For this years acting nominees, and for my YouTube (YouTube.com/macthemovieguy), I reviewed another title from each of the nominees with the goal that each film had audio description. It didn’t quite work out perfectly, but some were featured in a few films worth mentioning. Here’s a rundown of the nominees, and another performance of theirs to check out.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Robert Downey Jr (Oppenheimer)

Also was in Tropic Thunder, which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. It’s a complicated film to talk about and it isn’t even that old. I’m not sure how RDJ feels about this performance, but I do think he’s brilliant. The idea is skewering those who take method acting too far. For anyone who really follows actors, it is very likely you’ve heard some bizarre story. This was available on Paramount Plus with audio description. I’ve seen the film several times before, and I’m a big fan. I feel weird about being a fan of this, so if this isn’t your thing, it’s totally understandable. But, “I don’t read the script, the script reads me” is one of the funniest lines I’ve heard in a film.

Robert DeNiro (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

So, for DeNiro, I wanted to bring light to an often overlooked 90’s film called Flawless. Not only does it feature a strong performance from Robert DeNiro, but Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a pre-transition neighbor who ends up agreeing to help the rather bigoted DeNiro with therapy through singing. it’s possibly the best thing Joel Schumacher has ever directed, since nothing blows up. both Hoffman and DeNiro are terrific, and this film is sadly without audio description. I pulled it from the Roku channel. But, DeNiro does pop up in other films on this list that do have audio description.

Sterling K Brown (American Fiction)

Honestly, he just doesn’t have a massive film resume. He has a lot of voice work, but also he has done movies I already had reviews for, like Black Panther. I was interested in waves, as I had heard a lot about that film. It landed on Netflix at just the right time, but sadly Netflix didn’t provide audio description. It really does need it, but what i gleaned from Brown’s performance is the same from all of his work. He is a great actor that was always destined to be nominated.

Ryan Gosling (Barbie)

I took advantage of Gosling’s nomination to rewatch The Ides Of March, which was on MAX with audio description. Miles Neff did the description for the Media Access Group, and this was better than I remembered it. It is not a perfect film, but the acting is really strong. Gosling shares the screen with fellow nominees Jeffrey Wright and Paul Giamatti, who both do exceptional work in supporting roles.

Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

For this exciting entry, i chose to revisit a favorite of mine that actually has audio description and features Ruffalo. 13 Going On 30, which was on Netflix with audio description, is perhaps not the best movie for Ruffalo’s acting talents. But he is a good choice for romantic lead and plays well with Jennifer Garner. This is a comfort film of mine, which I’ve seen at least 10 times, so it had the benefit of having already won me over. Perhaps if you can Count On Me had audio description instead, maybe i would have revisited that.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The holdovers)

For Randolph, i revisited her buzzy performance in Dolemite is My Name, which she did pick up some awards attention for back a few years ago. It didn’t materialize, but looking back on this Eddie Murphy starrer, and Randolph still steals scenes playing a much younger love interest to the man who would be Dolemite.

America Ferrera (barbie)

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I disagree with this nomination, and I wanted to make it clear it’s not because i don’t love America. Her debut performance in Real Women Have Curves is terrific. There’s a scene where she’s talking to a door near the end that is heartbreaking. but, despite this being on MAX, it doesn’t have audio description. It’s a shame, because it is her best dramatic work, and she’s the lead.

Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer)

Blunt had so many great choices out there. I went with a rewatch of Denis villneuve’s Sicario, which was on Amazon with audio description. It’s not my favorite film of his, because he’s a little like Christopher Nolan, and i like his body of work.blunt is tough, serious, and badass as she navigates this difficult crime thriller. This narration was done by the team at Deluxe, narrated by Darren Polish.

Jodie Foster (Nyad)

For Foster, i went with something I’d never seen before. i went all the way back to candleshoe, which was delightful. She’s quite good in it, and it was much more enjoyable than I expected. A bit predictable, but her charisma is off the charts. No wonder her career has sustained so long. This is on Disney Plus with narration by Roundabout, narrated by Andrew Thatcher.

Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple)

If I had the time, I’d love to break down how she deserved a nomination for her role in Orange Is The New Black. thank God, she finally is getting recognized. brooks is great in everything. I chose Clemency for her, a really tough and dark drama about death row that she has a nice supporting turn in. Veronica Hicks was the narrator here.

LEADING ACTOR

Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

For Murphy, I went after one of his underrated performances in a film that i should have been able to use for Rachel macadams, as she should have been nominated this year. but alas, Murphy get to represent Red Eye, a delightful and short thriller that still slaps. Brian Cox is also in this, and we need to get him that Oscar nomination now. This was directed by the late Wes Craven, and had audio description on Paramount Plus.

Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

The star of American Fiction is also in the aforementioned The Ides Of March. but, he was also in the film Confirmation, which was an HBo original about the Anita hill trials, that plays very weird now as Greg Kinnear is featured prominently as joe Biden. Wright plays the attorney for Hill (played amazingly by Kerry Washington), and he does solid work. He always does.

Coleman Domingo (Rustin)

For Coleman, I was able to use Tubi, because they had Zola, and it was audio described. The last time I tried to watch this, it was on Showtime and didn’t have it, so now I got the full experience of his performance. He’s freakishly good playing the bad guy, as witnessed also this year in The Color Purple. In Zola, it’s a wild role, but he nails it.

Bradley Cooper (Maestro)

For Cooper, my choice helped even out DeNiro, as Netflix was hosting Silver Linings Playbook with audio description. i do still love this film, even on my 4th or 5th viewing, and it always works for me. The whole cast is excellent, and I think this film gets shafted a little because it isn’t tonally so heavy. It has some darker moments, but it feels very real.

Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

Again, since I had already technically reviewed a film with him that was audio described (The Ides of March), I felt OK trying to explain why MAX should add audio description to John Dies At The End. He’s not the star here either, but he does make a sizable contribution to the film.

ACTRESS

Emma Stone (poor Things)

For Bella Baxter, I went back to The house Bunny, which had audio description on Netflix This is narrated by Alex Newman of ITFC. Stone has so much early comedic talent down pat, it’s easy to forget this was one of her first films, and that it also features Anna Faris, Katherine McPhee, Colin Hanks, and Kat Dennings.

Sandra Hueller (Anatomy Of A Fall)

At the time, The Zone Of Interest was not on VOD, so I literally just rewatched this film. Hueller is an international star, and her audio described catalog is small. I had a screener copy, so I just explored her nominated performance a second time.

Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

It’s exactly what I did for Lily as well. i rewatched Killers Of The Flower Moon. I’ve seen her also this year in The Unknown Country, but that didn’t have audio description. Certain Women wasn’t currently hosted with audio description at the time either. So, the same film.

Carey Mulligan (Maestro)

Mulligan happened to be in my favorite Baz luhrmann film, The Great Gatsby, which was also on Netflix with audio description. So, I watched this again for the 4th or 5th time, offering more reasons why I really enjoy this, and think it’s the best of Baz.

Annette Bening (Nyad)

I picked the film Bening could have easily won for, her starring turn in Being Julia. This was another ITFC, narrated by James O’Hara. She’s incredible in this film, and deserves all the accolades. She’s not alone, Jeremy Irons also delivers a strong performance.

Those are the 20.