Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2005: Results

5. Jeffrey Wright in Broken Flowers - Wright gives a relatively brief yet enjoyable turn bringing such endearing enthusiasm to his role as a kooky wannabe detective.

Best Scene:Winston lays out the case. 

4. Min-sik Choi in Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - Choi has a limited role yet still gives a captivating portrayal of diabolical sleaze.

Best Scene: "Nobody's perfect"

3. Cillian Murphy in Red Eye - Murphy gives first a charming than rather chilling villainous turn that creates the needed sense of tension in the thriller, even if the third act of the film lets him down a bit.

Best Scene: Rippner reveals his true intentions. 

2. Ghassan Massoud in Kingdom of Heaven - Massoud gives a striking depiction of Saladin capturing the needed low key charisma and power of the wisdom of the man.

Best Scene: The parlay. 

1. Keanu Reeves in Thumbsucker - Reeves gives a hilarious performance in his portrayal of the destruction of a man's personal philosophy.

Best Scene: The final appointment. 

Updated Overall

Next Year: 1951 Lead (make any supporting suggestions as well)

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2005: Keanu Reeves in Thumbsucker

Keanu Reeves did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. Perry Lyman in Thumbsucker.

Thumbsucker tells the coming age story of teenager Justin Cobb (Lou Pucci) who compulsively sucks his thumb.

Keanu Reeves is  an actor that I will admit I've come to appreciate to the point that even in his objectively bad performances there's something worth noting in the way only he could give that very terrible performance, in that way. Reeves has a one of a kind presence, which is worth something all on its own. Now that might not be the best for every role, but with the right role it can do wonders. The latter is the case here in Thumbsucker where he plays the orthodontist Perry to our main character, who attempts to help Justin with his thumb related dilemma. Reeves plays the part of the orthodontist as though he is some sort of zen master. Reeves delivers every line as though it is an essential part of his sage philosophy, as he attempts to help Justin get to the root of his problem. Reeves's approach is downright hilarious as he keeps this air of greater importance about him, with his otherworldly detachment as though he knows all the secrets that the universe may contain. In this though Reeves offers just the slight sense of desperation about it, as though it just might be an attempt to act like he knows everything rather than that he actually knows everything. I particularly like the subtle anxiousness he brings when Perry refuses to tell Justin his "power animal", despite having pictures of wolves all around his room.

After Justin rejects Perry's teaching rather forwardly, by running him off the rode in a bike race, Reeves is absent for awhile. Perry though returns unexpectedly, which a good thing because Reeves continues to be pretty amazing. Reeves drops the whole act completely only leaving just the slight leftover traces of that hippie guru personality of before. Perry is now a changed man, who has dropped his old philosophy for something new. Although what Perry is saying seems positive enough, as he even thanks Justin for incurring this change and seems to ask him about his family as though a friend or a mentor would, Reeves brings this brilliant absurdly palatable passive aggression throughout the scene. In every technical pleasantry, there is such a powerful undercurrent of venom through Reeves eyes and expression, that suggests maybe Perry isn't so happy in his new state of mind. Reeves is great as he serves the character, while being so effortlessly amusing at the same time. We unfortunately don't see Reeves again until the end of the film, but once again the wait is worth it due to Reeves's performance. Justin, after apparently "coming of age" goes to visit Perry for one more check up and "pep" talk. Perry once again offers his advice though this time the advice being that there's no real correct answer in the end. Again the way it is worded seems positive enough. Reeves once again is wonderful by creating the subtext within it. Reeves provides this overwhelming despair in Perry throughout the scene, presenting almost a husk of a man as he despondently looks off, and the only possible hope is the broken smile of a man who has given up on life. This is fantastic work by Reeves as he gives a consistently entertaining performance that also so effectively transforms Perry from a man who thinks he knows all the answers to a man who is all too aware that he knows nothing.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2005

And the Nominees Were Not:

Jeffrey Wright in Broken Flowers

Keanu Reeves in Thumbsucker

Min-sik Choi in Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

Cillian Murphy in Red Eye

Ghassan Massoud in Kingdom of Heaven

Edward Norton in Kingdom of Heaven

For Prediction Purposes:

Massoud From Kingdom of Heaven

Alternate Best Actor 2006: Results

10. Matt Damon in The Departed - Damon actually is good being a despicable worm you want to see get his comeuppance, but he's never more and the potential seemed to be there in the role.

Best Scene: Sullivan and Costigan in the Elevator.

9. Hugh Jackman in The Prestige - The main reason he's so low is merely his extra character in the film where he goes a little too broad. He's great though in portraying his character's great showmanship and his underlying obsession.

Best Scene: Angier confesses the truth about his "trick".

8. Jean Dujardin in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies - This is just a really fun performance as Dujardin as he brilliantly replicates while satirizing 60's James Bond. 

Best Scene: The real version of his time with Jefferson .

7. Keanu Reeves in A Scanner Darkly - Reeves gives a powerful depiction of a man who slowly loses his mind through his drug addiction while still trying to be an undercover cop.

Best Scene: Bob's break down.

6. Cillian Murphy in The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Murphy gives a great performance not as a larger than life freedom fighter, but as an average man doing what he believes in.

Best Scene: The execution.

5. Ken Watanabe in Letters From Iwo Jima- Watanabe manages to show the commander of men, but as well the man behind the uniform.

Best Scene: The General and the Private meet for the last time.

4. Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed - DiCaprio gives a compelling portrayal of the intensity and pressure of an undercover cop.

Best Scene: Billy's visit to the psychiatrist.

3. Christian Bale in The Prestige - Christian Bale gives a memorable portrayal of a peculiar obsession and his duplicitous work makes the film's twist particularly effective.  

Best Scene: Borden meets Lord Caldlow.

2. Clive Owen in Children of Men - Clive Owen gives a powerful portrayal that makes his character's personal struggle resonate even though the film rarely focuses on that.

Best Scene: Theo watches his friend's execution.

1. Ulrich Mühe in The Lives of Others - Good Predictions Luke, Anonymous, Kevin, mcofra7, and  Psifonian. Mühe gives an exceptional performance as he so poignantly and convincingly portrays the transformation of a man from a heartless cog in a machine to a good man. 

Best Scene: The second interrogation.

Overall Rank:

1. Ulrich Mühe in The Lives of Others
2. Clive Owen in Children of Men
3. Christian Bale in The Prestige
4. Ben Affleck in Hollywoodland
5. Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed
6. Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland
7. Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
8. Ken Watanabe in Letter From Iwo Jima
9. Cillian Murphy in The Wind That Shakes the Barley
10. Keanu Reeves in A Scanner Darkly
11. Aaron Eckhart in Thank You For Smoking
12. Jean Dujardin in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
13. Hugh Jackman in The Prestige
14. Adrien Brody in Hollywoodland 
15. Josh Hartnett in Lucky Number Slevin
16. Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond
17. James McAvoy in The Last King of Scotland
18. Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson
19. Edward Norton in The Painted Veil
20. Peter O'Toole in Venus
21. Sebastian Koch in The Lives of Others
22. Denzel Washington in Inside Man
23. Clive Owen in Inside Man
24. Hugo Weaving in V For Vendetta
25. Edward Norton in The Illusionist 
26. Greg Kinnear in Little Miss Sunshine 
27. Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction
28. Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible III
29. Matt Damon in The Departed
30. Patrick Wilson in Little Children
31. Richard Gere in The Hoax
32. Djimon Hounsou in Blood Diamond
33. Ryan Reynolds in Smokin' Aces 
34. Sylvester Stallone in Rocky Balboa
35. Luke Wilson in Idiocracy
36. Kazunari Ninomiya in Letters From Iwo Jima
37. Mark Wahlberg in Invincible
38. Will Smith  in The Pursuit of Happyness
39. Josh Hartnett in The Black Dahlia
40. Hugh Jackman in X-Men: The Last Stand
41. Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
42. Owen Wilson in Cars 
43. Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights in The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
44. Matt Damon in The Good Shepherd
45. Brandon Routh in Superman Returns 
46. Ben Stiller in Night At the Museum
47. Tim Allen in The Santa Clause: The Escape Clause
48. Robin Williams in RV
49. Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Next Year: 2006 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 2006: Keanu Reeves in A Scanner Darkly

Keanu Reeves did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Bob Arctor in A Scanner Darkly.

A Scanner Darkly is an interesting film set in the near future where drug problems have run rampant and about a detective going undercover to infiltrate the supply chain.

I suppose I should quickly address that this indeed an animated film, but since the animation directly utilized the actors physical performances it does not matter for this review. Well I will admit Keanu Reeves is not an actor I have been particularly kind to, and I don't take back my thoughts towards his performances in films like Dangerous Liaisons and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Every new performance by any actor is a new chance for the actor to potentially show some ability. Here Reeves plays the undercover detective who spends his days with a group of druggies as himself sort of, which is more than can be said when he is actually reporting to his department. In these scenes he dresses in a full body suit that distorts his image and voice in order to keep his identity a secret to almost every one even to his immediate superior. This leaves Bob in to lead a most precarious life to say the least.

This part seems almost tailored made for Reeves's particular style, which often can be problematic, but that is not the case here. Often it feels though Reeves is a non-entity and almost emotionless, but that actually makes a lot of sense for his character here. Reeves's performance makes Bob the almost non-entity he is. Reeves in a particularly effortless fashion is able to create the weird place that his character of Bob is in. On one hand when he's with the drug addicts Reeves shows that emotional distance since he is not truly one of them because he is only a cop trying to infiltrate their lifestyle. On the other hand Bob cannot find solace when he is actually as "himself" doing his job due to being in the body suit. Not only only is not himself but he is also unable to honestly communicate with everyone else who also are completely distorted. Reeves is effective as he exudes that odd place that Bob is in as he does not seem apart of any part of the world.

Reeves's particularly set of skills happen to work perfectly in his scenes where he hangs out with the other druggies Barris (Robert Downey Jr.), Ernie (Woody Harrelson) and Freck (Rory Cochrane). Where each of them are all off in their own worlds of sorts Reeves plays a double game with his technically detached performance. Reeves's is effective on one side showing the detective side of Bob as he does keep a distance from them. Of course Bob in a way gets involved in a way more than he should because he does take the drugs along with them in an attempt to seem like he is one of them. The drugs take a particularly odd toll on Bob though as he basically slowly loses himself as it works his way to becoming a shallow husk. Well for a perfect shallow husk look no further than Keanu Reeves. To be completely fair to Reeves though it is not as though Bob is has lost himself from the beginning there is a transition.

The interesting thing about Reeves's work is how he kinda moves to becoming the Reeves we all know best as the film progresses. Reeves is quite effective in portraying the way that Bob seems to lose his mind as the film plays out. Reeves, since part of what Bob loses is his emotions, is quite affecting by showing the outbursts of emotions in Bob that come out while he slowly loses moves towards becoming nothing at all. One particularly moving scene comes when he is reporting to his superior and he is told that he will actually be punished for having become addicted to drugs. Reeves is terrific in this scene as he conveys a man suddenly see everything finally close in around him and his final sudden breakdown is well performed by Reeves as he expresses basically the last bit of that's left of Bob's humanity basically. After that point Reeves brings us to Bob becoming seemingly absolutely detached from everything.

Now this certainly was good casting as Reeves is given the chance use the more problematic elements involving his acting to advantage. It is not simply that though because Reeves is not simply some sort of odd prop for story. The character arc which is showing the damaging effects of the drug abuse is fully portrayed by Reeves. The film does indeed start with Bob already starting in a bad place, but not in the worst place to be sure. There is something quite powerful in Reeves work as honestly has more than there usually is to him, and it is quite disconcerting as he slowly picks these apart from his performance. It is true that this role, a bit like Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love actually, makes Reeves's weaknesses into strengths, but Reeves does deliver past that, even if that happens to brilliantly utilized, giving a compelling portrait of a man's mental demise due to drugs.

Alternate Best Actor 2006

And the Nominees Were Not:

Hugh Jackman in The Prestige

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed

Ken Watanabe in Letters From Iwo Jima

Clive Owen in Children of Men

Jean Dujardin in OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies

Predict Those Five or Predict These Five:

Christian Bale in The Prestige

Matt Damon in The Departed

Ulrich Mühe in The Lives of Others

Cillian Murphy in The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Keanu Reeves in A Scanner Darkly

Or predict both separately if you want. I'll give you two requests.