"Wildlife" Teaser and The Best Actress Race
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at 11:00PM by Nathaniel R
I think most of expected to be seeing a lot more of Carey Mulligan in Oscar races after her stunning debut in An Education nine years ago. Yes. nine. years. ago. Crazy how time flies at the cinema. Contrary to those star-is-born expectations she has not been back in the mix yet, despite numerous films since, many of them "prestige" titles: Inside Llewyn Davis, Shame, Suffragette, Mudbound, The Great Gatsby, Far From the Madding Crowd.
But from the looks of the Wildlife teaser plus early critical raves she finally has a bonafide star showcase again...
The film is written and directed by the actor Paul Dano and though I've heard some Revolutionary Road comparisons I don't see much of that here apart from surfaces, since it's a period drama that is at least somewhat about an unhappy marriage. It's based on the novel by Richard Ford, who has quite oddly never been adapted to screen before despite several novels and critical acclaim.
Here's the teaser. What'cha think?
I'd like to predict it all over the place for Oscars but there's a catch. It's from IFC Films and they only very rarely compete for Oscars outside of the fluke Best Documentary (Pina) or Best Actress nomination (Marion Cotillard in Two Days One Night / Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years) and trust that it's not for a lack of acclaimed films! There is one very notable exception in recent years though: Richard Linklater's Boyhood (2014).
Is Wildlife a Boyhood... or just another critical darling that doesn't compete for big prizes? BEST ACTRESS CHART UPDATED
Reader Comments (36)
Dear Academy,
Give Glenn Close the fucking honorary this year so it won't be a big deal once you bestow Best Actress on Carey Mulligan.
Sincerely,
My Heartbreak and Rage
I’ve just never warmed to her - I thought she was good in An Education and Shame - but other than that, I’ve rarely seen someone so bland and boring :(
Just finished watching her in Collateral on Netflix, she has such a gift; hopefully she regains some traction with this
I was gonna say, if nothing else she might pick up Emmy/Golden Globe nods for COLLATERAL on the TV Movie/Miniseries side of things. She was my personal MVP from MUDBOUND for whatever it's worth.
Melbourne International announce WILDLIFE as Opening Night Film one day.
Nathaniel posts this the next.
A good two days.
I personally thought she was exceptional in The Great Gatsby.
She's the actress of her generation, almost everything she does is critically acclaimed.
Just look at her Metascore, it's off the charts (for actors / actresses)!
The thing where Oscar ignores her consistently (Never Let Me Go is her best performance in my opinion) is inexcusable. But she'll get there sooner or later. She's only 33.
She really wowed me in the Broadway play SKYLIGHT. Hope she wins an Oscar one day.
Kind of about the Best Actress chart: I'm curious, like Blunt doing it for Mary Poppins Returns, if you think Ewan McGregor might ALSO manage his first nomination for Christopher Robin? Yes, His and Hers for Disney Live-Action would be pushing it, but since they're both WELL overdue for a nomination I can't help but think its possible.
I always get the feeling that Mulligan didn't want to be a star and that's why we have had her in supporting roles only,reading between the lines I don't think TGG was a gr8 experience,the Shame snub was wrong on all counts.good luck to her.
carey mulligan is super special. i agree with Andy: she was stunning in SKYFALL on Broadway, and with Glenn that she was MVP in MUDBOUND. it's a bummer that awards don't follow her, but she keeps delivering the work time after time.
Carey is an exceptional actress. she always delivers. and yes she doesn't care about that celebrity lifestyle and being a star. she has only done two studio films and she expressed how the great gatsby wasn't a good experience for her. hopefully she gets nominated this year. along with Jake Gyllenhaal
I am going to sincerely struggle if Lady Gaga makes it, as her acting ability to date has been, well, heinously bad. Particularly over McCarthy, Davis, Ronan who are such consistently wonderful performance.
This trailer, though, looks spectacular. I can't wait. Hopefully Gyllenhaal can finally get his long overdue second nomination as well.
I know Mary J Blige got in last year, so the possibility of Gaga seems real on paper, but Best Actress rarely has room for that level of slot filler mediocrity.
@John T
re: carey. yes, superb onstage as well. i saw her as nina in the seagull when i had no idea who she was. tremendous.
re: charts. lord help us (or my sanity) if gaga is a nominee. would love to see cruz and thompson nominated because it's been too long (esp for thompson... '95???)
(ps re emma: the children act trailer is out... not sure if TFE folks have seen it yet)
I love Carey so much and it is because of her stage work. Tremendous in Skylight, one of the very best perfs I've ever seen on stage. The play takes place in her character's apt and I felt she was home on that stage. She owned it. Amazing. Hope this perf matches that on film.
I love Carey and her gifts, technically a tremendous actress.
Would love her to have her own Shape of Water, a technical acting challenge.
Looks promising, I just hope she/the film can build enough momentum to carry her (and maybe Jake, too?) to the finish line.
I think she is a wonderful actress and am always pleased what she brings to the characters she portrays.
She is truly gifted and very, very unique and special. Her performance in Shame is one of the best of the last ten years.
All in for any Carey Mulligan nomination (win should be locked for Glenn). Such a refined and effortless performer. Bad thing about being effortless is that people tend to take them for granted in benefit of more flashier roles/personas.
Her voice work and body language control in Collateral was absolutely miraculous
Ahhh so great to read about the love for Carey - luminous actress ! Have you watched "In Education" again lately ? Just did a few weeks ago - first time since 2010 - and she just sweeps you away with extraordinary talent and charm ! Still don't really understand how on earth they all could give the Oscar to Sandy B. that year - also still shellshocked about the "Shame"-snub.
I'm with markgordonuk - love to see her on carpets again for "Wildlife" which has a slight feel of "Manchester by the Sea" ...
An Education
Never Let Me Go*
Shame
Inside Llewyn Davis
Mudbound
Should had been her nominations and * her win (Damn Natalie Portman!)
My favorite movie of hers that I have seen is Never Let Me Go. She is phenomenal in the film and the chemistry she had with her costars was just ridiculous. She should have been nominated IMHO. So many of the films she has been in were not warmly received by The Academy even though she was excellent in most of them.
Not seeing anything about Mary Kay Place in "Diane." I have read she is spectacular ala Laurie Metcalf in "Ladybird." what do you think??? you read it here first, my pals.
She has such a melancholic soul...would love to see her throw down and give us the star-turn we know she has in her...Eliza in a new screen version of My Fair Lady maybe?
Jimmy -- we reviewed DIANE here. I'm not sure about its distribution plans yet.
I'm also a fan. I haven't seen a lot of her films, but I thought she was wonderful in An Education, Shame, Gatsby, and Skylight on Broadway. She seems to generally pick interesting projects. I definitely do not consider her a "boring" actress. I imagine she will be back in the mix and gain a second Oscar nod at some point in the future--I'm not worried for her career.
I really think horror is one thing America can agree on at the moment, so I won't be surprised if Hereditary is a huge hit. I'm guessing Close, Davis, Mulligan, Collette and Ronan with a big surprise snub for Gaga after her Globe win.
I get having Gaga in the top 5... for now. The buzz for the movie is strong, you know she'll bust her as campaigning, and there aren't a ton of strong contenders for the moment - but a few will emerge from TIFF.
I love Carey. Hope Wildlife is a milestone for her.
Hate to be THAT guy, but Richard Ford wrote Revolutionary Road which is probably why the comparisons are being made to that film. So this is the second adaptation of his work.
Most people I know find Mulligan fairly polarizing but I love her work to pieces and am VERY excited for what even her naysayers seem to find a career-best performance. I just think the film may be too quiet and artful for Oscar attention?
MDinda -- different Richard. Richard Yates wrote Revolutionary Road. Richard Ford wrote Wildlife.
Mulligan was truly terrific in Mudbound and Never Let Me Go. I really admire actresses like her who can move easily between stage and screen (big and small), delivering knockout work across media. That said, I think Mulligan may strike some as chilly or technical in a way that proves to be divisive. (I'm not one of those people.)
Mareko: Technical, sure, but of what I've seen "chilly" is a terrible alternate descriptor. "Chilly" is Isabelle Huppert or Charlize in Atomic Blonde. Mulligan, of what I've seen of her, is an actress I'd best describe as "technical, but also wimpy."
Thanks for the link & information.
Never Let Me Go is such an underrated film. Mulligan, Garfield, and (especially) Knightley all give fabulous performances.