Shout out to the 4 visitors that I seem to be getting regularly. Leave a message if you want! Hopefully my reviews are decent enough for you. Haven't seen any of these yet, so not sure what to expect. Haven't even heard of the two Toms before so it will be interesting to see how they all are.
1983 Best Actor
Robert Duvall - Tender Mercies
I have been excited to watch this performance for such a long time knowing it was the great Robert Duvall's only Oscar win and because Jeff Bridges won his only Oscar for what many people say was a clone of this film in Crazy Heart. So having seen Bridges and liking him in that one, I wanted to see how the original stacked up. As you could probably guess, Duvall plays a washed up country singer stumbling through life while hooked on booze and unsure of what to do with his life. Duvall wakes up after a bender at a motel and stays to pay off his debt and befriends the owner, a widowed woman and her son. He stays longer and they eventually fall in love and marry. He stays off the booze and she keeps him focused. Eventually he gets a song he's written to an old manager and his ex-wife, a country music star, and daughter come into the picture again. He then entertains the idea of singing again though he swore it off and is excited about the prospect. I do the film no justice with my terrible recap but Duvall is an old country star who finds love again and starts writing songs again. Duvall speaks in this higher voice than normal that's a little strange at first but then you get used to it. He's good at singing the country songs and seems like a natural. He also wears a lot of emotion on his face and in his body language which is where I think Duvall succeeds with the character. The way he stands, the forlorn looks, the way he is dressed - all contribute to being a believable man at the end of his rope who has found some redemption through a new woman and through God. I'd have liked to see more struggles with alcohol besides one random drive around town to various bars and more singing. Scratch that, WAY more singing. Both of the films for Duvall and Bridges hide the fact that neither are singers by having them sing in short bursts or very rarely. I know both can sing so let them! That was the most convincing thing about the performance from Duvall, he can sing pretty well! This is definitely not an overwhelming performance. This is about subtlety and nuance and a man not prone to talking about himself. Duvall does a great job with the character and the demands of singing and looking the part. He (along with a great Tess Harper) make Tender Mercies a lot better than it should be.
Michael Caine - Educating Rita
At this point, if you've seen one Michael Caine performance, you've basically seen them all. Now, I imagine if you were going chronologically this would be even more of an issue because there's not much growth. But going backwards makes it almost not as bad because you see him younger and younger doing good work, just reminiscent of everything you've already seen. Then it becomes a question of if you like Caine and how much and which do you like more. I like Caine even though I'm on record of disliking both of his wins immensely because he beat out other, more deserving performances. Caine is plenty fine in this film as a professor who is tired of teaching until a woman comes along who he starts to like and who shows him different ways in looking at literature. Unsurprisingly, he plays an alcoholic and gets by with his charm and distinctive voice. I'd say this performance is a little more emotional than we normally see from Caine which is a nice change. He begins to care for Rita and is inspired by her to actually start teaching again and just be a better person overall. Is this an amazing performance? Nah, but it is good work by Caine in a very likable film so I can see why the Academy went for it. I think my issue with it is that Caine doesn't do much to separate it from his other performances and what we think of as typical Caine roles. I'm interested to see his early work to see what those are like in comparison. Like I said, a decent performance just nothing all that amazing and that we haven't already seen.
Tom Conti - Reuben, Reuben
A very hard to find film. I watched a shitty version on YouTube of all places where the video quality was indeed lacking. But you couldn't find it anywhere and apparently it's only available on limited DVD or something. Maybe because it's a small film about a Scottish poet (Conti) who is touring America and is a drunkard and womanizer is why it's so hard to find? I feel like this is where the Academy needs to step in and - somehow, some way - make sure it's nominee films are widely available. I know that takes money and power and blah blah blah but a Best Actor nominee shouldn't be so hard to actually watch! I know that's a pipe dream but maybe a streaming service from the Academy or something would be awesome. Anyway, you would think the film/performance wouldn't be very good since it is so hard to find a good quality copy of but actually Conti is really good! It surprised me because I wasn't expecting such a sardonically endearing performance but Conti delivered something interesting and very watchable. As mentioned already, he plays a womanizing, alcoholic, sarcastic Scottish poet who hasn't written anything in years but lives off touring with his previously heralded work. He's charmingly morose and reminds me a ton of Hugh Grant in the way he is very witty and full of self hating quips. He speaks in that quick, self deprecating way that is Grant's trademark and it was the main thing I noticed. I enjoyed the performance because he did make an insufferable character into someone you could like and empathize with. Conti is very good all the way through the film which he is in basically every single scene and the ending is what people would probably call the highlight - and probably shocking, too. You should see it coming within the first 10 minutes of the film but the acting by Conti is impassioned and emotionally riveting. While this isn't a winner for me, I did like it very much and I am glad that the project introduced me to it. I can guarantee no one has heard of Conti or this film and that's a shame as it's an interesting little film to watch.
Tom Courtenay - The Dresser
The second of the two Toms. One of the things I was thinking about when watching this performance was how you get actors that you've never heard of a lot in this project which is obvious. But you have nothing to compare their performance to the way you can for say a Robert Duvall who won this category. We know Duvall's history, his tics, his inclinations, and how he is as an actor. So we know when he's mailing in a performance or when he is really delivering a knockout performance. With actors like Courtenay, who you have never heard of, all we get to go on is this one performance. In a way, it shouldn't matter because every performance should be judged on its own but like with Duvall, we are going to naturally compare to other films of his, whether Oscar or not. Just an interesting thing I was considering while watching this film. With that said, Courtenay is pretty damn good here. Out of the two nominated from this film, Courtenay would be my pick, I think. Finney has a very loud, actor friendly performance that stands out, but Courtenay is a little more interesting in what he has to do. He plays The Dresser, the guy who aides Finney and dresses him and gets him ready to perform each night. He's a very effeminate man, with hands fluttering about and body language that let's you know he's a little different. None of that matters in this film and is never brought up. It's just an accepted fact which is actually kinda nice as we can focus on the performance more than Courtenay being obviously gay. Maybe there's some subtext there in his relationship with Finney but nothing is explicitly stated. Courtenay is the glue that keeps Finney together and probably keeps the theater company together. He has the challenge of reigning in the emotional and intense Finney which takes a lot of effort though he has the patience of a saint when it comes down to it. I think it comes down to preference on who you like watching more, but I really enjoyed Courtenay's performance because it was unexpectedly good and because he really wows in dealing with Finney and holding the film together. I think it's because he's doing a job and doing it well that we see our self in him, staving off disaster and holding together another person to do their job. We can all relate to Courtenay. I also think you need to take both Courtenay and Finney or none at all because their interplay is what the entire film is about. It's the two actors going at it that is the draw and both are fantastic. The behind the scenes look at the acting profession is compelling and it's easy to see why the Academy would nominate the two actors and the film. Courtenay delivers a good performance that is worth checking out, for sure.
Albert Finney - The Dresser
I was a fan of both of the two previous performances I saw of Finney's: Erin Brockovich and Under the Volcano. The latter really showed me how intense and actorly for lack of a better word that Finney could be. Well, this performance ratchets that all up to eleven. I imagine this was a lot of fun to play for Finney as he gets to be the head actor in a Shakespeare company putting on plays during WWII. The film is about his dresser/aide and they they interact. Finney's character is a bombastic, super theatrical guy who is never not performing, even off stage. I can't emphasize enough just how loud in every way that Finney's acting is. It's on purpose because that's how the character is and it's a lot of fun watching Finney do his thing. He's doing King Lear but also quotes some other Shakespeare in dramatic ways and is rarely quiet. It's pure acting because it involves Shakespeare as well as regular, personal interactions that are all over acted to great effect by a dominating presence in Finney. It's a bit of a throwback in that regard, too, because it hearkens back to the old acting style that's very deliberate and theatrical. The performance is easily liked because you realize that it's an actor's dream and Finney really digs into it without making it a farce or hamming it up. The interactions between Finney and Courtenay are the real draw as they are total opposites in ways but also extremely committed to putting on a good show for the audience in the film (and for us). The are like a legitimate relationship where both play the dominant partner and the needy, wanted partner, also. I feel like you can't have one nominated without the other because it wouldn't work, they are almost dependent on each other. Easy to see why the Academy would go for this performance and Courtenay just because of the whole backstage, heart of an actor thing going on. The Academy loves rewarding performances like this that speak to them on a more personal level and what better than an older actor dominating a touring theater company and intensely acting Shakespeare. A no doubter for them and a treat to watch for us.
A surprising Best Actor group because by name, you might not expect all that much from it. Some actors you've never heard of who deliver some very intriguing performances that are worth watching. Caine is good and the film is decent enough but Caine is Caine. He does his usual thing and doesn't stand out or wow you at all. So he is last. And then the hard part comes. I think I'd have to rate the guys from The Dresser next. The are basically inseparable. You have to take both or none. Finney is good and a lot of fun to watch and I can see people voting for him and if he won I wouldn't hate it. Same with Courtenay. The Academy gets a hard on for acting roles and films about acting so it's easy to see why they were nominated but they are also really damn good. I like Courtenay more than Finney by a little bit but could easily swap the two if bullied. I think their film is worth checking out once for the performances. Now Conti was a surprise. I was expecting shit and found a really good, interesting performance. It reminds me still of Hugh Grant which is probably why I like it so much. He's charming and self deprecating and just really intriguing. If he had actually won somehow, I'd probably tear the performance down. Maybe. But he's a solid number two for me. Others might not feel the same way, but maybe I share his same outlook on life and feel a kindred spirit in their somewhere, I dunno. I know I like it is all. Duvall is my winner and I agree with the Academy. I think it's a tender performance (okay that was lame as hell) but for real Duvall is really good in this. He definitely deserves an Oscar and this is a good representation for him. Overall this was a surprisingly great group that I thought might be a little worse and am glad it wasn't. I love when unexpected performances turn out to be good.
Oscar Winner: Robert Duvall - Tender Mercies
My Winner: Robert Duvall - Tender Mercies
Tom Conti
Tom Courtenay
Albert Finney
Michael Caine
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