Monday
Mar122018
Film Bitch Awards: More Acting Honors!
Monday, March 12, 2018 at 12:50AM by Nathaniel R
Twenty acting nominations (i.e. the traditional Oscar-like honors) just aren't enough at the Film Bitch Awards. Here where we also like to shout to rising stars, actors who make vivid impressions or give full characters with barely any screen time, cast chemistry, and the men and women who collect all the talent in these thrilling combinations. So click on through for our nominations in...
• Best Actress in a Limited Role or Cameo
• Best Actor in a Limited Role or Cameo
• Best Juvenile Performance (17 and under)
• Breakthrough Performer
• Best Ensemble
• Best Casting
Films scoring multiple nominations on this page include Lady Bird, Get Out, Lady Macbeth, Wonder and The Big Sick.
Reader Comments (35)
BRILLIANT choices, Nathaniel. You are so good at recognizing great small performances. I thought Jack Dylan Grazer was the MVP of It but your juvenile performance nominees are also so wonderful and thoughtful.
Thank you Rhonda. I really take this very seriously so I put a lot of thought into these things :)
Those breakthrough and juvenile picks are unimpeachable. And I love that you are able to single out great performances even in not so great films. A lot of people dismiss whole films if they're "bad."
Lady Bird may have my favorite ensemble of any contemporary film. It's amazing to think of how Greta Gerwig used actors like Stephen McKinley Henderson, Lois Smith and Beanie Henderson; I think it reflects the fact that a character actress herself directed it and wanted to let everyone in the cast shine.
I'm also glad to see the ensemble nod for Baby Driver. The casting was great, and I'll forever love Edgar Wright for (finally) giving Jon Hamm a great follow-up role to Bridesmaids and the opportunity to play against type.
I'm delighted that you agreed with two awards I was eagerly awaiting: Noah Jupe and Harriet Samson Harris.
I applaud Nahuel Pérez Biscayart's unavoidable nomination. Nahuel is 32 years old. His first film in Argentina was back in 2004. The following year he won the award for Best New Actor from the Argentinean Film Critics Association for his starring role in "Tatooed". He was later noticed in the more-mainstream ensemble piece about a Jewish gated community, "Cheese Head: My First Ghetto" (2006). He also costarred with Matthew Rhys in a film made in Argentina, "Patagonia" (2011), directed by Marc Evans.
His breakthrough international performance was in "All Yours" (2014), by David Lambert. He also spoke French in this one. He received the Best Actor Award at the Karlovy Vary Festival and a few minor ones, some from gay-film festivals.
I watched the trailer for his latest project, "Agadah", an Italian film. He speaks only one line in the trailer, but it's perfect Italian. Let's hope he has a great career and, why not, Hollywood beckons.
I haven't found the Film Bitch Awards of previous years. Do you overwrite them? As you know and I've asked you a couple of times, I would have loved you to publish the additional acting awards for last year. And it would be grat to check out older awards to see what happened of previous Breakthrough performers.
I love what you wrote about Vella Lovell! I found the representation of south Asian women in THE BIG SICK very unsettling, but the actress did so well to rise above the writing (which only seems to care about Nanjiani's character) and shine a mirror to the protagonist's dickish behaviour.
Yay for your limited role shout-outs to LaKeith Stanfield and Harriet Samson Harris. LaKeith’s performance already feels iconic (along with Daniel’s frozen face/heavy tears) as demonstrated by the recent Oscar telecast. (Although, like calling out Daniel Kaluuya at the globes, something about the moment felt a little “off” in an organization-still dominated by old white people... ). Also felt Harriet’s was a character I could have used more of in PT. Like, hers is the one non-traditional film or fashion body featured prominently so it felt odd to demonize (?) her character and then never return to her. No doubt a testament to her rich performance. Great lists as always, and always happy to see more shout-outs to my favorites (Ladybird and Get Out).
I've missed these! Thanks for sending them out. All great choices, but a special hooray for Vella Lovell, who made me so much more invested in her plight in one scene that the lead female did in the entire movie.
Marcos -- you can see past years of film bitch awards from the menu to the bottom left of the screen There were a few years where the full lineups weren't posted though (my bad). I do hope to put them in a book for sale one day. Perhaps 2018 will be the year i get this done?
Like many of you I also enjoyed Vela Lovell's big dramatic scene in the The Big Sick, but was disappointed to learn that the only female South Asian character written with any type humanity in the movie was played by an actress with no South Asian heritage.
Thank you also for recognising Khaori. Ghost is a gigantic mess, but she brought such warmth and humanity to that scene that you got a glimpse of a more tragic and emotionally complex story. These are definitely my favourite Film Bitch Awards
I get you didn't care for "Wonderstruck," but no applause for the superb Millicent Simmons?
I truly can't disagree with the nominations for the actors whose performances I've seen. I'm particularly pleased to see Erika Alexander shortlisted for her brief but memorable turn in Get Out.
Ryan T., I wish every organization which gave out film awards was as judicous as Nathaniel is. Performance categories exist to acknowledge quality individual efforts, not the movies themselves, which is why I hate to see coaster nominees -- especially in the supporting categories. Mediocre efforts can and sometimes do contain really great work.
I feel like you've denied us a postmortem Oscar podcast. McDormand winning number two in Best Actress is a big deal if you consider Bette Davis as the only other character actress to do so.
Seo-hyun was probably the best of the year in terms of juvenile performances for me, but all 5 choices are very good.
Happy see the proper shutout to Girls Trip, though I'd have them in with a medal as well. Funny movie, made entirely by the cast selling the jokes. I also assume there was a lot of improve from the type of comedy we get to see.
@3rtful Bette Davis is not really a character actress though
I love these awards for reminding me of performances I loved that since fell out of memory.
I loved Carlos in Stronger and Gloria in Florida Project. It's nice to think about them again.
Bette Davis is not really a character actress though
The modern definition is someone who does primarily supporting roles. But her style and her willingness to tackle damn near everything is the definition of a character actress. She didn't mind being ugly for her art. When Bette went plain isn't wasn't a beauty queen underneath who wiped off her makeup. I need Nick Davis to revive his Best Actress section and write a piece on Davis.
YAY!!!! Oh please, please do the scene categories too!!!!
Thank you Nat!!! I'd be the first to buy the book! :)
Your nominations in the Juvenile category are all excellent, of the ones I've seen, but I think Fantine Hardun should get a shoutout as the Littlest Fox in Happy End, as evil as she was cute. In the Cameo category, I thought Vanessa Redgrave was truly astounding in Film Stars.
Totally agreed on Jupe (who nudged towards my own top five supporting actor ballot) and Lillis in youth. I'm not as hung ho on FLORIDA PROJECT as most though and found nearly every performance in it to be annoyingly pitched (I did like Dafoe and the actresses who play the two other mothers).
Can't argue with ensemble (well, other than BABY DRIVER, but I can see the appeal) or breakthrough (Harris Dickinson is quite a sight in POSTCARDS FROM LONDON which is an arty Fassbinder/Greenaway esque queer movie).
Marcos
If you want film bitch awards for years before 2009 use internet wayback machine
For example, use this link for 2008:
https://web.archive.org/web/20091228005043/http://www.thefilmexperience.net:80/Awards/2008/awards1.html
@3rtful.... then Meryl Streep is a character actress with 3 Oscars!!! By your own words!
Such great picks! That scene with Henderson and Metcalf in LADYBIRD is so little yet it broke my heart, and on our way out, a teenage couple was asking each other about it.
Betty Gabriel really elevates GET OUT.
I love THE BIG SICK in casting. I would love to know the casting process. On paper, Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as a long-married couple and concerned parents looks ridiculous, but I completely bought them as genuine within minutes.
Gr8 inspiring list! But sad tt the luminous Vicky Krieps din make the cut or get a mention under Breakthru' cat 😔
I'm still smarting fr Lady Bird's zilch Oscars win! If they can't give it to Greta or Saoirse, they cld at least honour Laurie who is sooo waaaaay betta than the eventual winner!! 😕
I am so thrilled that these are coming in a timely manner this year. Keep the energy up NR!!!
Arnaud Valois didn't make it and you gay license has been revoked.
Yay! Thanks so much for putting these together. I look forward to them every year.
So glad you mentioned Harris. Her few scenes were masterly, especially that close-up when he's putting the dress on her and she's staring at her reflection. I'd honestly consider her for top five supporting actresses of the year.
And yes, I've thought about Gabriel so much this past year (with good reason), but Lakeith is just as good. They're both fantastic.
Prince really is something special. Sure, she was directed well, but that wasn't JUST direction. She's full of charisma. And glad to see Rivera mentioned - Prince is such a force of nature it's easy to overlook how good he was, too.
And Dickinson...sigh. It's just unfair that someone can look that good.
Nat—just curious, were you not a Beatriz at Dinner fan?
I feel like Mike White, Hayek, Lithgow and Britton deserved a bit of attention.
The Film Bitch Awards are my favourite awards.
Thank you, Nathaniel, for remaining so enthusiastic, appreciative, and discerning, and sharing your thoughts with us.
Hayden -- that was one of the movies i didn't get to.
@Nat— Fair enough, I think your picks this year are great FWIW. Beatriz is a light-on-its-feet 90-minute investment whenever you get the chance.
Are we missing Dafne Keen from "Logan" in the juvenile category?
adri - i was in the small off-consensus pool in that one. I didn't really get into her performance.