Who Should Have Won The Best Actor Oscar -2019

 

In 2019, you had some unusual films like Parasite ( ughh) and The Lighthouse along with many standard films that were talked about. Now, I can only go by the films I have seen so I can’t say how Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson were in the critical darling, “The Lighthouse” but I bet they were good. Willem Dafoe needs to win an Oscar and should have for “Shadow of the Vampire” but that’s for another day. This year was all about Joaquin Phoenix, who, I think, is just on the other side of nuts. Let’s see if you agree or choose another actor.

1. JOKER

This film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the troubled creep who dreams about being a famous comedian but he’s a clown for kids’ parties, from what I remember. You see his mental deterioration take hold while he becomes  famous for his misdeeds. Phoenix won the Oscar for this role and I was praying he wouldn’t because I found him insufferable and really wanted to slap him upside the head. At no point did I think I was watching this character, like I did when Heath Ledger played this character in the 2nd Batman film with Christian Bale. I was watching him act and I had a hard time watching this movie because  it was an over-hyped flick. I never would have given him the Oscar.

2. THE MARRIAGE STORY

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannson play a married couple going through a major change in their marriage and you don’t really know if this marriage will work. It’s a realistic look at a marriage at the crossroads and you buy into it. Both leads act this out well and you are invested in their lives. I found Adam’s acting superb and much, much better than Juaquin’s over the top creep show. If you haven’t seen this film, you should check it out.

3. ROCKETMAN

Taron Egerton deserved the Oscar this year and he was not even nominated which many considered an oversight and I agree. Taron portrays Elton John and you just fall for the whole way Taron acts out Sir Elton. I always felt I was watching Elton John not Taron portraying Elton. This is a good biopic from the early times when Elton was trying to make a name for himself to when he is a huge musician. Loved the music, obviously, but this film could not have been done without Taron’s  acting prowess. He should have been nominated and he would have been my choice by far. He rules the entire film and it was a crime that he got snubbed by Oscar but he is  in good company since Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr and Alfred Hitchcock never won.

So…do you agree or would you choose someone else?