Best Lead Actress 2013

Honorable Mention: Judi Dench for Philomena, Amy Adams for American Hustle

05. Julie Delpy for Before Midnight - It must be nice, as an actress, to have a role feel so lived in. For Julie Delpy, she has been creating Celine for over 20 years. She first played this role in Before Sunrise, and now she has even co-written both sequels. Celine is as much her creation as anything else. So, kudos to her for creating a character this go around that isn't exactly easy, or charming, or likable. Celine is a fiercely intelligent character who is far from a cookie cutter cliche female character. In fact, out of every female character in film this year, Celine might be the most realistic. And that's mostly because of Julie Delpy and her smart, fearless portrayal.

04. Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks - As troublesome writer P.L. Travers, Emma Thompson absolutely kills it as the tough as nails children's writer. Her performance is utterly wonderful. She manages to make Travers dislikeable, but also sympathetic at the same time. This is the sort of role in which you can only imagine one person nailing the character and that person is Emma Thompson. No one else could have taken on this performance and played this character so well. She makes you laugh, cringe, cry and more. It's a layered, wonderful performance.

03. Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha - Frances Ha is one of my favorite movies of this past year, and a lot of that has to do with just how much I relate to Greta Gerwig and her portrayal of Frances as a lonely, quirky girl who just keeps getting beaten down by the world. Of course, Frances never gives up. Frances rolls with the punches. Sure, she'll go to Paris for a long weekend for virtually no reason. Sure, she'll embarrassingly work at a summer camp at the college she used to attend because she has no where else to live. And Gerwig plays this wonderful, lived in character with so much spark, so much charisma, so much childlike wonder, that you can't help falling completely under the spell of Frances Ha and Greta.

02. Sandra Bullock in Gravity - The problem with Gravity is the script and nothing else. There's basically no story, so the movie relies entirely on the technical achievements (which are amazing) and Sandra Bullock's starring performance. Sure, George Clooney is in the movie as well, but as Tina Fey said at last night's Golden Globes, he'd rather drift away into space than spend another minute with a woman his own age. So, we're left with Bullock and her tour de force performance as a woman quite literally lost in space, as a woman who is terrified beyond measure, but who remains a fighter down to the last moment, down to her core. And Bullock's performance is truly something special, something unforgettable.

01. Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine - There was a time when there was only one thing that mattered in the films of 2013 and that one thing was Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. She's a snotty, rich New Yorker one instant and a semi-crazy down on her luck homeless woman the next. And Blanchett switches between every facet of Jasmine's being with an ease not very many others can accomplish. Her performance is one of the finest of the year, one of the finest in this history of Woody Allen's films. I often say that Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is the single greatest performance in the history of film. Well, Blanchett in this film reminds me of that performance so very much. Cate Blanchett is perfect for this role and she'll likely deservedly win a second Oscar come March.

Gravity

I feel like I should almost write two separate reviews for Gravity because I have such warring thoughts about the film. On one hand, it is such a visual, technical achievement that I want to heap tons of praise on it, but on the other - that script, or lack thereof.

The opening thirty minutes or so of Gravity are spectacular. They are mind boggling, spellbinding, and glorious. Director Alfonso Cuaron has managed to create a world that is so absolutely epic and wondrous that it blows your mind. This is brave new world of film-making, right here. The future is now and Cuaron has managed to craft a film that is technically perfect. It brings you into the wonder of space (which, I'm sorry, but shit is terrifying. I don't know why anyone would ever want to go to space) and manages to create a film that is rebellious, revolutionary, minimalist and epic all at the same time. The beginning of this film is so far and away from a mainstream sci-fi movie that it feels jarring. This is an art house film with crazy good CGI. Sure, it stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, two of the most famous and most likable people in acting, but other than that, this doesn't feel like that kind of star studded film. Bullock is a genius doctor, in space reluctantly to attach a protocol she has invented to a satellite. She is terribly uncomfortable and sick in space, which juxtaposes nicely with Clooney and his retiring astronaut who loves space so much and just wants to brake the space walk world record. Soon, debris from a nearby satellite mishap is flying around them and all hell breaks loose. Hell is not aliens in space. No, hell is drifting all alone into the endless blackness with no radio contact and absolutely no knowledge of how the hell you are going to survive. Of course, Bullock's Ryan does survive this thanks to Clooney saving her ass. The two make their way back toward the International Space Station, and that's when the move sort of lost me.

Those first thirty minutes or so are as damn near perfect as one could get in film-making. It's epic to watch, an absolute wonder, like you are seeing something for the first time. I kept thinking to myself, "My Lord. This is the best movie of the year by a mile." But then something happens. The first act relies so heavily on out of this world imagery and visuals and the direction, cinematography and camera work is so damn great, that it fools you into thinking you are watching a better movie than you really are. I am not saying Gravity is not a good movie, because it definitely is. But it's no masterpiece of movie making. It is a visual masterpiece, a technical one. But, as far as movies go, the lack of attention paid to the script really starts to be noticeable as you get further into the movie. And the movie just sort of continually gets worse. The first act is perfection. The second act is not so bad, especially the fake out ending which I sort of enjoyed. Then the final act is almost atrocious. The ending panders so much toward making sure the audience is happy with it, that it is sort of insulting. Where is the rebellious spirit of the first act?? It's long gone by the time we reach our conclusion, such a watered down thing that it really left a bad taste in my mouth. Which is not how I wanted to feel leaving this movie, especially after the powerhouse first act.

Another problem are the characters that aren't entirely fleshed out. Another by-product of spending all your waking moments on visual effects is that you lose the characters. The role Clooney plays isn't that large so he can get by on his charm alone. But Bullock has to carry this film and I'm not quite sure she does. It's not her fault. She is tremendous with what she has to work with and her performance especially gets great near the end. There is a ten or fifteen minute scene where I figure she has her second Oscar all wrapped up. Still, her character is weighted down with some sob sad back story to make her more likable, but all it really does it lend a cheesy sort of factor to the film. Why can't she just be a smart, strong woman? Why does she have to have this back story pushing her the whole movie? Again, to pander to a mainstream audience, probably.

For me, to enjoy Gravity from start to finish, you almost have to not think about it as a movie, and maybe think of it as an experience. The story and the characters take a back seat to the visuals here, and maybe that's okay for some. But since I'm talking movies here, it's not exactly ideal. I sincerely wish the entire movie had been more like the first thirty minutes, because those were the best moments I saw on a movie screen this year.

Grade: B

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is some sort of mushy, sentimentalist crap. A film that's so overwrought, so full of utterly one-dimensional emotions, that it's almost offensive. It's got a star who is utterly punchable (except punching kids is bad!). And guess what? I freaking liked it. A lot. Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are.

The film is directed by Stephen Daldry, who always manages to turn trite into something better. This guy is some sort of miracle worker. He directs the hell out of his films and makes them connect to an audience even when they don't want to be connected. I went into this movie expecting the worst. I read the reviews. I was as shocked as everyone else when it got nominated for Best Picture. Plainly speaking, I didn't want to see it. Maybe it was because my expectations were so low. I don't know. But I ended up liking the damn thing.

It's the story of a young New York City boy (Thomas Horn) who may or may not have Asperger's. He lives with his mom (a plain looking Sandra Bullock) and jeweler dad (Tom Hanks). He and his dad are incredibly close. They go on expeditions, which are sort of scavanger hunts with dad making up stories about a mysterious sixth borough of the city so that his son will have to traverse Central Park and talk to strangers (which is the real mission, of course, since he has so much difficulty with this) and try to solve the mystery. They have a perfectly sweet, if not completely nerdy family. Then, 9/11 strikes and dad had a meeting in the World Trade Center. Oscar's life changes. Struggling with grief and guilt and all kinds of things that he's not emotionally equipped to deal with, he finds a key in his father's closet and decides it's his dad's final way of trying to reach out for him. His final mission, and the only way he can keep his father close. The key is in an envelope marked "Black" and he sets out to speak to everyone named black in New York City, trying to decide if they knew his father and what the key means. Along the way, he meets Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright and the movie stealing Max Von Sydow.

I know what you're all thinking. The fact that I like this movie is very suspect. I mean, after all, I have impeccable, IMPECCABLE, taste in films! But there was just something about this film that struck me. It's not perfect, not by a long shot, but it's emotional in such a way that makes you want to like it more than you should. I went into this thing wanting to hate it, just like everybody else. But, despite myself, I just couldn't do it. Something about it just got to me. Bullock is solid and since Hollywood loves her so much, I'm surprised her name hasn't been thrown around more during award season. Horn is a great find. As much as I wanted to punch him in the face in the beginning, he grew on me (especially since he's sort of a younger male version of me... I mean I'm scared of EVERYTHING too). But Von Sydow is what sealed the deal for me. As a man who never speaks a word (there's a lot of that going around this award season), he is absolutely riveting to watch. He's astounding really and I'm glad he got nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Overall, I know there's a lot of hatred out there for this movie, but I just couldn't bring myself to hate it. Believe me, I tried.

Grade: B

Hairspray, Premonition (DVD)

Hairspray - Hairspray is the kind of movie that immediately puts a smile on your face. It's a charming, well done musical. Is it as glossy as last years big musical, Dreamgirls? No. Dreamgirls surely looked better but as far as story, characters, and substance, Hairspray is far superior. The story follows chubby teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) in 1960's Baltimore. She and her best friend Penny Pingleton (an adorable Amanda Bynes) are obsessed with the dance program The Corny Collins Show hosted by James Marsden. Tracy also has a major crush on one of the stars of the show - Link Larkin (Zac Efron). Despite her mother's (John Travolta!) discouragement, Tracy auditions for the show and Corny picks her eventhough the station manager Velma (a delightful, evil, wonderful Michelle Pfeiffer) objects. Lots of singing and dancing ensues. Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Allison Janney, Elijah Kelley, and Christopher Walken round out the stellar cast. Also, look for cameos from some of the gang from the original Hairspray movie: Jerry Stiller, Ricki Lake and original director John Waters. Eventhough Hairspray may seem dated (takes place in the early 60's, remake of a movie from the late 80's), its very much like Grease in the sense that it's timeless. The songs are great (my personal favorite is 'Ladie's Choice' by Efron... and I can see why he elicits screams from young girls - he's dreamy!). The cast is nothing short of amazing. Pfeiffer, making a return to the screen after way too long, is easily the stand-out. She's just having so much fun being so, so very bad. Bynes would get my best runner up award as far as performances go. She's adorable and hilarious. Blonsky is a wonderfully capable newcomer. Walked is mostly being Walken (and there is definitely nothing wrong with that) and Travolta is having the time of his life - especially during hs homage to Tina Turner near the end. The story drags a bit and the cinematography could have been stronger but all in all, Hairspray is one fun movie!

Grade: B

Premonition - What Sandra Bullock lacks in talent (let's face it - she's no Meryl), she makes up for in likeability. I find it very difficult to not like her when she's in a film. She's easy to cheer for and you really want to like the swill she turns up in most of the time. I actually really liked her last attempt at traversing space and time in film - The Lake House - but that made up for all the plot holes with chemistry to spare from Bullock and Keanu Reeves. There is zero chemistry between Bullock and her Premonition love interest Julian McMahan. I like him but he's going through the motions here. McMahon plays Bullock's husband who dies one day and is alive the next. It goes back and forth and things happen that Bullock can't explain. People talk to her like they've met before but she doesn't know who they are. Here daughter has scars all over her face and doesn't know why. There are random dead birds and strange phone messages. So, in short, Premonition is sort of a mess - bad supporting actors giving wooden performances, a script that isn't nearly as clever as it thinks it is, plot holes galore. The only thing it really has going for it is Bullock's likeability factor. You want to root for her. Unfortunately, likeability only gets you so far and Bullock just can't save this movie.

Grade: D+