Don’t lose these Oscar-worthy performances in the beauty of fall
Fall is in full swing, which means a slew of fresh awards contenders is about to hit theaters. With heads in Hollywood turning toward the cineplex’s shiny new wares, we can’t help but remind moviegoers and voters alike of 10 Oscar-worthy performances we’v
DANIEL KALUUYA (GET OUT)
One of the chief reasons the timely thriller works is Kaluuya’s layered hero performance — insightful, humorous, expressive and heartbreaking, all in the face of horrifying racism.
HOLLY HUNTER AND RAY ROMANO (THE BIG SICK)
Hunter and Romano deliver an incredibly emotional one-two punch as the heartsick parents of a young woman in a medically induced coma, with only her ex-boyfriend to rely on as a resource. Hunter’s portrayal of Beth, a mother hell-bent on finding the best care (and partner) for her daughter, grounds the comedy, while Romano checks his TV shtick to play a beta father struggling with what to do.
ADAM SANDLER (THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES)
Many critics agree Sandler delivered a career-best performance in this Netflix drama, which garnered major praise upon its Cannes Film Festival debut. Playing the emotionally abandoned son of a semi-famous sculptor (Dustin Hoffman), Sandler probes the scars that follow children into adulthood.
ANDY SERKIS (WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, BREATHE)
There have long been calls for Serkis to be recognized for his motion-capture work, and playing the heroic chimp Caesar in War for the Planet of the Apes is his most expressive yet. But Serkis has two horses in the race, having just directed his first film,
Breathe, starring Andrew Garfield as an English adventurer plagued with polio. It’s a strong debut that could see him feted at the Academy Awards come March 4.
ALGEE SMITH (DETROIT)
Smith, largely an unknown before starring in Kathryn Bigelow’s racial drama, breaks out as a honey-voiced R&B singer subjected to a night of horrors at the hands of Detroit police. Smith deftly relays how the American Dream shatters in the face of unchecked violence.
MICHELLE PFEIFFER (MOTHER!)
Pfeiffer was nothing short of delicious playing a hellish houseguest Darren Aronofsky’s controversial allegory, breaking out as an electric, provocative and unsettling biblical Eve.
(SPLIT) JAMES MCAVOY
McAvoy plays an incredible 23 characters in M. Knight Shyamalan’s multiple personality disorder thriller. He’s superb in a taxing role, fully inhabiting each of the characters — sometimes changing accent, other times switching wardrobe, but always making it clear they’re all part of the same person.
HUGH JACKMAN (LOGAN)
Clint Eastwood got nominated for inhabiting the same kind of gnarled not-sogood guy in Unforgiven. And it makes even more sense to honor Jackman’s memorable swan song after 17 years of having the complicated Wolverine on lock.
REBECCA HALL (PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN)
In this grounded superhero origin story, Hall maintains a sure grip on playing the Harvardeducated scholar who explores her polyamorous desires alongside her psychologist husband, an erotic home life that crafts a bold character we know today as Wonder Woman.