Page 1 of 1

Re: Best Supporting Actor 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 10:14 pm
by mojoe92
Plummer

Re: Best Supporting Actor 2017

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:04 pm
by Big Magilla
This category was tough for me, not in picking a winner - that was easy, but in who the five nominees should be.

Sam Rockwell has been a strong actor for a long time without generating a lot of awards attention. His first nomination was long in coming, but his win was relatively easy for a very complex characterization. He was my easy pick for the win.

None of the other actual nominees were sure bets for the remaining four slots for me, although I found three of them, Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson and Richard Jenkins worthy of consideration as I did the two most obvious non-nominees, Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Having re-watched both Call Me by Your Name and The Shape of Water yesterday, I found Hammer stronger in the former and Jenkins stronger in the latter than I originally did and decided that they both needed to be in my top five. Stuhlbarg gets in on his versatility as well as the fact that he gave award-worhty perofrmances in both films.

That left my fifth slot between Harrelson and Dafoe. I like them both. Harrelson was my second favorite in his category in the film that was my favorite of the year. Dafoe was in a film I didn't like but his deeply felt performance is the only thing in the film that I liked. It was just too good to ignore despite my overall misgivings about the film and gets my last slot over Harrelson who I wish I had room for.

Re: Best Supporting Actor 2017

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 12:19 am
by ksrymy
I love me some Woody Harrelson, but his nomination here is pure coattails. My wife, who loves him even more than I do, responded with, "Really?!", when she saw he got nominated. It's a perfectly fine performance but, if there's any reason he actually got nominated, it's for his voiceover work when he's reading the notes to his wife, Dixon, and Mildred.

Christopher Plummer is good in All the Money in the World, but we can all agree he got nominated as a poke in the eye to Kevin Spacey, right? Not to say it's the only reason he got nominated, but his film as a whole definitely didn't have any legs until the HFPA decided to shower the work with nominations. His J. Paul Getty is a rat bastard, and seeing Plummer be a straight-up villain is always refreshing (his best performance is probably as the bank robber who realizes he's been ripped off by a clever teller played by Elliott Gould in 1978's The Silent Partner).

Richard Jenkins has been one of our greatest character actors for ages, so any time he gets a modicum of recognition, I'm happy. And The Shape of Water gives him a great supporting role to play. He gets a few subplots that don't subtract from the main plot (his crush on the pie guy and his being out of work) and his chances to be comedic (basically smacking himself in the head to get the creature to make him less bald) all shine. Of course, that "relics" speech in the bathroom was going to be his Oscar clip, but it's a great speech delivered splendidly.

Many view Sam Rockwell's role as problematic, and while I can see their argument, I think it's fine to give a character as atrocious as Dixon a redemptive arc. Now, does that mean he's all fixed and a hero? Absolutely not. And since we don't really get any closure on that front, I don't suspect I can comment any further as to the nature of his character. But I love Sam Rockwell, and I'm glad one of out best character actors (it's a great year for this bunch) has a win under his belt. Jason Dixon is a very funny character in a very, very black way. And while his speech to Mildred about potentially finding Angela's murderer is great and he hits every single comedic note when he's stumbling over his own words and thoughts like the dumbass hick he is, the part that sticks with me is this faux-macho dickhead jamming to ABBA's "Chiquitita". It's an excellent touch in the script, and Rockwell makes it hugely memorable.

But, for me, it's been Willem Dafoe ever since I saw The Florida Project. I was sad to see Rockwell gain the edge of Dafoe; he was our first clear frontrunner of the season. He won damn-near everything for the first half of the season. I was excited to see the man who earned three nods in three different decades finally get recognized and get recognized for a great role and performance. Dafoe plays Bobby with the perfect sense of weariness and pity. He does his job with pride and, even though he finds his residents contemptible, he wants nothing more than to help them. He realizes his position of power and privilege and does what he can. It's very sweet. The sequence where he deals with the pedophile watching the complex's children is stunning and my favorite part of the film.

Alongside Dafoe and Rockwell, I'd throw in Patrick Stewart's amazing turn in Logan which is equal parts emotional and physical. I was captivated every time he was on screen, and he managed to get me to laugh, cry, grieve, and cheer. And I'd also recognized Lil Rel Howery as TSA Agent Rod Williams in Get Out. While his film is a heavy one at times, Howery comes in with an absolutely hilarious bit of comedic relief. Normally, hearing about guys wanting to get their balls jiggled by Jeffrey Dahmer, getting decapitated, and then getting their heads fucked would make for bad stand-up, but coming from a concerned friend, it makes the actual gravity of Chris's situation that much more serious. "I'm T-S-motherfuckin'-A. We handle shit. Consider this shit... handled." And I think Barry Keoghan deserved a nod for his terrific work in The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

Re: Best Supporting Actor 2017

Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 5:50 pm
by The Original BJ
I lament the exclusion of Michael Stuhlbarg, like so many.

Extra-cinematic circumstances certainly helped propel Plummer to his nomination...but he isn't unworthy in the role at all. It's a meaty enough part, which he fits like a glove. (Honestly, way more than Kevin Spacey ever would have.)

Harrelson was the less dominant of the Billboards guys, but he's pretty wonderful nonetheless -- more heartfelt than maybe we've ever seen from him before, with a winning sense of humor. He's one reason Chief Willoughby is such a complex antagonist for Mildred.

Jenkins has long been an appealing character actor, but this might be the best role he's had -- he's a thoroughly delightful presence in the film ("He ate Pandora!"), who carries such sadness with him as well ("I guess we're both...relics.")

Dafoe was thoroughly deserving as a nominee for bringing such steadfast authority and humanity to his film. But I found the complete sweep of the critics' prizes baffling, for work that was solid but not exactly earth-shaking.

Even in a good lineup, Rockwell is my easy choice. The thing so many find problematic about this creation -- that it depicts the humanity of the man beneath some very clear ugliness -- is what I like about his work here, as he finds ways to make a very unlikable guy not exactly likable, but at least recognizably human.

Best Supporting Actor 2017

Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 3:51 pm
by bizarre
This was one of the hardest categories to read for the bulk of the season - and ended up being one of the most boring slates of nominees. Oh well.

I like The Florida Project a lot, but Dafoe's here on name recognition. He's a solid, warm presence but he's not trying anything new.

Jenkins is a good actor that I've always liked, but both he and Spencer's nominations are of-the-moment coattails situations. A Jack Kruschen-type nod.

I don't really like either Harrelson or Rockwell, and I don't really like either of them here but I'd give Harrelson the edge for a less-showy performance.

So, Christopher Plummer by default, though I'm hardly enthused - this nomination makes dual history for oldest acting nominee ever and shortest shoot-to-nomination turnaround (which was the crux of his campaign), reshooting the disgraced Kevin Spacey's scenes in the last quarter of the year. He's strong, but nominations for this kind of performance are only given to elderly men (Paul Scofield, Alan Alda, Robert Duvall et al). At least he didn't have to wear old-age prosthetics. The film, though, is awful.

There was no real designated "6th" this year, and it was honestly a crapshoot as to how this race would ultimately turn out. Dark horses such as Armie Hammer & the lovely Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name), Idris Elba (Molly's Game), Bob Odenkirk (The Post), Steve Carell (Battle of the Sexes) and Patrick Stewart (Logan) probably all stood an equal chance of receiving a "surprise" nomination in a field both crowded and strangely open. Also talked about at different points throughout the year were Jason Mitchell (Mudbound), Mark Rylance (Dunkirk), Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), Ben Mendelsohn (Darkest Hour), Harrison Ford (Blade Runner 2049), Ray Romano (The Big Sick), Bryan Cranston (Last Flag Flying) and Will Poulter (Detroit).

Hugh Grant was hugely enjoyable in Paddington 2, and got a BAFTA nomination, but as far as I know the film wasn't eligible due to its lack of a Statewide release? Correct me.