Academy Awards analysis (2008)

As I discussed in the last post of this section, by 2006, Meryl had gone the longest she's ever spent without a lead acting nomination at the Oscars.  Running into Helen Mirren's performance in The Queen that year meant that despite ending the lead nomination drought, she would go home empty-handed.  The period after that year, however, would begin a decade-long wealth of high-profile lead roles which garnered for Streep unprecedented (for her) box-office success, critical accolades and industry honors.

So by the time Doubt hit theaters in late 2008, she had already enjoyed financial success in both The Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia!.  A starring role as famed chef Julia Child for 2009's Julie & Julia was already in the can as well.  It had been since Sophie's Choice (1982) that she had received a major awards win for a leading role, and ten straight losses at the Academy Awards could maybe even persuade the most jaded member to finally give Streep that elusive second lead trophy.

At the Golden Globes that year, Kate Winlset took home the awards for both lead drama and supporting categories for Revolutionary Road and The Reader, respectively.  It was a pleasant surprise when at the SAGs, just a couple weeks later, Meryl was recognized for her role as Sister Aloysius, holding off Winslet.  What seemed like a sure thing for Winslet turned out to cast some doubt on whether she would be able to come through at the Oscars.

Well,  Winslet's role in The Reader then ended up being campaigned in the leading category at both the BAFTAs and Academy Awards.  She was doubly nominated at the BAFTAs in lead (Revolutionary Road), but there is a rule at the Academy Awards that one cannot receive two acting nominations in the same category.  Thus, The Reader won out and Meryl made it eleven straight losses.  She'd be back the following year for the aforementioned Julie & Julia. 

The full list of nominees in Meryl's category that year were:

Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
Angelina Jolie (Changeling)
Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Below you'll see Meryl's SAG win with the Best Actress Academy Award presentation following.

My encounter with director of "Doubt"

Well, no Meryl sightings at Minnesota Opera's world premiere of Doubt last night, but we encountered the next best thing.  Upon entering the Ordway, we stepped into the coat check line right behind none other than the librettist, John Patrick Shanley.  Keep in mind this is the man who wrote the play of the same name and then adapted the screenplay and directed the film version in 2008 starring Meryl!

I was a bit surprised he was in the coat check line, but I was confident in his identity, having recognized him from Doubt interviews and DVD special features.   I joked (not super loudly but loudly enough to be sure he heard me) that I "couldn't believe they're making the librettist stand in the coat check line."  He turned around and smiled, noticed I was on crutches (hip surgery) and said something to the effect of "whoa that looks rough."  I then said I never got the chance to see the play but that I really enjoyed the film.  He replied "hey, two out of three ain't bad!"  I then proceeded to play it cool(?) by ignoring him, handed my coat to Joe and excused myself to the restroom.  I've officially decreased my degrees of separation to Meryl from six to one.

Ps- I read that Jennifer Lawrence has pneumonia and may not be attending the SAG awards tonight. Not kidding.

My SAG picks and a possible Meryl sighting tonight?

I feel I should explain that post title.  The SAG picks is pretty straightforward, but what the hell do I mean by "possible Meryl sighting?" Well, as I previously mentioned, Joe and I are season subscribers to the Minnesota Opera, and tonight is the world premiere of the company's latest New Works Initiative project entitled Doubt.  Yes, that Doubt.   It's the operatic version of the Pulitzer Prize winning play and Oscar nominated film by John Patrick Shanley.  He provides the libretto to this new work while the music was produced by Douglas J. Cuomo.  Apart from us knowing that Meryl was one of the actors nominated in the film version, we also know that she's a great fan of music.  Is it possible that she'll be on hand for the world premiere?!  Probably not, but a boy can dream.  I'll try to update Twitter at intermission to let let you know yay or nay.   I hope I didn't blow your cover, Meryl.

The SAG awards are tomorrow night, which should help shed some light on where things might go with Oscar.  Best Actress and Supporting Actor in particular are tough to call at this point.  Here goes.

Cast-- Silver Linings Playbook
Actor in a Leading Role-- Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Actress in a Leading Role-- Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Actor in a Supporting Role-- Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Actress in a Supporting Role-- Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

Day-Lewis is a slam dunk and I'd be shocked if Hathaway didn't win.  Small chance Sally Field could squeeze in there for Lincoln.  Cast could end up being Les Mis or Lincoln, but since SLP has all four acting categories nominated at Oscar, so I'm going with that.  I'd put Jessica Chastain a close second for Lead Actress in Zero Dark Thirty and Robert De Niro a close second for Supporting Actor in SLP, considering I was wrong picking Jones at the Globes.  Like I said, tomorrow's show may be a helpful barometer of where at least the actors body of the Academy is leaning. 

More Meryl evangelizing

I believe in the church of Meryl.  After her successful introduction to Meryl's greatness several months ago with Sophie's Choice, our friend Annie agreed to come over last night for dinner, board games, wine, whiskey and Doubt.   It was the perfect night to stay in and watch this film.  Doubt has always reminded me of fall and with the rather sharp drop in Minnesota temperatures this week, we were able to enjoy a cozy fire during the movie. 

Similarly to when we watched Sophie, Annie commented on how perfect Meryl's Bronx accent was during the film.   What was also fun to watch was how Annie sort of updated Joe and me about what she thought was happening with each character, how she was forming opinions about them and whether or not Father Flynn "did it."  I think writer/director John Patrick Shanley, along with the excellent acting by the four main characters, accomplished that uneasy feeling of ambiguity they want us come away with.  

The three of us had a conversation after the movie, discussing plot details, the brilliance of the acting and screenplay, and the setting around which everything takes place.  It was fun talking about the dynamics of the Catholic church in the 1960's, the limited career opportunities for women in that era, and the plight of powerless minorities in a very different America.  In particular I found a new appreciation for just how fantastic Viola Davis is in her role as Mrs. Miller.  

I love this movie and story and would've loved to see it on stage.  I'll settle for the world premiere of Doubt at the Minnesota Opera in January.  Super jazzed to see Denyce Graves for the first time in the role of Mrs. Miller.  John Patrick Shanley is the librettist and we all know how much a certain someone enjoys opera.  Might I have a run-in...? 

Film review: "Doubt" (2008)

I thought I'd review this film tonight because I'm very cyclical with films depending on the season, and since the autumnal equinox took place about 66 hours ago, I'm reviewing a film that very much reminds me of fall. Doubt, written (and ultimately directed) by John Patrick Shanley, was originally scripted for the stage, as are so many films. Meryl plays Sr. Aloysious Beauvier, a principal and nun at a Catholic parish in the Bronx, New York in 1964. This setting is rather familiar to me, as I was raised in a predominately Catholic town, went to Catholic school from first to twelfth grade, was an altar boy and in fact had a couple of nuns as teachers in high school.

Of course things were certainly different in 1964 compared to the mid 1990's, but for the most part, the teachings and expectation in regard to the religion as it relates to one's actions remain the same. I feel Meryl's sensitive understanding of this helped her to portray a woman who, although initially a bit unlikeable and perhaps intimidating, manages to keep us (me) in her corner. I know from interviews that she spent a good amount of time with the Sisters of Charity developing an authentic persona. Yes, she pulls off the Bronx accent with near perfection, but far more interesting is her character's struggle to balance the tendency to always be in control with having to be subordinate at times to the parish priest.

Sr. Aloysius learns from Sr. James (played by Amy Adams in an Oscar nominated performance) that Fr. Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman, also nominated) may have made sexual advances toward a young boy in the school. We never really get any concrete evidence of this, hence the name of the play/film, but the movie essentially continues with Sr. Aloysius on a witch hunt to bring down Fr. Flynn.

I watched parts of this film this morning and remarked to Joe that I just still can't get over how different the characters Meryl plays are and how convincing she continues to be. She becomes a different person, which seems so clichè and repetitive, but I don't know how else to describe it. Completely entertaining and very impressive. Viola Davis plays the mother of the boy in question (yes, that Viola Davis). She too was nominated for an Academy Award, deservedly, and shined in a couple of very compelling scenes alongside Meryl.

The climax of the film comes when Fr. Flynn decides to confront Sr. Aloysius on her accusations. The following scene was a big factor in why Meryl came close to winning her third Oscar:



Great stuff. She's strong and tragic at the same time. Trying to hold on so tightly to a way of life she sees slowly slipping away, hoping to find some control of the oncoming chaos. I like the bit of sarcastic humor she provides particularly at the end of this scene. Meryl of course received her 15h Academy Award nomination and won the Screen Actor's Guild award for actress in a leading role. Interestingly, the winner of the Oscar that year, Kate Winslet, won for The Reader, a film that she won the Golden Globe and SAG award for actress in a supporting role. Her production company was content with campaigning her role in Revolutionary Road as lead. Why not, as she won the Golden Globe for it (and for Reader in supporting). She eventually was nominated as lead in The Reader and won the Oscar. So political.

Regardless, a great role and a great movie. Brava, Meryl.