Top Ten List: Best Actress of the Decade

10. Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004) - My position on Swank is probably known by now. I'm not her biggest fan. However, good acting is good acting and you can't deny she's incredible in this film. I can't say its her best work (I still love her Boys Don't Cry performance) but she has moved past acting with this role. She simply exists in her character and it's great to watch.

09. Ellen Page in Hard Candy (2005) - Two years before Juno, there was Hard Candy. Page was something like 17 or 18 when she filmed this movie and she manages to give a master's class in acting, delivering a performance so layered and subtle that actors twice or three times her age had to be crazy jealous of her undeniable talent.

08. Julie Christie in Away From Her (2007) - It was the Oscars in 2008 and Julie Christie was flat out robbed by Marion Cotillard in a performance that I can barely even remember. Christie, however, has stuck in my mind, managing to be, dare I say, unforgettable as an Alzheimer patient. Beautiful and tragic, Christie is divine.

07. Michelle Williams in Wendy and Lucy (2008) - Quite possibly the most underrated performance of the year (or maybe even the decade), Williams commands the screen in this slow, bittersweet indie film about the friendship between a woman and her dog on a cross country road trip. Williams is so perfect as a lonely woman who has managed to fall between the cracks; a good person who society has managed to forget about.

06. Naomi Watts in 21 Grams (2003) - Watts has always been a good actress, but she's simply great here. Not only is she remarkably belieavable as a suffering widow but she brings so much gut wrenching emotion to her performance. The movie is presented so strongly out of context and that decision simply makes the performances that much more powerful, especially by Watts who shines as part of a truly impressive ensemble.

05. Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream (2000) - Quite possibly the most depressing movie I have ever seen and part of that is thanks to Burstyn's killer performance. There's no sugar coating this tale of addicts with Burstyn starring as a sweet Jewish wido who almost unknowingly becomes addicted to prescription diet pills that help her lose weight but plunge her into a terrifying world of paranoia and hallucinations.

04. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) - I was going to pick her Doubt performance but let's face it. Meryl can do that kind of thing in her sleep. What impressed me so much about The Devil Wears Prada is Meryl's ability to prove she really can do anything at all, including taking a co-starring role, turning it into a terrifying amalgamation of Cruella DeVille and Anna Wintour and proving that she can be one of the most bankable movie stars in the world. And this is why Meryl Streep is queen. That's all.

03. Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006) - Mirren doesn't merely play Queen Elizabeth II, she becomes Queen Elizabeth II. Her performance is simply superb. Thanks to Mirren, the Queen comes off as complicated and reserved, cold and yet jarringly open. Mirren manages to take this Queen who seems so closed up and larger than life and make her human. The performance is as fascinating as it is entertaining.

02. Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! (2001) - There are times when Kidman comes off as a reserved, closed up actress. But in Moulin Rouge! she is sexy, warm, stunning, loveable, and even a little goofy. Kidman has never been better than playing the born entertainer Satine. From those intricate, lavish and slightly twisted musical numbers to her electrifying chemistry with Ewan McGregor, Kidman is simply - Spectacular, Spectacular!

01. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - Eternal Sunshine is easily the most original love story of the decade and Winslet, who is brilliant in EVERYTHING, doesn't disappoint with her performance here. She plays a woman who craves attention as much as she craves intimacy. She is a little mean but totally loveable. She is a jumble of paradoxes and it's easy to see why anyone would fall madly in love with her. She even manages to be funnier than Jim Carrey. I would only want to erase her and this performance from my memory so I can experience it again for the first time. Simply brilliant.

The Informant!, Pandorum, Whip It, Zombieland

The Informant - The problem with The Informant is NOT Matt Damon's stellar performance. In fact, it just may be the best performance of his career (or second to his subtlety in The Departed). Damon manages to portray the self-obsessed Whitacre with the right amounts of "Hey, I'm a jackass" and "I'm a martyr doing the right thing." No, the problem with The Informant is mostly it's glacial pace. The story is interesting, sure (a man makes $300,000 a year at a company but turns informant instead), and it's true. Still, it takes about 3/4 of the movie until the pace starts to pick up to an enjoyable level. Steven Soderbergh does a great job and The Informant sure is interesting if it's not successful and I'm not sure it is. Also, it's trying to do too many things at once. Is it a wacky, zany comedy? Well, it's not funny enough. Is it a corporate thriller about embezzlement? Well, it's not nearly exciting enough. Damon's performance is enough for me to recommend the film but I wouldn't say it's necessarily good, just average.
Grade: C

Pandorum - Let's get this out of the way - Ben Foster is incredible. Dennis Quaid is incredible. The twist at the end is pretty damn great (you can predict it, but it's still done well enough that I didn't even care). The critics bashed it. Sci-fi fans are heralding it as the best sci-fi movie in a long time. I fall somewhere in the middle. It's an exciting film and it's a little horrifying. Foster and Quaid wake up on a ship that seems abandoned. They are locked in a room on a space ship and they've been in hyper sleep way longer than they should. Foster tries to escape the room through the ventillation system while Quaid guides him. Foster finds help... and some major problems while Quaid meets another young member of the crew who is going off the deep end (played by Twilight hottie Cam Gigandet). My major problem with the film is the crappy camera work. I know it's supposed to be exciting but there's a fine line between hand held exciting camera work and not having any idea what the hell is happening to your characters. Also, at times, it's just a little gross for gross' sake. Being disgusting doesn't further the film in any way. Also, it seems a little convenient that a side effect of hyper sleep is temporary memory loss. However, Foster and Quaid's characters remember just enough when they need to. And while their characters are in different parts of the ship for most of the movie, it allows the screenwriter to fill a ridiculous amount of time with the two trying to contact each other via radio. Basically, the film has its problems but it's also good enough to merit a recommendation. Again, not good, merely average.
Grade: C

Whip It - Whip It is cute. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes, well, not so much. Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut and any shortcomings this movie has aren't necessarily her fault. She does a pretty good job at directing. Sometimes, it's very basic. Nothing she's doing is groundbreaking. But there are some pretty great scenes, very well directed (especially the pool scene near the end... just beautiful). Whip It follows a reluctant beauty queen named Bliss (Ellen Page) who is basically only doing beauty pageants to appease her mom (the amazing / wonderful / fantastic / goddesss of the world Marcia Gay Harden). On a shopping trip to Austin, Bliss discovers a flyer for roller derby. She and best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat a.k.a. Maeby Funke from the greatest show ever to be on TV Arrested Development) go to the derby exhibition game and Bliss is impressed. Soon, she is lying about her age and trying out for the Hurl Scouts team. She changes her name to Babe Ruthless and joins the team alongside Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) and Smashely Simpson (Barrymore). There are a few things that endear this movie to me. 1. Har Mar Superstar has a little cameo. 2. Tilly and the Wall is on the soundtrack. 3. I was at some of the places they filmed in Austin. Then, of course, there is the predictibility. This script is paint-by-numbers, cliched and totally predictable. That makes parts of it boring. Then there is the cuteness factor. Some of the cute stuff is just that - cute. Some of it (like a showdown with rival Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) that turns into a silly food fight) is just dumb. Also, Jimmy Fallon just needs to stop acting. He needs to stick to late night and he's not even good at that (just not as bad as acting). All in all, Whip It is a little too cutesy at times although Barrymore does a fine job presenting a kick ass girl power story. See it for the great cast and the cool soundtrack, just don't expect too much.
Grade: C+ (B- on a good day... if I'm feeling nice... which I'm not today).

Zombieland - Zombieland is excatly what it needed to be. I was expecting a ridiculous, off beat, fun horror flick and that's exactly what it is. There is no subtle build up to Zombieland. You are dropped right in (it's complete with flashy, great opening credits). First, you meet Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg who is like Michael Cera although maybe funnier?), a college kid who has a lot of ticks and fears and a lot of rules for surviving Zombieland. Always shoot the zombie twice to make sure it's dead, Beware of bathrooms, Always wear your seatbelt, etc. He is one of five (ha!) surviving humans in Zombieland. Along the way he meets Tallahassee, a totally bad ass Woody Harrelson who just seems to have been born for this role. He's hilarious and bad ass and just all kinds of perfect for this role. All he really wants to do is find a Twinkie and kick zombie ass. They team up and eventually meet Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), a sister con-artist duo who dupe our heroes before eventually teaming up with them. Their plan is the head west to Pacific Playland, an amusement park outside of Los Angeles which they believe is zombie free. Along the way, they make a pit stop at a Beverly Hills home where there is the most perfect cameo in cameo history. I won't ruin it (although I'm sure you can find out) but it's pretty freaking great. Anyway, of course, they eventually get to their destination and guess what? There are TONS of zombies including a really freaky clown zombie. Overall, Zombieland is a whole lot of fun and that's all I really wanted out of it.
Grade: B

Iron Man + mini reviews

Iron Man - First, let me say this: Robert Downey Jr. is so perfect for the role of Tony Stark that I really can't imagine anyone else even being considered for the role. This is the role he was born to play. He brings the perfect amounts of charming gentleman, cocky cad and comic timing. It doesn't hurt that mostly everything else about Iron Man is pretty damn good as well. I won't say it's great. But I will say that it is fun! This year has been a wash for movies so far (I mean, if I was going to make a top 10 list now - which I usually do - I wouldn't even be able to muster up 10 movies I really liked. I don't even think I could muster 5) but at least Iron Man starts the summer movie season off on the right foot. Iron Man is just about everything it should be: it's entertaining, it's fast paced, it's got great action sequences. It has comedy, it has the obligatory will-they-or-won't-they love story between Downey's Stark and Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts (she's really solid as well... plus, she looks great with red hair). It's got a good villain, good music, great gadgets. It's really just the kind of movie you hope it will be. There's really not much to complain about on the Iron Man front (although... and maybe I'm just being picky... but the final act turns a little too "Let's just blow shit up" for me). As for staying until after the credits? I would only recommend it if you are a huge comic book geek. I was told (quite excitedly) to stay until after the credits (quote "best extra scene EVER") and I was a little disappointed because I don't really care about the comic book universe. Still, I'll just think of the pre-credit perfection of an ending and I will remain satisfied completely with Iron Man.
Grade: B



Also, I've seen a lot of other films in my self-imposed exile from reviewing. Here are a few mini reviews...


Forgetting Sarah Marshall - On the Judd Apatow scale of major release hilarity this one falls somewhere between Superbad (my very favorite) and The 40 Year Old Virgin. It's true. I haven't laughed this hard since Superbad. Especially at the exceptionally hilarious Dracula: The Musical scenes (actually, I don't think I ever laughed so hard). Overall, Sarah Marshall is a really solid, funny, surprisingly heartfelt comedy. I couldn't exactly click with the female characters (these Judd Apatow boys can write crude comedy but they can't write a solid female character to save their lives) which was pretty much the only major problem I had. Except for the utter wastefulness of Paul Rudd. Still, this movie is worth seeing, for sure.
Grade: B-


Smart People - Great cast. Still, something never quite works here. It's not a bad movie but it's not necessarily a great movie either. It feels like a retread of about a dozen better movies. Ellen Page is fantastic but it really just makes me want to netflix Wonder Boys.
Grade: C


Deception - File this one under "Missed Opportunity." When you've got such a great cast to work with - Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams - you think a solid movie is in the bag. But, not so much. In fact, the glamour and the glitz is all just so fake looking. For a movie about an underground sex society, there is nothing remotely sexy about the movie. It's all a little silly and just plain bad.
Grade: D+


Lars and the Real Girl - Ryan Gosling is great. Emily Mortimer is even better. Still, for a "unique" indie comedy, I felt this was just about as cliched as possible. And who would think you would be able to use the word "cliche" for a movie about a man in love with a blow up sex doll? Predictible is another word that comes to mind. And that's a shame. Great idea. Great performances. Solid execution. It just all comes apart in the last act or so.
Grade: C+


Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Well, someone totally ruined the ending for me but I still mostly enjoyed this dark and twisted musical from the wonderfully creative Tim Burton. Johnny Depp is just plain out fantastic. Ditto for Helena Bonham Carter. Still, I love Alan Rickman the most. I could have done without the story line about his daughter. I know it's necessary to the plot but it bored the hell out of me.
Grade: B


The Savages - Who was the MVP of 2007? Philip Seymour Hoffman! He's phenemonal in this indie comedy. Still, it's Laura Linney who got the Oscar nomination, and rightfully so. She's hilarious and completely relatable as well. This is a really solid, well-done black comedy. What a great screenplay and even better performances.
Grade: B


The Orphanage - Yawn.
Grade: D+ (maybe I should take away the "+." I only put it there because I liked the ending.)


Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - Again with the Philip Seymour Hoffman! He's amazing in this movie. I gave him such a hard time about his Oscar nomination for Charlie Wilson's War and I still believe he outright stole it from Paul Dano. Still, he should have been nominated. He just got it for the wrong movie. His performance here is definitely Oscar worthy. He's slick and cocky and manipulative and just plain great. Ethan Hawke plays his brother and does a pretty good job as well (although he's not nearly the actor Hoffman is). Sidney Lumet was something like 113 years old when he directed this movie (okay, he was 80 something) but he does such a spectacular job. The movie is an intense, satisfying thriller. It's also one of the best of last year. Wish I would have seen it earlier because it definitely would have made my top 10 list.
Grade: A-


He Was a Quiet Man - An interesting film, for sure. There are quite a few creative decisions that I liked very much. There are also some truly excellent parts. Overall, however, it doesn't really add up to a particularly good movie. The ending is great but, other than that, it's merely average. Elisha Cuthbert is terribly miscast. I would have liked to see someone else in her role. Maybe Christina Ricci or Thora Birch (what has she been up to lately?). Christian Slater, however, is a revelation in his performance. He hasn't been this good and this electrifying in a movie since, I don't know, Heathers, maybe.
Grade: C+

Best of 2007 - Top 10 Best Performances

Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men
I'm doing this list in alphabetical order to be fair. However, if I was going to start with the best performance of the year, Bardem would still be first. [Granted I haven't had the chance to see Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood.] Bardem gives a truly deliciously evil performance. He is a pleasure to watch. Every time he enters the scene, you are excited and sort of terrified to see what he'll do next. From the opening scene right up until his last, he's just simply perfect.

Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
Again, I'm doing this alphabetically. Still, Cate would be second. She disappears into the character of Jude Quinn (Bob Dylan) and all the ticks and stutters. It's actually almost a little creepy to see this gorgeous Australian woman become a man and make it look so effortless. I'm not one of those people who are in love with everything Blanchett does. But I am in love with this performance.

Josh Brolin in No Country For Old Men
If Javier Bardem didn't steal this movie in every single way imaginable, you would definitely leave the theater talking about how great Brolin is. Brolin is essentially carrying the bulk of the film on his shoulders and he's more than up for the challenge. This year he's finally been given roles that let his talent shine through.

Julie Christie in Away From Her
Is it wrong to say that Christie's performance is just unforgettable? It's been months and months and everything about her performance is still burned firmly into my mind. Christie gives a performance even better than her Oscar winning role in Afterglow. She has the vibrancy of a young woman and is sexier than most women half her age. Her performance is perfect and I, for one, will be very disappointed if she loses the Oscar.

Emile Hirsch in Into the Wild
Hirsch's career is one I've been following for a while now. Watch films like Imaginary Heroes and The Mudge Boy and you'll see what a great actor he really is. Still, Into the Wild is the sort of movie that lets his real talent come out in full force. Hirsch has charm to spare and uses tha to help build this supertramp character who doesn't think he needs human contact for happiness. Plus, his final moments on screen are guaranteed to break your heart.

Tommy Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men and In the Valley of Elah
Jones is doing better work this year, at the age of 50-something, than ever before. His performances this year were both spot-on. His performance in In the Valley of Elah would fall to number three on this list if it was from very best to still great. What kills me most? He's not even getting a lot of attention for these great roles! Sure, he's not used a lot in No Country For Old Men and he's showed up a bit by Bardem who has the flashier role. But there's something to be said about restraint and reserve. There's something to say about being the strong, silent type. Jones is just doing better work now than ever before.

James McAvoy in Atonement
There's a lot of great women in this film but McAvoy steals the show. His performance is really a masterclass in the act of subtlety. He makes sure Robbie keeps his basic goodness and never resorts to histronics. There is a particular scene between Robbie and Briony as a teenager, that is just perfection.

Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
I just have to respect and admire anyone who has the guts to film a scene that includes a naked knife fight. I mean, come on. He manages to make Nikolai both enigmatic and mesmerizing. He is seemingly rough and tough and yet we are somehow drawn to the goodness in him even as we are not quite sure we should be. It's a skillful and understated performance that quietly but effectively blows you away.

Ellen Page in Juno
I think it's safe to say this: Ellen Page is the best actress under 25 working today. First there was her acting masterclass of a performance in Hard Candy. Now with Juno she even bests that. She does something I think Diablo Cody should be grateful for: makes her highly / overly WRITTEN dialogue just flow and come off the page beautifully (which must have been a DIFFICULT challenge). Thanks to Page's perfection of a performance, it becomes almost impossible to not love this movie and especially the main character.

Michael Shannon in Bug
This movie is definitely not for everyone. Still, months and months later, it's Shannon's intense work that sticks so firmly in my mind. He takes this outlandish performance and is really just fearless. His chemistry with Ashley Judd (who slipped to number 11 on this list) is so intense that these two actors carry this film. Shannon, especially, is perfect and draws you in to this strange, psychological little story.

Juno, Atonement

Juno - The first 15 minutes or so of Juno are actually quite atrocious. I was almost ready to walk out of the theater, to be honest. Rainn Wilson, in a small cameo role, gives the most ridiculous performance saying the most ridiculous words. Olivia Thirbly as Juno's cheerleader best friend (I'm sorry but why would Juno be best friends with a cheerleader?) is quite possibly the most annoying character ever written in the history of movies. (No, no. There's that annoying guy in a wheelchair in Texas Chainsaw Massacre...). But, she's still uber annoying. Honest to blog. (Shoot me now!). Then there is the ultra hipster language. Screenwriter Diablo Cody has not seemingly written a cool movie. She is trying her absolute hardest to be perceived as cool. And the dialogue is a bit much at first. After 15 minutes, I thought I might be the only person on the planet who disliked Juno. Everyone seems to love it. But it was beginning to look like maybe I was on a different plain than everyone else. Maybe it was like a secret that only I understood. I was the only person in the planet smart enough to not fall under Juno's little spell. But guess what? All the kinks in the movie work themselves out and the other hour and fifteen minutes are hilarious, sweet and just plain great. (Although, I still could have done without the creepy Jason Bateman story line... but whatever). Juno is hilarious. Ellen Page is just perfect. The reason the movie suceeds is mostly because she works magic with the sometimes insane dialogue she is forced to say. But Page makes it work. She should be nominated for an Oscar, hands down. (Right now she is my runner up to win as well... after Julie Christie, of course). Michael Cera makes the world go round. He's responsible for all that is good and pure in the world. I just adore him. He is the teen king of the awkward pause. The best and funniest comic actor of his generation, bar none. Jason Bateman is hilarious as well although, again, he's too bogged down in a weird story line. Still, I love Jason Bateman and so I don't blame him. (I blame Diablo Cody who's script I most certainly did NOT love... although the great actors make it work). Jennifer Garner gives a shockingly beautiful performance. It wouldn't be upset if she somehow slipped into the Best Supporting Actress race (although I doubt it). She's seriously great in this movie. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney should officially be in every movie. That's how pleasurable it is to watch them. The ending is just perfect as well. It's sweet but not cheesy or corny in the least. So, in the end, Juno is every bit as funny and loveable as everyone says it it. It's definitely worth checking out.

Grade: B+

Atonement - There is a scene in Atonement in which the movie goes from being solid and good to becoming a beautiful masterpiece. It is a single shot - no cuts, no edits - that lasts about 5 minutes and follows solider Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) and his two cohorts across a beach full of soldiers and ships and horses and amusement rides. It entertwines between the three and shows the desperation and hopefulness of the scene. More importantly, it shows that this movie is just simply wonderful. It is a love story of the most epic variety. It starts at a very rich house where a young Briony (Saoirse Ronan) reads a letter and sees something between her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie that she doesn't quite understand. She think she does, but she doesn't. She soon tells a lie that completely devastates the lives of all around her. Robbie gets sent to jail and eventually war. Cecilia spends her time as a sort of frozen version of herself, sad and angry. Four years later, Briony (now played by Romola Garai) is busy nursing wounded soldiers instead of serving her time at Oxford to be the writer she was always meant to be. It's her way of repentence. (There is a particularly telling scene with a dying French soldier who is so delirious, he insists that he knows her and she lies again. This time to comfort him.) Years and years later, Briony grows up to be a successful writer (this time Vanessa Redgrave steps in to do fill the role) and who still regrets the lies she tells. I'm not sure the ending is cohesive with the feel of the rest of the movie (I don't want to ruin anything but I will say that it probably works better on the page than the screen). But, except for the odd-feeling ending, Atonement is a masterpiece of filmmaking. It has exceptionally beautiful shots (like the one mentioned before, James McAvoy trekking through a field of red flowers, McAvoy stopping suddenly as the camera pulls back to reveal rows and rows of dead bodies). The images are like artwork, unforgettable and beautiful in its sadness. Is the movie depressing? Absolutely and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've only read about a third of the book so far (ha!) but as far as I can tell the adaptation is just excellent. Then there is the acting. It's just amazing. Knightley is an odd actress. She comes across wooden and frigid in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. She proved she can really act in Pride and Prejudice and here she even bests that performance. The Briony's are all superb. It's almost difficult to pick a best Briony. The character is vital and so well written and so central to the story. Ronan is a young actress who delivers a performance that is chilling and brilliant. Redgrave is superb even if she only has about 5 minutes of screentime. My personal favorite Briony performance came from Garai. I found it interesting to see the characters transformation from lively, lying young woman to regretful, silent teenager. It may not be as memorable as Ronan's performance (her performance is crucial to the plot development) but I personally find it more effective. Then there is the single stand out of the film. James McAvoy is just excellent. I'm not just saying that because I love him and because his sadly overlooked performance in The Last King of Scotland still sticks firmly in my mind. His performance here is breathtaking. His performance on the beach in Dunkirk is riveting - and he doesn't even have any lines! His character is restrained yet passionate. The scene at Cecilia's flat between Robbie and Briony (Garai) is simply Oscar worthy. McAvoy succeeds in his making his character unambiguously heroic. He conveys his character's basic decency, achieving the difficult task of making him good without making him dull. It's the perfect blend and a simply wonderful performance. Overall, Atonement is just plain wonderful - the script, the storyline, the direction, the cinematography, the score (pianos mixed with the sound of a typewriter) and especially all of those performances.

Grade: A

Coming This Week - Best and Worst Performances, Moments, and Movies!