10. Eddie Redmayne - Stephen Hawking (The Theory Of Everything)
Backlash against the winner of the Best Actor Oscar is so commonplace now, it would have been unusual if everyone had just carried on praising Eddie Redmayne's performance in The Theory Of Everything after he got his bald golden man (not a euphemism); no Best Actor winner in this century has ever unanimously been declared "the rightful winner". So, as was expected, Redmayne's win for Theory came in for criticism as soon as the ceremony closed; the fact remains, though, that his is the defining portrayal of a genius. And it'll probably continue to be so for some time - The Theory Of Everything might not be a great film, but Redmayne does give an incredible performance in it as Professor Stephen Hawking. Hawking's deterioration over the course of the picture is charted at a minute level, and that red-haired guy who sang like an overgrown choirboy in Les Miserables hits every minor note right here. There hasn't been another physically-led performance like it, ever.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
