Musical Project: Best Supporting Actress 2012

5. Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook
Weaver is effective enough as a mother of mentally ill Pat, but the truth is that it's not actually very showy part. Her screen-time is not only very short, but she even doesn't have many things to do. It's a performance that would never be noticed, if the campaign wasn't so strong. But still it's very fine and decent performance...

4. Sally Field - Lincoln
This is a very inconsistent performance that mostly suffers from a very bad screenplay and not very good direction. Many of her scenes are overacted, her madness was either too lackluster, or too much over the top and her chemistry with Lewis is not very good (but that's mostly Lewis's fault), but on the other hand there are many moments that show the fact that Field is a natural. Her emotional scenes are really perfect and she tries to build her character as well, as she's able to.

3. Amy Adams - The Master
This is a case very similar to the Weaver's. Adams spends the third share of her performance in the background, but the difference from Weaver is that Adams has much more acting opportunities in the rest of the performance. And, as we know, Adams is a great actress who uses them excellently.

2. Helen Hunt - The Sessions
This is a very subtle, but really great performance given by Hunt. Her chemistry with Hawkes is wonderful and she uses every scene she has. In the hands of a less capable actress this would be a completely forgettable performance and we would absolutely not care about her character. But in Hunt's hands it fortunately didn't happen. 

1. Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Though this might not be the best female supporting performance of the year, it's definitely the best from this lineup. Her performance has got many technical mistakes. She's overacting sometimes and her acting is very obvious at some moments. But it's so much pleasure to watch her acting...

Louis, your prediction was right, so you can choose another year that you want me to do. I'll do my best to do it as soon, as possible.
My next year is not going to be best leading actress 1968, as I have planned before. I'll will finish the musical project, but right now I just don't have spirits for watching some of those films (yes, Rachel Rachel would be a huge Affliction). Therefore I'm rather going to watch Affliction while doing best supporting actor 1998...

My Nominees:
1. Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy
2. Judi Dench - Skyfall
3. Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
4. Helen Hunt - The Sessions
5. Shirley MacLaine - Bernie

Musical Project: Best Supporting Actress 2012: Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables

If you haven't seen Les Misérables, you should do your best to watch it as soon, as possible. If there's no other reason, then because of the performances.
Anne Hathaway plays the role of Fantine, that appears in the film for less than twenty minutes. Even this short screen-time was enough for her to win an Oscar, thousands of other awards and the appreciation of the audience. It is all deserving?
Absolutely. Watching Hathaway acting is something breathtaking and it's a real pleasure. The first scene she's in, is the one in the fabric. Her colleges take her the letter and she tries to get it back. In this scene it is revealed that Fantine's got a daughter. Most of her performance in this scene is wonderful and realistic.
When I say 'the most' I mean the most. Some of her reactions are a bit over the top. And her entire performance is accompanied by this overacting.
Though it's obvious that Hathaway is acting, I still loved to watch her acting. I don't know why is that so, but somehow I loved Hathaway's overacting. It's her charm, or something that made me love her performance even though it has got some objective mistakes.
If you take or instance her big 'I Dreamed a Dream' scene. Would you expect anyone to handle it this way? The live singing is one thing, but handling it really realisticly with breaths and crying is another. Hathaway did so much with this character.
Her best scene though would not be 'I Dreamed a Dream' in my opinion. I think her best part is the song 'Lovely Ladies', especially the end of it. Her depression, sadness, desperation and hate is perfect in her gestures, but mostly in her eyes.
In thirty years this will be extremely worshiped performance, trust me...

Musical Project: Best Supporting Actress 2012: Sally Field - Lincoln

It's not a secret that I didn't enjoy Lincoln very much. I have seen it four times yet and I hope I won't have to watch it again.
The fourth time I've been watching it was because of this review and something strange happened to me. The three times before made me sure I have a resistant opinion about Field's performance, which was not very good to her. But I don't know how, I realized it's not actually as bad, as it seemed to me. 

The biggest problem I had (and still have) with this performance is the overacting. Field's portrayal of Molly Lincoln is actually full of inconsistence. On the first hand we have perfectly acted scenes, on the other hand there are scenes so overacted, that they can hardly be believable. 

If you take for instance her subtle scenes, they are the the proof of Field's ability to be a wonderful actress. The scene, in which she cries about her dead son and the following scene at the Grand Reception are really great. In bot of them she superbly builds her character and shows off the emotions.
She also has some brief moments at the councils. She handles them well enough, but the truth is that she doesn't have a lot to do in them. She only delivers one, or two lines at the most, but mostly it's about her look.
On the other side we have scenes, where she is completely unrealistic. For example the scene of her emotional outburst, which ridiculously became her Oscar clip, is extremely overacted. I didn't believe a single line she said. Or there is a scene at the opera, in which she moves and acts as she was told to, but it never seemed natural to me.
When I think about these mistakes, I used to blame Field for her. But the last time I've watched the film I realize that it's the screenplay and the direction who's to blame here. I don't absolutely understand the praises given to the screenplay. The lines are extremely unnatural and the direction failed to help it. But it's even the failure of Field, so why I blame Spielberg so much? Because he not only fails to help the factitiousness, he seems to support it at some moments. But that's another story.
The best scene of Field's performance would be the above-mentioned scene of the crying.
The chances of winning an Oscar: The fight was down to her and Hathaway. But we all knew Field's not going to happen... 

Musical Project: Best Supporting Actress 2012: Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

The mother roles have always been very likable to the best supporting actress Oscar category, so it shouldn't be such a surprise when Jacki Weaver was announced to be nominated for this role. But I almost swallowed my spoon, while watching the announcement.
The reason for that was very simple. She really doesn't have a lot to do in Silver Linings Playbook. Her nomination is probably the logging of Harvey Weinstein, but let's look at her performance a bit deeply. Is it really as deficient, as many people say?
I gave a question that is really difficult to answer. The first time we see Weaver's character is in a medical institution when she comes to let his son off and she handles this scene really very well. The scene in the car in which she takes him home are almost perfect.
But the truth is that later in the film she mostly just stands in the corner and says one or two lines, at the most. But she delivers them very well.
I believe in one thing: I (or the Oscar-performances bloggers in general) should care about the quality of the performance, not the quantity of the scenes. Of course, I also have to take the length of it into the consideration, but it's not the main thing I should care about. Therefore I don't hate, or dislike Weaver's performance. Her pity is that she really doesn't have much screen-time, but her tries to do everything she is able to in such a short time.
Her best scene would probably be the one in which De Niro's and Lawrence's characters persuade Weaver's character to lie to Pat (Cooper's character). In this scene she really shows how much her character cares about his son and she's afraid to disappoint him. There is a great amount of emotions shown in this single scene.
The chances of winning an Oscar: Don't make me laugh...

Musical Project: Best Supporting Actress 2012: Amy Adams - The Master

I have already reviewed two performances from The Master before, so you probably know I liked it enough. Though it's not my favorite Anderson's film, but I enjoyed it. One of the reasons are the performances in it.
Amy Adams plays the wife of Lancaster Dodd, the character played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The first thing I want to talk about is the chemistry between these two actors. They met together before in Doubt, but there he played a priest and she played a nun. Therefore he should be more authoritative and their scenes together went well. But in The Master they're supposed to play a married couple, but Hoffman still must be more authoritative, because he's the leader of the scientological church and she is pushed aside for the church. They greatly mirror this fact into the film and they have a well-working and strange chemistry.
Adams plays a young caring mother, who supports his husband and takes care about their child. She is always ready to help him in his job and tolerates him. She's afraid of him, and sometimes she wants to open his eyes, when he doesn't see something that is wrong for him.
These are actually the scenes I liked the most from her performances. The first one is her Oscar clip, where she explains Hoffman that they should attack. The other one is really perfect and it's the scene at the dinner, in which she tells him that Freddie (Phoenix) may not be as secure, as he seems to be. This scene is the highlight of this performance.
I also have to mention the scene of the masturbation, which is very powerful.
Until now I have been writing about the good points of her performance. Now is the time for the bad ones. There are not any bad points. But there is one thing I need to mention, because I didn't like it very much, though it's not actually bad. It's the fact that she has got many scenes she has nothing to do in. She's got too many scenes that don't allow her to truly show off the talent. It wouldn't matter that much, if these scenes weren't approximately the third share of her performance...
The chances of winning an Oscar: I think the fight was between Field and Hathaway, but Adams was probably the third behind them. Harvey is very powerful in Hollywood and Amy is a great actress that is (sooner or later) going to win her gold...

Musical Project: Best Supporting Actress 2012: Helen Hunt - The Sessions

The Sessions is a very decent biographic film, but without the great performances it would be a bit boring. But I enjoyed it enough and even cared about its characters.
Helen Hunt's performance is one of those that make this film easier to watch. He plays Cheryl, a sex therapist. When I first read about this film and her role, I thought it's an Oscar-baity character - a prostitute that helps an immobile virgin to lose his virginity. Therefore it's almost unbelievable that while watching this film it never came to my mind she's a prostitute. She handled this role so naturally, that her job almost seemed to me normal and usual.
One very important thing that needs to be said is that her performance could never be perfect without a great performance of the leading actor. Fortunately, John Hawkes gives a wonderful performance in The Sessions, so that we can sympathize and familiarize with him. The other needed thing was that Hunt herself had to give a very natural, realistic and likable performance.
Now that both of the actors did their job greatly, we could absolutely care about the character of Cheryl. Just when we completely sympathize with Mark and we understand him, we can see Cheryl through his eyes and only then she is likable enough. Luckily, both of the actors succeeded in doing this.
She becomes so likable, that in the end, when she's supposed to leave after the last session (and never come back) and both of the characters are really sad about the whole thing, I realized it's not only the characters that don't want that to happen. I also didn't. That's the best proof of a great performance given by Hunt...
The chances of winning an Oscar: Very very low. I think even Jacki Weaver had better support among the Academy members because of Harvey Weinstein. This small (but great) performance in such a small film was just happy to be nominated...

Next Year: Musical Project: Best Supporting Actress 2012

The Nominees:
Amy Adams - The Master
Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook
Sally Field - Lincoln

So, what's your nominees? What's your ranking? What's your prediction for my ranking? Write in comments...