Award-winning movie stuff to add to your list

My friend, Jenn at Quirky Pickings, is hosting a link-up called Tuesday Topics.  I'm terrible about weekly link-ups, but I'll jump in when I can.  Why don't you find a topic (or topics) that interest or inspire you and join as well?

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:

50 movies I should (and plan to) watch

I bit the bullet, admitted that the next milestone is effing fifty, and created a 50 before 50 list (post coming soon).

One of the goals to meet is to watch 50 movies that I have not seen, but I feel like I "should" see (or I just want to watch and haven't gotten around to it yet.)  I'm giving myself until 17 June 2023 (it sounds so far away when I put it that way), so I should be able to do this, right?  I think so. 

How did I compile this list?

• I admitted that there were some fairly "obvious" movies that I've never seen
• Some are movies I've been meaning to see (like a documentary by Dave Navarro)
• I asked for suggestions from fellow "fall film challenge" members 
• I reviewed lists of Academy Award Winners (If a movie has a year after it, then it won an Oscar for Best Picture that year.) 
• I asked facebook friends for suggestions as well as a couple of blogger buddies that are movie buffs.
• I added movie adaptations of books that I enjoyed immensely but have yet to see
• I looked at lists of Australian-made movies

Here's want I'm going to try to tackle:

1. About Time (because it's from the creator of Love Actually)
2. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
3. Amadeus (1984)
4. Apocalypto
5. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
6. Beauty & the Beast
7. Bernie
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
9. Breakfast at Tiffany's
10. A Bridge Too Far
11. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
12. Calendar Girls
13. Candy
14. The Castle
15. Cinderella Man
16. Creation
17. The Danish Girl
18. The Dead Pool
19. Devil's Knot
20. Driving Miss Daisy
21. Easy Rider
22. Fiddler on the Roof
23. Gandhi (1982)
24. The Hundred-Foot Journey
25. The Intouchables
26. Kelly's Heroes (it's the husband's favorite)
27. The King's Speech (2010)
28. The Kite Runner  
29. The Little Mermaid
30. Memoirs of a Geisha
31. Mourning Son (documentary)
32. The Painted Veil
33. The Pianist
34. Pride & Prejudice
35. Rebel Without a Cause
36. Red Dog
37. Room
38. Shine
39. Silkwood
40. Sophie's Choice
41. The Sound of Music
42. Spectre
43. Spotlight (2015)
44. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
45. Still Alice
46. There Will Be Blood
47. Trainwreck
48. Two Hands
49. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
50. Wolf Creek

What do you think about my list??

List #22 - Sparkle and Shine at The Oscars

I sell jewelry/jewellery.  My guy is a jeweler/jeweller.  (I really get confused between my American/Australian spellings sometimes.)  When I watch awards shows, I'm often looking at the jewels.  It's no secret that most (pretty much all) of the jewels worn are lent to the stars as a marketing scheme, and I love looking at the stunning creations.  This year's Academy Awards may have been the best in my recollection for "wow" pieces of jewellery.  I kept notes while I watched the red carpet and awards show.  These are the 10 pieces of jewellery that made the biggest impact in a positive way (there were a couple of statement pieces that I wasn't digging, but I'm keeping this post positive).  In no particular order:

1.  Oprah Winfrey's earrings - The first time they showed Miss O in the audience, I gasped at those earrings, and I wanted to know more.  Is that white and rose gold?  Are those pink diamonds?  I'm not sure because I can't find jewellery credit anywhere (and I'm writing this late enough that there are definitely plenty of articles out there listing jewellery sources).  In my make believe world, I'm going to say since Oprah has more money that the rest of the folks on this list combined, that she might actually own those earrings.  But, that's just a wild guess. 

2.  America Ferrera's earrings by Irene Neuwirth - She was the first celebrity that Ryan Seacrest interviewed for E's red carpet special.  I couldn't stop looking at the one-of-a-kind earrings - the use of the opals surrounded by interestingly set diamonds - they are a gorgeous color set against America's dark locks.

3.  Common's brooch by Fred Leighton - I think he was the best dressed man of the night giving the best speech of the night wearing the best brooch of the night, a sapphire and diamond stunner. 

4.  Jessica Chastain's necklace by Piaget - After Jessica is finished with this diamond choker, Piaget can ship it to me to borrow anytime. I love the way the marquise cut diamonds lay in this necklace.

 

 5.  Laura Dern's ring by Bulgari - Laura Dern was nominated for her part in the movie "Wild" based on the story written by Cheryl Strayed.  This masterpiece of a ring was worn in honor of Strayed's mother who died of lung cancer (and who Dern portrayed in the movie).  It was created using the American Lung Association's symbolic color.  Read more about it here.

6.  Kerry Washington's earrings by Fred Leighton - When Kerry presented during the awards ceremony, I'm pretty sure I didn't listen to a word she said.  I was too distracted by the pink sapphire and diamond ear pendants.

7.  Nupita Nyong'o's pearl bodice by Calvin Klein Collection - Reportedly, this dress consisted of 6000 pearls.  It is a work of art and perfect for her skin.  How heavy was it?  How many fittings?  Was it comfortable to sit in?  I don't know, but she looks absolutely incredible, and these pearls only enhance her beauty.

The final 3 - Well, the Aussie gals who couldn't be beat................

8.  Naomi Watts' earrings by Anna Hu - Gimme, gimme, gimme these sapphire and diamond showstoppers!  That's all I gotta say.

9.  Cate Blanchett's statement necklace by Tiffany & Co. - Seriously.  I can't imagine this necklace worn by anyone else for this event.  Turquoise, aquamarines, and diamonds.  All enhancing the color of her eyes.  

10.   Margot Robbie's necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels - Originally commissioned for the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson - well, doesn't that say it all?  It was created for royalty.  Diamonds, Gold, Sapphire tassel, with a zipper styling.  You could tell Margot felt like one lucky girl to be wearing this piece of art.

Photo sources:  getty images, zimbio, dailymail.co.uk, hollywoodreporter.com, fashionmagazine.com, fashionsizzle.com