Kiss the Old Sandra Goodbye, She's Defying Gravity

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Cate Blanchett is going to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Blue Jasmine. But there's a part of me deep down that wants America's Sweetheart Sandra Bullock to pull a victory in March for Gravity. Okay, I know on social media I've been championing American Hustle's Amy Adams for the win (because she's Amy Adams and we love her). And I'd be satisfied if any of these three ladies win the Oscar.

If Sandra Bullock were to win, however, I'd be inordinately excited. While all five nominated actresses (the others being Judi Dench, Philomena, and Meryl Streep, August: Osage County) are fine actresses who gave performances ranging from excellent to solid, Bullock was the only one who did something completely different. We've seen performances before from Adams, Dench, Streep and, yes, even Blanchett that were similar to ones nominated. But Bullock's is the only that was different from anything she'd done before. A totally different genre, filmmaking process, character. Five years ago, could anyone have ever imagined that Sandra Bullock, of While You Were Sleeping/The Blind Side/Miss Congeniality/Speed 2: Cruise Control fame, would be headlining a space survival thriller movie?

It all comes down to one simple question: Shouldn't Sandra Bullock be rewarded for stepping so far out of her comfort zone that she ended up in space?

I remember the days when Gravity was just a rumored project. The casting rumors for the lead actor included names like Scarlett Johansson, Marion Cotillard, Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie obviously and of course the Goddess of Acting herself, Blake Lively.  But now I can't even imagine any of these other actresses in the role.

Sandra Bullock is Gravity. She's the heart and soul of the picture; her collaboration with director Alfonso Cuaron (who probably will win the Oscar, rightfully so) made the film even better than it could have been with a more cliched choice like Jolie. She brings a certain gravity (pun totally intended) to the film. Her performance is made stronger by the fact that she's so out of her element. Her desperation is equal parts terrifying and triumphant. For an actress who's already accomplished so much (her four biggest hits happened after she turned 45), Gravity becomes a yet another success. I am curious to see where Bullock goes from here. In my eyes, her role in Gravity is becoming one of her most iconic and she'll bring the movie with her to every future performance.

As much as I want Bullock to win, even I can admit that the Oscars are ultimately meaningless because the work is its own reward. And Bullock is respected enough as an actor and beloved enough as a movie star that winning or losing won't really affect her career.

But for once I wish the Academy would attach some meaning to the award. A victory for Bullock wouldn't just be a perfect ending to an incredible year. It would show that the Academy is willing to honor the most daring performance of the group, not just the one that is most "Oscar-y." It would encourage more actresses to seek out risky roles and more directors to widen the pool of actors when casting films in male-driven genres. A win for Gravity in the acting category would be a win for serious-minded science fiction films, for the appreciation of actors in films with special effects and technological achievements. And it would just be cool to actually be surprised come Oscar night.

Amy Adams: Always an Oscar Bridesmaid?

Amy Adams has stored 5 Academy Award nominations, four for Best Supporting Actress (Junebug, 2005; Doubt, 2008; The Fighter, 2010; and The Master, 2012) and most recently one for Best Actress (American Hustle, 2013). 5 nominations in 8 years is impressive, cementing that the Academy and Hollywood in general consider Adams to be a leading actress of her generation. And each year, the 39 year old actor was a casualty of pre-Oscar juggernaut. Let's take a look.

Junebug: Adams lost to Rachel Weisz who had won the Golden Globe, the SAG award, the British Independent Film award and the critics' award in both San Diego and London for The Constant Gardener. There was no way first time nominee Amy Adams was going to beat her for an obscure, star-less indie comedy. Especially since Gardener is one of those important "prestige" pictures.

Doubt: The winner that year was Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, who had also picked up numerous awards before taking home the top prize. The Academy loves Woody Allen and loves to give the award to his supporting actresses. Cruz had the award in the bag. Also, Adams was up against Doubt co-star Viola Davis and, honestly, if anyone was going to win from Doubt it would have been Davis.

The Fighter: Adams lost to co-star Melissa Leo. With both Doubt and The Constant Gardener, I completely understand why Adams lost the Oscar; those two performances were more worthy of the win than Adams' (I hate to say that!). But if I ran the Academy, I would have given the Oscar to Adams over Leo. But Leo won out because she won most of the pre-Oscar awards and, more annoyingly, because of her relentless and (in my opinion) tasteless campaigning.

The Master: Amy Adams lost to Anne Hathaway's tragic performance in Les Miserables. Again, she was a victim to the pre-Oscar juggernaut. The loss was sadly inevitable with Hathaway pretty much winning every award (deservedly so). Even if Hathaway were to have lost, Sally Fields was the second choice for Lincoln.

American Hustle: Adams gets a nomination for Best Actress...and she's up against Cate Blanchett. The Australian actress pulled off the remarkable feat of becoming the frontrunner when Blue Jasmine premiered in all the way back in July and remained so during the entire Oscar season. Sure, there were times where Sandra Bullock (Gravity) or Adams herself seemed like they might pull a win. But this award is Blanchett's to lose. And for the fifth time, Adams will have to put on her "happy to be nominated but dying inside" professional grin.

As annoying as it is to see one of the leading actresses of her generation walk home empty-handed year after year, Amy Adams is in good company. It took Kate Winslet six tries before hitting the home run. Peter O'Toole, Annette Bening, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Pfeiffer and Brad Pitt are all multiple-nominated actors who never took home the Oscar.

But as we saw in the 2011 comedy The Muppets, Amy Adams knows how to make being a loser totally fun: