Although I complained about Black Swan‘s girl-on-girl trailer and the meat-headed press coverage it received a few months back, I actually enjoyed the film itself when saw it earlier this week.
Not only did Natalie Portman get a complex, interesting and, apparently, “inspiring” role, but the mainly female cast – comprised of Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder – also had plenty to work with. What was especially nice was that the story wasn’t exclusive to a woman’s experience – themes like ambition, greed, talent, revenge and paranoia made this more than a movie about girls in tutus. As I’ve already said, it’s not that I hate chick flicks, it’s that I want to see more female-centric films that are about people.
And, to a large extent, 2010 delivered. I’ve been perusing several different Oscar Prediction blogs and sites the past few days, and while some of the same names keep popping up – Natalie Portman, Carey Mulligan, Julianne Moore, Annette Benning, among others – the race still seems wide open.
Iconcinema‘s list is divided into Long Shots, Dark Horses and Likely Nominations, the …
… last list consisting of Hilary Swank for Betty Anne Waters, Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine, Naomi Watts for Fair Game, Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole and Helen Mirren for Whichever of the Four Movies She Was in This Year.
Oscar Frenzy’s list guarantees Natalie Portman a nomination, says Carey Mulligan for Never Let Me Go is a possibility, but ultimately argues that a more “established” actress will probably win – in this case, Naomi Watts for Fair Game. Not quite sure what that means, given that Portman and Watts have been acting in films for about the same amount of time and, arguably, Portman has been in the spotlight for longer, but there you have it.
Film Misery, meanwhile, thinks that Annette Benning and Julianne Moore are long overdue for Oscar gold, and the fact that both starred in the same controversial film about lesbian mothers gives them both a strong chance at a nomination. Meanwhile, the author thinks that Hilary Swank (whose Conviction role strikes him as “Oscar bait,” and Jennifer Lawrence – “this year’s Gabourey Sidibe” – also stand a chance, and then tosses in Hathaway, Watts, Mulligan, Mirren, Kidman and Adams as possibilities as well.
Finally, the blog Times Like Those has created a color-coded, number-crunched spreadsheet of the many possibilities for Best Actress, placing Benning, Portman, Lawrence, Kidman and Leslie Manville as the top 5.
Personally, I think this is Portman’s year. Not just because Black Swan was good and Portman was good in it, but also because Natalie has been churning out decent performances for nearly two decades and has only been nominated for 2004′s Closer in which she played an enigmatic stripper (ugh).
The film is high-profile enough to get the nomination, but also artsy enough to merit the votes. But, as I’ve already said – or at least hinted at – this was a good year for varied, complex roles for women. I’m happy that the majority of the names being mentioned were not cast in the “wife/girlfriend/lover/interest of lead character” role.
Just please, for the love of God, not Gwyneth Paltrow in Country Strong. We don’t need another Blind Side win this year.
What’s that droning sound. Oh, it’s this thread. tl;dr.
Well, I’ll go ahead and say that I hate romcoms. I hate them. Detest them, even. So I’m thrilled that there are loads of women in starring roles in movies about anything but romantic fluff; lamentably, I haven’t seen any of the aforementioned movies.
“Romcoms,” “lamentably” and “aforementioned.” Are you a wizard?
Portman has suffered because of her association with the atrocity that was the Star Wars Episodes 1-3. Those movies were so bad that no one has really rebounded, except maybe Liam Neeson but then again he is a god among mortals so that’s to be expected. Even my favorite, Ewan McGregor has had nothing but mediocre and tepid responses since playing Obi Wan. And Portman was particularly ill-used in those movies and it will probably take her some time to wipe the stench off her.
Hmmmmm, from Forbes:
“While Lucas himself has done very well–he’s personally worth $3.5 billion, according to our ranking of the world’s richest people–the amount of money generated by the Star Wars franchise over the course of its lifetime is about equivalent to the 2004 gross domestic product of Panama–over $20 billion.”
Gimme some of that stench.
No one said the movie going public was particularly intelligent or discerning. Give them some flashy CGI and a tacked on romance and they’ll watch just about anything.
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone gives the performance of the year. Certainly not as “showy” as Natalie Portman’s but she literally carries the entire movie on her back. Winter’s Bone also received the most Independent Spirit nominations but will likely be short-changed by the Oscars because it won’t launch massive star-driven ad campaigns.
As much as everybody adores Black Swan I’ve yet to hear any explanation about what parts are real and what is illusion/metaphor. For me this detracted from the movie experience and Portman’s performance.
To clarify: I didn’t think Black Swan was necessarily the best film of the near, nor do I think Natalie Portman gave the best performance. But I do think that, given the usual Oscar politics, she has the best chance of winning.
I haven’t seen Winter’s Bone yet, though. Thanks for the recommendation.
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