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So as you know, I stopped writing lengthy reviews on this site this year, keeping the blog as more of a film diary of sorts.  Lo and behold,...

Thursday, June 14, 2012

The 2011 RyMickey Awards - Breakthrough Award

Although these actors and actresses may or may not have been seen before, 2011 was the year they truly made a name for themselves.  This award recognizes both their performances this year and takes into account the possibilities for their futures.  Here's hoping prolific careers are on their horizons.

Breakthrough Award 2011

Honorable Mentions

#10 - Nina Arianda - Win Win, Midnight in Paris, Higher Ground
#9 - Jean Dujardin - The Artist
#8 - Liana Liberato - Trust, Trespass
#7 - Shailene Woodley - The Descendants
#6 - Benedict Cumberbatch - War Horse; The Whistleblower; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

And the Top Five...

#5 - Viola Davis
The Help, Trust, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Yes, Viola Davis has been around for ages and has even been Oscar-nominated before, but you can't deny that 2011 was her year thanks to her role in The Help.  However, she also had some very nice turns in two other films that rounded out her stellar year.

#4 - Melissa McCarthy
Bridesmaids
I knew of McCarthy from her co-starring role on Gilmore Girls, but I can't say I've ever seen a single minute of Mike and Molly.  So color me surprised when she made a name for herself with her Oscar-nominated role in Bridesmaids.  To get a nomination for such a raunchy film is quite the oddity when it comes to the stuffy Academy and it definitely launched her into movie territory.


#3 - Elizabeth Olsen
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Elizabeth Olsen really is a star on the rise and in her first ever released film, she proved that she has quite the acting chops that her familial name would have never suggested (nothing against Ashley and Mary Kate's acting prowess in Full House).  2012 has already brought us Silent House which, while not a great film, wasn't the fault of Ms. Olsen.  Here's hoping to a bright future.

#2 - Michael Fassbender
Shame, A Dangerous Method, X-Men: First Class, Jane Eyre
Fassbender is on a roll as of late.  Four strong performances above (even if the films were of varying degrees of success) and a continuing presence in 2012 already.  His role in Shame very nearly put him on the Oscar shortlist thanks to his bravura performance.

#1 - Jessica Chastain
The Help, The Tree of Life, Coriolanus, Take Shelter, The Debt, The Texas Killing Fields
The winner of this category couldn't be easier this year as 2011 was the year of Jessica Chastain.  She was everywhere and proved to be rather successful in all of her roles which ran the gamut from comedy to drama showing her versatility as an actress.


Previous RyMickey Award Winners
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3 comments:

  1. Jar Jar R Martin9:44 PM, June 15, 2012

    I think Fassbender had his breakthrough with Inglorious Basterds. But I guess this is subjective.

    And Cumberbatch would be my #1 due to Sherlock.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jeff1:58 AM, June 16, 2012

    This is always a category that's moderately open to "cheating" -- hence Viola Davis in the mix.

    When I looked Fassbender up on imdb prior to making the list, I was actually surprised to see that he was in Inglourious Basterds...I don't remember him at all and I probably should.

    And as for Cumberbatch, I actually had him at #5 and then remembered Fassbender which knocked Cumberbatch out of the Top Five. I mentioned in my little write-up prior to erasing it that Sherlock was recently added to my Netflix queue...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jar Jar R Martin12:03 AM, June 17, 2012

    Oh god, Sherlock is so damn good. It's kind of impossibly good.

    ReplyDelete

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