The Great Screen Femmes of Our Time

In a recent interview with Ryan Gosling for TIME magazine, the versatile actor claimed that all the great performances nowadays were from the female side of the equation. It kind of gave me a pause: are we living a golden age for screen goddesses that I’m not are of? In the past, Hollywood gave us Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Katherine Hepburn, and the like. In the age of no mystery, where private sex tapes are badges of honour, D.U.I.’d chicklets pass for intriguing news, and paparazzi leer from random underwear drawers, it’s probably harder to focus on the screen long enough to be enchanted by the femmes filling it. I got to investigate, and came up with this list of what I’d consider great screen femmes of our time – a combination of presence and talent in abundance. And I mean to include those who are still having an active career and/or are in their prime. I invite my fellow chicks to edit this post to add your own personal picks.

First, let me get to those not-quite-there and almost-made-it choices:

I love Rachel Weisz. She’s charming, talented, and very underrated. She’s striking in a very subtle way, and perhaps that subtle quality may have prevented her from dominating the screen like she could.
Films to watch: The constant gardener, The Mummies!

The only strike against Shu Qi is that she needs to be seen more – or, rather, her films need to be seen more. This beautiful, talented woman has an amazing screen presence very few can summon. She basically is a walking scenery chewer, if given half a chance at a decent character.
Films to watch: Three times, Millenium Mambo, So close!

Julianne Moore is a terrific actor with a lackluster comedy timing. She’s just perfect for certain roles, and when it’s right, she hits it right out of the park. She has not been in any notable role recently (Children of Men was a great film but there wasn’t much for her to do), and she may have maxed out her range. A few years ago, she would have made it to the official list.
Films to watch: Far from heaven, Boogie Night.

Rachel McAdams may not have had a very lengthy career, but she’s got tremendous potential as an actor and as a movie star. There’s this radiance about her, especially when she flashes that multimillion dollar smile. She has just about perfect comedy timing. I’m just waiting for this girl to get big, really big. She could be that next Julia Roberts everyone in Hollywood is looking for.
Films to watch: Mean Girls, Red Eye

Keira Knightley is on her way to the royal road. While she has so far been popular because of her looks, she can act given the right role. She needs to pout a lot less – it looks good on the page, not so much on the screen, especially when her character is in mortal danger of some sort.
Films to watch: Pride and Prejudice

This woman has an old-world, enigmatic, demure, sexy quality about her (enough adjectives?). Nevermind that she likes to pose only in one position (that femme fatale stare behind the massive eye make up?), she’s absolutely stunning on screen. I can’t wait to see her in more films, and to see if she’s going to make it big based on one film alone. If Sandra Bullock can build a career from one film, so can Eva Green!
Films to watch: Casino Royale

Helena excels at quirkiness. She’s a great actor and has a great screen presence. I think it’s a mark of a great talent that an actor could disappear into a role that doesn’t ask much of the actor and elevate it like she can, but I wish that she was given (or had picked) a stronger, wider variety of roles to work with. I’m borderline on her work, and thus, she’s not on the official list. For me, for now.
Films to watch: Fight Club, The Corpse Bride

And now, the list, in alphabetical order.

She is Hollywood Royalty. She may seem a bit cold (that comes with royalty, no?) at times, but Cate can turn on warmth and vulnerability with a snap of her fingers. She’s already been compared to classic Hollywood stars of the past; she has also played one (Katherine Hepburn). It’s the ease with which she moves across the screen that underlines her screen presence. Magnificent cheekbones help too.
Films to watch: Notes on a scandal, The Aviator, The Good German

It is hard to pin down Kirsten Dunst. Frankly, she comes off a bit airy and fake in interviews, but her filmography speaks of someone who’s smart about her career. I have not yet seen a bad performance from her, even in the Spiderman series (other than the singing part). She comes off really warm, and a bit shy, on screen. She’s a movie star, but she acts like a character actor. Kirsten is going to be a legend by the end of her career if she keeps with the roles she’s been getting.
Films to watch: Bring it on, Marie Antoinette, The Virgin Suicide

Scarlett is scary hot. She’s like Angelina Jolie, only, with better eyes for roles. She reminds me of Bibi Anderson, actually. The whole classy sexy thang. Since arriving at superstardom with her backside, she’s made numerous films that bank on her come-hither looks, some more successful than others. There’s no doubt though, that her name is going to be mentioned along with the greatest Hollywood screen femmes by the time it’s all said and done.
Films to watch: Lost in Translation, Match Point, Ghost World

I think I heard somewhere someone said something along the line of Nicole Kidman being one of the three top actresses in the world, period. I don’t know who the other two are, but that’s a pretty bold statement. For an Ex Mrs. Tom Cruise, she’s done pretty well for herself. While she can not be accused of being the warmest or inviting person on the planet, Kidman manages to give the audience who she is as her character with such precision and poignancy. Her box office clout maybe the only cloud on her horizon, but that doesn’t stop her from topping the list of some of the most respected directors out there.
Films to watch: Birth, The Others, To Die For, Dogville, Moulin Rouge!

It would seem that she has done it all, including being on the panel for prestigious festivals and starring alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood and holding her own. She does not carry herself as an exotic other; she demands and commands respect from her audience, regardless of whether that audience understands all the words that come out of her mouth. If there was ever a screen diva, it would be Gong Li. Not because she’s notoriously difficult, but because she gives the sense that she gets what she wants. In a woman who got looks and talent, that confidence can make her seem untouchable. And she probably is.
Films to watch: Raise the red lantern, 2046, Miami Vice

Meryl Streep is enjoying her second career peek. There’s nothing left to be said that hasn’t already been said about her acting ability. There is something to be said about her ability to command the screen as a leading lady at her age though, when that kind of role comes few and far in between. And nobody is wittier at being beyotchy than her.
Films to watch: The Deer Hunter, Adaptation

She’s just an awesome, awesome actor. Even when she doesn’t quite fit for the role (Sense and Sensibility), she makes it work for herself. She brings maturity and wit to her roles, and they encompass a wide variety. She can basically do any role as far as I’m concerned (as long as it doesn’t require that she’s a pretty sexy young thang?), though I find that her best works are actually on television.

Films to watch: Angels in America (TV), Wit (TV)

I love everything obvious about Naomi Watts: looks, talent, screen presence, smart role picking. What I love most about her though, is her ability to communicate extreme vulnerability on screen. That takes a lot of guts (and I heard those Mulholland Dr. tears were real). More than anything, Watts is a brave, gifted communicator. She leaves everything on the screen, but she reserves a lot of integrity for her characters as well. And for my money, she’s got a sexier mouth than almost everybody on this list. Hot!
Films to watch: Mulholland Dr. , King Kong, I heart Huckabees

There has not been a smarter rom-com actor than Reese Witherspoon since the golden age of Hollywood. She straddles the line between household movie star and respected actor. She’s winsome and likeable, but she does not dumb down (unless it’s on purpose!). She’s got this pointiest of pointy chin, and yet she manages to be more than just cute. There’s a real depth to this woman on top of her apparent ambition that can really intimidate people (Ryan Phillipe?). She can only get bigger as time goes on.
Films to watch: Walk the line, Legally Blonde, Election, Pleasantville

I don’t know how she does it, but Renee Zellwegger is a movie star despite at times looking like a mouse. Being extremely likeable on screen in commercial pictures may help bring her closer to the mass. She’s also a great actor who can chew scenes even in a supporting role. She’s also got that all important rom-com market mastered. She’s not stunning, but that doesn’t stop the transfixing gaze of adoring fans. She was acting the role of Ugly Betty before it ever got hip with the mainstream crowd.
Films to watch: Bridget Jones’ Diary, Jerry McGuire, Nurse Betty

Ziyi arrives at the rank of international stardom by not disappearing after her star-making turn in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I don’t think this girl has had time to rest after that phenomenon. She’s been everywhere, working either on films with the brand-name directors, or on her image by lending her name and face to anything from watches to charity causes. Ziyi graduates from ‘cute’ with her sizzling turn in 2046, though she may need to work more on that front off screen.
Films to watch: 2046, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers