Alternate Best Actor 2012: Results

5. Jack Black in Bernie- Black gives a very different performance here going head first into creating a unique character who is believable as both the nicest man but also a murderer.

4. Liam Neeson in The Grey- Neeson gives a strong performance capitalizing well on his physical, but as well giving a powerful emotional portrayal as well.

3. Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe- McConaughey proves himself more than capable as an actor through his oddly charming and at the same time freighting performance as a cop who does not mind killing for money on the side.

2. Denis Lavant in Holy Motors- Lavant gives a very different type of performance switching breathlessly from one character never stopping for a moment. It is a striking performance that is absolutely fascinating to watch.

1. Jean Louis Trintignant in Amour-Trintignant gives a quiet very restrained performance that is very moving and poignant while having a perfect chemistry with his co-star Emmanuelle Riva. A strong year for leading performances, and the academy did a pretty good job of selecting them too they nominated six deserving leading performances even if two were in the supporting category.

Overall Rank:

1. Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
2. Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
4. Jean Louis Trintignant in Amour
5. Denis Lavant in Holy Motors
6. Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained
7. Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe
8. Liam Neeson in The Grey
9. Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
10. Jack Black in Bernie
11. John Hawkes in The Sessions
12. Tom Holland in The Impossible
13. Suraj Sharma in Life of Pi  
14. Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables 
15. Jake Gyllenhaal in End of Watch
16. Michael Pena in End of Watch
17. Logan Lerman in The Perks of Being a Wallflower 
18. Richard Gere in Arbitrage
19. Martin Freeman in The Hobbit
20. Daniel Craig in Skyfall
21. Colin Farrell in Seven Psychopaths
22. Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly
23. Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises
24. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Looper
25. Karl Urban in Dredd 
26. Ben Affleck in Argo
27. Tom Hardy in Lawless
28. Christopher Walken in Stand Up Guys
29. Robert Downey Jr. in The Avengers
30. Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers
31. Jared Gilman in Moonrise Kingdom
32. Chris Evans in The Avengers
33. Emile Hirsch in Killer Joe
34. Chris Hemsworth in The Avengers
35. Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher
36. Denzel Washington in Flight
37. Anthony Hopkins in Hitchcock
38. Al Pacino in Stand Up Guys
39. Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained
40. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Premium Rush
41. Bill Murray in Hyde Park On Hudson
42. Shia LaBeouf in Lawless
43. Sylvester Stallone in The Expendables 2
44. Will Smith in Men in Black 3 
45. Zac Efron in The Paper Boy

Next Year: 1968 lead

Alternate Best Actor 2012: Liam Neeson in The Grey

Liam Neeson did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying John Ottway in The Grey.

The Grey is a bleak film about a group of men who attempt to survive after a plan crash in Alaska, all the while being hunted by a group of vicious wolves. Hardly a perfect film, but I thought it was pretty effective survival/disaster film, a genre that I am not a big fan of.

Liam Neeson is an actor who definitely has had a most unusual career path. His earliest claims to fame where his leading performances in very dramatic pictures like Schindler's List, and Michael Collins. He drifted briefly into the role of the go to mentor in films like Gangs of New York, and the Phantom Menace among many others. Than suddenly he became a badass action hero despite being over fifty years old. The Grey represents this transition well as very much physical work is required of him here, but in this case his performances of old are harkened back by the dramatic core found in his character here as well.

Neeson portrays John Ottway who works as a wolf hunter to protect oil drillers. This is a rather unique lead to have in a survival film as usually the leads of such films slowly become pessimistic in some way through the failures and deaths during their attempts to survive. Ottway on the other hand starts out as suicidal and early on considers suicide to the point that he even sticks his rifle into his mouth, but he stops just before doing so. It is an odd place to start with Ottway, but Neeson knows how to handle it by internalizing this dread in Ottway in fashion that it is right in the man's bones. 

The depression Ottway is facing as well as his heartbreak over the death of his wife is only portrayed just about silently by Neeson. He does this really quite well by showing it very much as state of that Ottway is in. He is not necessarily depressed in the way an average man would be but Neeson shows Ottway to be a very hard man from the get go. It would be wrong for him to be excessively emotional in this moment, particularly since Ottway seems to be clearly a loner, but Neeson still conveys the pain that creates this depression in a way that is perfectly fitting for Ottway.

After the plane crash though Ottway sort of gets a sense of purpose which is just basic survival. Neeson has a certain type of presence here that few actors these days are able to deliver on. What that is is being a real man's man. Neeson makes Ottway as such and he just oozes in strength of will in his portrayal as a man who is willing to fight wolves with only a stick and a shotgun shell. He makes Ottway's ability to press on and even suggest fighting the wolves something that is entirely believable. Neeson simply has the conviction in his performance to make Ottway the survivalist he should be.

One of the best indications of Neeson unique presence is the way that he sets up Ottway as the defacto leader of the surviving men. Neeson does not leave it as something that can even be questioned he has just such a great command with his performance, that even though he is older than the others he easily is the one who stands the strongest in the situation. Neeson absolutely delivers in this way, and his scenes where he puts one of the other survivors in his place who is acting particularly rebellious. Neeson has such an assurance in his performance that he makes it abundantly clear that Ottway will stay absolutely in charge.

Neeson knows how to be both an imposing figure as Ottway, but also with just the right amount of vulnerability to allow us to sympathize with his plight as well. Neeson though is very good because he never compromises for either. When he does let us in on his internal emotions he still very much keeps the strengths of Ottway in view. In the more philosophical moments of the film Neeson is strong because he marvelously balances both cynicism and optimism in Ottway. Yes a great deal of what he says is gloom filled, but Neeson is terrific in showing that there is a spark of hope in Ottway that hope that really is what keeps him going during the film.

This is a performance that very much has the challenge of realizing the personal struggle of Ottway while moving along with the pressing physical struggle. Neeson is quite good in doing this as he gives the short moments throughout to realize this part of Ottway. It does not come out fully until near the end of the film where Ottway is the last man standing. There are two scenes in a row where Neeson breaks the conviction to survival that Ottway expressed earlier. By building quietly to this point Neeson is quite powerful when Ottway breaks down asking God for help. It is a powerful scene with Neeson showing in this moment that Ottway despite holding to this point is almost at his end.

That louder moment by Neeson though is trumped by his very last scene which is almost silent. The scene depicts Ottway examining and piling the wallets of the fallen. It is a moving scene in which Neeson brings all the poignancy the moment needs. The film has many deaths, and Neeson in this moment gives them the weight they deserve. This quickly leads to the moment in which Ottway is face with the Alpha Wolf. Neeson is terrific as he portrays that spark of hope at the end fuels him to make Ottway make at least one more stand. Although the ending is sudden Neeson honestly is the one who earns through his performance as it powerfully finishes Ottway's journey from a suicidal man to one who stands and fights even when death seems like an inevitability. Neeson gives a strong performance creating a portrait of great confidence, and a certain weakness leading this film in an entirely convincing manner that fits the film's tone perfectly.

Alternate Best Actor 2012: Denis Lavant in Holy Motors

Denis Lavant did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a few critic awards, for portraying Mr. Oscar in Holy Motors.

Holy Motors is a very strange film about a man who goes around to different appointments where he performs some sort of scene. A bizarre film at concept level but one that I found fairly intriguing and entertaining.

Denis Lavant's performance here is really the most performance orientated performance of the year. The closest performance I can really think of that is similar to it is Joel Grey in Cabaret. That is to say there really is not really a character arc with his character, because most of what Mr. Oscar does is dress up and turn himself into other characters to fill his appointments. Mr. Oscar is himself a character, but his time is limited and even when there seems to be something that is his it only turns out to be another appointment after all. The strength of this work is really very much the performing he puts into each of these various appointments.

Lavant is a very physical performer here as he creates each of these character per appointment. Lavant makes most of the Cloud Atlas performers seem like rank amateurs compared to his portrayals here. Although in this case it is clear that Oscar is playing each and every one of these characters as he clearly puts on makeup, takes it off, changes his clothes, uses different props to become these various characters, Lavant is seamless in the exchanges. Whenever he goes about becoming a different character no matter what or who it may be he doesn't seem to even blink as he changes one character for the next in a matter of seconds.

Lavant really does it all here in each face and body that he dons. The incredible thing about his performance is he does not just change his make up he himself changes for every single depiction. He changes his way of speaking to illustrate each character, each character that speak that is. He is well changes the body language for each, rarely do any of them quite stand or move the same way. It is remarkable the ease and natural quality he is able to bring to each character, which is quite necessary to pull off each and every character as some of them sort of throw you off guard when it turns out one that seemed so truthful was yet just another character for Mr. Oscar.

It is amazing the way he can go from the stone faced Oscar to any one of these characters. I would say one of the most effective transformations probably is that he goes from basically a monster like man that Lavant gives all the creepiness it deserves along with the unpredictability, but than his next assignment is that of a father trying to deal with his daughter. Lavant starts with a profound intensity as the monster that he creates vividly with his mannered walk, and deranged face. Than he becomes a father with all the warmth required of the man, but he as well reflects the struggle the father has to try to deal with his daughter properly after she lies to him.

It is incredible the way Lavant can be equally effective in both absurdest creation like the monster as he is in the far more down to earth character of the father. Of course it does not end there he can quickly go from even one type of gangster to another, and seem like two entirely different characters. He is able to be the cold brutal gangster mercilessly stabbing a man than setting up the corpse as himself, just as easily as a totally manic one who goes out randomly on the street shooting man. Again he portrays each with the same efficiency same, energy, and a great deal of style that is certainly something fascinating to watch.

Lavant just keeps going with this performance, and no matter what the situation he nails whatever he is required for whether it a song number, a bizarre motion capture performance the last moments of a dying man, or even a man who lives with monkeys. There never is a flop for him he just gives every single character its own unique style fitting to the situation. This film is a cluster of things, and the only overlying thing is the general oddity of it all. Lavant acts as the most strange type of anchor, as we can hardly identify with a man who is constantly changing his personality, but what Lavant does is he meets each tone no matter how much it may switch.

There is a sort of a more of a traditional anchor which is when Lavant is in the base form as Mr. Oscar who is a pretty simple character, yet Lavant plays him exactly as he should. That is he is the dead pan center who seems somewhat exasperated and all around weary of the whole concept which pretty much reflects the tireless efforts of Oscar's performances. He makes Oscar the base point he should be on which all the other things he becomes are layers upon this man. It is pretty brilliant because Lavant is able to portray both the other characters as entirely characters on their own, yet still show the way that Oscar does go in and out of these characters.

This is certainly a performance to behold as he absolutely throws himself into every second of this film. Lavant never plays it safe here and takes the risk of never exactly being the same. He in so many moments is a brilliantly silent actor throwing himself into a character telling so much simply through the way his body moves across a scene. In another scene though he will internalize and express the more hidden struggles of one of his characters. It is striking the way he can accomplish both these style, and many more styles in between without any hesitations in the matter. For Lavant here there is never a emotion too small express or an act too big to give it his all.

This is definitely not the type of performance I am usually accustomed to reviewing, as Lavant really never is a single thing here. He is funny, he is sad, he is entertaining, he is scary, he is everything that he needs to be and more as Mr. Oscar and the characters that Mr. Oscar portrays. This is a performance that is something quite unique, and one performance that is fascinating just to watch and see him go through his procession of acts from the strange to the realistic. This is a great performance that fearlessly dives right in never limiting himself going off on a limb with this work and staying there without ever even risking falling off.

Alternate Best Actor 2012: Jack Black in Bernie

Jack Black did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a golden globe, for portraying Bernie Tiede in Bernie.

Bernie is a enjoyable dark comedy about a small Texas town's "nicest" man who befriends the town meanest woman and eventually murders her.

Jack Black as a an actor, being comedian, usually gives the same time of performance that is rather over the top, and usually to some degree excessive. That's why its quite interesting to him in this role as Bernie Tiede a friendly mortician who is the type of guy who seems to be on good terms with just everybody in town. Jack Black gives an extremely restrained performance here, and where many of his other films he plays basically the same character in a Woody Allen type of way. In this film he goes about making very unique characterization as Bernie Tiede. From the beginning of the film it is clearly a very different by Jack Black.

Black takes on Bernie with the utmost conviction, and sets about being Bernie from his first scene to his last. Black does an interesting thing here which is he gives both a flamboyant performance in one respect, but as well gives a very realistic performance as Tiede. With his very specific high pitched pleasant accent, and his modest manner of walking and standing he makes a very particular sort of man. Black makes Bernie perhaps a man you see often but you do not know personally. He makes Bernie a genuinely pleasant sort, unassuming in his pleasantness, energetic yet never seems to be forcing himself on you with his enthusiasm.

What works about this performance so much is how fully he goes about as Bernie everything that he does is fully in the Bernie fashion, which is with this almost strange grace and pleasantness that is almost always persistent. Black is great the way he pierces right through with this characterization always staying true to it, and never breaking it when it would be possible for some sort of cheap laugh. In a way, which is interesting for Black, and rather strange that he is Bernie, is the straight man. Where the Greek chorus of town's people will humorously comment on a situation Black always has Bernie being Bernie no matter what the situation may be.

Black makes Bernie very much a man you would see often but you do not know him completely and Black is excellent the way he creates and keeps the mystery of Bernie. Black lets us meet Bernie but just like the community come to very much like him, but he the truth of this man is kept as quite a secret. Such things as whether or not he is gay, and why exactly he spends so much time with the rich widow Mrs. Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) are given suggested answers by Black, but it would be wrong to give definitive answers. As he makes Bernie very much a man who always stays as the self contained Bernie should be. 

The core of his performance though comes down to his portrayal of Bernie's relationship with Nugent which ends with her death. At first Black portrays it as Bernie being friendly with her as he would just about anyone. Time goes on and it becomes something deeper. Bernie stays consistently friendly yet Black is excellent as he slowly builds an apparent bitterness in Bernie. He keeps this all incredibly subtle yet he slowly and properly builds to the point when Bernie finally murders her. What is particularly effective of ti all is that Bernie still tries to keep a happy face right up until the murder, and even after it.

Black is very good in the murder scene as his delivery and expression suggests that of almost that of an impulse especially evidenced by his immediate breakdown. Black's portrayal of the scene is the only way it would really fit Bernie. He does not change Bernie after this event, and the way the murder takes place supports this lack of change. Black shows that Bernie basically just lost himself so to speak, so much so that he came to murder her. It is really a perfectly handled scene by Black, and absolutely succeeds in showing how a man who seems as pleasant as Bernie does could go about and murder someone so suddenly.

After the pivotal scene Black is excellent in portraying Bernie trying his very best to go on his merry way, but handles the guilt that lies within him well. When Bernie is finally caught and is faced with his crimes Black is very moving particularly in his scene where Bernie confesses revealing his pain and anger toward Mrs. Nugent very effectively. Importantly again though Black has Bernie attempt to stay his way which he does for the most part, even when being grilled in court which Black handles with the utmost delicacy showing Bernie go very closely to breaking but still able to keep it together. Black makes this character entirely believable. He is both the nicest man in town and the murderer. He is able to be funny while being an entirely serious portrayal of the man. This is very strong work from Black, and hopefully like Matthew McConaughey, it is only an indication of things to come from the actor.

Alternate Best Actor 2012: Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe

Matthew McConaughey did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite receiving an Independent Spirit Award nomination, for portraying Joe Cooper the titular character in Killer Joe.

Killer Joe is a film that is bit of a mixed effort it has some good scenes, but at times it seems to trying to trashy just for the sake of it, and it never quite sheds the fact that it originates from the stage. Anyway the film is about a young man Chris (Emile Hirsch), who has a life threatening debt, who decides to hire a killer to kill his mother so his sister Dottie (Juno Temple) can inherit the life insurance money.

Matthew McConaughey has just in the past couple of years decided to fully shed his old imagine which was that of the romantic lead in bad romantic comedies. He certainly was not known for his acting abilities, although to be perfectly fair to McConaughey it is not like those films really gave him much of challenge, and it really was not his fault that those film where terrible they were bad concept deep for the most part. McConaughey though seems to be trying to reinvent himself by playing far more challenging parts, and perhaps the most in this vein yet is that of Killer Joe a police detective who on the side murders people for money.

McConaughey interestingly is that in his performance here he does not exactly refute his old screen persona, instead he molds it into this role that is far cry from that of his usual hunk. In his first scene where Joe appears McConaughey actually uses a great deal of his leading man style charm in his performance as he first comes onto to the scene meeting Dottie. As Joe McConaughey has a quiet charisma that he naturally infuses into the part that could have easily been missing in Joe, but it has to be there. He makes Joe not necessarily a man you would immediately suspect as a murderer, and one you could easily get along with, making it believable that he could run a business while being a police detective. 

McConaughey because he is not at all obvious about the razor edge of the man makes far more effective in the early scene when he does talk about killing someone. McConaughey is great here as has Joe be so casual about the thing. He is good though as he shows just the slightest hesitations just in terms of proper table manners, but after the proper hesitations  McConaughey portrays Joe as a man who can speak about killing pretty easily as basically just a normal things that he does. He is quite chilling because of how easy going he is about it but inserts just the right amount of menace that never is obvious but is always something under his surface.

McConaughey actually is not in the film for an extraordinary amount of time, and honestly if this same performance was in a more accessible film McConaughey could have easily placed in supporting. I very much consider him lead though as his presence is overwhelming in the film, once he is on screen McConaughey makes such an impact that he can not be forgotten even when he is off. McConaughey tears into every scene, and is excellent as Joe sets up the deal with Chris. He shows Joe very much calculating the entire situation, and when he sets the rule that Chris and his family will die if they mention him in any way he says it calmly yet the threat is absolutely a fact.

Where the dirty nature of the other characters in the film are pretty much constantly on display, McConaughey makes Joe easily the most compelling though by portraying it as something that comes out. The sexual scenes of his performance are quite bizarre to say the least, yet they absolutely work through the intensity that McConaughey displays in these scenes. When the depraved nature of Joe's sexual appetites do come out it something that McConaughey portrays as having no bounds, and he is particularly striking in showing him even when there is going for this depravity he will still keep up his charm all at the very same time.

McConaughey works as Joe in a spectacular fashion keeping the element that allows a man to kill for money in check for most of the film until the very last scene which is just an amazing scene for McConaughey. In the scene McConaughey starts out calm and collected in Joe's fashion yet there is an incisive technique that he employs. It is fascinating in this scene because he shows the detective in show, the interrogator and he is incredible as he portrays Joe's ripping into Chris's step mother (Gina Gershon) to find the entire truth. McConaughey makes Joe like a volcano here as he slowly builds in his cruel method of bringing out the secrets the step mother is hiding, McConaughey's performance makes it something that is simply inevitable that she will have to break.

Due to the way McConaughey builds so brilliantly up in this scene when he finally does burst out in an intense psychotic violent it is entirely earned, and is as frightening as he should be. What is remarkable though is the way he can change on a dime in his performance. Such as in this last scene as he goes from the psychotic killer to the charmer in a seconds notice when it is required of Joe. This might be very hard to believe in the situation, but McConaughey nails it completely. He never misses a step succeeding in bringing about this unpredictability of Joe perfectly. His last scene sums up the strengths of his performance the ease he has in portraying both Joe's charm and brutality is spectacular. This is a very strong performance by Matthew McConaughey, and hopefully it is only an indication of things to come from the actor.

Alternate Best Actor 2012: Jean Louis Trintignant in Amour

Jean Louis Trintignant did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Georges Laurent in Amour.

Amour is a compelling film about the emotional problems that an elderly couple face when the wife's health quickly deteriorates.

It is always a little strange when one co-star of a film that depends heavily on both leads is almost entirely forgotten not only by the academy but almost every other awards body. Despite his film being nominated for best picture, and his co-star Emmanuel Riva being nominated for Best Actress Trintignant was close to being entirely forgotten during awards season despite the fact that he actually has much more screen time than Riva, and a large part of the film is Georges's reaction to dealing with his wife Anne slowly dying from her ailments.

In the scheme of things there have been many performances this year trying for different results from the efforts of Daniel Day-Lewis's recreation of a historical icon to Joaquin Phoenix's unique no holds barred performance as a troubled veteran, to Jean Louis Trintignant. Where Day-Lewis was trying to give life to history, and Phoenix was trying something entirely off the wall Trintignant tries to be just a normal man as Georges in this film. There is not anything special, so to speak, about George. He is just a normal elderly man in a normal relationship with his wife.

Out of all the performances said to be great this year in a way Trintignant is probably giving the simplest, but this does not mean the least challenging. Amour is a film with words certainly, but just as important as the words are the silences which depend a great deal on the actors. Trintignant takes the right approach as Georges which is not try and be anything more than just a normal man in this situation as many men at his age would be. Amour after all is really not trying to be this very specific relationship between these two people, but rather it is more universal depiction of two people who believe very much in the wedding vow of in sickness and in health.

Trintignant and Riva really could not be more low key together as their words of love, despite being the title of the film, are commonly espoused. In fact the closest it probably comes to doing this is when Georges tells Anne that she looked beautiful. This is not to say the love is not stated quite clearly for us to see, it is and that is where the beauty of the performances comes from. Trintignant and Riva such a natural incredible underlying chemistry here. It isn't something that pops off the screen exactly, but the way they interact, and talk to one another suggests so perfectly that these two have been together for a great long while.

This is not something where the love is espoused loudly in a way, but instead so quietly. Riva and Trintignant therefore are quite put to task so to speak to honestly make these two to be entirely believed as a loving couple for decades. They absolutely do, and the most amazing part of it is the effortlessness that comes from both of their performances. They simply are Georges, and Anne the married husband and wife in their eighties who are still very much in love. It is astonishing how well they are able to do this, to the point that they don't seem to even need to establish it, it simply is there which is exactly how it should be between the two characters in the film.

With the two establishing so well the relationship between the two it allows for the proper emotional state to ensue when Anne begins taking a turn for the worse. Trintignant very much internalizes most of the feelings of Georges while dealing with Anne's health as he never really on really big emotions with his performance. He is quite powerful though by doing it this way, and in a way showing the way the decay on Anne really bares down on him. The film does not show her deterioration as something that is quick, but a slow process. Both actors reflect this Riva physically, and Trintignant emotionally.

Trintignant goes entirely for realism with this performance, an uncompromising realism that is quite striking. Triningnant shows very much the long haul of grief here as Georges. For him it is not something that comes and goes as his wife is not dead she is dying, it something he has to live with and Triningnant powerfully reflects as a fact with his performance. He shows us the anguish, the sorrow, the dread, even the anger of Georges as he must deal with, but importantly he shows the restraint in the man. This is the man dealing with these things over time, not a moment, it is not something he can escape from it is always there.

Triningnant plays this role with not a hint of flamboyance and stays intensely subtle in his portrayal through the film. He goes to the point that there character arc that there is in Georges is about as unassuming as possible really with this man's journey. Georges mostly stays very much in place just handling what comes to a certain point where he finally does something else other than just trying to keep his wife alive, or watching others trying to do the same. When he does this it does not feel like something out of the blue, but honestly something that has been building to through this.

The pivotal moment comes in and shows the greatness of this performance by Jean Louis Trinignant. This performance is entirely about genuine emotions. When Georges commits this act it seems one of honest love for his wife, and he absolutely earns the moment by playing it so quietly yet resounding in the heart he puts in the moment. He does this for his entire performance, and it is a special performance by Trinignant. It works so beautifully with his co-star and the two could not be more in tune with one another.

This is a performance is more about what he does not say than what he does say. He never breaks the understated nature of his role, and stays true to his character. It is a powerful work that brings out the complex emotions of this man in an always believable compelling fashion. Triningnant simply becomes this man, and brings to life this man's situation to life in such a vivid fashion it is incredible. There is not a single false moment, there never is an ounce of acting to notice in this performance. It is a great performance that brings to life the central idea of this certain sort of love in such an uncompromising unique fashion with a resonance that is absolutely tremendous.

Alternate Best Actor 2012

And the Nominees Were Not:

Jean Louis Trintignant in Amour

Jack Black in Bernie

Liam Neeson in The Grey

Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe

Denis Lavant in Holy Motors