Oscar Time: best young actresses

It's awards season in the movie world and excitement is building now for the Oscars with the release of the nominations yesterday.

Saoirse Ronan

     I was particularly pleased with the Leading Actress nominations, which included Brie Larsson (who I hope will win the award) for Room, and a second nomination for Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn. Still called by some a 'newcomer' or an 'unknown' Saoirse has for a long time been a superb actress in my opinion. Her first academy award nomination was for best supporting actress in Atonement, nine years ago, when she was just 13. Since then she has also put in great performances in films such as Hanna, The Lovely Bones, The Way Back and The Grand Budapest Hotel. She also has two Golden Globes nominations and three BAFTA nominations and it surely can't be long until she finally wins one.

Thinking about Saoirse made me consider other excellent, young, female performers from recent years. From the list I drew up only two have yet won a top award, and only one has received an Oscar.


Anna Paquin: The Piano, Fly Away Home, X-Men - Anna has won one Golden Globe and the only Oscar she has been nominated for - a Best Supporting Award for her role in The Piano, aged 11.

Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan: An Education, Never Let Me Go, Drive, The Great Gatsby - Carey has one Oscar and one Golden Globe nomination for An Education, however she won the BAFTA of Best Leading Actress, for the same film.


Abigail Breslin: Little Miss Sunshine, Definitely Maybe, My Sister's Keeper - Abigail was nominated at the age of 10 for Little Miss Sunshine by both the Oscars and the BAFTAs, but didn't win either.


Mia Wasikowska: Defiance, Alice in Wonderland, Tracks - Mia is yet to even receive a nomination for any of the top awards.

Shailene Woodley

Shailene Woodley: The Descendants, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars - Shailene was nominated by the Golden Globes for her role in The Descendants and also by the BAFTAs for the Rising Star award last year, but didn't win.


Keisha Castle-Hughes: Whale Rider, The Nativity Story - Keisha is certainly the least known actress on this list, but did receive an Oscar nomination for Whale Rider aged 14.


Maybe their lack of awards suggests I'm not watching the best movies, but I don't think so. Hopefully all of these actresses, and more, will continue to put on great performances that will see them honoured with awards in years to come.

Epiphany

The night the star appeared they knew it was a sign. They gazed at it in wonder and whispered to each other of the royal birth it announced. They went to their King and showed him with many charts and ancient texts that the new baby would become a King of particular importance, maybe even the greatest King of all.
               It was decided, they must go at once, all the astrologers, as emissaries, and with them the King would send members of the royal court, mighty warriors, magicians and an abundance of servants to cater and care for this magnificent party. They must also, the King announced take three gifts for the royal baby. They must be special and meaningful presents, fit for someone so important. The King sent away his wise men to consider what gifts should be sent.
        

“We must take something expensive, jewels maybe?”

               “Gold, gold for a King.”
               “Yes, you’re right. Gold will distinguish him as a ruler and someone to be trusted.”
               “Trusted? How so?”
               “Well, people will always be envious of someone who purchases gold from their earnings, and someone who wins gold will always be the subject of doubt. But if respected men, like ourselves, present a gift of gold, the receiver will gain respect and trust too. People the world over will know that we believe this is a King to be listened to.”
               “I agree, and we all accept gold will be the first gift, but what else shall we give him?”
               “How about a ring, to be his seal?”
               “The gold already tells everyone he is a King, but we know he will be much more than just a King. His realm will reach far beyond borders. He will be a spiritual leader too.”
               “A Priest, you mean.”
               “Of sorts, yes.”
               “What do you give to a Priest, though? They are not in the habit of collecting things.”
               “Incense. We are giving gifts that will show everyone who this child is and who he will be. A gift of Frankincense, say, will display his righteousness and priestly status.”

After this the wise men became stuck. Nothing else they suggested seemed fit as a gift for such a child. Several days passed with no brilliant idea coming to any of them. Instead they passed the time reading old scrolls, writings from a forgotten era, searching for clues about the new King. Then, one morning, one of the men called them together in excitement.

               “I know what the third gift should be. Last night I had a revelation; not just a dream, it was more vivid than anything I have experienced before. I can still see it clearly now. This new King is going to die, possibly before his reign even begins, but his death will be of even more importance than his life. I don’t fully understand what this means but I feel we should announce this in the same way we are announcing his role as King and Priest.”
               The others looked at him in bewilderment. “So what gift are you suggesting?”
               “Myrrh.”

Danny's Resolution

There are two things you need to know about Danny. Firstly, he was a pessimist and he knew it. Nothing ever went right for him, or so it seemed. Secondly, he never made New Year’s resolutions, because what was the point? Sooner or later he’d mess up or fail to keep his promise and then he’d feel bad. Besides, he didn’t need to go on a diet, he didn’t smoke and so couldn’t give it up, and he’d already achieved things he wanted to do like get out of his overdraft and learn how to cook.
               So, as you can imagine, it was big surprise to Danny when, late one December, he felt convicted to begin a list of things he wanted to see change in the New Year. He couldn’t even really say where the idea came from, except that it didn’t feel like making a resolution but more to do with challenging himself emotionally.
               Look with hope, was the first thing he wrote on a blank piece of paper he found in his desk. Again, he didn’t really know what that meant either, but he knew he wanted to be more positive about the future. He almost followed it with Don’t watch the news, seeing as that was probably the quickest way to feeling depressed these days, but then he realised that that itself was a negative sentiment, so he changed it to Find uplifting stories.
               The next one came easily. Trust yourself. He realised that this sounded like something you’d see on one of those posters with an eagle in flight and a sunset in the background, but immediately he admonished himself for being snide and told himself it didn’t matter what connotations it had as long as it meant something to him. As Danny considered the phrase Trust yourself, he was confused because it seemed to him that he trusted himself more than anyone else (other people were always unreliable – no, don’t be negative; maybe Trust other people, should be the next one) but then, he supposed, he didn’t really consider himself capable of many things, mostly only the things he’d done before and succeeded at. So he agreed to challenge himself in this way too.
               Finally, just after he got in to bed on New Year’s Eve, he added No pressure, seriously. You’re not performing if no one is watching. Then he stuck the piece of paper on the wall next to his bed and rolled over with a smile on his face.

Year in Numbers

My 2015

* Some numbers are approximations

 

2015 Awards

From the books I have read, films I have seen and songs I have heard for the first time this year, here are my number 1s!

Book of the year:
I have read twelve books for the first time this year, plus I finally finished Les Miserables, hooray! There has been something of a dour theme too, with other books about war and death, and my choice of the best book I have read is in some ways no less positive. The novel is a discussion of people, their choices and misunderstandings, and particularly what happens when they get it wrong, but the detail and care with which the story is written sets it far above any other book I have read this year. It is East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

 

 

 

 

Film of the year:

I have only been to the cinema three times this year, despite there being several films I would have liked to see, however I have discovered many other films that I have enjoyed (if that is the right word), including Twelve Years a Slave and Tracks. However, my top film this year is a small budget movie, released in 2013, and featuring a superb performance by Brie Larson (who is currently being tipped for an Oscar nomination for her new movie Room, which will be released in the new year). In this movie Brie's character, Grace, works with a tough group of young people, and brings out inspiring, amusing and heart warming moments. It is called Short Term 12.

 

 



Song of the year:

This year I have gained a greater interest in songs (pop and not) than ever before, I think, including new tunes and old. My top track comes from yet another Swedish artist and was released in August 2014. I find the song inspiring and particularly the lyrics: "Every day people do everyday things but I can't be one of them... we can do anything". I think I connected with it given my perhaps unusual job with PGL and I also liked the idea of being, as the song says, a hero, if in an unconventional, small but personal way. This is Heroes (We could be) Alesso -feat. Tove Lo

 

 

 

 

Story of Grace

She looked at me, but I could not hold her gaze. “It’s alright,” she said, “you don’t have to be afraid.”

   “Am I afraid?” I replied. She just smiled.

   She reached out a hand, I hesitated, then took it and she helped me up. She was small, I suppose, but somehow I didn’t seem to be any taller.
   “What’s your name?” I asked.
   “I’m called Grace,” she answered.

At school no-one liked her. They made fun of her. Whispered comments came her way, or sniggered suggestions. She sat quietly and smiled, her small, quiet smile. No-one knew why.

   When she was eleven she became ill, of what, the doctors could not say at first. At school they said she faked it, that she was scared of them. She smiled.
   One day she arrived in a wheel chair. Some just laughed, others tried to push her the wrong way. In PE she took shots at the netball hoop, at one point scoring five in a row. Everyone pretended not to notice.

She looked at me, her eyes shining brightly.

   “Why are you so kind?” I said aloud, by mistake.
   “It brings me life.”
   “Don’t you mean joy?”
   “That too.”
   “But why are you so nice to all the others, at school I mean?”
   “I’m called Grace,” she reminded me.


Story of Grace was inspired by the picture above, sketched by Naomi Saunders. There might be more to tell.

For we are Living

“Does anybody know what we are living for?” Says Queen. “Does anybody know what we are looking for… Another hero, another mindless crime. Inside my heart is breaking, my make-up may be flaking, but my smile still stays on.”  [From The Show Must Go On]

It has struck me recently that we have no idea what other people are thinking or feeling, what is really going on behind their smile. I believe this may be particularly true of people in the UK, though I imagine it is applicable for many other places too, and it is probably due to two things: we are bad at sharing our thoughts and our feelings, and possibly even worse at noticing, or caring, about those of others, at least until it is too late. Instead we seek an outlet for our thoughts, desires and emotions in often unhelpful places, which can lead to disastrous consequences.

Recently I saw a performance of We Will Rock You, the musical based on songs by Queen, updated slightly since its first release, and with a youthful twist (it was a school production). The musical is written as a comedy, and yet I couldn’t help being provoked by the themes of media frenzy and fitting in with the crowd, of immersing yourself in the internet and not looking at anyone beside you. These themes have been discussed in many mediums, and often in more serious ways than this play, but still this had an effect on me, reminding me what we all do too much, removing ourselves from the real world for the virtual.

Sometimes we realise that people do still live and breathe but mostly only when they stop living.

Having been reminded recently by news stories of how short life can be, the poignancy of the song No One But You, also known as Only The Good Die Young, was clearly felt by everyone in the theatre. (It may not technically be true, but who can say who is good and who is bad? That is a discussion best left for another time). Equally the song Who Wants To Live Forever struck me. We try to extend our lives, but why? Why do we want to live forever? Is it because we are afraid of what comes next, or that nothing comes next?

Under Pressure, a Queen classic, does remind me that there are things worth living for. The people on the street, families split in two, lifting the pressure that is on all of us. Pressure to perform, to conform, to survive, to do things because we should rather than because we need to, or because they’re good things to do. There is love, that ‘old-fashioned word’ which dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night (everyone), to stop being so consumed with your life that you notice someone else, that you listen to someone else and realise that they’re missing something and perhaps lead them to safety.

That may take courage, but as Ernest Hemingway said, "Courage is grace under pressure." It is a test of our ability to put others first, a good pressure to be under.

So, while the show must go on (and yes it must; we must not stop living and bringing life to others) it should go on for a good reason. It should go on because we want it to go on in others, because we don’t want them to stop going on. It must go on because there are great things to do and to believe in. We are all looking for another hero, a personal hero. May we find them, or they us, before it is too late.