Best Male Performances of 2014

In this double feature, I will be counting down the best acting performances given by both male and female actors. They are separated by gender, because I really struggled to put a great male performance up against a great female performance and pick one over the other. So I have separated them, and below you will find the top ten performances given by actors, with one honorable mentions.

HONORABLE MENTION: Steve Carell- John du Pont- Foxcatcher

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell is famous for being funny. He's hilarious in almost every movie he's in. I say almost, because in Foxcatcher, he's not funny. He's actually quite frightening. He's the disturbed millionaire coach who's obsessed with getting a gold medal, and obsessed with the two Olympic brothers who can get him it. It's a transformative role that has him the subject of universal praise. He doesn't even look like himself, with all the prosthetics he's wearing. And his body language speaks volumes.

Quote: "Coach is the father. Coach is the mentor. Coach has great power on an athlete's life."

#10. Andy Serkis- Caesar- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

One day, in a perfect world, this guy will get nominated for an Oscar. Andy Serkis is known for playing Caesar in this series, as well as King Kong in King Kong and Gollum in The Lord of the Rings series. He's basically the motion-capture king. As Caesar, he elevates what he did in Rise of the Planet of the Apes by leaps and bounds. That movie saw Caesar finding out who he was, and dealing with his identity. Here, he's the fearless leader of the apes, who actually doesn't hate the humans. He wants them to respect his community, but he'll sacrifice to preserve the relationship with the apes, as well as with the species that raised him. It's such a complex performance that sadly was overlooked by awards circuits.

Quote: "Ape always seeks strongest branch."

#9. Bradley Cooper- Chris Kyle- American Sniper

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR
I'm a big fan of Bradley Cooper. He was a great comedic actor a couple years ago, but I've loved his transformation. This transformation into serious acting peaks with American Sniper, where he plays the troubled Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Absent from many awards circuits this year, his Oscar nomination was a bit of a surprise. After seeing the movie, he deserves the nomination 100%. He's unrecognizable. He walks and talks just like Kyle, and takes on his persona with such ease, it's almost scary to watch, but Cooper is mesmerizing in every second he's onscreen.

Quote:  "Now I'm willing and able to...to be there, but I'm not. I'm here. I quit."

#8. Ralph Fiennes- Monsieur Gustave H.- The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel was released on March 28. That's a long time ago, and yet it's still in everyone's memory enough to win it the many accolades it has received. And the leading man in this movie is Ralph Fiennes as the legendary concierge Monsieur Gustave H. He's hilarious, he's witty, and he's got charm. He'll likely either be saying something ridiculous, or doing something ridiculous every second of screentime. But it's a surprisingly sophisticated role in a surprisingly sophisticated comedy. This is one of my favorite movies of the year, and this man makes the movie.

Quote: "Confused, indeed. The plot thickens, as they say. Why, by the way? Is it a soup metaphor?"


#7. David Oyelowo- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- Selma

As many people can guess, Selma kind of relies on David Oyelowo's performance. And holy cow, what a performance! This actor didn't get an Oscar nomination, which is robbery! How can Selma be nominated for Best Picture, when the man who made it work doesn't get nominated? Oyelowo is British, but you cannot tell. He takes on Dr. King's dialect and voice, so I wasn't even able to tell. I can't even picture this man being an actor, he just seems like Martin Luther King in every way possible. Selma would never be possible if it weren't for this man's tremendous skill.

Quote: "We will not wait any longer! We're not asking - we're demanding! Give us the vote!"

#6. Jake Gyllenhaal- Lou Bloom- Nightcrawler

This is by far, the most disturbing performance given by a male actor I saw this year. Jake Gyllenhaal just becomes this character. He's hardworking, and wants to see his name up in lights. And he's willing to do anything to get there, even blackmail his boss, and become a "nightcrawler" (a person who videotapes late-night crime scenes in a TMZ fashion). He blinks maybe three times the entire movie. I'm not even joking. He also smiles and gives out weird advice straight to the camera. It's pretty scary to watch him act. Despite what the name suggests, it's not a horror movie, but he is so scary.

Quote: "My motto is: If you want to win the lottery, you've got to make the money to buy a ticket."

#5. Mark Ruffalo- Dave Schultz- Foxcatcher

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
But isn't Steve Carell the revelation of Foxcatcher? I'd say it's evenly split. While Carell presents us with a transformative and creepy performance, he doesn't have a lot of screen time. Mark Ruffalo on the other hand, deserves more recognition for his role as wrestling champion Dave Schultz. He's the moral compass. He's the good guy in this horrifying true story. He transformed as well, looking and talking nothing like the same actor who we all know as the Hulk. I just wish more people focused on his role, because if you know what really happens, you know that his performance is key to the story.

Quote: "Mark...what's he get out of all this? Have you stopped and wondered? What does he gain?"

#4. Benedict Cumberbatch- Alan Turing- The Imitation Game

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR
This movie is almost just a showcase for Benedict Cumberbatch's acting skill. I say almost, because the movie is more than just an acting showcase. But for the acting part of it...WOW does Cumberbatch stun as Turing. Oppressed by society, shamed for his differences, but not willing to give up, Alan Turing is an incredible character. His struggle is what gives the movie its name, and it's truly sad to learn from the title credits at the film's close that such a brilliant and life-changing man did not get recognized like he should have. There are a lot of ways one could play the character, but Cumberbatch's comes off as respectful, as well as powerful.

Quote: " Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. But remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes...hollow."

#3. Michael Keaton- Riggan Thomson/Birdman- Birdman

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR
I'm all for the Keaton renaissance. And I'm not actually even that big a fan of Tim Burton's Batman series, I much prefer Christopher Nolan's. I just love how he's re-invented his career with this one role. It pokes fun at his own life, while also displaying the stark truth of the industry, and I wouldn't be shocked to learn that the sadder parts of Riggan's life may be paralleled by Keaton's own life after Batman. With all these great actors, he's my favorite come Oscar night. I just fully appreciate an actor willing to change their career like he has here. I hope they think like I do.

Quote: "People, they love blood. They love action. Not this talky, depressing, philosophical bullsh*t."

#2. J.K. Simmons- Terence Fletcher- Whiplash

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
This is the man walking away with an Oscar. If he doesn't it will be a HUGE upset. Nobody in the whole awards show deserves it like he does (maybe the #1). He legitimately terrifies you as Terence Fletcher, the sadistic music instructor. Every time he gives a death glare, the whole audience tensed up in anticipation. You could never predict what this twisted man would do. What's even more baffling to me, is that in all of his acceptance speeches, Simmons is said to be a very nice guy. So his ability to become such a horribly evil person is the result of fantastic acting ability.

Quote: "There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job."

 #1. Eddie Redmayne- Stephen Hawking- The Theory of Everything

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR
J.K. Simmons was pretty perfect, but there's one actor I feel beat him by a hair. And that's Eddie Redmayne's performance as Stephen Hawking. As Hawking, his physical acting speaks so much louder than his words. And that's not because Hawking is silent for a large part of the movie. Seeing Redmayne embody this man, and believably deteriorating into his horrific diagnosis of ALS is a marvel to watch. It's a rough movie. It's not easy seeing him become a shell of his former self. But I think it's one of the most compelling performances I've seen in recent memory, and that's why he's at the top. If you haven't seen the movie, see it as soon as its available. You won't be disappointed.

Quote: "However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there is life, there is hope."