Golden Cornea Awards 2011: The Supporting Actresses

Hm, this is perhaps my most "alternative" category, as almost none of my top five received as much mainstream praise as they perhaps deserved. I do think it was a very strong year though, with a really fantastic variety of performances from a whole group of fantastic ladies. So, my personal favorites!

5. Amy Adams - "The Fighter"

I honestly think Amy Adams can do no wrong, though playing against type seemed like a risky gamble for her. However, she totally pulls it off and then some. Charlene is such an interesting character, thanks heavily to Adams's complex and multilayered performance. She never takes the easy way out and even through her thick accent she has an irresistible heart and moxie that transcends the typical "supportive girlfriend" role that she was given.

4. Dale Dickey - "Winter's Bone"

Dickey's performance is simply frightening as Merab. She's a conflicted character - it's obvious that she cares about Ree, but her loyalty to her family comes first. Just watch as Dickey changes from protective matron to helpful friend from beginning to the end of the movie, it's a fantastic arc. Her haunting and expressive eyes seal the deal.

3. Naomi Watts - "Mother and Child"

"Mother and Child" is, as I mentioned before, full of fantastic performances. But Naomi Watts is particularly notable because of how much her performance simply should not have worked. On paper, her arc is borderline ridiculous. However, Watts makes her character powerfully real, human and believable. Her change from beginning to end is simply beautiful to watch and that elevator scene...perfection.

2. Ellen Wong - "Scott Pilgrim VS the World"

You can read my full thoughts on her here. Simply, Wong steals the movie from the rest of the uber-talented cast and creates an unbelievably loveable, beautifully sensitive and perfectly funny. I just can't get enough!

1. Jacki Weaver - "Animal Kingdom"

Oh my goodness, I can't even begin to describe this performance in words. Weaver is always in the background, always watching over her children, always an ever present force that drives the rest of her family. She's not perfect - she's manipulative, she's definitely a criminal, but she's no villain. Above all she loves her sons and will do anything for them. Weaver's Smurf is so effortlessly complex that her motives and actions can simply not be shaken from your mind. Weaver is truly a force of nature.

Honorable Mentions:

Okay, there will be a lot, so prepare yourselves. In "Black Swan", Mila Kunis slides effortlessly in and out of each of her scenes, with a natural ease that is unmatchable, while Barbara Hershey is a frighteningly powerful and even sympathetic force onscreen; Rebecca Hall is just the right amount of pathetic and loveable in "Please Give"; Kirsten Dunst single handedly saves "All Good Things" with a devastating and truly emotive performance (cast her NOW!). Dianne Wiest is fantastic as embodied grief in "Rabbit Hole"; Kerry Washington gives a wonderful, and perhaps the most interesting, performance in "Mother and Child", even when her character's being a total bitch; Marion Cotillard provides the complete heart and soul of "Inception" and her Mal is a fascinating force of primal emotion; Melanie Laurent's role in "The Concert" may be small but she does so much with it; I wasn't much a fan of "City Island" but Emily Mortimer is joyously cute and yet perfectly complicated; I thought Melissa Leo's performance in "The Fighter" was kind of all surface no substance but my oh my, what a surface it was.

Almost Made It:

Kristen Stewart in "The Runaways", Lucy Punch in "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", Tammy Blanchard in "Rabbit Hole", Helena Bonham Carter in "Alice in Wonderland", Anna Kendrick in "Scott Pilgrim VS The World", Ann Guilbert in "Please Give"

Wow, so many ladies to mention I just couldn't stop myself. In case I haven't covered someone, who were your favorites? You know the drill, comments below! :)

Golden Cornea Awards 2011: The Ensembles

There's nothing like a great cast to make a movie wonderful. This year was full of fantastic feats of ensemble acting, so without further ado, my favorites from 2010.

5. The Concert

Though the advertising campaign will have you believe that this movie is all about Melanie Laurent, tis not the case - though she's lovely in her small role, it's the rest of the cast that breathes such a whimsical life into the film. Be it the goofy Valeri Barinov as the Communist sympathizing manager or the entire crowd of gypsy musicians this wonderful group had a lot of fun, and thus, so did the audience.

4. Mother and Child

The script may have been a bit contrived but thanks to the wonderful performances by the whole cast, "Mother and Child" excels. Bening, Watts and Washington make for great leads but Samuel L. Jackson, Shareeka Epps and Cherry Jones, along with the rest of the supporting players, all give their parts so much more depth than expected.

3. Please Give

This cast of droll and almost unanimously unlikable characters could have been ridiculous or grating. Intsead, Keener, Hall, Platt, Peet, Guilbert and Steele are funny, lovable and work off of each other so remarkably well.

2. The Social Network

Sorkin's dialogue is brilliant, yes, but without the fantastic delivery by every member of the cast, there would not have been the fireworks that there were. And not only do Eisenberg and Garfield do well, but so do the smaller players - Timberlake is surprisingly good, Jones and Song make the most out of their small roles, Hammer is fantastic and Mara is a raw emotional turning point. Simply marvelous.

1. Scott Pilgrim VS The World

Well of COURSE! There's just too much brilliance in every moment of every scene thanks to this amazing cast to be written down in words. I could easily write a paragraph about how great every member of the cast is - Cera, Winstead, Kulkin, Wong, Pill, Plaza, Kendrick, Larson, Whitman...ahhhh. This cast is teh epic.

Honorable Mentions: I do think that Jacki Weaver unabashedly steals the show in Animal Kingdom but the rest of the cast is really quite fantastic as well; Dogtooth's ensemble is marvelous at being both creepy yet surprisingly sympathetic; Winter's Bone is a great spotlight for Jennifer Lawrence but the supporting players hold up remarkably; Greenberg's main trio of Stiller, Gerwig and Ifans is great and it's supported well; Black Swan belongs to Portman but her costars surround her brilliantly; The Fighter is an ensemble piece at its best and those sisters are irresistible!

This was a tough one! What were your favorite ensembles this year?

Now Playing: The Concert

Like many, I fell in love with Melanie Laurent after witnessing her superbly butt-kicking work in "Inglourious Basterds". When I read that she would be playing a violinist in an upcoming French film, I knew that I had to see it...I mean, music + Melanie = I'm probably going to love this movie. And after watching this lovely little French gem, I can't say I fell completely in love, though it certainly did not disappoint.

In "the Concert", directed by Radu Mihaileanu, our protagonist Andrei (Aleksei Guskov), is the former-conductor-now-janitor of the Bolshoi Orchestra in Russia. His career was ruined years earlier after a risk-taking performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto was interrupted by the orchestra's Communist manager, Ivan (Valeriy Barinov).

Thirty years after that traumatizing event, Andrei intercepts a fax from a manager in Paris, asking for the Bolshoi to perform there. Seeing an opportunity, Andrei steals the fax, deletes the email and comes up with a plan - to reclaim his position as a conductor by putting together an orchestra and posing as the Bolshoi. With two weeks to go, Andrei must recruit a full orchestra made up of old friends and street musicians, with the help of his friend Sacha (Dmitri Nazarov), and the old manager who screwed him over.

Andrei plans to perform the Tchaikovsky again, and thus needs a violin soloist. He has his eyes on superstar Anne-Marie Jacquet (Melanie Laurent) and though things seem simple enough, there's a secret that Andrei hides that could change the course of the entire performance, and the fates of his friends and colleagues.

But don't be mislead by that ominous cliffhanger, "The Concert" is a comedy by the very definition of the word. Its writing is remarkably sharp and there are so many moments that are simply hysterical. The rag-tag orchestra's unprofessional antics bring on multitudes of laughs and the perfect comedic performances brought to us from Nazarov and Barinov are impeccably over the top without being annoying.

The film has a big heart as well, amplified by the sincere screenplay and the emotionally affecting performances. Each character has their own motives for reliving their musical heydays and each actor brings so much feeling to their performances. Melanie Laurent does particularly good work. She gives her Anne-Marie a cold, diva persona but there is so much beneath the surface. Her screentime is dissatisfying, but I blame that on the advertising people who make it seem like she's a co-lead. She's not, but she does beautifully in her relatively small role.

Being a movie about an orchestra, the music is obviously a huge part of the film, and it is absolutely wonderful. This isn't the first time the Tchaik concerto has been used as a plot point for a movie, but it's still one of the most beautiful pieces ever written. The original score is very unique and beautiful, and integrates perfectly with the rest of the film. Oh, and the actors actually look convincing while they're playing their instruments!!!!!! Take notes, "August Rush".

However, though I'm sort of singing its praises, "The Concert" is definitely imperfect. Its last act loses a large amount of the focus that makes the first part of the film great. I'm still conflicted about the conclusion, as well - without spoiling anything, I'll say that though I greatly appreciated the structural integrity employed, there's no way to get around the fact that it is extremely rushed. Yet, it is still a beautiful conclusion that left me in tears (thanks to Laurent and Tchaikovsky!).

Plus, it's not a film that will remain in your mind. I don't want to call it forgettable, but the only thing that stayed in my mind after leaving the theater was Laurent's performance. And to be honest, something like this would probably, nay, would DEFINITELY never happen in the real world of classical music (believe me! I have experience!). The plot and its resolution are quite unrealistic. I am, however, greatly happy that the film didn't fall into the sentimental bullcrap that I felt from its trailer. It never once went that far.

So if you get the chance, see "The Concert"! It's a gorgeous little film, a fast two hours that is full of good music and good acting. It's very funny, impeccably written (if you get past the ridiculous plot, which isn't so hard to do), and certainly one of the more enjoyable movies I've seen this year.

7/10

"The Concert" Trailer

I know this is a few days (weeks? I'm so out of the loop) old, but I just saw it...so in case you're as behind as me, here you go!

So this trailer is pretty poor...it does everything trailers should NOT! Namely, give away so much plot (I hate that). Plus, it makes the movie look a bit sappy. Which it very well may be. But...

I'm REALLY excited for this movie! It looks cute enough, and I love music-themed movies, which are a bit too rare for my taste. Oh, and MELANIE-I-am-amazing-LAURENT. When I heard she would be playing a violinist in a movie I knew I had to get myself over there immediately. Plus, I hear she's getting a bit of Oscar buzz? Seems like a role they would like.

Sorry, I'm rambling! Please comment below. Are you excited or dreading this little foreign piece?