Ten Essential Film Performances of the 2000's

In no particular order, here are the most essential film performances of the past decade (NOT necessarily the best, just the ones that defined to decade for me).

Casey Affleck
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
For taking his in-bred awkwardness and making it work for the character. For working in a homoerotic subtext into this butch, Western biopic. For that post-Jesse epilogue, a tragic figure on the fall.


Dame Judi Dench
Notes on a Scandal
For continuing to surprise us and, even at 75, challenge herself. For playing into the film's camp aesthetic but never descending into hopeless theatrics. For scaring the shit out of me.


Anne Hathaway
Rachel Getting Married
For producing the decade's definitive "star is born" performance. For working her way up the old fashioned way and gaining valuable experience at every pit stop. For taking a stock character and performing it in such a way that it completely becomes her own.


Nicole Kidman
Dogville
For taking her auteur lust to a whole new level. For braving a role which relies solely on her face and body language. For proving time and time again that she's the bravest actress of our time.


Heath Ledger
Brokeback Mountain
For taking a mumbling, impenetrable, almost unlikable character and turning him into the unlikeliest romantic hero in ages. For his emotional breakdown after an entire film of emotional stoicism.


Julianne Moore
The Hours
For pushing her minimalistic acting to its breaking point. For her wonderfully warm and expressive face. For being the best in show with a movie featuring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Toni Collette.


Julia Roberts
Erin Brockovich
For combining her decade-in-the-making star persona and natural charisma with a new found dramatic flair. For ditching her vanity and dropping some f-bombs. For her comedic timing on lines like, "That's all you've got: two left feet and fucking ugly shoes."


Uma Thurman
Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2
For providing the decade's one true iconic character. For trusting in Tarantino and his blood hungry vision. For having fun slicing limbs off the Crazy 88's.


Ashley Tisdale
The High School Musical Trilogy
For unleashing a comedic firestorm unlike anything Disney has ever seen. For proving that "Disney" isn't always synonymous with bad acting. For creating a tween character "type." For adding humanity to a one-note character.


Catherine Zeta-Jones
Chicago
For turning on the charisma full throttle. For matching the film's high-kicking, electric energy. For rocking a Louise Brooks bob. For proving that she, yes, can do it alone.

"No, damnit, you should have moved the other piece! THE OTHER PIECE! Gah!"

Random Top 10: AfterElton's Hot 100

AfterElton has just announced their second annual "Hot 100" list, which celebrates the hottest men according to gay and bisexual men. I didn't vote last year, but I did read the list and it was surprising to see who made the cut (many of the actors from Queer as Folk) and who didn't (Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher). So, because I'm in a giving mood today, here's the list I submitted a few days ago, complete with pictures to admire the beauty of these men.

10. Casey Affleck

9. James McAvoy

8. Tom Brady

7. Blake Lewis

6. Joel McHale

5. Adam Brody

4. Zac Efron

3. Channing Tatum

2. James Marsden

1. Jake Gyllenhaal

2007 Diva Cup Awards: Best Actor

And the nominees are...

Casey Affleck as Robert Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Have you ever sat down and watched a film (or a TV show or read a book), with a subject as far away from your normal life as possible, and then recognized yourself in one of the performances? If you have, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. I've only done it a few times (Ennis del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, Bree Van de Kamp on Desperate Housewives and Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye) but as soon as I finished watching The Assassination of Jesse James..., I immediately recognized a kindred spirit in Affleck's Robert Ford. What makes this performance even more remarkable is that in the first scene, with Affleck constantly muttering in that squeeky voice, you think it's going to be a looooong film, but after a minute or two, you start to understand what he is doing and it ultimately works.
Key Scene: Acting as Jesse's escort around town, picking up his gestures and the way he carries himself

Don Cheadle as Petey Greene in Talk to Me
Cheadle rises above biopic cliches, focusing more on Petey's relationships with Dewey and Vernell than on his drug problem. Add motormouth to Cheadle's already long list of talents.
Key Scene: The James Brown concert

Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood
A total badass from start to finish. Day-Lewis has proved before he can transform into practically anyone, and this time was no exception. A touch over the top, but it suits the over the top-ness of the film; a subtler performance wouldn't have fit here.
Key Scene: The baptism

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Dewey Hughes in Talk to Me
Some people consider this a supporting performance, but watch Talk to Me closely and you'll see that the film is just as concerned with Hughes and his drive to achieve fame as it is with Greene. The role, as written, seems to be nothing more than the "black man who conformed," but Ejiofor stands up for Hughes and makes us realize he's just as "black" as Greene.
Key Scene: Making it to The Tonight Show

Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai in Eastern Promises
Another badass, this time from Mortensen as a Russian mobster. The beauty of this performance is that in the context of one character, Mortensen is playing three roles (the hard-ass gangster, the romantic lead and, possibly, the good guy) and it's nearly impossible to figure Nikolai out.
Key Scene: Kissing both Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassell by the water

If Only There Were Six: Russell Crowe, 3:10 to Yuma Crowe's finest performance, in my opinion. He's really more believable as the bad guy.

Rest of the Top 10: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street...James McAvoy, Atonement...Josh Brolin, No Country For Old Men...Simon Pegg, Hot Fuzz

BRONZE
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

SILVER
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

GOLD
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

2007 Diva Cup Awards: Best Supporting Actress

And the nominees are...

Charlotte Gainsbourg as Claire in I'm Not There
She's not playing one of the Dylans, but Gainsbourg provides the most thoroughly satisfying performance in I'm Not There. In a film where you question the importance of half of the main characters, it's fantastic to see Gainsbourg let you know from the first scene why she belongs.
Key Scene: The party scene, when she realizes that Robbie "isn't there" anymore

Romola Garai as Briony Tallis in Atonement
Having to bridge the gap between the younger Briony and the older Briony is no easy task, but in Garai's hands, her Briony feels the most complete, the one we can really connect to in the story. She's a great combination of the heinousness of Briony #1 and the self-righteousness of Briony #3.
Key Scene: Her apology to Robbie and Cecilia

Jennifer Garner as Vanessa Loring in Juno
The "Who Knew?" award for 2007 goes to Jennifer Garner, for finally proving to me that she is an actress to be reckoned with. She doesn't get any of the great dialogue that Ellen Page does. Instead, she gives the uptight suburban mom a fresh new twist and her transformation into the mother role is surprisingly subtle.
Key Scene: Listening to Juno's belly in the mall

Amy Ryan as Martha Hanson in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and as Helene McCready in Gone Baby Gone
Playing two of the most vile women in recent memory, Ryan made a startling breakthrough to the big time. Give her credit for practically taunting the hideousness of these two characters in our faces instead of toning it down so we'd "sympathize" with her.
Key Scene: In BtDKYD, her constant emasculation of her ex-husband. In Gone Baby Gone, the final scene; have things really changed?

Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton
As I said during StinkyLulu's 2007 Supporting Actress Smackdown: "Swinton could have copped out with this performance since it seems that the character was thrown in merely as an afterthought. Instead she nailed it, showing the vulnerable and twitchy side of a corporate ball-buster with those daring sweat stains, the bewitching rehearsal scenes and her horror at the lack of control in the final scene."
Key Scene: Any of the "rehearsal" scenes

If Only There Were Six: Michelle Pfeiffer, Hairspray She's having the time of her life and it's about time someone perfected the eye-roll.

Rest of the Top 10: Anna Kendrick, Rocket Science...Jennifer Jason Leigh, Margot at the Wedding...Olympia Dukakis, Away From Her...Ashley Tisdale, High School Musical 2

BRONZE
Romola Garai, Atonement

SILVER
Jennifer Garner, Juno

GOLD
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Celebrity Photography

During the past week, both Vanity Fair and the New York Times unveiled their celebrity portfolios for the Oscar season and, for some reason, they have inspired polar opposite feelings in me. The Vanity Fair portfolio, released first, used the films of Hitchcock as an inspiration and couldn't be more beautiful. The New York Times portfolio, on the other hand, are pretty in an avant garde sort of way, but as celebrity photographs, they are horrible.

This revelation got me thinking about what the difference between "good" and "bad" celebrity photography is. I don't consider myself an expert or anything in the field, but I believe that photographing celebrity, at the very least, involves using everything you can to make the celebrity as good looking possible. The picture should revolve around them and their persona. For example, you wouldn't see Greta Garbo or Bette Davis back in the day fighting with any object or the background to be the focus of the picture; on the contrary, the photographer often concentrated just on close ups of their face or profile.

To show what I mean, here are my thoughts on various pictures from both portfolios.

Beautiful. Yummy. Tantalizing. As soon as I saw both James McAvoy and Emile Hirsch clean shaven and all gussied up in 50's fashion, I totally wished that this remake of Strangers on a Train would actually happen. I also love McAvoy's leer...so sexy.

And this is the epitome of bad celebrity photographing. What the hell was the photographer thinking with this shot. Paul Dano looks like one of those damn aliens from Signs, he is so fucking creepy. I just wish my eyes had never seen this horrific photo and that it can be erased from my mind Eternal Sunshine style.

This photo could have been all sorts of amazing, but instead of highlighting McAvoy's lovely face the bonehead photographer covers it with a shadow.

Jennifer Jason Leigh looks like such a monster here it's frightening and Keira Knightley is justifiably scared. Great homage to Rebecca.

And this is supposed to be a photograph of whom? You're guess is as good as mine. (Okay, apparently it's Jennifer Jason Leigh but there's no way you can tell through that thicket of woods).

Damn, Marion Cotillard is fine. And she is the perfect Marion Crane in Psycho. That last shot of her dead is absolutely chilling- her eyes are absolutely vacant.

In this one, Marion looks either A) constipated and trying to go or B) like she's just lost her breath from the harsh wind and she has to do an embarrassingly loud gasp to catch her breath.

Who is this distinguished older lady? I would seriously have no idea with all that hair covering her face if they hadn't put a caption underneath reading "Julie Christie."

Oh, excuse me, I didn't realize Seth Rogen had a small role in Rambo.

What a beautiful ensemble photo. Josh Brolin, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster are looking good, Tang Wei is to die for and the ever classy Julie Christie and Eva Marie Saint are as glamorous as always.

This is probably the best of the New York Times photos, but that's really not saying much. Look what they have to work with.

Wow, they somehow managed to make the 80-something year old Hal Holbrook look 20 years older with this photograph. How on earth do you do that?

Again, who the fuck is this? (Sienna Miller, apparently, but I probably wouldn't have been able to tell anyways).

Jodie Foster is one classy broad and I love this take on The Birds. Who knew behind that rough exterior she looked so damn hot (even while being terrorized by random birds).

Random Top 10: People I Fell in Love With in 2007

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but a few weeks ago I changed my banner from Dame Judi Dench (in honor of her birth) to the present banner of Adam Brody, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jennifer Hudson and Channing Tatum. I like to think of these four as the ones I "discovered" in 2006 andwith whom I quickly fell in love with. Well, now that 2007 has ended, it's time for a new batch of people to obsess about for a whole year.

10. Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen

Moment I Fell in Love: "Rehab" led me to discover Amy Winehouse, which led me to producer Mark Ronson, which led me to Version, which led me to Ronson's other protege Lily Allen.

9. Ellen Page

Moment I Fell in Love: "No, it's Morgan Freeman" and "WHOA dream big"...no can spin lines into gold the way she does.

8. Ashley Tisdale

Moment I Fell in Love: Her request for exit music...a diva dream of mine just came true

7. Casey Affleck

Moment I Fell in Love: I admit that it's only been 5 days since I saw The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, but, damn, that was one hell of a performance.

6. Paula Deen

Moment I Fell in Love: The episode where she deep fried butter and a bust of her head made out of butter was given to her.

5. Blake Lewis

Moment I Fell in Love: During the Top 24 on American Idol, when he sang Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know"

4. Diablo Cody

Moment I Fell in Love: Months before I saw Juno, I read an article about her in Entertainment Weekly and it was this quote that won me over: "If there's a female protagonist or a romance, they just assume it's up my alley. What, because I have a vagina?"

3. Brittany Snow

Moment I Fell in Love: When I finally saw John Tucker Must Die over the summer and realized that this woman can make anything work (well, not the film, but her performance)

2. Zac Efron

Moment I Fell in Love: "And I'm....Link"...I was practically squealing right along with Tracy and Penny.

1. James Marsden

Moment I Fell in Love: When I first heard him sing "The Nicest Kids in Town" on the Hairspray soundtrack, I knew it was love at first sight. Enchanted only proved that my love for him is never ending.