Flashback Friday: My Best Actress Selections

In honour of the Academy Awards on Sunday, for this week's Flashback Friday, I'm going all the way back to 1985, when I first "awarded" my own choices in a journal I kept for English class. This year, I'll focus on Best Actress (last year, I focused on Best Picture). As you can see...my choices are not usually the same as the Academy's choices (I believe there's only one exception: our choices matched in 2000). In this category, these are my choices from the years the film came out (or in a few exceptions, the year I saw them in theaters). For the Best Actress category, the swoon factor plays quite heavily in more than a few choices. So, it's not necessarily the best acting performance in the movies seen, as I'll point out in several selections over the years. Enjoy!

1985

Lori Singer

The Man With One Red Shoe

For some reason, I was really crazy about this movie and Lori Singer definitely got my teenage attention! This is the movie that made Tom Hanks my favourite actor (he still holds that title). What I liked about it was the interplay between a clueless Hanks to all the spying and counter-spying around him.

1986

Kathleen Turner

Peggy Sue Got Married

This film benefitted from the "Back to the Future effect" of the previous year. I was crazy about the popular time traveling film, so when a magazine claimed this as the adult version of the previous year's hit, I had to see it. Time travel is one of my favourite subjects and this film was definitely a more emotional journey than Back to the Future. It was interesting to see how they could transform a very adult Kathleen Turner into a teenager.

1987

Maryam d'Abo

The Living Daylights

Swoon factor was on high alert here. I was absolutely crazy about her as a teenager. She was my ideal of a beautiful woman, especially her hairstyle. I thought she was great in this film and she is by far my favourite Bond girl of all time. Her character of Kara Milovy just exudes class, beauty, brains, and a certain amount of toughness to her feminine grace. I don't know what happened to d'Abo's career, but I saw a "B" movie from a few years ago and she doesn't have the same effect on me as she did as a Bond girl. She edges out my other favourite actress from the same year: Roxanne's Daryl Hannah.

1988

Lily Tomlin

Big Business

This comedy was quadruple the laughs with comediennes Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler playing two sets of mismatched twins from different socio-economic backgrounds. What ensues is a classic comedy errors. While both ladies are spectacularly funny, I have to give the edge to Lily Tomlin for playing the more sympathetic pair of twins. Plus, there's holdover goodwill from playing my favourite character in an earlier 80s comedy, 9 to 5, to give her the edge over Bette Midler.

1989

Bette Midler

Beaches

Bette Midler earns her Best Actress slot with a very personal film, Beaches. Though the film was released at the tail end of 1988, I didn't see it until spring of 1989 and I think that's when the movie made most of its money and saw success with a hit single, "Wind Beneath My Wings" (one of my favourite songs). This is probably the best role Midler will ever play. For good measure, I "awarded" Barbara Hershey the Best Supporting Actress nod for this film. In case anyone cares, I have met a few ladies who look like Barbara Hershey (as well as other actresses or singers) and I think I am most attracted to this "look" in a woman.

1990

Demi Moore

Ghost

Demi Moore slightly edges out Julia Roberts (in Pretty Woman) for me because of major swoon factor when I saw this film in 1990. I'm a sucker for a lady with short hair, and though Moore's hair is almost too short and boyish, she's still an unmistakeably gorgeous lady (I didn't go for her bald G.I. Jane look, though). Basically in this film, she cries a lot...but again, she looks gorgeous doing it. If I were going to "re-do" the selections made in a personal journal from that time, I'd pick Julia Roberts simply because she was great in Pretty Woman and made the film what it was (a major hit). Her role was much more than Moore's...but never underestimate the swoon factor in a young man!

1991

Anne Parillaud

La Femme Nikita

Now we're getting into some major swoon factor! When I saw this film in 1991, I was completely blown away. I never thought a foreign film could be so good. I saw enough bad and boring ones as a teenager to think that Hollywood cornered the market on producing awesome movies...but when I saw this one, not only was I impressed with the storyline, cinematography, outstanding musical score (by Eric Serra. Today, it's still my favourite Motion Picture Score of all time)...but when the transformation scene happens where a punk becomes a lady, HOLY CRAP! This was the film that convinced me that French women are the sexiest women on the planet. A year later, I would travel in France with a new appreciation for French ladies. Unfortunately, Parillaud's career hasn't amounted to much, aside from a cheesy vampire movie.

1992

Sharon Stone

Basic Instinct

Sharon Stone's breakthrough role as a femme fatale who plays some major mindgames with a cop like he's her personal toy was breathtakingly amazing to watch. She took major risks and created one of the most memorable villains in cinema history. Because I was mesmerized by her role as a bisexual writer who had audiences wondering if she's a murderer or not, this performance edged out a two-fer on Bridget Fonda (Single White Female and Singles).

1993

Rene Russo

In the Line of Fire

Russo plays a tough Secret Service Agent who helps Clint Eastwood's conscience-afflicted agent try to prevent a repeat of the Kennedy assassination that he holds himself responsible for not preventing. She provided some good chemistry and proved herself every bit as tough as the guys without losing her feminine mystique. She edged out Angela Bassett, who played Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It?

1994

Sandra Bullock

Speed

When I saw this film in 1994, Sandra Bullock captured my attention with her unique look (she can pass for quite a few ethnic nationalities), the somewhat cute whiny way she spoke, and especially her hairstyle. As I've said...I love women who have short hair, especially in the style she sports in this film. I had never seen this actress before and she became my latest celebrity crush. I still consider this her best role and I even liked the sequel, even though she let her hair grow out. Her choice in movies, though, is pretty pathetic.

1995

Annette Bening

The American President

Annette Bening was the perfect match for a bachelor president. She plays environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade, whose blunt honesty without considering who might be listening behind her actually endears the president to her, even though she's embarrassed. I like her character: a mix of intelligence, sense of humour, proudly liberal, and brutally honest. Where can I meet a lady like her? Sign me up! This role made me a fan of Annette Bening and I was sad that she did not win the Best Actress Oscar in 2000 for her role in American Beauty. This lady must be remarkable in real life, because out of all the women who have dated actor Warren Beatty, only Annette has been able to tame his bachelor ways and turn him into a family man on the downslope side of midlife.

1996

Rene Russo

Tin Cup

Had I known that Rene Russo would've come out with an outstanding role in the golf movie, Tin Cup, I would've bestowed my 1993 Best Actress title to Angela Bassett. The chemistry between Kevin Costner and Rene Russo is undeniable and they are one of my all-time favourite movie couples. We see a different side to Kevin Costner in this film. He's been a leading man in other films, but I think Rene Russo brought something more out of him. I love their flirtatious repartee. This is one of the movies that I never get tired of watching...and I don't even like golf! Yes, Rene had the swoon factor that put her over Whitney Houston in The Preacher's Wife and Madonna in Evita, two other performances I liked this year.

1997

Jodie Foster

Contact

Jodie Foster is an accomplished actress. Graduating from kiddie fare in Disney family comedies from the 1970s, she navigated adulthood with some interesting roles, including winning two Best Actress Oscars for roles in The Accused and Silence of the Lambs. However, for me, she achieved perfection in Contact, my favourite film of 1997. Called the thinking man's science fiction, Contact is about a scientist whose whole life's dream is to discover intelligent life outside our planet. Ironically, she rejects belief in God because of lack of evidence, even though she has based her career in a scientific field that doesn't get a lot of respect. What sealed the deal for me in terms of being the best acting performance I've seen that year, was the scene where she was expecting to speak at a White House press conference about her discovery, when her arrogant rival and quasi-supervisor takes glory for himself. You can see the shock and pain on her face as she processes the slight and still acts with charitable grace towards him. Later, when he said that he wished that they could live in the kind of world she spoke about, her response was an instant classic for me: "I've always believe that life was what you make of it." I can't imagine any other actress in this role. Jodie Foster is the kind of intelligent actress needed for a deep movie like this.

1998

Emma Thompson

Primary Colors

Emma Thompson drops her perfect English accent to play a Hillary Clinton-esque politically ambitious wife of Governor Jack Stanton in this political comedy based on the 1992 primary campaign. She was perfect for the role, as Thompson is a pretty regal and classy lady and you can tell that she's a few leagues above her smarmy husband. The movie has many great performances, and I also "awarded" Kathy Bates the Best Supporting Actress title because she simply owns the film with one of the most outrageous sidekick characters you'll ever see on screen. The interactions between the crudely blunt Libby Holden and the willfully blind Susan Stanton are some of the best scenes in the movie.

1999

Frances O'Connor

Mansfield Park

I became a fan of Australian actress Frances O'Connor in the 1997 independent film Love and Other Catastrophes, which is still the best film about college life that I've ever seen. It nailed the whole university administration bureaucracy down. Anyone who has dealt with financial aid and tuition will appreciate the humour of this film. Anyhow, O'Connor played a lesbian student and kind of looks like Barbara Hershey (if you remember, my "ideal look" for a woman I find most attractive). I've seen a few other films of hers, but in 1999, she brought her beauty and intellect to a classic Jane Austen novel. I also love the movie poster and have one hanging in my apartment. What can I say? Intelligent women with her look is going to rate astronomically high on the swoon factor for me.

2000

Julia Roberts

Erin Brockovich

In 2000, I was torn between Thandie Newton in Mission: Impossible 2 and Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich, but I have to give the edge to Roberts for playing a different kind of role for her: a tough talking lady who doesn't take no for an answer, using her tenacity to investigate a company's illegal environmental policies. She won the Oscar for this role and it's the only time when my opinion and that of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agree. Imagine that!

2001

Charlize Theron

Sweet November

This was the year that Halle Berry won for her almost pornographic role in Monster's Ball. While I love Halle Berry, she has a terrible track record for films. I was happy she won, because she had history (the first African American to win Best Actress) and likeability on her side, but I hated that film. The role that really captivated me that year was Charlize Theron in Sweet November because she reminded me so much of the lady I had dated briefly in Washington, D.C. Even today, every time I watch it, I'm reminded of the lady I had hoped to marry back then. I like Theron's bohemian vibe in this quirky romantic comedy, set in San Francisco. She teaches men what's important about life and heals them in the process.

2002

Julianne Moore

Far From Heaven

If you want to watch a truly heartbreaking role, try Julianne Moore as an ideal 1950s suburban housewife whose world falls apart when she discovers the truth about her all-American guy of a husband. To add to the heartbreak, her friendship with a black neighbour causes an uproar among her social class in Connecticut. The film was inspired by actual dramas from the 1950s and does embody in tone and cinematography that era most idealized by modern day conservatives. For me, I don't see a lot to admire about the 1950s. It looks like a boring as hell era to live in and watching Julianne Moore's desperation is truly heartbreaking to watch.

2003

Frances McDormand

Laurel Canyon

Another year, another Frances. This time, the Best Actress Oscar winner for Fargo captivated me by her role as a free spirited music producer who gets a little too involved in her aloof and professional son's life. I also loved Kate Beckinsale (another woman who has a very attractive look for me). However, Frances McDormand is great in her blunt honesty and completely free lifestyle. I love her line, delivered with a laugh, "who plans on a change of plans?" This character reminds me of a psychic lady I knew. Some might be put off by the "tell it like it is" type of personality, but I love it. I'm always smitten by women who have this personality trait.

2004

Katrin Sass

Goodbye Lenin!

German actress Katrin Sass plays a loyal East German mother who has the misfortune to fall into a coma during the last days of the German Democratic Republic in 1989. When she wakes up from her coma months later, East Germany no longer exists. The doctor tells her son that she cannot withstand another shock, for it might put her into a coma for good. So, in this excellent German comedy-drama, her son schemes to re-create the German Democratic Republic for his loyalist and bedridden mother. As she catches glimpses of odd occurrences (strange people moving into the apartment building, a Coca-Cola sign being unfurled on the side of a building, and my personal favourite scene where she watches in horror as a statue of Lenin flies through the air, hanging from a helicopter), her son has to go to greater lengths to fool her into believing that the country she loves still exists. Her performance is just amazing to me...a kind, sympathetic woman who happens to maintain an idealistic view of her government through the very end, even though her children are glad to see its demise. You can't help but like her and wanting to believe along with her.

2005

Joan Allen

The Upside of Anger

Unfortunately for Joan Allen, this film was released in the spring and she got all kinds of critical acclaim, with many predicting that this was an Oscar-worthy role. By year's end, the Academy had forgotten about it as they nominated five other performances. But I never forgot. The role is haunting, as Allen plays a mother of four girls who is angry about being abandoned by her husband. Her anger bubbles up in little incidents, even though she's always trying to keep things together for the sake of her daughters. By the end of the film, you really see the impact of making judgments without all the facts. After I saw this film, I was completely stunned. All that anger, all that pain. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger...right?

2006

Audrey Tautou

The Da Vinci Code

This year had two other great performances: Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth in The Queen and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. I was torn about this, because Streep was so deliciously demonic as the boss from hell. However, swoon factor strikes again! How could I not go with my favourite actress, Audrey Tautou? She was the best thing about The Da Vinci Code (which was pretty loyal to the book and thus, lacking in suspense for people who read the novel first). I walked out of the theater crazy about this French actress. I never liked her breakthrough film Amelie, so I was happy to see her move into more popular fare. I hope she will act in many more memorable roles and films, such as Priceless, my favourite film of 2008.

2007

Tabu

The Namesake

I went into the film thinking it was a story from the perspective of the son, about fitting into American society despite his ethnic background. That's the way it was advertised, unfortunately. However, what the film is really about is the mother and her struggle to assimilate into a foreign country. She maintains her Indian cultural ties, despite moving to the United States with her husband. This is an immigrants story and a good one, despite the way it was advertised as something else. Tabu is a well known actress in India who has done pretty well in her first major role. Though she's Indian, her story could represent any number of foreign ladies who learn to adjust to life in a new culture, without losing ties to the homeland.

2008

Katherine Nelson

Emma Smith: My Story

Finally, my choice for Best Actress for the films released in 2008 is Katherine Nelson as Emma Smith, the leading lady of my church's history. This unknown actress did a remarkable job bringing to life what we've only read about in church history books, for she embodied exactly how I imagine Emma Smith to be. The debate in our church is whether Joseph Smith took on plural wives or not, and if Emma was in on it or not. She's such a strong lady that it seems like she would not have tolerated plural wives, yet this was the 1800s when women didn't really have equal rights, so she might've went along with it because the man had final say. Who knows the true history? The film has a few instances of a Mormon bias, but overall, it's pretty good and I'm a sucker for a good bio-pic.

So...those are my choices for Best Actress over the years. More than a few have won by mere "swoon factor"...but all of them, in one way or another, really enhanced the films they were in.