Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Sizing up the 2016 competition: Amy Adams in "Arrival"

I don't think I had seen a movie in an actual theater since seeing Flo Fo in London in July, but this weekend Joe and I had some time to kill on Saturday while in Madison for his dad's birthday.  Not really realizing that Arrival had opened, it was the perfect flick to catch that afternoon, and it provided an opportunity for me to see the first contender for Best Actress (besides Meryl of course) in action.

Super quick synopsis: linguist Louise Banks (Adams) is tasked with trying to communicate with aliens that have landed in various parts of the world.  She essentially deciphers their language and learns that it allows one to think a different way, where essentially time ceases to be linear, providing glimpses into the future.

The main attraction here is the story, not so much the characters, in my opinion.  Adams does a great job with her character, in that she had to portray a someone at different levels of awareness of her own experiences.  What dos that mean?  Basically that she had to grapple with these flashbacks/flashforwards while simultaneously dealing with the overwhelming pressure from the government to prevent war.  I can't help but be reminded of Sandra Bullock in Gravity.  Sort of sci-fi, female professional, loss of young daughter, isolation, pressure-cooker scenarios.  Likewise certainly nomination worthy.




Great strengths for this film are that it is very well received by critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and will perform spectacularly strongly in cinemas.  Florence Foster Jenkins similarly garnered good to great reviews, but its summer release and meager box office returns no doubt put it at a disadvantage as far as visibility.  Then again, Meryl is kind of in her own category when it comes to nominations.  When comparing characters and performances only, Meryl wins hands down between these two.  Of course I'm biased, but I expect I may be singing a different tune after I see Jackie.  Until then, I have to say Meryl is still in first place.  Many more to come.   

10 comments:

  1. I'm afraid Meryl's brilliant performance is not enough to the Academy this year. There is a mythical expectation surrounding Meryl chances to achieve the 4th oscar, and probably many more years will come with her being left out of the race. I hope I'm wrong...

    Hugo

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    1. I don't think Meryl has any chance at a win for Florence, but a nomination is still possible.

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  2. Good to hear your opinion on this Jeff, I know it's getting excellent reviews. Would be pleased for Amy Adams to get another nomination and try for a win. I wonder how she feels at the prospect of joining the ranks of Oscar's biggest losers club though?

    I'd be very curious to know what Glenn has to say about her six losses too. The only times she seems to mention it are in jest although I've never really seen a full interview with her.

    You're right about Portman possibly being a big contender with Jackie. Ultra baity role. Still would be miffed if she won twice so young before other wonderful talents have got even one (or half of one, ie: supporting) haha. And it's not like she has a crammed filmography of great performances/movies to back up such a feat..

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    1. Reminds me a bit of Hillary Swanks, but I think Swank's filmography was even more barren outside her two fantastic roles/performances. A lot depends on the luck of the draw as far as competition in the category from year to year, and the quality of the overall film.

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  3. Do not rule out Emma Stone or Annette Bening. It's a shame Viola is in supporting (category fraud, from what I've read) or the Best Actress would have been even more competitive. Still, I'm confident Meryl will nab a nom, David.

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    1. From what I read Bening, Stone and Portman are locked in. The fact Viola may go Supporting potentially frees space. I'm reminded of Winslet being campaigned for Supporting in The Reader but ultimately the Academy decided the correct placement. Let's see how good the competition is!

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  4. I'm nervous about all of this fierce competition ��

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  5. Amy's character is the only actual character in the movie besides maybe the aliens and the Chinese general who we see for all of 5 seconds. Everyone else is a set piece and poor jeremy renner's potential for a dramatic scene glossed over in service of the plot. BY FAR better (but less flashy) performance than Bullock in Gravity.

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  6. Looks like Florence is heading back to theatres in select cities in December!- Jamie

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