Epic Fails: You Wuz Robbed!

The Oscars are one week away, and last week we kicked off our series called "Epic Fails", in which we went back in Oscar history to discuss which actresses were robbed of the coveted golden statue.

Last week, we mentioned the years in which more than one actress should have won Oscar, and today, we'll focus on the women who were outright robbed, who really should have won and won alone. In this category, we're not saying that the winners in these years weren't good, but the other women they defeated were so much more deserving. (Our discussion of the winners who definitely did not deserve to win an Oscar comes later.)

In this category of Winners Who Were Good, but Someone Else Was Better, we could really only identify three years, 1937, 1990 and 1999, in which this Oscar storyline was true. In 1937, Luise Rainer won the Oscar for portraying a Chinese woman in "The Good Earth", and while she was good, her win robbed Barbara Stanwyck for what was a performance of a lifetime in "Stella Dallas". Yes, we know, we know, a lot of people consider "Stella Dallas" a hopeless weepy, a milque-toast soap opera, and while we wouldn't necessarily disagree that the movie is sappy, nevertheless, Stanwyck is unbelievably powerful in the title role. Stanwyck must portray a woman who is uneducated, loud and tacky, but has a singular focus to raise a daughter to a better place, and in her own way, is ferocious in that desire. In one regard, to portray someone who makes choices totally on instinct is tough enough, but one must also remember that Stanwyck pulled off this tight-wire performance in an age when the bigger stars around her, i.e. Davis, Hepburn, etc., were acting in big broad, hystrionic brush strokes. Stanwyck's acting is more quiet, and thus much more realistic. Stanwyck's performance in "Stella Dallas" still stands up today as an honest, realistic portrayal of a confused yet determined woman who is ill-equipped to accomplish her goals, yet somehow finds a way to triumph. Luise Rainer was certainly good, but her performance that year couldn't hold a candle to Barbara Stanwyck's. Stanwyck's loss in 1937 is especially sad considering that, in the end, she never won an Oscar; and looking back, "Stella Dallas" is one of her movies for which she really should have.

In 1990, Kathy Bates made a major break-through playing a mentally-challenged literary fan from hell in "Misery", and taking an Oscar in the process. No one begrudges Bates' win, she was commanding in the role and unsettlingly good, but when you consider the fact that she beat Anjelica Huston in "The Grifters", Bates just pales in comparison. Huston played a petty criminal and "mother from the darkside", who was bereft of all basic social mores, including those that say a mother shouldn't manipulate her own child to evil means. Huston's character, Lilly Dillon, was one of those that was written so big and so monstrous, it would have been very easy for a lesser actress to veer into comical parody, but Huston maintained a tight grip on the character and embued her with a realness that was downright scary. Huston is so good as the driven, scheming Dillon, there are scenes where you can not only see the veins bulging in her neck from anger, but you can almost see the wheels in her mind spinning furiously to plot her next move. Compared to Huston, Kathy Bates was a cookie-baking girl scout leader. Bates was good in 1990, but there is no way she should have won the Oscar instead of Anjelica Huston. It's a good thing that Huston had already won an Oscar in 1986 for "Prizzi's Honor", because in 1991, she was robbed!

Famously, Hilary Swank has won two Oscars, beating Annette Bening both times in those wins. Swank's second win for "Million Dollar Baby" over Bening's "Being Julia", okay, we'll give her that one. But Swank's first win for "Boys Don't Cry" over Bening's "American Beauty", no way. Swank is good as the girl portraying a boy, but she's just that: "good", not spectacular or even slightly awe-inspiring. Looking back on that movie, we really wonder how in the hell Swank won. And now, compare Swank that year to Bening in "American Beauty" in which Bening played the tightly-wound, obsessive perfectionist, Carolyn Burnham, and it's just no contest. Similar to Stanwyck's "Stella Dallas" and Huston's Lilly Dillon, Bening's Burnham is possessed of a singular focus: to achieve her goals, no matter what the cost. She leaps headfirst into her life with abandon, belying the truth beneath the surface, that she's dancing as fast as she can to keep from losing control. It takes an actress of incredible skill to simultaneously show us two levels of the human pysche, even as those two levels battle for supremacy. And in the ultimate complement, while watching Bening's Burnham, almost everyone could say they knew someone like her, which means despite the theatrics of the role, Bening kept it real. Nice win Swank, but Bening was definitely robbed.

Epic Fails: The Oscar for Best Actress

We're just two weeks away from the 2011 Oscars, and many are wondering if Natalie Portman can hold off a charging Annette Bening for this year's Best Actress win. But as that conversation heats, we'd like to take a look back and explore previous Best Actress races, and the wins that should never have been.

(meryl streep in "sophie's choice")

We'll split our "Failed Best Actress Races" into three categories: 1. The years in which more than one woman should have won, 2. Winners that never should have won, and 3. Actresses that were outright robbed.

.(norma shearer in "marie antoinette")

There were many Oscar years in which the winner for Best Actress deserved to win, but subsequently left another actress sitting in the audience who also deserved the coveted award. You cannot deny the power of the winning performances on this list, but also in those years, at least one other woman definitely deserved to walk home with Oscar.

 
(diana ross in "lady sings the blues")

In 1938, the winner Bette Davis dazzled in "Jezebel", but where her acting was loud with a lot of over-the-top huffing and puffing, loser Norma Shearer gave one of the most nuanced and understated performances of her career in "Marie Antoinette". The scene where she tells her children goodbye in prison before she goes to her death is truly heartbreaking, even by today's movie standards..

(diane keaton with leonardo

dicaprio in "marvin's room")

In 1972 Liza Minelli won for her iconic portrayal of Sally Bowles in "Cabaret", but minus the singing, her actual acting in the film is fairly lightweight. On the other hand, that year's loser was Diana Ross who not only convincingly sang Billie Holiday's songs in "Lady Sings The Blues", but also ran circles around Liza in the acting category. Ross is stunning in her portrayal of a person slowly losing control of her mind under the influence of drugs and the weight of fame in a hostile world. You can't deny the power of Minelli in "Cabaret", but Ross really should have also taken the award that year in a tie. In 1972, it was almost as if Minelli won for the sheer force of her larger-than-life personality, whereas Ross should have won for digging deeply within herself to create a performance completely from scratch.

(naomi watts in "21 grams")

Many say that comedic performances are never recognized by Oscar, but not in the case of Frances McDormand's 1996 win for "Fargo". McDormand was utterly charming and funny as the no-nonsense North Dakota policewoman, but looking back, there wasn't a lot of heft in her role. Meanwhile, one of the runners-up that year was Diane Keaton in "Marvin's Room" who created something really special. Missing in her performance were many of Keaton's normal annoying tics, instead we watched a Diane Keaton who was more realistic, more subdued, and someone who looked like life had slapped her around the room, and left nothing in its wake but a sad and very lonely woman. Keaton's performance was subtle, patient and heartbreaking. The Oscar that year probably should have gone to Keaton alone, but she at least deserved a tie with the also very good McDormand.

(judi dench with cate

blanchett in "notes on a scandal")

Next up on this list are two years in which there were at least two women who really should have shared the naked golden man. In 2003 Charlize Theron was absolutely breathtaking in "Monster", but so was Naomi Watts in "21 Grams". Both women acted in brutally tough roles and showed a range and set of skills that many actors only dream of. Theron played an angry, life-ravaged murderess, and Watts was a woman lured to self-destruction by personal tragedy. There is just no way to say that either woman's performance that year was better than the other's. The same goes for 2006 in which Helen Mirren won for "The Queen", leaving in her wake one of the scariest performances of all time, that of Judi Dench's in "Notes on a Scandal". Mirren was the epitome of quiet, steely strength, but Dench was a living nightmare. The two roles were polar opposites in temperament, but both women brought something to them which many lesser actresses would have simply turned into parody and farce. Just as Naomi Watts truly should have shared Theron's Oscar, Dench should have also taken the stage that night alongside Mirren..And finally, the last entry on this list, and ultimately the most heartbreaking one, is for the year 1982, in which Meryl Steep won and laid her claim as the greatest actress of the 20th Century with her landmark performance in "Sophie's Choice". There's no use in even discussing whether or not Streep deserved to win for "Sophie's Choice", Streep transcends the importance of awards or even acting itself in this role. To watch Streep in this movie about a Polish Holocaust survivor who struggles to maintain her sanity is to simply be mesmirized. There's only one catch to her win that year. Someone else also turned in the performance of a lifetime, and also maybe one of the greatest of the 20th Century, that of Jessica Lange's in "Frances". In any other year, Lange would have easily cruised to an Oscar win for playing real-life, mentally unbalanced actress Frances Farmer. Lange is shockingly good in a role which required a full range of human emotion, even as those emotions slowly start to betray her and ultimately lead to her self-destruction. Just as with Streep's "Sophie's Choice", it's hard to watch "Frances" very often; it's just too disturbing, and real. If there was ever a year in which two women deserved to tie for the Oscar, it was 1982.
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Tomorrow: The Best Actresses Who Really Should Not Have Been!

Buyer's Remorse at The Oscars?

Over two weeks ago, we declared the Oscar race over, as did most of the other credible entertainment reporters in the known universe. It's pretty much consensus at this point that the big winners on Oscar night will be Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and "The King's Speech".

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(annette bening)

.But not so fast. Now, less than a week after the race was signed, sealed and almost delivered, some reporters are beginning to have second thoughts. Almost every theory short of "Magic Bullet 2" has been floated to suggest that Annette Bening, Hailee Steinfeld and Geoffrey Rush could still win. Maybe, but we doubt it.

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(melissa leo in one of her infamous trade ads)

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Melissa Leo, in particular, has earned a lot of raised eyebrows because of the trade ads she bought which show her in glamorous attire, asking for consideration for votes. Some industry insiders think that for a nominated actor to run such ads smells of desperation and might turn off some voters. To which we say, "Bitch, please!". If an Oscar voter would let a trade ad make his/her decision as to whether an actor's performance is Oscar-worthy, then that Oscar voter should probably have his/her voting rights removed. Remember, Academy members, you're supposed to be voting on "quality of performance", not for junior high prom queen. Get it together, or else you might as well be The People's Choice Awards.

The Facebook Saga is Wiping the Floor With the Competition

Our most recent post of the Summary of Winners of the various movie critics' awards for 2010 was on December 14. On that day, only eight critics groups had announced their selections; since that day, a staggering sixteen more critics groups have bestowed their gifts. Isn't it funny how many of the critics groups have "Society" in their names, while their total membership numbers less than a dozen people? Anyway, here are the winners from the past two weeks. Try to keep up.

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(a new star is born: hailee steinfeld)

.The results are listed in order of Best Movie, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. If you don't know for which movie these stars have won, you've been living in a cave, which means you probably vote Republican and you, therefore, don't matter.

San Francisco Film Critics: "The Social Network", Colin Firth, Michelle Williams, John Hawkes, Jackie Weaver
New York Film Critics Circle: "The Social Network", Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Melissa Leo
San Diego Critics Society: "Winter's Bone", Colin Farrell, Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lesley Manville
Toronto Film Critics Association: "The Social Network", Jesse Eisenberg, Jennifer Lawrence, Armie Hammer, Hailee Steinfeld
Detroit Film Critics Society: "The Social Network", Colin Firth, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Amy Adams
Houston Film Critics Society: "The Social Network", Jesse Eisenberg, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Hailee Steinfeld
International Press Academy: "The Social Network", Colin Firth, Noomi Rapace, Christian Bale, Jackie Weaver
L.A. Weekly: "The Social Network", Jesse Eisenberg, Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Jackie Weaver
IndieWIRE: "The Social Network", Edgar Ramirez, Natalie Portman, John Hawkes, Jackie Weaver
Chicago Film Critics Association: "The Social Network", Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Hailee Steinfeld
Austin Film Critics: "Black Swan", Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Hailee Steinfeld
The Women Film Critics Circle: Colin Firth, Annette Bening
Black Film Critics Circle: "The Social Network", Colin Firth-James Franco (tie), Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo
Utah Film Critics Association: "The Social Network"-"127 Hours" (tie), James Franco, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Jackie Weaver
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle: "The Social Network", Jesse Eisenberg, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Mila Kunis
Indiana Film Journalists Association: "The Social Network", James Franco, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Hailee Steinfeld

New actors on this list which had heretofore been ignored by the critics' awards: Michelle Williams for "Blue Valentine", Colin Firth for "Ondine", John Hawkes for "Winter's Bone", Armie Hammer for "The Social Network", Amy Adams for "The Fighter", Noomi Rapace for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", Edgar Ramirez for "Carlos", Mila Kunis for "Black Swan".

The Kids Really Are All Right

When it comes to watching movies these days, we're strictly Pay-Per-Viewer's. So we just now watched "The Kids Are All Right", which was released back in July. The movie is being hyped from uptown to downtown, has already been anointed as an Oscar front-runner, and we're happy to report that it lives up to every inch of its hype, and then some. It is, quite simply, a stunning movie.."The Kids Are All Right" tells the story of happy lesbian couple with two children whose lives are altered when the man who had been the sperm donor for their children years earlier comes into their lives. The performances are top rate, the direction is tight and the script is fresh and oh, so smart. Director and writer Lisa Cholodenko has just elevated herself onto the A-List of Hollywood directors with this one, but even more impressive is that script. With very little action, and sometimes, little dialogue, Cholodenko manages to keep us completely intrigued, and even guessing what will happen next. You can bet she'll get a Best Director Oscar nomination, but even better, you can bet she'll win the little golden man for Best Screenplay..
And then there are the performances of the actors. Annette Bening has been mentioned for several months as a contender for Best Actress, and so as we watched the movie, we kept one eye out for that scene, or scenes, which were Oscar-worthy. For the longest time, we just didn't see it, and were beginning to wonder if we'd be duped by the hype, and then suddenly, it came. Many actors have won Oscars for just one scene, but this might be the first time in history that an actor wins an Oscar for just one facial expression. There is "that look" that Annette Bening gives Julianne Moore immediately after "the discovery", and let us just say that if it's possible for one facial expression to express a thousand emotions, Bening's in that scene proves it. It's an incredibly powerful scene, and Bening knocks it out of the fucking ballpark. And if "the look" doesn't win a trophy for Bening, then being able to make the word "interloper" sound really, really dirty certainly will. We're guessing they can go ahead and engrave Bening's name of the statuette. The only person standing in Bening's way is Julianne Moore, who also turns in a complex, multi-layered, stand-out performance. How sad that they'll probably have to go up against each other in the Best Actress Oscar category. But if they can somehow manage to put Moore into the Supporting category, look for both actors to walk away winners.

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(josh hutcherson, mia wasikowska and mark ruffalo)

.The other star of the film is Mark Ruffalo as the "donor daddy". Ruffalo has never been better than in this movie, and it's his arc from a care-free player to a lonely man yearning for human connection that might just win him an Oscar as well. He's getting strong competition from Geoffrey Rush in "The King's Speech", though, but Ruffalo will definitely get a nomination, and even if he doesn't win, this film will open the doors for him to win many more heavyweight A-List roles.
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(mia wasikowska and josh hutcherson)
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The beauty of a film like "The Kids Are All Right" is that, in addition to winning accolades for its veteran stars who have been slogging away in Hollywood for decades, it also makes for an impressive showcase for new faces. The three younger stars, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson and Yaya DeCosta all do themselves proud and will probably springboard from this job to real careers. Wasikowska has already starred this year as Alice in the Johnny Depp vehicle, "Alice in Wonderland", and there's an outside chance she could snag a Supporting Actress nom for her turn in "The Kids". Wasikowska has a pale, ethereal beauty and a quiet strength about her; we'll see a lot more of her in the next couple of years. Hutcherson is perfect as the sensitive jock of a son, and Yaya DaCosta is, quite honestly, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful women we've ever seen. We'd definitely like to see more of this stunner. She only has a few small scenes in this movie, but when she's on the screen, you can't take your eyes from her. Oh, and speaking of physical beauty in the movie, kudos to director Cholodenko for finding a way to incorporate vintage gay porn from Colt Studios in the movie, which must have brought a smile to the face of our friend, Colt owner John Rutherford..

(yaya dacosta)

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Do yourself a favor and see "The Kids Are All Right". You'll be moved, you'll be surprised, and you'll be amazed. It might not have the action of a Jason Statham shoot'em up, but it's a damn good movie.

Oscar Grub, Estrogen Edition

We just said a couple of days ago that it was too early to divide the prospective Oscar nominees into "Lead" and "Supporting" categories, but more critical reviews have emerged today which seems to do that job for us.
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First we have to add two more names to the list of women who could garner an Oscar nom, Tilda Swinton for "I Am Love" and Nicole Kidman for "Rabbit Hole". Swinton is almost certain to get a nomination, but she's well known for not "campaigning" for the naked golden man, which will hurt her chances of winning. At this point, the consensus seems to be that for Best Actress, it's a three-woman race between Kidman, Annette Bening for "The Kids Are All Right" and Natalie Portman for "Black Swan".

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More Oscar Grub

Last week we wrote a piece about the 2011 Oscar Race, and since then, more articles have been written about which movies and which actors are generating the most Oscar buzz.
The movies which we had previously heard had the inside track were The Social Network, The King's Speech, Hereafter, The Fighter and True Grit. Add to that list The Kids Are All Right, Inception, Toy Story 3, 127 Hours and Rabbit Hole.

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(colin firth and helena bonham carter in "the king's speech")

.New Summary: The Social Network was an early leader, but now has all but been swept aside by the critics' lovefest for The King's Speech. But wait, True Grit and The Fighter won't even be released until after Thanksgiving and are expecting to be major contenders.

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(james franco in

"127 hours")

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Earlier we mentioned the actors which were getting the most attention by the naked, golden man were Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton for "Stone", James Franco for "127 Hours", Sean Penn for "Fair Game", Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth for "The King's Speech, Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg for "The Fighter", Johnny Depp for "The Tourist", Stephen Dorff for "Somewhere", Jeff Bridges for "True Grit", Ryan Gosling for "Blue Valentine".

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(jeff bridges in "true grit")

.New Summary: Add to that list Mark Ruffalo for "The Kids Are All Right" and Javier Bardem for "Biutiful", but it might not matter, Colin Firth is blowing away the competition. At this point, they've practically already engraved Firth's name on the statuette, especially considering that many think he should have won last year. But don't count out James Franco. "127 Hours" opened strongly at the box office and despite the gory nature of the film, many critics are predicting that Franco could challenge Firth. But, we said it before, and we'll say it again, the horse which might take the lead on the final turn is Jeff Bridges for "True Grit". At this point, the Best Actor race is a three man contest.

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(annette bening in

"the kids are all right")

.As for the women, our previous list included Milla Jovovich for "Stone", Gemma Arterton for "Tamara Drew", Minnie Driver for "Conviction", Naomi Watts for "Fair Game", Natalie Portman for "Black Swan", Angelina Jolie for "The Tourist", Elle Fanning for "Somewhere", Hailee Steinfeld for "True Grit", Lesley Manville for "Another Year", Michelle Williams for "Blue Valentine".

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(lesley manville in "another year")

.New Summary: Definitely add to that list Annette Bening for "The Kids Are All Right". After losing Oscar races before, two to Hilary Swank alone, this might finally be her year. Lesley Manville is a film festival favorite, especially at Cannes, but she'll have to get more mainstream attention to seriously challenge. Manville might be the classic example of an actor for which just getting a nomination is considered the reward, while no one expects her to actually walk away with the trophy. One on our previous list which can maybe be crossed off is Minnie Driver; "Conviction" is not exactly wowing the critics. A possible, strong dark horse is Natalie Portman for "Black Swan".

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(natalie portman in "black swan")

.We haven't yet split the actors into "Lead" and "Supporting" categories because, at this point, some of the actors on the buzz list could fall into either category, and into which race they'll eventually enter won't be fully determined until later in the season.

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To read our previous post on the 2011 Oscar race, click on "2011 Oscars" in the Labels list.