I need to start thinking up some real philosophical shit to write in here again or go off on some movie ramblings or something. These are getting to be pretty bare! Only seen the winner here and I'm intrigued by some of the names/films, so let's get to it.
1989 Best Supporting Actor
Denzel Washington - Glory
For the record, I skimmed through this film for Denzel's performance and even then didn't watch it all super thoroughly simply because I've seen this film so many times that I didn't want to watch it again. That way I could move on to Best Actress that much quicker. Denzel plays Private Trip, a soldier in the all black Northern Army regiment. We first notice him because he lays into some other black soldiers and is a very angry person. We come to find out he was a slave and jumped at the chance to kill some southerners. We also find out that underneath that tough, bitter, angry exterior there's a decent man who tries to get shoes for his fellow soldiers. Denzel at first lays it on a bit thick as if to hammer home just how angry and tough his character is, but then settles in to what his character is which is an asshole that wants the best for his fellow soldiers. He makes this big stink about the white soldiers receiving more pay and organizes a protest of not accepting the pay. This in turn allows Colonel Shaw a chance to show he's with his men by not accepting his pay. It's a meaty role for Denzel and he makes the most of it like when he gets whipped for going AWOL to find the shoes and he remains stoic and then quietly has tears fall down his face. An obvious Oscar moment that could have gone off the rails with a lesser actor. Denzel continues to be a strong and stubborn soldier and eventually warms up to Colonel Shaw and wants to fight for him. We see this epitomized in the end when Denzel dies for his commander and his unit and his fellow soldiers and his country, holding the flag til the end. It's a very baity role that Denzel does well to keep from becoming such a generic and stale soldier done good performance. I'd say Denzel elevates the role into something more noticeable and powerful, which is a big reason he won the Oscar. It's a really good and important performance that I'm glad the Academy paid attention to.
Danny Aiello - Do the Right Thing
I had never seen this film before (I regret having to say this over and over the deeper I go into this project) and was uncertain about how I was going to feel about a white guy being the only nomination in a predominantly black film. Aiello is pretty great though and I understand his nomination because the Academy was never going to nominate anyone else for this film and this was their way to reward the film along with Best Screenplay. But truthfully, Spike Lee doesn't allow any of his black actors to shine as much as Aiello does. The one black actor to get a lot of screen time is Spike Lee himself and he's a stiff actor. Aiello gets plenty of screen time as the proprietor of Sal's Pizzeria and gets a quiet moment to shine when discussing with his son why he stays in the black neighborhood. Sal never seems like a racist, just a guy who has had a shop in an area for a long time who now has to deal with the changing of the times. He wants to sling pizza and doesn't care who his customers are, just as long as they pay. Sure he gets into tiffs when Radio Raheem blasts his radio in his establishment or tells Buggin' Out he has to pay extra for cheese and to fuck off as to why there are no blacks on his wall of pictures. The love for Mookie's sister is really strange and out of place and seems more like a misstep by Lee than anything else since there is no need for that little diversion. The ending is also sad because Aiello didn't deserve to have his shop ransacked and torched just because the people were misinformed. You can easily side with Aiello as a sympathetic figure and it's easy to see why the Academy would side with him for a nomination.
Dan Akroyd - Driving Miss Daisy
Dan Akroyd came along for the ride with the love the film garnered. I also think that maybe he had some goodwill as a respected comedian going somewhat legit in a drama and that earned him some respect and a nomination from the Academy. Akroyd plays the son of Jessica Tandy's character and is the one who hires Morgan Freeman to drive his mother around. He shows up now and then during the film checking in on his mother and seeing how he can help Freeman. He's a decent character and seems to respect the black folk even back in the 50s-60s and is a genuinely good person. That's really all there is to Akroyd's character though. I can't really argue that he's this transcendent character and bridges relations between whites and black and gives a must see performance. He's just Dan Akroyd in a film about race relations and he does a good job. Simple as that. He's nowhere near being considered for a win and the nomination here is the reward. I suspect if the film wasn't so liked for whatever reason, he wouldn't have made it into this category which should tell you everything about this nomination.
Marlon Brando - A Dry White Season
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, yes, this is a veteran nomination and solely because Brando is a well respected Academy favorite. Brando had been in a self imposed acting retirement and came back to act in this film, which interestingly enough is the first Hollywood film directed by a black woman. I may have to check my info on that but according to IMDB, that's accurate. This was really just a chance to nominate Brando again and nothing else. He plays a lawyer who helps Donald Sutherland's character by defending a black South African. He's only really in two scenes. The first one is brief where he meets Sutherland and takes on the case. Then the next one is in the courtroom and Brando gets to sink his teeth into a very easy and noble role. He grills the police who are corrupt and takes it to them and comes off looking righteous and just. It's a glorified cameo and though Brando is good, it's nothing outstanding or worth a nomination and I'm a huge Brando fan. You can skip this and not miss out on anything.
Martin Landau - Crimes and Misdemeanors
This film is a little strange. I keep wavering back and forth on whether I liked it and think it's a good film. I'm leaning towards yes for both. I say strange because I guess it's supposed to be a dark comedy of sorts but Landau's story and character is played straight and doesn't elicit any laughs. The comedy comes from Woody Allen's character and the other stories and it's not exactly laugh out loud stuff. It feels weird tonally and it's like Landau is in a different film. Landau plays an eye doctor who has been having an affair with Anjelica Huston and she is now threatening to talk to his wife because he's not spending enough time with her (Huston) and isn't leaving his wife. Landau becomes desperate and has someone take care of the problem by having Huston killed. Now Landau has to live with the guilt of having someone he loved killed because it would expose his lies and infidelity. That's basically what the film is about, that Crime and Punishment idea of dealing with an egregious sin and living with yourself. Landau is very good in the role of having to play a man who is burdened in mind, body, and soul. He just looks like a guy who has a ton of stuff going on in his head. It's a very serious performance that asks a lot of existential questions. Landau must confront his own morals and even questions his religious ideas. His guilt, anxiety, anger, conflicted state of mind is written all over Landau's face and is a real honest portrayal of all of those emotions. This is a strong performance but it also is essentially a lead performance, so the focus is on Landau who shines with the extra attention, which is almost not fair. It's a surprisingly good male performance in a Woody Allen film.
Well you can throw out Brando and Akroyd right from the beginning. Neither are awful. In fact, they are both entertaining and somewhat decent. It's just that Brando is a cameo and the Academy is throwing him a career nom and sympathy vote. Akroyd just comes along for the ride with his film and doesn't do all that much besides be pleasant. Now when you start to look at the remaining three is when it gets really interesting. I like each of the remaining three. Denzel's win is pretty important to the history of Oscar so that's in his favor but it's also a strong performance that can stand alone. I really enjoyed Aiello even though the film doesn't give him all that much to do. He mans the pizzeria and interacts with the black neighborhood but maybe not to an amazing degree. I would take him simply because I liked him and the film. Then you have Landau who gives a very serious performance and sticks out positively in a Woody Allen film. As of right now that's the order I keep it. Landau may be just a bit technically better than Aiello but for some reason I like him more, plus Landau wins eventually so I don't feel so guilty. I like the win for Denzel and wouldn't really change it. Having a white actor win for a majority black film is kind of a bad look. So Denzel can stay the winner. This is a pretty good group even with the bottom two.
Oscar Winner: Denzel Washington - Glory
My Winner: Denzel Washington - Glory
Danny Aiello
Martin Landau
Dan Akroyd
Marlon Brando
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