Next Year: Best Leading Actor 2011

The Nominees:
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
Demián Bichir - A Better Life
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean DuJardin - The Artist

What will be my ranking? What will be my pick? What is your ranking and pick? Write in comments. ;)

Best Supporting Actor 2008

5. Josh Brolin - Milk
Josh Brolin definitely is a talented actor and in Milk he has showed us a performance he doesn't have to be ashamed for. But I still think that this character could have been played much much better. He is so lackluster that he gets overshadowed by everyone and everything in the film. Not even by the other actors, but even by the makeup in it. And the worst thing is that I really didn't see his motivation for (is it a spoiler? I think everybody knows) killing Milk. This is not completely his fault, because the screenplay doesn't really give him a chance do to something, but he doesn't even try in my opinion. Poorly written and acted character...

4. Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Michael Shannon has actually a very limited role in Revolutionary Road, but it has its potential. And we can't say that Shannon doesn't use this potential. He does, but he does even something more. Sometimes he is very showy. On purpose I'm not saying he's overacting, because nobody can undoubtably say he is, because this character is mentally disabled and I don't think he played it this way, because he couldn't play it differently or more convincingly. I think he just chose this way to play his character. And I think he was very good. At least he gave us very interesting performance...

3. Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
The Academy doesn't often nominate comedic performances, but when it does, it really is a worthy performance. In Tropic Thunder Robert Downey Jr. gives a wonderful, funny and entertaining performance that can either have conviction and parody inside. Playing an Australian who plays an Afroamerican Downey Jr. gives the funniest performances of the year (next to Cruise's). And the scene he has to cry in is just perfect...

2. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Really a strong performance. This is a terribly difficult character to play, because you have to seem convinced, but your performance must be even doubtful. And Hoffman achieved this. But he also never fails to show us the portrayal of a priest. We actually don't know whose truth do we believe in, but we don't want to find out that this kind priest is a sexual deviant. I can't even say which of his scenes was the best, because he was fantastic in all of them...

1. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
This performance doesn't need any words...

My Nominees:

1. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
2. Ralph Fiennes - In Bruges
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
4. Emile Hirsch - Milk
5. Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder

Next Year: Best Supporting Actor 2008

The Nominees:
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Josh Brolin - Milk
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder

So, who do you think will be my pick? Will it be Ledger as everywhere, or someone completely different? Write your predictions for my ranking or pick in comments. ;)

Best Leading Actress 2006

5. Kate Winslet - Little Children
This is such a strong year. All the performances are just excellent and so Kate Winslet's is. Her portrayal of a suffering middle-aged woman that finds another reason to live is just wonderful. Kate never fails to give us absolutely convincing performance and we completely understand her. We can greatly feel and almost touch her emotions through her fantastic performance. Someone just has to be the fifth...

4. Penelope Cruz - Volver
Volver though is a comedy says about very serious things, like murder, incest or rape. Penelope Cruz stands in the middle of many supporting characters and gives a great performance of a young but strong-minded woman, just like we are used from films by Pedro Almodovar. We sympathize with her character, even though it's not actually innocent. This performance just proves how fabulous actress Penelope Cruz is...

3. Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
This is the most entertaining and even most likable performance this year. Her Miranda is so funny character that we can easily forgive Meryl her overacting throughout the whole film. But it absolutely doesn't matter. This character shouldn't even be played with character acting, because it wouldn't work. Meryl just exactly knows what she's doing. And in the end she lets us to get under Miranda's specious steeliness. Meryl just can't play badly...

2. Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
This year though all the performances were really fantastic for me is about Helen Mirren and Judi Dench. Dame Dench's performance really is her best I've seen so far (still have to watch Mrs. Brown). The way she acts that she's a good friend of Cate Blanchett and then just soles and mentally harries her is just magnificent. Great, convincing and nipping performance...

1. Helen Mirren - The Queen
Helen Mirren didn't play the queen. She somehow became the queen. Her performance is convincing and authentic and she never fails to show us the queen as a human being not just someone more than anyone from us. She decided to play the queen as any other person that just happened to be the queen. In her specious calm she shows us as many emotions, as possible. Really deserving win...

My Nominees:
1. Helen Mirren - The Queen
2. Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
3. Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
4. Ivana Baquero - The Pan's Labyrinth
5. Penelope Cruz - Volver

Next Year: Best Leading Actress 2006

The Nominees:

Helen Mirren - The Queen
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Kate Winslet - Little Children
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Penelope Cruz - Volver

Who do you think will be my pick? Will I give a win to unbeatable Helen Mirren? Or will I give it to legendary Meryl Streep? Or will it be someone else? Write your predictions for my ranking in comments. ;)

Best Leading Actor 1974

5. Albert Finney - Murder on the Orient Express
In Murder on the Orient Express Finney has a famous and iconic character to play and he's surprisingly lackluster as Hercule Poirot. He's just overshadowed by supporting actors in the film and this only changes in the end of the film, where the other actors only sit and listen to him. I have to confess that I didn't actually enjoy the film (except from the end) and so didn't I enjoy Finney's performance. He wasn't bad and he did what was needed to do, but nothing more...

4. Dustin Hoffman - Lenny
I haven't seen Lenny's original performances so I can't compare it with them and all I know is Hoffman's exhibition. I say exhibition, because this really is not a performance, but an exhibition. I never really saw Lenny in this performance. All I saw was Dustin Hoffman playing. He has chosen to play Lenny Bruce rather than just be him. I enjoyed some scenes from the judge, but they also were a little bit overacted...

3. Al Pacino - The Godfather: Part II.
Excellent and iconic performance given by a legendary actor. He gives a great performance in which he uses the right way of subtlety that makes this performance memorable. I like the way he shows us the difference between Michael Corleone in the first film and Michael Corleone in the second film, but we still see it's the same Michael, but he changed. Performance, you will remember...

2. Art Carney - Harry and Tonto
Some people hate this performance, because it's not as iconic as Nicholson's or Pacino's, but it certainly is great. I'm satisfied with this winning, but there still was a little bit better performance this year. Carney is really charming in his character and he's done everything what was needed. I believed him almost everything, except from some scenes he's angry in. In them he uses a thing I call "old-fashioned overacting". But all the other scenes were really really wonderful...

1. Jack Nicholson - Chinatown
Performances in Chinatown are all really great. Nicholson as detective Jake Gittes gives a wonderful and memorable performance that never fails to be convincing. His chemistry with Faye Dunaway is just excellent. Another thing I really appreciate about his performance is that he is never overacting. For example the scene where he is telling to Faye how much he likes his nose. Many actors would overact this scene, but that's not Nicholson's case. It's not one of Nicholson's best performances, but it definitely is really great...

Next Year: Best Leading Actor 1974

The Nominees:

Al Pacino - The Godfather Part II

Albert Finney - Murder on the Orient Express

Art Carney - Harry and Tonto

Dustin Hoffman - Lenny

Jack Nicholson - Chinatown

So what do you think will be my pick? Write your predictions for my pick (or ranking) in comments. ;)

Best Leading Actress 2011

5. Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
This is an extremely strong year in this category. And Rooney Mara doesn't make it different. Her role of Lisbeth is a character that very easily could be overacted. Rooney Mara makes Lisbeth a human being, instead and it works perfectly in the film. I have only two blames to this performance. The first is her accent that I never found very convincing. And the second thing is the fact that this is not a performance you will remember long time after watching the film. But it still is a great performance...

4. Viola Davis - The Help
Viola Davis undoubtably gives the most convincing performance of the The Help. While the rest of the cast was overacting (I'm not saying, it's bad) she gives us a realistic portrayal of a suffering and worried woman and there's no way not to like her performance. She's really charming and after a great performance in Doubt she only proves that she's a great actress. I just think this is the same case like Mara. You'll not remember her performance for a long time...

3. Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
I love Meryl Streep. I have not seen her playing badly so far and her performance in The Iron Lady is not an exception. The Iron Lady is not the best biographic movie and it's not even one of the best. But Lloyd still did an advance after Mamma Mia!. But Meryl really helps the film to be not just average. Her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher is really excellent, especially in her old scenes, but she's very good even in the rest of the film, but sometimes it's a little bit overacted. Just like in Julie & Julia she wonderfully copies the accent and the gesture of the real person she's playing, but she doesn't forget to show us the character of her character. Really perfect performance...

2. Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Many people dislike this performance, she was even nominated for The First Annual Soilies (which should be more candid variation of Razzie Awards) for it, but I really enjoyed it. I think that he hate of her performance rather comes from the awfulness of the screenplay, which really is terrible (talking to her/him self? WTF?) and from the fact that Albert Nobbs is not very likable character. But does it matter? She plays this character really realistic way and I loved it. I just would like to know what was so bad about this performance...?

1. Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn
I didn't even want to write Michelle Williams, because it's not Michelle who's in the film. It's only Marilyn. I really loved every second of her performance from the beginning to her last scene. She is just excellent playing Marilyn and I can't imagine anyone better for this role. She's just like she should be and just like Marilyn was: naive, adorable and irresistible. Michelle will be a great and worshiped actress, trust me... 

My Nominees:
1. Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn
2. Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
3. Kirsten Dunst - Melancholia
4. Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
5. Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk about Kevin

Best Supporting Actor 2011

5. Nick Nolte - Warrior

Many people think that Warrior is an excellent film. I don't think it's somehow extraordinary, but it certainly is very good and likable. Nick Nolte's performance in Warrior is really very good. His scenes are probably the best of the film and it's Nolte who makes them so good. But some scenes was overacting and they seemed to me unrealistic. That's the reason he's the last...

4. Jonah Hill - Moneyball
I really liked Moneyball and I loved everything about it. And so I loved Hill's performance. I really liked the way he played this role. He knew exactly, what he is supposed to do. He was never overacting and he didn't try to steal the movie for himself. And maybe that was the reason I really loved every moment of his performance. He was completely realistic and mad Peter Brand a real person, not a movie character. And we can not see it every often these times...

3. Christopher Plummer - Beginners
I didn't enjoy Beginners very much. It's not a bad film, but it's a little bit boring. Some ideas are really original and funny, but the thing I liked the most on it is the performances of Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer. His character could have been very simply overacted, but Plummer never fails to give a realistic and very convincing performance. I really think that without him the film would be worse...

2. Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Though many people say, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is Stephen Daldry's worst film, I think it's as good, as his previous films. And I really liked all the performances in the film (yes, even Thomas Horn) and Max von Sydow wasn't an exception. His mute character is very likable and charming performance and his scenes are the best of the film. I really am sorry for not giving him the win...

1. Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn
I have never seen Sir Laurence Olivier in any film so far (I know, shame on me), so I can't say, if he was good in imitation of Olivier, but his performance is perfect alone, not just in comparing with Sir Olivier. Branagh's scenes are just brilliant. His character's passion for the directing is wonderfully acted and never fails to be convincing enough. Really excellent performance by a great actor playing another great actor...

My Nominees:

1. Albert Brooks - Drive
2. Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn
3. Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
4. Christopher Plummer - Beginners
5. Jonah Hill - Moneyball