2007 Best Actor Nominees

Today’s Oscar preview is of the Best Actor nominees.

Unfortunately, I have only seen The Last King of Scotland but Half Nelson is my Netflix that is arriving tomorrow. (Who knows, maybe I will get two snow days in a row and be able to watch it!)

Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer, an ex-mercenary and diamond smuggler, in Blood Diamond

This is DiCaprio’s third Oscar nomination; he has never won.

What the critics have said:

“Blood Diamond works because of the performance from DiCaprio, which is stunning. Talk about rising above the material.” — Liz Braun, Jam! Movies

“DiCaprio gives a masterful performance. He’s become a man’s man with powerful on-screen presence.” — Victoria Alexander, Filmsinreview.com

“What you will remember from the film though, is the performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, in his most impressive work since he was a teenage wunderkind.” — Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Ryan Gosling as Dan Dunne, an inner-city teacher battling a drug addiction, in Half Nelson

This is Gosling’s first Oscara nomination.

What the critics have said:

“Gosling inhabits Dan with every feature of his face and particle of his body and soul.” — Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

“Gosling’s acting is the highlight here. He sets the bar for the rest of the cast, and those around him rise to the challenge.” — Krista Vitola, Premiere Magazine

“The star of the piece is definitely Gosling: so sweet, so smart, so troubled, and so much the jerk. There’s no vanity in the actor as Dan gives in to his demons.” — Pam Grady, Reel.com

Peter O’Toole as Maurice, an aging actor whose life is turned upside down when he meets a teenager, in Venus.

This is O’Toole’s eighth Oscar nomination; he has never won.

What the critics have said:

“It may be Peter O’Toole’s last truly great performance.” — Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com

What makes this film the perfect career nightcap for Peter the great is the nimbus of rakish doom he has always cultivated.”– Kyle Smith, New York Post

“O’Toole gives a staggering performance — fearless, defiantley untamed and in its own way a work of art.” — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Will Smith as Chris Gardner, a single father who works Wall Street by day and is homeless by night, in The Pursuit of Happyness.

This is Smith’s second Oscar nomination; he has never won.

What the critics have said:

“What ultimately keeps Happyness on track is Will Smith’s perfectly pitched performance.” — Ethan Alter, Film Journal International

“Smith hasn’t delivered this kind of earnest, emotionally raw performance since Ali, and his Chris Gardner is every bit as complex.” — Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Will Smith has the right quality for the role — he’s an easy man to root for — but he augments this by channeling some inner quality of desperation and need.”–Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin, the dictator of Uganda, in The Last King of Scotland.

This is Whitaker’s first Oscar nomination; he is the favorite to win.

What the critics have said:

“Whitaker carries the film on his broad shoulders, creating a realistic and frightening portrait of one of the world’s most elusive and notorious figures.” — Kim Voynar, Cinematical

“The movie’s real power, and true greatness, comes from Whitaker. Whether or not it’s forgotten at awards season, it’s guaranteed to be remembered for a long time to come.” — Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

“We are in awe not that the character is so wildly unstable, but that Whitaker has made such a wildly unstable character seem so natural.” — Erice D. Snider, EricDSnider.com