Continuing my good form of seeing the Oscar nominated films I am pleased to say that I have seen all five of the films for the nominated actresses in a supporting role. Another pretty strong category and with what everyone thinks will be a clear winner. Surely we are in for some surprises and people picking up the awards that are not so expected? Well we certainly have to hope so due to the fact that if everything is as widely predicted it will be rather boring. So I am going to have my last say on the actresses in a supporting role and pleased to say that I actually enjoyed all five of these films!
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood – Review
The first ever nomination for Arquette and she is very highly tipped to take home the gold statue for her very impressive performance in Boyhood as the mother. She has some very tricky scenes and like Ethan Hawke gave up a lot of time to take part in the project lasting the 12 year stint. A very brave move which looks like it could totally pay off in the end. It is a very moving performance as she certainly does have some difficult scenes to be part of and she pulls it all off very well and with ease.
I would not be upset to see Arquette win this one as she really is fantastic in Boyhood. She puts in such an emotional performance in many different ways. You can see her age as the film goes on and this really does work in such a good way for the film, I know that probably sounds a strange comment due to the time scale of filming, but we all know that in Hollywood some people just don’t age at all.
Laura Dern – Wild – Review
This nomination probably made me the happiest out of all in this category, mainly because when I was watching Wild I really thought Dern put in a fantastic performance. Due to the format of the film she is entirely used in flashback mode, and over quite a few different years. So she had to cover quite a big time scale in not really too many scenes. But it really is such a touching role and I am very pleased it has been recognised by the Academy.
So the first two nominees have both been playing the mothers in the films, is that possibly showing that the older actress is being recognised a little bit more? I thought I would say that before the next two and obviously a standard nomination for Streep. This is Dern’s second nomination but first for supporting role. I would certainly say she is very much an outsider to pick up this one.
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game – Review
Firstly I must say that I have never been a big fan of Knightley, if you read my blog regularly you will already know this and understand that two of her films made it into my top 10 of 2014. So I am starting to think that I am actually coming round to her. One of those films was this one and she really did put in a top performance in this film, holding her own against the force that is Benedict Cumberbatch. They worked very well together on-screen and I really enjoyed her character.
In a very male dominated film (from a very male dominated time) she held her own and more against them. A truly inspiring female character and one to admire. With this being based on real events it is inspiring to know that women still believed that they were more than expected to be. For this I think Knightley really deserves a lot of credit along with her second nomination.
Emma Stone – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Review
Her very first Oscar nomination and well deserved for what has to have been a very difficult role in Birdman. Her character is very mysterious to begin with and over the course of the film we get her story and understand why she is so messed up. It is another off the wall performance and it must have been very difficult to get a character like that to come alive. She has a brilliant on-screen presence which really helps in her performance.
Another great thing about Stone in this film is that she’s showing a totally new side to her acting. A character which has been in rehab and seems very likely to have a breakdown at any time, showing what an incredible performance this is. I am sure she will be nominated for more Oscars in the future and unsure on her chances for this year in all honesty.
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods – Review
A record 19th nomination with 3 wins for the legend that is Streep. It wouldn’t be the Oscars if Meryl was not nominated for a performance. I am in the minority in enjoying Into the Woods. Without a doubt Streep as the Witch is the best thing in the film, with her singing back again and obviously her acting is always fantastic. She can never seem to do much wrong, which just shows how good she really is. This is another different type of role and she is as engaging as ever.
I cannot imagine Meryl getting her hands on another Oscar for this film as much as I enjoyed it. It just seems that she has to be nominated every year? Possibly but she has not won for better performances than this, so I would say this is probably fifth choice for picking up the golden man!
Who I want to win – Emma Stone
Who I think will win – Patricia Arquette
