Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   As promised, here is how I filled out my ballot for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Acting Awards. I consider 2009 a down year for the quality of movies. And I believe some folks and films should have been considered for specific awards.  Let me explain:

OUTSTANDING MALE:  Jeremy Renner

   It comes down to Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker). Ben Foster (The Messenger) should have received a nod. Bridges is getting all of the attention. However, Crazy Heart seems way too familiar to other movies showcasing the washed up older guy (ie. The Wrestler last year). Renner was uncompromising and ferocious. It’s not sexy, but he’s my pick.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE:  Sandra Bullock

   The best performance of Sandra Bullock’s career (The Blind Side)! A great movie and a great cast, which should have been given overall consideration. I liked Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) and Carey Mulligan (An Education), but Bullock really delivers.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE:  Christoph Waltz

   I didn’t enjoy Inglourious Basterds. Revising history for any reason on film is dangerous.

   That said, Christoph Waltz is delicious in his villainy. Flat out the best performance by any actor (male or female) this season. In another year, Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) or Woody Harrelson (The Messenger) might have been my pick, but not today. Alfred Molina (An Education) was outstanding and deserves Oscar consideration. I wish he would have received a SAG Award nomination.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING FEMALE:  Anna Kendrick

   Two outstanding performances this year – Mo’nique (Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire) and Anna Kendrick (Up In the Air). Mo’nique probably wins this award. However, Kendrick is funny, sad, and extremely talented in a very slick hip film. I’m not complimenting the movie, per se, but she was fun everytime she appeared on screen.

OUTSTANDING CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE:  An Education

   The Blind Side, An Education, and The Hurt Locker were outstanding. Actually, Invictus was quite good too. I’ll be very disappointed if Inglourious Bastards, Nine or Precious wins this award. An Education was the biggest surprise, so I voted for this motion picture. If The Hurt Locker is chosen, it won’t bother me at all…

   Because ten pictures will be nominated for an Oscar this year, I hope The Blind Side is included.

   These are my official choices. I hope you will take my suggestions on the movies I believe were worth watching… I’m proud of my 28-year membership in SAG.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

This entry was posted on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 10:40 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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