I dedicate this page to my favorite actress of all time
--- the lovely NAOMI WATTS:
_ _ _ _ _
In tribute, here are what I consider the TEN GREATEST PERFORMANCES of her illustrious career . . . thus far
[Remember, "The Painted Veil," opens December 2006!]
10. "Flirting" (AUS 1991) -- why not start with her first important role as a boarding school 'chum' of Nicole Kidman (and the start of their long, real-life friendship). "There are no small parts ... "
9. "Ellie Parker" (2001/05) -- yes, this dreadfully amateurish digital video effort should have remained a 16 minute short; maybe then we would've been spared both a pointless vanity-role for the 'director' AND a slumming Chevy Chase! Message to the aforementioned director: "Just because you use digital video doesn't give you a pass to ignore lighting and blocking in every scene. Go back to film school!"
8. "Ned Kelly" (AUS) & "Le Divorce" (2003) -- two performances from 2003 where NW transcends the limits of these supporting roles to make you wish each movie was about HER character instead!
7. "Stay" (2005) -- a regrettably overlooked surrealist gem from director Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball"; "Finding Neverland"; "Stranger Than Fiction"). Rent it!
6. "The Ring" (2002) *as Rachel Keller -- As NW told Jay Leno (almost apologetically): "It's a genre film, but it's a good genre film." AMEN!! NW has nothing to apologize for here: it's a well-made thriller. (I will remain silent on "The Ring Two.")
5. "I (heart) Huckabees" (2004) *as Dawn Campbell -- this role proves she is fearless!
4. "We Don't Live Here Anymore" (2004) -- I love her character name: "Edith Evans"
3. "King Kong" (2005) -- another great character name: "Ann Darrow." Talk about transcending the genre! NW gives nothing short of an Oscar-worthy performance (at least a nomination) in an unforgiving, impossible role: acting in at least 80% of her scenes essentially alone (90% if you include her scenes opposite Jack Black!) ;-)
2. "21 Grams" (2003)
1. "Mulholland Dr." (2001) -- as the notorious "Betty Elms"
Here's the plan...Apparently, any moron can become a 'film critic' these days, as long as they work for an entertainment website and can string two sentences together. And the more lame and superficial their opinions are, the bigger the 'blurb' they get in movie ads! I say to them what the prisoner famously said to George Costanza at the airport newstand: "YOU'RE A BLURB!" ('The Airport Pickup" episode, Seinfeld season four).In protest, I've been creating my own TOP TEN MOVIE LIST each year for as long as I can remember, then sending it to friends, family, and whosever email address I happen to have at the time. Some appreciate the effort; others copy it and take it with them to the video store [even though they know I do not condone watching a movie on a TV--at home!]; the majority don't seem to care much.Generally, I rank a movie in the year it was released (even if I saw it the following year, pre-Oscars). The exceptions (foreign & docs) I saw long after the Oscars. Some years I divide the foreign films and documentaries into different lists; some years (like 2006, unfortunately), I have to make a WORST MOVIE LIST as well.Where'd I Get the Name?It's true, foreignfilmguy hasn't posted any comments on FOREIGN films in 2006 yet. So where does the name come from? It was the onscreen name I chose when I participated in my first online 'chat': back when the Washington Post movie critic Rita Kempley began her weekly chat. (Somebody had already taken 'artmovieguy'). I want to be a travel writer, tooI hope to post brief sketches of trips I have taken. I will start with a fledgling effort from 2005: a report I submitted to a Washington Post Travel Section contest (prize: a digital camera) -- I lost. =(
During my misspent youth, I spent many hours studying the ouevre of my previous "favorite actress of all time" (see Dedication Page to read my upgrade). Therefore, I am uniquely qualified to assess Sandra Bullock's strengths and weaknesses in choosing film roles. Contrary to conventional wisdom -- which holds that, like Ashley Judd, SB is uncapable of appearing in a movie worth watching -- I have tried to divide them equally into three categories: good, mediocre, and bad.
THE GOOD:
1) "While You Were Sleeping" -- THIS movie will forever be remembered as launching my obsession for SB (culminating in a fateful meeting in the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC--the subject of a future posting...maybe). Her initial foray into what was to become the perfect vehicle for her, the romantic comedy. In a rarity for the genre, it happened to be both romantic and comic! Unfortunately, she spent the ensuing seven years (it seemed longer) trying in vain to recreate that magic, reaching its nadir in 2002, with the #1 worst movie of her career (see THE BAAD below).
Besides, it remains the BEST movie filmed in Chicago -- and, yes, I DO remember that overblown, over-praised, overrated, extended-SNL-skit by uber-hack John Landis called "The Blues Brothers" !!!
2) "Speed" -- well, THIS is the movie that launched her into superstardom, giving her the clout to choose her own roles (again, a decidedly mixed blessing). Given the right role, Keanu Reeves
3) "Crash" -- I felt manipulated by the movie, but she nailed the role and was an equal among the strong ensemble of actors. You've come a long way from In Love & War, baby!
4) "The Lake House" -- I won't even try to explain the premise. Let's just say "I bought it." As with Speed, I went along for the ride. That is a testament to the acting ability of its two leads, together again for the first time since Speed.
5) "Murder by Numbers" -- Yes! This is the movie that silenced all doubters (and that little voice in my head): SB CAN play against type! It was dark crime story; she played an unhappy loner; and there were no 'Sandy-moments' to make the audience like her. Also notable for launching the careers of two talented young actors: Michael Penn ("The Dreamers") and Ryan Gosling ("Half Nelson").
6) (tie) "Miss Congeniality" / "The Net" -- SB is at the top of her form in these admittedly formulaic movies. Hey, she's a professional!
Honorable Mentions: "Demolition Man" & "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway" -- both are supporting roles early in her career (1993) in which SB really stood out: one for her comedic talent (and for playing Sylvester Stallone's love interest--a thankless role if ever there was one!) ; the other in just a few scenes opposite Robert Duvall as a kind-hearted waitress.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:[either she was mailing it in, or the movie was so weak it didn't matter how good she was.]
A Time to Kill
Forces of Nature -- I enjoyed this movie, fyi (both times I saw it).
Hope Floats
Practical Magic
28 Days -- I hated this movie, fyi.
& THE REALLY, REALLY BAAD:
[in reverse order, to build suspense.]
5) Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood--SB and Ashley Judd, together in the same movie?? Did anyone expect this to be good??
4) Two if by Sea -- all that clout from her three previous hits, and she wastes it with this trifle?
3) In Love & War -- her first attempt at a 'serious' role (bland does not equal serious, I'm afraid).
2) Speed 2 -- an ill-fated disaster of sequel (1=fast-moving bus; 2=slow-moving cruise ship. Say it with me people: "DUH!"). Taught SB a hard-earned lesson in 'loyalty': i.e., "To hell with it! Follow Keanu's lead and look out for #1!!"
.. And the Worst Movie of Sandra Bullock's career:
1) Two Weeks Notice (with Hugh Grant) -- Exhibit No. 1 that not every screenwriter can simply switch chairs and become a director. This is THE MOST incompetently paced, unfunny, unimaginative piece of drivel that NEVER should have been greenlighted. I curse the man responsible for this! You, sir, forced me to swear off SB for good! Thanks for crushing my dreams.
