The Oscars: A Form Guide Part 2

And so to Best Actor and Best Actress….

French actor Jean Dujardin is the frontrunner for The Artist (because, see, it is a silent film so that gives his performance a degree of difficulty on account of the no talking) who seems to be winning all the other lead-up awards (SAG, Golden Globes etc).  His main competition is George Clooney for The Descendents (I think he was better in Up in the Air but that was the year they decided they had overlooked Jeff Bridges too many times). Everybody loves George and he gives quite droll acceptance speeches so for that alone…he did win Best Supporting Actor a few years back so they may decide he has enough, what with being talented, successful, handsome and charming.  I would not be surprised if Gary Oldman’s (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) name was called out but I’m not expecting it either. He's an actor's actor and there has been some talk that it was about time he got some recognition, but he hasn’t featured much in the lead-up events and I suspect he is not the sort of person who goes around spruiking for awards (it’s like politics – people campaign).  I have not heard of Damien Bichir or his film, A Better Life. Sometimes there is a nomination out of left field and really, Damien Bichir should just enjoy the perks of being an Oscar nominee, like increasing his salary. A Better Life has not been seen widely enough for him to win. Rounding out the five is Brad Pitt in Moneyball. Really??  I think Brad Pitt is an okay actor but he’s not someone you’d expect to have three Oscar nominations.  Anyway, Angelina will remain the sole Oscar recipient in that family for the time being. 

Some eyebrows have been raised that Michael Fassbender wasn’t nominated for Shame.   My theory is that it is because he spends a lot of the film sans clobber* and the other actors didn’t want to give director’s any ideas about including more full frontal male nudity in the future…that’s what actresses are for…no, Hollywood isn’t at all sexist...

A passing reference to Michael Fassbender in this post is
sufficient excuse for including a picture of him

Sometimes I think Meryl Streep is nominated based on her reputation rather than the actual performance (see The Devil Wears Prada, The Bridges of Madison County). This isn’t the case with The Iron Lady and she should get her third Oscar for this performance. Have only seen snippets so far but have seen enough to say that it is way more than an impersonation. The only thing that may count against her is that apparently the film as a whole is a bit rubbish - a film about a politician that doesn’t go into her politics…a curious creative decision. Her main competition will be from Michelle Williams, playing Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn. She’s playing not just a Hollywood legend but THE Hollywood legend, which is in her favour but I think the voters will probably figure that she’ll have more opportunities in the future. Also it's a comedy and it is a long-held gripe that the Academy Awards largely ignores comedy.  If there was to be a surprise is would be Viola Davis in The Help.  She was the surprise winner at the SAG Awards but it wasn’t the same field of nominees which means the votes will be cast slightly differently, probably in Streep's favour.  

Glenn Close plays a man in Albert Nobbs and she must wonder what she has to do to actually win one (an Oscar that is, not a man). It’s her sixth nomination without a win and one day the Oscar voters will have to play catch up (see Jeff Bridges, Al Pacino etc).

Rooney Mara is a bit of a late inclusion for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (or the “tattoo movie” as my mother called it) and probably why the fabulous Tilda Swinton (We Need to talk about Kevin – not about Kevin Rudd but if they did make that movie, don’t you think Tilda would be a shoe-in to play Julia Gillard?) isn’t among the nominations. Lisbeth Salander is about as atypical a female character as it gets for Hollywood so her nomination is a reward for “courage” (ie getting lots of piercings and having a bad haircut and playing someone bi-sexual).

Next time - Best Director and Best Picture.

*  sans clobber is an Australian colloquialism for without clothes, sans being French for without and clobber being Australian slang for clothes.  More about Australian slang later though...