Top Ten List: Best Supporting Actress 2009

It's time for my annual top ten lists. First, however, I'd like to say that I thought 2009 was a pretty disappointing year for movies and that fact is proven by the very lacking top ten lists I have this year (especially my Best Supporting Actor list which is just a mess). Every day this week I will be counting down the ten best Supporting Actor and Actress, Lead Actor and Actress and, of course, Film. Keep in mind there are a number of films that I really wanted to see that I didn't get a chance to, including Nine, The Road, A Single Man, A Serious Man, Crazy Heart, etc. So, for now, here is the first list...

Best Supporting Actress 2009
10. Catherine Keener in Where the Wild Things Are - Keener is always spectacular and here she takes very limited screen time and creates a three-dimensional very real feeling mom to life.

09. Patricia Clarkson in Whatever Works - Whatever Works is hardly one of Woody Allen's best films. However, even when Woody isn't at his best, his films are usually better than most others. The best thing about Whatever Works is Clarkson's deliciously hilarious performance as a naive Southerner who is soon the toast of the New York Art scene and exploring her sexuality.

08. Rosamund Pike in An Education - Hilariously and decidedly un-academic, Pike plays the perfect foil for Carey Mulligan's Jenny. Her Fanny is just so ditzy and such a dumb blonde. In a movie with a very dark side, you can't help but smile when Pike is on the screen.

07. Sigourney Weaver in Avatar - Weaver's performance is just fantastic. It also proves that this technology that James Cameron all but invented really works since we get such a sense of her performance even when she's a nine foot tall blue alien. It's a testament to the film and Cameron that we can be so moved by a creature.

06. Paula Patton in Precious - Patton's performance in Precious may not be the best (more about that soon) but it may be my favorite of the film. Patton is so sweet and so kind and so heartwarming that her kindness melts your heart a little bit.

05. Monica Potter in The Last House on the Left - The Last House on the Left is one of the few films that has actually stuck with me from way back in February (or March or whenever it was released). At the beginning, Potter is cautious, loving and happy. By the end, her whole world has been ripped apart and she is both heartbroken and ready to exact revenge.

04. Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air - What most helps Farmiga's performance is that she and Clooney have some GREAT chemistry. She's able to go toe-to-toe with him and their chemistry reminds me of old-school movie chemistry. She's sexy and powerful and I'm glad she's finally found a role so worthy of her talents.

03. Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air - For as sexy and confident as Farmgia is in Up in the Air, Kendrick is the opposite. She's young and confused, recently out of college and struggling to define her life as an adult. She's got her life planned out like she thinks it should go - marriage, children. Yet her eyes are open to the fragility and intimacy of the people all around her. Her performance was perhaps the most surprising of the year.

02. Melanie Laurent in Inglourious Basterds - As a young Jewish refugee ready to exact revenge on the Nazi's who destroyed her family, Laurent is terribly impressive. The particular scene that always stands out to me is a scene at a restaurant between her and Christoph Waltz. She knows what he is capable of, yet is forced to make nice with him during dinner. It's a scene between the two best actors in the film and a scene where I don't think I let out a breath the entire time.

01. Mo' Nique in Precious - What else is there to say about the most ballsy, fearless, fierce, heartbreaking, terrifying, electrifying, moving, brilliant performance of the year? Hope she's practiced her acceptance speech.


Tomorrow - the very disappointing Best Supporting Actor list.

Golden Globe Nominations

Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. Here is the list of nominees:

Best Picture, Drama
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air
Thoughts - The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds are two of my favorites. Avatar reminds me too much of Ferngully but I'm trying to stay open minded about it. Precious is going to be a critics darling this year. I really need to see Up in the Air.

Best Actress, Drama
Emily Blunt - The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
Thoughts - I can see this being a knock-down drag-out fight between Mirren and Mulligan.

Best Actor, Drama
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Tobey Maguire - Brothers
Thoughts - I really need to see Up in the Air. I'm glad Maguire found a way in there because I thought he did an excellent job in Brothers. But where oh where is Jeremy Renner?!

Best Picture, Comedy or Musical
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
Thoughts - (500) Days of Summer is another of my personal favorites. Also, I'm very pleasantly surprised to see The Hangover in this bunch.

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical
Sandra Bullock - The Proposal
Marion Cotillard - Nine
Julia Roberts - Duplicity
Meryl Streep - It's Complicated
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
Thoughts - Meryl nominated against herself! The way it should be. Also pleasantly surprised to see Bullock and Roberts in there.

Best Actor, Comedy or Musical
Matt Damon - The Informant!
Daniel Day-Lewis - Nine
Robert Downey Jr. - Sherlock Holmes
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - (500) Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlberg - A Serious Man
Thoughts - I have loved Joseph Gordon-Levitt for so long that is sooooo nice to FINALLY see him getting props for how AMAZING he is.

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo' Nique - Precious
Julianne Moore - A Single Man
Thoughts - I REALLY need to see Up in the Air. Also, you should know my position on Mo' Nique by now.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Thoughts - Christoph Waltz is nothing short of amazing. At first glance, I thought Woody was getting nominated for Zombieland and thought, "He wasn't supporting in that movie!"

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Clint Eastwood - Invictus
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
Thoughts - I really hope Bigelow wins this and not just because she's the only lady in the group. The Hurt Locker is amazing and so is she.

Best TV Series, Drama
Big Love
Dexter
House
Mad Men
True Blood
Thoughts - At least someone shows True Blood love. I'm talking to you, Emmys.

Best Actress, Drama
Glenn Close - Damages
January Jones - Mad Men
Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife
Anna Paquin - True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Thoughts - I stopped reading at Glenn Close because that's all you realy need to know.

Best Actor, Drama
Simon Baker - The Mentalist
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Jon Hamm - Mad Men
Hugh Laurie - House
Bill Paxton - Big Love
Thoughts - I don't watch any of these...

Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical
30 Rock
Entourage
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Thoughts - GLEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical
Toni Collette - United States of Tara
Courteney Cox - Cougar Town
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Lea Michele - Glee
Thoughts - Rachel from GLEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Actor, Comedy or Musical
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Steve Carell - The Office
David Duchovny - Californication
Thomas Jane - Hung
Matthew Morrison - Glee
Thoughts - Mr. Shue from GLEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Supporting Actress
Jane Adams - Hung
Rose Byrne - Damages
Jane Lynch - Glee
Janet McTeer - Into the Storm
Chloe Sevigny - Big Love
Thoughts - Sue Sylvester from GLEE!!!!!!!!!!

Best Supporting Actor
Michael Emerson - Lost
Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother
William Hurt - Damages
John Lithgow - Dexter
Jeremy Piven - Entourage
Thoughts - I've never seen Dexter but I think John Lithgow would make the greatest serial killer ever so he should win and so should the person who decided to cast him!

Tomorrow (or Thursday) Top 10 Actresses of the Decade!

Top Ten List: Best Supporting Actress of the Decade

Disclaimer: I've agonized for weeks about these lists. I know I forgot an actor or a movie. But I'm done thinking about it so that's that.

Best Supporting Actress of the Decade

10. Holly Hunter in Thirteen (2003) - Hunter is always superb but she's never been better than the caring mother of a wild teenager in Thirteen. She loves her daugther but doesn't recognize she's spiraling out of control. Her performance is sweet and tender but also painful to watch. It's a powerhouse performance which easily shows up an impressive turn by Evan Rachel Wood as said daughter.

09. Michelle Williams in Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Williams was the one ray of hope on Dawson's Creek. You always just knew she didn't really belong on such a cheesy (at least in its later years) show. She was always destined for greatness and her performance in Brokeback Mountain proves it. Maybe it was her electrifying chemistry with then boyfriend Heath Ledger. Maybe it was just the perfect role for her. But her performance as Alma, the long suffering, vulnerable housewife who discovers something she can't quite understand.

08. Natalie Portman in Closer (2004) - Portman plays the paradoxes of Alice so easily. Alice appears to be wide eyed and innocent... but she is a stripper. Alice is seemingly the most emotionally honest character in the film... yet she turns out to be the biggest liar of all. She's never been better and her best scenes are those where she goes head to head with Clive Owen. The one scene that always sticks out is that brilliantly directed and acted scene at the strip club where Portman and Owen are just the essence of acting perfection.

07. Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - Prior to this film, I wasn't such a big fan of Cruz's. Her acting always lacked a lot for me. I had heard she was a much better actress in her native tongue though I never liked her enough to even seek out a Spanish film of hers. Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona changed all that. Cruz is a firecracker, exploding on to the screen and taking no prisoners. She has steamy chemistry with Javier Bardem (...and Scarlett Johansson). She's sassy and spunky and hilarious and terrifying and just riveting to watch.

06. Amy Adams in Junebug (2005) - When you think "Amy Adams," you think adorable. And that's because she is - especially in Junebug - but she's so much more than that as well. Her performance as Ashley is so layered and textured. She's charming and witty, heartwarming and optimistic. Best of all, she's sincere and you can feel her honesty in every scene. It's why her performance isn't so much a scene-stealer as a scene-enhancer. She just makes this movie so much better than it would have been without her.

05. Mo' Nique in Precious (2009) - I am all about Mo' Nique this year. The comedian has been written off as not being able to act. Well, guess what? She can and she's a powerhouse. As the cruel, emotionally and physically abusing mother of an overweight illiterate teen, she owns this movie. Even without that final scene - where she breaks down in a social worker's office - her performance was amazing enough. But add that one scene where you actually begin to understand this monster and you've got a performance more than worthy of praise for years to come.

04. Frances McDormand in Almost Famous (2000) - As an over-protective and borderline over-bearing mother, McDormand brings laughs... and a whole lotta heart to her role in Cameron Crowe's rock star film. She means well and only wants to protect her shy and awkward son William as he embarks as a journalist on tour with a band. Her scenes where she connects with the bands lead guitarist are some of her best. As is her line reading of, "Rock stars have kidnapped my son!"

03. Kate Hudson in Almost Famous (2000) - Almost Famous is the single reason I haven't given up on Hudson yet. She's been biding her time with romantic comedies but I know she's got it in her to deliver at least one more knockout performance like she did in Almost Famous. As the perennial groupie Penny Lane, Hudson is the essence of free spirited sweetness. She's got tension filled chemistry with Billy Crudup and a sweet sort of childlike chemistry with Patrick Fugit. When she finally overdoses at the end, it's almost a pleasure to watch the way she crumbles and falls apart. And kudos for that "What kind of beer?" line reading. Beauty and optimism through tears. Hudson has never been - maybe will never be - better.

02. Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River (2003) - When you're in a movie with a ton of big name actors and on particular guy (Sean Penn) who is giving the performance of his career (up until that point, anyway), it's kind of hard to get noticed. Not if you're my dear, sweet, amazing Marcia. In the film she plays the wife of Tim Robbins character. She's sweet-natured and trusting. She's simply outstanding as the loving wife who has to struggle with the biggest moral dilemma faced by any of the characters. She's brilliant and amazing and that's just one of the reasons why she's my very favorite actress ever! (FYI - Her performance in The Dead Girl just missed out on the top ten list!).

01. Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There (2007) - The short version: She plays Bob Dylan!!! The long version: Not many female actresses would have the balls to play Bob Dylan. Not many could pull it off. Okay, I can't think of anyone else who could have pulled it off. Only Blanchett in all of her nose-twitching, eye-rubbing brilliance. She's subdued and mellow but quick to lash out with sharp wit. Her section of the bizarre but wonderful film is the most straight forward and so she has to be the most like the actual Bob Dylan. She doesn't just mimic him, she becomes him (and looks shockingly like him) in a strange way that's so effective since the character is being played by a woman. Blanchett is simply amazing as she continues to build a resume of quirky, powerhouse performances that not many other actresses could even come close to.

Precious / Fantastic Mr. Fox

Precious - In a word: devastating. Half of Precious is really as good as everyone is saying it is. The other half, well, we'll talk about that later. The story follows an illiterate overweight Harlem high school girl named Precious. She's currently pregnant with her second child, both fathered by her dad. Her mom is abusive, to say the least. She daydreams of being a blonde girl and starring in rap videos. The story itself is half gritty street tale and half lifetime movie. The movie, for me, lives and dies by the performance of Mo' Nique. Mo' Nique, Mo' Nique, Mo' Nique. My Lord, she is amazing. Even without that last knockdown dragout scene in Mariah Carey's office, her performance is amazing. But when she adds those layers onto her abusive character, well, it's really Oscar gold. If she doesn't win come March, it'll be a crying shame. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is solid as Precious as well. She has a level of honesty and realism that is refreshing and welcoming. Paula Patton as a sweet, caring teacher is a revelation as well. She just exudes warmth. Then there's Carey. Everyone is all a-twitter about how she uglied herself up (or down) for the role. She impresses with her small role as a social worker but she's really just there to play opposite the single best scene in the entire movie. Precious is depressing as hell but it's also strangely uplifting. Like I said, though, only half of the time. When I wasn't feeling emotionally wrecked, I was feeling like I was watching a made for TV lifetime movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing but when half of your movie is so damn good, the other half shouldn't feel like it's so inferior. Still, Precious is definitely worth watching if only for Mo' Nique's AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING performance. I can't sing her praises enough.
Grade: B / B+

Fantastic Mr. Fox - I'm finding Fantastic Mr. Fox to be a difficult movie to review. Everything I've heard about it has been so blaringly positive that I feel if I say anything negative about the movie it would be taken as treason. I am, indeed, a Wes Anderson fan (although I admit I'm a bigger fan of co-writer Noah Baumbach's work). I love his quirky, offbeat sensabilities. I think The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore are two of the most brilliant movies in recent years. Still, there's something about Fantastic Mr. Fox that didn't quite gel with me and I can't exactly place my finger on it. I mean, clearly this movie was made for Anderson fans. I can't imagine who else would go see it. It's too dark for children and too offbeat for most adults. As an Anderson fan, I think the movie is great - charming, witty, full of likeable yet terribly flawed main characters (voiced by George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe etc.). Visually, it's simply stunning. I've actually never read the book so I can't compare the two but I feel Anderson probably took some liberties and I hope he didn't take anything away from the original work. As a fan of movies, however, there was something lacking in the haphazard story telling and the painfully slow second act. Also, the whole wolf-phobia side plot thing just totally didn't work at all. Still, the movie was enjoyable and I definitely recommend it for fans of Anderson's other works. As cliched as this sounds, it was a little short of fantastic for me.
Grade: B-

Wednesday - Top Ten Best Supporting Actresses of the Decade!