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If the Academy Awards agree with your assessment of that year’s films entirely, good for you. You don’t have to quibble at all. Usually, though, there will be some quibbling. How much do you differ, though? I’ve decided to start a new project where I am going to look back at every year’s films spanning back decades and giving my own personal choice for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture. Will I ever agree with the Oscars? What will my choices end up being? Who gets my own personal awards.
I see a lot of films, both new and old, and studied film in college, so I have fairly extensive knowledge of movie history and have seen hundreds upon hundreds of films. Probably thousands at this point. Of course, I haven’t seen them all, but what Academy voters have either? I’m going back in time year by year, which means I am going to start with 2021. We just had these Oscars, but these films are also fresh in my mind.
Best Supporting Actor: Jeffrey Wright, The French Dispatch
There are a few excellent performances from actors in Wes Anderson’s latest film. The best of the bunch, though, is Wright. He can be a very business-heavy actor, but he’s fairly pared down in this movie. Wright plays Roebuck Wright, a food writer based, in part, on James Baldwin. In the story he is recalling and in the TV appearance in which he is recalling it, Wright absolutely kills it.
Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton, The French Dispatch
Swinton has a smaller role than Wright in the movie, as she is primarily seen recalling the story of the artist Moses Rosenthaler at a speaking engagement. And yet, Swinton is absolutely gripping. She captured my attention, and entertained me, more than anybody else in The French Dispatch, and more than any supporting performer in 2021.
Best Actor: Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza
In his acting debut, Hoffman crushes it. He doesn’t quite reach the peaks of his father’s career, but to be fair Philip Seymour Hoffman was arguably the best actor of his generation. Cooper came out the gate with a splash, though. He’s absolutely fantastic opposite Alaina Haim, another acting newbie, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie. I am very excited for Cooper’s career.
Best Actress: Kristin Wiig, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
No, it’s not a bit. I came very close to going with Haim, but unlike the Oscars, I’m happy to reward a comedy performance. Or, in Wiig’s case, performances. She pulls double duty in this film as Star, one half of our starring duo, and as Sharon Fisherman, the villain of the movie. They are different types of characters, but Wiig is hilarious in both roles. Sure, Star is a broad character, but she embodies the voice and the physicality. It was my favorite performance my a lead actress of the year.
Best Picture: The French Dispatch
Wes Anderson is maybe my favorite director. This is his film that is most indebted to his quirks and tics. It’s the most “Wes Anderson-y” movie he’s made yet. Obviously, that’s right up my alley. This is a great movie, one of my favorites from him. It may not have a deep story. It’s basically a New Yorker in movie form. Apparently that works for me. Anderson knocked it out of the park with this one.
