2011 Oscars: Actor

A couple more guys who have already won the Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA awards will be looking to continue their hot streak heading into the Academy Awards. First let's look at the highly competitive Best Actor category.

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
James Franco, "127 Hours"

Colin Firth is going to win. And frankly his performance alone may vault this little British movie to Best Picture. More on that Saturday. Moving on.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"
Jeremy Renner, "The Town"
Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

Like any race it really comes down to two nominees. But all men deserve and did fantastic jobs in these roles. The only role I would even think to toss out is Mark Ruffalo, as he is out shined by his co stars and the rest of the men in the category. His character's laid back attitude doesn't really have enough pop to claim the night's award. Josh Hawkes and Jeremy Renner are both held back by the politicking of the event. For those who have not seen Winter's Bone, Uncle Tear Drop starts as frightening then evolves to sympathetic as the movie progresses, but unfortunately not too many people saw it, so he's out. It is tough to pull out the best part of The Town, but Renner was definitely the best actor in it. His character was great and his flirtations with anti-hero and villain stole the show but The Town received so few nominations that it would be unlikely many will vote for him. Worry not, this young actor will be nominated many more times before it is all said and done.

This leaves as always two actors left to fight it out. As I mentioned in my past reviews of both The Fighter and The King's Speech both men were fantastic and deserved awards for their performances. But since the last tie happened in 1969 this is highly unlikely. Christian Bale is the odds on favorite to win and it is completely justified. Bale has always been known to immerse himself in the role. His method acting has finally paid off as this bug eyed druggie both elevates and deflates his brother's boxing career. The entire audience felt the gamut of emotions as he was likable and hated in the same breath and that is what made him so interesting. His performance brings out the best of the other actors as they try to keep up with his energy. Much like Bale elevated the cast around him Colin Firth better remember to thank Geoffrey Rush for all the give and take in their performances. Rush provided the levity to Speech that was so desperately needed to give the film some heart. Bale's performance was the second best of his career (Patrick Bateman being the obvious best) and he deserves the statuette and should come out on top. But if anyone is going to play upset it will be the speech therapist.

What do you think, will the British men be taking away all of our gold with them across the pond or do you see someone else winning. Is it possible for the host to win the award? Let me know what you think. Tomorrow I will look at the director's which is historically one of the biggest precursors to who will win the night’s big award.

The King's Speech

Well if this isn't Oscar bait I don't know what is. A movie about the British monarchs that comes out in December. The only thing that is holding it back from pure gold is that it is actually doing well in the box office, people are going to see it.

It seems that come award season a couple movies always make it across the pond and infiltrate the system. This movie follows the same formula as the ones before it. It humanizes the monarch while still telling a story of perseverance. Already nabbing a couple awards it is sure to win a couple of Oscars as well. Had it not been for the suburb acting in this movie I'm sure this would just be another British film nabbing awards that no one would see.

The title of the film references two things. Both the slammer that Albert Fredrick Arthur George (His Majesty to you) possessed since an early age. It is this stammer he must overcome to deliver his most important address to the nation at the dawn of World War II with Hitler knocking on the doorstep.

But Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush make it worth it. Firth plays the stammering king who lives in the shadow of his father and brother, hauntingly played by Michael Gambon and Guy Pearce respectively. He once again dives into the role that calls for quiet restraint. He has become known for this type of role and continues to flourish with it. But his best moments are when he steps out of his quiet demeanor and stands up for himself. He is a shoo-in for best actor this year.

Firth's strong performance of the damaged son lacking confidence allows for his supporting cast to step out and excel as they try to raise him up. Helena Bonham Carter does well as the Queen Mum, her strong personality fits well as she interacts with some of the commoners. Her role is more limited in this story so most of the accolades not given to Firth will likely be given to his other costar. Geoffrey Rush steals every scene as the eccentric speech therapist who believes in his king. He delivers most of, if not all the laughs in the movie (Timothy Spall has some as Winston Churchill but I'm not sure if that's the writing or the fact that Timothy Spall is playing Winston Churchill). There is little to no nuance to the performance and while it may be the big named actors that get you in the theater it will be Rush who keeps you in your seat.

That seems to be what the problem with so many other English movies, they are often so serious that they keep fun loving American movie goers away from the theater. The performances and writing in the movie will keep the viewer engaged. All the characters are believable and it isn't until the final sequence that all the king talk really hits home, it is less about the monarch and more about the man looking to fulfill his duty.

Writer David Seidler had been looking to make this film for some time. And although he didn't need to, he asked for permission from the Queen Mum to make the movie. She in turn asked him to wait till after her death as the memories were still to fresh for her. After she passed away at the age of 150 he was finally able to tell the story of a man who fell by the wayside with so many larger personalities during this time period.

The story is an interesting one, but the execution is what brings the movie down a peg, it is formulaic. Fortunately the formula is how to win a lot of awards so it is a good path to follow. Even more fortunate are the male leads in the movie as they take the this story over the top which will have one of these men (though both deserve it) walking away with gold in February. A-