Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2016: Results

13. Yoshi Oida in Silence - Oida gives a moving depiction of the quiet earnest devotion of one of the most devote Christians in Japan.

Best Scene: Ichizo pleads for someone to join him.

12. Shinya Tsukamoto in Silence -Tsukamoto along with Oida gives a moving depiction of a devoted Christian particularly as he faces certain demise.

Best Scene: A final hymn.

11. Alden Ehrenreich in Hail Caesar! - Ehrenreich gives a very funny performance by being so earnest in his approach to a singing cowboy who tries to be an actor.

Best Scene: Would that it were so simple.

10. Harvey Scrimshaw in The Witch - Scrimshaw gives an effective natural depiction of a boy in an unnatural situation that is absolutely haunting in his final moments.

Best Scene: Caleb wakes up.

9. Damian Lewis in Our Kind of Traitor - Lewis gives an incredibly compelling performance that works so well within the certain constraints he purposefully sets up for his refined government agent.

Best Scene: Hector tells about his son. 

8. Tadanobu Asano in Silence - Asano gives an extremely incisive yet somehow funny portrayal of a man viciously needling his hostage in order to break him. 

Best Scene: The interpreter meets Rodrigues.

7. Ralph Ineson in The Witch - Ineson gives a powerful depiction of a man essentially coming to terms with his own desperate state, and losing his delusions of grandeur.

Best Scene: William's prayer at night. 

6. Stellan Skårsgard in Our Kind of Traitor - Skårsgard is asked to do a lot in short order, yet he matches the challenge while giving an incredibly poignant portrait of a man doing whatever it takes to save his family.

Best Scene: Dima says goodbye to Perry.

5. Yosuke Kubozuka in Silence - Kubozuka gives a haunting portrayal that grants a heartbreaking understanding of what seems to be a wretched man.  

Best Scene: Kichijiro's first Confession.

4. Liam Neeson in Silence - Neeson in only a few scenes leaves such a considerable impression through his subversion of his usual role as the confident mentor by instead portraying a sad broken man being forced to destroy his own teachings.

Best Scene: Ferreira meets Rodrigues.

3. Issey Ogata in Silence - Ogata gives a truly menacing yet somehow also absolutely hilarious portrayal of a persecutor with a unique yet brutally effective method of destroying his foes.  

Best Scene: A story of Concubines. 

2. Sam Neill in Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Sam Neill delivers his best performance giving such a hilarious yet heartwarming portraying an irascible old man finding a connection with a troubled boy. Neill balances the various tones of the film brilliantly to be both very funny yet incredibly touching in depicting Uncle Hec's personal journey during his more literal journey through the bush.

Best Scene: The Boar. 

1. Ben Foster in Hell or High Water - Good prediction Michael McCarthy, and Luke Foster gives yet another great performance to his ever growing list of them. He gives an entertaining yet edgy depiction of an outlaw, yet he underlines it all with just a heartbreaking portrayal of man who has only ever found any use for himself as a criminal. Although this was a strong year for the category I have to admit this was an easy choice for me. Not just because this is a great performance, it is, but it hit me on an even more personal level than a good performance already hits you on.

This is not something I mentioned in my review but will I now. Foster's realization of Tanner went even further for me as he so reminded of my own older brother with whom I share a similair relationship to that Toby shares with Tanner, though far less extreme and in different circumstances of course. The little nuances and details of such relationship were there for me, and it connected with me on an even deeper level because of that. I simply cannot deny something like that.

Best Scene: The brothers say their goodbyes.

Overall Rank:

1. Ben Foster in Hell or High Water
2. Sam Neill in Hunt for the Wilderpeople
3. Issey Ogata in Silence
4. Liam Neeson in Silence
5. Yosuke Kubozuka in Silence
6. Mahershala Ali in Moonlight
7. Stellan Skårsgard in Our Kind of Traitor
8. Ralph Ineson in The Witch
9. Tadanobu Asano in Silence 
10. Damian Lewis in Our Kind of Traitor
11. Hugo Weaving in Hacksaw Ridge 
12. Woody Harrelson in The Edge of Seventeen
13. Harvey Scrimshaw in The Witch
14. Alden Ehrenreich in Hail Caesar!
15. Christopher Lloyd in I Am Not A Serial Killer
16. Shinya Tsukamoto in Silence
17. Yoshi Oida in Silence 
18. Gil Birmingham in Hell or High Water 
19. Sharlto Copley in Hardcore Henry
20. Jack Reynor in Sing Street
21. Macon Blair in Green Room
22. Tracy Letts in Christine
23. Ha Jung-woo in The Handmaiden
24. Nick Offerman in The Founder
25. John Carroll Lynch in The Founder
26. Toby Kebbell in A Monster Calls
27. Jun Kunimura in The Wailing
28. Jared Harris in Certain Women
29. Alan Rickman in Eye in the Sky
30. Donnie Yen in Rogue One 
31. Tom Bennett in Love and Friendship
32. Adam Driver in Silence
33. John Goodman in 10 Cloverfield Lane
34. Andre Holland in Moonlight
35. Ma Dong-Seok in Train to Busan
36. Jovan Adepo in Fences
37. Kurt Russell in Deepwater Horizon 
38. Ralph Fiennes in Hail Caesar!
39. Patrick Stewart in Green Room 
40. Kevin Costner in Hidden Figures
41. Aaron Paul in Eye in the Sky
42. Mykelti Williamson in Fences
43. Sebastian Stan in Captain America Civil War 
44. Alan Tudyk in Rogue One
45. Jharrel Jerome in Moonlight 
46. Tom Wilkinson in Denial
47. John Gallagher Jr. in 10 Cloverfield Lane
48. Lucas Dawson in The Witch
49. Stephen Henderson in Fences
50. Barkhad Abdi in Eye in the Sky
51. Bradley Whitford in Other People
52. Daniel Bruhl in Captain America Civil War
53. Mads Mikkelsen in Rogue One
54. Luke Bracey in Hacksaw Ridge 
55. Evan Peters in X-Men Apocalypse
56. Byung-hun Lee in The Age of Shadows
57. Tom Holland in Captain America Civil War
58. Alessandro Nivola in The Neon Demon
59. Kevin Spacey in Elvis & Nixon 
60. George Clooney in Hail Caesar!
61. Liam Neeson in A Monster Calls 
62. Cho Jin-woong in The Handmaiden
63. Barry Shabaka Henley in Paterson
64. Billy Crudup in Jackie
65. John Leguizamo in The Infiltrator
66. Frank Langella in Captain Fantastic
67. Peter Sarsgaard in Jackie
68. Keegan Michael-Key in Don't Think Twice
69. Ethan Hawke in The Magnificent Seven 
70. Chadwick Boseman in Captain America Civil War
71. John Hurt in Jackie
72. Billy Crudup in 20th Century Women 
73. Max Baker in Hail Caesar!
74. Michael Fassbender in X-Men Apocalypse
75. William Jackson Harper in Paterson
76. Bill Murray in The Jungle Book 
77. Russell Hornsby in Fences 
78. Blake Jenner in The Edge of Seventeen
79. Rene Auberjonois in Certain Women
80. James McAvoy in X-Men Apocalypse
81. Anthony Mackie in Captain America Civil War
82. Adam Driver in Midnight Special  
83. Paul Rudd in Captain America Civil War
84. Ralph Fiennes in Kubo and the Two Strings
85. Riz Ahmed in Rogue One
86. Byung-hun Lee in The Magnificent Seven
87. Masatoshi Nagase in Paterson 
88. Mike Birbiglia in Don't Think Twice
89. Channing Tatum in Hail Caesar!
90. Idris Elba in The Jungle Book  
91. Hayden Szeto in The Edge of Seventeen
92. Mads Mikkelsen in Dr. Strange
93. Lucas Hedges in Manchester by the Sea 
94. David Wenham in Lion
95. Jiang Wen in Rogue One
96. Brendan Gleeson in Live By Night
97. Toby Jones in The Man Who Knew Infinity
98. Sam Worthington in Hacksaw Ridge
99. TJ Miller in Deadpool
100. Jimmy O Yang in Patriots Day
101. Charles Berling in Elle
102. Michael Shannon in Nocturnal Animals
103. Simon Pegg in Star Trek Beyond
104. Toby Jones in Anthropoid
105. Colin Farrell in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 
106. Oscar Kightley in Hunt for the Wilderpeople
107. Aaron Eckhart in Bleed for This
108. Colin Hanks in Elvis & Nixon
109. Rhys Darby in Hunt for the Wilderpeople
110. Jeremy Renner in Captain America Civil War
111. JK Simmons in Kung Fu Panda 3  
112. Stefan Kapicic in Deadpool
113. Ben Kingsley in The Jungle Book 
114. Michael Sheen in Passengers 
115. Hwang Jung-min in The Wailing
116. Joel Edgerton in Midnight Special
117. Michael Parks in Blood Father
118. Shingo Tsurumi in The Age of Shadows 
119. Aidan Gillen in Sing Street
120. Corey Stoll in Cafe Society 
121. Jaden Piner in Moonlight
122. Ben Mendelsohn in Rogue One
123. Robert Picardo in Hail Caesar!
124. Joe Cole in Green Room
125. Kyle Chandler in Manchester by The Sea
126. Alex Wolff in Patriots Day
127. Themo Melikidze in Patriots Day
128. Benedict Wong in Dr. Strange 
129. Callum Turner in Green Room
130. Ed Skrein in Deadpool
131. Keanu Reeves in The Neon Demon
132. Timothy Spall in Denial
133. Frank Grillo in Captain America Civil War
134. Bryan Cranston in Kung Fu Panda 3
135. Matthew Goode in Allied  
136. Chiwetel Ejiofor in Dr. Strange
137. Mahershala Ali in Hidden Figures
138. Bill Camp in Midnight Special
139. Mahershala Ali in Free State of Jones
140. Jared Harris in Allied  
141. Laurence Fishburne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 
142. Ciaran Hinds in Bleed For This
143. Jemaine Clement in Moana 
144. Kevin Bacon in Patriots Day 
145. Nicolas Cage in Snowden
146. John Goodman Patriots Day
147. Ben Foster in The Finest Hours  
148. Babak Karimi in The Salesman
149. Laurence Fishburne in Passengers
150. Jonas Bloquet in Elle
151. Ciaran Hinds in Silence
152. JK Simmons in Patriots Day
153. Woody Harrelson in Triple 9 
154. William H. Macy in Blood Father
155. Jeremy Irons in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
156. Kodi Smit-McPhee in X-Men Apocalypse
157. Ethan Suplee in Deepwater Horizon 
158. Jay Hernandez in Suicide Squad
159. Karl Urban in Star Trek Beyond 
160. Tye Sheridan in X-Men Apocalypse
161. Clancy Brown in Hail Caesar! 
162. George MacKay in Captain Fantastic
163. Rhys Ifans in Snowden
164. Aaron Eckhart in Sully
165. Chiwetel Ejiofor in Triple 9
166. Laurent Lafitte in Elle
167. Zachary Quinto in Star Trek Beyond
168. Harry Lloyd in Anthropoid
169. August Diehl in Allied  
170. David Costabile in 13 Hours
171. Anthony Mackie in Triple 9
172. Ken Stott in Cafe Society
173. Simon McBurney in Allied
174. Bradley Cooper in War Dogs
175. Karl Geary in I Am Not a Serial Killer 
176. Graham McTavish in The Finest Hours
177. Norman Reedus in Triple 9 
178. Chris Messina in Live By Night
179. Jeremy Renner in Arrival
180. Chris Cooper in Demolition
181. Keanu Reeves in Keanu 
182. Edgar Ramirez in Gold
183. Mark Strong in Miss Sloane 
184. Stephen Fry in Love and Friendship
185. Vince Vaughn in Hacksaw Ridge
186. JK Simmons in The Accountant 
187. Idris Elba in Zootopia
188. Jai Courtney in Suicide Squad
189. Kevin Pollack in War Dogs
190. Christopher Lambert in Hail Caesar!
191. Michael Shannon in Loving 
192. Sam Waterston in Miss Sloane
193. Steve Carrell in Cafe Society 
194. Sam Shepard in Midnight Special
195. Anton Lesser in Allied 
196. Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Nocturnal Animals 
197. Jon Bernthal in The Accountant 
198. JK Simmons in Zootopia
199. Clifton Collins Jr. in Triple 9
200. Method Man in Keanu 
201. Anton Yelchin in Star Trek Beyond
202. Choi Woo-shik in Train to Busan
203. Jason Mitchell in Keanu
204. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in The Magnificent Seven
205. Andrew Scott in Denial
206. Forest Whittaker in Arrival
207. Michael C. Hall in Christine
208. Don Wycherley in Sing Street
209. Eric Bana in The Finest Hours
210. Chris Gethard in Don't Think Twice
211. Matthew McConaughey in Kubo and the Two Strings
212. Kim Eui-sung in Train to Busan
213. Scoot McNairy in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 
214. Martin Sensemeier in The Magnificent Seven
215. Johnny Depp in Yoga Hosers 
216. Christopher Walken in The Jungle Book
217. Tracy Letts in Indignation
218. Chris Hemsworth in Ghostbusters 
219. Keith David in The Nice Guys
220. Idris Elba in Star Trek Beyond
221. John Lithgow in The Accountant 
222. Zach Woods in Other People
223. Dylan Minnette in Don't Breathe
224. Andy Garcia in Ghostbusters
225. Peyman Moaadi in 13 Hours
226. Justin Long in Yoga Hosers 
227. Matt Bomer in The Nice Guys 
228. Michael Stuhlbarg in Arrival
229. Robert Glenister in Live By Night
230. Michael Sheen in Nocturnal Animals
231. Will Smith in Suicide Squad 
232. Oscar Isaac in X-Men Apocalypse
233. Beau Knapp in The Nice Guys
234. Luke Evans in Girl on the Train
235. Michael Stuhlbarg in Miss Sloane
236. Chris Cooper in Live By Night
237. Ezra Miller in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
238. Daniel Zovatto in Don't Breath
239. John Malkovich in Deepwater Horizon 
240. Nick Kroll in Loving
241. Aaron Paul in Triple 9 
242. Jim Parsons in Hidden Figures
243. Vincent D'Onofrio in The Magnificent Seven
244. Diego Luna in Blood Father
245. Armie Hammer in Nocturnal Animals  
246. Forest Whittaker in Rogue One 
247. Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
248. Jacob Latimore in Collateral Beauty 
249. Justin Theroux in Girl on the Train
250. Bill Murray in Ghostbusters 
251. Judah Lewis in Demolition
252. Peter Sarsgaard in The Magnificent Seven
253. Ralph Garman in Yoga Hosers
254. Joel Kinnaman in Suicide Squad
255. Tyler Posey in Yoga Hosers
256. Jesse Eisenberg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
257. Matthew Maher in Live By Night
258. Simon Helberg in Florence Foster Jenkins
259. Jared Leto in Suicide Squad
260. Edward Norton in Collateral Beauty
261. Austin Butler in Yoga Hosers
262. Neil Casey in Ghostbusters
263. Michael Pena in Collateral Beauty

Next Year: 1937 though I'm going to take a break until after the Oscars.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2016: Stellan Skarsgård and Damian Lewis in Our Kind of Traitor

Stellan Skarsgård did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dima in Our Kind Of Traitor.

Our Kind of Traitor is somewhat effective though standard John Le Carré adaptation about an English School Teacher and his wife being caught up in the dark world of illegal finances after accepting to do a favor for a strange man. 

Our Kind of Traitor seems kind of strange in that the two actual leads of the English teacher Perry MacKendrick (Ewan McGregor) and his wife Gail (Naomie Harris) are the most bland characters in the film. There are two supporting characters though who seem like they should be the leads the first being Stellan Skarsgård's as the strange man with information. Stellan Skarsgård is an actor probably best known for his long list of shady supporting roles from one despicable man to the another. This seems like that may be the case again as his character of Dima randomly appears in a bar and approaches McGregor's Perry. Skarsgård is an actor who you just can't naturally trust. Skarsgård even sets up his Dima a little differently than usual, playing essentially a bro-russian, as he insists that Perry come to a party with him. Skarsgård's always has that certain sinister glimpse in his eye though, that suggests there's gotta be something up. Intentional or not, I'd say intentional, Skarsgård's very presence crafts a certain tension early on in these scenes as it seems like there's something afoot even if it is hard to know what.

Dima seems harmless enough, and a funny thing is Skarsgård wins you over a bit too just as he does Perry. His whole larger than life enjoyment of life becomes a little endearing after you've spent enough time with him. After he gets to know Perry a bit better though he reveals himself to be more than meets the eye, though not in the way a Stellan Skarsgård character generally is. Suddenly Skarsgård changes gears severely as Dima explains his dire situation, where he will be forced to transfer all of his funds to his old boss's son before he and his family will be killed. Skarsgård manages this switch incredibly effectively as he brings that fear in his voice and eyes as he pleads with Perry for help. Skarsgård in doing so also explains a bit of just how big he is the rest of the time, showing that Dima is very much putting on an act as though he blissfully unaware what is going to happen to him very soon. Skarsgård manages in just a few moments to grant a very real urgency to the film by managing to make Dima surprisingly sympathetic in such short order.

Again the film does seem just slightly curious in that Skarsgård should be the lead of the film, it is his character who is the most important, yet he is indeed "supporting" the far less interesting Perry. Skarsgård though is still essentially required to do everything a lead must do just in far more limited screen time and perspective. In that we get a quick snippet of Dima's past when he was recruited into the Russian mob, now this is perhaps one of the easier elements to provide as Skarsgård does always have that duplicitous look about him. This continues further though as we are only given a slight sense of Dima's relationship with the man who intends to kill him and his family. This is basically all given to a single scene where Dima mocks the man with a story about when the man was as a boy. Now Skarsgård is great in the scene doing so well to portray the vicious hatred Dima has for the man while coating with just enough of a still semi-pleasant facade on the surface. Again just a snippet yet Skarsgård in that snippet conveys wholly the sense of disdain and betrayal Dima has suffered given that he was a real friend to the man's father. Skarsgard heavy lifting continues also to establish a real sort of connection between Dima and Perry as well. He pulls it off though, again through so little, but in his direct interactions Skarsgård conveys so effectively the man's gratitude to him, bringing a real warmth as he thanks him again and again for his help. The main crux of the story though is Dima attempting to save his family by trading inside information to the British government. It is with this that Skarsgård is the beating heart of the film. The whole sense of real desperation and concern is realized so powerfully by Skarsgård's performance. He handles it well by showing the internalization of it when Dima is attempting to keep his facade up, but is incredibly moving when he reveals just the increasingly fearful man who who will do whatever it takes to save his family. It may be a little odd how Skarsgård has to fulfill so many aspect of the role so swiftly, yet he does so brilliantly. This is a great performance. If we did not believe Dima and his struggle the film would have faltered entirely. Skarsgård elevates it through his honest emotional performance.

Damian Lewis did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Hector in Our Kind of Traitor.

The second supporting character who seems like he should be lead is Damian Lewis's Hector. Lewis comes into the film after Perry attempts to deliver Dima's request to the British government. Lewis is the MI6 agent in charge of the investigation. Though his name is Hector this seems to perhaps give Lewis a chance to give his own take on Le Carré's longtime lead, George Smiley. Hector too is a bi-spectacled spy with a very exact sort of personal style. I will say now Lewis is becoming an actor I'm eager to see more of, as he often brings something special to his roles. That is the case here as his whole presentation of Hector is rather engaging. He goes about crafting his own sort of Smiley with his excessively refined English accent, and his whole manner. Lewis projects the right sort of cool confidence that seems a requirement for a man of his position within the more modern world of espionage. This is a performance though that just is magnetic, the moment he steps in to question McGregor, Lewis is instantly compelling to watch.

In the early scenes it appears as though Hector is very much a man with just a plan of action that he intends initiate with cold efficiency. Lewis's performance is rather marvelous in just making this style of Hector quite charismatic in sort of strange way reminiscent even of Gary Oldman as Smiley in Tinker Tailor, in that there is just something so remarkable about watching the man work. Hector though isn't quite that powerful though as he goes about some risky maneuvers in order to get the information he needs. Lewis's performances is very astute in the way he plays within this sort of stricture that he has set up with Hector. Lewis manages to play just within the margins of this, in just a slight turn of the mouth or a just a small movement  in his eyes. In these early scenes there is the hint of the smallest desperation in voice, covered up by his usual assurance, as Hector decides to go with the mission despite not receiving proper clearance for it. It is rather fascinating to watch Lewis work here because he never does break out of the refinement of the character, yet as soon as conveys the frustrations in Hector towards his boss at not being able to pursue the case he doesn't seem cold after all. Lewis's work in itself has this efficiency in emotion, since you always understand how Hector is feeling even though he technically never raises his voice beyond a certain point nor does he really lose his composure.

He has this precision that it so captivating to watch. So many of the highlights belong to Lewis. Even in some exposition particularly in the scene where Hector lashes out against the amorality of the business he is trying to prevent, Lewis makes it absolutely engrossing through his dynamic delivering. He infuses with such a real intensity, a real outrage, yet still so calm all the same. There is just a bit of explanation to further motivations, really just one scene, where Hector explains how he believes his own son was targeted by one of the corrupt officials he's trying to take down. Again just in the margins does Lewis reveals the sadness, only in them does he, his Hector is never emotional yet you always understand him. There is a scene at the end of the film where Lewis is just examining and object and finds something important. Silent scene that could be nothing in the wrong hands. Lewis reveals all of Hector's thoughts just through the slightest glimpse of joy, making a far more satisfying scene than it would have been otherwise. As with Skarsgård Lewis does so much heavy lifting within the film to elevate past just a very routine thriller. Although I won't say the film quite completely escapes that qualifier, their work far surpasses it.  

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2016

And the Nominees Were Not:

Stellan Skarsgård in Our Kind of Traitor

Damian Lewis in Our Kind of Traitor 

Sam Neill in Hunt For the Wilderpeople

Ben Foster in Hell or High Water

Alden Ehrenreich in Hail Caesar!

Ralph Ineson in The Witch 

Harvey Scrimshaw in The Witch

For Prediction purposes:

Skarsgård from Traitor

Ineson from the VVitch

 And they also were not:

Shinya Tsukamoto in Silence

Yoshi Oida in Silence 

Tadanobu Asano in Silence

Liam Neeson in Silence 

Issey Ogata in Silence

Yosuke Kubozuka in Silence

For prediction purposes:
 
Tsukamoto out of the villagers.  

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