Best Supporting Actress - Chart Updates

With Venice, TIFF, and Telluride passed, the Oscar races become clearer. Not crystal clear mind you but apart from films no one has seen (like Spielberg's The Post or Scott's All the Money in the World) we know which dozen or so actresses might want to start thinking about red carpet lewks if the tide turns in their favor. SUPPORTING ACTRESS CHART UPDATES

Ronan and Metcalf in "Lady Bird"

One new intriguing possibility is Tony & Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird. If she's nominated could she complete her triple crown with an Oscar win?

And I know we've asked this before but is Octavia Spencer the Thelma Ritter of her generation? She sure is reliable at warming up a film and giving it some salt of the earth wisdom and comedy, too. Guillermo del Toro's romantic fantasy The Shape of Water could be looking at a triple Oscar play in the acting categories with its mute heroine and her loyal mouthpieces. Both Richard Jenkins as Sally's neighbor and Octavia as her favorite co-worker defend our voiceless heroine and translate for her, too, in numerous scenes. They're an endearing unlikely trio of "little people" up against the goliath of big government, shady military operations, and the broad moustache twirling villiany of Michael Shannon.

Updated Charts: Pic | Director | Supp Actress | Lead Actress (more to come)

Best Actress: The Shape of Sally. The Mouth on Frances.

by Nathaniel R

Sally says "Hi!" (I apologize profusively that my camera cut off her cute wave to all of you via this TIFF photo)It's getting hot up in the Best Actress race. The fall festivals have thrust a dozen or so women toward potential red carpet glory but how will time and general reviews and audience response and campaigning sort them out? It's nail-biting! At least until the first awards are handed out at which point things always narrow down too quickly.

But for now -- and it's early still (our annual refrain) -- it's appearing like it might be a battle between Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water (which has won consistently strong reviews and the Golden Lion in Venice) and Frances McDormand who stars in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, the surprise winner of the Oscar bellwether "audience award" at TIFF. It's fun to think about the performances in tandem since Sally plays a literally mute woman and Frances a foul mouthed woman who will not be silenced...

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TIFF: "Kings" and "I, Tonya"

TIFF wraps up Sunday and since we'd like the last few pieces to be positive let's get some negativity out of the way. Here are two films which yours truly did not respond well to. One is certain to be trashed by critics and the other, though trashy, is being widely praised. But they're both bad.

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TIFF: Glenn Close is "The Wife"

our ongoing adventures at TIFF. An abdriged version of this review was originally published in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad.

Film festivals nearly always provide curious dialogues between films that you weren't expecting. On the same day on the exact same screen at TIFF I managed to see two films about female writers and the male writers in their lives who take up all the oxygen (and praise) in the room. Who would have thought that a film about the origins of Frankenstein (just discussed) and a star vehicle for Glenn Close in Stockholm would have so much in common? 

THE WIFE (Björn Runge)
Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) is a longsuffering wife who would bristle at that very description. She's married to a famous novelist Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce) and their homophonic names are no coincidence. The silver-haired couple have been together for nearly half a century and are inseparable if not quite interchangeable...

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TIFF: "The Breadwinner" is a visual stunner

Our ongoing adventures at TIFF

 One of the most exciting animation houses in the world is Ireland's Cartoon Saloon. In its early years its largely been a showcase for co-founder Tomm Moore who made Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea (both deservedly Oscar nominated). Now Nora Twomey, also a co-founder, steps into the director's chair for their third feature, another visual stunner. (If you haven't seen their films yet get to it. They're doing the consistently best non-Pixar derivative animation on earth now that Studio Ghibli has slowed way down.)

This time we depart Ireland for an adaptation of The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis's bestseller about an Afghani girl who disguises herself as a boy to provide for her family when her father is imprisoned by the Taliban. Without a male relative to escort them around the city they're trapped in their home with no way to earn money or go shopping...

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