SAG Awards predictions
The SAG Awards will air on TNT and TBS Sunday evening. My eyelids, trust me, are at half-mast as I type these projections/assessments:
Forest Whitaker — whose performance as Idi Amin Dada was hugely enjoyable in a frightening sort of way, although I never felt it went past (i.e., deeper than) that level of engagement — will almost certainly win the Best Actor award.
Helen Mirren is oppressively locked as the winner of the Best Actress trophy, although I really and truly feel that Penelope Cruz gives a much stronger, earthier, fuller performance in Volver.
Leonardo DiCaprio (who was totally screwed by Warner Bros. marketing/publicity’s handling of his two acting award campaigns) ought to win the Best Supporting Actor award for his Departed performance hands-down, although the winner will probably be Eddie Murphy or Jackie Earl Haley.
The Best Supporting Actress race is between Dreamgirls‘ Jennifer Hudson and Little Miss Sunshine‘s Abigail Breslin, and I can’t tell if the recent LMS surge and the Dreamgirls downturn will affect the voting, but I’m /guessing presuming Hudson will eke out a victory. Maybe.
The Departed gang gets my personal vote for the SAG ensemble acting award, but the smart money is going with the Little Miss Sunshine team winning in this category, which will probably happen.
How is The Departed not the best ensemble piece is beyond me…it’s one of the few films this past year where their have been great performances by everyone. LMS had that going to I suppose, but TD just seems to resonate more for me.
I think LMS will take it, but BABEL is the ensemble that DESERVES it.
Jeff, I am with you completely on your opinion of Forest Whitaker’s oversized but ultimately surface portrait of Adi Amin. There ARE better choices for Best Actor, including Peter O’Toole’s saddening, almost disturbingly autobiographical turn, as an aging actor in “Venus”. Yeah, yeah, I know there’s a large dose of sentimentality in saying that, but seeing a trailer for “Becket” just before “Venus” only amplified my wistful appreciation of his great talent. And as far as a textbook example of superb internalized acting…Ryan Gosling anyone? Leo will have his day, maybe with Scorcese’s bio of FDR’s early years.
Jeff, I am with you completely on your opinion of Forest Whitaker’s oversized but ultimately surface portrait of Adi Amin. There ARE better choices for Best Actor, including Peter O’Toole’s saddening, almost disturbingly autobiographical turn, as an aging actor in “Venus”. Yeah, yeah, I know there’s a large dose of sentimentality in saying that, but seeing a trailer for “Becket” just before “Venus” only amplified my wistful appreciation of his great talent. And as far as a textbook example of superb internalized acting…Ryan Gosling anyone? Leo will have his day, maybe with Scorcese’s bio of FDR’s early years.
Jeff, I am with you completely on your opinion of Forest Whitaker’s oversized but ultimately surface portrait of Adi Amin. There ARE better choices for Best Actor, including Peter O’Toole’s saddening, almost disturbingly autobiographical turn, as an aging actor in “Venus”. Yeah, yeah, I know there’s a large dose of sentimentality in saying that, but seeing a trailer for “Becket” just before “Venus” only amplified my wistful appreciation of his great talent. And as far as a textbook example of superb internalized acting…Ryan Gosling anyone? Leo will have his day, maybe with Scorcese’s bio of FDR’s early years.
sorry, PaulKolas,i’m not sure i totally understand your post. please post once more.
I think Scorsese/DiCaprio are working on Theodore Roosevelt, not FDR. http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0480046/
Repeat twice and rinse.
Glad to hear that, milestogo. I was trying to think either what was dramatic about FDR’s early life (thrilling scenes of editing the Harvard Crimson?) before polio… and I sure don’t need to see another damn FDR gets polio movie, after Ralph Bellamy, Edward Herrmann and Kenneth Branagh. Teddy, on the other hand, he’s perfect for, both in the face and in the fact that he was a little shrimpy guy who convinced everyone he was a big strapping guy.
I realize it’s inevitable the backlash/boredom towards Mirren’s apparent lock on the oscar. But having just been watching some early seasons of Prime Suspect it is so gratifying to see her getting her due at long last.
How is The Departed not the best ensemble piece is beyond me…it’s one of the few films this past year where their have been great performances by everyone. LMS had that going to I suppose, but TD just seems to resonate more for me.
Yeah, we sure went awful fast from “Yeah! Helen Mirren! Exactly the kind of solid, never-a-false-move performer turning in one great performance after another who deserves one but will never win one” to “Oh Christ, anything but another award to Helen Mirren.” Sorry, I think she’s long overdue for this and is making up for all the awards that should have been hers before now.
Glad to hear that, milestogo. I was trying to think either what was dramatic about FDR’s early life (thrilling scenes of editing the Harvard Crimson?) before polio… and I sure don’t need to see another damn FDR gets polio movie, after Ralph Bellamy, Edward Herrmann and Kenneth Branagh. Teddy, on the other hand, he’s perfect for, both in the face and in the fact that he was a little shrimpy guy who convinced everyone he was a big strapping guy.
While I watch more for the snark factor than anything else, I am gonna enjoy seeing Julie Andrews get a Lifetime Acheivement Award. Can’t stand those Princess whatever flicks she was in but I still dig the ole broad, as her husband calls her.
Yeah, we sure went awful fast from “Yeah! Helen Mirren! Exactly the kind of solid, never-a-false-move performer turning in one great performance after another who deserves one but will never win one” to “Oh Christ, anything but another award to Helen Mirren.” Sorry, I think she’s long overdue for this and is making up for all the awards that should have been hers before now.
Hi. I just found you via the article in Los Angeles Magazine. At least I think it was Los Angeles Magazine. This is what happens when you stay up until four in the morning for too many nights in a row.
I just wanted to chime in on your SAG Awards thread. I couldn’t agree more re. Leonardo DiCaprio getting screwed out of the press and push he needs for his wonderful turn in The Departed.
I love Peter O’Toole, I’ve had a crush on him since I was fourteen years old, and even though I have a screener here of Venus, I haven’t been able to get to it.
And a big yes, yes to the person who wrote that we sure are getting blase about Helen Mirren winning any and all awards for her fine work. I bought some early Prime Suspects on Amazon and of course it reminded me of how much I love her. Although I’ll always think of Oh Lucky Man whenever I think of her.
That’s all.
sorry about that breedlove, but my keyboard had a turret syndrome attack for some inexplicable reason…please don’t think I was trying to overemphasize my mundane comments
DiCaprio did not get “Screwed”. To argue as such is thoroughly idiotic.
He would’ve gotten screwed if he didn’t score an Actor nomination. But he did.
Was it for the film you wanted? No. Well boo-fucking-hoo. He didn’t have a prayer in beating Whitaker or O’Toole for the Little Golden Guy, no matter which film it was for, so at least his name’s on the ballot (and in everyone’s collective memory as well). What more could he ask for?
Nice job welcoming a new poster, ArchiveGuy.
DiCaprio got screwed because he has much less chance of winning for Blood Diamond than he would for The Departed.
The repeated awards given to Mirren are clouding your judgement, Jeffrey. I liked Penelope Cruz in Volver but the Oscar is a race between Mirren and Dench and that’s the way it should be. If Cruz were winning all those awards, you would like it even less.
Nice job welcoming a new poster, ArchiveGuy.
“Nice job welcoming a new poster, ArchiveGuy.”
WTF? Since when is Jeff Wells a “new poster”? He introduced the whole **thoroughly idiotic** “screwed” premise. I was responding to the OP.