Kell's Awards - Leads and Supporters

The Oscars are tonight, and in honor of them, I've chosen MY candidates for the best movies, crew and actors of the year. Here are the awards for best Leads and Supporters:


Best Leading Actor --
Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes)

I'm going to admit this right now -- I've never seen a Robert Downey Jr. movie that I didn't enjoy, and this certainly isn't any exception. Sherlock Holmes was starting to turn into this worn-out, iconic character that anyone could be by slapping on a deer-hunting cap and taking up a magnifying glass and pipe. But Downey has breathed new life into Holmes, drawing an obsession out of me and making me realize that this character isn't just a pipe-wielding geek. His Holmes is highly intelligent, attentive, and classical, keeping a lot of the character's best-known traits (aforementioned pipe, cocaine addiction, etc), but also bringing new or lesser-known traits into the picture, such as his dependance on Watson. The result is an overwhelmingly cute while unbelievably badass performance.


Best Supporting Actor --
Jeffery Dean Morgan (Watchmen)

The Comedian of the graphic novel was a complete nut-job. Hell, even Ozymandias claimed that he was 'practically a Nazi'. He's a murderer, a rapist, and, according to him, the realization of the American Dream. Bringing this kind of superhero to the big screen would prove to be a tough job. What kind of movie-goer wants to go into a theater and find themselves face to face with someone like that? Morgan made the character disgusting, but also fascinating. Watching the fall of his Comedian was rather like watching a train wreck in progress. He was a terrible person, but you just couldn't bring yourself to look away. The character was fleshed out by the fact that, if not to that extent, everyone knows a jackass like the Comedian. Morgan kept the character believable, which was part of why it was so eerie.


Best Leading Actress --
Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia)

As an actress who is currently doing so myself, I can tell you that portraying real people is the one of the hardest things a performer can do. It's not up to you how you portray them. There's no choice in the matter, especially if they're still alive. You've got to worry about whether you're doing it right. You've got to worry about whether they will or would have liked your performance. Meryl Streep hit the nail on the head with this one. Her portrayl of Julia Child is brilliant, accurate, and ever-so-slightly comedic, poking fun at all the right things while remaining respectful. It's an incredibly difficult task, but Streep does it gorgeously.


Best Supporting Actress --
Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes)

Devious, feminine, and dripping with confidence, Irene Adler is the perfect opposing force for Sherlock Holmes, and Rachel McAdams was the perfect choice to portray her. Her charming smile and ladylike demeanor fit the character of Adler like a glove, showing an independant woman living in a man's world who refuses to be held back by her sex. However, as Holmes finds out in his first encounter with her, she's a criminal first and a woman second. McAdams portrays Adler as a woman who can hold her own in bustles and lace as well as trousers and suspenders, an infamous criminal, and, as much as Holmes hates to admit it, 'the one that got away'. Adler knows she drives him crazy and plays with it, even taking advantage of him to satisfy her lust. Past actresses have portrayed Adler as either a tomboy or a perfect lady, but McAdams has, in my opinion, done it right, portraying her as both.