Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1992: Results

5. Tony Todd in Candyman - Todd begins his performance in creating a unique approach to a cinematic boogeyman unfortunately the film finds its way into making it a standard one.

Best Scene: The Candyman appears.

4. Graham Greene in Thunderheart - Greene manages to find the right humor while still making an emotional impact as his cop who acts as more than one type of guide.

Best Scene: Finding the murder victims.

3. David Bowie in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me -  Bowie in literally a couple of minutes creates a fascinating enigma that leaves quite the impression.

Best Scene: "We're not gonna talk about Judy"

2. Wesley Snipes in The Waterdance -  Snipes gives a terrific performance here creating the right charismatic bluster that hides the sad man beneath it all.

Best Scene: Raymond wins the bet.

1. Ray Wise in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - Wise gives an outstanding reprise of his all-time great television turn, this time effectively realizing the extremes of the man and granting insight into Leland Palmer's mind.

Best Scene: Leland apologizes. 

Updated Overall

Next Year: 1935, Won't necessarily do a lineup. 

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1992: Graham Greene in Thunderheart

Graham Greene did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Walter Crow Horse in Thunderheart.

Thunderheart follows a murder investigation on an Native American reservation by the FBI, although the film is decent it never seems to reach the potential within its story.

Well before I get to another 25 year break, here is a different one. Before Graham Greene played a harried overworked police officer on a reservation in Wind River, he played one in this film. Although both films begin with the same basic premise, they differ very much in content and theme with this film following far more closely the greater implication of the murder here as the film is as much about the conflict between the FBI, the various factions of the reservation, with the murder just a starting point. Technically speaking Graham Greene's performance most directly relates to the murder though as we first meet him as he comes to pick up the body running afoul of FBI veteran Frank Coutelle (Sam Shepard) and novice investigator Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer) put on the mission due to his minor Sioux heritage. Any initial misunderstandings are cleared up though as Walter is revealed to the law on the reservation. Greene makes the right impact right off the bat though in his comical exasperation towards  Ray Levoi's over eagerness, and he establishes his approach to Walter.

Greene on one hand is quite entertaining in giving a quietly comedic performance, what he'd do again in his similair role in Wind River. Greene is able to find the right balance here though in his low key way of infusing some truly natural humor in the role. He never tries to be funny but rather just is. This is often just in his reactions towards Ray early on as he shows that Walter in no way expects Ray to be all that much help. Greene effectively delivers the way Walter goes about pestering Ray a bit early on in a way as he grants the character the right confidence in his peculiar sort of authority over the man. The moment where he pulls over Ray for speeding, though with the intention to speak to the man, Green though has the right sort of fun in the moment showing the bit of honest enjoyment that Walter gets out of mocking Ray a bit. Although Greene manages to be funny in the role that is in no way his point in the film, as he has the far more important part of being essentially Ray's guide into the world of the reservation helping him see an alternate view beyond what Coutelle tells him.

Greene makes Walter the moral guide of sorts to Ray, even though he is also the most entertaining character though even that Greene shows that his certain comic exasperation comes from a place of real pain over his thankless job in a terrible situation. After awhile Greene shows the little jokes, while always have a bit of genuine anger, eventually have a bit of wisdom in them as well. Greene finds the right balance in his performance showing Walter own devotion to his quest though he goes about it in his own way. Greene's terrific in the way he actually eases up a bit in his sort of trolling of Ray as the situation becomes more dire and Ray begins to learn the truth. Greene in his approach slowly brings a greater gravity and direct passion. Again not something that was not there before but Greene powerfully brings it to the forefront when it becomes the most important. He quite honestly delivers the transformation for Kilmer's character more than Kilmer himself, as he makes an impact through the way Walter reacts to the man making so much out of the respect for the man he reveals in his eyes. This is a strong performance by Graham Greene, and even though I think the film could have made an even better use of his character particularly in relation to Kilmer's, his work still stands as the highlight of the film.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1992

And the Nominees Were Not:

Tony Todd in Candyman

Wesley Snipes in The Waterdance

Graham Greene in Thunderheart 

David Bowie in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 

Harry Dean Stanton in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Ray Wise in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 

Frank Silva in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 

For Prediction Purposes:

Bowie (For the fascinating couple of minutes duo)

Wise (Let the host represent)

Best Supporting Actor 1990: Results

5. Graham Greene in Dances With Wolves- Greene's  performance is not bad, but never anything really memorable either.

4. Al Pacino in Dick Tracy- Al Pacino goes full force over the top, which fits the role and is somewhat entertaining, but never extremely entertaining though.

3. Andy Garcia in The Godfather Part III- Garcia has a charm in the role, and manages to show the ambition of his character fairly well. He never reaches the emotional highs of Godfather predecessors though.

2. Bruce Davison in Longtime Companion- Davison gives a very good performance in his few pivotal scenes. He is less impressive in his other scenes, but still it is a strong performance.

1. Joe Pesci in Goodfellas- Pesci's performance is easily my win, since it is an example of a perfect supporting performance that only adds to his film.

Deserving Performances:
Robert De Niro in Goodfellas
Albert Finney in Miller's Crossing

Best Supporting Actor 1990: Graham Greene in Dances With Wolves

Graham Green received his only Oscar nomination so far for portraying Kicking Bird in Dances With Wolves.

Graham Green plays the Sioux medicine man who encounters Kevin Costner's John Dunbar rather early on. Watching this film again I really find it a little surprising that the academy recognized him. Costner actually interacts with several Sioux, I suppose he perhaps with Kicking Bird the most, I am not so sure really that he does though, and even he does not really all that much more than the other Siouxs.

A lot of the time he really is just in the crowd of the Sioux people, and he really does not stick out at all unless he is directly speaking with Costner's character. In these scenes though Greene very much underplays the role, speaking little, showing the working of the quiet man though with small reactions like a slight smile at times. Greene is realistic enough in these scenes but he is not amazing  by any means.

Graham Greene's performance is never really that memorable, nor is his character one in the film that is unforgettable either. After watching it the first two times I barely noticed his performance, and what he did quickly faded in my memory. This time I watched it only for him, and still I had a hard to finding myself truly interested by any means, although I will admit not being interested by much in the film to begin with. Nonetheless Greene never really broke this disinterest for me, not a bad performance at all, but also not a performance I really feel needed to really be noted either.

Best Supporting Actor 1990

And the Nominees Were:

Al Pacino in Dick Tracy

Andy Garcia in The Godfather Part III

Joe Pesci in Goodfellas

Graham Greene in Dances With Wolves

Bruce Davison in Longtime Companion