2012 Calvin Awards: Best Character
February 14, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
That is why we at BOP created Best Character, an award not for an actor or a screenplay, but a way to call out characters who we will remember for years to come, long after we've forgotten everything else about the movies themselves. Original characters, characters taken from books, and even characters based on real people, all are welcome in this category, as long they are awesome and memorable enough to stand out among all of the characters on screen throughout the year. Last year BOP broke this category in very well, giving the award to Mr. Brainwash, the eccentric, loquacious and ostentatious modern artist from the “documentary?” Exit Through the Gift Shop. This year we decided to go in a different direction.
The battle for the top spot in this category was extremely close, between two great characters who are better known for their silence than their words, but for making every word they do say count. Our top two contenders finished within one point of each other, but the winner in a bloody fight (is there any other kind for this character?) is The Driver. Drive was Nicolas Winding Refn's violent throwback to '80s action films, a film that was all about style and panache. The driving force behind that film (sorry), the characters that gave that film its wheels (sorry), and who really revved our engines (seriously, I'm sorry) was The Driver.
This was really Ryan Gosling's year, starring in three very different, but equally lauded films. His characters in Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Ides of March are talkative and attention-grabbing, but The Driver is mostly silent, a ghost who is able to slip unnoticed out of any situation. What the film does effectively is take this stoic, spartan character and put him into situations that are guaranteed to challenge him, both physically and emotionally. The Driver is a loner who finds himself getting close to someone, a cold businessman who is forced to choose his heart over his head. Plus, the man can chew a toothpick.
In second is a character even less talkative than The Driver, only uttering four words throughout the film, but man were they some words. That character is Caesar, who is essentially the protagonist of Rise of the Planet of the Apes if you ignore James Franco (and the movie is better if you do). Despite receiving half as many first place votes as The Driver, Caesar lost by only one point, as clearly there was a lot of broad support among the BOP staff for this hyper-intelligent ape who helped overthrow humanity. Watching Caesar trapped, tortured and alone is heartbreaking, making him one of the most sympathetic characters of the year, and kind of making everyone root against the humans.
The credit for Caesar has to be split among the Rise of the Planet of the Apes' CGI team and Andy Serkis, who has cemented his reputation as the best actor nobody would be able to recognize. The visual effects artists who created Caesar did a superb job of making him seem so real that it barely took any suspension of disbelief to watch his interactions with the human characters in the film. Had the CGI seemed fake it would have destroyed the entire movie. And what more can be said of Serkis? He is now responsible for the two greatest motion-capture characters in history, taking two very non-human characters and, in bringing them to life, finding their humanity and their soul.
Coming in a distant third, despite three first place votes, is the second version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo heroine Lisbeth Salander. In only the second year of this category's existence we already have a character making a repeat appearance, although the character is very different from the way she was portrayed in the first adaptation of Larsson's novel. There was some concern when it was announced that largely unknown actress Rooney Mara would be taking on the most talked-about part of the year as punker hacker Lisbeth Salander. But all fears were allayed by Mara's tough but vulnerable portrayal of Salander. Salander is a difficult, multi-dimensional role, and it is a testament to the two actresses who have played her that she has now made two appearances in this category.
The only character taken from real life to break into this category comes in at number four, having by far the smallest part of any character on this list. Technically Midnight in Paris is about novelist Gil Pender travelling between modern-day and 1920s Paris, but the show was stolen by the numerous portrayals of great literary figures with whom Gil interacts. Easily the most memorable was Ernest Hemingway, portrayed as an eccentric egomaniac by character actor Corey Stoll. It is difficult to say how true to reality Stoll's performance as Hemingway was, but that isn't really relevant. What matters is that Hemingway's various grand pronouncements are both entertaining and oddly poignant, making him easily the best bit part of the year.
Another character we've seen on screen before drops into the fifth spot. There was a lot of pressure on the cast of X-Men: First Class to step into roles played so well in the original trilogy, and they made the smart choice of making the roles their own, rather than trying to be as similar to their older counterparts as possible. Of course, with most great superhero movies the best part is the villain, so it is no surprise that Erik Lensherr, AKA Magneto, shows up here. Magneto is one of the most complex and fascinating villains in superhero history, and First Class did his origin story justice, showing him turn from cautiously working with the humans to fighting against them. Of course, Michael Fassbender's performance breathed life into Magneto in much the same way that Ian McKellan did.
Complex villains and wacky comic relief do not mix, but separately they tend to make for great movie characters. It is no surprise that Megan, the outrageous, socially awkward Bridesmaid who hordes puppies and finds unconventional uses for sinks, came in at number six on this list. Writers Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, and actress Melissa McCarthy, might not have made it their goal to prove that women can be just as dirty, disgusting, and hilarious as men, but they certainly accomplished that with the character of Megan. Watching her come on to a stranger on an airplane, or talk some sense into protagonist Annie, shows just how much of a scene-stealer she is.
Two charming, endearing protagonists fill in the seven and eight spots in this category, one known for his gift of gab, the other more the strong, silent type. The BOP staff is filled with fans of animated films, and without a decent Pixar film, we left it up to Rango to steal our hearts. And steal them he did, with his colorful personality and quirky brazenness winning us over. Rango as a film has more depth and complexity than one would expect from a kids picture, and the credit for that has to go to writer John Logan and director Gore Verbinski. As Rango gets in over his head we see him grow and develop as a character, finally able to embrace the hero role thrust upon him.
Meanwhile, silent movie star George Valentin has his own growing and developing to do, as he is forced to take on a role he never expected: has been. Without saying a word (well, he says a couple at the end) George Valentin is able to show so much personality, so much charm, and so much emotion. Subtlety is not a quality associated with silent films, so Jean Dujardin had to be as big and broad with his performance as possible while still making George seem like a real person. The success of that performance is undeniable, as George's journey is at times hilarious, and at other times heartbreaking.
It took a lot of guts to create a brand new muppet to star in their reboot of the Muppets franchise, but in doing so writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller gave us one of the best new characters of the year. Coming in at number nine is Walter, the star of the Muppets, whose sunny optimism is the heart and soul of The Muppets. It is clear that Segel and Stoller put a lot of themselves into Walter; his idolization of the Muppets, and the fact that he wants to be both a man and a muppet (he is able to settle on being a very manly muppet) reflects how a lot of Muppets fans feel. Man or Muppet might be the new anthem of fans of the show and the movies, and Walter will fit very neatly into the pantheon of great muppet characters.
The last character in the top ten is a fellow you might have heard of. He's British, and he knows a little magic. And his name is HARRY FRICKIN' POTTER. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was released in theaters only a few months after Box Office Prophets was created, and while it was tempting to shut down the website entirely as our way of honoring the completion of this remarkable series of films, we decided instead to list Potter as one of the best characters of the year. The evolution of Potter as a character, and Daniel Radcliffe as an actor, is remarkable to watch over the course of a decade. Harry Potter will surely be known as the greatest protagonist of any series of young adult fantasy novels for at least, like, a month, when The Hunger Games comes out.
As always in a category this crowded, a number of great characters just missed the top ten. Creepy villain Bernie Rose from Drive was a point away from the top 10, as BOP decided to do to his character what the Academy did to Albert Brooks. Another creepy villain, cult leader Patrick from indie hit Martha Marcy May Marlene, was the only character to miss the top 10 despite receiving a first place vote. On the non-creepy side of things, the suddenly studly Neville Longbottom almost joined Harry Potter on this list. BOP also came close to recognizing three complicated protagonists with luscious blond locks: Bridesmaids' Annie Walker, Young Adult's Mavis Gary, and Thor.
The Calvins: An Introduction
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture