The Morgan's Awardage Continues
- The Supporting Ladies
Best Supporting Actress is always my favourite category, its full of the interesting parts and there are so many variables. Best Actress is interesting, but there are generally fewer candidates and less interesting parts than you'll find in Best Supporting Actress. Take for example the potential nominees this year, including Nicole Kidman as a prisoner obsessed trashy southern belle in The Paperboy, Judi Dench as M in Skyfall, Amy Adams as the Lady Macbeth in The Master. There's more potential for dynamite performances, limited screen time often enabling them to work it for all its worth.
The following ladies constitute the best scene-stealers, supporting ladies and cameos that blew me away this year - bearing in mind I haven't seen Les Mis and Lincoln, where the two front-runners in this category come from.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 2012
Another brilliant year for the ladies, so many to choose from, of course, barely any of these will be noticed come oscar nomination morning, but here at least, I can give them their dues. My nominees include a newcomer, a breakout comedian, a veteran dame, an american great, underrated star and a european goddess.
Diane Kruger - Farewell, My Queen - Marie Antoinette
She caught my eye as best in show in Inglorious Basterds (have watched it three times and still believe this to be true) and then in the terrible Unknown where she was the only thing worth watching but here she gets an Oscar worthy role to sink her teeth into, as Marie Antoinette in the FANTASTIC period romp, Farewell My Queen. Vividly bringing to life the Queen facing the end of her reign, her bored indulgent personality is played to perfection by Kruger. Her dalliances with women represent a woman who has absolutely no limits in life and this is just something else to do. Yet, the moment with her husband towards the end where she loses the plot and the cracks show? Perfection. Both heartbreaking and devastatingly played, this is a stellar performance from an actress who I believe, deserves far more recognition than she gets. Hopefully playing the villain in 2013's The Host should continue her Hollywood ascendance. Diane Kruger's Morgan Clip
Dame Maggie Smith - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Muriel Donelly
I am quite sure most of you saw this coming. Yes, it was obvious Maggie was going to be here, but why not, when she's the master of her craft. The great dame steals the movie in a completely different light to Tom Wilkinson (see Best Supporting Actor). She's funny, she's withering, she's racist, she's working that niche she's carved out in snobby racist traditional old snobs and then she comes out of nowhere with a tear-jerking monologue that reminds you that she's not just the snobby dame, she's a stunning actress with magical gifts. Sure, her story was probably the most unbelievable and her turnaround was rather rapid, but its a two hour movie, not Downton Abbey. Her devotion to her work and her desire to keep working should be honoured and admired by all. A potential oscar nomination would be well-deserved and the fact she's returning to the sequel is just the icing on the cake. Dame Maggie Smith's Morgan Clip
Gina Gershon - Killer Joe - Sharla Smith
Watching the opening of this trashy, southern hot mess of a film through my hands, I was reminded of a line from my all time favourite movie, Bridesmaids: "She probably greets him in the evening, beaver first" and Gershon really does greet her step-son beaver first from the opening moment! What a bravura performance. Gershon is one of the most underrated performers working today but when she gets a role like this, she absolutely goes balls to the wall for it. She's hard to watch, the whole film is, but an actress who can do what she does in the film and remain completely believable and so utterly abhorrent, deserves kudos. Gina Gershon's Morgan Clip (not the famous one ;) ).
Gina Montana - Beasts of the Southern Wild - Miss Bathsheba
As the teacher in The Bathtub, Montana, a complete unknown, is the only motherly figure Hushpuppy and a lot of other children know and she is warm bubbly perfection. From her opening moments in the "classroom" teaching the children to her transition into chief caregiver to the rag-tag bunch, she is a rock in the storm encompassing them. Calm, composed and holding everyone together despite any personal misgivings, she is knowing, clever and above all, completely real. I sincerely hope this is just the beginning of her career, she deserves more.Gina Montana's Morgan Clip (BOTSW Featurette).Rebel Wilson - Pitch Perfect - Fat Amy
Scene stealing with a comic snap, Rebel Wilson walks away with Pitch Perfect and elevates this camp, Glee-esque movie into something special. From her knowing entrance to her impressive vocals (Turn the Beat Around will never be the same again) she is a fantastic tour-de-force, blasting through the movie and dragging everyone along with her and left me, and the rest of the full house, in hysterics at her well-timed comic beats and antics - perhaps not for everyone, but a total winner for me and a deserved breakout for this previously underrated comic. Next up are a slew of movie roles and the MTV awards on hostess duties! Rebel Wilson's Morgan Clip.
Angelica Houston - 50/50 - Diane Lerner
This screen goddess is far too under-appreciated for my liking, even the recent TV series, Smash, didn't know what to do with her other than have her throw martinis at her ex-husband as a recurring gag but in 50/50 she has two major scenes and nails them like the dame she is; absolutely nails them. She shows exactly what an overbearing mother with an ill husband would do, if she found out her only son had cancer. Bringing tears to my eyes, which is no easy task, she fluffs, fusses, panics and finally accepts with utter tragic realism - no easy task and was completely ignored, except by the Spirit awards which upsets me, as she is everything a supporting actress in a movie should be. I know this was a 2011 release but I only managed to see it this year. Anjelica Huston's Morgan Clip.
Semi Finalists:
Next up, Best Ensemble & Best Director
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