Jessica Rothe – Happy Death Day 2 U
Surprisingly great for a horror-comedy slasher sequel flick, Happy Death Day 2 U hits home for me thanks to Jessica Rothe’s second bravado performance as Tree Gelbman. Although the film is a twisty, sharply edited rapid-firing comedy machine, it is surprisingly the moments with Rothe and Missy Yager as Tree’s mother that to me are the most effective moments. Rothe, who is hilarious in these films, taps wonderfully into her dramatic side as she portrays Tree’s attempts to grapple with the difficult and tempting choice of remaining in the alternate universe where her mother is still alive, as opposed to returning home to her Carter in her universe.
For those of us such as myself who have wanted just another day with a lost loved one, this remains the most effective trick of the sequel. As Tree said her emotional final goodbye to her mom, it personally helped me along a little more with the years-long process of saying goodbye to my brother. That goodbye is very much like my own imagined “last day” in my head, and Rothe plays it perfectly. Thank you, Jessica, for helping me heal just a little more. And bravo. — James @jkchart
Adam Driver and Bill Murray – The Dead Don’t Die
That both Adam Driver and Bill Murray are amazingly talented actors, we already knew but the fact that they become even more superb when you put them together in the same movie, that we got to know thanks to marvelous The Dead Don’t Die from director Jim Jarmusch. Right from the very start, it becomes clear that the chemistry between Driver and Murray is the key element that will carry the film (alongside the great performance from Tilda Swinton).
Driver as the headstrong, skillful and ruthless officer who’s clearly convinced that the end is near and Murray as the heated, stubborn but also compassionate Robertson. From that extremely witty car scene to the dinner scene and don’t get us started on that graveyard scene. The chemistry becomes even better when director Jarmusch and his way of working are being criticized in a funny way. — Liselotte @liselotte_V
Juli Jakab – Sunset
Just like with the brilliantly subtle Géza Röhrig in Son of Saul, director László Nemes loves you to be right up close and personal with his protagonists. In his latest venture, the often exquisite, melancholy Sunset, it is even more the case with his main character, Írisz Leiter. in its well over two hour running time, as the audience, we spend so much time hovering over Írisz’s shoulder with the back of her neck for company.
Juli Jakab, who appeared in Son of Saul, still had to go through the intensive audition process, which spanned ten months. And that system paid off, as Jakab embodies the illustrious, mysterious, sometimes clueless, Írisz immaculately. There’s seldom any dialogue, the atmosphere is claustrophobic, and the beautiful Jakab has to illicit all manner of muted emotions. Mainly through her vivid face, fixed like a dagger, hardly a whimper of joy or relief to be seen. Marvelous. — Robin @Filmotomy
Beanie Feldstein – Booksmart
Booksmart is at the top of my 2019 movie list right now, and it will most likely remain in my top 5. Specifically because of Amy and Molly, and their relationship. They hype each other up, make sure each other is ok. Kaitlyn and Beanie have some awesome chemistry together, I hope to see them make more movies together.
Their relationship reaches a cataclysmic halt in the movie, in a scene that is wonderfully shot, where they both call out the other’s flaws, but end up better for it. Molly is probably my favorite character of the two, though Amy spoke to me a little more. Beanie just plays her so beautifully well, capturing the essence of a girl trying to “Save” her high school experience. “Just one more thing. One more” until she loses her best friend. She experiences so much growth, it was just perfect to me. — Katie @kgilstrap13
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
A huge aspect of why I love Taron Egerton as Elton John is due to the fact that I can hardly separate the two in my brain. Taron completely disappeared into the role. He brings a side to Elton John that I don’t think many actors could have. The quick switch of emotions while getting ready to be on stage, it adds to his belief that nobody will truly love the “true Elton John.”
Seeing him have to change himself when he goes on stage is what makes it feel less like you’re watching a performance and more like you’re seeing a real person with pain and struggles. The moment that truly shows this pain is where Elton has to go on stage, right after a fight, as he walks on stage he instantly puts on a smile and goes off to the stage, I can’t stop thinking about it. — Jeff @FantasticMrJeff
Lupita Nyong’o – Us
Oscar winner and two-time BAFTA-nominated actress Lupita Nyong’o is already well-established as one of the cinematic world’s most vibrant talents. In writer/director Jordan Peele’s Us, a follow-up to Get Out (2017), his critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning treatise on American racism, Nyong’o excels beyond many A-list talents of the present, opening a realm of character habituation that is rarely demonstrated today. Her dual role as loving mother and wife Adelaide Wilson, and her wrathful, primitive Tethered counterpart Red is a masterclass in acting for the screen. Lupita’s characters do not simply enmesh themselves in their settings to make for a fine performance; instead, they bring a vivid surrealism to settings and scenes that would almost be derivative of the horror and thriller genres without Adelaide and Red.
Perhaps Ms. Nyong’o’s identity, holding citizenships in both Kenya and her native Mexico, and who graduated from American universities gives her a unique perspective on American society and culture as both insider and outsider. This double duality as Kenyan/Mexican and American immigrant certainly is an asset in studying human behaviors. Regardless, Lupita is a frontrunner for all of the Best Actress trophies come awards season. — Jasmine May
Ray Romano – Paddleton
A mix of humor and heartbreak, Paddleton gives us two unlikely friends, Andy and Michael, willing to do what it takes to help one another, even when you don’t want to. Ray Romano, as Andy, is fantastic throughout this dra-medy, honing in on a man who is in an arrested state of youth. When he’s not working, he’s eating sandwiches, watching martial arts movies and playing a made-up game with his neighbor/best friend.
When Michael is diagnosed with an incurable cancer, Andy is forced to reckon with Michael’s choice of going out on his own terms and losing the only connective tissue he has to a normal, albeit bland, life. Most awards guilds will overlook this Netflix film, and Romano may not get recognition for this performance but his acting in the final act, alongside Mark Duplass, is one of the toughest, most emotional scenes you’ll see this year. — Rodrigo @alwayscriticpod
