2012 Calvin Awards: Best Cast
February 14, 2012
Next up in fourth is Drive, which features a central performance by Ryan Gosling that’s deserving of all the attention it receives. His supporting players are crucial to the film’s ability to deliver on what it promises, though, particularly because the pacing is…not what you might expect. Carey Mulligan shows once again that she deserves mention amongst the finest young actresses working today, while Albert Brooks has a wholly menacing turn as a gangster (whose true personality emerges very slowly over the course of the film). Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac and Christina Hendricks are critical players as well.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 rounds out the top five. Through the eight films that have made up this series, we’ve seen practically a who’s who of British performers. Of course, the focus has always been the kids, who grew up before our very eyes on the big screen. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson make up the core group, of course, but the last film also relied upon fine work from Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy). As for the adult roles, Alan Rickman continued to shine as Snape, while Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter were consistently easy to hate.
Sixth and seventh place go to two films that bear absolutely no resemblance to one another, The Debt and Crazy, Stupid, Love. The Debt had two sets of actors portraying the same characters, the younger version of the group from 1966 and the elder group 30 years later as these events are recounted. The youth set is led by Jessica Chastain, who apparently was trying to star in every movie released in 2011, along with Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington. Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciaran Hinds portray the “modern-day” versions of the same characters. It’s tough to bridge that gap, and both sets of performers did an outstanding job of it. As for Crazy, Stupid, Love, a fabulous ensemble worked extremely well together to bring us an understated, charming comedy. Steve Carell and Julianne Moore are at the forefront, with Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, Marisa Tomei, John Carroll Lynch and Kevin Bacon all featured in supporting turns. Of course, it’s Ryan Gosling once again who delivers a character to remember, as his Jacob Palmer will be memorable for oh so many reasons – and only 10% attributable to his abs!
Our final spots in the top ten go to The Artist, Super 8 and Moneyball. The Artist has a smaller cast, but each person plays their role to perfection. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are absolute revelations, but smaller roles for John Goodman, James Cromwell and Missy Pyle are key to the film’s success – not to mention a little dog named Uggie. It’s all about the kids for Super 8, as director JJ Abrams was able to coax fine performances from Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Gabriel Basso, Riley Griffiths and Ryan Lee. Also, Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard weren’t so bad themselves, even if they are older than 14. Finally, everyone knows how good Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are in Moneyball, but the film also relies on strong supporting turns from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright and Chris Pratt.
Just missing out on spots in the top ten were Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, X-Men: First Class, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Attack the Block.
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
Top 10
|
Position |
Film |
Total Points |
1 |
The Help |
66
|
2 (tie) |
Drive |
65
|
2 (tie) |
Bridesmaids |
65
|
4 |
Midnight in Paris |
63
|
5 |
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 |
53
|
6 |
The Debt |
49
|
7 (tie) |
Crazy Stupid Love |
44
|
7 (tie) |
The Artist |
44
|
9 |
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy |
43
|
10 (tie) |
Moneyball |
41
|
10 (tie) |
Super 8 |
41
|
Continued:
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2
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