Well, folks, another year has passed. There were many movies to watch and performances to behold in the year following the Covid-19 Pandemic. As movie theaters started to open and moviegoers were steadily returning to view movies on the Silver Screen, it was the performances that we came to see and later recall with perfect memory. This is the time to rejoice and remember some of our favorite performances of the year!
Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) – The character he plays truly feels like the kind man he is supposed to be and is felt beyond the screen. His acting is compelling and involves you with the film through all of it. His true love for Jenny, the Donkey, is simply heartwarming. -Fran Lopez
Cate Blanchett (TÁR) – She is completely perfect in this role. The energy of the character is so strong that you can erase the actress completely while watching. One of the best performances I have ever seen. Also, her German is excellent! That was surprising to see and added realism to the performance. -Fran Lopez
Cate Blanchett (TAR) – Blanchett is one of the most recognizable faces of our generation, so it’s pretty incredible to see her transform into a new character that many thought was a real person. She becomes unrecognizable in minimal costuming. Tar works precisely because she was so convincing and so intricate in her performance. – Mickey Randle
Brendan Fraser (The Whale) – There’s much to be said about the movie, but the performance is indisputable. Everyone loves a comeback kid, but Frazier proves he’s more than a famous name when he portrays the emotional complications of lost love and massive weight gain. The film would be much worse off without his kind, guiding presence. You can’t help but love the character, and it’s because of Brendan Frasier. – Mickey Randle
Austin Butler (Elvis)- Austin Butler had his star-making turn portraying Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Butler succeeded in nailing the many subtle affectations Elvis was famous for. Even more so, he made the man seem like a positively likable person that anyone would’ve loved to have as a friend. A super difficult feat considering how much ground this movie covers, cramming in detail after detail in short order.- Raymond Flotat
Austin Butler (Elvis) -Austin Butler took the role of playing the iconic role of Elvis Presley, who was known for his sweet dance moves and incredibly deep voice. Watching Butler step into Presley’s shoes was like imagining how Elvis really was. Even though there are people that might’ve thought that Butler wasn’t perfect for this role, I believe he went the extra mile to completely become Elvis. It felt like for 2 hours and 40 min Elvis was alive. In fact, in some interviews, it feels like Elvis lives inside Butler due to him adapting to the mannerisms and personality, which allows believing the actor really dove deep to portray the character. – Ariana Rivera
Austin Butler (Elvis) – I feel that Austin Butler did a fantastic job embodying Elvis and commuting to the role completely. Throughout the film, the audience can see him transform into the new phase of Elvis at a specific time in his life. I felt it was believable and emotional. – Nicole Partis
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) – The Best Female performance goes to Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Yeoh has the task of playing a bitter, unfulfilled aging woman strapped with a failing business, a cratering marriage, a visit from a disapproving father, and a relationship with her daughter, who has grown to loathe her. She does all of this, and still manages to instill her character, Evelyn, with a nice, empathetic touch that requires a delicate balance. She delivers both the quiet, reserved aspects of her home life and the lively energy the fight scenes and multidimensional travel scenes require. – Ben Whitney
Ralph Fiennes (The Menu) – The Best male performance was Ralph Fiennes as Julian Slowik, the psychotic head chef in The Menu. Fiennes has never had a bad performance in his career, and Julian is no exception. Fiennes can deliver a quiet, Methodical Menace and the crippling insecurities that drive the Crazy crook, making it one of the most dimensional characters put to film. – Ben Whitney
Robert Pattinson (The Batman) – I think Robert Pattinson had the best performance of the year for male performers. He’s been working really hard to break away from the ‘Twilight’ Robert Pattinson that everyone knows and shows he’s a more skillful actor than that. ‘The Batman’ was a really good way to show his range because he’s been in mostly indie films since his ‘Twilight’ days (save from his role in ‘The Lighthouse’.) Of course, it was hard not to compare some points of Pattinson’s performance to Christian Bale’s iconic Batman in ‘The Dark Knight series. But Pattinson held his ground and really showed a new side of Batman, which most are only familiar with through video games. – Nikki Sermak
Angela Bassett (Wakanda Forever) – Angela Bassett turned in one of the better performances the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever brought forth playing the heartbroken dowager Queen Ramonda of Wakanda. Bassett takes the talent she has always so expertly exhibited and pushes the entire cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to higher heights, reveling in furious grief as her character grapples with the loss of her son T’Challa not long after losing him to the snap, and her late husband King T’Chaka just before that. – Raymond Flotat
Taking the role of a biopic is one of the hardest roles that an actor/actress can undergo. Like Austin Butler, Cuban actress Ana de Armas took the role of Marilyn Monroe. As an actress who started acting knowing zero English, it feels like Armas has come along a way since she first arrived in Los Angeles. Seeing her act in such a big and intensive role and doing it amazing is one of the greatest accomplishments for her and the Latin community she represents. It feels like Ana de Armas was born to step into this role. – Ariana Rivera
Janelle Monae (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) – I feel that Janelle Monae did a fantastic job creating different characters within Glass Onion. Janelle Monae allowed the audience to be immersed in the film, which was really wonderful. – Nicole Partis
Florence Pugh (Don’t Worry Darling) – I think Florence Pugh should have been nominated for her role in ‘Don’t Worry Darling.’ Not to say that she carried the film (Harry certainly held his ground nicely, and Chris Pine is a force himself), but Pugh really out shows everyone in it. I really enjoyed the dinner party scene where she calls out Pine’s character in front of everyone and the ending when she finds out what Harry’s character really did. (I will say Harry did a great job during the dinner party scene in making the audience on edge – is he going to blow up on her? Is he going to hit her? What’s going to happen?) But back to Florence. She has proven time and time again that she is capable of stealing the show in whatever she’s in. She was rightfully nominated for her role in ‘Little Women,’ and ‘Midsommar’ should have gotten more recognition. But ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ was a new way for her to show her emotions while giving a stunning performance. – Nikki Sermak
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