by Cookie N Screen
Late last September, we were insanely excited for Julianne Moore’s turn in Map To The Stars. So much so that when it came around, we lauded the actress and gave her praise in a needed Essentials Article. And I remember, specifically saying that there was going to be a part two. Now that she’s an Oscar winner for her stirring role in this week’s Still Alice, (an award that has been a long time coming) we just can’t resist singing her praises again as we look at some Moore movies.
Get it?
Honourable Mention: Mockingjay - Part 1. No one else could play Coin. No one.
Late last September, we were insanely excited for Julianne Moore’s turn in Map To The Stars. So much so that when it came around, we lauded the actress and gave her praise in a needed Essentials Article. And I remember, specifically saying that there was going to be a part two. Now that she’s an Oscar winner for her stirring role in this week’s Still Alice, (an award that has been a long time coming) we just can’t resist singing her praises again as we look at some Moore movies.
Get it?
Honourable Mention: Mockingjay - Part 1. No one else could play Coin. No one.
Don Jon
You have to admire actors who get behind the camera after years of being in front of it. It’s a bit of a difficult transition and some people don’t do it well. Joseph Gordon Levitt did it so well. Really well, in fact. He took a film and led the audience go down one route only when we got to the end, we were somewhere new and exciting. Don Jon, the story of a young man with a porn addiction, was greatly acted by all those involved including Julianna Moore as Ester – a student at Jon’s night college. Tender and broken by the death of her husband and son, Esther opens Jon up to a sexual connection. Moore laces her character with depth, poignancy and mastered emotion.
Boogie Nights
Moore’s acting talents are so great that you’ll often find her drawn to different directors. From the Coen Brother’s to David Cronenberg – she has a whole portfolio of working with masterminds. I think the strongest relationship would be her work with Paul Thomas Anderson. And it’s in Boogie Nights where her talent was completely solidified. As Maggie, she undeniably stole the show as Maggie aka “Amber Waves.” She takes Eddie under her thing but still has many issues to contend with. It’s through Moore’s acting where sex workers are given a voice that is often misheard in mainstream movies. It’s extremely nuanced and well-acted.
Children Of Men
I always think that if you can appear in a movie, steal the show and promptly die (wow, spoilers) and yet still make a lasting impression – then you are a phenomenon. That’s the Moore way. Children of Men is Alfonso Cuaron’s dystopian movie that may or may not be a re-telling of the creationist story but with more explosions and murder. It is also a terrific way of pointing peoples racism and anti-immigration stances going, “look, this is what you’ll become.” Starring Clive Owen as Luke, Moore is the ex-wife Julian who revisits him in a time where humans are practically infertile. Except Julian has a present – a pregnant women who they are trying to shelter. It’s only a small role but Julianne Moore is centre of the the most pivotal and tense scenes (a complete running track as well).
A Single Man
A movie to break your heart. Or how we feel, the movie where Colin Firth should’ve won the Oscar (which they rectified with The King’s Speech but still). A Single Man is a studied portrayal of a man tackling prejudice and grief. Heart-wrenching, as Firth portrays George Falconer in the sixties tackling life after his partner dies. In the pain, he finds solace in Charley – a woman going through an existential crisis about her own future. A lot of the movie’s excellence is down to Colin Firth’s wonderful role that is so stirring it is impossible to forget years after. Moore, however, is the perfect counterpart and matches parts of his loneliness in a visceral and poignant manner.
Maps To The Stars
Still Alice, don’t get us wrong, is sure enough a terrific film with an important message. Moore deserves her Oscar like 23435 times over. But we still can’t shake that maybe she should’ve been nominated for Maps To The Stars. Because in David Cronenberg’s phenomenal caricature of Hollywood and all its sleaziness, Moore is completely dazzlingly. Mainly because she is so awful; believably horrible that she is immediately engaging. It’s a superb performance, sinking its teeth in similarly to Gloria Swanson’s wide-eyed romp in Sunset Boulevard. Yet this is so much worse and depraved.
What Do You Think?
Well, this has just left us Mooreish, what are your favourite Julianne Movies?
Here’s part one of our love affair?
Academy Award Winning Still Alice is in cinemas now!
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