Saturday, February 21, 2009

Oscar Death Race pt. 11 (GIRLSGIRLSGIRLS)

All the single ladies! (All the single ladies!) All the single ladies! (All the single ladies!) Now put your hands up!



Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

- Changeling - Angelina Jolie
- Doubt - Meryl Streep
- Frozen River - Melissa Leo
- Rachel Getting Married - Anne Hathaway
- The Reader - Kate Winslet

Who Should Win?: Jolie was okay. Winslet was okay, I guess, in one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Streep was fun, especially cuz she seems to be playing the stupid screenplay for laughs a lot more than the rest of the cast or, indeed, the director. Her last scene is awful though. Melissa Leo is really good in Frozen River, but if you've been paying attention to these last few posts, you know I'm going with Anne Hathaway, whose performance in Rachel Getting Married I can't praise enough. She makes you really, really care about this annoying, selfish character, doesn't go for cheap tears nearly as much as you might expect her too, and has really great chemistry with the rest of the cast. I'm pretty sure she's not gonna win this, but if she did, it would make me happier than any other award that's still possible for Sunday.

Who Will Win?: Betting against Meryl Streep is always a shaky proposition, but this really seems like Winslet's year. So Kate Winslet, a usually awesome actress, will get the Oscar for maybe the worst performance (in definitely the worst movie) of her career. That's just how the Oscars go.

Who Got Snubbed?: First of all, I gotta rep for Michelle Williams, who, if Wendy and Lucy was a bigger deal, would totally be getting the Pretty Young Actress With No Makeup Oscar Nomination. She's really great in that movie, though. And then there's Sally Hawkins, who has probably won more Oscar precursors without getting a nomination than anyone ever, which is a goddamn crime. Her character in Happy-Go-Lucky is a very interesting one, but one with a lesser actress could've been too annoying and too one-dimensional. Instead, Poppy is one of the most interesting characters of the year. Once again, academy, you suck.

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