Tag Archives: Oscar Awards

Jennifer Lawrence: Catching Fire All Over Again

22 Feb

Jennifer_Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence is the complete package. She is the “It” Grrrl of the decade. Her face is luminous as is her acting. Her off-screen personality is irreverent and sexy. She’s 22 years old and she has Hollywood and the world by the tail with a hit, Oscar-worthy performance (Silver Linings Playbook) and a global franchise (Hunger Games) to keep her afloat for the next 5 years. It’s enough to give anyone a big head but Jennifer remains grounded with friends and family. For now, you say? True. But I have faith in Miss Lawrence. Simply because she’s simultaneously fearless and self-effacing at the same time.

18th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards held at Barker Hangar

I didn’t really understand how versatile Jennifer was until I saw ‘Silver Linings’.  She was that movie for me. And when you have Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro rounding out the cast, well, then she’s got what it takes times ten. To be so young, so talented and so sought-after is often a dangerous thing in tinseltown. They’d rather chew you up and spit you out as fast as they can make a buck off you rather than nuture an actress’s career for the long haul. So many actresses hit big and are seen everywhere one year – only to fade into oblivion long before their true potential is tapped. I’m hoping that Jennifer is smarter than this (I think she is) and surrounds herself with astute, centered management. Because it would be a shame to not have Jennifer be the new Meryl. Not that there is anything wrong with the old Meryl.

jennifer-lawrence

So here’s to Jennifer winning gold this Sunday at the Oscars and the beginning of a beautiful friendship with the silver screen. She’s off to a great start with both Silver Linings and Hunger Games, the latter of which would never have made an impact without her singular performance. Just goes to show that once in awhile a standout actress can make oodles of money and still have the acting chops to turn in stellar character-performances like she did in Winter’s Bone. That’s range, baby. And here’s to Jennifer enjoying many more Oscar seasons in the spotlight!

Meryl Streep: Oscar’s Leading Lady

19 Jan

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What can be said about the mighty Meryl that hasn’t already been covered hundreds of times in her storied career? She’s simply the most acclaimed actress of her, or any, time in history. And she seems to be getting better with every passing year. Ah, here’s something — her roles get more limited as she (and we) get inevitably older in a youth-obsessed media universe. But first, I’d like to remind everyone just how beautiful Ms. Streep is with a few photographs of the screen goddess taken through the celluloid ages:

Meryl Streep4

This was Meryl in the first movie I ever saw her in: Sophie’s Choice. The film is dated now, but she isn’t. She’s so beautiful in this portrayal of a woman haunted by the Nazis in World War II. Worth another viewing if you haven’t seen it in awhile.

"The Seduction of Joe Tynan" New York City Premiere Party

This photo is circa Kramer Vs. Kramer. Meryl is an absolute knockout in the role and her beauty is so radiant it puts all future supermodels to shame. To be that talented and that beautiful was and is truly something to behold and celebrate. Oscar here we come…

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Around the same era but in color. One of my favorite Meryl Streep movies is SILKWOOD. Meryl is so vulnerable in this role and absolutely riveting as a young, free-spirited woman who takes on a nuclear energy plant and pays the price. The b-story of her home life with Cher and Kurt Russell is equally compelling and easily their best work opposite arguably the best American actress ever. Just goes to show that Meryl on a movie will invariably up everyone else’s acting chops to a new level while they’re in her orbit.

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Two more of my favorites. Between the smoldering sensuality and those eyes piercing through to your soul…

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But I have to say I love Meryl in black & white. There’s something so timeless about her beauty that she lends herself to the glamor shot in such an open, unassuming and understated way that all you see is beauty and brains unlike any other actress of her time. This is another one of my favorites of the multi-Oscar winning actress. And no matter how old she gets and how insipid the movie roles become – I’m just happy to see Meryl up on the screen where she belongs – in front of the camera that loves her along with the audience.

Meryl_Streep

Just beautiful.