Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1994: Results

5. Daniel Auteuil in La Reine Margot - Auteuil gives a good performance in portraying the consistent good nature of his character well conveying also his dire state. 

Best Scene: Being saved by Margot.

4. Michael Wincott in The Crow - Wincott makes the most out of his role by bringing a style and menace with ease, even if it is a limited part. 

 

Best Scene: Gangster meeting. 

3. Bokeem Woodbine in Jason's Lyric - Although I don't think he can entirely overcome the weaknesses of his film, Woodbine still is the best element of the film in his passionate and desperate portrayal of a "bad brother". 

Best Scene: Rejected gift.

2. Delroy Lindo in Crooklyn - Lindo gives a natural and moving portrayal of a goofy, if somewhat under-qualified, dad and passionate, if not stubborn, musician. 

Best Scene: Telling the kids about their mom.

1. Jean-Louis Trintignant in Three Colours: Red - Good prediction RatedRStar. Trintignant gives a brilliant portrayal of curmudgeon slowly finding a way to returning to the loving romantic he once was.

 

Best Scene: In the theater. 

Updated Overall

 

Next: 1970 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1994: Bokeem Woodbine in Jason's Lyric

Bokeem Woodbine did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Joshua Alexander in Jason's Lyric. 

Jason's Lyric is a pretty bad film about two brothers who share a mutual trauma. It's largely just absurd melodrama, made worse by some wonky stylistic choices, and seems most interested in just getting to its next sex scene that is more befitting 90's after hours cable than a believable drama. 

Well Bokeem Woodbine is the only good thing about the film, might as well not beat around the bush. Woodbine being one of those actors who has been around forever, but rarely gets the chance to shine past a certain point. The most notable instance of this being his brilliant work as smooth criminal Mike Milligan in Fargo season 2. This is an earlier example of this, much earlier in his career, this time as a less cunning criminal to say the least. Woodbine plays the classic role of the "bad brother" who we first meet, as an adult, as he's getting out of prison yet another time. He is greeted by his bland brother Jason. Woodbine is wonderful in this first scene in just bringing a nice slice of charisma as he smiles in seeing his brother and offering the proper swagger of a gangster, well very much a wannabe gangster here. More than anything it creates enough of an innate likability, given afterwards we will only hear how bad his character is again and again. He receives a less enthusiastic welcome by his mother who is fed up with his behavior. 

Woodbine's good in the scene though in portraying quietly the sense of heartbreak as his expression of fading joy suggests his true sadness over his mother's reaction just as he plays the rest of the moment of casual disregard as though it is nothing. Woodbine finds well the humanity within his character that is easily the most remarkable element of the film. This even as the film is quite repetitive between a lame love story and a lame crime story. The secondary element is better only on the virtues of Woodbine's performance. This even with how we get the same scene of the brother telling the other brother to shape up with the other brother waving off any concerns. Woodbine though is good in developing this sense of lack of responsibility in the character. Woodbine finding an earnestness in the foolishness. This brings the bravado as he says with such bright smiles his intention to continue down the wrong path. Woodbine doing well though emphasizes an underlying potential good nature even in this foolishness in these moments. 

This is consistent until a scene where Woodbine's Josh makes a display of affection for his mother through gifts, all which she rejects based on them coming from drug money. Woodbine is great in this scene as his reaction isn't initially that of an angry gangster, but just a son pointedly needing some reassurance of his mother's love. Woodbine is genuinely moving in his reaction being so simply in relating to the man being a child in the moment looking for love from his mother. The rejection though leads Woodbine to naturally double down on the gangster and reveal the intensity of his anger as it spirals out of control in the moment. Woodbine's work then bringing the sort of needed id to the role as Josh gets out of control through car jacks and participating in bank robbery that only leaves him on the bad end of other gangsters. In each though Woodbine brings the certain sense of raw near insanity about Josh as he goes about each self-destructive activity, showing the lack of sense in every action. This importantly though with that thrust of emotion that propels him towards his own demise. This demise that comes from perhaps the film's worst scene that just is ridiculous with how melodramatic it is. Sadly I think it even undercuts the emotion of Woodbine's final moments with just how ridiculous it is. He tries, but can't overcome the shortcomings of the film. Woodbine often does however overall with this performance. He doesn't salvage the film but at least he's convincing within his own work. Certainly an indicator of talent at the very least, it's a shame it seems he didn't really get to show it off again until over 20 years later.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1994

And the Nominees Were Not:

Daniel Auteuil in La Reine Margot
 
Bokeem Woodbine in Jason's Lyric
 
Michael Wincott in The Crow
 
Jean Louis Trintignant in Three Colours: Red
 

Delroy Lindo in Crooklyn