Here we are at Day 6 of my “Countdown to the Oscars” ~ probably for me at least, the hardest category to judge this year. The category here is just filled to the brim of fantastic performances and I wish they could all win..well..minus one. ha! Reminder: I’m giving who I think the winner will be and what would be my pick – because they aren’t always necessarily the same!! And the nominees are:
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Eyes of Tammy FayeWINNER
Jessica Chastain is brilliant here – she encaptures Tammy Faye like no other. While the film as a whole was not great, you can pluck out this performance for the brilliance that it is. Jessica has long deserved this award, let’s see if the Academy thinks so as well.
OLIVIA COLMAN – The Lost Daughter
Oliva Colman is such a wonderful actress and has deservedly won this award in the past – this however, is not her finest performance, nor is it truly and Oscar-winning one. I don’t doubt that Olivia will be nominated in this category again in the future though.
PENÉLOPE CRUZ – Parallel Mothers MY PICK
Penelope Cruz is undeniable in this performance. She’s an actress who not only gets better and better with age, but she is undeniably better when directed in her native language and of course, when directed by Pedro Almodóvar. He know how to bring out the best in her as she brings her entire life to this performance. I can’t say I see her winning, but yes, she is hands down my pick.
NICOLE KIDMAN – Being the Ricardos
Surprising us all this year was Nicole Kidman pulling off a good Lucille Ball. Something that must have been a daunting task to undertake. While they only focused on one week in her life, Nicole gave that one week her all. I just don’t see her taking it here with the kind of competition she is up against.
KRISTEN STEWART – Spencer
Yes, I know the hype, yes, I know she has a huge fan base. I came into this film hoping Stewart would change my mind as going in a lot of people were raving about it, but I just didn’t love ‘Spencer.’ And she didn’t change my mind. I could list the many reasons, but I won’t, be her fanbase is rabid and they come for you, and I don’t feel like dealing with that. I do hope that sometime in the future she can change my mind and I will leave it at that.
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Continuing with the Oscar countdown ~ we are moving along to Best Supporting Actress – and it’s a category full of talent. Who do I think will win – and what my pick would be – as those two choices sometimes differ.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
JESSIE BUCKLEY – The Lost Daughter
Jessie shines here and even though it’s a bit of a slow, almost Lifetime paced film, you can’t deny her performance comes through.
ARIANA DEBOSE – West Side StoryMY PICK/WINNER
Her-story can be made here and yes, yes, YES it should be. There isn’t much else to be said as this performance rivals only it’s original.
JUDI DENCH – Belfast
Judi Dench, like her counter-part Ciaran, never disappoints and this role is so tailor-made for her as she sews her way into our hearts once again.
KIRSTEN DUNST – The Power of the Dog
Kirsten played the sadness of this role so well, but it’s just again, a case of possibly me not loving this film entirely as much as others that I don’t see it happening.
AUNJANUE ELLIS – King Richard
The nomination for Ms. Ellis is long overdue here and while the category might have a sealed winner and not just in my mind, I am hoping this is just the beginning of recognizing her for more of these.
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