Saturday, May 26, 2012

No news is... no news. 

I am putting on hold the Best Actress series, first of all because of limited time & the fact that I am almost always tired (possibly because of some pills I'm taking) which makes me moody and not willing to write anything longer than 2 sentences... and second: I am so behind on 2011 films (still!) that I'd rather try to focus on that and see those 10-15 I have left and wanna give them a shot. Don't know how long this will take... but Liza will have to wait a bit.

But if we're here... I still have my eyes on Oscar 2013 race. And how about Best Actress 2012?? What a mess this is going to be... No hope in sight. The past week brought some disappointments: Nicole is clearly out of the race for The Paperboy given the Cannes reaction; the trailer for The Great Gatsby was released and it doesn't look like much potential for Carey Mulligan, and we also had the trailer for Hyde Park on Hudson (hope I got the name right), and Laura Linney looks like a co-lead at most, and no crying scenes. :(

They won't give a 2nd Oscar to Marion (Lowlife or Rust & Bone), I don't trust Quartet yet (might be just a light dramedy, and Maggie might not even be lead), I am giving in and predicting Helen Hunt for nomination, but I doubt a win, also they will never nominate Kristen Wiig so that's that. And who do I end up with? Keira Knightley! (Keira f***** Knightley)! Loved her in Pride & Prejudice, liked her a lot in Atonement, but I'll say it again; and again; and again: she is not Anna Karenina. It's a clear example of poor casting: she is not mature enough, not pretty/charming enough (sorry, I had to say it), not woman enough for this role; while the 1935 film version might've been crap, one can't argue: Garbo had the look for the part and the maturity. No schoolgirl should attempt this role. 


Which doesn't mean Keira won't do a good job; hopefully, she won't overact it, which she tends to do. My problem here is that I ended up predicting her for a win, even if I don't think she will manage... 
Is it really such a weak Best Actress year?

5 comments:

dinasztie said...

Oh gosh, we might as well end up watching Jennifer Lawrence winning an Oscar for The Hunger Games. But try to be optimistic, this could all turn out well. There's so much time, don't judge the race before it even starts. :))))

And you shouldn't surrender. Keira will NEVER win the Oscar for Anna Karenina and for the reasons mentioned by you.

I still hope Laura or Viola will pull it off. Sometimes the trailers are misleading. Just look at The Help trailer, it clearly showcases Emma rather than Viola and it wasn't Emma who missed the Oscar by a couple of votes.

{Just saying but... The Door should be picked up by The Weinsteins and give Helen that damn second she obviously deserves for her amazing, heartbreaking performance in that not-so-perfect film (please, spare the "STOP HOPING" comment, thanks). :D}

JC said...

Maybe it's not tweak, just too crowded by co-leads.

Who are those who may get category confusion? Kidman, Mulligan, Linney, Adams, Smith, Lawrence, Davis, Moore Field - lots of them!

Meryl Streep in lightweight mode, Rachel McAdams in a Terrence Malick film, Nicole Kidman peeing on Zac Efron's face - I myself don't even know what's happening this year, except for the fact that I am endlessly fascinated by Kidman in The Paperboy.

:)

It's just the end of may. There is still some hope for some serious contenders.

Runs Like A Gay said...

It's a strange looking year from this far out, and whilst Anna Karenina has nomination written all over it the lack of clear front runners in terms of buzz does mean that a more esoteric performance or generally ignored genre might slip in.

So, in my for your consideration idea, how about Scarlett Johansson in "Under the Skin". It's a doozy of a novel, utterly captivating and thought provoking and if Jon Glazer can bring even a tiny part of that to the screen people will be blown away.

Alex Constantin said...

@dinasztie,
still lost, still don't have a winner decided... who?! who is winning it?! maybe.... Marion again?... Hmmm
and yes, pls stop hoping on The Door. :D it doesn't even have a release date.

@JC,
I don't see Meryl happening, the film looks awful. The Malick film(s) probably won't get released till next year. Paperboy is lost unfortunately, it will be lucky to get a release date...

@Ben,
saw new stills of Anna K. Because I love the book so much, I still feel like complete mistake in casting for all 3 characters from the love triangle.
Isn't Under the Skin a bit SF-ish? [and yes, Nicole was great in Birth :) ]

I am starting to question if Michelle W. has a chance of getting nom for Take This Waltz... why not, in such a weak year

Anonymous said...

Maybe I sound to optimistic, but I don't think is a weak year yet.

Good points for Knightley, and in my opinion, I really doubt she'll be nominated -Maybe another GG nomination and that's all-. Knightley has an uphill battle, the trailer gives me vibres for another "Marie Antoinette" amd she's a really polarizing figure especially in the UK.

I think you understimate Laura Linney. She came with a surprising third nomination in 2007, right now she has success in TV and Broadway and the play which inspire the film "HPOH" created a compelling Margaret Suckley. According with test screeners reviews, Linney and Williams are the standouts, even when Murray is in front of the campaign. Also, the story behind Suckley and Roosevelt is juicy enough

But again, there are a lot other contenders. Just wait until Venice and Toronto:

-Marion Cotillard, Low Life: The Weinstein picked up the film. Official sources said the film will be release in Cannes 2012, but maybe this is another Harvey tactic and finally the film will have a surprising premiere in Venice or Toronto.
-Penélope Cruz, Twice Born: If you read the novel, Cruz has a great role and a suffering heroine. If the film will premiere in Venice, Cruz would be one of the favorites for the Volpi Cup
-Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin: Maybe is in SF. But sometimes in open races surprises will come
-Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Lining Playbook: The Weinstein will release the film and with Russell directed...
-Naomi Watts, The Impossible: Based on a true story about the 2004 Tsumani in Thailand. Summit Entertainment will release the film in USA. It's from the same director of "The Orphanage". The trailer shows a dramatic showcase with Watts and McGregor
-Michelle Williams, Take this Waltz: Why not? The weakness: Magnolia Pictures will release the film
-Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty: According with many sources, Chastain has a starring role as a CIA investigator alongside Joel Edgerton. Afterglow effect and Columbia's only female viable contender
-Jamie Chung, Eden: The reviews are excellent and she won in the Seattle International Film Festival