Category: Best Acting

Jeff Bridges survives a horrifying airplane crash and the film follows his personality change in the aftermath. His family finds him difficult to relate to and he feels compelled to reach out to his fellow survivors. The story is a bit uneven in its impact, but the cast is incredible, including Isabella Rossellini, John Turturro, Tom Hulce, and Benicio del Toro. Most incredible is Rosie Perez’s performance as a mother who lost her child in the crash. She transcends her typical role to fully portray the grief and powerlessness required in the role.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

The title of this is no joke. It is an excessively long and exhausting day in the life of the Tyrone family, four lost and broken adults who spend the entire day berating and blaming each other for their own failings and troubles. The acting from Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr., and Dean Stockwell is incredible, but it’s all so very tiring.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Leading Role

I’ve found Margaret Sullavan unexpectedly appealing ever since seeing The Shop Around the Corner. Here she is a sick woman in post-World War I Germany who becomes the shared love interest of long-time friends Robert Young, Robert Taylor, and Franchot Tone. There is a lot of chemistry amongst the foursome and I really appreciate that time is spent showing the relationships in every possible pairing. It’s unusual to see a portrayal of Germany between the wars filmed during that time period. While the politics are only lightly touched, there is a sense that the touch is an honest one for at least some part of the population.  

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Since I’ve been aggressively watching more movies in the last year or two, I have lost count of the number of times I’ve been taken aback by blackface that suddenly inexplicably appears in a musical number. Here again is one of those times. It’s hard to not feel that this musical is a bit of a parallel to Joan Crawford’s real life. Her character here is a Broadway star who aggressively feels like she knows better than anyone else, alienating those around her. There’s a campiness to her portrayal, especially in the choice to have her lip sync to a voice that does not match her own. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

The story here reminds me a lot of Atonement, where a child is exposed to adult love affairs in ways they can’t comprehend. Dominic Guard is a young boy staying with a more wealthy schoolmate’s family for the summer. After his mate comes down with measles, he finds companionship with his mate’s older sister who uses him as the deliverer of secret love letters to a neighboring farmer. Class differences are strictly adhered to here, where Guard’s character is openly mocked for his poorer wardrobe and it is unheard that an aristocrat could marry a simple farmer. While the Victorian countryside is a beautiful setting, everything is drawn out longer than necessary to tell the story.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Supporting Role