Best Lead Actor and Actress 2019

Lead Actor

05. Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Maybe people don't take Leo seriously because of the whole teen idol / Titanic / dates exclusively 20 year old models thing. But besides all that, he is one of our best actors and best movie stars. His role as a washed up TV actor in Once Upon a Time, requires a movie star with superb acting chops, and he delivers. There is a long sequence that features his work on a Western and he is top notch in every single moment of that film. Plus, he's totally badass with a flame thrower.

04. Brad Pitt in Ad Astra - In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pitt was charming and cool and tough. In Ad Astra, he is quiet and interior and sad. Both performances are extraordinary. Obviously, I prefer the quiet, pretty movie to the talky, loud movie. Like DiCaprio, Pitt is a rare breed - a movie star who is actually a great actor as well, hindered by his good looks a little bit, maybe. This beautiful and sad space movie is a slow, sad fever dream and Pitt nails it.

03. Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems - Look, I'm as surprised as you are. I wondered if my undying devotion to the gritty raw power of the directing Safdie brothers would outweigh my ambivalence bordering on disdain for Adam Sandler. The Safdie brothers manage to draw out a performance from Sandler that is so impressive, it may change the way you look at him. Honestly, Sandler kills it on a jeweler with a gambling problem who has a really, really rough few days. And if the fast talking, charm he oozes doesn't convince you he could give a heavy weight acting performance, just watch the expression on his face when he's watching his daughter in her high school play. Dude has been quietly hiding all this ability for decades.

02. Joaquin Phoenix in Joker - To this day, I cannot decide if I liked the movie Joker, or if I was just so blown away by Phoenix's performance, that it made me believe I saw a better movie than I did. Because Phoenix is THAT GOOD in this role. Between his physical transformation, and his quiet building rage, he delivers one of the knock out performances of the year. Heath Ledger may be a better Batman villain Joker, but Phoenix has to deliver in every single scene of the movie - and he does - giving a daring portrait of mental illness, all capped off with a stunning final showdown.

01. Adam Driver in Marriage Story - The saddest part of Marriage Story is the fact that Driver is going to lose his Best Actor Oscar to a guy playing a clown. Adam Driver is the kind of actor you can't take your eyes off of, ever since he stormed through the HBO series Girls, elevating that mess and becoming the only reason to watch it. Since then, he's become a bonafide movie star. He's excellent in everything, but in Marriage Story, he is perfect. He's playing a good man and a good father, who is just not a great husband, and he is perfection from the small intimate moments, to the big, huge fight scene, to singing sad songs from Company at karaoke. Give him all the awards!


Lead Actress

05. Awkwafina in The Farewell - Like Sandler, I never thought Awkwafina would be on a list for best acting, but 2019 was a weird year, and here we are. She's very funny, but in The Farewell she gets serious, as a Chinese artist living in America, who has to travel back to China after her beloved grandmother becomes terminally ill. Instead of telling the grandmother she is dying, the family stages a fake wedding as an excuse for everyone to return to China. The movie is heartwarming and sad and bittersweet and lovely, and Awkwafina carries it along on her shoulders as the most unwilling of participants. She's a revelation here.

04. Saoirse Ronan in Little Women - Every little girl growing up, reading Little Women a dozen times, wanted to grow up to be Jo - tough, resilient, smart, but also stubborn, lonely, quick to anger, unwilling to fall in love (even with the super cute boy next door). Jo, like all the March sisters, is a complicated woman. She's not just one thing, refusing to succumb to her destiny to be the romantic heroine of her life story. She wants more than that in a time when women didn't get that chance very often. Ronan - who is arguably the best actress of her generation - nails it all, from the cockiness to the neediness, from the strength to the sadness. She's the perfect Jo, and she makes it all look easy.

03. Lupita Nyong'o in Us - If you haven't seen Us, I urge you to do so as soon as possible. It gets a little weird, but if you give in to the weirdness, it definitely pays off. And a big part of why you should watch it is this women right here, who gives a stunning, high wire act like performance as two separate characters - a hard working, constantly worried, tough mom... and her wild eyed untethered counter part, a character who only communicates in guttural sounds and animalistic movements. It's a pleasure to watch an actor be so fearless on screen.

02. Florence Pugh in Midsommar - Let's rename 2019 as the year of Florence Pugh. She elevated spoiled brat Amy March to someone almost likable in Little Women, and she embodied the overwhelming nature of grief in Midsommar. From start to finish, it appears as though she went through hell for her Midsommar performance, and she is stunning in every frame. From grieving and unsure little girl, to the queen who rides alone at the end, and everything in between, there isn't a false note. I don't know what it is about director Ari Aster, but he has a knack from getting career best performances from his leading ladies (see also: Toni Collette in Hereditary).

01. Elisabeth Moss in Her Smell - Like Pugh, Moss gave two killer performances this year. The second, the better of the two, is as a former junkie and self-destructive rock star, trying to make a comeback. I didn't love the movie - I thought it was too long and bordered on indulgence, but Moss is amazing. She is relentless, raging through the movie with an all-encompassing manic energy, devouring every inch of the screen. Even if the movie around her isn't great, you can't take your eyes off of Moss.

Best Actress 2017

05. Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman - I think we can all agree that 2017 was a pretty shitty year, but at the very least we can all agree that at least 2017 gave us one good and pure thing - bonafide movie star Gal Gadot. Her female empowerment film became a blockbuster success thanks to her endearing, adorable, ass-kicking charm and general badassery. From casually wearing weaponry with formal wear to that sweet chemistry with Chris Pine to that time she had ice cream and saw it snow for the first time, Gal Gadot became a goddamn national treasure. Here's to more bad ass female superheroes in movies directed by bad ass female directors.

04. Nicole Kidman in The Beguiled - Kidman has had a hell of a year. She is one of the few female movie stars that seem to be getting even more interesting parts in her 40s and 50s than she did in her 20s and 30s. In 2017 alone, she played a supporting role in Top of the Lake, went toe to toe with Colin Farrell in Killing of a Sacred Deer, and pretty much showed that she was the finest working actress who deserved every award under the sun in Big Little Lies. Something about Kidman screams out that she was born for period pieces, and she proves that with a perfect nuanced performance in The Beguiled. She's a prudish and haughty school marm who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and get a little, well, bloody.

03. Kristen Stewart in Personal Shopper - I guess the one good thing about making tons of money in a franchise about vampires when you are super young is that it affords you the opportunity to do the work you really want to do and make tiny little ghost stories for probably no money. Post-Twilight, Kristen Stewart has become one of the most interesting and exciting young actresses out there. Her role here is difficult because she spends the majority of the movie alone, and texting on the phone with a maybe ghost. Yet, her performance still manages to be subtle and raw and real, and yes, a little bit awkward, but also a lot sexy.

02. Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird - I want to scream from the rooftops about how much I love every single thing about Lady Bird, from the script to the music (even that Dave Matthews Band song!) to the direction to the performances. And while every single character is real and excellent, Ronan shines as the conflicting teenager Lady Bird, who is both insecure and entirely self-assured. Her performance is as unique as the character and here Ronan is so fearless. In a genre filled with career defining performances for teenage girls, Ronan's might just be the very best.

01. Florence Pugh in Lady MacBeth - Enter all the on fire emojis here, because Pugh is a live wire from start to finish. Who is this girl, and why isn't she a household name? Because she should be, and she probably will be. It's not usually pretty young girls who get to make movies where they start off as a sympathetic figure and end up as a raving sociopath. But Pugh delivers from start to finish, from looking pretty as a picture in a dress to becoming conniving and manipulative, from sweetness to sexiness. This is a career making performance and a master class of acting.

Best Lead Actress 2015

05. Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road - The most bad ass, action packed movie of the year is secretly a big ol' feminist manifesto and Theron's turn as a tough as nails, empowered, kick ass slave is, maybe, the best thing she has ever done.

04. Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl - This Transgender love story was supposed to be Eddie Redmayne's movie, but then Vikander went and showed him up with her sexy, understated turn as his supportive but confused wife.

03. Cate Blanchett in Carol - Blanchett has long been one of my absolute favorite actresses and she continues to prove why here. As a lesbian in a time when that sort of thing wasn't accepted, she shines as the sexy, frustrated Carol. It's not hard to believe a young shop girl would become enamored with her.

02. Rooney Mara in Carol - Mara's sweet natured shop girl who is so used to making everyone else happy that she doesn't even know how to make herself happy. Her delicate beauty (somehow so ferocious in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) only helps her impressive portrayal of innocence and eagerness and first love and heartbreak.

01. Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn - Like her male counterpart on my Lead Actor list, so much of her performance is in her eyes and face. Ronan is nothing short of amazing as the young Irish girl who leaves home for a better opportunity. The home sickness, the struggle to belong, the heart ache and loneliness and eventual happiness are perfectly portrayed in every movement and moment.

November 2015

The Final Girls
Stars - Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman
Plot - The daughter of a B movie scream queen gets transported to her mom's most famous horror movie where she must survive a killer and come to terms with her mom's death.
Thoughts - This is the sort of movie you might only enjoy if you really love horror movies (as I do). It's clever and fun, but I also think the idea is a lot better than the execution.
Grade - B-

Z for Zachariah
Stars - Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine
Plot - The possible last surviving woman in a post apocalyptic world finds herself in a love triangle, because sure, that would happen.
Thoughts - I actually really liked the storyline,  no matter how ridiculous it was. Too bad the whole thing was just so damn boring.
Grade - C+

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Stars - Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann
Plot - A teenage filmmaker who hates everything is forced by his mom to hang out with a classmate dying of cancer.
Thoughts - I really loved the book this is based on, and while the movie never quite gets as good, it is still a pretty solid, funny, heartfelt movie.
Grade - B

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2
Stars - Jennifer Lawrence, et al
Plot - Katniss must finally bring down that nasty Capital.
Thoughts - The first thing it has going for it is that it's better than Part 1 although that's not hard. Despite the fact that it starts mid-scene, and is too long (Attn: Hollywood, stop splitting movies into 2 parts. I know you make twice the money, but is it really worth it to make two disjointed movies filled with filler when you could make just one bad ass (albeit long) movie?), Mockingjay is filled with action and heart. Part 2 may noy be the best of the bunch (see Catching Fire), but it is a pretty good ending to the series. 
Grade - B

Spotlight
Stars - Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams
Plot - The true story of a group of Boston journalists who investigate and uncover the decades long cover up of priests molesting children in the Catholic Church.
Thoughts - I know it doesn't necessarily sound like the kind of movie you would want to rush out and watch, but it's easily one of the best movies of the year. The cast is incredible, the performances are stellar, and the script is fast paced which helps make this movie intensely watchable. Maybe a little difficult to keep track of all the secondary characters though.
Grade -  A-

Pitch Perfect 2
Stars - Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson
Plot - The Bella's are back and trying to win the a capella world championship.
Thoughts - The first film is not necessarily good, but at least compulsively watchable. This is a pretty terrible follow up. Plot wise, it's terrible. Just fast forward to the music, which is fun.
Grade - (a pretty generous) C-

Creed
Stars - Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone
Plot - The son of Apollo Creed enlists his old frenemy, Rocky Balboa, to train him as a boxer.
Thoughts -  Truth? I've never seen a single Rocky movie. But, alas, the only thing I love more than a boxing movie is Michael B. Jordan, so I was in. And luckily, this is a really well done, really heartfelt, funny, wholly crowd pleasing film. Sylvester Stallone might be an Oscar contender come nomination time. And, finally, Michael B. Jordan's biceps, ya'll.
Grade - B+

Brooklyn
Stars - Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson
Plot - A young woman in the 1950s moves from Ireland to New York for better  opportunities.
Thoughts - This might be the best movie I see this year and if it's playing at a theater near you, call off work or school and run to the theater right now. I told myself I wouldn't give out an A+ until I saw a movie as good as or better than The Social Network, and while this isn't quite that, this is as near to perfection as you can get. It's funny and sad and romantic and just completely entrancing. I loved this movie so much and if you ever listen to me about anything, go see Brooklyn now.
Grade - A

Hanna

I probably couldn't have been more excited about seeing Hanna. I thought the trailer looked bad ass and exciting and action packed and fun! Plus, it's directed by Joe Wright, the guy behind the superb and wonderful Atonement (and, also, the completely underwhelming The Soloist, so, really, I should have known). I wasn't in any way let down by the performances or the direction, however, the movie as a whole was a bit disappointing.

Hanna is the story of a young girl (Saoirse Ronan, more bad ass than all of the Sucker Punch girls combined) who is raised by her father (Eric Bana) in the middle of nowhere. He has trained her since childhood to fight, hunt, and survive. The two hide out in a tiny log cabin in the arctic forest, in hiding from a shady government official named Marissa (Cate Blanchett). Once Hanna is ready, all she has to do is press a button and Marissa's goons will come and find her. Daddy disappears after they promise to meet in Berlin and Hanna is captured. After she kills a Marissa clone and escapes, Hanna must run for her life from a bunch of men trying to kill her, make peace with the truths she learns about her past, learn about all the things her daddy never taught her about (like boys and electricity), and ultimately have it out with Marissa in the big climax.

Let's talk positives first: the direction from Joe Wright is georgeous, as always. The opening shot especially is impressive. Although Wright has indeed made a dull movie, he has never made an ugly movie. Although this is an action movie, Wright takes his time and delivers some beautiful moments throughout the film. Then there is the frenetic, awesome soundtrack courtesy of The Chemical Brothers which will surely infect your brain and stay in your head for hours afterwards. And finally, the performances are just top notch. Bana is fine as Hanna's ex-government official father although he doesn't really have the biggest role here. Blanchett is just perfect as the red headed, ruthless villianous who can sweet talk you and then shot you in the head. She is extraordinary, like she always is. However, it's Ronan that is the revelation here. She was exceptional in Atonement but this movie proves that she is going to be a big star someday soon. If she continues to pick great roles, she may just grow up to be her generation's version of Meryl Streep, since she's surely got the chops for it. She is adorable and vulnerable as a little girl who is learning about the world around her - electricity, swimming pools, boys, showers. But she is also a bad ass action star. She fights, beats up boys and makes it all so much more realistic than that awful Sucker Punch movie. And she doesn't even have to wear a little school girls outfit to look damn cool kicking so much ass. She's sort of like Natalie Portman's Mathilda from The Professional meets a baby version of Uma Thurman's The Bride from Kill Bill. She's just sensational and impressive and gives the first truly great performance of the year.

So, while the direction, performances and music is all great, I can't say the same for the movie. There are portions of the movie that are damn good. In fact, these specific moments are so, so, so very good that it sort of makes the rest of the movie seem that much worse. For every exciting action scene or intense conversation, there is a damn boring drawn out portion of the film that is just plain unnecessary. The movie is less than two hours long but it feels like it takes forever, so I guess, chalk that up to bad editing. For every moment threatening to overflow with suspense, there are just as many, if not more, moments that I was bored out of my mind. There is also a lot of really weird imagery and moments throw in the mix, but for what? None of it served a purpose. This isn't some quirky indie film! It's a mainstream action movie. I appreciate the artistry that Wright offers but it really doesn't have a place here. Then there's the violence, or rather, lack there of. I know why studios want to make PG13 rated movies, believe me I do (better box office!), but I couldn't help but look at some of the moments in this movie and think about how amazing and cool they could have been if the movie would have had an R rating. I'm not all about glorifying violence, but if you are trying to make a super cool movie about a teenage assasin, then you should just go for it, you know? Wright is an amazing director, but I couldn't help but think this would have been a better movie in Tarantino's hands.

Grade: C+