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Wednesday
Aug172016

120 Nominated Performances, Ranked. Who's Next?

As you will undoubtedly understand, I'm not up to speed at the moment. But I find a weird comfort in list-making and cine-dreaming, wondering what our next batch of Oscar contenders will look like. Will it be a great vintage or a weak one? Or, more usual, a weird combo of both. It's far too early to tell though we're hopeful. As I was wandering aimlessly around the web this morning I found this very enjoyable video from Ali Benz ranking all Oscar acting nominees this decade. Like a moving scrapbook of Oscar's classes for the past six years (2010-2015). Some things about the order make me so crazy but that is the joy and discussability of list-making. 

Here's the video and after the jump I'll rank them all myself. Busywork is good for me today.

120 Oscar-nominated Performances of the Decade - RANKED - from Ali Benzekri on Vimeo.

 

ALL THE OSCAR NOMINATED PERFORMANCES RANKED (2010-2015)
by Nathaniel
New predictions here | Asterisks indicate Oscar winners

 

  1. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine *
  2. Cate Blanchett, Carol
  3. Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
  4. Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
  5. Christopher Plummer, Beginners *
  6. Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
  7. Viola Davis, The Help
  8. Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln *
  9. Edward Norton, Birdman
  10. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
  11. Michael Keaton, Birdman
  12. Christian Bale, The Fighter *
  13. Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
  14. Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
  15. Rooney Mara, Carol
  16. Melissa Leo, The Fighter *
  17. Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables *
  18. Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
  19. Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
  20. Brad Pitt, Moneyball
  21. Jean DuJardin, The Artist *
  22. Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave *
    🔺the awesomeness...


    ...just love em 🔻
  23. Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
  24. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
  25. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood *
  26. Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
  27. Amy Adams, The Fighter
  28. Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
  29. Brie Larson, Room *
  30. Sally Field, Lincoln
  31. Reese Witherspoon, Wild
  32. Bruce Dern, Nebraska
  33. Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
  34. Jessica Chastain, The Help
  35. Helen Hunt, The Sessions
  36. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
  37. Natalie Portman, Black Swan *
  38. Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
  39. John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
  40. Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
  41. Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
  42. Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
  43. Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game



    worthy fine choices. They brought it
  44. Matt Damon, The Martian
  45. Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
  46. Julianne Moore, Still Alice *
  47. Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
  48. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
  49. James Franco, 127 Hours
  50. Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
  51. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyer's Club *
  52. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
  53. Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
  54. Sylvester Stallone, Creed
  55. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
  56. Denzel Washington, Flight
  57. Demian Bichir, A Better Life
  58. Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
  59. Amy Adams, American Hustle
  60. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything *
  61. Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies *
  62. Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl *
  63. Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
  64. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
  65. Judi Dench, Philomena
  66. Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
  67. Jeremy Renner, The Town



    i get it even if I wouldn't necessarily have gone there... 
  68. Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady *
  69. Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
  70. Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
  71. Naomi Watts, The Impossible
  72. Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
  73. Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
  74. Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
  75. Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
  76. Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
  77. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant * 
  78. Colin Firth, The King's Speech *
  79. Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
  80. Octavia Spencer, The Help *
  81. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
  82. Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
  83. Jeff Bridges, True Grit
  84. Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
  85. JK Simmons, Whiplash *
  86. Javier Bardem, Biutiful
  87. Sandra Bullock, Gravity
  88. June Squibb, Nebraska
  89. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyer's Club *



    things that make you go "hmmmm..."
  90. Julia Roberts, August Osage County
  91. Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
  92. Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
  93. Tom Hardy, The Revenant
  94. Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
  95. Christian Bale, The Big Short
  96. Laura Dern, Wild
  97. Emma Stone, Birdman
  98. Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
  99. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook *
  100. Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
  101. Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
  102. Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
  103. Nick Nolte, Warrior



    Was this really necessary??? 
  104. Jonah Hall, Moneyball
  105. Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
  106. Amy Adams, The Master
  107. Berenice Bejo, The Artist
  108. Alan Arkin, Argo
  109. Christian Bale, American Hustle
  110. Jonah Hill, Wolf of Wall Street
  111. George Clooney, The Descendants
  112. Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit 
  113. Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
  114. Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
  115. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained *
  116. Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
  117. Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
  118. Robert Duvall, The Judge
  119. Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
  120. Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Most Nominated This Decade
Four nominations: Jennifer Lawrence (nominated for 66% of this decade's Oscar nights); Three nominations: Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Meryl Streep and Christian Bale (nominated for 50% of this decade's Oscar nights)

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Reader Comments (83)

haha what a great post!

(1) Love that you have Cotillard, Weaver and Blanchett x2 in the top 10

(2) (A) Edward Norton at #9 are you crazy?!; (B) Day-Lewis at #8 - i don't get the love for this performance at all; (C) Bening at #14 - she's good but not THAT good.

(3) Love that Rooney is so high for Carol. Well deserved.

(4) I suppose I should get around to watching Foxcatcher for Ruffalo's sake, huh?

(5) You sure liked Ronan a lot more than I thought you did

(6) Chastain in The Help > Zero Dark Thirty. Blasphemy.

(7) I enjoy the hmmm category placement for Stone in Birdman

Also, Eisenberg, Williams, Portman and Chastain (SDT) are painfully low and would all easily make my top tier.

August 17, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterAnonny

Just need to shout out support to Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailer Solider Spy and Rooney Mara in The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and are the lowest ranked people that should be in the awesomeness camp.

They are undeniably brilliant in those films.

August 17, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterWhatWhat

"I'm with you, JLaw is a talented actress & big box office but let's retire this term "best of generation". Other actresses close to her age are enormously talented."


I don't know if it bothers me that. I definitely wouldn't say it as actresses in their 20s still have a lot to prove IMO, so others out there I'm sure have more potential. With that said, if you are looking at proven actresses in their 20's (actresses with at least 3 very good performances), Lawrence would definitely be near the top of that list as of now.

BUT I doubt we will be saying the same thing 10 years from now. I imagine she'll have a lot more proven competition in her "age group" at that point.

August 17, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterWhatWhat

Both are great performances but for me, Cate in Carol >>>>>> Cate in Blue Jasmine

August 17, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterAquarian

When it comes to Lawrence's nominations, I'd probably rank them as:

1. Winter's Bone
2. Joy
3. Silver Linings Playbook
4. American Hustle

August 17, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterAquarian

It's all subjective but Sally Field is too low and Jennifer Lawrence and Bradlwy Cooper are too high?

August 17, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMarie

This is a goddamn massive list. And I CANNOT see that video ugh. Vimeo is my nemesis.
Finally, some sense indeed!
My own list, not 120 tho:
1. Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
2. Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
3. Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
4. Natalie Portman - Black Swan
5. Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
6. CAROL's ladies, Blanchett and Mara
7. Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
8. Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
9. Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
10. Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterCraver

Sandra Bullock Blind Side? Come on!

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterDO

Maybe people embrace Jennifer as their new hero? Some of these low ones did seem right, and number one is definitely Riva

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMarie

You ranked Barkhad Adbi so low :( He easily deserved the Oscar in my view.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterBill

where is Charlize Theron? @@

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterHenry G

Two Jonah Hills in the bottom is incredibly appropriate.

I do like that the top is so female centric, but it just goes to show they are *just* as bad at finding exceptional male performers to nominate each year even though it's always a "weak year for actresses". The male side is often way more obvious and disappointing. In part because movies are so often made by and about men so it's harder for idiosyncratic choices (like Damien Bashir or Javier Bardem in Biutiful) to sneak through.

I'm curious though because I can't remember... does Julia Roberts make you go hmmm because it's so obviously a lead performance, or did you just not care for her that much.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterGlenn Dunks

/3rtful - I'd wager that many parts of you have died over the years.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterLola

"Whatever Yavor." This really cracked me up. (People never fail to respond this way to inconvenient facts.)

My Top 10 (not in order)(includes only five winners and three David O. Russells):
Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Christian Bale, The Big Short
JK Simmons, Whiplash
Judi Dench, Philomena
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

My Bottom 10 (not in order)(includes four winners and five David O. Russells):
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Alan Arkin, Argo
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Julia Roberts, August Osage County
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterPaul Outlaw

Glad to see i wasn't the only one who felt Ruffalo was awful in Spotlight.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMichael Rossi

I see from TFE commenters that Jennifer Lawrence is the "new" Hillary Swank.

So that's sorted, as the Brits say.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterPam

I love it when we all think differently seems most people are set on Blanchett though,I think Lincoln is not a good performance by Day Lewis,I can see the cogs.

Plus Lupita shows her lack of experience by doing all her big scenes too loud and all her quiet scenes too quiet.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered Commentermark

I LOVE Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs, She quietly and deeply moved me. She would be in my top ten.
Blanchett is first with Carol, then Julianne Moore with Still Alice, Cotillard with Two Days One Night and Rooney for Carol. I would put higher Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine, again with Gosling if he would have been nominated.
I appreciate You Still rank so high Kidman and Bening.
In My top ten I would put also Fassbender for Shame and Jane Eyre together with Wasikowska, And also Weisz for The Deep Blue Sea and, again, Cotillard for Rust and Bone. So frustrating no one of them got the nomination.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered Commenterferdi

Yes everyone saying "where is _____?" Everyone who was nominated is included . Trust that my list of 120 with non nominees would be much different and I would love all of them!

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterNathanielR

Great post! My top 5 nominated women and men (in no particular order):

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs /Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
James Franco, 127 Hours
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterT-Bone

I don't quite understand the immense love for Blanchett's work in 'Blue Jasmine.' It was certainly impactful, but I echo Nick Davis's thoughts when he wrote that the character makes less and less sense the more you think about her. I can definitely get behind the high ranking of her work in 'Carol,' though.

Michelle Williams is my #1 for her brilliant work in 'Blue Valentine.'

Jennifer Lawrence impressed me with her natural, affecting work in 'Winter's Bone,' but I've come to think of her as a mediocre-to-poor actress since then. Any competent performer could have done what she did in 'Silver Linings Playbook,' and I thought she was terrible in 'American Hustle' (she should have been called out more for her distractingly inconsistent accent). 'Joy' was a waste of a nomination, and she's quite bad in 'Serena' and 'X-Men.'

Her technical limitations are becoming more and more apparent to me. I think she should consider taking some acting lessons, but I can understand why she wouldn't be motivated to challenge herself when the public, the media, and the Academy shower her with accolades nearly every time she shows up for work.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMike

Ugh Jennifer Lawrence. She was good to great in Winter's Bone, hilarious regardless of how ludicrous her character is in American Hustle, and solid in Joy. In Silver Linings Playbook, she was just awful: lacks any sort of nuance and differentiation between her extreme emotional poles, and her outbursts all feel like rehearsals without proper fine-tuning.

Fine list overall.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterClarence

There was a moment where Meryl and Amy Adams are near each other near the top, and that seemed really right.

Agree that some of these (Lawrence, Cooper) will go down over time.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterJono

Whatever Lola wants Lola Gets... thank you Lola for the comment I wanted to make ...

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered Commenterrick

Riva in Amour is so incurably overrated, especially when you compare her to her co-star. She did nothing wrong but it was not deep and just physical transformation.

I do not know how Cooper was over Lawrence for slp, I liked him but it was not that great performance in the end.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered Commenterchinoiserie

@ Mike "Nick Davis's thoughts when he wrote that the character makes less and less sense the more you think about her."

Are we talking about the same Nick who fell head over heels for Tilda Swinton in Julia and couldn't shut up about it?

Because Jasmine French actually makes a lot of sense if compared to Julia and I guess someone might be revealing their undeniable biases right there.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterYavor

God so much hate for Quvenzhane Wallis' prodigal performance. It's frustrated me since her nomination how she gets zero credit for the work she did in BOTSW. Maybe not the most technically amazing performance but the energy, commitment, and complexity of a character for a SIX year old...it's just so messed up how people throw that all away. The fact that a NINE year old black girl got nominated for an Oscar in a LEADING category in her debut film is just...almost miraculous.

August 18, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterSebastian

Taking a page from Paul Outlaw's book...

My Top 10:

1) Cate Blanchett, Carol
2) Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
3) Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
4) Viola Davis, The Help
5) Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
6) Amy Adams, American Hustle
7) Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave
8) Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
9) Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
10) Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

My Bottom 10:

1) Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
2) June Squibb, Nebraska
3) Christian Bale, The Big Short
4) Amy Adams, The Master
5) Alan Arkin, Argo
6) Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
7) Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
8) Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
9) Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

August 19, 2016 | Unregistered Commenterben1283

I enjoyed reading your list and happy to note that I've seen a good amount of these performances, and that most I haven't seen was because I wasn't attracted to the films themselves. I think most of the lower-ranked choices here would be on my bottom list as well; we can all agree that the Academy makes some very questionable choices at times.

August 19, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterRob

my top 12:

1. Cate Blanchett, Carol
2. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
3. Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
4. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
5. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
6. Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
7. Christian Bale, The Fighter
8. Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
9. Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
10. Rooney Mara, Carol
11. Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
12. Christopher Plummer, Beginners

August 19, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterRMS

Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine is definitely the best of the decade, so far! I knew after watching the film in the theater that it was going to be one of the best film performances of all time.

August 20, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMiguel

Nate's Winners:

2010 - Eisenberg, Kidman, Bale*, Weaver
2011 - Pitt, Davis, Plummer*, Chastain
2012 - Day-Lewis*, Riva, Jones, Hathaway*
2013 - Ejiofor, Blanchett*, Fassbender, Nyong'o*
2014 - Keaton, Cotillard, Norton, Arquette*
2015 - Fassbender, Blanchett, Stallone, Mara

Most Heartbreaking Nate Loss: Rampling, 2015

2-Time Nate Winners in the Decade: Blanchett, Fassbender

Interesting Nate-Winning Castmates: Davis/Chastain, Day-Lewis/Jones, and, Ejiofor/Fassbender/Nyong'o

August 27, 2016 | Unregistered Commentergwynn1984

The Iron Lady and August: Osage County are so divisive. It's hard not to think of how those movies might have turned out with stronger directors that really understood how to make the material into something great (Mike Nichols?) since the actors certainly gave it their all.

I dunno how I feel about Cate. I am perhaps in the Quentin Tarantino meh camp on her. Very competent but does not draw me in.

August 28, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterTodd
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