Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Adorable Jacki Weaver, Sweetie (LAFCA Winner!)

Points to our friend Glenn for pointing this out. Here's Jacki Weaver's acceptance speech at the Australian Film Awards for Animal Kingdom -- introduced by her current co-star Cate Blanchett. The speech is so adorable we are just going to pretend that it was delivered to us in America via satellite for her Los Angeles Film Critics Association triumph and NBR win.



How ya feeling about her Oscar chances, now?  

RIPE!

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45 comments:

Julia said...

Trully a class act. Would love to see her speach on Oscar night...

Who knows, it's a slow year for supporting after all....

Glenn said...

Isn't she just divine? I firmly believe if this video gets out there that Academy members will have no choice but to nominate her.

I mean, we already know Cate Blanchett will be putting at the top of her ballot. And, it's probably a good guess, so will many other Australians within the Academy.

Jorge Rodrigues said...

I love that she's hogging all the buzz.

Right now it seems like Melissa Leo has the edge to win Supporting Actress.

But I'd reckon she'll face a tough battle if Jacki Weaver gets indeed a nomination.

The rest of the field is still very uneven... I expect Spacek, Hershey or Wiest to grab a spot or two... Maybe Amy Adams. Maybe Bonham-Carter.

But everything is still very much in the balance.

Stefano said...

I'm 99% sure she'll be nominated, she's the critical darling in her category. I still see Melissa Leo as the frontrunner for the Oscar (especially if she wins the biggest precursors: the Golden Globe and the SAG), but at the moment it looks like a three-way race between Leo, Weaver and Helena Bonham Carter (altough, from what I've heard, Helena doesn't have a really powerful role, so I'm not so confident on her chances for a win).

Anonymous said...

Giving good speech is sooooo important, and she nailed it. Would love to see her come Oscar night.

NATHANIEL R said...

I imagine one very real problem is going to the Golden Globes. I mean, no way will they nominate her. and no Globe nom can sometimes kill momentum.

Kurtis O said...

So glad she's getting all this attention. Already packed with shocking turns, that movie just becomes a whole new beast once she takes over.

Jorge Rodrigues said...

Nathaniel, you're right about the Globes. I think we'll see someone from NOWHERE BOY nominated faster than Jacki Weaver.

They're a crazy bunch.

Julia said...

True, she doesn't look like a GG choice. However, she should get a SAG nomination and it could help her chances...

I haven't seen The King's Speech, but if HBC wins it looks like it would be a it-was-her-time-no-matter-what-she-did-this-year kind of thing.

The girls from The Fighter could cancel themselves out (wishful thinking), but Wiest still can be just as big of a threat. Well, we'll know more on tuesday, I guess.

NicksFlickPicks said...

Why wouldn't the Globes nominated Weaver?

I suspect this'll be one of those Supporting Actress years like '04 or '07 where there's suspense till the very end. Which is lovely.

Still hoping/expecting for NYFCC to go their own way tomorrow. Hershey? Dickey? If Leo gets it, will it only be for The Fighter, or will she get credit for Conviction and Rileys, too?

NicksFlickPicks said...

I don't think Wiest is showcased in Rabbit Hole in the way that draws Oscars, especially if you already have two. I don't know anyone who's seen it who perceives her as a threat to win, even if she does get nominated.

UncleVanya said...

I think you might be wrong Nat. I feel very strongly that the Golden Globes will nominate her.

NATHANIEL R said...

NicksFlickPicks -- i'd agree on Wiest. I think she'd be an easy get if the movie had alreayd arrived and been perceived as a major film and a major comeback for her. But as is, particularly with her, it's just too small. The reception seems to be only about Nicole.

It'd be nice to see DALE DICKEY or BARBARA HERSHEY be rewarded somewhere but i'm just happy that thye're choosing deserving people so far.

i don't really get the Firth thing (i think he's quite good in the movie but i just don't quite understand the OHMYGODBEST feelng that's out there.

Arkaan said...

Yeah, I'm a little puzzled by the de facto Globes exclusion. I'd say they'd go for her before going for Leo.

Glenn said...

As Guy Lodge pointed out to me on Twitter after we both expressed a belief that Weaver will win the Oscar, a problem for Leo will be that many voters will probably tick Christian Bale's name and look elsewhere.

Although, as I subsequently found out the last time the Academy gave two acting prizes to the same film was... Million Dollar Baby, another boxing drama. Hmmm.

UncleVanya said...

A Dale Dickey nomination would be such a pleasant surprise.

NATHANIEL R said...

Glenn -- not to mention that since LEO/BALE are so in tune performance wise, they might think it a nice "set"

Glenn said...

Do they ever think about that though? I haven't seen the movie so I can't say, but they've done so much lately to not make "stories" out of their acting winners. I mean, they turned out perfectly golden opportunities for big "moments" with combos like Ledger/Williams and Mo'Nique/Sidibe, not giving the big "comeback award" to Eddie Murphy and so forth so why would they start with Bale and Leo. One of which they've never even nominated before?

Or maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying since I haven't seen the film. But rewarding Bale and Leo doesn't exactly scream "something that will be very great to read about the next day".

James T said...

Loved the speech. Blanchett has gone too blonde.

I think Leo's advantage is the recent nomination and the idea that they kinda have to give her an award because she's not that young.

Well, at least more than Weaver who they just noticed. No obligations or anything.

But Weaver is THE woman in her movie.

Roberto said...

Well Jacki may be the next to win Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, but happy birthday today to 2 who already have! Last Year's winner Monique is 43 and Jennifer Connelly is the big 40!

Anonymous said...

I would really hate to see Amy Adams go through round 3 of awards junk and get no prizes out of it..she's never won ANYTHING. sigh. They should just let Leo take the ranks then if shes really better..can't wait to see The Fighter.

The Pretentious Know it All said...
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The Pretentious Know it All said...
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The Pretentious Know it All said...

Drat, Nick beat me to comparing it to '07's supporting actress race. To take it one step further, I think Weaver's going to be the Amy Ryan of this year--that is, critical darling that can't seem to get a win at any of the majors (give or take BFCA). And do I think the Golden Globes will nominate Jacki Weaver.

Mostly, I don't think Weaver will win the Oscar because the category is rarely this good so many years in a row, right? After three years of actual good performances winning (Swinton, Cruz, Mo'Nique), law of averages suggests we're in for a Connelly, Zellweger or *gulp* even Sorvino-level stinker. From where I'm sitting, there's really only one performance in contention that fits the bill. Helena Bonham Carter, are your ears burning?

UncleVanya said...

I'm also very surprised that there has been no momentum for Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass). Her subversive, violently Dicksonian waif-against-power performance equals and rivals the best of the year. A Golden Globe trifecta of Weaver, Dickey and Moretz would be sublime.

Rafael said...

I would love to see Weaver winning Oscar night.

John T said...

I have to agree-Weaver is this year's Amy Ryan. If we're going to complete the analogy, Carter is Cate Blanchett (though Blanchett was more deserving) and Swinton is Melissa Leo (a nice compromise between indie and mainstream).

However, I still think we might be looking at a win for Amy Adams, especially if she starts to jump up her game with the red carpet set-she's the only mainstream "star" in the running that the media will certainly pay attention to, which will help her. I have trouble seeing her getting cut for the final five at the Oscars.

Paul Outlaw said...

Did anyone else notice that she was accepting the award for Best LEAD Actress for her work in Animal Kingdom? I think the Australians got the category right...

adam k. said...

I think people are being overly pessimistic. I agree with Glenn that Weaver is a strong candidate to WIN the oscar, in that she's the only one who's won multiple prizes thus far and is sucking all the air out of the buzz room.

It seems to be between Weaver and Leo, and possibly Adams if the big precursors split and they have a "gosh, you've been nominated a lot recently, and we really like you" surprise moment. But I doubt she can beat Leo.

My current inclination is that the Fighter girls will cancel each other out (that tends to happen in this category unless one role is CLEARLY bigger, better, and juicier) and Weaver will skate through.

Why wouldn't the globes nominate her? She's the one winning the MOST things right now by far, and now is when they're filling out their ballots. The globes nommed Peter Sarsgaard in Shattered Glass after all. The academy dropped the ball on that one...

Alex said...

They finally gave Greig Fraser a cinematography award for Bright Star!!!

Ruth said...

I didn't watch the AFI awards for two reasons - one, my Dad had the remote and wanted to watch something else. Two, they were on Channel 9 and any respect I had for that channel disappeared when they introduced shows like 'Random Breath Testing' - but obviously every channel shows the highlights. Jacki Weaver is awesome, she can play such an amazing variety of roles - just look at her small part in Picnic at Hanging Rock and you'd understand! Animal Kingdom was truly a winner that night!

NATHANIEL R said...

Paul -- hmmm. i don't see her as a lead and I'm usually very persnickety about these things. It's definitely an ensemble film with no one (other than Frecheville) in virtually every scene.

John -- i wouldn't rule out an Adams win either. It's very early still. I mean we've still got more than a month until Oscar noms. Lots can change.

UncleVanya said...

i agree Adam k. Sometimes the best performace by a non-American seems to speak to the globalized jury (obviously, and, then, sometimes not). But I believe that Jacki Weaver could easily pull off a Christof Waltz this year. Now, if only they (AMPAS voters) had seen the cinematography in Gaspar Noe's "Enter the Void".
There is a worthy nomination.

Glenn said...

Paul, I think she's definitely supporting. Unlike, say, Ledger in The Dark Knight, Weaver doesn't loom large over the entire film, but instead just quietly hangs back until the final portion of the film where... well, we know what goes down.

But, as per AFI history, they generally upgrade the most prominent member of either gender to the lead category (mostly due to the small field of potential nominees.)

Mirko said...

Now we know that beside an oscar worthy perf, Jackie Weaver could provide also a delicious oscar accepting speech

Volvagia said...

I don't buy Moretz as a supporting at all. Nic Cage, yeah, because he dies. But Moretz really is a co-lead. (That's not an indictment of her quality. But WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE ACCEPT YOUNG LEADS BEING NOMINATED AS SUPPORT!?)

Glenn Dunks said...

Mirko, exactly. I've said that if this speech goes viral then there's no reason to not vote for her.

Volvagia said...

And yes, I'm bleeping mad that all the critics are agreeing on the Hailee Steinfeld is support nonsense when I read the reviews.

NATHANIEL R said...

Volvagia -- it's the way of things. nobody cares anymore but me. but yes, she's unquestionably the lead of the film.

it starts with her, follows her and ends with her. In fact, if I'm recalling the film correctly, there's not one scene that does not include her (though on rare occassions she's watching from the sidelines and Bridges is leading the narrative)

steolicious said...

she deserves the oscar just for that sweet speech she gave! even if the globes ignore her, there is still a chance of an oscar nomination. Remeber supporting actress like Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda), Gena Davis (The Accidental Tourist) or last years Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)- i wish her luck, as a critical darling and kind of an underdog she may have the right role and timing in the 2011 race!

Broooooke said...

I'm calling her oscar nod, but not win. When was the last time someone won BSAr/As for a non American/English film. A long time.

My fantasy nominations for Hershey and Cotillard are fading away (Cotillard has all but left the race), but at the moment I still can't pick the final five.

I think it will come down to: Carter, Leo, Weist, Weaver, Steinfeld, and Adams, with one missing out, probably Weist. I saw Rabbit Hole last night, and she was deserving, but probably too small of a role. But I could see Adams both missing out on a nomination OR winning the thing. Carter's buzz is dying, and there's threat from the Nowhere Boy girls, the Black Swan girls, and the Made in Dagenham girls, so who really knows.

Paul Outlaw said...

@ Nathaniel & Glenn:
I suppose it's true that she supports the rest of the ensemble, because she's definitely not supporting anyone else's leading performance. The grandson is the lead on paper, but not in execution.

/3rtfu11 said...

Melissa Leo is the only Academy lock

I don’t for a second believe Adams is getting in unless they’re just lazy

Julianne Moore could beat Leo if she allowed the studio to run her as Supporting

mike t said...

to all the oscar winners, “you’ve done some bad speeches, sweetie”

That’s exactly how you give an winning speech.

Christine said...

Since you've been so pro-Jacki & AK, I'll share a little treat with you. I knew her a bit, but this is the film that won me over. It's a small, black-ish comedy. noone really got robbed come awards time, but it's completely watchable. Entertaining (Toni Collette sings!) & a cast that just doesn't quit - including Jacki. And Ben Mendelsohn, far more amiable than as Pope
http://www.flixster.com/movie/cosi