The early buzz this year was that Cate Blanchett would be getting yet another Oscar nomination for Todd Haynes’ lesbian romance film, Carol. For what it’s worth, I think most people believe Rooney Mara is guaranteed some major nominations, but now some are starting to wonder if Blanchett might be more award-worthy for her performance in Truth. Truth is the film about Dan Rather and 60 Minutes reporting on George W. Bush’s National Guard records during the 2004 election. 60 Minutes got documentation that Bush went AWOL from the Texas National Guard and that his family connections helped cover it up. The documentation that 60 Minutes got ended up being tainted, possibly even willfully falsified. Careers were destroyed because of this story and CBS News was kneecapped in the middle of an election cycle. That’s the story of Truth.
Cate Blanchett plays Mary Mapes, Dan Rather’s favorite producer. Rather is played by Robert Redford, who really didn’t even make an effort to look like Rather. The film also features performances by Topher Grace, Elisabeth Moss, Dennis Quaid and Bruce Greenwood. Make no mistake though, this film seems like a Blanchett vehicle, and as the National Guard story falls apart, we see the unfolding events through Mapes. Here’s the trailer:
The part where she’s crying in bed reminds me of her performance in Notes on a Scandal, which is one of her best performances, I’ve always felt. So… I think it’s absolutely safe to say that Blanchett will be at all of the awards shows this year, but will it be for Truth or for Carol? I’m more excited about seeing Truth, honestly.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She is astounding in her roles. She disappears.
Except not. She was awful in the Aviator.
She exaggarates in her performances because she does stage acting in movies, that style doesn’t fit film acting but there are so few good actors that they kiss her ass and make her the next Maryl Streep. She ain’t.
Loved, loved, LOVED her in Aviator, which she Won an Oscar for.
Respectly disagree Key. I thought she nailed Hepburn.
I think those who watched Kate Hepburn in films and interviews and knew her mannerisms well tend to dislike Blanchett’s performance in The Aviator. I’m neutral on it. As for her Oscar win for that role … um, Roberto Benigni won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Crash quite embarrassingly won Best Picture. The Oscars are often more about who wages the best Oscar campaign than who had the best performance (see: Eddie Redmayne), who is in the most politically popular film, or who mimicked a real-life person instead of playing an original character (Oscar cat nip).
@kay: Agreed. I didn’t care for her performance in The Aviator. I thought it was waaay over the top and hammy.
Hated her Kate Hepburn impersonation. I actually laughed when she first spoke.
@Kate – Excellent points about the Oscars. Too many choices are politically-related. The worst is when they give a statue for a lacklustre performance after having previously ignored past stellar ones. Denzel Washington’s win for “Training Day” was lame. I was watching the original “True Grit” last night, for which John Wayne won as more of an honorary gesture than anything else. He publicly denounced the choice by picking who should have won in his place. Even the Duke knew the voting system was a sham.
I watched the Oscars every year when I was younger but now it’s all too predictable and boring.
Nope. Rooney or Brief Larson will be taking home the statue for Best Actress this year.
@NUTBALLS: Brie Larsen will definitely be nominated but she will not win…very rare for first time BA nominees to win.
Room may also scare off Academy voters-too harsh, scary, etc.,…there are many who feel that Larsen/Room will go the way of Rosamond Pike/Gone Girl, ie., good film, performance but, too dark and heavy a film.
We’ll see. Brie’s blown away the critics at TFF and TIFF. If A24 can keep the momentum going I think she has a good chance of winning. I don’t think the dark subject matter of the movie would hurt her ability to win. I haven’t read the book, but my understanding is that there’s a positive message of being able to rise above horrible circumstances. If that’s the case, it can’t be compared to Gone Girl which was dark and depressing all the way through.
Actually it’s probably going to be Emily Blunt for Sicario, if not Cate. I give Rooney an outside chance.
Let’s not forget Marion Cotillard. She has Macbeth coming too.
Forget Marion? Never! Macbeth isn’t looking like a big contender, but we’ll see! I hope it is spectacular.
Love her in everything
Blanchett is an excellent actress, but let’s be real here: She should be nominated so that she can walk ALL the red carpets and be quizzed on her thoughts regarding the Syrian refugee crisis. She’s the missing, eminently qualified voice on that issue. #askhermore
Well, she actually HAS talked about the Syrian refugee crisis on a video and everything…
“The film also features performances by Topher Grace, Elisabeth Moss, Dennis Quaid and Bruce Greenwood.” It’s always good to see these fine actors getting work. She – Cate – is going to play Lucille Ball next, right? Good for her. I’m sure it’ll be spectacular. Can’t wait.
Her best performance – without question – is BLUE JASMINE. She CHEWS that role up and spits it back out. And it’s by far Allen’s best film in… decades. I loved her in that film so much. She was everything.
I hated Blue Jasmine and her performance in it, but I was having too many cocktails at the time so I think I’ll have to re-watch it. I love her tho!
I think you were supposed to hate her! She was playing an utterly unlikeable person! But she did so absolutely convincingly.
I’m looking forward to seeing Truth. By the way, Dan Rather lost his career over this unintentional blunder. I just heard yesterday that Brian Williams will be back on MSNBC by next month, I think it was. Sickening.
Thanks for bringing that up, GNAT. I grew up watching the evening news with Dan Rather for years and never could accept his abrupt dismissal. He made a flub but he was a veteran reporter. Such disrespect.
As for Williams, perhaps those Fallon rap mixes got to his head. 😊
I LOVE her work!! she is my favorite actress, outside of Helena.
thanks for mentioning these movies, I will most def be looking out for them.
She’s so Oscar baity and annoying. Quentin Tarantino agrees with me.
Oh sod off. She does fun stuff like Cinderella, LoTR and Indiana Jones. Little-seen artier fare like Hanna, I’m Not There, the upcoming Malicks…. all of which are supporting/ensemble roles.