2010 Happens to be A Good Year for Great Female Roles

Not long ago I was having a conversation with my photographer friend about the possible nominees for Oscar Best Actress and we started to notice that there are too many Great roles to fill only five slots with nominations. Not every year a remarkable event like this happens, so it’s worth to stop and review the female roles I have seen, the ones that I have to watch and the ones that get lots of buzz among viewers and critics.

I didn’t enjoyed The Kids Are All Right but I do recognize that Annette Bening did an outstanding performance that’s absolutely Oscar worthy; but she’s not alone as newcomer Jennifer Lawrence does an excellent performance in Winter’s Bone, Tilda Swinton is getting big promotion with her performance in I Am Love which I recognize as award worthy, and Noomi Rapace is still in the lists of many critics as well in mine. These are the roles I have seen and absolutely agree they should be considered for a nomination.

With much industry buzz we have Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole, Natalie Portman in Black Swan, Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine, Hilary Swank in Conviction, Naomi Watts in Fair Game, Diane Lane in Secretariat, Lesley Manville in Another Year, and Annette Bening again but for Mother and Child. More recently new names started to appear like Anne Hathaway in Love and Other Drugs, Halle Berry in Frankie and Alice, Gwyneth Paltrow in Country Song, Reese Whiterspoon in How Do You Know. Also with some buzz but considered for the supporting role more than lead is Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right. Take a breath as now I’m listing the ones haven’t seen but I hope their performance will deserve honors: Helen Mirren in The Tempest and Sally Hawkins in Made in Dagenham.

Then we have some lesser known foreigners like Carey Mulligan in Never Let Me Go, Freida Pinto in Miral, Cecile De France in Hereafter, and the one that I wish wouldn’t be skipped Lotte Verbeek in Nothing Personal, but I’m not sure that film has been released in LA, even when was released in USA.

So up to this moment there are 23 possible great female roles that I assume they’re great even if I haven’t seen most of all. But mentions continue with Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love which I definitively didn’t liked the movie nor her performance; Robin Wright in The Conspirator, Keira Knightley in London Boulevard, Helena Bonham Carter in Alice in Wonderland or in The King’s Speech and I better stop or the list will be too long to digest.

The point is that 2010 seems to be an excellent year for female roles worthy to be honored by the Academy, the Globes, the Independents, the Guilds and the Critics. Last year when all nominations and award winners started to appear the category started to get a pattern and some actresses were easy to guess that will be among the five at the Oscar nominees. This year I’m not sure the same will happen, or better I’m hoping will be more heterogeneous so guessing the five nominees could be harder as there are so many award worthy performances.

We don’t have to wait much as we have entered the next stage of the Awards season and as soon as the beginning of December the first major independent awards will be announced, the Guilds will announce their nominations, Critics will start to announce their awards and on December 14 the Golden Globes will announce their nominations.

If I have to guess the five nominees considering the roles I have seen plus the buzz from critics that have my credibility, the list looks as follows.

Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone
Sally Hawkins in Made in Dagenham
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole

But I’m just guessing and the last three still have to watch the films and their performances; still I’m almost sure the first two will make it! Lol! That's it IF we don't have a film released before the deadline with Meryl Streep!!!

I’m enjoying following all the buzz about this category, but also I’m absolutely enjoying the race for the Best Actor as there are some performances that I’m really looking forward to watch like Colin Firth in The King’s Speech who honestly deserved the Oscar last year for his outstanding performance in A Single Man.

Cheers!!!!