the nominees for best actor are:jeff bridges, crazy heart
george clooney, up in the air
colin firth, a single man
morgan freeman, invictus
jeremy renner, the hurt locker
this year's best actor winner could be seen as a potential winner for several reasons:
1) with this year's oscar nomination he has five under his belt and the academy loves a nominee who has paid his dues.
2) while he's not terribly old by peter o'toole and christopher plummer standards... he has been in movies for over four decades.
and most of all.... he probably simply deserves the fuckin' thing.
but i want to back track first. let's quickly eliminate two nominees for the sheer fact that they've both recently won. george clooney won best supporting actor for 2005's syriana. and morgan freeman won best supporting actor for 2004's million dollar baby.
is five or six years too soon to reward these actors again? does it make a difference that this year they're nominated for best LEAD actor?
this is freeman's sixth nomination. two of the six have been for supporting. the other four for lead. so can it be argued that freeman is due a best LEAD actor award?
and what of clooney? this is his third nomination in acting (he was also nominated for both directing and writing good night and good luck). and since his win in syriana, i think there's no doubt clooney is a leading man.
and there was a time when up in the air had all the momentum and clooney appeared on his way to another oscar.
but i think the academy is secure in both freeman's and clooney's supporting statuettes.... for now. and time will come for them both again.
then you have two first time nominees in the veritable unknown, jeremy renner, and the always a bridesmaid never the bride, colin firth.
it is too early for renner. despite the paternal world we live in... men have to work harder for their oscars than women. the academy wants a man to EARN his award. pay dues. put in his time.
it is not yet time for renner.
firth has been very good for a very long time... but he's often overlooked by the showier performances in his films. his work in a single man, however, is superb and cannot be overlooked. he has taken the restraint we've come to know from him and used it to weave a deep pathos throughout his character's ups and downs. you always sense some stronger emotion just under george's surface... but firth will not let you in. and the role of george demands it.
yet firth is able to emote everything without saying much of anything. you hurt with him and you laugh with him... you even long with him.
i'm torn between who i think should win the best actor oscar this year...
i lean heavily towards firth. and on any given day i might tell you he is my choice for best actor.
but more often than not... my head tells me to go with the actor i think the academy will also reward this year: jeff bridges.
bridges garnered his first oscar nomination in 1972 with the last picture show... best supporting actor. he has been nominated three more times for thunderbolt and lightfoot (best supporting actor), starman (best actor) and most recently, 2000's the contender (best supporting actor).
here we have his fifth nomination.... once again for best actor. and his bad blake is amazing in crazy heart and has already brought him a golden globe, a los angeles film critics award, a broadcast film critics award and a SAG for best actor.
it's true that the movie, and maybe even the character, is formulaic... but there is nothing ordinary in bridges' performance. he's charming, pathetic, lovable, frustrating.... he is very much.... human.
and on top of all that.... the man can sing.
bridges has long been overlooked and underappreciated in hollywood. he has turned in performance after excellent performance. and he is adored by his peers and the public.
plus... he's the dude!
the big lebowski has endeared bridges into our hearts more than any film i can think of for most any actor.
bridges has paid his dues. he has put in his time.
it's time to give him his oscar.
will win: jeff bridges, crazy heart
should win: jeff bridges, crazy heart (with colin firth just edged out into 2nd place)
e.
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