Random Noise

Oscar Time: Best Supporting Actor

[Originally posted on MySpace]

Tonight, my picks for best supporting actor…

#5: William Hurt for A History of Violence

I don’t know what to make of this nomination. William Hurt is only in A History of Violence for one scene, perhaps less than 10 minutes overall. IMO, Ed Harris should have received the nomination if you were required to pick someone from this film. I don’t mean to disparage William’s performance it was excellent and quite forward, but I can’t place him higher than the other nominees.

#4: Paul Giamatti for Cinderella Man

This is probably the movie I looked forward to seeing the LEAST. I’m not a Russell Crowe fan. You know there aren’t going to be any suprises in this film, everyone knows what the story is going to be, and everyone knows it will be about a character who faces tough times but eventually triumphs. Great, seen it, done it, thank you but no thanks. Paul does a good job in this film but his character is completely overshadowed by the trials & triumphs of Jim Braddock. He doesn’t have enough room to shine in this role. Part of me thinks that Paul was nominated partly because he didn’t take home an Oscar for Sideways last year - if he wins this category I’m going to be really upset.

#3: Jake Gyllenhaal for Brokeback Mountain

Many people I talk to really liked Jake’s performance in Brokeback - I wasn’t as excited. There’s something about Jake’s eyes, his expressions that don’t ring true to me. No matter how hard I tried to recognize this character as Jack I always saw him as Jake. Ohh well…

#2: George Clooney for Syriana

I was really excited to see this movie, I enjoy overlapping plots and I’ve met both George Clooney & Matt Damon (shameless plug) and respect them. What I liked most about George’s performance in this film was his characters’ unwavering commitment to try and do the right thing, in a world filled with turmoil. George really made me believe in his character - I think it was how he really showed great concern when “the wrong” decisions were being made. George made me root for his character, all the way to the bitter end…

#1: Matt Dillon for Crash

Matt Dillon is my pick for best supporting actor. I picked Matt because of how he played the two different sides to Officer Ryan. On one side, his character is a racist cop, but on the other he’s a caring & concerned son. When I think back to Matt’s performance in this film, I think of these two qualities and the scenes where both blended together - fighting for medical care for his father while being an unashamed bigot. It’s a long way from his role in Something About Mary…

So, what am I watching next? I’ve got to finish North Country (Charlize!), Pride & Prejudice (Keira!), & Transamerica… I’ve finished all the other nominated films and I’ll post my picks in the other categories this week.

Later…