find her simply
fantastic. She completely became this character and wonderfully played
with the emotions. The way Imelda reveals all the layers of Vera and
creates dramatic tension on the screen is just unbelievably great.
Unforgettable, remarkable work.
A no-brainer pick. Honestly, the "Am I ugly?" scene just locked and sealed this win and there was no other way. Kate is just as great as Clementine as people say, if not better. She evokes all the great feelings of Diane Keaton's Annie Hall without shamelessly copying her. Kate's Clementine is an utterly fascinating, unique creation bursting with creativity. Kate solved her task flawlessly and she deserves nothing but praise for it.
So I can proudly announce
that the winner is...
Kate Winslet
in
Eternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind
There you go, Wonder Woman. :)
Final thoughts: Wonderful year, horrible winner. Really Academy, really? I am stunned by this decision. Didn't they watch the other movies???? Kate was such an easy winner here. Her performance only got better in time. Just like Kate was the winner, Hilary was the no-brainer last but I'm not talking about her anymore. The other three were, however, the hardest to rank. It was incredibly difficult for me. I picked Annette second, she's a real delight here. That must raise some eyebrows but I honestly don't care. I was considering ranking her fourth but I got to a point where I found: hell, I liked her most next to Kate. To be perfectly honest, I would have voted for Annette as an Academy member because she was so great and overdue. OK, she's brilliant, that's it. Imelda and Catalina are pretty much equal for me, therefore their order was kind of random. :)
Omissions: Uma Thurman in Kill Bil Vol. 2.
About the next year: You just never know what can happen. My sudden encounter with this year was a shock and I never thought I could do it. It's gonna be very exciting, with four performances I haven't even seen. Clues:
- DON'T SPEAAAAAK!
What do you think? Any thoughts on your mind?
No surprise here but I am a bit disappointed that you dislike Hilary so much (on the other hand, a three seems pretty generous in that case).
ReplyDeleteYou said that 1951 would be your next year but I cannot understand the clue...it makes me more think of 1955.
All I can think of with you're clue is Helen Sinclair. So my guess is Best Supporting Actress 1994 ;).
ReplyDeleteSad to see Hilary not getting any love here, but I agree that Kate is better but Hilary is not as bad as people think. :)
Well, I won't do 1951 because you'll do it, too and it would get boring. :D
ReplyDeleteSo you might just be right. :D
Derek: No, I'll stick to Best Actress. :) Helen Sinclair's line was based on this one. :D
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks a lot, dinasztie! I was actually planning to do another year because you wanted to do 1951. :-)
ReplyDeleteNo Fritz, I was considering things and I found that you would do much more justice to 1951 than me so I even voted for it on your poll in the end. :D I only wanted to do it because it's a rarely discussed year but now I found another one which is even more rarely discussed... :D So you go ahead with 1951! :D
ReplyDeleteOut of the ranking I am only surprised that Bening is second. The next year though is 1955 though.
ReplyDeleteKate is <3
ReplyDeleteSage: Oh, yes. Kate <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, dinasztie! But I'm sure your look at 1951 will be fantastic!
ReplyDelete