Top 15 Supporting Female Performances of 2015

Now that I've given my list of the top 15 lead female performances of 2015, I figured I'd shine a light on the ladies that did more with less. Here is my list of the top 15 supporting female performances of the year.

15. Katherine Waterston as Chrisann in Steve Jobs: While a lot of the actors in Steve Jobs are acting through Aaron Sorkin's snappy dialogue, Katherine Waterston does most of her acting through her eyes. The eyes of her Chrisann, that are both fiery and in panic, would make Waterston's own hypnotic Shasta Fey in Inherent Vice run for the flipping hills.

14. Julie Walters as Miss Kehoe in Brooklyn: As I sing my praises about Brooklyn and how humorous it is, a good chunk of the humor comes from Julie Walters who owns every ounce of screen time she has with her colorful and acerbic line delivery. Even if she isn't on screen much, she always left me wanting more.

13. Brie Larson as Kim in Trainwreck: Brie Larson had a pretty solid year. She became a force of nature in Room and earlier in the year, she served as a comedic foil in Trainwreck. But as Kim, Larson has to exude several layers: being the comedic "straight man," the supportive sister, and the stern yet wise wife and mother.

12. Tilda Swinton as Dianna in Trainwreck: Here is one phrase we don't normally get to use: Tilda Swinton: sardonic comedienne. After slaying 2014 with three very different performances, she owns even more scenery as the main character's crass boss while getting all tanned and wigged up. Is there no end to your slayage, Ms. Swinton?

11. Phyllis Smith as Sadness in Inside Out: Sadness is a perfect foil to Joy: always mopey to the point where the always sunny Joy feels as if Sadness is dragging her down. But as the film progresses, Phyllis Smith showcases the importance of Sadness through subtle inflictions in her voice like when Sadness comforts Riley's former imaginary friend Bing Bong as he gets upset when recalling happy memories with Riley and Smith's voice gets lighter and less somber. Sadness may have a rain cloud over her head, but she'll still let the sun shine.

10. Joan Allen as Grandma in Room: As Ma and Jack become adjusted to the real world, it is up to Allen's Grandma to help them adjust through grace and warmth. Allen is the kind of actress that does more with less, exuding a quiet strength to command your attention. But here, Allen does more with literally less. In particular, in her big scene where she exudes years of backstory and having to cope without her daughter living in her nest. Such a relief to have you back on screen, Joan!

9. Elizabeth Banks as Melinda in Love and Mercy: While we've seen the struggling wife or girlfriend of the tortured genius/artist role many times, as the wife of Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson, Elizabeth Banks plays the role with such refreshing authenticity and avoids veering towards martyrdom or giving her a steely reserve. Simply, playing her as just a person. In fact, because her performance is so luminous and determined, while I was watching the film, I was thinking, "God only knows where he'd be without her?"

8. Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation: While I went in to be amazed by Tom Cruise as I was, it was ultimately Rebecca Ferguson who walked away with the film. As Ilsa Faust, Rebecca Ferguson is so magnetic, so in control, so sheek, and so ferocious, that she makes you wish Faust had her own movie. If that happened, I'd be first in line to buy a ticket!

7. Deanna Dunagan as Grandma in The Visit: One of the scariest performances of the year if not THE scariest. One thing that is genius about Dunagan's portrayal is that while she does send chills during the night scenes where she goes crazy and unhinged, she is even scarier in the scenes where she is being interviewed and is much more calm yet still slowly loses it. All while keeping still and sitting in a chair. I've seen this movie back in September, but this performance still has my bones shaking.

6. Kristen Stewart as Valentine in Clouds of Sils Maria: After suffering through the rather dismal Twilight films, it was such a relief to see Kristen Stewart go back to her indie roots with her career-best work in Clouds of Sils Maria. She gets to hold her own against veteran Juliette Binoche while helping craft one of the finest on-screen duos of 2015 thanks to their chemistry. Her Valentine was so lively and in the moment that any actor or person would be lucky to have her as their assistant.

5. Tessa Thompson as Bianca in Creed: While Tessa Thompson is given the "Adrian" girlfriend role, what makes Thompson's work completely different is how she is much spunkier and more in the moment. Even as her character succumbs to a physical disability, she still has the mentality of "Might as well do what I love while I can" and that makes her performance so endearing. Extra points for her entrancing singing voice which certainly has a "Grip" on you.

4. Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer in Spotlight: Amongst her fellow co-stars, to me, what made McAdams' understated work really stand out is how I not only feel that I could know someone like her character, but that I was her. With how she nervously jots down and scrambles her notes and asks questions in an unjudgmental manner, it brought back memories of when I was interviewing people for journalism class. In a sea full of sympathetic characters, her Sacha was one of the most sympathetic.

3. Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lisa in Anomalisa: From her very first scene, where we get to hear Lisa's sunny voice, I was immediately hooked and understood why the main character of Michael would fall so deeply in love with her. Even in the scene where she sings "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," there is still a sweetness in her voice as it becomes tragic. Leigh's layered revelatory work is something to behold and deserves to be ranked among the likes of Ellen DeGeneres and Scarlett Johansson.

2. Alicia Vikander as Ava in Ex Machina: Vikander's Ava is her crowning achievement of 2015. Ava is a very difficult character to pull off. Hold too much back, she's literally robotic. But if you give too much about her away, it takes away from the ambiguity of her character. Thanks to Vikander's rather analytical work, she is able to handle that tricky balance of being a robot that may or may not be the bigger brains of the main trio, possibly toying with the men vying for her attention. Vikander is able to capture such ambiguity through shifts in her eyes and facial movements. She'll go from showing wondrous optimism to haunting reclusiveness within seconds. A masterful performance that is the cherry on top of an amazing year for this bright, young star.

1. Rose Byrne as Rayna Boyanov in Spy: I am REALLY loving this new comedic chapter in Rose Byrne's career. First, she plays the unsung hero of Bridesmaids, then the hip mother with sex appeal in Neighbors, and now another colorful character with the sinister yet spoiled heiress Rayna Boyanov in Spy. Whether Byrne casually gives a funny quip ("Ever since I saw you in that abortion of a dress"), throws a giant hissy fit, or rocks the beehive hairdo like it's nobody's business, Byrne inhales every scene she is in. What's even more impressive is how better the performance gets upon repreat viewings.

So that's my list of the top 15 supporting female performances of 2015. I'd love to see which supporting ladies you guys thought were the best. So please feel free to write your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

Also, you can check out my list of the top 15 female lead performances of 2015 here.

Oscars 2016: Eddie Awards Nominations

Hello, Bloggers, the American Cinema Editors Awards, aka the Eddies, have announced their nominees today. Because getting recognized by the Editing branch is key and helps your chances at winning or get nominated for Best Picture, let's take a look at who's in a solid position:

Best Edited Feature Film- Dramatic:

Margaret Sixel, Mad Max: Fury Road 
Pietro Scalia, The Martian 
Stephen Mirrione, The Revenant 
Joe Walker, Sicario
Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey, Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

The biggest shocker is the exclusion of Spotlight and Bridge of Spies. Spotlight is primed as the Best Picture frontrunner, but without an Editing nomination here and hardly an individual nod at the Screen Actors Guild, I'm sensing a possible disconnect between the industry and critics. Bridge of Spies is also a bit of a shock because I figured that since that movie is such Oscar catnip, the guilds would embrace it more.

Best Edited Feature Film- Comedic:

Dan Lebantel and Colby Parker, Jr., Ant-Man 
Hank Corwin, The Big Short 
Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy, Tom Cross, and Christopher Tellefsen, Joy
David Trachtenberg, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl 
William Kerr and Paul Zucker, Trainwreck 

Best Edited Animated Film:
Garret Elkins, Anomalisa 
Stephen Schaffer, The Good Dinosaur 
Kevin Nolting, Inside Out 

Best Edited Documentary Feature- Dramatic:
Chris King, Amy
Joe Beshankovsky and Brett Morgen, Cobain: Montage of Heck
Andy Grieve, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief 
Craig Finton, Brad Fuller, and Brian Johnson, He Named Me Malala 
Clair Scanlon, The Wrecking Crew

Oscars 2016: National Society of Film Critics Winners

The last of the major four critics groups (LAFCA, NYFCC, NSFC, and NBR), The National Society of Film Critics, has just announced their winners:

Best Film: Spotlight 

Yeah, this is one of the best movies of the year. But, let's not get overboard by giving this almost every critical Best Picture prize. There are other great movies that could've used the boost.

Best Director: Todd Haynes, Carol 

No surprise here. Very well-deserved.

Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Creed 

This is one of my favorite winners here. I LOVE that Michael B. Jordan won. Hopefully, he can surprise his way into Best Actor, especially considering competition for Best Actor is so sparse this year.

Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years 

One of the best female performances of the year. I mean, that final scene. That. Final. Scene. A+ work. I think if she got in the Oscars, then Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan have serious competition.

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies 

No surprise here. He was very good, but no surprise.

Best Supporting Actress: Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria 

The critics continue to give Stewart a major boost. This year's Marion Cotillard along with Charlotte Rampling, perhaps?

Best Screenplay: Thomas McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight 

This is a win we'll have to get used to seeing.

Best Non-Fiction Film: Amy

And another one we'll have to get used to seeing.

Best Cinematography: Ed Lachman, Carol 

Very well-deserved win. Makes Best Cinematography competitive this year along with Emmanuel Lubezki for The Revenant and John Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road. 

Best Foreign Language Film: Timbuktu

This one was already nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars last year. So, it won't be much of a factor in this year's race.

Indie Review: 45 Years (2015)

                                   

           
                    '45 Years' Certainly Doesn't Feel That Long

      Thankfully, the title of the film doesn't suggest how long the movie feels because with his unofficial sequel to 2011's Weekend, director Andrew Haigh proves he can provide enticement from his viewers with simple conversation.

       Story:
     45 Years follows the story of Kate (Charlotte Rampling) who, when her husband (Tom Courtenay) tells her about of the death of an old flame, spends the week evaluating their 45-year marriage and the shadow his old flame has cast over it.

      Ups:
     I'll start off with the lead performance by Charlotte Rampling. With a performance that could've easily been played with plate-smashing or crying loudly, Rampling goes for more restraint, letting her eyes be used as orbs to let us in her thought process. Once she hears about the deceased old flame, she tries to put on a brave and happy face for her husband, but she slowly loses that brave face. I also have to give a shoutout to Tom Courtenay. Even though the film is the Rampling show, Courtenay provides very grounded support as her husband, resulting in them having genuine and realistic chemistry.

     Next, I'll get into the screenplay by Andrew Haigh. As I said earlier, Andrew Haigh is a master at providing enticement by demonstrating simple conversation. Much like in Weekend, the dialogue here doesn't feel like movie dialogue. Haigh also manages to craft a different kind of "marriage in crisis" film, in my opinion. Normally, "marriage in crisis" films involve death in the family or one half of the couple suffering a disability and whatnot. But here, we have an older, healthy couple in crisis by a sudden revelation and how it casts a large shadow over their lengthy marriage.

      I also loved how Haigh used long tracking shots in certain scenes. One in particular that really struck me is when Kate is going through a series of slides up in the attic and the camera keeps focusing on Rampling's face and her puzzing reactions. Because of how the camera almost never leaves Rampling, we are able to feel her character's heartache as well as her other rampant feelings.

      Downs:
     NIL.

      Consensus:
      Overall, 45 Years is a beautifully restrained look at married life anchored by its subtle, master class performance by Charlotte Rampling and handled with great realism by writer/director Andrew Haigh.

Grade: A

Indie Review: Anomalisa (2015)

                                         

               
                       'Up In The Air': The Kaufman Version
         
        Dang, if I had made my list of the top 10 movies of the year after seeing this, this film probably would've made it somewhere on there.

         Story:
        Anomalisa follows the story of a writer named Michael Stone (David Thewlis) who, over the course one day when he stays at a hotel, begins to find his life more awakened when he meets Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a fellow hotel guest with a peculiar voice.

        Ups:
       Now when I saw the trailer for the film, I was curious as to how they would make a stop motion animation film out of a story that seems like it could easily be told in live action. But co-writers/directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson are able to figure out some way to make it distinguished. One way is that all the characters, other than David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh, are voiced by Tom Noonan. Noonan even plays the other women and the voice of Michael's kid. When he voices Michael's kid, he doesn't even alter his voice. I thought having Noonan play all the secondary characters was genius.

      Now onto the two main actors. David Thewlis offers a poignant mix of both melancholy and sensitivity as Michael Stone. Michael may seem like a character we wouldn't normally care about, Thewlis is able to give him sympathetic layers through sudden inflictions of his voice. As great he is, though, it is Jennifer Jason Leigh who quietly steals the film. Leigh's voice work is brilliant as a woman who is entrancing and full of spirit yet is unable to understand why men would fall so deeply in love with her. She has a scene where she sings Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" which is very sweet and tender yet also becomes heartbreaking.

     But I feel the reason Tom Noonan does most of the voice work is to use him giving the same voice as a metaphor for the mundanity of human beings. How ordinary and plain we feel. But when Michael meets Lisa, whose voice is different from everyone elses, he finds himself falling for her distinction.

     Since this is a Charlie Kaufman movie, I have to give a shout out to his screenwriting which is very rich. Both Kaufman and Duke Johnson write the screenplay in a contained manner, keeping it in limited settings. Since it also mainly consists of conversations, the dialogue between the characters I found to be quite rich. The film reminds me a lot of the LGBT drama Weekend which is about a romance between two men that takes place in one weekend. Only this romance takes place on one night.

    Downs:
    NIL.

    Consensus:
    Overall, Anomalisa is a genius piece of stop motion animation that may not star actual humans yet still says a lot about the ordinariness and mundanity of human nature.

Grade: A
   
   

Review: Trumbo (2015)

                                           

                     
                             'Trumbo' Is In Need Of A Rewrite

           To be as delicate as I can, I could see this film sweeping the Emmys. It does have the feel of a cheap made-for-TV movie.

          Story:
         Trumbo follows the real-life story of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) and how he was labeled a Communist and fought to continue his passion for screenwriting, even as they tried to silence him.

          Ups:
        I'll start off with Bryan Cranston. Bryan Cranston commands the screen as Dalton Trumbo. While Cranston showcases how Trumbo aggressively refused to be silence, to the point where he angers those around him, in some of his more quiet moments, he does showcase layers of sensitivity. I also thought some of his fellow cast members did a fantastic job. Louis C.K., who plays fellow screenwriter Arlen Hird, has a nice supporting presence, offering bouts of humor in the most serious circumstances. Elle Fanning, who plays Trumbo's daughter Nikola, is also very good. As an actress as young as herself, Fanning is able to really hold her own opposite older veterans and here, it is no different.

          Downs:
       My biggest problem with the film has to be the pacing. I feel that if it hadn't dragged so much, I might've been more interested in the story at hand. I have always toyed with screenwriting and have always had a fascination with the Oscars which the film delves into. So, it is unfortunate that its pacing and excessive use of conversation scenes took me out of the film. The film may be about the business of Hollywood, resulting in dialogue-heavy scenes, but it kind of needs fireworks to make it more appealing whether that involves techniques like breaking the fourth wall or witty narration.

       I also found Helen Mirren's portrayal of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper to be rather one-note. Granted, she doesn't really have anything to do other than serve as an albatross to the main characters every time she does appear on screen. Still, rather than creating some kind of grey area, Mirren mainly resorts to hissing her dialogue throughout, painting Hopper out to be some kind of mustache-twirling villain.

        Consensus:
       Overall, Trumbo is rather dismal TV-quality picture that is thankfully anchored by its colorful and terrific performance by Bryan Cranston as well as some of his fellow cast members. I understand how serious the Blacklist era was, but I wish that this movie about a screenwriter was better written.

Grade: C-

     

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2016

2015 is over! But as I make more lists celebrating 2015 in film, now, I'll share my list of my top 10 most anticipated films of 2016. Let's take a look:

10. Money Monster: While it does have a starry cast with George Clooney and Julia Roberts and is even directed by Jodie Foster, I'm really excited for this because it's got Jack O'Connell. I have such high hopes that this'll be the mainstream project that'll get more people to know his name.

9. La La Land: This project has a lot of promise for a few reasons. One is that Whiplash director Damien Chazelle is at the helm and it stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt, and J.K. Simmons. Also, it is a musical and I'm pretty excited to hear Emma Stone show off her pipes.

8. The Huntsman: Winter's War: Even if this one is a cash-grab prequel/sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman, Why am I so excited for this? Its trinity of actresses, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, and Jessica Chastain. Watching these three actresses eat up the scenery? Sign me up.

7. The Witch: This one made its premiere at last year's Sundance and Toronto Film Festival. But it's finally scaring its way into theaters and as people make their claims that the trailer is the scariest ever, here's hoping the movie lives up to its scares.

6. Ghostbusters: I am a big fan of the original Ghostbusters and I think the reboot shows a lot of promise because of its main cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Also, they have the main cast making cameo appearances. That makes this even more exciting.

5. X-Men: Apocalypse: I have always loved X-Men. So I kind of have to see this. I will admit, though, I don’t like how Jennifer Lawrence isn't in her blue makeup as Mystique becaus e that is what makes the character so distinguished. But that shouldn't change how I feel about seeing this.

4. Hail, Caesar!: It's the cast. Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton. Sold!

3. Suicide Squad: Agh, I am so excited about this one! We finally get to see Harley Quinn on the big screen brought to life on the big screen and we also get to see a new kind of superhero team. An anti-superhero team. Also, Jared Leto looks like he's going to kill it as the Joker.

2. Zootopia: Even when I saw the teaser trailer, I was sold pretty quickly. One reason is the voice work by Jason Bateman and another is how inventive this looks with talking animals living in their own world. The rest of the voice cast looks more promising: Ginnifer Goodwin, J.K. Simmons, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Shakira, Alan Tudyk, etc.. Thankfully, I don’t have to wait too long for this to come out as it comes out in March.

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: More Star Wars! Another reason I am super stoked for this is not just because we get more Star Wars after just getting The Force Awakens, but Ben Mendelsohn, the best character actor currently working today, is starring in it. If he has a big role, then more people will know his name and..agh, I cannot wait for that to happen! I have high hopes for this and for Ben Mendelsohn's name to be on the tip of everyone's tongue.

So those are my top 10 most anticipated films of the year. Please feel free to write your own top 10 in the comments section and here's to a great 2016. Thanks for reading!