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2008’s Top Ten Best Written Female Characters

Posted by Susan Thea Posnock On December - 27 - 2008

1. One shines above the rest from this year’s offerings and she isn’t even human.  2008’s badass Eve spends her time saving the future of humanity and falling in love.  She is so cool, holding her must feel like an Ipod Touch – sleek and perfect.  She is the ultimate gadget but she’s also the hero of Wall-E.  How many films in any year feature a true female kicking ass and taking names?  Usually the women are dressed up in a sexy outfit, do a few high kicks before the male comes in and finishes the job.  Eve mostly does it all, while Wall-E is in the place the female usually occupies — an inspirational force, a hopeless romantic, the beating heart of the story.  Eve is number one.

2. Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) in Frozen River –any mother who has ever written a bounced check to buy groceries or counted out the pennies to buy some milk will recognize a little of themselves in Ray.  It’s not often that the movies gets that kind of desperation this right.  Much of it is Leo and her willingness to go deep, but a lot of it is due to writer Courtney Hunt’s insight.  Cassidy is hardly perfect; so often single moms are written as saints.  They aren’t afforded faults because one whiff of one and the character is neglectful.  She does her best and makes it work.  We look at her not just as single mom, though.  We see her as a whole human being, one of the few in the awards race this year.

2. Doubt’s Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) is far from perfect.   But John Patrick Shanley has written a complex character who isn’t just one thing.  She isn’t just strict, she isn’t just pure, she isn’t just judgmental, she isn’t just good – she is all of it, wrestling itself out of her.  She stands on one side of the divide between priests and nuns, no doubt.  There is a hierarchy which makes her confrontation with Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) all the more poignant.  At the same time, she has difficulty understanding the point of view of Mrs. Miller (Viola Davis), even though they’re both women.  It doesn’t hurt that Streep acts the hell out of the thing.

4. April Wheeler (Kate Winslet), Revolutionary Road – probably because, as Kenneth Turan points out, Winslet was the driving force behind getting the film made, and because she’s acting alongside her trusted pal, Leonardo DiCaprio, and because her husband was directing her – however she arrived at this wonderful portrayal, there it is.  April Wheeler is a complicated creature – someone who chafes against the confines of the “perfect life.” If that was all of it, she might have run off and joined a biker gang.  But there is a part of her that longs for stability, that longs to have it all – marriage, fulfillment, happiness.  It is all there in the Yates novel but somehow it is Winslet who brings those beautiful words to vivid life.

5. Three women in Benjamin Button- one of the best things about Button is how the lead character’s life turns on his experiences with women.  How often to male stories follow those paths?  They rarely do.  But Benjamin Button is taught by, loved by, cared for by women.  This film seemed to me like writer Eric Roth’s and maybe director Fincher’s homage to the great women in their lives.  Taraji P. Henson as Queenie, Cate Blanchett as Daisy and Tilda Swinton as Elizabeth Abbot all shine so brightly in the film and not just because they are one thing.  While Queenie might come the closest to an archetype, there is no deying the various shades on the other women.  Daisy is self-centered and too vain.  Elizabeth Abbot is dissatisfied, ambitious and cold.  Benjamin Button bumps around with them as their lives takes their natural turns.  He must find intimacy and closeness where he can.  These three women were smart enough to see beyond what was happening to him on the outside.

6. Juliette Fontaine (Kristin Scott Thomas), I’ve Loved You So Long – although the ending is a cheat, Thomas’ Juliette is intriguing in almost everything she does.  Her tight and controlled gestures, her varying reactions to the children she comes in contact with, her ways of relating to men.  She clearly wishes she is dead but at the time, there is the slightest glimmer of hope behind her sad eyes.

7. Poppy (Sally Hawkins) Happy-Go-Lucky – she has to be the world’s most annoying character but there is something genius about her, the way Leigh conceived her and the way Hawkins realized her.  She seems like someone who’s always stoned so everything seems funny to them – they can’t just be there because they’re always buzzing.  But she is also like a humming bird – a creature destined to shame those miserable souls around her, those who gaze at her momentarily, in between complaints, or even wonder what it would be like to reach out and touch her.  Poppy is a good person, the kind the world could use a lot more of.

8. Rachel and Kym, (Rosemarie DeWitt and Anne Hathaway) Rachel Getting Married, so it has to be that women writers write the best characters.  Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t but Jenny Lumet absolutely did.  Kim is a typical fuck up, and her sister is the typical “good one.”  But underneath those labels, the things they say to each other, how they relate to one another – it’s all very interesting.  They aren’t there to necessarily serve a purpose, or to drive a plot point, they ARE the plot.

9. Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), The Wrestler – you’d expect a stripper with a heart of gold but what you get is a kind of female counterpart to Randy (Mickey Rourke).  She is someone whose identity seems a bit too wrapped up in the show she puts on.  Who is she if she isn’t the hot spot of desire for all of those loser dudes who wander into the bar?  Tomei doesn’t give too much away in her portrayal, which makes Cassidy all the more compelling. What could have been the world’s most cliched character ended up being something unique.

10.

Honorable mentions because I haven’t yet seen them but I’ll bet they are good: Michelle Williams in Wendy and Lucy, Emma Thompson in Last Chance Harvey, Penelope Cruz (and/or Rebecca Hall) in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Female characters pretty and interesting but nonetheless decorative wallpaper: Caroline Cushing (Rebecca Hall) in Frost/Nixon, Latika (Freida Pinto) in Slumdog Millionaire, Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) in Changeling (no mother would be that wimpy for that long),  Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) in The Dark Knight

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67 Responses for "2008’s Top Ten Best Written Female Characters"

  1. Casey December 27th, 2008 at 11:53 pm 1

    I disagree with angelina her christine collins was one of the bes

  2. The Natural December 27th, 2008 at 11:57 pm 2

    How in the world was Poppy annoying? That’s one criticism that I’ll never understand. You wanna give her a big hug.

  3. alois December 27th, 2008 at 11:57 pm 3

    Christine Collins (no mother would be that wimpy for that long)

    wow subtle Clint-Bashing on AD, who would have thought ?

  4. Paul Outlaw December 28th, 2008 at 12:04 am 4

    Great idea, Sasha!

    My top 5 Best Wriiten Female Characters of 2008:

    1. & 2. The Fontaine sisters (Kristin Scott Thomas & Elsa Zylberstein) in I’ve Loved You So Long
    3. Pat Allen (Patricia Clarkson) in Married Life
    4. April Wheeler (Kate Winslet) in Revolutionary Road
    5. Allison French (The Zellweger) in Appaloosa (great role, weak performance)

  5. Sasha Stone December 28th, 2008 at 12:09 am 5

    It isn’t Clint bashing and it isn’t necessarily about acting but about the writing and complexity of the part. Angelina gave a great performance but her part wasn’t, in my opinion, well written. Not bashing Clint Eastwood at all and if you noticed, The Dark Knight is in there too and everyone knows that’s my number one.

  6. Rob Y December 28th, 2008 at 12:25 am 6

    Sasha,

    I too gravitated towards EVE. When I saw EVE and how she commanded the screen, I thought she was the ideal female lead–assertive yet still feminine (at least in design).

  7. ladylurks December 28th, 2008 at 12:49 am 7

    Outstanding list, Sasha. One of my favorite things about Wall-E was the way Eve was written to kick ass and stay on mission.

    Ray Eddy, and also Lila, are simply unique characters. You never see two women written as antagonists/protagonists in a desperate gritty thriller like Frozen River, where the men in their lives are conspicuously absent and the women are so proactive, yet for very female goals – taking care of their kids.

    Juliette and Lea seemed like estranged sisters – fragile, touchy, intensely curious. Their relationship was palpable, not just in the acting but in the writing.

    Wendy is a great character – I hope you get to see this film soon. Lucy the Dog ain’t bad either, LOL. She’s Kelly Reichardt’s own dog, so it must have been a labor of love writing her into a movie. She has more personality and charisma than most of the females we encounter on film.

    And I love love love Cruz and Hall (and Bardem). Woody actually struck a chord with me, for once, with these crazy Spanish artists and neurotic Americans abroad. I think this is his best writing in quite a while.

  8. Haifa December 28th, 2008 at 12:59 am 8

    None of those poor women at the end should have to be grouped in with Maggie’s character in TDK. I’ve never wanted someone to be killed off as much as I did with her before.

  9. Ryan Adams December 28th, 2008 at 1:25 am 9

    Brilliant list, Sasha. There’s only one thing I’d like to add.

    “those who gaze at Poppy momentarily, in between complaints, or even wonder what it would be like to reach out and touch her.”

    Exactly!
    If by “touch” you mean “strangle”

    I’d have to replace Hawkin’s Poppy for Keira Knightley’s Georgiana in The Duchess. Because the Duchess of Devonshire was a real woman who had real resilience in the face of real tragedy — and, unlike Poppy, her personality exists within the realm of recognizable reality.

    My 2008 top 10 fabulous females in a foreign language:

    1. Catherine Deneuve as Junon in A Christmas Tale
    2. María Onetto as Vero in The Headless Woman
    3. Nurgül Yesilçay as Ayten in The Edge of Heaven
    4. Lina Leandersson as Eli in Let the Right One In
    5., 6., 7. Sarah Adler, Noa Knoller & Ma-nenita De Latorre as Batia, Keren & Joy in Meduzot (Jellyfish)
    8. Jeanne Balibar as Antoinette in The Duchess of Langeais
    9. Asia Argento as Vellini in The Last Mistress
    10. Galina Vishnevskaya as Aleksandra in Aleksandra

  10. Steven Ray Morris December 28th, 2008 at 1:29 am 10

    as I do at every opportunity…Sally Hawkins!

    I fell in love twice this year. First Eve and then Poppy.

    then Brad Pitt came along and had to ruin it all *swoon.

  11. red_wine December 28th, 2008 at 1:34 am 11

    Eve actually had such an amazing character arc. From the no-nonsense snob who’s utterly focused on her mission to the robot who would go to any extent for love. Her main ‘dramatic’ scene is where she sees clips of Wall-E caring for her when she’s switched off and realizes how much he loves her. And in the second half, you know that Eve would go to the ends of the universe to save Wall-E. She agrees to the plant thing only because she knew she could repair Wall-E on Earth. Its weird but humanity could return to Earth only because Eve loved Wall-E.

  12. blizzards14 December 28th, 2008 at 2:12 am 12

    I just saw Revolutionary Road. I think its the most intelligent and well acted film I’ve seen in ages. The breakfast scene was creepily good. I hope Kate Winslet wins the BA award.

  13. filmboymichael December 28th, 2008 at 2:37 am 13

    What a great list…but I have to say that Allison Pill in Milk (the only gal – outside of Anita Bryant), gave a wonderful ballsy performance – I wonder why we haven’t seen her around awards season – is it because she doesn’t have “a for your consideration scene”?

  14. filmboymichael December 28th, 2008 at 2:37 am 14

    Oh yeah – and Anita Bryant for Best Supporting Actress!!!

  15. Rob Y December 28th, 2008 at 2:47 am 15

    Allison Pill is listed in the FYC on Focus Features website.

    How do we get Anita Bryant nominated for a Razzie like Bush was a few years ago? Seriously, I want to do this!

  16. Ryan Adams December 28th, 2008 at 2:58 am 16

    Bush campaigned for it.

  17. Rob Y December 28th, 2008 at 3:12 am 17

    And how do we campaign for Mrs. Bryant?

  18. Paddy M December 28th, 2008 at 3:27 am 18

    Is it just me, or did anyone else find EVE to be not quite up there? You have extraordinarily complex characters in concept, in script and in performance and there was plenty of those this year (such a good year to have such a list, imo). I just didn’t find EVE to be as rich in character. I loved her, yes. I adored the film; I got it for Christmas and just can’t stop watching it! I just don’t feel that she’s at all worthy of being top of the list. A part of me thinks that perhaps it’s because I’m not a woman, that if I was a woman I would feel a greater connection to her character, an instinct that compels me to feel celebratory when such a commanding, assertive, admirable female character appears in a mainstream film. I don’t mean any offence at all, I just wonder what it is that I’ve missed in her.

    My top ten would be:

    1. Juliette Fontaine (Kristin Scott Thomas in I’ve Loved You So Long)
    2. Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo in Frozen River)
    3. April Wheeler (Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road)
    4. Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet in The Reader)
    5. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley in The Duchess)
    6. Wendy (Michelle Williams in Wendy and Lucy)
    7. Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep in Doubt)
    8. Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
    9. Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt in Rachel Getting Married)
    10. Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading)

    I’ve decided to include only one character from each film, but many of these characters would simply not have been what they are without other superb female characters: I’ve Loved You So Long, Frozen River, The Duchess, Doubt, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and, especially, Rachel Getting Married. I just thought this to be the most fair way of compiling my list.

    Other than these other actresses in the films above, EVE is my No. 11, btw!

  19. Marcin December 28th, 2008 at 4:44 am 19

    HANNA SCHMITZ!

  20. Kraisky December 28th, 2008 at 6:13 am 20

    Christine Collins (no mother would be that wimpy for that long)

    We just see that you are not a mother.

  21. lenny December 28th, 2008 at 6:58 am 21

    sister aloysius beauvier and april wheeler are the most complex women’s roles of 2008…one from a great play and one from a great novel..

    what Meryl streep and Kate Winslet did with those characters was astonishing to witness and watch…2 roles with so many complex characteristics and longings….

    so the best actress oscar goes to the more iconic screen role, and the long overdue streep, finally!!!

  22. Lucio December 28th, 2008 at 7:07 am 22

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ9RfeOTY64&feature=channel_page

  23. Jesus Alonso December 28th, 2008 at 7:08 am 23

    Sorry, but apart from the name EVE how in the world one goes guessing EVE is sexually female? I can understand by Disney standards, if Wall·E was going to considered “male”, EVE would have to be considered “female” for not receiving backslash for “promoting homosexuality” among children. But those values you mention, Sasha, aren’t exclusive patrimony of women. I could introduce you to my – very manly – boyfriend who share those ones.

    One of the very few flaws of Wall·E is actually that one, a not-so-subtle perpetuation of the (heterosexual) sex roles even throught the asexual robots.

  24. John Foote December 28th, 2008 at 7:22 am 24

    Something important to remember about Jolie and her character in Changeling is WHEN the story takes place and where women sat in society in a world dominated by men — men had the power to ruin her life, to throw her into a mental hospital (which they do) for defying them — a mother in that world, facing what she did would act precisely as she did.

  25. Matt Mazur December 28th, 2008 at 7:47 am 25

    Wow, I can’t believe that you have Queenie on this list as a well-written character, even though you acknowledge she is an “archetype”.

    Other than that, this is great, and a wonderful idea!

  26. Sofia Coppola's Nose December 28th, 2008 at 8:00 am 26

    Sasha, you have to see VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA and you’ll see the scenestealer word in Penélope’s Maria Elena. Though, she isn’t as well written as Helen Sinclair or Olive Neal (Bullets over Broadway).

    And… Where is Kate Winslet in ‘The Reader’? No one liked it? Wrong feelings…

  27. Pierre de Plume December 28th, 2008 at 8:02 am 27

    Very good analysis. I’m still anxious to see Sigourney Weaver get a juicy role.

    In the lesser-developed category I’d add Tilda Swinton in BAR (”Did you pick up the cheese thingies?”) and Benjamin Button, where she miraculously rounded out that character with not much time to do so.

    Streep’s Sister Aloysius speaks volumes.

    Also glad to see McDormand’s Linda Litzke here, even if that character seemed to be functioning in a sort of parallel universe (which made the end all the more interesting).

  28. Joao Mattos December 28th, 2008 at 8:40 am 28

    This is totally off-topic but I think it will be interesting to share. Just read that . It was published by the Associated Press branch office of my country: in Philadelphia during Christmas night (25th) a guy shot other man in the arm because he and his family are talking too much inside a movie theater. First the shooter throw some popcorn against a little boy. Then he shoots the boy father’s. The movie all the involved in this bizarre incident were watching? “The Curious Case onf Benjamin Button”.

    Gotta say that act is incredible demented and unjustified. Hope the guy gets a proper jail time. But you know what? Talking people in movie theaters are among the most despicable and awful person in the world. The reaction are way over the top, but couldn’t stop disagreeing with those who changes cinema in to a kind of public lecture.

    In my mind I comited acts of violence towards them countless times. In my mind.

  29. Ryan Adams December 28th, 2008 at 9:29 am 29

    Saw that this morning here too, Joao.

    A man enraged because a family was talking during a Christmas showing of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” decided to deal with the situation by shooting the father, police said.

    James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, told the man’s family to be quiet and threw popcorn at the man’s son, police said. The victim told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.

    Cialella is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons violations, police said. His victim, 31, whom police did not identify, was shot in the left arm and treated at a hospital and released.

    Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said Cialella returned to his seat after the shooting and continued watching the movie.

    First rule of Benjamin Button:
    Do NOT talk during Benjamin Button.

  30. RichardA December 28th, 2008 at 9:33 am 30

    I’d add Hiam Abbass as the mother in The Visitor.

    What makes the role interesting is her relationship with Walter Vale.

    I wonder if she’s gonna pull off a Shoreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) surprise nod? I hope so.

  31. Brandon December 28th, 2008 at 9:51 am 31

    *Benjamin Button Spoiler Warning*

    I just wanted to throw my two cents in on one thing. The women of Benjamin Button are some the worst representations of women I recall from recent memory. Queenie is all about conception. Daisy only finds true happiness by being wounded and then for a brief moment having the happy family dynamic play out. Her dreams are crushed so she can finally be with her man. Maybe it says something about me though that I agree with you on Elizabeth Abbot. That little bit of time with her in it, was the very best part of an otherwise easily forgotten film.

    Anyway totally agree with you about EVE and can’t wait to finally see Frozen River.

  32. Joao Mattos December 28th, 2008 at 9:53 am 32

    Ryan

    Did you see the guy’s mug shot? How can anybody thought it was safe to chat close to this guy inside a movie theater? The weirdest (and is not cool to say that, but in a freak, “theater of menance” way, something that can make us laugh) is the shooter comig back to his seat to watch the film as nothing had happened/ he didn’t do nothing!

    People are so unfair claming “TCCOBB” a cold film… Imagine if that wacko found hot and tense…… Poor family.

  33. Paul Outlaw December 28th, 2008 at 10:02 am 33

    I’d add Hiam Abbass as the mother in The Visitor.

    What makes the role interesting is her relationship with Walter Vale.

    I wonder if she’s gonna pull off a Shoreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) surprise nod? I hope so.

    I thought the same thing when I saw the film last night and immediately wondered who was vulnerable. Cruz is still a lock, Tomei has been gaining momentum, Winslet is Winslet. If the one or both of the Doubt women and/or Taraji P. Henson somehow slips, Abbass could get in. I always expect a surprise in Supporting anyway.

  34. E December 28th, 2008 at 10:19 am 34

    None of the idealized women in Synecdoche?

    How about Julianne Moore in Blindness?

    4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days? The friendship?

    Easy choices you’ve made.

  35. Ryan Adams December 28th, 2008 at 10:20 am 35

    I did see the mug shot, Joao.
    He looks like a young Luca Brasi.
    Or Johnny Caspar from Miller’s Crossing.

  36. nicholas December 28th, 2008 at 10:29 am 36

    Bless You RYAN!!!

    Catherine Deneuve as Junon is one of the best written characters male or female!

    1. Rachel (rachel getting married)
    2. Kym (rachel getting married)
    3. Poppy (happy-go-lucky)
    4. Junon (a christmas tale)
    5. Eve (wall-e)
    6. Lila (frozen river)
    7. April (revolutionary road)
    8. Zoe (happy-go-lucky)
    9. Zainab (the visitor)
    10. Faunia (a christmas tale)

    Window Dressing:
    Latika (Slumdog)
    Caroline (Frost/Nixon)
    Chloe (In Bruges)

  37. Joao Mattos December 28th, 2008 at 10:49 am 37

    Yes Ryan! He truly looks like Brasi and Caspar (love “Miller’s Crossing”).

    I’m not a big fan of “Frozen River” and think that Leo is being overhyped for it (prefer her in other films), but agreee with those who are praising Lila / Misthy Upham. Quite interesting character, strong perfomance.

    Saw in september a deeply sad american indie, “Story of Jen”, starring the french actress Marina Hinds. Anyelse saw it? Has two powerful characters, mother and daughter.

    How about “Downloading Nancy” with Maria Bello. It’s very, very disturbing, and not politically correct, but I guess Bello did a wonderful job portraing someone traumatized by childhood.

  38. Sasha Stone December 28th, 2008 at 10:54 am 38

    Yes, indeed. Easy choices. I should have perhaps stipulated it with “Best Written Female Characters in the Oscar race.” That might have helped. Also, I haven’t yet seen Synecdoche. As far as Angelina’s Christine Collins goes, of course I know that women were dominated by men, and of course I AM a mother, which is why it was hard to really buy the character’s reaction. I thought that it was kind of one-note. The same sad note played for two hours.

    Taraji P. Henson could have been just one thing but she wasn’t – she was funny, had romantic notions, headed up an old folks’ home and of course she saw Benjamin as a child of God. She was an interesting character to me. A whole person.

  39. Flapp December 28th, 2008 at 11:01 am 39

    I liked this TOP 10.

  40. Michael Greenwaldt December 28th, 2008 at 11:19 am 40

    Thankfully Wendy (Michelle Williams) was mentioned in “Honorable Mentions.” It would have been a travesty for her not to be mentioned at all.

  41. Kraisky December 28th, 2008 at 11:42 am 41

    Well Sasha, It was that said “Big Beautifull Changeling”, not me. I just dont understand why you “liked” the movie so much without loving his main and in a way only character. Its strange.

  42. E December 28th, 2008 at 11:44 am 42

    Angelina Jolie’s character may have suffered after the reveal of her “son,” but the scenes where she is with her son are the best this year as far as I’m concerned. There’s a certain grace that she has in those scenes that I rarely ever see.

    I wish there was more of that, because off those scenes alone, I think she should get a nomination. Anne Hathaway for the win though.

  43. Robert December 28th, 2008 at 11:58 am 43

    The one big difference between Hiam Abbass in “The Visitor” and Shoreh Aghdashloo in “House of Sand and Fog” (originally typed House of Sand and Dog) is that Aghdashloo was a crit favorite that year, so her Oscar nomination wasn’t quite as “out-of-left-field” as it is made out to be. I think she won both the NYFC and LAFC Best Supporting Actress prize that year. Abbass, however, has been completely missing from end-of-the-year kudos.

    With Cruz, Winslet, Davis, Adams, Tomei, Hensen, and even DeWitt and Winger in the mix, it just seems too crowded for Abbass to break through. I loved “The Visitor,” Jenkins, and Abbass, though, so I would love to be proven wrong.

  44. cjKennedy December 28th, 2008 at 12:13 pm 44

    LadyLurks, you’re my hero for the day for pumping VCB. Am I just traveling in the wrong circles or did that movie not get enough love and respect?

    Having said that Sophia Coppola’s Nose, Penelope indeed gave a great performance, but I’m not sure it was a great character which was the point of Sasha’s column. I say this as someone who loved the movie.

    Jesus Alonso, I saw a paparazzi picture on the Internet of EVE getting out of a limo where you could see her co-axial connection…definitely female.

    And poor Queenie. Yes, she fits the mold of a certain stereotype, but I really believe Ms. Henson transcends it. It’s not there on the page, but Henson makes her a human being.

    And finally…Sasha. What a great list! I’d bump EVE down a bit, much as I liked her and the film. Streep and Leo were just too much. The great thing about Aloysius is that I thought I knew what she was going to be based on the trailer. The revelation that she wasn’t just a one-note character made the movie for me.

    And thank you for so concisely highlighting why Leo’s character was great. I’m not as keen on the movie overall, but the idea that Ray is allowed to be flawed yet still highly sympathetic is a very delicate balancing act. She feels like a real person.

  45. cjKennedy December 28th, 2008 at 12:20 pm 45

    I might also add Kate Beckinsale as Annie the ex-homecoming queen still trapped in a tiny town in Snow Angels.

  46. Dan December 28th, 2008 at 12:21 pm 46

    Eve isn’t female, and saying Eve is makes you a bad person, and you should feel bad.

  47. Sasha Stone December 28th, 2008 at 12:34 pm 47

    Yeah, last comment on this. Raise hands if you think I liked The Dark Knight? Did I include Rachel in my disappointed list? Yes. Did I think Changeling was a very good film? YES. In spite of the part Jolie played as written. I understand these are two contradictions but I do think it’s possible to enjoy a film whether the female characters were well written or not – after all, almost every film is made that way. All characters are not all well written. I am not faulting Jolie nor the film nor the screenwriter. They were working with historical record and there wasn’t much to fill in in terms of Collins. But it was one-note to me. Not dissing Jolie – love her.

  48. cjKennedy December 28th, 2008 at 12:45 pm 48

    Sasha, that’s exactly what we’d expect an industry stooge to say! :)

  49. Bob Burns December 28th, 2008 at 1:15 pm 49

    Juliette Binoche (again) gave the best performance of the year as Suzanne in The Flight of the Red Balloon. The puppeteer scenes….

  50. cjKennedy December 28th, 2008 at 1:25 pm 50

    Good call, Bob. I loved the scenes where she was interacting…or not interacting…with her son. There was always this layer of distraction with her. She’d try to pretend like she was engaged yet…

  51. Student of World December 28th, 2008 at 1:32 pm 51

    Jesus- one can assume that Eve is a female because…well her name is Eve. No a common male name unless it’s spelled Yves. Just because Sasha put it a strong female character doesn’t mean that men automatically can’t have those qualities.

  52. Charles December 28th, 2008 at 1:36 pm 52

    I assumed that Eve was female because she carried life in her stomach a la pregnancy. And she was named Eve… her mothering of the future life on earth. Wall E’s a pretty far shot from Adam, though.

  53. Lucio December 28th, 2008 at 1:42 pm 53

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ9RfeOTY64&feature=channel

  54. Lucio December 28th, 2008 at 1:43 pm 54

    STAR AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ9RfeOTY64&feature=channel

  55. Gregoire December 28th, 2008 at 6:41 pm 55

    The best written role for a GIRL in 2008 was that of Alexandra in the movie The Fall.

  56. W. December 29th, 2008 at 3:39 am 56

    Queenie was a terrible, terrible choice. Where is McDormand for Burn After Reading? And Jolie for Changeling?

    On The Natural’s Happy Go Lucky comment;

    Would you really be totally not annoyed at all if you were in the car with someone driving and then all of the sudden she lets go of the wheel, closes her eyes, and giggles? Everything Scot told her was completely relevant and right. Poppy is incredibly annoying and extremely immature. A deep character with equal amounts of tragedy and humor.

  57. CP December 29th, 2008 at 7:54 am 57

    Why is Scarlett Johansson getting the tail end of things with VCB?! I actually think her character is the “best written” in the entire film because she is the one that isn’t as easily readable. Cristina is a big question mark and that is why she is so intriguing when you have the craziness of Maria Elena and the neurosis of Vicky. I guess those characters overshadow Cristina because they are more defined and less obtuse in their characteristics.

  58. screenguy December 29th, 2008 at 10:33 am 58

    And another wonderful performance: Frances McDormand in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. I know, it’s not on anyone’s Oscar radar, even mine, but McDormand’s performance is touching and funny. She has tremendously good chemistry with Amy Adams and Ciaran Hinds. Moreover, Guinevere Pettigrew is a woman who embraces life and love in middle age: a refreshing theme.

  59. Ryan Adams December 29th, 2008 at 10:44 am 59

    Highly underrated movie, screenguy. Would at least love to see Miss Pettigrew slip in with costume and art direction nominations.

  60. blanche.dubois December 29th, 2008 at 7:08 pm 60

    haha. eve definitely is the winner. i would to liked to have seen a higher mention for Kristen Scott Thomas’s character (was it Juliette?) in I’ve Loved you so Long…my favourite

  61. K. Bowen December 30th, 2008 at 2:51 am 61

    IF you were an actress, you’d want to play Kym Buchman.

  62. Arctic Circles December 30th, 2008 at 9:32 am 62

    I’m baffled by your comment that no mother would be as weepy as Chrsitine Collins for as long as she was. You mean NO WOMAN IN THESE TIMES. In 1928? Sure they would. Kids being snatched off the street was much rarer in those days and women didn’t have the recourse they do today. They also weren’t taken seriously when they had complaints and were told they were being irrationally emotionally and incapable of thinking logically. It wasn’t just the frustation of her child being missing that kept Collins weeping. The frustration of dealing with the cops and the system of the time had as much to with her weepiness as anything else that happened to her.

  63. Ten Women to Watch - Carpetbagger Blog - NYTimes.com December 30th, 2008 at 11:30 am 63

    [...] of the year. There are some surprises, including the fact that the No. 1 actress on her list does not wear clothes and, no, she’s not Kate [...]

  64. Ralph Deeds January 1st, 2009 at 8:56 pm 64

    Of the ones I’ve seen Meryl Streep is head and shoulders above the rest. Her performance in “Doubt” is as memorable as in Kramer v. Kramer, the first time I saw her, and is nearly as good as Sophie’s choice, in my opinion. Here’s a mini review of “Doubt”:

    http://hubpages.com/hub/Doubt

  65. Links to Check Out | Women & Hollywood January 29th, 2009 at 7:20 am 65

    [...] 2008’s Top Ten Best Written Female Characters (Awards Daily) [...]

  66. Women On Film - The Week In Women, February 6, 2009 - MaryAnn Johanson - Alliance of Women Film Journalists - February 5th, 2009 at 11:25 pm 66

    [...] 2008’s Top Ten Best Written Female Characters by Susan Thea Posnock [...]

  67. bka February 7th, 2009 at 7:48 am 67

    Elizabeth Banks as Miri Linki in ZACK & MIRI MAKE A PORNO


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  • Contender Tracker

    Best Picture
    Up in the Air
    Nine
    The Hurt Locker
    An Education
    Precious: Based on the Novel
    Push by Sapphire

    A Serious Man
    Inglourious Basterds
    Up

    Julie & Julia
    Star Trek
    District 9
    Bright Star
    Where the Wild Things Are
    A Single Man

    Best Actor
    Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
    Colin Firth, A Single Man
    George Clooney, Up in the Air
    Matt Damon, The Informant!
    Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
    Viggo Mortensen, The Road
    Ben Foster, The Messenger
    Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man
    Michael Sheen, The Damned United

    Best Actress
    Gabby Sidibe, Precious
    Carey Mulligan, An Education
    Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
    Abbie Cornish, Bright Star
    Helen Mirren, The Last Station
    Michelle Monaghan, Trucker

    Best Supporting Actor
    Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
    Alfred Molina, An Education
    Stanley Tucci, Julie & Julia
    Peter Sarsgaard, An Education
    Robert Duvall, Crazy Heart
    Peter Capaldi, In the Loop
    Zach Galifianakis, The Hangover
    Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
    Brian Geraghty, The Hurt Locker

    Best Supporting Actress
    Mo'Nique,Precious
    Anna Kendrick,Up in the Air
    Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
    Julianne Moore, A Single Man
    Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
    Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
    Samantha Morton, The Messenger
    Emma Thompson, An Education
    Cara Seymour, An Education

    Best Director
    Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
    Lee Daniels, Precious
    Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
    Lone Scherfig, An Education
    Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
    Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
    Neill Blomkamp, District 9
    Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are
    Tom Ford, A Single Man
    Jane Campion, Bright Star

    Best Original Screenplay
    Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
    Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
    Jane Campion, Bright Star
    Quentin Tarantino,Inglourious Basterds
    Michael Haneke,White Ribbon
    Bob Peterson, Pete Docter,Up
    Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, 500 Days of Summer

    Best Adapted Screenplay
    Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
    Nick Hornby, An Education
    Spike Jonze, Dave Eggars, Where the Wild Things Are
    Peter Morgan, The Damned United
    Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
    Scott Burns, The Informant!
    Tom Ford, A Single Man

    Best Editing

    Chris Innis, Bob Murawski, The Hurt Locker
    Sally Menke, Inglourious Basterds
    Dana E. Glauberman,, Up in the Air
    Joel and Ethan Coen,, A Serious Man

    Best Cinematography
    Greig Fraser,Bright Star
    Robert Richardson,Inglourious Basterds
    Roger Deakins, A Serious Man
    Christian Berger, White Ribbon
    Bruno Delbonnel,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker

    Best Art Direction

    Where the Wild Things Are
    Julie & Julia
    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    Bright Star
    Inglourious Basterds
    White Ribbon
    District 9
    A Serious Man

    Best Sound Mixing

    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    District 9
    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
    The Hurt Locker
    Star Trek

    Best Sound Editing

    District 9
    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
    Star Trek
    Up

    Best Costume Design
    Janet Patterson, Bright Star
    Jany Temime,Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
    Anna B. Sheppard,Inglourious Basterds
    Mary Zophre, A Serious Man
    Colleen Atwood, Public Enemies
    Consolata Boyle,Cheri

    Best Original Score
    Carter Burwell, Karen O,Where the Wild Things Are
    Carter Burwell,A Serious Man
    Michael Giacchino,Up
    Alexandre Desplat, Cheri
    Elliot Goldenthal, Public Enemies

    Best Foreign Language Film (submissions)

    Letters from Father Jacob, Finland
    White Wedding, South Africa
    A Prophet, France
    Dawson, Isla 10, Chile
    Nobody to Watch Over Me, Japan
    Prince of Tears, Hong Kong
    No puedo vivir sin ti, Taiwan
    Kelin, Kazakhstan
    Mother, Korea
    The White Ribbon, Germany
    Silent Army, The Netherlands


    Best Documentary Feature

    The Beaches of Agnes
    Burma VJ
    The Cove
    Every Little Step
    Facing Ali
    Food, Inc.
    Garbage Dreams
    Living in Emergency
    The Most Dangerous Man in America
    Mugabe and the White African
    Sergio
    Soundtrack for a Revolution
    Under Our Skin
    Valentino
    Which Way Home


    Best Animated Feature
    Up
    The Princess and the Frog
    Coraline
    The Fantastic Mr. Fox
    A Christmas Carol
    Mary and Max
    Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
    Ponyo


    Best Visual Effects
    Star Trek
    District 9
    A Christmas Carol
    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    Transformers


    Best Makeup

    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    District 9

    Best Song

    Best Live Action Short

    Best Animated Short

    Best Documentary Short

    China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
    The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
    The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
    Lt. Watada
    Music by Prudence
    Rabbit a la Berlin
    Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak
    Woman Rebel

  • Ampas Breakdown

    Actors-1,222
    Producers-462
    Executives-436
    Sound-411
    Writers-388
    Art Directors-373
    Directors-375
    Public Relations-370
    Members at Large-254
    Shorts/Feature Ani-335
    Visual Effects-272
    Music-233
    Editors-227
    Cinematographers-197
    Documentary-145
    Makeup-115
    Total Voting Members -approx 6,000
  • Tuesday, December 1, 2009: Official Screen Credits forms due

    Monday, December 28, 2009: Nominations ballots mailed

    Saturday, January 23, 2010: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PT

    Tuesday, February 2, 2010: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater

    Wednesday, February 10, 2010: Final ballots mailed

    Monday, February 15, 2010: Nominees Luncheon

    Saturday, February 20, 2010: Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards presentation

    Tuesday, March 2, 2010: Final polls close 5 p.m. PT

    Sunday, March 7, 2010: 82nd Annual Academy Awards presentation