Best Actor Nominees

Next up is the Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role Nominees. And remember, I am going to present them in the order they are listed on IMDb.com.

Richard Jenkins plays Professor Walter Vale in The Visitor. Walter Vale is a college professor at a crossroads in his career. He is just going through the motions and doesn't want to do anything but work on his book and learn to play the piano but with little success. When he has to return to New York to attend a seminar he discovers two people living in his apartment. He eventually lets them stay and forms a friendship of the young man, who teaches him how to play the drums. Richard Jenkins may be hampered by his quiet performance. He never really shows any emotion until the end of the movie.

Frank Langella plays Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon. Richard Nixon was the President of the United States, at least until he resigned after Watergate. Several years later he agreed to do an interview with David Frost, a journalist that he felt he could handle so that he could get his own message out and gain prominence again. Langella did a good job portraying the former head of state. The problem is just about everybody knows who Nixon is and what he acted like so Langella had to fit into a pretty strict performance or people wouldn't beleive him.

Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk in Milk. Harvey Milk was a gay politician in San Fransisco. He was the first openly gay man to be voted into office in the country. As he gained power he also gained enemies and this is what lead to his downfall. As I said with Langella, Penn is portraying a known politician but in this case a lot fewer people know him so Penn has a little room to work with. That being said, he did a great job. This is going to be a tight race.

Brad Pitt plays Benjamin Button in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. Benjamin Button is not normal. He ages backwards, being born an old man and progressing through life getting younger and younger. Pitt, like Jenkins, plays a pretty quiet role here. Besides growing young, Button is pretty just a normal person, so all Pitt has to do is look and act normal.

Mickey Rourke play Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler. Randy "The Ram" Robinson is a wrestler past his prime, by about 20 years. He continues to wrestle hoping for a little bit of the glory but also having to make a living by working part time at a grocery store. I see this coming down to Penn and Rourke, Penn is a Hollywood darling but Rourke has the whole career comeback angle working for him. Rourke does a great job as a has been trying to gain back glory, just like in real life.

Tune in tomorrow for Best Picture.