Best Actor 2014

Jake Gyllenhaal (Lou Bloom)/Nightcrawler- Gyllenhaal gives the creepy performance of a lifetime as an ambitious sociopath who films the nightly carnage occurring in L.A. to sell to local news stations.  He uses anyone and any means necessary to advance his career without blinking an eye.  The sign of a great villain.

Denzel Washington (Robert McCall)/The Equalizer- Washington collaborates with director, Antoine Fuqua, once again to bring the 80's TV series to the big screen.  McCall changes from mild-mannered friend of the people to beast mode in .2 seconds.  Maybe that's an exaggeration.  What's not is Washington pulling off being a total killer.  Denzel is one of the few actors today who can say everything by saying nothing on camera and letting his facial expressions tell the story.

Jason Bateman (Guy Trilby)/Bad Words- Bateman is a 40-year old man who qualifies for a national children's spelling bee.  Why is he doing this?  Only he knows.  But he makes both children and adults extremely uncomfortable.  The best part?  He doesn't care.  Bateman plays the part in his usual deadpan manner, but adds a bit of mean edge that hilariously pushes this performance over the top.

Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America)/Captain America:  The Winter Soldier- Nothing more needs to be said other than Evans has made me a believer in Captain America, something I never have been before his rendition of the patriot hero.

Bill Murray (Vincent MacKenna)/St. Vincent- It's nice to see Murray return to comedy.  OK, maybe this is more of a dramedy, but close enough.  On the surface, Vincent is not a good guy.  He drinks too much, gambles his life away, and fornicates with a pregnant stripper.  But, it turns out he has a big heart underneath that gruff exterior which is brought to the front with the help of a 12-year old boy he reluctantly babysits for a neighbor.

Joel Kinnaman (Alex Murphy/Robocop)/Robocop- Kinnaman had the unenviable task of reprising an iconic role and does a more than credible job.  Not as cold and clinical as the '80s Robocop, Kinnaman makes this version still seem very human even after he's transformed into more machine than man. 

Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker/Spider-Man)/The Amazing Spider-Man 2- Thanks to Garfield, Spidey felt the most like Spidey in this poorly received sequel than he has in any other big-screen Spider-Man movie.  Smart-aleck (if somewhat corny) quips and heavy doses of angst is what the wallcrawler is all about.  Garfield brings it home.

Daniel Radcliffe (Ig Perrish)/Horns- Radcliffe shows more range than I thought he had as a man accused of murdering his beloved girlfriend.  Love, despair, anger, sadism, it's all part of Radcliffe's repertoire in the film.  A very impressive outing from the former Harry Potter.

Chadwick Boseman (James Brown)/Get On Up- THE only reason to watch this biopic.  Boseman put a tremendous amount of work in here with his speech and movements and he deserves an equal amount of recognition.

Steve Carell (John Du Pont)/Foxcatcher- Carell gives a strange and creepy performance as a wealthy heir with an unhealthy fixation on being accepted.  I said in my review of the film that Carell is almost unrecognizable.  He'll give you the creeps in this one.

Bradley Cooper (Chris Kyle)/American Sniper- Cooper is on fire recently in the roles he has chosen and this Clint Eastwood vehicle is no exception.  Cooper is real-life Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle, who served four tours of duty in the Iraq War.  Kyle's sense of duty to his brothers in arms cost him much in psychological trauma.  Cooper's faraway stares and sometimes aloof demeanor is what brought the reality of the trauma home. 

Eddie Redmayne (Steven Hawking)/The Theory of Everything- Redmayne's portrayal of the famous physicist is amazing not only for his acting, but also for the physical transformation he portrays.  He is totally believable twisting and contorting his body and facial features giving the appearance of ALS.  Physical acting isn't always the easiest thing to do.  Redmayne deserves much credit.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Alan Turing)/The Imitation Game- Cumberbatch's twitchy, uncomfortable portrayal is the driving force of the film.  If accurate, the movie depicts Turing as a driven, brilliant, and socially inept man.  But, Cumberbatch does illicit great sympathy for this sad person at the same time as he's forced to hide who he really is, as well as, his incredible accomplishments.