Supporting Actor 1993

Hopefully you will excuse my lack of consistent updates lately. Just one of those things where I need to detach myself from movie watching for a bit and try to do other things instead. There's so many TV series I need to watch that I keep putting off to where I feel burdened enough to finally sit down and watch them so I can move on. Same goes for video games and I'm not even a big video game guy. Sounds goofy to say I need to relax from movies to watch TV or play video games but it's the truth. When it feels like a chore, it's time to step back and take a moment. Good thing is that I won't be taking any months and months and months long breaks like I have in the past! I'd love to finish the 90s by September-ish but we'll see!

1993 Best Supporting Actor

Tommy Lee Jones - The Fugitive

It's seems kind of a given that Tommy Lee Jones is an Oscar winner. You go down the list of names of the winners in the male acting categories and Jones doesn't seem out of place at all. You glance at his name and move on without much thought. Then when you look at the names of the other guys he went up against this year and their performances and it's a miracle almost that he won. I don't mean to say Jones' performance is crap and deserved to lose. Just that this is a hell of a category with some great performances throughout. This would also be what I consider to be the quintessential Tommy Lee Jones performance. It has everything a Jones performance typically does. He has that sarcastic, yet authoritarian demeanor where he's a stickler for the rules but has a softer side and cracks subtle jokes throughout the performance. He's a hard ass that does his job well and never quits or gets discouraged and endears himself to the audience even if he comes off like a stick in the mud at times. Jones plays a U.S. Marshall who is hunting down Harrison Ford's character and matches Ford stride for stride in this film. You could really say that Jones is a co-lead and you wouldn't be wrong and we know the Academy loves putting people in the wrong categories. I guess this one doesn't bother me as much because I can somewhat understand the reasoning but still, he's basically a lead. I like to look at this performance as the precursor to Jones' character in No Country for Old Men as they seemed linked in spirit. That's why I view this as the quintessential Jones performance because it sets the tone for the rest of his body of work to come. It's a good performance and a very memorable one at that, so it's easy to see why the Academy would vote him for the win for a thriller that was well liked. It's also pretty straightforward and though it doesn't quite stretch Jones' acting ability, it certainly deserves to be nominated - I'll just have to see if it deserves the win, too.

Leonardo DiCaprio - What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

When people think of Leonardo DiCaprio, I think they forget that he was quite an accomplished and good actor before the Titanic popularity. That would be evidenced by his nomination here a few years before his mega success, but also by his other films which were noted for his strong performances. It was easy to see even this early in his career that he was destined for greatness and would win an Oscar at some point in his lifetime. He finally did this year, over 20 years later, and you could probably compare this first nomination with that win. In this film, DiCaprio plays Arnie Grape, a mildly retarded boy about to turn 18. The film focuses on how Arnie affects Johnny Depp and his family's life. It's a sweet little movie that tries to give an honest look at what life is like with a handicapped relative in a small town. The singular thing that elevates this film is DiCaprio's performance. Just like in his winning performance for The Revenant, DiCaprio is fully committed to being Arnie to the point where if I had no idea who DiCaprio was, I'd honestly think it was a real developmentally disabled person. And I don't even mean to overexaggerate how convincing he is because it's Leo, it's just that good. It's even annoying how good he is because the mannerisms and his persona fit what a mentally retarded kid would be like. Laughing at inappropriate times, random outbursts, well intentioned things that end up bad, repeating words and phrases, it goes on and on. DiCaprio nails it all without being too precious, existing within the story but never acting too hard to keep the spotlight on himself. I like it because the performance feels natural and not like a desperate attempt to win an Oscar or anything like that. DiCaprio never tries to take over the film, either, which I enjoy because this kind of role is ripe for someone to overact and make a big splash and dominate the film. He just portrays his character and that's that, which is extremely refreshing to see. It's a great performance and one that I'll look hard at for the win. I'm glad, too, that the Academy didn't screw this up and not nominate him because who knows where we'd be in DiCaprio Oscar watch right now!

Ralph Fiennes - Schindler's List

My man, Ralph Fiennes! Playing one of the most evil characters of all time. Seriously, Amon Goeth has become synonymous with evil because of this film and because Fiennes' performance is so haunting and memorable. From the moment he is introduced to us and asks why the fuck are they driving around with the top down in winter, we get a sense of just who this man is. From there, we see him randomly shoot Jews from his balcony for sitting down as a way to wake up, before he's even had his coffee which annoys his mistress. Killing Jews is just a game, a way of life, a moment of distraction for him. And Fiennes sells every moment of this as if he shared the same belief. Even when Schindler tries to talk some sense into him about being Amon the Good and Amon tries it out, it just doesn't work and Amon needs to kill to feel the power and control that he talked about. He laughs and laughs when Schindler wants to hose down the boxcars of Jews before they depart because he thinks Schindler is being extra cruel and only later realizes it's because he genuinely wants to give them water and to cool them down. His face and whole demeanor changes when he realizes this, as expertly portrayed by Fiennes. There's a scene where Goeth tests a Jew on his speed in making a hinge and then takes him out to be shot when he completes it very fast only to see he's actually completed very few. Goeth's gun jams a few times and the other SS Officers inspect the gun and talk about the misfire as some interesting event while a man waits to die. It shows that Goeth and the other SS Officers don't really care about the act itself because he just wants to kill the guy for no real reason and can't and gets frustrated at the inconvenience of the gun not working. Fiennes is a very strong presence in this film even when just walking around or talking to people. The prisoners react to him as if he is the devil incarnate while the man just walks to get from point A to B without thinking of them. Meaning he is their God, essentially. That's the power these men had and Fiennes taps into that vein in his performance. It's an incredible performance that leaves a lasting impact no matter the subject. I'm not quite sure how Fiennes didn't win because it's hard to shake his evil Goeth after watching the film.

John Malkovich - In the Line of Fire

You know, I'm okay with these type of nominations. For one, it gives me a chance to watch a film I never would have otherwise. And honestly, this film isn't that bad. Straightforward thriller sort of on par with a Die Hard or something but with less fun moments. Starring Clint Eastwood as a secret service old guy and John Malkovich as the villain obsessed with showing him up. You can compare it to this year's big thriller in The Fugitive and see just how good that one is and how mediocre this one is. Anyway, second reason I'm okay with it is that it gives us a chance to watch Malkovich who is always entertaining no matter what kind of character he's playing. As I already said, he plays a villain tormenting Eastwood but doing so in a very measured, methodical, mastermind kind of way. Malkovich has that disarming demeanor where he speaks softly and comes off as highly intelligent which makes for his crazy side hitting that much harder and more intense. I think he gives us a hell of a bad guy that is up there with your Hans Gruber's. I feel that villains are so easy to portray and when done well are very memorable characters. The Supporting Actor category is littered with these types of roles and that's not a bad thing. It's one of my favorite things to watch when it comes to this category and thankfully Malkovich delivers a great performance. His assassin is so batshit crazy but so calm about being that way that it's a lot of fun to watch. He pulls no punches either, killing people without hesitation and I read online that he wanted scenes to be even more graphic to show his character's depravity. The thing about Malkovich is that he fully invests in his characters and we benefit from fully formed performances such as this. I just really like the mix of calm, collected, calculating CIA assassin and diabolical madman. I also like that we mostly see the former instead of the latter because it makes his outbursts more powerful and meaningful. When he flips out, it's earned and not just because the film needs a big moment. Malkovich's performance in this film really makes me wish we could have seen him as the villain in a Die Hard or Lethal Weapon or something instead of an Eastwood vehicle. Oh well, this nomination is a good reward anyhow.

Pete Postlethwaite - In the Name of the Father

I will have already said a ton about this film by the time you read this review so I won't go too deep in explaining my love for it. I think it's a great film with some powerhouse acting and Mr. Postlethwaite certainly is a big reason as to why I think that. The first time I saw this film, I was completely blown away by Postlethwaite. I liked his unique look but I also thought his acting was so no nonsense, so much like a bull charging through a field that I sat up and took notice. Then I somehow saw him everywhere in a couple different films and he was just as great at being a character actor as he was in this film. He plays Daniel Day-Lewis' father who gets wrapped up in his son being falsely accused of bombing a London pub for the IRA. He's just a hardworking, loving father who wants his kid to stop fucking up and earn an honest living for himself. He goes to London to try and help his son but ends up getting included as part of a big terrorist cell because the British cops are desperate to pin it on anyone and look good. Postlethwaite and DDL have really great chemistry as the father-son duo and I read online that Postlethwaite was DDL's mentor in the Irish theater scene. That makes their chemistry all the more believable which in turn makes their relationship more compelling and the events of the film hit even harder. Postlethwaite's character keeps the faith while in prison, both literally and figuratively as he prays every day like normal and believes that they need to focus on getting out instead of involving themselves in the political goings on. His morally righteous nature never feels like it's a construct of the writing or the story. It always feels natural to the character as Guiseppe just wants to live a good, quiet life with his family free from the violence going on around him. Postlethwaite really gives this film it's emotional center and the film is much stronger for having him in it. Just a great performance overall.


Yes, it's a Supporting Actor category that's awesome. This is old news now. Malkovich brings up the rear simply because the film is so early 90s action film even though Malkovich is a bit better than the typical villain. DiCaprio shows from an early age that he deserves an Oscar and I'm glad he finally got his due. This one was seriously impressive and certainly age was a factor. I'll put Jones 3rd because it's just a typical Jones role and the performance isn't that amazing. It's solid as hell but not a winner for me. Postlethwaite is the runner up because I just really like his strong, fatherly performance. Great character actor that deserves some attention. Fiennes is my winner because his Amon Goeth is so memorable and evil. A really great category that I hope to continue.

Oscar Winner: Tommy Lee Jones - The Fugitive
My Winner:  Ralph Fiennes - Schindler's List
Pete Postlethwaite
Tommy Lee Jones
Leonardo DiCaprio
John Malkovich