Sunday, January 30, 2011

2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS (for 2010)
Update: I highlighted the winners in gold




Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  • Black Swan (2010)
  • The Fighter (2010)
  • The Kids Are All Right (2010)
  • The King's Speech (2010)
  • The Social Network (2010)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
  • Jeff Bridges for True Grit (2010)
  • Robert Duvall for Get Low (2009)
  • Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network (2010)
  • Colin Firth for The King's Speech (2010)
  • James Franco for 127 Hours (2010)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
  • Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right (2010)
  • Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole (2010)
  • Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone (2010) (poster left)
  • Natalie Portman for Black Swan (2010)
  • Hilary Swank for Conviction (2010/II)






Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Christian Bale for The Fighter (2010)
  • John Hawkes for Winter's Bone (2010)
  • Jeremy Renner for The Town (2010)
  • Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right (2010)
  • Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech (2010)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Amy Adams for The Fighter (2010)
  • Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech (2010)
  • Mila Kunis for Black Swan (2010)
  • Melissa Leo for The Fighter (2010)
  • Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit (2010)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
  • "30 Rock" (2006)
  • "Glee" (2009)
  • "Hot in Cleveland" (2010)
  • "Modern Family" (2009)
  • "The Office" (2005)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  • "Boardwalk Empire" (2009)
  • "The Closer" (2005)
  • "Dexter" (2006)
  • "The Good Wife" (2009)
  • "Mad Men" (2007)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
  • Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)
  • Ty Burrell for "Modern Family" (2009)
  • Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005)
  • Chris Colfer for "Glee" (2009)
  • Ed O'Neill for "Modern Family" (2009)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
  • Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie" (2009)
  • Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)
  • Jane Lynch for "Glee" (2009)
  • Sofía Vergara for "Modern Family" (2009)
  • Betty White for "Hot in Cleveland" (2010)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
  • Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire" (2009)
  • Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad" (2008)
  • Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" (2006)
  • Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" (2007)
  • Hugh Laurie for "House M.D." (2004)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
  • Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007)
  • Mariska Hargitay for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999)
  • Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" (2009)
  • Elisabeth Moss for "Mad Men" (2007)
  • Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  • John Goodman for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)
  • Al Pacino for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)
  • Dennis Quaid for The Special Relationship (2010) (TV)
  • Édgar Ramírez for "Carlos" (2010)
  • Patrick Stewart for Macbeth (2010) (TV)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  • Claire Danes for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)
  • Catherine O'Hara for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)
  • Julia Ormond for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)
  • Winona Ryder for When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story (2010) (TV)
  • Susan Sarandon for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)


I suppose I have a few favorites here. Of these, 'favorite cast' films, I've only seen The Social Network. Of the others, I've only seen Winter's Bone and Inception, but of those three 'big' films, I liked Winter's Bone the most; it's an intense life and death struggle in the backwoods of the Missouri Ozarks, a true crime classic.

Since the film is not up, I'll at least pull for excellent veteran actor John Hawkes from that. I've always been a Natalie Portman fan, she could have won for The Professional (not nominated) or Closer (nominated), so she's overdue at this point. Jennifer Lawrence is Winter's Bone is about 17, so she'll get more chances, but was understated and amazing in that for her age; thanks to director Debra Granik for that, who's at least up for a screenplay Oscar.

Nice to see ALL THREE female leads nominated for the tv film Temple Grandin, which was excellent, easily as good as The Social Network. Claire Danes should win since Catherine O'Hara (nice to see her honored again, and for dramatic no less, since she was an SCTV original) and Julia Ormand are only supporting in that, a category the SAG doesn't have, but that's where they were nominated for Emmys (Danes won for lead actress.)

Colin Firth is also likely overdue for an Oscar, which this could preclude, with a career full of dead on performances. However watch for veteran Robert Duvall in an upset. Helena Bonham Carter is also overdue for an Oscar, hope she wins everything this year. I loved her in A Room With a View, Fight Club, and Conversations With Another Woman.

Bryan Cranston is such a good actor that his category is almost unfair, he's really a level all these others, though each is also good. I like the series of both Mad Men and Dexter more than Breaking Bad, which sometimes just gets on my nerves - are people really this stupid? (need I ask.. I have reality tv to back that up) Let's give something to Steve Buscemi just for being so weird looking; he's like a frog still waiting for a magic kiss.

30 Rock is still my favorite tv comedy, but Modern Family gets some kudos. The others basically suck, I never laugh so I never watch. The levels of humor sometimes in just one line from 30 Rock is amazing.. such as this one from Alec Baldwin, "Yes I'm friends with the postmaster general, but we had a falling out over the Jerry Garcia stamp. If I want to lick a hippie, I'll return Joan Baez' phone calls". Hilarious in light of his character being a rich Republican (they all know each other), and Baldwin's reputation as a 'ladies man', often parodied on the show.

Modern Family, though good, is kind of an update of Married With Children, just with a couple of extra familes, a la the films Hannah and Her Sisters and Parenthood (which Ron Howard said was inspired by Woody's Hannah). Baldwin and Fey are the funniest actors in comedies, but I also like Sofia Vergara, and she needs some awards.

Glenn Close is so terrific and displays her dark side for us, which is pretty creepy - people forget she also turned in two of the greatest cinema villains in Dangerous Liaisons and Fatal Attraction, each Oscar worthy. She was also excellent in The Big Chill and The World According to Garp. Since she's won here, I'm pulling for the understated and intriguing Elisabeth Moss in Mad Men, the best actor on that show, and one who is evolving with her character; you often forget she's acting.

I love David Fincher but was not as impressed with Social Network as some of his other films, such as The Game, Fight Club, and Zodiac. These had an existential edge that put people in life or death situations; Social Network put people in lawsuit situations as the film was about a liar, a cheat, and a thief, who, rather than serving time, has been made a billionaire by this unscrupulous system. It's more enraging than entertaining, a sad statement on the current economic reality, that if you're willing to steal data, hack into proprietary computer systems with immunity, and cheat your partners, then maybe you too can become an American billionaire and a folk hero.