Friday For Your Consideration: Saoirse Ronan

Welcome to the final nominations edition of Friday For Your Consideration. I may return with a winners edition if the nominees call for it. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Saoirse Ronan, “The Lovely Bones"
Where you’ve seen her before: The 15-year-old actress earned an Oscar nomination two years ago for her work as the youngest Briony Tallis in “Atonement.”

Why she deserves it: Her film was no good, equally due to the adaptation of the story itself and the inappropriately lavish directing by Peter Jackson. But the incredible mature and talented Ronan was marvelous, delivering an exceptional performance that grounded the film even though it couldn’t save it. Ronan’s Susie Salmon is believably older than her age, and the way she delivers dialogue is simply incredible. For most of the film, she serves as the film’s unseen narrator, and that’s a terrific role for her. She performs consistently at a level of quality and excellence the film never achieves.

Standout scene: (Spoilers) She’s fully terrific throughout the entire film, but her best moment probably comes during her murder scene. Despite the failure of that scene to actually represent or even suggest the violent way in which her life ends, Ronan is in top form. Her face displays an equal mix of real curiosity and fear, and it’s clear that she’s smart enough to know that she shouldn’t be accompanying a strange man into an unfamiliar place completely alone.

Why she won’t get it: Three reasons: the film tanked, she’s young, and she already made it in two years ago. Had the movie been a legitimate Best Picture contender as originally thought, Ronan might have had a better shot, but there’s no room for her without any buzz. It seems that only Stanley Tucci will get mentioned for this film, and perhaps a technical award or two. Ronan is also only fifteen years old, and nominees this young rarely get nominated, especially in this category. Keisha Castle-Hughes did it in 2003 for “Whale Rider,” but there were available spaces in the Best Actress field that year, whereas this year there just aren’t. The fact that she was nominated in 2007 hurts rather than helps her because she’s already been recognized, and that film was a Best Picture nominee. She’ll likely be back in future years, but not this time around.

Read the review of the film here. Oscar predictions begin Monday – don’t miss them.

Friday For Your Consideration: Kerry Condon

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Kerry Condon, “The Last Station”
Where you’ve seen her before: The 26-year-old Irish actress starred on HBO’s two-season historical drama “Rome” and in the film “Ned Kelly,” but this is the first time I’ve seen in anything.

Why she deserves it: From her first appearance on screen, Condon owns the performance. As a Tolstoyan devotee with a few objections to the way she’s supposed to live her life, she immediately stands out to James McAvoy’s Valentin as a woman worth knowing. It’s not as if he has much choice in the matter, however, since she pursues him aggressively, leaving him wimpering and sneezing at every turn. Condon holds her own against a fearsome cast, and in my opinion she’s the best one of them all. Out-acting Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giammati, and James McAvoy isn’t a feeble accomplishment.

Standout scene: (Minor spoilers) Condon’s Masha tries to teach Valentin the ropes of working on the Tolstoyan community. He isn’t terribly handy, but his masculinity is especially undermined by the fact that she is. Her ability to chop a piece of wood in half is especially impressive, and Condon milks it perfectly. It’s only slightly more incredible than the scene where she convinces Valentin that it’s time to lose his virginity, even if it’s not something totally in line with Tolstoyan theology.

Why she won’t get it: This film is opening late enough as it is, with only a week-long qualifying run at the beginning of December to even make it eligible for the Oscars this year. I have a feeling that both Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer may even have some trouble getting nominated at the Oscars, so Condon doesn’t have a shot in hell. The fact that there are so many fine actors in the film works against her because either Giammati or McAvoy might still be recognized over her. Until today, it’s unlikely that many reviews were even published and even more unlikely that Condon was mentioned in any of them. If she was, it was likely a quick note that was grouped with the other impressive performances in the ensemble. That, coupled with the film’s late opening, will leave her out in the cold completely. There’s a reason that the incredible “Children of Men” didn’t get nominated for Best Picture a few years ago, and a big part of it was that it opened so late and buzz didn’t have a chance to start early enough.

My review of the film is forthcoming, and come back next Friday for a look at another performer who deserves a shot at Oscar.

Friday For Your Consideration: Nicholas Hoult

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Nicholas Hoult, “A Single Man”
Where you’ve seen him before: The young British actor was a few feet shorter but just as great in “About a Boy” opposite Hugh Grant and Toni Collette back in 2002, and has since appeared on the TV series “Skins.”

Why he deserves it: Hoult is marvelously sedated and held back as a young student of George who expresses an interest in getting to know the depressed professor. He’s mature and intellectual, and immediately stands out from the pack of students as someone with his head on his shoulders. Hoult utters few lines, and it’s the looks that he gives George that really say the most. Most impressively, Hoult holds his own against established actors Colin Firth and Julianne Moore and delivers an exceptional performance that never quite breaks down his true intentions but is magnificently enrapturing.

Standout scene: (Minor spoilers) Hoult’s Kenny runs into George at a bar and listens to him talk about all the things he used to do and want to do. Not satisfied to sit around and talk, Kenny encourages George to throw caution to the wind and run into the ocean. It’s a marvelous scene that involves so much bonding through exchanged looks and shared joys.

Why he won’t get it: He’s not anywhere near close to a contender, tragically. For starters, “A Single Man” didn’t really catch fire with audiences as much as it could have. Sometimes when a lead actor is excellent, a supporting star slides in under the radar as well because the performances complement each other well. An example is Ethan Hawke in 2001 for “Training Day,” which was a film that didn’t otherwise do particularly well awards-wise but afforded Hawke his one and only Oscar nod for acting. Hoult also didn’t earn any kudos for “About a Boy,” despite delivering an incredible performance before the age of 13. Besides the lack of mentions for Hoult’s work in the film, the most significant reason he won’t make it in is that there are enough viable contenders in the running. Last year, bit player Michael Shannon slid in for “Revolutionary Road” because, well, there was no definitive fifth nominee. This year, that’s not a problem. There are five relatively safe bets, plus a few more who could take their spots, and unfortunately, Hoult won’t be one of them.

Read the review here, and come back next Friday for a look at another performer who deserves a shot at Oscar.

Friday For Your Consideration: Hal Holbrook

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Hal Holbrook, “That Evening Sun”
Where you’ve seen him before: He’s been acting on television and in movies for fifty years. Most recently, he earned an Oscar nomination in 2007 for his supporting role in “Into the Wild.”

Why he deserves it: The 84-year-old Holbrook is nearly three times the age of some of his costars, and he delivers one of the sharpest and most moving performances in recent years. He instills Abner Meecham with an extraordinary sense of self, one that can’t be muted by debilitating faculties or the strong wits of others. He’s determined to live the rest of his life on his own terms, and he’s not going to let anyone else tell him what to do. It’s simply magnificent to watch this actor with over 100 performances in his belt deliver such an astonishing performance.

Standout scene: You can catch a piece of it starting at the 1:47 mark of the theatrical trailer. Holbrook starts singing the song from which the title is derived. He’s quiet, off-key, and couldn’t care less. He’s at home, and he’s going to do what he damn well pleases.

Why he won’t get it: The Best Actor race is pretty much set, with four actors locked for a nomination (Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, and Morgan Freeman) and one other looking very good (Jeremy Renner). I thought for a while that Holbrook could take his spot (though Renner was excellent also), but his failure to earn a Best Independent Spirit Award nomination when two other actors in his film did wasn’t a good sign. No one has seen the film, and it seems those who have aren’t recognizing his incredible performance.

Read the review here, and come back next Friday for a look at an actress who deserves a shot at Oscar.