The most intriguing performances this year by women were delivered by powerhouse actresses at a time when those kinds of films and those kinds of performances have been selected out in favor of younger and younger women to appeal to the majority of ticket buyers. That majority, however, do not often factor in to the Oscar race, despite how many young people remain fascinated by the Oscars and film awards in general. Our American youth have been weaned on shows like American Idol and Survivor and gasp, The Bachelor. They believe that popularity should always win out, no matter what. And perhaps that is sort of true in the Oscar race. Perhaps it has always been thus, but it is often our job here at AwardsDaily to point out patterns, delightful evolutionary turns in the race that broaden the horizons of film goers, young and old, and offer an array of human experiences, not just those that dwell in fantasy or in the eternal youth we here in America seem so obsessed by.
The actresses this year are so astonishing, in fact, we might see the category filled, for the first time in a long time, with the elders of the craft. The youngest of these, Cate Blanchett, happens to also be the frontrunner. Just behind her is Sandra Bullock, an actress approaching fifty with two films that together earned over $400 million. They are joined by Emma Thompson for Saving Mr. Banks, Judi Dench for Philomena and Meryl Streep for August: Osage County. Right now, these are your best performances by women in 2013.
But there will be major push-back coming from several areas on this point. The first, as is usually exhibited on the more male-oriented websites like Hollywood-Elsewhere, where such a selection of actresses would be referred to “blousy hens.” You see, in their world, although men can grow older women must never age. They like them as young as possible and as naked as possible. Oscar does too, or so their history would illustrate.
But to include one of the very talented younger actress who show a little (okay, a lot) of skin, one of the five above will have to be bumped. The trouble is, I can’t find one we should be willing to sacrifice. People on Twitter keeps saying absurdities like “Judi Dench is the weak link.” But have you seen Philomena? Have you seen her richly drawn portrait of a woman who became a teenage mother, had her baby taken from her by the Catholic Church and yet remains both optimistic and un-bitter about it all. Yes, this woman still believes in not only God but in Catholicism itself. Dench is mesmerizing as Philomena — as the moments she’s reliving, and the moments that are new to her play across her deeply lined, experienced face. Each time that non-botoxed portrait feels something we feel it too. Her face takes us through the story, we are moved by and changed by it. That face. That beautiful beautiful face. So next time you say or hear someone else say “Judi Dench is vulnerable” or some such nonsense just ask them if they’ve seen Philomena. Sure, it can’t really compete with an erection and a panorama of fantasy but this is the stuff that builds what our lives are, what they have been and what they will become.
I’ve also heard that Meryl Streep is vulnerable because she’s won three Oscars already and holds the record for the most nominations. But I would say, have you seen August: Osage County? Have you seen Streep’s absolutely unequivocal performance in that movie? Her vanity gone (as it always is), Streep digs down deep to uncover this miserable, cruel, bitter woman who has moments — tiny glints of goodness that peak through. It is a performance only an actress of her experience and talent could pull off so magnificently. You will not forget Streep in Osage, nor will you forget many of the other colorful, vibrant characters in that film. Julia Roberts has never been better (“Eat the fuckin’ fish fucker!”), Juliette Lewis (I’d forgotten how great she was). Julianne Nicholson, fantastic. These are actresses following in Streep’s footsteps but to deny that Streep gave one of the best performances of the year is to live cloaked in denial. Watch and learn, my friends, watch and learn. The way she stands, breathes, walks, eats (or doesn’t). The way she mourns, ridicules, longs for — how she finds the nausea and makes us believe she’s going to puke right then. Sorry, but that shit’s for real.
Believe it or not I’ve also heard the ludicrous claim that Sandra Bullock is “vulnerable” for Gravity. Are you kidding me? Here is a woman on the brink of 50 who carries an entire movie. There is only one other character and he disappears pretty quickly. It is all Bullock in a part most studios would never have given her in a million years. And what do we see and hear after Gravity became such a success? Sneering that a woman could really pull it off. Yeah so like no one ever says that when a man’s in charge. Did anyone ever doubt Clooney was that great of an astronaut? Yeah, no. Bullock makes us believe she is right there — dangling by a cord in outer space, tumbling through the upper atmosphere, crawling her way back to life. Gravity is about Sandra Bullock’s performance as much as it is about the wild filmmaking. It’s on its way to making $300 million domestic and you’re going to tell me she’s vulnerable?
That leaves Cate Blanchett, the performance of her career in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks. Both of these films are about women — what role women play in controlling their lives and the lives of others, how powerful they are, how dispensable. Neither of them are particularly warm and fuzzy and both seem cloaked in one kind of delusion or another. It is Thompson’s, ultimately, who finds some redemption in her success. Like Bullock’s character, Thompson’s is a woman with a career — not a very popular theme in the Best Actress race anymore. Voters seem to identify with lost souls, or “dumb” women.
Emma Thompson’s PL Travers never apologizes for being the way she is; after all, it’s the world that must change to accommodate her. Though Saving Mr. Banks is distinctly told from Disney’s side of the story; you never really question whether they were doing the right thing in altering Mary Poppins to suit the masses. But Thompson never sugar coats her own vision of the character. She is brittle at times, disillusioned, with minor moments of happiness here or there. Happiness — being dolled out by Disney like a drug — must try to break through her shell. If it can reach her, it can reach anybody. Oh, for the brilliance and intelligence of an actress this good who pulls it off so effortlessly.
After decades of Blanchett’s extraordinary work on stage and her various incarnations on the big screen, she finally delivers her best work as Jasmine. At first there were whispers that it was really just Blanche DuBois dubois redux but if you know the play you know that isn’t true. Oh, sure, there are a similarities but at the end of the day you must pity Blanche. The same can’t be said for Jasmine, who bears the scorn of the hundreds of thousands her husband cheated out of the poor while Jasmine looked the other way. If anything, she’s Marie Antoinette.
These five actresses are in the “best” category. They are the best. Their lives have informed their work. They have never backed away from the challenges each new character brings. They are formidable icons in their own way – and trust me, you need them there because they offer a place where younger actresses can eventually go once their youthful shimmer fades and the target demo no longer gets a boner at the sight of them.
Right behind these five, it must be acknowledged, are wonderful performances by Brie Larson in Short Term 12, Adele Exarchopoulos in Blue is the Warmest Colour, Amy Adams in American Hustle (who is the real threat to bump one of the five, though if you asked her I bet she’d not want to do that). Kate Winslet in Labor Day, and Julia Louis Dreyfus in Enough Said are all great too. In some ways it’s been a landmark year for actresses.
I personally don’t see any of the five as vulnerable but perhaps I’m mistaken. I am, after all, just a woman headed for 50 myself, and maybe they impressed me more because I’ve lived this long. Or maybe they’re just really fucking good.
To SallyinChicago
You are so right!!!! Sandra is a physical actress. And one of the best in movies. In television is Julie Bowen from MODERN FAMILY. I don’t know if you know her, but she is AMAZING!!!! She’s this mad housewife so she rarely have funny lines, so all the comedy she does is physical and she is hilarious!!! You should see her. You won’t regret it. She has won two Emmys already for that show.
And coming back to Sandra, that’s what I love the most of this film. Being a physical actress, she finally found a director who believe enough in her and took her from her comfort zone. Almost all of the movie all we see is her face and is astonishing the work she does. I don’t think that even the most die-hard fan from her would’ve imagine she was able to do such a beautiful work. Like a say, it’s a beautiful miracle!!
Oh and something curious. But I always wonder why the actress that have the most Oscars are always so ungrateful with the Academy. Katharine Hepburn showed up only once and it was to present an honorary Oscar.
Meryl Streep only shows up when she is nominated. I’m surprise she did showed up this year to present the Best Actor Oscar. And she did it in the most awful way. Like she doesn’t care and was obligated to do it.
Ever since they won Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, for instance, always attend to present awards or movies. It’s like you can tell they are so happy and grateful for their win that they just can’t refuse when they are invited.
I know this so random. But I digress for time to time. And I always wondered.
…like she was saying I know I’m never going to be here again. Ever and I know you all think I don’t deserved it for this film. She knew people wasn’t on her side about winning for THE BLIND SIDE.
I particularly have nothing against that performance and her winning. But I do believe THE BEST performance of that year was given by Miss Gabourey Sidibe. Now THAT was a performance worthy of being the second Oscar winning performance by an african american actress. Viola Davis was good in THE HELP, but her performance wasn’t the best. Neither was Meryl’s. That year Roony Mara should’ve won.
She deserves this Oscar more than anyone. Cate can do thousands of other great performances like Meryl Streep (some people actually say she’s the next Meryl Streep). Although I don’t see Meryl going anywhere anytime soon. LOL.
Anyway, I’m rooting for Sandra all the way!! But I don’t see it happening because of the sci-fi factor. Which is so unfair. Because it is not a fantasy film or a horror-suspense movie like ALIENS. The whole movie can actually happen.
Oh my God. All Sasha ever does is complaint complaint complaint. For that person who said to look on the positive side, THIS particular woman is just unable to do it.
All of her posts are complaints complaints. And please no mentoion black women on the Best Actress Oscar or she will go all over again with that one.
You know for a woman who dedicates so much time on a website about awards and Oscars in particular, she’s always and forever trashing the Academy. What’s the deal?
On another note. I don’t think Cate Blanchett gives THE performance of her carreer. She has always done amazing jobs in every movie she’s in. No matter how crappy or boring it can be, she is always GOOD!! She has played crazy before. Mentally unstable women. And women that are creme de la creme socially.
I will be happy for her if she wins because for an actress that good it’s amazing she hasn’t win a Lead Actress yet. And that Best Supporting Actress Oscar, let’s be honest…it was only because she played Katharine Hepburn. Not that she was bad. But she can do better and has done better. I mean we are talking about a woman who has played from Lady Galadriel to Bob Dylan!!!
But Sandra Bullock performance is a miracle!!!! She finally found someone who believe in her. I mean, remember when they said that she was up for the role in MILLION DOLLAR BABY and people went out and say “Thank God she didn’t do it, because it was going to be THE WORST picture of the year instead of the best”. Critics and people who believe they are critics were always so cruel with her.
And her speech was so touching and it broke my heart when she said: “This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I know” like she was impliciting that she people
I always thought Cate Blanchett would win 2+ Oscars and at least 1 in Lead. I still think Meryl will win at least 1 more–she’s too good, active and passionate about acting, in good health and spirits. Bullock could do more humanitarian work and eventually deserve the Hersholt.
^^ Please no more Meryl winning Oscars….pleez god. Bullock is a HUMANITARIAN, maybe you should look up her causes on google?
You think that’s bad. You missed Well’s lament about how the little girl who played Newt
^^ I stopped reading his column, like 3 months ago. He dribbles on about nothing.
Someone has posted here: “I find it telling the defense of Bullock is box office numbers, not the performance.” That’s the point
^^
You’re right she won’t win. Because what “action” actress has won an Oscar or major award.
It’s amazing what the Awards & critics look for in an actress. It’s all about the verbal content isn’t it? What about comedic timing, what about Physicality? There are so few actresses that will do Physical “stunts”. Now, I don’t know if that was Sandra swimming in the ocean at the end of the movie, but it sure looked like it to me. Maybe there should be a special “stunt” award for actors/actresses who do their own action moves.
Anyway, she’s rich from those two movies, so I guess it doesn’t matter.
Now on to another subject. It just occurred to me that there are no BLACK female contenders (or Spanish) this year. I went over in my head all the movies that starred black females in a leading role, and except for Jennifer Hudson in Winnie, I can’t remember not one Black (or Spanish) actress who led a movie.
What’s up with that? No one writing movies for Black women?
Sandra Bullock gave a performance so great and so difficult to achieve that I really cannot imagine how she can lose the Oscar.
^^
I was rooting for Blanchett until I saw Gravity and thought about Bullock, WOW, what a great physical performance. But I also saw the HEAT like 3 times and realized that Sandra Bullock is the BEST actress/comedian in Hollywood today. There’s a scene in the HEAT where she has to crawl down a corridor to get to Melissa McCarthy and she shows WHY she is daring and bold as an actress. I cannot imagine another actress of her age & caliber doing that “stunt” (exc. Melissa).
Sandra Bullock IS vulnerable.
Someone has posted here: “I find it telling the defense of Bullock is box office numbers, not the performance.” That’s the point.
I disagree with the headline, “For a change”. It seems the same actors and actresses (veterans) are nominated every single year. Look at Streep she hogs (monopolizes) the best actress awards every year. I would love to see some new names, like Lupica, emerge in the running this year, because the Oscars and the awards are becoming “also ran” and repetitive. Maybe that’s why the awards don’t get the younger audience. It’s dominated by the “older” actors.
Here’s the thing about Sandra Bullock. We don’t usually get to see Sandra Bullock do anything other than pull off a middle of the road “road movie”. She usually works in films where the sight gags and the one liners are more important than excersizing her dramatic ability. We all know she can act just from watching Infamous. It’s not as if the woman is talentless. The clincher for Bullock is that this is work the public or the academy doesn’t get to see her tackle. Is it a great performance? Honestly it’s not Katherine Hepburn doing Long Day’s Journey but it’s leaps and bounds over her little juant with Melissa McCarthy in The Heat.
Bullock is the glue to Gravity. I’m not a “Space Adventure” fan. But what I found as I watched this film was a number of things. The effects are incredible. But I found as the film progressed the effects became a back drop to Bullock’s performance. After awhile I even forgot about the 3D until something really unusual jumped out at you and at a certain point found the 3D a bit annoying.
But Bullock is good in this film. She doesn’t do over kill and her reactions are in sync with the moment. So though I don’t think it goes down in film history as one of the great performance it does down in film history as one of Bullock’s great performances. And that’s where it should be. The other thing we all need to remember is the genre. This is afterall a “space adventure” and it’s kind of like a one woman Broadway Show. She suceeds at it and quite well.
Cate Blanchett gave the best performance of the last decade.
Sasha,
Thank you for this smart and perceptive post. And thank you for calling out those male-oriented websites like Hollywood-Elsewhere. I used to read that site until Jeff Wells said he couldn’t enjoy a documentary about a woman who had once been a secretary to the Beatles because she got old and that made him sad because she was no longer the hot young thing she was when she worked for the Beatles. (Actually, she was never really hot–just young like we all once were). I read that and thought what an asshole. Never again.
You think that’s bad. You missed Well’s lament about how the little girl who played Newt in Aliens didn’t grow up to be a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model the way Wells always imagined she would so therefore Wells could never really enjoy Aliens anymore the way he once did because… ____ …I forget how he worded his logic but it was sort of like he was sorry he ever wasted any pedophilia-ish thoughts on the kid if she was going to grow up and not be skinny anymore.
If that hasn’t already creeped you out enough, imagine Wells doing an google image search on the woman who used to be Newt and think what his psychological aura must have felt like in his apartment that night.
Although id hardly call Blanchett, or even Bullock “veterans”.
Blanchett has been working for 20 years, Bullock for 25 (20 years ago she did Speed). What’s you criteria for veteran status, David?
maybe Greta gerwig could still a “young” spot
I couldn’t be happier that the veteran actresses are dominating this season!! Although id hardly call Blanchett, or even Bullock “veterans”. Bullock doesn’t look as though she has aged at all in the last 15 years….
A truly delicious (and accurate and unbiased) reading. Lovely. Can we just have a five way tie? (well no, sorry, I want Dench to win)
I want Amy Adams to win an Oscar too, but the guys that keep pushing her this year need to chill out. She’s got Lullaby and Big Eyes, look them up on imdb. One day it will happen, this is just not her year.
Sasha, it’s Juliette Lewis, if you please.
While I love Amy Adams and think she is overdue for a winning role (maybe her closest was Junebug), it’s great to read that the 5 frontrunners are all worthy, like Dench given the hesitation of some. I’ve read that Meryl and Julia are being misplaced in lead and supporting, respectively, but it sounds like both still deserve nominations. Fuckability comes into play because it’s rare for so many fine parts in one year to go to actresses of a certain age who aren’t Meryl, even if, or especially if, they are former winners. Hollywood’s always looking for the next big thing, its next muse.
Should Adams upset someone, it’d be great for her to gain the momentum to win her first, but it doesn’t sound like that’s possible or fair based on the performances anyway. At least she works steadily and gets nominated more consistently than almost all of them.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Bullock’s performance, but it’s the meatiest role she’s ever had and certainly nomination-worthy on its own merits (i.e. without having seen any of her competition to know whether there are 5 or more who are better). Certainly Ryan didn’t have to be played by Sandra for the film to succeed artistically (though it helps having a mature, likable, homegrown American star who has chemistry with Clooney). But thankfully, I don’t think she’ll win again (except for maybe the Globe…not sure how I’d feel about that). So the winner will almost certainly be deserving, and I have no problem with a repeat winner, especially from this esteemed group.
I always thought Cate Blanchett would win 2+ Oscars and at least 1 in Lead. I still think Meryl will win at least 1 more–she’s too good, active and passionate about acting, in good health and spirits. Bullock could do more humanitarian work and eventually deserve the Hersholt. I’ve always thought Dench is at least capable of getting and acing a juicy lead role to win another, even if her prospects sadly grow dimmer with age. Finally, Thompson is an endearing, witty creative force to be reckoned with. She doesn’t get the plum British roles anymore, but she’s not rolling over either and has the possibility of shocking us, as in by writing herself another great script and worthy part.
To sum it all up, I can’t think of 5 worthier and more accomplished individuals to square off this year. And given the relative weakness in Best Actress lately, with politics, bias, and underwritten roles in the mix, this is a welcome change.
I had no idea you thought that david…NONE! 😉
After the extraordinary Emmanuele Riva was pipped by a girl sixty years younger than her, what’s that girl’s name, some little known thing Jennifer something, i think the 5 listed women could well be the order of the day. Only 3 have been rewarded in this category, whereas Dench and Blanchett would be first time Actress winners. Blanchett and Bullock are still hot and media friendly. I see no problems with one of these women winning.
Totally disagree with u sashsa I believe brie Larson will be in that final 5
The one young actress that could really upset this seemingly locked apple-cart is Berenice Bejo for “The Past”!
Tell it, Stephen!!! And I agree with what you said about how shocking & different Berenice’s role in The Past is from her role in The Artist. Come to think of it, I’m probably her biggest champion on this site. And I hope she gets in.
Stephen, SPC are definitely going in hard with The Past, you’re right. But Berenice Bejo is by no means a more formidable contender than, say, Adele Exarchopoulos or Brie Larson. And I can see Paulina Garcia picking up a fair bit of heat even without a campaign.
Aye, the Boston Society of Film Critics, which normally declares a winner and a runner-up, is due to announce tomorrow.
I expect, since the smaller critic groups often tend to make similar picks, that this is confirmation of 12 Years a Slave’s strong chances this awards season. Expect many other groups to follow suit. It’s pretty much official now – the game is not American Hustle’s to lose, at least not just yet.
The one young actress that could really upset this seemingly locked apple-cart is Berenice Bejo for “The Past”! Sony Pictures Classics is just NOW putting the petal to the medal as you can see if you click on my name above. “The Past” blew me away. A totally shocking, vastly different, dramatic performance than her comedically perfect SILENT performance in “The Artist”. They nominated her for that. She didn’t win, but they all know her now. Unlike Paulina Garcia, whom, unfortunately, they don’t. There’s going to be no campaign, sadly, for Paulina herself as Gloria. But “Gloria” they are hoping to land in the Best Foreign Film category…
SPC is really going for it right now. And they’re bringing Ashgar Faradi to New York next week for press and the Academy loves HIM. He had to make this film in Paris because of the political situation made him leave Iran. And of course, “The Separation” won last year for Best Foreign Film.
“The Past” is also going to be campaigned vigorously in Best Foreign Film. Sony Pictures is going for it.
Berenice has FOUR children and can’t travel easily, but she won the Best Actress Award in Cannes. And she’s irresistble, eloquent, charming and funny and rigouoursly intelligent. All of those qualities are THERE in “The Past.” And she WANTS an Oscar. Or at the very least a nomination.
What is that line from “Porgy and Bess”? “Them that wants, shall get”?
THERE’S your babe to break up the predicted five.
http://nypost.com/2013/12/07/the-posts-top-10-films-of-2013/
GRAVITY tops Kyle Smith and Lou Lumenick’s Top 10 lists.
Thanks for clarifying that, Kane!
Bryce, Boston Critics don’t list nominees but they do list a set of winners with 1 runner up each if I remember correctly. And I think they also release them relatively early in the Oscar season.
Sasha, I haven’t seen Philomena or August: Osange County yet but agree that Dench and Streep are probably the most vulnerable. I’m not saying they won’t be nominated but I agree that out of those 5, they’re the likeliest to get bumped (my guess would be by Adams or Exarchopoulos).
Haven’t we sort of established at this point that when it comes to predicting the Oscar race that actually seeing the movie doesn’t really matter that much? For the most part, doesn’t buzz trump actual performance?
Ohh it’s Boston ONLINE* Critics (not a big deal?)
The Boston Critics do nominations and all right?
12 YEARS swept which I guess isn’t news, what I loved is their top 10
12 YEARS A SLAVE
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
GRAVITY
BEFORE MIDNIGHT
THE SPECTACULAR NOW
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
SPRING BREAKERS
THE WORLD’S END
FRUITVALE STATION
Boston Film Critics Awards
http://collider.com/boston-online-film-critics-awards-12-years-a-slave/
I have a feeling that Academy will put someone young in that group of five veteran actresses. Someone will be out – possibly Dench or Bullock.
Amy Adams is very talented, but all the attention J Law is getting for American Hustle won’t help Adams’ Oscar chances this time ’round.
A line up of only +44 years actresses is to good to be true.
One of them (or more) can get left out.
And yes, it will probably be Judi or Meryl. For the latter, I doubt it will hurt her much. She has just won recently a long “overdue” third Oscar for a divise performance in a more or less hated movie. (that doesn’t mean she can’t/won’t win a fourth. She’ll just have to wait… like always)
And while people say they loved her performance in Philomena, they say Judi simply has no shot at a win for that, even though she’s in the “same boat” as Blanchett: never having won in Lead.
It seems like she never will…. I hope I’m wrong.
I love Amy Adams. Nothing would make me happier if the Academy finally treats her like a leading lady. Might be good for next year, when she has another leading role out there.
I don’t mind her playing the “fuckable” card. What “young” actress did not? They know it works. It’s frustrating, but it works.
Not least the one in the airport where Philomena rambles on and on about the tacky novel she’s been reading. And then they repeat the trick in the end… how amusing, huh? That’s just one example of the light comedic touches throughout the movie, but I think most of them hit a decidedly false note.
Didn’t strike a false note with me. Exactly the sort of genial conversation either of my grandmothers might have with me.
I’m gonna wear this shit out, folks. We’ve got months of this. I’m all for Judi Dench and I think Philomena’s a very good film. And I know that’s not a popular opinion around these parts, but that’s so silly and predictable.
If Judi Dench looked like Scarlett Johansson and the film was at least partly set in space / the future / Gotham City, y’all would be all over this shit.
Zooey: Uh, not sure what reviews you’re reading, but Adams is usually cited as a strong point. Look at the reviews coming out of the the New York critics.
And you saying that she doesn’t campaign is absolutely absurd. As I mentioned in my previous posts, she just had a NYT profile and she’s on the cover of Vanity Fair, all for American Hustle. Not to mention the roundtable and countless TV shows she’ll be doing in the coming weeks.
Paddy: Sure, Dench is perfectly alright. She does whatever the script wants us to feel and “get” about her character. But my main problem with the performance is exactly how it’s conceived on the page. The light comedy scenes, for one, felt excruciating to me. Not least the one in the airport where Philomena rambles on and on about the tacky novel she’s been reading. And then they repeat the trick in the end… how amusing, huh? That’s just one example of the light comedic touches throughout the movie, but I think most of them hit a decidedly false note. The script is just too goddamn cute and inoffensive.
Dench is a great actress, but with the amount of great performances this year, I want the five nominees to be culled from good-to-great movies and Philomena just doesn’t belong among them.
No one has mention Rooney Mara in both Side Effects and Ain’t Then Bodies Saint
In a “pinch, on” Steve we can count.
Right now i would predict – like pretty much everyone else –
Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine (Winner)
Emma Thompson – Saving Mr. Banks
Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Judi Dench – Philomena
Meryl Streep – August: Osage County
Runner Ups include – and they can kick out Judi and Meryl –
Amy Adams – American Hustle
Adele Exarchopoulos – Blue is the Warmest Colour
Dark Horses are:
Brie Larson – Short Term 12
Julia Louis Dreyfus – Enough Said
My Personal Favourites of the year are:
1. Emelie Dequenne – A Perdre la Raison (The best Performance of the year – BY FAR)!!!!
2. Adele Exarchopoulos – Blue is the Warmest Colour
3. Paulina Garcia – Gloria
4. Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
5. Brie Larson – Short Term 12
Runner up:
6. Barbara Sukowa – Hannah Arendt
Bullock seems like a fine human being. But I’ve never seen her in a role where I thought her acting was anything to report about. She is lucky that the Oscar is about popularity. Specially the Best Actress race, a category I consider a joke most years for its weakness (making Streeps Oscar nominations the equivelant of dog years).
It’s shameful that when a Sci-fi has a chance of winning anything at the Oscars it has to be one as empty as Gravity, instead of one like District 9.
The degree of difficulty for her in Philomena is not that hard, let’s be honest. It’s not a big performance. She doesn’t even have any big, standout moments. Time to let this one go. It doesn’t have to be a big performance to be a great one. And thank fuck it doesn’t have any big, standout moments, cos those have a tendency to sicken me. Judi Dench doesn’t do big, standout moments because she’s an artist, concerned less with the number of awards she might reap for her work than the quality of the work to which she is contributing. The degree of difficulty in portraying Philomena Lee is one of the highest of any performance I’ve seen this year. Such a complex character in such an extraordinary series of circumstances, and Dench is never once not utterly believable in the challenging role of a woman undergoing a severe crisis of faith, dealing with enormous pain that has haunted her her whole life, uncovering startling, life-altering truths about that life and the life of her long-estranged son. I’ve said it before, that I know many woman just like Philomena in character and temperament, and Dench nails it so thoroughly, recreates such a character with such accuracy and sensitivity that I was stunned. And she did all this while portraying a real person. You didn’t hear anyone say that the degree of difficulty for Meryl Streep in playing Margaret Thatcher wasn’t that hard.
Again, Dench may have street cred, but the fact that she couldn’t get nominated for either Skyfall or The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel last year shows weakness.
1. TBEMH was never a hit with critics and Dench’s performance in it was never as singled-out as in ‘Philomena’. Maggie Smith was the player who had more buzz. The comparision doesn’t work: Dench’s role in Frears’ movie is infinitely more substantial.
2. ‘Skyfall’ is a James Bond movie. Repeat: a James Bond movie. Not even SAG-nominee Bardem was able to get a nomination.
3. Last year is last year. We’re talking THIS year.
Adele Exarchopoulos would be as certain as Cate Blanchett for a nomination were this the 1960s or ’70s, methinks.
Paddy’s right, and she would certainly have played a bigger role with the 60s/70s film critics (‘member them? the learned, independent film scholars who sought out great cinema for the rest of us?)
That said, I do have great affection for the 5 current leaders.
And Bryce, my friend – we’re going to start calling you “Gravity’s Rainbow”.
If any of young ones, Amy, Adele or Brie gets in, and I think only one of them would, I wonder who could be. I haven’t seen their films, so I can’t really say, but it looks like Amy Adams isn’t that strong… the film seems to be so ensemble, and does she really carry the film as a lead actress? I feel if you win for the leading role, the actor should really stand out and as far as I read reviews and reactions in various sites, I don’t get that feel from Amy’s performance. And the other two young actresses, as much as critics and film bloggers praise their performances, I wonder if they get enough votes from the AMPAS members.
’85 was a deep year, too. Neither of the Cannes co-winners, Cher (“Mask”) or Norma Aleandro (“The Official Story”), were even nominated.
But Amy Adams is always referred to as the weak link in the film and all her nominations are in supporting, which hurts. And actually she’s not a campaigner. I’ve read many times and I’ve always had the feeling that she wants an Oscar, but she wouldn’t do much to get one in terms of campaigning. And I understand her. It’s ridiculous. I remember her doing the Hollywood Reporter Roundtable the year Natalie won. Most actresses couldn’t take the word from Hilary Swank and Bening loved talking as well. And it was obvious Adams would have done stuff other than that. I really hope she gets a big role that will take her on stage soon.
Agreed, Zooey. (She should have had a 4th already!)
As someone . . . older than 39 year-old Amy Adams . . . it’s nice to see her referred to as a “youngling.”
@ Alper,
I wouldn’t say three Oscars are enough for Meryl. She will have her fourth, just not this year.
Why does Sasha think Amy Adams doesn’t want a nomination?
@ Bryce,
I would rather say to somebody who considers Bullock’s performance above average to read a challenging book and start thinking on his own. So what?!
On the category:
Blanchett – age: 44, wins: one, nominations: including this one 6!
Bullock – age: 49, wins: one, nominations: including this one 2!
Dench – age: 79, wins: one, nominations: including this one 7!
Streep – age: 64, wins: three, nominations: including this one 18!
Thompson – age: 54, wins: one (acting only), nominations: including this one 5!
1. Could this be the oldest best actress line-up ever?
2. Has there been a best actress line-up ever without an actress younger than 40?
3. This will of course echo last year’s best supporting actor with each one of the five being a previous Oscar winner.
4. This could be the line-up with the most nominations between the nominees (in acting). Because everybody other than Sandra will have more than 5 nominations by nominations morning.
In the end I think that no matter what Sandra’s fans would like us to believe, Blanchett will win this. She’s simply too good to be ignored and they know they still owe her for the 1998 shameful best actress choice.
Remember 1995? Hailed by many critics as one of the best years for women in cinema, with so many worthy performances to choose from. Such a strong year that only the Golden Globe (Drama) nominees managed nods.
1995 BEST ACTRESS OSCAR NOMINEES
Susan Sarandon – Dead Man Walking * (SAG winner)
Elisabeth Shue – Leaving Las Vegas (Critics Darling)
Sharon Stone – Casino (Globe winner, Drama)
Meryl Streep – The Bridges of Madison County
Emma Thompson – Sense and Sensibility
MISSED OUT
Kathy Bates – Dolores Claiborne
Angela Bassett – Waiting to Exhale
Halle Berry & Jessica Lange – Losing Isaiah
Nicole Kidman – To Die For (Globe winner, Comedy)
Jennifer Jason Leigh – Georgia
Julianne Moore – Safe
Michelle Pfeiffer – Dangerous Minds
Alicia Silverstone – Clueless
Those 5 veterans will not dominate,
A couple of younglings will find their way in there at the last moment,
Maybe Brie and Adele, Or Amy
A repeat of a past post, but one worth repeating:
Some of my favorite female performances of 2013 are getting absolutely no press on the Oscar blogs, which is a shame because these blogs–especially AWARDS DAILY–continually harp on the lack of great female roles/performances, and yet–this year, as in most–end up focusing in on only the ones they think will get nominations automatically (Bullock, Blanchett, Streep, Dench, Thompson, with some press thrown out to Bejo, Mara, Gerwig, Louis-Dreyfus, Larson and Exarchopolous). I understand you have to cover the race, and that you‘re doing your best to foment some discussion of other, outside the box possibilities. But I‘ve rarely, if ever, seen any discussion of any of these 2013 (theatrically released) films:
Paulina Garcia as a middle-aged woman running the minefields of the dating world in Sebastian Lelio’s Gloria
Neslihan Atagul as a truck stop worker who falls for a standoffish driver while brushing away the advances of a longtime friend in Yasim Ustaoglu’s Araf/Somewhere In Between
Lindsay Burge as a Texas high school instructor conducting an affair with a student in Hannah Fidell’s A Teacher
Shari Moon Zombie as a heavy metal DJ who discovers a recorded link to Salem’s witchy past in Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem (yes, I stand by this performance, and the movie, as being something special).
Shailene Woodley as the intelligent, truthful girlfriend in James Pondsoldt’s The Spectacular Now
Sophie Desmarais as an emotionally distant track enthusiast gently discovering her sexuality in Chloe Robichaud’s Sarah Prefers to Run
Onata Aprile as the young daughter caught between bickering, inattentive parents in Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s What Maisie Knew
Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel as sharp, girly, but brutal assassins who warm up to their latest target in Geoffrey Fletcher’s Violet and Daisy
Rosemary Dewitt as a massage therapist who suddenly finds herself repelled by human skin in Lynn Shelton’s Touchy Feely
Genevieve Bujold as a elderly housebound wife dealing with a deteriorating mind in Micahel McGowan’s Still Mine
Julianne Moore as a lonely schoolmarm who takes on the staging of a former student’s failed play in Craig Zisk’s The English Teacher
Clemence Poesy as a Parisian woman who strikes up a friendship with a retired philosophy professor in Sandra Nettelbeck’s Last Love
Aubrey Plaza as a wallflowery, intellectual high school student who’s determined to become more sexually aware in Maggie Carey’s The To Do List
The fact the six of these performances come from films directed by women adds extra salt in the wound, since I know this site is always talking about female directors being ignored. This is a campaign I’m totally with you guys on–I want to see MORE great roles for women, and MORE movies directed by women. But if they aren’t covered here on AD (or are rarely covered, or talked about), then what hope do we have, really?
“Kate Winslet in Labor Day, [is] great too.”
I agree that Kate ‘the GREAT’ Winslet (The Reader, Iris) should, in a just universe, receive not only a Nomination on the morning of January 16, 2014, but an Oscar WIN(slet) on Oscar Night, for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work as Adele Wheeler in Labor Day. If, somehow, Kate Winslet fails to overtake all other performers this season……… I would be ok with Blanchett, Bullock, or Thompson winning the gold. Like Thompson’s character, I stand strong and let the world adjust to my personality just as much as I adjust to the world.
I’ll probably love Dench too once I catch Philomena but I’d rather not presume. Gotta save some of these films for Christmas week downtime!
-Watermelons
I kind of wish they opened the category up to more nominees. Or divided between Drama and Comedy like the Globes. So many great performances go unrecognized.
I like Bullock, and really liked Gravity, but her performance isn’t AMAZING or anything, IMO. There have been better this year. The best performance I’ve seen is still Adele Exarchopoulos in Blue Is The Warmest Color. Simply astonishing. It will be a shame for her to miss out, though she unfortunately probably will. Here’s hoping for a Golden Globe nomination at least.
I also thought Julie Delpy was better and it’s a shame she’ll probably go unnoticed by the Academy as well. Too many great performances, not enough spots.
“Bejo is unquestionably the lead. The movie has to do with her life. It takes place in her home, and it involves the two men in her life, as well as her children. A supporting player would be the teenaged girl who plays her eldest daughter.”
BD74, while I believe an argument can be made for either category for Bejo and I understand your argument, I happen to disagree. Like A SEPARATION, THE PAST is an ensemble film–I didn’t walk away thinking there was ANY lead male or female. If there is any star, it’s Farhadi’s precise script.
Every year there is disagreement about what constitutes Lead and Supporting Performances and I am always fascinated by the arguments people use. I go with what I feel my first impression is. You are allowed your opinion as I am mine but to say “unquestionably” or revert to condescension with your last sentence–well that’s just “unquestionably” wrong and unnecessary!
Just saw OUT OF THE FURNACE and only have one question: Where is it supposed to take place??? ★★
newyorker27, Mike,
I’ve seen several great performances by actresses this year. Blanchett, Larson, Garcia among others. Just saying Bullock is the best. That is all. Promise I’ll elaborate more on the great performances as the season progresses.
Dench and Blanchett were amazing in Notes On a Scandal movie.
This year in my opinion, because of her “weak” performance Dench has no chance.
Cate Blanchett gave such a strong performance in Woody Allen film.
I know she won in 2004 but this year she deserves “lead Actress” Oscar.
Also Meryl Streep has no chance. 3 Oscars enough for her.
Bryce – No one is denying that Bullock was great in Gravity. However, saying the she is the only actress to give a bravura performance during the year might be presumptuous if you have not seen all movies led by or featuring women. Have you seen Blue is the Warmest Color, August: Osage County, Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks, American Hustle? Have you seen all these movies? Have you? I suggest that you do before making the definitive conclusion that Sandra Bullock is the only one to give a bravura performance. This year is an embarassment of riches with actresses.
er “your”
Babe factor? I’ve always thought of Amy Adams as pretty much you’re average looking woman. (Note: I am no hunk o’man myself. I’m pretty much an average looking guy.)
I agree those five veterans would be most likely nominated, and Cate Blanchett will win. The one may upset her seems to be Emma Thompson… I feel Sandra Bullock is still very underrated just because a) she won the Oscar for her likability, not for a performance, and b) she draws box office numbers. Not only for “Gravity,” but I’ve been noticing how great her subtle performance is in other films. Someone here said her eyes say nothing in “Gravity” and I’ve read the same in several sites, which I’d say they may be biased. But I think how you take a performance is really personal experience. I was deepy moved by her performance in “Gravity” and I’m glad to see she’s been improving even after 25 years of career.
Recently she said in her interviews that having had the opportunity in “Gravity” is the award for her. I really admire this person.
But I don’t think Bullock will win. She probably wins nothing for this movie, but her performance will be remembered.
Also Sasha didn’t mention that Adams came in second at the NYFCC Awards, and she wasn’t all that far behind Blanchett. So she has critical backing, as well.
Adams will stand out as the babe factor. I just can’t wait for everyone to see the film because then they’ll all understand. She’s a lock for a nomination. She might even be the biggest threat to beating Blanchett. Mark my words. Every male member of the academy will want to sleep with her after seeing this.
I’ve talked about this with Sasha a lot on Twitter, but I just don’t see any way that Adams doesn’t get nominated.
Having seen the film, her part is everything a Best Actress nominee dreams of: flashy, sexy, screamy, faking a British accent, disco dancing, etc. That film is already going to steamroll its way to tons of nominations and will be a big ensemble hit at SAG, plus in many other critics’ groups.
I don’t see Harvey being able to fit in both Dench and Streep, especially since neither is campaigning hard. Adams is working it. NYT profile, Vanity Fair cover, Q&As galore, you name it.
Again, Dench may have street cred, but the fact that she couldn’t get nominated for either Skyfall or The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel last year shows weakness. The degree of difficulty for her in Philomena is not that hard, let’s be honest. It’s not a big performance. She doesn’t even have any big, standout moments. Time to let this one go.
she was much better in Notes on a Scandal
I haven’t seen Philomena yet, but she and Blanchett were indeed spectacular in that movie. Any other year both could have won for that.
This year kind of makes me wish that acting categories had more than five spots.
If you can’t see -the self evident truth- how great Bullock is, I’d say it’s your own failure. I advise a moderate dose of self-criticism, and discover the shortcomings that you as a viewer/”cinephile” has to overcome. Seek help. Read a hard book.
Adele Exarchopoulos would be as certain as Cate Blanchett for a nomination were this the 1960s or ’70s, methinks.
Thank you, julian the emperor, for being the voice of reason in this absurd chorus.
Julian,
The “naturalism” advantage that Adele E. had was that nobody knew her. Streep, Dench and the rest can never truly “disappear” into a role. For me, I can’t get “lost” in a movie. I’m always aware that it’s a movie; e.g., no performers can get me to cry, but I can appreciate their craft.
Sandra Bullock gave a performance so great and so difficult to achieve that I really cannot imagine how she can lose the Oscar.
a video on youtube: “Sandra Bullock on Gravity (70th Venice International Film Festival 2013)”
she explains a bit how they made gravity.
She carries the entire movie, what a movie, and not just acting alone, acting in very challenging conditions.
“I strongly disagree with all of you. The fact that the five veterans have been singled out since LONG BEFORE ANYONE HAD SEEN ALL (OR EVEN SOME) OF THE MOVIES tells me everything I need to know about the fact that Oscar is ruled by the same old household names. I think it’s sad that the Academy isn’t really allowed a chance to (or interested in) looking past the obvious picks. There’s a vast pool of talented actresses that deserve the spotlight.”
THIS!!
It’s a total shame that some actresses, ranging from up-and-comers to comedic powerhouses on television, have no shot because the hole system has been mentioning the same old names (plus Kidman and Watts) since February this year.
Five nominees and no one under 35 years old: it only happened once ever, in 1979. It’s a very very very very rare scenario.
I strongly disagree with all of you. The fact that the five veterans have been singled out since long before anyone had seen all (or even some) of the movies tells me everything I need to know about the fact that Oscar is ruled by the same old household names. I think it’s sad that the Academy isn’t really allowed a chance to (or interested in) looking past the obvious picks. There’s a vast pool of talented actresses that deserve the spotlight.
I HAVE seen Blanchett, Dench, and Bullock, all good (although Dench is really just doing a standard Dench routine in Philomena, she was much better in Notes on a Scandal!), but to me, Adele Exarchopoulos and Paulina Garcia have superior performances this season, and I still cling to a tiny hope that one of them will be recognized.
No one performance has stunned me for a very long time like Adele’s in the fantastic Blue Is the Warmest Color. Stunning, because it’s so naturalistic, so raw, so real. Imagine Streep do naturalistic, raw and real? Never going to happen. Which is why she is loved by Oscar. Go figure.
I think Judi Dench could be booted. Not because it wasn’t a good performance in Philomena. Quite the opposite.
She does such great work in everything she does, that I think it’s hard to see a performance by her as extraordinary. A blessing and a curse.
She probably will be nominated, but I wouldn’t freak out if she got bumped for an Adele or Brie.
I’d be very pleased with the 5 veterans being the 5 nominees. I’ve loved their good work for years, and I think they’re this year’s cream of the crop. As a film fan, I want to see good work, and if it’s being done by women, men, black, white, young, old, that doesn’t matter to me.
If baby boomers would stop being obsessed with eternal youth and start going to good movies even if the people in them aren’t young, more such movies will get made.
Right now, these are your best performances by women in 2013.
Perhaps you mean, rather than ‘best’, Sasha, instead ‘most formidable Oscar contenders’. Because, though I haven’t seen surely half or more of the best performances by women in films this year, I can list a great many more perfs which are as good as, if not better, than those five, such as Luminita Gheorghiu in Child’s Pose, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux in Blue Is the Warmest Colour, Isabelle Huppert in Abuse of Weakness, Lorraine Ashbourne in The Selfish Giant, Mana Ashida in Pacific Rim, Miles Canapi in Norte the End of History, Juno Temple in Magic Magic, Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave…
So next time you say or hear someone else say “Judi Dench is vulnerable” or some such nonsense just ask them if they’ve seen Philomena.
I’ve been saying the exact same thing since I saw Philomena. It’s just dull fanboys and bloggers who can’t get their kicks from a sensitive, sympathetic, emotionally astute film about an old catholic woman. No explosions. Not set in space. The thing I find even worse is the people who have seen it and say that Judi Dench gives a mediocre performance and that the film is an average British comedy. Eugh.
The only bravura performance by an Actress in 2013 was delivered by Sandra Bullock
Bryce, you haven’t seen enough films this year, then.
Sasha, good piece. I’d go with your 5 consensus choices. But remember, Oscar always throws in surprises, especially in the Lead Acting categories. Perhaps the surprises will be in Lead Male?
I think it’s great that all the frontrunners are Oscar winners. And to say that someone “new” deserves a spot in the race is a bit overrated. It’s not like there haven’t been made room for a younger generation the last couple of years…. Carey Mulligan, Quvenzhane Wallis, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Samantha Morton, Rooney Mara, Ellen Page, Jennifer Lawrence, Keisha-Castle Hughes, Gabourey Sidibe, Keira Knightley are just some that come to mind.
This year I think it’s wonderful to celebrate that there is life after 45 for actresses and for women portrayed in cinema.
Also whoever said they wanted someone else than Helen, Maggie and Judi to play the parts of englishwomen….seriously? Should these acting powerhouses just lay down and die now that they have an Oscar and because they have the nerve to appear IF ONLY in roughly ONE movie a year? I just love them, that’s all.
I hate to sound riled up about this but, whatever has happened to the podcasts?? Not only do we still not have the 2000 discussion from 3 weeks ago, but its been a few weeks since the usual 2hour discussion on current events. I dont mean to sound ungrateful, obviously I/we love the podcasts. But what is up?
I actually would watch out for PAULINA GARCIA in GLORIA. I think she could pick up momentum if she picks up a couple critics awards. The Los Angeles Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics are known for picking foreign performances for Best Actress, and in the past Emmanuelle Riva, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Fernanda Montenegro have made it in.
I enjoyed this article, but wish we would also give some shout outs and credit to some of the more luminous performances not in an English language. Since after all, film has no one language. I think a lot should be said about Paulina Garcia and Berenice Bejo and in the Best Actor race to Mads Mikkelsen in The Hunt.
Bullock will be nominated but I’d leave her off the list for sure. Beside the mediocre script and dialogue, I thought the performances hurt “Gravity.” As usual, there is very little expressed in Bullock’s eyes; once she takes off the space suit it’s the typical shallow performance, down to her insincere voice. And Clooney was doing his Danny Ocean guy again, which I hoped he had grown out of. And his fantasy appearance toward the end was almost embarrassing.
But Sasha’s article was very smart other than the bullocklove.
Doesn’t ‘fuckability’ come into play? I believe there was a piece on here in the last couple of years about the ‘fuckability’ of the actresses. Of the assume top 5, only Bullock and Blanchett are ‘fuckable’ to the mainstream, can we agree on that? Not saying Streep or Dench or Thompson aren’t beautiful but they aren’t the young sexy socially ‘hot’ women. This is a reason why I think Adams might work her way in there. Could be wrong.
Mark my words: they will drop the one who couldn’t care less for the Oscars: Judi Dench.
Come on, people. It’s Best Actress, not Best Supporting Actor. There’s got to be a babe among them.
I am not saying I support this thought, it’s just the way it works.
The smart money’s definitely on those five.
You could go out on a limb and predict Exarchopoulous or Larson to replace Dench or Streep, but that would be a risky wager, and would certainly feel like a flukey shocker (a la no Affleck or Bigelow … which will continue to haunt me).
Excellent article.
——
My thoughts on the race:
—–
I think those are the 5, with Adams a close 6th, but …
——
The one I see most vulnerable is Bullock because whe she was nominated/won just a couple of years ago … She was the story of the year. The only story I see here is box office and shes always done great box office.
——
I also see Streep as slightly vulnerable just because she may be deemed a shoe-in and miss votes. Also, while most people think she was incredible, plenty thought she misfired. But she IS loved.
——-
I think Blanchett is in. I think Emma is working it for a nom. And I think Harvey will help Dench. So yeah, Bullock and Streep seem like the vulnerable ones IF and its a big IF … Adams gets more votes than either of them. It could happen. Hell, Exarchopoulos may have a lot of passion votes. Cant wait to see how it all plays out.
and placing Bejo in Supporting–where I truly feel she should be
Not at all. Bejo is unquestionably the lead. The movie has to do with her life. It takes place in her home, and it involves the two men in her life, as well as her children. A supporting player would be the teenaged girl who plays her eldest daughter.
The consensus five will be the final five, I would be shocked if any of them got snubbed. I think if Adams makes the cut it will be in supporting, the quintet’s films are all about their characters, Hustle isn’t all about Adams, it’s a BIG esteemed ensemble and IMO that will make all the difference in the end.
On a semi-unrelated note I pulled triple duty today and watched The Butler (second time, still quite underwhelmed, Oprah good but not even close to her biggest competition’s brilliance, go Lupita ,), Enough said (loved the script and the performances, hopefully Holofcener will make the cut and JLD will get more worthy feature opportunities in the future) and Frozen ( oddly enough a breath of fresh air and a feel-good vibe of good old-fashioned nostalgia at the same time, lovely pic).
P.S. unlikely hood – Yep, we talked about how this race would be over if among all these previous winners one of these big roles went to a long overdue actress (the examples were Pfeiffer/Jasmine, JMoore/Ryan, Close/Pamela etc) and why there is a reason that didn’t happen because nominees don’t seem to get as great offers as Oscar winners and that’s exactly why some of them campaign so hard to get one…it brings in better roles, simple as that. Just look at Bullock, as questionable as her victory was, no way she could have gotten even on gravityesque shortlist before her Oscar win. And now she gets it before the Wattses and Moores. Having said that, I LOVE the performances of the consensus five, all those was a simple whatifapproach to prove a point.
Great article, Sasha! But for me, the problem is… I did pity Jasmine. Yes, she did look the other way as others were suffering, but she has to live with the choices she has made in the past…choices that she, obviously, can’t live with. Part of me just wanted her to get her happy ending, but I would not change the film any other way. Cate Blanchett’s performance is one for the ages.
BRYCE, how can say that Sandra Bullock is the only one who’s delivered a “bravura” performance this year in article that is praising this year’s actresses, and when you’ve expressed so many times how you have no access to films as much as everyone else because of where you live. I just find it comical. Anyway, I haven’t seen Emma Thompson’s and Amy Adam’s performance, but this would be ranking for the one’s Ive seen: 1.Cate Blanchett 2.Meryl Streep 3.Sandra Bullock 4.Judi Dench 5.Brie Larson 6. Adele Exarchopoulos 7.Julie Delpy 8.Greta Gerwig
I find it telling the defense of Bullock is box office numbers, not the performance.
One of your best, most incisive meditations.
I have been laboring with my favorite female lead performances since I keep going back to these five and keep telling myself there is no originality in that. BUT if they’re my favorite five (and I truly believe they are–having not seen Winslet and placing Bejo in Supporting–where I truly feel she should be), Blanchett, Thompson, Streep, Bullock and Dench represent the Best Lead Performances of 2013. Sure I loved Adele and Brie and Julia and Julie Delpy and, yes, Amy–but I am not comfortable with her as Lead. But the points you make about each performance are right on the money. How do you disregard one.
Now, I’m sure AMPAS might find a way like they found a way to NOT nominate the best male lead performance of 2011–Michael Fassbender. But I feel validated by this article and I thank you for that.
I’m surprisingly care-free on this category. Most of my favorite female performances this year(Delpy, Woodley, Larson, Dreyfus) aren’t in the conversation for whatever reason, and while Blanchett was great, I feel she is the single strong element of Blue Jasmine(well, her and Hawkins to a lesser extent). Structurally, aesthetically, thematic, its pretty flawed top to the bottom, and doesn’t have anything interesting to say about the rich or hardly tells much of a story at all. Great performance, but its hard for me spur much passion for the film itself.
So yeah, unless some interesting curve balls show up along the way, I’m kinda whatever on Best Actress this year.
i don’t think there’s anything wrong with making room for a newcomer. i hope too it’s not a lineup of all previous winners when there are new actresses who could gain a big step up in their career from the attention that comes with an oscar nomination.
Here is a woman on the brink of 50 who carries an entire movie. There is only one other character and he disappears pretty quickly. It is all Bullock in a part most studios would never have given her in a million years.
It’s on its way to making $300 million domestic and you’re going to tell me she’s vulnerable?
See here’s the thing. I don’t think she’s vulnerable. But by your own account it’s about the fact that she’s carrying the film and how much money it’s made. The quality of the performance doesn’t seem to matter. If she gets in for those reasons, they’re the wrong ones.
The same can’t be said for Jasmine, who bears the scorn of the hundreds of thousands her husband cheated out of the poor while Jasmine looked the other way.
I pity Jasmine. And all those who don’t can snack on some cupcakes. 😛
As phantom and I and others have been saying, the only thing we don’t like about this lineup is that all of them already have Oscars. Come on, Sasha, we can’t bait you into an alternate slate of actresses playing these same roles?
What did we last say phantom? Something like:
Glenn Close in August Osage County
Imelda Staunton in Philomena
Annette Bening in Saving Mr. Banks
Salma Hayek in Blue Jasmine
and
Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Ryan Stone in Gravity
Mark Harris pointed out in his column that last year’s Best Supporting Actor race was the first-ever to feature only previous winners – and that with this actress slate, that threatens to become a trend. I do think Harris was right to use the word “threaten.” The problem is, say, the great movies that might be made starring Julianne Moore (not Carrie remakes), but some producer saying “we can’t advertise this as Academy Award *nominee* Julianne Moore – that’s just not enough.” We don’t want the club to get too calcified, too exclusive. We need old Englishwomen played by someone not named Judi, Helen, or Maggie, don’t we?
Other than that, what a tremendous group of performances!
The only bravura performance by an Actress in 2013 was delivered by Sandra Bullock
You haven’t seen enough movies this year, Bryce.
Loved this article. I have seen all 5 films and I complete everything you are saying. My only thing is that this line up seems too safe/easy… I feel like one of these might have to miss. I feel like Blanchett, Bullock and Streep are complete locks. With Emma Thompson 4th, and Dench 5th.
I have yet to see Hustle, but I am curious.
I loved what you said about Streep though. I am not a typical Streep fanboy (infact was LIVID when she beat Viola Davis), but after reading all over the internet how doubtful people are of her chances for a nomination I thought the exact same thing, have you SEEN August:Osage County? Streep is not missing.
Right now, these are your best performances by women in 2013.
Among the most formidable, Oscar-wise. But under no circumstances are they the five best.
I haven’t seen nearly half of the performances I’m sure I’ll eventually consider the five best of the year, but among actresses whose work I have seen thus far this year, I’d list Luminita Gheorghiu in Child’s Pose, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux in Blue Is the Warmest Colour, Isabelle Huppert in Abuse of Weakness, Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave, Juno Temple in Magic Magic, Miles Canapi in Norte the End of History, Mana Ashida in Pacific Rim, Lorraine Ashbourne in The Selfish Giant…
So next time you say or hear someone else say “Judi Dench is vulnerable” or some such nonsense just ask them if they’ve seen Philomena.
Exactly what I’ve been saying since I saw Philomena. Hilarious that people think she’s vulnerable. She nails it. More baffling, though, are the throngs of web voices who have seen Philomena, and think she’s just alright and the film’s a bit shit, which is utter nonsense.
I have never heard anyone complain about Bullock carrying an entire movie. I liked her performance, I didn’t go over the moon for it, but then again like you said before I may need to watch it again because the first time it’s tough to notice her performance due to the vfx of it all. For those that didn’t love her it doesn’t mean a woman couldn’t play Ryan Stone. I had reservations about Bullock the actress, not that a woman was lead, playing Ryan Stone until I saw the first trailer/teaser. I don’t know who you saw that was sneering but everyone I knew who are serious Oscar watchers and my friends and the general public (my coworkers included) were blown away by the movie and by Sandra Bullock. In a year full of great, amazing performances by amazing actresses it feels like a cheap shot and contradictory to say, “They were the years best but no one would ever give them a chance!” Well they were given a chance now and I’d rather focus on the positives then how much the academy fucked up in the past. I looked back at the last 5 years of best actress nominees and I can only think of one who didn’t deserve to even be nominated and that was Bullock for The Blind Side. In the last 3 years alone, out of 15 best actress nominees, I counted 7 women who played women that didn’t take crap from anybody. I’ll add Viola Davis as an 8 since she eventually told Bryce Dallas Howard to fuck off. I’d say in the last few years, despite who won, we’ve gotten a great slate of nominees and that should be celebrated.
For the record I have no problem with anybody winning any awards who go nude. I don’t think they win Oscars because they do go nude but in some way I feel like it may help. When an actor or actress goes nude, for me at least, it shows greater comfortability or greater vulnerability. Helen Hunt went nude many times in The Sessions and she wholly deserved that nomination.
The only bravura performance by an Actress in 2013 was delivered by Sandra Bullock
It really is down to six if you ask me. Should more be included but when it comes down to it I think it’s really six for five spots. Your five and Adams.
Only way I see Adams getting in is if there is enough love for her and a split between two of the others and she eeks in. If I had to guess who would be left out if that happens it would be Dench.
This is one of the best articles in my opinion you have written here. Hats off to you for this one because I don’t think anyone would approach this from the point you have. You have made it about the work and the work these women have done to make it work. Nice job Sasha.