Favorite Actresses

Nate’s Nine: Top Actresses

            This will probably come out a little different than many may think, myself included.  When I actually sat down to outline the women I thought would make my 9, a many of them came from the last ten to fifteen years.  Then I realized I've only been watching movies for the last ten to fifteen years on a consistent basis.  I have nothing against the actresses from the early days; only that I wish I could have seen more of their movies.  This blog was just a tiny bit easier than the top actors blog, instead of 70 to begin with, I only had about 50.

#9 – Helen Mirren. She only gets in here because of two performances, but I hear that she is an outstanding voice character in the movie, “Monsters University”.  I have seen and own “The Queen”, it’s one of my favorite films of all-time.  She was also sneaky good in the movie, “Excalibur” playing Arthur’s half-sister and getting into all sorts of trouble.  I also enjoyed her in the TV mini-series, “Elizabeth”, but I’m not sure that propels her any higher on the list.  Definitely tailor-made to play the Queen though.

#8 – Scarlett Johansson. Besides the fact that I am completely drawn to her beauty, I also think she has really come into her own as a good actress.  To be quite honest, I didn't think she was pretty at all in the movie “Lost in Translation” and couldn't understand what the hype was about.  I did think the film was clever, if not magnificent like the rest of the reviewing public.  Then in my eyes, she hit a hot streak.  “The Island”, “Match Point”, “In Good Company”, and “The Black Dahlia” were all enjoyable, and she played her parts well.  Then an absolute masterpiece of a film with “The Prestige”, put her clearly in my sights, and she’s been banging out good performances since then.  Rumor has it that I will be very excited to see her in the new Captain America movie.  Ignoring the obvious acting flaws that will come from a movie like this, I’m guessing that’s close to the truth.

#7 -  Michelle Pfeiffer. For as well as Al Pacino played the Tony Montana role, I thought Michelle was right next to him with her portrayal of Elvira Hancock.  She was stunning, and probably would've owned the film if Pacino wasn’t so invigorating.  She is also the only reason (ONLY) that I actually enjoyed Grease 2. Beyond that though, she really has had a solid career even if she hasn't pulled any Academy Award wins.  She was amusing in “New Year’s Eve” playing a lady who’s life didn’t have much direction in present day New York City.  “I am Sam” is of course one of my favorite films, and she was fantastic as Luanne Johnson in “Dangerous Minds”. Maybe I do need to step up my game a little bit though and finally watch “What Lies Beneath”.

#6 – Diane Keaton. I kind of feel the same way about her in “The Godfather” as I do about Pfeiffer in “Scarface”.  She wasn’t supposed to own the film in any way, but that scene where she isn’t supposed to ask him about his business... man.  Then she goes to pour Michael a drink, but she knew.  And you can feel the emotions she’s having during that scene.  Not many like it...  “Annie Hall”, gets her on this list as well, and even the Rom-Com 2000 films like “Something’s Gotta Give” and “Because I Said So” were good enough to watch.  “The Family Stone” is one of the more underrated films of the last ten years.  A quality package, indeed.

#5 – Annette Benning. Never really noticed her until I saw the film “American Beauty” which was haunting and beautiful to say the least.  It certainly made me change my thoughts about happy suburban life anyway.  She made her character interesting, if not charming, and kind of offered a sympathetic view for being married to Kevin Spacey’s character.  “The Kids are All Right”, and “Open Range”, were both solid films, but what really sold it for me was her performance as Virginia Hill in the movie “Bugsy”.  She was superb, and opened up a new type of curiosity for me as far as those old-style actresses carried on back in the 40’s.  I still want to see that killer moment though before I can put her higher on this list.

#4 – Jodie Foster.  Once again, two films give her a Nate’s Nine appearance.  Of course we all know about her quality work in “Taxi”, when she plays the young prostitute that Travis Bickle attempts to save. And second, one of the most memorable moments of my life, when I finally saw “Silence of the Lambs”, for the first and only time.  It’s an incredible film, given by some fantastic performances, but it was such a mind bleep, that I don’t think I can see it again.  I had nightmares for weeks, and still get them periodically to this day.  But Jodie kills it as Clarice.  In fact, when I hear the name Clarice, it takes me back to the insane asylum with Hannibal...  I’m sure she’s had other great performances, but those two are all I need to see her greatness in film.

#3 – Halle Berry.  Now don’t get me wrong, she plays a nice Storm and all, and she was a gift to the movie “Swordfish”, but everything in between has really given Berry a nice distinguished career as an actress.  “Things we Lost in the Fire”, “Monsters Ball”, “Losing Isaiah”, “Cloud Atlas”, were all just really stellar performances, and now I’d put her close to the top of any actress list, not just my own.  She’s also easy on the eyes, and doesn’t blow her own horn, which is refreshing.  I didn’t even mind her as a Bond girl in “Die Another Day”.  Even her role as Cappy in “Robots”, made for easy listening.

#2 – Keira Knightley.  Well of course!  But not for all the usual reasons this time.  For as much as I enjoy the Pirates of the Caribbean films, her accent,  the soccer passion, vocal talents and all the other lovely treats, her ascension to the top has been very impressive too.  “Love Actually”, kicked it off for me, as I wanted more!  She really hasn’t gone back to that role of the girl next door, but she has picked many winners from, “Pride and Prejudice”, “Atonement”, “The Edge of Love”, “The Duchess”, and “Anna Karenina”. I also really enjoyed “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World”, which was far better than I had imagined.  “Last Night”, was something that I only decided to watch because she was in it, and although it wasn’t a great performance, she was still part of a rather good film.  Lest not we forget her greatest work and one of the greatest films of the 20^th century, “Bend it Like Beckham”. 

#1 – Meryl Streep.  Like the Yankees.  3 Oscars and 18 nominations.  That is absurd.  Most Hollywood talents’ careers don’t last 18 movies.  I must say though, that it took something as ridiculous as “The Devil Wears Prada” to see just how talented she really is.  I missed all of the great classics, of course, and had no real recollection of her work in the movies I had seen like, “The Manchurian Candidate”, “The River Wild”, and “The Hours”.  But when I decided to take a trip back to the great films of the 1970’s and 1980’s... wow.  Simply wow.  I wanted to punch her in the face for her role in “Kramer vs Kramer”.  “The Deer Hunter” instantly made it into my top 10 at first viewing, and how she portrayed someone that had to deal with the struggles and decisions that she did was some of the best acting I’ve ever seen.  “Julia” was mesmerizing and also caused many types of emotions in me as well.  This is how great her dominance has become, as even though she is already at the top, I have yet to see “The Iron Lady”, “Out of Africa”, and “Doubt”.  Even the Rom-Com’s are enjoyable.  I must say my all-time favorite Rom-Com is probably “It’s Complicated”, especially the scenes she has with Alec Baldwin.  In any case, probably the easiest #1 I have given since I started the nine lists.  Well deserved.