The movie year, which ended December 31, was a very good one for films, both American and foreign. Though there were few brilliant films (The Social Network, Carlos), there were many good ones, both features and non-fiction works.
In several cases, even when the films were not distinguished, such as “Conviction” or “The Kids Are All Right,” the actresses in them gave shining performances like Hilary Swank, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, respectively.
Over the next week, we’ll run daily columns that single out the achievements in various categories, such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, etc.
For purposes of convenience, we will follow the Academy’s established categories. The Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.
I consider myself an auteurist critic, who deems the director the most important creative force behind the cameras, and thus would like to begin this annual summation with the list of the most impressive filmmakers of the year
Best Actresses We Admire (in alphabetical order)
Jeon Do-yeon, Secret Sunshine (South Korea)
Kim Hye-ja, Mother (South Korea)
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Vincere (Italian)
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Best Actresses We Like
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Juliette Binoche, Certified Copy (Iran-France)
Patrcia Clarkson, Cairo Time
Isabelle Huppert, White Material (French)
Diane Lane, Secretariat
Lesley Manville, Another Year (U.K.)
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Papreeka Steen, Applause
Hilary Swank, Conviction
Tilda Swinton, I Am Love (Italian)
Overrated Actresses
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Naomi Watts, Fair Game
