Moment of Zen - StinkyLulu Style

A quick revisiting of the moment that's singly sustained my spirits through a very grueling week...

How's about a caption contest?
Offer your suggestions in comments.

Supporting Actress Smackdown - 2007

The Year is...

2007

And the Smackdowners for the 80th Annual Academy Awards are...

ADAM WALDOWSKI of The Oscar Completist
BROOKE CLOUDBUSTER of Boy on Film
JAMES HENRY of Rants of a Diva
JS C of He Thinks He's A God
NICK DAVIS of Nick's Flick Picks
with
yours truly, STINKYLULU.

2007's Supporting Actresses are...
(Each Smackdowner's comments are arranged according to ascending levels of love. Click on the nominee's name/film to see StinkyLulu's Supporting Actress Sunday review.)

Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There

JAMES HENRYBlanchett’s definitely startling and exciting, but not necessarily in a good way. She’s so mannered and exaggerated that, with the way she tacked on “man” to the end of every sentence, for awhile I thought Jeff Bridges in full-on Dude mode had also been hired to play Dylan. It wasn’t until her final scene, where she drops all the mannerisms and pretense and offers that enigmatic smile, that I finally saw a real human being.
JS C A swell inhabitation of the Dylan persona she is chosen to work
with, Technical Cate once again displays her tremendous ability to
create interest though not always emotional attachment (fondness
maybe) in a showcase role. Also, that last smile? A great touch of
"thank you for watching."
STINKYLULU It’s often fascinating to observe Blanchett sculpt the humanoid contours of this enthralling, startling and infuriating creature. A technically spectacular performance that remains an expert, but curiously soulless, concoction.
NICK I see Stinky’s point in his earlier post that this performance could have used some richer emotional chords, even taking into account the jackass/cipher traits of the role. Still, Blanchett is playful, smart, subtle, and technically exquisite—not just as a mimic, but as the architect of an uncanny and insinuating character that’s very much her own.
BROOKE CLOUDBUSTER Effortlessly funny and ultimately unique performance. Blanchett goes far past the genderbending baity aspects that the role might provide and dives into the nitty-gritty of this character; s/he becomes a force to be reckoned with on the screen.
ADAM Only Blanchett or Streep could have elevated this beyond a caricature or gimmick. Her gait, voice, and demeanor don't just express masculinity, they implore it. Rather than impersonating, she's explores the psyche of a supremely egotistical Dylan circa Don't Look Back that's an enigmatic, charismatic tour de force.

TOTAL: 22s

Ruby Dee in American Gangster

JS CSLAP! That's all. The rest? Quite adequate.
ADAMShe's going to slap the hell out of me, but Dee, with her unbelievably limited screentime, is left standing after Denzel's two vanity projects fell flat. Still, she surely wonders how a slap and a hug got her this far. Mama Lucas appears like an unfinished sketch--or with those expressions, why not say cartoon?
NICKMy eye went right to her, and she did more with her scenes than she needed to: I love the slightly foggy air in which she hides her skepticism and disappointment—until, at last, she doesn’t. But, simply, this isn’t major work.
JAMES HENRYI have to concede that the bitch slap heard ‘round the world is quite fantastic, but this is one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-them roles which nothing can really be done with and is only elevated by Dee’s legendary status.
STINKYLULUBrief but brilliant. Dee’s efficiently crafted character arc – a mother’s proud devotion curdling into despairing disappointment – goes far to provide the only emotional mooring for this lumbering film. (And while the slap might be more memorable, that first scene about the bedroom set remains proof that this is real, substantial actressing.)
BROOKE CLOUDBUSTER A very small performance that leaves a large impact when you leave the film. Dee's natural gravitas and acting talent impresses, even if we really wanted more of it.

TOTAL: 11s

Saoirse Ronan in Atonement

ADAMGarai and Redgrave give considerably better performances and that's because they're evolving from Ronan, who's limited to her deadpan stare and shrill, wavering voice. Only 13 years old, any nuance escapes Ronan who stoops to playing the spoiled child... and nothing more.
BROOKE CLOUDBUSTERRonan makes the unwise choice of playing the character like an adult would play it; not as the child actually Briony actually is. On top of that, the performance is too fussy and bland for the gravitas this role demands.
NICKI find her very well cast in terms of “type” but also very directed, frequently rigid, and in ways that obscure or flatten Briony as often as they reveal her. Better than lots of kids would have done, sure. But where oh where is Bonita Granville? (Or what’s-her-name, also in These Three, whom everyone on this blog revered so intensely. [ed's note: That would be Marcia Mae Jones.)
STINKYLULUI admire Ronan’s ability to score the cracks in Briony’s self-insulating certitude, how that work routes the paths followed by the subsequent (more exhilarating) Brionys. A deftly directed performance by an exceptionally talented young actor.
JS C Precocious control of her physical self. Those subtle facial
adjustments in an otherwise powdered glacial front conveys
unimaginable change and turmoil. The next Tilda Swinton? Possibly.
Yeah, I wrote it.
JAMES HENRY While I fear that, vocally, many other child actors could have done this role with just as much conviction as Ronan, what sets her apart in my mind is her commitment to detail in every other aspect of the character: the 90 degree turns while walking, whacking to grass with her stick, the rehearsal scene with her cousins.

TOTAL: 14s

Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone

JS CYou can tell she must have been having a ball with that accent and,
while she tries to blend – then break through – the visual ugly of the
movie, the performance reaches a point of over-reliance on said
technique. You can't tell whether she really chooses to
play it this two-dimensionally or whether that really was just the role.
NICK A Mike Leigh performance—lived-in, vivid, mannered, and a little unpredictable—but with a coarser director at the helm, and an actress with a less sure sense of how much might be too much for the intimate camera and the giant screen. Oscillates between tough insights and garish speculation.
JAMES HENRY With a character as ugly as Helene McCready, it would have been easy for Ryan to try and soften her up a bit, make her a little more human. Instead, much to her credit and actorly instincts, she shoves Helene’s flaws right in our face and makes this monster mother more memorable.
STINKYLULU Ryan’s Helene is a perfectly hideous narcissist. A monstrous phantom crafted with clarity, ease and a wicked Boston accent – vivid, haunting, effective.
BROOKE CLOUDBUSTER Ryan completely makes the film her own. She nails the emotional core of the character within the histrionics, an incredible accomplishment in itself. Special note must be given to her line-readings; each dripping with the sheer essence of this character.
ADAM As a white trash crack whore single mother, Ryan has (to say the least) an intensely unlikable character. However, she alternates between self-serving bitch to loving mom with fluidity and depth. In a morally ambiguous film, Ryan's the piece that makes it nearly impossible to decide where your sympathies lie.

TOTAL: 21s

Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton

ADAMSwinton benefits most from the absurd final scene that all of Michael Clayton builds up to, but even then she's in bad form, channeling too much into every glance and movement. It's nice to see her finally recognized by Oscar. Too bad it's for the least distinctive performance of her career.
JS C What is it about Tilda Swinton's body that her voice only seems to
be a bonus in the performance? This melting conduit of Michael
Clayton's staid urban fairytale perfectly reflects what it means
to be living in such a world: a beautifully constructed creature in
ill-fitting corporate (& corpse) skin with a voice that
cannot convincingly be distinguished between façade and emotion.
BROOKE CLOUDBUSTER The best performance in this category for some time. Without any fluff; this is a masterclass. Swinton makes Karen into so much more than she is on the page; getting into the character's each flaw and quality perfectly.
JAMES HENRY Swinton could have copped out with this performance since it seems that the character was thrown in as an afterthought, but instead she nailed it, showing the vulnerable and twitchy side of a corporate ball-buster with those daring sweat stains, the bewitching rehearsal scenes and her utter horror at the lack of control in the final scene.
STINKYLULU Where most actresses would have mined the workaholic Karen Crowder for her humanizing idiosyncrasies, Swinton dives to the piteous depths of the corporate automaton’s depleted soul. Technically pristine work, with a frighteningly human edge – some of the best work the category’s seen in years.
NICK Knows exactly (unlike Ryan) how much the camera will catch, makes rigidity work as an essential character point (unlike Ronan), lingers in more of the movie than she’s actually in (unlike Dee), and suffuses emotional thrums of sorrow, striving, and anxiety throughout an otherwise technical performance (more fully than Blanchett does). Superior in every respect, and also in specific ways to all four of the competing performances.

TOTAL: 27s

The SMACKDOWNERs are clear:

But we must be content
to wait until later this evening
to discover Oscar's Choice...

UPDATED TO ADD:
And lo - behold - OSCAR agrees!
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton is
The Best Supporting Actress of 2007!

For their part, the Smackdowners
were/are divided in their predictions.

Nick and JS C think it'll go to Tilda. Nick observes that Michael Clayton is "the most admired movie...and more people seem to have 'discovered' the performance as awards season has trundled onward" while JS C notes that Tilda's "the only strong Clayton nominee in any category and the Academy must 
recognize Clooney." Adam and Brooke, on the other hand, are calling the race for Cate. While Adam claims Cate's win with the passion of a true believer ("Though the Weinstein Company took a sure thing this season and let it morph into the most unpredictable category, I think -- and pray -- Cate Blanchett will win") Brooke's a little more resigned to the statistical inevitability of Blanchett snagging at least one trophy tonight ("Few double nominees go home with nothing. It's the sad truth, and not even the respect for Dee or the critic's praise of Ryan can change that"). For his part, James Henry is going with the "sentimental vote" and calling the race for Ruby. As for me, I don't have a clue. I suspect Cate'll snag it (they almost had it engraved for her six months ago), though Ruby might just upset things. I somehow don't think it's Tilda's to take but I'd love to see it happen. All in all, I'm just giddy that my beloved category -- after a couple bouts of inevitability -- is actually a wide open race. So, I'll just go out on a limb and predict Saoirse to win. Wouldn't that grab some attention for our beloved actresses at the edges of 2007?!

BUT, lovely reader, what do YOU think?
Share your thoughts, opinions and predictions
below in comments.
(And do vote in today's pre-show polls at right.)

Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There (2007) - Supporting Actress Sundays

I might be considered an a la carte film lover. Over the years, I have cultivated my tastes so that I can take great pleasure in my most favorite ingredients of even an awful film. I don't have to love the whole thing to be able to pick out a sustaining treat to treasure. (Indeed, my interest in actressing at the edges emerges precisely from this ability/predisposition.) And one of the thrills of such a la carte cinema-mongering is developing those fantasy lists of favorite cinematic ingredients -- the Column A of favorite actors; the Column B of favorite directors; the Column C of favorite scenarios/styles -- and crossing your fingers that, one day, you'll have the opportunity to savor a perfect dish: like one of your generation's best actresses doing high-concept, cross-gender work for one of the boldest American auteurs. Of course, the dilemma of a la carte is that sometimes the fantasy of the perfect concoction is more gratifying than the actual dish itself. Such was the case this year for StinkyLulu with...

...Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There (2007).

approximately 29 minutes and 35 seconds
24 scenes
roughly 22% of film's total running time

Cate Blanchett plays Jude Quinn, one of six intertwined aspects of Bob Dylan elaborated within director Todd Haynes's ambitious explication of cinema, persona, celebrity, identity, biography, history and -- of course -- Bob Dylan.
Among Haynes's "six aspects of Dylan," Blanchett's Jude is perhaps the most consistently startling. Bedecked with frizzy hair, a raspy cigarette-stained voice, a veering, teetering walk and a near-constant sneer, Blanchett's Jude is a fascinating, infuriating, freak -- a countercultural Golem conjured by a celebrity-obsessed media, a mendacious recording industry and voracious fans.
To this end, Blanchett's casting -- as the only woman to play an aspect of Dylan -- is sublime in its efficiency, allowing Blanchett's Jude to become an enthralling but mildly terrifying creature instead of simply a man on the verge of collapse. Indeed, for both Haynes and Blanchett, Jude is not so much a person as he is a "persona" in apparently human form; Jude's breakdown is not medical but mechanical, a persona malfunction as it were.
Blanchett's performance savvily operates from this often creepy contradiction (Jude appears human but he's actually a mysterious creature from planet celebrity) to mine some fascinating moments: Jude's viciously preening masculinism, his nattering self-absorption, his blithe cruelty, his casual disdain for everyone...everyone except other mysterious creatures like himself, like Allen Ginsberg (David Cross in a hilariously apt impersonation).
Blanchett's accomplishment in the role of Jude Quinn is extraordinary. Blanchett sculpts the persona of Jude's affect with expert precision, manipulating Jude's mask to create the illusion of life as might a master puppeteer. Blanchett opts for a reedy, sonorous vocal quality -- neither as nasal nor as breathy as one might expect -- which allows her to dip into more registers of her actual voice. Blanchett's physicality is limber, masculine in its confident looseness, even as it is coiled, a spring ready to pop. Blanchett's Jude is an expert concoction.
Yet Blanchett's Jude is also curiously soulless. I'm not sure if it's part of the concept to have Jude sit so beyond simple humanity (persona not person) but, unfortunately, making Jude a vacant celebrity cipher creates a tangible emotional vacuum at the center of I'm Not There.
Rescreening the film in the theatre this week, I was struck by how emotionally hollow the Jude sequences were. Then, when screening Blanchett's performance online, isolated from the rest of the film (via streaming video here), I was shocked at how much my connection to Jude's thread was informed by the Bale, Gere, and Ledger threads woven around it. It's a confounding problem: I suspect what I like least about Blanchett's performance is her singular achievement of Haynes's conceit/concept.
Nonetheless, I do fault Blanchett for an essential lapse. I can't help but feel that Blanchett might have provided a glimmer of soul somewhere at the center -- or even at the edges -- of Jude, to tether this artificial automaton to some kind of truth. You can almost feel Blanchett reaching for something akin to emotional integrity in her car confrontation with Keenan, or in her final monologue in the back of the car. (But, notably, those moments happen also to be the moments when Blanchett's vocal characterization is most distracting.) Something's missing from the Jude piece, something that is present with Bale, Gere and Ledger. Only in the boldest castings (Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin) does Haynes seem to lose hold of the abstract emotional reins of the piece.
Blanchett's work as Jude is brilliant but flawed, an extraordinary yet incomplete accomplishment. And though it's hard to fault an actor for doing exactly what the director wants of them, I must nonetheless hold forth one of my articles of faith: transcendent actressing at the edges comes from providing the dimension, depth and soul that a director doesn't even know to request.