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25 Actors Who Should Snag an Oscar, but Won't These unconventional roles are still great performances
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 19, 2010 2:10 PM CST
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(Newser) – It’s easy enough to predict who will snag an Oscar—but more interesting are the unconventional performances that are just as good, but will never be so honored. In New York, Bilge Ebiri and Logan Hill list this year’s 25 best, most likely to be overlooked, performances:

  • Chloe Moretz, Kick-Ass: “Any 13-year-old girl unleashing a tornado of foul-mouthed violence would’ve been shocking, but Moretz offered way more.”
  • Joaquin Phoenix, I’m Still Here: “Everybody ridiculed Phoenix for his fake attempt to become a rapper, but we all failed to realize that we were witnessing the role of a lifetime: raw, uneasy, painful to watch.”

  • Jim Carrey, I Love You Phillip Morris: “He somehow stayed admirably grounded, in what is certainly his most human performance since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
  • Tom Hardy, Inception: “His portrayal of the forger Eames was fleet-footed, winning, almost off-handedly human; he seemed to be the only one among these tormented characters even capable of cracking a smile.”
  • Ethan Hawke, Brooklyn’s Finest: “Hawke—once the poster child for submerged, understated pretty boys—gave the most snarling, breathlessly desperate performance of the year.”
  • Mia Wasikowska, Alice in Wonderland: “She was the sole revelation of Tim Burton's mostly disappointing adaptation.”
Click for the complete list, or for more Best of 2010.

In this film publicity image originally released by Lionsgate, Chloe Grace Moretz, left, and Mark Strong are shown in a scene from Kick Ass.
In this film publicity image originally released by Lionsgate, Chloe Grace Moretz, left, and Mark Strong are shown in a scene from "Kick Ass."   (AP Photo/Lionsgate, Dan Smith)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
"Kick-Ass" trailer.   (WOAI)
"I'm Still Here" trailer.   (MaplePictures)
"I Love You Phillip Morris" trailer.   (LoLoiTrailers)
"Inception" trailer.   (timefortrailer)
"Brooklyn's Finest" trailer.   (TaranetsOrgTrailers)
Clips from "Alice in Wonderland."   (Splash)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »
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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
Sphinx
Dec 19, 2010 4:33 PM CST
I agree completely about Chloe Moretz, but not about Tom Hardy. He had the best lines, but I thought Joseph Gordon-Levitt was better, and still not worth an Oscar. My favorite movie of the year was probably Scott Pilgrim vs the World though, so I don't think me and the Oscars will ever agree on what movies are good.
fractal
Dec 19, 2010 3:20 PM CST
Never pay attention to the Oscars since they dissed Spielberg and The Color Purple. And was there ever a more deserving performance then Ellen Page in Hard Candy?
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