Random Noise

Oscar Time: Best Leading Actress

[Originally posted on MySpace]

Pride & Prejudice = DONE… So, here are my thoughts about the nominees for Best Leading Actress:

#5: Charlize Theron for North Country

On the whole, I wasn’t very impressed with Charlize in this movie. Her character did not provide her with enough fresh material to really shine… So she’s playing a tough girl, so she’s had a rough past, so she’s a single mom. These are all characters that I’ve seen before and I don’t think that Charlize did enough to elevate them to another level… Previous movies such as Monster, Sweet November (I liked it!), Reindeer Games, Devil’s Advocate, or even the Legend of Bagger Vance have required more creativity…

#4: Judi Dench for Mrs. Henderson Presents

I didn’t know what to expect from this movie before watching it. I didn’t know what the plot was about, and I assumed it would be a long boring period piece. It was actually pretty good, it was interesting, funny and peppy. The banter between crabby old Mrs. Henderson & Mr. Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) was witty & kept my attention. But other than that I don’t recall anything unique about Judi’s performance. I mean she did her job, but I don’t think it was a standout role for her… BTW - Which movie has more boobs? Mrs. Henderson presents or 40 days & 40 nights? - I honestly don’t know, you tell me..?

#3: Keira Knightley for Pride & Prejudice

I really liked Keira’s character in this movie… Man, Keira’s cute… Great face, eyes, eyebrows!, skin, teeth (I like her pointy teeth - mine are pointy too), she’s freakin hot!…. Ahem, wait… err… …. anyway, back to her performance.. Getting the role of Elizabeth is an accomplishment for any actress, her character is strong willed, a hopeless romantic & intelligent - starting with that it would be difficult for any actress to go wrong. There were many moments where I really enjoyed Keira’s performance - telling off Mr. Darcy in the rain, outside his estate, asking for her fathers marriage blessing, and her private moments with her sister Jane. There were also moments in this movie where I was confused about the director’s intent (the symbolism behind spinning on the swing, when she & Mr. Darcy are suddenly dancing alone, the focus on Mr. Darcy’s hand…) Anyway, Keira gets #3 on my list.

#2: Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line

I’m not sure what it was that I liked about Reese in this role. I’m not really a fan of her work as an actress, but I may be jaded when I try to evaluate her in a more critical role. I keep getting images of her in more teenage roles, like Legally Blonde, Election or Cruel Intentions… But that said, I think she did a really good job with Walk the Line - her character demanded a very wide range of emotions and she did a good job with them all (from anger, happiness, despair, hope, friendship, determination, compassion, love, sadness, the list goes on…) That’s why she gets #2 in my list.

#1: Felicity Huffman for Transamerica

This was a good movie - I had no idea where the story was going and I was unprepared for all the different situations that Bree gets into during the course of this movie. But what really amazed me was the entire concept of a woman, playing a transsexual who is desperate to complete her transition to womanhood by undergoing gender reassignment surgery. I was blown away by all the different elements that Felicity had to pull together to make this character believable while simultaneously getting the audience to really engage with her & her desires. Take one small element, such as the way Bree walks, she doesn’t walk like a woman. She doesn’t walk like a man. She walks like a man who desperately wants to be like a woman. She’s conscious of her height, her stride, the way she carries herself, the way her arms fall - Felicity blends all these elements together and keeps them in sync throughout the film… And walking around is just one tiny part of her overall performance… Felicity definitely deserves to go home with Oscar this year…

It’s been raining all day, hard at times - so that means fresh snow! I’ll post my pick for Best Director tomorrow night after I get back from the slopes… Later!