I don't think I've seen any of these, not sure if I saw Branagh while in school or if it was one of his other 23 Shakespeare movies. Either way, I'm excited to finally watch a couple of these just to tick em of my list. Even more excited to see DDL, who everyone raves about and I know is probably the greatest living actor right now.
1989 Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot
Surprisingly, this was one of the few DDL performances I hadn't seen so I was pumped to finally watch this especially from all the glowing reviews I've read about it. Those reviews are spot on, too. This is an amazing performance and really shows the dedication of DDL to create a character with such meticulous devotion. The best thing about this one is that DDL doesn't just nail the physical acting, which is incredible, but he creates a person beneath all the disability. Compare it to recent winner Eddie Redmayne and his boring portrayal of Stephen Hawking. That was purely physical because Redmayne didn't do much with the actual person underneath the disability, we just got a class in good physical acting. But DDL gives life to Christy Brown, a man who has cerebral palsy and is unable to use anything except his left foot. His mind is fully functioning and aware and DDL shows this off wonderfully, as if his character is just a prisoner wanting to break free. We feel his emotional state even through the limits of his physicality and the emotional state covers a great range, too. It's not just an angry performance. It's not manipulative to make you feel sorrow, we take everything Christy experiences and understand that he's a person just like s with all the ups and downs that come with life. We can see when Christy is extremely happy or angry or depressed or scared because the emotion comes through the physical acting of DDL and he makes this all seem very natural instead of forced. DDL also does this incredible thing with Christy's voice that I enjoyed immensely. He develops the character's voice as the film goes along going from being mute to practicing Shakespeare in his room to try and help give his voice clarity even though the end product is still rough and hard to understand. And one of the best things about the performance is that Christy is not this perfect, happy-go-lucky, disabled guy. He tries to woo his therapist/teacher and gets really frustrated and mad. He is cantankerous in the current day scenes when talking to the nurse, making him kind of an asshole when he flirts with her. It's a real lived in performance of a fully realized character and it's these little dedications that make this an unbelievable performance from DDL. There's a reason this man has 3 Best Actor Oscars and you see exactly why with this performance.
Kenneth Branagh - Henry V
How much does Branagh wish he was Laurence Olivier? He basically followed in Olivier's footsteps from what I read on another blog. The first film they both directed was Henry V and then did a few more Shakespeare adaptations and Branagh even played Olivier in My Week with Marilyn, earning a Supporting Actor nomination. I thought that was interesting. I like Branagh as an actor, especially his Shakespearean stuff. He brings a modern quality to the performances and doesn't make it feel so stuffy and upperclass. You can tell he's loving every second of playing Henry and it translates to the performance. He nails the monologues of Henry and I really like the prayer to God one before the big battle, that's where Branagh turned it on and made the role his own I thought. It's like taking it from reciting Shakespeare to channeling the spirit of Shakespeare and his characters. And really when you think of Branagh, don't you think of Shakeaspeare? I know I do, especially having watched a bunch of his films in high school. But we think of him in relation because he fits the type so well. His big moment in the film is the St Crispin's Day speech and Branagh is really charismatic and entertaining during it. I would much rather watch Henry V over some of the other choices for Best Picture and that's due in large part to Branagh's acting (and his directing). This film is widely considered one of the best film adaptations of Shakespeare and Branagh plays a big hand in that. Shakespeare material is unique in that you can judge those that perform it against others that have come before and not really caveat it that it's different in some way, it's the same words being spoken and expressed typically. Branagh does a great job with the material even if I think his "once more unto the breech" speech falls a bit flat. That part felt more theatrical and like obvious acting and didn't hit the right emotional buttons to work.
Tom Cruise - Born on the Fourth of July
The one thing you can say about Cruise in almost all of his performances is that he's super dedicated to them. You just know the dude loves acting and keeps it at 100 always. That can be both a good and bad thing where it looks like he's trying too hard in a bad film or like here where it fits what is needed for the film. This nomination also feels like the Academy recognizing Cruise's ability to do some dramatic work and not just be a movie star. The performance is pretty good but he certainly doesn't come close to the level of Daniel Day-Lewis, which isn't much of a knock just that Cruise is good and not great. I feel Cruise is believable enough and really has to show a lot of range in the performance. In the beginning, he plays the young Ron Kovic who is idealistic and has very noble morals and believes in his country and fighting for freedom. He's very rah-rah and determined but not much needs to be done with the character. This establishes him as a good American boy so that his change later has more impact. Then Cruise goes off to war and experiences some real fucked up situations and gets paralyzed in a battle. This was where I started to like the performance more because up until then there was nothing to set Cruise apart from any other actor, it was just generic young man stuff. But you see the change when Kovic is injured and Cruise portrays Kovic as very upbeat despite being paralyzed and in a run down VA center. He stays active and believes fully that he will walk again through determination but he slowly is broken down by the system and all the negativity and lack of support on all fronts: emotional, physical, mental, even spiritual. There's a lot of inner turmoil and conflict in the performance as Cruise sees a country that hates him for being a war "hero" which brings him closer to his fellow veterans. Maybe it just hits home for me as a veteran but I liked what the character ended up doing no matter how heavy handed Stone's film was. I read that Cruise was actually the favorite going in and I can understand why. But ultimately I feel like even though Cruise is trying his hardest to give a meaningful, layered performance, he bit off a little more than he could chew at the time.
Morgan Freeman - Driving Miss Daisy
While it's great that a black man was again nominated in the Best Actor category, I really hate that it was for this kind of role. Freeman plays a black driver, who is more of a yessum type man, doing whatever the white folk want to have a job and survive. I hate to make it about race but when this is the type of role that's nominated, you have to look at it realistically. Freeman does a great job in creating his character, there is no doubt in that. It's just that his character is a second class citizen in the film no matter the relationship between him and Tandy. Freeman is doing what is necessary for the character because the character is the type that is super chipper and positive and cuts off any negative response by being talkative and apologetic. He's a likable character to the audience and to the white folk of the time. Tandy warms up to him as her driver and helps teach him to read even though that whole issue is glossed over when it would have made for a great extended plot line. The two have good chemistry but that seems more due to Freeman's character being so affable than Tandy's character being loving. The two bicker in the beginning and it's actual interesting to watch because Freeman is able to either stand his ground or deflect any negativity from Tandy due to his nature. The two eventually become very friendly and it's a believable, almost natural friendship. I like that Dan Akroyd's character treats Freeman as an equal and relies on him and confides in him like he's not just hired help. Freeman gives a well liked and wonderful performance that is decent, but not amazing. This just isn't something I can vote for due to what the character is and because there's a performance this year that blows this out of the water. Freeman is also nominated partly because he was good in another film, Glory, and I think the Academy took into consideration both performances.
Robin Williams - Dead Poets Society
This was Williams' second nomination and you can see the Academy was (and would continue to be) in love when he eschewed his wild comedy and toned it down and went serious. Of course, he still uses comedy in these roles and it's a nice mix of Williams' acting ability. He plays a teacher at a prestigious Northeast prep school and we soon learn that he approaches teaching in a markedly different way in order to connect with his students. He takes them outside, has the students rip out parts of their textbook, and goes against traditional lesson plans in favor of life lessons and teaching the kids to think outside of the box. Williams is fine as the teacher and fits the role of eccentric professor incredibly well. I think the performance mostly shows off that Williams can do serious acting and not rely on his jokes to save him. But in saying that, that's really all the performance has going for it. You like it and enjoy it but it's standard inspirational teacher stuff that you've seen over and over, just a different flavor. And if you really want to get technical, Williams isn't really the main focus - the kids are, so is he really Leading? You could argue no and probably wouldn't be wrong. This is a pretty good entry in Williams' filmography but not sure he needed to be nominated for this. Would have liked to actually get to know Williams' character more but he remains a little enigmatic. In this category, Williams was never a serious contender.
A mixed bag this year. Williams and Freeman don't really inspire anything in me, they are just kind of okay, decent performances in feel good Hollywood movies that are mostly forgettable. Do you think of those actors and think of these performances? Nah, you just remember they were nominated for them and move on. Cruise tries really hard to deliver a memorable performance but falls short (height joke not intended). I think it's a combination of the film and his ability that prevents him from being really amazing and challenging for a win. This was like a good job being dramatic type of reward from the Academy and finally recognizing Cruise the movie star. Branagh is a nice second. Maybe in another (weaker) year he could be a winner but not this year. I like his performance a lot and am satisfied with the nomination. DDL is the clear cut winner, which I think I've said a few times on this blog before. He's just so damn good and one of the greatest living actors and this was his introduction to the Oscars. He's incredible as Christy Brown and really deserved his first Oscar. This is a decent year.
Oscar Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot
My Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot
Kenneth Branagh
Tom Cruise
Morgan Freeman
Robin Williams
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