Alternate Best Actor 1996: Results

5. Leonard DiCaprio in Romeo and Juliet - DiCaprio does not have the language down but he does bring the right passion and enthusiasm although it is hard see through that direction.

Best Scene: Romeo's death monologue.

4. Chris Cooper in Lone Star- Cooper seems right as the quiet convicted Sheriff, but he's suppose to be uncomfortable with his job which isn't expressed very well.

Best Scene: Sam talks to his old flame.

3. Liam Neeson in Michael Collins- Collins is made to be an absolute hero here, and the film outright rejects any scenes to give a greater complexity to see him, but Neeson does bring the right power and passion to the part.

Best Scene: Collins attempts to defend the treaty.

2. Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting - McGregor gives a nicely charismatic portrayal, and meets any challenge in store for him.

Best Scene: Renton goes Cold Turkey

1. Kenneth Branagh in Hamlet - Although I was skeptical about Branagh approach to the prince of Denmark, he successfully won me over with his flamboyant portrayal of Hamlet. He creates an understanding in the insanity, but as well brings his performance down when needed and to great effect. For the overall win it came down to the men whose plan goes horribly wrong, I decided to go with the car salesman.

Best Scene: The duel.

Overall Rank:

1. Max von Sydow in Hamsun
2. William H. Macy in Fargo
3. Jeffrey Wright in Basquiat
4. Kenneth Branagh in Hamlet
5. Timothy Spall in Secrets & Lies
6. James Woods in Killer: A Journal of Murder 
7. Daniel Day-Lewis in The Crucible  
8. Phillippe Torreton in Captain Conan
9. Robert Carlyle in Carla's Song
10. Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting
11. Christopher Walken in The Funeral 
12. George Clooney in From Dusk Till Dawn 
13. Liam Neeson in Michael Collins
14. Matthew McConaughey in A Time to Kill
15. Mel Gibson in Ransom
16. Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire
17. Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient
18. Noah Taylor in Shine  
19. Stellan Skarsgard in Breaking The Waves
20. Daniel Auteuil in The Eighth Day 
21. Pascal Duquenne in The Eighth Day
22. Luke Wilson in Bottle Rocket 
23. Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor
24. Jeff Daniels in Fly Away Home
25. Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: First Contact
26. Tom Hulce in The Hunchback of Notre Dame 
27. Christopher Eccleston in Jude
28. Richard Gere in Primal Fear
29. Owen Wilson in Bottle Rocket
30. Stanley Tucci in Big Night 
31. Joe Pantoliano in Bound 
32. Zdeněk Svěrák in Kolya
33. Charles Berling in Ridicule
34. Nathan Lane in The Birdcage 
35. Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible
36. Tom Everett Scott in That Thing You Do 
37. Jon Favreau in Swingers
38. Tony Shalhoub in Big Night
39. Denzel Washington in Courage Under Fire
40. Jérémie Renier in La Promesse
41. Leon Lai in Comrades: Almost a Love Story
42. Nicolas Cage in The Rock
43. Sener Sen in The Bandit 
44. Geoffrey Rush in Shine
45. Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade
46. John Malkovich in The Portrait of a Lady
47. James Spader in Crash 
48. Daniel Giménez Cacho in Deep Crimson
49. Kim Bodnia in Pusher
50. Michael J. Fox in The Frighteners 
51. John Travolta in Phenomenon
52. Antonio Banderas in Evita 
53. Jim Carrey in The Cable Guy 
54. Ben Stiller in Flirting With Disaster
55. Sean Connery in The Rock
56. Woody Harrelson in Kingpin 
57. Jeff Bridges in White Squall
58. Sean Connery in Dragonheart 
59. Albert Brooks in Mother
60. Michael Keaton in Multiplicity
61. Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore
62. Dennis Quiad in Dragonheart
63. Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Eraser  
64. Chris Cooper in Lone Star
65. Bill Murray in Larger Than Life 
66. Joseph Perrino in Sleepers
67. Robin Williams in The Birdcage
68. Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet 
69. Bill Pullman in Independence Day
70. Jason Patric in Sleepers
71. Val Kilmer in The Ghost and the Darkness 
72. Steve Martin in Sgt. Bilko
73. Randy Quaid in Kingpin
74. Vincent D'Onofrio in The Whole Wide World
75. Blake Heron in Shiloh
76. Sylvester Stallone in Daylight
77. Will Smith in Independence Day
78. Woody Harrelson in The People vs. Larry Flynt
79. Vincent Gallo in The Funeral 
80. Bill Paxton in Twister
81. Chris Farley in Black Sheep
82. Leslie Nielsen in Spy Hard 
83. Kelsey Grammer in Down Periscope
84. Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks! 
85. Jeff Bridges in The Mirror Has Two Faces
86. Keanu Reeves in Chain Reaction
87. Vincent Kartheiser in Alaska
88. Alec Baldwin in Ghosts of Mississippi
89. Jon Lovitz in High School High
90. David Spade in Black Sheep
91. Matthew Broderick in The Cable Guy
92. Robin Williams in Jack
93. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All The Way
94. Tom Arnold in The Stupids
95. Sinbad in First Kid
96. Jeffrey Nording in D3
97. Billy Zane in The Phantom
98. Robert Sean Leonard in Killer: A Journal of Murder
99. Joshua Jackson in D3
100. Jason Alexander in Dunston Checks In 
101. Brock Pierce in First Kid
102. Francis Capra in Kazaam 
103. Michael Jordan in Space Jam
104. Shaquille O'Neal in Kazaam
105. Eric Lloyd in Dunston Checks In
106. Stephen Baldwin in Bio-Dome
107. Pauly Shore in Bio-Dome

Next Year: 1996 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 1996: Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting

Ewan McGregor did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Renton in Trainspotting.

Trainspotting is about a group of friends in around the Edinburgh drug scene. Although I am not a huge fan of Danny Boyle I found his kinetic style worked here and found the film an entertaining ride.

The always reliable Ewan McGregor made his breakout with his role here as Renton a heroine addict who we follow through his lowly existence along with his group of friends who are addicts of one sort or another. Just like in the later adaptation of Irvine Welsh novel Filth, Trainspotting also employs frequent narration by its hero, and again with a very earthy tone to it. Renton though is a considerably less complex individual than Bruce Robertson, as Renton life at the beginning of the film consists very little more than getting high and spending some time with his friends doing nothing. Honestly Renton could be a disposable enough character really if it were not for the fact that McGregor is the one to play him.

McGregor has a natural magnetism in him, and he is able to create an investment in a character like Renton even if he may not be worthy of it. Although Renton lives an undeniably dour lifestyle it never feels that way because of McGregor's portrayal of him as well as the humorously cynical narration that he delivers during the course of the story. McGregor wit his performance never falls into the depression potential of his character always bringing a certain energy to any moment he may be in never allowing any scene to fall the wrong way. Even though he may not be deserving of it McGregor is able to make Renton considerably endearing through his own charisma as a performer.

Renton undergoes some changes throughout the film though most considerably when his parents force him to undergo cold turkey withdrawal, when earlier he took a very specific process to kick the habit. McGregor is terrific in the cold turkey scene and the intensity of his performance is absolutely fitting to the imagery that Boyle creates around him. The scene perhaps could have merely become an exercise in the style of the grotesque, but McGregor does not allow that to happen by showing the very real pain that Renton undergoes as he suffers every thing that the absence of the drug is doing to his body. It is brilliantly acted scene by McGregor, and he makes Renton's turn to make something out of himself wholly believable.

For the rest of the film Renton takes a reactionary role, although with the occasional slight relapse, as he tries to deal with friends who have not at all reformed. McGregor is effective in portrayal of the slowly growing exasperation at the increasingly troublesome behavior of his friends particularly from the alcoholic and violent Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Although McGregor by this point technically becomes the far less volatile presence in the film, and it would have been easy enough to be forgotten behind the nature of Carlyle's intense performance. McGregor performance always remains compelling, and his depiction of Renton's growing responsibility is honest and fitting to the character.

It is easy to see why this was McGregor break through as it is the indication of McGregor's abilities in limited roles, which he would again show later on in Moulin Rouge and The Ghost Writer. Renton is not a poorly written character by any means, he absolutely works for the story, but he is mostly of defined by what he does rather who he is exactly. McGregor proves his measure with that traditionally known star quality with his work here. His strong screen presence is always prevalent here, he strikes the right tone with his performance fitting to the material, and whenever there is a challenge like the the withdrawal scene McGregor is more than up to it.

Alternate Best Actor 1996

And The Nominees Were Not:

Liam Neeson in Michael Collins

Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo and Juliet

Kenneth Branagh in Hamlet

Chris Cooper in Lone Star

Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting 

Blast I hate it when that happens, but it appears Hard Eight received no public release until 1997, so here's a quick replacement to allow for some more Shakespearean comparisons which is usually fun. 

Alternate Best Actor 2001: Results

5. Jack Nicholson in The Pledge- I have to say that my winner was easy to choose I had a hard time deciding the order of the rest as I like all of them. I hate to have to put Nicholson here as I really like his quiet downplayed work here a great deal even if the film botches his characterization somewhat by rushing things.

4. Ryan Gosling in The Believer- Gosling gives a performance better than his film gives a fascinating portrayal of a man made by his inconsistencies.

3. Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge!- The film gave me a headache, but McGregor managed to clear it up through his passionate charming portrayal that belts his character's blunt feelings on love no matter how stupid they may be.

2. Billy Bob Thornton in The Man Who Wasn't There- Thornton is all about his distinct characterization here which is a wonderfully deadpan performance that manages to bring us into his character's story, even when his character would just rather go back to cutting hair.

1. Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums- Well my second favorite actor does it again with his winning turn here as the patriarch of the title family. He is a devilish delight in his comedic scenes, but as well quite moving and believable as his character slowly becomes a better man.

Overall Rank:

1. Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums
2. Tom Wilkinson in In The Bedroom
3. Billy Bob Thornton in The Man Who Wasn't There
4. Jake Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko 
5. Ryan Gosling in The Believer
6. Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge!
7. Jack Nicholson in The Pledge
8. Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind
9. Ethan Hawke in Training Day
10. Jiang Wen in Devils on the Doorstep
11. Bob Hoskins in Last Orders
12. Jim Carrey in The Majestic 
13. Choi Min-sik in Failan 
14. Anthony LaPaglia in Lantana
15. Anton Yelchin in Hearts in Atlantis 
16. Liu Ye in Lan Yu
17. Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball 
18. Gene Hackman in Heist
19. Ray Winstone in Sexy Beast
20. Haley Joel Osment in A.I. Artificial Intelligence 
21. Denzel Washington in Training Day 
22. Paddy Considine in Last Resort
    
23. Rodrigo Santoro in Behind the Sun
24. Jim Broadbent in Iris 
25. Mark Rylance in Intimacy
26. Robert Sean Leonard in Tape 
27. Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale  
28. Kevin Kline in Life as A House
29. Elijah Wood in The Fellowship of the Ring 
30. Aurelien Recoing in Time Out
31. Gael García Bernal in Y Tu Mama Tambien
32. Diego Luna in Y Tu Mama Tambien 
33. Billy Bob Thornton in Bandits 
34. Ethan Hawke in Tape
35. Ricardo Darin in Son of the Bride
36. Hu Jun in Lan Yu 
37. Lior Ashkenazi in Late Marriage
38. Johnny Depp in Blow
39. Branko Đurić in No Man's Land
40. René Bitorajac in No Man's Land
41. Artiom Strelnikov in Last Resort
    
42. Benoit Magimel in The Piano Teacher
43. Vince Vaughn in Made
44. Jude Law in Enemy At the Gates 
45. Ben Stiller in Zoolander
46. Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky 
47. Per Christian Ellefsen in Elling 
48. Aamir Khan in Lagaan
49. Jon Favreau in Made
50. Kevin Spacey in The Shipping News
51. Bruce Willis in Bandits  
52. Fernando Tielve in The Devil's Backbone
53. John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and The Angry Inch
54. Yosuke Kubozuka in Go
55. John Goodman in Monster's Inc 
56. Brad Pitt in Ocean's Eleven
57. George Clooney in Ocean's Eleven
58. Brad Pitt in Spy Game
59. Robert De Niro in The Score
60. Ravi Ramos Lacerda in Behind the Sun
61. Robert Redford in Spy Game
62. Mike Myers in Shrek  
63. Edward Norton in The Score 
64. Brad Pitt in The Mexican
65. John Travolta in Domestic Disturbance
66. Hugh Jackman in Swordfish
67. Sam Neill in Jurassic Park 3 
68. Paul Dano in L.I.E 
69. John Travolta in Swordfish
70. Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 2
71. Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 2
72. Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 
73. Robert Redford in The Last Castle
74. Mark Wahlberg in The Planet of the Apes
75. Billy Crystal in Monster's Inc
76. Johnny Depp in From Hell
77. Alec Baldwin in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
78. Ryan Phillippe in Antitrust
79. Orlando Jones in Evolution
80. David Duchovny in Evolution
81. Will Smith in Ali
82. Woody Allen in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
83. Brendan Frasier in The Mummy Returns
84. David Spade in Joe Dirt
85. Josh Harnett in Pearl Harbor
86. Sean Penn in I Am Sam
87. Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor

Next Year: 2001 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 2001: Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge!

Ewan McGregor did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe, for portraying Christian in Moulin Rouge!.

Moulin Rouge is quite properly considered to be a love or hate it film. Well I fall much closer to latter as the films opening thirty minutes with its incessant quick cutting gave me a headache. There are a few set pieces that I like or at least don't mind, but I can't like any film that I almost had to turn off after thirty minutes.

Speaking of the headache I had it was not helped by many of the performances found in this film. John Leguizamo's performance probably had both Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Jose Ferrer rolling in their graves, and Richard Roxburgh well uhh what can one say about that performance other than his delivery of "I JUST DON'T LIKE PEOPLE TOUCHING MY THINGS" would be great for a security alarm system to protect your possessions. These performances are insanely over the top without being entertaining which is always a problem and it seems for an actor to be able to give a good over the top performance they need to be capable of a subtle one as well.

Those performances as well as many others did not alleviate my headache, and I was ready to give up, but then Ewan McGregor finally got his first solo number, and I have to admit my headache went away. Where too many of the other performances basically act like they know their in an over the top affair and are rather obnoxious because of this Ewan McGregor throws himself into his role with such profound conviction. He doesn't wink or do anything even close to that in his portrayal of Christian, Christian is suppose to be a love obsessed writer filled with passion, and McGregor plays him just that way particularly the part about being filled with passion.

McGregor is uncompromising in his depiction of the hopelessness of this romantic. Honestly if Christian had been portrayed with the wackiness that too many of the other performers rely on his whole constant mentioning of love would seem as stupid as it is. McGregor though because of just how much he gets into the part makes it that even if Christian's unwavering beliefs may be a little too much, at least they are genuine thanks to the fact that is all McGregor ever gives it. McGregor just plays his part with such earnestness that he even manages to keep his head up throughout the whole film, even late in the film when his character makes his rather strange actions in which he becomes rather hateful albeit briefly.

This is of course a musical and McGregor voice is something to behold on its own and only continues to show the amount of effort he puts into the part. McGregor with each and every song sings about love pushes the idea to the utmost that supports the level of belief Christian should hold. Each of his songs where highlights for me throughout the film because again how much he goes for broke with them. The intensity of his singing the expressions they all work so well, and really make the idea of the story of love and he is able just to go with the simplistic. McGregor never seems to care if the love is simplistic and shallow he belts it out to the back row anyways. 

The film did manage to cause me literal pain but McGregor acted as my aspirin for the film, his performance was something I could hold onto to get through it. His investment in it is so great that he even managed to make me invested in it a little. There is not a halfhearted moment in his portrayal even in that late act poorly written out of character turn at the end of the film. This is just a sweet entirely charming performance that knows how to make the material move even when the material isn't even all that great. It is a true shame that the film which was nominated for eight awards but not one was left for the leading man who puts his all into lighting up every moment in which he is onscreen.

Alternate Best Actor 2001

And the Nominees Were Not:

Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge!

Billy Bob Thornton in The Man Who Wasn't There

Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums

Jack Nicholson in The Pledge

Ryan Gosling in The Believer