Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1964 for Best Actress

1964's nominees went from dull as dishwater to rousing. two actresses in '64 were left out of the running and neither of them was dull as dishwater.

#'s 4 and 5 were basically dull as dishwater

#5 ann bancroft in 'the pumpkin eater'

'the pumpkin eater' is a dud. ms bancroft's performances rises above the material but suffers from lousy dialogue and dreary direction. this should have been audrey hepburn's slot for 'my fair lady' but hollywood wanted revenge for her being cast in that film.

# 4 kim stanley in 'seance on a wet afternoon'

film officianados know how good ms stanley was. see her in 1958's 'the goddess' and see how brilliant she could be. her myra savage in this film was good. it's the material here that killed her chances for a win. boring! her stage career outranked her film career. her nom here was a win for her.

#'s 3, 2 and 1 were all rousing in their own way

#3 debbie reynolds in 'the unsinkable molly brown'

ms reynolds gives a roaring musical performance to say the least. actually despite the material she gives one of the best musical performances of all time here. another year another time she may have won. the film and it's plot are slight. her leading man a dullard. the musical's lyrics and music are not top notch. however, debbie rises above the material and saves the whole damn thing.

#2 julie andrews in 'mary poppins'

we all know why ms andrews won the oscar. jack warner is why. his 'fair lady' was not even

nominated although she, audrey hepburn, was divine in the role of eliza doolittle. after snubbing julie andrews for 'my fair lady' hollywood took revenge on jack warner in this category. although 'my fair lady' would win best picture ms hepburn was snubbed. so was the revenge really on audrey who was told ms andrews would not get the part no matter what as some other actress was waiting in the wings? therefore audrey has revealed she could not say 'no'.

i do not begrudge julie her oscar. as she said said in her acceptance speech 'americans are so generous but this is ridicolous''. well in this case she was right. it was generous and it was ridiculous. she just ranks as another winner who should not have won.

#1 sophia loren in 'marriage italian style'

sophia gives her second best performance ever as filumena in 'marriage italian style' right after cesira in 'two women'. it's amazing to me that her roles in hollywood films leave me cold. she is so so much better in her native tongue and on her home turf. her comedic range and dramatic turns in this film are a true example of a multi talented actress. a talent, gift, to behold. she would have won her second oscar putting the andrews/hepburn thing aside.

**************

so who got left out? both ava gardner and deborah kerr in 'the night of the iguana'. i can only guess they split the votes on the nomination ballot. ms gardner gave the best performance of her career here. ms kerr generally gave wonderful performances and this was no exception. they both deserved the nomination over ann bancroft and kim stanley.

and the aforementioned ms hepburn was regally snubbed

Tom Hooper Please Say It Ain't So!

anne hathaway as fontine in 'lez miz'? you gotta be kidding us. first of all she is too old. and second, though more important there is no way she can play 'the innocent fontine'. anne hathaway play innocent? maybe they should have cast mariln monroe in 'the nun's story'. please do not ruin a great musical with this miscast. you got high praise for your work with colin firth and the entire ensemble in 'the king's speech'. keep your record and casting clean. hathaway is awful. have you seen her last few films. she is becoming box office poison and rightfully so. i hope this is a nightmare i'm having. please please say it ain't so!

Idiot of the Week: Michelle Bachmann

i question the existence of a god that many hold faith to. it's crazies like michelle bachmann who invokes his holy name in less than holy ways. crazy michelle now believes that this, her, god creates hurricanes and earthquakes to let congress know that it must get it's fiscal house in order!?! really michelle, really? this is what your god believes in? oooo i know you tried to walk that back but that horse was already out of the gate. there are moments michelle that you make rick santorum almost appear sane. almost. now michelle be happy here because you beat out cheyney as this week's winner. i mean he was only rewriting history. again! you dear looney michelle are rewriting, or writing new, theology. you win. you are the idiot of the week.

perhaps his looney tune republican candidate has forgotten this from god: 'do not use the name of your lord god in vain'. perhaps she has.

p.s. michelle how gay is your husband? you can tell me. it'll be our secret.

(tomorrow best actress nominees 1964)

Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1960 for Best Actress

1960 best actress nominees range from the sublime to the ridiculous

#5

elizabeth taylor in 'butterfield 8'

'butterfield 8' simply put was trash. hollywood thought elizabeth was dying after a tracheotomy. paleeze!

even ms taylor said the film was crap and that she was awful in it. it may be the worst performance by a respected actress of all time.

it's a damn shame because two wonderful performances got left in the dark.

ms taylor for 'butterfield 8' is...
the ridiculous!

(in fact: the most ridiculous nomination and win in this field to date)

********

#4 greer garson in 'sunrise at campobello'

definitely an also ran performance. it was ralph bellamy's film. ms garson has ms taylor to thank for not placing last.

*********

#3

melina mercouri in 'never on sunday'

ms mercouri shined as the ilya the proverbial 'prostitute with a heart of gold'. i still love watching her performance every now and then even as the film itself becomes more 'creaky'.

********

#2

shirley maclaine in 'the apartment'

ms maclaine was a wonder as fran kubelik in 'the apartment'. it cemented her fate as leading lady and star. being nominated for this best picture winner certainly pumped up her resume.

********

#1

deborah kerr in 'the sundowners'

what to do about deborah? ms kerr lost the oscar yet again but this time to a damn tracheotomy. i ask you, beg you, to watch the train sequence where ms kerr as ida, wife of 'sundowner' robert mitchum, eyes her compartment companion. without a single line of dialouge ms kerr lays bare to us ida's very being and her longings of all that might have been but never would be. a superb performance. ms taylor indeed!

the sublime

Kate

today's my birthday. i'm celebrating it here updating the films of kate winslet. indulge me.

with two films coming out this season it's time to review the films of kate winslet adding 'contagion' (9/9) and 'carnage' (12/16) to the tribute.

'Castle' Season 4 Promo

she lives...well hell she has to or there would be no show. duh!

smart, sexy, funny...we just hope it stays that way. anyway september 19th is getting closer and becket and castle will be back with one of the best casts on network tv.

season 4 promo:

The Help' ***stars

it is wonderful that 'the help' has become a grand slam winner at the box office. it's a mainstream film that touches the heart while it is at the same time disturbing. but wait...the disturbing parts are infact the most touching. i think this movie could have been second rate though were it not for the brilliant performances of the lead women in it. viola davis, emma stone, octavia spencer, allison janney, sissy spacek and bryce dallas howard all shine.

pampered white southern women and their 'help'. i have often seen this subject matter treated in more cliched films over the years. here it is not so cliched. i don't think it's the 'last word' on the subject. it should not be the 'last word' but for now it is the best word so far.

viola davis and octavia spencer should get academy consideration come oscar time in best actress and supporting categories respectively. they get a nom from me. there are not many really good parts for black actresses on screen. these two actresses nabbed two of the best to date.

i think just about everyone has seen this film judging from the boffo box office it has done. if you have not i say put it on your list of things to do and see it before the fall/winter oscar hopefuls take over our collective movie going.

********

*****

now why have i waited so long to see it? well i heard melissa harris-perry discuss it on 'the last word with lawrence o'donnell'. i so so respect ms harris-perry and hearing her 'review' i opted out of going to see it. but word of mouth spread and thus i had see it. also, good friends were urging me to see it. so using viola davis's probable oscar nom as an excuse i went.needless to say i am not sorry i did. but the words of ms harris-perry would not leave me throughout my viewing of it.

when i got home i had to re-watch her interview with mr o'donnell. now, i am not a black woman nor a black man. i'm a northern white gay man somehow transplanted to the south (what the hell was i thinking or smoking?). i do not stand in ms harris-perry's shoes nor the shoes of her ancestors. yet after seeing the film i have to ask: 'what am i missing here?'.

i have no answer to this.so in a way i bow to melissa's first hand knowledge. i am sharing her interview so you can hear her in her own words. you need to decide for yourself. in any case i continue to follow ms harris-perry and her thoughtfulness and hope msnbc graduates her from the 'best substitute teacher' around and gives her tenure as tulane university has done.

ms harris-perry in her own words:

i see strength in adversity in these women. and may i add that i also see the strength in emma stone's character as the white woman who dared to stand up and be counted as a woman of courage. i recommend this beautifully told story and it's wonderful performances.

trailer

Oscarbation:: Contender 'The Artist'

the weinstein's have pulled off miracles before but can they sell a love letter to days gone by with a black and white silent film. the festival circuit is in love with it. critics are raving about it. but will an under 50 crowd buy tix for it. i too often hear people say they don't even like to watch the older black and white classics. so i wonder if only cinephiles will go see what looks to be a charming film. check out the trailer below. what do you think? will it be oscar bait. i think it possible.

opening november 23

'Chicago' Revival Becomes Broadway's Fourth Longest Running Show Tonight As It Passes 'Chorus Line'

i love this revival. it's kind od amazing that a revival has run so long. the movie version has come and gone. it was a fairly good version of the show but can't compare to this well conceived version that is still a broadway killer.

some memories with bebe neuwirth and ann reinking

bebe and karen ziemba: 'hot honey rag' and 'nowadays'

bebe and 'all that jazz'

'Fireflies in the Garden'

this 1978 film (worldwide release) will get it's stateside opening oct.14. the trailer looks interesting so why was this julia roberts/ryan reynolds starer held up so long.

Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1942 for Best Actress

it was a mixed crop in 1942. only two of the performances stand the test of time. the remaining three are either forgotten or should be. it was for the most part a mediocre year for actresses on film.

#5

teresa wright in 'pride of the yankees

this was gary cooper's film. ms wright always charmed on screen but never a great actress. ms wright would justifiably win this same year in the supporting category in 'mrs miniver'

#4

rosalind russell in 'my sister eileen'

ms russell charmed as usual but this film and her role in it were not award worthy in the least. the frothy tale of two sisters in greenwich village would be considered a just a piece of fluff and her performance just short of cotton candy.

#3

greer garson in 'mrs. miniver

a long drawn out bore of a film. it was a propaganda film for the allies in world war 2. it was highly popular at the time and it's very nature ms garson to the stage to receive her oscar. she then proceeded to give one of the most effusive acceptance speeces ever. they should have grapped it from her hands then and there and handed it to the rightful winner.

#2

katharine hepburn in 'woman of the year'

damn when she was with spencer tracy ms hepburn she shined. the film, mr tracy and the wonderful ms hepburn stands the test of time.

#1

bette davis in 'now voyager'

ms davis shines as the repressed, overweight charlotte vale dominated by an overbearing verbally abusive upper crust mother. the transformation of charlotte from ugly duckling to swan and from an abused 'nothing' to a woman of strength and courage lies in ms davis's performance. she is perfectly magnificent and she 'wuz' robbed.

Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1928-1933 for Best Actress

i have not seen all the nominees so i will not rank them here. actually it is virtually impossible to see all the nominees in their respective films. for instance 'the letter' starring jeanne eagels (1929) is seemingly gone as in non existent.

the only way i can handle the first six years is to just name the winners so they can go into the ranking of all the winners eventually.

so moving on the winners between 1928 and 1933 are:

1987: janet gaynor for, well like, three films. yup 3 out of the 5 best actress nominations went to ms. gaynor. most cinema historians name 'seventh heaven' as the win although it seems the official academy records seem to name her for all of them. so what the hell i'll go with 'seventh heaven' as it's the only one i saw. as is obvious for it's time it was a silent film. the only silent actress performance to win.

1929: mary pickford in 'coquete'. this was ms pickford's first talkie. thus the first actress to win for a 'talkie'.

1930: 'norma shearer in 'the divorcee'. the director wanted joan crawford. he did not think ms shearer was sexy enough. she finally got the part and the oscar. hollywood lore says crawford never forgave her. who cares.

1931: marie dressler in 'min and bill'. i think ms dressler is a hoot on film. she certainly was in this film and received this early oscar before hollywood decided comedic roles not worthy of them

1932: helen hayes in 'the sins of madelon claudet'. good work here by ms hayes in her first talkie. along with ms dressler she is the best of this crop of early oscar winners.

1933: katharine hepburn in 'morning glory'. this was ms hepburn's first film role and she was quite lucky it was not her last. the film and her performance in it were absolutely awful. totally unwatchable. this i can say: may robson was robbed for 'lady for a day'.

This Should Scare the Bejesus Out of You

'Castle' Season 3 Promo Shots

damn is it september 19th yet! i love this show and it's entire cast. one of network's best. here's hoping it stays crisp and smart come september.

'Glee'

i find 'glee' a bit scitzoprenic week to week. it seems to lose it's way, find it's way and back and forth. as it heads into it's third season this is the promo they have released.

really this is supposed to make me want to tune in. really? i mean really???

'Sarah's Key' ****stars

sometimes a film comes along that takes over your heart, mind, spirit and readjusts one's moral compass. . 'sarah's key' is one of those films. based on the novel of the same name it's the path of a journalist who uncovers a story that involves the french collabarators of the axix powers in ww2, the jews in the marais section of paris, and eventually her own family as she unlocks the story of sarah's key. sarah is remarkably played by young actress melusine mayance. she locks her brother in a closet during a jewish roundup hoping to release him in a few short days. this would not happen. as journalist julia jarmond investigates the story unfolds in past and present time.

although a work of fiction those of us who have studied the jewish situation during the nazi hell and the vichy collaboration know this story could have happened. i cannot recommend this smallish film enough. it will not get the 'talk' come oscar season but it damn well should. i think i will be hard pressed to find a more important film this season.

and now kristin scott thomas: ms thomas choses her roles wisely. she once again proves here that she is one of the best cinema has to offer. even in silence she explodes. some day, if there is any justice, she will win her oscar.

a surprise appearance by aidan quinn as william rainsford, sarah's son, in the present time of the film is exceptional. it is good to see him in a meaty role, no matter how brief, again. i would give him a supporting actor nod.

with all the fuss of 'schindler's list' and 'sophie's choice' this this the period film that 'moves' you. oddly i found spielberg's 'schindler's list' void of emotion. i found the 'present day' portion of 'sophie's choice' just plain awful. the key to 'sarah's key' is the unlocking of the truth between past and present seamlessly.

as of this day it is my favorite, best, film of 2011.

'sarah's key'

Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1961 for Best Actress

1969 gave us the following: one brilliant performance, one wonderful performance, one breakthrough performance and two fairly good performances.

the nominees were:

#5

piper laurie

piper laurie in 'the hustler' was completely overshadowed by lead actor paul newman. she gave an 'okay' performance that would not have ruled any other year either.

#4

geraldine page

geraldine page in 'summer and smoke' gave a mighty good performance but i always tended to embrace her more on the stage than on the screen. she would go on to win the oscar for a far better role in a far better film.

#3

natalie wood

natalie wood gave a breakout performance in 'splendor in the grass'. she crossed the barrier that most child stars are not able to cross with great success. although many will disagree i believe ms wood was nominated for the wrong film in 1961. she should have been nominated for 'west side story'. she would not have won but at the very least

would have been nominated for her most memorable performance. and she made a lovely maria who made you feel first her joyous innocence and then her tragedy. let me say: i love natalie wood. she lights up the screen always no matter how good or bad the material she had to work with.

#2

audrey hepburn

audrey hepburn was and will always be holly golightly. she charmed her way through 'breakfast at tiffany's' and left an indelible mark on cinematic history. she won the oscar for a lesser role and lost the oscar for a superior role both of which i will address in the days and months to come. had it not been for the actress who holds my #1 spot, as well as the oscar, audrey may have won in 1961. those who know me know my love for audrey. i miss her to this day.

#1

sophia loren

sophia loren in 'two women' gave one of cinemas best performances of all time. actually her performance is a masterpiece. the first actress to win the oscar in a non english speaking role that would not be achieved again until 2007. i cannot find enough words to satisfy her brilliant performance as a mother in world war 2 italy and the abuse, rape, of both herself and her daughter. interesting note on her casting: ms loren was first picked to play the daughter with anna magnani in the role sophia eventually essayed. ms magnani refused to play her mother. ms magnani felt sophia was too old to play her daugter. so on recast ms loren went on to win the oscar as cesira.

brava ms loren.

Kate the Hero

yesterday kate was a hero...saving richard branson's mom when that fire struck his island home. here's to you kate.

from the ap

" Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet helped rescue Richard Branson's elderly mother from a fire that destroyed his Caribbean home.

The Virgin Group boss said in his blog that he wanted to offer "many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping to carry my 90 year (old) mum out of the main house to safety." He joked that Winslet "was wondering when a director was going to shout 'CUT!'

In a separate statement Tuesday, Branson praised Winslet's two children, 10-year-old Mia and 7-year-old Joe, who were also staying in the house when it caught fire. He called them "two of the bravest kids I've ever come across."

and here's a moment from 'romance and cigarettes'

"Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me"