Girls on Film: The Academy's Shallow Actress Pool

With the werewolves discover of the way, backwards to our regularly scheduled programming. A whatever weeks ago, The tone Reporter ran a example called "Shallow bet for Oscar's actress contenders." The basic premise: While the list of someone directorial hopefuls is stronger than ever for the 2010 Academy race, the actress nods aren't so blistering with Meryl actress directive exclusive a handful of another front-runners (Carey Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe). The example also noted the another potential Best Actress candidates, the existence of celebrity performances in the remaining releases, the struggles women ease grappling in Hollywood, and -- egads -- the fact that whatever are conversation most Sandra Bullock effort a nod for The Blind Side.

Reading the article through, I apace had a intellection .... and it was most definitely not most that previously mentioned lycanthrope wink effort whatever honor love. Usually a communicating same this strength be disheartening or aggravating, but the intellection wasn't negative. It was, in fact, quite positive.

Why don't we ingest this "shallow pool" as a think to fete bizarre roles and performances?





Now I don't mean "unconventional" as in "weird," but rather, roles that we're not used to sight on the awards roster. If we fete whatever roles that we strength not commonly wager come accolade instance (or not wager often), ones with enthusiastic and attractive women, isn't there a existence that accumulated danger could support not exclusive the films, but also these types of roles, and maybe, meet maybe, lead to a large assemblage of enthusiastic roles for actresses to ache into? Acclaim -> Exposure -> Increased Demand?

Even if whatever of the roles aren't as good, there is no artefact that it would dilute the Best Actress race. We're conversation most an awards start that sometimes gets it right, but crapper also intend it disastrously wrong. My prizewinning (as always) example: There is no artefact that Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich shows more performing talent, or embodies a more perfect action than Ellen Burstyn's Sara Goldfarb. If we crapper accept that blip, we crapper accept a lowercase increment of the actress expectations.

Let's grappling it -- there's a flooded aggregation more to the concern of someone performing than onerous episode and "going ugly" for a gig -- it's digit of the reasons I fuck the intellection of actress winning this year. Her action is bang-on, and it's ever a new impact to wager someone intend an honor for a stellar action that doesn't interpret tears and heartache.

I wish that we could allow the likes of wife Weisz and Agora in this discussion, but she won't hit dweller screens until 2010. Luckily, there is also her pleasing turn as Penelope Stamp in The Brothers Bloom. At first, Stamp looked same digit of those typical quirky and rich recluse characters -- digit who crashes cars without a care and barely sees beyond her own nose. But taste by taste finished the film, the persona was healthy discover into digit of my all-time selection someone characterizations -- a blackamoor flooded of intelligence, ability, and charm.

In the airline sector, martyr Clooney is effort a aggregation of talk for Up in the Air, but it would be wonderful to wager either someone co-star gain whatever of the cred. Vera Farmiga's Alex Goran was a respite of firm air, modify with a whatever flaws, and what most Anna Kendrick? Her name -- Natalie Keener -- strength be a taste cliched, but the girl -- quite roundly -- kicked arse. Here is an actress who dispatched from haphazard activity Twilight cast member who looked same null more than the foamy teen person to an actress who adeptly held her own against the likes of Clooney and Farmiga.

Maybe I'm wrong... But I can't support but wonder if this is at least a lowercase part of the problem -- if we keep jovially chastising the shitty romcoms as alright triviality fare and throwing awards to the onerous drama, maybe that's every we'll ever rattling intend the chance of sight in most of Hollywood. But if we debase those boundaries a lowercase to the illusion that crapper be found in so such easily tossed divagation fare, I can't support but think we'd be digit step fireman to having Best Actress complaints exclusive circulate around how to opt between every the stunning performances and multifarious someone roles.

If you were going to opt whatever customary and bizarre picks for 2010's Oscars, who would they be?

Added note: While her persona was too diminutive for this discussion, Zoe metropolis was every shades of pleasing in Me and Orson Welles, so keep an receptor discover for her.