Johnny Simmons

So. Now it's on to 2001 and the acting of the women. It was pretty here and there, I didn't agree with either of the AMPAS' choices. But that's nothing new, for me.

           

Cate Blanchett in The Fellowship of the Rings

Laura Dern in Mulholland Drive

Cameron Diaz in Vanilla Sky

Michelle Pfeiffer in I Am Sam

Kate Winslet in Iris

Strangely Kate doesn’t make the list, though I think her performance is outstanding. I’m not sure I quite ‘got’ Mulholland Drive, and strangely I don’t think I care. Still, Laura Dern was fine as I remember her. Blanchett’s Galadriel was a thing to behold and she made a profound mark with such a small role in a film of such cope. Pfeiffer and Diaz were underrated. Pfeiffer’s character in I Am Sam was a throwaway one, but completely realistic, and Diaz was the best thing in Vanilla Sky. That’s not saying much, though. And although Kerry Washington didn’t make the list, her work in Save the Last Dance was the strongest in the film too. And she was a complete delight.

                   

Cate Blanchett in Bandits

Helen Mirren in Gosford Park

Maggie Smith in Gosford Park

Kristin Scott Thomas in Gosford Park

Marisa Tomei in In the Bedroom

Marisa Tomei showed us in In the Bedroom that her Oscar was not a fluke; but she was steamrolled by the Gosford ladies for me. Helen Mirren is most impressive as Mrs. Wilson – a truly exceptional performance, followed by the overlooked Kristin Scott Thomas in a cold turn as a longsuffering wife. Cate Blanchett’s comedic genius only just edges out Maggie Smith for another comedic performance, this time in a drama.

                    

Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball

Julia Stiles in Save the Last Dance

Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive

Sigourney Weaver in Heartbreakers

Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde

Watts and Berry are just knocking on the door of the five. Once again, I can't jump with such delight on Mulholland Drive train, and I can't say I has aching for Watts to be nominated; but she was good in her film. But Sigourney and Reese carve enjoyable comedic characters in their films, and though I suppose it’s residual adolescence I do find Stiles charming in Save the Last Dance.

              

Judi Dench in Iris

Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge

Nicole Kidman in The Others

Sissy Spaceck in In the Bedroom

Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones’ Diary

Judi Dench’s Iris is not her strongest work, but it’s still nomination worthy. Nicole Kidman takes the gold and silver for Moulin Rouge and The Others respectively. Of course double nods are not allowed at Oscar, but both were exceedingly impressive performances. Sissy Spaeck is third for her haunting work in In the Bedroom. 

"I'm alone, I'm not lonely. I'm depressed - you're depressing me."
               
Bessie in Marvin's Room (1996)

"Oh my goodness, just look at you. Are you really that old?"

                   

                          
Louise Bryant in Reds (1981)

"I'm like the dumb girl that doesn't get it. I've never been the dumb girl before. It ain't so great."

I hope you're not getting tired of my year be year process of reviewing the decade. I care if you do. Honest, I do. No one? Good. So, on to the actors of 2002. I didn't see a few of the films with the outstanding males, and when I did I made some different choices. Oh well. Who wants generic picks?

               

Matt Damon in Ocean’s Eleven

Colin Firth in Bridget Jones' Diary

James Gandolfini in The Mexican

Ed Harris in A Beautiful Mind

Clive Owen in Gosford Park

Damon, Firth and Galdolfini rise above some incredibly stock characters and make magic. Damon especially is a hoot as Linus showing some incredible comedic skills. His rapport with the cast [especially Pitt] is delightful to watch and just makes Ocean's Eleven a success. Harris is good in A Beautiful Mind and Owen only just misses the mark as the enigmatic Parks in Gosford Park. 

                            

Sean Bean in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings

Jim Broadbent in Iris

Ian McKellen in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings

Ryan Philippe in Gosford Park

I suppose Philippe seems like a dud here, but if Gosford Park did anything it was proof that he could act. He had an oddly fascinating chemistry with Kristin Scott Thomas and lent a definite charm to the film. So in the battle of Gandalf vs Boromir, Gandalf is the winner. Obviously. Boromir is a mere human. And Jim Broadbent faces off against himself with his Zidler from Moulin Rouge prevailing.

                

George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven

Heath Ledger in A Knight’s Tale

Guy Pearce in Memento

Sean Penn in I Am Sam

Mekhi Phifer in O

Maybe I'm easy on him, but Heath Ledger was oddly charming in A Knight's Tale, and Clooney whom I usually despise works his charm with much aplomb in Ocean's Twelve. Though I never really got into Memento Pearce was fine, and Penn had a tough job with that hammy character in I Am Sam. I'm glad he was nominated at the Oscars actually. He and Phifer are the best of this bottom five.

                 

Russell Crow in A Beautiful Mind

Ethan Hawke in Training Day

Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge

Denzel Washington in Training Day

Tom Wilkinson in In the Bedroom

I suppose it is surprising that Crow is there, but I did feel he was one of the truly strong things about the film. Of the two Training Day guys I’ve already pledged my allegiance to Ethan Hawke who emerges as the winner [surprise, no?] with Tom Wilkinson close behind for heart wrenching turn in In the Bedroom. Ewan McGregor secures the bronze for an underrated and exceptional piece of acting in Moulin Rouge.

                 

Univarn remarked a few days ago in a podcast that 2001 was the beginning of the battle between two franchises – The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I happen to like both, but I don’t really think it’s fair to compare the latter to the former. Other than the two blockbuster hits, 2001 was filled with some goodies. So, on to another year in the decade I’m looking at the technical categories.

                   

“May It Be” from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

“If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters’ Inc

“Come What May” from Moulin Rouge

I didn’t see Pearl Harbour so I can’t make Faith Hill’s “There You’ll Be” eligible. The Mad Hatter did say that I didn’t miss anything, but the song was fine. Schmaltzy, but fine. I wasn’t too keen on the song from Monsters’ Inc. It was good, but I didn’t see it as a winner. We all know about the controversy with song rules not allowing “Come What May” to be eligible. Enya’s “May It Be” was my favourite of the year.

                                     

              

Of course Moulin Rouge was not really that technical in the ostensible way, but it was something of a visual delight – which is why it ends up here. Harry Potter had some cool special effects but of course nothing could conquer The Lord of the Rings. Enough said.

            

                          

The Lord of the Rings trumps again here with Moulin Rouge as a close runner-up. Both films had some effective and sometimes outlandish set designs and both made them work to success. Gosford Park’s art direction was a little more subtle but no less impressive. Is Harry Potter a head-scratcher for you? I hope not. I’m not explaining it.

                 

What a five. Legally Blonde isn’t in my top 3, but you have to admit Reese Witherspoon looked good in pink. The Lord of the Rings trumps here, but Gosford Park had some realistic, lived in and original costumes. Moulin Rouge is next.

              

Gosford Park wins here, easily. Camera movement here was just so effective, and of course it was. It was an Altman flick. The Lord of the Rings and Moulin Rouge battle it out for second and third respectively. The Others and Mulholland Drive both had formidable cinematography

                 

          

Right now we’re entering into that time of year when everyone starts going wild with the lists. Some are fun, and some are not so much fun. And they all come so close together, it’s almost apocalyptic. I'm always interested in good performances as well as good films, so these two lists were delightful, and inspired me somewhat. The decade has come to end and we’ve been privy to lists’ galore – best of the decade, best of the year and on and on. I won’t be revealing my lists of either until the end of the month, but I thought I’d like to revisit the decade before that – the nineties. I’m a child of the nineties, and though I don’t think the aughts [as they’ve been proclaimed] were bad, the nineties were way better. So I’d like to take a look at my favourites of the nineties: year after year. No explanations. Certainly, I’ve not seen all the important films of that decade. But it’s the best of what I’ve seen obviously. So let me unveil my twenty five favourite men of the nineties.

I didn’t go into The Blind Side with any high expectations. It wasn’t the reviews, at least it wasn’t the reviews alone. It just did not look like my type of film. But I thought it would be a mildly entertaining, but unrewarding film. Sandra Bullock has fallen out of my esteem for quite some time. Still, with all the laurels being given to it and with all the buzz around Bullock. I did. To be honest, I’m sorry I did. Just thinking about the film leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, which means I can’t review it properly. And I saw it three days ago. I’ll just say for now, if Sandra is nominated it will be my least favourite of the 50 Best Actress nominees this decade. Sure, she’s the best in the movie – but I just don’t find the movie to be very good. At. All.