Alternate Best Actor 2023: Results

10. Mads Mikkelsen in The Promised Land - Mikkelsen is ideal for the "western" lead here, playing stoic strength with ease, but then making such an impact as he reveals the hidden depths of the character. 

Best Scene: Reunion with Anmai. 

9. Michael Fassbender in The Killer - Fassbender covertly gives a hilarious portrayal of a man who believes himself to be the perfect assassin but is far from that. 

Best Scene: Poor estimate. 

8. Sōya Kurokawa in Monster - Kurokawa gives a dynamic portrait of the sides of the young boy we can't understand and slowly granting us that understanding with a real potent empathy. 

Best Scene: Playing it away. 

7. Charles Melton in May December - Melton seemingly is giving one performance as a man "content" in his existence and brings such a power to the crumbling away of that facade. 

Best Scene: Roof. 

6. Teo Yoo in Past Lives - Yoo gives a powerful though very subtle portrayal of the deep connections and romantic notions of a man who is separated by his love in more than one way. 

Best Scene: Bar.

5. Glenn Howerton in Blackberry - Howerton gives one of the most entertaining performances of the year by going all in portraying a business shark without a hint of shame. 

Best Scene: Doing it all in one day. 

4. Zac Efron in The Iron Claw - Efron gives a powerful portrayal of relatively simple man bottling up his emotions until they finally pour out. 

Best Scene: "I used to be a brother"

3. Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers - Scott gives a heartbreaking portrayal of a man re-experiencing his grief and the complicated relationship with his parents in a most unusual way. 

Best Scene: Talk with dad.

2. Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers - Sessa gives an all time great debut, that avoids all the pitfalls of his role, while thriving in the risks he takes to give an entertaining and very moving performance. 

Best Scene: "I was going to say the same thing"

1. Kōji Yakusho in Perfect Days - Yakusho gives a perfect, often silent, performance that just embodies so much of the human experience, despite being also so very specific. 

Best Scene: Playing with shadows. 

Overall:

1. Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer
2. Kōji Yakusho in Perfect Days
3. Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers
4. Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers
5. Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers
6. Zac Efron in The Iron Claw
7. Glenn Howerton in Blackberry
8. Teo Yoo in Past Lives
9. Charles Melton in May December
10. Sōya Kurokawa in Monster - 5
11. Michael Fassbender in The Killer
12. Mads Mikkelsen in The Promised Land
13. Benoît Magimel in The Taste of Things
14. Manolo Solo in Close Your Eyes
15. Eita Nagayama in Monster
16. Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction
17. Jason Clarke in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
18. Nicolas Cage in Dream Scenario
19. Joaquin Phoenix in Beau is Afraid
20. Peter Sarsgaard in Memory
21. Byung-hun Lee in Concrete Utopia
22. Christopher Abbott in Sanctuary
23. Song Kang-ho in Cobweb
24. Jussi Vatanen in Fallen Leaves
25. Joel Edgerton in Master Gardner
26. Tom Blyth in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
27. Michael B. Jordan in Creed III - 4.5
28. Enzo Vogrincic in Society of The Snow 
29. Gael Garcia Bernal in Cassandro
30. Alberto Ammann in Upon Entry
31. Anthony Hopkins in One Life
32. Chris Pine in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
33. Franz Rogowski in Passages
34. Harris Dickinson in Scrapper
35. Barry Keoghan in Saltburn
36. Christian Friedel in The Zone of Interest
37. Michael Caine in The Great Escaper
38. Dave Bautista in Knock At the Cabin
39. Seydou Sarr in Io Capitano
40. Riz Ahmed in Fingernails
41. Alexander Skarsgård in Infinity Pool
42. Soma Santoki in The Boy and the Heron
43. Jay Baruchel in Blackberry
44. Deniz Celiloğlu in About Dry Grasses
45. Colman Domingo in Rustin 
46. Thomas Schubert in Afire
47. David Jonsson in Rye Lane
48. Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 
49. Saleh Bakri in The Blue Caftan
50. Shameik Moore in Spider-man: Across The Spider-Verse
51. Tobias Menzies in You Hurt My Feelings
52. Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Chevalier 
53. Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar
54. Paul Dano in Dumb Money
55. Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - 4
56. Taron Egerton in Tetris  
57. Jake Lacy in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
58. Johnny Flynn in One Life
59. Keanu Reeves in John Wick Chapter 4 
60. Nicolas Cantu in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
61. Brady Noon in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
62. Shamon Brown Jr. in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
63. Micah Abbey in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
64. Mamoudou Athie in Elemental
65. Matt Damon in Air 
66. Michael Fassbender in Next Goal Wins
67. Kenneth Branagh in A Haunting in Venice
68. Corey Hawkins in The Last Voyage of the Demeter
69. Jorma Tommila in Sisu
70. Park Seo-joon in Concrete Utopia
71. Ralph Fiennes in Ratcatcher
72. Timothee Chalamet in Wonka
73. Jaime Vadell in El Conde
74. John Boyega in They Cloned Tyrone 
75. Adam Driver in Ferrari - 3.5
76. Joaquin Phoenix in Napoleon
77. Ryunosuke Kamiki in Godzilla Minus One
78. Ethan Hwang in Riceboy Sleeps
79. Dohyun Noel Hwang in Riceboy Sleeps
80. Zachary Levi in Chicken Run: Rise of the Nuggets
81. Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3
82. Joel Edgerton in The Boys in the Boat
83. Paul Rudd in Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania 
84. Ezra Miller in The Flash - 3
85. Jason Schwartzman in Asteroid City
86. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
87. Vin Diesel in Fast X 
88. Rupert Friend in The Swan - 2.5
89. Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon
90. Ben Aldridge in Knock At the Cabin
91. Michael A. Goorjian in Amerikatsi
92. Callum Turner in The Boys in the Boat
93. John David Washington in The Creator - 2
94. Bradley Cooper in Maestro - 1.5
95. Charlie Day in Fool's Paradise 
96. Ken Jeong in Fool's Paradise - 1

Next: 1945 lead, though will be on break until the Oscars. 

Alternate Best Actor 2023: Michael Fassbender in The Killer

Michael Fassbender did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying the titular character of The Killer. 

The Killer follows the exploits of, well the killer, who seeks revenge after retribution for a botched job.

Writing a review for Michael Fassbender as the Killer takes time, persistence and a Netflix subscription...or perhaps a borrowed subscription if one pays it back with an HBO MAX subscription. I have already written the requisite of Fassbender's lack of a nomination and brief synopsis, perhaps should be known already, but one does have to stick to their plan, not improvise, well except the review itself is written as I'm writing but regardless, as I review this, I must remember my review of Bradley Cooper's Oscar nomination this year and remember that empathy is weakness. I need to stick to my plan and write this review, but I keep narrating to myself instead which can really get in your way. I haven't had my required protein for the day, perhaps I should follow the Killer's advice and get a McDonald's breakfast sandwich, however the additional ingredients of dirt from the employees poor hygiene and extra ounces of grease tend to cause a miserable pain to my digestive system. Although perhaps the killer's less than stellar taste in fast food choices speaks to my realization against the common idea that "Films about hitmen are cool" it's not Jean Pierre-Melville but it should be. But it's the language of The Killer though in fact is being subverted by the language of the Killer. As I've noticed some have believed the film engages in the nihilism that Fassbender's killer espouses, so I have to ask "Based on what exactly". It is true as I'm doing now we hear the Killer's thoughts spoken in a calm if not even dulcet tone by Michael Fassbender, who seems like someone who will play the cool killer, who is the expert at all things, but the one thing you need to remember about the Killer is "HE...IS...FULL...OF...SHIT" Shit, gave away the main point of my review too early, best just press on. 

After all I need to remind any reader that the first person the killer quotes is Popeye the sailor man, not known to be the greatest philosophers, personally I prefer Bluto, who has been known to be so mean that he beat himself up, although that was only in the infamous Robert Altman film and may not in fact hold up to scrutiny. Much as the hitman's own philosophizing which includes another quote where Fassbender stares blankly and a "duhhhh" coming out of his mouth wouldn't exactly be out of place on his vacant face as he fails to properly cite his source much like a Wikipedia article written in the early 2000's. And in the man's voice every word is about the meticulousness of his planning, yet he almost immediately gets caught and looks upon Fassbender's face which is of a man who is very much concerned about being found out. He glances looking around his perch from where he is going to kill his proposed target, and what is his performance exactly. Well Fassbender is presenting curiosity not precision, and despite everything being built for the kill in the Killer's calm claims, I must ask again "Based on what exactly?". The Killer's own buildup to his first attempted kill is all of a man gearing up for the kill. Fassbender's expression of a man pumping himself up for it and we have two completely disparate moments in a singular scene around performance. As we first hear that the killer "DON'T...GIVE...A...FUCK" which Fassbender delivers with the utmost confidence and pride, against his "fuck" after immediately missing his kill he prepared so much for, with the face of a man who screwed up royally that gets funnier the more you think about it.

I should take a moment though to immaculately clean my computer before I keep typing, as there can be a minute build up of dust over weeks and months, however one must keep their computer relatively dust free in order to complete a review. A review here I'll freely admit my bias towards captivating silent physical performance, that has much to do with presence, but the presence must be there. Michael Fassbender, despite seemingly indirectly killing ("wocka wocka" - Fozzy Bear) the talent of many formerly talented directors in his last few films, this time David Fincher thankfully was spared and we have an ideal match up with the cold calculation of the director being matched by the cold calculation of a performer. And I will make no bones about it, it is compelling just to watch Fassbender do the rigmarole of his tasks as he goes about his various methods of preparing his kills and body disposals. He shows in his physical work just the precise manner of the man who believes he's "sticking to the plan" again and again. Although that may break my thesis of his incompetence, I never said incompetence, he's just full of it, and isn't *as* good as he thinks but more so isn't as anything as he thinks, to explain, which of course I'm going to explain, this is my review after all, he's also not *as* heartless as he claims he is, though Fassbender plays this on the margins, effectively so. In the opening escape, he is genuinely fearing for his life in Fassbender's furious breathing and concerned eyes, though trying to hold it together. When other hitmen try to attack his girlfriend, Fassbender's performance shows that the Killer does care about her and his whole home away from killing, even if he wants to so desperately suggest otherwise. Everything in Fassbender's performance suggests he does care, he's holding back as much as he can, but the degree of which he's expressing his concern shows this to be a wounding event, and also explaining why he then goes about his revenge tour shortly afterwards. 

Now do I have to note that we see the cold killer, of course, but what we see with Fassbender though very much is the projecting of this trait, almost as someone who saw Le Samourai, and said "that's literally me" without watching the ending of that film...or more likely with the Killer saw the trailer one time and it was directed by a former French resistance fighter...what was his name again? As what Fassbender does on the edge of moments suggests the truth, as when he kills the cabbie who drove the hitmen to his house, there is a brief glimpse of vicious anger before he shoots him even though his head up to that had been the heartless killer. His vocal performance additionally is frequently at odds with what he is doing, as his voice is one of my favorite narrations in recent years because it is so falsely true to what he actually is doing most of the time. As every narration conversation it is with that confidence of the man who has outlined every kill with the precision of the genius, yet probably might need a few letters spotted as well for spelling antidisestablishmentarianism, that's for all you Honeymooners fans out there...is that just me, well you know as the Killer says I DON'T GIVE A , eh forget it. Anyway, frequently you get the punchline from the narration, to the action, to the performance. As take it when he kills his old mentor and job liaison, where he calmly uses a nail gun on him, positions an option for survival then calculates his survival time so specifically in his head, only for the man to immediately choke on his own blood, and Fassbender's befuddled realization of his failure is pure darkly comic gold. 

He says "forgo empathy" but he does stage his mentor's secretary's death as an accident as a way to honor her last wish. He prepares to carefully murder the brute hitman who attacked his girlfriend, by carefully disabling his Pitbull through drugs then maneuvering in the house, only to get his ass kicked, for the lack of a better description, where Fassbender's many "oh shit" reactions subvert the "cool" presence beautifully as does his "ah come on" when finding only a cheese grater in a kitchen draw and frankly Fassbender's face is hilarious. As is the fact that he didn't fully disable the dog, needing to high tail it out of there, and even his narration gets impacted this time, where Fassbender's voice changes briefly from the calm control as though the beating was so bad even that front has to take a breather. His later sleeping on the plane to his next target is of any exhausted man, whose worked too hard the past few days, and there's nothing remotely cool about it. And my review of this performance wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the quote as he goes about stalking the expert hit person (Tilda Swinton) "It’s common knowledge when a female is found slain, the prime suspect is always the husband or boyfriend. Especially if she hasn’t been sexually assaulted." spoken with a return to the cold calculation and we get one more subversion even in his narration for Fassbender's hilarious line delivery (frankly one of my favorites of 2023) "Well, maybe not common knowledge." which he says a quick correction as though he's just realized how ludicrous his previous statement sounded. The one time we do see the pure Killer routine not shake for a moment is confronting the final target, where his demeanor is purely that of the cold blooded killer...and even this is a subversion because the target (Arliss Howard) happens to be just a bit of idiot who has too much money, and the killer when most able to present himself as he believes him to be...he doesn't kill. Now did I write this review just to do it in part in the style of the Killer's own narration partially, no in fact I didn't come up with that until I started writing the review and just seemed the easiest way into the performance. But one does have to ask the need to feel secure in one's opinion. It's a slippery slope. Opinions are a placebo. The only review path, is the one you just wrote (as long as it ends with clear rating at the end of the review as rating and paragraph counts are everything). If, you can't accept this opinion of loving Fassbender's work as wonderful dark comedy, well maybe you're not one of the few. Maybe you're just like me. One of the many....whatever that's supposed to mean...not sure that part made sense. 

Alternate Best Actor 2023

And the Nominees Were Not:

Koji Yakusho in Perfect Days

 

Charles Melton in May December

 

Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers

 

Zac Efron in The Iron Claw

 

Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers

 

Predict Those Five, These Five or Both:

Michael Fassbender in The Killer

 

Glenn Howerton in Blackberry

 

Teo Yoo in Past Lives

 

Sōya Kurokawa in Monster

 

Mads Mikkelsen in The Promised Land

Alternate Best Actor 2011: Results

10. Jakub Gierszal in Suicide Room - Gierszal gives an inconsistent yet still effective portrayal of the descent into a suicidal despair.

Best Scene: The end

9. Michael Smiley in Kill List - Smiley delivers a heartfelt portrayal somehow of a hitman dealing with his friend's increasing instability.

Best Scene: Comforting the son. 

8. Michael Fassbender in Jane Eyre - Fassbender's work is an affecting enough portrayal of man escaping his repression and pain through the love of another.

Best Scene: Rochester admits his love to Jane. 

7. Antonio Banderas in The Skin I Live In - Banderas creates an interesting portrayal of sadistic mind that slowly begins to love his victim.

Best Scene: Ledgard admires his "creation".

6. Daniel Henshall in Snowtown - Henshall crafts a disturbing depiction of a serial killer who casually manipulates those around him to support his violent hatred.

Best Scene: John handles the "town hall". 

5. Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code - Gyllenhall gives a winning turn as he manages to keep pace with the film, meeting every single demand of his character, and amplifying the film's emotional resonance in turn.

Best Scene: Stevens has a perfect eight minutes.

4. Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus - Fiennes offers a striking portrayal of a vicious yet vulnerable portrait of a man defined by war.

Best Scene: Caius meets with his family. 

3. Peter Mullan in Tyrannosaur - Mullan creates a moving depiction of a hard man finding some sort of redemption through a kind yet troubled woman.

Best Scene: Joseph confronts Hannah.

2. Woody Harrelson in Rampart - Harrelson, despite the many weaknesses of his film, manages to deliver a nuanced and wholly compelling portrayal of police officer whose brutality seems to be enabled by the system he works in.

Best Scene: Dave's daughters bring him clothes. 

1. Matthias Schoenaerts in Bullhead Good Predictions RatedRStar, Psifonian, Michael McCarthy, Calvin, GM, and Luke. Schoenaerts offers a outstanding performance as a man beneath the perceived brute. He not only gives understanding to his behavior in so few words, but offers a heartbreaking portrait of his struggle with severe detachment due to the horrible injuries he suffered as a child.

Best Scene: Jacky fails to find the words.

Updated Overall

Next Year: 2011 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 2011: Michael Fassbender in Jane Eyre

Michael Fassbender did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Edward Fairfax Rochester in Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre has been adapted a countless number of times (and by that I mean I don't feel like counting) and I've seen one of them. Although I can't compare this to other adaptations I will say it's visually remarkable with appropriately atmospheric direction from Cary Fukunaga.

The film follows through the perspective of a young woman, the title character (Mia Wasikowska) as she goes through a harsh often lonely life during the mid-eighteen hundreds in England. This eventually leads her to become the governess of Thornfield Hall, the home of Fassbender's Mr. Rochester. He's presented as a mystery as much of the story focuses on uncovering that mystery as well as specifically Jane's relationship with the man. 2011 was of course a banner year for Michael Fassbender since he also appeared in Shame, X-Men: First Class, and A Dangerous Method which were released all in the same year. Jane Eyre I suppose is the smallest of these roles, though like Laurence Olivier in Rebecca, his character always seems as important as Jane despite his much more limited screentime. Now I guess Fassbender has a bit of an advantage here in that I have not seen any other actor play the role, which is long list including the likes of Orson Welles, William Hurt, and George C. Scott.

Being unable to compare I'll just have to take Fassbender's version on its own. Well the first time we see Rochester he falls riding his horse as first meets Jane. Rochester begins with his darker hues most prevalent though Fassbender downplays this with his performance. That is Fassbender does not exactly play it all, playing more like Rochester is just having a bit of fun. Fassbender underlies this with a bit of intensity, but in the end he brings more levity than one would expect as Rochester jokes about Jane having bewitched his horse. The story proceeds as Jane acts his governess and she observes Rochester go on about his life as they are separated by class. Although we are never given Rochester's perspective Fassbender makes use of his reactions towards Jane well. Fassbender portrays a greater interest in the slight glances than merely an employer watching his employee. Fassbender effectively conveys the growing affection in Rochester, though still remaining silent for the time being and  keeping a certain distance, for Jane especially after she saves him from a fire.

Fassbender does not convey a simplistic attitude in Rochester though as he accentuates the history of the character in his work. This includes the history of his class as Fassbender brings the stiffness in the scenes where he interacts with others of his class, as he keeps his behavior proper though as a man being someone he is not. When he is with Jane Fassbender brings a stronger degree of honesty in the way he puts forth the man's emotions, though this in itself is still complicated. Fassbender keeps a certain pain in his manner, and still almost a shyness as he shirks from being wholly genuine for a moment. Fassbender brings the needed complexity of a man pulled back by his past, but prodded forward by something true to his heart. Fassbender brings the right awkwardness to the first scene where Rochester sort of declares his love for Jane, by asking her what she would do to ensure his happiness. Fassbender makes Rochester stumble as he should as a man at odds with himself as he says what he means, but never does it seem to be the absolute truth.

Fassbender rightfully expresses a fuller change in Rochester, after Jane leaves for a time, revealing a man who no longer wishes to risk unhappiness. Fassbender chemistry with Wasikowska is curious yet I found to be rather affecting. The connection that the two establish is very particular in that both of them reveal direct emotion, in a time defined by repression, only in their moment of revealing their love for one another. They come together exactly away from the emotional shackles implanted on them through their pasts to reveal better individuals. Fassbender brings a more active charm after the moment of declaration slowly suggesting a man finally content with his existence. Of course being a story set with a large estate though something must threaten to separate the two, this being the revelation of Rochester's pain and past which is his mad wife which prevents Jane and Rochester from being married. Of course this also must lead to further tragedy, though this story does prevent any further suffering as the two are reunited in the end, poor Rochester just needed to be blinded and scarred first. It is a surprisingly short scene yet I found it rather powerful. The scene almost entirely relies on Wasikowska and Fassbender, and they successfully find the poignancy within the reunion. The brevity of it seems right as the two already established the nature of their love, and the two show the scene to be a gentle reminder of this. Now Fassbender might have a slight advantage in that this my first exposure to a portrayal of Edward Fairfax Rochester, however all I can say is the performance worked for me. I'd be surprised if this is the definitive version of the character, but it is a compelling one.

Alternate Best Actor 2011

And the Nominees Were Not:

Antonio Banderas in The Skin I Live In

Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus

Woody Harrelson in Rampart

Michael Smiley in Kill List  

Jakub Gierszal in Suicide Room

Predict Those Five, Or These Five, Or Both

Matthias Schoenaerts in Bullhead

Peter Mullan in Tyrannosaur  

Daniel Henshall in Snowtown

Michael Fassbender in Jane Eyre

Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code

Alternate Best Actor 2015: Results

10. Johnny Depp in Black Mass - Depp returns to form here for an effectively brutal depiction of a vicious mobster.

Best Scene: Whitey tries to explain why he wasn't a rat.

9. Ben Mendelsohn in Mississippi Grind - Ben Mendelsohn gives an endearing and moving depiction of a gambler with his work being particularly well amplified by his amazing chemistry with his co-star Ryan Reynolds.

Best Scene: Gerry plays a piano.

8. Michael B. Jordan in Creed - Jordan gives a great portrayal of a man with the passion to find his own path though with the frustrations of a son trying to overcome the shadow of his father.

Best Scene: "I wasn't a mistake"

7. Jason Segel in The End of the Tour - Segel gives a fascinating portrait of David Foster Wallace capturing his personal idiosyncrasies along with his personal philosophy, intelligence, and vulnerabilities.

Best Scene: Lipsky asks Wallace about his depression.

6. Michael Fassbender in Macbeth - Michael Fassbender offers a unique and powerful alternative interpretation of the tragic Scot, as man slowly destroyed by madness from his post traumatic stress.

Best Scene: Macbeth learns of the fate of his wife.

5. Ben Foster in The Program - Foster brings the right out of control vanity and ego to his Lance Armstrong, but still offers just enough sympathy for the man.

Best Scene: Lance says he'll clean up the sport himself. 

4. Jason Bateman in The Gift - Jason Bateman offers one of the most realistic depictions of a bully you'll find in a film, but goes further to still instill this sort of man with a very real humanity.

Best Scene: The final gift.

3. Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes - McKellen offers not only his own effective approach to the well worn character, but also goes deeper to realize the personal difficulties of being such a man in heartbreaking detail.

Best Scene: Mr. Holmes and Ann.

2. Tom Hardy in Legend - Tom Hardy gives two great performances, one appropriately outrageous and entertaining as deranged mad man, and the other appropriately charming and moving as a potentially good man who allows himself to fall down the same path as his brother.

Best Scene: The Krays come to blows. 

1. Jacob Tremblay in Room - Good predictions Luke and Anonymous. This year came down to several performances for me, and it's a great year, despite what perhaps the lead actor nominations might allow one to believe. My choice, the choice that I'm picking, yes right exactly now must be chosen, yes the choice. Well obviously I already chose, but this one was particularly difficult as there was not a single performance that just stood out to me, not in a bad way mind you, but rather I had to choose simply through work that I equally loved. Anyway my choice is the youngest of all the nominees yet his work is no less captivating. Tremblay's work is unassuming yet tremendous, as he carries his film so eloquently depicting a quiet yet so powerful depiction of a boy's tumultuous journey to discover the world.

Best Scene: Preparing to leave the room. 

Overall Rank:

1. Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes
2. Paul Dano in Love & Mercy
3. Jacob Tremblay in Room
4. Tom Hardy in Legend
5. Tom Courtenay in 45 Years
6. Jason Bateman in The Gift
7. Christopher Plummer in Remember 
   
8. Leland Orser in Faults
9. Ben Foster in The Program 
10. Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road
11. Michael Fassbender in Macbeth
12. Jason Segel in The End of the Tour
13. Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
14. Michael B. Jordan in Creed 
15. Kurt Russell in Bone Tomahawk
16. John Cusack in Love & Mercy 
17. Christopher Abbott in James White
    
18. Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation
19. Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies 
20. Viggo Mortensen in Far From Men 
21. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in A Second Chance
    
22. Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice 
23. Ben Mendelsohn in Mississippi Grind
24. Ryan Reynolds in Mississippi Grind 
25. Andrew Garfield in 99 Homes 
26. Ralph Fiennes in A Bigger Splash
    
27. Adam Driver in Hungry Hearts
    
28. John Boyega in Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
29. Patrick Wilson in Bone Tomahawk
30. Joel Edgerton in Black Mass 
31. Jesse Eisenberg in The End of the Tour
32. Johnny Depp in Black Mass
33. Jason Mitchell in Straight Outta Compton
    
34. Domhnall Gleeson in Ex Machina
35. Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
36. Song Kang-ho in The Throne
37. Rolf Holger Lassgård in A Man Called Ove
38. Antonythasan Jesuthasan in Dheepan
39. Colin Farrell in The Lobster 
40. Al Pacino in Danny Collins
    
41. Jason Clarke in Everest  
42. O'Shea Jackson Jr. in Straight Outta Compton
    
43. Matt Damon in The Martian  
44. Corey Hawkins in Straight Outta Compton
    
45. Reda Kateb in Far From Men
46. Mathias Schoenaerts in A Bigger Splash
    
47. Sharlto Copley in Chappie 
48. Frederick Lau in Victoria
    
49. Vincent Lindon in The Measure of a Man 
50. Antonio Bolívar in Embrace of the Serpent
    
51. Nilbio Torres in Embrace of the Serpent
    
52. Géza Röhrig in Son of Saul
    
53. Daniel Craig in Spectre
54. Bryan Cranston in Trumbo
55. Michael Fassbender in Slow West
56. Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation 
57. Kevin Bacon in Cop Car
58. Pilou Asbæk in A War
59. Ulrik Munther in The Here After
    
60. Mathias Schoenaerts in A Little Chaos
    
61. Tom Hardy in Child 44
62. Chang Chen in The Assassin
    
63. Buddy Duress in Heaven Knows What
    
64. Tom Hiddleston in Crimson Peak
65. Colin Firth in Kingsman: The Secret Service 
66. Armie Hammer in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
67. Henry Cavill in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
68. Paul Rudd in Ant-Man
69. Robert De Niro in The Intern 
70. Vin Diesel in Furious 7
71. Liam Neeson in Run All Night
72. Richard Madden in Cinderella
73. Taron Egerton in Kingsman: The Secret Service 
74. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Walk 
75. Alex Jennings in The Lady in the Van
    
76. James Freedson-Jackson in Cop Car
77. Hays Wellford in Cop Car
78. Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw
79. Bill Hader in Trainwreck
80. Noah Schnapp in The Peanuts Movie
81. Sean Penn in The Gunman
82. Kodi Smit-McPhee in Slow West
83. David Thewlis in Anomalisa
84. Chris Pratt in Jurassic World 
85. Joaquin Phoenix in Irrational Man
86. Michael Caine in Youth 
87. Chris Hemsworth in The Heart of the Sea
88. Will Smith in Concussion
    
89. Dev Patel in Chappie 
90. Ryan Reynolds in Woman in Gold
    
91. Yoo Ah-in in The Throne
92. Nick Cannon in Chi-Raq
    
93. Channing Tatum in Jupiter Ascending 
94. Mark Ruffalo in Infinitely Polar Bear 
95. Asa Butterfield in 10,000 Saints
    
96. Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl

Next Year: 1962 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 2015: Michael Fassbender in Macbeth

Michael Fassbender did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying the titular character of Macbeth.

This in an interesting adaptation of the Scottish play taking a particularly stylistic approach to the material, although arguably to the point of excess.

Michael Fassbender's ignored performance of 2015 is in the often played role of Macbeth. Macbeth despite being a well worn character the way he's drawn in the play actually allows much interpretation to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is really the more direct character in a way. This film offers a different motivation to begin with through the addition of Macbeth and his wife (Marion Cotillard) having lost their son before the beginning of the story. Fassbender in turn does not portray Macbeth as the standard sort of hero who simply stumbles upon the misfortune of the corruption offered by the witches. The initial battle where Macbeth finds his glory Fassbender portrays Macbeth as already deeply troubled and obviously depressed by his loss. There is a considerable dread that Fassbender exudes as a man who is not there for the glory of battle, but merely for duty. In Fassbender's haggard gaze there are the eyes of one who has seen many battles, and this next battle is yet another terrible ordeal for him. Fassbender is striking in portraying the anguish of Macbeth as he sees his fellow soldiers fall, and the loss of lives seem to weigh down his very being. When Macbeth meets the witches this is not a normal soldier stumbling on a cursed prophecy, but rather Fassbender shows a man who has already been deeply scared by life.

Fassbender offers an intriguing interpretation of the character as the King, Duncan, comes to his home, and the potential to fulfill the prophecy to become King becomes quite evident. Lady Macbeth only encourages the idea and Fassbender and Cotillard are very effective together. This is not the case of Lady Macbeth seducing her husband in order to claim the throne, but rather the speaking of the crown seems almost as some odd mutual solace between the two. When they discuss the plan there is a tenderness the two realizes yet it is not that of lust. Fassbender and Cotillard instead seem to suggest the two as almost utilizing the prophecy as some way to overcome their personal grief. Fassbender is rather fascinating in that he plays Macbeth as in a post traumatic daze, and as a man who is almost in a dream as he goes about his murderous plot. Fassbender in a way makes even the delivering of Macbeth's soliloquy of contemplating the murder particularly convincing, not just because Fassbender does certainly excel with Shakespeare's words, but he also portrays it as the insanity of  man who speaks to himself. The murder itself Fassbender depicts in a very detached way as he kills the King. Again though it works in giving an sense of Macbeth's state of mind as he barely seems to be able to comprehend the reality of what he has done. 

The plan of course works and Macbeth becomes King, but nothing seems successful about this endeavor. There is nothing but a hollow the stare as the two have apparently fulfilled their "dream". As he looks over his court Fassbender shows no joy, satisfaction, or even guilt about his place on the throne. Fassbender keeps Macbeth still as a man who haunted by the horrors he's seen, and the murder in fact has only worsened his state. Fassbender is quite powerful though as he portrays only a growing mental decay in Macbeth as he attempts to stay as King. As Macbeth goes upon allowing even more murders in order to stay as King which includes the slaughter of a family, as well as the murder of his best friend, Fassbender still keeps a detachment to the proceedings. It is true to the way he establishes the character, and succeeds in being rather chilling by showing only a poisonous madness growing from his original daze. Fassbender shows Macbeth as man trying to find some sort of relief for this, yet through every heinous act he only suggests a further degradation of the man's already fragile state. The madness only begets madness, and one should commend Fassbender for some how furthering the deterioration of the man, when he already began the film with the man rotting from the inside.

No matter what Macbeth does though he in no way finds any sort of comfort from his position. This in fact leads Lady Macbeth to eventually commit suicide. The finding of the dead Lady Macbeth is a tremendous scene for Fassbender as he begins the scene with that same daze that compelled him through the rest of his slow demise. When he seems to see that she indeed cannot rise Fassbender is rather heartbreaking in portraying Macbeth as finally having a moment of realization of what he has done. In the scene the guilt of his actions seems to appear as Fassbender poignantly delivers this moment of clarity as Macbeth for once seems to realize what he has done. Fassbender manages to make something truly moving from this by presenting it as Macbeth also seeing that he has gone too far to turn back now. This portion of the story is more traditionally when Macbeth becomes his most diabolical and becomes the villain for Macduff (Sean Harris) to defeat. Fassbender does not do this and in fact makes Macbeth possibly at his most sympathetic since before the initial murder. At this point of the story the armies of Duncan's sons are formed and are coming to retake the throne, and this is usually when Macbeth becomes filled with an egotistical pride believing himself invisible due to a final prophecy from the witches.

Macbeth though still must take the field of battle, this is usually shown through ego, but Fassbender presents an alternative reason. Fassbender instead portrays a somber acceptance of his fate, and that he must merely continue on the path to hell that he has set for himself. Now I could see how one could be disappointed by this, as often times Macbeth's downfall is where the real fireworks from the performance seem to come from. Macbeth's downfall is downplayed by Fassbender very much opposed to the usual approach to the character, yet I find it to be no less compelling. Fassbender stays true to his interpretation of Macbeth by showing him basically going through the motions of the battle. His final fight with Macduff is particularly different. Macbeth's famous line of boast that he cannot be killed by a man who is woman born, is not delivered with the usual confidence. Fassbender instead states it with sorrow as a man whose pained by his very existence, but continues since as far as he knows there's no other way out except suicide for him. The pivotal moment when Macbeth learns that Macduff can kill him, I found Fassbender surprisingly affecting by having the reaction less of a surprise, but rather that of man who finally understands that there is perhaps a way for him to end his suffering. This is an atypical take on Macbeth, and I can even see how it could leave some disappointed. I for one for this to be an outstanding performance as it offers a captivating and unique approach to a character where that is quite difficult to say the least.

Alternate Best Actor 2015

And the Nominees Were Not:

Tom Hardy in Legend

Jason Segel in The End of the Tour

Johnny Depp in Black Mass

Michael B. Jordan in Creed

Ben Mendelsohn in Mississippi Grind

Predict those five or these five:

Michael Fassbender in Macbeth

Jason Bateman in The Gift

Jacob Tremblay in Room

Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes

Ben Foster in The Program 

Or both.

Best Actor 2015: Results

5. Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl - Redmayne gives a downright terrible performance simplifying the character into separate turns, one as a bland nothing and the other as a ridiculous caricature.

4. Bryan Cranston in Trumbo - Cranston hams it up just a bit in the early portion of the film, but eventually settles in to give a fairly effective portrayal of whatever the film needs Trumbo to be.

Best Scene: His speech.

3. Matt Damon in The Martian - Damon effectively gives his character's situation the needed dramatic weight, and is decent in portraying his character's jokey optimism, though I did find his shtick to become grating after awhile.

Best Scene: The Launch

2. Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs - Fassbender gives an engaging and intriguing performance as he builds his characterization around the variations within the facade of Jobs. 

Best Scene: His second talk with Sculley.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant - DiCaprio gives a great performance, finding nuance within his minimalist character, which works so well in tandem with the film's grand scope and vision.

Best Scene: Glass discovers his son.

Next Year: 2015 Supporting

Best Actor 2015: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs

Michael Fassbender received his second Oscar nomination for portraying the titular character of Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs takes three different product launches for an insight into the life of tech giant Steve Jobs. The film builds up with first third being good, the second being rather great, but then falters with a problematic third act.

Michael Fassbender plays the man behind it all and has probably more screen time percentage wise than the so called "one man show" performances of his fellow nominees, Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant and Matt Damon in The Martian. He's in pretty much every scene as the film follows him as he deals with every person and problem in Steve Jobs's life. Fassbender actually looks nothing like the real Steve Jobs, but he goes about doing his best to make up for that. The first being his voice which Fassbender actually surprises with, despite liking Fassbender I'll admit his accents have never been his strong suit, but here he maintains his version of Steve Jobs's slightly whiny timbre. It is not an exact replica but Fassbender makes it his own to the point that it always seems a natural part of his character. In addition Fassbender takes upon Jobs's certain mannerisms, which are interesting, as with the real Jobs, in that they are sort of understated yet overt. That is Fassbender's performance is not so obviously mannered yet the distinct way he keeps a careful posture, and his particular use of his body language, especially in terms of his hand and arm movements, is that of Jobs. Now even all of this, except the voice, actually has a bit of hidden purpose which I'll get to later.

Now a pivotal line in the film is when Jobs's oldest friend and work partner Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) states that the Jobs we see in the majority of the film is something that he's invented, and there lies the key to Fassbender's performance. Fassbender most of the time plays the part in a very exact, seemingly too exact, fashion as though Jobs is on some other wavelength than all of humanity, as he sees the world in a way that no one else can even decipher. Fassbender carries himself in a grand fashion as though Steve Jobs's instructions are not just some obsessive man who is becoming hung up on the slightest detail, such as the perfect picture of a Shark or ensuring that when he does his demonstration that the fire exit lights have been turned off, but instead plays it as though he is indeed an artist who is making these specific demands in order to realize his precise vision. Though everyone else doesn't exactly share Jobs's own enthusiasm, Fassbender is very effective in conveying this personal passion in Jobs that drives him to treat minor details as though they're pivotal to the success of his project. It is almost slightly inhuman at times, as Fassbender very much projects these choices as though it is from a mind above it all.

Of course Jobs is not above it all as he has to deal with many things in his life, which all spring up at different moments during each presentation. This includes professional arguments, that sometimes become personal, with a computer designer Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) over various things starting with a glitch, John Schulley (Jeff Daniels) Apple's CEO mostly over Apple's board of directors which rarely approves of Jobs, and Wozniak due to Jobs's refusal recognize the importance of the Apple II. As well as completely personal problems involving his former girlfriend Chrisann (Katherine Waterston) and his daughter Lisa, who he tries to deny paternity to. Mixed between all of them is Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) who tries to act as a mediator of sorts. Now a challenge arises due to the nature of Jobs's presentation within the film, in that he is this constant of sorts. Fassbender does maintain this as Steve Jobs never fully loses that certain control about himself, yet there still must be more to him to develop any sort complexity to the relationships within the film. Fassbender does this artfully actually by having these moments of variation in his personal wavelength though they are of a loop of sorts. That even with change it always in the end comes back to original center of his personality which is Steve Jobs as "the genius".

Fassbender utilizes this brilliantly in conveying Jobs's real relationship with each person. In his interactions with Andy, Fassbender adapts a considerable passive aggressive streak in Jobs as every spoken word towards the man seems to have a bit of venom beneath it, suggesting his complete lack of empathy for the man. On the other hand with John Sculley Fassbender fashions a more openly aggressive shade to Jobs, though less petty in nature, revealing a much more genuine passion within it as his arguments with Sculley far more directly impact his ability to create his visions. Underlying these moments though Fassbender is very good at establishing an understanding and certain respect.  He and Daniels craft important moments of rapport when the two seem to be working together in tandem. In his scenes with Wozniak, Fassbender is quite clever in the way he provides a contradiction in the relationship. Whenever Wozniak calls him out on something or demands any sort of recognition, Fassbender brings an ice cold intensity to Jobs reflecting an immediate defense to try silence any idea that he might be inconsiderate or even worse, wrong. On the other hand when they are not in a direct argument Fassbender's reveals an earnest warmth suggesting so well their original friendship, that has been covered up by the man that Jobs has become.

Now with his personal matters there is perhaps the biggest revelation of the truth behind Fassbender's performance which is to indeed make the whole idea of Jobs a facade. There are a few scenes set before any of the products that might seem a bit slight, but essential to Fassbender's characterization. Fassbender quite bluntly reveals a far more relaxed man who is a guy with a vision to be sure, but there is not that grandeur, his physical mannerisms for example are of an average man. There's a much more endearing enthusiasm as Fassbender shows the real man in these scenes before he became the Steve Jobs we see in the rest of the film. Now with that in mind his personal scenes with his daughter and the mother of that daughter, one can see the most substantial break in that facade as Jobs basically reveals his worst and best sides. In regards to his dealings with Chrisann Fassbender does not hide a general disdain to her, and in this case trying to keep his composure only softens his attitude. Fassbender does not shy away from actually carrying this coldness over to Jobs's relationship with his daughter, where there is an inherent harshness in his detached interactions with her that seem to reveal a especially pathetic part of Jobs as basically a man who won't own up to his own mistakes. Nevertheless there are a few moments where Lisa shows her unconditional love towards him, which Fassbender presents just a momentary break in Jobs that suggests him being actually affected by this. There's even a cruelty within this though as Fassbender makes it so brief showing that Jobs will not even lose his crafted image just to recognize his daughter.

The last relationship is between Jobs and Hoffman whose treated as basically his assistant in the film, this is technically least heated in that both actors portray their interactions as fully comfortable with one another leaving Jobs to leave his crafted image firmly place, with Hoffman gently acting as a moral conscience for him. Now of course the relationships all get into a bit a toss up for the film's act which does kinda fall apart in two ways. The first being many of the relationship fail to build to anything special, Sculley and Wozniak basically go over the exact same things. The other being theu go in the wrong direction, the relationship with Hertzfeld's takes a weird and ill conceived turn. Hoffman suddenly become an extremely loud moral conscience. His relationship with his daughter takes the hardest turn which wants an immediate feel good switch around evidenced most by its choice of song to end the film. This might leave Fassbender in a difficult spot, but I actually don't Fassbender's performance is harmed by the film's ending which is both lacking in change yet wants too much of it at the same time. Fassbender's whole take on the character up until the point has to keep Jobs's persona as a constant, and even the moments of change always revert back to that persona. Now that means he gets away with it, so to speak in, in terms of the lack of change but that still leaves the extreme change for his daughter. Well Fassbender does not succumb to the schmaltz the rest of the film seems striving for in terms of both the writing and direction. In his final scene with Lisa, Jobs finally states that he's "poorly made". This could have been a time to fail the character as he becomes this great guy who admits fault, but Fassbender does not do that. He instead shows it to be the same sort of momentary glitch of the facade that he portrayed beforehand in his interactions with Lisa. Fassbender reinforces this by returning to his usual self when basically tries to appease his daughter by boasting about some new ideas he has. Fassbender's performance contradicts the film, but its the right thing to do. Fassbender stays true to his portrait of Jobs, which is as a man fighting with himself, not to do the right thing, but rather to become the icon he wishes to be.