Jenn likes movies. She likes them a lot. She even hosts "the fall film challenge" every autumn. I'm a fan of film too, and when I love a movie or a performance, I am happy to share and talk about it. That's why when Jenn encouraged us to list our favorite Oscar-Award-Winners, I thought I'd dive in and share my thoughts.
Plus.....as for link-ups, this is also the day that Lauren at Eat, Drink, and Be Lauren and Bre at Bre Writes host "Add it to My List". So, why not encourage you to add these movies to your "must watch" list (if you haven't seen them already)?
When it comes to movies, I get more passionate about acting performances. Sure, movies that are great, as in, the sum of the entire movie is wonderful/inspirational/powerful are awesome to watch. I don't know...I just get even more moved and passionate about individual performances, the way an actor or actress completely transforms his/herself into a character. So, here's my list of Oscar-Winning-Performances by an actor or actress.
1. Vivien Leigh won for her portrayal as Scarlett O'Hara at the 12th Academy Awards in 1939. Could Gone with the Wind have become such a long-standing phenomenon if it weren't for Vivien Leigh's performance? I think not.
2. Marlon Brando won Best Actor for his portrayal in The Godfather. Seriously. Like Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara, Marlon Brando is Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather. We can't imagine anyone else playing that iconic role.
3. The 52nd Academy Awards awarded Meryl Streep Best Supporting Actress and Dustin Hoffman for Best Actor for their performances as divorced parents in a custody battle in Kramer vs. Kramer. I remember watching Meryl Streep sitting in a witness stand and Dustin Hoffman sitting in court, and I was just sobbing, gasping for breath. I believed that these parents were fighting for their son. I didn't see them as actors. I saw her as a flawed mother and a devoted father who both loved their son dearly.
4. My personal opinion? Jodie Foster's Best Actress-winning portrayal of a rape victim in The Accused is quite possibly the most powerful, unnerving performance that I've ever witnessed on film. I know that's a big statement. But, damn, I still get chills just thinking about this movie and her performance. If you haven't seen it, add it to your list and watch it, but be prepared for being angry at the rape culture that existed then and still exists today.
5. Two wins. Two years in a row. Two completely different performances. One man. I'm talking Tom Hanks winning Best Actor in 1993 and 1994 for AIDS victim in Philadelphia and the loveable Forrest Gump. I can't choose which award-winning performance I liked better, and I'm not going to.
6. I've mentioned in a previous post how much I love this character and this performance, and I was thrilled when Robin Williams won Best Supporting Actor at the 70th Academy Awards in 1997 for his role in Good Will Hunting. If you haven't seen this movie, what are you waiting for?? Add this to your list immediately.
7. I read Cormac McCarthy's book No Country for Old Men before I saw the movie. The character that Javier Bardem played is the type of guy that can give you nightmares...and his performance was frightening how good it was at playing a murdering maniac. He deserved that Academy Award he won in 2007 at the 80th ceremony.
8. Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds is brilliant. Somehow he was able convey convincingly the role of a polite Nazi sadist. By doing so, he won Best Supporting Actor at the 82nd Academy Awards.
9. Yes. I'm biased. I love Jared Leto. But, damn if that boy didn't pull at my heart strings as the damaged, hurt, drug addicted, transgender, AIDS victim in Dallas Buyers Club. There's a scene in this movie that Jared made me cry big, fat, ugly tears. He was so convincing. Matthew McConaughey's performance was stellar and award-winning as well, but Jared practically stole the movie for me. He won Best Supporting Actor in 2013.
10. Julianne Moore playing a Harvard professor who is diagnosed with early onset of Alzheimer's is so painful and sincere. I'd read the book Still Alice before seeing the movie. I knew that it was entirely possible that an actress could "over-act" this role. Julianne Moore plays it to perfection, and the Academy awarded her with Best Actress in 2014 for doing so.
Admittedly, when I first made this list, I had over 30 names. There are a lot of magnificent performances that I could've listed but didn't. I'd like to hear what you think.
What performances did I miss? Will you add any of these to your list?
Linking up with Jenn:
and Lauren and Bre:
Such great memories! Loved when Jared Leto won. Sweet Robin Williams...such a great movie! I still haven't seen Gone with the Wind. I am such a movie buff and love them but haven't watched that yet.
ReplyDeleteSoooo I'm not a movie person at all. I think I probably watch fewer than ten a year, not counting movies I already love and rewatch when they're on cable. People who love movies can't understand this the way I can't understand people who don't watch TV! That said, Good Will Hunting is one of my favorites of all time and one that I definitely have to watch for at least a few minutes if I catch it on. Thanks for joining us!
ReplyDeleteJared Leto is so underrated as an actor. He also played a messed up drug addict in Requiem for a Dream. If you never want your kids to do drugs, make them watch that movie.
ReplyDeleteI read Gone with the Wind and The Godfather and those are two of my favourite books!
I love Robin Williams. I don't know any celebrities personally, but he's one of the ones I miss the very most.
ReplyDeleteChristoph Waltz is scary-good. He is amazing at playing the polite villain. It's creepy as hell, lol.
Don Corleone is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteTom Hanks is just the best. Really. Love him.
ReplyDeleteI never saw Kramer vs Kramer... I hate when I let classics slide by.
Gone With The Wind is hands down one of my most favorite movies of all time, and I totally agree with you that Vivian Leigh made that movie, along with Clark Gable because I just love him as Rhett Butler. So I still haven't seen Good Will Hunting, and my brother in law gives me the hardest time about it. Eventually I will watch it, I swear! This is a great list of some amazing performances!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, those are some great performances! I absolutely loved Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump and Philadelphia. He 100% deserved those awards. He's totally amazing. :)
ReplyDeleteHow did I not know that Still Alice was a movie??? I freaking loved that book so much and now I must see the movie!!! Plus, I like Julianne Moore.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen Gone with the Wind (my Mom made me read the book, which I loved) and need to fix that. I knew Tom Hanks had won 2 Oscars but didn't remember them being back-to-back. I really liked Forrest Gump but Philadelphia I liked a bit more. The Accused is so good and it so incredibly sad how little we've come in regards to how we treat rape victims.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great line up! So many amazing movies and so many amazing actors! Meryl Streep and Dustin Hofmann! Wow!!
ReplyDeleteChristoph Waltz is fabulous in my opinion. Love him. I have not seen The Accused so I will add it to my list :)
ReplyDeleteI don't love Julianne Moore, but she was so effing good in Still Alice.
ReplyDeleteI'm embarrassed that I haven't seen The Godfather. I have no excuse. I just haven't. But it's on my list for this year. It's happening.
I completely, completely agree with Jodie Foster. I cannot even begin to fathom how she was able to perform those scenes. Absolutely amazing.
ReplyDeleteGood Will Hunting is phenomenal but I haven't been able to watch it since Robin died. And OMG Javier Bardem. I was so into the suspense of the movie that it wasn't until the second viewing that I realized there wasn't any background music.
ReplyDeleteWhatever year Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind did not win an Oscar for best original screenplay I was furious and made myself watch every other movie to see if it was better. NONE WERE.
eternal sunshine for the spotless mind did win best original screenplay. charlie kaufman, michel gondry and pierre bismuth all received oscars for it. it was NOT nominated for best picture, which is a crime in my opinion. the contenders that year for that award were the aviator, finding neverland, ray, sideways and, the winner, million dollar baby. i think eternal sunshine is SO much better than any of those.
Deletekate winslet was nominated for best actress. other nominees were annette bening in being julia, catalina sandino moreno for maria full of grace, imelda staunton for vera drake and, winner, hilary swank for million dollar baby.
that film, by the way, also earned morgan freeman and clint eastwood best actor and director oscars. BAH. i'm not a fan of that flick.
i think jim carey should've been nominated for best actor because i'd never seen him take on such a dramatic role, and it was such a surprise to me, such a shock that he could play that part and so well.
that is one of the coolest movies ever made, and i would've put it on my list, but i could only do ten.
okay, lady. first thanks for the shout out and for linking up. i love how you combined my link with lauren and bre's. clever gal.
ReplyDeleteso when i made my list, i looked over all the oscars posts i'd done in february and picked the ten films i liked the most. i'm a thousand percent confident that i've neglected to include some movies i'd say were FAVORITES and how in hell could i've forgotten them and SON OF A BITCH, i fucked this up... but i also told myself there're dozens of oscar films that ARE worthy of praise, even though i think the academy screws it up on a regular basis. that i couldn't screw it up any more than they do.
i like that you focused on actors' performances. if i were making that list solely with those roles in mind... i'd recommend: kathy bates in misery; foster in the accused; elizabeth taylor in who's afraid of virginia woolf; anne bancroft in the miracle worker; leigh in gone with the wind; eddie redmayne in the theory of everything; phillip seymour hoffman in capote; hanks in philadelphia; anthony hopkins in the silence of the lambs; dustin hoffman in rain man.
I have never seen Gone With the WInd (although I have read the book) or any of the Godfather films!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Philadelphia though.
There are people who haven't seen Good Will Hunting? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
ReplyDeleteConfession: I fell asleep during The Godfather and haven't tried to watch it since.
Oh these are so many good ones. I love Robin Williams, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep. I don't know that many of Javier Bardeem's movies, but I do like him too! :) XO - Alexandra
ReplyDeleteSimply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
Vivien Leigh is amazing in Gone with the Wind!
ReplyDeleteI agree on everything! Except I've never seen Gone With The Wind. I know, I know, I'm some kind of monster. But not one that hasn't seen Good Will Hunting! Haha!
ReplyDelete