Sunday 21 September 2014

Alternate Best Actor 1983: Results

5. Al Pacino in Scarface - The film treats too many sides of his character too thinly, but Pacino manages to give a rather effective flamboyant performance.

Best Scene: "Say Hello To My Little Friend"
4. Ken Ogata in The Ballad of Narayama - Ogata gives a very quiet but powerful portrayal of the emotions of a very stoic man.

Best Scene: It begins to snow.
3. Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story - Billingsley's gives a very funny performance that compliments the film's narration particularly well.

Best Scene: Seeing Santa.
2. James Woods in Videodrome -Woods, as usual, gives a very energetic performance, and manages to keep a certain humanity in the film no matter how strange it gets.

Best Scene: "Long live the new flesh"
1. Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone - Christopher Walken proves once again whenever he's really challenged in a role he absolutely delivers. The challenge of his role here is technically not the complexity, his character is purposefully average in most ways, but never making his character seem simple. It's a great performance that deserves mention alongside his work in The Deer Hunter.

Best Scene: Johnny meets his old girlfriend's husband.
Overall Rank:
  1. Tom Courtenay in The Dresser
  2. Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone
  3. Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies
  4. Gerard Depardieu in Danton
  5. Wojciech Pszoniak in Danton
  6. David Bowie in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
  7. James Woods in Videodrome 
  8. Ben Kingsley in Betrayal 
  9. Alan Bates in The Return of the Soldier
  10. Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story
  11. Albert Finney in The Dresser
  12. Om Puri in Ardh Satya
  13. Tom Conti in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence 
  14. Jeroen Krabbe in The Fourth Man
  15. Jeremy Irons in Betrayal
  16. Ken Ogata in The Ballad of Narayama 
  17. Keith Gordon in Christine 
  18. Gene Hackman in Eureka
  19. Tom Conti in Reuben, Reuben 
  20. David Villalpando in El Norte
  21. Eddie Murphy in Trading Places
  22. Tom Cruise in Risky Business   
  23. Anthony Perkins in Psycho II
  24. Charles Martin Smith in Never Cry Wolf
  25. Jean-Louis Trintignant in Confidentially Yours 
  26. Bruno Ganz in In the White City
  27. Al Pacino in Scarface   
  28. Mark Hamill in The Return of the Jedi
  29. Erwin Leder in Angst
  30. Gene Hackman in Uncommon Valor
  31. Clint Eastwood in Sudden Impact 
  32. Mel Brooks in To Be Or Not To Be
  33. Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places  
  34. Michael Caine in Educating Rita 
  35. Omero Antonutti in El Sur
  36. Kevin Kline in The Pirates of Penzance 
  37. Paco de Lucia in Carmen 
  38. Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom
  39. William Hurt in Gorky Park
  40. Anthony Higgins in The Draughtman's Contract
  41. Ross Harris in Testament 
  42. Oleg Yankovsky in Nostalgia
  43. Peter Riegert in Local Hero
  44. Matthew Broderick in WarGames
  45. Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again
  46. Nick Nolte in Under Fire 
  47. Woody Allen in Zelig 
  48. Jonathan Pryce in The Ploughman's Lunch
  49. Christian Patey in L'Argent
  50. Rutger Hauer in Eureka 
  51. Steve Martin in The Man With Two Brains
  52. Rodney Dangerfield in Easy Money 
  53. Nicolas Cage in Valley Girl
  54. Mandy Patinkin in Yentl 
  55. Jackie Chan in Project A
  56. John Stockwell in Christine
  57. Eric Roberts in Star 80
  58. Sean Penn in Bad Boys
  59. Matt Dillon in Rumble Fish
  60. Alan Arkin in The Return of Captain Invincible
  61. Timothy Hutton in Daniel  
  62. Vidal Peterson in Something Wicked This Way Comes
  63. Shawn Carson in Something Wicked This Way Comes
  64. Christopher Reeve in Superman III 
  65. C. Thomas Howell in The Outsiders
  66. Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Vacation
  67. Llan Mitchell-Smith in Daniel
  68. Nicholas Gledhill in Careful, He Might Hear You
  69. Norman Chui in Duel to the Death
  70. Rex Smith in The Pirates of Penzance
  71. John Travolta in Staying Alive
  72. Richard Gere in Honorary Consul 
  73. Richard Pryor in Superman III 
  74. Desi Arnaz Jr. in House of Long Shadows
  75. Dennis Quiad in Jaws 3-D
  76. Roger Moore in Octopussy
Next Year: 1983 Supporting

15 comments:

Robert MacFarlane said...

Darren McGavin in a Christmas Story
Don Ameche in Trading Places (I personally found him much funnier than Bellamy and the MVP)
Matt Dillon in The Outsiders
Mickey Rourke in Rumble Fish
Joe Pesci in Easy Money

Michael Patison said...

Ratings and thoughts on Murphy and Cruise?

For Supporting:
Brian Dennehy in Gorky Park
Ed Harris in The Right Stuff
Darren McGavin in A Christmas Story
Dennis Quaid in The Right Stuff
Mickey Rourke in Rumble Fish

Michael McCarthy said...

Darren McGavin-A Christmas Story
Ed Harris-The Right Stuff
Matt Dillon-The Outsiders
Michael Caine & Bob Hoskins-Beyond the Limit
Mickey Rourke-Rumble Fish

And finally...

Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger, William Hurt and Jeff Golblum in The Big Chill (Hurt was my personal favorite, but I think they were all great and at least deserve a view.)

Robert MacFarlane said...

Thoughts on Eric Roberts?

JamDenTel said...

Confession time: I actually like Octopussy.

Psifonian said...

Darren McGavin, A Christmas Story
Harry Dean Stanton, Christine
Edward Fox, The Dresser
William Devane, Testament
Dabney Coleman, WarGames

Maciej said...

1.Ed Harris - The Right Stuff
2.Edward Fox - The Dresser
3.Ian McDiarmid - Return of the Jedi

Anonymous said...

Gene Hackman- Under Fire

Anonymous said...

What are your ratings and thoughts on Melinda Dillon in A Christmas Story? She's always been my winner for this year in the supporting category.

Kevin said...

Ed Harris in The Right Stuff
Darren McGavin in A Christmas Story
Edward Fox in The Dresser
Mickey Rourke in Rumble Fish

mrripley said...

I would love a review of Ian McDiarmid or Steven Bauer in Scarface.

Anonymous said...

Thoughts/ratings on the Best Actress lineup of that year? (Jane Alexander -- Testament, Meryl Streep -- Silkwood, Julie Walters -- Educating Rita), if you've seen Meryl/Jane, that is.

JackiBoyz said...

Burt Lancaster - Local Hero (One of my winning requests)
Gene Hackman - Under Fire
Jeff Daniels - Terms Of Endearment
Ed Harris - The Right Stuff
Darren Mcgavin - A Christmas Story

Anonymous said...

Ratings/thoughts on Sissy Spacek in The Straight Story?

Louis Morgan said...

Michael Patison:

Murphy - 4(This film let's Murphy just basically go at it as his character relatively simplistic. In that way this performance is quite successful as he's consistently funny here, and his improvisational style works particularly well for his con man character)

Cruise - 4(It's no surprise to learn that this was his star making performance as Cruise gives a particularly charismatic and endearing performance here. Cruise strikes up the right type of balance with his performance in showing the youthful naivety of his character throughout the film, while slowly showing a certain maturation as well)

Robert: Well what can one say about Eric Roberts's performance. I'm not quite sure what to make of it exactly. It's kinda strange to describe it but I think it is perhaps best described by Chef in South Park "You have the heart and the soul you just don't have the talent". It's a weird combination because I do think Roberts has the right approach, and there are moments of greatness there, but he just is not a good enough actor to make it all come together.

Anonymous: I believe I've given my thoughts on Dillon before, but she's a five for me and my win.

Anonymous: Haven't seen Silkwood or Testament although I'll try to get around to them.

Walters - 4(I found her performance to be consistently sweet and charming. He she made the material engaging enough even though like the film itself I never found myself loving her performance)

Spacek - 4.5(A difficult role to be sure as the particular nature of her character's speech impediment and simple nature could come off very badly. Spacek never makes it look like acting though carrying herself very naturally and investing fully into the character without ever winking to the audience. Past that though she gives a very poignant and emotionally honest performance that complements Farnsworth's performance well)