Best Supporting Actress 1990
I have to say this is among the most surprising -- shocking even -- of these polls. I had assumed that Lorraine Bracco would win in a landslide. And that most people would share my opinion that Whoopi Goldberg's performance was mediocre and unfunny. Go figure.
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
Bening´s performance was pale in comparison with the big Huston. I´ve seen better works coming from her in recent years.
Ladd is always charismatic and versatile, but the nomination was enough for her that time.
Mc Donnell didn´t cause me a big impression in a boring film
Bracco would have been the indicated, but Goldberg shines in a mediocre love story proving that her talent is undeniable and she went against the rules having broke the tradition of awarding a dramatic performance.
Ladd is always charismatic and versatile, but the nomination was enough for her that time.
Mc Donnell didn´t cause me a big impression in a boring film
Bracco would have been the indicated, but Goldberg shines in a mediocre love story proving that her talent is undeniable and she went against the rules having broke the tradition of awarding a dramatic performance.
Am I missing something, or are you for some reason ignoring the fact that maybe there is a correlation between the fact that it's THE SOPRANOS we're talking about, not The Waltons or The Jeffersons, and that it's ITALIA where it flopped?Reza wrote:Strange but I have all the seasons on DVD.anonymous wrote:It's not even available on DVD?ITALIANO wrote: Unfortunately The Sopranos - while shown for one or two seasons on Italian tv - was such a big flop here that I never got to see it.
I have no idea honestly. One can probably find it on dvd in its original American edition, but only in specialized stores. And I mean, it's not like Italians didn't love some dreadful American series - certainly much worse than The Sopranos.anonymous wrote:It's not even available on DVD?ITALIANO wrote:Unfortunately The Sopranos - while shown for one or two seasons on Italian tv - was such a big flop here that I never got to see it.Mister Tee wrote: Italiano, as Uri has indicated, Bracco didn't just go to TV -- she went to the most celebrated television production of the past two decades
Strange but I have all the seasons on DVD.anonymous wrote:It's not even available on DVD?ITALIANO wrote:Unfortunately The Sopranos - while shown for one or two seasons on Italian tv - was such a big flop here that I never got to see it.Mister Tee wrote: Italiano, as Uri has indicated, Bracco didn't just go to TV -- she went to the most celebrated television production of the past two decades
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anonymous1980
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It's not even available on DVD?ITALIANO wrote:Unfortunately The Sopranos - while shown for one or two seasons on Italian tv - was such a big flop here that I never got to see it.Mister Tee wrote: Italiano, as Uri has indicated, Bracco didn't just go to TV -- she went to the most celebrated television production of the past two decades
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The Original BJ
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1990 was, overall, a lousy year, but I don't dislike the Supporting Actress lineup. It's not one for the ages -- and I, too, wonder why Glenn Close was omitted -- but I think it's respectable enough.
I think it's difficult to find words to evaluate Diane Ladd's performance. So many traditional barometers for great acting (creating a complex character, giving an emotionally or comedically resonant performance, even maintaining a sense of consistency throughout a film) seem like they don't even really apply here. And, to be honest, I kind of like that she was nominated for such a crazy performance in a gonzo movie. But, yes, Wild at Heart is third-tier Lynch, and while Ladd certainly makes some kind of impression, it's far too ludicrous of a performance in a terrible movie for me to pick her.
Mary McDonnell is a fine actress, and I thought she elevated her role in Dances With Wolves quite nicely. She doesn't have much dialogue, but her presence was memorable without reaching for effect. Stands With a Fist isn't a deep enough character that I'd vote for her, and the actress would be more memorable down the road, but I liked her in this role.
Annette Bening was a lot of fun in a sly, sexy role in The Grifters. True, the character is what would become the Bening "type," but I thought she was fresh and funny here. I do think her performance is a bit light, though, and not because of the role -- it seems like Myra could have easily been given some darker edges, but Bening mostly played the part for laughs. What we have, then, is an enjoyable performance, but maybe not one as deeply felt as it could have been.
I know Whoopi gets a lot of criticism for her win, but I don't dislike her performance at all, for one main reason, however base it might be: I just think she's really funny. Of course, it's an over-the-top character, but Goldberg has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments (including "Molly, you in danger, girl," and my personal favorite, "I...uh...signed the wrong name.") It's a scene-stealing role and she played it well. All of that said, it's not such a brilliant piece of acting that I'd want to give her an Oscar. And I could see how, in 1991, Ghost could have been seen as a major Oscar-crasher, whereas, by the time I got to it, I saw it as just a fun pop romance/comedy/horror flick. So, thumbs up for Goldberg for what she accomplishes within the limitations of her film, but I'd definitely cast my vote for a richer performance in a truly great movie.
And Lorraine Bracco provides that opportunity. Yes, she would go on to create a truly iconic TV character on The Sopranos -- she was fantastic in the episode where Dr. Melfi gets raped -- but she was excellent in Goodfellas a decade prior. Karen Hill is a character who struggles to accept that her privileges come with a price, and Bracco finds just the right balance between her fascination with and repulsion of the world of crime she's been sucked into. She's a bracing presence throughout the movie -- charismatic, reckless, outraged -- and my easy vote this year.
I think it's difficult to find words to evaluate Diane Ladd's performance. So many traditional barometers for great acting (creating a complex character, giving an emotionally or comedically resonant performance, even maintaining a sense of consistency throughout a film) seem like they don't even really apply here. And, to be honest, I kind of like that she was nominated for such a crazy performance in a gonzo movie. But, yes, Wild at Heart is third-tier Lynch, and while Ladd certainly makes some kind of impression, it's far too ludicrous of a performance in a terrible movie for me to pick her.
Mary McDonnell is a fine actress, and I thought she elevated her role in Dances With Wolves quite nicely. She doesn't have much dialogue, but her presence was memorable without reaching for effect. Stands With a Fist isn't a deep enough character that I'd vote for her, and the actress would be more memorable down the road, but I liked her in this role.
Annette Bening was a lot of fun in a sly, sexy role in The Grifters. True, the character is what would become the Bening "type," but I thought she was fresh and funny here. I do think her performance is a bit light, though, and not because of the role -- it seems like Myra could have easily been given some darker edges, but Bening mostly played the part for laughs. What we have, then, is an enjoyable performance, but maybe not one as deeply felt as it could have been.
I know Whoopi gets a lot of criticism for her win, but I don't dislike her performance at all, for one main reason, however base it might be: I just think she's really funny. Of course, it's an over-the-top character, but Goldberg has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments (including "Molly, you in danger, girl," and my personal favorite, "I...uh...signed the wrong name.") It's a scene-stealing role and she played it well. All of that said, it's not such a brilliant piece of acting that I'd want to give her an Oscar. And I could see how, in 1991, Ghost could have been seen as a major Oscar-crasher, whereas, by the time I got to it, I saw it as just a fun pop romance/comedy/horror flick. So, thumbs up for Goldberg for what she accomplishes within the limitations of her film, but I'd definitely cast my vote for a richer performance in a truly great movie.
And Lorraine Bracco provides that opportunity. Yes, she would go on to create a truly iconic TV character on The Sopranos -- she was fantastic in the episode where Dr. Melfi gets raped -- but she was excellent in Goodfellas a decade prior. Karen Hill is a character who struggles to accept that her privileges come with a price, and Bracco finds just the right balance between her fascination with and repulsion of the world of crime she's been sucked into. She's a bracing presence throughout the movie -- charismatic, reckless, outraged -- and my easy vote this year.
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Mister Tee
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A dreary year, and a slate here that didn't reflect my choices except for one.
No one's mentioned my favorite supporting actress of the year: Bonnie Bedelia in Presumed Innocent -- a diminished but still decent adaptation of Turow's best-seller, and, for me, the best role the under-appreciated Bedelia ever got.
I'd also support Wiest in Scissorhands and Plowright in Avalon, and, sentimentally, push for Winona Ryder in Mermaids -- a slop-job of a movie that nonetheless engaged me throughout, in which Ryder is as emotionally direct as she ever was to be.
FilmFan, you memory is playing tricks with you: Reversal of Fortune -- my favorite film of the year -- was not a best picture nominee. And, for the record, I didn't think Close had very much of interest to do in the film. It was Jeremy's show all the way.
Of these nominees...I was an enthusiastic Lynch fan, but found Wild at Heart pretty unbearable, and Ladd shrill and over the top. I was kind of stunned she made the cut, and attributed it to a very aggressive trade ad camapign. I like both her other nominations far more.
The main thing I recall about Annette Bening in The Grifters is how good she looked naked. Apart from that, she was okay but not, for me, special.
I actually thought Mary McDonnell might win that year, not because she was anything outstanding but by association wth the unfathomably successful Dances with Wolves. McDonnell is a solid if uncharismatic actress, and I really liked her subsequent work in Passion Fish. But not so much here.
The reason I thought McDonnell might win, in the face of all buzz to the contrary, is because Whoopi winning for a performance like she gave in Ghost was pretty unprecedented. Comic actors had for years been coming along to rescue movies -- Richard Pryor in something like Silver Streak, for instance, had been widely praised for making the film bearable; Steve Martin just a few years earlier had been a highlight of Little Shop of Horrors -- but had never been much noticed by the Oscars. Goldberg was the clear saving grace of Ghost, but didn't seem likely to buck that "ignore the comics" trend...until Ghost emerged as (to most of us) a completely startling best picture nominee. I'm of two minds about her ultimate win: 1) we can't complain, as so many do, that Cary Grant/Chaplin/all the great comedians never won an Oscar, and then bitch when a comic performer does win for doing his or her basic thing; but 2) I really didn't much care for the movie, and, to put it mildly, don't think there's much nuance in the performance.
Which brings me to Lorraine Bracco, the easy if not overwhelming choice here. Italiano, as Uri has indicated, Bracco didn't just go to TV -- she went to the most celebrated television production of the past two decades, and well proved her talent. Good Fellas is early work for her, but an excellent role for which she is perfectly suited. In this crowd, she's the clear queen.
No one's mentioned my favorite supporting actress of the year: Bonnie Bedelia in Presumed Innocent -- a diminished but still decent adaptation of Turow's best-seller, and, for me, the best role the under-appreciated Bedelia ever got.
I'd also support Wiest in Scissorhands and Plowright in Avalon, and, sentimentally, push for Winona Ryder in Mermaids -- a slop-job of a movie that nonetheless engaged me throughout, in which Ryder is as emotionally direct as she ever was to be.
FilmFan, you memory is playing tricks with you: Reversal of Fortune -- my favorite film of the year -- was not a best picture nominee. And, for the record, I didn't think Close had very much of interest to do in the film. It was Jeremy's show all the way.
Of these nominees...I was an enthusiastic Lynch fan, but found Wild at Heart pretty unbearable, and Ladd shrill and over the top. I was kind of stunned she made the cut, and attributed it to a very aggressive trade ad camapign. I like both her other nominations far more.
The main thing I recall about Annette Bening in The Grifters is how good she looked naked. Apart from that, she was okay but not, for me, special.
I actually thought Mary McDonnell might win that year, not because she was anything outstanding but by association wth the unfathomably successful Dances with Wolves. McDonnell is a solid if uncharismatic actress, and I really liked her subsequent work in Passion Fish. But not so much here.
The reason I thought McDonnell might win, in the face of all buzz to the contrary, is because Whoopi winning for a performance like she gave in Ghost was pretty unprecedented. Comic actors had for years been coming along to rescue movies -- Richard Pryor in something like Silver Streak, for instance, had been widely praised for making the film bearable; Steve Martin just a few years earlier had been a highlight of Little Shop of Horrors -- but had never been much noticed by the Oscars. Goldberg was the clear saving grace of Ghost, but didn't seem likely to buck that "ignore the comics" trend...until Ghost emerged as (to most of us) a completely startling best picture nominee. I'm of two minds about her ultimate win: 1) we can't complain, as so many do, that Cary Grant/Chaplin/all the great comedians never won an Oscar, and then bitch when a comic performer does win for doing his or her basic thing; but 2) I really didn't much care for the movie, and, to put it mildly, don't think there's much nuance in the performance.
Which brings me to Lorraine Bracco, the easy if not overwhelming choice here. Italiano, as Uri has indicated, Bracco didn't just go to TV -- she went to the most celebrated television production of the past two decades, and well proved her talent. Good Fellas is early work for her, but an excellent role for which she is perfectly suited. In this crowd, she's the clear queen.
The movie wasn't nominated for Best Picture but, even if it had been, she would have never won over Goldberg.FilmFan720 wrote:So here's a question. Had they nominated her this year, with the film's Best Picture nomination and Irons win, could Close have won her long-awaited Oscar over Goldberg?Big Magilla wrote:Maybe they thought five nominations in seven years without a win was enough.FilmFan720 wrote:Glenn Close in Reversal of Fortune (any idea how she missed out on a nomination?)
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FilmFan720
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So here's a question. Had they nominated her this year, with the film's Best Picture nomination and Irons win, could Close have won her long-awaited Oscar over Goldberg?Big Magilla wrote:Maybe they thought five nominations in seven years without a win was enough.FilmFan720 wrote:Glenn Close in Reversal of Fortune (any idea how she missed out on a nomination?)
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Wild at Heart in one of the very few films I haven't sat through and left mid screening. And from what I remember, Ladd's over the top antics were part of the reasons I found that film atrocious.
I haven't seen Dances With Wolves in ages, by I believes I saw it in a much kinder light them many here – and unsurprisingly McDonnel's turn, quite like the movie itself, was well meaning yet not overly self righteous and certainly not unintelligent. Fine but not remarkable performance.
Goldberg was rather amusing in a broad, vaudevillian kind of way, but there was nothing more to it. And great part of her impact was as a result of her performance being totally out of synch with the rest of her film, which make her turn an un-supporting performance in a way.
Back in '90 I'd probably have gone with Benning – she projected an air of artificiality, calculation and a total lack of an ability to relax which was perfect for the role, and since it was the first time I saw her apart from her (rather similar) bit in Postcards, and it was in a movie I loved, I was very impressed. But then the more I saw her in other films I realized that this constant control and always-on-persona was what she's capable of. Sometimes, like here, it works brilliantly, but most of the times I find it rather tiring.
Unlike Marco, I did see The Sopranos, so unlike what I felt for many years following GoodFellas, I don't find Bracco very fine performance a one time wonder anymore, so I'm happy to go with her here.
To the names already mentioned (first and foremost MacLaine, but also Close, Wiest and Baker), I'll add Marcia Gay Harden, in Miller’s Crossing and Huston was starkly effective in a grand campy way in The Witches.
Edited By Uri on 1287505038
I haven't seen Dances With Wolves in ages, by I believes I saw it in a much kinder light them many here – and unsurprisingly McDonnel's turn, quite like the movie itself, was well meaning yet not overly self righteous and certainly not unintelligent. Fine but not remarkable performance.
Goldberg was rather amusing in a broad, vaudevillian kind of way, but there was nothing more to it. And great part of her impact was as a result of her performance being totally out of synch with the rest of her film, which make her turn an un-supporting performance in a way.
Back in '90 I'd probably have gone with Benning – she projected an air of artificiality, calculation and a total lack of an ability to relax which was perfect for the role, and since it was the first time I saw her apart from her (rather similar) bit in Postcards, and it was in a movie I loved, I was very impressed. But then the more I saw her in other films I realized that this constant control and always-on-persona was what she's capable of. Sometimes, like here, it works brilliantly, but most of the times I find it rather tiring.
Unlike Marco, I did see The Sopranos, so unlike what I felt for many years following GoodFellas, I don't find Bracco very fine performance a one time wonder anymore, so I'm happy to go with her here.
To the names already mentioned (first and foremost MacLaine, but also Close, Wiest and Baker), I'll add Marcia Gay Harden, in Miller’s Crossing and Huston was starkly effective in a grand campy way in The Witches.
Edited By Uri on 1287505038
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FilmFan720
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I don't know what the griping is about, I always thought this was a pretty strong lineup. If nothing else, all the nominees are actresses I like quite a bit, giving performances that show them off fairly well.
Mary McDonnell is the weakest link in the category, but along with Graham Greene lifts her film up. Ladd is fun (in a film I probably like more than most around here), but there isn't much to her work.
I'm surprised Goldberg is doing so well here. She is certainly hilarious in Ghost, but she is up against two great gangster moll performances. Bracco finds a real depth (more than any other actor) in GoodFellas, and has some fantastic scenes. But I gave my vote to Bening, who gives the best performance of her career (haven't seen The Kids Are All Right yet) in The Grifters. She is sexy, charming and sleek.
What is remarkable is that all five of these actresses have pretty much stock characters that they elevate above the usual.
My choice for best of the year would be Jennifer Jason Leigh in Last Exit to Brooklyn. I would also single out Kathy Baker in Edward Scissorhands (over Dianne Wiest) and of course Glenn Close in Reversal of Fortune (any idea how she missed out on a nomination?)
Edited By FilmFan720 on 1287498959
Mary McDonnell is the weakest link in the category, but along with Graham Greene lifts her film up. Ladd is fun (in a film I probably like more than most around here), but there isn't much to her work.
I'm surprised Goldberg is doing so well here. She is certainly hilarious in Ghost, but she is up against two great gangster moll performances. Bracco finds a real depth (more than any other actor) in GoodFellas, and has some fantastic scenes. But I gave my vote to Bening, who gives the best performance of her career (haven't seen The Kids Are All Right yet) in The Grifters. She is sexy, charming and sleek.
What is remarkable is that all five of these actresses have pretty much stock characters that they elevate above the usual.
My choice for best of the year would be Jennifer Jason Leigh in Last Exit to Brooklyn. I would also single out Kathy Baker in Edward Scissorhands (over Dianne Wiest) and of course Glenn Close in Reversal of Fortune (any idea how she missed out on a nomination?)
Edited By FilmFan720 on 1287498959
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
- Minor Myers, Jr.