84th Academy Awards – ‘Best Actor’

Eligibility and Voting:

I covered the eligibility and voting for acting awards in my Best Supporting Actress post.

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Nominations:

Demián Bichir – A Better Life as Carlos Galindo

• 1^st nomination.  Previously in Che and Weeds.
• Nominated for 4 other major awards.

I love Demian.  I first am a HUGE fan of Weeds.  And the edition of Damian in Season 4 was epic.  I’m so happy to see him succeeding in his other endeavors.  However, he has little chance of winning.

George Clooney – The Descendants as Matt King

• 4^th nomination for acting, having previously won for his Supporting Role in Syriana.  He has also been nominated for Leading Actor twice in Michael Clayton and Up in the Air.
• Won 8 of 21 other major award nominations.

Next to last years The American this is probably one of George’s finest performances.  This movie gives us an understated George who doesn’t really know what to say, do… or even think about all the things going on around him.  He has to balance negotiating a multimillion dollar land deal, while carrying for his dying wife, while processing the knowledge of her infidelity, while learning to be a parent… and the weight of all these things can be seen on his face the whole movie.  A couple of my friends have criticized his performance as “same old George… all he has to do is shed one tear and everyone is ready to give him an Oscar.”  I personally don’t agree.  Throughout the movie George kept it all together… and that tear was what he was working towards the whole time… the realization... that kiss…  throughout it all… he had to say goodbye to someone he loved.

Jean Dujardin – The Artist as George Valentin

• 1^st nomination.
• Won 9 of 21 other major award nominations, including the Cannes Film Festival, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Golden Globe for Comedy/Musical.

Jean’s performance in The Artist is simple magical.  For an actor to used every tool at his disposal, except his voice, and still push out a fully realized performance is amazing.  They should probably start engraving the Oscar now… because it is going to say Jean Dujardin.

Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as George Smiley

• 1^st nomination.  Also seen in Sid and Nancy, JFK, Dracula, Leon: The Professional, Immortal Beloved, and most recently known as Sirius Blakc and Commissioner Gordon in the Harry Potter and Chris Nolan’s Batman series’ respectively. 

Won 1 of 11 other major award nominations.

Can you believe it?!?  This is only Gary’s FIRST Oscar nomination!!!  I love love love the fact that he is nominated.  He is such a chameleon, which probably works again him most awards seasons, since it is hard to place him from one film to another.  Gary Oldman is a genius.  And for him to be nominated now, for this film, is awesome.  Gary is best known for playing big personalities… characters that are bigger than life.  However, this time… he turns the table on us completely.  George Smiley is one of the top British intelligence officers in MI-6.  A Spy.  You would think he would be the kind of larger than life character Gary Oldman normally plays with ease… well… no.  Instead Gary plays him as a cold calculating introvert… who feels personal and emotional pain when it comes to the simpler things in life.  There are moments of sheer brilliance in this film… most often moments a normal movie goer would overlook or dismissing.  There are times in this film where Gary’s character knows he is alone and lets his guard down, shown mainly as a change in posture, and that split second change gives the audience a glimpse into what George Smiley is really thinking.  “Being a spy is draining.”  Finally getting to see Gary pull out that kind of subtle performance was simply magical to watch.

Brad Pitt – Moneyball as Billy Beane

• 3^rd nomination for acting.  Previously nominated for 12 Monkeys and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
• Won 4 of 16 other major award nominations.  3 of those 4 were for his body of work this year, including Tree of Life.

What can I say about Brad?  I love him.  He’s like George.  He just makes it look easy all the time.  So easy that it almost seems anyone could do it.  But honestly… no.  Brad is just one of those really talented guys.  He wasn’t perfect when his career started… but he gets better and better and now he’s one of the actors I love to watch.  Moneyball is my personal favorite performance by Brad.  But… there are too many great performances this year… the Oscar will elude him yet again.

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Snubs:

Paul Giamatti for Win Win.  This is still my favorite movie of the year and Paul is still my favorite performance of the year.  I am unapologetic about it too.

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Oscar Trends:

Listen.  I know I go a little over board on the statistics sometimes… especially on my post about Best Actress.  However, that one is going to be close to call.  This one isn’t.  Even if Paul Giamatti had been nominated, I would have never picked him for the win.  Jean Dujardin is the clear winner here.  So there is no reason to run the numbers.

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Prediction: 

• Winner:  Jean Dujardin – The Artist as George Valentin
• Runner-Up:  George Clooney – The Descendants as Matt King
• Wild Card: Brad Pitt – Moneyball as Billy Beane
• Unlikely:  Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as George Smiley
• No Chance in Hell:  Demián Bichir – A Better Life as Carlos Galindo