Favorite Actresses

We all have favorites. People who we just love to love despiteof their credentials or filmography. Case and point: the recent love-fest for Sandra Bullock because everybody just seems to really love that girl in spite of never having turned in a performance that wowed everybody (sorry, The Blind Side.)

I've decided to list my favorite actresses. This is not a list of whom I think are the best actresses (with perhaps some overlappage), but rather a list of which actresses excite me on and off the screen. I've limited the number of actresses to fifteen, and they are actresses currently making movies. If you're reading this, please join in either in the comments or in your own blog and tell me about it so I can link to it!

Here they are...

(order is completely 100% random)

Marion Cotillard

Penelope Cruz

Anna Kendrick

Nicole Kidman

Michelle Pfeiffer

Parker Posey

Amy Adams

Susan Sarandon

Renee Zellweger

Julia Roberts

Reese Witherspoon

Keira Knightley

Jennifer Aniston

Sigourney Weaver

Evan Rachel Wood

Best Actress - All That Film Style

Best of 2009, and this time we're talking leading ladies. Like the last award, this one will be named after a great thespian, too.





And this will be called the Katharine Hepburn Leading Actress Award! For those lovable leads. (Naturally "Katharine Hepburn" is standing in for the regular "Best.")










The nominees are...

Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer
For simultaneously being the girl we loved, and wanted to kill ourselves over.


Carey Mulligan, An Education
For irritating and charming us as a woman of the world and a confused school girl.


Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
For giving a voice to someone so often forgotten.


Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
For being a delight on the big screen in a big way.


Renee Zellweger, My One and Only
For flirting not just with tons of men, but the audience.



The winners will be in a separate post later on! Comments? Please, do share!



(And there aren't any pics. this time guys, sorry! It's kind of complicated to get them in the post, does nobody else have this problem? Hm...)

Wow!

Last post of the decade...wow!

These are my WOW! moments of the decade. They could be good or bad... let's see. (The number of runners-up varies, but I'll try to limit it to five!)

The Wow! I want to see more of you! award goes to...

Anne Hathaway - The Princess Diaries

Who didn't want to see more of Anne Hathaway after The Princess Diaries? She's fun, she's cute, she's enjoyable. The best part of Anne Hathaway is that you can tell she's having a good time. She's not one of these mopers that complains about fame or paparazzi or whatever. She's just a joy. And talented.

Runners-up:

Amy Adams in Junebug

Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Carey Mulligan in An Education

Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot

Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air

Too many others to name! What a good decade for break-outs that (seem to) have potential.


The Wow! I want to see less of you! award goes to...

TIE! Megan Fox - Transformers and Paul Giamatti - Every film he is in

Megan Fox- Yuck! I can't see what other guys see in her looks-wise. And I can see what everyone else sees in her acting wise: nothing. Zip. Zero personality, stale line reading, a total and utter bore. Everything Anne Hathaway is, Megan Fox is not.

Paul Giamatti- I cannot describe the pain you bring to me when you act on screen. It's either your innate annoyingness or some Paul Giamatti character you're putting on that makes me ill. Please, leave the next decade alone!

Runners-up:

Orlando Bloom in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Hayden Panettiere in Heroes and I Love You, Beth Cooper


The Wow! ensemble in a film award goes to...

The cast of Moulin Rouge!

In a movie that could have been downright silly, this cast, including Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor at their absolute best, makes this film a drama, a musical, a romance for the ages. Kudos!

Runners-up:
The casts of...
Chicago
The Aviator
Adaptation.
Juno
Up in the Air

The Wow! male performance in a film (lead/supporting) award goes to...

Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Johnny Depp was always a kooky kind of guy, but the films he were in were never kooky enough (in the right way). That is until he landed the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean. This was the vehicle Johnny Depp needed all along to show us how funny and offbeat he was as an actor. Here's looking at you, Johnny.





Runners-up:
George Clooney in Up in the Air
Nicolas Cage in Adaptation.
Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge!
Sean Penn in Milk

Sorry supporting men, you just didn't do it for me. Better luck next decade (if this blog is still even around!).


The Wow! female performance in a film (lead/supporting) award goes to

Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!

Not a huge surprise here I'm sure, but I don't care. Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! is to the aughts as Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice was to the '80s or Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind was to the '30s. It's that good. It's the performance many will look back on to define the '00s as a decade in film.

Runners-up:
Renee Zellweger in Chicago
Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
Carey Mulligan in An Education
Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Kate Hudson in Almost Famous

So many runners-up! I know I said there would be 5 runners-up, but these were all too good to pass up!


The Wow! I laugh at this (in a good way) every time I see it award goes to...

Mean Girls

Without a doubt the best comedy of the decade, Mean Girls will always be the definitive high school film from this decade. End of story. I'm not posting any runners-up, Regina George wouldn't like that.


My own All That Film Awards for the year 2009 will be up on February 6th, 2010. If the date changes, I'll keep you posted! Before that, here's a 2010 preview of the blog...

A revised list of the best films of the decade!
Oscar coverage, including predictions and desires!
Golden Globes coverage! I find these awards to be the most fun, don't you?
Random musings on actresses!
Hopefully some more reviews on here!
Thoughts on any Broadway shows I see!

Survey from Encore

I got this from Encore's World of TV and Film. Pretty interesting survey I thought I would like to take myself.





1. What's your all time favourite Clark Gable film?
Gone With the Wind of course!


2. Do you like Joan Crawford as a comedienne or drama queen?
I don't like Joan Crawford, but probably as a drama queen because of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

3. In your opinion, should Ginger Rogers have made more musicals post-Fred Astaire?
Nah. She's not so fantastic without Astaire.

4. I promise not to cause you bodily (or any other serious) harm if you don't agree with me on this one. So please be honest: do you like Elizabeth Taylor? Hm?
Yes! Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? A Place in the Sun! Who doesn't love some Liz Taylor?


5. Who is your favorite offscreen Hollywood couple?
Hm... For those who have passed Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, and for those still with us... I'd have to go with a small-screen star John Krasinski and his wife-to-be Emily Blunt. Maybe I'm just on a The Office high after Jim and Pam got married... But I really do love these two!


6. How about onscreen Hollywood couple?
Montgomery Clift and Donna Reed, and then Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity.

8. What was the first Gregory Peck movie you saw?
To Kill a Mockingbird, which is not a great movie...

9. What film made you fall in love with Alfred Hitchcock? (And for those of you that say, "I don't like Hitchcock" -- what is wrong with you?!)
Either Dial M for Murder or Psycho, but probably the former. But I might be falling out of love with him because of To Catch a Thief.


10. What is your favorite book-to-movie adaption?
From Here to Eternity I'd have to say.


11. Do you prefer Shirley Temple as a little girl or as a teenager?
Little girl.


12. Favorite character actor?
Does Tony Randall count? Or Steve Buscemi for a more modern take.


13. Favorite Barbara Stanwyck role?
Her in Double Indemnity.

14. Who is your favorite of Cary Grant's leading ladies?
Katharine Hepburn! Duh.

15. Bette Davis or Joan Crawford?
Not a huge fan of Crawford, and sort of a fan of Davis, so I'd have to go with Bette Davis here.

16. What actors and/or actresses do you think are underrated?
Rita Moreno is underrated, as is Olivia de Havilland. As for more current actresses/actors, I'd have to go with Laura Dern and Ewan McGregor.

17. What actors and/or actresses do you think are overrated?
Hm... Jack Nicholson is a little overrated because I think he may be legitimately crazy, so when he plays crazy it's less impressive. But I do like him. That's all that comes to mind right now.

18. Do you watch movies made pre-1980 exclusively, or do you spice up your viewing-fare with newer films?
I love the 90s in film, and the 2000s are doing pretty well, so nope! Although I'm not a huge fan of the 80s themselves. Some of the crowd pleasers of that decade, like E.T. and Tootsie are really just meh.

19. Is there an actor/actress who you have seen in a film and immediately loved? If so, who?
Montgomery Clift in From Here to Eternity and Katharine Hepburn. I cannot remember the first film I saw of her though... It might have been Woman of the Year.

20. Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire?
Gene Kelly! Singin' in the Rain!

21. Favorite Ginger Rogers drama?
Kitty Foyle.

22. If you wrote a screenplay, who would be in your dream cast and what roles would they play? (Mixing actors and actresses from different generations is allowed: any person from any point in their career.)
Okay I would need Sam Mendes directing, Renee Zellweger from Jerry Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio from Titanic, Annette Bening from her American Beauty days, Katharine Hepburn in her Guess Who's Coming to Dinner phase, Ann Margret from Carnal Knowledge, Susan Sarandon from Dead Man Walking, add some Montgomery Clift during From Here to Eternity.

What the hell would this movie be about? I guess Renee and Leonardo DiCaprio would be getting married and it would be sort of a wedding dramedy. Kate would play Leo's mom and Annette would play Renee's. After the wedding is where the rest of this cast would fall in, but how I'm not exactly sure. I'd want an affair with Susan Sarandon going on, I know that much! Ann-Margret and Montgomery could play the neighbors of Leo and Renee, however, those two probably would not be comic relief.

23. Favorite actress?
Katharine Hepburn! Modern day probs. Renee.

25. Favorite actor?
Montgomery Clift for right now.

26. And now, the last question. What is your favorite movie from each of these genres:
Drama: From Here to Eternity (even though it's also a romance, I wanted to get The African Queen in here somehow so I'm making this a drama!)
Romance: The African Queen
Musical: Chicago
Comedy: Bringing Up Baby
Western: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Renee Zellweger

I can't hide it anymore. I know there is disgust for Ms. Zellweger on other film blogs and in the comments sections of said blogs, but I'm coming out: I love Renee Zellweger.

There. I said it. Attack me in the comments if you want (or defend me...whatever), but hear me out! She has had her blunders (especially recently), but who hasn't? Nicole Kidman, care to explain Bewitched? Annette Bening, I know you were in The Women! Diane Keaton, Because I Said So? Really?

Renee is delightful. Here's a view of her partial filmography and why she deserves to be loved, not hated.

Jerry Maguire- She had America at hello. Once she agrees to quit her job in order to work with Tom Cruise, we fall for her as quickly as he. This was mainstream America's first taste of the lovely Renee, and what a taste! She's lovable and fresh. Those eyes, that hair, that quirky little expression. It's all just perfect.

One True Thing- Two years after Jerry Maguire, Zellweger was holding her own against William Hurt and the divine Meryl Streep. It was a glimpse of the other side of Renee, the serious thespian, no longer the angelic Dorothy we knew.

Nurse Betty- Her first Golden Globe win, and for a film that you either love or hate. Zellweger's performance alone should make you love it. She failed to earn an Oscar nom. here (see: Oscars dislike comedy) but she gives one of the best comedic performances of the "aughts." A performance she would only match two years later with Chicago.

Bridget Jones's Diary- Renee Zellweger? A Texan? As the unlucky in love Bridget Jones? It sounds weird on paper, but translates differently on screen. Once you've seen it, you cannot imagine any other actress (British or non-British) in the titular role. Good job Miss Zellweger! And you finally got that Oscar nomination!

Chicago- Her second nomination came for playing the murderous, half-talent Roxie Hart. She's not a great dancer and her voice isn't too powerful, but neither is Roxie's. So she murdered her husband and got her husband to take the blame for her, that doesn't stop the audience from rooting for Miss Hart. If we fell in love with her in Jerry Maguire, we were completely obsessed with her by the time Chicago came out.

Cold Mountain- Okay, this could be the role that turned many off from Renee. It's been called laughable and a slew of other things, but I will defend it and Renee! As I'm re-watching Cold Mountain (only Renee's scenes) on Youtube, I just find the transformation of beautiful Renee to this frumpy little ball of fire incredible. Maybe Holly Hunter would have been the better choice OSCAR wise, but Renee was smart and took this supporting part and filled it with energy.

Down With Love- What other modern day actress could even dare try to capture the comic gold that was the pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson? Renee can (with a little help from Ewan McGregor)! Imagine someone like Uma Thurman trying this? ECK! We need Renee and that silly little face of hers! A film I Dare you not to love. With a capital D.

Miss Potter- I admit I was a little annoyed with this movie when I first saw it. I thought "Errr, is this supposed to be a legit attempt for Oscar glory? Renee's too reserved and never lets loose, and Ewan is in such a bit role!" She played Beatrix Potter. She couldn't be the Roxie Hart we (I) knew and loved! She had to take it down a notch, and she did! Good. That's what your supposed to do. Adapt to your role.

New In Town- STOP! You haven't seen it! It's really not that bad! So don't judge it based on the notorious name alone. It's a mediocre attempt, okay. She can't squeeze a Globe nod out of this, I know. But it's better than a lot of films of the (perceived) same caliber (i.e. Bride Wars). Check it out if you're bored on a Saturday night, I swear you've seen MUCH worse than this. It's more her career that took a hit by doing such a small film than her skills.

My One and Only- It's a bit confusing sometimes if she's the lead in this or not, but I'm going to argue with yes! She does the same Miss Potter thing here. She's kind of reserved, and not letting loose. But think of the times. I mean, she's no Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven, but she approaches these sort of pieces differently. It's a good take in a small, yet completely enjoyable film.

So, there it is. My love of Renee. Say what you will, but my views on her probably won't change! And I'm really excited for My Own Love Song! Keep the good work coming, Renee!