OSCARS 2014: WHO WAS THE BEST ACTRESS?

Part four of five in our Oscar Predictions! This is undoubtedly the most competitive category in this year’s awards season. In fact, the only nominee here who has not previously won an Academy Award is Amy Adams. Does this mean she will secure the title for 2014? Here is what we think…

“BEST ACTRESS”

 

Amy Adams- American Hustle: Once seen as a frontrunner in this category, Adams now seems to be the most likely to ‘upset’ the predicted winner. While her performance was solid and perhaps one of the most removed, it is unsure whether the film itself has the gravitas to carry her to the win. American Hustle has scored ten nominations here, but it seems highly unlikely that Adams will win if her co-stars do not.

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine: The definitive favorite! Many are putting Blanchett at up to 90% likely to win this year for her moving performance in Woody Allen’s ‘Blue Jasmine’. The only thing really that could hurt her chances is if the Academy starts to feel that voting for Blanchett would be voting for Allen (in light of his recent personal troubles), however chances of this happening are slim to none. If we could put our money anywhere, it would be with her.

Sandra Bullock – Gravity: While a great film, Gravity has unfortunately (and perhaps inevitably) been over shadowed by later releases like American Hustle and The Wolf Of Wall Street. Bullocks performance carried most of this two hour film and has been widely praised. Having said this, historically Academy voters have tended to overlook the performances when the film relies heavily on special effects. The film as a whole will most likely be recognized, but not Bullock.

Judi Dench – Philomena: Far and away the nicest and most relatable performance in this year’s Best Actress Category, Dench’s Philomena is a heart warming individual that has been celebrated by critics. There is, though, the issue of Philomena being perhaps too human and far too nice to win the statue, particularly against Blanchett’s mentally unstable Jasmine.

Meryl Streep – August: Osage County: The issue here is that aside from Streep and Julia Roberts, August Osage County has been panned by critics and viewers alike. Many say that the only great thing about this film is the performances from the two women. For this reason alone, we put Streep unfortunately as a total outsider in this category. Despite the Acedemy’s love for her, chances of winning remain very very low.

 

It Should Be.… Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

It Will Be…. Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

 

NEXT POST: BEST ACTOR

You can view our reviews of some of these films below!!

PHILOMENA

AMERICAN HUSTLE

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

FILM REVIEW: “AMERICAN HUSTLE” (2013)

“American Hustle”

Written by: Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell

Directed by: David O. Russell

Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence

Story: When their fraudulent schemes are uncovered by FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper), Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) and his seductive partner Sydney Prosser (Adams) are forced to co-operate with him in a grand plan to expose a mafia ring in Jersey.

David O. Russell is having a very good time. Just a year after winning countless awards and critical acclaim for ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, his Jersey based mafia comedy has been nominated for almost everything you can be nominated.

After seeing American Hustle, I wanted to review it straight away but instead I let it sit for a while in order to mull it over. My hope was that the film would appear more remarkable and have more of an affect on me as time passed. Now coming back to it, I had to sit and watch a few clips and trailers to actually remind myself of what I had seen. See where I’m going with this? There is nothing really too remarkable about American Hustle.

The thing that stuns me the most about this film is that it is billed as a comedy. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few laughs all of which come from Jennifer Lawrence’s devilishly clumsy (but secretly brilliant) Rosalyn. Other than that, I found the excessive out of place dialogue to be boring and disjointed which made the whole pace of the film perhaps three times slower than it should of been for such a plot.

Amy Adams is shockingly forgettable as Sydney Prosser. The character was originally supposed to be irresistible and seductive, but Adams has somehow taken this and turned it into awkward and uncomfortable to watch. Given that the realism of the story revolved around her sex appeal, she perhaps should of taken a few lessons from Margot Robbie’s ‘Naomi’ in The Wolf Of Wall Street. Of course, Adams has been told that it is sexy to not wear a bra (at all, ever…) however her attractiveness in this film begins and ends with her oh-so-visible nipples.

I have heard time and time again that the key to an enjoyable film is a protagonist that you can understand on some level, and with whom you can empathise. In American Hustle, we are given two protagonists: Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale. Though costuming, makeup and lighting have done an excellent job with these two, what we are faced with is two characters who are distinctly impossible to like. Cooper is incessantly annoying: his character comes across as stupid and spoon fed; where Bale’s Rosenfeld is almost worse. Rosenfeld is not only stupid, but he is aggravatingly ignorant. Pitch them against each other fighting for Sydney Prosser’s affections (we still don’t understand why) and you’re left sitting in the cinema checking your watch and wondering when things are going to start happening.

The film turns out to be somewhat enjoyable: it isn’t all bad. Hair, makeup and costuming are particular highlights, and the music is enough to make anyone crack a smile.

Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence are right to be recognised for their acting chops in taking this blithering train wreck of a script and turning it into something watchable, but I would probably rather save my money than try and watch this again. Maybe buy the soundtrack instead…

Rating 3/5

Photo Credit: imdb.com

OSCARS 2014: WHO WAS THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS?

The second part of our five part ‘Oscar Predictions’ series sees us analyse the nominees for Best Supporting Actress. If you have opinions then please do post them in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

 

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years A Slave: A newcomer, Nyong’o has received mass amounts of praise for both her acting and her style. She is fast becoming a favourite on the red carpet and has won herself a SAG Award, as well as a Producers Guild Award for her role as Patsy in Steve McQueen’s highly acclaimed tale of slavery. Looking at the lineup it seems Lupita’s closest competition might be Jennifer Lawrence who pipped her at the post for the Golden Globes. Given the Academy’s tendency to favor the newbie, Lupita might just be in with a shot here!

Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine: This was a surprise nomination for the British actress, but certainly not an undeserved one. Supporting Cate Blanchett as Jasmine, Hawkins offers an excellent portrayal as Jasmine’s somewhat wayward sister who opens her home to accommodate her troubled kin. While the relative unknown created an extremely funny and refreshing character, her part was probably not impactful or consequential enough to warrant taking out this award. 

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle: It is no secret that the Academy likes Lawrence, giving her the Oscar last year for her role in Silver Lining’s Playbook. She has also recently just won the Golden Globe for her role as the clumsy yet cunning Rosalyn Rosenfeld in American Hustle. The film has received mass awards celebrating the cast which puts Lawrence in a good position. It seems that nobody can resist her at the moment!

Julia Roberts – August: Osage County: If this category wasn’t so crowded we would say that Roberts is a total shoe in for this award. Unfortunately with all the hype surrounding films like American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave has left Roberts rather in the dark. Her performance was fantastic and almost even stronger than her Oscar winning portrayal of Erin Brockovich. Although she might actually be the most deserving for the statue, it seems the timing of this film is all wrong: she can never compete with some of the other nominees.

June Squibb – Nebraska: June Squibb is the oldest nominee this year and the 84 year old is thrilled. Applauded for playing the ‘too old to give a damn’ wife of Bruce Dern in the highly acclaimed ‘Nebraska’, Squibb provided a healthy dose of comic relief in this film. Squibb has been called ‘glorious’ for her portrayal of this role, but the release date of the film will really damage her chances. Nebraska was released in November of last year and was not highly viewed or recognized at the time – Squibb will likely lose out fo a film which has garnered more acclaim. 

 

It Should Be… Lupita Nyong’o

It Will Be… Lupita Nyong’o

 

NEXT POST: Best Supporting Actor

OSCARS 2014: WHAT IS THE BEST PICTURE?

Oscar nominations were released today and the internet is in a frenzy. Some are excited and relieved that their favourite stars or films were nominated for their performances this year. Others were shocked and upset that their chosen performer did not receive the Academy stamp of approval.

So let us take a look at what we have in store this year. I decided to do a breakdown of the top five categories in the ceremony. Each post will have a breakdown of every nominee in each of these categories. These opinions are mine, and I encourage everyone to add their own.

Remember, the 86th Annual Academy Awards airs on March 2nd, and we will be in good hands with Ellen DeGeneres once again at the helm.Individual film reviews will also be posted through the blog in the next six weeks.

BEST PICTURE

American Hustle: David O Russell’s second offering in as many years stampeded through the Golden Globes, scooping up three awards, including Best Motion Picture: Musical Or Comedy. While the performances by the ensemble cast have been praised by most, the film was at times referred to as all pizzaz and no substance. The costumes, music and pouting seem to be enough to carry this movie into the nominations, but can a few good performances push it to the top?

The Wolf Of Wall Street: Martin Scorcese’s fun and flirtatious adaptation of Jordan Belfort’s true to life book received huge criticism for ‘glamourising’  and ‘glorifying’ the world of investment fraud. Indeed, the film did lack the distinct feeling of remorse presented in the novel. However, this three hour parade demonstrates not just humour and drama (a powerhouse combination), but it startles the audience into enjoying the reality of the entire story. Having said that, and given DiCaprio’s strained history with the Academy, this film will either kill or be killed this year.

Captain Phillips: Here we have another film based on a true story, therefore we can assume that the reality of it resonated with it’s viewers. Famously snubbed by the Oscars for this year, Tom Hanks offered a notable performance which takes us back to his ‘Cast Away’ days. He is overshadowed however by newcomers, most specifically Barkhad Abdi as the deranged Somalian pirate Muse. Abdi received a nod from the academy. However, with a lack of nomination in the Best Director category, it seems unlikely that this will take the prize.

Dallas Buyers Club: Well, didn’t this gem just get a nod all around? Nominated in acting categories, as well as Best Director, Film Editing, Screenplay, and Hairstyling. A pretty incredible scoop. The film itself plays upon an incredibly serious topic, and one which should have a pretty solid social impact. In watching it, we can almost feel that the subject matter, AIDS, is a metaphor for the diseases that are eating us all: drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, cancer.. you name it. Ticking all the boxes, this could truly be a dark horse.

Gravity: Alfonso Cuaron’s latest offering is less science fiction (as the plot would suggest) and more a story of pure survival. Cuaron took out Best Director at the Golden Globes and deservedly so: everything from the cinematography, to the music, and even the performance given by Sandra Bullock (who carried the entire film as almost a lone actor, not an easy task) was primed to perfection. Gravity will certainly sweep contenders under the rug in the technical categories, but could the Academy have a science fiction drama take out Best Film?

Her: While this film has a good message, and serves as perhaps a warning to us all of our reliance on technology, it’s quirky nature really does some damage in terms of the Academy and their voting structure. This is a film that you either love or hate. It should win for Best Original Song, but was unfortunately passed up in the cinematography category which is one of the film’s main strengths.

Nebraska: ‘The Artist’ famously took out the Oscar for Best Picture when it delighted audiences with the very fact that they could, in this day and age, still enjoy a black and white film. The film certainly has enough nominations in the acting category to justify a win, and Director Alexander Payne even got the nod, but the true let down here is the lack of technical celebration. There is no back end to the film, and without broad support it does lag behind.

Philomena: This is the token film with heart in this year’s nominations. Poignant, witty, and exceptionally British, Philomena has received rave reviews and Judi Dench has been recognised as one of the most stellar performances of the year. Again adapted from a novel (the adaptation has received a nomination for screenwriting) the story is one that will tug on the heart and mind of anyone who watches it. The sole representative for British films, though, it perhaps lacks the glamour or relationship to the Academy to go all the way.

12 Years A Slave: This film resonates in it’s dark social significance. While the film is difficult to watch, it tests the audience’s emotion and leaves many feeling truly disturbed. Let’s not forget that it’s sweep of nominations in multiple categories places it as a worthy contender. Many did not watch this film due to it’s graphic and at times almost unwatchable content, however with the absence of similar films like ‘Mandela’ and ‘The Butler’, this could leave room for 12 Years A Slave to snatch the top prize.

It Should Be… ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’

It Will Be… ‘12 Years A Slave’

NEXT POST: Best Supporting Actress

**AN: This was originally posted on my personal blog: www.rachel-helena.blogspot.com – please do check it out.