It’s an Oscar complaint as unfailingly annual as telecast overlength and foreign-language category blunders: with the season so geared towards the glut of prestige titles released in the year’s final quarter, standout contenders from the mist-shrouded months of spring and the previous winter have to fight that much harder to be heard – that is, if anyone is listening at all.
Year after year, numerous early-seen gems slip through the cracks as critics and voters alike rush to crown never, shinier attractions. With that in mind, welcome to First-Half FYC: a new weekly feature at InContention, wherein I’ll shine a light on the worthiest Oscar possibilities (or impossibilities) from the first six months of the 2010 release calendar.
Each week, a different major category will be covered with alternative ballot of five potential nominees – some serious, others playful, some widely celebrated, others largely buried. All, however, are films or individuals that would breathe some fresh air into their respective races.
We’ll start with Best Supporting Actress, a field that turned up more January-to-June riches than I was expecting when I began combing through the archives; leaving out Dale Dickey, for example, was tough, but the newly Spirit-nominated “Winter’s Bone” star has the consolation of being a little higher on the Academy radar than any of the five ladies (young ladies, in some cases) listed below.
Alice de Lencquesaing, “Father of My Children”
One of a select, but happily growing, club of teen actresses in 2010 who proved that it’s possible to project intelligence and curiosity on screen without sliding into smarmy preciousness, de Lencquesaing’s gawky shoulders carry the burden of the tragedy in Mia Hansen-Løve’s elegiac family drama, and does so with quiet authority. Playing opposite (and eventually taking the lead from) her real-life father lends the performance a complex petal arrangement emotions petals, but it’s no stunt either: de Lencquesaing independently demonstrated her thespian credentials two years ago in “Summer Hours.”
Rebecca Griffiths, “Fish Tank”
“I like you, I’ll kill you last,” mutters angel-faced pre-adolescent Tyler to her mom’s latest boyfriend early on in Andrea Arnold’s feverish study of working-class British youth – and as played by 12 year-old first-timer Griffiths, this potentially cute line carries a genuinely disconcerting edge of threat. Katie Jarvis, the film’s (then) 17 year-old lead, has been justly celebrated by critics, but as her wary, watchful and wickedly dry little sister, Griffiths deserves her own share of plaudits; never self-aware but attuned to the unspoken dramatic stakes of her every scene, she demands to be used again.
Amanda Peet, “Please Give”
Nicole Holofcener’s latest femme-skewed, genially neurotic social comedy features a typically attentive ensemble, of which any member could feasibly be a different critic’s favorite. (Clearly, the Indie Spirit voters agree, and gave it their Robert Altman Award.) So I’m as surprised as anyone that mine turned out to be Peet, a long-proficient actress who has never previously ignited as she does here, playing the sourly pragmatic and intimidatingly perma-bronzed beautician sister of Rebecca Hall’s meek do-gooder. Peet revels in the character’s ghastliness, seizing control of conversations with entitled aplomb, but smartly pulls back from all-out gorgon territory, revealing a lifetime of bruised disappointment beneath the bitchiness.
Taylor Swift, “Valentine’s Day”
No, wait, come back! Sure, I found Garry Marshall’s mercilessly subdivided ensemble romcom as witless and teeth-grittingly insincere as pretty much every other critic on record, but amid the dim constellation of stars grim-facedly collecting their paychecks, there’s a flash of unaffected joy and warmth in the unlikely shape of country superstar Swift. Tapping into the flush of first love with the same mellow cheeriness of her music, Swift’s easy screen presence is infectious enough even to render her marionette scene partner Taylor Lautner fleetingly flesh-and-blood; that may not be enough for an Oscar nod, but she deserves some kind of medal for grace under fire.
Olivia Williams, “The Ghost Writer”
Roman Polanski’s tidily cool thriller has walked a curious boundary between the underestimated and the overpraised all year long, but while the film’s consistent reappearance in the best-of-year discussion has me scratching my head, even more puzzling is the failure of its most valuable contributor, the reliably precise Williams, to so much as enter the conversation. Relishing the chance to play a more reptilian character than she is usually given – those Cherie Blair comparisons don’t come out of thin air – she’s acrid and affecting in equal measure, and the actor working closest to Polanski’s mode of unfussed chilliness.
With a special mention for Rebecca Hall’s superb work in “Red Riding: 1974,” excluded only because her vehicle’s TV roots make her Oscar-ineligible.
Agree? Disagree? Which supporting actress possibilities from early in the year would you like to see enter (or re-enter) the conversation? Chime in with your suggestions, or simply your thoughts on the new feature, in the comments.
[Photos: Sony Pictures Classics, IFC Films, New Line Cinema and Summit Entertainment]
Comments
101 responses to “FIRST-HALF FYC: Best Supporting Actress”
Another vote for Chloe Moretz who was phenomenal in Kick ass and Let Me In. i`m completely baffled that this girl isn`t collecting Breakthrough awards left and right.
Taylor Swift over K-Stew in Runaways and Welcome to Rileys? Over Fanning in Runaways?
BTW, how the heck K-Stew missed Indie Spirit? She was amazing in two indie movies. :(
Except that reviews said Cyrus is an atrocious actress who doesn’t seem to understand human emotions, while reviews mostly praised Swift.
Thank you for appreciating Taylor Swift! She’s such a fun spirit who I absolutely love. That being said, she shouldn’t go for any dramatic roles. She deserves to be the saving grace of every crappy rom-com.
you always favor women you want to sleep with…
Oh, my gosh, I forgot SPLICE was in the first half of the year. Delphine Chaneac should win the frigging award.
1) Aggeliki Papoulia, Dogtooth
2) Barbara Hershey, Black Swan
3) Kristin Scott Thomas, Nowhere Boy
4) Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer
5) Dakota Fanning, The Runaways
Maybe because K Stew is really not a good actress… For me she’s very plain.. Good thing there’s Twilight Saga to give her the MTV popcorn and the Choice Awards…
Taylor Swift. Shame on you, Guy. ;P
My picks:
Delphine Chaneac, “Splice”
Kristin Davis, “Sex and the City 2”
Glenne Headly, “The Joneses”
Chloe Moretz, “Kick-Ass”
Amanda Seyfried, “Chloe”
(P.S. I only count films I reviewed from January 1 through June 30, so films like “The Kids Are All Right” and “Cyrus” sadly don’t count, since I reviewed them in July.)
I think there should be some consideration for Michelle Williams in “Shutter Island”
Guy, you go with your bad self. I love your Taylor Swift pick, it almost seemed to me that she could tell just how terrible a film it was shaping up to be, so she really played into it.
I echo those calling for Michelle Williams’ recognition, she was just flooring, so calculated yet so real. Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter made Alice in Wonderland not completely intolerable for me. This one might be a little random, but I quite liked Rose Byrne in Get Him to the Greek. Usually if an actor is unrecognizable to me and I have to go “What??” when I see their name in the credits, that’s a sign that they’ve done a good job (usually).
Apologies for the following language, but Griffiths’ amazing line reading of “if i’m a fuckface then YOU’RE a cuntface” was extraordinary.
Yeah, the Fish Tank kid was very great, but I thought Peet was awful, as was all of Please Give.
Hall was great in 1974, too.
My FYCs:
Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer
Kerry Washington, Mother and Child
Michelle Williams, Shutter Island
Dale Dickey, Winter’s Bone
Rebecca Hall, Please Give
Back in September I posted an entry in my blog with my first half of the year Oscar Predictions.
http://imitationlife.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/best-of-the-year-early-oscar-predictions-2011/#more-615
My choices for BSA were:
MARION COTILLARD in Inception
GEMMA JONES in You’ll Meet a Drak Tall Stranger (Runner-up)
KRISTIN SCOTT-THOMAS in Nowhere Boy
RUTH SHEEN in Another Year
OLIVIA WILLIAMS in The Ghost Writer
(Winner)
Now I would add:
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)
Blake Lively (The Town)
Mia Wasikowska (The Kids Are All Right)
Dale Dickey (Winter’s Bone)
Lucy Punch (You’ll Meet A Tall Dark Stranger)
Rebecca Hall (The Town)
Marisa Tomei (Cyrus)
Rooney Mara (The Social Network)
And, of course, the great LESLEY MANVILLE (Another Year) if she goes supporting. She gives the best performnace of the year, male or female, leading or supporting.
Taylor Swift>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> that chick from Splice which was one of the worst movies ever made.
Swift and Cyrus both gave terrible performances in terrible movies. End of story.
Olivia Williams should honestly be in the race.
I’ve been puzzled that Shutter Island’s champions have offered up Michelle Williams as a potential BSA candidate. For my money, it’s all about Patricia Clarkson’s work in that film. A performance that could be read any number of ways (see also: Ted Levine).
Peet, Guilbert and Hall are all still in my top 5 of the year so far for Please Give. I would include Keener too, but I would bump her up to lead just to avoid a Please Give overdose.
I agree with the Williams and Moretz praises I’m reading here too, but I would actually include Portia Doubleday from Youth in Revolt over either of them (definitely over Moretz).
Great idea for a series. I will have to admit I stopped reading when I saw Taylor Swift’s name. No offense.
I’m so totally in love with Vanessa Redgrave in LETTERS TO JULIET, believe it or not.
Aggeliki Papoulia, Dogtooth
Maria Paiato, I Am Love
Alba Rohrwacher, I Am Love
Rebecca Hall, Please Give (Peet is quite good too, the film itself is very amusing)
Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer
Williams is good enough for a win.
The Ghost Writer is a strange case, over-looked in America and over-rated in Europe where they consider it some sort of masterpiece.
Chloe Moretz may not deserve an Oscar nom for either of her performances this year (although, hell, why not), but the combination of those two roles puts her high on my “Rising Stars to Watch” list. She was just plain awesome.
I don’t know if Guy has admitted to joking or not about Swift, since I haven’t read all 69 comments yet, but I don’t he was kidding. I haven’t seen the film, and I’m sure many of the naysayers haven’t either. But if he is indeed being sincere, which, again, I think he is, I have to give him props for having the guts to voice an opinion that is obviously going to be dismissed or downright mocked by the masses.
2 minute TREE OF LIFE TRAILER attached to all prints of BLACK SWAN!!!
Seriously?! Link?
Link to news story about this, I mean.
http://thefilmstage.com/2010/11/30/extensive-details-on-terrence-malicks-the-burial-tree-of-life-trailer-coming-with-black-swan/
Joblo(dot)com tweeted 15 hours ago. But that seems to be the only place along with a filmstage article which links to that tweet along with other details about The Burial (courtesy The Wrap), Malik’s other film which recently wrapped shooting but which he will likely finish editing after the release of Avatar 2.
Also, what’s up with True Grit? Doesn’t the embargo lift today? Where are the reviews or when can I expect to find them online?
End communication.
1pm eastern I believe?
I hope your Second half list includes Marion Cotillard’s role in Inception.
And Olivia Williams deserves all the respect in the world, she has been too good for too long to be ignored thus. Hope this gets her into more things to. She’s simply fascinating to watch.
Not really inventive to offer some choices others already mentioned, but anyway:
Rebecca Hall, “Please Give”
Mia Wasikowska, “Kids are all right” (my favourite performance in that movie)
Rooney Mara, “Social Network” (is this first or second half- ah, nevermind)
Olivia Williams of course, “The Ghost Writer”
Rooney Mara would be second half, though I wouldn’t quite consider her performance worthy of a nomination.
That Taylor Swift thing is a joke right? She was absolutely the worst part of that awful movie.
Awesome idea for a series of articles Guy! I have seen all the films on your list (except Valentine’s Day) and would agree with all of your selections. Good for you for having some fun and going out on a limb for Taylor Swift. I can’t say if I would make the same call having not seen the film but I think it is fun that you put that out there like that.
Olivia Williams gives the supporting performance of the year (well, from what I’ve seen so far).
Given her prominence this year, and the praise for the film, and yes, her strong work in it, I’m a little surprised Mia hasn’t ever entered the discussion for The Kids. Likewise, I’d really have thought there’d be a bigger push for Cotillard for Inception (in which she did a great job).
But yeah, it starts and ends with Olivia Williams.
@86 (and others) Both Kids Are All Right and Inception came out in July so they are technically not First-Half of 2010 potential nominees…
Great performances but ignored this award season
marisa tomei – cyrus
amanda peet – please give
olivia williams – the ghost writer
chloe moretz – kick-ass
mia. w – the kids are all right
helena bonham carter – alice in wonderland
kristin scott thomas – nowhere boy
anne marie duff – nowhere boy
actually the only performance in Valentine’s Day that I enjoy is Anne Hathaway’s. And her storyline is much better than anyone else’s.
I’m obviously having fun with the Swift pick, but that doesn’t mean it’s a joke. I thought she was a delight, and better than one or two actresses who have genuine Oscar buzz in this category.
And to those of you who apparently “stopped reading” when you read her name, the only person you’re hurting is Olivia Williams!
Oh, and as someone pointed out above, “The Kids Are All Right” was a July release, otherwise Mia Wasikowska would figure in there.
My number one ignored performance (though the movie is getting a lot of attention) is Marion Cotillard’s in Inception. She is so wonderful in a challenging, different role, and she doesn’t even seem in the conversation.
I fail to see how Cotillard’s role in Inception is all that challenging, though she’s perfectly good in it.
Will everyone please give the Guy a break? Taste is personal and if the man enjoys Swift’s work, let him be.
Good on him for having an unconventional pick and not following the crowd.
@Guy: I love how you can be idiosyncratic in your choices and defend them admirably. I may not always agree, but that doesn’t mean I’m not always convinced by your arguments.
i actually felt distracted by Cotillard in inception. She almost pulled me out of the movie. I prefer page in that movie.
Yes the splice child was insane in an absurd movie. thats my vote.
Taylor Swift in valentines day was definitely memorable.. for ALL the wrong reasons… but then again I can say that about most of the movie..
Only Julia, Jennifer and Bradley Cooper made it remotely interesting..
If i had to choose a memorable performance this year it would have to be Emma Stone in Easy A.. or is that too far on the wrong side of the year to qualify for this list???
I don’t know, I just thought that Cotillard had kind of a tough role having to be a kind of antagonist/love interest/dream at the same time, and managed to make the ‘character’ interesting and cool. It’s challenging to play a character who is/isn’t a dream at the same time, and make them seem real and fake concurrently.
I’m also openly a Cotillard fanboy (LOVED her in Nine, and though Penelope took her spot if Nine was to get one last year). That could be affecting my thought process too. =)
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This is going to be completely out of left field, but did anyone else really love the supporting actress’ of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”. The tone of the movie was incredibly delicate, and I think between Elizabeth Winstead and especially, Brie Larson, the women really grounded the movie in the universe it was set in. I know this will be a completely random choice, but I think it’s an underrated film with some underrated performances.
Zach, I completely agree with that and actually mentioned Mary Elizabeth Winstead up at #47. The problem is that the movie didn’t come out in the first half of 2010…
O RLY?
Lol @ Taylor Swift over Dale Dickey.