88th Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actor and Actress

This year being the 2nd year with no acting nominations of colour the Academy came under a lot of hate. I really think it's A over reaction that as something of this scale can't be solved at the Academy level. I'm not here to talk about #Oscarssowhite as I don't think it should get in the way on the skill of the nominees. I want to talk about the skill of the acting among the nominees. So here we go.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees

Christian Bale – The Big Short as Michael Burry

Tom Hardy – The Revenant as John Fitzgerald

Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight as Michael Rezendes

Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies as Rudolf Abel

Sylvester Stallone – Creed as Rocky Balboa

Sylvester Stallone is the favorite to take out the award but he does face some serious competition. Mark Rylance was the favorite to win the award outright before Creed was released. Tom Hardy, less likely to win does have the backing of the 11 other nominations that The Revenant received. Bale and Ruffalo are more team actors here when any of their cast members for their respective movies could've been nominated. Apart from Creed all these are based on true stories, ranging in time from 1823 and 2007.

Christian Bale as Michael Burry in The Big Short

Bale plays a man who is involved in the housing market and that's all that I remember about his role because the movie tries to make the failing of the housing market comprehensible but it doesn't. All I was able to grasp was that he betted against the housing market and other people found out and went along with him. As for what Bale brings to the role, I didn't think it was anything special and that only he could do.

With Bale's co-stars Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell they are just as deserving of the award but Bale is the one with glass eye, he doesn't wear a suit when everyone else does and an Oscar already so he got the nominations. I would like to add that I think Carrel was better in this movie and was the moral guide of the movie when the movie was about the morals of what was happening in the housing market. Also if you know how he did the glass eye thing please tell me.

Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald in The Revenant

In The Revenant Tom Hardy yet again disappears into his role like he has several times before. Of all the nominees Hardy's nomination was the most surprising. It was certainly a strong performance and he makes his presence known in every scene by dominating over every character. We really only see one side to John Fitzgerald and I think if we saw something different it really would've added to him and to the 156 minute runtime.

Hardy does use his eyes quite well in this movie and tells half the story with them. When he is overshadowed by the very physical performance of Leonardo DiCaprio he certainly tries to match the physicality of Leo's work. When you look at previous Supporting Actor winners you will notice that they often steal scenes in their movie but Hardy is more of a really nice accessory.

Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes in Spotlight

In one of best acted ensembles of all time there just wasn't enough room at the Oscars for everyone in the cast to be nominated. While I think Michael Keaton should've been here the studio tried to get him a Beast Lead Actor nomination. No cast member in spotlight was the lead but Ruffalo has the backing of two previous nominations (in the same category) and that shows the most prowess with adding more subtle mannerism than any of the other cast members.

I don't think Ruffalo will win but Spotlight is a great example of the need for a ensemble award. If Ruffalo does win I think the first people he needs to thank are his cast members. Ruffalo is one of today's finest actors but Spotlight isn't what he will be remembered for (I think it will be for Zodiac, Foxcatcher and him as the Hulk in the Marvel movies).

Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel in Bridge of Spies

Of all the performances I think Rylance's performance is the most deadpan. In many scenes he brings deadpan deliveries of his lines with a grandfatherly charm. He makes us actually admire one of the movies "villains". When the Oscars are sometimes known to give the award to the most acted it's great to see a performance here that isn't way too over the top.

Rylance's performance may give him the limelight in some scenes but he never overshadows Tom Hanks performance and perfectly compliments him. One of the great things about this movie was how Rylance's character opens up to Tom Hanks's character and they create a perfect duo, even friendship in some regards, even if the Academy didn't recognise that this year.

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in Creed

I have been a fan of Stallone, so much so that the only movie I liked that he was in was the 1971 movie Banana's. He's barely in it if you were wondering. I never was really excited for Creed until the reviews started coming in. I went to see it. I think it's one of the best sports movies of all time, including Rocky. Stallone is the perfect supporting actor here. He never over shadows Michael B Jordan and Jordan and Stallone create one of the best duos of the year.

Stallone's performance has come under fire as some skeptics believe that he is underacting and just playing himself. Whether that be true or not he shows emotion that some actors can only dream off in some scenes. Stallone will be remembered for being a pop culture icon for movies like Rocky and Rambo but when it comes to quality of work it will be Creed.

Who Could've Been Nominated

Benicio del Toro (Sicario) for always keeping his drug cartel related characters fresh, Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight) for one of the funniest characters of the year while keeping it real, Harvey Keitel (Youth) for being an actor that perfectly fitted into his role, Joel Edgerton (The Gift) for giving us one of the creepiest performances this year, Jason Segel (The End of the Tour) for a career best and giving a perfect performance for someone who was taken from us recently and any other actor in Spotlight.

Will Win

Sylvester Stallone (While I think he may have some haters and Rylance did have the title of early favorite, Stallone will trump on the night)

Should Win

Sylvester Stallone (For a career highlight and one of the year's best performances)

Should've Been here

Joel Edgerton (because he played one the year's great villains and partially to make more people see the movie)

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees

Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight as Daisy Domergue

Rooney Mara – Carol as Therese Belivet

Rachel McAdams – Spotlight as Sacha Pfeiffer

Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl as Gerda Wegener

Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs as Joanna Hoffman

This is one closest races for the year with Mara, Vikander and Winslet fighting for the award. McAdams and Leigh both bring great performances this year but they haven't been receiving the same support as the others.

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue in The Hateful Eight

In a role that could've been very sexualised and taken advantage off Leigh along with the writing bring one of the strongest female western characters of all time. While she does go through a lot of pain it's not because she's a woman. At times when the character of Domergue can't talk Leigh still manages to give a strong performance with her eyes and facial expressions as well.

My only complaint about her role is that she only talks to three other characters (Jackson, Russell and Goggins). It may be because for story reasons, but I would like to have seen more from her. Christoph Waltz is the only actor to win an Oscar for a Tarantino movie and I think it will stay that way for now as Waltz lead his scenes with grace in Inglourious Basterds and complimented Jamie Foxx's character in Django Unchained.

Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet in Carol

With more screentime than the lead actress (Cate Blanchett) it's a questionable move for Mara to be here, especially when she won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival. Of the two lead performances in the movie I prefer Mara's. In her first lesbian relationship, I think her character can relate to so many people and open a door for the audience to better understand her feelings and the world we are introduced to.

While she probably didn't get a Best Actress nomination because Blanchett's character is the titular character, it would've been the right decision. I don't think Mara deserves this award in fact as she is in the wrong category but she brings in one the best performances of the year and a movie that she will be long remembered for.

Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer in Spotlight

McAdams, while a fine performance, was only nominated because she was the only main female character in Spotlight, the movie that is the textbook definition of team acting. The academy wanted to praise this movie and it's acting so they gave McAdams a nomination. Like I said for Ruffalo I wish they had a Best Ensemble Award. It's also great to see how McAdams has gone from an actress in movies like Mean Girls too strong, appreciated movies like Spotlight.

What I found lacking from this performance was it’s ability to stand by itself. When you compare it to Keaton, Ruffalo or Schreiber it just doesn’t have the same impact. The character was always a part of the team but it never hit the highs of Keaton and Ruffalo from their scenes.

Alicia Vikander as Gerda Wegner in The Danish Girl

If you had to pick a best guess for this category this is probably where you want to put your money. However, like Mara Vikander is the wrong category. She leads the movie with a lot more energy and force than Eddie Redmayne who got a Best Lead Actor nomination. In a role that could've come off as almost as a nurse type character Vikander dominates the screen.

Also this isn't her best performance of the year, that title needs to go to Ex Machina in which she should've been nominated here instead of The Danish Girl.If she wins I think like so many Oscars this will be a career one, even if 2015 was Vikander's breakout year.

Kate Winslet as Jonna Hoffman in Steve Jobs

While Kate Winslet may forever be remembered for Titanic, I hope she is remembered for this as well. More than just a supporting actress, her character is the main support character to Fassbender's Steve Jobs. In the powerhouse performance that is Michael Fassbender's it takes a hell of a performance to be in the same league and that is exactly what Winslet does.

Guiding Jobs through three different product launches and Winslet perfectly acts a moral compass and advisor on so many levels. Winslet does so many wonders with the performance that if Aaron Sorkin wrote a spin off, it could be done.

Who Could've Been Nominated

Anne Dorval and Suzanne Clément for being standouts, but not leads in Mommy, Tessa Thompson (Creed) for being one of the most interesting love interests in movies for the year, Rachel Weisz for bringing greatness to both The Lobster and Youth, Marion Cotillard for helping to bring Shakespeare to the silver screen while being faithful and Greta Gerwig in Mistress America for one the great comedic performances of the year.

Who Will Win

Alicia Vikander (for an Oscar-bait movie as the Academy doesn't often appreciate the right movies)

Who Should Win

Kate Winslet (Not only a great performance but also a great performance to act against)

Who Should've Been Nominated

Tessa Thompson (Creed - adding so much to a character that could've come off as one-dimensional)

The images above belong to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

#2015 #oscars #RachelMcAdams #rooneymara #JenniferJasonLeigh #MarkRuffalo #ChristianBale