Best Actor 2017

Vote for the best of this bunch

Timothée Chalamet - Call Me by Your Name
20
74%
Daniel Day-Lewis - Phantom Thread
2
7%
Daniel Kaluuya - Get Out
2
7%
Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour
3
11%
Denzel Washington - Roman J. Israel, Esq.
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 27

criddic3
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by criddic3 »

Big Magilla wrote:
Speaking of "shouldabeens," what happened to the 2017 thread?
It's here: viewtopic.php?f=66&t=11094[/quote]

Thanks
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Big Magilla »

criddic3 wrote:
Reza wrote:
bizarre wrote:Talked about as possibilities (or shouldabeens) throughout the year were Robert Pattinson (Good Time), Jeremy Renner (Wind River), Sam Elliott (The Hero), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), James McAvoy (Split), Jacob Tremblay (Wonder), Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049), Donald Sutherland (The Leisure Seeker), Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman or, after that film's middling reception, Logan), Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes), Christian Bale (Hostiles, which probably could have made some waves with a better distributor), Colin Farrell (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) and Oscar-bait-flops Andrew Garfield (Breathe) and Steve Carell (Last Flag Flying).
Wasn't God's Own Country a 2017 release in the United States? Josh O'Connor should have been part of the best actor race.
Speaking of "shouldabeens," what happened to the 2017 thread?
It's here: viewtopic.php?f=66&t=11094
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by criddic3 »

Reza wrote:
bizarre wrote:Talked about as possibilities (or shouldabeens) throughout the year were Robert Pattinson (Good Time), Jeremy Renner (Wind River), Sam Elliott (The Hero), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), James McAvoy (Split), Jacob Tremblay (Wonder), Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049), Donald Sutherland (The Leisure Seeker), Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman or, after that film's middling reception, Logan), Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes), Christian Bale (Hostiles, which probably could have made some waves with a better distributor), Colin Farrell (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) and Oscar-bait-flops Andrew Garfield (Breathe) and Steve Carell (Last Flag Flying).
Wasn't God's Own Country a 2017 release in the United States? Josh O'Connor should have been part of the best actor race.
Speaking of "shouldabeens," what happened to the 2017 thread?
"Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand." -- President Joe Biden, 01/20/2021
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by mojoe92 »

Chalamet
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Big Magilla »

It's not a bad line-up, but it's really Timothée Chalamet and everyone else - there's no contest here.

The second best performance of the year by a leading actor, for me, was Jamie Bell as Peter Turner, Gloria Grahame's last lover in the film version of Turner's memoir, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. Daniel-Day Lewis, Denzel Washington and Daniel Kluuya follow in that order. Jake Gyllenhaal in Stronger and Jeremy Renner in Wind River are near-misses. Gary Oldman should have won for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, not for his blubbery portrayal of Winston Churchill.
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Reza »

bizarre wrote:Talked about as possibilities (or shouldabeens) throughout the year were Robert Pattinson (Good Time), Jeremy Renner (Wind River), Sam Elliott (The Hero), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), James McAvoy (Split), Jacob Tremblay (Wonder), Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049), Donald Sutherland (The Leisure Seeker), Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman or, after that film's middling reception, Logan), Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes), Christian Bale (Hostiles, which probably could have made some waves with a better distributor), Colin Farrell (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) and Oscar-bait-flops Andrew Garfield (Breathe) and Steve Carell (Last Flag Flying).
Wasn't God's Own Country a 2017 release in the United States? Josh O'Connor should have been part of the best actor race.
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by bizarre »

2002 was the first Oscars I followed, and it always seemed like a clear option that the voters would go the underdog route (especially with in a major Best Picture threat) in a field with 4 previous winners (two of them multiple winners) and one first-time nominee. I like Brody's win, he carries the film with gravitas and emotion, but he's not easily castable so I don't necessarily think it's an Oscar curse here. If there was a good alternative for me I'd have picked Nicolas Cage.
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Big Magilla »

Precious Doll wrote:
Big Magilla wrote: On the other hand, the two youngest actors who bucked tradition to win in this category, Richard Dreyfuss and Adrien Brody, have not received further nominations.
Dreyfuss received another nomination during the 1990s for the forgettable Mr. Holland's Opus.
Well, if I had to forget something I'm glad it was that!
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Big Magilla »

I didn't mean to infer that Brody's win was undeserved or that the performances of Day-Lewis, Nicholson and Caine were better, although in re-reading it, it does look that way.

What I meant was that the overall careers of those three actors are revered whereas Brody's is not, perhaps because of what in retrospect may have been a too-soon Oscar.

Day-Lewis' performance in Gangs of New York was pretty bad. Nicholson and Caine would have had better chances if they hadn't already been amply rewarded, Nicholson three times and Caine twice.

My own choice was Michael Caine in The Quiet American. Ironically, I didn't care for in either of his actual wins, and wouldn't have nominated him for either. My supporting actor choices of 1986 and 1999 were Tom Berenger in Platoon and the non-nominated Christopher Plummer in The Insider.
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Uri »

Big Magilla wrote:Who are better revered today, Dreyfuss and Brody or the actors they beat, Burton and Mastroianni for Dreyfuss and Day-Lewis, Nicholson and Caine for Brody?
While I totally agree with you about Dreyfuss - even he gave a much better performance than the one he won for that same year - I'll have to disagree about Brody. His is one of the best performances ever to win this category and he towered over the big-names competition. Along with Affleck's, it's the best win of at least the past 30 years. It's a kind of a Falconetti turn - one performance which is enough to cement an actor's place in film history, regardless of whatever else he or she did.

I'll add to the mix Josh O'Connor for God's Own Country. Whatever "somewhere in Northern Italy" is to Marco, a cowshed filled with manure is to me (if you haven't, as a child, walked barefoot in a knee-high cows' shit in a hot summer day, you haven't lived, if you ask me). O'Connor (and his film) do a brilliant job of depicting this particular milue and the place of a young man in it.

Anyway, for me it's a no brainer so I voted for Day-Lewis.
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by ksrymy »

Denzel's nomination is fairly ridiculous for a film that, on paper, should appeal to me as I enjoy Washington, Colin Farrell, and Dan Gilroy. But Roman J. Israel, Esq. is as unwieldy a film as is its title. Washington's acting barely translates through the terrible afro and glasses he'd made to wear. I'll echo that it's clearly the nomination that took the spot of James Franco's almost-guaranteed nomination.

As for Franco, I loved his performance and thought it was an excellent performance. Not only does he nail all the physical and vocal characteristics that make Tommy Wiseau so iconic, but he truly wrings the character out and gives us a compelling, intimate portrait of a man who just wants to bring his masterpiece to life.

It's basically the opposite of Gary Oldman's performance which I initially liked when I saw Darkest Hour in the theater, but, man, the more I sat on it, the more I disliked it. Oldman basically blubbers and blusters his way through a caricature of Churchill that you'd expect from a variety show. He makes sure his jowls wiggle as he yells his lines with no nuance. To echo bizarre again, the early headline "Gary Oldman to Play Winston Churchill in Biopic" made the well-respected vet's chances of winning a richly-deserved Oscar cemented. Couple the love for Oldman with Churchill being a beloved conservative figure and almost guaranteeing that section of the Academy would vote for him, and it's a done deal.

I adore Get Out. It's my second favorite film of the year. And even after having seen it three times, I still don't get the love for Daniel Kaluuya's performance. It's a subdued role and the on-cue crying that landed him the role are impressive, but I don't think he's terribly exciting at any point outside of the last twenty minutes where events turn into action.

The only two performances I liked this year from this bunch were those of Daniel Day-Lewis and Timothée Chalamet.

Day-Lewis' alleged final film performance is beautiful. It's an excellent capturing of the obsession and madness that drive perfectionists and creators (in this case, both). The way he navigates his scenes with Vicky Krieps makes the progression of their relationship feel more genuine and less one-sided. More impressive though, and not just because of her, are his scenes with his sister played by Lesley Manville. And while I think Manville delivers the best performance in that cast, Day-Lewis matches her step-by-step in their scenes like an expert game of chess.

But there was no better male performance this year than that of little Timmy Chalamet's. This kid is only 21 and has perfected the smoldering brood. These looks that Luca Guadagnino has him do, whether they be out a window, into a book, or into sheet music, really bring out Elio's desires and passions. It's smart, silent characterization. And Chalamet's line delivery is perfection; it has all the tone of a typical, I-know-I'm-smart professor's kid teenager but with this soft underbelly that Chalamet allows us to view and see Elio's reservations and questions. I can only hope that Timothée's career goes into the stratosphere now.

Alongside Chalamet, Franco, and Day-Lewis, rounding out my top five performances of the year in this category would be Robert Pattinson, one of the better aspects in the overpraised Good Time and Claes Bang for a hilarious turn in The Square.
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Precious Doll »

Big Magilla wrote: On the other hand, the two youngest actors who bucked tradition to win in this category, Richard Dreyfuss and Adrien Brody, have not received further nominations.
Dreyfuss received another nomination during the 1990s for the forgettable Mr. Holland's Opus.
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Big Magilla »

I am not ready to vote in these polls because I'm still catching up on nominees in some of the categories and several also-rans in most categories, which is why I haven't posted an Oscar Shouldabeens yet.

I expect to see The Disaster Artist and I, Tonya next week and Film Star Don't Die in Liverpool the following week or soon after.

To expound on something Bizarre alluded to in his initial post, though, I have to say that awarding the more familiar actor over the relative newcomer, even though most people would agree the newcomer's performance was superior, is not new. It was the reason Louis B. Mayer at the 5th Academy Awards insisted on declaring the vote between Wallace Beery and Fredric March a tie, even though March had actually won for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by three votes over Beery in The Champ . It was the reason why a number of today's older Academy members were pissed at the 42nd awards when John Wayne in True Grit won over Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy.

Chalamet had no chance over Oldman as much as some of us hoped history wouldn't repeat itself again this year. In the long run, however, it may be a good thing he didn't win for his career chances. March went onto a second Oscar win, while Beery received no more nominations. Hoffman went on to win two Oscars, whereas Wayne was not nominated again. On the other hand, the two youngest actors who bucked tradition to win in this category, Richard Dreyfuss and Adrien Brody, have not received further nominations. Who are better revered today, Dreyfuss and Brody or the actors they beat, Burton and Mastroianni for Dreyfuss and Day-Lewis, Nicholson and Caine for Brody?
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by Sabin »

I haven't seen Roman J. Israel, Esq. And yet, I'm still going to vote because I have such a hard time believing that he's anything outstanding in the film.

I can't quite echo BJ's endorsement of Franco as a worthy Oscar nominee. It's a fun impersonation but it never went deeper because the film ultimately isn't interested in taking us deeper. While James Franco is certainly good, I walked away more impressed with Dave Franco for anchoring the goofy enterprise. I could mention many actors but I'll toss out Adam Sandler for career best work in The Meyerowitz Stories.

Gary Oldman has to go first. I don't think that the makeup does his acting for him. It feels entirely integrated into his work. Let's put it this way: with Joe Wright at the helm (JUST DO SUPERHERO MOVIES AND STAY THERE!!! THEY NEED PEOPLE AT DC!!!) and working from Anthony McCarten's broad script, Oldman never had a chance. It's nice that he has an Oscar and the best you can say is nobody was truly robbed.

Let's hear it for men crying! I don't think Timothée Chalamet was nominated entirely because of his final scene. That said, if Best Actor was more competitive this year, I don't think he'd make the cut at all. For sure, Daniel Kaluuya wouldn't and he almost assuredly was nominated for his crying scene. Both are iconic, but I'm not sure proper discussion has been given to how powerful Daniel Kaluuya's crying scene is. Black people in movies are too often showed holding in their emotions to appear strong. Kaluuya plays a successful black man who breaks down and cries in ways that he is unprepared for. The difference between Chalamet and Kaluuya for me is that Chalamet feels like he's given carte blanche to act out in any way during any scene in Call Me By Your Name. The film feels like a celebration of this young talent. Kaluuya on the other hand has to be reactive as he slowly comes to realization while also remaining entirely credible in his reactivity. And this could end up looking very silly. I've thought long and hard about giving Kaluuya my vote...

But then there's Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread. Let's take the conversation back to James Franco in The Disaster Artist. Both actors are doing something INCREDIBLY immature in both their films. Reynolds Woodcock is a child. He's a gifted artist but he's a child who lashes out at everyone around him. Day-Lewis has been compared to Marlon Brando more than once. In some ways, Phantom Thread is his Last Tango in Paris. An unattractive portrait of a terribly serious artist. And yet it becomes something more.

But Vicky Krieps has more of the arc. And Daniel Kaluuya certainly does. And so he gets my vote.
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Re: Best Actor 2017

Post by The Original BJ »

I found Franco's gonzo creation in The Disaster Artist more worthy than many of the nominees, and I also agree with those who have praised Gyllenhaal in Stronger and Pattinson in Good Time.

You can see why Washington's performance felt like enough of a change of pace for him to grab that nomination, but he struggles to make the character even make sense.

Hard to begrudge an actor as good as Oldman getting an Oscar after all these years, but the performance is a lot of loud shouting and speechifying, and not particularly revealing about character.

Kaluuya has one very good scene in Get Out -- the hypnosis scene with Keener used as his Oscar clip, with that now-iconic shot of tears streaming down his face. But the nomination is more due to heat around the movie than anything else.

Day-Lewis would have made a perfectly acceptable choice -- his work here is typically intense, but this time with more humor than we're accustomed to from him. Maybe not enough of a landmark for yet another Oscar, but a strong nominee.

For much of Call Me By Your Name, I thought Chalamet was well-cast, but wondered why critics had found him such a knockout. But then he had a series of a scenes in the final reel in which he definitely WAS a knockout, in which every one was almost more impressive than the last. Perhaps not my winner in a more bountiful year, but a perfectly worthy choice in this one.
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