Did They Get it Right? – Best Actress – Oscars 2012

Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)

Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

Biggest Snub:

Helen Mirren – Hitchcock

My Overall Thoughts:

This is a year where 4 of the nominees gave very powerful performances and were worthy of taking home the award with 3 of them taking home awards from BAFTA, SAG and The Globes.

My Rankings:

Actress

5. Quvenzhané Wallis
4. Jessica Chastain
3. Jennifer Lawrence
2. Naomi Watts
1. Emmanuelle Riva

Movies

5. Beasts of the Southern Wild – Extremely boring film that tells a completely uninteresting tale and just doesn’t know how to present it. Wallis is ok as the narrator, but it’s hard to believe that a 6 year old is really so intelligent about how things work. I wanted to like this more but I just couldn’t connect with this story or characters at all and only made it through this film since I don’t allow myself to turn a bad film off once I start it. Perhaps, I just don’t understand what they were trying to say here.
4. Zero Dark Thirty – A very interesting premise that helps put the pieces of the puzzle together but the narrative is lacking enough reasons to want to watch this unfold besides the revenge aspect. IMHO, this is not a movie that should have been nominated for Best Picture.
3. Silver Linings Playbook – Better upon second viewing because the characters are complexly written but in a down-to-Earth way for us to understand them. Cooper, DeNiro, Weaver and Lawrence are both great here and it’s understandable why they would all get nominated because the plot is so character driven. Liked how the plot is interwoven between real events to make it seem even more genuine.
2. Amour – Amazing way to tell such a powerful story. The claustrophobic way that this is shot makes us feel as if we too are trapped in their small apartment watching things slowly spiral downward. The love between the two characters is so effective on screen and we truly believe that they have been together for so long and are willing to do anything for one another. This film deals with the idea that as we all get older, the end is inevitable but the question is how and when we will get there and what happens to our closest companions as this happens. Riva and Trintignant are both superb here because they make it all seem and feel so real.
1. The Impossible – Amazing story about the devastating way that nature can affect us. The story is told really well and we get the feel as if we are right there with these characters as they must deal with the new reality of the world around them. The special effects used to create the tsunami and its after-effects are extremely thrilling to watch and make us get a clear understanding about the truly devastating effect that this had on those who found themselves in that part of the world on that fateful morning. Watts is superb in the lead role and was extremely deserving of her Oscar nomination for her performance here. Holland is able to show how talented an actor he was even at this young age. Truly a spectacle to watch unfold.

Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Yes and No!  JL was a deserving winner but both ER and NW give even more powerful performances and would have been even more worthy winners in this very tough year.

Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!