Best Line Reading
Best Titles (Opening/Closing) Sequence
Best Beginning & Best Ending
Best Character Introduction
Best Kiss
Best Sex Scene
Best Cameo
Scene of the Year
Also.... Supporting or Lead for the following 4 performers? It's making me cra-zazy. Jeff Daniels & Laura Linney -The Squid and the Whale. Maria Bello -A History of Violence. And Rachel Weisz -The Constant Gardener. Make a case.
The Official Film Bitch "Year in Review" Bonanza commences tomorrow with the Worst of the Year Dishonors
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44 comments:
I think there is a strong case for Jeff Daniels as lead and Linney as supporting (considering their respective screen time) but more importantly (I think) is Jesse Eisenberg - He has a big a part as Daniels but most are calling him supporting. Perhaps the parents get lead and the kids go supporting. Looking back, I haven't really helped you much have I? Sorry. I do know for sure that Jake Gyllenhaal should be lead (as opposed to the supporting bid from the Academy), but I suppose they just wanted more possible nominations so there they went - the bottom gets supporting. But back to Squid...Daniels and Linney lead (since they are the rents) but then again, I don't know if you saw Or (mon tresor), but I did the opposite there and put the daughter lead and the mother supporting. Again, none of this really helps, so I'll just stop rambling and go now...
I know, it's nuts with the lead/supporting stuff. Ultimately, I went with the other Cinemarati -- Daniels as a lead, and Linney, Bello and Weisz as supporting. Weisz is the easiest to justify...she disappears for huge chunks of the movie. Daniels may not have the most screen time, but it feels like a Lead performance when you watch the film...Eisenberg is not in charge of the movie.
But Bello and Linney? I don't know.
As for your nominations:
BEST LINE READINGS
Jeremy Irons, CASANOVA (like Cruella de Vil on acid)
Tilda Swinton, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (
BEST CHARACTER INTRODUCTION
Each member of the cast of SIN CITY
Jet Li, UNLEASHED
BEST KISS
Brokeback, of course! And Angel and Collins from RENT! Yay gay kissing!
BEST SEX SCENE
Terrence Malick's Camera and Pocohontas, THE NEW WORLD (By the end, I felt like even I had slept with her.)
Campbell Scott and Peter Sarsgaard, THE DYING GAUL
BEST CAMEO
Tim Robbins, WAR OF THE WORLDS (Is it too big for a cameo?)
Judi Dench, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
haven't seen S&W, but I say Bello is decidedly supporting. It's Viggo's movie thoroughly.
Weisz is a tougher call, but I think she's supporting too. She's in the movie less than we remember, it's just that she makes such a strong impression early in the movie that we think she dominates the film. She's really in only the first third.
Line Reading - "But think of how _I_ feel" - Diane Keaton, Family Stone; just about anything Steve Carrell or Vince Vaughn say
Titles - King Kong
End - 40-Year-Old Virgin, clearly
Character intro - Darth Vader's?
Kiss - Joaquin and Reese, on stage at the end
Sex scene - History of Violence, duh.
Cameo - William Fichtner, Crash; Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter 4
Scene - Planned Parenthood (40-Year-Old Virgin), Downey pees on corpse (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)
I think Weisz is definitely supporting. Bello is a little trickier, but I would go with supporting too, seen as the movie is heavily about Mortensen. She isn't really an integral part of the plot.
Best Beginning - The Corpse Bride (love the first number), In Her Shoes (the music, Diaz in the toilet)
Best Ending - The Descent (inspired), Me And You And Everyone We Know (tender), My Summer Of Love (brutal)
Best Sex Scene - The stairs!!
Best Scene - The overturned car scene in Crash (undoubtedly)
Best Line Reading - ANYTHING from Dench but particularly the "hurry orf Mr Dam Van" and "if you insist" (nobody does it better)
Daniels in Lead and Linney in Supporting. The other ladies are Supporting as well, IMO.
LINE READING: "Jack, I swear"- Brokeback Mountain
"It's very Kafakaesque"- The Squid and the Whale
CAMEO- Judi Dench, P&P
Sharon Stone and Julie Delpy, Broken Flowers
Best Titles Sequences is for Sin City... That thing was like opening a comic book... Amazing!!! Best Cameo of course, William Hurt in A History of Violence and best kiss, Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener...
Best Line Reading: "Oh of course you do" -Rachel McAdams in The Family Stone
also Diane Keaton's sappy line about you're better than any asshole to the gay son was pretty fierce, IMO.
Best Character Introduction: Kong in Kong and Diaz in In Her Shoes?
Best Kiss: Jake/Heath when Alma sees them from the house
Best Ending: Me and You and Everyone We Know
Best Cameo: Loretta Devine in Crash, Ana Faris in Brokeback
Scene of the Year: Car flipped over with Dillon and Newton in Crash
Based on screentime and presence during the most significant scenes of each respective film, I'd say Daniels is lead, while the women listed are all supporting.
Best line readings:
"FUCK YOU!" Keri Russell, the upside of anger
"The bat...man" Cillian Murphy, batman begins
"I'm angry all the time and I don't know why!" Sandra Bullock, crash
"You were NOT" Amy Adams, junebug
"Baby baby baby baby baby," Reese Witherspoon, walk the line
"Mrs. Darcy (kiss) Mrs. Darcy (kiss)..." Matthew MacFadyen, pride & prejudice
character introduction: june carter, walk the line
kiss: jake and heath, keira and matthew, scarlett and jonathan, brangelina, christina ricci and joshua jackson from cursed(in her dream when she bites him afterward)
Weisz is supporting. While it is true her character is the catalyst for most actions in the film, she more or less disappears halfway through and it becomes strictly the Fiennes show. And even before that, it's really how she affects him- not how they affect each other.
Bello is a true hairpullerouter- either categorization would be fair.
I'd go with supporting though to not create category confusion come Oscar time.
I'd say Daniels lead and Linney supporting IMO simply due to screentime and importance to the story.
Eisenberg is the true lead, though, so one could argue that it's a three-lead piece or that Linney and Daniels are both supporting him.
BTW...can Hurt be nominated for Best Supporting Actor AND Best Cameo?
What are the FilmBitch rules for such things?
Croze and Dench both have to be nominated on the female side of things.
Character introduction - the bushbaby in Duma, both cutesy and strangely ethereal at the same time, and Cameron Diaz in In Her Shoes - classy sex in a toilet, and Willy Wonka appearance to the left of the kids.
Cheers
BJT
Best Line reading: Tilda Swinton, Narnia
Best Beginning: The first ten minutes of Serenity were an incredible reality freefall beginning with the dream sequence, simmering to a boil with the exciting action sequence, and cooling off with the delicious long-take that introduced us to our cast of mercenaries
Best Ending: Batman Begins, which reminds me...
Best Character Intro: Joker, Batman Begins
Best Kiss: tender domestic kiss in beginning of Cinderella Man
Best Sex Scene: montage from Wedding Crashers
Best Cameo: Tilda Swinton, Broken Flowers
Scene of the Year: how 'bout the long-take at the party in Pride & Prejudice with Tom Hollander wandering around looking out-of-place.
I'll help you Nathaniel. Weisz is definitely supporting because she is the only candidate who deserves to win Supporting. Her performances has been the best of the year. Bello on the other hand is undoubteldy lead (it's a big role), but the reason people are saying she's supporting is because they look at her performance, they see how beautiful she is, they want it nominated, and they know it wasn't good enough to merit a lead nomination, and therefore, they start believing that it is good enough as supporting.
She's a lead. As for Linney, I haven't seen the movie, but my guess is she will get nominated one she goes supporting.
There seems to be a consensus on Daniels (lead) and Linney (supporting), wierd as that may be (but I agree - Daniels dominates the film, Linney does not... it's never about her perspective on things. But this film is kind of like In America and Velvet Goldmine in that it's just uterrly unconcerned with classifications. You can tell no one was thinking about this when they were making the film.
I think two best kisses are in order from Brokeback: the one when Alma's watching (clearly) and the one in the tent, when Jake is whispering "it's alright, it's alright" to Heath (that was SO hot and beautiful).
It's funny, I never once considered Maria Bello as a lead in that movie. I still don't. It just seems so clear to me that it's Viggo's movie in every respect.
Weisz, as I've said, is a trickier instance, though I put her in supporting, ultimately.
SCENE OF THE YEAR OR BEST MUSICAL SCENE
"The Snow Dance," from Memoirs of a Geisha
I definitely agree with:
-Best Line Reading by Cillian Murphy ("the bat...man")
-Best Ending by The 40 Year Old Virgin (like Godspell on crack)
those are awesome choices. But also... the following HAS to be nominated for Scene of the Year:
Nancy Herrington sitting on the bench in Laurelhurst Park, as Robby enters (and the whole 1-minute interaction between them) in "Me and You and Everyone We Know". This short scene is the point in the movie where everything sort of locks into place, connecting storylines and unfolding a key to the movie's message of looking for love in an unconventional way; it is also a moment of realization, at first shocking and hilarious, and then tender and true. When I first watched it I knew this had to be one of the best capsule moments of movies in 2005... and I wasn't even thinking of the filmbitch awards! FYC... watch it again. It's so good.
(this movie is also a given for Best Sex Scene...[ ))<>(( ]... but i figure that was already more of a lock.. )
-ben
My take:
Bello, Linney, Weisz = Supporting
Daniels = Lead
It goes against common sense, but I guess Jake G. = Supporting.
A case for Rachel Weisz!
Weisz is lead. It's not about the screentime. It's about how important you are for your movie. If we think about screentime, Julie Christie would be considered supporting in Dr Zhivago and McCabe and Mrs Miller. Weisz is TCG's Lara, a lead with less screentime than the main lead part. Anyway, her screentime is very good, enough for lead categorization - the trouble with her perf is that her scenes are concentrated in the first half, while Annette Bening has the same screentime in American Beauty and had a Lead nod. Rachel Weisz is not only lead, but her performance is the best of the year!
Anyway, Maria Bello is also lead.
I think all of them are leads but one can make a case for Weisz... altough I'm still thinking she's lead.
Best Individual Line Reading:
Wanda Sykes (Ruby in Monster-in-Law)
-I am sick. I am sick, sick, sick of your shit.And when I'm not sick, I'm tired. I'm sick and tired. Now get in the car, you old slut.
Best Cameo
David Beckham - Goal!
Best line reading of 2005 (and maybe ever)...
Angelina Jolie in MR. & MRS. SMITH- "Champagne is for celebrating. I'll have a martini."
Best Scene: Naomi and Kong in the frozen lake. Unforgettable.
Bello and Weisz are supporting in my opinion. I understand there could be some confusion, but they are clearly supporting Mortensen and Fiennes
and don't forget that Anthony Hopkins won best LEAD actor in 1991 and he was only in the film for twenty minutes - it just seemed like longer because of how he dominates the film.
Bello, Weisz, Linney=Supporting
Daniels=lead
Gyllenhaal=I still say lead dammit, but as far as the Oscars go, he has a better shot in supporting...
Best Line Reading
"Oh, I wasn't making a toast, I was ordering another drink." (Joan Allen in "The Upside of Anger", badly paraphrased, I'm sure)
Best Beginning
"Sin City"
Best Ending
"Broken Flowers"
Best Character Introduction
Kirsten Dunst in the otherwise risible "Elizabethtown"
Best Sex Scene
"A History of Violence"
Best Cameo
David Beckham in "Goal!" - hilariously bad.
Scene of the Year
The Invisible Jacket payoff in "Crash". The power of it got me even on the second viewing.
Not seen Squid & Whale yet, but both Bello and Weisz unquestionably supporting for me. They're both missing for significant time periods in their respective films, even though their presences are so rich that they feel like they're there throughout.
Rob
Consider These:
Best Character Introduction
Willy Wonka - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Batman - Batman Begins
Darth Vader - Revenge of the Sith
Best Cameo
Edward Norton - Kingdom of Heaven
Best Beginning and Ending
Sin City
Best Kiss
Anything in Sin City
Scene of the Year
Final Competition in Mad Hot Ballroom (such a thrilling finale filled with suspense!).
All right, I'd go with Weisz as supporting. Unlike Hopkins (as previously suggested), she disappears halfway through the movie, and isn't a (physical) presence throughout. Bello, on the other hand, is there the entire movie, and while I see the argument for supporting, I'm going with lead personally.
As for the others:
Line Reading:
"I know you think I'm your dad." -Bill Murray, Broken Flowers
"You don't go up there to fish." -Michelle Williams, Brokeback
"If you can't fix it, you gotta stand it." -Heath Ledger, Brokeback
"It's nobody's business but ours." -Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback
Titles Sequence
King Kong-Homage to old Hollywood
Opening
Walk the Line-The stomp of the impending prison
Brokeback Mountain-Silently waiting
The Corpse Bride-What a droll wedding
Ending
Brokeback Mountain-sigh
King Kong-A classic, but still marvelous
A History of Violence-Time for dinner
Character Introduction
Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson)-Harry Potter 4
King Kong (Andy Serkis)-King Kong
Kiss
Heath and Jake, with Alma watching
Sex Scene
Ralph and Rachel, entrenched in white
Heath and Jake, in the tent
Viggo and Maria, on the stairs
Cameo
Roberta Maxwell (Brokeback Mountain)
Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter 4)
Tim Robbins (War of the Worlds)
Scene of the Year
Confrontations with his "son"-Broken Flowers
Cocaine Blues at Folsom Prison-Walk the Line
Kong vs. the triple T-Rex threat-King Kong
The Shirts-Brokeback Mountain
Goodbye at the River-Brokeback Mountain
Planning their future at the fire-Brokeback Mountain
The Prodigal Brother Returns-History of Violence
Goodbye at the Car/Pounding on the Wall-Brokeback
Am I the only one who thinks the kiss in the tent was even better than the other one? That was like the best moment in the film (with which I was unfortunately a bit disappointed overall).
And I actually can see the reasoning for Jake as supporting... it's definitely not FRAUD like Scarlett in LiT... yes, he's a romantic lead, but he's very much the object to Heath's subject... by the end of the film, it's clear that it's really about Ledger's character and what the relationship did to him... and of course, Jake is missing from a good bit of the end.
But then again, it's a lot like Rhett in Gone with the Wind, and he was lead... but I would've been OK with a supporting run for him, too.
I don't know if you're counting docos, but for me the most memorable "speech" on camera was Werner Herzog in "Grizzly Man" - when he's playing the footage of the killer bear and saying something like "Timothy saw fellow-feeling with these animals - but I look into the eyes of this bear and I see no compassion, just hunger . . ." [not sure of the exact quote, but for me it was THE scene of cinema this year].
Best scene: the goldfish in "Me and You and Everyone We Know".
Best line reading (all quotes from memory): Cedric the Entertainer as Maurice in Madagascar, introducing the head lemur with minimal enthusiasm: "And now, Julian the 13th, king of the lemurs, blah blah blah, hooray hooray;" Sarah Silverman in The Aristocrats: "Joe Franklin raped me;" Amy Adams in Junebug: "Jesus loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to let you stay that way."
Best cameo: Elaine Stritch in Monster-in-Law; Jayma Mays in Red Eye.
Scene of the year: George's hymn in Junebug.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang had my favorite main title sequence of the year...reminiscent of Catch Me If You Can.
best character introduction has to be Neil from Mysterious Skin. Talking about the first time he ejaculated while watching his mother get macked on by some blue collar. Totally sets up his side of the movie.
Also best opening sequence the cereal in Mysterious Skin. Looking at more of the categories -- the movie, which is in my opinion one of the better this year, has a lot to offer.
It's got a great score as well.
Things that slipped my mind:
Line Reading - Johnny Depp (CATCF) "..But that my dear children is cannibalism and is indeed frowned upon"
Cameo - Frances Conroy (Broken Flowers)
Character Introduction - Tilda Swinton (Narnia)
Best Scene - The bench in Me and You And Everyone We Know
I've only seen Weisz of those that you asked and I think definitely Supporting. While she is the leading force throughout the first half the film, it is only her spirit that remains throughout the second and it becomes solely about Ralph. Sure, she's a bigger character than the supportive wife, but she puts the films onto it's supports and then leaves it to do it's own thing. Significantly boosted by her work, but now requiring to do it's own.
Some suggestions for:
Best Line Reading:
-"Who taught you maths?!" - Val Kilmer, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
-"So... ya know!" (when she's telling the old couple about the man being a peadophile) - Miranda July, You & Me & Everyone We Know
-"She was on a BUS!" - Brooke Smith, Melinda & Melinda
Best Titles (Opening/Closing) Sequence:
-Hostage (the best thing about that awful movie)
-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
-Sin City
Best Beginning & Best Ending:
(opening)
-Mr & Mrs Smith
-Pride & Prejudice
-Upside of Anger
(ending)
-2046
-Harry Potter 4
-Mysterious Skin
-You & Me & Everyone We Know
Best Character Introduction:
-Miranda July, Me & You & Everyone We Know
-Wallace & Gromit, Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Best Kiss:
-Tony Leung & Zhang Ziyi, 2046
-Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie, Mr & Mrs Smith
Best Cameo:
Beverly Todd, Crash
Carina Lau, 2046
Bill Sage, Mysterious Skin (so creepy)
Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter 4
Scene of the Year:
-Crash Rescue, Crash
-Desert Raid, Constant Gardener
-The Ice Rink, King Kong
-"That point in a relationship", Me & You & Everyone We Know
-Liz & Darcy's fight in the rain, Pride & Prejudice
I think I'll cry if the above scenes from Crash and M&Y&EWK aren't in your top 10. Those two were about as brilliant as cinema can get.
best scene:
amy adams' hospital bed scene in junebug.
OK, that last adam wasn't me, so I'm changing my display name back to adam k.
FYC best individual line reading:
Diane Keaton in The Family Stone - "You are more normal than any asshole at this table. OK? OK.
...I need a fork."
Laura Linney in TSATW - "Hahahahaha... bagels..."
Joan Allen in The Upside of Anger - "Your father took off with his little Swedish secretary and moved back to Sweden!" (or something)
and who can forget:
Darth Vader in ROTS - "NOOOOOO!"
rachel weisz is a supporting, imho.
I think one of the best scenes of the year is Naomi Watts and Adrien Brody In King Kong, in the boat where it is shown that he loves her (she is in the middle of filming).
There are so many films and not enough categories so it is a brilliant idea to invent some!
Best Kiss - Emily Mortimer and Gerard Butler in "Dear Frankie"; kiss before the door, very tender and sweet; a small and underappreciated film
Character Intro - Kevin in "Sin City"; Frodo freaks us out. Also a top 5 death scene and villain
Best Line - Jayne in "Serenity"; "I don't wanna explode"; nearly every line from that flick is funny but Jayne got a couple of good ones
Best Scene - a tie; "King Kong" the ape fights the planes and dies; that look on his face before he falls was heartbreaking
The other one comes from "Downfall"; the scene where Magda Goebbels poisens her six children is powerful and hard to endure
Titles - "King Kong"
Sex Scene - "A History of Violence"
These two were the easy ones
Cameo - Keisha Castle-Hughes as the new queen in "Star Wars III"
Character Intro:
The Corpse Bride
KISS - I'd second it for Emily Mortimer and Gerry Butler in Dear Frankie. One shot. Goes on for nearly a minute and a half and they only kiss for the briefest of moments. It's all, all in the anticipation. Also Johnny and June on stage at the end. The whole film leads up to the kiss.
Titles
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Sin City
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Line Reading
Casanova - Something that Irons says about the Catholic Church
Mrs. Henderson Presents - Dench: If you insist dear
Gabrielle - Huppert: If i knew you loved me, i would never come back
Corpse Bride - Why go up there, when people are dying to get down here?
Beginning
Merry Christmas
Oldboy
Sin City
Mysterious Skin
Ending
3 Iron
The Child
The Beat My Heart Skipped
Keane
The Constant Gardener
Three Burials of M.E.
Le Couperet
Kiss
5x2
Dear Frankie
Pride and Prejudice
Sex Scene
5x2
Mr and Mrs Smith
The Constant Gardener
Gabrielle
History of Violence
Romance and Cigarettes (Winslet-Gardolfini)
Character Intro
Ledger in Casanova
Corpse Bride in Corpse Bride
Weisz in The Constant Gardener
SJP in The Family Stone
James Bond in Layer Cake
CAMEO FEMALE
Natalie Dorner 'Casanova' (cage breaker)
Elaine Stritch 'Monster In Law'
Jean Moreau 'Temps Qui Reste'
Thelma Barlow 'Mrs. Henderson Presents'
Francine Beer 'In Her Shoes'
Judi Dench 'Pride nad Prejudice'
CAMEO MALE
William Hurt
Tom Hollander 'Pride and Prejudice'
Jeffrey Wright 'Broken Flowers'
Tom Hollander 'Pride and Prejudice'
Michael Caine 'Bewitched'
SCENE
Last Days - Pitt's solo
Dear Frankie - The Kiss
Everything is Iluuminated - sunflowers
Merry Christmas - singing silent night
I would be thrilled if any of the following would emerge in any of your categories
Damien Lewis 'Keane'
Romain Duris 'The Beat that My Heart Skipped'
Matt Dillon 'Factorum'
William H. Macy 'Edmond'
and the newcomers
Eugene Hutz 'Everything Is Illuminated'
Brandon Ratcliff 'Me You and Everyone We Know'
Max Minghella - Flora Cross 'Bee Season'
The others are indefinite but Rachel and Maria's performances aren't remotely leading.
I should probably try and make a case, lol.
If we were measuring solely on screentime (Which we're not) then Rachel Weisz is certainly not a lead. We only see her in flashbacks. It's all in Fiennes' mind and her memory triggers his commitment to find the truth. She's a memory. The flashbacks serve as Fiennes'perspective. The main plot, so to speak, is in the present. The past is what is moving him to find out about his wife's personal secrets as well as the secrets of her work.
Maria Bello has, I guess, enough screentime to warrant a secondary lead status. As does her involvement in the progression of the story. I guess that's more of a gut call, and the best argument I can make is that she just isn't a central enough focus to be considered a lead. But she's certainly much closer to that than Weisz is in her respective film.
Peace
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