25 Best Female Performances Of The Last 20 Years
My Top 25 Favorite Female Performances Of The Last 20 Years (1990 - 2009). Happy Birthday IMDb, and Thank You!!!
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- DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsCharlize TheronChristina RicciBruce DernBased on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos.
Probably the most incredible transformation by an actress in recent cinema history. She made a huge brekout with this role, and we're all still talking about THAT performance of hers. - DirectorJane CampionStarsHolly HunterHarvey KeitelSam NeillIn the mid-19th century a mute woman is sent to New Zealand along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a farmer, but is soon lusted after by a farm worker.Holly Hunter as Ada McGrath.
What I call "acting classes". The peak of an actress' career. The role of all dreams. A very deserved Oscar. - DirectorStephen FrearsStarsHelen MirrenMichael SheenJames CromwellAfter the death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II.
Helen Mirren should be taught on school for this performance. Everything about this is absolutely stunning. Long live "THE QUEEN". - DirectorOlivier DahanStarsMarion CotillardSylvie TestudPascal GreggoryBiopic of the iconic French singer Édith Piaf. Raised by her grandmother in a brothel, she was discovered while singing on a street corner at the age of 19. Despite her success, Piaf's life was filled with tragedy.Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf.
For most actresses, it would have been impossible to play The Little Sparrow, but I guess it was just ordinary business for Marion Cotillard. And, maybe, a matter of make up! - DirectorKimberly PeirceStarsHilary SwankChloë SevignyPeter SarsgaardA young man named Brandon Teena navigates love, life, and being transgender in rural Nebraska.Hilary Swank as Teena Brandon / Brandon Teena.
Words can't describe such a glorious performance. I don't agree with her second Academy Award - but let's face it, that year there was no competition. Sorry. - DirectorBaz LuhrmannStarsNicole KidmanEwan McGregorJohn LeguizamoA poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke.Nicole Kidman as Satine.
"Moulin Rouge!", to me, is the best picture of the entire decade. Nicole's character was beautiful, charming, and hypnotizing. Her dedication and talent are remarkable. Her acting is perfect. Hell the Oscar - you won our hearts, Mrs. Kidman. - DirectorRob ReinerStarsJames CaanKathy BatesRichard FarnsworthAfter a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes.
Another Academy-Award winning role. But for Bates was the triumph after years of struggle. But revenge is a dish best served cold, definately. - DirectorLars von TrierStarsEmily WatsonStellan SkarsgårdKatrin CartlidgeOilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.Emily Watson as Bess McNeill.
Young, tender-faced, apperently naive Emily Watson debuted with this role as heart-breaking Bess in Lars Von Trier's masterpiece. You CAN'T ask anything else from an actor when you clearly see that they put their heart, mind and soul in a superb performance like this one. - DirectorJohn Patrick ShanleyStarsMeryl StreepPhilip Seymour HoffmanAmy AdamsA Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysious Beauvier.
Meryl should have won her third Oscar for this, and Winslet should have taken her Academy Award for "The Reader" for Best Supporting Actress. Like Medusa, she can petrify with a single look, knock you down with just a whisper, but still make you sympathize with her. That's what great actors do. And here, we have another astonishing portrait from the best one of all times. PERIOD! - DirectorStephen DaldryStarsKate WinsletRalph FiennesBruno GanzPost-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.Kate Winslet as Hanna Schmidt.
As I said before, I think Kate should have won in the supporting film - because I think that the main character in the film is Michael Berg. But, apart from awards' logic, this is a remarkable achievement for Winslet, whose performances have always been vivid, brilliant and vibrant. Especially in this case. - DirectorTim RobbinsStarsSusan SarandonSean PennRobert ProskyA nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen Prejean.
That's another acting goddess. I mean, thank God for Susan Sarandon. "Dead Man Walking" was - probably - her peak, and shame the Golden Globes members who never gave her one. Well, by the way, she recieved other accolades, even more prestigious awards [read the Oscar...]. - DirectorShekhar KapurStarsCate BlanchettLiz GilesRod CulbertsonThe early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I.
I don't know why, but - especially for British actresses - portraing a reignant takes the best out of an actress [Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench, Glenda Jackson and, more recently, Emily Blunt], but it's hard to think of a better performance in this subject. Who could play her if not the most versatile actress of our times? "Elizabeth" was such a great way to start out, but, quite frankly, Blanchett could be listed for every performance she gave... - DirectorDuncan TuckerStarsFelicity HuffmanKevin ZegersFionnula FlanaganA transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.Felicity Huffman as Bree Osbourne / Stanley.
An unconventional and touching performance that sparks, year after year. And by the way, the reason why Huffman didn't get the Oscar was because the Academy members' view of her as a TV actress [didn't you stop awarding Helen Hunt thou, uh?]. Her humoristic, flawless act nonetheless sticks with in your brain and you cannot not ADORE it! - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroSharon StoneJoe PesciIn Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna Rothstein.
Forget "Basic Instinct", "The Specialist" or anything that comes to your mind when you think of Sharon Stone. Her role in "Casino" brought the best out of her, she's huge as a drug-addicted hooker turned into a spineless mother. I sincerely hope for her to comeback. - DirectorMarc ForsterStarsBilly Bob ThorntonHalle BerryTaylor SimpsonAfter a family tragedy, a racist prison guard re-examines his attitudes while falling in love with the African-American wife of the last prisoner he executed.Halle Berry as Leticia Musgrove.
She needs to come back doing this kind of films. Because she brights on them. The story itself is well-crafted and painful, but this performance brings you to tears. Halle is a great actress when well-directed and her 'duets' with Billy Bob Thornton hurt you like a knife. Congratulations Mrs. Berry! - DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Annette Bening as Carolyn Burnham.
Annette Bening is one of those actors who can deliver spectacular performances even when the movie itself isn't spectacular at all. But this is not the case, fortunately. - DirectorTodd HaynesStarsJulianne MooreDennis QuaidDennis HaysbertIn 1950s Connecticut, a flustered housewife faces a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in the outside world.Julianne Moore as Cathy Whitaker.
An excellent work. Well, it's Julianne Moore playing an unhappy housewife, what did you expect? - DirectorRichard EyreStarsCate BlanchettJudi DenchAndrew SimpsonA veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her fifteen-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond a platonic friendship.Judi Dench as Barbara Covett.
Subtly mean, cleverly evil, secretly manipulative: Judi Dench offers us one of her most dedicated portraits as the old obsessive teacher. The final scene with Blanchett gives you a thrill that hunts you for days. "With stealth, I might secure the prize long-term, forever in my debt", she whispers. Ditto. - DirectorStephen FrearsStarsMichelle PfeifferRupert FriendKathy BatesThe son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.Michelle Pfeiffer as Lea De Lonval.
Not a recognition for this little, beautiful picture that brought Michelle Pfeiffer to the splendor of her early years. Brilliant and seductive, her Lea drops passion and fire from her eyes, seduces with just one act, and brings Colette's character to life in a charming, sensitive way. - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsDaniel Day-LewisMichelle PfeifferWinona RyderA tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.Winona Ryder as May Welland.
Winona was robbed. That would seem a bit sarcastic, but I think it's tragic. In 1993, her beautiful piece in "The Age Of Innocence" moved everybody, and this performance should led her to an Oscar. But it was given to Anna Paquin [who, by the way, was 11 years old at the time]. After years of minor movies, we really hope that Winona makes a final comeback, giving us other great performances like this one. - DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsJulia RobertsAlbert FinneyDavid BrisbinAn unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich.
Was she playing herself? Maybe. But she does it beautifully! - DirectorPhilippe ClaudelStarsKristin Scott ThomasElsa ZylbersteinSerge HazanaviciusA woman struggles to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.Kristin Scott Thomas as Juliette Fontaine.
I've loved you so long, Kristin Scott Thomas. And after watching this film, I'll love you even more. Sorry she was out of the nominees that year, but maybe her flawless french accent wasn't considered cool enough in Hollywood. - DirectorJames MangoldStarsWinona RyderAngelina JolieClea DuVallA directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.Angelina Jolie as Lisa Rowe.
Was Lisa just flirting with madness, or was she literally crazy? And has Jolie identified herself with the character too much? We'll never know it, but surely she gave Lisa the rudeness, the anger and the hardness she deserved. An amazing work, still on the top list of Angelina's career. - DirectorSally PotterStarsTilda SwintonBilly ZaneQuentin CrispAfter Queen Elizabeth I commands him not to grow old, a young nobleman struggles with love and his place in the world.Tilda Swinton as Orlando.
Has this woman ever done a bad performance? I don't think so. Plus, this one was such a challenging, difficult role to cast that I think only Tilda could have done it properly. - DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsSean PennBenicio Del ToroNaomi WattsA freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.Naomi Watts as Christina Peck.
The whole ensemble cast of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's film is remarkable. But Watts' Christina, her pain and her hurts are undeniably effective. Thank David Lynch, who brought her out of obscurity - we will never be thankful enough for this.