Before watching "Blue Jasmine" I had 2 preconceptions.
1 was that Cate Blanchett wouldn't disappoint me, and she didn't. As I've often said, Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett are the 2 best actresses working today, and 2 of the greatest of all time. But that's also why I thought she wouldn't surprise me.
I was wrong. I was blown away.
"Blue Jasmine" tends to be compared to "A streetcar named Desire"- it's similar enough to remind one of Tennessee Williams's play and different enough to be a Woody Allen film rather than a remake. The film as a whole, I think, doesn't measure up to the 1951 "Streetcar" film in some aspects: the other actors are rather forgettable (except Sally Hawkins), the supporting characters can be inconsistent or simply caricatural, a few details (such as the 2 moments of revelation) seem quite contrived, Ginger's house is unrealistically, unconvincingly spacious, and then the plot doesn't have the dynamic between 2 persons, 2 forces, 2 sets of values (though one may defend the last point by arguing that Woody Allen chooses to focus on Jasmine and present her as causing her own downfall and destroying everything for everybody and that I'm simply biased).
However, with Cate, these things don't matter greatly; and if they do, the film should nevertheless be watched for Cate alone- hers is 1 of the most outstanding, breathtaking and haunting performances in film history. I remember watching the 1995 TV adaptation of "Streetcar", looking at Jessica Lange and seeing, hearing Vivien Leigh. Cate escapes that, though her character Jasmine is not the same as Blanche DuBois, there was still a danger that her performance as Jasmine could be a replica of Vivien's, but she presents a different interpretation, a different approach, a more naturalistic style of acting, and it works beautifully. She mumbles, she rambles, she shakes, she bursts into tears, she stares into space, she looks the other way, above all, we look at her and see Jasmine, not Cate Blanchett, not Blanche DuBois, not Vivien Leigh, we see the madness and despair in her eyes and feel her pain and watch her fall apart. Some actors act only with the face, some also with hands and arms and legs and feet, with movements and gestures and voice- Cate Blanchett in "Blue Jasmine", like Vivien in "Streetcar", acts with every fibre in her body. She's so magnificent and hypnotic that the flaws of the film almost escape notice.
If asked, I cannot compare Cate's performance as Jasmine and that of Vivien as Blanche, it's impossible and both are 2 of the most deserving Oscar winners. But taking the career as a whole I must say that, as much as it pains me to say, Cate Blanchett (as well as Meryl Streep) is greater than Vivien at acting- having wider range, greater versatility, she is unrecognisable.
I may say more, but words are inadequate. Just watch the film.
Best picture: "12 years a slave"
Best actor: Matthew McConaughey in "Dallas buyers club"
Best actress: Cate Blanchett in "Blue jasmine"
Best supporting actor: Jared Leto in "Dallas buyers club"
Best supporting actress: Lupita Nyong'o in "12 years a slave"
Best director: Alfonso Cuarón for "Gravity"
Just like I predicted.
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(another rant)
Ellen totally ruined the Oscars and made it so common and informal, with her silly, pointless bullshit. I knew right from the beginning that it would happen. In her own show she's OK but at the Oscars! As bad as Seth MacFarlane last year. Didn't even speak fluently.
And Jennifer Lawrence never has any grace. Was OK until she presented the Oscar for best supporting actor.
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Amy Adams, Charlize Theron and Anne Hathaway looked gorgeous. I love their dresses.
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I'm so glad Cate Blanchett won though I haven't seen the film. I love her. So this is her 2nd Oscar, after "The aviator" (supporting).
My Oscar predictions:
Best picture: "12 years a slave"
Best actor: Matthew McConaughey in "Dallas buyers club" (or Chiwetel Ejiofor in "12 years a slave")
Best actress: Cate Blanchett in "Blue jasmine"
Best supporting actor: Jared Leto in "Dallas buyers club"
Best supporting actress: Lupita Nyong'o in "12 years a slave"
Best director: Alfonso Cuarón for "Gravity" (or Steve McQueen for "12 years a slave")
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[Warning: This is a rant].
Let's look at the nominees.
Among the 9 films, there's 1 film I haven't watched- "Nebraska". "12 years a slave", the best of them, is beautifully done, authentic and deeply moving. My other favourites are "Philomena", "Her" and "Dallas buyers club", they make us laugh and make us cry and stay with us long afterwards because they touch the deepest parts of our hearts. "Gravity" and "Captain Phillips" are OK, good for their genres and no more. "American hustle", which I've just watched, is dull and tedious, with unbearable cast (I'll come back to this point later). Above all, "The wolf of Wall Street" is a huge disappointment, or to be precise, it's an average comedy, but I can't believe that the man who has made masterpieces such as "Taxi driver", "Goodfellas", "Raging bull", "The aviator", "Mean streets"... could make such a ridiculous and pointless film like "The wolf of Wall Street". It's an embarrassing film, in the sense that, placed next to Paul Thomas Anderson's great works such as "There will be blood", "Magnolia" and "Boogie nights", his latest film "The master" is not as good but not embarrassing, but "Punch drunk love" is.
When it comes to the nominated actors and actresses, I realise that usually at Oscars they have a dozen films and then fill the acting categories with people from these films. As a result, some of the nominees don't deserve it whilst some brilliant performances in so-so or good but forgotten films get neglected. Jonah Hill in "The wolf of Wall Street" getting a nomination is like a joke. Christian Bale, who a few years ago blew my mind with "The fighter", has a pale and forgettable performance in "American hustle", like Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in the same film, Sandra Bullock in "Gravity" and Michael Fassbender in "12 years a slave". Bradley Cooper is Bradley Cooper, "Silver linings playbook" may have changed his career and given him better opportunities, but he remains the way he is. Michael Fassbender is 1 of those actors I have never considered good, though some people have compared him to Daniel Day-Lewis (blasphemy!), and in this film, having such a challenging, fascinatingly complex role, doesn't make use of the great opportunity, which could have been the role of a lifetime. What truly gets on my nerves is that after "Winter's bone" and "Silver linings playbook", Jennifer Lawrence gets nominated again. She's overrated. Her confident, unsophisticated, down-to-earth, natural, easygoing public image charms and blinds people. In this film she's exactly the same as in "Silver linings playbook", the way she talks, the way she shouts, the way she lifts up her chin, the way she frowns, the way she laughs, the way she behaves like a crazy, unstable woman... In fact, that voice, those facial expressions, gestures, gesticulations... I have also seen in "Hunger games" and "Winter's bone" and "X-men: 1st class" and "House at the end of the street". So what's next? I've called it a mistake to give her an Oscar for "Silver linings playbook", though I do like her in it, now she's even more disappointing. What's next? Jennifer Lawrence plays herself, just like Keira Knightley, Naomi Watts, Carey Mulligan, Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Taylor.. and acts mostly on the surface, not as well as Jessica Chastain, Helena Bonham Carter, Glenn Close, Jodie Foster, Julianne Moore, Hilary Swank..., let alone Vivien Leigh, Meryl Streep, Ingrid Bergman, Cate Blanchett, Marion Cotillard, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis... I understand that she's young, and for the time being can't think of any young actress that is better, but I have seen enough to see that she will not develop any further in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years or even 40 years.
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The discovery of Daniel Day-Lewis in the art of acting is as awful as the discovery of Tolstoy in literature. It changed my perspective and standard forever. Of course, I neither expect every actor to be like Daniel Day-Lewis, nor every writer to be like Tolstoy, which is impossible, but still...
However, with Cate, these things don't matter greatly; and if they do, the film should nevertheless be watched for Cate alone- hers is 1 of the most outstanding, breathtaking and haunting performances in film history. I remember watching the 1995 TV adaptation of "Streetcar", looking at Jessica Lange and seeing, hearing Vivien Leigh. Cate escapes that, though her character Jasmine is not the same as Blanche DuBois, there was still a danger that her performance as Jasmine could be a replica of Vivien's, but she presents a different interpretation, a different approach, a more naturalistic style of acting, and it works beautifully. She mumbles, she rambles, she shakes, she bursts into tears, she stares into space, she looks the other way, above all, we look at her and see Jasmine, not Cate Blanchett, not Blanche DuBois, not Vivien Leigh, we see the madness and despair in her eyes and feel her pain and watch her fall apart. Some actors act only with the face, some also with hands and arms and legs and feet, with movements and gestures and voice- Cate Blanchett in "Blue Jasmine", like Vivien in "Streetcar", acts with every fibre in her body. She's so magnificent and hypnotic that the flaws of the film almost escape notice.
