WHY BRAD PITT WILL WIN BEST ACTOR FOR THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON: Because he had to find the essence of his character buried under pounds of old-age makeup – while the character itself was a young one, and Pitt had to portray that essential contradiction and did so very well. Because he is a longterm bankable star internationally and has kept multiple studios afloat by generating huge overseas receipts for crap like The Mexican or Troy, and deserves a little recognition for doing that while still trying to work on genuinely good projects. Because he is a character actor trapped in a leading man’s body. Because, beneath it all, he’s a movie geek who loves movies, and that’s the sort of person who should win awards. Because his movie is the biggest hit in this category.
WHY BRAD PITT WILL NOT WIN BEST ACTOR FOR THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON: Because Benjamin Button is a movie of, shall we say, questionable merit. Because it’s a loooooong movie of questionable merit. Because Pitt hasn’t done nearly enough truly magnificent work to merit an award for the sake of his career. Because he can’t keep his dick in his pants.
WHY FRANK LANGELLA WILL WIN BEST ACTOR FOR FROST/NIXON: Because he is a storied character actor who has never won an award. Because he was in the stage play before he was in the movie. Because originally he wasn’t going to be in the movie version until the producers and director decided nobody else could do that role like he could. Because he’s really tall and growly. Because he played Richard Nixon and knocked it out of the park. Because Ron Howard.
WHY FRANK LANGELLA WILL NOT WIN BEST ACTOR FOR FROST/NIXON: Because Frost/Nixon is a boring movie with two good performances in it. Because he’s not the sort of storied character actor with six billion memorable roles. Because he is a workhorse who just does good work quietly and people do not make a fuss about that sort of thing.
WHY RICHARD JENKINS WILL WIN BEST ACTOR FOR THE VISITOR: Because it was a once-in-your-life performance in a once-in-your-life opportunity. Because he was compelling for nearly two straight hours, owning his character and dominating the screen. Because sometimes voters want to give a nod to the compelling indie movie. Because Hollywood liberals can’t resist a liberal-message movie like this one.
WHY RICHARD JENKINS WILL NOT WIN BEST ACTOR FOR THE VISITOR: Because if voters are going to celebrate a great character actor this year, it’ll be the much older Frank Langella. Because Jenkins got no “big speech” or similar obvious character moment to which voters can point when explaining their vote to their friends. Because he’s a character actor, but the sort of character actor who earns “hey, it’s that guy” status rather than “hey, it’s Christopher Walken!” status. Because his movie got quietly released during the summer and people had the opportunity to forget about it.
WHY SEAN PENN WILL WIN BEST ACTOR FOR MILK: Because it’s timely, a movie about gay rights coming right on the heels of Proposition 8, and Hollywood voters will want to send a message. Because Penn inhabited his character fully and completely in a way that is rare. Because Penn is likely the greatest male actor currently working today, and definitely the greatest “officially” Method-trained actor. Because it’s the best sheer performance in this category.
WHY SEAN PENN WILL NOT WIN BEST ACTOR FOR MILK: Because he won a statue recently (for Mystic River). Because the timeliness of the award means Penn will get to deliver a painfully self-righteous speech that will make everybody, even his friends and ideological comrades, wince. Because Milk is so faithful to its source material that at times it comes across as slightly boring.
WHY MICKEY ROURKE WILL WIN BEST ACTOR FOR THE WRESTLER: Because it was the role that obviously required the most dedication and work in this category. Because Rourke didn’t just have to explore emotional pain, but a wide range of physical pain as well. Because the movie serves as an allegory for his life’s pattern. Because he is the comeback kid.
WHY MICKEY ROURKE WILL NOT WIN BEST ACTOR FOR THE WRESTLER: Because the hype for him came late in the voting season due to a later-than-average studio push. Because the subject matter of his film is comparatively declasse and that does hurt his chances. Because comeback or no, he’s still the guy who made Wild Orchid and Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man. Because he looks like he will fuck your shit up.
Related Articles
15 users responded in this post
The last line about Rourke alone made the whole thing worthwhile. I agree with most of what you said, other than Langella, whom I’ve held in mild disdain since friends of mine who worked with him regaled me with Bad Stories.
I dunno, isn’t “he looks like he will fuck your shit up” as good a reason to vote FOR Mickey Rourke as against him?
Langella should win it as an apology for not getting one for THOSE LIPS, THOSE EYES.
Also, Rourke is not winning because he almost worked a match at WrestleMania until his agent stopped him. I fear the damage has been done though.
I like these.
2 things. 1, I don’t understand how you can reasonably say that Brad Pitt hasn’t done enough terrific work to merit an award career (granted, those shouldn’t exist, on principle). Brad Pitt is perhaps the most underrecognized actor this is…with his entire resume, he’s managed 1 oscar nom (12 monkeys). Where was the recognition for Fight Club, Burn after Reading, Spy game, Seven Years in Tibet, Kalifornia, se7en, sleepers, Thelma & Luise. even the ones that weren’t good movies were made bearable by him (Troy).
Second, why is Ron Howard a draw? I seriously don’t understand it, if its a personal affection for the man or just a notice of how voters feel toward him, either way its…wrong. We are talking about the man who made The Grinch, EdTV, the incredibly overrated beautiful mind, and the vomit-inducing Da Vinci Code. Why is this man revered exactly (is it for arrested development? Because that’s the only thing that saves him any face).
Lastly, and this isn’t completely related to this post… what’s your obsession with merryl streep?
First, I may be misreading, but Pitt was not, in fact, buried under aging makeup. See this article on Gizmodo (it was the most relevant I could find). It seems like it’s more a matter of CGI than makeup (unless you’re referring to the phosphorescent makeup they used to map and then render his face), and that makeup was used for Blanchett, and not Pitt. Like I said, though, I might be misunderstanding (it’s a little more technically nuanced than I’m good at grokking).
Also, I’m agreeing with Sage; Pitt’s had a long and varied acting career and consistently turns in top-notch performances. And I’m a guy who loved both Meet Joe Black and The Mexican. His Rusty performance in the Ocean’s series deserved as much Oscar buzz as Depp’s Sparrow or Ledger’s Joker, but we all know how bad the Academy is at rewarding entertainment. I think people hold his looks against him, too; I tend to think a more homely actor would have received recognition that Pitt hasn’t, and might never.
Finally, why would he keep his dick in his pants when he can keep it in Angelina Jolie (whoa, hey-o!)? I’m a little tired of the whole Angelina is a whore and Brad is a philanderer and poor Jennifer Aniston and let’s not recognize they’re professional lives because we don’t approve of their personal lives. Life happens, people break up, marriages end, and it’s really nobody’s place to judge someone else’s happiness. Pitt and Jolie both consistently hand in good performances in good stories, and that’s what counts.
I actually hope Mickey Rourke makes it, 9 1/2 weeks notwithstanding.
Never rule out a man who actually gave a good performance as Skeletor.
I suspect you’re right, and that Richard Jenkins will NOT win for Frost/Nixon.
Wait, wait, people consider The Mexican a bad movie? I loved everything about the Mexican besides Julia Roberts! I loved it enough to buy a questionable DVD out of the back of a minivan from a girl keeping all the money in spaghetti straps!
I have to join the pile-on about the volume of Pitt’s good work. He was the best thing about “True Romance” by a mile, great in “12 Monkeys,” performance-of-a-generation in “Fight Club,” good in an unflashy way in “Seven” (not doing the number in the middle there, no way), good in the “Ocean’s” movies, excellent as a naif in “Johnny Suede” and a psycho killer in “Kalifornia” and an Irish gypsy in “Snatch”. Haven’t seen “Babel,” but I hear he cries and stuff.
So, I think you’re opposite of right about the volume of his good work.
@Evan Waters:
Exactly what I thought when I read the last line. In general, I think the smart money’s on Mickey Rourke. (Second-most-possible: Frank Langella.)
Personally, I think Harley Davidson & The Marlboro Man is way better than most of Brad Pitt’s films. That movie should win an Oscar for something every year in perpetuity. Brad Pitt’s usually just dialling up or down his twitchy psychotic schtick in most films, although Jesse James was straight up awesome.
I gotta say, guys, from the way the entry read it really looked like MGK was just looking for something to put in the “Why Brad Pitt Won’t Win” category just to make it fair. 🙂
[…] Mightygodking.com » Post Topic » Oscar Prognosticatin’ […]