Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1988: Results

5. Eric Idle in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - Idle gives a rather amusing performance that matches the film's tone, and adds to its various delights. 

Best Actor: Split second save.

4. Pete Postlethwaite in Distant Voices, Still Lives - Postlethewaite effectively captures the various memories of a father both in moments of severe brutality and occasional warmth.

Best Scene: Unpleasant Dinner. 

3. Jacky Cheung in As Tears Go By - Cheung makes for an effective time bomb in his properly flamboyant portrayal of a wannabe gangster on a constant collision course with reality.

Best Scene: Becoming a real gangster.

2. M. Emmet Walsh in Clean and Sober - Walsh makes a striking impact in such limited screentime initially in creating the sense of a history of pain from his own life of drugs, and creating a truly empathetic figure there to help and improve another who was once like himself.

Best Scene: Waiting. 

1. John Lone in The Moderns - Lone gives a brilliant performance here creating a properly ruthless depiction of a vicious businessman, however while honestly revealing the desperation within the man which leads to his downfall. 

Best Scene: Destroying the art.

Updated Overall

Next Year: 2010 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1988: Pete Postlethwaite in Distant Voices, Still Lives

Pete Postlethwaite did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Tommy Davies in Distant Voices, Still Lives.

Distant Voices, Still Lives is a contemplative film following the lives of a working class family during the 40's and the 50's.

Pete Postlethewaite's performance is essentially one of memory within the film. We open the film as the family is essentially moving on from their father, and we granted glimpses into their past with their domineering father. Postlethewaite's performance in turn is fashioned towards specific glimpses into what will be held by memory. There is not a slight moment in what we witness of Postlethewaite's father to the family, they are all extremes, though logically so within the context of his purpose within the film. Postlethewaite's performance is there to quickly grant truth to these memories though as memories which can be a rather curious thing. In this way we don't see the whole picture of the man but rather just the facets. Postlethwaite's does excel in his portrayal of every one of these facets. The most overwhelming memory seems to be those of his abuse towards the family. These scenes carry a cold brutality to them because of how effective Postlethwaite is in portraying the vicious behavior of the man.

Postlethwaite delivers the same intensity whether he is verbally assaulting his family or physically assaulting them. These moments are particularly difficult to watch as Postlethwaite makes them feel so natural to the man, and just the way he simply was. We are granted other glimpses of the man though in ill health in moments but others as a more loving father. Postlethwaite's performance delivers in these glimpses and even makes sense to them. The moments of warmth are of the same man who beats his wife, as even in the moments of warmth there is this a sense of the nature of the man. The nature being of a quick temper, though there are times where he can be charming when not currently in his most hateful state. These again though are only glimpses we see we don't  see the transition though Postlethwaite makes it always seem the same man despite the different extremes. It is an effective turn that leaves the strongest impression on the film even though all the performances are limited within the style of the film. Postlethwaite gives an understanding to the father's influence within the family's collective mind even though we are granted a limited portrait of the man.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1988

And the Nominees Were Not:

Eric Idle in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

M. Emmet Walsh in Clean and Sober

Pete Postlethewaite in Distant Voices, Still Lives

Jacky Cheung in As Tears Go By

John Lone in The Moderns

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1996: Results

5. Gene Hackman in The Birdcage- Hackman steals the film with his hilarious dead pan performance.

Best Scene: Senator Keeley talks about foliage.

4. Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off- For most of the film Postlethwaite gives a very enjoyable performance in bringing such a conviction and pride in something so seemingly small, and then he successfully transitions to a true emotional poignancy at the end of the film.

Best Scene: Final speech.

3. Robert Carlyle in Trainspotting- Carlyle gives a very entertaining and intense portrayal of man who gets his kicks out of kicking a certain something out of any unlucky fellow in his way.

Best Scene: Begbie's final bar breakdown.

2. Derek Jacobi in Hamlet- Claudius easily could have been a throwaway role but Jacobi gives an excellent portrayal of Claudius as both an imposing villain but as well an honest the portrayal of guilt.

Best Scene: Claudius asks for forgiveness.

1. Steve Buscemi in Fargo- Good Prediction koook160.  Steve Buscemi gives a great portrait of idiotic criminal and is terrific in every one of his scenes, and it's only better due to his perfect chemistry with his partner in crime played by Peter Stormare who is also my very close number two for this year.

Best Scene: Carl negotiates with Wade.

Overall Rank:

1. Steve Buscemi in Fargo
2. Peter Stormare in Fargo
3. Edward Norton in Primal Fear
4. Derek Jacobi in Hamlet
5. Tony Jay in The Hunchback of Notre Dame 
6. Robert Carlyle in Trainspotting
7. Charlton Heston in Hamlet
8. Harry Belafonte in Kansas City 
9. Ed Harris in The Rock 
10. Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off
11. Gene Hackman in The Birdcage
12. Paul Scofield in The Crucible
13. Clifton James in Lone Star  
14. Richard Jenkins in Flirting With Disaster
15. Jean Rochefort in Ridicule 
16. Andre Braugher in Get on the Bus
    
17. Matthew McCounaughey in Lone Star 
18. Edward Norton in The People vs. Larry Flynt  
19. Eric Tsang in Comrades: Almost A love Story 
20. David Bowie in Basquiat
21. Jared Harris in I Shot Andy Warhol 
22. Ossie Davis in Get on the Bus
    
23. Bain Beohlke in Fargo 
24. Michael Wincott in Basquiat 
25. Bill Murray in Kingpin
26. Kevin McKidd in Trainspotting
27. Gary Sinise in Ransom
28. Dwight Yoakam in Sling Blade
29. Armin Mueller-Stahl in Shine
30. Harve Presnell in Fargo 
31. Mads Mikkelsen in Pusher
32. Paul Kandel in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
33. Robert Duvall in Phenomenon 
34. Stephen Dorff in I Shot Andy Warhol
35. Lucas Black in Sling Blade 
36. Kiefer Sutherland in Freeway
37. Kevin Pollak in That Thing You Do   
38. Ernst Jacobi in Hamsun 
39. Olivier Gourmet in La Promesse
40. Pete Postlethwaite in Romeo + Juliet  
41. Martin Donovan in The Portrait of a Lady
42. Robert De Niro in Sleepers
43. Samuel L. Jackson in A Time To Kill 
44. Edgar Selge in Hamsun
45. James Cromwell in Star Trek: First Contact  
46. Matthew McCounaughey in Larger Than Life 
47. Christopher McDonald in Happy Gilmore 
48. Harvey Keitel in From Dusk Till Dawn 
49. Zlatko Buric in Pusher
50. Sverre Anker Ousdale in Hamsun 
51. Charles S. Dutton in Get on the Bus
    
52. Benicio Del Toro in Basquiat
53. Stephen Rea in Michael Collins
54. Robert Duvall in Sling Blade
55. Brian Blessed in Hamlet
56. Willem Dafoe in The English Patient
57. Brent Spiner in Star Trek: First Contact 
58. John Hawkes in From Dusk Till Dawn
59. Kevin Spacey in A Time To Kill
60. Dave Chapelle in The Nutty Professor
61. Ian Holm in Big Night 
62. Scott Glenn in Carla's Song
63. Kevin Bacon in Sleepers 
64. Stephen Tompkinson in Brassed Off
65. Jonny Lee Miller in Trainspotting
66. Steve Park in Fargo  
67. Jeremy Northam in Emma
68. Kurtwood Smith in Citizen Ruth
69. Alan Rickman in Michael Collins 
70. Tom Hanks in That Thing You Do
71. Ewan McGregor in Emma
72. Carl Weathers in Happy Gilmore
73. Josh Brolin in Flirting With Disaster 
74. Samuel Le Bihan in Captain Conan
75. Nicholas Farrell in Hamlet
76. Scott Wilson in Shiloh 
77. Richard Attenborough in Hamlet
78. Forest Whitaker in Phenomenon
79. Chris Cooper in A Time to Kill
80. Vince Vaughn in Swingers
81. James Woods in Ghosts of Mississippi 
82. Kris Kirstofferson in Lone Star
83. J.T. Walsh in Sling Blade
84. Steve Zahn in That Thing You Do
85. Robert Musgrave in Bottle Rocket
86. Peter Vaughan in The Crucible
87. John Astin in The Frighteners
88. James Caan in Eraser
89. Ewan Bremner in Trainspotting
90. Jon Voight in Mission: Impossible
91. Larry Brandenberg in Fargo
92. John Ritter in Sling Blade 
93. Ron Canada in Lone Star 
94. Johnathon Shaech in That Thing You Do 
95. Wendell Pierce in Get on the Bus
    
96. Vic Morrow in Mother
97. Billy Crystal in Hamlet
98. Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day 
99. James Caan in Bottle Rocket 
100. Roger Guenveur Smith in Get on the Bus
     
101. Ewan McGregor in Brassed Off
102. Kevin Kline in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
103. Bruce Davison in The Crucible
104. John Carroll Lynch in Fargo 
105. Elias Koteas in Crash
106. Larry Miller in The Nutty Professor
107. Ving Rhames in Mission: Impossible
108. Andre Braugher in Primal Fear
109. Tony Denman in Fargo  
110. Matt Damon in Courage Under Fire
111. Pete Postlethwaite in Dragonheart
112. Jim Carter in Brassed Off   
113. Brad Renfro in Sleepers
114. Timothy Spall in Hamlet 
115. Gabriel Casseus in Get on the Bus
     
116. John Ales in The Nutty Professor 
117. George Segal in Flirting With Disaster 
118. Bokeem Woodbine in Freeway
119. John Gielgud in Shine 
120. Michael Biehn in The Rock 
     
121. Philip Seymour Hoffman in Twister
122. Viggo Mortensen in The Portrait of a Lady
123. John Ryan in Bound 
124. David Patrick Kelly in Flirting With Disaster
125. Richard Briers in Hamlet 
126. Delroy Lindo in Ransom 
127. Michael Parks in From Dusk Till Dawn 
128. Christopher Meloni in Bound
129. Aidan Quinn in Michael Collins
130. Benicio Del Toro in The Funeral
131. Philip Jackson in Brassed Off
132. Robert De Niro in Marvin's Room 
133. William Forsythe in The Rock 
134. Thomas Jefferson Byrd in Get on the Bus
     
135. Ron Livingston in Swingers 
136. Chris Penn in The Funeral  
137. Alan Cumming in Emma
138. Gary Lewis in Carla's Song
139. Brad Pitt in Sleepers 
140. Treat Williams in The Phantom 
141. Bill Murray in Space Jam
142. Jonathan Pryce in Evita
143. Phil Hartman in Sgt. Bilko
144. Michael Moriarty in Shiloh
145. Tom Savini in From Dusk Till Dawn
146. Michael Douglas in The Ghost and the Darkness
147. David Arquette in Scream 
148. Alan Alda in Flirting With Disaster
149. Ben Stiller in The Cable Guy 
     
150. Dustin Hoffman in Sleepers   
151. Alan Alda in Everyone Says I Love You
152. Dan Hedaya in Marvin's Room
153. Steve Buscemi in Kansas City
154. Viggo Mortensen in Daylight
155. James Cromwell in The People vs. Larry Flynt
156. Donald Sutherland in A Time to Kill
157. Danny DeVito in Matilda
158. Rob Campbell in The Crucible
159. Patrick McGoohan in The Phantom 
160. Burt Reynolds in Citizen Ruth
161. Paul Reubens in Dunston Checks In
162. Dan Aykroyd in Sgt. Bilko
163. Wayne Knight in Space Jam 
164. Stan Shaw in Daylight 
     
165. Leonardo DiCaprio in Marvin's Room
166. James Coburn in The Nutty Professor
167. Keith David in Larger Than Life
168. Rufus Sewell in Hamlet
169. Owen Wilson in The Cable Guy
170. James Rebhorn in Independence Day 
171. Hill Harper in Get on the Bus
     
172. Hank Azaria in The Birdcage
173. Richard Paul in The People vs. Larry Flynt 
174. Dan Hedaya in The First Wives Club
175. Gerard Depardieu in Hamlet  
176. Gary Busey in Black Sheep 
177. Harry Lennix in Get on the Bus
     
178. Christopher Lee in The Stupids
179. Matthew Lillard in Scream
180. Phil Hartman in Jingle All The Way
181. Jack Black in The Cable Guy 
182. Dan Hedaya in Freeway
183. Colin Firth in The English Patient
184. Michael Murphy in Kansas City 
185. Woody Allen in Everyone Says I Love You
186. Robin Williams in Hamlet
187. Joe Morton in Lone Star 
188. Lou Diamond Phillips in Courage Under Fire 
189. Richard Belzer in Get on the Bus
     
190. John Spencer in The Rock 
191. Tim Roth in Everyone Says I Love You
192. David Thewlis in Dragonheart 
193. William Atherton in Bio-Dome 
194. Cary Elwes in Twister
195. Skeet Ulrich in Scream
196. Randy Quiad in Independence Day
197. Harold Gould in Killer: A Journal of Murder
198. Tim Matheson in Black Sheep
199. Bob Odenkirk in Cable Guy
     
200. Paul Sorvino in Romeo + Juliet
201. Emilio Estevez in D3
202. Peter Dobson in The Frighteners
203. Brian Dennehey in Romeo + Juliet
204. Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire 
205. Fred Williamson in From Dusk Till Dawn
206. Judd Hirsch in Independence Day
207. James Belushi in Jingle All The Way
208. Bill Cosby in Jack
209. Ruper Everett in Dunston Checks In 
210. Beau Bridges in Jerry Maguire
211. Bronson Pinchot in The First Wives Club
212. Robert John Burke in Killer: A Journal of Murder
213. James Naughton in First Kid
214. Eugene Levy in Multiplicity
215. Glenn Shadix in Dunston Check In 
216. Edward Norton in Everyone Says I Love You
217. Jack Lemmon in Hamlet 
218. Dash Mihok in Romeo + Juliet
219. Brian Kerwin in Jack 
220. Victor Garber in The First Wives Club
221. Robert Guillaume in First Kid
222. Stephen Collins in The First Wives Club
223. James Acheson in Kazaam
224. Harold Perrineau in Romeo + Juliet
225. Jerry O'Connell in Jerry Maguire
226. Dan Futterman in The Birdcage
227. Sinbad in Jingle All The Way
228. Crispin Glover in The People vs. Larry Flynt 
229. Kiefer Sutherland in A Time to Kill 
230. Quentin Tarantino in From Dusk Till Dawn
231. Michael Maloney in Hamlet
232. John Costelloe in Kazaam
233. Bug Hall in The Stupids
234. John Leguizamo in Romeo + Juliet
235. Jake Lloyd in Jingle All The Way

Next Year: 1986 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1996: Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off

Pete Postlethwaite did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Danny in Brassed Off.

Brassed Off is a good enough film about a coal miner brass band that is threatened by mine closure. Although don't let the adds fool you it is far far more drama than comedy.

Postlethwaite was actually in six films in 1996 including his best of show performance in Romeo + Juliet, and his enjoyable if over the top portrayal of a monk who is a wannabe poet in Dragonheart. I actually have not seen all of the films, but Postlethwaite was one of the most consistent character actors of 90's and one of the best examples of his talent was in this film. Postlethwaite plays the conductor of the band who is the largest source of comedy for most of the film as his character Danny seems far more interested in the success of the band than the success of the mine. Although many of the men are pretty cynical of the whole thing that will not be found in Danny especially not in the way Postlethwaite plays the part.

Postlethwaite makes Danny a source of comedic gold through his completely no nonsense performance actually. In any of the band scenes Postlethwaite is absolutely hilarious because of just how dead serious he is as he conducts the band. This is not just some sort of mundane task or even an extra activity for fun this is the most important business of life in the way Postlethwaite performs the part. There is nothing but the utmost determination in his work that works in two ways. One he does make it genuine that Danny feels this way as the band is a matter of pride, but it is also very funny because he so believably shows a man who is so deadly serious about something that most don't really care too much about.

Postlethwaite's seriousness only continues to be effective though in some great moments earlier on the film where there are some double entendre  moments in the dialogue. Really these moments could have fallen ridiculously flat in just the pitch of them but the reason they work so well is because of Postlethwaite. In one moment the jealous wives of other band members question the inclusion of the only young female player. Everything the women imply about her is in a most sexual fashion, but Postlethewaite makes it funny because every response by Danny is slightly bewildered yet completely firm on the fact that she simply is very talented. Really there probably would not be many laughs at all if it were not for Postlethewaite's stone faced delivery.

Of course the laughs rather abruptly stop in the film once the mine actually closes and old Danny even collapses from a mine related illness. This quickly leads Danny into a change of heart as he finally values people more than the band. This is a fast transition but handled well by Postlethwaite in a scene of reflection as the band plays just for him, then his important final speech after the band successfully won a national competition. The film itself really does hammer in its message like ten too many times since it does just keep saying the things over and over again instead maybe doing a little more with the characters.

 The final time the film's message is given though, other than one more printed message, is in the speech by Danny. It's the best moment for it's message because Postlethwaite is the one delivering it. He just brings such a intense passion in his delivery that he gives the film a powerful bang at the end that has nothing to do with any brass instrument. This is a very good performance from Pete Postlethwaite as he brings such an abundance of humor to the first well about eighty percent of his performance, many actors may have not been able to bridge the transition. Postlethwaite, with the little time he has, manages to connect the two sides and give an emotionally poignant performance as well.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1996

And the Nominees Were Not:

Steve Buscemi in Fargo

Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off

Derek Jacobi in Hamlet

Robert Carlyle in Trainspotting

Gene Hackman in The Birdcage

Best Supporting Actor 1993: Results

5. Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive- Jones does what he needs to as a Federal Marshall in charge of a manhunt and fulfills his role.

4. John Malkovich in In the Line of Fire- Malkovich finds an effective way to be creepy as Mitch Leary, but he also adds more than just creepiness to makes his performance interesting.

3. Leonardo Dicaprio in What's Eating Gilber Grape- Dicaprio gives a performance filled with tics and mannerisms but he never makes them seem forced or strange but instead they help create his memorable character.

2. Pete Postlethwaite in In the Name of the Father- Postlethwaite is always a powerful presence in the film, and he and Daniel Day-Lewis create some very strong scenes together.

1. Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List- Fiennes gives an incredible performance as the Nazil Commandant. He is truly chilling, but he also makes Goth into a real person, even if that person is incredibly disturbed.

Deserving Performances:
Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List

Best Supporting Actor 1993: Pete Postlethwaite in In the Name of the Father

Pete Postlethwaite received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Giuseppe Conlon in In the Name of the Father.

Postlethwaite plays the father of a Jerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) an Irish man wrongly accused of bombing a British pub.  Giuseppe also becomes falsely accused along with his son and they both go to jail together. In initial viewing of the film, I was really surprised how much time Giuseppe got in the film and how important he was to the overall film. I feel many times father roles are usually poorly written, poorly portrayed, negatively portrayed, or given very little importance. I was pleasantly surprised to see that in this film that this was not true.

Giuseppe is for once a fully written role and Postlethwaite fully realizes his character.  Giuseppe is a very good man although not a perfect one, who is not fully confidant in his son but always wants to try and help him. Before the prison scenes Postlethwaite gives the right amount of heart to the role, and he clearly shows Giuseppe's concern for his son who is growing more and more distant from him. Postlethwaite is brilliant because it is never said from the character that he loves Gerry but Postlethwaite shows through his eyes and his face so perfectly well. A particularly strong scene is when on trial Gerry says he signed the confession because the police threatened to kill his father. Postlethwaite's reaction to this is perfectly tuned and it so brilliantly subtle.

The greatest scenes though do take place in the prison where Gerry and Giuseppe share a cell. I like how the film shows that the father and sons relationship slowly grows closer together during this period. Postlethwaite is perfect in showing Conlon's support for his son, but also strict in that he wants to keep Gerry on the right track. Giuseppe never becomes angry by their misjudgment but he becomes passionate in proving their innocence. Also he perfectly becomes the moral center always saying fighting between the British and Ira will lead to nowhere.

Postlethwaite never becomes one dimensional here, nor does he ever force the good nature of the character, it all is just natural do to his performance. The greatest scene of the performance is the last talk between Giuseppe and Gerry where both actors show the father and son bond in a way that rings true and is truly emotionally effective. His performance is the thing that stood out the most in the film, and when he leaves the film his presence is sorely missed. It is Postlethwaite performance that gives the true power to the film, and he makes the title all the more meaningful.

Best Supporting Actor 1993

And the Nominees were:

Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List

John Malkovich in In the Line of Fire

Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive

Pete Postlethwaite in In the Name of the Father

Leonardo Dicaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Who do you Pick? Who do you Predict?