Aparicio’s natural performance as Cleo is one of the main
highlights of Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma.
In a story that’s now somewhat famous, Aparicio had never acted in a film
before, and decided to audition for Roma as a way of killing time before
she started working as a teacher. Cuarón’s decision to cast her as the lead in
his film proved to be a stroke of genius, because, throughout Roma, we never feel like we’re watching
a performer, but rather, someone who is actually living as Cleo. Aparicio
doesn’t really have a shot at winning the Oscar, but it’s nice to know that the
Academy isn’t shy about nominating non-actors for major awards.
Glenn Close – The
Wife
Prior to this year, Glenn Close had been nominated for six
Oscars, and came close to winning twice (for Fatal Attraction in 1987, and Dangerous Liaisons in 1988). And although she’s come up short
each time, it seems fairly certain that her luck will change this year. Close’s
Golden Globe win in January immediately changed the Best Actress conversation,
and her SAG win a few weeks afterwards seems to have cemented the fact that
Glenn Close will finally become an Oscar winner.
Now, a main question surrounding Close’s potential win is,
does she deserve to win solely for her performance in The Wife, or are Oscar voters awarding Close for her entire body of
work? I like Close’s work in The
Wife, but this feels like a career win to me. And fans of Oscar history
know this isn’t anything new. Denzel Washington (Training Day), Al Pacino (Scent
of a Woman), Julianne Moore (Still
Alice), and Kate Winslet (The Reader),
just to name a few, all should’ve won lead acting Oscars long before they did,
but the consensus for their eventual wins was that they had earned it. It was
their time. That’s exactly where Close is this year.
Olivia Colman – The
Favourite
Like A Star is
Born, the Oscar buzz for The
Favourite seems to have died down considerably over the past few
months. I loved Colman’s frenzied work as Queen Anne, and am bummed
that she isn’t more in the running for a Best Actress win. But hopefully her
Oscar nomination will help Colman receive more offers for great characters. At
this point, I think Colman’s biggest major award win this year (aside from her
Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy) was her BAFTA for
Best Actress. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong.
Lady Gaga – A Star Is
Born
If you asked me in November, I would’ve said that the Best
Actress Oscar was Lady Gaga’s. But the buzz for A Star Is Born has cooled so drastically, for reasons I still
don’t understand, that I think Gaga’s best shot at Oscar gold this year is for
Best Song. Still, Lady Gaga’s acting work in A Star Is Born surprised most everyone, and I’m so excited to
see what she dives into next. All of that noted, if I was a member of the
Academy, Lady Gaga would have my vote.
Melissa McCarthy –
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
I’ve been a fan of Melissa McCarthy’s comedy for a while now, but have so enjoyed watching her take on more dramatic material these
past few years. Can You Ever Forgive
Me showcased a side of McCarthy I hadn’t seen before, and even though
she won’t win the Oscar this year, I can’t wait to see what this dramatic Oscar
clout does for her career.
Who Will Win?
As mentioned, I think Glenn Close has this award in the bag.
Of course, there is always room for an upset, but this is as close to a lock in
a major Oscar category as we’ll have this year. The Single Performance vs.
Entire Career debate is an Oscar tradition, and this certainly won’t be the last
time we talk about it. All told, The
Wife isn’t the best performance of Glenn Close’s career, but I won’t
be mad if she wins.
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I agree, I think this one is a lock now. I'll still be rooting for Olivia Colman on the night!
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE for Colman or Gaga to win. But I can't be mad at a Close win either. I just wish there was more to that movie in general.
DeleteI think Glenn Close is going to win as I feel like it's really for her career. If she wins, at least we won't see her in anymore Oscar-bait films as it's why I avoided Albert Nobbs because it looked so desperate to be something special yet it feels like "look at me, I'm acting!"
ReplyDeletePersonally, I want Olivia Colman to win as she made me enjoy The Favourite so much as I felt for her but also laughed with her. Even in the scene where she tells the string quartet STOP PLAYING! I ORDER YOU TO STOP!!!!
I'm so happy Colman won! She was so, so surprised, and her win was completely justified. Definitely my favorite award of the night.
DeleteI'm so bored of those career wins. Close was good but Colman and Gaga were much better. Still, it won't be the worst thing since a performance more ridiculous than Simple Jack is gonna win with someone who would be probably the greatest winner in years
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you about the career wins. Part of me feels bad for Close, but that performance simply wasn't as good as Colman's. So happy Colman won.
DeleteI agree, it will probably be Glenn Close, but I am still hoping for an Olivia Colman win, she was magnificent as Queen Anne. I feel like it's 60-40 for Close, but Colman can come back. I'm also with you on the drastic cooldown on A Star is Born awards buzz, I don't know what happened there. Very weird.
ReplyDeleteYou were right! So happy Colman came back and won it. My vote still would've been for Gaga, but, yeah, what the hell happened to A Star Is Born's buzz?
DeleteI would love for Olivia Colman to win. I have been following her career since she first appeared on Peep Show and i love that she is finally getting the attention she deserves. I do agree that Glenn Close will win though even though i have not seen The Wife. It just seems like it's her time. And i love Glenn Close so i wont be mad if she wins. She deserves to finally get the award. But The Wife looks like one of those movies i will probably never get around to checking out.
ReplyDeleteShe won! How cool was that?! Hopefully there's still a chance for Close to win one, but Colman completely deserved it this year.
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