Best Actress 2013: Naomi Watts, Sunlight Jr.

Lauri Collyer (Sherrybaby) directed her own screenplay Sunlight Jr., a relational drama about a convenience store attendent (Naomi Watts) who lives in a motel with her handicapped boyfriend (Matt Dillon).  If their lives weren't tough enough, she gets pregnant, loses her job, and I imagine more bleakness follows.  Filmed in Clearwater, Florida, the cast includes Norman Reedus and Tess Harper.  Of course, with Diana on the horizon, biographies almost always trump anything else, so, unless her Melissa experiences tragedy of epic proportions like losing her husband to a drunk driver or tsunami, this film's Best Actress chances are probably as dire as her character's circumstances.

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Best Actress 2013: Naomi Watts, Diana

Naomi Watts' career has certainly taken off lately in a big way.  She recently came out of nowhere to nab her second Best Actress nomination.  While the AMPAS have looked her over in the past, it has never been for a film that has received considerable Oscar attention outside the non-actory King Kong.  What's telling about this year is that the film she got nominated for, The Impossible, received no other nominations (in fact, she is also the only person in her category from a non-Best Picture nominee--a first, at least, in modern AMPAS history).  This year is quite big for her.  Not only is she a dark horse possibility for a win, but she has several films that might release including Sunlight Jr. opposite Matt Dillon.  Exclusive Releasing just acquired her film Two Mothers costarring Robin Wright at Sundance.  She may also play both Marilyn Monroe and Gertrude Bell.  And there is an international rollout already prepared for Diana, where she took on the iconic role of the Princess of Wales.  Stephen Jeffreys (The Libertine) based his screenplay on the last two years of Diana's life, concentrating on her crusade against landmines, as well as her relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan (played by Naveen Andrews).  My instinct isn't strong on this, but we'll have to see.  It could be Iron Lady or My Week with Marilyn quality and Watts could still get positive attention.  German director Oliver Hirschbiegel, who directed the excellent Downfall, as well as Nicole Kidman in the box-office dud The Invasion, helmed the project.  The cast includes the lovely Juliet Stevenson.  Hirschbiegel used his cinematographer Rainer Klausmann and editor Hans Funck.  Art Director Mark Raggett has been involved with such films as The Hours, Shakespeare in Love, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  Prosthetic makeup designer Barrie Gower chose not to mess with Watts' nose, which I find an intriguing choice.  Diana's nose was such a distinct part of her physical and distinctive beauty.  Perhaps Watts' work in the role has deemed it unnecessary.  As we saw with Michelle Williams, she didn't need to have Monroe's hips to capture her essence.  Watts' Oscar competitor Jessica Chastain was originally set to play the role, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.  No U.S.-distribution rights have been set up as of yet, but it seems likely that the film will come out this year.

Interesting to note: Watts was 43 when she portrayed Diana from ages 34 to 36, or thereabout.  Nicole Kidman is 45 and is currently finishing up playing Grace Kelly at 32.  While Watts received zero criticism, Kidman got quite a bit of flack (even from Cinesnatch).  What a difference a couple of years makes, no?  Or is the unaddressed Botox talking?

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Golden Globe Rundown: Best Actresses

Jessica Chastain gets her game face on

After detailing the Supporting Actress Race, let us briefly examine the Best Actress Drama and Comedy/Musical.  As expected, Jessica Chastain is biting at Jennifer Lawrence's heals.  SAG will be VERY interesting.  Will they go comedy or drama?  For the Globes, Chastain's competition was Marion Cotillard, Helen Mirren, Naomi Watts, and Rachel Weisz.  As it turns out, her only real threat was Watts, as none of the other ladies made their way into the Oscar race.  As well, some suggest that Watts might be dark horse.  Which brings me to Chastain's speech.

Best Dressed out of
the nominees

First, "middle-aged" George Clooney got a little dig into Ben Affleck for forgetting to thank the Argo producers when his name was called for director, before proceeding to announce her name.  She hugs and acknowledges a few people including Megan Ellison and director Kathryn Bigelow (and her grandmother?  Amy Pascal?).  When she gets up to the stage, she thanks the HFPA and immediately expresses gratitude for being acknowledged "for YEARS" of toiling through the Hollywood maze.  What was going on through Naomi Watts' mind when Chastain said that?  She can relate, right?  Her 90s were Chastain's 00s.  Except, Watts has never made it up to the podium at the Golden Globes, SAG, or Oscar.  Mulholland Dr. was thirteen years ago, and she didn't receive a nomination by any of those institutions for the David Lynch film.  That was her breakout role (compare to Chastain's The Help).  The follow-through was 21 Grams (Chastain's Zero Dark Thirty).  While Chastain is up against Harvey Weinstein, Watts had to contend with Charlize Theron's performance of the decade.  Since, Watts has been plugging away, winning commercial-friendly, yet off-kilter remakes and sequels, while balancing her resume with more baity fare.  She has been doing what she does well and she doesn't fill her face up with chemicals.  She has also been waiting "for YEARS" to be validated.  Is this too much, too soon for Chastain?  Or does that get extended more to the younger Lawrence?  Watts isn't breaking a sweat, though.  Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe, Gertrude Bell, etc.  Even with inevitable comparisons to Michelle Williams' Monroe and Australian Nicole Kidman's Princess Monaco, she is just getting started and is playing for keeps.  If Susan Sarandon did it at almost fifty, so will she.  She will give the AMPAS many chances to reconsider, and the inundation, like with Sarandon, may pay off.

Chastain thanks her team (and if her stylist is among them, it's time for him/her to move on), the crew, cast, specifically Jason Clarke, Annapurna's Ellison, Sony, Pascal, her grandmother, the screenwriter, and her director.  She compares her character to Bigelow.  "To powerful, fearless women that allow their expert work to stand before them.  You've said that filmmaking for you is not about breaking gender roles.  But, when you make a film that allows your character to disobey the conventions of Hollywood, you've done more for women in cinema [that you] can take credit for."  Bigelow was visibly moved and Chastain had taken the breath right out of her.

I already touched on Lawrence's win.  She was up against Emily Blunt, Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith, who, of course, had no real chance at winning.  However, much was made of her fourth fellow nominee Meryl Streep, after Lawrence made the fun and innocent reference to The First Wives Club.  Because I like to spend my time looking up insignificant facts, I learned that Streep has actually been nominated twenty-seven (!) times for a Golden Globe (two times were for television/cable projects).  While she won eight of those Globes, she lost nineteen times.  So, as Lawrence would rightfully point out, there were shockingly nine opportunities to make that crack before her: Kate Winslet, Sally Hawkins, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Swank, Cate Blanchett, Alfre Woodard, Brenda Blethyn (as well as pre-Wives: Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Miranda Richardson, Julia Roberts, Jessica Tandy, Jodie Foster, Whoopi Goldberg, Shirley MacLaine, Dyan Cannon) AND Meryl Streep herself.  Yeah, that's right, for 2009, Streep beat herself, having been nominated twice in the Comedy category for Julie & Julia and It's Complicated.  Not that any of the winners would have made the reference, as most of them are not Americans, and First Wives is a very American film.  As far as the First Wives themselves are concerned, Streep actually beat Diane Keaton twice at the GG's, but was never nominated opposite Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, or Stockard Channing, for that matter.  

As far as the fashion and styling of the nominees (Streep had The Flu; Maggie Smith and Judi Dench were also absent), there was a lot left to be desired.  Best in show was Helen Mirren looking classy wearing black Badgley Mischka with gold brocade.  Simple and elegant, she looked marvelous.  Jessica Chastain played it safe, so she didn't look bad, just predictable.  The sky blue shows off her eyes and hair, but then oddly she creases back the sides.  She certainly could look worse, but I'd like to see something more daring and sexy on her.  Emily Blunt was also boring, and almost repeated her outfit from last year.  I hated Jennifer Lawrence's dress the night of the globes, but, now, not as much.  It's certainly low cut and looks weird, but not terrible.  Still, she went with a safe, solid color from the Martha Stewart Jr collection like most everyone else.  Marion Cotillard looked beautiful in asymmetrical Christian Dior, but the dress length and shoes bother a little.  I give kudos to Naomi Watts for her hair and makeup.  Her face is smashing.  And the Zac Posen burgundy open-backed dress is dramatic, but I'm not sure if it works for her (or her skin tone).  The color is too deep and she is too milky/blonde.  Rachel Weisz probably has the best hair and makeup, but that black sheer Louis Vuitton is a hot mess.  Cute on top, but then what is going on around her legs.  So wrong.  Daniel Craig should have just gotten on all fours and tore off that gam-veil with his mouth.  That would have been hot and necessary.

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