2013 Best Actor Predictions (Take 3, with Actual Poll)

[Rage Colored Glasses]

Since the 2013 Best Actress page is generating a lot of discussion, I thought that this would finally be a time to get a poll of the Best Actor options for the year to come. Definitely a lot of interesting choices to consider.

What are your guys' thoughts? Anyone who deserves to be in the discussion? Potential breakouts as yet unknown to most of us?

[Moviefreak]

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
George Clooney, The Monuments Men
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

[HollyG]

George Clooney, The Monuments Men
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Twelve Years A Slave
Tom Hanks (Saving Mr Banks)
Joaquin Phoenix, Nightingale

[Rage Colored Glasses]

My own are:

Christian Bale, Untitled David O. Russell Project ( O. Russell has been on a hot streak with the Academy, and this project sounds like it could potentially be his biggest success with them yet, it's a period crime/political corruption drama)
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller + the popular comedic actor playing against type factor)
Bruce Dern, Nebraska ( Payne + veteran character actor)
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Twelve Years A Slave (extremely baity role + critical darling potential)
Matthew McConnaughey, The Dallas Buyers Club (continues his comeback career path, ridiculously baity role)

[tnb]

Clooney will be nominated for Best Actor, its always him up for that category in one year and Amy Adams in supporting actress the other year, this can't be broken, can it?

[Matt-10]

We could potentially see a lot of first-time nominees in this category next year. Right now I am inclined to go:

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Twelve Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
--
Next in line: Christian Bale, Out of the Furnace; George Clooney, The Monuments Men; Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street; Joaquin Phoenix, Nightingale; Forest Whitaker, The Butler

I'm excited about a lot of these performances/films. Should be interesting to see a year from now what succeeds and what flops.

[erikdean]

George Clooney, The Monuments Men
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Twelve Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, The Dallas Buyers Club

[with_one_voice]

Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
George Clooney – The Monuments Men
Bruce Dern – Nebraska
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club
Forest Whitaker – The Butler

[Rage Colored Glasses]

Clooney would be the main alternate I have right now.

[Onifled]

Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Twelve Years a Slave
Tom Hanks - Saving Mr. Banks
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

[McTeague]

Don't know who'll be nominated, but frankly, next year looks amazing for actors. Or, better, for actors' directors I like giving great roles to actors.

That is, except for Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, the actor/role/movie we all will fear next year. I don't think it'll happen, but I'll be fearing it until, like, February. ETA, February 2014, of course.

[with_one_voice]

I don't have much confidence atm in Saving Mr. Banks. John Lee Hancock's filmography is... less than stellar.

[Salladeel]

Tom Hanks as Walt Disney is literally my worst nightmare. Between that and Anne Hathaway winning an Oscar for a musical, 2013 might actually kill me.

[McTeague]

I don't have much confidence atm in Saving Mr. Banks. John Lee Hancock's filmography is... less than stellar.

Yeah just like Phillyda Whatshername's. Hanks as Disney with a December release is one of those things that won't die until they die, IF they die. Because Streep as Thatcher didn't die, precisely, and DDL as Lincoln doesn't seem to be dying either. It's just one of those things that are so obvious that we think "No, this time it's too obvious, this time they won't bite", and then they bite again.

[Rage Colored Glasses]

Hanks falls into the category of the big guns who I think will underwhelm, along with Whitaker and DiCaprio.

[with_one_voice]

Yeah just like Phillyda Whatshername's. Hanks as Disney with a December release is one of those things that won't die until they die, IF they die. Because Streep as Thatcher didn't die, precisely, and DDL as Lincoln doesn't seem to be dying either. It's just one of those things that are so obvious that we think "No, this time it's too obvious, this time they won't bite", and then they bite again.

Well DDL as Abraham Lincoln in a film directed by Spielberg doesn't fall into that group, namely because it has a good director (and I'd also say that Lincoln is baitier than the other two roles, but that's more subjective). Hanks could totally happen, I just don't know if he'd be able to withstand Iron Lady-esque reviews as Streep is able to, and I don't have confidence that the film will be too good, plus the year looks pretty stacked (I guess it always does). Also, just the concept of Tom Hanks as Walt Disney is frightening, lol

[Rage Colored Glasses]

IRT Hanks, we're not dealing with him being in the hands of Spielberg here, or even Denzel's comeback author from this year Bob Zemeckis. This is John Lee Hancock, who lucked into directing an Oscar winner because of Bullock's star power at the box office. In terms of being a box office draw Hanks is a pale shadow of his former self.

[McTeague]

IRT Hanks, we're not dealing with him being in the hands of Spielberg here, or even Denzel's comeback author from this year Bob Zemeckis. This is John Lee Hancock, who lucked into directing an Oscar winner because of Bullock's star power at the box office. In terms of being a box office draw Hanks is a pale shadow of his former self.

Ok, rehash of the last two post: Phyllida Lloyd etc. We're past that point already. Bad directors don't seem to matter when the role/star match is obvious and baity like that. So anything new?

[Rage Colored Glasses]

I can come up with a biopic example from 2011 to support the case against Hanks: DiCaprio as J. Edgar, and he actually had a respected director behind him, albeit one who's been in a bit of a slump.

[Jonathan]

There's also the issue of Hanks not having been on Oscar's radar for years - it'll have been 13 years since his last nomination. Hanks just hasn't been that good at getting the Academy's attention since then, even in projects that should seem like slam dunks - Road to Perdition, Charlie Wilson's War, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...I'm sure the project will have the necessary bait, but he's hardly a Streep/Day-Lewis-esque slam dunk.