Kate Winslet - yes the performance in Reader encompasses all the qualities that have always drawn us to her. Her performance in Iris, in the Eternal sunshine of a spotless mind, in the Titanic, in the Reader, they all display her amazing talent. But is the performance in The Reader good enough to win her an academy award?
Kate chose a role which was different, playing a Nazi woman and trying to create a humane and compassionate reaction about her. But then so did Meryl, of a stubborn nun, and so did Anne Hathaway of a drug addict.
For that matter, what does the name Angeline Jolie make you feel?? She is the hottest stars of hollywood, and aren't you crazy about her action thriller performance in Mr and Mrs Smith, Tomb Raider and for that matter her sensuous roles in The Original Sin or in Gia?
Newsflash - in Changeling, she plays a middle aged woman and apart from a scene where she is being washed off in the asylum shower, for a fraction of second, you never see how her body looks like; in fact the kind of clothes she wears, and the way she carries herself, you never feel like thinking about how her body looks like - she is a mother, all through the movie and isnt THAT different??
Kate chose a portrait role of a woman of past era. But, so did Meryl and so did Angelina. A woman of 20s when i have now come to believe after watching L.A. confidential and Changeling that the police system was actually corrupt.
Kate got naked whenever she met her lover, younger her age, and having him read books for her and giving him a bath was a daily ritual of the role she played.
Angelina Jolie surely loses here [ :-) ], apart from that fraction of a second shower scene. Again, we can argue on both sides for necessity of that scene - director and writer may say it was needed to heighten the intensity of atrocities she had to face, and ofcourse the humiliations, and those against it may say, this could have been achieved even without a naked angelina in shower. I loved the 'scene' so i would go with the crew on this one ;-)
But yes, Angelina did appear in a scene having a naked younger boy in bath tub, giving him bath. this younger boy was however, a replacement of her son given to her, and the scene only helped her get additional evidence regarding mis-lead identity of the boy.
Kate played a role of a proud and determined woman, who wants to conceal her weaknesses. So, did Angelina and so did Meryl streep. In fact, kate's resolute nature was only to hide her illiteracy and her indulgence was to help her forget her past doings. Meryl streep portrayed a nun, whose resolute nature is to ensure that there is no wrong doing around and her indulgence was to bring the guilty to his terms. Angelina struggled and was resolute to find her son, and her indulgence was only out of her love for her son.
Kate plays a role where she is tricked into a larger punishment by her former work colleagues and seniors. Well, Angelina plays a woman who is tricked to accept an alien as her son, in front of whole city!!
kate is hopeful to find love in hearts of others for her, through out her life and takes measures for it even while in Jail. Angelina is hopeful that some day her son would return and keeps ringing the police station through out her life.
The comparisons can go on for over and i can only find that angelina scores over kate in every aspect.
If Anne Hathaway's nomination has been attributed to her being daring this year in attempting a image makeover, kate has been daring only in selection of her role. Her image of an portrait actress remains. Angelina scores in this aspect over all contenders, including Meryl, who continues to portray a seasoned lady in her field. She has turned herself into a much more mature and passionate actress with Changeling.
If Meryl is attributed with being the classy actress, lets not forget that Angelina is the most famous leading lady of this era.
If Melissa was nominated for her portrayal of a woman being ignored by a larger chunk of society, Angelina portrays the agony of a mother who has lost her only child and her only family.
You cry with angelina, when she is approached by the cops in her office to inform about her son, feeling the same tension and fear, you feel the voice of asylum inmates in your head when angelina is trying to sleep in her cell, you bless the old inmate who tries to protect angelina from shock treatment, you hate the cops, you get infuriated with the dummy boy, trying to be her son, you despise the children-serial-killer, you are with angelina and her character all the times .. she takes your mind along with hers through out the course of the movie. she rules this movie at all times.
Ask me and Angelina Jolie is the best actress of the year 2008!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Meryl Streep in Doubt
I am not sure i possess the ability to comment on Meryl Streep's performance. She is class- personified. She is the Tendulkar of Hollywood.
Whether she plays a shrewd politician in the Manchurian candidate or a honest Journalist, collaborating with and if needed exposing such politicos in Lions for Lambs, whether she plays a manipulative and autocratic business woman in Devil wears Prada or a strict Catholic nun in Doubt, you love her, you like her, you adore her acting skills in all of these various roles.
She carries herself so comfortably in her roles, you never feel her to be separate from the role.
In Doubt, she delivers yet another brilliant performance to us.
This may make us wonder why was she not conferred with that academy award?? Not that such awards matter, when you are someone with a caliber and class of Meryl Streep, but, it surely feels good to get recognition for the hard work.
Here's my take on where she would have lost points.
firstly, sometimes being a veteran comes with its own price. In a typical one-day, even if Sachin Tendulkar scores 80 runs, nobody cares about it now. When he scores a century, people only say, thats what he is expected to do. When he does not score, he is an old horse. When you are a player of that class, and when you are a player in the field for that long, sometimes you being seasoned is taken for granted; you giving best performances is taken for granted and that can deprive you of the rightful extent of appreciation for your work.
Watching Doubt, you take a brilliant performance from Meryl streep as granted and that sentiment in minds of academy members may have taken a toll on her award chances.
Through out the film you see Meryl standing up for righteousness, you want her to win; but at the same time, being a religious person [and i am not christian], you also want that the script somewhere reveals that her doubts about the pastor are just doubts; you ridicule the stupid gestures of sister James, and at the same time appreciate her tenderness and innocence; and towards the end, Meryl takes you down the lane of tears along with her as she weeps 'I have Doubts..I have such doubts'. You never separate from the movie or from the struggle and agony in to which Meryl is.
And guess what, even while we are reaching towards our handkerchiefs to wipe off those tears, the credits begin. First of the credits - 'This film is dedicated to sister James'.
Taadaa!!
Immediately, your thought process begins ..
So, there was one real sister James, who was kind and inspiring enough that somebody dedicated a whole film to her; so, the compassionate but wavering pastor and then righteous but stubborn nun were just instruments used to discover the innocence, compassion and love of sister James? Instruments to showcase the kind of people she dealt with in her life, and yet managed to maintain her integrity??
Getting my point? after seeing a brilliant performance by Meryl for around 2 hours, when you come out of the theater, you are actually indulged in to thinking about sister James. Meryl's performance takes a back seat. So, if it was the same psychological maneuver, which the academy members also went through after watching this movie, we know where Meryl lost her points!! Of course, its just a theory and any inputs and arguments from readers are welcome.
Whether she plays a shrewd politician in the Manchurian candidate or a honest Journalist, collaborating with and if needed exposing such politicos in Lions for Lambs, whether she plays a manipulative and autocratic business woman in Devil wears Prada or a strict Catholic nun in Doubt, you love her, you like her, you adore her acting skills in all of these various roles.
She carries herself so comfortably in her roles, you never feel her to be separate from the role.
In Doubt, she delivers yet another brilliant performance to us.
This may make us wonder why was she not conferred with that academy award?? Not that such awards matter, when you are someone with a caliber and class of Meryl Streep, but, it surely feels good to get recognition for the hard work.
Here's my take on where she would have lost points.
firstly, sometimes being a veteran comes with its own price. In a typical one-day, even if Sachin Tendulkar scores 80 runs, nobody cares about it now. When he scores a century, people only say, thats what he is expected to do. When he does not score, he is an old horse. When you are a player of that class, and when you are a player in the field for that long, sometimes you being seasoned is taken for granted; you giving best performances is taken for granted and that can deprive you of the rightful extent of appreciation for your work.
Watching Doubt, you take a brilliant performance from Meryl streep as granted and that sentiment in minds of academy members may have taken a toll on her award chances.
Through out the film you see Meryl standing up for righteousness, you want her to win; but at the same time, being a religious person [and i am not christian], you also want that the script somewhere reveals that her doubts about the pastor are just doubts; you ridicule the stupid gestures of sister James, and at the same time appreciate her tenderness and innocence; and towards the end, Meryl takes you down the lane of tears along with her as she weeps 'I have Doubts..I have such doubts'. You never separate from the movie or from the struggle and agony in to which Meryl is.
And guess what, even while we are reaching towards our handkerchiefs to wipe off those tears, the credits begin. First of the credits - 'This film is dedicated to sister James'.
Taadaa!!
Immediately, your thought process begins ..
So, there was one real sister James, who was kind and inspiring enough that somebody dedicated a whole film to her; so, the compassionate but wavering pastor and then righteous but stubborn nun were just instruments used to discover the innocence, compassion and love of sister James? Instruments to showcase the kind of people she dealt with in her life, and yet managed to maintain her integrity??
Getting my point? after seeing a brilliant performance by Meryl for around 2 hours, when you come out of the theater, you are actually indulged in to thinking about sister James. Meryl's performance takes a back seat. So, if it was the same psychological maneuver, which the academy members also went through after watching this movie, we know where Meryl lost her points!! Of course, its just a theory and any inputs and arguments from readers are welcome.
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
A drug addict being released after a long time in rehabilitation - sounds familiar??
Remember Sherrybaby??
Exactly!!
Agreed that Anne has showed some real guts to accept this role and finally dared to step out of her goody-cindrella-girl image.
And agreed that she has done a commendable job in this movie, but then right from beginning of this movie where she gets released from the rehab center till the point where she attends a group discussion and then ends up having rough sex with one of the fellow attendees, you cant help to remember Sherrybaby.
But wait, things now change. We have a wedding of elder sister coming up. So, the script suddenly turns into 'Meet the parents', where you don't need some Ben Stiller for any nuisance value, but the return of anne is enough to do the honors.
As we proceed in to the film, we see the love and despair and struggle and bonding in a family and that finally helps you move out of establishing analogies with other films.
I would say its a brilliant piece of work, where every member of the family gets exposed, and encounters situations which test their love for other members of family and their willingness to accept follies of their own and others.
But then, I must say, it would not have been possible by a solo strong performance of Anne alone. All the actors and actresses around her have also put in best of their efforts to make this film a success. And the music playing constantly in the house, it just elevates each mood so much.
I have to say this is the how a good team can make a ordinary, same-old-script look so good, as to get recognition from the academy.
so, where did Anne lose her points??
firstly, in her selection of a role which was already played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Ofcourse, you may justify that she is different from sherrybaby because she doesnt get molested by any family member in her childhood, but only uses such tales to fool in anonymous confession games at rehab center; and that her burden is not her unability to raise a child due to her addiction, but drowning of a child due to her addiction, but then does it matter??
She loses on innovation factor anyways.
secondly, as i mentioned earlier, all the family tensions, all the laughters the family has and all the tears they have, these come to you as a group effort. you dont see Anne single handedly controlling all the emotions and sentiments of herself, and of her audience. you cry with her over her agony, but you also cry with her sister and her father. You feel hopeful for her, and also sympathetic for her father, and joyful for her sister and happy for her brother-in-law, for being such a kind person.
so, its like the earstwhile south african cricket team, where Kallis may have perfomed brilliantly in a game, but there were also Jonty Rhodes and Shaun Pollock and Alan Donald, all of them putting in their best effort, making it a team win.
In a nutshell, yes the movie was good, yes the Anne Hathaway was different and was good, but she needs a little more than that, she needs a script she can own and rule and i am hopeful, she will get it someday soon.
Remember Sherrybaby??
Exactly!!
Agreed that Anne has showed some real guts to accept this role and finally dared to step out of her goody-cindrella-girl image.
And agreed that she has done a commendable job in this movie, but then right from beginning of this movie where she gets released from the rehab center till the point where she attends a group discussion and then ends up having rough sex with one of the fellow attendees, you cant help to remember Sherrybaby.
But wait, things now change. We have a wedding of elder sister coming up. So, the script suddenly turns into 'Meet the parents', where you don't need some Ben Stiller for any nuisance value, but the return of anne is enough to do the honors.
As we proceed in to the film, we see the love and despair and struggle and bonding in a family and that finally helps you move out of establishing analogies with other films.
I would say its a brilliant piece of work, where every member of the family gets exposed, and encounters situations which test their love for other members of family and their willingness to accept follies of their own and others.
But then, I must say, it would not have been possible by a solo strong performance of Anne alone. All the actors and actresses around her have also put in best of their efforts to make this film a success. And the music playing constantly in the house, it just elevates each mood so much.
I have to say this is the how a good team can make a ordinary, same-old-script look so good, as to get recognition from the academy.
so, where did Anne lose her points??
firstly, in her selection of a role which was already played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Ofcourse, you may justify that she is different from sherrybaby because she doesnt get molested by any family member in her childhood, but only uses such tales to fool in anonymous confession games at rehab center; and that her burden is not her unability to raise a child due to her addiction, but drowning of a child due to her addiction, but then does it matter??
She loses on innovation factor anyways.
secondly, as i mentioned earlier, all the family tensions, all the laughters the family has and all the tears they have, these come to you as a group effort. you dont see Anne single handedly controlling all the emotions and sentiments of herself, and of her audience. you cry with her over her agony, but you also cry with her sister and her father. You feel hopeful for her, and also sympathetic for her father, and joyful for her sister and happy for her brother-in-law, for being such a kind person.
so, its like the earstwhile south african cricket team, where Kallis may have perfomed brilliantly in a game, but there were also Jonty Rhodes and Shaun Pollock and Alan Donald, all of them putting in their best effort, making it a team win.
In a nutshell, yes the movie was good, yes the Anne Hathaway was different and was good, but she needs a little more than that, she needs a script she can own and rule and i am hopeful, she will get it someday soon.
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
A family of a gambling-addict man - they cannot live without him around and let him go. So, no matter how many times, he thugs them, they still keep looking for him.
This movie starts with one such day - when he runs away with the money saved by his wife for the trailer. Her teenager son is facing the dilemma of whether to continue loving his father in the same way as he did since his birth, as a child, or whether to become an adult now and face the harsh reality that he is son of an addict.
So, as the film proceeds, we are made acquainted with how Melissa's two years of sincerity and punctuality at work are ignored for favors to a younger woman, and how she is tricked into illegal human trafficking across the US-Canada border and later adopts this as a quick source of income, etc.
But thats all about the movie, where our main protagonist finally manages to accumulate the required money and get the trailer she wants, even though it means that she spends 4 months in Jail.
Our topic of discussion is the nomination of Melissa Leo for the 81st best actress academy award and where she stood as compared to the other contenders.
Over the entire span of this movie, I see the same expression on the face of Melissa. Its given that she is portraying a woman in a deep shit situation, but does that mean she had to carry on same long face all the time??
It made me wonder, is she really acting or are her facial features made this way - Which make her look a little stressed and a little nervous and a little worried and a little furiated, all the times??
May be it should have been the casting director, who should get the nomination then :P
This is the one and the major aspect i feel, which kept her from converting that nomination into an award. It deprived her from showcasing variety and intensity of her acting. Moreover, even if u like her expression in the beginning, gradually as it becomes monotonous, you tend to lose the connection with her as audience. Sarcastically speaking, people are allowed to have a different face, even in an independent, negative film.
This movie may have brought focus on those who are very often neglected, if we are to believe the commentary of academy, but I have to disagree on atleast one aspect of that commentary. I am an Indian, but why does the academy needs to brand smuggling of humans into american borders as a truest american way of hoping for a better future??
Is it just because, Melissa checks the baggage of the Pakistani couple, before letting them in her car? And, does she have a IR scanner or a metal detector fixed to her hands? I mean, she does frisk the bag of this Pakistani couple for a moment. So, doesnt she find the baby inside, alive and moving???
The writers and directors of movie may boast of the subsequent scene, when she drops the bag on the way and later retrieves it as the piece which heightened the dramatic effect of this film, but i have to bull shit it. If you open a small air bag and frisk it for the contents, its impossible to not notice a baby in it. So if they had to show all the later drama, the scene where Melissa frisks the bag should have never been there, or should have been removed during editing.
Coming back to the true american nature of her little business venture, if anyone, american or non-american can justify the commentary, please post it as a comment here. I would be enlightened :-)
This movie starts with one such day - when he runs away with the money saved by his wife for the trailer. Her teenager son is facing the dilemma of whether to continue loving his father in the same way as he did since his birth, as a child, or whether to become an adult now and face the harsh reality that he is son of an addict.
So, as the film proceeds, we are made acquainted with how Melissa's two years of sincerity and punctuality at work are ignored for favors to a younger woman, and how she is tricked into illegal human trafficking across the US-Canada border and later adopts this as a quick source of income, etc.
But thats all about the movie, where our main protagonist finally manages to accumulate the required money and get the trailer she wants, even though it means that she spends 4 months in Jail.
Our topic of discussion is the nomination of Melissa Leo for the 81st best actress academy award and where she stood as compared to the other contenders.
Over the entire span of this movie, I see the same expression on the face of Melissa. Its given that she is portraying a woman in a deep shit situation, but does that mean she had to carry on same long face all the time??
It made me wonder, is she really acting or are her facial features made this way - Which make her look a little stressed and a little nervous and a little worried and a little furiated, all the times??
May be it should have been the casting director, who should get the nomination then :P
This is the one and the major aspect i feel, which kept her from converting that nomination into an award. It deprived her from showcasing variety and intensity of her acting. Moreover, even if u like her expression in the beginning, gradually as it becomes monotonous, you tend to lose the connection with her as audience. Sarcastically speaking, people are allowed to have a different face, even in an independent, negative film.
This movie may have brought focus on those who are very often neglected, if we are to believe the commentary of academy, but I have to disagree on atleast one aspect of that commentary. I am an Indian, but why does the academy needs to brand smuggling of humans into american borders as a truest american way of hoping for a better future??
Is it just because, Melissa checks the baggage of the Pakistani couple, before letting them in her car? And, does she have a IR scanner or a metal detector fixed to her hands? I mean, she does frisk the bag of this Pakistani couple for a moment. So, doesnt she find the baby inside, alive and moving???
The writers and directors of movie may boast of the subsequent scene, when she drops the bag on the way and later retrieves it as the piece which heightened the dramatic effect of this film, but i have to bull shit it. If you open a small air bag and frisk it for the contents, its impossible to not notice a baby in it. So if they had to show all the later drama, the scene where Melissa frisks the bag should have never been there, or should have been removed during editing.
Coming back to the true american nature of her little business venture, if anyone, american or non-american can justify the commentary, please post it as a comment here. I would be enlightened :-)
A Post on 81st Academy Awards - Best Actress Category Nominees
This is what the academy had to say about each of the nominees, during the awards night:
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
In frozen river, you played a woman who's lost everything, yet in a truest american sense still holds hope for a better day. Your authentic portrayal not only brought a stark focus to all those, who are too often left out ..
Meryl Streep in Doubt
In doubt, you gave us another of your singular recreations - a strict catholic nun. But, you let our senses struggle, holding on to her moral beliefs,while feeling the time of tide moving over against her ..
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Anne Hathaway, we loved you as a princess, we loved you in prada and this year you fearlessly stepped into the shoes of someone struggling with addiction and grief ..
Kate Winslet in The Reader
Kate Winslet, your brilliant performance in the reader encompasses all the qualities that have always drawn us to you - passion, vulnerability and extra-ordinary depth. As you character moved through time, love and most dire of circumstances, we as your audience Kate, never lose a connection to you. This is yet another, unforgettable portrait ..
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
A young mother in 1928 loses her only son and is forced to take part in a cover up by the police force, investigating his disappearance. Such was the loss for the woman of that time, that in this world has been played so authentically, thanks to the very modern gifts of Angelina Jolie. In changeling, your search for justice and for the truth, led with heart-breaking anguish and stead-fast determination, reminded us all of the enduring power of a mother's love. As one who would not let her son be forgotten ..
And the 81st Academy Award for best actress went to - Kate Winslet for The Reader!!
After watching all of these flicks, I did agree on most of the short commentary which academy had for each of these nominees, but about the winner, I have to differ.
Of course, as I understand, Academy awards winners are selected by a democratic process of voting by members of the academy. So, the Winners of these awards are surely the most popular or most liked performances by the members of academy. But, it does not mean that they are the best performances. Each person comes with a different perspective on things and I am using this platform to put forth my perspective - on the performances by these various actresses, and also the winner among them for me.
Enjoy the posts on each of the individual actresses that follow and also their movies :-)
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
In frozen river, you played a woman who's lost everything, yet in a truest american sense still holds hope for a better day. Your authentic portrayal not only brought a stark focus to all those, who are too often left out ..
Meryl Streep in Doubt
In doubt, you gave us another of your singular recreations - a strict catholic nun. But, you let our senses struggle, holding on to her moral beliefs,while feeling the time of tide moving over against her ..
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Anne Hathaway, we loved you as a princess, we loved you in prada and this year you fearlessly stepped into the shoes of someone struggling with addiction and grief ..
Kate Winslet in The Reader
Kate Winslet, your brilliant performance in the reader encompasses all the qualities that have always drawn us to you - passion, vulnerability and extra-ordinary depth. As you character moved through time, love and most dire of circumstances, we as your audience Kate, never lose a connection to you. This is yet another, unforgettable portrait ..
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
A young mother in 1928 loses her only son and is forced to take part in a cover up by the police force, investigating his disappearance. Such was the loss for the woman of that time, that in this world has been played so authentically, thanks to the very modern gifts of Angelina Jolie. In changeling, your search for justice and for the truth, led with heart-breaking anguish and stead-fast determination, reminded us all of the enduring power of a mother's love. As one who would not let her son be forgotten ..
And the 81st Academy Award for best actress went to - Kate Winslet for The Reader!!
After watching all of these flicks, I did agree on most of the short commentary which academy had for each of these nominees, but about the winner, I have to differ.
Of course, as I understand, Academy awards winners are selected by a democratic process of voting by members of the academy. So, the Winners of these awards are surely the most popular or most liked performances by the members of academy. But, it does not mean that they are the best performances. Each person comes with a different perspective on things and I am using this platform to put forth my perspective - on the performances by these various actresses, and also the winner among them for me.
Enjoy the posts on each of the individual actresses that follow and also their movies :-)
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