iwaskirsdarke (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iwaskirsdarke) wrote2009-08-02 04:28 pm
iwaskirsdarke) wrote2009-08-02 04:28 pm
Karen's Top Ten Female Movie Performances
Part One (the guys) here. I'm not that thrilled with my descriptions in this part, but...whatever.
10.) Rachel McAdams as Lisa Reisert in Red Eye
"Where's your male-driven, fact-based logic now, Jack?"
Finally, a smart person in an action movie. Lisa Reisert is a smart businesswoman who's also afraid of flying. The fact that she's taken hostage, made an accomplice in an assassination attempt, and her father is threatened probably doesn't help. But after she accepts her situation, she gets smart and takes every opportunity she can to stop the plot, no matter what. It's a hard role, both emotionally and physically, but Rachel McAdams (sometimes literally) throws herself in. You root for her not only because she's a likable character, but because you wonder what you would do in that situation.
9.) Meg Ryan as Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally...
"But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real; if it's out of a can then nothing."
I think I could justify this entry on the list just for the fact that Meg Ryan managed to deliver the food orders properly. Aside from that, it's a wonderful comedic performance mixed with moments of pure emotion. You honestly feel for her when she realizes that Joe didn't want to marry her, while just a minute later, she was walking around the bedroom, crying and tossing Kleenexes over her shoulder. Ryan mixes neurosis and emotion so well that you can see how Harry can fall in love with her.
8.) Amy Ryan as Helene McCready in Gone Baby Gone
"I know I fucked up. I just want my daughter back. I swear to God, I won't use no drugs no more. I won't even go out. I'll be fucking straight. Cross my heart."
It takes awhile to warm up to Helene McCready. When we first meet her, she's shockingly casual about the fact that her four-year-old daughter has been kidnapped. But when it sets in that it was her fault, she will break your heart. Amy Ryan is totally convincing as a woman struggling with the fact that not only has she lost her daughter but that it was done by someone she trusted. In the end, you see that maybe things haven't completely changed, but they are better. Helene isn't a perfect mother, but there is no doubt that she loves her daughter. And you can't love her, but you can definitely feel for her. That's exactly what the character is there for.
7.) Kristen Bell as Sarah Marshall in Forgetting Sarah Marshall
"And you know what? Let me tell you something about these tattoos, okay. That is Buddhist, that is Nordic, that is Hindu, that's just gibberish. They are completely conflicting ideologies, and that does not make you a citizen of the world. It makes you full of shit."
One of the things I loved about Forgetting Sarah Marshall is that they allowed the titular ex-girlfriend to be a sympathetic character. She wasn't just a bitch who broke a nice guy's heart. She tried to save her relationship and when it didn't work, she had to move on. Then she begins to realize she may have made a mistake. Not only is Bell a fantastic comedic actress, but she's not afraid to show the character's emotion. She keeps the character human instead of letting her become a characature, as many romantic comedies are so willing to do.
6.) Kirsten Dunst as Nicole Oakley in crazy/beautiful
"Do you think that the only thing I'll ever do to someone is screw them up? That I'm not worth loving?"
The troubled teenager can be cliche. crazy/beautiful is the love story between the troubled daughter of a governor and the smart, hard-working son of a single mother. The movie gives reasons for Nicole's behavior, but it also shows the damage it does. The movie doesn't let her off the hook and neither does Dunst. She plays Nicole realistically, a young woman both addictive and damaging to everyone around her, who slowly realizes the mess she's made of her life.
5.) Ellen Page as Juno McGuff in Juno
"Yeah, I'm a legend. You know, they call me the cautionary whale."
Juno McGuff wants everyone to think she has it all together. She is totally content to be herself and not care what anyone else thinks. But when things become increasingly complicated, her vulnerable side is revealed. Ellen Page plays Juno as a smart, capable teenager who nevertheless finds herself dealing with "things may beyond her maturity level." With the witty writing, she creates an fantastic, memorable character.
4.) Queen Latifah as Georgia Byrd in Last Holiday
"Next time...we will laugh more, we'll love more. We just won't be so afraid."
When we meet Georgia Byrd, she's a shy, unassuming saleswoman in a New Orleans department store. She loves to cook, but gives the food to her neighbor while she eats Lean Cuisine. Then she finds out she's going to die. Watching Georgia rediscover life is a joy, because Queen Latifah keeps her the same kind person, just with more confidence and joy, even as she thinks she might die. It makes the movie so much fun to watch.
3.) Mandy Moore as Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember and Sally Kendoo in American Dreamz
"Maybe God has a bigger plan for me than I had for myself. Like, this journey never ends. Like you were sent to me because I'm sick, to help me through all this. You're my angel."
Jamie Sullivan is definiely one of the most realistic and sympathetic portrayals of a Christian, especially a Christian teenager, that I've seen. Although Mandy Moore was at the very beginning of her acting career, her performance makes the film. She plays Jamie with the quiet strength and grace of a girl who knows exactly who she is. Her relationships with Landon and her father are, at time, beautiful and heart-breaking. If the role had gone to a less talented actress, it probably wouldn't have worked.
"I used to weigh like 200 pounds. But then I told myself if I didn't lose 90 pounds before I turned 14, I'd kill myself...So I lost the weight."
If Jamie Sullivan is an angel, Sally Kendoo is the AntiChrist. I have problems with the film itself, but Moore's performance isn't one of them. Sally is a manipulating, conniving bitch who is willing to use anyone and do anything to become famous. Moore gives a fantastic comedic performance. She makes Sally more than she seems, but she stops just short of making her likable. It's just the right place to be.
After a string of not-so-great movies (License to Wed, anyone?), Mandy has focused on music rather than acting in the last couple of years. I hope she'll return to the screen soon.
2.) Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino in Speak
"I hate winter. I've lived in the midwest my whole life and I hate winter. It starts too early and it ends too late. Why doesn't everyone just move to Florida?"
I admit that my affection for Speak, the book and the movie, probably stems from my own past. That also helps me appreciate Kristen Stewart's performance. Not only is she perfect as the Melinda of the book, she's entirely convincing as a realistic teenage outcast. On the outside, she's quiet and depressed. On the inside, she observes everything around her with deadpan wit and dark humor. She finds solace in one class- Art- and slowly begins to find her own spot in the world of high school. The moment at the end of the movie when Melinda rolls down the car window and lays her head on the door, looking absolutely free, makes me choke up every time.
1.) Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and June Carter in Walk The Line
"And last week, I saw Cameron Diaz at Fred Segal, and I talked her out of buying this truly heinous angora sweater. Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed."
I avoided watching Legally Blonde for a long time, afraid that it would just be one big dumb blonde joke. I was happy to be proven wrong. Elle Woods is a fashionista with a 4.0 GPA and a heart of gold. She gets into Harvard with hard work and a creative video application and when she realizes what a dickhead Warner is, she doesn't just pick up her pink toys and go home. She puts her nose to the grindstone and shows everyone how awesome she is. Reese Witherspoon plays Elle with a pitch-perfect mix of confidence, humor and humanity.
"My problem is that it's 2 A.M. My problem is I'm asleep. I'm on a tour bus with eight stinkin' men. Rule number one: Don't propose to a girl on a bus, you got that? Rule number two: Don't tell her it's because you had a bad dream."
June Carter is a fierce Southern woman who doesn't take any shit. She doesn't let herself be drawn in by the charm of a certain Johnny Cash, until she sees how much he truly needs her. Witherspoon embodies this woman who became the angel to the Man in Black. She's the great woman behind a great man, played by a great actress.
Amanda Peet as Paris Nevada in Identity- Paris Nevada is turning thirty next week, and she just wants to go home and grow oranges. But no. She gets stuck in a storm, hitches a ride from a handsome limo driver, gets to a motel and then people start up and dying. Amanda Peet combines confusion, fear, anger, and desperation to make Paris a real person in the middle of a very unreal situation.
Keep in mind, this is all my (highly uncultured) OPINION. I've only seen so many movies.
<3
10.) Rachel McAdams as Lisa Reisert in Red Eye
"Where's your male-driven, fact-based logic now, Jack?"
Finally, a smart person in an action movie. Lisa Reisert is a smart businesswoman who's also afraid of flying. The fact that she's taken hostage, made an accomplice in an assassination attempt, and her father is threatened probably doesn't help. But after she accepts her situation, she gets smart and takes every opportunity she can to stop the plot, no matter what. It's a hard role, both emotionally and physically, but Rachel McAdams (sometimes literally) throws herself in. You root for her not only because she's a likable character, but because you wonder what you would do in that situation.
9.) Meg Ryan as Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally...
"But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real; if it's out of a can then nothing."
I think I could justify this entry on the list just for the fact that Meg Ryan managed to deliver the food orders properly. Aside from that, it's a wonderful comedic performance mixed with moments of pure emotion. You honestly feel for her when she realizes that Joe didn't want to marry her, while just a minute later, she was walking around the bedroom, crying and tossing Kleenexes over her shoulder. Ryan mixes neurosis and emotion so well that you can see how Harry can fall in love with her.
8.) Amy Ryan as Helene McCready in Gone Baby Gone
"I know I fucked up. I just want my daughter back. I swear to God, I won't use no drugs no more. I won't even go out. I'll be fucking straight. Cross my heart."
It takes awhile to warm up to Helene McCready. When we first meet her, she's shockingly casual about the fact that her four-year-old daughter has been kidnapped. But when it sets in that it was her fault, she will break your heart. Amy Ryan is totally convincing as a woman struggling with the fact that not only has she lost her daughter but that it was done by someone she trusted. In the end, you see that maybe things haven't completely changed, but they are better. Helene isn't a perfect mother, but there is no doubt that she loves her daughter. And you can't love her, but you can definitely feel for her. That's exactly what the character is there for.
7.) Kristen Bell as Sarah Marshall in Forgetting Sarah Marshall
"And you know what? Let me tell you something about these tattoos, okay. That is Buddhist, that is Nordic, that is Hindu, that's just gibberish. They are completely conflicting ideologies, and that does not make you a citizen of the world. It makes you full of shit."
One of the things I loved about Forgetting Sarah Marshall is that they allowed the titular ex-girlfriend to be a sympathetic character. She wasn't just a bitch who broke a nice guy's heart. She tried to save her relationship and when it didn't work, she had to move on. Then she begins to realize she may have made a mistake. Not only is Bell a fantastic comedic actress, but she's not afraid to show the character's emotion. She keeps the character human instead of letting her become a characature, as many romantic comedies are so willing to do.
6.) Kirsten Dunst as Nicole Oakley in crazy/beautiful
"Do you think that the only thing I'll ever do to someone is screw them up? That I'm not worth loving?"
The troubled teenager can be cliche. crazy/beautiful is the love story between the troubled daughter of a governor and the smart, hard-working son of a single mother. The movie gives reasons for Nicole's behavior, but it also shows the damage it does. The movie doesn't let her off the hook and neither does Dunst. She plays Nicole realistically, a young woman both addictive and damaging to everyone around her, who slowly realizes the mess she's made of her life.
5.) Ellen Page as Juno McGuff in Juno
"Yeah, I'm a legend. You know, they call me the cautionary whale."
Juno McGuff wants everyone to think she has it all together. She is totally content to be herself and not care what anyone else thinks. But when things become increasingly complicated, her vulnerable side is revealed. Ellen Page plays Juno as a smart, capable teenager who nevertheless finds herself dealing with "things may beyond her maturity level." With the witty writing, she creates an fantastic, memorable character.
4.) Queen Latifah as Georgia Byrd in Last Holiday
"Next time...we will laugh more, we'll love more. We just won't be so afraid."
When we meet Georgia Byrd, she's a shy, unassuming saleswoman in a New Orleans department store. She loves to cook, but gives the food to her neighbor while she eats Lean Cuisine. Then she finds out she's going to die. Watching Georgia rediscover life is a joy, because Queen Latifah keeps her the same kind person, just with more confidence and joy, even as she thinks she might die. It makes the movie so much fun to watch.
3.) Mandy Moore as Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember and Sally Kendoo in American Dreamz
"Maybe God has a bigger plan for me than I had for myself. Like, this journey never ends. Like you were sent to me because I'm sick, to help me through all this. You're my angel."
Jamie Sullivan is definiely one of the most realistic and sympathetic portrayals of a Christian, especially a Christian teenager, that I've seen. Although Mandy Moore was at the very beginning of her acting career, her performance makes the film. She plays Jamie with the quiet strength and grace of a girl who knows exactly who she is. Her relationships with Landon and her father are, at time, beautiful and heart-breaking. If the role had gone to a less talented actress, it probably wouldn't have worked.
"I used to weigh like 200 pounds. But then I told myself if I didn't lose 90 pounds before I turned 14, I'd kill myself...So I lost the weight."
If Jamie Sullivan is an angel, Sally Kendoo is the AntiChrist. I have problems with the film itself, but Moore's performance isn't one of them. Sally is a manipulating, conniving bitch who is willing to use anyone and do anything to become famous. Moore gives a fantastic comedic performance. She makes Sally more than she seems, but she stops just short of making her likable. It's just the right place to be.
After a string of not-so-great movies (License to Wed, anyone?), Mandy has focused on music rather than acting in the last couple of years. I hope she'll return to the screen soon.
2.) Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino in Speak
"I hate winter. I've lived in the midwest my whole life and I hate winter. It starts too early and it ends too late. Why doesn't everyone just move to Florida?"
I admit that my affection for Speak, the book and the movie, probably stems from my own past. That also helps me appreciate Kristen Stewart's performance. Not only is she perfect as the Melinda of the book, she's entirely convincing as a realistic teenage outcast. On the outside, she's quiet and depressed. On the inside, she observes everything around her with deadpan wit and dark humor. She finds solace in one class- Art- and slowly begins to find her own spot in the world of high school. The moment at the end of the movie when Melinda rolls down the car window and lays her head on the door, looking absolutely free, makes me choke up every time.
1.) Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and June Carter in Walk The Line
"And last week, I saw Cameron Diaz at Fred Segal, and I talked her out of buying this truly heinous angora sweater. Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed."
I avoided watching Legally Blonde for a long time, afraid that it would just be one big dumb blonde joke. I was happy to be proven wrong. Elle Woods is a fashionista with a 4.0 GPA and a heart of gold. She gets into Harvard with hard work and a creative video application and when she realizes what a dickhead Warner is, she doesn't just pick up her pink toys and go home. She puts her nose to the grindstone and shows everyone how awesome she is. Reese Witherspoon plays Elle with a pitch-perfect mix of confidence, humor and humanity.
"My problem is that it's 2 A.M. My problem is I'm asleep. I'm on a tour bus with eight stinkin' men. Rule number one: Don't propose to a girl on a bus, you got that? Rule number two: Don't tell her it's because you had a bad dream."
June Carter is a fierce Southern woman who doesn't take any shit. She doesn't let herself be drawn in by the charm of a certain Johnny Cash, until she sees how much he truly needs her. Witherspoon embodies this woman who became the angel to the Man in Black. She's the great woman behind a great man, played by a great actress.
Amanda Peet as Paris Nevada in Identity- Paris Nevada is turning thirty next week, and she just wants to go home and grow oranges. But no. She gets stuck in a storm, hitches a ride from a handsome limo driver, gets to a motel and then people start up and dying. Amanda Peet combines confusion, fear, anger, and desperation to make Paris a real person in the middle of a very unreal situation.
Keep in mind, this is all my (highly uncultured) OPINION. I've only seen so many movies.
<3