“Forgotten Hollywood”- My Official 2012 SAG Ballot…
Manny P. here…
For the third year, here is my ballot for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. I consider 2011 an incredible year of cinema. And, several folks and films in each category should be considered for their specific awards. Let me explain:
OUTSTANDING MALE: George Clooney (The Descendants)
I chose George Clooney over Jean Dujardin (The Artist) and Leornardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar). The Artist is a critical darling; and I agree, it has a fine overall cast. Oscar voters completely snubbed J. Edgar. Clint Eastwood’s picture deserved a better fate, in my opinion. That said, Clooney is magnificent in a well-written part.
OUTSTANDING FEMALE: Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)
Michelle Williams edges Viola Davis (The Help), since she embodies the total essence of Marilyn Monroe’s frailties. This is not your stereotypical Monroe performance you might find among impersonators along Hollywood Blvd. Not once, did I feel Michelle Williams acting; she completely immersed herself in the role as the Norma Jean Baker-counterpart. Meryl Streep’s 17th nomination (The Iron Lady) is quite an Oscar accomplishment, but pitted against other roles in her career, it simply doesn’t add up in a sub-par motion picture.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE: Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
Jonah Hill will NOT win this award, but he should. Everyone wants to see Christopher Plummer (Beginners) receive a career-achievement award, and it’s hard to argue. In 2011, Plummer was also riveting in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; and he sumptuously narrated TCM’s special on a history of Hollywood, from the Silent Era through its Golden Age. I truly appreciate the work of Christopher Plummer in any given year. I feel strongly Jonah Hill stole Moneyball from the rest of the cast with a pitch-perfect performance (excuse the pun).
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING FEMALE: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
I’m on the Minnie-bandwagon. Octavia Spencer is the fire-and-brimstone of The Help, and she is the perfect compliment to Viola Davis’ heartfelt character. Spencer is the clear winner this year. A dark-horse in this category is Berenice Bejo from The Artist.
OUTSTANDING CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE: The Artist
I enjoyed each motion picture I saw this year. My Week With Marilyn is not nominated in this category; a well-written tale, and my personal favorite of the year. But, The Artist is a really close second. There’s a lot to like: The ensemble cast… the sets… the story… the score. This movie could have failed fifteen different ways. Instead, it’s a masterpiece of filmmaking. We have witnessed the magic of the Silent Era. Norma Desmond was correct in Sunset Blvd… “I AM BIG. It’s the pictures that got small.” The Artist is a BIG success, and it gets my nod!
~ My 2011 Top 10: 1. My Week With Marilyn 2. The Artist 3. The Help 4. Midnight in Paris 5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 6. The Descendants 7. Moneyball 8. The Conspirator 9. Hugo 10. War Horse
The SAG Awards will air on January 29th on TNT. We’ll see how I do this year…
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 2:16 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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