With the year half over, it's time to look back on the first six months and what treasures they brought us. Here are the 19 performances by actors we liked most at the movies thus far this year. We hope you'll sound off on these and share a few of your own in the comments... and we hope this list serves as a reminder to Oscar, Globe, critics, and SAG voters that amazing performances can happy at any time of the year. Why wait til December to start considering your "Best of" ballot? We're not saying that all 19+ of these fellows deserve prizes, just that everyone should be keeping lists of standouts for their own pleasure and edification and to combat faulty memories as the year progresses.
Subject to Change! I regret missing the following actor-led pictures which I will catch up with as soon as I have the opportunity: The Mustang and Sorry Angel. Okay here we go...
9 FAV LEADING ACTORS
(Jan 1st - June 30th releases)
Chao Deng as "Jing Zhou/ Zi Yu" in Shadow
An amazing dual role wherein he delivers both near-camp level villany and subdued stoic masculinity sometimes in the same frame. [Awards for this performance: Best Actor nominations at both the Golden Horse Awards and the Huading Awards.]
Taron Egerton as "Elton John" in Rocketman
Such an exhaustively committed performance, that you feel that "I'm Still Standing" triumph late in the picture. How Taron, how are still standing? Plus we love an actor who can do their own vocals for a musician biopic.
Awards for this performance: TBD, Bohemian Rhapsody fatigue will likely and unfairly hurt Egerton's chances for a MUCH stronger performance than the earlier film had but at least a Golden Globe nod seems likely IF they campaign in the Musical category.
Ma Dong-Seok as the Gangster in The Gangster, the Cop, and the Devil
There's a reason he was already cast to reprise his role in the American remake.
Jonathan Majors & Jimmie Fails as "Montgomery & Jimmie" in The Last Black Man in San Francisco
What a tender and beautifully judged portrait of a close male friendship. All that plus character quirks and the texture they bring to scenes outside of the friendship where they are less comfortably themselves in the sometimes hostile world of San Francisco.
Félix Maritaud as "Leo" in Sauvage/Wild
The 26 year-old gay actor has been making quite a name for himself these past two years with uber-committed performances in racy French movies (see also: BPM and Knife+Heart), especially this one as a feral yet somehow innocent street hustler who is unable to look past the given moment, any moment. It's time for more international attention and high profile auteur opportunities. He's earned it.
Awards for this performance: Lumiere Award Winner in France "Most Promising Male Actor" and Louis Roederer Foundation "Rising Star Award" at the 71st Cannes Film Festival]
Himesh Patel as "Jack Malik" in Yesterday
How do you know a star turn that's kind of an anti-star turn (Jack is all unlikely deer-in-headlights superstar... and weirdly passive for most of the movie) is going well? When you feel for him every step of the way.
Robert Pattinson as "Monte" in High Life
Franz Rogowski as "Georg" in Transit
Two seemingly* effortless performances filled with elusive feeling.
* Performances this good aren't ever actually effortless
10 SUPPORTING ACTORS
Evan Alex as "Jason Wilson/Pluto" in Us
Wonderful in both roles
Winston Duke as "Gabe Wilson/Abraham" in Us
His dorky dad is so endearing, especially when he tries to get tough for his family or get it on with this wife.
Ralph Fiennes as "Pushkin" in The White Crow
Fiennes barely seems to move at all in this ultra-subdued performance... but it works.
Danny Glover as "Grandpa" in The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Great to see him in a quality film again.
Tim Heidecker as "Josh Tyler/Tex" in Us
Convincing as an old chill friend of the family. Even better, more surprising, and inventive as the doppelganger.
Ben Mendelsohn as "Talos/Keller" in Captain Marvel
Some actors coast through genre pictures merely by going a big bigger and broader, even Mendelsohn has been guilty of that before. But he's having so much fun in this dual (kind of) role that he seems to be rubbing off on Samuel L Jackson, too, who ups his game in this umpteenth Nick Fury reprise)
Rob Morgan as "James Sr" in The Last Black Man in San Francisco
When are people going to notice, collectively, that Morgan is one of the best character actors out there?
Will Sasso as "Terry" in American Woman
Our first glimpse of him is as a kind of visual punchline to a mischievous conversation -- that schlub? -- but he's never less that three dimensional despite never really moving inside from the periphery. We know this guy. We trust him.
Matt Smith as "Charles Manson" in Charlie Says
Perhaps not a surprising take, but the actor draws on his innate charisma and capacity for psychos, revealing inner darkness, hostile insecurities, and barely veiled manipulations.
John Turturro as "Arnold" in Gloria Bell
Bravely this is the opposite of endearing. Turturro draws you in initially with compelling sadness and regret -- you want to know more and even get Gloria's surprising attraction though she's out of his league. But the more layers he reveals... the more offputting he becomes. Back away, Gloria, get out while you can!
BONUS LIST 1
CAMEOS, LIMITED ROLES, AND VOICE PERFORMANCES WORTH NOTING
Louis Hoffman as "Teja Kremke" in The White Crow
As Nureyev's only onscreen male lover, he has a fine scene in which we see that Teja understands Nureyev's attractions to various people (not just sexually) better than Nureyev himself does. This is also a perfect excuse to point out that the 22 year-old rising German star was exceptional in a major role in the Oscar nominated Land of Mine a couple of years back.
Martin Lawrence as "Captain Wack" in Beach Bum
It's not a secret that I despised this movie and found the lead performance close to unbearable. Perhaps Lawrence amused because he wasn't given an opportunity to overstay his welcome or hit the same note repeatedly like some of his cast-mates in this short performance as an unlicensed and foolish tour guide.
Keanu Reeves as "Duke Kaboom" in Toy Story 4
The Keanussaince continues, at the mic this time.
BONUS LIST 2
GRATUITOUS SEXINESS
Carloto Cotta as "Diamantino" in Diamantino
Guileless sex appeal and adoringly dim goodness. Even the narcissism is innocent.
Hugh Dancy as "Charlie Fain" in Late Night
So casually sexy, he disrupts workplace ecosystems without even trying.
Kim Moo-Yeol as "The Cop" in The Gangster, The Cop and The Devil
Swaggering through a stock role (the rogue but heroic cop) with lots of BDE
Who were a few of your favourites thus far?