Brian: Next up is Best Actor, which this year, is the category that best exemplifies the highs and lows of caring about these award shows. Overall, I think it's a very solid slate of nominees with a major major missing piece. It feels like it's going to be Chadwick Boseman's award to lose, and rightly so. His brilliance was on full display from the moment he stepped on screen in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
A victory for him will be bittersweet because of the excitement of him finally being rewarded for his craft and the harsh reality that he is not here anymore.
Going down the line, I love that Riz Ahmed is nominated for Sound Of Metal. He totally owned that movie and it's great to see him on this list. While I have not seen Minari, I've heard nothing but good things about it and Steven Yeun's performance. I thought Gary Oldman gave it his all in the uneven Mank, and Hollywood loves to celebrate itself. This wasn't a surprising nomination. I haven't seen The Father, but I feel like Anthony Hopkins has reached Meryl Streep territory where he gets an obligatory nomination every time he's in something of value.
The biggest miss here is obviously Delroy Lindo for his career defining performance in Da 5 Bloods. How he can be universally left out of this award season is beyond me. I don't think I've been so captured by a performance in a long time and for him to be left out entirely is almost insulting to the other nominees. While it will be nice for them to win, it'd be like winning the NBA title in the two years that Michael Jordan was playing baseball. Like it's great to win, but you didn't beat the best competition. Anyway, on to the nominees.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)
Gary Oldman (“Mank”)
Steven Yeun (“Minari”)
Will Win: Boseman. Totally deserving. Totally brilliant performance. Totally devastating that he's gone. Wakanda Forever!
Should Win: Boseman will and should win. I also wouldn't be sad if Riz Ahmed takes home the prize.
Snub: Delroy Lindo. Is this the biggest acting snub of all-time? It has to be up there.
Who is your best actor?
Adam: I agree that this is a MOSTLY strong slate of nominees, and yes, Chadwick Boseman will be coronated on Oscar night -- and he's deserving. But Delroy Lindo gave the performance of THE YEAR as far as I'm concerned. So basically, this is the second year in a row where my favorite performance of the year was snubbed (last year it was Lupita Nyong'o in Us).
Here's where I differ -- I don't think Anthony Hopkins has been over-lauded in his career. This is his first nomination in over 20 years (I believe) and based on everything I've heard, The Father is supposed to be return his Remains of the Day level form. I haven't seen it yet, so I'll reserve judgment but to me the glaring error here is Gary Oldman, a very good but also problematic actor (it's strange to me that his off-screen awfulness has been given a pass unlike so many others) who is for me the thing that worked THE LEAST about Mank.
I'll never understand why Fincher felt Oldman needed to play someone 25 years younger when there are many excellent age appropriate actors who could have played the part just as well or better. His performance was very one-note for me. But hey I know a lot of people who think Mank is a masterpiece, so what do I know.
Riz Ahmed and Steven Yeun were both amazing in their films and feel like they're going to join folks like Michael B. Jordan in the pantheon of modern day leading men -- all sex symbols, all unconventional stars -- all pretty fantastic is almost everything they do, but ...
WIll Win: Chadwick Boseman would be and should be right beside him. It's hard to know if his performance in Ma Rainey would have had quite the same impact had it not had the mystique of having been his last performance. The movie is good but I did feel like it failed to rise above feeling like a filmed play at times. But Boseman was a singular talent
Should win: Without having seen the Hopkins performance, probably Boseman, although I wouldn’t be mad if Yeun or Ahmed won for their less showy performances.
Snub: Delroy Lindo. Full stop. I’d also say Sacha Baron Cohen for his remarkable performance as Borat, but he’s getting recognized for The Trial of the Chicago 7, so I’m good with that.
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