Bakers Dozen: Performances I'm Most Anxiously Awaiting (Part 2)

Continued from Part One

08 Way back in 1998 I suffered a crush so massive I thought I would never recover and be glad to stay afflicted. That movie lovespell was caused by a certain Johnathan Rhys-Meyers who was then dolled up in glam-rock finery in The Velvet Goldmine. Much to my surprise I did not stay terribly smitten with JRM. He stayed beautiful but his follow up performances were either in lesser films or were decidedly less impressive. I began to think of him as an OK actor with very memorable looks. I still think of his as Maxwell Daemon from Goldmine. But the buzz on his leading role in Woody Allen's film Match Point is surprisingly strong. Can he finally have found a follow-up to reignite a Goldmine level fervor in fans?

07 Comedic talent has a tough time drawing respect from institutions like The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and from fussy critics. They only seem to have a certain quotient of acclaim to give funny men. From 1987 to 1997 Robin Williams hogged the hits and the Oscar nominations. In 1998 Bill Murray took up the mantle of most-respected comic talent by critics and he parlayed that into an eventual Oscar nomination for 1993's Lost in Translation When, I ask, will it be Steve Martin's turn. He's been Oscar worthy before to no avail. Can Shopgirl do the trick?

06 The Cast of RENT Can they do on the movie screen what they did on stage nearly a decade ago? That is: Win over a broad range of fans and take home massive acclaim, nominations, and enviable reviews? It seems a tall order. But there's no day like today...

05 I used to hate child stars with a passion. Can anyone say "Overacting?" But lately I think that Hollywood has been doing a better job when they seek out the minors for starring roles. Haley Joel Osment and Dakota Fanning are both gifted performers. I don't begrudge them their screen space. The next potentially big child star? Well, Terry Gilliam seems very enthused about Jodelle Ferland's star turn in his new film Tideland. Is it father figure hyperbolé or is Ferland the real deal? We shall see soon enough. The movie sounds fascinating.

04 I think The Producers is a ridiculously overrated stage blockbuster. But I can't wait to see Uma Thurman vamp it up as Ulla. Can she sing and dance as well as she kicked all surrounding ass in Kill Bill?

next up --my top three most-awaited performances of 2005