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Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade 1 now up... - 6/3/2010 11:58:17 AM

matty_b

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From: Outpost 31 calling McMurtle.

So, to run alongside my top 50 films of the decade, here's the list for top 50 female performances (and yes, there'll be a male list, too). Same rules for this as the other list, there will be spoilers ahead and also a good chance that I'll watch a performance between now and the end of the list that would have made it. They'll be listed at the end.

So, here we go...

50) Shauna Macdonald as Sarah (The Descent, Neil Marshall, 2005)

A memorable female performance in a horror film can go a long way. Think of Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, Geena Davis in The Fly or even Sigourney Weaver in Alien (if you class it as a horror film) and you've got some of the best and most notable female performances in cinema. If Macdonald's performance in The Descent doesn't quite reach those dizzy height, she's nonetheless not too far behind. As one of a group of female potholers about to encounter something very, very unpleasant down in the dark, Macdonald has the heavy lifting to do. In the opening prologue she loses her husband and her daughter in a car crash and has the sneaking suspicion that her husband was at it with her best friend, and fellow potholer, Juno. She carries a bruised and wounded melancholy with her into the caves, and convinces as someone with a world of hurt buried deep inside her. This hurt comes out as a fierce protective rage however, once the creatures down below start snacking on her and her friends. Once roused, she's nearly as scary as them, and it's no surprise that she's last woman standing - although Macdonald's intelligent performance gives the ending the ambigious chill it needs.

Key moment - Rising from a pool of blood, ready to tear apart anything that gets inbetween her and a way out.

Up next - A bitchy PA

< Message edited by matty_b -- 9/7/2010 9:34:57 PM >

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 6/3/2010 11:59:36 AM

Epiphany Demon

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quote:

ORIGINAL: matty_b

Up next - A bitchy PA

I can only think of one... the bastard.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 6/3/2010 11:59:53 AM

Pigeon Army

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quote:

ORIGINAL: matty_b

Up next - A bitchy PA

Oi!

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She's supposed to be 13! I'd want her to be very attractive though

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 6/3/2010 12:03:16 PM

elab49

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As long as her boss doesn't turn up, you're good.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 6/3/2010 12:13:16 PM

matty_b

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Elab's got it...probably tomorrow

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 12:19:11 PM

matty_b

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49) Emily Blunt as Emily Chalton (The Devil Wears Prada, David Frankel, 2006)

The Devil Wears Prada scored Meryl Streep her 157th Oscar nomination, proved that Anne Hathaway could handle leading duties, but also showed that Emily Blunt was a rising star to watch. As the bitchy PA to Streep's magazine editor, Blunt had the good luck to get all of the best lines in the film, but also had the timing to make them really sting. She's also the only character to really display any genuine interest in the world of fashion. With her, you get a sense of a character who has a genuine passion for the world around her and a growing frustration that she's getting nowhere in it, while others are seemingly passing by her. Let's not carried away, Emily is not a greatly-written role, but Blunt brings shade and depth to it. She's certainly not the two-dimensional witch a lesser actress would have painted her as. She's ambitious, but clearly insecure and willing to fight tooth and nail for her job - but she makes Emily likeable and there's a genuine want of friendship with Hathaway's character, here. But Blunt plays her as someone scared to make friends in this world, because that leaves you vulnerable and that could leave you nowhere in this world. The Devil Wears Prada is not a good film, but when Emily Blunt is getting the kind of lead roles in a few year's time that Keira Knightley currently gets, it is to this role that we'll all acknowledge we could see her talent blossoming.

Key moment - "I'm on this new diet. Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight." Great delivery. Just imagine how Kim Cattrall would have done that line *shudders*

Up next - From Scotland to Texas.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 12:21:01 PM

Deviation

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That is not what I imagined it to be.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 12:38:05 PM

matty_b

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Ooh, who did you think? I can sense the disappointment

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 1:29:16 PM

paul_ie86

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I'm going to guess Kelly MacDonald in NCFOM for the next one.

I think Elab guessed that one.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 4:06:07 PM

rawlinson

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quote:

ORIGINAL: paul_ie86

I'm going to guess Kelly MacDonald in NCFOM for the next one.

Or did Sharleen Spiteri make a film last decade?

Blunt I like, shame about the film.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 4:10:41 PM

Deviation

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quote:

ORIGINAL: rawlinson

quote:

ORIGINAL: paul_ie86

I'm going to guess Kelly MacDonald in NCFOM for the next one.

Or did Sharleen Spiteri make a film last decade?

Rather shamefully, I just discovered of this woman right now.

And smiled when I found about her lesbian fanbase. At least she is better than Britney Spears right?

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There are certainly times where calling a person a cunt is not only reasonable, it is a gross understatement.

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I really wish I could go down to see Privates

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 4:13:41 PM

rawlinson

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Spiteri rocks. She sung with Meth' at the Brits one year and she threatened to beat up Paris Hilton in a club. She's impossible to dislike.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 4:19:13 PM

Deviation

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I am trying to find a song of hers.

XANADU???

Fuck off..............

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There are certainly times where calling a person a cunt is not only reasonable, it is a gross understatement.

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I really wish I could go down to see Privates

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 4:20:21 PM

rawlinson

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Oh I don't like her music.

Just her. She threatened to beat up Paris Hilton. The woman is awesome.

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ORIGINAL: matty_b

I would plough my way through MonsterCat

quote:

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I desire MonsterCat to go down on me.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 4:24:39 PM

Deviation

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Sometimes I lose faith in my island. Reed died here (in a bar I got drunk at, maybe that's a shameful thing to do), we are responsible for Spears, we just helped film a film about Saddam Hussien directed by Lee Tamahori (and Gladiator too rawl!, just to make you bitter), but know I at least know that we have created a woman who almost beat Hilton in a club.

And Joseph Calleja, what brill he is..........

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There are certainly times where calling a person a cunt is not only reasonable, it is a gross understatement.

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I really wish I could go down to see Privates

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 8:04:42 PM

rawlinson

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Bryan Adams is of Maltese descent as well. So you're responsible for him. And Gary Glitter. Gary Glitter, Dev'.

On the plus side, you have Jason and Justine Bateman.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 9:54:15 PM

Pigeon Army

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Deviation

Sometimes I lose faith in my island...we just helped film a film about Saddam Hussien directed by Lee Tamahori

I like to think Tamahori still has one amazing film left in him, he's just not found the project yet.

That said, his comments on this film aren't inspiring me with much confidence that he's found it now.

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ORIGINAL: Rinc
She's supposed to be 13! I'd want her to be very attractive though

quote:

ORIGINAL: MonsterCat

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army
Stop being mean to Deviation

No.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 10:25:24 PM

rawlinson

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Tamahori has been shite since Toodle-fucking-oo. I think it drained him.

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ORIGINAL: matty_b

I would plough my way through MonsterCat

quote:

ORIGINAL: matty_b

I desire MonsterCat to go down on me.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 10:49:03 PM

Pigeon Army

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I said I 'like' to think he has one more amazing film left in him. It may not be true.

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Rinc
She's supposed to be 13! I'd want her to be very attractive though

quote:

ORIGINAL: MonsterCat

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army
Stop being mean to Deviation

No.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 10:49:57 PM

rawlinson

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Part of me actually wants his last great work to be an episode called Toodle-fucking-oo. Every director should have that as their last great work. They should form a pact.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 7/3/2010 10:50:42 PM

Epiphany Demon

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So, we're not counting Die Another Day as a great film then?

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 8/3/2010 11:58:50 AM

matty_b

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48) Kelly Macdonald as Carla Jean Moss (No Country For Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007)

Macdonald has a pivotal role as Carla Jean in the Coen's masterpiece as she's the heart of the film. By which I mean, Llewelyn (Josh Brolin) exists on his wits and instinct as he goes on the run, Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is guided by his logic and Chirguh (Javier Bardem) is guided by nothing but money. Carla is the most sympathetic character out of the lot of them, filled with genuine concern for Llewelyn and it's aided immensely by Macdonald's sympathetic performance. She's probably the most outwardly emotional and sympathetic performance in a Coens film since Marge Gunderson, although here she doesn't have the comic material to play with. Instead, we see her mainly at the beginning and the end with a brief glimpse in the middle too, once more her heart aching with worry for her husband. Macdonald's accent is faultless and it is through her, and her engaging performance, that we channel our fears and worries for Llewelyn. There's something comforting and safe about her presence that means we miss her when she's not around. It's a small role, but massively important as the woman who can't comprehend the cruel forces surrounding her, and Macdonald shines in it.

Key moment - returning home from Llewelyn's funeral to be confronted by Chirguh, who offers the chance of survival depending on a coin spin. Carla radiates fear, but also brazen courage in refusing to play along. It's up to us to decide what happens to her, but Macdonald is every bit a match for Bardem's fearsome performance.

Up next - a cross between Sybil Fawlty and Mrs Schindler

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 10/3/2010 12:05:26 PM

matty_b

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47) Sophie Okonedo as Tatiana Rusesabagina (Hotel Rwanda, Terry George, 2004)

Hotel Rwanda is not a subtle film. It's a good film, but not a subtle one. In it, Paul Rusesabagine (Don Cheadle) hides hundreds of refugees in his hotel as Rwanda tears itself apart in civil war and genocide. Okonedo as his wife, Tatiana, is the angel on his shoulder, offering him support and constantly urging him to do the right thing. As their neighbours are beaten in the street and their family members disappear, Tatiana is the one constantly urging Paul to ask questions and do something and it's Okonedo's superb performance that gives this role the gravity it needs and stops Tatiana becoming a two-dimensional caricature. She's an oasis of dependability in a horrific situation, yet her performance is still one that suggests a character who is just about managing to keep her fear at bay. Her fear, of course, does come through at times and that's why Okonedo's performance is so important - when she's scared, we should be REALLY scared and so much of the power of Hotel Rwanda comes through her performance. It's a subtle, but powerful performance, as indelible as Cheadle's is and unquestionably one of the best of the decade.

Key moment - His hotel under siege, Paul fears his wife and child are dead. Investigating, he finds them hiding in the shower with Tatiana ready to defend herself against enemy soldiers - with the shower hose. It's a moment of light relief (eventually) but Okonedo summons up fear and defiance in equal measure.

Up next - she made a splash.

< Message edited by matty_b -- 10/3/2010 6:11:43 PM >

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 10/3/2010 1:03:16 PM

swordsandsandals

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Emily Blunt is ace. She is also engaged to John Krasinski, who is also ace.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 11/3/2010 4:57:57 AM

Gimli The Dwarf

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quote:

ORIGINAL: swordsandsandals

Emily Blunt is ace. She is also engaged to John Krasinski, who is also ace.

But who's the most ace?

Blunt was the best thing about The Devil Wears Prada. Did Shauna Macdonald used to be in Spooks?

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 11/3/2010 9:24:46 AM

matty_b

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Hmm, not sure, Gimli. Krasinski is ace in The Office, but he's engaged to Emily Blunt so officially I have to hate him.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 11/3/2010 10:35:44 AM

swordsandsandals

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Yeah but did you see Krasinski in Kimmel's Handsome Men's Club skit? No one can hate that.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 11/3/2010 2:34:46 PM

matty_b

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46) Ludivine Sagnier as Julie Bosload (Swimming Pool, Francois Ozon, 2003)

Francois Ozon's puzzle-box of a film has Charlotte Rampling's writer, Sarah, relocate to her publisher's villa in France to get over a case of writer's block. Once there her rest is interupted by the arrival of Julie, his teenage daughter who proceeds to bring back a string of men every night and doesn't care who knows it. Of course, the twist at the end of the film is when, back in London, we meet the real Julie, leaving us to guess at the "other" Julie's real identity. An imposter? A literary creation of Sarah? A flashback to Sarah's younger days? Whatever the answer is, Sagnier's performance is key to upholding the mystery. If she plays the precocious and mysterious angle of Julie too much, we guess too early that something's not right about her. But then if she underplays it too much, we lose interest in her characters. Instead, Sagnier is excellent in a performance that is all cool, teenage exterior, who takes orders from nobody and has no care about how her sexual proclivites appear, but also suggests a deep, troubled interior. It's a performance of layers that are peeled away, one by one, as Sarah eventually develops a bond with Julie. Sagnier gets under the audience's skin, like she does Sarah's and with the Hitchcockian overtones of the film, one can only imagine he would nodded his solemn head in approval at how Ozon has used his screen blonde here. It's a sweaty, uncomfortable film, but Sagnier's cool performance, eventually spiralling outwards to panic as Swimming Pool becomes a thriller, is the centre of it all.

Key moment - giving head to a random man in the swimming pool. It treads a fine line between arthouse smut and erotic thriller, but Sagnier's moment here is brave and memorable.

Up next - a boss and a hard-assed one, at that - but only in two out of three.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 11/3/2010 2:37:53 PM

elab49

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf
Did Shauna Macdonald used to be in Spooks?

Yup - last seen being sedated after Danny died, and never seen again.

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RE: Matty_b's 50 Female Performances of the decade - 12/3/2010 6:36:43 AM

Gimli The Dwarf

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quote:

ORIGINAL: swordsandsandals

Yeah but did you see Krasinski in Kimmel's Handsome Men's Club skit? No one can hate that.

Ha, that's pretty funny. He's almost playing Jim in that. And I'd have rejected Lautner as well.

quote:

ORIGINAL: elab49

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf
Did Shauna Macdonald used to be in Spooks?

Yup - last seen being sedated after Danny died, and never seen again.

I think I remember her. My memory of 6 years ago in TV-land is hazy

< Message edited by Gimli The Dwarf -- 12/3/2010 6:37:30 AM >

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Much more better!

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