It’s OSCAR season!!!
And in honor of this joyous time of year, leading up to the telecast on March 2nd, I will be positing a series of rankings of the nominees for Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, and Best Picture. I will also share my prediction of who will win and who I felt was the biggest snub in each category.
As always, feel free to agree, disagree and/or rank your own nominees in the Comment Box below.
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Next up: Best Supporting Actress
(5) Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
I know that I’m going against the grain here but I believe popularity was the cause for her nomination (and potential win), not the performance. She was cute, and delivered some laughs, sure. But, I’ve seen this character done before (and quite frankly better) by Marissa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. Tomei DID win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and the Academy tends to parody themselves.
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(4) Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
She was…fine. In… a so-so movie. I wouldn’t say it was a remarkable performance, by any means, but a solid one. Was it Oscar worthy? I dare to say that she was not only over shadowed by Cate Blanchett’s performance (which is completely understandable) but also by Andrew Dice Clay. Yes, you read that correctly. “OHHHHHHHH!”
https://youtu.be/FER3C394aI8
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(3) June Squibb (Nebraska)
Admittedly, I had NO idea of who June Squibb was and why she was getting so much Oscar buzz. But then…I saw the movie. Not the most difficult role but for lack of a better word, she was delightful. She STOLE the film.
https://youtu.be/UT5tqPojMtg
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(2) Julia Roberts (August Osage County)
I think she dropped the F bomb (and other unsavory words) more in this movie, than she has in her entire career. Not that that is a bad thing, quite the opposite actually. She dove into this role head first and any traits of her earlier work disappeared. In a film chock full of “loud” performances, she remained grounded and realistic. She also went head-to-head with Meryl Streep and more than held her own. If that doesn’t deserve a nomination, I don’t know what does!
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(1) Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave)
Was there a rawer, emotional, riveting, more powerful display of acting this year? I challenge you to find it. She was the definition of fearless, and with not a ton of dialogue or screen time, she made every second/word memorable.
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WHO WILL WIN:
Jennifer Lawrence (It will be a photo finish with Nyong’o, but J-Law will emerge with the trophy.)
WHO SHOULD WIN:
Lupita Nyong’o
WILD CARD:
June Squibb
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BIGGEST SNUB:
Scarlett Johansson (Her)
– Yes, I realize that she never appears on screen, as she was only the voice for a computer operating system. But what makes her performance all the more impressive, is that she convinced the audience that this person (Joaquin Phoenix) would fall deeply in love with her, without the presence of a body, a facial expression, or even glance of an eye. And FUN FACT, she was a replacement. Samantha Morton was originally cast and was on set every day to play off of Joaquin Phoenix. Spike Jonze recast, and Johansson recorded all her lines during post-production.
https://youtu.be/WzV6mXIOVl4
LINK
Matt’s Movie Rank Tank – ‘Special Oscar Edition-Part 1: Best Supporting Actor’ by Matt Baughman.
Watch the Academy Awards on ABC on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 8 PM.
The Oscars website.
