Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
One of the best surprises to come from Oscar Nominations morning came in the form of this Academy Award-winnerm who has been criminally overlooked since her victory in 2007. Funnily enough, Marion Cotillard edged out assumed frontrunner Jennifer Aniston for Cake... with a role that's eerily similar. Both actresses play depressed women, and shed the makeup for popping pills every few minutes. However, the difference here is finesse: while Aniston comes across as loud and fake, Cotillard's performance is much more subdued, and thereby captures the true essence of depression more than Aniston. Cotillard's performance is Two Days, One Night perfectly demonstrates what it's like to experience depression, from body movements to subtle word choices. She doesn't experience love, and doesn't understand how others could possibly love her, leading to a heartbreaking performance that caps off an excellent year for Cotillard (who also starred in The Immigrant to critical acclaim). She's a wonderful actress, and seeing her nominated again gave me so much joy.
Oscar History: Cotillard won Best Actress in 2007 for playing Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, the first French-speaking role to win this honor.
Oscar Chances: Low
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Felicity Jones may not have as showy a role as Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything, but she is equally as important in making the movie what it is. As the committed yet individualized Jane Hawking, Jones proves remarkable talent in showing so many emotions through eyes and facial expressions. We feel for her as she tries to chase her own passions, before getting caught up with her husband Stephen's bodily disorder. She makes us feel tired and alone, without any of the credit for taking care of him, and we understand her decisions much more than his. While the weakest of the Best Actress candidates, Jones is nevertheless a talented young actress, with many great things ahead of her for sure. She certainly belongs here.
Oscar History: This is Jones' first nomination.
Oscar Chances: Medium
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Julianne Moore is going to get a "career win" on Sunday, February 22nd, for her tragic role as a victim of early-set Alzheimer's Disease. And unlike, say, Al Pacino's win for Scent of a Woman, or Christopher Plummer's victory for Beginners, this remains one of Moore's best roles in her fantastic career. It's a dedicated and sympathetic performance that captivates and enchants, with a (mostly) talented team of actors backing her up. With a failing memory and everything to lose, she provides an effective look at a disease that cripples more and more people every day. Moore certainly deserves to win Best Actress this year: not only is she a revelation in Still Alice, but because her consistent dedication to the field of acting and Hollywood in general have earned her the right to finally take the Oscar stage.
Oscar History: Moore has been nominated twice for Best Actress, for The End of the Affair in 1999, and Far From Heaven in 2002. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1997 and 2002, for Boogie Nights and The Hours, respectively.
Oscar Chances: High
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
I am so happy that Rosamund Pike has finally received the critical acclaim she deserves. I have loved her ever since 2002's Bond flick Die Another Day, and after staying under the radar all these years, Pike has been up for numerous awards for Best Actress for her fantastic work in Gone Girl. If the movie should only be up for one award (which indeed it is), it should be for Pike's hard to watch, yet so impossibly hard to ignore performance. Without spoilers, and despite the character's objections to the contrary, Pike is indeed "the cool girl", with hair flips, brilliant eye movements, and more to her story than we'll ever know. Watching the film a second time, I also noticed a lot more subtle elements to her performance, and got confirmation that she gives my favorite lead actress performance of the year. Pike's acting job as Amy is nothing less than Amazing.
Oscar History: This is Pike's first nomination.
Oscar Chances: Low
While not one of my favorite actresses around, it's hard to deny that Reese Witherspoon gives a heck of a performance in Wild. Rugged, beaten down by life, tortured by her past, and desperate to be anyone else, real-life hiker Cheryl Strayed's story is filled with an indelible sense of realism. Witherspoon balances all of this, making us sympathetic for a character who's so un-sympathetic. She gets down and dirty in a way that's hard to express, and the film becomes heavy as a result. Dern's nomination was a bit of a shock, but there was no way Witherspoon wasn't getting in a nomination. The irony is that she has won before, for a role not nearly as good as this one.
Oscar History: Witherspoon's only nomination and win was in 2005, for Walk the Line.
Oscar Chances: Medium
So, when it's all said and done, as of February 6th, here's what the Lead Actress field is looking like:
Will Win: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Could Win: Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Should Win: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Hope you enjoyed reading this! Be sure to come back for an analysis of the last acting race!!
No comments:
Post a Comment