LMP
Blue Crack Supplier
Funny you mention Stallone,
He gave a big speech why Mickey has to win
the jest of his reasoning, Mickey lived this, this is Mickey's life!!
Where is the streach for Mickey's work or even Jenkin's work?
both good actors
but when you hear them interviewed, they sound just like their characters.
Penn and Langella each took their craft to a new and greater place.
Nicole Kidmans best work was in The Hours,
William Heard, Kiss of the Spider Woman
The French actress, from last year Mairion, again great and demanding work.
Do some people just want actors to win because they related to the story or character? They liked the character or movie more?
Penn and Langella did tremendous jobs in their respective films, don't get me wrong. Biopics are largely hit-or-miss, and while they may not be my favorite genre, these performances are by-and-large some of the best I've seen from it, you know? You forget you're watching these guys perform after a while, which is exactly what should happen in the first place... not look like they're trying too hard (ie: Jamie Foxx in Ray).
Rourke and Jenkins, on the other hand, created these characters from scratch, and to me, that just uses a different set of skills in the actor's toolbox. While Rourke's story gets a ton of press because it's "news-worthy" or his lost career is a huge topic of conversation, that doesn't take away from how poignant and engrossing his actual performance is. Again, I'm no film scholar, but from what I've seen, I'd put it in the top-tier of modern acting performances.
I've seen Jenkins do character work here and there. Hell, he was fantastic in both Step Brothers and Burn After Reading this year, too, but to see him carry that smaller film was pretty nifty. He has an everyman quality that other big-name actors around his age couldn't pull off. It's a matter of right place/right time, which is also a mark of a great performance for me.
So to answer your question, I think you're drawn more to actors you like previously, but certain performances can turn you onto liking new ones, you know? I wasn't the biggest fan of Colin Farrell, but his In Bruges perf is swaying me in that direction. Same with Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married. Where the fuck did that come from?
It's hard to say "that guy worked harder/deserved it more" and make acting into something more competitive than it really is. It boils down to personal preference, and in this case, even when I like every performance in the Actor category, I'm siding with The Ram.