The Inspection<\/em><\/h3>\nSince both the big world premieres at NYFF were female-fronted titles, we’re light on Best Actor news this week. So let’s take a moment for The Inspection<\/em>, the military memoir that’s closing out the festival. Broadway-veteran Pope is a real discovery as a gay Marine recruit trying to make it through basic training, his face carrying a heavy load of conflicting impulses. He seems primed for Breakthrough Performance attention, but since A24 seems to be putting all their chips on Fraser, internal competition might foreclose the possibility of anything more.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
Current Predix<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Austin Butler Elvis<\/em>; Colin Farrell The Banshees of Inisherin<\/em>; Brendan Fraser The Whale<\/em>; Hugh Jackman, The Last<\/em>; Bill Nighy, living<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\nBest Actress<\/h2>\n\n
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up<\/span>\n <\/div>\nDanielle Deadwyler Till<\/em><\/h3>\nWhat if they made the entire movie out of the Oscar clip? As a grieving mother forced into activism, Deadwyler is receiving almost unanimous raves. \u201cShe embodies every single inch of Mamie, body and soul,\u201d says critic Ronda Racha Penrice. \u201cWhat she does with her face and body language is never short of mesmerizing.\u201d Giving a powerhouse performance in an incredibly Oscar-friendly role, Deadwyler joins a legion of heavy hitters in this category. They can’t all make it in, but the heft of the part will help level the field for the Station Eleven <\/em>alum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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down<\/span>\n <\/div>\nCarey Mulligan She Said<\/em><\/h3>\nCan Mulligan follow up her Promising Young Woman <\/em>nomination with another here? While she’s plenty good as Megan Twohey, the hardened, hard-charging member of the reporting duo, the film’s two-handed nature will make it hard for her to break out: She’s offscreen for stretches as her partner travels the globe for leads.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
Current Predix<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Cate Blanchett tar<\/em>; Olivia Colman, Empire of Light<\/em>; Danielle Deadwyler Till<\/em>; Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans<\/em>; Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\nBest Supporting Actor<\/h2>\n\n
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up<\/span>\n <\/div>\nBrendan Gleeson The Banshees of Inisherin<\/em><\/h3>\nThe reason Farrell popped up on SNL <\/em>is that his co-star Gleeson was hosting the season premiere, and if this week’s promo appearances are anything to go by, the banshees<\/em> campaign looks predicated on getting the two of them in the same room together as much as possible. The banter’s worth it for its own sake, but it also cements the pair as a package deal as each looks for their first career nomination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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down<\/span>\n <\/div>\nMark Rylance Bones and All<\/em><\/h3>\nSince his Oscar breakout Call Me By Your Name<\/em>, Luca Guadagnino has gone in the exact opposite direction, following his muse down a series of increasingly bloody rabbit holes. His new cannibal romance seems unlikely to catch the Academy’s favor, but if there is a standout, it’s Mark Rylance, serving a vibe you might call \u201cflesh-eating Southern dandy,\u201d who had the audience eating out of his hand (not like that ) during my NYFF screening.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
Current Predix<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Paul Dano The Fabelmans<\/em>; Brendan Gleeson The Banshees of Inisherin<\/em>; Judd Hirsch The Fabelmans<\/em>; Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once<\/em>; Ben Whishaw, Women Talking<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\nBest Supporting Actress<\/h2>\n\n
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up<\/span>\n <\/div>\nZoe Kazan, She Said<\/em><\/h3>\nShe Said<\/em> positions its two leads as a true partnership, and to that end, it looks like both of them will compete in Best Actress. But if you’ll forgive me for clamoring for category fraud, it might make sense to run Kazan’s Jodi Kantor in Supporting, where there’s more room for her reactive, open-hearted performance. Still, I understand why they wouldn’t: Not only would it undercut the movie’s message, it would also crowd out She Said<\/em>‘s actual supporting players Jennifer Ehle and Samatha Morton, both of whom give heart-stirring turns as ex-Weinstein employees wrestling with how much to give away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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down<\/span>\n <\/div>\nWhoopi Goldberg Till<\/em><\/h3>\nGoldberg pulls double duty on Till<\/em>, lending her industry clout to the project as a producer while also playing Till-Mobley’s mother. She ably supports Deadwyler’s performance, but the part is probably not flashy enough for Oscar. As Murtada Elfadl notes, the primary benefit of casting Whoopi is extra textual: \u201cshe She’s family. And because of that, seeing her as Emmett Till’s family makes this story more urgent\u2026 It happened in our family.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
Current Predix<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Jessie Buckley Women Talking<\/em>; Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin<\/em>; Dolly de Leon Triangle of Sadness<\/em>; Claire Foy, Women Talking<\/em>; Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n