Ugh, leave it to fucking Firefox to restart and Blogger to somehow not save any of the work I'd done on this group. I had finished two reviews and was very happy with them but now I have to go back and try and capture what I felt when writing. I'm super pissed because they are gonna suck and I was very excited for this group. The names in this group alone make it a star studded affair and all the films here are enjoyable ones. I haven't seen Rob Roy, but I'm hoping and assuming it will be just like the others. Let me restart this damn thing now.
1995 Best Supporting Actor
Kevin Spacey - The Usual Suspects
I'll try not to be too spoiler-y in my review of Spacey, but come on, if you haven't seen this film yet go watch it and then come back and read this, it's worth the watch. In my first draft of this, I noted that both of Spacey's Oscar winning performances featured him acting as the narrator of the film and he really is a great narrator. His voice is able to fit the tone of the film he's narrating like the detached indifference of American Beauty and the hand waving exposition of this film. Plus, his voice is so expressive that it's like another actor on screen, he's definitely one of the best at it. As for the performance, Spacey's Verbal Kint is a very meek and subdued guy, staying to the back of the group get togethers and letting the other criminals be the dominant personas. Kint has a gimp leg and arm so Spacey shuffles around the film and though it's kinda gimmicky, it works or at least doesn't detract from the performance. Spacey is really more of a leading actor to me, as he dominates the screen time, narrates the film, and the story is all about Kint. It is an ensemble film, though, and the other characters have their moments to shine so I'm not going to scream category fraud too loudly. The one thing I love about watching Spacey perform is that he's so effortless and smooth. Even when he's playing a detective, a gimpy criminal, a bored husband, or an asshole - Spacey makes each performance look easy. And he's just a lot of fun to watch, especially in this role. Everyone remembers him in the film because of the twist and it's just a good performance, period. I do also love Benicio del Toro as the mumbling criminal who is hilarious and really adds to the film, much like Spacey does. I can see why the Academy chose Spacey as the winner because he is so charming and engaging and it will be tough for me to decide if he's my winner, too, with this strong group of guys.
James Cromwell - Babe
James Cromwell is absolutely fantastic in the role as Farmer Hoggett. I think that he perfectly captures what his role is supposed to be. He's sort of the mythical figure to the farm animals and he has this intense presence that only Cromwell could pull off. He's the father figure and takes the pig under his wings so to speak, recognizing Babe's unique ability. Cromwell's character is a man of few words and the performance is one of mostly silence with a lot of stern looks. This could have been either a nothing role with an anonymous man or a boring character but Cromwell elevates the role into one that's incredibly memorable. I saw this in theaters and whenever I thought of Babe I thought of the pig but I mostly thought of Cromwell's character saying "That'll do pig. That'll do" and him having more of a presence in my mind. I was still really young back then but I took note of Cromwell who I really respected and knew was a great actor. I'm very glad he was rewarded with a nomination here because he's been a great character actor in a lot of my favorite films. I think what makes his performance is his relationship with the pig. There's a lot of growth in the relationship from the first meeting to the end when they win the sheepdog competition. There's curiosity to respect to love with some farmer duties thrown in there when he almost has to kill the pig out of obligation. But all the little smiles and looks from Cromwell really sells the relationship of the two, punctuated by the ending when he says "That'll do pig." He has such a warm demeanor when it comes to the pig that you can't help but love Farmer Hoggett, too. And I'm leaving out the moment where Cromwell breaks out into a dance routine and it doesn't fell hokey or weird. It feels natural and charming when he's dancing for his pig and is a very sweet moment. Cromwell definitely deserved his nomination and may very well be my winner when all is said and done because he is that good and memorable.
Ed Harris - Apollo 13
Most pissed about having to redo this one because I had written this a couple days before and now I have to write it again, so I feel like I lost a little bit of the immediacy of my thoughts on Harris' performance and that's not fair for the reader. Harris plays the mission control guru, the guy who is overseeing all the different departments and telling everyone what to do. It's a perfect supporting role since there's not a whole lot asked of Harris other than to carry the scenes he's in so that we get from major scene to major scene. He's essentially shepherding the action during the cutaways where we see the team scrambling and trying to fix the problems going on in the spacecraft. He's good at this role and brings a bit of gravitas to the role and also a little bit of humor. I think it's a perfect Harris role, as well. He is a quintessential supporting actor and when you think of supporting actors, he's a name you recall almost immediately. I think in my first draft of this, I overstated how much Harris did in the film. He doesn't do all that much but he's enjoyable as is the film as a whole, so it's not a bad reward for him. He is the serious, hard working face of the scientists on the ground and represents them well. I thought that maybe Gary Sinise would have been a better choice for a supporting nomination but he was coming off one the year prior for Forrest Gump so maybe the Academy wanted to spread the love around. Either way, Harris is fine as a nominee representing the film.
Brad Pitt - 12 Monkeys
12 Monkeys is a mindfuck of a film, but I'd expect no less from Terry Gilliam. Purposefully left ambiguous by the director, you can come to any conclusion you want about the meaning of the film. The conclusion I came to is that Brad Pitt's character is a lot of fun to watch. Pitt plays Jeffrey Goines, a mental patient that Bruce Willis meets who turns out to be the leader of the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, a fanatical eco-terrorist organization who are suspected of letting lose a virus that kills the majority of the population. When we first meet Pitt in the mental institute, he is this fast talking, wild eyed, frenetic, manic guy who shows Willis around. Pitt plays crazy well and though the acting is obvious and mannered I feel like that's the point of the character and I like Pitt's portrayal. After the beginning where Pitt is featured heavily, he's only in a few scenes after that. His impact is mostly felt in those initial scenes as the ones that follow aren't all that important. He is still the crazy, wild eyed guy from before but the story doesn't focus on him as much but he still nails the manic presence of his character. I read online that Pitt modeled his acting after Dennis Hopper's photojournalist in the film Apocalypse Now which is a cool little tidbit of information. Pitt was in the midst of becoming a star at the time this film was released and I think that may have helped the Academy decide to reward him with a nomination. One of those let's crown and up and coming star so we seem hip and with it decisions but a good decision nonetheless. It's not a winning performance by any means, but it does show the range that Brad Pitt has and is a quite enjoyable performance on top of everything else. He definitely deserved a nomination for something at the time and this is a fine choice for it.
Tim Roth - Rob Roy
Oh man, this is a deliciously villainous role for Tim Roth, one that he clearly relishes with his performance. Roth plays Archibald Cunningham, an asshole nobleman who is sent to Scotland by his mother to make a man out of him and who does whatever he wants: raping, stealing, murdering, being effeminate while winning a sword fight. Roth prances around with evil glee and goes up against Scottish clan chief, Liam Neeson. It's a lot of fun to watch Roth bounce around from scene to scene like a nancy and then win sword fights while doing so and then plundering a village to piss off Neeson. Archibald is cruel and revels in his cruelty and his unpredictability is staggering. For such an effeminate character, he can quickly turn violent at any second and the film let's Roth do this seemingly on his own accord. That's where Roth's performance succeeds because it's as if Roth decides on his own to punch Neeson in the face or attack another person without hesitation. Roth sells his character and it's wholly entertaining to watch. Roth is as committed to the prancing parts of his character as he is the extreme violent parts, it's really quite wonderful that an actor is clearly enjoying all parts of his character. Roth's performance makes the ending very satisfying for obvious reasons and that's a testament to his skill to make such a villain an enjoyable watch. I'd say Roth more than held his own for my expectations of him compared to the others in this category and only makes this task even more difficult. Shout out to John Hurt for also being a quality choice for the Academy to consider. Lots of great supporting actors this year.
This has got to be the manliest Supporting Actor category I've done so far, even with Babe in the picture! If I were say 20-25 years old, this probably would have been my exact list for the category. Even 20 plus years later it's a great group of guys that have gone on do great things acting wise and make a ton of great films. I've got to say that this is probably the first time the Academy has gotten it 100% right. You can argue maybe someone else like a John Hurt or Gary Sinise could be in there instead, but I think the Academy got it right. This is a group that was so fun to watch because I hadn't watched a few of these in a long, long time even though I really enjoyed them back then. I'm gushing but it's a great group without a doubt. My 5th would have to be Harris just because he is more of a chauffeur between scenes even though he is pretty good at it. Pitt would be 4th because he's not that important to the film and doesn't factor in much besides being crazy. Roth plays a great villain and is quite enjoyable in his role so he's my 3rd. It's a tough choice between Cromwell and Spacey. Spacey is a pretty good winner but Cromwell is so good as Farmer Hoggett that it's hard to pick between the two. I think for now I'm giving the slightest of edges to Spacey over Cromwell but it could change tomorrow. I love Cromwell but Spacey is so damn good. This is easily the best Supporting Actor category I've seen yet and probably the best category I've watched yet. I hope for more groups like this one in the future (past).
Oscar Winner: Kevin Spacey - The Usual Suspects
My Winner: Kevin Spacey - The Usual Suspects
James Cromwell
Tim Roth
Brad Pitt
Ed Harris
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