Elisabeth Moss reads "The Lottery"

What a morbidly thoughtful surprise! NEON would you like to consider Elisabeth Moss as Shirley this season for awards. So here's Elisabeth Moss reading "The Lottery," the famous short story that catapulted noted horror novelist Shirley Jackson to fame. The video is 22 minutes long but if you don't like being read to you can always read to yourself direct from The New Yorker. 

If you haven't yet watched Shirley, streaming on Hulu, you should. It's a good creepy but non-scary option for the season with excellent performances from Moss and screen husband Michael Stuhlbarg and interesting production design too. 

Almost There: Joan Crawford in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"

by Cláudio Alves

It's October, a season for spookiness and horror movies, for nightmares and ghouls. It seems only appropriate that the Almost There series takes a look at a performance in the horror genre, though it's hard to find examples that fit the criteria. AMPAS is famously allergic to most horror and few actors have been recognized or come close for that genre. 

Inspired by the month and the Criterion Channel's new Joan Crawford collection, I decided to take a look at one of the actress' most contentious and controversial achievements. One speaks of that terrifying occasion when Joan and Bette met onscreen, the clashing of two titans and two acting styles, the epitome of Grande Dame Guignol. That's right, it's time to explore What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?...

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Fargo: Kindness in an Unkind World

by Cláudio Alves

With Frances McDormand back in the Oscar conversation thanks to Chloe Zhao's Nomadland, I'm reminded of some discussions I had when Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri was making its way through the festival circuit. On first viewing, I was more charmed by the movie than many of my friends and colleagues (subsequent re-watches killed that initial goodwill), finding myself defending some of the picture's elements to its impassioned detractors. Three years later, there's still a critique of Frances McDormand's second Oscar-winning performance that infuriates me, even though I'm no big fan of her turn as Mildred Hayes. 

According to people whose opinions I respect, McDormand was doing the same thing she always does. More alarmingly, I was told that the actress was just repeating her first Oscar-winning performance in Fargo. Whatever one may think about this thespian's pair of Academy Award-winning works, they are different, diametrically opposed even. In many ways, Mildred is the antithesis of Marge Gunderson…

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Sally Kirkland's legendary Oscar campaign

by Cláudio Alves

The next Supporting Actress Smackdown will focus on the contenders of 1987. Before that celebration of great acting at the margins, we'll be exploring the cinematic year, its glorious pictures, and memorable Oscar races. Speaking of which, one can't discuss 1987 in the context of awards, without mentioning and paying respect to one of the ballsiest campaigns ever made by an actress. Through her sheer will, impressive determination, and tireless ambition, Sally Kirkland managed to conquer a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Anna, a little-seen American indie about an aging performer.

First things first, before we delve into Kirkland's pursuit of little golden men, we should appreciate the work for which she was recognized. The movie is discussed nowadays to snicker at the thirsty campaign, but it's a masterclass of acting...

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Women of a Certain Age and the Best Actress Race

This list/trivia article is revamped from a 2014 article...

 

With Sophia Loren (86), Meryl Streep (71 if she campaigns in lead), Frances McDormand (63), Michelle Pfeiffer (62), Viola Davis (55), Amy Adams (46), and Kate Winslet (45) all looking like viable discussion points for the upcoming Best Actress race, it's time to look at one of our favourite research areas: Age and Oscar Trivia. If any combo of five from those seven women make it (unlikely of course) we'll have our oldest Best Actress lineup of all time by a big margin. If only three or four of them make it we're still likely to have the oldest line up of all time though younger contenders like Andra Day, Vanessa Kirby, Elisabeth Moss, Jennifer Hudson, and Carey Mulligan (all in their 30s) are surely hoping to spoil this 'most mature' trivia party. 

Good news: The Academy is getting less ageist. We know because we've researched this for years. In fact as you can see in the "top ten most mature Best Actress lineups" after the jump, a good deal of the top ten is from recent years. When this first started happening we chalked it up to an anomaly due to Meryl Streep, but she's hardly the only senior citizen actress that they've nominated in the last 20 years. Ready for the list? 

The Top Ten Most Mature Best Actress Shortlists

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