Almost There: Andy Serkis in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"

by Cláudio Alves

The particularities of screen acting make it a collaborative effort, even in the most low-fi of situations. What gets left on the cutting room floor, what reactions are chosen by the editor and director, the sound, the makeup, the way a cinematographer lights the performer's eyes, all shape what we see projected on-screen. Still, when it comes to awards, there's a belief that performance is the sole responsibility of the individual in front of the camera.

When the collaborative aspects of screen acting are made inescapable, it's  difficult to collect golden accolades. We see that happening to voice-only performances and motion-capture efforts, in particular. With The Lord of the Rings trilogy new to streaming on Hulu, we have a good opportunity to explore the mo-cap performance that came closest to Oscar glory. I'm talking about the paradigm-shifting work of Andy Serkis as Sméagol/Gollum in 2002's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers…

Click to read more ...

Showbiz History: Olivia marries, Spice Girls act, and Gone With the Wind premieres

7 random things that happened on this day, December 15th, in showbiz history

1939 Gone With the Wind has its world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia. The premiere was very well documented because the movie was so famous even before release. It was three days (!!!) of festivities in Georgia for the world premiere to usher in the surefire blockbuster.  NYC followed a few days later and LA just after Christmas before the movie went nationwide in January of 1940. If you adjust for inflation it's still the highest grossing movie of all time (with Star Wars, The Sound of Music, E.T. and Titanic completing the top five).

1978 Ryan O'Neal risks a sequel to his blockbuster Oscar hit Love Story (1970) called Oliver's Story, new in theaters on this day. It's hard to capture lightning in a bottle twice and critics and audiences weren't fond... 

Click to read more ...

Almost There: Saoirse Ronan in "The Lovely Bones"

by Cláudio Alves

Oscar-wise, Saoirse Ronan is an interesting case study. The Irish actress was only thirteen when she got her first nomination for her supporting turn in 2007's Atonement. From the start, she was seen as a prodigy, a young performer of uncommon talent and even rarer maturity whose characterizations seemed wise beyond their years. Still, one could have easily believed Ronan would go the way of other Oscar-honored child actors, fading into obscurity or just falling off AMPAS' radar. As luck would have it, things turned out differently. 

Ronan shares with Jodie Foster (nominated at 14), Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood (both nominated at 17) the honor of being the only underage Oscar nominees to be nominated again in adulthood. This year, Saoirse is back in the conversation thanks to Francis Lee's introspective Ammonite, though the picture's somewhat cold reception and austere nature might repel the Academy. In the past, Ronan's been lucky, conquering nods nearly every time she was in contention – Atonement, Brooklyn, Lady Bird, Little Women. Still, no lucky streak is perfectly continuous and without bumps. Just look at 2009's The Lovely Bones…

Click to read more ...

Women of a Certain Age and the Best Actress Race

This list/trivia article is revamped from a 2014 article...

 

With Sophia Loren (86), Meryl Streep (71 if she campaigns in lead), Frances McDormand (63), Michelle Pfeiffer (62), Viola Davis (55), Amy Adams (46), and Kate Winslet (45) all looking like viable discussion points for the upcoming Best Actress race, it's time to look at one of our favourite research areas: Age and Oscar Trivia. If any combo of five from those seven women make it (unlikely of course) we'll have our oldest Best Actress lineup of all time by a big margin. If only three or four of them make it we're still likely to have the oldest line up of all time though younger contenders like Andra Day, Vanessa Kirby, Elisabeth Moss, Jennifer Hudson, and Carey Mulligan (all in their 30s) are surely hoping to spoil this 'most mature' trivia party. 

Good news: The Academy is getting less ageist. We know because we've researched this for years. In fact as you can see in the "top ten most mature Best Actress lineups" after the jump, a good deal of the top ten is from recent years. When this first started happening we chalked it up to an anomaly due to Meryl Streep, but she's hardly the only senior citizen actress that they've nominated in the last 20 years. Ready for the list? 

The Top Ten Most Mature Best Actress Shortlists

Click to read more ...

Almost There: Jim Carrey in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

by Cláudio Alves

Before writing this piece, the last time I'd watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was with my now ex-boyfriend. We were at his home, enjoying what was, by then, a rare respite, a valley of peace between mountains of quarrel. I had gained a habit of showing him my favorite films, sharing those beloved treasures with someone I loved, maybe looking for a different way for him to know me. This Michel Gondry surrealistic comedy was one of the few pictures we both seemed to adore, and I remember how, drunk with affection, I swore to never forget him. Even if things ended badly – which they did – the promise was made that I'd never wish to erase him from my memory, from my life. Regardless of the hurt we brought each other, I still think that. What we shared is now an integral part of me and that won't ever change.

The people we share our lives with become pieces in the puzzle of our identity. To love is to reshape that puzzle, pain, and euphoria slotted together. I tell you this because it's impossible for me to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Jim Carrey's performance, without projecting meanings born out of love lost…

Click to read more ...