Friday 3 February 2017

Best Actor 2016: Results

5.Ryan Gosling in La La Land - Out of these five I'd say Gosling gave the performance that offered me the most joy. This is the type of performance that looks easy, but it deserves praise. Gosling brings such charm, has some impeccable comedic timing, and finds some of the best chemistry in years with his co-star Emma Stone. While being a great old school romantic leading turn he also does offers much more poignancy to the role than you might expect.

Best Scene: The dinner fight. 
4. Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea - I might not like the film all that much, but Casey Affleck gives a great performance. Affleck manages to give a powerful portrayal by so effectively realizing a man who has come to terms with his grief by trying to become dead to the world.

Best Scene: The Police station.
3. Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge - Garfield pulls off a difficult role, not only do the the thick accent required but also the overly pure nature of the role. Garfield though manages to make it work giving such an earnest and honest depiction of an unbelievable individual. 

Best Scene: "I hear you"
2. Denzel Washington in Fences - Washington delivers his career best by giving us a theatrical man in grand way, yet not without nuance. He buttresses his larger work not only by offering subtly within the grandeur, but also by showing where it stems from within his quiet moments as well.

Best Scene: The tale of his father.
1. Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic - Good prediction GM. A job well done by the Academy in this category. They managed for once to choose five great performances. If the Oscars go to any one of these men I will be more than happy with it. My favorite for the time being, it's particularly close between the top two for me, is Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen, as per usual, gives a great performance. He goes further than that delivering such a powerful portrayal of this character that in the wrong hands could have gone very badly. Mortensen makes us understand this man, never going for the cheap shots, instead offering a complex and believable portrait of this man.

Best Scene: Arguing with Jack. 
Next Year: 2016 Supporting

35 comments:

Calvin Law said...

Disappointed Garfield is last (he's not making the top 5 now) but happy for all 5's.

RatedRStar said...

Calvin Law: He will make the top 5 =D for......... Silence

Well done Viggo Mortensen, fully deserving =D.

Luke Higham said...

Looking forward to the alternates

Ineson/Scrimshaw
Lewis/Skarsgard
Foster
Neill
Ehrenreich

And The Supporting cast of Silence

Robert MacFarlane said...

Stellan Skarsgard in Our Kind of Traitor
Iseey Ogata in Silence
Yƍsuke Kubozuka in Silence
Alden Ehrenreich in Hail, Caesar!
Tom Bennett in Love and Friendship

Anonymous said...

Can you please do Ralph Fiennes in A Bigger Splash.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He's 2015. I've checked on IMDB and was released in Italy that year.

Calvin Law said...

I'll leave Louis to his own devices here.

RatedRStar: Yes, I really anticipate that review :) Although I think the best scene of his all year is his best scene in Hacksaw, which I concur with Louis on.

Luke Higham said...

I'm still picking Garfield to win the overall.

Mitchell Murray said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

My suggestions for Supporting:-

Yosuke Kubozuko, Issey Ogata, Tadanoube Asano and Liam Neeson in Silence
Ben Foster in Hell or High Water
Damian Lewis and Stellan Skarsgard in Our Kind of Traitor
Sam Neill in Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Ineson/Scrimshaw in The Witch
Alden Ehrenreich in Hail, Caesar!

RatedRStar said...

Also my quick predictions for the HK film award nominations

Best Actor
Gordon Lam - Trivisa
Louis Koo - Three
Lau Ching Wan - Call Of Heroes
Chapman To - The Mobfathers
Tony Leung Ka-Fai - Cold War 2 (Calvin will not be happy lol)

Does Deng Chao sneak in for The Mermaid, Michael Hui is losing steam for Godspeed, while Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro will likely get snubbed for See You Tomorrow, the former because he did no campaigning and the latter because he has never been nominated, which levels the two surprises as Ka Fai and To will likely sneak in because of campaigning and box office clout, Lau Ching Wan is always a safe bet for a nomination while Lam recieved Best Actor at the society awards, leaving Koo as the other nominee, simply because there has to be one standard leading man in a thriller movie nomination, do any of the other Trivisa actors sneak in, unlikely.

Best Supporting Actor
Eric Tsang - Mad World
Lam Suet - Robbery
Liu Kai-Chi - Weeds On Fire
Paul Chun - Book Of Love
Lo Hoi-Pang - Three

Eric Tsang and Lam Suet are pretty much locks with them picking up nominations from the Golden Horse Awards and in Suets case a Asian award nomination and with Tsang being absent since 2002s Infernal Affairs, he will get in, Liu Kai Chi is very well liked and in an awards bait role, the last 2 are harder to predict, Paul Chun got the Golden Horse nomination but his film has underperformed otherwise, Lo-Hoi Pang (Three) Anthony Wong (Mobfathers) and Alex Fong (L is for Love) keep getting praised for their roles but havent appeared in any BSA nominations so far, it is possible that a newcomer sneaks in which happens often when the others are veterans.

RatedRStar said...

I dont need to suggest any 2016 bonus supporting I think there are plenty of options especially with the Silence actors =D

Charles H said...

Great line-up. I have nothing else to suggest but the Silence cast. Sad that Garfield is last for Hacksaw.

Calvin Law said...

RatedRStar: I have to admit I have little interest in watching any of those besides Trivisa, and maybe Weeds on Fire.

Psifonian said...

Alternate suggestions:

The "Silence" gang.
Dan Fogler (yes, Dan Fogler).
Hugo Weaving.
Harvey Scrimshaw.
George Mackay.
Sharlto Copley.

Charles H said...

Luke: If Garfield doesn't take the overall for Silence you'll see a rant coming.
Calvin: I still feel Garfield in Silence is better then him in Hacksaw. Although 'I hear you' is a career defining acting moment.

Calvin Law said...

And since everyone's giving recommendations, might as well chip in:

Ben Foster (Inferno)
Liam Neeson (Operation Chromite)
Alden Ehrenreich and Warren Beatty (Rules Don't Apply)
Sam Neill (Tommy's Honour, okay this is a bit harsh, maybe it is a good film)

Calvin Law said...

Psifonian: Unfortunately Louis has already given thoughts on Weaving (a 4.5), Fogler(4), Mackay (2.5).

Charles H said...

Eh, Screw it. I'll give some.
Stellan Skarsgard in Our Kind of Traitor
Alden Ehrenreich in Hail, Caesar!
Ogata, Neeson, Asano, Kubozuka, (Whole cast of Silence really)
George Mackay in Captain Fantastic
Jack Reynor in Sing Street
Ben Foster in Hell or High Water
Sam Neill in Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Ashton Sanders in Moonlight
Aaron Paul in Eye in The Sky

Charles H said...

Oh, Forgot about the thoughts on Mackay.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Films to Watch.
The Light Between Oceans
Free State Of Jones
Miss Sloane
Certain Women
Live By Night
Collateral Beauty (I'm not joking, I want to see how much you hate this film)
Pete's Dragon
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
Passengers
American Honey
Bleed For This
The Accountant
Money Monster
Eddie The Eagle
High-Rise

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Calvin: Have you actually seen Rules Don't Apply? Both Ehrenreich and especially Beatty were bad. Also, leads.

Calvin Law said...

Robert: I was making a jest (films by alternate contenders that got bad press). I have no intention of seeing it, I'm afraid. Didn't realize Beatty was lead though haha.

Calvin Law said...

For real though, Kubozuka, Neill, Ogata, Skarsgard and Neeson/Ahrenreich in Hobie Doyle mode are my choices.

Calvin Law said...

And I certainly wouldn't mind a Reynor review.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: A petition has come up in support of Zack Snyder directing The Batman.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Best they scrap the project, and the DCEU it seems.

Calvin Law said...

Oh dear. A whole film of Snyder vs Batman? :/

Louis Morgan said...

Batman would end up with a higher kill count than the Joker.

Anonymous said...

Rewatched Hacksaw Ridge...

Damn... that's some heavy shit. Great movie.

Garfield I s an absolute 5

Anonymous said...

So does this mean 2016 is your new favorite year in acting?

Anonymous said...

I'm pleasantly surprised you gave Denzel 5. You don't seem to like him much.

Anonymous said...

Hey, your 2012 reviews are incomplete. You didn't give a full review of Denzel in Flight.

Anonymous said...

I have a question, what's the lowest you could rate a performance? Like could you give one 0?

Charles H said...

Anonymous: He could give a performance a 0. He also has ratings for performances that are hilariously bad.