10 Achievements The Academy Should Not Overlook: Part 1

This is the first post I'm going to write about great performances, directorial efforts, screenplays and films the academy would be foolish to overlook. Some of these kids are sure-things, and some are sure to be forgotten, but no matter what, they'll always be remembered on my blog.

Irfan Kahn & Tabu
The Namesake

Jhumpa Lahiri's beautiful, engaging novel is Gogol's story, but in the film, it is the actors playing his parents who capture our hearts. Khan & Tabu stand out despite playing such quiet people. Chances are, neither will be remembered in the supporting categories next week-- there were no boardroom scenes where they undressed, no cross-dressing as legendary singer-songwriters, no crazy shoot-outs from hotel windows. No, just pure, unadulterated acting from two heretofore unknowns (unknown to Americans, anyway) making their splashy cinematic splash by doing something increasingly rare: holding back.

Marie-Josée Croze & Julian Schnabel

The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

After a surprise Golden Globes victory on Sunday, Schnabel not only seems a sure bet to make the cut for Best Director, but the film is poised for inclusion in the Best Pic category after the Producer's Guild voted it one of its top 5 of 2007. The human spirit triumphs in this cinematic gem, but who'd have guessed its downer subject matter could triumph with the Academy? Janusz Kaminski deserves recognition for his cinematography, which is so inherent to the telling of this story, but let's not forget that despite a terrific (and sure to be overlooked) performance from lead Matthieu Amalric, the women in this film dominate the screen, and none more so than Croze. She patiently sits by Bauby's bedside, teaching him to communicate his every thought with the blink of an eye. Shot from Bauby's perspective, when she sits in front of him, she is all we can see, and all we want to see. Whether the actor's branch of the Academy is wise enough to see this, I won't hold my breath.

Laura Linney & Tamara Jenkins

The Savages

Maybe I'm a naif, but I thought I'd end this post with two women whose names should make the cut on Tuesday. Laura Linney is an actress of such caliber and such... oh, screw it. She could read the phone book in Chinese and I'd pay to see it. Her performance in this film is no better than her work in any number of other films for which she did not receive Oscar nominations (The Squid and The Whale, Mystic River), but for whatever reason the buzz is there this time and I'm hoping it carries her through. As for writer/director Jenkins, even if she makes it into the Best Original Screenplay category, she'll likely lose to Diablo Cody, but Jenkins' script is so smart, so honest, and so wise, it would be a shanda if she couldn't go to Bloomingdale's, buy herself a nice dress and get a moment of recognition for her terrific film.