Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actress

Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actress

The women of 2008 have been so incredible that many great performances couldn't even make the top ten. The biggest names in Hollywood strut their stuff on the screen and the red carpet this year, and rightfully so.

Most of the acting I enjoy in the lead categories are of dramatic roles, however, two funny ladies made the cut. Rebecca Hall in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" was superbly sly and cunning opposite Scarlett Johansson. Hall played the woman with a wall blocking Javier's attempts and eventual triumph of woo, and turned her character into the more interesting one of the title roles. The other comedian, Sally Hawkins in "Happy-Go-Lucky," provides the funniest, soulful, and deeply hilarious performance of the year. She completely sparkles in the film and was terribly snubbed by SAG and the Oscars. Thank God she won a Golden Globe.

Then, there's the dramatic. The diva. The immaculate and untouchable. In three of the "simply complicated" roles, Melissa Leo, an actress I've never heard of, stars in "Frozen River" and delivers a punch as the desperate, surviving mom of two who will stop at nothing for the safety and health of her children - even transporting illegals over the frozen river on Canada's border. In "Rachel Getting Married," the abstruse relationships with everyone and Kym is what makes Anne Hathaway simmer. With enough teenage angst to create a "Catcher in the Rye" handbook, she is one of the five ladies I highly recommend to win. She's so damn empathetic, I can't even retell it. Finally, Michelle Williams' performance in "Wendy and Lucy" doesn't impale you with campaigning urgency right away. She sits in your stomach, working her way to your heart. An unforgettable role in the most simple of films, that, like her performance, blossoms into a complicated was with an unforgiving society. She's exceptional.

And now for the screamers - and I'm not including Jamie Lee Curtis. Meryl Streep proves that one can be happy in the sunshine and dancing on the beach during the summertime, and shift as winter grows colder, the leaves lie dead under the snow, and nothing can escape the chill. Her interpretation of "Doubt's" Sister Aloysius is phenomenal. She brings on the intensity, she gives us the accent, and she is so intimate with compassion. On paper, Aloysius is a complete bitch. Streep gave her humility, ambition, and weaknesses. I loved that. In "Revolutionary Road," Leo did most of the screaming, but Kate Winslet balanced with utter, eerie silence and blood-curdling blowouts. Her character was the most stimulating, escaping the housewife commonality into a world of dreams and hope. She fought as hard as she could to live a life they could love. She was painful and beautifully depressing. Last of the screamers is Angelina Jolie in "Changeling."

Finally, the two women who played the adult life of their characters, Hanna Schmitz for Kate Winslet (appearing for the second time on this list) and Daisy for Cate Blanchett. The two K(C)ate's take the art of acting to new levels, creating new stages with each scene, allowing their characters to flex and mold as age sets in and wrinkles cross their brow. Winslet, in a performance that nearly tops herself as Clementine in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," strips herself nude (literally and figuratively) to play a role destined for her in "The Reader." Blanchett surpasses beautiful, entering the realm of the insanely celestial. The brilliant cinematography of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" captured the royalty that is Blanchett.

So, I'd like to present the 2008 Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actress:

10. Cate Blanchett as Daisy in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

9. Rebecca Hall as Vicky in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

8. Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins in CHANGELING

7. Melissa Leo as Ray Eddy in FROZEN RIVER

6. Michelle Williams as Wendy in WENDY AND LUCY

5. Kate Winslet as April Wheeler in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

4. Anne Hathaway as Kym in RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

3. Sally Hawkins as Poppy in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

2. Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier in DOUBT

1. Kate Winslet as Hanna Schmitz in THE READER

Dane's Oscar Predictions

So, that time of year has arrived, when everyone (well, those of you who are into film awards) take a guess as to what 5 nominations per category the Academy will put forth as the best of the year. In predicting, one takes into account what other people say, reviews, precursor awards, and, most importantly, the surprise Oscar nods. Without further ado, here are my somewhat ballsy predictions for this year's Academy Awards (released on Thursday):

Note: Italicized predictions are ones that I predicted last March and have decided to stick with.

BEST PICTURE

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

MILK

THE READER

THE WRESTLER

I feel very, very, very, unsure about these predictions. Why? Because other than "Slumdog" I have NO IDEA who is going to be nominated, and - it seems - neither does anyone else! "Ben Butt" is too epic and beautiful for the Academy to let go, so I think that's in definitely too, but the other three are toss ups. I chose "Milk" because of it's political content in a very political time. "The Wrestler" for it's gorgeously paced movement as a film and to put a down-to-earth film on the list. And, "The Reader" because it's about the Holocaust and the Academy really like Daldry. I won't get into the whole, well maybe it's this movie or this movie because I want to seem confident even though I'm not!

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

David Fincher for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Darren Aronofsky for THE WRESTLER

Stephen Daldry for THE READER

Christopher Nolan for THE DARK KNIGHT

Going on my "Wrestler" kick, Aronofsky is in. Daldry has been nominated for all of the 2 films he's directed ("The Hours" and "Billy Elliot") so count him in with the five. Boyle, Fincher, and Nolan are complete and utter locks. There you have it! Note: I'm acting wayyyy more confident than I actually am in this category!

BEST ACTOR

Richard Jenkins in THE VISITOR

Frank Langhella in FROST/NIXON

Sean Penn in MILK

Brad Pitt in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Mickey Rourke in THE WRESTLER

Honestly, I believe that Pitt is the only one on the chopping block. However, there's only 1 or 2 other actors to fill his shoes. I expect this category to be pitch perfect.

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway in RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

Sally Hawkins in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

Meryl Streep in DOUBT

Michelle Williams in WENDY AND LUCY

Kate Winslet in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

This category is in the same situation as Best Actor's: Four locks, and then one open space. The only difference is that the open space can be filled by 5-7 actresses very deserving of the nod. I'm going with Williams hopefully. She's the silent trout ready to bit the bait - plus it would be historic to see her nominated with Heath.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Downey, Jr. in TROPIC THUNDER

James Franco in MILK

Philip Seymour Hoffman in DOUBT

Heath Ledger in THE DARK KNIGHT

Dev Patel in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Franco, in my opinion, was the best supporting actor in "Milk" and will be rewarded with a nomination. Patel is riding the rocket ship that is "Slumdog Millionaire." Downey had too great of a year to get away without being nominated. Hoffman was incredible in "Doubt" and is an Oscar favorite. Then there is Ledger who gave the best performance of the year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams in DOUBT

Penelope Cruz in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

Viola Davis in DOUBT

Marisa Tomei in THE WRESTLER

Kate Winslet in THE READER

There will be snubs any way you look at it in this highly qualified category. I think "The Wrestler" is going to do better than expected with nomination count and Tomei will help that cause. Winslet and Cruz have their feet in the door already. Then there are the ladies of "Doubt." Without a Best Picture/Director nomination, Davis and Adams are sure to be nominated.

I'm Not There

I'm Not There
Starring Cate Blancett, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michelle Williams, and Bruce Greenwood

If anything can push itself closer to a masterpiece than what "I'm Not There" does, it's trying too hard. Through the eyes of director and writer Todd Haynes, we are given a collage of Bob Dylan, though he's never there (pun). With five, six or seven different interpretations of Dylan's life through five and up to seven fictionally true life characters, a near masterpiece - and the most original movie I have seen in years - forms.

There is Woody Guthrie, the lone wanderer, played masterfully by the young Marcus Carl Franklin. The casting is perfect for Woody, a version of Dylan. He is naive, adventurous, and running from or to something. Franklin's youth carries the character from place to place. Then we have Heath Ledger's Robbie Clark. This Dylan is washed-up and very persuasive in character. Love to anguish, Clark falls for Charlotte Gainsbourg's artsy Claire, and in the midst of the 60s, we see the evolution of couple. Probably my least favorite Dylan, Christian Bale is the epitome of folk music. He lives it. He is it. But Bale's character, Jack Rollins has the easy road compared to the other Dylans. (Bale also plays Pastor John, which may be the sixth Dylan). The final two definite Dylans are the most spectacular. Ben Whishaw's Arthur Rimbaud, outlaw, jailed up, delivers a picturesque interview monologues that trail throughout the film.

And finally, Cate. Cate Blanchett, in her most terrifically jaw-dropping role, is "I'm Not There." Her Dylan named Jude Quinn is the rock of Haynes film, and he knows it. She embodies Dylan more than any of the men playing him. She is the chameleon. She is perfect. She is, and I say this with all my knowledge of Hollywood, the best actress of our generation. Hand her the effing Oscar now.

Oh, yes - what about that seventh Dylan? Well, Richard Gere has a fun role near the end of the movie, playing Billy the Kid. Though he does cross paths with Franklin's Woody-Dylan, one may list Billy the Kid as a mirrored Dylan. I do. His scenes are bizarre and imaginative, giving us an alter-reality and something to ponder.

Todd Haynes delivered one of the best films of 2007, and one that really needs to be watched 50 times to grasp everything. I honestly can't wait to see it again.

Grade: A