Best Actor
- Richard Jenkins for The Visitor
- Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
- Sean Penn for Milk
- Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler
These nominees are not bad at all. In fact they are pretty decent, nearly great. Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn gave two of the top three performances of the year, with bith men giving career best performances in Milk and The Wrestler respectively. Either one of these two men should and will win the oscar. Brad Pitt was great in Button, giving the most internally complex performance of his career, and he deserved a nod. Frank Langella's Nixon was a shining example of wonderful mimicry mixed with actorly invention, and even though Michael Sheen was his equal performance wise, Langella provided Frost/Nixon with it's most poignant moment when he apologizes to the American People. Finally, Richard Jenkins. Jenkins wa absolutely wonderful and reserved in the Visitor. Giving his second best performnce ever, behind Nathaniel Fisher Sr. in Six Feet Under, Jenkins is overdue for a nomination.
Now for the negatives of this shortlist...
No Leo. In my oppinion, Leonardo DiCaprio gave the best male performance of the year and the best of his own career. He was raw, vulnerable and at times frighteningly explosive. His snub will be much more talked about in the coming years, as his performance was better than Jenkin's, Langella's and Pitt's. It's inexcusable that acting of this callibre can be so ridiculously ignored by an actors branch that loves actors movies above all else. I just don't get it.
Best Actress
- Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
- Angelina Jolie for Changeling
- Melissa Leo for Frozen River
- Meryl Streep for Doubt
- Kate Winslet for The Reader
This is a list that is definitely weaker than the Best Actor race. Anne Hathaway was great, boldly daring to strip away all remnants of her squeaky clean persona and playing an ex drug addictwith a complex emotional history. Pretty much a stretch for her, and despite this, she was wonderful. Meryl Streep's performance is one that crept up on me. As I was watching Doubt, it struck me as odd that the only performance that was weak was coming from Ms. Streep. The next day, I had eased up on her, thinking that maybe she wasnt bad at all. Three weeks later, I was positive that she gave the second best female performance of the year. Jolie was good, really good in changeling. Probably the best I've seen her do since Girl, Interupted.
The negative thoughts...
Melissa Leo over Sally Hawkins. The fact that Leo got in pissess me off when Sally Hawkins who gave the superior performance was snubbed. I knew it was going to be one or the other, I went with Sally, why shouldn't I have, she did great on the precursor circuit, got raves and she young and beautiful. Leo is none of these things.
Also, Kate Winslet was nominated for the wrong film. She was good in the Reader, but I agree with the supporting campaign, Michael was the main character not hannah. Winslet turns in the best performance of the year for Rev Road and she is snubbed for it. I just dont understand why the academy is so fucking stupid.
Part III: Monday
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