With the Oscars wrapping up a few days ago, it’s hard not to reflect over the nominees, winners and how somethings didn’t seem to add up. Ben Affleck isn’t nominated for Best Director, but Argo wins Best Picture. I guess they loved everything about the film, just not necessarily the directing. Sounds crazy, right?
This year, the category of best actor caught my attention and sent an alarm through my film geek nervous system. Daniel Day Lewis won for his portrayal of old honest Abe. However, the question arose to me was, “is he the best actor of the year?”
How does an actor win “Best Actor” when he didn’t have to dive into the chaos of the human psyche like what was required of Bradley Cooper or Denzel Washington? It’s not necessary to say who the better actor is. The discussion, when you have such great actors, should be about which role required the most. I can’t tell you how Abe really acted; and neither could you for that matter. None of us have seen him living. I can’t compare Daniel Day’s portrayal to the real thing. On the other hand, that’s what made Jamie Foxx portrayal of Ray Charles so special. We knew the real Ray and could easily compare his performance to the singing icon.
It’s hard to deny Day’s brilliance, but lets be honest, Lincoln was a romanticized sentimental piece of fluff, that told us nothing about the inner working of the man. The film was about the thirteenth amendment, not really about the man who helped ratify it.
In my humble opinion I thought Denzel should win. He didn’t have the supporting cast his fellow nominees did. Flight was designed for one character to carry.
If any of Washington’s fellow nominees were average in their films, it very well could still have been a good film. If Denzel was average in Flight the film would have been a let down. Nothing against the supporting actors in Flight, it’s just that the film wasn’t built to be an ensemble. The others were to a degree. I get it though. It’s Lincoln, it was an election year, Abe was a hero. Of course Daniel should win, right?
If you didn’t get a chance to catch these Oscar worthy films in the theaters, They are out on DVD or will be very soon. You be the judge, and leave a comment below to let me know what you think.
.
