"A life of tradition defines her. The eyes of a nation are upon her. The courage to change will save her."

The Queen:



I couldn't find any simple clips of Mirren's work, but this trailer was designed as a kind of ultimate Helen Mirren clip reel, so here it is.

I still don't quite understand how Mirren's performance became so dominating this awards season. I think it's mainly because hers is the only acclaimed female perf that lands squarely in oscar's comfort zone: she's playing a real-life iconic figure in a classy drama with light moments - it's impossible not to like it. Whereas all the other nominees (and of course the performances that were not nominated) have detractors and/or strikes against them: Streep is too light/mainstream, Dench's character is too hateable, Cruz's lines are all in Spanish, and Kate's film is cold and hard to love. Plus they're all fictional.

So when forced to choose between all of those or just pick Mirren, it's much easier just to pick Mirren. It requires no thought or effort. So that's what everyone's been doing. EVERYONE. Mirren's perf may not be as surprising or groundbreaking as her competitors, but since when have those qualities ever won you points for oscar?

It doesn't hurt, of course, that Mirren has never won, and that the other two most acclaimed and oscar-favored nominees (the other two silver foxes) have.

I'm still holding out hope for a SAG upset by our final (upcoming) nominee, but I'm not holding my breath. Only holding hope, not breath. I don't want to suffocate and die. That would be bad.

My final and favorite clip (of sorts) coming soon...