Actors on Actors: SAG Buzz

Have you read the Variety feature where SAG card holders are essentially campaigning for other actors for awards season? Sometimes the admiration is surely talent-based and not about who they're friends with or have worked with and sometimes it's clearly a mixture of the two.

Nicole Kidman, marvelous again in Rabbit Hole.

Marion Cotillard worked with Nicole Kidman on Nine, for example, but her tribute has one very insightful observation. She's talking about how, in the first moments of Rabbit Hole you know nothing about Becca's (Kidman) story but you're instantly drawn in despite her abrasiveness.

"Becca" is so far and yet so close at the same time. The space that is created between her and the audience is simultaneously delicate, strong, violent and full of life. A part of her is gone and will always be gone, yet you feel nothing but life.

Marion & Nic' last year

And when Marion concludes her tribute with...

She is simply one of the world's best actresses.

You have to say "amen." That's too true and a half, whether or not the actresses hit it off on musical soundstages.

Reading all the articles is a pain since Variety takes such measures to hide their content but read we must. Helen Mirren loves the theatricality and imagination of Lesley Manville in Another Year, Alec Baldwin was wowed by the authenticity of the duet in Blue Valentine. And a few actors cite the cast of The Kids Are All Right. Laura Dern calls Mark Ruffalo one of her acting heroes and delivers an astute read on why he's so magical in that very difficult part (which, alas, probably won't look difficult enough to voters less discerning than Dern). Amy Ryan gives props to The Bening, particular in the Joni Mitchell scene (her obvious Oscar clip, yes?) and Colin Firth's ode to Julianne Moore (his co-star last year in A Single Man) is wonderfully expressed. His conclusion gives me hope that The Kids Are All Right will get that "Ensemble" nomination it so richly deserves at the SAG Awards.

All of the actors in this film are on the same formidable level. I kept thinking what a joy it must have been for them to all play off of each other.

Colin & Sally. She moves him.

But my favorite might be Colin Farrell's ode to Sally Hawkins in Made in Dagenham since he admits their offscreen friendship right up front but is clearly bowled over by the talent of the friend in question. Here's the fun intro.

Sometimes I see a film. Sometimes I see a film that moves me. Sometimes I see a film that has a friend in it. Sometimes that friend's name is Sally. When I see a film with a friend in it and that friend's name is Sally, that film moves me.

I can't say that I know the feeling exactly as I have few close friends that I regularly just happen to catch on the silver screen. But I can say that I know the feeling; when I see a film with a stranger in it and that strangers name is Sally, that film moves me.

Related Posts: 

• Sally 'I Beat Meryl' Hawkins
• 7 Word Review: Rabbit Hole
• Nine thoughts on Nine
• SAG Live Blog Jan 2010

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Sally "I Beat Meryl" Hawkins

This video is part of the See Africa Differently campaign. It devolves pretty quickly into sly inside showbiz comedy courtesy of Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky).



My apologies if you've seen already but it was new to me. I was in Iceland. (Shhhh. That's my new excuse for every error I make for the next two weeks).

I'm quite excited for more of you to get a look at Made in Dagenham soon. It's quite sweet and easy to enjoy and it's aging well for me. I blame all those actresses in cute underthings and working girl frocks. But mostly I blame Sally who is really more terrific in it than she needs to be. I also think she has fine chemistry with her onscreen husband Daniel Mays, another Mike Leigh alum (think Vera Drake).

Related Posts
Golden Globe Night (When Sally Won)

The Eyre Above

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JA from MNPP here. If Nat were around he'd perhaps do one of his "Yes No Maybe So" posts for this, but I've got nothing but yes for this, the first trailer for Cary Fukunaga's adaptation of Jane Eyre, which isn't out until March. (via)

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Fukunaga's Sin Nombre - and I know Nat agrees with me on this - is a wonderful film. Thrilling and moving and gorgeously shot. So no matter what he did next I'd have been paying attention, but an adaptation of Jane Eyre was not at all what I was expecting and that makes me even happier. Love it when a director throws a curve-ball. And the cast... the cast! Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins and Michael Fassbender... drool.


And that trailer is just stunning. I posted a slew of screencaps over at MNPP in case you want to ogle it that way. What do we think?
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Oscar Prediction Revisions: Costume Design, Documentary Shorts

The Oscar Prediction Pages are all finally revised and updated.

Costumes
This morning I was thinking about the costume designers who may be in play. Like many of the Academy's branches, costume designers can be a bit insular about who they nominate (though no group is anywhere near as "final club" elitist as the composers) but one previously unnominated designer I hope they consider is Louise Stjernsward who did the costuming for Made in Dagenham.

The period work in the film (late 60s England) doesn't seem unduly fussed over, which is a plus for a film that's aiming for a light touch on a serious topic. And it's one of those movies where the costumes actually play an important plot role once or twice, as in this red number we see Sally Hawkins wearing below. She's on her way to a very important meeting and she's borrowed the dress to look higher class. It's a touch too big on her.

The film also has quite a broad range of costumes on display since we have businessmen, factory workers at work and on their days off, politicians (Miranda Richardson, left), a swimsuit photoshoot (center) and even lots of undergarment on ever shape and size of woman since the women in the Dagenham factory regularly strip down to work, given the heat.

It seems like it must have been a big project for Stjernswad, but a hugely enjoyable one.

See the new costume design page now with animated gallery.

Documentary Shorts
Here is the trailer for one of eight Documentary Short finalists, Sun Come Up, which looks at the refugees of climate change. It looks gorgeous and sad.


Sun Come Up Trailer from Sun Come Up on Vimeo.

Oscar Prediction Pages: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Foreign Films, Costume Design, Animation & Documentaries, Visual Categories and Aural Categories