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Yesterday, I began my very far-fetched (and in some cases, frankly impossible) wishlist for Tuesday’s Oscar nominations with my favorite achievements in the technical categories. Today, I offer up my picks in the top races, and I don’t mind telling you things got pretty agonizing in some categories.
“Why can’t I have 15 nominees for Best Supporting Actress?” one half of my brain asked earlier this morning, as I once more marvelled that any pundits could once have deemed that particular race “weak.” Cooler instincts prevailed, but it bears repeating just what a staggering, and pleasingly varied, year it’s been for female performances on both sides of the category divide. I was also surprised to see how many performances stood tall from films that weren’t necessarily on their stars’ level — I like to think there aren’t too many coattail picks here.
I’ve veered from Academy format in one respect: I’ve dispensed with a Best Foreign Language Film category. Not only do I dislike the award in principle — it’s a different language, not a different medium — but my general picks are heavy enough on foreign fare that a ghetto category seemed superfluous. Check out my picks after the cut, and share your thoughts in the comments.
Best Picture
“Another Year”
“Black Swan”
“Carlos”
“Dogtooth”
“Everyone Else”
“The Fighter”
“Fish Tank”
“The Illusionist”
“A Prophet”
“White Material”
No next tier on this category — ten nominees feel indulgent enough as it is. (If we were playing the old Academy game of five, you’d be looking at “The Fighter,” “Fish Tank,” “The Illusionist,” “A Prophet” and “White Material.”) Anyway, if you don’t already know why these films are here, my 2009 and 2010 Ten Best lists will enlighten you, and I’ve little to add to them — other than to say that I wish more than half this list weren’t already ruled off the Oscar eligibility list.
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
David O. Russell, “The Fighter”
Sylvain Chomet, “The Illusionist”
Eugène Green, “The Portuguese Nun”
Claire Denis, “White Material”
Next tier: Mike Leigh, “Another Year”; Olivier Assayas, “Carlos”; Andrea Arnold, “Fish Tank”; Jessica Hausner, “Lourdes”; Jacques Audiard, “A Prophet”
Whaddaya know, I guess you can get a lone director nominee with ten Best Picture slots. I encountered some severe bottlenecking of worthy contenders in this category, but opted to single out Green’s singular experimental work, wholly ruled as it is by its writer-director-star’s idiosyncratic fancies. His approach couldn’t be more opposed to Russell’s restless generosity, constantly seeking life at the edges of each scene, a sociable instinct Claire Denis follows with somewhat stricter formal discipline. Aronofsky is perhaps more possessive of his artists, but his trust in them is what makes his odd-duck film fly; Chomet, meanwhile, is his own artist, enriched but unrestricted by his spiritual collaboration with Jacques Tati.
Best Actor
Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”
Tahar Rahim, “A Prophet”
Édgar Ramírez, “Carlos”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
Alexander Siddig, “Cairo Time”
Next tier: Casey Affleck, “The Killer Inside Me”; Stephen Dorff, “Somewhere”; Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”; Dieter Laser, “The Human Centipede: First Sequence”; Mark Wahlberg, “The Fighter”
I was struck by how short my longlist was here compared to the other three acting races — 2010 seemed to me a year heavy on strong actors doing what we already knew they could do. Not so Ryan Gosling, who raised his own already high bar with an alternately funny, furious and crushing anatomy of a loser. He takes this category easily, but there’s plenty to celebrate in a pair of quicksilver foreign breakout turns from Ramirez and Rahim, as well as the sadly unsung Siddig, possessed here of the actorly equivalent of perfect pitch. Of the five, the wonderful Ruffalo (a co-lead, in my book) is on the most familiar form, but it’s a joy to see him cast in a role that asks more questions of his dude-ish persona.
Best Actress
Isabelle Huppert, “White Material”
Katie Jarvis, “Fish Tank”
Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”
Birgit Minichmayr, “Everyone Else”
Emma Stone, “Easy A”
Next tier: Jeon Do-yeon, “Secret Sunshine”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”; Lesley Manville, “Another Year”; Julianne Moore, “The Kids Are All Right”; Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine”
If my Best Actor race could have been more competitive, this was pretty brutal, as an unusually strong slate of Oscar frontrunners battled it out with darker horses for my affections. Emma Stone looks an odd fit here by virtue of her featherweight commercial vehicle, not her supremely versatile, many-mooded star turn. Like Stone, less polished newcomer Jarvis bottles everything that makes teenagers such compelling, unreadable beings into one raging ball of performance energy — not that Minichmayr’s stroppy, angular child-woman is much different. The category is rounded out by a pair of master classes: Huppert and Kidman both challenge themselves by taking thorny approaches to ostensibly sympathetic characters, reaping devastating emotional rewards in the process.
Best Supporting Actor
Niels Arestrup, “A Prophet”
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
Michael Fassbender, “Fish Tank”
Ciarán Hinds, “Life During Wartime”
Ben Mendelsohn, “Animal Kingdom”
Next tier: Jon Hamm, “The Town”; Tom Hardy, “Inception”; John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”; Dustin Hoffman, “Barney’s Version”; Stanley Tucci, “Easy A”
Looking at the five actors who wound up topping my ballot in this category, I was struck by what a stealthy, even slithery, gallery of performances it is; all are men who take their time unparcelling the full extent of their damage — and capacity for damage. Bale’s hopefully Oscar-bound turn is the most showboaty work here, but that’s not to deny the sly wit and gangly physical detail at work in his roaring Dicky Eklund. Fassbender expertly modulates the seductiveness of his seemingly average Joe, while Hinds is simultaneously repellent and touching as a man hollowed out by his desires. Arestrup and Mendelsohn, meanwhile, complicate the villainy of their roles with tragic notes of loneliness and insecurity.
Best Supporting Actress
Cher, “Burlesque”
Kimberly Elise, “For Colored Girls”
Julianna Margulies, “City Island”
Charlotte Rampling, “Life During Wartime”
Kristin Scott Thomas, “Nowhere Boy”
Next tier: Amy Adams, “The Fighter”; Karina Fernandez, “Another Year”; Macy Gray, “For Colored Girls”; Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”; Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”
Okay, if Best Actress was a fight, this was all-out warfare: even now, looking at the ten names above, I can scarcely believe Mila Kunis, Rebecca Hall, Dale Dickey, Amanda Peet, Mia Wasikowska, Elle Fanning, Rosamund Pike and Juliette Lewis, to be selective, aren’t among them. I stated my case for Elise and Margulies recently enough that I don’t have to remind you why they’re here (though I admit I bumped the latter’s borderline-lead performance down a category). Scott Thomas is a guarded marvel in a role that doesn’t demand such emotional complexity; still, she takes silver to Cher in the spinning-gold-from-straw stakes. Rampling’s brief, searingly acrid character sketch, meanwhile, haunts me nearly 18 months after our first encounter.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Tyler Perry, “For Colored Girls”
Aaron Sorkin, “The Social Network”
Claire Denis and Marie N’Diaye, “White Material”
Alex Reval and Laurent Herbiet, “Wild Grass”
Debra Granik and Anne Rosselini, “Winter’s Bone”
Next tier: “The American,” “Eccentricities of a Blonde Haired Girl,” “My Dog Tulip,” “Rabbit Hole,” “Red Riding: 1974″
It seems original screenplays face a tougher path to the screen with each passing year, so I’m not sure why it’s this category where I annually struggle to compile a satisfactory slate of hypothetical nominees. I have problems with three of these screenplays, but I’d rather celebrate the sporadically brilliant than the proficient. Perry’s forging of narrative from poetry is overworked, but his script pulses with language and feeling; Reval and Herbiet leave too much unassembled, but that’s after an ingenious series of emotional switchbacks; Sorkin’s script is a virtuosic wordsmith’s feat, but finally speaks too much, with too few voices. “Winter’s Bone” and “White Material” are more pristine in their writerly marriage of suspense and anthropology.
Best Original Screenplay
Mike Leigh, “Another Year”
Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou, “Dogtooth”
Maren Ade, “Everyone Else”
Andrea Arnold, “Fish Tank”
Sylvain Chomet and Jacques Tati, “The Illusionist”
Next tier: “Blue Valentine,” “The Father of My Children,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “Lourdes,” “A Prophet”
Two of these picks — the morally fragile adult fable of “Dogtooth” and the skittering, mouthy character study of “Fish Tank” — I already commended in my First-Half FYC column, though had I seen it in time, Ade’s punishing relationship dissection would have joined them for its minute perceptiveness and fearless sense of just how far to push a scene. Mike Leigh plays similar games with his audience’s comfort levels, but his trademark free-form writing style is interestingly married to the most disciplined structural conceit of any of his films. Finally, Chomet’s delicate appropriation of an unfilmed Tati work could be deemed an adaptation, but embraces the late auteur so wholly that “original collaboration” seems a kinder call.
Best Animated Feature
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“The Illusionist”
“My Dog Tulip”
Next tier: “Tangled,” “Toy Story 3″
I only recently caught up with “My Dog Tulip,” Paul and Sandra Fierlinger’s lovingly hand-drawn, profoundly moving man-dog love story: I’d been led to expect an appealing trifle, so was unprepared for an admittedly work of such adult understanding and compassion. It easily became my eleventh-hour spoiler in this category, leaving room for only the most well-paced and richly characterized of this year’s strong crop of studio animation blockbusters. Meanwhile, if you don’t know why “The Illusionist” is here, we probably haven’t met before. Welcome.
Best Documentary Feature
“Boxing Gym”
“Catfish”
“Exit Through the Gift Shop”
“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work”
“Restrepo”
In all honesty, I’m scarcely qualified to compile a ballot in this category, given how out of sync my 2010 documentary viewing record was with the US release calendar: I’m still awaiting access to the critically beloved likes of “Last Train Home,” “Marwencol” and “Sweetgrass.” For that reason, I’m not even bothering with a second tier, but under these qualified conditions, however, I still found plenty to like and admire: the unfussy, visceral war reportage of “Restrepo,” the witty but unexectedly severe star portrait of Joan Rivers, and Frederick Wiseman’s flipside to “La Danse”‘s essay on bodies in motion. The last two nominees, meanwhile, make playful statements on modern media independent of their are-they-or-aren’t-they status.
Well, that’s all I got — if you missed part one, catch up with it here. For those of you who like numbers, “Black Swan,” “The Illusionist” and “White Material” share the lead with seven mentions apiece, “The Fighter” and “Fish Tank” follow with five, while “Everyone Else,” “A Prophet” and “TRON: Legacy” manage four each. Looks good to me; I guess the Academy will see things a little differently on Tuesday.
[Images: Paramount Pictures, IFC Films, The Weinstein Company, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, Roadside Attractions, New Yorker Films, Producers Distribution Agency]
56 responses so far
1 1-23-2011 at 12:47 pm
Beau said...
Maybe I missed why Portman wasn’t in for Actress?
2 1-23-2011 at 12:52 pm
JuanLago said...
Great choices Guy. I recently saw White Material and it jumped into my top 3 of 2010 (alongside Black Swan and Toy Story 3). Too bad the film hasn’t been widely seen. I still need to catch up on Fish Tank, Dogtooh, Catfish, and Everyone Else.
3 1-23-2011 at 12:53 pm
Lucas said...
Mendehlson! Awesome choice…
4 1-23-2011 at 12:54 pm
Guy Lodge said...
Beau: Because it’s been one hell of a year for actresses. Love Portman’s performance, though.
5 1-23-2011 at 12:57 pm
Brady said...
I just saw The Illusionist yesterday (in France, no less! There were french subtitles when he leaves the note at the end.) and I finally know why you’ve been raving about it. Perfectly deserving of all the attention you’ve been giving it. The expression in every painterly frame and sound effect was wonderful. It went straight to my top 10. Thanks for the recommendation!
6 1-23-2011 at 1:01 pm
Robert Hamer said...
Cher over Melissa Leo and Jacki Weaver for Best Supporting Actress? That’s…interesting….
7 1-23-2011 at 1:04 pm
Hans said...
Two mentions (counting a Best Actor runner-up mention) for The Human Centipede make me wonder what were your thoughts on that film. I never saw it since, frankly, the premise freaks the shit out of me, but I always find your explanations for your love for off-the-wall pics (Burlesque, He’s Just Not That Into You) fascinating, Guy.
8 1-23-2011 at 1:09 pm
Guy Lodge said...
I don’t love “The Human Centipede,” but I think it’s very effective on its own limited terms, elevated by a healthy sense of humour and Laser’s brilliant deadcamp camp. And for all the fuss, it’s pretty restrained on the gross-out front — budgetary constraints help in that respect.
9 1-23-2011 at 1:36 pm
Framescourer said...
Concur strenuously with White Material in Best Picture top 10. Would add Mary & Max to your animation shortlist.
10 1-23-2011 at 1:37 pm
kel said...
My Dream Ballot (Major Categories)…pretty standard, nothing too out of the blue, but…
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Aaron Eckhardt, Rabbit Hole
Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Best Supp Actor
Matt Damon, True Grit
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Pete Postlethwaite, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Best Supp Actress
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Barbara Hershey, Black Swan
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Best Director
True Grit
Black Swan
Shutter Island
Animal Kingdom
The Social Network
Best Original Script
Carlos
Black Swan
Animal Kingdom
The King’s Speech
The Kids Are All Right
Best Adapted Script
Rabbit Hole
Winter’s Bone
Shutter Island
The Illusionist
The Social Network
Best Picture
True Grit
The Fighter
Black Swan
Rabbit Hole
Winter’s Bone
The Illusionist
Shutter Island
Animal Kingdom
The Social NetworkThe Kids Are All Right
11 1-23-2011 at 1:45 pm
Guy Lodge said...
Framescourer: “Mary and Max” was my animated winner for 2009.
12 1-23-2011 at 2:19 pm
Bernard said...
I absolutely loved Alexander Siddig in Cairo Time but I kind of have trouble buying him as a lead. Patricia Clarkson is clearly the core of that story in terms of theme, screen time and structure.
13 1-23-2011 at 2:23 pm
Bernard said...
Also, for what it’s worth, Guy, I believe you had four nominations for TRON: Legacy (as your nominations count goes).
14 1-23-2011 at 2:26 pm
monkey said...
I love that you have Kimberly Elise on your ballot I just hope and pray the academy will do the same.
15 1-23-2011 at 2:29 pm
Guy Lodge said...
Bernard: Well caught! TRON: Legacy has been added — I do get a kick of bunching it with A Prophet and Everyone Else.
16 1-23-2011 at 2:48 pm
Speaking English said...
You are baffling. Natalie Portman a no-no? Manville not even in your lineup?! And how is Ruffalo a supporting actor to you but Bale is not? Also surprised not to see “The Fighter” in screenplay.
But very happy somebody else recognizes the great “Rabbit Hole” script.
17 1-23-2011 at 2:51 pm
Speaking English said...
Wow, my bad. That should read “And how is Ruffalo a LEAD actor to you but Bale is not?”
18 1-23-2011 at 2:58 pm
Guy Lodge said...
As I explained above, Natalie Portman is not a “no-no.” Terrific performance, but I had to stop at ten. I wish there was room for Tilda Swinton, Kristin Scott Thomas, Greta Gerwig and Patricia Clarkson too. As I said, amazing year.
And Manville is in my lineup.
I initially had The Fighter in for Best Original Screenplay, but swapped it for Lourdes. We’re talking fine margins.
19 1-23-2011 at 3:14 pm
Walter said...
Every time I see another nom from you for Burlesque or For Colored Girls, I want to high five the shit out of your hand.
Every time I see another nom from you for Life During Wartime or White Material, I wish I could go to more film festivals.
20 1-23-2011 at 3:21 pm
tim said...
I so wish Emma Stone had any shot at an Oscar nomination. THE breakout performance of the year. Girl is a star.
21 1-23-2011 at 3:41 pm
Roger said...
Good reading… Unpleasant not to see Natalie Portman to be Honest, i would think she could at least make your top 10… not 15 or 20… But very please to see someone else enjoying How to train your dragon a little more than Toy Story… I loved both films, and i love Pixar, but i recently revisited both and man, How to Train your Dragon is a Magnificent Movie!
22 1-23-2011 at 3:54 pm
Speaking English said...
Okay, that makes sense. But could you explain why Ruffalo is a lead and Bale is not? The line seems to be a bit blurred.
23 1-23-2011 at 3:58 pm
billybil said...
What a gutsy list – fascinating and enlightening – I wish I’d seen many of the movies you nominated. As you’ll see, I tend to see mostly the main stream movies.
Here are my top tier nominations in my Oscar ballot this year:
Best Picture (I select based on risk plus achievement and an overall memorable experience in the theater)
127 Hours – unique, arresting & moving
Black Swan – weird as shit, shocking and very entertaining
Blue Valentine – wonderful real human specificity and very evocative
The Fighter – big, fun, roller coaster with marvelously fascinating characters
Inception – mind fuck with gorgeous actors and really fun visual/auditory experiences
Kids Are All Right – perfect cast of appealing, fascinating HUMAN BEINGS with surprises and charm galore
King’s Speech – wonderfully comfortable, classy film with a big, cheesy ending that made me cry
Social Network – intelligence out the wazoo, beautifully made, marvelously acted – I felt respected and pampered sitting in the audience
Toy Story 3 – the most moving and exciting and funny movie of the year for me – I will never forget the shock of how much horrific danger those silly characters found themselves in
Winter’s Bone – a mood piece, totally transporting, filled with intriguing faces and voices and a harsh, harsh edge
Best Director:
Darren Arnofsky – Black Swan – showy, unique, and virtuosic
Danny Boyle – 127 Hours – courageous and visionary
David Fincher – Social Network – magnificently professional
Christopher Nolan – Inception – really skillful imagination popping out all over the place
Lee Unkrich – Toy Story 3 – remarkably assembled film demonstrating a huge sense of timing and nuance
Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges – True Grit – an amusing, disgusting, powerful presence that makes everything seem possible & REAL
Jesse Eisenberg – Social Network – smart, subtle, fearless & very, very funny in a very, very specific way
Colin Firth – King’s Speech – appropriately pompous with vulnerability the audience adores – a true star turn and a true joy to behold
James Franco – 127 Hours – wild and impassioned and believable with manliness battling it out with sensitivity in almost every frame
Hrithik Roshan – Guzaarish – remarkably vulnerable with an edge of steel and a level of frustrated yearning that blew me away
Best Actress:
Annette Bening – Kids Are All Right – stern, intelligent yet moving and likeable – it takes a real pro to accomplish that with such style and verve
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole – heartbreaking but resilient – a perfect balance between broken and fixed – it is so joyful to watch a character so succinctly communicated
Lesley Manville – heartbreaking with closeup after closeup of vulnerability and grasping hope – truly a fragile and pulsating performance
Julianne Moore – courageous and oh so human – sexy and vulnerable in an earthy way – her struggles with herself are the heart of the movie and she carries it magnificently and warmly
Natalie Portman – Black Swan – the tour de force this year – the crazy, emotionally volatile core of a crazy, emotionally volatile film – some wonder if it might be “easer” to play such big emotions but the incredibly thin wire she has to traverse in such an extreme environment is daunting and she makes it work and gives us believability and solicits true sympathy in the middle of a fright fest – a truly accomplished achievement
Supporting Actor (I really try, but obviously don’t always succeed, to focus on the SMALLER parts that blow me away):
Christina Bale – The Fighter – amazingly appealing and interesting as a real scum bag – he makes him fascinating, understandable, and sympathetic AND he does so with flair and power
Andrew Garfield – Never Let Me Go – I know, I’m supposed to prefer him in Social Network, but I didn’t – in fact, he sort of didn’t do it for me in that film but in Never Let Me Go he was moving and had a lost, hopeless but yearning aura about him that I found very haunting
Mark Ruffalo – Kids Are All Right – very joyous, very charming, very sexy, totally believable – he made me want to sleep with him and then have a nice long heart to heart with him too!
Geoffrey Rush – King’s Speech – strong, mischievious, charming as all hell, and very intelligent – he made a far-fetched character really work
Miles Teller – Rabbit Hole – God this guy blew me away – I could sit and watch him watch Kidman for hours – the vulnerability, the hopeless hope, the teary eyes – he melted my heart in that film more than anybody else – I’ve already been to IMDB to see what his next project will be!
Best Supporting Actress:
Dale Dickey – Winter’s Bone – a rare moment when I am absolutely convinced I am seeing a real person doing her very first movie – tough as nails, hard as ice, powerful as all get out – of everyone in the film she blew me away the most
Keira Knightley – Never Let Me Go – truly interesting with a fierceness and an undercurrent of instability that made her wonderfully fun to watch
Melissa Leo – The Fighter – gnarly and mean, powerful mother tiger who seems so of that time and place – a real entertaining performance
Jackie Weaver – Animal Kingdom – Gosh, I guess I really liked the tough women this year! But Weaver is the sickest of the bunch and does it with such a unique smarm – fantastic revelation for us non-Australians
Dianne Weist – Rabbit Hole – OK, the performances in this movie obviously got to me – I will admit to a certain preference for “real life” performances in “glamorous” family dramas like this but Weist is just so perfect in this part – tired, brittle, but loving as well
24 1-23-2011 at 4:02 pm
billybil said...
I forgot to mention – Gosh, can Dianne Weist act subtext!!
25 1-23-2011 at 4:47 pm
San FranCinema said...
Guy, here’s a hypothetical: if you’d put Ruffalo in Supporting, which lead actor would get his slot? And which of your five supporting actors would get bumped?
26 1-23-2011 at 5:06 pm
Guy Lodge said...
San FranCinema: Affleck was actually flip-flopping with another actor for my fifth spot, so he’d be the one. Ruffalo possibly wouldn’t make my supporting lineup.
Speaking English: I’m not sure how to explain it — these borderline categorisations can are obviously subjective. But I think The Fighter is clearly Micky Ward’s story first, whereas The Kids Are All Right seemed to me a story about the impact the behaviour of a trio of adults has on a pair of children.
27 1-23-2011 at 5:10 pm
JFK said...
Emma Stone all the way!
28 1-23-2011 at 5:21 pm
Glenn said...
Love this list. Love it.
And, yes, I too have Ruffalo as lead. Without him there would, quite literally, be no story. At least with “The Fighter” there is another story being told that would work without Bale’s inclusion. If that makes any sense.
29 1-23-2011 at 5:21 pm
Glenn said...
And, btw, thank you for making me feel less bad about not including Portman in my top five.
30 1-23-2011 at 7:53 pm
Chris said...
I really like this list! I hope Nicole Kidman isn’t snubbed come nomination time…
31 1-23-2011 at 7:57 pm
Dark Dreams said...
I’m a little surprise Sylvie Testud in Lourdes is nowhere to be seen in the Best Actress category considered how it was on Guy’s FYC.
32 1-23-2011 at 8:22 pm
refland said...
Uhg. Cher? that’s so gay.
33 1-23-2011 at 8:52 pm
Patryk said...
Macy Gray, again. Even as a second tier entry. Totally bewildered. Add Cher to that mix and I am beyond baffled.
34 1-23-2011 at 9:38 pm
Gabriel Juliano said...
Guy Lodge You are ridiculous, are you crazy?
Natalie Portman Best Performance of the Year
Natalie Portman Best Female Performance of All Time.
Got it now?
35 1-23-2011 at 10:03 pm
Simon Warrasch said...
I am from Austria, so thank you sooooo much for Birgit Minichmayer for Alle Anderen at your list for Lead Actress! She was stunning in this movie directed by Maren Ade!
36 1-23-2011 at 10:04 pm
Robert Hamer said...
“Best Female Performance of All Time”…give me a break.
37 1-24-2011 at 2:10 am
Dominik said...
Half of your Best Picture-lineup would be in my Top 10, too.
Just wondering why you left Kim Hye-ja out for her part in “Mother”? My favourite performance by a leading actress this year. Love the inclusion of Edgar Ramirez and Tahar Rahim in the Best Actor-category. I wasn´t that impressed by Mark Ruffalo, because I thought he was much more memorable in “Zodiac” and “You can count on me”.
38 1-24-2011 at 4:09 am
Gabriel D. said...
I love your list, especially the presence of Cairo Time, but what about Patricia Clarkson?
Her performance is so wonderful, fragile and heartbreaking. I thought she had a place in the best actress race!
It is unfortunate she’s much less recognize these last few years….
39 1-24-2011 at 4:10 am
Guy Lodge said...
Natalie Portman Best Female Performance of All Time.
Got it now?
Well, I’ve got that you’re crazy. Great performance, but a little perspective, please.
As for everyone asking why so-and-so isn’t in the Best Actress lineup, how many times do I have to say it? Amazing year, amazing year, amazing year.
40 1-24-2011 at 4:52 am
Graysmith said...
Cher just got a Razzie nomination for Burlesque.
41 1-24-2011 at 5:00 am
Guy Lodge said...
So did Jessica Alba for The Killer Inside Me, and she’s good too. The joke’s on the Razzies.
42 1-24-2011 at 5:12 am
Lord said...
Cher Was awful and terrible .
No Natalie , No Annette .
I thank Jesus that people like you do not vote for the Oscars .
43 1-24-2011 at 5:26 am
Guy Lodge said...
There’s something weird about Lord thanking Jesus, but whatever works.
44 1-24-2011 at 6:08 am
Carlo said...
Great list as usual Guy!
For you guys who are interested, here are my own official predictions for the nominations tomorrow. It’s over at my newly relocated and renovated blog called NO POPCORN ALLOWED: http://nopopcornallowed.wordpress.com/
45 1-24-2011 at 6:27 am
Danny said...
I like this list. Can’t wait to see “Carlos”!
Props for putting Mark Ruffalo in the Best Actor category. First time I’ve seen that all season …
Agree 100% with Emma Stone’s “Easy A” nomination; anyone who’s seen the movie will be scratching their head over Annette Bening’s Globe win over Stone. Sorry, but “The Kids Are All Right” wasn’t particularly funny; amusing here and there, but more of a domestic drama.
Cher’s performance of “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” was show-stopping, thus her nomination (in my opinion). Not sure why there appear to be so many Cher haters out there.
Glad Guy mentioned Rebecca Hall. She was devastating and heartbreaking in “The Town.” I really loved that movie.
46 1-24-2011 at 6:33 am
Guy Lodge said...
Oh, I should specify that the Rebecca Hall mention was for “Red Riding: 1974,” though her 2010 body of work was strong.
47 1-24-2011 at 6:40 am
Danny said...
Ahhh okay. I finally saw “The Town” this weekend (I know, I’m behind). So that’s what I thought you were referencing. So I’ll just add “Red Riding: 1974″ to the list.
48 1-24-2011 at 10:46 am
Dominik said...
Guy, I´m not condemning you for excluding Kim Hye-ja, no prob! :-)
Regarding “Red Riding”: Easy one of the most thrilling tv-miniseries I´ve ever seen. I would rank it at number #3 this year, no matter if it was produced for tv, just one magnificant motion picture experience!
49 1-24-2011 at 11:45 am
/3rtfu11 said...
I love that you love Cher. Your list is actually inspiring in that it’s perfectly acceptable to like what you like.
50 7-19-2011 at 12:35 am
Simon Warrasch said...
For me the “best” 5 Leading Female Performances were:
Isabelle Huppert – White Material
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
Kim Hye Ja – Mother
Ariane Labed – Attenberg
Lubna Azabal – Incendies
Special Mention
Naomi Watts – Fair Game, Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone, Emma Stone – Easy A, Paprika Steen – Applause.
51 7-19-2011 at 12:37 am
Simon Warrasch said...
And of Course for Special Mention:
Carey Mulligan – Never let me go (A wonderful performance and she is the only person who is stunning in this highly underrated picture!)
52 7-19-2011 at 5:35 am
Danny said...
Guy’s tip of the hat to Cher’s bravura turn in “Burlesque” is inspired. Two key scenes, which are back-to-back: her parking lot showdown with Kristen Bell; and show-stopping performance of “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.” Cher expresses more with her eyes in this performance than Melissa Leo (no offense) did through her histrionic, yet effective, work in “The Fighter.”