Of all the nominees for Best Supporting Actress, only one got cheers and whoops when her name was called before the winner was announced:
Whoopi Goldberg's win was not quite a surprise - those cheers alone are proof of the momentum. She had received the best notices for her performance in the biggest hit of the year, even critics who panned the movie praised her portrayal. The only threat to her win, it would appear, was Lorraine Bracco, who had been awarded by the LA critics and hat-tipped by the New York critics and the Golden Globes. Mary McDonnell, Golden Globe-nominated and the leading lady in the Best Picture frontrunner, would probably be next. And after that, your guess is as good as mine: Diane Ladd was a Golden Globe nominee and had been here before but had an atypical part in an atypical film, while Annette Bening had managed to push out early favorite Shirley MacLaine (Postcards from the Edge) for a spot in the final five.
In the past, I have given ratings from one star (*) to five (*****). I'm ending that today because, honestly, sometimes I just don't know how to rate something. I do know how to rank my affection for a set of performances, however. So, as with Best Picture, here are the Supporting Actress nominees from my #5 to my #1:
The Oscar nominations are tomorrow...and so now is as good a time as any to present my own awards for the best in 2016 cinema. These are the Hollmann Awards.
Best Supporting Actress
Jiang Wenli as Master Zou, the Madame
The Final Master
2. Viola Davis, Fences; 3. Song Jia, The Final Master; 4. Jena Malone, The Neon Demon;
5. Lupita Nyong'o, Queen of Katwe
Lupita Nyong'o, expressing disapproval with the little "hmms" she makes, giving those looks children the world over know too well - yet in her eyes, there's guarded hope. Jena Malone, deadpanning her way through an off-kilter performance that boasts three jaw-dropping moments for her. Song Jia, the mysterious wife who enters into a marriage as a transaction, suddenly finding a strength and love for her husband she didn't count on possessing. Viola Davis, breaking our hearts and reflecting every hard-working woman out there who stood to the side so her man could feel like a Man.
But my favorite supporting actress performance this year came from Jiang Wenli, as a smirking, cruel, calculating gang boss who hides behind the cloak of "continuing my husband's name" - while consolidating power for her own ends. She is strong, she is cunning, she is a force to be reckoned with. And Jiang plays her like a cat with a bowl of cream.
I swear I haven't watched the SAG Awards. I swear to Heaven I haven't, since I've been visiting my other favorite cousin all evening. These predictions aren;t just last-minute...they're downright late. I have recorded it, so I'm going to watch it before I read blogs and Twitter. But here's how I think it went down:
BEST ENSEMBLE: The Fighter
BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
BEST ACTRESS: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale, The Fighter
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE: Inception
And, hey, who cares about TV? I will if I get a job with them, but since I can't come up with them off the top of my head, I won't bother predicting them. Let's see if I'm right an hour in the past.
I moved into a new apartment Friday, one where the internet won't be hooked up until August 22nd. Fortunately, I just arrived in my old hometown for a two week vacation, and my folks have their wireless up and running. Four days without internet almost killed me, I swear, and not just because I'm an addict who spends most of his time on this thing. No, I needed to get on my blog and talk about two great movies I saw this weekend.
First, I want to talk briefly about the more readily available one. Though in a limited release, The Kids Are All Right has the benefit of Recognizable Stars to up its chances of getting an audience. And thank goodness for that, because this movie deserves to be seen. The movie is light, but the performances are fully realized. It's strange, because this movie does bring out the ol' Hollywood tropes: big speeches, college looming, bad best friends, outsider charms way into a family. And a cynical person may be tempted to say that no one would praise this movie as much if it was about a straight couple who used a donor as opposed to being what some are calling a "lesbian issue film".
Relevant cinema! The horror!
But what's wrong with gays having mainstream issue films? Everyone else gets them. And if they're as good as The Kids Are All Right, can we have more, please? This movie deals with families and marriage and growing up and the trust between spouses and the bonds between parent and child. These are universal themes that any family can appreciate and relate to. The parents here just happen to be women. And thank goodness for that, I say, for otherwise we'd be deprived some stellar work from Julianne Moore and Annette Bening.
That's what this movie is about, people. There's great direction from Lisa Cholodenko, and an admirable script by her and Stuart Blumberg. But this film is about the performances! Subtle, likable performances across the board! Annette has a great moment in Act Three that...well, it's really the basis of her inevitable Oscar campaign, isn't it? Julianne Moore charts this heartbreaking and relatable arc that kills me. Mia Wasikowska finally emotes and Josh Hutcherson makes me sorry he's not going to be Peter Parker. Mark Ruffalo? Best performance he's given since Zodiac. A solid ensemble all around, and best of all: it comes with a believable family dynamic! Hurrah!
Yeah, I highly recommend it, and I stick to my earlier predictions for Best Actress and Best Picture nominations. The film's that good.
And as for that other film I saw...well, that deserves a separate post!
Once again, I've entered Nathaniel's Best Actress Psychic contest over at The Film Experience. Yes, yes, it's April. It's too soon. But it's always fun to see how our spit-balling looks in nine months. My picks for Best Actress:
THE PREVIOUS NOMINEE; THE "LIGHT" ONE
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
THE PREVIOUS WINNER; THE PULITZER PLAY
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
THE NEW GIRL
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
THE OVERDUE ACTRESS
Robin Wright Penn, The Conspirator
THE PREVIOUS WINNER; THE NEMESIS OF ANNETTE
Hilary Swank, Betty Anne Waters
As of now, I give the edge to either Wright Penn or Bening. But, really, this is all just spitting around, pissing in the wind, cliche that doesn't fit the circumstances.
And just for fun, some other categories to consider:
BEST PICTURE Fair Game, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, London Boulevard, Never Let Me Go, Rabbit Hole, The Tree of Life, The Way Back
BEST DIRECTOR
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life (Oscar Nom for The Thin Red Line)
John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Peter Weir, The Way Back (Oscar Noms for Witness, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter (Oscar Noms for Junebug and Doubt)
Helena Bonham-Carter, The King's Speech (Oscar Nom for The Wings of the Dove)
Elle Fanning, Somewhere
Melissa Leo, The Fighter (Oscar Nom for Frozen River)
Kerry Washington, Mother and Child
BEST ACTOR
Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Oscar Win for Wall Street)
Colin Farrell, London Boulevard
Colin Firth, The King's Speech (Oscar Nom for A Single Man)
Sean Penn, Fair Game (Oscar Wins for Mystic River and Milk)
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter (Oscar Nom for The Departed)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Ed Harris, The Way Back (Oscar Noms for The Truman Show, Pollock and The Hours)
Sam Rockwell, Betty Anne Waters
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech (Oscar Win for Shine)
Mark Strong, The Way Back
I toyed for a moment or two with just letting CCM go. A lot has been on my plate this semester, what with a premiere this Thursday, thesis classes starting, and a new 3D project being sprung on us. It's been crazy.
But then I realized that I had promised All About Eve. And dammit, I am going to deliver on that promise.
All About Eve is the definition of A Classic. Popular with critics and audiences alike, it scored a record 14 Oscar nominations, a feat not to be matched until Titanic in 1997. Based on the short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, the film depicts the rise of Eve Harrington in the theatre world, as told by a theatre critic, a playwright's wife, and Broadway legend Margo Channing. Writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz takes the story, originally told solely through the eyes of the playwright's wife, and builds a dazzling story about aging, sexism, and the Theatre that has yet to find an equal. Really, he's a lot more understanding of women than Orr, who wrote about a bunch of back-stabbing bitches. Mankiewicz humanizes all the characters -- well, maybe not the dastardly Eve -- while upping the bitchery! A true master of the craft!
And so, instead of smug British windbag Clement Howell, we get charismatic, faithful, patient Bill Sampson, a director who has been Margo's Man for years, though they've yet to marry. Rather than having Margo meeting Eve first, Karen Richards is the one who meets Eve and introduces her to Margo as a gesture of kindness. Then, of course, there are the two characters Mankiewicz created: Margo's companion and confidante, Birdie; and the renowned theatre critic Addison DeWitt. Can anyone imagine the film without these two?
Of its 14 nominations, All About Eve went home with six Oscars, including Best Picture. Surprisingly, though it had five acting nominations, it only won Best Supporting Actor for George Sanders' career-defining portrayal of Addison DeWitt. Vote-splitting is the only reasonable cause for the losses of Bette Davis and Anne Baxter in Best Actress (Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday), and Thelma Ritter and Celeste Holm in Best Supporting Actress (Josephine Hull in Harvey). Mankiewicz won, of course, for Director and Best Writing - Screenplay. And, of course, there are the two technical wins: Best Sound Recording (Thomas T. Moulton) and Best Costume Design - Black-and-White (Edith Head and Charles le Maire). Its technical losses: Cinematography - Black-and-White (The Third Man), Editing (King Solomon's Mines), Set Direction - Black-and-White (Sunset Boulevard) and Best Music - Dramatic or Comedy Score (Sunset Boulevard).
Oh, but do you think that was the end of its run of awesome? No, no, kind sirs and madames. In 1970, Broadway herself saw the premiere of Applause, a musical based on Mankiewicz's film and Orr's short story. Updated to the then-present, the story switches out Birdie for Duane, combines the roles of Addison and producer Max Fabian into producer Howard Benedict, adds a bunch of dancers, gets Margo to a gay bar, and holy shit the FRINGE ON DISPLAY MY GOD THE FRINGE!!! Though Mankiewicz and some others, notably All About "All About Eve" author Sam Staggs, took issue with both these changes and the the sidelining of Eve in favor of more Margo, the show was a hit. And why not? It was, after all, the Broadway musical debut of Hollywood legend LAUREN FUCKING BACALL:
Yes, yes, yes! Of course, she won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical, and the show itself won Best Musical. It was later made into a TV Movie that was basically the stage show with cut songs and larger sets. And you can watch all of it here.
And why all this attention on the musical? Because after that TV special, it was mostly forgotten. The idea of recasting All About Eve has been bandied about before by many others, including Sasha Stone at Awards Daily (she chose Streep and Amy Adams as Margo and Eve, respectively). Me, I feel it can not be touched...unless one were to adapt the musical. Because wouldn't you kill to see something like this in a movie:
And so, let the great experiment begin!
BONNIE Who is She: Written for the musical, Bonnie is a dancer who meets Eve through Howard. She spends her time with other Broadway hopefuls at a restaurant where they all mingle, dreaming of making it on the Great White Way.
Songs: Applause, She's No Longer a Gypsy That happy sound goes over you And just like that Everything's bright, this is your night Love hits you right where you're at 'Cause You've had a taste of The sound that says love Applause, applause, applause
My Choice:
Julianne Hough ("Dancing with the Stars", Burlesque) Can she act? Who cares? She's a dancer, she's a singer, there's not really much else required for the role, other than the ability to sell it. And I'm sure she can.
BIRDIE COONAN/DUANE FOX Who is This Person: Margo's assistant and confidant/e. S/he is the only person who suspects Eve of ulterior motives from the very beginning. Birdie/Duane is also sharp-tongued and quick-witted, but who isn't in this story?
Songs: Fasten Your Seat Belts, She's No Longer a Gypsy Fasten your seat belts It's gonna be a bumpy night Eh, eh, eh, eh Margo in action Critics have called an awesome sight
Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (All About Eve, The Mating Season, With a Song in My Heart, Pickup on South Street, Pillow Talk, Birdman of Alcatraz), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (All About Eve, The Mating Season, Boeing (707) Boeing (707)) Thelma Ritter (Miracle on 34th Street, Rear Window)
My Choice: SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (Dreamgirls)
Keith Robinson (This Christmas, Dear John) Hell of a presence, this guy. He sings magnificently, he can dance, and imagine him palling with...but no, I won't tell you who Margo is yet.
HOWARD BENEDICT/ADDISON DEWITT/MAX FABIAN Who is He: Benedict combines Addison and Fabian. He is a successful Broadway producer who is tired of working with Margo. He does take an interest in Eve, however, and even checks up on her story. What he learns about her is rather interesting...but he's willing ot keep quiet for a price.
Songs: Fasten Your Seat Belts Thanks for the party Wow what a blast Get your coat Where's the door Man it's been Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh A bumpy night
Originally played by: Academy Award Winner/Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (All About Eve) George Sanders (Village of the Damned, The Jungle Book) Gregory Ratoff (What Price Hollywood?, I'm No Angel)
My Choice:
Martin Short (Mars Attacks!, Prince of Egypt) Short has played the skeezy suit many, many times before this. He is also a theatre vet himself, what with that Tony Award for Little Me, touring in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, playing Leo Bloom in The Producers in LA, doing Godspell in Canada in 1972, with Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy and Gilda Radner. Above, he's the skinny guy; Steve Martin is the fat one.
BUZZ RICHARDS/LLOYD RICHARDS Who is He: Buzz in the musical, Lloyd in the movie and story, Mr. Richards is a playwright. He is Karen's husband, Bill's friend, and Margo's sparring partner. Eve selects him as one of her many conquests as she climbs the ladder of success. He is a bright and kind man, but feels unappreciated.
Songs: Fasten Your Seat Belts, Inner Thoughts, Good Friends Good friend, who could care less If you're a failure or a success They're there, whatever you do They like you for you Not your money or your gorgeousness
Originally played by: Hugh Marlowe (Twelve O'Clock High, Come to the Stable)
My Choice: Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy (Kinky Boots), Indie Spirit Winner for Best Supporting Actor (Talk to Me), SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (American Gangster)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity, 2012) Ejiofor is such a classy guy. I can see him as the frustrated smart guy who thinks he isn't being taken seriously (2012), or as the guy who is more naive than he should be (American Gangtser). Plus, I just like watching him act.
KAREN RICHARDS Who is She: Buzz's wife and Margo's best friend. She is the only one without a career in theatre. Karen sees Eve waiting outside the theatre, and it is she who introduces the girl to Margo. She tries to help the girl in her career and against Margo, not for any malicious reason, but because Karen is just so damn nice.
Songs: Fasten Your Seat Belts, Inner Thoughts, Good Friends
Originally played by: Academy Award/Golden Globe Winner for Best Supporting Actress (Gentleman's Agreement) Celeste Holm (Champagne for Caesar, High Society)
My Choice: SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble and Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Dreamgirls)
Anika Noni Rose (From Justin to Kelly, The Princess and the Frog) A great singer who deserved more credit than she got for Dreamgirls. This Tony Award-winning actress is usually stuck playing second banana in most of her films, and while that would also be the case here...she's just so damn good at what she does with her characters. Plus, I believe she could have chemistry with anyone, so seeing her with our Margo would be dee-lightful!
BILL SAMPSON Who is He: A great director, Bill and Margo have been an item for a while...though she still refuses his marriage proposals. Bill leaves to direct a motion picture in Rome, but he returns to find Eve living as Margo's assistant, and Margo growing increasingly suspicious of her. Suspicious and drunk. Bill is younger than Margo, but that doesn't lessen his passion for her. He is often the most sensible person in the room.
Songs: Think How It's Gonna Be, Fasten Your Seat Belts, One of a Kind, Something Greater Dry your pretty eyes, come on And let me have a smile Think how it's gonna be When we're together again I don't wanna go But planes come back, you know Think how it's gonna be When we're together again
Originally played by: Gary Merrill (Twelve O'Clock High, Mysterious Island)
My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Actor (Chaplin) and Best Supporting Actor (Tropic Thunder), BAFTA Award Winner for Best Actor (Chaplin), Golden Globe Winner for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy (Sherlock Holmes), SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (Tropic Thunder) and Best Ensemble (Good Night, and Good Luck.)
Robert Downey, Jr. (Heart and Souls, Lucky You) Downey is young enough, I think. Oh, he may not be 35, but he is still younger than our Margo and quite sexy, if I say so myself. He has a rascally charm, and though he rarely gets the opportunity to play just a nice guy, I would love to see him in this role. Really, it's either him or George Clooney, and Clooney doesn't sing. Downey does.
EVE HARRINGTON Who is She: Why, it's all about her! Eve shows up outside the theatre with a tale of woe: a dead husband, small-town dreams, "everything but the bloodhounds snapping at her rear end." Eve soon manages her way into Margo's life, and it is only too late that everyone realizes what a clever schemer she is. The modesty and fragility masks a ruthless woman out to become a Big Star. And hey, she gets that Tony, doesn't she?
Songs: The Best Night of My Life, One Hallowe'en Drop dead, Daddy Look at your little girl now! She feels twitchy, and bitchy, and manic Calm and collected, no sign of panic She's alive, she's alive, so alive!
Originally played by: Academy Award/Golden Globe Winner for Best Supporting Actress (The Razor's Edge) Anne Baxter (I Confess, The Ten Commandments)
My Choice: Academy Award/BAFTA Award/Golden Globe/SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Brokeback Mountain), Indie Spirit Winner for Best Ensemble (Synecdoche, NY), SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (The Station Agent, Brokeback Mountain)
Michelle Williams (The Baxter, Blue Valentine) She's beautiful, but in a way that would allow her to appear mousy. Apparently, she can sing, too. Michelle is probably the best actress under thirty working today. It's hard to believe she's as young as she is, what with her mastery of comedy, drama, and dramedy.
MARGO CHANNING Who is She: The Grande Dame of Broadway. Margo is always putting on a show, whether on stage or off it. She is conscious of her aging, which causes her to erupt at Eve more flamboyantly than she should. But she also initially trusts Eve, leading her into the trap. Margo may have mood swings, but people love her anyway. And truly, what's not to love? Who the hell else would say, "You have permission to breathe!" What an awesome lady.
Songs: But Alive, Who's That Girl, Hurry Back, Fasten Your Seat Belts, Welcome to the Theatre, Inner Thoughts, Good Friends, One of a Kind, Something Greater, Finale A theatre full of strangers adoring you blindly There's something greater There's something greater The friends who know you're lonely and treat you too kindly There's something greater There's something greater
Originally played by: Academy Award Winner for Best Actress (Jezebel, Dangerous), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Foreign Actress (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?), Golden Globe Winner for Best Actress in a Drama (All About Eve, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) and in a Musical/Comedy (Pocketful of Miracles) Bette Davis (Of Human Bondage, The Whales of August)
My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Actress (American Beauty, Being Julia) and Best Supporting Actress (The Grifters), BAFTA Award/SAG Award Winner for Best Actress (American Beauty), Golden Globe Winner for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy (Being Julia), SAG Award Winner for Best Ensemble (American Beauty) Annette Bening (Mars Attacks!, The Women) Yes, Andrew, cheer away! Annette is truly the only actress of our time who could do Margo justice. She's got the spunk, the attitude, and the age. Although I've never seen the evidence myself, I hear she can sing, too - I've yet to see Love Affair, apparently she sings in The Kids Are All Right, and she was once considered for Sweeney Todd when it was a Sam Mendes project. The best thing is, there really is no such thing as Too Big with this role.
Love it? Hate it? Either way, make sure you take a look at the TV special on YouTube. It's an interesting piece...
