Our Kind of Voting Pt. 2
Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 6:32PM 
image shamelessly grabbed from My New Plaid PantsI'm feeling anxious today -- everyone around me is too.
We won't know who won the Presidential Election until late tonight but since all I can think of today is voting, we'll continue with our actual favorite kind of voting: Oscar voting.
Or, rather, retroactive hypothetical Oscar voting. See part one if you missed it or enjoy this exercize
So tell me who wins your vote in some of the most famously divisive, contentious, or just plain fabulous categories ever! Explain your choices in the comments.
2003 BEST ACTOR
SEAN PENN (Mystic River) vs. BILL MURRAY (Lost in Translation) vs. JOHNNY DEPP (Pirates of the Caribbean) vs JUDE LAW (Cold Mountain) vs BEN KINGSLEY (House of Sand and Fog)
1974 BEST ACTRESS
ELLEN BURSTYN (Alice Doesn’t…) vs. DIAHAN CARROLL (Claudine) vs. FAYE DUNAWAY (Chinatown) vs. VALERIE PERRINE (Lenny) vs. GENA ROWLANDS (A Woman Under the Influence)
1939 BEST PICTURE
GONE WITH THE WIND vs DARK VICTORY vs GOODBYE MR CHIPS vs LOVE AFFAIR vs MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON vs NINOTCHKA vs OF MICE AND MEN vs STAGECOACH vs THE WIZARD OF OZ vs WUTHERING HEIGHTS
2007 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT (I’m Not There) vs. AMY RYAN (Gone Baby Gone) vs. SAOIRSE RONAN (Atonement) vs. RUBY DEE (American Gangster) vs TILDA SWINTON (Michael Clayton)
Ready? Set. Go!
Reader Comments (87)
2003: Jude Law
1974: Gena Rowlands
1939: Gone with the wind
2007: Saoirse Ronan
2003: Ben Kingsley ( but I love all of them, the order would be: Kingsley, Law, Murray, Penn and Depp, only the latter wouldn't make my top 5)
1974: ROWLANDS!!!
1939: Love The Wizard of Oz and Ninotchka, but in the year of Gone with the Wind the rest of the movies disappear.
2007: Tilda Swinton wins in a tight battle against Saoirse Ronan.
1. Sean Penn-- it was time to reward him in this big operatic tortured performance.
2. Gena Rowlands-- a great performance before its time
3. GWTW- there has never been a more Oscar bait film
4. Cate Blanchett- for her outrageous daring-- they gave it to Swinton because she's remarkable in everything else and this might be their on;ly mainstream chance
2003: Murray's just gets better with age (as does Kingsley's)
1974: Rowlands ("Mabel's not crazy; she's unusual)
1939: Gone with the Wind!
2007: Tilda Swinton in a rare, come-from-behind but best-of-the-lot win
2003 - Sean Penn. Love the actor, the performance and the movie. What else can I say?
1974 - Ellen Burstyn (See 2003)
1939 - Gone With the Wind. Melodrama at its finest
2007 - Are you kidding? TILDA!
2003 Actor: Sean Penn would still win my vote (and he would have become a 2-time Oscar winner by then, having won in 1995 previously, at least if I ruled the Oscars it'd be) but I can't help but wonder if that would not have been the perfect moment to award Johnny Depp for a megawatt star turn that basically spawned a multibillion dollar franchise? And that first movie is, still today, bliss.
1974 Actress: I love Ellen Burstyn but since I'd give her the win in 2000, I feel no shame in admitting I CAN'T BELIEVE GENA ROWLANDS DID NOT WIN THIS. Hands down, one of the best performances ever put on screen. So, so sad.
1939 Picture: Gone with the Wind. No question.
2007 Supporting Actress: I don't know who I'd vote for. Blanchett and Ronan are personal favorites, but I love that Tilda Swinton won, too, for one of her very rare appearances in Hollywood-esque cinema, and for a very good supporting performance too. So I'm ok with her win.
2003: So hard picking between Depp and Murray. Back then I would have said Johnny without many doubts, but as the years have past and we've gotten tired of Jack Sparrow, I've appreciated Murray's turn more.
1974: Burstyn is close second, but Rowlands is just awesome in that movie.
1939: Wizard of Oz no contest for me.
2007: Tilda Swinton. Saoirse Ronan would be a close second.
2003 BEST ACTOR
BEN KINGSLEY (House of Sand and Fog) in the extreme minority on this but that film is a powerhouse clinic of acting by all sides.
1974 BEST ACTRESS
. GENA ROWLANDS (A Woman Under the Influence)
1939 BEST PICTURE
GONE WITH THE WIND epic
2007 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT (I’m Not There) performance wise it blows the others away but its very cold and clinical. I was surprised that it went to Tilda Swinton but not disappointed.
2003 : Sean Penn...for 21 grams!
1974 : Ellen Burstyn or Gena Rowlands - both great actresses in great perfomances
1939 : What a wonderful year! But "Gone with the wind" is extraordinary!
2007: the amazing Tilda swinton, of course!
2003 BEST ACTOR
SEAN PENN - that was such a WOW cant believe it performance. And while it was big and actorly, it was also heartfelt and emotional. Fantastic.
1974 BEST ACTRESS
I've onlly seen Burstyn and Dunaway and so Burstyn stands.
1939 BEST PICTURE
GONE WITH THE WIND - classic landmark and stands test of time while being somewht dated
2007 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Swinton
I lost my Oscar pool that year because of Swinton. I bet on Dee winning as a career achievement kinda thing. My heart was with Blanchett who was astonishing as Dylan but as years passed Michael Clayton and Swinton's performance really aged well. It as a deserved win.
I dont' knwo why i'm surprised that the GONE WITH THE WIND win is near unanimous but where are the Friends of Dorothy? I'm WIZARD OF OZ all the way. One of my top five movies ever made.
In a way, Gone With the Wind is very Friends of Dorothy too, don't you think?
Should I wait for a 3r round? I love voting!
Write-in vote for "Broadcast News" in 1987! Some people say I'm throwing my vote away, but I know I'm being heard.
Sean Penn
Valerie Perrine
Wuthering Heights
Cate Blanchett
2003 BEST ACTOR
SEAN PENN (Mystic River), easily.
1974 BEST ACTRESS
Hard to say because I haven't seen Carroll and Rowlands yet.
The other three were great, so I'm fine with BURSTYN winning.
1939 BEST PICTURE
Also hard to say because I've only watched half of them. Some say it was the greatest year of all times so far and I love GONE WITH THE WIND. So long and soooooooooo wonderful.
2007 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT (I’m Not There), easily.
Marcelo - Brazil.
Johnny Depp
Abstain
Wizard of Oz
Cate Blanchett
2003: Bill Murray. Penn was going to win sooner or later, and it really is a sad, moving performance.
1974: I've only seen Burstyn and Dunaway (bad me!), so I'll go with Dunaway here, since Bustyn should have won the year before for The Exorcist.
1939: Some great great movies here, but I'll go with Wizard of Oz.
2007: They really need to bring back the Child Oscar Award, because there are some deserving kids out there. Soirese was one of them. (Haley Joel Osment is another. Sup. Actor 1999 was a tight year, too.)
2003: Bill Murray
1974: Gena Rowlands
1939: Gone with the Wind
2007: TILDA
2003: Depp. Even though he's disappointed since , has there ever been a more beloved male star turn?
1974: Rowlands. One of the best performances by an actress I've ever seen.
1939: Gone with the Wind.
2007: TILDA.
PENN - if only to make up for Dead Man Walking, however this was a stellar performance that only Murray came close to
PERRINE - all the colors of the rainbow in a b&w film
GWTW - Oz is my sentimental choice but GWTW has held me captive on my couch for 4 hours every time I've watched it, which is no mean feat
SWINTON - no contest, no matter the role/film
johnny
faye
gone with the wind
meh
2003: Johnny Depp for "Pirates of the Caribbean," because he molds his genius, creativity, and eccentric persona into not just a bonafide star-turn but an iconic character that's transcended far beyond the bounds of its film (please, tell me how many people quote Jack Sparrow on a day to day basis and how many quote the other 4--although they are ALL in my top 5. bravo Oscar!)
1974: this and 1987 are the best actress slates Oscar has ever put together. Even so, Gena Rowlands takes this in a heartbeat.
1939: Gone With the Wind, though I can't say I've seen all of the nominees.
2007: Tilda Swinton for "Michael Clayton," Swinton drapes this woman with entropic fear all around. Does Karen ever sleep?
2003-Ben Kingsley and even more so Shohreh Aghdashloo should have won best supporting actress for her unbelievably beautiful performance.
1974-This is a tough call. Ellen was deserving but I think she should have won for Resurrection not Alice. Diahann Carroll was fine but a fifth place finisher. Which leaves Gena, Faye and Valerie. I think Chinatown is Dunaway's best performance but she would win shortly after for Network so no for her. For Gena who is always great I'd award it for Gloria. Valerie Perrine through an unfortunate set of circumstances and waiting too long for the proper role was never able to follow up on this great performance and didn't have the career her talent deserved so I'd select her for the prize this year.
1939-Gone With The Wind. Any other year The Wizard of Oz.
2007-Saoirse Ronan in a walk. Second place would go to Vanessa Redgrave for old Briony in the same film over any of the actresses who were nominated.
2003: Sean Penn
1974: Ellen Burstyn
1939: Gone With the Wind
2007: Cate Blanchett
2003: Bill Murray
1974: Gena Rowlands
1939: THe Wizard of Oz
2007: Tilda Swinton
03: Johnny Depp - unpopular now but no one created such an original fully fleshed performance that transformed a popcorn movie to something utterly unique (never mind the sequels).
74: Faye Dunaway - "she's my sister and my daughter!!!!"
39: GONE WITH THE WIND for all
07: Saoirse Ronan is my personal favorite by a long mile (and I love everyone else in the category, save the weird Ruby Dee inclusion in favor of the wonderful Jennifer Garner)
2003: I do love this whole lineup. I love Penn's brute force and Law's wounded internal struggle. Depp's performance is actually my favorite though. Hes so free, funny, and just himself. I don't even really care for the movie, but he sails through.
1974: It should be Dunaway. Everything points to her. Femme Fatale with so much subtlety and intensity. But you can not cannot ignore Gena Rowlands. She devours the screen and dares you to defy her.
1939: Gone with the Wind by a country mile. Wizard of Oz is great, Wuthering Heights is dark, romantic, lovely, and Mr. Smith is the typical Capra-esque loveliness, but Wind has everything!! Acting, style, design, and gravity. It's simply one of the best thing ever.
2007: My favorites weren't nominated (Tabu from "The Namesake" or Leslie Mann from "Knocked Up"), but of this list I'm gonna settle with Blanchett slightly over Swinton for doing her best Swinton impression. Her ability to slide right into an auteur's vision and with that level of skill deserved recognition...even if some of the film doesn't work.
2003 BEST ACTOR
JOHNNY DEPP (Pirates of the Caribbean)
1974 BEST ACTRESS
GENA ROWLANDS (A Woman Under the Influence)
1939 BEST PICTURE
THE WIZARD OF OZ
2007 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
TILDA SWINTON (Michael Clayton)
2003 Best Actor: SO HARD. I was firmly Sean Penn in '03, but if I had to vote today I would give it to Johnny Depp (and then ban him from ever doing any of the sequels).
1974 Best Actress: Rowlands.
1939 Best Picture: GONE WITH THE WIND. I mean, c'mon. All classics, to be sure - but there's only one GWTW.
2007 Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton. Oscar got it right - without question one of the most awesome Oscar moments of the last decade.
2007: Cate Blanchett + Tilda Swinton + Saoirse Ronan
all 3 are fascinating in totally different dimensions, there should've been a tie-trie lol
maybe it's a good thing that Blanchett did not win, because she has the perfect space for a Lead Actress Oscar now.
2003 - Bill Murray. He breaks my heart and then stitches it back together again every single time I watch that movie.
1974 - Gena Rowlands. No question. And I would've only given Ellen the award the only time she deserved it: 2000.
1939 - Gone With the Wind.
2007 - Keep On Swinton Tilda World Ends!
Tilda, forever and always for all awards.
2003: Bill Murray
1974: Ellen Burstyn
1939: Gone with the Wind
2007: Cate Blanchett (but I'm happy Tilda won)
More of these, please. They are so much fun and I love reading other's opinions.
Bill Murray & Amy Ryan
2003: Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean (if only the series had stopped here...)
1974: Gena Rowlands, A Woman Under the Influence
1939: THE WIZARD OF OZ
2007: Such a tight race and I swap between Blanchett, Ronan & Swinton - but today, Blanchett
2003 BEST ACTOR
BILL MURRAY (Lost in Translation) - this one is really not hard at all. Murray definitely deserved it for what was one of the most subtle performances I've seen. Penn was up for the wrong movie. He was so much better in 21 Grams.
1974 BEST ACTRESS
VALERIE PERRINE (Lenny) - this should have been a star-making performance, but she was just the perfect choice for the role. Lenny is an underrated movie with an even better performance by Hoffman, but Perrine is just as memorable to me. I can see why Burstyn won, but she really should have won it for The Exorcist the year before. Because of that, I'll give my second place to Rowlands.
1939 BEST PICTURE
THE WIZARD OF OZ - This, like Rocky from yesterday, is in my Top 10. It holds the #4 spot and I don't see it ever really leaving the Top 5. I've loved this movie since I was a little kid. This is the best musical ever, with some of the funniest, darkest, and delightful songs ever written. Everything is perfect right and this is completely timeless. Gone With the Wind is easily the second best. It's actually in my Top 20 and it's easy to see why it won Best Picture. Third is Goodbye, Mr. Chips for me. I love Greer Garson and Donat is my choice for Best Actor, just like the Academy.
2007 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY RYAN (Gone Baby Gone) - I remember this being one of the most wide open Oscar races I've ever seen, but I think Ryan was absolutely riveting. She was real and raw and her character stole the movie. I liked this movie too, much more than The Town.
These are tougher
2003: Jude, narrowly over Murray and Kingsley
1974: Rowlands, although I LOVE all 5
1939: Oz
2007: Tilda, narrowly over Amy and Cate
Congrats to the US. You did well.
2003: Torture! This is one of the best years for lead actor. My favorite is Jude Law as Inman. *swoon*
1974: I have to abstain as I've only seen Dunaway, but DAMN she was good.
1939: Wizard of Oz holds up better than GWTW or Mr. Smith for me.
2007: I might be the only one to say to Amy Ryan here, but I loved her in GBG.
Thanks for the fun election day posts Nat! You picked great year/categories for us to bicker over :D
Law, Dunaway, Oz, Tilda
2003: Sean Penn!! Without a doubt, although my second choice would probably be Jude Law but only because I love him.
1974: Gena Rowlands. THIS WOMAN DESERVED AN OSCAR!
1939: I'd choose Wizard of Oz because of my deep love and childhood association with it, although Gone With the Wind does probably deserve it.
2007: This was my toughest category. I think all of these women deserved the nomination and were amazing. I would give it to Cate, but it really is a close call. Depending on the day it could go to Tilda, Amy Ryan, or Saoirse Ronan.
2003: Bill Murray in a cakewalk. That scene where he describes fatherhood is just perfection. I still would have given Penn a second Oscar, but his first for Dead Man Walking (my favorite performance of his is Milk, though, I'm glad he won that Oscar). At the time, I would have said Johnny Depp (I was 15 and a huge fan of Pirates), but Murray's performance just keeps growing on me with every viewing.
1974: I'm going to go with Faye Dunaway on this one. I've seen Chinatown so many times and I love her performance. It's an explosive performance, but she earns those explosions with very careful characterization.
1939: This is a tough one since I've only seen half the movies and have reservations on all of them. I'll choose Gone with the Wind for its epic feel, even if I do think it's about an hour or so too long.
2007: Saoirse Ronan probably. She has about thirty minutes of screen time and makes the most out of every minute, creatin a character so cold and hateful, yet still child-like. With that said, Tilda Swinton is a very close second (it's great to see a villain who has reservations about every decision she makes, her delivery of that line "the alternative" is brilliant).
2003: One of the best lineups from the last decade. I would probably go with Johnny Depp. It would have been a nice win not only in terms of the actor but in terms of the genre and the performance itself, contrasting to the other 4 impecable but highly depressive performances.
1974: Gena Rowlands
1939: Gone With the Wind
2007: Tilda. It was a very nice choice. In my world Cate Blanchett won for Elizabeth over Paltrow so this wasnt her year.
2003: Bill Murray
1974: Faye Dunaway
1939: Gone with the wind
2007: Cate Blanchett (second Ronan and third Swinton)
Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence landed the best performance ever by a movie actor, male or female. That's it.
I'd vote for Penn in Mystic River for all shades of pain and danger we can see in his eyes. It's the most idfficult role of the season: we get to be moved by the pain of a murderer acting for revenge against one of his best friends and then realizing he made a huge mistake. So many shifts of emotions and most of time, a lot of conflicting emotions going on simultaneously. He never grounds the performance, he is always unstable, unsteady. It's a very disturbing performance.
Gone of the Wind, do I have to justify?
And Blanchett, oh, I love her in this movie, a tremendous exercise in stylization and attitude. It's one of the most perfect stunt acts I've ever seen by actor WITHOUT USING THE EYES!
Sean Penn
Ellen Burstyn
Gone w the Wind
Tilda Swinton
1. Sean or Ben. I thought Ben did a better job but wasn't angry when Sean won. Murray and Depp would have been a complete joke.
2. One of those cases where the Academy got it right - Ellen Byrstyn was terrific in Alice...
3. 1939 was THE most brilliant year for Best Picture nominees and the Academy got it so right.
4. Tillda was good but it should have gone to Saiorse Ronan for her haunting performance in the under-rated Atonement.
Haven't seen all of the nominees but DARK VICTORY is better, for me, than Oz and Gone...Wind (though I haven't seen all of it).
2003: I used to consider Johnny Depp is the best here, but as now I actually prefer Bill Murray performance more. (could be because of all the sequels, and for Penn, he's not my first choice for both 2003 and 2008, it would be Mickey Rourke in 2008)
1974: Gena Rowlands
1939: Gone with the Wind, in terms of Oscary and production values.
2007: Saoirse Ronan is my personal favorite here. But I'll vote for Cate Blanchett in I'm not there, she was extraordinary in it. And although I admire Tilda Swinton and happy for her for the win, she was won by the wrong role imho (this one instead of Julia, I am Love, We Need to Talk about Kevin...)
2007: Saoirse Ronan's performance makes the movie.
nice to see this year's all still so challenging!
My votes are personally unchanged from thee original ballot on the latest two.
DEPP & SWINTON all the way (though some of the other performance would make totally justifiable wins in other years)