Amy Adams

It’s hard to imagine what more Amy Adams needs to do to get an Oscar, what more can she give, and what role can she take on? She has been a better Disney princess than most Disney princesses, she has acted alongside Kermit the Frog, and starred in one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time which is also one of the most heart-breaking and beautiful films of all time – Arrival. So despite six nominations, Amy Adams has never won an Oscar since DiCaprio won an Oscar and is probably the most obvious actor working without one.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – Any of the scenes in Arrival where Amy Adams or the audience realises what is going on.

Ralph Fiennes

Fiennes has been making great films for decades now (not The English Patient though) and could have won for any number of films. He is best known for his dramatic roles in films like Schindler’s List or Quiz Show, but in more recent years has took on a number of comedic roles and excelled; Fiennes almost steals the show in In Bruges where arrives halfway through the film managing to escalate the swearing and violence against telephones. He is a stereotypical Oscar-winning actor who has not won an Oscar.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – The Grand Budapest Hotel, despite being a delicate middle-aged concierge launching himself fiercely at fascists to defend his friend.

Toni Colette

Toni Colette has been amazing on screen at least as early as Muriel’s Wedding in 1994. A wonderful actor who can mix comedy and sadness perfectly. Only nominated once for Sixth Sense her performance in Hereditary was thought to be a contender only to fail to be even nominated – which many including me put down to the Academy’s disdain for horror.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – Perhaps the “I Am Your Mother” scene from Hereditary but its hard not to pick the ABBA performance in Muriel’s Wedding.

Mads Mikkelsen

Surely one of the best actors working today Mads Mikkelsen has a string of roles worthy of an Oscar win; recent candidate was Another Round but only one amongst many. The Hunt, A Royal Affair are two more brilliant dramatic performances, while his portrayal as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale was surely one of the biggest reasons that film was so successful.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – the final dance scene in Another Round.

Stanley Tucci

An actor who simply being mentioned is in a film will pique the interest of a fan of the art form. Tucci is a charming actor and in roles like The Lovely Bones, Julie and Julia and Margin Call he has given great performances. The fizzing charm Tucci brings to roles like Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games trilogy is revitalising (ps see The Hunger Games trilogy for great actors not to have won Oscars – Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Jeffrey Wright, Toby Jones…)

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – Margin Call – Tucci gives a beautiful monologue concerned with the reduction of commuting times for workers.

Sally Hawkins

Sally Hawkins is an absolute delight. A wonderful actor and capable of amazing performances. Whilst there is certainly much more to Hawkins’ career than The Shape Of Water it is a phenomenal performance. It is beautiful and to those who have not seen the film…her character Liza cannot talk, she uses sign language which usually has no subtitling for the audience and relies on the other characters to translate but still able to convey huge emotions deftly. Hawkins’ breakout role was in Happy-Go-Lucky a film which allowed Hawkins to be tremendously funny, sweet, vulnerable and more, showing for all her silly antics she has such strength. And it is hard to not instantly fall in love with her portrayal of Mrs Brown in Paddington as a bastion of human kindness.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – The Shape of Water – arguing with her friend about rescuing the “monster” as she grows increasingly angry.

Ethan Hawke

Hawke is a great actor who has four nominations: two for acting and two for best adapted screenplay but is yet to win. Hawke has been a fantastic actor for decades, first gaining acclaim in Reality Bites and then Before Sunrise (and the other two films in the truly spectacular Before trilogy). He starred in the underrated sci-fi gem Gattaca championing human spirit over a dystopian genetic supremacy, as well as co-starring in Training Day alongside Denzel Washington. He had a go at the actor dream role of Hamlet and has shown himself capable of playing troubled artistic souls and everyman characters you can identify with.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – Before Sunset – the final scene in which he sits listening to Julie Delpy talk, being utterly charmed by her and knowing he will miss the plane that would have taken him away from her.

Also Read: For Your Consideration: Sci-Fi, Comedy & Oscar Snubs

The post 7 Great Actors Who Have Never Won An Oscar appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Enchanted

I’m sure for many people this was their introduction to Amy Adams, certainly, this was when I first heard of her. I didn’t watch it at the time but years later saw it. I did not really enjoy the movie as it wasn’t my kind of thing but Amy Adams is perfect in the role of Giselle, “Disney” princess come to life. Giselle is optimistic, considerate and kind, in fact to a dangerous level in 21st Century New York. She breaks into song and summons the rats, pigeons and more of the city to help her clean. Giselle is merely waiting for Prince Edward to come and save her and believing he is her true love pretty much because he asked to marry her but her experiences help her discover her own confidence and agency.

Arrival

One of the best films of the last decade Arrival is a masterpiece and central to that is Adams’ performance. Adams plays Louise Banks, a renowned linguist, and when alien spaceships appear across the planet she is recruited to communicate with them. For a film that shares a similar setup to Independence Day it may be hard to convey the heartbreaking emotional impact of this film but it is devastating, the film dealing with love and loss and even the nature of time and how that affects how we experience the world. How Adams wasn’t nominated for an Oscar is a mystery and I’d have said she should have won.

American Hustle

My favourite David O’Russell film (incidentally one of the few director-film title combinations that rhymes, as pointed out by Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo) and another Oscar nomination for Adams playing Syndey Prosser, a con-artist and expert at manipulation. Prosser joins Irving Rosenfeld on a string of cons until the FBI catches up to them. In a film where most of the characters are trying to outwit the others, Prosser has to constantly manage her relationships – her loyalty to Irving, her worry about what FBI agent Richie DeMaso will do and what will the rest of her life look like when this is all over.

Lois Lane

Adams’ has played Lois Lane in three DC movies (four if you count the Snyder Cut as a separate film) and has acquitted herself well in a difficult role in any Superman movie. Lane is a determined, strong and capable woman who is constantly getting saved by Superman, as more characters were brought in she was at even greater risk of being overshadowed by more and more superheroes but she continues to play a pivotal role and channel Lane’s innate resilience.

King Of The Hill

Adams starred in the critically acclaimed tv show Sharp Objects but in my personal opinion far more importantly appeared in several episodes of animated classic King of the Hill.

The Master

In a film that already contains two great performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix in the leading roles Adams’ gives a third. There is a lot going on in The Master – Hoffman plays a charismatic cult leader, Lancaster Dodd, Phoenix a newcomer who quickly embraces the cult, and Adams plays the wife of the cult leader, Peggy. Working out the motivations of Lancaster and Peggy is very difficult, with Peggy even more inscrutable than Lancaster. Is she another victim of Hoffman? Is she a true believer? Is she Hoffman’s full partner in this cult. Peggy sometimes has a stoic emotionless to what is going on interspersed with fierce critiques of others.

Junebug

Even before Adams’ found massive fame with Enchanted she had already received an Oscar nomination for her role of Ashley in Junebug. Art gallery owner, Madeline travels from Chicago to North Carolina to meet an artist and uses this as an opportunity to meet her new husband George’s family for the first time. Adams’ plays Ashley, the wife of George’s younger brother. Ashley is immediately bowled over with the sophisticated and metropolitan Madeline, who to her seems to lead a life of impossible excitement. Ashley peppers Madeline with questions and talks almost non-stop, eager for knowledge of this life. When Ashley immediately overshares about her own life, explaining she has lived in this town all her life and asks Madeline where she was born, to which she replies Japan Ashley reels with the shock of this information. The collision of small-town America and the big city is perfectly played out between Ashley and Madeline. The story moves forward dealing with genuine heartbreak and tragedy with Adams continuing to be brilliant.

Amy Adams is one of the most versatile and compelling actors in the world and is bound to have many great roles ahead of her.

Also Read: My Favourite Actor: Octavia Spencer

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The post The Best of Amy Adams appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

The Story

Based on the biography of Dick Cheney, as well as interviews with known associates, Vice tells the life story of Dick Cheney (played by Christian Bale). The film documents the period of him being kicked out of Yale University to the end of George W. Bush’s administration, for which he served as Vice President. The viewer is guided through his life story by the narrator, Kurt (Jesse Plemons), we later discover how these two individuals are connected.

The supporting cast includes Amy Adams (Arrival, Justice League) as Dick Cheney’s wife, Lynne Cheney; Steve Carell (Beautiful Boy, Welcome to Marwen) as Donald Rumsfeld; Tyler Perry (Nobody’s Fool) as Colin Powell; and Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards) as President George W Bush.

Hitting The Mark

Over the years, Christian Bale has proven himself to be a master at immersing himself in the characters he plays, fortunately, this remains true with his depiction of Dick Cheney. From the stoic demeanour and gravelly voice, Christian Bale’s performance is on par with previous performances in American Hustle & The Fighter.

Lynne Cheney is very much the backbone of the Cheney family. Her motivations are often a lot clearer than Dick Cheney’s, which allows Amy Adams to play her role with greater depth. Her need for a sense of security in her relationship, based on her parent’s abusive relationship and her wishes to realise her own ambitions, at a time women couldn’t so easily do, gives her character a sense of drive. One that is felt constantly throughout the film.

Sam Rockwell’s depiction of George W Bush largely stays true to the former president and is as equally believable as Christian Bale’s Cheney. One of the stronger points of Vice is exploring the relationship between George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. George W. Bush once described his relationship with Dick Cheney as “cordial” and that’s largely how their relationship is shown on screen.

Most of the film revolves around three periods, which has defined modern-day Conservative politics in the U.S: The power-vacuum formed after the resignation of President Nixon because of the Watergate Scandal, the rise of the Bush family in the Republican Party & 9/11.

The film also makes references to how the wider landscape of how Conservative politics developed: from Roger Ailes’ initial wish to form a Conservative Party News Channel, which then became Fox News; to billionaires, the Koch brothers and their influence on the party.

Thought Process

Despite being accurate on key events, a downfall of the film is understanding Dick Cheney’s motivation in the first place. Early on in the film he is described as a “so-so student” and having been expelled from Yale and battling drinking, his decision to study and enter into politics, much less the long ascent to becoming the United States’ most powerful Vice President ever, isn’t given the on-screen time that it should have.

Is Dick Cheney motivated by hatred? fear? Or atriotism? Without this explored it can make light of the ruthlessness in which the real Dick Cheney moulded the Republican Party over the past decades. And whilst the director, Adam McKay, does present some facts and figures, it does little to show the motivating factors in pursuing the “War on Terror” as viciously as Dick Cheney did.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a fan of The Big Short, you’ll certainly enjoy this. The supporting cast is great and Christian Bale is believable in his depiction of Dick Cheney. Even though it doesn’t quite reach the captivating heights of a film like Wolf of Wall Street in describing a “rise to power” story, it’s an intriguing look at how the political landscape of Republican politics has changed over the last four decades.

Verdict: (3.5 / 5)

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I’ve just watched two films that recently appeared on Netflix, both in the same genre, both released in late 2016. Both are big-budget Hollywood productions with A-list leads and quite original scripts. Both are films you’ll have heard of and have probably seen.

I really liked one and strongly disliked the other.

The two films in question are Passengers, starring Christ Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, and Arrival, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.

I found Arrival to be a smart, well-written and superbly-acted movie that asked challenging questions – I very much enjoyed watching it and highly recommend giving it a viewing if you haven’t already seen it.

And I can tell you right off the bat that I didn’t think much of Passengers, at all. I wanted to, of course – I think Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are awesome, and the premise of the movie is strong – but ultimately, it doesn’t succeed.

So let’s break it down, shall we?

Writing

Arrival works because it’s an intelligent spin on an old premise. Aliens arrive on earth, everybody loses their marbles, and no-one knows how to handle the situation – however, the focus is on communication, an aspect of sci-fi movies so basic that it’s almost always overlooked. Not only that, but the story flashes back and forth between two periods, never quite allowing you to settle, or fully understand what’s going on until the climax. And when it all comes together, it makes sense and leaves you profoundly impacted on an emotional level.

Passengers doesn’t work because, while the idea behind it all is intriguing, it doesn’t make the most of its undoubted potential. What starts off as a strong story very quickly tails off into a very standard sci-fi narrative, complete with lots of things blowing up and inexplicable resolutions. I think it could have worked better as a horror, perhaps.

Acting

Arrival works because Amy Adams nails it, and her supporting cast compliment her beautifully. She’s believable and relatable as the lead; her decisions make sense, and her reactions draw empathy. Undoubtedly one of her strongest performances to date.

Passengers doesn’t work because, once again, its potential is not maximised. Chris Pratt is a wonderfully-charismatic actor with great comedic timing, and while this is a very different role for him, he’s very bland. Similarly, Jennifer Lawrence is one of the best actresses in Hollywood and apart from one or two scenes in the movie, you simply wouldn’t know it. It may be sceptical of me to say, but I fear these two leads were chosen based more on their star power and looks (I haven’t seen Chris Pratt’s butt as often in one movie before) than on their fit for the roles.

Direction

Arrival works because it’s understated and toned perfectly to match its weighty subject matter. Denis Villeneuve received a Best Director nomination for Arrival, with the film also nominated for Best Picture, and it’s easy to see why. This film is masterfully made without being too flashy – unusual for an alien movie.

Passengers doesn’t work because it tries to do big things without addressing the small things first. Morten Tyldum is also an Oscar-nominated director, but Passengers is a shallow, predictable, and ultimately quite boring film which could have been incredibly engaging had a little more thought gone into making it. Maybe that’s harsh, but it frustrates me to see a movie miss the mark like this.

The bottom line

Arrival and Passengers are cut from the same cloth, but they’re executed in very different ways. Where one succeeds by doing something different (and doing it expertly), the other follows a very safe path towards mediocrity, when it could have been equally excellent.

They’re both on Netflix now, so watch them and see what you think!

Verdict

Arrival: (4 / 5)

Passengers: (2 / 5)

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