Alternative 2009 Oscar Nominees- Best Actor

-Due to an unforseeable accident w/my internet provider, I was without internet for several days and as a result, I couldn't finish my alternative Oscar nomination posts prior to the awards ceremony. However, I now have my internet restored and will complete the two remaining posts despite the loss of some of their timeliness.



-I don't think that anyone was upset the Jeff Bridges won for his role in Crazy Heart. Certainly an actor with so many classics to his name as well as multiple nominations is definitley worthy of film's highest honor. The same is true (although to a lesser extent) of most of the remaining nominees. Colin Firth gave what was the culmination of his career through his haunting portrait in A Single Man which showed him at his best advantage. Jeremy Renner's work in The Hurt Locker likewise provided the seasoned actor with a fantastic platform from which to showcase the range of his acting. Morgan Freeman was finally able to give the public the role everyone had been waiting for him to play for so long; that of Nelson Mandella in Invictus. Only George Clooney, who gave his trademark disheveled businessman act in Up in the Air remains the odd one out in my opinion. This is not to say Clooney isn't talented, it just doesn't help when an actor continues to give the same performance as he did in his previous Oscar roles. In any case, below are five actors who did extraordinary work this year, giving performances in films which sadly went unnoticed by many, yet were definitley worthy of Oscar recognition.

1. Hugh Dancy for Adam

-Dancy, always cast as a stereotypical british gentleman (w/some notable exceptions), is finally allowed to stretch as an actor playing a man diagnosed with ausperger's syndrome who meets the girl of his dreams. Dancy skillfully handled both the comedic and dramatic elements deftly and was able to make the character of Adam a likeable enigma throughout. Its doubtful that we'll ever get to see Dancy in a role which allows him such whimsy and humanity. But I hope I'm wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92U6OnVZG3U

2. Johnny Depp for Public Enemies

-Even though most people thought that Michael Mann's much-anticipated Public Enemies was both overblown and underwhelming (myself included), many agreed that Depp's performance was indeed the film's saving grace. As legendary criminal John Dillinger, Depp once again added a memorable character to his film catalogue. Rather than give a movie star performance shrouded in mystery, Depp presents an honest and up-front portrait of America's one-time public enemy number 1. While not as flashy as most of his other roles in recent years, his turn in Public Enemies succeeds in showing the boundless talent of Johnny Depp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8xOgO7_eT8

3. Joseph Gordon Levitt in (500) Days of Summer

-Levitt has always been one of the most interesting younger actors around primarily due to the projects he takes on. The actor eases between comedy, drama, big-budget, and indie fare seamlessly; giving total and complete devotion to each role he undertakes. Yet in (500) Days of Summer, Levitt is at his very best. As a young greeting card writer who falls for a co-worker, Levitt was mesmerizing playing scenes of hilarity, romance, frustration and despair. It is one of the finest male peerformances given all year long and a testement to one of the most talented former child actors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tJoIaXZ0rw

4. Sam Rockwell in Moon

-Sam Rockwell has always been one of the screen's most underapprectiated actors. His brilliant turns in The Green Mile, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Choke were all works of genius. In Moon, Rockwell truly inhabits the role of his career as an astronaut sent into space for a solo mission which lasts for 3 years. Being virtually the only cast member on film, the show was Rockwell's and through bouts of fright, paranoia and devastation, the actor was absolutely outstanding. Its another performance from one of the finest actors working today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuScTcDP_Q


5. Michael Stuhlbarg in A Serious Man

-I can imagine its not that easy to carry an entire film on one's own, let alone a Coen Bros.' film. Yet that's just what Michael Stuhlbarg did, magnificently I might add, in A Serious Man. Playing a professor who sees his entire life crumbling around him in 1960s America, Stuhlbarg was ideally cast. Though his work prior to this has been limited to theater and TV spots, I sincerely hope after having seen A Serious Man, that the film world takes notice of such an incredible talent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSYOibG-_Y&feature=related

Tomorrow...Best Picture...finally!!