FYC: Best Actor
Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 2:00PM by Nathaniel R
Delroy Lindo in Da 5 Bloods and Mads Mikkelsen in Another RoundWith the top ten list finally filed (please read and comment), the annual Film Bitch Awards are in progress. With that comes lots of hair-pulling (figuratively speaking of course as I have none) because it's hard to make decisions around what is "best" in art. At least it is if you're doing it right and care. "The Man Who Loved Movies Awards Too Much" might be the title of my biography because you can't love movies too much. So whenever I announce my favourites, I immediately feel bad about what I didn't honor because in (grateful) truth there are far more than five worthy things in any category in any given year.
But awards are and should be a time capsule. It doesn't mean you will always feel that way but it's what you valued most at that juncture. Same is true for the big Hollywood awards shows which is why so many of their choices look so weird. Time changes people and art and public opinion...
Speaking of which. I haven't talked at all about Da 5 Bloods (though I agree with quite a lot of Lynn's excellent review), which has its own ideas about what time does to people, particularly how grievances and shame and paranoia and trauma and rage (righteous or otherwise) can wear down and distort your better self. I never thought I'd be nominating a character role topped with a "Make America Great Again" red cap 🤮 under Best Actor but time does do that to some people as we've all sadly discovered these past four years. And Delroy Lindo's performance was magnificent. And so out there! Can you believe he pulled off those direct-to-camera addresses?
But when it comes to Da 5 Bloods, I'm not a big fan though I love some parts. It has terrific moments but overall it's too sprawling and messy and violent for violence sake for my tastes. It's solidly middle tier Spike Lee, which is why the very strong awards response has perplexed me a bit. That's especially true of the awards for Chadwick Boseman for playing an idealized ghost rather than a character. WHY? The late great actor gave a genuinely awards-worthy performance this year in another movie, so focus there and spread the wealth in supporting actor where there are so many other brilliant character actors working each year who all too often go unrecognized.
Awards are often affected by "it's his/her time" public adoration. The mainstream awards bodies (and perhaps some critics) have finally realized that they should have been honoring Spike Lee all along so.... I guess now? But Da 5 Bloods is not a patch on his best movies (BlacKkKlansman, 25th Hour, Do the Right Thing! and Malcolm X) or even on Inside Man.
Mads drinking to cope in "Another Round" -- I feel you Mads. Especially around awards season..
But on to the title of the post -- pardon the longwindedness -- my choices for Best Actor are in no particular order (no I haven't chosen the medals yet): Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods), Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round), Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Father), and Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom). Click here for the finalists and the write-ups.
FILM BITCH AWARDS - 8 of 40 categories announced thus far
Page 1 - PIC, DIRECTOR, SCREENPLAYS, ANIMATED FEATURE
Page 2 - BEST ACTOR
Page 3 - not yet
Page 4 - not yet
Page 5 - ENSEMBLE, CASTING
Page 6 - POSTER DESIGN
Page 7 - not yet
Reader Comments (24)
What a fantastic list. Such different styles of acting! Would love to see these actors try each other's roles.
I too could look past the films many flaws and see how magnetic Lindo was frustrating,endearing,funny,sympathetic all those things and the direct to camera stuff were all great choices by him and Spike,
Hyper violence is not my thing same with Possessor the excessiveness of it put me off that film to.
My List for Best Actor in order of preference and I haven't seen Hopkins,Mikkelson,Hanks or Yuen
Ahmed
Affleck
Lindo
Neeson for Ordinary Love
Adair
Adair
Agree completely with you on Lindo and Da 5 Bloods. Very surprise to not see you not nominated - not even mention - Levan Gelbakhiani for And then We Danced. To me his acting was the best that movie had to offer.
You match the team's top 5! I'd personally swap Mads out for Dev Patel, but thrilled the other four seem so solid in the race. Hoping none of them are snubbed.
Do you consider Toby Wallace lead or supporting?
Mar -- supporting.
Love how you encapsulate what you love about these performances. I've heard mixed things about Da 5 Bloods but everyone always agrees that Delroy Lindo is the best thing about it. I'll have to finally make time for it this weekend.
I'm surprised not to see Tom Hanks not even make your semi-finalists given your high grade for News of the World. Were you more impressed by the sum of that movie's parts rather than its individual contributions?
BVR -- exactly on NEWS OF. I think Hanks is good in it -- he nearly always is -- but to be in the top 12 it has to tip over into truly special on your own, regardless of the movie you're in.
euro -- i noiced that when you guys posted as that category was the first one i finished.
BVR -- exactly on NEWS OF. I think Hanks is good in it -- he nearly always is -- but to be in the top 12 it has to tip over into truly special on your own, regardless of the movie you're in.
euro -- i noiced that when you guys posted as that category was the first one i finished.
I really like your choices... I have not seen all of them yet, but I am really
like Riz Ahmed.
Does anyone else think Ralph Finnes is spectacular in 'The Dig' ?
I haven’t seen Mads and Hopkins, but totally agree with the other three on your top 5, especially Delroy Lindo. He is so good in Da 5 Bloods that elevates the whole movie. Such a great season for male actors, female directors and POC in general. It would be a shame if another “white storm” arrives at the Oscars.
Agree that it would be so great if Mikkelson was more a part of the Oscar convo - this would be such a great place for him to be honored.
But more than that, I'm sure we're all thinking that a Spike Lee movies ranked post is needed sooner rather than later.
Ahmed, Boseman, and Affleck are firmly in my Top 5 for now, along with Levan Gelbakhiani (count me surprised too that you didn't talk about him at all; he's spectacular). There remain many films that I haven't seen.
Nathaniel, have you seen Corpus Christi ? Bartosz Bielenia is absolutely mesmerizing. I also love Elijah Wood in Come to Daddy and James Sweeney in Straight Up , which you NEED to see.
Broadview: I totally agree that Fiennes and The Dig in general are spectacular.
Nathaniel: I'm in a similar place with News of the World. One last question — did Paul Bettany figure into this competition. I remember you mentioning that you really liked him in Uncle Frank but I've heard that Amazon may be pushing him for the Emmys instead of the Oscars, so wondering if that disqualified him for you too.
BVR -- i loved him in that but once they decided it was a tv movie -- well, i'm following the awards campaigns on all those decisions (Small Axe, Sylvies, Love, Uncle Frank, etcetera) since nobody knows the difference anymore since everything is streaming.
Mike -- there's a few i haven't yet seen so not sure how quick i'll be about that during Oscar season. but definitely a good idea for the future.
I liked Hal Holbrook even if this site evidently despised him. R.I.P.
After watch your picks for best picture I'm surprised to notice that the poster design of And Then We Danced is not even mentioned in the finalists.
Is an echonomical design but an instant classic for me.
If Boseman robs Hopkins i'll stab a bitch.
I don't think all of Da 5 Bloods quite works, but it's ambitious and 'epic' in a way that very few movies were this year, which I think is helping. That and Delroy Lindo's towering performance in a very tricky part. I agree that a nomination for Chadwick Boseman here is a bit of a head-scratcher, though.
And then we danced is your number 1 film, yet Levan Gelbakhiani is not in your top 12? That film’s success was so much on his shoulders, no?
domgogo -- i consider that mostly a director's success. I think the whole cast of non-actors is very good in it!
I'll add some love for Luca Marinelli in Martin Eden. He was reminiscent of a very young Pacino for me. He would make my top 5, along with Hopkins, Lindo, Ahmed, and Mikkelsen (assuming we're disqualifying career-best Hugh Jackman in Bad Education).
Thanks for the shout-out, Nathaniel. Obvs agree with you on Da 5 Bloods and Lindo (though I also really liked Clarke Peters). And glad to see Mads made your top 5, as he did mine. He's a long shot for Oscar, of course, but he definitely deserves consideration, even in a quite competitive year.