Alternate Best Actor 1995: Results

10. Johan Widerberg in All Things Fair - Widerberg gives a fine performance that certainly realizes his character's personal journey even if it left me cold.

Best Scene: Watching the newsreel.

9. James Earl Jones in Cry, The Beloved Country - Jones gives an appropriate grace and certain emotional poignancy to his character.

Best Scene: Kumalo meets Jarvis.

8. Jonathan Pryce in Carrington - Although the film oddly keeps a distance from him Pryce gives a compelling realization of Lytton Strachey even in the film's somewhat narrow focus on him.

Best Scene: Carrington reveals her feelings to Strachey.

7. Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise -Hawke gives a very good performance that fits right into the wavelength of both the film's style as well as with his co-star's performance.

Best Scene: Celine and Jesse decide on what to do.

6. Kenneth Branagh in Othello - Branagh gives an intriguing depiction of Iago by presenting of a man of many masks that hide his evil intentions.

Best Scene: Iago reveals his true self.

5. Mel Gibson in Braveheart - Gibson gives a passionate and powerful portrayal that is fitting to the film's presentation of William Wallace as a romantic hero.

Best Scene: Killing the Sheriff.

4. Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys - Willis gives a captivating portrayal of a man on the constant brink of insanity, while being gripped by his time bending mission.

Best Scene: Cole attempts to explain himself.

3. Richard Harris in Cry, The Beloved Country - Harris gives a heartbreaking and convincing depiction of a man being changed for the better despite suffering a horrible tragedy.

Best Scene: Jarvis meets Kumalo.

2. Ian McKellen in Richard III - McKellen gives a brilliant Shakespearean performance as he finds new ground with the character by merely taking his villainy to almost an absurd extent.

Best Scene: Richard's final meeting with the Queen.

1. Morgan Freeman in Seven - Good Predictions Luke, Anonymous, Jackiboyz, and Michael McCarthy. I'll admit this is another year where I am torn by my top two as I really do love McKellen and Freeman's work equally. Freeman though also gives a great performance as he realizes the style of his character so well without falling into an obvious cliche, while realizing the pessimism of the man in such a compelling fashion by finding the humanity within the man that creates it.

Best Scene: The finale.

Overall Rank:

1. Morgan Freeman in Seven
2. Ian McKellen in Richard III 
3. Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas
4. Richard Harris in Cry, The Beloved Country
5. Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects
6. Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys
7. Mel Gibson in Braveheart
8. Brad Pitt in Seven
9. Kenneth Branagh in Othello
10. Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise
11. Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking
12. Jonathan Pryce in Carrington
13. Liam Neeson in Rob Roy
14. James Early Jones in Cry, The Beloved Country
15. Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 
16. John Travolta in Get Shorty
17. Laurence Fishburne in Othello
18. Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County
19. Joe Pesci in Casino
20. Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye 
21. Bruce Willis in Die Hard With a Vengeance
22. Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress
23. Al Pacino in Heat 
24. Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard With a Vengeance
25. Robert Downey Jr. in Restoration
26. Michael Douglas in The American President
27. Gabriel Byrne in The Usual Suspects 
28. Robert De Niro in Heat
29. Denzel Washington in Crimson Tide
30. Tom Hanks in Toy Story
31. Tim Allen in Toy Story
32. Johan Widerberg in All Things Fair
33. Robert De Niro in Casino 
34. Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak
35. Chris Farley in Tommy Boy
36. Richard Dreyfuss in Mr. Holland's Opus 
37. Hugh Grant in The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain
38. Bill Farmer in A Goofy Movie
39. Antonio Banderas in Desperado 
40. Bill Pullman in While You Were Sleeping
41. Damon Wayans in Major Payne 
42. Steve Martin in Father of the Bride Part II 
43. Daniel Stern in Bushwhacked
44. Will Smith in Bad Boys
45. Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys 
46. Mel Gibson in Pocahontas
47. Jason Marsden in A Goofy Movie
48. John Candy in Canadian Bacon
49. Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
50. Anthony Hopkins in Nixon
51. Robin Shou in Mortal Kombat
52. Robin Williams in Jumanji
53. Val Kilmer in Batman Forever 
54. Jonny Lee Miller in Hackers
55. Bill Pullman in Casper
56. Kevin Costner in Waterworld
57. Malachi Pearson in Casper 
58. Tom McGowan in Heavy Weights
59. Sylvester Stallone in Judge Dredd 
60. Woody Allen in Mighty Aphrodite
61. Adam Sander in Billy Madison
62. Woody Harrelson in Money Train
63. Wesley Snipes in Money Trains 
64. Chevy Chase in Man of the House
65. Johnny Depp in Nick of Time
66. Richard Gere in First Knight
67. David Spade in Tommy Boy
68. Jason David Frank in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
69. Jonathan Taylor Thomas in Man of the House
70. Dylan Walsh in Congo 
71. Ryan Slater in The Amazing Panda Adventure
72. Hal Scardino The Indian in the Cupboard 
73. Steven Seagal in Under Siege 2: The Dark Territory
74. Ron Melendez in Children of the Corn III 
75. Daniel Cerny in Children of the Corn III

Next Year: 1995 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 1995: Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys

Bruce Willis did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying James Cole in 12 Monkeys.

The 12 Monkeys did receive attention for the performance of Brad Pitt as the crazed Jeffrey Goines but Bruce Willis was ignored in the film's central performance as a man from an apocalyptic future sent back to gather information that created the virus that caused the societal collapse. Willis begins the film in a way in which it seems like it might be a character more normally in his wheel house that being a man with a mission. Willis though even in these early scenes set in the future does not portray Cole as one of the hero types. Willis instead portrays him as a rather exasperated man as you can feel the wear of a man that would come from having lived in such a desolate place for the majority of his life. Also even to start though Willis conveys a definite desperation about Cole, as he seems constantly haunted by the past, and not just simply because he's currently living in a prison of sorts. Willis does not try in anyway to play the part like a Willis type hero, apparently even the directory Terry Gilliam gave Willis a list of Willis's own usual tricks that he was not to employ in this performance. Well that direction certainly pays off as even before Cole takes his mission Willis gives us a real sense of the horrible condition Cole is in as well as basically the horrible condition of the world through the individual state of this man.

The film then proceeds to jump after Cole has apparently made his journey into the past. We do not witness the time travel, but it appears it is a bit less pleasant than taking a drive in a DeLorean. When we see Cole again he has found himself in a mental institution where a psychiatrist Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) attempts to help him. Willis is excellent in his first scene as he is restrained in a room having been arrested after attacking police officers. Willis, unlike a certain co-star, portrays the "madness" of Cole incredibly well. Willis shows the way his body seems to be completely wasted almost by the journey in just the wretched state he is in. Willis though importantly depicts the ramblings of Cole especially well by conveys the extreme fear in Cole's voice as he just tries to tell the doctor his mission. Obviously trying to tell someone your from the future is not easy. Willis is terrific in making even more difficult in a believable fashion by so well realizing not only what the time travel has done to him, but also portrays just the amount of the anxiety gripping him knowing the importance of his mission. Willis also establishes instantly that this most definitely will not be a typical Bruce Willis performance.

Bruce Willis continues to be almost surprisingly good in the scenes set in the mental institution making Pitt's performance, which on re-watch come off even worse on re-watch and pretty much is just a bad version of Dennis Hopper's performance in Apocalypse Now, look quite amateurish by comparison. Willis does well to realize the whole state of Cole in these scenes within a brilliantly internalized intensity of being in a situation he does not quite understand, while still being burdened by the purpose of his mission. Along with that though Willis portrays so well the daze that Cole is in caused by the drugs that the institute is giving him. In all of that though Willis is still able to create the sense of Cole attempting to break out of all it in his attempt to find out the information he needs in the future. Willis is particularly good in a scene where he attempts to explain his purpose once again, this time calmer though also likely medicated, in front of the panel of psychiatrists. Willis conveys so well the single minded nature of Cole as well as the incredible sense of urgency as he tries to put it clearly to the psychiatrists. Willis is excellent because he does still sound completely insane, though if one believe he is from the future Willis shows the painful situation that Cole is in.

Eventually the future takes Cole back only to send him back into the past again, with the process only making Cole worse every time he is thrown through time, even at one point being shot after accidentally being sent back to World War I. Willis portrays well just how severe this treatment is damaging Cole as he presents an even more jumbled man than before. Willis plays it as though Cole is still not sure where exactly the time has left him only that he must try to finish his mission either way. He's the right jumble of emotions as he can't quite comprehend what exactly he's been through even while being wrecked with fear of the upcoming demise of humanity, as well as that nightmare that never ceases to stop haunting him. Willis though also carefully begins to show the way that Cole is finally attempting to break out of the web that he's caught in through his attachment from the future. The moments where Cole becomes violent Willis makes particularly natural as the actions of a very scared man lashing out. As well though Willis is very moving in the few instances of comfort he finds in the past, presenting him just as man trying to find a bit of comfort.

During this time Cole kidnaps Dr. Railly, and Willis is marvelous in making Cole such a mess to the point that he would much more likely be seen as a deranged mental patient. The two though technically become a bit of a Hitchcockian duo, fitting considering at one point they hide out at a Hitchcock marathon. They especially fit well into the 39 Steps duo with the kidnapping and with Railly being quite skeptical of Cole's claims. Willis and Stowe are fantastic together as Stowe acts as the very scared straight man to Willis's portrayal of Cole that is insanity though he never loses a certain sense that there still is more to him than that. What's so exceptional about both performances is how well in tune with one another as the two gradually switch positions as Railly starts to support Cole's ideas about the future, while Cole begins to doubt them as to try to fight against his apparent insanity or perhaps fight against the oppression nature of his future. I love that as Cole attempts to accept this Willis makes him even more withdrawn as a man struggling very deeply to keep his mental instability in check, all the while Stowe becomes far more manic as Railly starts to believe the severity of Cole's mission. Most remarkable of all though is how well they realize the romantic element between the two which does not really stop to declare itself but rather is well earned through just growth of understanding as well as warm that Willis and Stowe realize so wonderfully through their performances. Willis also is great in that this attachment seems to find Cole some comfort even as every new development keeps him in a state of confusion. His final scene is a tremendous final moment for Willis to finish his great work because he leaves Cole as just going through the motions of his fate of sorts that he has apparently been stuck in since the beginning, but finds just right poignancy in the moment through that one connection he does make before meeting his destiny.

Alternate Best Actor 1995

And the Nominees Were Not:

Morgan Freeman in Seven

James Earl Jones in Cry, The Beloved Country

Jonathan Pryce in Carrington

Kenneth Branagh in Othello

Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise

Rank Those Five or These Five or Both:

Mel Gibson in Braveheart

Richard Harris in Cry, The Beloved Country

Ian McKellen in Richard III

Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys

Johan Widerberg in All Things Fair

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1994: Results

5. Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction- Willis utilizes his usual on screen persona effectively in a role that suits it.

Best Scene: Butch saves Marcellus.

4. Bob Gunton in The Shawshank Redemption- Gunton gives a terrific performance portraying the evil Warden viciously yet never comprising the "proper" manner of his character.

Best Scene: Warden Norton threatens Andy in the hole.  

3. Gary Oldman in Leon: The Professional- Oldman is one flamboyant fireball here delivering a delicious performance as a corrupt DEA agent with almost no scruples.

Best Scene: Stansfield murders Mathilda's family. 

2. Raul Julia in Street Fighter- I give Julia the edge over Oldman as Julia seemed to give his performance all on his own accord since his film otherwise is pretty bad. Julia though is insanely entertaining in his brilliantly over the top turn as General M. Bison.

Best Scene: (This was a hard choice to make) The Bisonopolis Speech.

1. James Whitmore in The Shawshank Redemption- James Whitmore gives a very powerful and heartbreaking performance as a man whose been so institutionalized by prison that he fears the outside world.

Best Scene: Brooks's Letter

Overall Rank:

1. Martin Landau in Ed Wood
2. James Whitmore in The Shawshank Redemption
3. Jean-Louis Trintignant in Three Colours: Red
   
4. Raul Julia in Street Fighter
5. Gary Oldman in Leon: The Professional
6. Jean-Hugues Anglade in La Reine Margot 
   
7. Delroy Lindo in Crooklyn
   
8. Bob Gunton in The Shawshank Redemption
9. Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction
10. Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction
11. Clancy Brown in The Shawshank Redemption 
12. Jeremy Irons in The Lion King 
13. Ian Holm in The Madness of King George
14. Richard Attenborough in Miracle on 34th Street 
15. Gary Sinise in Forrest Gump
16. Paul Scofield in Quiz Show
    
17. Giancarlo Esposito in Fresh 
18. Stephen Rea in Interview with the Vampire
19. Bokeem Woodbine in Jason's Lyric
    
20. Michael Wincott in The Crow
    
21. Maximilian Schell in Little Odessa
22. Daniel Auteuil in La Reine Margot
    
23. William Sadler in The Shawshank Redemption 
    
24. Dennis Hopper in Speed 
25. David Paymer in Quiz Show
26. Ving Rhames in Pulp Fiction 
27. Bill Hunter in Muriel's Wedding
    
28. Chazz Palminteri in Bullets Over Broadway
29. Willem Dafoe in Clear and Present Danger
30. Jim Broadbent in Bullets Over Broadway 
31. J.T. Walsh in The Last Seduction
    
32. Bill Hunter in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
33. James Garner in Maverick  
34. Randy Quaid in The Paper
    
35. Tim Roth in Pulp Fiction
36. Bill Murray in Ed Wood
37. Samuel L. Jackson in Fresh 
38. Eric Stoltz in Pulp Fiction 
39. Robert Duvall in The Paper
    
40. Jeffrey Jones in Ed Wood
41. Martin Scorsese in Quiz Show
42. John C. Reilly in The River Wild
43. Clive Merrison in Heavenly Creatures
44. Aidan Quinn in Legends of the Fall 
45. Dennis Quaid in Wyatt Earp
    
46. Kevin Spacey in Iron Will
47. Paul Newman in The Hudsucker Proxy
48. Joseph Mazzello in The River Wild 
49. Gabriel Byrne in Little Women
    
50. George Steele in Ed Wood
51. James Earl Jones in The Lion King
52. Danny Aiello in Leon: The Professional 
    
53. Mark Rolston in The Shawshank Redemption 
54. Christian Bale in Little Women
    
55. Bill Pullman in The Last Seduction
    
56. Jack Palance in City Slickers II
57. Jeff Daniels in Speed 
58. Rade Šerbedžija in Before the Rain
    
59. Antonio Banderas in Interview with The Vampire
    
60. Jeffrey DeMunn in The Shawshank Redemption 
61. Don McKellar in Exotica 
62. Pascal Greggory in La Reine Margot
    
63. Charles Durning in The Hudsucker Proxy 
64. Campbell Scott in Mrs. Parker and The Vicious Circle
    
65. James Coburn in Maverick 
66. Walter Olkewicz in The Client
67. Jean-Pierre Lorit in Three Colours: Red
    
68. Rupert Graves in The Madness of King George
69. Peter Greene in Pulp Fiction
70. Mike Starr in Dumb and Dumber 
71. Taungaroa Emile in Once Were Warriors
    
72. Ben Silverstone in The Browning Version
    
73. Joe Viterelli in Bullets Over Broadway 
74. Cliff Curtis in Once Were Warriors
    
75. Christian Slater in Interview with the Vampire 
76. Gene Hackman in Wyatt Earp
    
77. Robert Englund in Wes Craven's New Nightmare
78. Peter Riegert in The Mask
79. Frank Whaley in Pulp Fiction 
80. Julian Arahanga in Once Were Warriors
    
81. Gill Bellows in The Shawshank Redemption
82. Mike Starr in Ed Wood
    
83. Bill Cobbs in The Hudsucker Proxy
84. Duane Whitaker in Pulp Fiction 
85. Powers Boothe in Blue Sky
    
86. Malcolm McDowell in Star Trek Generations
87. Judge Reinhold in The Santa Clause
88. Peter Green in The Mask
89. Philip Seymour Hoffman in Nobody's Fool
90. Jeroen Krabbé in Immortal Beloved
91. Christopher McDonald in Quiz Show 
92. Max Casella in Ed Wood
93. Roshan Seth in Street Fighter
94. Alfred Molina in Maverick 
95. David Krumholtz in The Santa Clause 
96. Brent Spiner in Star Trek Generations
97. Bruce Willis in Nobody's Fool
98. Bill Paxton in True Lies 
99. Anthony Hopkins in Legends of the Fall
    
100. Tommy Lee Jones in The Client
     
101. Tom Hulce in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
     
102. Joaquim de Almeida in Clear and Present Danger
103. Tom Arnold in True Lies
104. Henry Thomas in Legends of the Fall
     
105. Wes Studi in Street Fighter
106. Jason Mewes in Clerks
107. Kevin Smith in Clerks 
108. Forest Whitaker in Jason's Lyric
     
109. Michael Madsen in Wyatt Earp
     
110. Art Malik in True Lies
111. Mykelti Williamson in Forrest Gump 
112. John Mahoney in The Hudsucker Proxy
113. Michael Ironside in The Next Karate Kid
114. Tone Loc in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
115. Pat Morita in The Next Karate Kid
116. Charles Rocket in Dumb and Dumber
117. Hank Azaria in Quiz Show   
118. Donald Moffat in Clear and Present Danger
119. Jim True-Frost in The Hudsucker Proxy
120. Matthew Modine in The Browning Version
     
121. Jeremy Davies in Nell 
     
122. Dylan Walsh in Nobody's Fool
123. Jaye Davidson in Stargate 
124. Anthony LaPaglia in The Client
     
125. Eric Lloyd in The Santa Clause
126. The Rest of the Cast of Street Fighter
127. Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction
128. Michael Cavalieri in The Next Karate Kid

Next Year: 1943 lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1994: Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction

Bruce Willis did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Butch Coolidge in Pulp Fiction.

Bruce Willis is a popular and prolific actor who I have yet to cover. Willis as an actor is a bit of John Wayne type, his performances are often less about being a chameleon, and more about using his own screen presence when it comes to playing his roles. This is not a criticism of Bruce Willis or John Wayne for that matter as both are very good at being this type of actor. Quentin Tarantino possibly had that in mind when Bruce Willis played the part of Butch in Pulp Fiction. Butch stands as the "lead" of his story in the middle of the film about a boxer who decides to trick a mobster (Ving Rhames) by saying he will take a fall, but instead bets on himself before winning the fighter ripping off all those who were trying to profit from the fix.

Butch is probably one of the least talkative characters in the film, and unlike most of the characters who like their long speeches Butch though mostly reacts to someone else talking, and is much more a man of actions rather than words. Willis was the right choice in the role as he often plays a man of action and is able to portray such a role with a fair amount of ease. Willis being a competent action hero if very good in conveying the emotions of a character while the character is on the move. This works particularly well for Butch in the opening of his story as Willis tells a great deal about him just as Butch escapes the Boxing arena and takes a cab to escape. The film does not dwell on the emotions but Willis gets across the desperation and determination of Butch instantly.

 Butch honestly does not have the flamboyancy or the complexity of the characters of Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta). His role is very much different in that he is very much the more traditional lead. His most defining features are that he does things his own way as well as that he very much respects his watch that has been handed down in his family. There is not a great deal more to him than that, and that really is plenty for Willis to make him the compelling enough character for his story. The middle story actually has considerably more actions scenes than the other stories, and Willis traverses these well always being believable through any of the situations that Butch finds himself in.

Willis is continues to be effective throughout his story just a very much average hero going through the story and delivers in his scenes whether they need a strong presence, some emotional weight, or a little bit humor. Willis brings all of these qualities naturally to the part of Butch, and leads his story just as he should in his usual leading man way although in this case in a much smaller scale. I would say this is not the best performance by Willis in this style, nor would I say he is the most memorable part of this film. This is a fine example of Willis's strength as a performer though, and realizes the character of Butch properly.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1994

And The Nominees Were Not:

Raul Julia in Street Fighter

Gary Oldman in Leon: The Professional

James Whitmore in The Shawshank Redemption

Bob Gunton in The Shawshank Redemption

Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction