Melanie Lynskey – This Had Oscar Buzz

268 – Shattered Glass (with Richard Lawson!)

Hayden Christensen arrived seemingly out of nowhere to land the role of pre-Vader Anakin Skywalker, becoming one of Hollywood’s hottest stars overnight and largely untested as a screen presence. After a respected turn in Life As A House(see previous episode!), the Attack of the Clones reviews soured audiences on this brand new star. The very next year, he gave a terrific performance in Shattered Glass as journalist Stephen Glass who famously fabricated stories for The New Republic. But awards bodies overlooked Christensen’s work and instead nominated the rising Peter Sarsgaard as Glass’ pseudo-rival Chuck Lane.

This episode, we talk about the Entertainment Weekly It List that was Christensen’s first debut post-Star Wars casting and his return to the franchise. We also talk about director/writer Billy Ray, Sarsgaard’s near nomination here, and journalism movies that were successful with Oscar.

Topics also include working with fact checkers, college group watch television, and the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards.

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255 – Win Win

Before Tom McCarthy would deliver an Oscar triumph with Spotlight (and a bomb with The Cobbler), his critically beloved films centering on everyday people culminated in Win Win. The film starred Paul Giamatti as a lawyer and wrestling coach who takes in the grandson of an elderly client, one who he has taken guardianship of solely to alleviate his family’s precarious financial situation. With a stellar ensemble including Amy Ryan and Melanie Lynskey, the film premiered at Sundance to strong reviews and earned screenplay mentions throughout the season ahead. But with distributor Fox Searchlight handling several bigger films, Win Win did not become McCarthy’s first Oscar nominee.

This episode, we look back at Giamatti’s notorious Oscar snub for Sideways and ahead to his chances this year with Alexander Payne reunion The Holdovers. We also discuss Ryan’s passionate and lovable performance, Spotlight‘s position in its Best Picture lineup, and Win Win‘s fellow nominees for Best Movie for Grownups.

Topics also include Melinda Doolittle on American Idol, Nina Arianda’s film roles, and McCarthy’s canned Game of Thrones pilot.

And remember to join us on This Had Oscar Buzz: Turbulent Brilliance over at patreon.com/thishadoscarbuzz!!

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222 – Away We Go

After winning Best Picture and Best Director for his zeitgeist-seizing debut feature American Beauty, Sam Mendes instantly became a director who generate awards chatter no matter the project. In 2009, he took a noticeable tonal downshift with Away We Go, a minor key comedy about a young pregnant couple on a road trip to decide where they want to grow their roots. Despite praise for Maya Rudolph’s performance as a soon-to-be mother still grieving the untimely death of her parents and John Krasinski opposite her as her jokester partner, the film didn’t succeed as summer counter-programming and mostly forgotten in the season to come.

This episode, we talk about the harsh reviews that found the film more judgmental than reflective and Rudolph’s understated and absorbing performance. We also talk about Alexi Murdoch’s soundtrack, possibly semi-autobiographical screenwriter marrieds Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, and the film’s bursting ensemble of fantastic character actors from Melanie Lynskey, Allison Janney, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Topics also include this year’s New York Film Critics Circle award winners, Mendes’ pivot to Bond, and the lure of Montreal. Don’t forget to get submissions in for our upcoming mailbag episode!

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