Monday, January 31, 2011

2011 Director's Guild Awards

Director's Guild Winners for 2010 (63rd Annual DGA Awards)



Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2010: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
[The cast also won the SAG for b..b..b..best film ensemble]

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2010: Charles Ferguson, Inside Job

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-series for 2010: Mick Jackson, Temple Grandin [photo lt: Claire Danes also won the SAG and Emmy awards for lead actress in a tv movie; this was an excellent film]

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for 2010: Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire (episode 1.01)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series for 2010: Michael Spiller, Modern Family (episode 2.06: Halloween)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety for 2010: Glenn Weiss, 64th Annual Tony Awards

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs for 2010: Eytan Keller, The Next Iron Chef (episode 301) [watching people cook on tv is a lot more appetizing than watching overeaters losing weight, but really, one show should follow the other..]

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs for 2010: Eric Bross, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials for 2010: Larry Carpenter, One Life to Live (episode 10,687 - and this one was so different from all the others..)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS (for 2010) Update: I highlighted the winners in gold

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  • Black Swan (2010)
  • The Fighter (2010)
  • The Kids Are All Right (2010)
  • The King's Speech (2010)
  • The Social Network (2010)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
  • Jeff Bridges for True Grit (2010)
  • Robert Duvall for Get Low (2009)
  • Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network (2010)
  • Colin Firth for The King's Speech (2010)
  • James Franco for 127 Hours (2010)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
  • Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right (2010)
  • Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole (2010)
  • Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone (2010) (poster left)
  • Natalie Portman for Black Swan (2010)
  • Hilary Swank for Conviction (2010/II)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Christian Bale for The Fighter (2010)
  • John Hawkes for Winter's Bone (2010)
  • Jeremy Renner for The Town (2010)
  • Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right (2010)
  • Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech (2010)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Amy Adams for The Fighter (2010)
  • Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech (2010)
  • Mila Kunis for Black Swan (2010)
  • Melissa Leo for The Fighter (2010)
  • Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit (2010)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
  • "30 Rock" (2006)
  • "Glee" (2009)
  • "Hot in Cleveland" (2010)
  • "Modern Family" (2009)
  • "The Office" (2005)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  • "Boardwalk Empire" (2009)
  • "The Closer" (2005)
  • "Dexter" (2006)
  • "The Good Wife" (2009)
  • "Mad Men" (2007)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
  • Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)
  • Ty Burrell for "Modern Family" (2009)
  • Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005)
  • Chris Colfer for "Glee" (2009)
  • Ed O'Neill for "Modern Family" (2009)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
  • Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie" (2009)
  • Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)
  • Jane Lynch for "Glee" (2009)
  • Sofía Vergara for "Modern Family" (2009)
  • Betty White for "Hot in Cleveland" (2010)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
  • Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire" (2009)
  • Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad" (2008)
  • Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" (2006)
  • Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" (2007)
  • Hugh Laurie for "House M.D." (2004)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
  • Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007)
  • Mariska Hargitay for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999)
  • Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" (2009)
  • Elisabeth Moss for "Mad Men" (2007)
  • Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  • John Goodman for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)
  • Al Pacino for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)
  • Dennis Quaid for The Special Relationship (2010) (TV)
  • Édgar Ramírez for "Carlos" (2010)
  • Patrick Stewart for Macbeth (2010) (TV)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  • Claire Danes for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)
  • Catherine O'Hara for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)
  • Julia Ormond for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)
  • Winona Ryder for When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story (2010) (TV)
  • Susan Sarandon for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)
I suppose I have a few favorites here. Of these, 'favorite cast' films, I've only seen The Social Network. Of the others, I've only seen Winter's Bone and Inception, but of those three 'big' films, I liked Winter's Bone the most; it's an intense life and death struggle in the backwoods of the Missouri Ozarks, a true crime classic. Since the film is not up, I'll at least pull for excellent veteran actor John Hawkes from that.

I've always been a Natalie Portman fan, she could have won for The Professional (not nominated) or Closer (nominated), so she's overdue at this point. Jennifer Lawrence is Winter's Bone is about 17, so she'll get more chances, but was understated and amazing in that for her age; thanks to director Debra Granik for that, who's at least up for a screenplay Oscar.

Nice to see ALL THREE female leads nominated for the tv film Temple Grandin, which was excellent, easily as good as The Social Network. Claire Danes should win since Catherine O'Hara (nice to see her honored again, and for dramatic no less, since she was an SCTV original) and Julia Ormand are only supporting in that, a category the SAG doesn't have, but that's where they were nominated for Emmys (Danes won for lead actress.)

Colin Firth is also likely overdue for an Oscar, which this could preclude, with a career full of dead on performances. However watch for veteran Robert Duvall in an upset. Helena Bonham Carter is also overdue for an Oscar, hope she wins everything this year. I loved her in A Room With a View, Fight Club, and Conversations With Another Woman.

Bryan Cranston is such a good actor that his category is almost unfair, he's really a level all these others, though each is also good. I like the series of both Mad Men and Dexter more than Breaking Bad, which sometimes just gets on my nerves - are people really this stupid? (need I ask.. I have reality tv to back that up) Let's give something to Steve Buscemi just for being so weird looking; he's like a frog still waiting for a magic kiss.

30 Rock is still my favorite tv comedy, but Modern Family gets some kudos. The others basically suck, I never laugh so I never watch. The levels of humor sometimes in just one line from 30 Rock is amazing.. such as this one from Alec Baldwin, "Yes I'm friends with the postmaster general, but we had a falling out over the Jerry Garcia stamp. If I want to lick a hippie, I'll return Joan Baez' phone calls". Hilarious in light of his character being a rich Republican (they all know each other), and Baldwin's reputation as a 'ladies man', often parodied on the show.

Modern Family, though good, is kind of an update of Married With Children, just with a couple of extra familes, a la the films Hannah and Her Sisters and Parenthood (which Ron Howard said was inspired by Woody's Hannah). Baldwin and Fey are the funniest actors in comedies, but I also like Sofia Vergara, and she needs some awards.

Glenn Close is so terrific and displays her dark side for us, which is pretty creepy - people forget she also turned in two of the greatest cinema villains in Dangerous Liaisons and Fatal Attraction, each Oscar worthy. She was also excellent in The Big Chill and The World According to Garp. Since she's won here, I'm pulling for the understated and intriguing Elisabeth Moss in Mad Men, the best actor on that show, and one who is evolving with her character; you often forget she's acting.

I love David Fincher but was not as impressed with Social Network as some of his other films, such as The Game, Fight Club, and Zodiac. These had an existential edge that put people in life or death situations; Social Network put people in lawsuit situations as the film was about a liar, a cheat, and a thief, who, rather than serving time, has been made a billionaire by this unscrupulous system. It's more enraging than entertaining, a sad statement on the current economic reality, that if you're willing to steal data, hack into proprietary computer systems with immunity, and cheat your partners, then maybe you too can become an American billionaire and a folk hero.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Classic Slaps in Cinema

very funny video put together by mobetterblogging.. movie excerpts of cinema's greatest slaps.. "I never met a dame yet that didn't understand a slap in the face or a slug from a 38" - 'Humphrey Bogart', in Woody Allen's "Play It Again, Sam"

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

200 Greatest Performances in Films

200 Greatest Acting Performances in Films
{aa} = Academy Award, aka Oscar®
{127 were academy award winners}

- In alphabetical order -

1. Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine (8 awards)
2. Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice
3. Alan Arkin in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (2 awards)
4. Alec Guinness in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (6 awards) {aa}
5. Alicia Silverstone in Clueless (1995) (5 awards)
6. Amy Adams in Junebug (2005) (11 awards)
7. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1968) (1 award)
8. Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker (4 awards) {aa}
9. Anne Baxter in All About Eve (1950) bw (1 award)
10. Anne Baxter in The Razor’s Edge (2 awards) {aa}
11. Anni-Kristiina Juuso in The Cuckoo (2002) Russia (Russia, 4 awards)
12. Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (9 awards) {aa}
13. Anthony Quinn in Zorba, The Greek (1 award)
14. Art Carney in Harry and Tonto (2 awards) {aa}
15. Beatrice Straight in Network (1976) {aa}
16. Ben Kingsley in Gandhi (1983) (11 awards) {aa}
17. Benicio Del Toro in Traffic (2000) (19 awards) {aa}
18. Bette Davis in All About Eve (1950) bw (3 awards)
19. Bette Davis in Jezebel (1938) bw {aa}
20. Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

21. Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges (2008)
22. Broderick Crawford in All the King’s Men (3 awards) {aa}
23. Burt Lancaster in Atlantic City (8 awards)
24. Burt Lancaster in Elmer Gantry (1960) (4 awards) {aa}
25. Burt Lancaster in The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) bw
26. Carey Mulligan in An Education (2009) (14 awards) [photo top]
27. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (12 awards)
28. Charles Grodin in Midnight Run (1988) (1 award)
29. Charles Laughton in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
30. Charlize Theron in Monster (16 awards) {aa}
31. Chris Cooper in Adaptation (17 awards) {aa}
32. Christolph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (2009) (30/32 awards) {aa}
33. Cicely Tyson in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1 award)
34. Connie Nielsen in Brothers (2004) Denmark (Denmark, 5 awards) [photo rt]
35. Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York (2002) (17 awards)
36. Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot (1989) (9 awards) {aa}
37. Dianne Wiest in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) (6 awards) {aa}
38. Dirk Bogarde in The Servant (2 awards)
39. Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy (1969) (3 awards)
40. Edward G. Robinson in A Boy Ten Feet Tall

41. Edward Norton in American History X (1998) (2 awards)
42. Edward Norton in Primal Fear (8 awards)
43. Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) bw (6 awards) {aa}
44. Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream (2000) (11 awards)
45. Emma Thompson in Howard’s End (12 awards) {aa}
46. Evan Rachel Wood in Thirteen (2005) (4 awards)
47. F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus (1984) (4 awards) {aa}
48. Faye Dunaway in Network (1976) (4 awards) {aa}
49. Fernanda Montenegro in Central Station (1998) Brazil (Brazil) (6 awards)
50. Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (2006) (24 awards) {aa}

51. Frances McDormand in Fargo (1996) (15 awards) {aa}
52. Freddie Highmore in Finding Neverland (2004) (4 awards)
53. Fredric March in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) bw {aa}
54. Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence (5 awards)
55. Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974) (2 awards)
56. Gene Hackman in Unforgiven (1992) (9 awards) {aa}
57. Geoffrey Rush in Shine (14 awards){aa}
58. George Burns in The Sunshine Boys (3 awards) {aa}
59. George C. Scott in Patton (1970) (7 awards) {aa}
60. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (3 awards) {aa}
61. Giancarlo Giannini in Seven Beauties
62. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970) (5 awards) {aa}
63. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
64. Gong Li in To Live (1994) China (China)
65. Greer Garson in Mrs. Miniver (1942) bw {aa}
66. Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) bw (3 awards) {aa}
67. Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (1999) (16 awards)
68. Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) bw (3 awards) {aa}
69. Helen Mirren in Elizabeth I (4 awards)
70. Helen Mirren in The Queen (30 awards) {aa}
71. Helena Bonham Carter in Wings of the Dove (1997) (12 awards)
72. Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond (5 awards) {aa}
73. Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry (20 awards) {aa}
74. Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004) (13 awards) {aa}
75. Holly Hunter in The Piano (14 awards) {aa}
76. Humphrey Bogart in In a Lonely Place (1950) bw
77. Ida Kaminska in The Shop on Main St. (1965) (1 award)
78. Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake (2004) (16 awards)
79. Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses {aa}
80. Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts (1955) {aa}
81. Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets (1997) (9 awards) {aa}
82. Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces (1970) (1 award)
83. Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) (8 awards) {aa}
84. Jack Palance in City Slickers (1991) (3 awards) {aa}
85. James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope (1970) (1 award)
86. James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) bw (1 award)
87. Jane Fonda in Klute (1971) (6 awards) {aa}
88. Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda (3 awards) {aa}
89. Janet McTeer in Tumbleweeds (4 awards)
90. Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men (2007) (22/25 awards) {aa}
91. Jean Hagen in Singin' in the Rain (1952)
92. Jean-Louis Trintignant in The Conformist (1970) Italy
93. Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind (01) (9 awards) {aa}
94. Jennifer Connelly in Requiem for a Dream (2000)
95. Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers (1988) (4 awards)
96. Jessica Tandy in Driving Miss Daisy (1989) (6 awards) {aa}
97. Joan Allen in Pleasantville (7 awards)
98. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (4 awards) {aa} [photo lt]
99. Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (6 awards) {aa} 100. Joe Pesci in Goodfellas (1990) (6 awards) {aa}

101. John Gielgud in Arthur (5 awards) {aa}
102. John Houseman in The Paper Chase (1973) {aa}
103. John Thaw in Goodnight Mister Tom (1998) tv
104. Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland (2004)
105. Jon Voight in Coming Home (6 awards) {aa}
106. Judy Davis in My Brilliant Career (1979) Australia (2 awards)
107. Judy Garland in A Star is Born
108. Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950) bw (3 awards) {aa}
109. Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins (1964) {aa}
110. Julie Christie in Darling (1965) (6 awards) {aa}
111. Kate Winslet in Finding Neverland (2004) (3 awards)
112. Kate Winslet in The Reader (2008) (10 awards) {aa}
113. Katherine Hepburn in On Golden Pond (3 awards) {aa} [photo rt]
114. Katherine Hepburn in Love Among the Ruins (2 awards)
115. Kathy Bates in Misery (3 awards) {aa}
116. Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider (2003) New Zealand (5 awards)
117. Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda {aa}
118. Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects (1995) {aa}
119. Klaus Maria Brandauer in Mephisto (1981) Hungary (Hungary, 2 awards)
120. Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (7 awards) {aa}
121. Laurence Olivier in Sleuth (2 awards)
122. Linda Hunt in The Year of Living Dangerously (7 awards) {aa}
123. Liv Ullman in The Emigrants (Sweden, 2 awards) [photo lt]
124. Maggie Cheung in In the Mood for Love (2001) Hong Kong (2 awards)
125. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (3 awards) {aa}
126. Malcolm MacDowell in A Clockwork Orange (1971)
127. Maria Falconetti in The Passion of Jean of Arc (France)
128. Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose (France, 17 awards) {aa}
129. Marlee Matlin in Children of a Lesser God (2 awards) {aa}
130. Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) bw
131. Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (1951) bw (3 awards) {aa} [photo top] 132. Max Von Sydow in Pelle the Conqueror (Sweden, 4 awards)
133. Maximilian Schell in Judgment at Nuremberg (3 awards) {aa}
134. Melvyn Douglas in Hud (1964) bw (3 awards) {aa}
135. Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice (8 awards) {aa}
136. Michael Caine in Sleuth (1 award)
137. Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (14 awards)
138. Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy (1989) (5 awards)
139. Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby (2004) (4 awards) {aa}
140. Natalie Portman in The Professional (1994) [photo above]
141. Naomi Watts in 21 Grams (10 awards)
142. Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas (11 awards) {aa}
143. Nicole Kidman in To Die For (9 awards)
144. Nigel Hawthorne in The Madness of King George (1994) (3 awards)
145. Patricia Neal in Hud (1964) bw (5 awards) {aa}
146. Patricia Neal in The Subject Was Roses
147. Paul Giamatti in Sideways (2004) (12 awards)
148. Paul Schofield in A Man For All Seasons (7 awards) {aa}
149. Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008) (13 awards) {aa}
150. Penelope Cruz in Volver (8 awards)

151. Peter Finch in Network (1976) (3 awards) {aa}
152. Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (4 awards)
153. Peter O’Toole in Venus
154. Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove (1964) bw [photo lt]
155. Peter Ustinov in Topkapi (3 awards) {aa}
156. Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener (2005) (6 awards) {aa}
157. Ralph Feinnes in Schindler's List (1993) bw (7 awards)
158. Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (1964) (3 awards) {aa}
159. Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) bw (2 awards)
160. Richard Farnsworth in The Grey Fox (1983) (2 awards)
161. Richard Jenkins in The Visitor (2008) (6 awards)
162. Robert De Niro in Once Upon a Time in America (1984) [photo rt]
163. Robert De Niro in Raging Bull (1980) (6 awards) {aa}
164. Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now! (1979) (3 awards)
165. Robert Duvall in Broken Trail (2006) tv (5 awards)
166. Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies (5 awards) {aa}
167. Robert Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter (1955) bw
168. Rod Steiger in In The Heat of the Night (8 awards) {aa}
169. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958) (2 awards)
170. Rosie Perez in Fearless (1993) (3 awards)
171. Sally Field in Norma Rae (1979) (9 awards) {aa}
172. Sally Field in Sybil (1 award)
173. Sally Kellerman in MASH (2 awards)
174. Salma Hayek in Frida (2 awards)
175. Saiorse Ronan in Atonement (2007) (3 awards)
176. Sean Penn in Mystic River (2003) (13 awards){aa}
177. Shirley McLaine in Terms of Endearment (6 awards) {aa}
178. Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun (1961) bw
179. Sidse Babett Knudson in After the Wedding (2006) Denmark (2 awards)
180. Sigourney Weaver in Aliens (1986) (1 award)
181. Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner’s Daughter (7 awards) {aa}
182. Sophia Loren in Two Women (7 awards) {aa} [photo lt] 183. Soran Ebrahim in Turtles Can Fly (2004) Iran-Iraq
184. Spencer Tracy in Adam's Rib (1949) bw
185. Stephen Rea in Citizen X (1995) (1 award)
186. Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking (5 awards){aa}
187. Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon (1973) bw (3 awards) {aa}
188. Ted Levine in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
189. Tilda Swinton in Orlando (3 awards)
190. Tom Hanks in Big (1988) (5 awards)
191. Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (5 awards) {aa}
192. Tommy Lee Jones in Executioner’s Song (1 award)
193. Tommy Lee Jones in The Three Buriels of Melquiades Estrada (3 awards)
194. Vanessa Redgrave in Morgan! (1966) bw (1 award – Cannes)
195. Victor McLaghlen in The Informer {aa}
196. Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) bw (5 awards) {aa}
197. Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind (1939) (2 awards) {aa}
198. Walter Matthau in The Fortune Cookie (1966) bw (3 awards) {aa}
199. Walter Matthau in The Sunshine Boys (1 award)
200. Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost (6 awards) {aa}
201. William Holden in Stalag 17 (1953) {aa}
202. William Hurt in Kiss of the Spider Woman (7 awards) {aa}
203. William Powell in Life With Father (1947)
204. You Ge in To Live (1994) China (China) (1 award – Cannes)
205. Ziyi Zhang in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) China (China, 5 awards)
 
Ziyi Zhang, publicity still in costume for The Road Home
Special Mentions for Musical Performances
Antonio Gades in Carmen (1983) Spain (was also the choreographer)
Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago (2002) {aa}
Cyd Charisse in An American In Paris
Donald O’Connor in Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Fred Astaire in Swing Time [photo lt]
Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain (1952)
George Chakiris in West Side Story (1961) {aa}
Gordon McRae in Oklahoma! (1955)
Gregory Hines in Tap
Jack Wild in Oliver! (1967)
James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy {aa}
Joachim Phonix in Walk the Line
Joel Grey in Cabaret {aa}
Liza Minelli in Cabaret {aa}
Moira Shearer in The Red Shoes
Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line
Rene Zellweger in Chicago (2002)
Rita Moreno in West Side Story (1961){aa}

Special Mentions for Child Performances
Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine
Anna Paquin in The Piano {aa} [photo lt]
Cameron Bright in Birth
Evan Rachel Wood in Thirteen
Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous
Freddie Bartholomew in David Copperfield
Freddie Highmore in Finding Neverland (2004)
Haley Joel Osmont in The Sixth Sense (1999)
Hayley Mills in Whistle Down the Wind (1961) bw
Jodie Foster in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1975)
Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) bw
Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider (2003) New Zealand
Natalie Portman in The Professional (1994)
Nick Robinson in Goodnight Mister Tom (1998) tv
P.J. Johnson in Paper Moon (1973) bw (“for that much money, that woman’d drop her pants in the middle of the road”)
Sebastian Rice-Edwards in Hope and Glory (1987)
Soran Ebrahim in Turtles Can Fly (2004) Iran-Iraq
Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon (1973) bw {aa}

Awards by actor Includes TV Emmys and ensemble cast awards, and lifetime awards. It does not include humanitarian awards, hasty pudding, honorary, most popular, tributes, and walk of fame stars.

Meryl Streep (84)
Jack Nicholson (67)
Javier Bardem (66) - wow, he's catching up quickly!
Helen Mirren (64, 12 are for tv)
Daniel Day Lewis (61)
Cate Blanchett (58)
Tom Hanks (55)
Dustin Hoffman (48)
Jack Lemmon (46, 4 for tv)
Denzel Washington (46, 7 are black actor awards)
Robert Duvall (43)
Sean Penn (41, not incl. 5 more for director/writer)
Kate Winslet (40)
Liv Ullman (40, 9 are lifetime)
Hilary Swank (39)
Jodie Foster (38)
Judy Davis (38, 11 for tv)
Emma Thompson (38, 12 for writing, all Sense & Sensibility)
Anthony Hopkins (37)
Sophia Loren (37)
Marion Cotillard (36)
Julie Christie (36)
Morgan Freeman (35, 8 are black actor awards)
Maggie Smith (35)
Shirley Maclaine (35, 1 for tv)
Forest Whitaker (33, 5 are black actor awards)
Judi Dench (33)
Frances McDormand (33)
Kevin Spacey (33)
Penelope Cruz (31)
Elizabeth Taylor (31)
Ben Kingsley (30)
Benicio Del Toro (30)
Nicole Kidman (30)
Laurence Olivier (30, 5 for tv)
Susan Sarandon (30)
Robert De Niro (29)
Al Pacino (29)
Gene Hackman (29)
Geoffrey Rush (29)
Paul Giamatti (29)
Joanne Woodward (28)
Naomi Watts (28)
Sissy Spacek (28)
Gregory Peck (28, only 6 for individual films)
Katherine Hepburn (27, 1 for tv)
Jane Fonda (27, 1 for tv)
Al Pacino (27, 6 for tv)
Nicole Kidman (26)
Burt Lancaster (25)
Alec Baldwin (25, 12 for tv)
Halle Berry (24, 7 are black actor awards)
Michael Caine (24)
Alec Guinness (24)
Peter O’Toole (24)
Vanessa Redgrave (24)
Marlon Brando (23, 1 for tv)
Charlize Theron (23)
Helena Bonham Carter (23)
James Stewart (23)
Julie Andrews (23)
Chris Cooper (22)
Paul Newman (22, 3 for tv)
Kathy Bates (22)
Haley Joel Osment (22)
Bette Davis (21)
Tilda Swinton (21)
Gena Rowlands (21)
Joan Allen (21)
Mickey Rourke (21)
Nicholas Cage (21)
Whoopi Goldberg (20, 8 black awards, 6 for tv)
Fernanda Montenegro (20)
Alan Arkin (20)
Rod Steiger (20)
Maximilian Schell (19, 5 are lifetime)
Giancarlo Giannini (19, 4 are lifetime)
Gong Li (19)
Tommy Lee Jones (19)
Glenda Jackson (18)
Imelda Stauntion (18)
Jon Voight (18)
Maggie Cheung (18)
Sally Field (17, 5 for tv)
Cicely Tyson (17, 7 black awards, 12 for tv)
Peter Ustinov (15)
Edward Norton (15)
James Earl Jones (15)
Amy Adams (14)
Anne Bancroft (14)
Leonardo Dicaprio (14)
Faye Dunaway (14)
Glenn Close (14, 8 for tv)
Jeff Bridges (14)
Shabana Azmi (14, India)
Art Carney (13, 7 for tv)
John Gielgud (13)
Ralph Feinnes (13)
George C. Scott (13)
Paul Schofield (13)
Sidney Poitier (13)
John Wayne (13, some were western film awards)
Richard Burton (12)
Henry Fonda (12)
Jennifer Connelly (12)
Sigourney Weaver (12)
Geraldine Page (11)
George Burns (11, 3 were lifetime)
Saiorse Ronan (11)
Walter Matthau (11)
Ziyi Zhang (11)
Patricia Neal (10)
Peter Finch (10)
Nigel Hawthorne (10, 6 for tv)
Melvyn Douglas (9)
Anna Paquin (9)
Jane Wyman (9)
Linda Hunt (9)
Richard Farnsworth (9)
Richard Jenkins (9)
Peter Sellers (9, most for Being There)
Winona Ryder (9)
Fredric March (8)
Spencer Tracy (7)
Rachel Weisz (7)
Rosalind Russell (7)
Vivien Leigh (7)
Evan Rachel Wood (6)
Salma Hayek (6)
Rex Harrison (5)
James Mason (4)
Judy Holliday (3, all for Born Yesterday)

These (and many others) have only their Oscar wins: Walter Brennan (3), Humphrey Bogart (1), Charles Laughton (1), Victor Mclaghlen (1).

Major surprises:
Tom Hanks and Sean Penn have more acting awards than Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench, and Robert De Niro.
Kevin Spacey has more than De Niro.
Halle Berry now has more than Sidney Poitier and James Stewart.
Naomi Watts already has as many as Joanne Woodward.
Gregory Peck has more than Katherine Hepburn.
John Wayne has more than Geraldine Page, Fredric March, Peter Finch, and Spencer Tracy (some were westerns only awards).
Dicaprio has one more than John Gielgud, and more than Finch, March, and Tracy.

Obviously, the older actors didn’t have many awards available other than Oscars® - nowdays one performance can win someone 15-20 awards.
Daniel Day Lewis got 18 for Gangs of New York, Carey Mulligan got 15 for An Education; ironically neither won an Oscar for these films.
Forest Whitaker got an astounding 24 for Last King of Scotland.

I only mention the black awards, like “Image” and “BET”, because they are only eligible to a limited number of actors. Denzel, Morgan, and Forest only have to beat out Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence and Ice-T, lol..

I’ll have to admit that I think some Oscars® were a joke. Really, Spencer Tracy’s accent was terrible (he admitted it, his was Jewish, his character was Scandanavian) in Captains Courageous and he was out-acted by child star Freddie Bartholemew.

John Wayne’s for True Grit was obviously a career award. And Tom Hanks? C’mon, man.. he’s always the same – and he has almost as many as Robert De Niro and Gene Hackman put together? Now, that just ain’t right.. good, but not ‘great’ like these others.. However, Big was a comic masterpiece..

Daniel Day Lewis probably had the most awards for one performance, 17 for Gangs of New York without winning the Oscar®. British actress Imelda Stauntion won 16 for Vera Drake but was also snubbed by the academy. Haley Joel Osment also won 16 for The Sixth Sense, but no Oscar®.

The late Paul Newman (27) and his wife Joanne Woodward (28) are just one award apart.

Just to add to the insulting string of Oscar® losses, Peter O’Toole lost all 9 nominations he garnered for “Venus” in 2006, including his 8th Oscar® loss - a record for non-winners. They could have atoned for a lifetime of oversight, but instead gave Denzel Washington his second win.

The most I found for one performance: (gold = Oscar winner)
Christolph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (2009) (30 awards out of 32 nominations)
Helen Mirren in The Queen (30 awards)
Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (2006) (24 awards)
Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men (2007) (22 awards out of 25 nominations)
Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry (20 awards)
Benicio Del Toro in Traffic (2000) (19 awards)
Chris Cooper in Adaptation (17 awards)
Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York (2002) (17 awards)
Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose (France, 17 awards)
Charlize Theron in Monster (16 awards)
Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (1999) (16 awards)
Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake (2004) (16 awards)
Frances McDormand in Fargo (1996) (15 awards)
Carey Mulligan in An Education (2009) (14 awards)
Geoffrey Rush in Shine (14 awards)
Holly Hunter in The Piano (14 awards)
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (14 awards)
Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004) (13 awards)
Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008) (13 awards)
Sean Penn in Mystic River (2003) (13 awards)
Emma Thompson in Howard’s End (12 awards)
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (12 awards)
Helena Bonham Carter in Wings of the Dove (12 awards)
Amy Adams in Junebug (2005) (11 awards)
Ben Kingsley in Gandhi (1983) (11 awards)
Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream (2000) (11 awards)
Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas (11 awards)


Monday, January 10, 2011

10 Movies That Were Better Than the Books


Tim Handorf recently published this post, about films that defied tradition by actually being better than the novels they were based upon.. this is a very good selection, and I agree with his choices, so I thought I'd post a link here for your enjoyment.. 10 Movies That Were Way Better Than the Books

Photo top: Ted Levine turned in one of the creepiest performance in film history as Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs - how he was surpassed for an Oscar® nomination is beyond belief. The film from director Jonathan Demme is a blood-curdling thriller, and became the third in history to win Oscars® for picture, director, actor, actress, and screenplay, after It Happened One Night, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.. Ironically, Levine was onscreen longer than lead actor winner Anthony Hopkins

Oscar the Avatar

Is this just too obvious? It appears to me that James Cameron was looking at his Oscar® statuettes for Titanic when he came up with the look for the aliens in Avatar.. he told his CGI team "Ok, guys, I want you to add a little hair, some pointy Vulcan ears, then put some beads in the hair to make them more homey.."

Thursday, January 6, 2011

100 Best Films You Didn't See


In alphabetical order - ok, so you've seen some of these, you get the picture - most are relatively unknown in the U.S., which has become more culturally illiterate with every new generation.. yes, it's more than 100, around 130 I think




13 Tzameti (2006) France, bw
The 400 Blows (1959) France, bw
A Canterbury Tale (1944) bw
A Christmas Memory (1968)
A Face in the Crowd (1957) bw
A Prophet (2009) France
A Very Long Engagement (2004) France
A Wednesday (2008) India
Ace in the Hole (1951) bw
After the Wedding (2006) Denmark
All About My Mother (1999) Spain
American Splendor (2003) An Education (2009)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1973) tv
Babel (2006) Mexico
Ballad of a Soldier (1959) Russia, bw
Baraka (1992) Documentary
Battle of Algiers (1965) France, bw
Beautiful Girls (1996)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Beyond Silence (1996) Germany
Big Deal on Madonna St (1959) Italy, bw
Big Fish (2003)
Brideshead Revisited (1981) tv
Brothers (2004) Denmark
Burden of Dreams (1982) Documentary
Butterfly (1999) Spain
Carmen (1983) Spain
Central Station (1998) Brazil
Chaos (2001) France
The Children of Huang Shi (2007) Australia
The Chorus (2004) France
Chungking Express (1994) Hong Kong
Cinema Paradiso (1988) Italy
Citizen X (1995)
City of God (2002) Brazil
Come and See (1985) Russia
The Conformist (1970) Italy
Control Room (2004)
The Conversation (1974)
Crazed Fruit (1956) Japan, bw
The Cuckoo (2002) Russia
Defending Your Life (1991)
Devils On the Doorstep (2000), China, bw
Diva (1981) France
Dreamland (2006)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) China
El Mariachi (1992) Mexico
Everything is Illuminated (2006)
Fearless (1993) Fitzcarraldo (1982) Germany
The Fountain (2006)
Friday Night Lights (2004) Gattica (1997)
The Girl in the Cafe (2005)
Going in Style (1979)
Good Bye, Lenin! (2003) Germany
The Good Shepherd (2006)
Goodnight Mister Tom (1998) tv
The Grey Fox (1983) Hard Eight (1997)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse (1992) Documentary
Heat and Dust (1983)
Heavenly Creatures (1994) New Zealand
Hero (2002) China
Hoop Dreams (1994) Documentary
Hope and Glory (1987)
House of Games (1987)
In a Lonely Place (1950) bw
Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (1986) France
Jodhaa Akbar (2007) India
Kinamind (2005) Denmark
Kolya (1996) Czech Republic
L'america (1994) Italy
L'avventura (1960) Italy, bw
La Femme Nikita (1990) France
Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1982)
The Lives of Others (2007) Germany
Longitude (2000)
Man With the Movie Camera (1928) bw/silent Documentary
Mephisto (1981) Hungary
Micmacs (2009) France
Morgan! (1966) bw
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002) India
My Brilliant Career (1979) Australia
The Namesake (2006)
No Man’s Land (2001) Bosnia
Nowhere in Africa (2002) Germany
Pi (1998)
The Player (1992)
The Rains Came (1939) bw
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Rocco and his Brothers (1964) Italy, bw
Ronin (1998) Run Lola Run (1998) Germany
Salaam Bombay! (1988) India
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) Argentina
Shall We Dance? (1995) Japan
Smoke Signals (1998)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.. and Spring (2003) Korea
Sunrise (1927), bw-silent
Sunshine (1999)
The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) bw
To Live (1994) China
Together (2002) China The Train (1964) bw
The Triplets of Belleville (2003) France-Belgium-Can.-UK
Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
Turtles Can Fly (2004) Iran-Iraq
The Twilight Samurai (2002) Japan
The Two of Us (1967) France, bw
Umberto D (1952) Italy, bw
Under the Sun (1998), Sweden
United 93 (2006)
The Visitor (2008)
Walkabout (1971)
Wallace and Gromit: 3 Amazing Adventures (2005)
War Photographer (2001) Switzerland Documentary
Warriors (Guerreros, 2007) Spain
Water (2005) India-Canada
Whale Rider (2003) New Zealand
Winged Migration (2001) Documentary
Women in Love (1970)
You Can't Take It With You (1938) bw
Zelary (2003) Czech Republic