2006’s Indie Queens and Foreign Femme Fatales

2006: Unless you happen to live in the Aussieland sunbelt, prior to 04’ no one heard of the actress. Cornish’s international claim to fame (Somersault) was finally released stateside in 06’ and folks were whip lashed by her with additional stints in A Good Year and junkie-friendly vehicle of Candy.

2007: The next Watts/Kidman to come out of Australia will next appear in The Golden Age and Kimberly Peirce's Stop-Loss – a tale about a soldier who returns home to Texas and is called to duty again in Iraq through the military's “stop-loss” procedure. The soldier then refuses to return to battle. 

2006: The best thing to come out of Brazil since Gisele, Braga first caught our attention in Fernando Meirelles' City of God. Her hips that don’t lie were recently showcased in Lower City (Cidade Baixa) and the Tribeca preemed Journey to the End of the Night (catch it on DVD). 

2007: We should get to view her in Sólo Dios sabe (Only God Knows) (a 2006 Sundance  film) and she’ll drastically improve her English with Will Smith in the big studio flick I Am Legend.
 

2006: Technically we got to see her in three films for the price of one. HHH’s Three Times touches upon In the Mood for Love territory – showcasing female sensitivity and beauty.   

2007: If you live in the pacific rim chances are you’ll catch her in Nie Yin Niang and the Taiwanese/Hong Kong period piece production of the Blood Brothers.

2006: When she isn’t busy recording her album  (critics are raving about it) she dive deep into flagrant nutty wife psychosis in Lemming and was showcased in Gondry’s The Science of Sleep.

2007: Expect and assured double dose of her with major role in The Golden Door and minor part in Todd Haynes’ I'm Not There. The City Of Your Final Destination by James Ivory is on the horizon.

2006: An April release didn’t help her out in the long run with award season chances in The Notorious Bettie Page.

2007: This coming year proves to be a busy one, with a television project and a couple of indie projects in Puccini for Beginners, The Ten and Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot.

2006: Some saw her Western action film (direct to video) entitled Bandidas, but Volver became much more than film for this actress.   

2007: A biopic of sorts with Adrien Brody in Euro-production Manolete
Manolete and a delightful Brit comedy in The Good Night coming soon.
 

2007: A busy slate ahead with indie films An American Crime
and Smart People coming soon.

Lionesses once again proved that talent is ageless. Rampling starred in Vers le sud and Lemming and will next appear in another Ozon film Angel and Julio Medem picture Caótica Ana. 

The dame voiced Doogal and played the habitual in 007’s episode Casino Royale but she proved to be the better sparing partner in Notes On a Scandal.

In her role of an assassin, Mirren appeared briefly theatres with the TIFF film Shadowboxer but major kudos will come to her thanks to her interpretation of the Queen in the aptly titled film, The Queen. 

2006: Come late fall every direction we turned our heads we found Cate. Babel, The Good German and Notes On a Scandal showed us why she is of the supreme caviar type quality actresses – but it was a major triumph in Little Fish that called our attention.

2007: The Golden Age officially becomes the actresses’ first sequel (a follow up to Elizabeth) and she will then challenge the mainstream with I'm Not There – where the thesp officially becomes the actresses' first time in the role of the opposite sex.  

I don't need to call attention to Kate’s great performance nor Jennifer Connelly's inclusion in Todd Field’s masterpiece, but lesser known oldest newcomer Phyllis Somerville gives a rich, complex performance as a mother who doesn't give up on her son. I hope cinephiles will take notice of her exchanges with Jackie Earle Haley – the pair are simply put: brilliant. 

2007: We can catch Somerville briefly in Broken English and Lucky You.