Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Results

5. Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles - McKay recreates Orson Welles effectively unfortunately the film fails to give him the opportunity to truly delve into the man.

Best Scene: Welles's outburst on stage.

4. Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins - A fairly simple and small role, but Tse makes his character very endearing and in turn makes his final scene very moving.

Best Scene: Si tries to slow the assassin down.

3. Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank- Fassbender combines the right amount of sleaze and charm to his character, although this is not his best performance from 2009.

Best Scene: Connor takes advantage of Mia.

2. Peter Capaldi in In The Loop - Capaldi gives a extremely entertaining and properly intense performance as the foul mouthed fixer Malcolm Tucker. Every scene he is in is a treat, and when the film asks a little more of him Capaldi is more than up to the task.

Best Scene: Malcolm's introduction. 

1. Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen- Good Predictions Koook and Kevin. The film adaptation of Watchmen did not get everything right but one thing it did which was genius was casting Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian. The Comedian is a complex character and Morgan does not simplify any aspect of him. He gives a powerful performance that is unflinching in the realization of a brute, but also manages to believably allow the man some charm with a semblance of a soul somewhere in him.

Best Scene: The Watchmen's meeting.

Overall Ranking:

1. Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
2. Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen
3. Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen
4. Peter Capaldi in In The Loop
5. Michael Fassbender in Inglorious Basterds
6. August Diehl in Inglorious Basterds
7. Tom Hollander in In The Loop
8. Robert Duvall in The Road
9. Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank
10. Denis Menochet in Inglourious Basterds
11. Timothy Spall in The Damned United
12. Paul Higgins in In The Loop
13. Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins
14. Woody Harrelson in Zombieland
15. David Rasche in In The Loop
16. Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles
17. Fred Melamed in A Serious Man
18. Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
19. Michael Gambon in The Half-Blood Prince
20. Steve Buscemi in The Messenger
21. John Malkovich in The Great Buck Howard 
22. Billy Crudup in Public Enemies 
23. Richard Sammel in Inglorious Basterds
24. Michael K. Williams in The Road
25. Peter Sarsgaard in An Education
26. Wang Xueqi in Bodyguards and Assassins
27. Mark Strong in Sherlock Holmes
28. Jim Broadbent in The Half-Blood Prince 
29. Daniel Bruhl in Inglourious Basterds
30. James Gandolfini in In The Loop
31. Sam Shepard in Brothers
32. Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes
33. Alan Rickman in The Half-Blood Prince
34. Val Kilmer in Bad Lieutenant 
35. Donnie Yen in Bodyguards and Assassins
36. Karl Urban in Star Trek
37. Colm Meaney in The Damned United
38. Zach Woods in In The Loop
39. Tom Felton in The Half-Blood Prince
40. Shea Whigham in Bad Lieutenant 
41. Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds
42. Chris Addison in In The Loop
43. Brad Dourif in Bad Lieutenant 
44. Robbie Coltrane in The Half-Blood Prince
45. Matt Damon in Invictus
46. Liev Schreiber in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
47. Xzibit in Bad Lieutenant
48. Guy Pearce in The Road
49. David James in District 9
50. Jason Bateman in State of Play
51. Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
52. Steve Coogan in In The Loop
53. Mengke Bateer in Bodyguards and Assassins
54. Scott Bakula in The Informant!
55. B.J. Novak in Inglourious Basterds 
56. Simon Pegg in Star Trek
57. Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
58. Patrick Wilson in Watchmen
59. Ben Affleck in State of Play
60. Liam Cunningham in Harry Brown
61. Alfred Molina in An Education
62. Eric Bana in Star Trek 
63. David Thewlis in The Half-Blood Prince
64. Til Schweiger in Inglourious Basterds
65. Oliver Platt in 2012
66. Danny Huston in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
67. Ben Cross in Star Trek 
68. Tom Hanks in The Great Buck Howard
69. Gedeon Burkhard in Inglourious Basterds
70. Eric Tsang in Bodyguards and Assassins
71. Richard Kind in A Serious Man
72. Zhang Hanyu in Bodyguards and Assassins 
73. J.K. Simmons in Up in the Air
74. Robert Duvall in Crazy Heart
75. Christian Bale in Public Enemies
76. Stephen Lang in Avatar
77. Billy Crudup in Watchmen 
78. Michael Imperioli in The Lovely Bones
79. Eddie Marsan in Me and Orson Welles
80. Wang Po-chieh in Bodyguards and Assassins
81. Leon Lai in Bodyguards and Assassins
82. Gary Oldman in A Christmas Carol
83. Rupert Grint in The Half-Blood Prince
84. Hu Jun  in Bodyguards and Assassins
85. Mike Myers in Inglourious Basterds
86. Jason Bateman in Up in the Air
87. Colin Farrell in Crazy Heart
88. Paul Giamatti in The Last Station
89. Colin Firth in A Christmas Carol
90. Jonah Hill in Funny People
91. James Tupper in Me and Orson Welles
92. Woody Harrelson in 2012
93. Ben Chaplin in Me and Orson Welles
94. Leo Bill in Me and Orson Welles
95. Nicholas Hoult in A Single Man
96. Geoffrey Arend in 500 Days of Summer
97. Robert Wisden in Watchmen
98. Eli Roth in Inglourious Basterds
99. Matthew Goode in Watchmen
100. Anton Yelchin in Star Trek

Next Year: 1961 Lead

Read More

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank and Michael Fassbender and August Diehl in Inglourious Basterds

Michael Fassbender did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Connor in Fish Tank.

Fish Tank is a somewhat interesting companion piece to An Education as it is a very similar story about teenage girl's, in this film named Mia(Katie Jarvis), relationship with an older man but modern set and considerably grittier.

All of the performances by Michael Fassbender that I have reviewed have been directed by Steve McQueen and have resulted in particularly intense and emotional performances. This film is not directed by Steve McQueen and in turn results in far more casual performance from Fassbender as he portrays a seemingly average guy who is the new boyfriend of Mia's mother Joanne(Kierston Wareing). Although he is the mother's boyfriend he attempts to befriend Mia her daughter as well as her younger daughter at the same time. Early on it is certainly interesting to Fassbender in a rather different situation as Connor appears to want to bond with the family.

Fassbender is very good in frankly downplaying his usual intensity and giving a natural portrayal of a different sort of role. What Fassbender does best is just how particularly charming he is in these scenes. Fassbender makes Connor's reactions with the family feel genuine and most of all he has the right charisma in the part. It is not overpowering in nature but Fassbender is very good in showing exactly why everyone would be so taken with Connor early on. He's supremely likable here but what is key is that he has the charm of a rapscallion. Fassbender naturally suggests that Connor probably is far from perfect to begin with, but he basically is able to show why the family basically could ignore the red flags about him.

Connor develops a seemingly strong relationship with Mia. Fassbender again plays these scenes very well by just ever so slightly side stepping what Connor's intentions are exactly. On one hand Fassbender brings some warmth which Fassbender cleverly even show is genuine, Connor even goes so far as to seemingly support Mia's dream of dancing. On the other there is a constant flirtatious manner in their interjections yet again Fassbender does not overplay his hand. To a certain extent Fassbender suggests that Connor could merely be just the way he is and it could be just his harmless way of interacting with people. That ends up not really being the case one night after Connor and Mia's mother had been drinking, and later Connor and Mia are left alone together.

Connor proceeds to have sex with Mia although Fassbender again plays the scene well by not turning Connor into a monster, but rather portraying him as a man who has do something wrong in the heat of the moment. Connor instantly regrets the decision and Fassbender again does well by showing Connor's guilt to genuine particularly since he changes Connor's attitude for the rest of his performance. All the cheer and charm really as Connor interacts completely differently and Fassbender makes it obvious that what he has done has changed Connor. Once again though he does a great balancing act though letting it be seen two ways one being that Connor honestly regrets what he has done, and the other being he is merely sorry for what could happen to him because of it.

Fassbender gives a very good performance here because he does frankly mix it up a bit. This is a far less intense of a work than so many of his performances but Fassbender proves here that he deinfetely can dial it back when he needs to. His Connor is never just a single element with his character and all the revelation feel believable through his performance in almost every sense. He properly alludes to what will come as he should by really letting the revelations in plain sight, but just being just so charming that he kinda makes you ignore the warning. In doing that he also makes the whole set up of the family buying into believable because of his how well he realizes this particularly cad.

Michael Fassbender also did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Lieutenant Archie Hicox in Inglorious Basterds nor did August Diehl for portraying Major Dieter Hellstrom.

It is a bit of shame that despite its large ensemble which contains several performances worthy of mention they were all completely overshadowed by Christoph Waltz's performance as Hans Landa. Waltz is indeed worthy of the praise he received, but the other strong performances in the film should not have been ignored either. One of these performances belongs to Michael Fassbender who plays the role of the main representation of the British in the film who is sent into Germany to infiltrate and sabotage the screening of a German propaganda film which will be attended by most of the German high command. Another belongs to Diehl who plays a bit of a hitch in that plan.

Fassbender appears in only three scenes total the first being when he is given the details about the mission and quizzed on his knowledge of German cinema by the British high command, that is distinctly British to be sure just like Fassbender's performance. Fassbender purposefully puts on a somewhat extreme accent to be sure, and although he has not proven it to be his forte yet, as evidenced by The Counselor, here he handles it quite well. It is George Sanders esque on purpose and Fassbender even gives it a slightly comic tinge to it which is pretty well done. It technically sightly broad on purpose yet Fassbender never goes too far with  it rather just using it quite well to establish his character well, and it fits the style Quentin Tarantino establishes.

Fassbender, in the briefing scene,and the scene where he meets  the basterds, goes for the classic style of the very proper British soldier and he does it quite well. Again like his accent his mannerisms and method are at least slightly humorous in style which make both of the scene quite entertaining yet he never goes overboard that it would compromise his character for his major scene that comes after the first two. August Diehl on the other hand has only two scenes one being just a very quick introduction where Diehl is allowed to do very little other than to be there. He is simply introduced and one could easily forget him not that it is his fault rather that's simply all major Dieter Hellstrom gets before he appears once again in his scene with Fassbender.

The two meet when Lieutenant Hicox and two of the basterds go to meet their double agent German actress Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) in a tavern. Things seem to be going okay until the hidden Gestapo agent Hellstrom notices's something is wrong with Hicox's accent. Fassbender once again handles the accent particularly well by giving a purposefully off delivery of the accent that does not sound quite right. Fassbender's accent he uses is perfect really as it is off, but in such a completely natural fashion. Diehl makes his impact quickly bringing a substantial menace from the instance we see him and he has that same sort of incisiveness in his performance that Christoph Waltz has in his.

Fassbender and Diehl are excellent together as they both play the game Hicox's and Hellstrom are playing so well. Both are pretending to be calm and casual yet both know there is nothing to be calm about in this situation. Fassbender and Diehl both are terrific in putting on the fake smiles of both men yet subtly suggest what lies underneath. Fassbender's uses eyes brilliantly as Hicox is always carefully watching Hellstrom's every move, and in turn Diehl comes back in that after every playful remark he gives there is this chilling glance he gives suggesting the moment in which Hellstrom is looking for a weakness in their story. Both actors slowly build the intensity of the scene until Hicox's final slip up.

The slightly slip up of Hicox is an amazing moment for Diehl as his reaction is perfect as we see the inquisitor fully reveal himself. Fassbender not to be outdone matches well with Hicox also cutting so quickly through the false pretense of the situation also revealing that Hicox is not to be outsmarted either. Both find themselves as basically the first targets in a fire fight and both actors are incredible in the depiction of their final moments. Fassbender is great and just plain cool in bringing out the British in Hicox once more as he keeps that proper manner right before ordering Hellstrom, and in turn his own death. Diehl is equally excellent as he keeps his almost demonic demeanor but with the slight fear in his own eyes knowing that he will be dying soon.

Both actors give very strong performances that honestly made me wish we had gotten to see more of both Hicox and Hellstrom since Fassbender and Diehl excel so well in their roles. In fact I would say if for some reason Christoph Waltz had not existed Diehl probably would have been a great choice in the larger role of Hans Landa as well. Nevertheless the two just get to be two one scene wonders within the film, and the both make the most of what they have. The two of them individually give memorable work and realize the characters wonderfully even with their short amount of screen time. Together they go even further creating such a fantastic dynamic that builds the suspense of the scene incredibly well, and aid in turning their scene into one of the strongest moments of the film.

Read More

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009

And the Nominees Were Not:

Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank

Michael Fassbender in Inglorious Basterds

August Diehl in Inglorious Basterds

Peter Capaldi in In The Loop

Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles

Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins

Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen

Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen

For the Prediction Contest:

Fassbender in Fish Tank

Capaldi

McKay

Tse

Morgan

Read More

Best Supporting Actor 2013: Results

5. Bradley Cooper in American Hustle- Cooper both underplays and overplays his performance. He is often overshadowed by his co-stars, yet when he tries to be flamboyant he randomly overacts wildly.

Best Scene: Richie is taken off the case.

4. Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street- Hill gives a fine performance throughout his film, but he is overshadowed almost every step of the way by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Best Scene: Lemmon Quaaludes.

3. Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club- Jared Leto gives a moving performance with just the right amount of flamboyance, even if I would say he is slightly overshadowed by his co-star.

Best Scene: Rayon visits his father.

2. Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave - Fassbender gives a vicious depiction of his character's brutality, but he as well gives compelling portrayal of the attitude of the day to day slave owner.

Best Scene: The whipping scene.

1. Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips- Well this year for me came down to the two villains, and what I love about both Abdi and Fassbender's performance is although they are both very effectively in depicting their character's behavior but they also find what is behind this behavior. Barkhad Abdi, even though it is his film debut, gives a very assured performance in which he makes a dangerous villain, but as well a moving portrayal of a desperate man.

Best Scene: "Maybe in America Irish"

Read More

Best Supporting Actor 2013: Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave

Michael Fassbender received his first Oscar nomination for portraying Edwin Epps in 12 Years a Slave.

This film marks Michael Fassbender's third collaboration with director Steve McQueen, although it is first time he is in a supporting role, and the first time that he has found himself Oscar nominated for his performance. Fassbender plays Edwin Epps the second owner of the kidnapped former freeman Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Where Solomon's first owner William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) showed at least signs of being a decent man, there is no such luxury when it comes to Edwin Epps the cotton plantation owner. In our first glimpse of Epps we see him reading scripture and claiming that the passage gives him the absolute right to whip any of his slaves if they do not serve him as he sees fit.

Plantation owners tend to be portrayed a certain way usually as the southern gentleman who wishes to be charming but is truly a brute, that is the way Leonardo DiCaprio played such a man in Django Unchained for example. Micheal Fassbender takes a completely different route in his portrayal of Edwin Epps who is anything but charming. Epps, in terms of the writing, is not an extremely complicated man. It is very easy to see how he could have easily been portrayed as an one note brute who just goes from one terrible act to another. Fassbender avoids such a path in his depiction of Epps. Fassbender attempts to find a little more to the man when he has a chance, but as well gives a very interesting portrayal of the man's actions throughout the film.

As is usually the case for Fassbender, this is a very physical performance, and Fassbender does a great deal to create Epps through his movements. Fassbender doesn't make Epps a gentleman, but instead often presents him to be man-child. This is especially well shown in the way he interacts with the slaves from moment to moment. Fassbender never looks at them really in the eyes nor does he position himself in a man to man fashion. Fassbender instead always plays it as Epps is constantly looking down them as if they were animals rather than people. Fassbender goes even further with this point in the way he speaks, and will be even strangely casual, like when he leads on one slaves head. Fassbender shows that Epps does not just say they are his property, he believes it.

One of the qualities behind the man that Fassbender suggests is that his slaves have made him a truly idle man. Fassbender is pretty brilliant in how he shows Epps to be just one lazy man. Fassbender often has him lying around watching everyone else do the work, there is often a sense of malaise in the man. Fassbender rightly is not always the barking monster as working with the slaves is a day to day life style for him, to always be a villain would just be too much effort. Fassbender realizes the results of a man with too much power over others by portraying how the man himself has been formed. The one scene Fassbender plays as Epps absolutely invested is the cotton counting, which makes perfect sense as Epps definitely cares about his money.

There is of course Epps's relationship with his slave Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) who he constantly praises, rapes, and even states that he prefers her over his wife (Sarah Paulson). Fassbender again derives the complexities of Epps's treatment of her. Fassbender portrays it in the cotton counting as almost a man priding over his best horse. When he rapes her though Fassbender does not just show it to be lust, although there is plenty of that to go around, there is a conflict in him. Fassbender gives a sense that Epps loves her, but fights within himself as he does completely see slaves as his property. Fassbender makes sense of his disjointed behavior as he is man who fights within himself as he can't quite comprehend exactly how to handle his situation.

Now past all that, the part he is most there to fulfill is to be the personification of the brutality of slavery. Fassbender is brilliant here because he actually shows the day to day of the everyday slaver. Epps dishes out whippings on a daily bases, and Fassbender shows it as just business as usual. Fassbender makes the daily routine in the way changes from scene to scene in a way one would expect from a man who really does not know what to do with himself, and in all truth is very immature. Fassbender, through this unpredictability, makes the threat of Epps all the greater. Fassbender is terrific in his drunken moments as he bluntly makes Epps a bad drunk. Fassbender becomes a slob who basically trips on himself, but a slob to be feared as might kill in such a daze.

There is one particular chilling moment where he interrogates Solomon. Fassbender plays Epps as a calm and controlled here, as the situation does technically involve money again. Fassbender builds the tension well by keeping Epps again so very casual in his style as he talks to Solomon in almost a slightly warm fashion, yet oh so well conveying that murderous hint in the man. This is very different from his inebriated scenes but Fassbender connects the pieces properly and makes every behavior natural to his Epps. This includes even one brief moment where Epps is about to whip Patsey. Fassbender is incredible in just one moment expressing that conflict in the man. It is a striking moment as Fassbender does give Epps the tiniest hint of humanity. Fassbender gives it a real power though by bringing such an intensity as Epps must force himself to believe his philosophy to get over his moment of hesitation.

Michael Fassbender's work here is being taken for granted I think. Edwin Epps technically just needed to be a vicious character who just acts vicious for awhile until he exits the film. Fassbender certainly does that with a great ferocity as he does not hold back making it to the point of Epps's inherited mentality. Fassbender though goes further with his performance though. Fassbender depicts Epps as an evil man, and there is no question about that, but he actually in part alludes to where some of this comes from within him. His Epps is not just brutal because he's a bad man, although I must stress again that is definitely true, but he is a bad man who's behavior comes in part from environment that has taught him and turned him a certain way. Fassbender's performance is tremendous as he realizes the slave owner for all that he is, and turn makes this great film all the stronger.

Read More

Best Supporting Actor 2013

And the Nominees Are:

Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips

Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave

Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club

Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street

Bradley Cooper in American Hustle

Read More