Everything's As If We Never Said Goodbye: Best Supporting Actress, 1983

Hello, old friends.

3 years later, but you get the idea

Like its 1993 equivalent, this is at least my second time viewing all these performances. That's thanks to Stinkylulu, who hosted a Supporting Actress Smackdown back in 2009 that I participated in. As will happen when almost ten years (!) have passed, I've warmed to some performances, cooled on others, and maintained my affection for another.

It's a great lineup, though. Cher called Silkwood her acting debut -- she appeared in two movies previously, but those who had seen them could not argue with her statement. Glenn Close was back after her Oscar-nominated film debut in The World According to Garp the year before. Amy Irving became one of the few to be nominated for both a Razzie and an Oscar for the same performance. And Alfre Woodard, who would later appear in Supporting Actress Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, garnered her first and so far only (!!!) nomination.

As for Linda Hunt...talk about unexpected wins! Certainly, the draw of a diminutive actress playing a half-Chinese man - not a cross-dresser, not a trans character, but a man - is one ripe for an Oscar Season Narrative. Oh, and fine, she had already won the National Board of Review and Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards for this role. But holy Lord, can you imagine this happening now?

Hell, would I vote for it now? Hit the jump and find out!

Casting Coup Tuesdays: Earthquake (a DISASTERPIECE)

Released the same year as The Towering Inferno, Earthquake is perhaps one of the most surprising entries in the DISASTERPIECE canon. Instead of focusing on a trapped handful, it's a sprawling ensemble. The star wattage isn't as bright as films like Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. And the cinematography is just...it's just flat and ugly. And the ingenue has this big-ass afro that proudly announces, "Here I am! I am...THE 70s!"

Yet it all somehow works. Credit the strong screenplay by George Fox and Mario Puzo, who actually create engaging characters with real relationships. Or credit director Mark Robson, who gets far better performances from his actors than some of their characters warrant. Actually, credit that ensemble, giving their all without going over the top (except for Ava Gardner, gob-smackingly cast as Lorne Greene's daughter!!!). Ooh, or credit the editor, Dorothy Spencer, who keeps the film moving at an exciting pace without losing any sense of what's happening to whom -- and all at two hours! Maybe we should also commend John Williams, who has a good, sexy time with the score.

My point being, of course, that Earthquake is a fine film. So why even bring up a new cast for a remake? Because: (1) earthquakes in Los Angeles are always great fodder for drama; and (2) the original is SO 1974 -- remember Victoria Principal's afro? But most of all, it's (3) come on, that's not LA. Maybe it's just the specific areas of town they happened to be in, but the LA I've been in for two months is far more diverse than a single Richard Roundtree. I think my cast is more representative, however relative that may be. And I'm pulling Oscar winners, television personalities, and hot young stars into it. It's the old and the new.

So let's shake things up (yuk, yuk)! Let the title lead the way....

DEATH TOLL: 4 (leads only)

ROMANCES: 1 (leads only)

Casting Coup Wednesday: A Wrinkle in Time

Finally! After many delays and broken promises, I've finally got A Wrinkle in Time CCT'd...on a Wednesday. Hey, it got done, right?

I took so long, though, because I did want this to be just right. You see, the novel was recommended to me last summer by an actor and friend I greatly admire; a year later, one of my close friends waxed rhapsodic about it, so I finally got around to reading it. If two people I hold in high esteem love Madeline L'Engle's popular novel as much as they do, then it must be worth the read, right?

Right indeed. I was charmed by the Murrys: I could identify with Meg, and while the idea of a sex-year-old as genius as young Charles Wallace seems absurd...eh, I went with it. There are a lot of impressively brilliant children out there, so I didn't see why a telepathic pre-kindergartener who communicates with angels should be bizarre. Then, of course, the Mrs. Ws, especially dear Mrs. Whatsit, who quickly became my favorite character in the book. The plot itself was one that had me re-reading certain passages to reassure myself of what I was reading. But it was there: a mode of travel through space and time called "tesseracting"; a cold, clammy Black Thing that is attacking the universe; and a distant planet turned into a warless, fascist world of conformity by a large brain known only as IT. It was weird. It was glorious.

It was the perfect subject for a film! Certainly, the casting seemed off when I looked up the television version from 2004. Twenty-year-olds to play the leads? It's not like we're short on child actors, people. Besides, I had some ideas of my own while reading it, and some more well after. The only major characters not to show up here are the Murry twins and Charles Wallace. The twins are bit parts, and probably could go to unknowns -- also, I don't know of many twins actors. As for Charles Wallace, that has to go to an unknown, for it will be a rare thing indeed to find a child of that age range that could play the character. As for the rest...well, judge for yourselves.

THE MAN WITH RED EYES

Who is He: Prime Coordinator of Camazotz, he is the vessel through which IT speaks to Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace. He communicates telepathically. IT enters into Charles Wallace when the boy looks in the eyes of the Man with Red Eyes.

My Choice:

Doug Jones (Hellboy, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer)

This time we get to see his face. And what a menacing, terrifying face it is. Not in a bad way, though, in a "could totally pull off this role" way. And with red contacts, the effect would be terrifying.

AUNT BEAST

Who is She: The blind, telepathic, tentacled creature who nurses Meg after she is frozen by the Black Thing. Aunt Beast is nurturing and loving, with a soft and motherly voice.

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Actress (Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons) and Best Supporting Actress (The World According to Garp, The Big Chill, The Natural), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Actress (Dangerous Liaisons), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actress in a Drama or Musical/Comedy (Fatal Attraction, Maxie, 101 Dalmatians)

Glenn Close (Tarzan, Hoodwinked!)

Of course, Aunt Beast herself would have to be played by a Where the Wild Things-esque blend of costume and VFX, but the soothing tones of a mother should be done by one whose voice is soft and reassuring. Remember her work in Tarzan? Of course you do, she was magnificent.

THE HAPPY MEDIUM

Who is She: A jolly woman whose crystal ball reveals the Black Thing, an evil being attacking the universe. She lives in a cavern on a planet in Orion's Belt.

My Choice:

Della Reese (Harlem Nights, Beauty Shop)

She's got a kind of mystical quality to her...probably from all those years as Tess on "Touched by an Angel". She's also got a wonderfully jolly smile and laugh, which I think would help in playing a character who's "jolly".

MRS. WHICH

Who is She: One of the angelic Mrs. Ws. Unable to completely materialize, she is a ghostly, ethereal presence, with an echoing voice. Mrs. Which is the wisest and leader of the Mrs. Ws.

My Choice: Academy Award/BAFTA Winner/Golden Globe/SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Michael Clayton), Golden Globe/Indie Spirit Nominee for Best Actress [in a Drama] (The Deep End), SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (Adaptation., The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

Tilda Swinton (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Julia)

An otherworldly woman. She's got a great voice for the angelic, echoey effect, too.

MRS. WHO

Who is She: One of the Mrs. Ws. Round and bespectacled, Mrs. Who speaks in various languages and often quotes the Bible and Shakespeare. She finds it difficult to use her own words to express herself.

My Choice: BAFTA Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress (The Age of Innocence)

Miriam Margolyes (Romeo + Juliet, Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone)

She is a plump woman who would look owlish with spectacles. A wonderful supporting actress, you could just plop glasses on that face above and she'd be good to go.

MRS. WHATSIT

Who is She: An elderly woman in appearance, she is actually the youngest of the Mrs. Ws. Because of this, she has the easiest time communicating with the children, and it is she makes contact with Charles Wallace and the Murrys. Mrs. Whatsit is a tiny woman wrapped in various layers of clothes, and it is rumored that her house is haunted.

My Choice: Academy Award Winner/Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (The Year of Living Dangerously)

Linda Hunt (Ready to Wear, Stranger Than Fiction)

As soon as this character appeared, I immediately thought of Linda Hunt.

DR. ALEXANDER MURRY
Who is He: An astrophysicist, he's been missing for some time at the novel's opening. As it turns out, he's been researching fifth-dimensional traveling, or tesseracting -- that is, the same method of travel the Mrs. Ws use. Unfortunately, his research puts him at the mercy of the Black Thing, and he becomes a prisoner of IT. Long-haired, bespectacled, handsome, and a devoted father.

My Choice: Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy (Kate & Leopold)

Hugh Jackman (Scoop, Australia)
Much of the story is spent in anticipation of eventually seeing him, so why not cast someone audiences will anticipate seeing? Plus, he can rock the long haired, bespectacled handsomeness.

DR. KATHERINE MURRY
Who is She: Microbiologist and beautiful, red-headed wife of Alex. She is a devoted mother, working from home in her own laboratory. Her beauty and intelligence, though, unknowingly put pressure on Meg.

My Choice: Academy Award/SAG Award Nominee for Best Actress (The End of the Affair, Far from Heaven) and Best Supporting Actress (Boogie Nights, The Hours), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Actress (The End of the Affair) and Best Supporting Actress (The Hours), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actress in a Drama or Musical/Comedy (The End of the Affair, An Ideal Husband, Far from Heaven) and Best Supporting Actress (Boogie Nights, A Single Man), Indie Spirit Winner for Best Actress (Far from Heaven), SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Magnolia) and Best Ensemble (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, The Hours), Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (A Single Man)

Julianne Moore (Savage Grace, The Kids Are All Right)
Beautiful. Intelligent. Red-headed. Really, the only other option would be my girlfriend, but she's not old enough to have a fourteen-year-old daughter. So, Julianne Moore it is, then.

CALVIN O'KEEFE
Who is He: Fourteen-year-old high school junior who plays basketball. He likes being around the Murrys far better than being with his own inattentive family, and he winds up traveling with them to Camazotz. Of course, there also seems to be a "thing" between him and Meg.

My Choice:

Dylan Minnette (Let Me In, Fred Claus)
I was having a lot of difficulty with this role, but then I saw Let Me In. This kid walked on-screen and I immediately went, "Of course! Perfect!" It may seem bizarre of me to choose someone based on their portrayal of a sadistic bully, but he was also good as Jack's son on "Lost", so I think Calvin's in good hands here.

MEG MURRY
Who is She:  Our protagonist. Bespectacled, brace-faced, and mousy, Meg is unruly and unpopular. Though brilliant in mathematics, she is considered hopeless in other school subjects, and often does not apply the gifts bestowed upon her by God and good genes. She misses her father, is protective of her youngest brother Charles Wallace, is attracted to Calvin, and goes on a tesseracting journey through time and space.

My Choice:

Madeline Carroll (Swing Vote, Flipped)
Can you believe I'm basing this off of a commercial I saw her in? Those 30 seconds impressed me more than most other young actresses in whole films. Carroll seems to be admired in the industry, though, and what with being age-appropriate and someone who is obviously one to watch, I feel like she's just what this film needs to anchor it.

1983 SMACKDOWN!

I have taken part, for a second time, in StinkyLulu's Supporting Actress Smackdown. The year is 1983, and Heavens to Betsy there's much to love here. The chick from SilverScreener fave Carrie, Cruella De Ville, the woman who made me believe in life after love, a tiny woman, and Alfre Woodard. Kick-ass.

I'll tell you what, I am a big fan of the performances by Cher (Silkwood) and Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously). I am not a big fan of Amy Irving in Yentl.

Head on over to StinkyLulu and check out what went down.

I have to say, if there's one thing I've learned from this experience, it's this: 1983 kind of blows. True, Linda Hunt got the Oscar she so richly deserved, and Silkwood's cool, but overall? Cross Creek is dull, Yentl is a joke, and though I freeking love The Big Chill, why was Glenn Close that film's sole nominee? Especially when Meg Tilly, Mary Kay Place, Tom Berenger, and (emphasis on him) William Hurt gave such amazing performances? What a bizarre year.