Friday For Your Consideration: Earl Lynn Nelson

Welcome to a special edition of a seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. In the absence of a film to review, I’d like to spotlight someone from a film already released this year who is sure to be forgotten by the end of 2014.

Earl Lynn Nelson (Land Ho!)
Where you’ve seen him before: Nowhere! Nelson, who is now 72, is actually a practicing doctor in Kentucky. This is his third-ever film role. He previously appeared in two of writer-director Martha Stephens’ film. She serves as co-director for “Land Ho!”

Why he deserves it: He knocks every scene out of the park. From my review from Sundance, “the way in which he delivers all of his lines is with such comic intentionality, and he never misses the opportunity to make a blunt and unapologetic sexual reference.”

Standout scene: It’s hard to pick just one since he’s funny the whole way through, and an added bonus is that he succeeds in his sentimental moments with on-screen ex-brother-in-law Paul Eenhoorn.

Why he won’t get it: I can’t believe that enough people have seen this movie to be able to vote for Nelson. It’s not guaranteed that he’d end up in lead or supporting since his performance could be categorized either way, and I would be so pleasantly shocked if he made an entrance into the race.

Friday For Your Consideration: Michael Fassbender

Welcome to a special edition of a seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. In the absence of a film to review, I’d like to spotlight someone from a film already released this year who is sure to be forgotten by the end of 2012.

Michael Fassbender (Prometheus)

Where you’ve seen him before: For the past three years, he’s been all over the place in British and American cinema, with crucial supporting roles in “Inglourious Basterds,” “Fish Tank,” and “Jane Eyre,” and no fewer than three lead parts in prominent films last years: as Carl Jung in “A Dangerous Method,” Magneto in “X-Men: First Class,” and a sex addict in “Shame.”

Why he deserves it: He should have already been a nominee last year for “Shame,” and now he turns in another magnificent performance, in a science fiction film no less! Humanoid robot David is far from emotionless, and Fassbender captures the inappropriate enthusiasm perfectly, wearing his delight and curiosity on his face, making David an immensely intriguing and watchable member of this mission.

Standout scene: On the way to their faraway destination, all of the humans aboard Prometheus sleep in cryostasis for two years. David, however, spends the entire time awake and active, and we get to see a brief snapshot of his daily routine, which involves showing off his sporting abilities and watching “Lawrence of Arabia,” eager to learn about and fit in with the humans.

Why he won’t get it: It's extremely rare that science fiction gets recognized by Oscar voters, especially in the acting categories. When Alec Guinness did it for “Star Wars” back in 1977, it was his fourth nomination and he had already won twenty years earlier. Fassbender doesn’t have that reputation just yet, and unless it’s a weak year, this film won’t be remembered quite so positively by the end of the year for its non-technical elements.

Friday for Your Consideration: The Avengers

Welcome to a special edition of a seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. This week, I’d like to spotlight a film that may be forgotten by the end of 2012, at least in terms of awards.

The Avengers

Why it deserves it: It might be strange to think of this film as one to be forgotten since it already stands as the 5th highest-grossing film of all time after less than a month out in theatres. The question therefore becomes whether the energy people seem to have it makes it a deserving contender for the expanded Best Picture race, in which “viewer’s choice” nominees like “The Blind Side” can make an appearance. I’d argue that its visual effects, sound, and sound editing are more clearly worthy of recognition, though a Best Picture bid would be pretty damn cool too.

Standout scene: There are plenty, but the one that best exemplifies the visual and audial qualities I’d like to emphasize is the attack by the alien army in which the Avengers team up to run around midtown Manhattan trying to save human lives and working together to use their powers to send those aliens back where they came from.

Why it won’t get it: I certainly hope it will, but it’s unwise to jump to such a conclusion. Six films featuring the Avengers leading into this one have mustered up a mere three nominations, and they’re all for Iron Man movies. While the Spider-Man saga managed to net a few nominations and one win, none of the X-Men movies even merited a mention. Hopefully this seeming bias against Marvel films will be contradicted by the success of this film in the technical categories.

Friday For Your Consideration: Headhunters

Welcome to a special edition of a seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors and films nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. This week, I’d like to spotlight a film being released last week that is sure to be forgotten by the end of 2012.

Headhunters

Why it deserves it: With up to ten films in the running over the past few years, it makes sense that a foreign import or two might have a legitimate shot at cracking the Best Picture list. This Norwegian thriller is just the film that deserves to be remembered as one of the strongest movies of the year, combining all of its elements to create a well-rounded and exceptional film.

Standout scene: It’s hard to pick one without giving anything away, since the film contains so many unexpected twists, but a great scene comes early in the film when Roger completely deconstructs the latest applicant for a job, following up his skewering interview by robbing the man of an expensive piece of art.

Why it won’t get it? Firstly, premiering in April doesn’t help its case since plenty of memorable films will be bunched up at the end of the year. More crucially, if something like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” couldn’t crack the list, then there’s not much chance for this one. Only English-language international fare like “District 9” has managed it in the recent past, and it will be hard, if not impossible, for this film to break that barrier.

Friday for Your Consideration: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Welcome to a special edition of a seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. This week, I’d like to spotlight a film being released today that is sure to be forgotten by the end of 2012.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Why it deserves it: This documentary, shown last year at the Tribeca Film Festival and now playing at the IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, is entirely charming. Unlike other nonfiction films, there is no agenda, motive, or bias of any kind. It's merely a chronicle of the endearing 85-year-old Jiro Ono, a master sushi chef still hard at work every day. It documents his enduring legacy and offers a complete portrait of the man and his life.

Standout scene: It's a pleasure to see a leading food critic come dine at the establishment - which charges hundreds of dollars and requires reservations over a month in advance - smile broadly when he speaks about how much he loves coming there.

Why it won’t get it: I can't even begin to comprehend the preexisting rules for documentary qualification, and now they've been changed again, so I'm relatively clueless now. It's possible that it would technically have been elgiible last year, but either way, while it's extremely pleasant and likeable, I'm not sure it would be able to beat out more incendiary and provocative films.

Friday For Your Consideration: Linda Cardellini

Welcome to a special edition of a seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. In the absence of a film to review, I’d like to spotlight someone from a film already released this year who is sure to be forgotten by the end of 2012.

Linda Cardellini (Return)
Where you’ve seen her before: She’s best known for her role as Lindsay on the short-lived cult show “Freaks & Geeks” and was also on the last few seasons of “ER.” She recently guest-starred in an episode of “Person of Interest.”

Why she deserves it: She sheds all of the awkward, youthful qualities she possessed in her star-making role on “Freaks & Geeks” to embody Kelli, a disconnected, detached soldier having difficulty easing back into the life she led before she went to war. She’s utterly real and unapologetic, and makes a subject that has become somewhat commonplace extraordinarily compelling.

Standout scene: Kelli is at her best when she’s ripping into someone, and the scene where she tracks down the woman she knows is sleeping with her husband and coldly stares her down at the car dealership where she works is a high point. It’s also mesmerizing to see her let her guard down when she escapes from her life to a rural cottage with John Slattery’s Bud.

Why she won’t get it: Movies released this early in the year (February 10th, in this case) are rarely remembered come Oscar time, and this subject has been only intermittently received by Oscar voters, with “The Hurt Locker” and “The Messenger” boding well while other films such as “The Lucky Ones,” “The Dry Land,” and “Stop-Loss” have been ignored. Cardellini doesn’t have the right fans to ensure that the memory of her performance makes it through the year.

Friday For Your Consideration: John C. Reilly

Welcome to a returning seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Most weeks, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I’m not in favor of Octavia Spencer or Jean Dujardin getting their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature on a semi-regular basis until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

John C. Reilly (Cedar Rapids)
Where you’ve seen him before: All over the place, especially in 2002, when he appeared in three Best Picture nominees, “Chicago,” “Gangs of New York,” and “The Hours.”

Why he deserves it: Small-town salesman Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) is warned about Reilly’s Dean Ziegler when he heads to Cedar Rapids for an insurance convention, and while it’s true that Dean is extensively vulgar and inappropriate, it turns out that he’s actually a pretty nice guy. Reilly is enthusiastic and funny, making the class clown three-dimensional and sympathetic.

Standout scene: Easily one of the most memorable moments of the film, pictured above, finds Dean swimming in nothing but his underwear in the hotel pool with a trash bucket lid on his head holding a drink in one hand and beeping like R2-D2. Especially in his drunkest moments, it’s hard not to like Dean.

Why he won’t get it: Reilly has had a busy year, appearing also in “Terri,” “Carnage,” and “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” Unfortunately, he won’t get any attention for any of those films. If a Fox Searchlight independent comedy from the first half of the year is going to earn any Oscar buzz, it’s “Win Win,” not “Cedar Rapids.” Reilly will have to settle for his well-deserved Independent Spirit Award Best Supporting Male nomination, where he contends against Albert Brooks, John Hawkes, Christopher Plummer, and Corey Stoll.

Friday For Your Consideration: Mélanie Laurent

Welcome to a returning seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I’m not in favor of Elizabeth Olsen or Jean Dujardin getting their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature on a semi-regular basis until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Mélanie Laurent (Beginners)

Where you’ve seen her before: The French actress should be universally recognizable to film fans as Shoshanna from “Inglourious Basterds.”

Why she deserves it: Though her character isn’t on the run from the Nazis under an assumed name, Anna isn’t exactly forthcoming with details about her life, making it hard for Ewan McGregor’s Oliver to get to know her. Somehow, Laurent is positively charming, seductive, mysterious, and mesmerizing all at the same time. In a way, Anna seems to exist only ethereally, a fleeting memory for Oliver to enjoy, yet Laurent makes her a permanent and unforgettable fixture of the film.

Standout scene: In her first appearance, a laryngitis-stricken Anna cleverly communicates with Oliver by writing her thoughts down on a pad. As with her portrayal of Shoshanna, Laurent effortlessly conveys so much with a blink of her eyes and a glance that she doesn’t even need to speak to make Oliver fall madly in love with her.

Why she won’t get it: It’s particularly unfortunate to me when a film is explicitly noted by an awards group but one particular performance is not (see “The Last King of Scotland” for a great example of this). Most Oscar pundits are predicting Christopher Plummer to get nominated for – and win – Best Supporting Actor, but I don’t think anyone will take notice of Laurent or McGregor. Laurent was looked over for “Inglourious Basterds,” snubbed in favor of costar Diane Kruger by SAG, and I can’t imagine that this will be her big breakthrough, though it really should be.

Friday For Your Consideration: Saoirse Ronan

Welcome to the final nominations edition of Friday For Your Consideration. I may return with a winners edition if the nominees call for it. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Saoirse Ronan, “The Lovely Bones"
Where you’ve seen her before: The 15-year-old actress earned an Oscar nomination two years ago for her work as the youngest Briony Tallis in “Atonement.”

Why she deserves it: Her film was no good, equally due to the adaptation of the story itself and the inappropriately lavish directing by Peter Jackson. But the incredible mature and talented Ronan was marvelous, delivering an exceptional performance that grounded the film even though it couldn’t save it. Ronan’s Susie Salmon is believably older than her age, and the way she delivers dialogue is simply incredible. For most of the film, she serves as the film’s unseen narrator, and that’s a terrific role for her. She performs consistently at a level of quality and excellence the film never achieves.

Standout scene: (Spoilers) She’s fully terrific throughout the entire film, but her best moment probably comes during her murder scene. Despite the failure of that scene to actually represent or even suggest the violent way in which her life ends, Ronan is in top form. Her face displays an equal mix of real curiosity and fear, and it’s clear that she’s smart enough to know that she shouldn’t be accompanying a strange man into an unfamiliar place completely alone.

Why she won’t get it: Three reasons: the film tanked, she’s young, and she already made it in two years ago. Had the movie been a legitimate Best Picture contender as originally thought, Ronan might have had a better shot, but there’s no room for her without any buzz. It seems that only Stanley Tucci will get mentioned for this film, and perhaps a technical award or two. Ronan is also only fifteen years old, and nominees this young rarely get nominated, especially in this category. Keisha Castle-Hughes did it in 2003 for “Whale Rider,” but there were available spaces in the Best Actress field that year, whereas this year there just aren’t. The fact that she was nominated in 2007 hurts rather than helps her because she’s already been recognized, and that film was a Best Picture nominee. She’ll likely be back in future years, but not this time around.

Read the review of the film here. Oscar predictions begin Monday – don’t miss them.

Friday For Your Consideration: Kerry Condon

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Kerry Condon, “The Last Station”
Where you’ve seen her before: The 26-year-old Irish actress starred on HBO’s two-season historical drama “Rome” and in the film “Ned Kelly,” but this is the first time I’ve seen in anything.

Why she deserves it: From her first appearance on screen, Condon owns the performance. As a Tolstoyan devotee with a few objections to the way she’s supposed to live her life, she immediately stands out to James McAvoy’s Valentin as a woman worth knowing. It’s not as if he has much choice in the matter, however, since she pursues him aggressively, leaving him wimpering and sneezing at every turn. Condon holds her own against a fearsome cast, and in my opinion she’s the best one of them all. Out-acting Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giammati, and James McAvoy isn’t a feeble accomplishment.

Standout scene: (Minor spoilers) Condon’s Masha tries to teach Valentin the ropes of working on the Tolstoyan community. He isn’t terribly handy, but his masculinity is especially undermined by the fact that she is. Her ability to chop a piece of wood in half is especially impressive, and Condon milks it perfectly. It’s only slightly more incredible than the scene where she convinces Valentin that it’s time to lose his virginity, even if it’s not something totally in line with Tolstoyan theology.

Why she won’t get it: This film is opening late enough as it is, with only a week-long qualifying run at the beginning of December to even make it eligible for the Oscars this year. I have a feeling that both Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer may even have some trouble getting nominated at the Oscars, so Condon doesn’t have a shot in hell. The fact that there are so many fine actors in the film works against her because either Giammati or McAvoy might still be recognized over her. Until today, it’s unlikely that many reviews were even published and even more unlikely that Condon was mentioned in any of them. If she was, it was likely a quick note that was grouped with the other impressive performances in the ensemble. That, coupled with the film’s late opening, will leave her out in the cold completely. There’s a reason that the incredible “Children of Men” didn’t get nominated for Best Picture a few years ago, and a big part of it was that it opened so late and buzz didn’t have a chance to start early enough.

My review of the film is forthcoming, and come back next Friday for a look at another performer who deserves a shot at Oscar.

Friday For Your Consideration: Nicholas Hoult

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Nicholas Hoult, “A Single Man”
Where you’ve seen him before: The young British actor was a few feet shorter but just as great in “About a Boy” opposite Hugh Grant and Toni Collette back in 2002, and has since appeared on the TV series “Skins.”

Why he deserves it: Hoult is marvelously sedated and held back as a young student of George who expresses an interest in getting to know the depressed professor. He’s mature and intellectual, and immediately stands out from the pack of students as someone with his head on his shoulders. Hoult utters few lines, and it’s the looks that he gives George that really say the most. Most impressively, Hoult holds his own against established actors Colin Firth and Julianne Moore and delivers an exceptional performance that never quite breaks down his true intentions but is magnificently enrapturing.

Standout scene: (Minor spoilers) Hoult’s Kenny runs into George at a bar and listens to him talk about all the things he used to do and want to do. Not satisfied to sit around and talk, Kenny encourages George to throw caution to the wind and run into the ocean. It’s a marvelous scene that involves so much bonding through exchanged looks and shared joys.

Why he won’t get it: He’s not anywhere near close to a contender, tragically. For starters, “A Single Man” didn’t really catch fire with audiences as much as it could have. Sometimes when a lead actor is excellent, a supporting star slides in under the radar as well because the performances complement each other well. An example is Ethan Hawke in 2001 for “Training Day,” which was a film that didn’t otherwise do particularly well awards-wise but afforded Hawke his one and only Oscar nod for acting. Hoult also didn’t earn any kudos for “About a Boy,” despite delivering an incredible performance before the age of 13. Besides the lack of mentions for Hoult’s work in the film, the most significant reason he won’t make it in is that there are enough viable contenders in the running. Last year, bit player Michael Shannon slid in for “Revolutionary Road” because, well, there was no definitive fifth nominee. This year, that’s not a problem. There are five relatively safe bets, plus a few more who could take their spots, and unfortunately, Hoult won’t be one of them.

Read the review here, and come back next Friday for a look at another performer who deserves a shot at Oscar.

Friday For Your Consideration: Tilda Swinton

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Tilda Swinton, “Julia”
Where you’ve seen her before: The Scottish actress starred in “The Deep End” in 2001 and then played the White Witch in the “Chronicles of Narnia” series. She won an Oscar for her supporting performance in “Michael Clayton” in 2007.

Why she deserves it: Swinton is completely unhinged in a magnificent way with her portrayal of an out-of-control alcoholic who gets in way over her head and is forced to take matters into her own hands when her situation spirals out of control. The way Julia tries to defend her behavior and lie to herself is particularly fascinating, and Swinton is trying hard to convey that sense of insistent uncertainty. Julia is fiercely unlikable yet furiously captivating, and it has a great deal to do with the unique appeal of Swinton and her spectacular commitment to the performance in this difficult role.

Standout scene: (Minor spoilers) Not very far into the film, Julia dons a black mask and prepares to do her part in the kidnapping of a child. His guardian comes to Julia to ask for help, and Julia panics. What happens next is a clear calculation of a woman scared for her life but also desperate to put it back together, and it’s all visible on Swinton’s marvelously expressive face.

Why she won’t get it: The Best Actress race is full of too many other actresses, and Swinton hasn’t managed a major placement anymore yet. The fact that she won two years ago for a far less impressive role doesn’t necessarily mean voters love her, but rather that they wanted to reward her and now they’ve gotten it over with and there’s no feelings of her being overdue. Last year, Melissa Leo broke in for another independent film (Frozen River), but she got a SAG nomination before her eventual Oscar nod. It’s possible that Swinton could sneak in, but she’ll have to get past Abbie Cornish (Bright Star) first, who’s also been on the sidelines without any big nominations so far his awards season.

Read the review here, and come back next Friday for a look at another performer who deserves a shot at Oscar.

Friday For Your Consideration: Hal Holbrook

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. Each week, I’ll be spotlighting one performance from this year which deserves a second look but might not get it. This doesn’t mean I don’t want Carey Mulligan and Christoph Waltz to get their first nominations. They don’t need my help. As luck would have it, these actors do. I’ll be running this feature until Oscar nominations are announced at the beginning of February, so leave your choices in the comments and I might feature them over the next couple of weeks! I’ve written at greater length about these performances in the reviews of the films, so make sure to read those for a more detailed look at why these actors deserve an Oscar nomination.

Hal Holbrook, “That Evening Sun”
Where you’ve seen him before: He’s been acting on television and in movies for fifty years. Most recently, he earned an Oscar nomination in 2007 for his supporting role in “Into the Wild.”

Why he deserves it: The 84-year-old Holbrook is nearly three times the age of some of his costars, and he delivers one of the sharpest and most moving performances in recent years. He instills Abner Meecham with an extraordinary sense of self, one that can’t be muted by debilitating faculties or the strong wits of others. He’s determined to live the rest of his life on his own terms, and he’s not going to let anyone else tell him what to do. It’s simply magnificent to watch this actor with over 100 performances in his belt deliver such an astonishing performance.

Standout scene: You can catch a piece of it starting at the 1:47 mark of the theatrical trailer. Holbrook starts singing the song from which the title is derived. He’s quiet, off-key, and couldn’t care less. He’s at home, and he’s going to do what he damn well pleases.

Why he won’t get it: The Best Actor race is pretty much set, with four actors locked for a nomination (Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, and Morgan Freeman) and one other looking very good (Jeremy Renner). I thought for a while that Holbrook could take his spot (though Renner was excellent also), but his failure to earn a Best Independent Spirit Award nomination when two other actors in his film did wasn’t a good sign. No one has seen the film, and it seems those who have aren’t recognizing his incredible performance.

Read the review here, and come back next Friday for a look at an actress who deserves a shot at Oscar.