Posterized: Julianne Moore, Leading Roles Only

by Nathaniel R

Let's start a new season of Posterized, shall we?

With Gloria Bell expanding nationwide (or thereabouts) let's talk about Julianne Moore's leading roles. She's now in her Post-Oscar years which can be tricky territory for actresses but if Gloria Bell is indication she still has a lot more left in her.

We can't do the ginger goddess's entire filmography on Posterized because she works almost as much as Nicole Kidman, and apparently considers no part or no project too small to be part of. She's been in over 70 movies since her debut in the horror flick Tales of the Darkside (1990) but many of those were supporting roles. So let's focus on ONLY the films that she either headlined or co-headlined (in case of films without one clear lead) for this week's episode shall we, which takes us down to a far more reasonable 27 pictures. How many have you seen? All 27 posters are after the jump...

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Top Ten Best Julianne Moore Performances

abstew here for a Tuesday Top Ten. Julianne Moore is known simply as 'God' at The Film Experience. That was Nathaniel's nickname for her even before the site was launched. It's winking hyperbole, sure, but if there's any other actress working today deserving of that moniker, it's this talented redhead who has given us countless transcendent performances for more than 20 years. This past Thursday, Moore earned her 5th career Oscar nomination for her beautiful performance in Still Alice and all signs indicate that this is the year that she will finally take home the gold. Since many are seeing this eventual win as honoring her impressive body of work, I could think of no better time than to look back over Julianne Moore's 10 Previous Best Performances. With such iconic creations as Amber Waves and Cathy Whitaker over the years, Moore's divinity has already been proven, but a golden statue still seems like a worthy offering. All hail, Julianne Moore!   

10. Maps to the Stars (2014)

Director: David Cronenberg
The Role: Havana Segrand, a self-centered, ageing Hollywood actress obsessed with playing her dead movie star mother in a film.
Awards: Cannes Film Festival Best Actress, Golden Globe Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy nomination

Why this Performance: I can't say that I'm a fan of the film as a whole (too many storylines and tonal shifts that seem unfocused and chaotic), but amid the chaos is Moore's livewire, crazy-committed performance. For an actress that has been working as long as Moore has, it can sometimes be difficult to surprise your audience with something they haven't seen before. But with Havana, Moore is able to suppress her natural intelligence and compassion as an actress by playing an actress so unlike her: needy, vapid, dim-witted, and something Moore could never relate to, untalented. In scene after scene we see Moore in unflattering positions (including one on the toilet that I'm sure most Oscar-nominated actors would balk at), but perhaps the most shocking thing about Moore in the film is that even after all these years, there's an excitement in knowing that she can still astonish us.   

9. Short Cuts (1993)

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