When it comes to the Oscar race, the Best Actor race is where it’s at. There’s always a slew of phenomenal leading male performances to sift through, leading to some serious competition when it comes to just whittling it down to five nominees, let alone a winner. This year, however, the Best Actor field is a tad weak. For once, the Best Actress race is the one bursting with talent, and while there are certainly some stellar leading male performances to consider from 2015, the field doesn’t feel near as deep as it has in past years.Regardless, as we get into the heart of awards season, now seems like a fine time to take a closer look at the race for Best Actor as it stands now. There are a couple of signature performances that seem pretty safe to land nods, but beyond that it becomes much harder to parse out what’s Oscar-worthy.Are we in for yet another field of familiar faces, or will a newcomer break into the bunch? Let’s take a closer look as I break down the race for Best Actor into a couple of different categories.