Top 35 Talented Actresses 35 and Under: 30-26
It's been a while since I posted. I watched a lot of films with CinemaDoor a couple of weeks back in our yearly week of marathons. Here are a list of those with the grades I assigned them. I have seen several other films which I will hopefully give short reviews for soon.
Bad Movie Fest:
Did You Hear About the Morgans?: 0.5/10
All About Steve: 4/10
Kangaroo Jack: 0.5/10
Old Dogs: 0.3/10
Spinning into Butter: 2/10
Jumper: 2/10
Film Noir Fest:
Scarlet Street: 6.3/10
Where the Sidewalk Ends: 5/10
The Killing: 7.5/10
The Last Seduction: 7.7/10
Movies it's Sad We Have Not Seen Fest:
The Hustler: 6.8/10
Five Easy Pieces: 9.5/10
Black Narcissus: 8/10
Lola (1981): 7.9/10
Earrings of Madame De...: 6.3/10
Depressed Fest:
Leaving Las Vegas: 4/10
Breaking the Waves: 9.8/10
Sophie's Choice: 3/10
Lilya 4-Ever: 9.4/10
Pre-Code Fest:
Frisco Jenny: 3/10
Wild Boys of the Road: 6/10
Heroes for Sale: 5/10
Free-for-All:
Dogfight: 8/10
The Dead: 7/10
Night on Earth: 8.8/10
30. Jennifer Lawrence
She is one of the few actresses I decided to put on this list despite only seeing her in one thing. Winter’s Bone has proven though that this young actress is capable of a lot and I cannot wait to see her future roles. She has just been cast as Mystique in X-Men: First Class. As Roo in Winter’s Bone, she creates a very specific character. On the page, she would come off as potentially archetypal; the hard-edged teenager who is determined and always on the defense. Lawrence portrays her as someone who has a soft side but her environment prohibits her from ever being able to show it. She is too busy having to be tough, having to be the sole provider for her family, having to care for everyone around her and never being cared for herself. There are quiet moments in Winter’s Bone where she asks her mother for help, showing how desperate she is underneath all of that time constraint and effort. She is getting a lot of awards buzz and is sure to continue as the year progresses.
29. Elisabeth Moss
Actors who primarily work on television and specifically on great dramatic television have to do something that film actors only get to do to a certain degree. Both film and tv actors have to show their character’s arcs; how they start out, how they change and how they end up. Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on "Mad Men" has one of the most transformative arcs I have seen on television. She starts out as the secretary in a world unknown to her and having to navigate through it in a man’s world as she dares to have ambition. At the beginning of its fourth season she is still trying to balance being a woman and indulging that side of her while still going after the respect and work reputation her ambitious efforts deserve. Over the course of four years, and forty episodes, she has made very slow transitions as a character and it is simply a more complicated and long-term task than that of a film actor. She pulls it off beautifully and has given us one of the greatest television characters. It is a complex role with countless levels and facets to her. Her work on "Mad Men" is some of the best TV acting I’ve seen and easily gets her a spot on this list.
28. Rosario Dawson
She can basically do anything. She even made it out of Alexander relatively unscathed; something that cannot be said of Angelina Jolie (who pops up later on the list). She has yet to get a career-defining role which is why she is a bit lower but everything she appears in comes off as effortlessly believable. She has a brightness to her which is fun to see tampered with by the characters she plays. She plays ‘the girl’ much of the time in films such as The 25th Hour, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and more. In other roles her impossible to resist brightness is allowed to shine such as Clerks II and Death Proof. Seeing her play women who have lived life and not turned out so well because of it are always worth seeing because her natural energy is deflated and we can easily see who her characters might have been. Seven Pounds illustrates this well.
27. Anamaria Marinca:
Another actress I have only seen in one film but I hope that changes eventually. My intense obsession with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is due in no small party to Marinca. She has to carry this film on her own. The other main character Gabita is barely a character (the camera never even does the courtesy of focusing on her), meant to be the vessel towards which Otilia (Marinca) shows compassion to and sacrifices for. Otilia is not naïve; she just gets stuck in a terrible situation and makes her way out of it the best she can so that Gabita still gets what she needs. Her patience goes far beyond what the audience would have endured had we been stuck with Gabita and her truly senseless actions. Marinca makes us care in a performance that is extremely subtle and natural. Her best moment comes of course in the film’s best scene; the dinner scene. Those who have seen it need no explanation; those who haven’t should go see it. Hers is a face you want to keep watching.
26. Bae Doona
Bae Doona has a laid back quality to her that I have seen in no other Korean actress. She is not afraid to let herself look ordinary or even gaunt. She is not afraid to look beautiful either. One film she can appear stunning and the nest she can slightly resemble a rodent (I mean this in the best way possible; I think she is gorgeous). No special techniques to make her look either way; she is just able to easily look very different. Each film I have seen her in has shown her ability to fully inhabit the character she plays. Whether it be as a rebel teenager with a strong desire to keep her friends together or a radical leftist woman willing to kidnap a child or a determined but hesitant archer, she seems different in each film. I even hear she pulls off playing a lonely inflatable doll come to life in Air Doll. Bae Doona does things differently and it has allowed her to showcase her considerable talents in various ways and consistently intriguing ways.
Bad Movie Fest:
Did You Hear About the Morgans?: 0.5/10
All About Steve: 4/10
Kangaroo Jack: 0.5/10
Old Dogs: 0.3/10
Spinning into Butter: 2/10
Jumper: 2/10
Film Noir Fest:
Scarlet Street: 6.3/10
Where the Sidewalk Ends: 5/10
The Killing: 7.5/10
Movies it's Sad We Have Not Seen Fest:
The Hustler: 6.8/10
Five Easy Pieces: 9.5/10
Black Narcissus: 8/10
Lola (1981): 7.9/10
Earrings of Madame De...: 6.3/10
Depressed Fest:
Leaving Las Vegas: 4/10
Breaking the Waves: 9.8/10
Sophie's Choice: 3/10
Lilya 4-Ever: 9.4/10
Pre-Code Fest:
Frisco Jenny: 3/10
Wild Boys of the Road: 6/10
Heroes for Sale: 5/10
Free-for-All:
Dogfight: 8/10
The Dead: 7/10
Night on Earth: 8.8/10
30. Jennifer Lawrence
She is one of the few actresses I decided to put on this list despite only seeing her in one thing. Winter’s Bone has proven though that this young actress is capable of a lot and I cannot wait to see her future roles. She has just been cast as Mystique in X-Men: First Class. As Roo in Winter’s Bone, she creates a very specific character. On the page, she would come off as potentially archetypal; the hard-edged teenager who is determined and always on the defense. Lawrence portrays her as someone who has a soft side but her environment prohibits her from ever being able to show it. She is too busy having to be tough, having to be the sole provider for her family, having to care for everyone around her and never being cared for herself. There are quiet moments in Winter’s Bone where she asks her mother for help, showing how desperate she is underneath all of that time constraint and effort. She is getting a lot of awards buzz and is sure to continue as the year progresses.
29. Elisabeth Moss
Actors who primarily work on television and specifically on great dramatic television have to do something that film actors only get to do to a certain degree. Both film and tv actors have to show their character’s arcs; how they start out, how they change and how they end up. Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on "Mad Men" has one of the most transformative arcs I have seen on television. She starts out as the secretary in a world unknown to her and having to navigate through it in a man’s world as she dares to have ambition. At the beginning of its fourth season she is still trying to balance being a woman and indulging that side of her while still going after the respect and work reputation her ambitious efforts deserve. Over the course of four years, and forty episodes, she has made very slow transitions as a character and it is simply a more complicated and long-term task than that of a film actor. She pulls it off beautifully and has given us one of the greatest television characters. It is a complex role with countless levels and facets to her. Her work on "Mad Men" is some of the best TV acting I’ve seen and easily gets her a spot on this list.
28. Rosario Dawson
She can basically do anything. She even made it out of Alexander relatively unscathed; something that cannot be said of Angelina Jolie (who pops up later on the list). She has yet to get a career-defining role which is why she is a bit lower but everything she appears in comes off as effortlessly believable. She has a brightness to her which is fun to see tampered with by the characters she plays. She plays ‘the girl’ much of the time in films such as The 25th Hour, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and more. In other roles her impossible to resist brightness is allowed to shine such as Clerks II and Death Proof. Seeing her play women who have lived life and not turned out so well because of it are always worth seeing because her natural energy is deflated and we can easily see who her characters might have been. Seven Pounds illustrates this well.
27. Anamaria Marinca:
Another actress I have only seen in one film but I hope that changes eventually. My intense obsession with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is due in no small party to Marinca. She has to carry this film on her own. The other main character Gabita is barely a character (the camera never even does the courtesy of focusing on her), meant to be the vessel towards which Otilia (Marinca) shows compassion to and sacrifices for. Otilia is not naïve; she just gets stuck in a terrible situation and makes her way out of it the best she can so that Gabita still gets what she needs. Her patience goes far beyond what the audience would have endured had we been stuck with Gabita and her truly senseless actions. Marinca makes us care in a performance that is extremely subtle and natural. Her best moment comes of course in the film’s best scene; the dinner scene. Those who have seen it need no explanation; those who haven’t should go see it. Hers is a face you want to keep watching.
26. Bae Doona
Bae Doona has a laid back quality to her that I have seen in no other Korean actress. She is not afraid to let herself look ordinary or even gaunt. She is not afraid to look beautiful either. One film she can appear stunning and the nest she can slightly resemble a rodent (I mean this in the best way possible; I think she is gorgeous). No special techniques to make her look either way; she is just able to easily look very different. Each film I have seen her in has shown her ability to fully inhabit the character she plays. Whether it be as a rebel teenager with a strong desire to keep her friends together or a radical leftist woman willing to kidnap a child or a determined but hesitant archer, she seems different in each film. I even hear she pulls off playing a lonely inflatable doll come to life in Air Doll. Bae Doona does things differently and it has allowed her to showcase her considerable talents in various ways and consistently intriguing ways.
Horrorphile
I love classic film noir. My faves include Out of the Past, The Big Combo, Detour, Stranger on the 3rd Floor.
Screen Adventure
Yay to to a 9 for 5 easy pieces
looks like the cassavetes reviews passed you right by Catherine - I've done review on every single one of his films
I like Rosario Dawson alot too - interesting series your doing on the actresses - I was recently contemplating doing a a similar post too but much more from a male-centric viewpoint, if you catch my drift
Thoughts from a Cinephile
Thoughts from a TV Watcher
ShaunK: Oh no! I will be sure to read your entries for the three Cassavettes films I have seen asap. Becoming a follower of your blog will prevent this from happening again!
To be fair I did give Scarlet Street and The Hustler higher than 6's. The Hustler was really close to being a 7. Jackie Gleason ruled and Edward G. Robinson probably gave my second favorite performance of his in Scarlet Street. He was so impressive. The last 5 minutes were among the creepiest I've seen in a film noir. I had chills that I couldn't shake for about an hour afterwards.
I would love to see a list like that! You should do it! : )
Horrorphile
Out of the Past, how good was Jane Greer. It's amazing how mature the women were back then. She was only about 23 when she made it, but exudes the confidence and sophistication of someone at least ten years older.