Oracle Online

Amy Adams (Junebug) and Terrence Howard (Hustle and Flow) were two of this year’s fantastic crop of actors that Oscar decided to recognize, for good reason.

If years from now we’re looking at who the fantastic new star of 2005 was, these two performances must be included. Not just the performances were Oscar-worthy; the actors are certainly talents as well.

Of course it would be impossible to be less than Oscar worthy than Junebug, a tiny, underrated film from last year that brought Amy Adams into the cinematic firmament.

Adams had been in films before, of course her Catch Me If You Can bit part was the most noteworthy.

However, nothing will prepare you for her Ashley. The part is difficult, as Adams toes a tight line between keeping her character super sweet, yet never veering into love-struck nauseam.

The film chronicles the lives of a tight-knit, troubled Southern family as they cope with their favorite son marrying a slick Chicago gal.

Adams is not the only standout in the movie, as Alessandro Nivola, Celia Weston, and Embeth Davidtz all also shine in this charmer. If none of these fine actors sound familiar to you, well that’s all the more reason to rent the sparkling Junebug.

Terrence Howard doesn’t have the benefit of an excellent film to back up his performance, but Hustle and Flow certainly doesn’t lack in virtues.

The tale of a pimp who aspires to be a rapper, it is a pleasant but highly predictable tale. The score is bouncy fun, with numbers like “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” (which is now an Oscar-winning song, in one of the night’s many upsets) dominating the film’s plot.

In reality, the film is practically a musical. The ending (I won’t spoil it) doesn’t stay true to the rest of the movie’s hard, tough edge.

In fact, it nearly ruins the flick. However, Terrence Howard, with his star-making turn, jumps to the rescue.

To say that he’s superb would be silly, as any actor who could be nominated for a role playing a pimp has to be teetering toward greatness.

He plays his character with a tough, worldly view, and yet he manages to muster stars in his eyes when he sees his dreams of becoming a rapper develop.

Like Adams, he manages to balance between two unlikable traits to meld into one, root-for-them character. With this and Crash, 2005’s supposed Best Picture, Howard made a big splash last year, and with three films set for 2006, he’ll probably be making waves for a while.

So before they become tabloid fodder and go the route of reality television celebrity and bad comic book movies, check out their Oscar-nominated performances-it’s not often you watch a star being bornčnow is your chance to watch two.