 Johnny
DeppPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl  t's
not often comic performances capture Oscar, but Depp's rock star-like portrayal
of
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Captain Jack Sparrow just might steal the
Academy's heart. Depp admits to borrowing Keith Richards' mannerisms to create
his hilarious, scene-stealing swashbuckler. It doesn't hurt that People magazine
recently proclaimed him The Sexiest Man Alive. After unforgettable performances
in Edward Scissorhands,
Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood, and so many others, perhaps Depp's
pirate will help him collect the gold. Surprisingly, this is his first Oscar
nomination.
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 Ben
KingsleyHouse of Sand and Fog  e've known of Kingsley's phenomenal
talent ever since Gandhi (1982). His first starring
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role in a movie made an indelible impression
and won him the Oscar for Best Actor. He was later nominated for Supporting
Actor for Bugsy (1991) and again for Best Actor in
Sexy Beast (2000). Kingsley gives a powerfully moving performance
in House of Sand and Fog as a former Iranian colonel caught in an emotional life-or-death struggle with a woman (Jennifer Connelly) over the ownership of a house. Kingsley is in full command of every scene.
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 Jude
LawCold Mountain  he past year has been one of the
highest highs and lowest lows for Law. The actor has described the year as
painful,
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strengthening, rewarding and heartbreaking.
While his six-year marriage to Sadie Frost came to an end, on the up side,
critics raved about him in Cold Mountain. As Inman, a wounded and
war-weary Confederate soldier, he deserts his company and makes the perilous
journey home to North Carolina to be reunited with his sweetheart Ada (Nicole
Kidman). Though his performance is understated, Law makes the audience
feel the intense determination driving him home. Law was nominated once before
in the supporting category for
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).
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 Bill
MurrayLost in Translation  e's entertained us with dozens of
priceless comic performances dating back to his years on Saturday Night Live
(1977-
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1980). Who
knew it would take director
Sofia Coppola to nudge him towards an Oscar victory? Determined to get
Murray for the role of aging, disillusioned B-movie star Bob Harris, she
hounded him for months. Coppola created a role for him which plays up his sweet
and loveable side, exploring Bob's unlikely but intimate friendship with
Charlotte (Scarlett
Johansson). Murray conveys so much with his eyes and body language and
still makes us laugh (witness his run-in with an out of control exercise
machine). But it's no joke. He's a strong contender on Oscar night.
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 Sean
PennMystic River  obbed of the Oscar for his superb
performance in Dead Man Walking (1995),
Penn is a frontrunner for his anguished
portrayal
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of a grieving
father in Clint Eastwood's
Mystic River. Not one to play the Oscar game, Penn's brooding, bad boy
reputation could affect the vote, but his work in both Mystic River and
21 Grams is hard to ignore. Critic A.O. Scott of The New York
Times calls Penn's performance in Mystic River, "Not only one
of the best of the year, but also one of the definitive pieces of screen acting
in the last half-century." Watch and see if Academy members agree.
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