2012 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Actor
February 16, 2012
With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. This week we will look at the four acting categories, and up next is Best Actor. This category is actually competitive with two actors in a relatively close race for the top.
(Note: All previous awards listed are only for acting and not other categories. However, they are for supporting and lead acting.)
Best Actor
George Clooney for The Descendants
Jean Dujardin for The Artist
Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt for Moneyball
Conclusion: Jean Dujardin is a small favorite to win, with George Clooney close behind. If Jean Dujardin doesn't win, it will likely be a bad night for The Artist overall.
Demian Bichir for A Better Life
Tomatometer Score: 85% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: SAG and Independent Spirit Awards
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None (One Pending)
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: None
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: Demian Bichir is a long shot here. Not only has he not won the previous two awards, he wasn't even nominated for a Golden Globe. A Better Life's reviews are not as strong as the two frontrunners. And this is his first nomination, so he doesn't have a history of winning or a lot of nominations where he came up short.
Tomatometer Score: 94% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAG and One Golden Globe
Movie's Previous Major Wins: Golden Globes
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: Three Oscars, Four Golden Globes, Four SAGs
Actress's Previous Major Wins: One Oscar and Two Golden Globes
Notes: Personally I think George Clooney should win the Oscar, but he appears to be an underdog. He lost out on the SAG to Jean Dujardin while it appears to be The Artist's year and Jean Dujardin could get swept up in that wave. George Clooney has also previously won an Oscar, so it is unlikely he will win this year to make up for a past mistake. If he does win, it won't really be an upset, but I won't bet money on it either.
Tomatometer Score: 97% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: Two SAG, One Golden Globe, and One Independent Spirit Awards
Movie's Previous Major Wins: SAG and Golden Globe (and One Pending)
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: None
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: The more information I get, the more it looks like it will be The Artist's year at the Oscars. It could win many, many awards. It even has a chance at a clean sweep. Obviously Jean Dujardin will have to win to complete the sweep, but even if the movie loses out in some of the technical awards, he is no worse than a coin toss in this category. There are some who think he is the overwhelming favorite.
Tomatometer Score: 84% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: None
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: One SAG and Two Independent Spirit Awards
Actress's Previous Major Wins: None
Notes: This is Gary Oldman's first Oscar nomination. That's a surprise, as he's made countless great movies over his career. It is very unlikely he will win the first time out, as this is the actor's first major nomination for his performance, so he doesn't have any wins boosting his chances. Additionally, he's too young for a Lifetime Achievement Award and there are no obvious mistakes in the past Oscar voters will be looking to correct.
Tomatometer Score: 94% Positive
Movie's Previous Major Nominations: SAG and Golden Globe
Movie's Previous Major Wins: None
Actress's Previous Major Nominations: Two Oscars, Four Golden Globes, and Four SAGs
Actress's Previous Major Wins: One Golden Globe and One SAG
Notes: It is very likely that Brad Pitt will win an Oscar, as this is his second nomination in just four years and the third acting nomination of his career. However, it is equally unlikely that he will win this year. He has no previous major wins for his performances and all the talk is about George Clooney vs. Jean Dujardin.
Filed under: Awards Season, The Descendants, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, A Better Life, The Artist