Best Actress. An Oscar Thrill & Personal Ballot
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at 3:30PM It's just four days until Oscar and I remain stunned and overjoyed that god* will be taking home her first Oscar. I can scarcely believe it. I thought it would be a nail biter given that this never happens. It's true we're about to get our first fiftysomething Best Actress winner in 62 years and I couldn't be happier about it! Given Oscar's very limited idea of what constitutes great acting (let's face it they were never going to "get" how well Scarlett Johansson was embodying a inhuman alien psyche distracted by curiousity) they didn't have much to choose from this year. But we cinephiles did. Best Actress is always a tough category for the actressexual, so I truly wish I had 8 nominees each year. I truly do. Of course then I'd weep for the 9th. You're always going to have to leave people out.
I force myself to narrow it down to 12 semi-finalists each year for a happy dozen before I make the final calls so here's a last shout out to a dozenish favorite leading ladies of 2014 (in alpha order) though this time it's a baker's dozen because I had to include the baker's wife albeit in her other incarnation this year.
Let's hear it for this incredible work. (Weak year my ass)
- Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow
- Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
- Essie Davis, The Babadook
- Anne Dorval, Mommy
- Luminita Gheorghiu, Child's Pose
- Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
- Keira Knightley, Begin Again
- Agata Kulesza, Ida
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beyond the Lights
- Julianne Moore, Still Alice / Maps to the Stars **
- Elisabeth Moss, Listen Up Phillip
- Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
- Reese Witherspoon, Wild
See the Film Bitch Awards Best Actress nominees here!
* Julianne Moore is God.
** I could never understand what the f*** was happening with Maps to the Stars (Globe eligible but not Oscar eligible - what the hell?) so it is not included in my 2014 awards though I would surely have nominated Juli for it. I haven't yet decided if I will consider it for 2015 -- it supposedly opens February 27th -- but it seems to have been lost in the gap between film years. I will never understand this predilection of distributors to confuse potential audiences and critics in year end prizes. Never ever. It fills me with such bile every annum.
Reader Comments (61)
My Ballot
Witherspoon - Wild = WINNER
Stewart - Camp Xray
Moore - Still Alice
Swank - The homesman
Cotillard - The Immigrant
I don't consider Moss or Kulezsa leads at all but I'm glad you considered/nominated them! Two fantastic performances.
My ballot:
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Isabelle Huppert, Abuse of Weakness
Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
Agata Trzebuchowska, Ida
I'm so glad you included God in your list. It seems to be very easy for many to diminish her performance in Still Alice because the movie lacks in other areas. Sometimes, it's just a matter of a movie being built around a single performance, and there's nothing really that wrong with that.
My list:
Moore - Sitll Alice
Cotillard - The Immigrant
Cotillard - Two Days, One Night
Davis - The Babadook
Witherspoon - Wild
Aniston was pretty damned good in Cake too. But that's an example of a movie which does bring down the lead slightly too much.
My Ballot
Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
Emmanuelle Devos, Violette
Agneta Kulesza, Ida
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Runners Up:
Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant
Lisa Loven Kongsli, Force Majeure
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
And the winner is: God.
LOVE that you mentioned Essie Davis because that was an extraordinary horror performance (which is often a genre with ignored performances / other achievements even if they're good enough).
I was hoping you'd mention Jenny Slate because I just love that performance so much. Was she at least close to making your baker's dozen?
My ballot:
Marion Cotillard - The Immigrant
Essie Davis - The Babadook
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
Jenny Slate - Obvious Child
Reese Witherspoon - Wild
I think Cotillard is my winner, with Slate as a close second.
My ballot (in order): Reese Witherspoon, Rosamund Pike, ScarJo (Under the Skin), Juli (Still Alice), and Aniston (a performance I liked more than pretty much everyone, apparently)
Films I Have Yet to See That I Am Pumped For (or as Nick Davis would put it, the Gourmet Prospects): Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars), Marion Cotillard (Immigrant and Two Days One NIght), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Beyond the Lights), Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)
My 5:
Pike
Wasikowska - Tracks
Kulesza
Moore - Maps
Dorval
Haven't seen Still Alice, but I don't care, Julianne wins her first Oscar in 4 days. They better let her talk as long as she damn well wants.
My ballot:
1. Lindsay Duncan, Le Week-End
2. Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
3. Agata Kulesza, Ida
4. Anne Dorval, Mommy
5. Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant
*I consider Julianne supporting in Maps to the Stars. If she was lead, she'd be my #1. I call it the performance of the year.
Agata Kulesza should have been in supporting actress to make room for the brilliant Rosamund Pike. Pike should be winning the Oscar outright, but it's Julianne Moore's "time" and all, so to the other four best actress nominees, stay at home in your pj's, b/c there's no need to attend the Oscars on Sunday! And before you ask, no, I haven't seen "Still Alice." I won't be allowed the privilege of seeing it until in arrives in my area two weeks after the Oscars. Woof.
Kulesza is a co-lead. Category fraud isn't cool in foreign films either.
I ♥ (ScarJo in) Lucy.
Awesome shortlist, Nathaniel! I can't believe what an incredible year it was and SO agree on Agata Kulesza being the most haunting presence in 2014 films.
My ballot:
- Cotillard, THE IMMIGRANT and TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
- Duncan, LE WEEKEND
- Knightley, BEGIN AGAIN
- Kulesza, IDA
- Moore, STILL ALICE and MAPS TO THE STARS
And still have lots of love for Swank in THE HOMESMAN, Byrne in NEIGHBORS, Mbatha-Raw in BEYOND THE LIGHTS, Moss in THE ONE I LOVE, Stewart in CAMP X-RAY, Witherspoon in WILD, Slate in OBVIOUS CHILD, and Wiig in THE SKELETON TWINS.
For the record, Blunt tops my Best Supporting shortlist, although I haven't debated about someone's placement like that since Streep in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.
My ballot:
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, "Belle"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl" (WINNER)
Jenny Slate, "Obvious Child"
Agata Trzebuchowska, "Ida"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"
People calling it a weak year should be laughed at. Same goes for a weak year for weak "women's films."
I put Kulesza in Supporting but she'd make my ballot in either category. I haven't seen either of Gugu's performances or 2 Days 1 Night.
1. Julianne Moore, Still Alice
2. Keira Knightley, Begin Again
3. Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
4. Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive
5. Emily Blunt, Into the Woods/Edge of Tomorrow
Nathaniel, this Maps To the Stars opening is so confusing. Why did they do it this way? And I'm still trying to track down The Immigrant. Sigh.
I just watched The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, and Ms. Chastain's powerhouse performance should be on the lips of all Oscar voters, but alas, it was not to be. Life sucks.
Can I just say I was just looking back on a really old post on here about the best actors/actresses that remain Oscar-less... and Julianne Moore was near the top of the list and Nathaniel said he didn't think she'd ever win an Oscar. So it makes feel so good to know she indeed will. :)
Also, I watched Still Alice like a month and a half ago online and thought it was good but thought the film was severely lacking and Julianne really elevated it. However, I saw it in the theatre the other day and I have to say I thought it was overall much better than I initially thought. Everything was. And the emotion played so much stronger in the theatre. Julianne was incredible, of course. Very deserved Oscar, I think. Of course, the stars aligned and it's not her most iconic role or anything. But it's still a deserved Oscar.
Anywho... haven't decided on my top five yet, but I loved all of these performances:
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars (not sure if I consider her lead or supporting... kind of an ensemble piece)
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
Jennifer Aniston, Cake (agreed that the film brings her down... but I thought her and Adriana Barraza were doing really strong work)
There are still some movies I need to see though :/
My ballot, right now:
Eva Green, 300: Rise of an Empire
Scarlett Johannson, Under the Skin
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Haven't seen Two Days, One Night, Ida, The Babadook, Mommy, Begin Again, Beyond the Lights, Child's Pose or Listen Up Philip. Don't think Oscar really had a weak year so much as a painfully bad nominee. Serious personal thought on Felicity Jones: I wish the Razzies had the balls they had earlier on, because it would have been a thrilling statement that, at bare minimum, Oscar SHOULD feel embarrassed over that dumb default nod.
My Oscar ballot:
Julianne Moore--Still Alice
Jessica Chastain--The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
Rosamund Pike--Gone Girl
Marion Cotillard--Two Days One Night
Kiera Knightley--Begin Again
*Reese Witherspoon--Wild
Have seen all performances for women...
I hate to knock Moore. But I could see any number of actresses playing that role
She was very good but not outstanding ... And the movie itself was weak
I k now Cotillard will not win but hers was the most outstanding acting of the year.
This is just a theory, but it seemed to me that once "Still Alice" burst onto the scene in Toronto, the distributors of "Maps to the Stars" backed off on pushing it as a 2014 Oscars qualifier. It's almost as if they felt that Moore probably had little chance to gain traction for the film, and it would actually make them Moore money (sorry, couldn't resist) to release it right after she potentially wins the Oscar. The Globes likely considered whatever film festivals it played in 2014 as enough to qualify it.
The only major difference year-wise in the distribution of the 2 films is that "Still Alice" got a short qualifying run in December.
Lindsay Duncan. So happy that I'm not the only one that loves this performance. She's been my favorite since March. Her work is so lived-in and relatable. If you haven't seen "Le Week-end", go and do it. See one of the best undervalued character actresses of last 30 years.
You said you'd nominate Moore for Maps of the Stars. If you were sure the two performances belonged to 2014, gun to your head, which performance would you nominate?
Cal -- Maps. I mean i think she's great in both but preference: I like my Juli a little risque/sexually freaky (see Boogie Nights / Magnolia / End of Affair/Savage Grace etcetera)
My pick is Rosamund -- it's a star-marking role in a film that became a pop culture moment. But I get it with Julianne -- her win will look good for the history books on Oscar. For every commercial star who breaks through like Sandy Bullock, you need to reward a real artist who also has made major contributions to film.
1. Julianne Moore, STILL ALICE
2. Anne Dorval, MOMMY
3. Patricia Arquette, BOYHOOD (I completely understand the argument for Supporting, and she'd be my #1 in that category, and I'm thrilled for her win!)
4. Marion Cotillard, THE IMMIGRANT
5. Isabelle Huppert, ABUSE OF WEAKNESS (Right on, Sad Man!)
Yes to Duncan, Swank, Knightley, Kulesza (if we're dispensing with the universal category fraud) and Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow). Four of those and a Cotillard would indeed make my Oscar five.
Wait: Ida doesn't even affect my 2014 ballot because I'm an internationalist (paying, non festival, audience = year of release) when it comes to ballots. Yes, that also affects Only Lovers Left Alive due to the December 25, 2013 German release.
Love your nominees and finalists Nat!
My nominees
Marion Cotillard, "The Immigrant" & "Two Days, One Night"
Essie Davis, "The Babadook"
Scarlett Johansson, "Under the Skin"
Julianne Moore, "Maps to the Stars" & "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
I have Kulesza in supporting, but I understand the lead placement of course!
It is funny how in a "weak year for actresses" the Academy ended with a strong line-up (minus Felicity Jones). But ended with a ok line-up for actors.
My lineup:
1. Witherspoon
2. Moore
3. Cotilliard, 2D1N
4. Chastain, AMBY (seeing how things turned out, maybe they should have pushed her as lead after all...)
5. Pike
I haven't seen Anniston though.
Great to see love for Duncan, Swank, and Knightley. I would definitely put them in the nom pool, eliminating Witherspoon, Jones, and Moore (I know, sacrilege!). It's a shame that more folks didn't see Le Week-End, The Homesman, and Begin Again (which should have remained Can a Song Save Your Life).
Of the actual nominees, my ballot goes to Pike.
Maps to the Stars DID get a Los Angeles release for a week in December 2014, the same week Still Alice did -- I actually saw both movies back-to-back. Maybe it wasn't on the Oscar eligibility list due to paperwork? But perhaps the Globes considered this release enough?
I am most shocked seeing you didn't nominate Pike.
My ballot:
1. Pike - Gone Girl
2. Moore - Still Alice
3. Chastain - The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
4. Cotillard - The Immigrant
5. Witherspoon - Wild
other finalists: Jones - TToE (this performance has been underrated in film blogosphere)
Knightley - Begin Again (weirdly forgotten even with Weinstein backing)
@alex: The plot thickens. I'd not heard of this December run, and it's not listed on imdb. Apparently they wanted to keep it hush-hush, and perhaps were ONLY aiming at the Globes nom: http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cronenbergs-maps-to-the-stars-gets-discreet-2014-awards-run-after-all-20141205
Pam & brookesboy - for what it's worth Hilary Swank and Jessica Chastain just missed the cutoff for that top dozen. Liked both of those performacnes a lot but at least with Chastain, I think her true triumph in 2014 was AMVY.
Keelay -- she'd be in my top 20. I know that doesn't help but i was relatively lukewarm on that movie... at least compared to others. But i'm glad people responded to it so well.
Wonderful to see Luminita Gheorgiou make it to your top dozen. I'm increasingly frustrated at the way great Romanian cinema is getting neglected.
And of course, Julianne.
Ah, Julianne. I think she's actually my winner for the year, with Cotillard coming a close second (for either of her performances, though I slightly prefer her work in The Immigrant).
Then I'd probably include Gheorghiou, Johansson and Dorval.
But there was so much great actressing to love this year -
Wiig (again unfairly neglected)
Davis
Slate
Swinton
Kulesza
Gainsbourg
and I'd especially like to give a shout out to two equally fabulous polar opposites:
Nimrat Kaur in The Lunchbox (a phenomenal movie, so much deeper and more interesting than the promotional materials would have you believe) and Mira Barkhammar in We Are the Best.
I loved Moss in Listen Up Philip too, but I see her as supporting.
My list!
Marion Cotillard, THE IMMIGRANT
Rosamund Pike, GONE GIRL
Jenny Slate, OBVIOUS CHILD
Agata Trzebuchowska, IDA
Reese Witherspoon, WILD
Pike would be my easy winner.
brookesboy - The Immigrant is available on Netflix streaming if that's accessible to you.
My Five:
Scarlett Johansson - Under the Skin
Marion Cotillard - The Immigrant
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
Essie Davis - The Babadook
Lindsay Duncan - Le Week-End
Runner-ups:
Keira Knightley - Begin Again
Emily Blunt - Edge of Tomorrow
Jenny Slate - Obvious Child
Hilary Swank - The Homesman
Agata Trzebuchowska - Ida
Tilda Swinton - Only Lovers Left Alive
Granted, I still haven't seen A LOT of last year's films, so I can't comment on the following: Jones (Theory of Everything), Anniston (Cake), Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), Witherspoon (Wild), Mbatha-Raw (Beyond the Lights), Moore (Still Alice), Blunt (Into the Woods).
That is a very good list Nathaniel, and it is truly agonizing to pare it down to just 5.
When we think back on this year it will be Rosamund Pike's performance that people really remember. Julianne Moore deserves an Oscar, and Still Alice is excellent work. But let's be honest it wasn't really released in 2014, and so she is winning all these awards for a film that was really released in 2015.
1. Moore & Pike should be tied (like Streisand and Hepburn)
2. Cotillard - Two Days One Night
3. Lindsay Duncan " Le Weekend"
4. Essie Davis - The Babadook
honourable mentons to Keira Knightley for Begin Again and Emily Blunt for Edge of Tomorrow.
It's been a horrible year in terms of seeing such blatent sexism, but I was inspired by the breadth and depth of talent by actresses this year.
My choices (in order)
1. ANNE DORVAL "Mommy"
2. MARION COTILLARD "Two Days, One Night"
3. JENNIFER ANISTON "Cake"
4. JULIANNE MOORE "Still Alice"
5. REESE WITHERSPOON "Wild"
with Kristin Wiig(The Skeleton Twins) & Jenny Slate(Obvious Child"
as praiseworthy runners up.
LOVE that you included Emily Blunt. I love her, but was not expecting that performance.
Pike
Kulezca
Johansson
Blunt - Edge
Knigtley - Begin
Rosamund is my clear fav
My Oscar ballot would be:
5. Rose Leslie in Honeymoon
4. Shailene Woodley in The Fault in Our Stars
3. Kristen Wiig in The Skeleton Twins
2. Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything
1. Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
I think we all agree, Rosamund was phenomenal and normally, she would be winning all the awards.
My Oscar ballot would be:
Shailene Woodley - The Fault in Our Stars
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
Hilary Swank - The Homesman
Essie Davis - The Babadook
Scarlett Johansson - Lucy
"I think we all agree, Rosamund was phenomenal and normally, she would be winning all the awards."
When is "normally"? When does the Academy ever award unlikeable characters in Best Actress? I mean, heck, if Glenn Close couldn't win for Fatal Attraction which got all those major nods, how could Rosamund for her films sole nod?
Kulesza is a co-lead, Luminita Gheorghi is awesome and you've got great taste with actresses.
For me it's all about Marion this year. I had an epiphany watching her face in The Immigrant. I love her.
Funny trivia: Kulesza won the Polish edition of "Dancing with the stars" back in 2008.
Trzebuchowska is lead. Kulesza is supporting. You aren't more right than anyone else is on category placement.