Eric wrote:2. ... but not at ALL worth it in one of the only years in recent memory when all five slots could be filled by not just good but great performances.
Would your fifth great, not good performance be the continual Manville snub, or is it Williams? Or someone completely different...though I'm assuming you are thinking of only realistic choices and not Minichmayr or Kim or even Huppert...
Of what I've seen, I'd tag Bening, Portman and Kidman as pretty great. Manville's close enough, though I prefer Sheen (who is obviously not a viable contender). I'm willing to accept on spec that Williams is possibly even better than those four. And Julianne Moore isn't exactly chopped liver.
So even without dipping into the, as usual, fertile field of foreign females (your list + Testud + Jeon + Mezzogiorno + Balibar + Swinton), there's plenty of reasons to not include Swank this year.
Yeah, Bening at that second dinner is reminiscent of Emma Thompson composing herself after that Christmas gift in Love Actually. I can think of nothing more sympathetic.
Well I'd say Blue Valentine is really injured here...I had thought maybe being "unseen" would hurt its chances here early in December, but Gosling even got in here for Lars.
Eric wrote:2. ... but not at ALL worth it in one of the only years in recent memory when all five slots could be filled by not just good but great performances.
Would your fifth great, not good performance be the continual Manville snub, or is it Williams? Or someone completely different...though I'm assuming you are thinking of only realistic choices and not Minichmayr or Kim or even Huppert...
OscarGuy wrote:Nicole Kidman is the one to beat Bening this time. Since there's nothing at all sympathetic about Bening's performance, Kidman has the most Oscar baity role. Portman is unlikely to win simply because Black Swan is going to divide voters a lot.
Kind of a reductive reading of her performance, Wes, no? I thought she was very sympathetic during the Joni Mitchell dinner. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's some of her best work.
Edited By flipp525 on 1292512598
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
Nicole Kidman is the one to beat Bening this time. Since there's nothing at all sympathetic about Bening's performance, Kidman has the most Oscar baity role. Portman is unlikely to win simply because Black Swan is going to divide voters a lot.
I'm glad to see Ruffalo here. It gives him a much better standing for an Oscar nomination.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Hmm, nice to see Swank thrown in as a surprise contender. Does anyone think a nomination for La Hilary at the Oscars would actually work in Bening's favour? In a close race between Bening and Portman - which we could have this season - a media/blogger frenzy around this tired old 'rivalry' could be enough to swing things Bening's way.
1. Having Swank back in the thick of it and not Rockwell is adding insult to injury, but yes, worth if just to set up another round of the lamest "rivalry" in Oscar history ...
2. ... but not at ALL worth it in one of the only years in recent memory when all five slots could be filled by not just good but great performances.
3. Boys, boys. Mila Kunis is hot. I'll grant you that. But I'd put her at a pretty distant third among Black Swan's supporting females, with Winona Ryder's brief but fantastic performance first in line.
The Social Network
The King’s Speech
The Fighter
The Kids are Alright
Black Swan
ACTOR
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
James Franco – 127 Hours
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Robert Duvall – Get Low
ACTRESS
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Annette Bening – The Kids are Alright
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
Hilary Swank – Conviction
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
Christian Bale – The Fighter
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids are Alright
John Hawkes – Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner - The Town
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Melisa Leo – The Fighter
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Hailee Stanfeld – True Grit
Mila Kunis – Black Swan
