Another difficult list to narrow down, but not quite as tough as my Favorite Supporting Actor Performances. Here, I started with about 25 possibilities, but I'm pretty happy with these ten choices.
Don't forget to check out Kyle's blog for his list, too!
1. Mo'Nique in Precious
Very few actresses have surprised me as much as Mo'Nique did with her riveting, brutal, and complicated turn as Mary, the abusive mother in Precious. I've only seen the film once, about six years ago, but many scenes and moments are ingrained into my memory thanks to this powerful performance. Mo'Nique (along with director Lee Daniels and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher) created a totally believable and human character. Mary is more often than not intimidating and downright scary, but she also has moments of genuine weakness and fear and remorse. Mo'Nique handles all of the different material wonderfully and I think she completely deserved her Best Supporting Actress Oscar win, in addition to all the other accolades that she collected for this performance.
2. Toni Collette in The Sixth Sense
For about a year following its release, The Sixth Sense was my absolute favorite film. There were many reasons for this admiration and Toni Collette's performance as Lynn Sear was a big one. As a single parent, Lynn already has her work cut out for her, but considering her child also sees ghosts, she's in an unusual situation. I've liked or loved Collette in just about everything I've seen her in, but she's never been better than her work here. Right off the bat, the Australian actress effects a perfect Philadelphia accent, but that's not anywhere near as impressive as the emotional highs and lows that come. One of my all-time favorite scenes, and the highlight of Collette's performance in this film, is near the end, when her son finally tells her the truth about his grandma's bumblebee pendant. The range, from disbelief to shock to crying from joy, that Collette displays is mesmerizing. I'm tearing up a bit just thinking about it and that's a testament to a great performance.
3. Emma Thompson in Stranger Than Fiction
Emma Thompson is one of the best actresses working and I had several performances to pick from while making this list. In the end, I chose her work in one of my favorite films (you can read more about the film next week, in Part 9 of our ongoing series of lists), Stranger Than Fiction. Thompson's character, Karen Eiffel, is a reclusive novelist who is struggling to meet the deadline for her new book. Eiffel is a manic, possibly suicidal, perfectionist who chain smokes when she's got writer's block - and she's blocked a lot at the beginning of the film. Thompson hits all the right notes, both comedic and dramatic, and immediately pulled me into her subplot. In addition to her wonderful onscreen performance, Thompson also narrates the film as Eiffel. I've always been a sucker for British accents and Thompson's voice is perfectly suited for narration.
4. Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal
I've written about Notes on a Scandal three times now (previously in My Favorite Films series and in My Favorite Lead Actress Performances entry) and Blanchett is widely recognized as one of the best actresses of her generation. There's not much more to say, other than if you haven't seen Notes on a Scandal yet, I'd highly recommend you do so. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
5. Joan Allen in Pleasantville
Joan Allen is almost always captivating on screen and her performance as Betty Parker, a standard 50's sitcom housewife in Pleasantville, is a great example of her massive amount of talent. Betty starts out as a cliche of all those old TV tropes - cooking, cleaning, meeting her husband at the door with a drink as he returns home from work - but grows into a unique and layed character as the film progresses. Betty learns to love and express herself, even if it means hurting her husbands feelings. Her transformation is inspiring, funny, and heartfelt and Allen captures all of these emotions and more, creating a remarkable and highly memorable character in the process.
6. Marisa Tomei in In the Bedroom
I think Marisa Tomei is an underrated actress, despite winning an Academy Award (for My Cousin Vinny, an award many people don't think she deserved) and having a career than has spanned 30+ years. My favorite work of hers is as Natalie Strout in the emotional drama, In the Bedroom. This film stars two fantastic actors in the lead roles - Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek - but Tomei more than holds her own. Natalie has to handle immense and multifaceted grief - the loss of a lover, survivor's guilt, and the pressure of living alongside her lover's devastated parents - and Tomei captures all of the heartache, pain, and remorse just perfectly. It's a lovely, understated performance in a film filled with fantastic performances.
7. Shelley Duvall in The Shining
I haven't seen many films with Shelley Duvall (besides The Shining, I've only seen Annie Hall from her filmography, but I don't remember her in it), but her role in The Shining is so pitch perfect and memorable that I'll never forget her. As Wendy Torrance, the wife of The Overlook Hotel's new winter caretaker, Duvall gets to play an energetic and excited spouse and a loving mother who is driven to near madness by her husband's shocking behavior and the spirits lurking at their new home. Duvall's depiction of a woman teetering on the edge of sane and crazy is masterful. I don't think I've ever seen another performer convey genuine terror as well as she does here. I've watched The Shining close to ten times, but it wasn't until a year or two ago that I recognized Duvall's performance as masterful. Before that, I had considered it too over the top. Now I realize how wrong I was.
8. Shohreh Aghdashloo in House of Sand and Fog
I've written about House of Sand and Fog once before on this blog, as one of My Favorite Films. In that write-up I mostly focused on Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly's performances, but Shohreh Aghdashloo is almost as good, in a much smaller role. She plays Nadi, the wife of Kingsley's exiled Iranian colonel, now living in California and embroiled in a bitter dispute over their new house. Nadi is at times a strong and confident woman, but she also has moments of confusion, fear, and weakness. She has to adapt to America as a new and very different home. Aghdashloo is able to convey many of these emotions with just the look in her eyes or in a few, soft spoken words. When Nadi does come unglued, Aghdashloo seizes those moments, as well, converting her acting style to match. She more than holds her own with Kingsley and Connelly (and the rest of the capable cast) and rightly deserved her Academy Award nomination. It's a pity she didn't win, though.
9. Alison Lohman in Matchstick Men
Alison Lohman is an actress who I expected big things from after seeing her deftly play a fourteen year old girl when she herself was a 22 or 23 (depending on when the film, released in 2003, was shot) woman. Her mannerisms, way of speaking, and overall "vibe" were just perfect and I never would have guessed the actress's actual age. The film, a nearly perfect little caper/heist flick from director Ridley Scott, also featured Nicolas Cage's best performance and a spectacular turn from Sam Rockwell, but I almost always think of Lohman's work first when anyone brings up Matchstick Men. She really shined and stole every scene she shared with the older, more experienced stars. She's funny and sarcastic, but also sweet and vulnerable. Lohman worked consistently until 2009, when she took a break from acting, but with two projects last year, it looks like she might be coming back. I hope she does and I hope she gets the opportunity to top Matchstick Men, but that's a pretty tall order.
10. Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby is a film that always puts me on edge whenever I watch it. I know how things will play out, but I still get anxious and nervous. It's a masterful film all around, but one of my favorite aspects is the wonderful performance from Ruth Gordon, as Minnie, Rosemary's seemingly sweet and caring neighbor. As anyone who has seen the film knows, Minnie turns out to be a lot more sinister than sweet, but Gordon manages to play the role so convincingly that I'm forced to like her throughout, even though I know how she'll turn out. That's a pretty impressive feat. I've never seen Gordon in anything else (no, not even Harold and Maude) and I think I'd like to keep it that way so that she can always stay Minnie to me.
Well, there's my list. What are some of your favorites? Do you love
any of mine? Or absolutely hate any of them? Thanks for reading and I
look forward to any and all comments!
Next week's list: Part 9 of my Favorite Films.
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