Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Biggest Snub:
Drew Barrymore – Irreconcilable Differences
My Overall Thoughts:
This is a somewhat mediocre year where none of the nominees are as powerful as one would hope for a list of Oscar potential performances.
My Rankings:
Supporting Actress
5. Geraldine Page
4. Christine Lahti
3. Lindsay Crouse
2. Glenn Close
1. Peggy Ashcroft
Movies
5. The Pope of Greenwich Village – Interesting premise that just doesn’t flow well enough. Rourke and Roberts seem awkward together throughout the film. The story should feel even more powerful than it does and that hurts things because it has so much more potential that it actuates. Somehow, Page was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for a very short role that is fine but not breathtaking even in just two short scenes. The plot feels stretched out a bit too much and this story could have been easily told in a shorter run time and possibly been even more effective.
4. Swing Shift – Great premise that just doesn’t work well enough. Hawn and Russell have fun chemistry together here (this is the film where they met and fell in love in real life) but the story itself drags too much. The way that much of this is presented is pretty boring and instead of things feeling more patriotic, it feels pretty bland as things move along. The end resolutions also don’t work as well because certain explanations are rolled over instead of seeming more realistic.
3. A Passage to India – Not as good as I’d hoped, but definitely Epically done by Lean. Second half is stronger than the first half.
2. Places in the Heart – Field gives an amazingly strong performance here and keeps this film together. Her Oscar for Best Actress here was very well deserved. The rest of the cast helps, but would be lost without the role played by Field. Uplifting message about survival and perseverance in difficult times. The characters are all quite diverse but learn to work together when they find a common goal.
1. The Natural – Very inspirational baseball story about chasing your dreams no matter the difficulty. Iconic music adds to the epic feeling of this sports film. Redford is great as the lead who shows integrity and talent in everything that he does.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – I guess so! None of these nominees are that great, so I guess PA was as good a choice as any especially since this might be a case where she got it for a career than for just this role.
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
MovieRob 