I've Loved You So Long

Anne Hathaway ‘Randomly,’ Inadvertently Awarded Early Golden Globe For ‘Rachel Getting Married’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:10:11 -0700

CHICAGO – At least one “Web site technician” for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) revealed a secret crush on Anne Hathaway’s lead role in “Rachel Getting Married” when the worker “randomly” awarded the actress an early Golden Globe two days before the official NBC telecast.

For a very short period of time, a star was noticed indicating Hathaway as the winner on the official Web site of the Golden Globes for her against-type role as a recovering junkie in “Rachel Getting Married”.

If the star stands, she’d best a powerhouse of other actresses in the lead-actress category including Angelina Jolie for “Changeling,” Meryl Streep for “Doubt,” Kristin Scott Thomas for “I’ve Loved You So Long” and Kate Winslet for “Revolutionary Road”.

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married”.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Quickly after the snafu went public, the HFPA posted the following whoopsie notice on Jan. 9, 2008 on its Web site:

In the process of preparing for Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, a technician working on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Web site made a mistake and a name of a nominee was randomly marked as a winner. The mistake was immediately corrected.

The ballots are tabulated by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. Only four executives of the accounting firm know the identity of the winners before the envelopes are opened and recipients are announced during the live telecast.

No one else – including the members of the HFPA – knows who the winners are prior to the live announcement.

The 66th-annual Golden Globes will air on NBC at 8 p.m. EST on Jan. 11, 2009. The full official list of Golden Globe nominees can be found below.

Read the official results of the 66th-annual Golden Globes.
Read more HollywoodChicago.com articles on the Golden Globes.

Best Motion Picture, Drama
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“The Reader”
“Revolutionary Road”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”
Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Burn After Reading”
“Happy-Go-Lucky”
“In Bruges”
“Mamma Mia!”
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”
Meryl Streep, “Mamma Mia!”
Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”
James Franco, “Pineapple Express”
Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”
Dustin Hoffman, “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise, “Tropic Thunder”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Ralph Fiennes, “The Duchess”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Animated Feature Film
“Bolt”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Wall-E”

Best Foreign Language Film
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” (Germany)
“Everlasting Moments” (Sweden, Denmark)
“Gomorrah” (Italy)
“I’ve Loved You So Long” (France)
“Waltz With Bashir” (Israel)

Best Director, Motion Picture
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Sam Mendes, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (written by Eric Roth)
“Doubt” (written by John Patrick Shanley)
“Frost/Nixon” (written by Peter Morgan)
“The Reader” (written by David Hare)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (written by Simon Beaufoy)

Best Original Score, Motion Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (composed by Alexandre Desplat)
“Changeling” (composed by Clint Eastwood)
“Defiance” (composed by James Newton Howard)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (composed by A. R. Rahman)
“Frost/Nixon” (composed by Hans Zimmer)

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Down to Earth,” “WALL-E” (lyrics by Peter Gabriel)
“Gran Torino,” “Gran Torino” (lyrics by Jamie Cullum)
“I Thought I Lost You,” “Bolt” (music/lyrics by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele)
“Once in a Lifetime,” “Cadillac Records” (music/lyrics by Beyoncé Knowles, etc.)
“The Wrestler,” “The Wrestler” (music/lyrics by Bruce Springsteen)

Best Television Series, Drama
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“House” (FOX)
“In Treatment” (HBO)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“True Blood” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order”
January Jones, “Mad Men” (AMC)
Anna Paquin, “True Blood” (HBO)
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men” (AMC)
Hugh Laurie, “House” (FOX)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors” (Showtime)

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“Californication” (Showtime)
“Entourage” (HBO)
“The Office” (NBC)
“Weeds” (Showtime)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?” (ABC)
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty” (ABC)
Tina Fey, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife” (USA)
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds” (Showtime)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Steve Carell, “The Office” (NBC)
Kevin Connolly, “Entourage” (HBO)
David Duchovny, “Californication” (Showtime)
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk” (USA)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“A Raisin in the Sun” (ABC)
“Bernard and Doris” (HBO)
“Cranford” (PBS)
“John Adams” (HBO)
“Recount” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench, “Cranford” (PBS)
Catherine Keener, “An American Crime”
Laura Linney, “John Adams” (HBO)
Shirley MacLaine, “Coco Chanel”
Susan Sarandon, “Bernard and Doris” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes, “Bernard and Doris” (HBO)
Paul Giamatti, “John Adams” (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, “Recount” (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland, “24” (FOX)
Tom Wilkinson, “Recount” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins, “Cranford” (PBS)
Laura Dern, “Recount” (HBO)
Melissa George, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
Denis Leary, “Recount” (HBO)
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage” (HBO)
Blair Underwood, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams” (HBO)

Read the official results of the 66th-annual Golden Globes.
Read more HollywoodChicago.com articles on the Golden Globes.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

The 10 Most Underrated Film Performances of 2008

BrianTT — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:47:10 -0700

CHICAGO – From Heath Ledger’s searing portrayal of The Joker in “The Dark Knight” to Sean Penn’s riveting embodiment of Harvey Milk in “Milk,” 2008 has been an excellent year for on-screen performances. However, the onslaught of high-caliber performances at the end of the year – including Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon,” the reunion of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in “Revolutionary Road,” Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and the quartet of regularly nominated actors from “Doubt” – has left some great work from earlier in the year underappreciated and underrated.

Sometimes it’s a case of critics and award voters seemingly only being able to remember one actor from a certain film and sometimes it’s a tragic case of an entire movie not being recognized thoroughly while late-season, high-profile films incorrectly steal their thunder. Either way, it was shockingly easy to come up with 10 performances that are barely getting mentioned in this season of nominations and year-end lists and truly should be especially considering the overrated ones that are getting such undeserved praise.

First and foremost, deciding what determined the qualification for “underrated” needs to be defined. Josh Brolin in “Milk,” Eddie Marsan in “Happy-Go-Lucky,” Michelle Williams in “Wendy & Lucy,” the cast of “In Bruges” and James Franco in both “Milk” and “Pineapple Express” all deserve at least one nomination or two that they didn’t get. When they have been snubbed, they’ve been mentioned and they’ve all received at least one major nomination. Academy members should definitely take a second look at all of them (especially Marsan, Brolin and Franco), but they can’t exactly be called underrated when they’ve already gotten so much press.

10. Hiam Abbass as Mouna Khalil in “The Visitor”

It’s been wonderful to see the very-deserving Richard Jenkins get the press and nominations he richly deserves for “The Visitor”, but the performance wouldn’t be nearly as complete without the decisions made by his lovely and underrated co-star, Hiam Abbass. Walter (Jenkins) is a man whose heart has been closed since his wife’s death and it’s first re-opened by the friendship of Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), an awakening that takes Walter to unexpected places, particularly his response to Tarek’s unjust incarceration and the arrival of Tarek’s mother, Mouna. It’s not your typical love affair, but Mouna and Walter change each other’s lives forever and the final act of “The Visitor” wouldn’t have nearly the emotional power that it does without BOTH of their performances. It’s a turn by a supporting actress that hasn’t even been mentioned in the year-end conversation, even though it stands far above many performances that have already been nominated.

9. Emily Mortimer as Jessie in “Transsiberian”

Great thriller performances are often underrated. If critics are too busy scribbling down the twists and turns of an intricate plot, they sometimes miss the acting involved. Well-reviewed thrillers may get credit for their director (the word “Hitchcockian” is one of the most overused in the critical vocabulary), but the cast misses out on the acclaim. Brad Anderson’s “Transsiberian”, one of the best thrillers of the last several years, would completely collapse if not for the three-dimensional performance by the always-great Emily Mortimer (who also rocked this year in “Redbelt” and was the best thing about “Chaos Theory”). As Jessie, Mortimer has the biggest burden in “Transsiberian” - to make her extreme actions believable. In retrospect, you or I probably wouldn’t have gone on that field trip with Carlos and might have acted a little more rationally afterwards, but Mortimer sells it when it counts - during the film. The thriller genre is in a state of disaster nowadays because too many writers and directors forgo character in favor of plot twists, but Anderson and Mortimer know that films are a lot more thrilling when the people and their actions are believable.

8. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mike Terry in “Redbelt”

American audiences seem to be having a tough time catching up with the greatness of Chiwetel Ejiofor. That’s not the case overseas, where Ejiofor won the Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Actor earlier this year, beating out Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. Sure, that was stage work, but what Ejiofor has accomplished on-screen in films as diverse as “Serenity”, “Dirty Pretty Things”, “Kinky Boots”, “Talk to Me”, and this year’s “Redbelt” has been consistently fascinating. As much as any actor of his generation, Ejiofor has a charisma and an on-screen resonance that brings gravity to everything he does. He was the perfect choice for Mike Terry in David Mamet’s “Redbelt”, a film about a man with an unbreakable moral code. Mamet has long-been fascinated by good men surrounded by wolves, but Mike may be the most morally righteous character that the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer/director has ever written. It’s not easy to sell unshakable beliefs to an audience, but Ejiofor is perfect yet again, bringing a touch of grace and calm that you don’t often see in Mamet characters.

7. Michael Fassbinder as Bobby Sands in “Hunger”

One of the most riveting scenes in any movie this year is the emotional centerpiece that kicks off the final act of Steve McQueen’s “Hunger”, a must-see on every level that we’ll cover more upon its release. You may be asking how a performance in a film that hasn’t been released could be underrated. Well, most critics and journalists have seen “Hunger” and, while McQueen has been getting some appropriate raves, Fassbinder seems to be sliding under the radar. Don’t let it happen. “Hunger” is a surreal, riveting experience with no clear protagonist for at least the first half of the film and very little dialogue. The mesmerizing, nearly silent film is shattered by a sequence that is just as jaw-dropping in its simplicity. IRA activist Bobby Sands (Fassbinder) has a meeting with his priest to convince him why the hunger strike he’s about to go on is the only morally correct decision for his future. With no cuts and very little blocking beyond smoking for SEVENTEEN minutes, Fassbinder is impossible to ignore. In 2008, Michael Shannon and Viola Davis have earned heaps of praise for brief roles in their respective films. With just one, extended scene of dialogue in “Hunger”, Fassbinder is just as hard to forget.

6. Elsa Zylberstein as Lea in “I’ve Loved You So Long”

Kristin Scott Thomas has rocked critics and audiences with her work in “I’ve Loved You So Long” (Richard Roeper even called it the best performance of the decade), but her co-star has been largely ignored. Elsa Zylberstein is the emotional “heat” to the “cool” of Thomas’ performance, and neither would be nearly as complete without the other. She’s the perfect balance to everything that Thomas accomplishes in one of the best performances of the year, but she has been completely absent from the Best Supporting Actress conversation. In a year for good female roles, it could be understandable that Zylberstein might not make a critic’s top five, but she damn sure should have been considered. The cold exterior of Thomas wouldn’t be nearly as effective without the decisions made by the nearly-as-good and more externally demanding work done by Zylberstein.