Not to rub it in, but it's been sort of a rough awards season for Keira Knightley. Girl was placed at the top of many people's favorites list after her performance in Atonement - but so far she's been shut out. Stuffed. Stoned. Has put up a big goose egg. Hasn't won diddly-poo.
Possibly the worst snubbing happened for Keira today, at the BAFTAs. A lot of people thought this would be the one Keira finally took home - Atonement being a British film, Keira a British actress, and the BAFTAs the British Oscars. But something funny happened on the way to Keira winning her little award - they gave it to Marion Cotillard instead.
Of course Cotillard deserved it - her performance in La Vie en Rose was classic, while Keira's work in Atonement was good but clearly not up to that level. Luckily for Keira, she's still young - she'll have many more chances.
Not so for old fart Julie Christie, who was also up for Best Actress but lost. I finally got around to seeing that movie too, Away From Her. It's okay. It's sort of sweet and sad, the way she gets Alzheimer's and goes into the nursing home and forgets who her husband it. Christie is undoubtedly fine in the film. But, the movie is just a little too tame and pipsqueak for my tastes. It's pretty close to being a cable movie, to be frank. La Vie en Rose has a lot more fire and guts in it. Cotillard's performance is pretty stylized and melodramatic - and that's what I like. Bigness. Something that's almost over-the-top, but so skillfully wrought that you forgive it its excesses. Christie is touching and subtle and all that, but in the end the effect is sort of blah.
So I'm pretty happy about Marion getting some recognition. I'm pretty sure Christie will win the Oscar...but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
