"Lee Daniels' The Butler" marked Oprah's first major film role since "Beloved" in 1998, an absence of fifteen years. It was easy to forget in the interim that Oprah can do more than conduct celebrity interviews -- she's a powerhouse actress who received an Oscar nomination for her first-ever film role in Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" back in 1985. Expect another nomination for her role as Gloria, the butler's complex, fiery, alcoholic, supportive, flawed wife. She's easily the best part of a movie stuffed to the gills with incredible talent.
Her only other credit a short film called "Karma", Ms. Fukushima turned heads as Yukio, Wolverine's red-headed, sword-swinging sidekick. With her elfin features, fierce attitude and surprising vulnerability, Fukushima proved to be an invaluable addition to the film. It remains to be seen if she can turn this breakout role into a lasting Hollywood career, but she certainly holds plenty of promise in that slight, badass frame of hers.
While this Linda Lovelace biopic proved to be uneven at best, there's no denying the star-making performance that Amanda Seyfried delivered in the title role. Previously known most widely as the ditzy Karen in "Mean Girls", as well as for her role in frothy musicals ("Mamma Mia") and Nicholas Sparks adaptations ("Dear John"), Ms. Seyfried finally got to prove her sizable dramatic chops in this film. She's alternately charming, exposed, defiant and heartbreaking, nailing each layer of her controversial character. She transforms Linda from a world-famous porn star to a real, relatable human being, a feat not to be ignored. Expect more great roles from her in the future.
As Oscar Grant, a young man gunned down by a police officer in the early mornings of New Year's Day 2009, Michael B. Jordan has been turning heads ever since "Fruitvale Station" premiered at Sundance. Previously known for his roles on TV in "Friday Night Lights" and in the surprise sci-fi hit "Chronicle", Jordan took his craft to a whole new level here. He doesn't shy away from showing Oscar as a real person, warts and all. He's not just a martyr to be pitied -- he's a flesh-and-blood human with flaws and dreams. The real tragedy of the film is in seeing a work in progress cut short before reaching its potential.
This is the dictionary definition of miscasting. Obviously chosen for his familiarity with the hippy dippy 60s in which the film begins, Kutcher quickly finds himself our of his depth when the film calls for him to show emotion. Scenes of Jobs crying into his father's shoulder or shouting irrationally at coworkers are cringe-worthy at best. To be fair, Kutcher was in no way helped by a script that was focused more on the history of Apple than the history of the man who founded it. But even with a tighter script, Kutcher would likely have floundered.
Despite the lack of surprise over the reveal of his character's true identity, Benedict Cumberbatch still managed to turn in the best performance as a villain for the whole season. Unlike other portrayals by actors who clearly knew they were playing villains, Cumberbatch's Khan was so committed to his agenda, and so convinced he was right, you couldn't help but root for the murderous, ruthless, yet totally charming sociopath.
Speaking of people who knew they were playing villains... Jodie Foster's robotic turn as Elysium's Secretary Of Defense Delacourt is hammy to the max as she struts ramrod straight down hallways, sneering left and right, delivering every line with a cold monotone that shows Delacourt knows how evil she is. And then there was her bizarro pseudo-French accent which, according to Times reviewer Richard Corliss, "roams vagrantly across the English-speaking world in the space of a sentence."
Though this undercover cop movie was otherwise fairly run-of-the-mill, there's no denying the bro-mantic chemistry between the leads. Every scene they shared was a delight to watch: they played off each other so well, and clearly had such fun shooting together, that the rest of the film suffers even more by comparison. These two should team up more often (though hopefully for something more original next time).
Spoiler alert! The best death of the summer belongs not to an explosion-filled action flick, but to this raunchy meta-comedy. James Franco, playing himself, is finally raptured up to heaven when he sacrifices himself to save his buddies Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel, but he can't resist one last eff-you: he gives them the finger, and his glowing blue light is promptly extinguished, dropping him back into the crowd of bloodthirsty cannibals, where he is promptly eaten alive. A fitting end to a performance of such oblivious narcissism, you can't help but cheer as Franco is ripped limb from limb.
Who do YOU think delivered the best performances of the summer? Who made you cry? Who made you cringe? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us @StageBuddy!
