Gotham Tributes: Charlize & Gary Aiming For Oscar
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 11:40AM Another day, another "tribute" announcement as legions of luminaries ready themselves at the starting line waiting for that Oscar gun to sound. We've talked about this twice before (focusing on Streep & Spielberg) but "tributes" and "lifetime achievements" are as common during Oscar season as superheroes are during the summer. Even moreso! The Gotham Awards, which happen here in NYC in November, will be honoring four recipients: Director David Cronenberg, Actor Gary Oldman, CEO Tom Rothman and Actress Charlize Theron.
Obviously Gary (never nominated) and Charlize (2 nominations, 1 win) are aiming for Lead Acting nominations for the spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the comedy Young Adult respectively. Rothman, announced previously, is an industry power and you have to bow down to those men/women once in awhile. Meanwhile Cronenberg has A Dangerous Method to push. Though awards traction will be hard to come by for such a subtle and talky film, it's still worth campaigning for because here's the thing: If you're still fighting for your first nomination (insanity given that filmography!) you've got to lay plentiful groundwork and build momentum so that eventually they (awards groups) catch up. I don't mean to be morbid as I hope this is a long time away but can the 68 year old Cronenberg at least get an Honorary Oscar before he dies? I mean... The Fly, Dead Ringers, A History of Violence, etcetera...
The Gotham Awards, which celebrated their 20th anniversary last season, have definitely been picking up steam as a valuable Oscar stop, regularly giving boosts to smaller films like Winter's Bone, The Hurt Locker and Frozen River.
The "career tribute" portion of their ceremony has included at least one future Oscar nominee every year since 2004. With so little information (i.e. clips or photos) on Charlize's work in Young Adult, we have to assume that Gary Oldman is in the best position currently to continue that trend. But it would be awfully sweet to see Charlize Theron work a role worthy of her gifts again... and work it all the way to the shortlist. She's one Oscar winner whose career, filmography, and popularity have never properly reflected her talent. I mean she even made the most of that way too standard role in North Country for which she received one of those disposable "after glow" nominations.
For now, we have to just enjoy Charlize in her glamour spokesmodel roles and hope she finds a signature screen role while she's still in the age range in which that happens. Yes, yes, I hear your screams of "Monster (2003)!" But however strong that work was... it doesn't properly reflect Charliziciousness (Charlizionomy?) now does it. THIS does...
COMMENT ASSIGNMENT: (What? I'm bossy!)
If you were paying tribute to Cronenberg, Charlize, and Oldman and could only thank them for one thing, what would it be? Get as specific as such tributes should be!
Reader Comments (7)
Cronenberg for Videodrome -- the movie speaks for itself.
Oldman for Dracula -- he's sexy, he's beautiful, he's evil, and by the end of the picture you feel sorry for him.
Theron for The Devil's Advocate -- I actually do a pretty good impression of her character's southern accent while confront Keanu's layback Kevin Lomax character. She's the reason to watch that overwraught movie right now.
I don't *get* Charlize as an actress. Sorry but Keisha Castle Hughes and Naomi Watts were leagues ahead of her "acting" in "Monster".
That doesn't mean I don't appreciate her! I would thank her for showing me women can be hot too in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5puGM9Adg-o
and also for helping me bond with my dad and brothers while watching a football event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amMAqNklRqw all of us were mesmerized by her ridiculously inhuman glamour.
Cronenberg- Thanks for eXistenZ, a movie I should be watching on an annual basis. I'll also always think of Jeremy Irons's Oscar acceptance speech when he says in that self-important way you can only be when you're accepting an Oscar, "I'd like to thank David," acknowledging his un-nominated role in Dead Ringers. Hilarious
Theron- Thanks for lending yourself to Arrested Development when they needed your star power- and being hilarious.
Oldman- In an effort not to say Sirius Black (because I do think he was terrific in that part), I'm going to go with his cameo in True Romance, one great little gem in a movie filled with terrific cameos (and leads, I should add).
No tribute to Charlize Theron would be complete without mentioning 'Arrested Development'. I have watched that show many times, and her character arc works with all three things that could be going on with her character - 1. a beautiful woman in love with Michael, 2. a secret spy MR. F, and 3. what is actually going on. I think she will be great in Young Adult based on this previous comedic outing.
I love how Charlize control her life so perfectly, join some high-class-commercial like those, acting in watch-me-I-can-act-well-like-a-super-model-or-a-monster films, create the outreach project in Africa where she can actually help people by herself, be producer for several films, reject to marry just because of supporting gay right, .... She is such a powerful woman!
Oldman: Thank you for Commissioner Gordon, more than anything the best thing I've seen you do up to this point and a performance that gets stronger every time I go back to the Nolan Batman movies.
Theron: Thank you for...Arrested, because I've only seen four of her movies all the way through (Italian Job, In the Valley of Elah, Hancock and The Cider House Rules. Partial on Aeon Flux.)
Cronenberg: History of Violence, because I REALLY need to rectify that I've only seen two of his. Have reservations about Cosmpolis, but Money HAS already been adapted for British TV.
I have always thought theron would land a nom for young adult,if it's comedy then she wins the globe and then gets nominated,maybe she wins a 2nd usually actresses win their second within 8 years of their first,as for north country imo she earned that nomiantion and to call it afterglow is to dimish it she was way way better in her film than witherspoon,huffman,knightley & dench in theirs.