Oscar Diversion--An Open Letter

An Open Letter to the Person(s) Responsible for Katie Holmes Presenting Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards,

Hello, there. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to stumble randomly upon my blog. I will be as brief as possible and I hope in no way to offend in any way. I could be talking to any number of people--the producers of the SAG Awards, the President of SAG, the team that represents Ms. Holmes, or possibly even Mr. Cruise. Most likely, this is best addressed to some combination of the above, give or take people/associations I haven't even thought of in my limited, Hollywood-outsider scope.
I guess my first question would be why? Why was Katie Holmes presenting Best Actor at the Screen Actors Guild's High Holy Night? My inquiries are not random or arbitrary. I will support them plainly and dispassionately with fact. Fair enough?
The presenters of the other acting awards were as follows:

Best Supporting Actess: Greg Kinnear, an Academy Award nominated screen actor, co-recipient of the Best Ensemble Prize for Little Miss Sunshine in 2006 and star of three major motion picture releases from 2008.

Best Supporting Actor: Kristin Scott Thomas, star of 2008's critically acclaimed I've Loved You So Long. Three time SAG award nominated actress, and co-recipient for 2001's Best Ensemble Prize for Gosford Park. She is also Academy Award nominated for her performance in The English Patient and now moves seamlessly between french and english language performances.

Best Leading Actor: Ralph Fiennes. Nominated at SAG for his performance in Bernard and Doris. Also nominated for his performance in The English Patient (for which he received an Oscar nomination). Oscar nominated for Schindler's List and the star of four major motion pictures in 2008--The Hurt Locker, The Reader, The Duchess and In Bruges.

---This is misleading and implies a high esteem, which I don't automatically grant to awards citation. But I'm mainly focusing on contributions to the world of film and acting in general.

Finally, we arrive at Ms. Holmes. Her only contribution to the world of film in 2008 was the critical and commercial failure that was Mad Money. Prior to that, she last appeared in a film in 2005. Two actually. The clever Thank You For Smoking and the stepping stone that was Batman Begins. But the world has moved beyond both of these films in more ways than one. Their respective directors, Jason Reitman and Christopher Nolan, will surely be remembered, but for films other than these. Oh, I almost forgot. She starred on a few episodes of "Eli Stone" in 2008. So that's one feature film, and a guest stint on a now cancelled ABC dramedy.

When choosing the presenters of the other acting awards, some thought was obviously given about what contribution these thesps have made to the world of acting. Kristin Scott Thomas, Ralph Fiennes and Greg Kinnear are three performers about whom my opinion varies greatly, but I get it. And I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I don't get Katie Holmes being included on this list. It's very much a case of "one of these things is not like the other." Why was she allowed to do this? Is it because she's married to Tom Cruise? It makes about as much sense to me as having, say, Rita Wilson present. She's an actress too (I think). And hey, she's also married to a more famous actor named Tom! But that would be strange. It would make people say "huh?" Why? Because Rita Wilson didn't DO anything last year except be Tom Hanks's wife. With the exception of the aforementioned Mad Money, the same can be said about Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise respectively. Why is she being rewarded for being married to Tom Cruise? Is it because she's America's sweetheart? Because I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she isn't. Katie Holmes is actually an anomaly on that front, in that she was a middling former television actress, struggling to transition into film when she married mega-mega-mega star Tom Cruise...and it made her career WORSE. Strange, no? It's a bizarre equation--a math proof that only Will Hunting himself could solve. But I digress.

In summation, Katie Holmes is not a fine actor, she doesn't work often (especially when comparing her to the other presenters) and (unless I'm really misreading the climate of, well...America) is not well-liked by any stretch of the imagination. The most interesting thing she has done, both in and out of the world of cinema is marrying Tom Cruise and bearing him a child. I say this not to be mean, but to genuinely raise a question. Why was Katie Holmes chosen as a presenter at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and what do we need to brace ourselves for in the future? I will understand if you are reluctant to answer.

Yours Truly,

The Pretentious Know it All

SAG Reactions

I know I'm a bit late, but here are my general feelings about the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which took place on Sunday evening. There really isn't much to say, honestly. Very little has changed, as it relates to the general Oscar race. (An aside: I also failed to comment on the BAFTA nominations which came out a while back. It's not because I was lazy or had nothing to say about them. It's mostly because the BAFTA nominations were so utterly horrendous that I'm going to be Pollyanna and just pretend that the BAFTAs aren't happening this year. And that's the last you'll hear me say about them. Aside over)

Best Ensemble: Slumdog Millionaire
Are you shocked? I wasn't. I don't know why people were. Yes, Milk was the most deserving of the five nominees, but since when does that translate to actual winner? Certainly not this year. I've been saying (if only to myself) that if the Screen Actors Guild was myopic enough to nominate Slumdog's ensemble, a win is not out of the question, if not likely. This, combined with the Producers Guild win only cements the film's frontrunner status. And my whole "whatever keeps Benjamin Button from winning" stance that I've adopted is totally working like a charm. Even I'm singing "Jai ho!" and I didn't even love the movie. It's all about outlook, people.

Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader
So, she officially has "the big 3" (BFCA, Globe and now SAG). What will happen at Oscar, where she's nominated for the same performance, but in lead? Will they let her go away empty-handed? What of this category? Is Cruz really the frontrunner? Anything is possible in this category unless you're deserving, in a great movie and your last name is Dewitt (I will NEVER stop harping on that).

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Seriously, does this category even require commentary at this point? It's kind of funny in that the one person who I might have seen taking Ledger down (Dev Patel) isn't even nominated. I am hearing rumblings of a Robert Downey Jr. surge. All I have to say about that scenario is this: Mickey Rourke AND Robert Downey Jr. backstage together. God help us all. Someone's getting drunkenly punched in the face and you know it's going to be poor Kate Winset.

Best Actor: Sean Penn - Milk
I still say that the Oscar will ultimately go to Rourke. I would love to see Penn win for Milk, but unless I'm missing something, he's not well-liked enough to overcome the obvious hurdle that is already having won fairly recently (albeit for an inferior performance--isn't that how it always goes?).

Best Actress: Meryl Streep - Doubt
Man, this woman can light up a room with her speeches! Almost makes you forget how spotty her performance in Doubt was (compared to her other work, I mean). This remains a tight race between Streep and Winslet (who was not competing in this category with her Oscar nominated performance), with Hathaway as a long range spoiler. I wouldn't be surprised to hear either of those three names called on Oscar night, but I think Winslet will ultimately prevail. It feels like time.

SAG Nominations

Outstanding Performance by a Cast

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Doubt
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire

Thoughts:
I've already said my piece about the Slumdog Millionaire nomination for best ensemble, but it bears repeating. RIDICULOUS. Did it really need this nomination? Especially since this is not an actorly movie at all, whatsoever? Especially since it would have gotten a best picture nomination regardless? It's best ensemble, people. Not best picture. Where the hell is Rachel Getting Married. Like it or not, it's true ensemble work, n'est pas? (broken record). This indicates major support for this movie from the acting branch, who make up a large part of the Academy. It only solidifies what we've already known. Slumdog is simply too big to lose right now. A best picture nod is assured. A win is likely.

Predicted Winner: Milk. I'm hoping SAG realizes that of the five nominees, this is the truest ensemble piece. Benjamin Button could also win. If Slumdog Millionaire wins...oh Lordy.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

• Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
  
• Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn - Milk
  
• Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Thoughts: Brad Pitt lands a SAG nod, even though I was predicting he would miss. Whatever. He still doesn't feel like a lock. Richard Jenkins needed this boost, and he gets in over DiCaprio AND Eastwood, which is a good sign. What does this mean? Well, Rourke, Langella and Penn are locked for nominations at this point. But that has been known for some time. Pitt is nearing lock status, but could easily miss. I just don't see him pulling a lot of #1 placements on the weighted Academy ballot, which could end up screwing him in the end. So we essentially have four actors (Jenkins, Dicaprio, Pitt and Eastwood) vying for two remaining slots. I see Eastwood as the most vulnerable. For a mega star like him to miss both the Globes and the SAG means something, doesn't it? It would make me so happy to NOT hear his name called on nomination morning. True, he did manage best actor nods for Million Dollar Baby and The Unforgiven, but those came on the coattails of best picture juggernauts...and if Gran Torino gets nominated for best picture...let's not even go there.

Predicted Winner: Sean Penn, easily. If Eastwood had been nominated, he would have been a threat. I'd be very surprised to see anyone else win this.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie - Changeling
• Melissa Leo - Frozen River
  
• Meryl Streep - Doubt
• Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Thoughts: Wow. Compare this to two years ago, when it was clear for months that it was going to be Cruz, Dench, Mirren, Streep and Winslet. This race is so volatile. I LOVE it. I knew Leo's name was going to pop up here, but I thought it'd be in place of Jolie. Scott Thomas misses this. Can she still get in? If she had a BFCA nod, I'd say yes. But missing BFCA and now the SAG? She's treading on dangerous ground. Some critics need to rally around her and fast. After a rough start, love from the Globes and now the SAGs makes Winslet's lead actress nod seem likely. But she's not a lock. Cate Blanchett is out. Kaput. Done. Ditto Kate Beckinsale, who received a throwaway BFCA nod for Nothing But the Truth. What of Sally Hawkins, who missed here? I still think she could make it. She's been a critical darling thus far, moreso than Leo. Streep and Hathaway are the only true locks in this category, so that leaves three spots being vyed for by five actresses (Hawkins, Jolie, Leo, Scott Thomas,Winslet). This is going to be a bumpy race.

Predicted Winner: Anne Hathaway (just a hunch). Obviously Streep is the safer choice.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• Josh Brolin - Milk
• Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
• Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
• Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

Thoughts: This race is becoming clearer. I can see this lineup repeating, minus Dev Patel (more on that later). But who takes his place? Well, James Franco for Milk is still likely. He's only got a lone BFCA nod, but I could see them double dipping here for Milk. Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road? Maybe. Word is he's good enough, or rather, good in the way that Oscar typically rewards. But I just don't see enough Revolutionary Road support for that nomination to happen. Leo couldn't even manage a nomination in lead! As for Patel....Okay. I'm trying to gather my wits about this. But there are a lot of fine supporting male performances this year that bear honoring. Emile Hirsch in Milk, Bill Irwin in Rachel Getting Married, Eddie Marsan in Happy-Go-Lucky to name a few. I have a sinking feeling in my gut that Dev Patel's nom in supporting here will give birth to a Keisha Castle Hughes situation (another performance I wasn't fond of), where he gets a surprising LEAD nomination at the Oscars, thereby stealing a slot in an already crowded category. It's unlikely, I know. I just found Patel's performance to be incredibly vacant, even for someone his age. If they're going to nominate a supporting performance from Slumdog, it should be Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, mentioned in my review of the film. But they shouldn't do that either.

Predicted Winner: Heath Ledger. If he loses the Golden Globe, it's anyone's game...

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• Amy Adams - Doubt
• Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Viola Davis - Doubt
• Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Kate Winslet - The Reader

Thoughts: Logic would say that it's time to put the toetag on Rosemarie Dewitt's Oscar chances for Rachel Getting Married. After this egregious snub (again, I thought SAG of all voting bodies would go for this film), her chances seem very grim. But I just won't give up. I still say she gets in (how do you watch Rachel Getting Married and NOT vote for DeWitt?) Henson is looking much more likely, after a BFCA nod and now a SAG nod. She's sitting pretty. Does Doubt really need 4 acting nominations? I'll have to do some research, but I'm fairly certain Network was the last film to achieve such a feat (edited to add: It was actually Chicago. Damn, I was WAY off). It's not likely, is what I'm saying, and of the four possibly acting nods for Doubt (Streep, Adams, Hoffman and Davis), Amy Adams is the weakest link. I still think Tomei is in. And what of Kate Winslet? I understand that this is egregious category fraud of the highest order. Let's put it this way. If there were no Revolutionary Road, Kate would certainly be getting nominations for The Reader in lead where she likely belongs. I still think the AMPAS will cave and give her the double nomination. She's also my predicted winner here.

Predicted Winner: Kate Winslet.

I Will Blog More Soon...

I am taking the GRE tomorrow, applying to Graduate School, working and trying to make a movie all at once. Until after Friday, something has to take a hit. That's blogging for now. Isn't it awesome I don't have children to worry about?

I will comment on the the SAG nominations, as well as other precursor and Critics awards that have been filtering through. I know I'm a bit late, but I've been gathering my thoughts. Regarding the Golden Globe nominations, I will call shenanigans. I think I may have to do so for the SAG nominations as well. Some poor POOR taste flying around this awards season. We definitely do not have another 2007 on our hands. Regarding the SAG nominations, my initial reaction was this.

Best Ensemble

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

Even the SAGs, in all of their "desire to predict the Oscars rather than vote for what's best" silliness, often go out of left field and actually honor worthy ensemble nominees in this category. Sample nominations for Hustle and Flow in 2005 or last year's pack of nominees. But this year, they really screwed the pooch, I must say.

How does Slumdog Millionaire get a best ensemble nomination? That movie, for all of its virtues is hardly about its acting, and even if it were, is not about the way these actors play off of and enhance each others' work. It's called "Best Ensemble" SAG. Who is even going to be included in Slumdog's castlist? And a supporting nod for Dev Patel? This is ridiculous. I gave the film a solid B, but The further I get away from Slumdog Millionaire, the more it just makes me feel...blah. Especially when considering its Oscar prospects, which are looking solidified right now, dontcha think? But let's go ahead (for funsies) and list the myriad of films that were released this year that deserve a best ensemble nod over Slumdog, shall we? This list is a mix of films I liked, disliked and had mixed feelings about altogether, but they are examples of TRUE ensemble work (if SAG is truly committed to what they call their awards.)

Be Kind Rewind
Blindness
Burn After Reading
In Bruges
The Dark Knight
Elegy
Happy-Go-Lucky
Pineapple Express
Snow Angels
Stop-Loss
Synechdoche, New York
Tropic Thunder
Vicky Cristina Barcelona...

You get the picture. And finally...

Rachel Getting Married

I am so very disappointed in the Screen Actors Guild for not nominating the ensemble of Rachel Getting Married. I know it's not going to get a best picture nomination. I have long accepted that. But I was really relying on SAG to go to bat for this film, which was the truest example of ensemble acting in film this year. Forshame.

Peace, Love and Pretension