Kathy Bates' Academy Award
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sgallag-94610 — 10 years ago(March 05, 2016 06:03 AM)
Yes. I'm surprised she won for Misery though, not that it wasn't deserving, but the academy has a tendency to favour boring unmemorable dramas that no one remembers a few years later over more intense roles. I'm surprised they didn't opt for Woodward in that case, especially as, looking over, she won all of the critics awards, but then won no major awards either and Kathy won 2/3. I think Misery is one of those films that wouldn't work well with a lesser actress, especially given how cartoonish the character is, and it is entirely about acting, so if she got it wrong it could have ended her film career. But thankfully she got it right and is a classic villain for the ages and I do feel is a 'one of a kind' type of win. Looking at the nominees, only Annie Wilkes and Julia for Pretty Woman stand the test of time 25 years later and the other three from that year have been long forgotten, so the academy made the right choice in the end. I do feel her Oscar could have come from a number of roles and still been deserved, but I'm glad they went down this route for a change.
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InherentlyYours — 10 years ago(March 10, 2016 11:16 AM)
'I'm surprised she won for Misery though, not that it wasn't deserving'
The best performance is not contingent on standing the test of time, but the best acting for that year. It was one of the weakest years I can recall.
The character was not cartoonish, since people like her really exist, and there were other actresses that could have done an equal, if not better, job. If it was cartoonish, that was due to her dubious acting choices,and Reiner's mediocre direction.
Even a psycho has a middle range. Bates was "showing" us a performance, not "being" the performance. A lack of intimacy with her co-star; not intimacy as in love, but connecting with her acting partner. I didn't feel like I was eavesdropping on real people -
rascal67 — 10 years ago(March 10, 2016 06:05 PM)
Looking at the nominees, only Annie Wilkes and Julia for Pretty Woman stand the test of time 25 years later and the other three from that year have been long forgotten
PRETTY WOMAN is shallow and predictable Hollywood, so that goes without saying why it is popular and panders to deluded and simpleminded women. As for MISERY, I would say it has more of a cult following. I really don't think Bates's performance is as readily remembered or revered, as say someone like Glenn Close in FATAL ATTRACTION-87', who gave the superior performance over Bates, as a mentally unhinged woman. I would opt for Angelica Huston in THE GRIFTERS over Bates, as I find her performance more believable and real. Minority opinion, but I also prefer to watch that film over MISERY, which has too many flaws for my liking.
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beedoobee — 9 years ago(January 14, 2017 01:06 AM)
Kathy Bates is one of my favorite actresses. I do agree that she deserved the Oscar for this role, I actually think she deserved one more for Delores Claiborne. IMHO, Kathy Bates is one of those actresses that has an enormous range, and I wish she was in more shows/films.