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.

Movie with Abe: The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones
Directed by Peter Jackson
Released December 11, 2009

It’s necessary for a movie that isn’t an abstract art film to have a coherent premise. A film either starts as a result of some catalytic event or works toward it. In the case of the former, there needs to be something compelling which happens afterwards which makes the whole of the film worthwhile. There must be some mystery to be solved or some closure to be achieved, otherwise the film might as well end almost as soon as it begins. In the case of “The Lovely Bones,” it’s a tragic event which sparks the story, but where it goes after that is altogether foggier and far less fascinating.

Perky, intelligent young Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is a girl full of life who, within minutes of the film’s opening, reveals that she will soon be murdered. It’s a devastating and frightening road to the event itself, but when it comes time for the awful moment, Susie is whisked away, seemingly by the power of her own mind, to a world in between life and death where she is able to observe what goes on in days to come. Why Susie still remains behind to watch over her former life is unclear to her, and keeping her around seems even more puzzling because it adds an element of fantasy to the story that just confuses and confounds it.

“The Lovely Bones” is filled primarily by narration from the deceased Susie Salmon, commenting on her post-life epiphanies and the events that continue to swirl as she is unable to move on from the “in-between,” as her younger brother explains it. There’s no question that it’s absolutely mesmerizing to hear the versatile and wildly impressive Ronan (an Oscar nominee in 2007 for “Atonement”) spout off her take on her newfound resting place and the actions of her family members and her murder. Her voice is hypnotic and it’s easy to get lost for hours in her bright blue eyes. She makes Susie one of the most mature, dynamic young girls ever to grace cinema screens.

Yet the talent of the lead actress is almost irrelevant – what’s happening on screen isn’t nearly as interesting. Susie might as well not stick around for the denouement. Her father’s hapless search for a way to find out what happened is hopelessly drawn out, as is the meandering post-script of her murderer, whose proximity to the situation makes his ability to continue to go undetected all the more frustrating. Stanley Tucci’s fearsome performance is akin to Ronan’s, a stunning embodiment of a character whose existence in this film feels unnecessary. It’s one of those times where you wish you could just hop into the screen and shout at the characters to tell them that they’re so close and all they need to do is have a little common sense and piece together the clues. They’re certainly not going to get far by themselves. The film might have been more compelling as a twenty-minute build-up to Susie’s murder, since that part of the film is much more compelling and fulfilling. Director Peter Jackson gets caught up in cheesy CGI visuals and attempts to legitimize Susie’s predicament through her new joie de vivre, but it’s hardly convincing, and a particularly unenthusiastic bore.

C-

Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe. Every Wednesday, I’m taking a look at the awards chances for all of the films released the previous week. Chime in with your thoughts on the Oscar chances for these films in the comments section. Also, don't forget to check out the Golden Globe nominations, announced yesterday.

Invictus
Clint Eastwood making a film about Nelson Mandela starring Morgan Freeman is a good way to drum up Oscar buzz. The Golden Globes yesterday snubbed the film for their top prize but still nominated Eastwood, Freeman, and supporting actor Matt Damon. They all seem quite likely to earn Oscar nominations, and the film should be able to get in with an expanded field of ten nominees which likely won’t include some of the Globe comedy nominees, like “It’s Complicated” and “Julie & Julia.” Eastwood has had three films nominated for Best Picture this decade – “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby” (winner), and “Letters from Iwo Jima.” Expect him to add another film to the list this year. He also directed Angelina Jolie to an Oscar nomination for “Changeling” last year. It helps that “Invictus” is truly terrific as a film, and should also contend for Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.

A Single Man
One of the only solid “A” films I’ve seen this year should be set for at least one category at the Oscars, and that’s Best Actor, where a completely reinvented Colin Firth should have no problem getting nominated and maybe even winning. Hopes are high for costar Julianne Moore, whose flawless British accent should impress voters. I’m rooting for composer Abel Krozeniowski, and his Golden Globe nomination should help him along. The film should hopefully also earn nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, and maybe even Best Makeup or Best Film Editing. Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture are probably long shots, in descending order of likelihood. I’d love to see it everywhere, though I’m very confident that it will get several technical nominations and recognition for its two fabulous leads.

The Lovely Bones
This film is no longer a serious Best Picture contender after receiving generally negative reviews, but that doesn’t mean it’s out of the race completely. Never-nominated Stanley Tucci earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as a cold-blooded killer, and should be able to establish himself as the best part of the film and get nominated. Young lead actress Saoirse Ronan is an Oscar nominee already, and may well earn a second nomination if voters really like her performance. The film’s stunning visuals annoy as many as they astonish, and therefore the movie might be able to get nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, but don’t bet on either one too much.

Don’t expect any kudos for The Slammin’ Salmon or a film starring Russell Crowe that you’ve never heard of, Tenderness. That’s it for notable films released this past week. There are only a couple of weeks in the year left! Come back every Wednesday for an analysis of the previous Friday’s theatrical releases and their Oscar chances. Thanks for reading!

Tuesday's Top Trailer: The Lovely Bones

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Lovely Bones - Opening December 11, 2009



I've been seeing this trailer before nearly every movie for the past month or so. I was excited about this movie from the first moment I watched the trailer online in August, and I figured it was about time that I highlighted it on Movies with Abe, and there were no other trailers which caught my attention this week. "The Lovely Bones" has many things going for it, including but not limited to an accomplished director, Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings," "King Kong") and a stellar ensemble cast, including Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Michael Imperioli, Stanley Tucci, and the very talented young Saoirse Ronan (Briony in "Atonement") as the protagonist, Susie Salmon. The trailer itself happens to be absolutely fantastic, and each time I'm even more excited to see it. The imagery looks wonderful, and the way that Susie narrates her post-mortem life is simply dazzling. The most wonderful thing about the trailer is the use of Audio Machine's "House of Cards" to heighten the suspense factor. The song has been used before in the equally awesome trailers for "Gone Baby Gone" and "Changeling," but this one looks like the best. Taking away Michael Imperioli's overbearing New York accent and giving Stanley Tucci the chance to play a terrifying villain are both great ideas, and it looks like the cast is in fine form. The story seems really interesting also, and I imagine that fans of the book are looking forward to this promising adaptation. I personally haven't read it, but I can't wait for this film to be released.