Best Actress: Ellen Page is another newcomer to the Academy Awards who should take a trophy from one of the more seasoned veterans. Her portrayal of teen Juno MacGruff walks all over Cate Blanchett’s mediocre performance as Queen Elizabeth. It seems as though any movie set in 16th century England gets a slew of Oscar nominations. But Page’s Juno is sweet, funny, and charming without sacrificing the pain and struggles of a pregnant teenager. She really takes the character to heart and plays it like a teenager. I hope we see more from her in the future.
Best Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck might be a new name for some, but it is one you will be hearing a lot in the near future. In The Assassination, Affleck plays 19 year old Robert Ford, who rides with the infamous outlaw Jesse James. Affleck’s character arcs from Jesse’s admirer to his murderer, and the change is noticeable and believable in Affleck’s performance. He portrays Ford’s qualities brilliantly: pride, fear, hesitation, anxiety, and confusion. Since Ford is soft spoken, Affleck needed to bring his character to life through facial expressions and body language—and he does so very well. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives a great performance in Charlie Wilson’s War, but it seems pedestrian next to that of Casey Affleck.
Brendan’s Picks
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis should win the award for Best Actor for his outstanding performance in There Will Be Blood. Daniel Day-Lewis helped set the dramatic tone and establish the character Daniel Plainview as a smart, insane, and loving oil driller. Daniel Day-Lewis shows his range and versatility as an actor by effortlessly switching from one persona to another throughout the movie. In one scene, Lewis negotiates oil deals with his adopted son; in another, he brutally murders a preacher with a bowling pin. Roles such as these require a great deal of talent and thought in order to work well. Other nominees such as George Clooney and Johnny Depp cannot undertake such complex roles, although they play simpler characters competently. One must respect and admire the amazing performance of Daniel Day-Lewis in this movie and hope that he leaves the red carpet with a shiny new trophy.
Best Supporting Actress: Ruby Dee should win Best Supporting Actress for her role in American Gangster. Even though she does not play the biggest role in the movie, her part is an important one and well-acted. Ruby portrays an innocent and simple-minded mother who is happy with what God gave her, but when her drug lord son, Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), shows her the “good life,” she discovers a whole new side of herself: one of ferocity, complexity, and discipline. The change from unaware to omniscient is a switch that only Dee could have performed so well. Without her Oscar-worthy acting, American Gangster would be far less enjoyable.
