VoML Guide to the 85th Academy Awards - Part 2

Best Actor



Joaquin Phoenix in The Master





1. Joaquin Phoenix, The Master - In 2010, I'm Still Here released and with it came questions about whether Phoenix had mentally gone off the rails or if he was just acting like it.  Either way, most agreed that he would never work again.  Nobody has ever worked so hard at dynamiting their career.  Then there are the disparaging (and probably true) comments he made about the awards process which many felt would spell the end of his major award nominee days.  Seeing his name among the Oscar nominees this year is the biggest validation of his supreme talent.  Possibly the greatest working actor today, Daniel Day Lewis, went out of his way to mention him in his SAG award speech.  Joaquin Phoenix gave his most prodigious performance yet in The Master and he deserves this award.  This is his 3rd total nomination.
2. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln - We don't get to see nearly enough of DDL as we should.  Once every couple years he gives an iconic performance, only to drop away and immerse himself in his next role.  Creating a character from scratch is hard but so too is resurrecting a national treasure, and making yourself fit perfectly inside the shadow they cast without straying outside those lines and portraying a caricature.  Should he win this award, it'll be well-deserved.  This is his 5th total nomination, he has 2 wins (Actor for My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood).
3. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook - Cooper's most meaty role to date gets his first nomination.  Jennifer Lawrence has gotten most of the attention this awards season but Cooper was just as good.  Let's hope that David O. Russell pulled something out of Cooper that we can expect to see more of.  If so, this won't be his last Oscar shot.
4. Denzel Washington, Flight - We've come to expect certain things from Denzel; he's as solid as they get.  Denzel portrayed a heroic airliner pilot with a serious substance abuse problem.  Flight was ok, I seem to have enjoyed it more than many critics but Washington (as well as the opening 20 minutes) is the main reason to see this film.  This is his 6th total nomination, he has 2 wins (Supporting Actor for Glory, Actor for Training Day).
5. Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables - Jackman is one of the most likeable actors in the business and "Les Mis" earns him his first nomination.  The role of Jean Valjean has been played by countless actors in countless renditions of this musical; Jackman succeeded in making the role his own.

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty

1. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty - The Best Actress race comes down to Chastain and Lawrence.  While both were great, I was a bigger fan of Chastain's quietly determined performance.  Her transition from green CIA rookie to supremely confident vet was palpable.  With a number of film-elevating performances in 2011 and 2012, she deserves the recognition and probably the win.  This is her 2nd total nomination in as many years.
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook - Lawrence carries all the momentum into the Academy Awards after winning the SAG award over Chastain.  She also won the Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award but her and Chastain did not go head to head.  Lawrence's role called for a "bigger" performance which usually wins over subtle, and her chemistry with Cooper made the film as affecting as it was.  Whoever takes the Oscar will have earned it.  This is her 2nd total nomination.
3. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour - Riva's performance was heartbreaking, from the first symptom of declining health through every level of mental and physical degeneration.  It was a dignified performance and a well-earned first Academy nomination for this French actress.  She's the oldest person to be nominated for an acting Oscar.
4. Naomi Watts, The Impossible - In the wake of a catastrophic tsunami while on vacation with her family, Watts' Maria desperately searches for her husband and youngest children while striving to preserve the health of her eldest child.  The helplessness visible in her eyes as the tidal wave approaches as well as the strength she shows for her son's sake really ground the film emotionally.  This is her 2nd total nomination.
5. Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild - For a 6 year old to take on a role like that of Hushpuppy and really hold such an arresting film together is outstanding.  It's an amazing feat for her, the youngest Academy Award nominee ever.

Best Supporting Actor

Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master

1. Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master - This is his 4th total nomination, he has 1 win (Actor for Capote).
2. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained - This is his 2nd total nomination, he has 1 win (Supporting Actor for Inglourious Basterds).
3. Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook - This is his 7th total nomination, he has 2 wins (Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II, Actor for Raging Bull)
4. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln - This is his 4th total nomination, he has 1 win (Supporting Actor for The Fugitive).
5. Alan Arkin, Argo - This is his 4th total nomination, he has 1 win (Supporting Actor for Little Miss Sunshine).

Best Supporting Actress

Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables

1. Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables - This is her 2nd total nomination.
2. Amy Adams, The Master - This is her 4th total nomination.
3. Helen Hunt, The Sessions - This is her 2nd total nomination, she has 1 win (Actress for As Good as It Gets).
4. Sally Field, Lincoln - This is her 3rd total nomination, she has 2 wins (Actress for Norma Rae and Places in the Heart).
5. Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook - This is her 2nd total nomination.

Best Director

1. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook - This is his 2nd directing nomination.
2. Ang Lee, Life of Pi - This is his 2nd directing nomination, he has 1 win (Brokeback Mountain).
3. Steven Spielberg, Lincoln - This is his 7th directing nomination, he has 2 wins (Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan).  Schindler's List also won Best Picture.
4. Michael Haneke, Amour - This is his 1st nomination.
5. Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild - This is his 1st nomination.

Who I want to win: Zero Dark Thirty, Phoenix, Chastain, Hoffman, Hathaway, Russell.

Who I think will win: Lincoln, Day-Lewis, Lawrence, Waltz, Hathaway, Spielberg.


-PSon