One day I will figure out how to put the years on the sidebar so you can jump straight to a given year like all the other blogs out there. Just a random thought but I'll get it done eventually. As for this category, I have seen none of them but I'm excited because they are all big names and some of them look intriguing on the surface.
1978 Best Actor
Jon Voight - Coming Home
I have been interested in watching this performance for such a long time to see what exactly Voight was like back then. I know the recent Voight acting and I thought a lot of his roles were okay but nothing amazing, so I wanted to see Voight at his best to see what I've been missing. Here he plays a disable veteran who is paralyzed and stuck in a VA hospital while recovering. The danger with this film and role is that it can easily be cliche and one not. We first see Voight as a very angry and bitter man who hates the world and the situation he was put in. This is something we've seen many times before and since so it's nothing earth shattering, but Voight keeps it believable as the story churns along and lets Voight grow his character. He eventually meets Jane Fonda, a married volunteer at the hospital who he went to high school with and the two strike up a volatile friendship. He uses his anger and situation to keep her interested in figuring out the real person he is and that of course leads to an eventual romantic relationship. But the whole time Voight is changing and growing in the role. The anger and frustration at his predicament changes into hope and excitement for his newfound love and freedom with a new wheelchair and living on his own in an apartment. He's a good guy deep down that was dealt a raw hand and that anger subsides like when he's called to come back to the hospital before his friend kills himself. We see these touching moments more and more as the films goes on and see that Voight is a smart, sensitive, caring, and loving man who got fucked over by the war. Voight portrays all of this almost effortlessly and wholly convincingly. His gradual change from anger and resentment to acceptance and love is enjoyable to watch. His concern by the end of the film is for Fonda and for all the young men out there who can hopefully avoid having to go to war and experience the things he did. Towards the end of the film is Voight's Oscar moment where he is talking to a group of boys as a counterpoint to joining the military and passionately gives a little speech about how it's not worth it. In that moment, if you told me that Voight had been to Vietnam and experienced everything his character did, I would have believed you. The speech is so earnest and heartfelt and real and I rewatched it because it was so damn good. Just really brilliant, effortless acting by Voight. That speech is interspersed with Dern succumbing to his demons and taking his clothes off and walking into the ocean. It's truly powerful cinema and it's made all the more stronger by Voight's speech. Just a haunting scene really and it probably seals his win for me, though I've got a couple more to see in this category.
Warren Beatty - Heaven Can Wait
I know I always try to make the Best Actor/Actress reviews pretty long to really give them their due but I was wondering just how would I do that for Beatty here. Let me back up by saying this film is about Beatty's character who is the quarterback of the LA Rams who dies prematurely due to an error in heaven. He is then allowed to pick a new body but doesn't like the choices and eventually settles on an old millionaire businessman. Beatty spends the time fixing the wrongs in that man's life and trying to get back into shape so he can still be a quarterback for the Rams. New millionaire body Beatty decides to just buy the team and install himself as the QB in his new, older body. But of course there is a curve ball (yes mixing sports terms) and Beatty needs to vacate that body and he is able to choose the current Rams QB who gets gravely injured in the Super Bowl before being resurrected and leading them to a win. Yeah, that is all pretty absurd but Beatty does a great job of using his movie star quality to keep it from actually being absurd. I wasn't a huge fan of Beatty's most current nominations because they were so Beatty focused and done to make him look perfect and most important. That still happens to a very lesser extent in this film with Beatty going into the millionaire and completely changing how his company is run so that they don't pollute and don't set off earthquakes or have a nuclear meltdown or whatever. He comes in and does the right thing and that's been my main criticism of Beatty as an actor is that he doesn't take on the roles that challenge him as a person or actor. He doesn't ever make himself look bad in any way. It's not as egregious here but he still comes out looking like the golden boy, it just doesn't annoy me in this role and film. I don't really think Beatty needed a nomination here, either, because it's not all that challenging for him and he's basically just playing up to his movie star standards. It's harmless, likable stuff from Beatty but I have come to expect a lot more from my Best Actor nominees. I was wondering how I'd make this long and not so short, well, just be disappointed by Beatty getting nominated for something others would never get accolades for. He was fine but you just know there was some other deserving actor out there who could be here instead.
Gary Busey - The Buddy Holly Story
I actually thought I had written some stuff here when I first watched half of this film a couple months ago before getting caught up in life. When I was thinking about Busey's performance, I remembered how one hundred percent into it he was and that somewhat surprised me because I forget that Busey used to be a legit actor and not just a joke. The big takeaway is how completely dedicated Busey is to the role and it raises the film up a notch. I went into this performance not really expecting much knowing that a thirty something Busey was playing a teenage/early twenties Buddy Holly. That didn't sound like a good combo but you honestly dismiss the obvious age difference because of how passionate Busey is in the role as Buddy. What seals the nomination for me is that Busey (and the other actors in the band) did all of the singing and played real instruments and sound incredible in doing so. That coupled with the dedication and passion makes this a well earned nomination that might seem pretty weird or ridiculous when you scan through the categories. Busey is utterly convincing and gives it his all and does a very good job in becoming Buddy Holly and showing his musical genius. The film itself is just a straightforward musical biopic that hits all the familiar notes without ever getting too deep into what makes Buddy who he is but I didn't mind given the performance we got. Some minor quibbles, for sure, but I think more people will be interested to watch this and come away knowing it's not actually a bad performance and that Busey does a hell of a job here. A definitely well earned nomination.
Robert De Niro - The Deer Hunter
I don't know why, but when I always thought about this film, I forgot that this was essentially a Robert De Niro flick. I guess I just automatically think of his other films over this one, probably because I had avoided watching it until just now. But yet it still doesn't feel like the typical De Niro film. I think that because his character is so quiet and withdrawn for a lot of the film is a big reason why it feels different. All of his other performances tend to be loud and dominating and oozing with charisma. De Niro as Michael in this film is withdrawn and more calculating and focused than I am used to. I like that De Niro can make that kind of character work, I guess it's just the film that makes him feel so subdued. The film gives him a lot of quiet moments and scenes in which to work and I feel like De Niro handles them well. He's basically the leader of his group of friends and is the best deer hunter. There are moments like when he talks to the Green Beret at the bar at the wedding reception and is drunk and he gets offended but it doesn't turn into typical De Niro machismo. It stays subdued and real and speaks to how different De Niro is in this role than in most everything else he's done and it works. He shows this quiet leadership among his buddies and that shows up again in the Russian roulette scene in the middle of the film. He gets his friends Steven and Nick, to calm the fuck down and figure out a way to escape and get out of the torture. And then when he comes home and goes to see Streep and is moody yet still attracted to her and they go around town, it's just different De Niro but it's still equally compelling De Niro. You still see the pain and the burden of the war in De Niro's character, it's just in a different way than his buddies. The more I think about it, the better his performance seems to me. He does so much by showing so little that it's really a treat to watch. I like that he doesn't tell us everything he's thinking and go through long expository speeches or something. He acts like a real person and he cares about his friends and goes back to Vietnam to try and get Nick (Walken) home and does what it takes. I know it sounds weird to say that this is an underrated De Niro performance, but I truly think it is because it so different than what you would typically expect from him. If not for Voight giving a performance of a lifetime, De Niro would have had another win which who knows what happens with Raging Bull if that happens. This is a surprising performance and it's nice to actually say that about an acting legend for this project.
Laurence Olivier - The Boys from Brazil
This was Olivier's 10th Oscar nomination and the funny thing is that he was rewarded with his 2nd(!) Honorary Oscar this same year. If that's not screaming to you that the Academy was looking for any reason to give him another nomination, I don't know what to tell you. That's one of those things I hate about the Academy and I don't care if it's an acting legend like Olivier or Streep or whoever. It's not necessary. Anyway, this is such an odd little film. It's basically like Jewish 007: Nazi Hunter. Which actually sounds like a pretty cool film, but this one doesn't live up to that name exactly. Olivier plays an old Jewish Nazi hunter who gets some information that Josef Mengele is hiding out in Brazil. Mengele is played by Gregory Peck, which is pretty fun but his accent is terrible. Olivier tracks down information which takes him to Brazil and then to America where he finally confronts Mengele, who was cloning Hitler in a whole bunch of boys. Like I said, a weird little film. I don't mind Olivier here. He's decent enough, though the accent wavers and isn't very good. But he's earnest in his portrayal of the Nazi hunter which is admirable but he doesn't actually do a whole lot in the role. He finds out information but anyone could do that. The fun is just seeing him and Peck and James Mason onscreen together. I don't know what makes it Oscar worthy because if you flipped Mason and Olivier, the character might have been even better. So that's what this is: a fun, yet pointless nomination for a acting giant in his twilight years. The film is so odd and almost campy that if Olivier wasn't his name, he wouldn't have been nominated. I would rather see someone else in place of him here who actually did something with their performance.
I am very happy with the Best Actor category. To start off with the negative, Olivier is no good. I mean, he's alright but that's a strange little film that doesn't deserve a nomination for his work and he got a damn Honorary Oscar anyway, so give the spot to someone else who deserves it. That's the lone bad thing, though I'm tired of the Academy's love affair with Beatty. He didn't deserve or need a nomination here. Give that spot to someone that deserves it! Yeah, I know I just said that but he's fine as well but I can at least kinda justify his spot. But here is where it gets hard. Another year and I might consider giving Busey the win. He was amazing and played his own instrument and sang the songs himself and did a great job of not just mimicking Buddy Holly. He was Buddy Holly brought to life. Go watch that performance. De Niro was also amazing and actually grew on me in the hours after watching him and writing about him. I had him third but then bumped him because he delivers a different De Niro performance but still is awesome at it. I think it will still grow on me in the coming days. But Voight is the winner for me because he does give a performance of a lifetime. I have gone back and rewatched his big scene at the end where he gives a speech to high school kids and it's some of the best acting I have ever seen. No joke there. No hyperbole. Straight truth. I'm so happy he won for this performance. But even if he didn't the two guys behind him would have been just as worthy winners which is mind blowing to think about. I will take three really great performances every year if I can. Now on to 1977.
Oscar Winner: Jon Voight - Coming Home
My Winner: Jon Voight - Coming Home
Robert De Niro
Gary Busey
Warren Beatty
Laurence Olivier
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