Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2006: Results

5. Sergi López in Pan's Labyrinth - López gives an appropriately imposing portrayal of his sadistic character, but there just always felt like there was something missing.

Best Scene: Vidal's first torture session.

4. Mads Mikkelsen in Casino Royale - Mikkelsen gives an appropriately slick villainous turn, but also manages to bring more depth than one might expect from such a character.

Best Scene:  A most painful torture session. 

3. Steve Carell in Little Miss Sunshine - Carell gives a rather assured portrayal of his suicidal character who gradually finds some will to live.

Best Scene: Frank tells Dwayne to suffer.

2. Michael Caine in Children of Men - Caine gives a great supporting work where he gives a enjoyable off-beat yet still poignant turn. It's the sort of work that seems like he has more screen time than he does because of the impact he makes with the little he has.

Best Scene: Jasper says goodbye to his wife. 

1. Ben Affleck in Hollywoodland - He'd be my supporting win but I can't quite agree with that placement. In either category though Affleck gives a great performance. He brings to life the charisma yet weakness of Reeves brilliantly to life, and gives a heartbreaking portrayal of a man who never felt he soared high enough.

Best Scene: Reeves's wrestling footage. 

Overall Rank:

1. Michael Caine in Children of Men
2. Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children
3. Steve Carell in Little Miss Sunshine 
4. Mads Mikkelsen in Casino Royale
5. Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine
6. David Bowie in The Prestige 
7. Robert Downey Jr. in A Scanner Darkly
8. Rob Lowe in Thank You For Smoking
9. Michael Caine in The Prestige 
10. Toby Jones in The Painted Veil
11. Alec Baldwin in The Departed 
12. John Hurt in V For Vendetta
13. Sergi López in Pan's Labyrinth
14. Martin Sheen in The Departed
15. Morgan Freeman in Lucky Number Slevin
16. Bob Hoskins in Hollywoodland
17. Joe Pesci in The Good Shepherd
18. Ben Kingsley in Lucky Number Slevin
19. Giancarlo Giannini in Casino Royale
20. Mark Wahlberg in The Departed
21. Noah Emmerich in Little Children
22. Richard Sammel in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
23. Ray Winstone in The Departed
24. Liam Cunningham in The Wind That Shakes the Barley
25. Ulrich Tukur in The Lives of Others 
26. Paul Dano in Little Miss Sunshine
27. Jeremy Piven in Smokin' Aces
28. Padraic Delaney in The Wind That Shakes the Barley
29. Jeffrey DeMunn in Hollywoodland 
30. Stephen Rea in V For Vendetta
31. Woody Harrelson in A Scanner Darkly
32. Alex Angulo in Pan's Labyrinth
33. Michael Clarke Duncan in Talladega Nights in The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
34. Tsuyoshi Ihara in Letters from Iwo Jima
35. Chris Pine in Smokin' Aces
36. Boubker Ait El Caid in Babel
37. Gary Cole in Talladega Nights in The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
38. Philip Seymour Hoffman in Mission Impossible III
39. Rufus Sewell in The Illusionist  
40. John C. Reilly in Talladega Nights in The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
41. Brad Pitt in Babel
42. J.K. Simmons in Thank You For Smoking
43. Paul Newman in Cars
44. Andy Serkis in The Prestige
45. Ray Liotta in Smokin' Aces
46. Chiwetel Ejiofor in Children of Men 
47. Leslie Phillips in Venus
48. Sam Elliot in Thank You For Smoking
49. Michael Gambon in The Good Shepherd 
50. Stephen Fry in V For Vendetta
51. Bill Nighy in Pirates of Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
52. David Oyelowo in The Last King of Scotland
53. Thomas Thieme in The Lives of Others
54. Ryo Kase in Letters From Iwo Jima
55. Ben Affleck in Smokin' Aces
56. Peter Mullan in Children of Men
57. Arnold Vosloo in Blood Diamond
58. Koji Yakusho in Babel
59. Liev Schreiber in The Painted Veil
60. Robert De Niro in The Good Shepherd
61. Stellan Skarsgaard in Pirates of Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
62. Alfred Molina in The Hoax
63. Dustin Hoffman in Stranger Than Fiction 
64. Gael Garcia Bernal in Babel
65. Paul Giamatti in The Illusionist 
66. Ben Foster in X-Men The Last Stand
67. John Turturro in The Good Shepherd 
68. Nestor Carbonell in Smokin' Aces
69. Michael Sheen in The Queen
70. Chiwetel Ejiofor in Inside Man
71. William H. Macy in Thank You For Smoking
72. Bill Nighy in Notes on a Scandal
73. Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls
74. Terry Crews in Idiocracy
75. Burt Young in Rocky Balboa
76. Charlie Hunnam in Children of Men
77. Simon McBurney in The Last King of Scotland
78. Stanley Tucci in Lucky Number Slevin
79. Anthony Mackie in Half Nelson
80. Willem Dafoe in Inside Man
81. Tom Hollander in Pirates of Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
82. Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada
83. David Koechner in Thank You For Smoking
84. Kevin Spacey in Superman Returns
85. James Badge Dale in The Departed
86. Alec Baldwin in The Good Shepherd 
87. Greg Kinnear in Invincible
88. Billy Crudup in The Good Shepherd
89. James Cromwell in The Queen
90. William Hurt in The Good Shepherd 
91. Richard Griffiths in Venus
92. Ian McKellen in X-Men: The Last Stand
93. Jack Davenport in Pirates of Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
94. Mike Starr in The Black Dahlia
95. Stanley Tucci in The Hoax
96. Bruce Willis in Lucky Number Slevin
97. Jack Nicholson in The Departed
98. Tony Burton in Rocky Balboa
99. Larry The Cable Guy in Cars 
100. Dax Shepard in Idiocracy
101. Danny Glover in Dreamgirls  
102. Kelsey Grammer in X-Men The Last Stand
103. Frank Langella in Superman Returns 
104. Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness
105. Dick Van Dyke in Night at the Museum  
106. Patrick Stewart in X-Men The Last Stand
107. Kevin McNally in Pirates of Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
108. James Marsden in Superman Returns
109. Milo Ventimiglia in Rocky Balboa
110. Jeff Daniels in RV
111. Jamie Foxx in Dreamgirls 
112. Alan Arkin in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause 
113. Robin Williams in Night at the Museum
114. Aaron Eckhart in The Black Dahlia 
115. Martin Short in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause 
116. Mickey Rooney in Night at the Museum
117. Dan Castellaneta in The Pursuit of Happyness
118. Andrew Simpson in Notes on a Scandal
119. Andy Garcia in Smokin' Aces
120. Rory Cochrane in A Scanner Darkly
121. Spencer Breslin in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
122. Vinnie Jones in X-Men: The Last Stand
123. Tristan Lake Leabu in Superman Returns
124. Eddie Redmayne in The Good Shepherd

Next Year: 1965 Supporting

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2006: Steve Carell in Little Miss Sunshine

Steve Carell did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Frank Ginsberg in Little Miss Sunshine.

Steve Carell is making some headway this year for his dramatic performance in Foxcatcher which is seen as an against type of performance for him. The interesting thing is though in Little Miss Sunshine, which came only a few years into his  prominent movie career, he very much plays a dramatic role. Although Little Miss Sunshine is part comedy Carell's role entails very little comedy to be honest. There are only really two scenes where he's expected to be funny and one is more action based than really from his performance. The first being merely when he throws a drink the other is when he is being sarcastic toward Greg Kinnear's character, who is his brother in-law, as he espouses his personal philosophy which he promotes too often. Carell is enjoyable enough in this scene but most importantly it feels just something Frank would do as Carell importantly does not fall back on his comedic style of old, which I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of.

Much of the film Carell gives a fittingly somber performance as Frank since before the films begins Frank had just attempted to commit suicide. Carrell's performance certainly matches this idea from his opening scene as the emotional devastation lives in his face. Frank is taken to his sister (Toni Collette)'s home where, despite being obviously not exactly functional himself, he is an observer of her family's dysfunction. Although the intensity of the depression obviously subsides to the extreme right after his most extreme act, Carell effectively keeps the sadness within Frank as he stays somewhat withdrawn from everyone else. In a subtle way Carell suggests Frank as basically reexamining his life as the story progresses around him. Carell is quite good as the impartial observer in portraying Frank's confusion and measured interest at the various oddities involving his sister's family whether it's her son Dwayne (Paul Dano) who swore a vow of silence , he beauty pageant obsessed daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin), or her extremely crusty father-in-law (Alan Arkin).

Carell rather interestingly takes a rather different approach for one major aspect of his character. That being he's a former university professor and who considers himself the number one Proust scholar. Throughout the film Frank attempts to espouse his scholarly knowledge, but the interesting thing is Carell does not portray Frank as the pompous intellectual type he very well might have done as that's that common style with this type of character. Carell though is very good in showing Frank attempt at giving out this sort of information, not as Frank attempting to stroke his ego, but rather a slight attempt to impart the little he has to give. I particularly like the scene where he fails at this when he attempts to tell the meaning of à la mode to Olive only to be quickly shut down. Carell brings the right sort of meekness in his demeanor as he rightfully never loses the idea that Frank is very much in recovery. It is perhaps the case that Frank may have been the pompous scholar at one time, but Carell is rather affecting in portraying a man who probably received more humility than he needed to in a short amount of time. 

Carell's role is mostly rather muted during the film since Frank is often a passive character. Carell though never simply fades into the background though and his reactions are never wasted when he is part of the group. Carell is excellent by quietly conveying the improvement of Frank's mental health throughout the course of the film. It is not shown thrown obvious points of change but rather it is a gradual process as the rest of the story unfolds. Carell handles this incredibly well actually as it always seems honest as Frank becomes more optimistic. It is mainly through reactions but the transformation is well handled from his complete despair found in his first shot to some rather poignant glimmers of happiness seen by the end. Carell best moment is when Frank finally seems to succeed in his attempt at giving wisdom when he advises Dwayne to do his best to stick it out despite his problems with his family. Carell offers a nice bit of honest warmth in the scene and suggests, despite not saying so, that Frank intends to the same as he advised. This is a strong performance by Steve Carell which actually proved his ability as a dramatic actor not long after he technically was even considered a movie funnyman.

Alternate Best Actor 2006: Ben Affleck in Hollywoodland

Ben Affleck did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe, for portraying George Reeves in Hollywoodland.

Hollywoodland is an effective enough film about a private detective's (Adrien Brody) investigation into the apparent suicide of former Superman star George Reeves. Although I do like the film it's one of those films that never quite comes together even though greatness seems in reach.

After watching the film again I do have to move Ben Affleck over to leading actor for the film. Although there is another lead in the detective Louis Simo played by Brody his story of investigating Reeves's death is inter spliced with scenes of Reeves's life in Hollywood. Those scenes are almost all from Reeves's perspective and very few of the scenes even come from Brody's character hearing about Reeves, so I think it is fair enough to say Affleck leads the scenes set in the past. There certainly should have been no category confusion leaving Affleck as an oddly snubbed guy for having won two Oscars. Despite Argo winning best picture he was not nominated for director, and despite this film indicating his comeback, as it was just after having become the butt of many jokes for several years and only a year off his directorial debut, Affleck was ignored for this performance.

Ben Affleck plays George Reeves who we introduced to through his dead body. The film begins with George Reeves dying from being shot in the head, and the rest of the film examines whether or not he was the one who pulled the trigger. Part of the examination of this is going through his career and we first meet the living Reeves at a club in Hollywood. Affleck is great in the role of creating Reeves particularly style of performance which does extend right into his personal life as he purposefully tries to charm people to help make himself a star. Affleck has an interesting take on his manner in the role as he does kinda go for that old school type of movie star charm as Reeves. Affleck though does not make it pure so to speak, because after all Reeves was not exactly Clark Gable himself. There is that sort of posture though and very to the point delivery yet Affleck brings a decided weakness about the show as though Reeves is not quite as great as he thinks he is.

Reeves finds minor improvement in his career through relationship with a older well connected married woman Toni Mannix (Diane Lane). Both basically use each other in this relationship but it is interesting in the way both Affleck and Lane play these scenes. Although it is in the open that they both basically understand the nature of the relationship neither actor portrays their character as an innately cold individual. Even though they speak openly about it, Mannix in particular, Affleck and Lane still bring a certain warmth to the relationship. It is obviously not as pleasant as one would want to be as the basis seems to be something that underlines every scene they are together. Affleck and Lane are quite good though in creating the complexity in the chemistry between the two. Even with that being understood they still suggest the two forming an actual bond, and although they seem to say that both would deny loving the other, they do indicate that they do.

The biggest success that Reeves does find is in portraying Superman onscreen and Affleck absolutely shines in the scenes depicting Reeves as the character. In his portrayal of the recreation of the part Affleck is great as he really is that Superman of that era as he should be. He has that nobleness, that boy scout quality, and its all as bluntly heroic as possible. The smile, the stance, the whole demeanor Affleck makes the Superman Reeves was. One scene in particular that I love is when Reeves is spotted in a restaurant. Affleck begins the scene very much as the depressed Reeves as he basically looks upon his career as Superman as a waste of his talent. After being told of the watchers though he straightens himself in the rest room and Affleck brilliantly shows the transformation take place. He goes from the palatable sadness of Reeves's personal life to once again the great larger than life hero as he stands to meet his admirers.

Affleck is terrific in portraying the growing depression and despair throughout his performance. In the beginning Affleck plays Reeves as a fairly optimistic man but certainly with a sense of frustrations for not yet having had his break. As his personal story proceeds though Affleck portrays a slow descent into despair as his career never quite takes off and he is typecast in a role he hates. Affleck is tremendous in the way he reflects every set back as it slowly seems to wear him down. Slowly the attempt a charm starts to wear away and Affleck progressively portrays a sadder and sadder man. When Reeves has an outburst against at Toni Affleck wholly earns the scene and is outstanding as he realizes all the pent up anger in Reeves due to his fate. What is most heartbreaking though is the hints of optimism Affleck leaves in his performance such as his last performance before his death where he plays guitar to his friends and Affleck suggests last bit of hope in his song.

What is most remarkable about Affleck's work though is his juxtaposition of Reeves as the performer against Reeves as a man. Affleck is amazing as he puts on the act of Superman as he should be yet his expression subtly suggests a man who hates his life. One of the most memorable moments in his performance is when Simo watches footage of Reeves showing his martial arts skills to ensure a job to do a wrestling match. Affleck once again puts on that bright face as Reeves does his various moves bringing that great big smile and a sense of showmanship. Affleck makes it the second most haunting test footage of 2006, it happened to be a great year for that, though as he shows underneath the overwhelming heartbreak as Reeves indicates to cut showing his personal disdain at having fallen to this act. This a truly powerful performance by Ben Affleck and I wish he would again take a challenging role since, if this is any indication, he's more than up to the task.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2006: Mads Mikkelsen in Casino Royale

Mads Mikkelsen did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Le Chiffre in Casino Royale.

Mads Mikkelsen plays the first villain of revised Bond with Daniel Craig in the leading role. The revisions past the terribleness and ridiculousness of the final Pierce Brosnan lead movies can be seen in the writing and performance of the villain Le Chiffre. Le Chiffre technically does not have any grandstanding plans other than to make as much money as he can through any method he can which includes handling money for terrorists, and even hiring terrorists to help ensure his schemes. He also is purposefully given a character trait that is less than imposing which is that he has asthma, and must use his inhaler from time to time. This is not to say that the Le Chiffre is some weakling of an enemy but his objective is a bit more complicated than trying to simply to rule the world, and when something does not go right it really means something to him since it costs him millions of dollars.

Mikkelsen's role is somewhat simple early on as the film mostly focuses on Bond taking down some of the men Le Chiffre hires rather than the Le Chiffre himself. Mikkelsen still has a few scenes where he put in his orders or offers his own services. Mikkelsen makes himself a true Bond villain though as he carries himself with such a natural class and dignity while still exuding considerable menace. Mikkelsen's manner is impeccable as he suggests Le Chiffre intelligence quite effectively and makes him an intimidating presence even while every thing we see suggests that Le Chiffre might not be all that formidable. Mikkelsen's role quickly becomes more substantial when the film reaches its focal point the titular Casino Royale poker game where Bond and Le Chiffre face off for a gigantic pot of money. Naturally, in true Bond villain form, Mikkelsen executes well  the routine as Le Chiffre greets Bond in a friendly way while clearly having a deadly intent in his eyes.

For awhile Mikkelsen thrives in technically a very restricted role as he must trade starring daggers with Bond on the poker table. Mikkelsen is great at this as he does have a great stare that carries a menace even when there isn't anything particularly menacing about what he is doing. Mikkelsen brings the needed intellectual smugness to the role making it sting particularly hard whenever Le Chiffre gets the better hand than Bond. His delivery of  "oops" when he reveals that one of his cards has caused Bond to lose big time is just about perfection. The interesting that Mikkelsen though does make Le Chiffre a bit more than a villain we should despise. This is best seen when Le Chiffre, and his girlfriend, are threatened by a couple of the terrorists he acts as the banker for. Mikkelsen is great in the scene as he portrays a very honest desperation in the Le Chiffre showing that the card game is a matter of life or death for him. Although Mikkelsen still keep Le Chiffre reserved as a man, he still gives the sense that there is a humanity in him.

Mikkelsen actually is incredibly good at making Le Chiffre a strong presence despite not having a major villain scene for the majority of the film. This does come with his last scene where he decides to simply torture Bond to get the money, utilizing one of the painful torture methods a man could imagine. Mikkelsen is just about flawless in this scene as he brings the needed cold intensity as Le Chiffre brutally interrogates Bond. What I love the most though is how varied Mikkelsen's performance in the scene. He does not just show Le Chiffre as torturing for the fun of it, although Mikkelsen does portray a bit of satisfaction, but that he is trying to get something. There is that desperation from before as again Mikkelsen suggests that Le Chiffre is trying to save his own life by taking away Bond's. My favorite part though are his downright brilliant interactions with Craig. They play off each other so well in the scene as they certainly never hold back on creating visceral impact of the scene, yet they even through in a bit of dark humor as they still are playing a small game of wits. The best single moment though, that I absolutely love from Mikkelsen is after Le Chiffre has tried everything to get to Bond, and Mikkelsen is so genuine as he shows that Le Chiffre can't help but laugh at Bond's resilience. Mikkelsen even gets to top it off with the great last moment where he makes Le Chiffre's fear so palatable that you almost feel sorry for him. Mikkelsen is an excellent Bond villain as he goes far beyond the call duty here. He certainly meets all the standard requirements of being an enemy of 007, but he goes further than that with the part. His Le Chiffre is more than just an obstacle to be overcome as he creates an actual man who happens to cross paths with James Bond.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2006: Sergi López in Pan's Labyrinth

Sergi López did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Captain Vidal in Pan's Labyrinth.

Pan's Labyrinth is an effective film, even though I do have a few reservations, telling the story of a little girl Ofelia dark adventure involving a fantasy world while she lives with her pregnant mother on a Spanish military base intent on weeding out the remaining rebels after the Spanish Civil War.

Watching the film again I have to say it would not be hard for me to put Sergi López as co-lead in the film. This is due to the fantasy side of things being told from Ofelia perspective, but the scenes of reality being mostly told through the eyes of Captain Vidal. Vidal in addition to being the head of the military base he also is Ofelia's stepfather having been the one who impregnated her mother. Although Captain Vidal is the most prominent character on the reality side of things he might as well be the big bad wolf since Vidal is written to be a personification of an organized evil, usually even in the cases of this type there may be a bit of humanity found, after all there is some even in the case of Ralph Fiennes's Amon Goeth in Schindler's List, that's not really the case for Vidal. Even in his personal life Vidal shuts down any discussion of those things known as feeling and the only thing he seems to care about is the birth of his son, but mostly as though it is a possession more than anything else.

As written Vidal certainly could have been extremely over the top and almost ceaseless in his obvious evilness, but to his credit that's not really the way López plays him. The few chances he gets to explore any other side of Vidal López tries to make something out of them. This includes the brief moment where he greets his wife as López gives a nicely feigned charm although this is shortly undercut by his particularly rude treatment of his Ofelia. His unpleasantness at the dinner table where he ignores all personal questions is given some sense by López suggesting more of his uncomfortableness with interpersonal interactions than simply evil motivating him. There is also the running idea of his father's watch which originally had the exact time his father died, and he was some how given the message to show him how a brave man dies. The whole watch idea I feel is a bit underdeveloped in terms of the writing and López can't quite make up for it. He's not bad in these scenes, but it never has the impact that direction seems to imply that it should have.

The main point of his performance though is the scene of Vidal being a murderer and torturer of rebels, their conspirators, and anyone unfortunate enough to be accused of such. López is very good in these scenes by not playing them as a crazy psychopath but rather an official soldier of death. López plays Vidal as particularly relaxed in these scenes as though this is when the man is truly in his element. López does not scream or yell but rather has such a viciousness simply in the way he casually way he portrays his manner in the killings. López brings such a comfort in Vidal as he takes his hammer to men, or shoots them down. It is not that of a man seeking gratification really, but rather as a man going about his job in the fashion he knows best. López makes the character the most cruel by portraying the efficiency of his method at all times. López, if he must be the big bad wolf certainly earns the title. As good as he is in these scenes I do feel something is missing and there may have been a little more to explore with the character. López does find some depth but in the end the character still feels fairly simple. He's certainly never lacking in the needed menace for the character, but I could never shake the feeling that something is missing.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2006: Michael Caine in Children of Men

Michael Caine did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Jasper Palmer in Children of Men.

Michael Caine is actually rather cleverly playing a role in terms of its intent very much in type yet in a particularly against type way for Michael Caine. Caine certainly is no stranger to player the mentor type in fact that might be every other role during his later career. In fact you can see him in such a role, a rather good example of it to be sure, in The Prestige. Caine technically plays kinda a mentor of sorts to Clive Owen's Theo, but Caine's not nearly as respectable and dignified as he usually is. Jasper's a rather off-beat guy who spends his time in his hidden house where he grows his own weed for sale. Caine takes a rather cheeky approach in the role as this is more of a hippie sage style of performance rather than that of the wise old teacher he usually plays. Caine proves himself just as suited for such a role though and he transforms from his more usual style of performance quite seamlessly.

Caine based his performance on John Lennon and this certainly can be seen easily through the long locks Caine sports in the film. This extends past that though as Caine imitates the certain body language that Lennon had such as the way he would focus or his eyes or just the way he would bend over. This can almost be taken for granted though as Caine never makes a big deal out of these mannerisms but rather just quietly uses them to help establish the particularly artist flamboyancy of Jasper. Caine does splendid work here most importantly by being the only guy who seems to be genuinely happy in the film, and  even Jasper has plenty to be sad about such as his wife being in basically a comatose state. Caine though portrays the part of Jasper as the sort of guy who tries to be happy no matter what the situation as he brings such a natural glee in the part. There just a genuine warmth about everything Caine does and he does do a fantastic job of being one of the particularly colorful spots in a grey world.

It's actually rather interesting since the role of Jasper is relatively simple as he only has two sequences in which he appears. In both he tells a few jokes while delivering a bit of exposition and giving the most proper definition of being a supporting character. Caine though shows exactly how to do such a role through his exceptionally endearing portrayal of Jasper. When delivering lines about the governments oppression, the theories behind what has caused the infertility problems, how Theo and his wife met, or just very simply setting up where the next sequence of action will go Caine simply is terrific. Caine never makes these moments seem forced or at all just there to serve the plot. He also brings so much life in the character of Jasper that in these explanations he offers that of the view of a man actually having lived in the world. In addition to that Caine has just the right bit of fun when Jasper tells his often rather uncouth jokes. Caine is certainly entertaining and enjoyable, and again makes Jasper's whole style just come to life.

I would not have minded if the film had included more of Jasper since Caine is such a delight in the role. The funny thing is I always for some reason think Caine has more screen time than he does because of the impact he makes in the little time he does have. I think his very best scene shows exactly just how much Caine does with just a little bit of material. The scene is when Jasper is going to mercy kill his comatose wife just before the violent rebels looking for Theo are going to show up. It's a short moment but so beautifully handled by Caine. There such a tenderness Caine brings as Jasper says goodbye by telling his wife that he loves her one last time, and even though we never see their past Caine makes the moment perfectly heartbreaking. Caine succeeds in enlivening every second he is onscreen, and he gives a particularly memorable turn here. Caine establishes Jasper as the bright spot on the film making his final moments as disconcerting as they should be. I love Caine's performance here and it is a great example of making a small role seem grand.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2006

And the Nominees Were Not:

Mads Mikkelsen in Casino Royale

Michael Caine in Children of Men

Ben Affleck in Hollywoodland

Sergi Lopez in Pan's Labyrinth

Steve Carell in Little Miss Sunshine