11 SAG Shots. Drink Up.
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 4:20PM Since there is so little to parse anymore in terms of awardage, herewith a brief visual survey of SAG moments that lingered -- reaction shots mostly (fashion roundup still to come.) During live blogs it's hard to discuss all the minutae. Particularly when you need pain killers. Anyone we always wonder what it's like to sit in the room, fully aware that the camera is constantly seeking you out. It must be excruciating madness for the camera hogs and the weirdly shy ones alike. Does anyone even nibble at their food?
Can Anyone Lip Read?
I never want to be able to lip read so much as when I'm watching awards shows. Something inconsequential had just gone on onstage and Andrew Garfield turns and chats with Jesse Eisenberg. Whatever could they have been talking about? If you can lip read, you must transcribe all these awards shows for us. Please and thanks.
Sometimes, particularly with emphatically earnest stars you can tell. After Juliana Margulies thanked her husband effusively, Hilary Swank says...
.
"THAT WAS SO SWEET."
You could even make out the emphasis on the "so"... I bet she even sighed audibly after like "Awwww." I couldn't make out who she was saying this too but at another table Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban smiled at each other knowingly. Hmmmm.
Camera Tricks?
Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman wree onstage introducing the clip to Black Swan and when the clip ends they pan the Black Swan table and they're sitting right there. How could a pregnant woman move that fast? Are they still doing those "head replacement" visual fx?
Mila and Natalie are so foxy. Speaking of...
Her Favorite Husband
Hugh Dancy, Hugh Dancy's Tongue, and Friend of Hugh Dancy (this shot is for Darryl)
He was reacting to Claire Danes singling him out as her favorite man and favorite husband as the music drowned her out.
Two Actresses Who Deserve a Good Gig
Since Christopher Guest does not make a movie at even close to the same speed as the Woody Allens and Clint Eastwood's of the world, why doesn't some sharp genius television creator give Catherine O'Hara her own series? You know she would ace it and make a character as memorable as Nurse Jackie or Valerie Cherish or other sitcom greats. And speaking of underemployed... Robin Wright was glowing. She hasn't looked this good since... well, ever. This new Robin Wright puts even The Princess Bride to shame. Look at her. What the hell happened? She looks 10 years younger and it sure doesn't look like surgery.
Mad (Wo)Men
It was not a good night for Mad Men as Boardwalk Empire became the new shiny toy of awards groups. Jon Hamm looked totally defeated when Buscemi won ("am I ever going to win anything for creating one of television's most iconic characters?") and when Christian Bale won for The Fighter we got this strangely frosty frozen shot of January Jones. After this split second she let her bottom lip drop a little, moving from frozen robot to sultry robot. But either way, she nails the frost in Emma Frost.
Speaking of Frosty...
This moment when barely anyone applauded for The Social Network and Andrew Garfield shrugged his shoulders 'you can applaud if you want' stuck a knife in me and twisted it. And not in the happy "omg. i died!" way. Just after that Justin Timberlake said something about the microphone volume so I guess there was a technical snafu in the room and [self delusion] there was actually thunderous applause from the crowd who must surely know that The Social Network is something the industry ought to be very very very very proud of and will SURELY know that it will be embarassing if they don't hand it "Best Picture". [/self delusion]
Now we need to cheer up...
Finally, Three Best Actress Reaction Shots.
Adieu Adieu to you and you and you...
Annette Bening looked genuinely happy all night -- but how silly is it that they always cut to the Bening-Beattys "Hollywood Royalty" whenever anyone over 60 is talking from the stage? Bening's joy in her own work and her movie is heartening since Her Majesty ain't ever winning an Oscar. Sigh. Nicole Kidman was a little embarrassed that they chose her single loudest moment in a quiet performance I think. But she also seemed happy. She never has any luck with "clips". Remember when they used her bizarre Three Stooges ready noisy-boudoir moment in Moulin Rouge! as her Oscar clip? Jennifer Lawrence giggles at her clip. I've already forgotten what her character Ree Dolly (Winter's Bone) was saying in the clip but it was some specific turn of phrase that was as regionally specific as Luke Skywalker bitching about Toshi Station Power Convertors on Tattoine. And just as alien, too.
Bye!
Reader Comments (28)
Brilliant post. Cheers! :-)
I missed the Social Network clip, so I found it on youtube and watched it, and godDAMN that was cold! People definitely weren't clapping when the young cast came onstage, and the camera panned to Jennifer Lawrence, who looked like she was putting the barest minimum of politeness into clapping (what does she have all her panties tangled in a knot for? How is she superior to them in any way? You may be an It Girl, Jennifer, but all year you have been acting as if you're hailed as the new Meryl Streep, and even Meryl Streep doesn't act like that), and Andrew Garfield totally broke my heart. I don't understand the Hollywood crowd. I really don't. What has been going on at the after-show parties to make them hate on even the cast?
The best reaction shot was Noni Ryder pulling a Cate Blanchett: Turn Off the Dark.
I seem to remember the Jennifer Lawrence clip being about how her dad was in a stall with some hogs or something ...
The four TSN actors introducing their movie on stage was one single most awkward moment throughout the whole show, coming off as distracted, bored and unprofessional in front of their peers.
Hollywood people aren't fans of Justin Timberlake and his involvement cost the film the Oscars. Discuss.
P.S. I don't really believe that, but we're just talking aren't we?
In My Opinion, I liked the Social Network, and The King's Speech, but with the exception of Hammer and Eisenberg, Timberlake and Garfield came off as real Scumbags. on a side note, the envelope is reporting backlash about the accuracy of The King's Speech, which I guess is expected, to say the same as some backlash to The Social Network, with people saying how it was sexist. Whatever happens, at least the Best Picture Race has gotten a whole lot interesting, because I'm still not sure that TKS is going to win, we will see
I love Nicole Kidman so much. She comes across as so humble and self-effacing. She clearly doesn't see herself as an INTERNATIONAL MOVIE STAR.
And I love January Jones. I love the fashion risks she takes! And if nothing else, you've got to admire how deep she's been willing to go into her unflattering Mad Men character. She illuminates that tole, warts and all.
***She illuminates the role. oops
Haha I loved Nicole's reaction to her clip. It was a mixture of being slightly embarrassed at seeing herself (she's always like this lol) and then being completely tickled and happy for being there. She's missed awards season (and we've missed her), I think. She's just so happy to be there and it shows. I hope they do clips at the Oscars this year because seeing them at the SAG Awards always makes me miss them. :(
And they chose some good one's this year!
Also, Nat, HOW did you not included Winona's reaction to her clip?! It was the funniest part of the night by far.
Isn't it INSANE that none of the Mad Men cast ever win acting awards? I just don't understand it.
@movieguy, alright, i'm probably biased. Clearly neither you nor AMPAS voters have seen Garfield singing "Bed Intruder" on youtube or declaring his bro-love for Jesse Eisenberg on like, a weekly basis. JEWNICORN LOVE!
cici -- i *love* Garfield's version of "Bed Intruder"
I was confused by the actors' reception to TSN cast too. Things looked okay at the Critics and Golden Globes and it's the same group of actors. I don't understand how the atmosphere can suddenly shift and turn so cold. What's wrong with at least embracing young talented upcoming actors? Surely something weird must be going on behind the scenes. How can these so-called creative artists watch a film like The Social Network and hate it so much? It's like everything about the movie pisses them off.
This video shows some of the CGI effects placing Natalie's face over the faces of the dancers doing the moves.
I think you should be banned from making anymore "shiny new toy" cracks about Boardwalk Empire until you actually watch the show (since you indicated that you haven't yet). You know those episodes of Mad Men you found disappointing or just a little weak? (Too much Betty, not enough office politics, etc.) That didn't happen in Season 1 of Boardwalk Empire. At all.
But then, you think Shakespeare in Love is better than Saving Private Ryan, so maybe there's just no talking to you. :)
Oh, here's the link of the video that shows Natalie 's face being plaec on the real dancers body:
http://www.lookfx.com/assets/works/videos/1_mostrecent/BSW_VFX_BUILDS_V3.mp4
cici, no, I haven't seen it, but thanks, I will. I'm not saying he's a bad guy, I thought he was terrific in the social network, and should have gotten a nomination, ind=stead of Hawkes, I wasn't a huge fan of Winter's Bone, it's just they way they both came off last night. it was probably just an off night
JP. i was actually only repeating the "shiny new toy" thing because it won the readers poll by such a wide margin meaning the readers think it's that.
and i love Betty episodes of Mad Men so what'chu talking about?
Man, Andrew Garfield is looking good. I think he shall be my first celebrity crush of 2011.
When are the FB awards gonna be finished Nathaniel? Those Actress categories are just sitting there, staring at me..
The first season of Boardwalk Empire IS shaky, though. Heavy-handed metaphors, characters we can't invest much interest in - too much snazzy production values and not enough original, fresh, gripping writing. It's like a compilation of every cliched gangster movie made, and surprisingly boring at all that (how many over-the-top, operatic assassination scenes were we forced to go through?) and though I have faith that Boardwalk Empire will get progressively stronger, they should NOT have awarded a shaky first season of BE over season 4 of Mad Men, perhaps one of the best seasons of tv in history. Honestly. We're not comparing which first season was better, we're comparing the seasons for this year. And maybe Boardwalk Empire will be better than Mad Men next year, or the year after that. I'm actually sure of it. But that's just why it makes me mad - the shows will have plenty of opportunities to award BE in coming years. Not to mention that this was the season that, in my mind, Mad Men finally came to its own. Each episode was perfection. But as we've seen at the Emmys and Tonys, voters simply feel the need to reward the divine movie people whenever they condescend to come down and visit a "lesser" medium.
@JP. and yes they did. Does anyone actually give a crap about Kelly Macdonald's annoying character, or care that she and Nucky are together (ugh)? Boardwalk Empire hasn't really established its identity. There were a lot of disoriented storylines, extraneous characters, and the writers don't know how to fold the historical events of the time into the characters' storylines in an organic, seamless way, something Mad Men TOTALLY pwns at, btw. Bottom line, Mad Men > Boardwalk Empire for now.
Stella, you're totally right. I hate how BE is being treated like the second coming of The Sopranos or something at these award shows. Very annoying.
And I like Buscemi just fine but it's kinda ridiculous Hamm has been losing these last two awards since he had SUCH a high this past season. Buscemi was miscast on BE, sorry to say. He just didn't step up to the plate.
Theory: TSN cast was overheard trash-talking Meryl Streep in the little boy's room. That, or one of them hit on Elle Fanning.
Seriously, its not hard to imagine that a bunch of young guys hitting afterparties during the awards season might manage to piss a few people off.
@stella: I did not find anything disorienting, extraneous, or inorganic in Boardwalk Empire (at least not so much that it sticks out in my mind now), so I respectfully disagree. And that's what makes horse races, as my grandfather would say.
@Max: I'm not sure what you mean by saying Steve Buscemi was miscast, because Enoch L. Johnson was a real person, and the show's creators probably felt they had to hew to verisimilitude in their casting decision. Unless you're saying you have a conception of the real Nucky Johnson that Buscemi doesn't live up to.
On Boardwalk Empire, which I haven't seen yet:
Terrence Winter said that if they cast an actor based on his resemblance to the real Nucky Johnson, they would have cast a James Gandolfini type. So, I'm not surprised that people think Buscemi was miscast.
And I totally agree with Stella about the way the Tonys and television awards defer to movie people. And this show has Martin Scorsese, no less! I just knew it would win the Golden Globe; I was a little less sure about the SAG. I have a feeling that Mad Men wins the Emmy, though.
Really enjoyed this. :) Loved watching the SAG awards and some of these same moments struck me too!
Wish Jennifer Lawrence had a real shot, somewhere. Winter's Bone is still one of my favorites of 2010. I can't compare Lawrence's performance to Natalie Portman's, though, cuz I'm still too scared to see Black Swan. Was it really *that* good - and worth seeing - or was it just creepy and over the top (like the ads make it seem)??
You made my day, Nathaniel! :)) Claire Danes better appreciate what she has! Look at him!