Best Actor In A Leading Role
- Jeff Bridges - True Grit
- Jim Broadbent - Another Year
- Robert Duvall - Get Low
- Colin Firth - The King's Speech
- Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter
With Jeff Bridges still fresh in everyone's memory for winning the award last year in Crazy Heart, it's hard to doubt that he will be overlooked for a nomination in 2010. After all, he is playing the famous role of Reuben Cogburn in the Coen Brothers' contemporary adaptation of True Grit. It's a role that John Wayne won his one and only Oscar for back in 1969 and one that Bridges is sure to nail.Also in the running alongside Bridges, once again, is Colin Firth for The King's Speech. Firth, in many people's opinion, as well as my own, gave the performance of the year in 2009 with his role in A Single Man. The only reason that he lost, those people might argue, is because Bridges has a more 'legendary' status and had yet to have won an Oscar despite several nominations. Therefore, there's a good chance that the Academy, if this was true, may redeem themselves by giving Firth a second nomination for this performance as King George. Especially when it's received so much praise from those lucky enough to see it in Toronto this month.
But, of course, that doesn't mean that those aforementioned 'legendary' actors aren't going to get a look-in this year. Robert Duvall, who blew audiences away with a heartfelt performance in Get Low over the summer, is very likely to receive a nomination too. Not only is he an actor that many Academy voters will worship, but also, when you can act like he did at almost 80 years of age, it would be criminal to see him miss out on a nomination for Best Actor.
Another actor who wowed viewers earlier this year was Jim Broadbent in Another Year. Reviews from Cannes raved about him and, let's face it, they have a point. Can you think of another British actor who can so effortlessly tug at your heart strings and make you laugh so hard it hurts? Add his indisputable talents to the fact that he's working in a film by Mike Leigh, who always gets a stunning performance from his leads, and you've almost got a lock.
No-one has seen The Fighter yet, but nevertheless, Mark Wahlberg is being hotly tipped as someone to keep your eye on during awards season. But is another nomination for an actor in a sports movie a little cliched for the Academy? After all, Hilary Swank and Mickey Rourke were both nominated for similar roles this decade. Well, in my opinion, the story of Mickey Ward is right up the Academy's alley and Wahlberg could easily find himself in this category at the end of the year if he can pull it off.
Who might also be contenders?
James Franco - 127 Hours - I've never thought that Franco is a particularly great actor and so I'm reluctant to put him in the running despite good reviews from Toronto. However, if he can single-handedly carry the one-man movie then the Spider-Man star might just prove me wrong.
Javier Bardem - Biutiful - He won the Oscar in 2007 for Best Supporting Actor in No Country For Old Men and this role in Biutiful also took home the award for Best Actor at Cannes earlier this year. But because it's a foreign language movie, the Academy could be hesitant.
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network - Well, the reviews are in from the New York film festival and people are falling head over heels to proclaim how good the Facebook movie is. Does this mean that Eisenberg could be nominated for the lead role?
4 comments:
I doubt Wahlberg and I'd say Franco is a lock. I don't know about Broadbent either, though I'd like it to be so. I'd also like DiCaprio to get recognised this year, that would be great.
You know what, I should add DiCaprio to the possible contenders. I'm holding back on saying Inception will be one of the biggest movies at the Oscars, but if it is I can certainly see him getting a nom. :)
The more I think about it, the more I think Franco might be the more likely choice. :/ But I just don't rate him as an actor. I'm sure he'll be fantastic in it though and I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong. :)
I absolutely adore James Franco. I think he's thoroughly talented and charismatic and already proved his potential with a TV biopic of James Dean in which his portrayal ranks up with Dean's own performances easily. Plus I love him in Milk and Pineapple Express and he does the best job possible in everything else he's done. 127 Hours will be his justice and hopefully will get similar roles too - I'm hoping for a Jeff Buckley biopic since he'd be perfect for that.
I think, depending on how strong the category is this year, DiCap's roles in Shutter Island and Inception could cancel him out really. I'm not sure. I'd like it to be so.
I take part of my comment back. You've just reminded me that he was in Milk and he was very good in that. Pineapple Express though? I thought he overplayed it a bit too much. Same with the Spider Man franchise.
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