Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2014: Results

5. Toby Kebbell in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Kebbell gives an effective portrayal of the mad villainous ape.

Best Scene: Koba returns to the gun touting fools.

4. Michael Fassbender in Frank - Fassbender gives a funny and moving performance almost entirely without the use of his face.

Best Scene: Frank starts stating his facial expressions.

3. Richard Armitage in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Armitage overcomes most of the weaknesses of his film giving a rousing and passionate portrayal of Thorin Oakenshield's final act.

Best Scene: Thorin makes peace with Bilbo.

2. Josh Brolin in Inherent Vice - Josh Brolin gives an incredibly entertaining performance as a excessively straight laced cop that plays particularly well with Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of a hippie P.I.

Best Scene: "Moto Panacaku"

1. Gary Poulter in Joe -  Good Prediction moviefilm. I'll have to admit I'm rather unsure of my overall winner, as I love the top three about equally. Right now my win goes to Gary Poulter's only cinematic performance. Poulter is heartbreaking yet freighting, tragic yet pathetic in his portrayal of the extremes of a broken man which always feel absolutely natural despite the randomness of the man.

Best Scene: "Are You My Friend?"

Overall Rank:

1. Josh Brolin in Inherent Vice
2. Gary Poulter in Joe
3. J.K. Simmons in Whiplash
4. Shia LaBeouf in Fury
5. Edward Norton in Birdman
6. Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher
7. Matthias Schoenaerts in The Drop 
8. Damián Alcázar in The Perfect Dictatorship
9. Michael Parks in Tusk 
10. Ethan Hawke in Boyhood
11. Zach Galifianakis in Birdman
12. Richard Armitage in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
13. James Corden in Into the Woods
14. Robert Duvall in The Judge
15. Ben Mendelsohn in Starred Up 
16. Joaquin Cosio in The Perfect Dictatorship
17. Domhnall Gleeson in Calvary 
18. Taika Waititi in What We Do in the Shadows
19. Ray Liotta in Kill The Messenger
20. F. Murray Abraham in The Grand Budapest Hotel 
21. Ricardo Darin in Wild Tales
22. Irrfan Khan in Haider
23. Chris Pine in Stretch
24. Paddy Considine in Pride  
25. Jemain Clement in What We Do in The Shadows
26. Martin Freeman in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
27. Martin Short in Inherent Vice
28. Powers Boothe in Sin City: A Dam to Kill For
29. Riz Ahmed in Nightcrawler 
30. Rhys Darby in What We Do in the Shadows
31. Luke Evans in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
32. Benicio Del Toro in Inherent Vice
33. Chris Pine in Into The Woods 
34. Kay Kay Menon in Haider
35. Aidan Gillen in Calvary
36. Scoot McNairy in Frank
37. Tyler Perry in Gone Girl
38. Michael Fassbender in Frank
39. Dave Bautista in Guardians of the Galaxy
40. Bill Nighy in Pride 
41. Yilmaz Erdogan in The Water Diviner
42. Tom Wilkinson in Belle
43. Michael Nyqvist in John Wick
44. Toby Kebbell in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 
45. Bill Paxton in Edge of Tomorrow
46. Wayne Hapi in The Dark Horse
    
47. James Spader in The Homesman 
    
48. Jeff Goldblum in The Grand Budapest Hotel 
    
49. Luke Wilson in The Skeleton Twins
50. Domhnall Gleeson in Unbroken
51. Bradley Cooper in Guardians of the Galaxy
52. Willem Dafoe in The Grand Budapest Hotel
53. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje in Pompeii
54. Micheal Rooker in Guardians of the Galaxy 
55. James Rolleston in The Dark Horse
    
56. Eric Roberts in Inherent Vice
57. Sam Shepard in Cold in July
58. Nick Thurston in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
59. John Goodman in The Gambler
60. Patrick Stewart in X-Men: Days of Future Past
61. Owen Wilson in Inherent Vice 
62. Don Johnson in Cold in July
63. Jonathan Brugh in What We Do in the Shadows
64. Alfie Allen in John Wick
65. Mel Gibson in The Expendables 3
66. Robert Pattinson in The Rover
67. Randall Park in The Interview 
68. Michael K. Williams in The Gambler
69. Michael Fassbender in X-Men: Days of Future Past 
70. Niwa Whatuira in The Dark Horse
    
71. Ken Watanabe in Godzilla
72. Olafur Darri Olafsson in A Walk Among the Tombstones
73. Dylan Moran in Calvary
74. Ed Helms in Stretch
75. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
76. William Hurt in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her
77. Evan Peters in X-Men: Days of Future Past 
78. Oscar Nunez in Wild Tales
79. Ciaran Hinds in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him 
80. Ben Mendelsohn in Black Sea
81. Oscar Martinez in Wild Tales 
82. Kristofer Hivju in Force Majeure
83. Chris O'Dowd in Calvary 
84. Dean Norris in Men, Women & Children
85. Alessandro Nivola in A Most Violent Year
86. Jim Bodnia in Rosewater 
87. Ronald Sehrfeld in Phoenix 
88. Scott Adsit in Big Hero 6
89. David Koechner in Cheap Thrills
90. Sam Claflin in The Riot Club 
91. Menashe Noy in Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
92. Mark Strong in The Imitation Game
93. Jude Law in The Grand Budapest Hotel 
94. Fabrizio Rongione in Two Days One Night
95. Chris O'Dowd in St. Vincent
96. Charlie Cox in The Theory of Everything 
97. Cori Gonzalez-Macue in What We Do in the Shadows
98. Adrien Brody in The Grand Budapest Hotel
99. Andy Garcia in Kill The Messenger
100. Tim Blake Nelson in The Homesman
101. Willem Dafoe in John Wick 
102. Terence Stamp in Big Eyes
103. Billy Magnussen in Into the Woods 
104. Edward Norton in The Grand Budapest Hotel 
105. Albert Brooks in A Most Violent Year
106. Gary Oldman in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
107. Brendan Gleeson in Edge of Tomorrow
108. Bill Irwin in Interstellar 
109. Ian McKellen in X-Men: Days of Future Past
110. M. Emmet Walsh in Calvary
111. Bryan Cranston in Godzilla
112. Samuel L. Jackson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
113. Ronnie Gene Blevins in Joe
114. David Wilmot in Calvary
115. James Corden in Begin Again
116. Kelsey Grammer in The Expendables 3  
117. Noah Taylor in Edge of Tomorrow
118. Casey Affleck in Interstellar 
119. Scoot McNairy in Black Sea
120. Adam Driver in Tracks
121. Tom Wilkinson in The Grand Budapest Hotel
122. David Harbour in A Walk Among the Tombstones
123. Mathieu Amalric in The Grand Budapest Hotel
124. James McAvoy in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her
125. Andrew Scott in Locke 
126. Tony Dalton in The Perfect Dictatorship 
127. Jeff Bridges in The Giver
128. Robert Redford in Captain America: The Winter Soldier 
129. Bill Murray in The Grand Budapest Hotel 
130. Billy Bob Thornton in The Judge 
131. Martin Sheen in Trash
132. Charles Dance in The Imitation Game 
133. Harvey Keitel in The Grand Budapest Hotel
134. Devin Ratray in Blue Ruin
135. Ken Stott in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
136. Peter Capaldi in Paddington
137. David Hasselhoff in Stretch
138. Joe Gilgun in Pride
139. Peter Dinklage in X-Men: Days of Future Past
140. Mickey Rourke in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
141. Andrew Scott in Pride 
142. Ray Winstone in Noah
143. John Carroll Lynch in Camp X-Ray 
144. Josh Hutcherson in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
     
145. Matthew Goode in The Imitation Game 
146. Robert Downey Jr. in Chef
147. Christopher Lloyd in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
148. Ian McKellen in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
149. Kevin Costner in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit 
150. Robert Pattinson in Maps to the Stars
151. Paul Jesson in Mr. Turner
152. Willem Dafoe in A Most Wanted Man 
153. Donald Sutherland in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
     
154. John Ortiz in The Drop
155. Anthony Hopkins in Noah
156. Gerard Butler in How To Train Your Dragon 2
157. Vladimir Vdovichenkov in Leviathan 
     
158. Ted Danson in The One I Love
159. Ray Liotta in Stretch 
160. Anthony Mackie in Captain America: The Winter Soldier 
161. Dominic West in Pride
162. Leonardo Sbaraglia in Wild Tales
163. Kit Harington in How To Train Your Dragon 2
164. David Oyelowo in A Most Violent Year 
165. Jeffrey Dean Morgan in The Salvation
166. James Frecheville in The Drop 
167. Jeffrey Wright in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
     
168. Peter Bowles in Lilting 
169. Woody Harrelson in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
     
170. Mark Boone Junior in Life of Crime 
171. Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
     
172. Vincent D'Onofrio in The Judge  
173. Jonathan Pryce in The Salvation
174. Lee Pace in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 
175. Oscar Benavides in  The Perfect Dictatorship
176. Rupert Friend in Starred Up 
177. Andrew Leung in Lilting
178. Sebastian Stan in Captain American: The Winter Soldier 
     
179. Jason Schwartzman in Big Eyes 
180. Haley Joel Osment in Tusk
181. Michael Caine in Interstellar
182. Nicholas Hoult in X-Men Days of Future Past 
183. Danny Glover in Beyond the Lights 
184. Elden Henson in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
     
185. Josh Brolin in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
186. Kodi Smit-McPhee in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 
187. Diego Gentile in Wild Tales
188. Richard Sammel in 3 Days to Kill 
189. Sam Claflin in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
     
190. Bill Hader in  The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him
191. Djimon Hounsou in Guardians of Galaxy
192. Willem Dafoe in The Fault in Our Stars
193. David Gyasi in Interstellar
194. David Strathairn in Godzilla
195. Jared Harris in Pompeii 
196. Ethan Embry in Cheap Thrills
197. John Lithgow in Interstellar 
198. David Thewlis in The Theory of Everything
199. Johnny Skourtis in The Equalizer
200. Oliver Platt in Chef
201. Stephen Root in Selma
202. Lee Pace in Guardians of the Galaxy
203. Daniel Bruhl in A Most Wanted Man
204. Paul Reiser in Whiplash 
205. Sasson Gabai in Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
206. Tom Wilkinson in Selma
207. Will Arnett in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
208. Ty Burrell in The Skeleton Twins
209. Dan Stevens in A Walk Among The Tombstones
210. Antonio Banderas in The Expendables 3 
211. Logan Lerman in Noah
212. William Fichtner in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
213. Sam Worthington in Cake
214. Simon McBurney in The Theory of Everything
215. Douglas Booth in Noah
216. William H. Macy in Cake
217. Erich Bergen in Jersey Boys 
218. John Leguizamo in Chef
219. James Badge Dale in Stretch
220. Djimon Hounsou in How to Train Your Dragon 2
221. Christopher Walken in Jersey Boys
222. Matt Damon in Interstellar
223. Kenneth Branagh in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
224. Mos Def in Begin Again
225. Terrence Howard in St. Vincent
226. Ben Huber in Honeymoon
227. John Cusack in Maps to the Stars
228. Patrick Fugit in Gone Girl
229. Tim Robbins in Life of Crime
230. Elyes Gabel in A Most Violent Year
231. Neil Patrick Harris in Gone Girl
232. Alec Baldwin in Still Alice
233. Joel Edgerton in Exodus Gods and Kings
234. Tim Roth in Selma
235. Jason Statham in The Expendables 3
236. Sam Worthington in Sabotage 
237. Johnny Depp in Tusk  
238. Douglas Booth in The Riot Club
239. Adam Sandler in Men, Women & Children
240. Michael Lomenda in Jersey Boys
241. Terry Crews in The Expendables 3
242. Dane Dehaan in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
243. Daniel Huttlestone in Into the Woods
244. Tony Shalhoub in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 
245. Wesley Snipes in The Expendables 3
246. Charlie Tahan in Love is Strange
247. Sam Trammell in The Fault in Our Stars
248. Scoot McNairy in The Rover
249. Marton Csokas in The Equalizer
250. Adam Levine in Begin Again
251. Cedric The Entertainer in Top Five 
252. Liam Hemsworth in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
     
253. Jon Bernthal in Fury
254. Danny Huston in Big Eyes
255. Miyavi in Unbroken
256. Orland Bloom in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
257. Harrison Ford in The Expendables 3
258. Terrence Howard in Sabotage 
259. Dolph Lundgren in The Expendables 3 
260. Steve Tom in Dumb and Dumber To
261. Michael Pena in Fury
262. Glen Powell in The Expendables 3 
263. Jet Li in The Expendables 3
264. Ryan Gage The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
265. Randy Couture in The Expendables 3
266. Brad Hawkins in Boyhood 
267. Nat Wolff in The Fault in Our Stars
268. Grigoriy Dobrygin in A Most Wanted Man
269. Anders Holm in The Interview
270. Evan Bird in Maps to the Stars
271. Jeremy Strong in The Judge
272. Rob Riggle in Dumb and Dumber To
273. Tracy Morgan in Top Five
274. Johnny Depp in Into the Woods 
275. John Turturro in Exodus Gods and Kings
276. Travis Tope in Men, Women & Children
277. Paul Giamatti in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
278. Victor Ortiz in The Expendables 3 
279. Aaron Paul in Exodus Gods and Kings
280. Chris Cooper in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
281. Kellan Lutz in The Expendables 3
282. Ansel Elgort in Men, Women & Children 
283. Christopher Meloni in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
284. Nick Krause in Boyhood
285. Jamie Foxx in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
286. Marton Csokas in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
287. Marco Perella in Boyhood
288. Kiefer Sutherland in Pompeii

Next Year: 1982 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2014: Richard Armitage in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Richard Armitage did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five armies is the final installment of the Hobbit trilogy that is mainly a third act battle stretched for almost the entire film. Although I've been The Hobbit apologist for the first two films I can't say the same for this film. The problematic structure of the book, at least in terms of being cinematic, comes to surface as the final battle is too poorly defined to begin with leaving the film to have to stretch and contort in largely ineffective fashions. In addition certain problems with whole trilogy are amplified here particularly the comic filler who is given more focus than Bilbo Baggins in the battle, and the over use of C.G.I. which certainly diminishes the impact of the main villain. I mean if you're going steal the best Mountain from Game of Thrones you could at least utilize him but I digress.

Richard Armitage becomes the most important character in the film, since Bilbo (Martin Freeman) is pushed mostly to the side in order to focus on the bigger power players around the battle, and if the film was spread a little thin Armitage may have been the lead. Armitage takes center stage though as the film focuses upon the gold horde that the dwarves took back after the defeat of the dragon Smaug. The first time we see Thorin's face is that of great relief after the defeat of Smaug, and he goes back to reclaim his home in the Lonely Mountain. Unfortunately the nearby men and Elves feel they are owed a portion leading to conflict. The first half of the film Armitage is given a difficult task in that he must portray Thorin at his worst, where he is only interested in the gold of the mountain, and would rather go to war with the other peoples rather than make a deal. Making it more difficult the film plays it up almost like a disease rather than Thorin just being stubborn. Armitage certainly is  effective in portraying the coldness in Thorin as his mind becomes preoccupied with only holding his fortune. What I liked about Armitage's performance though is he perhaps gives it a bit more complexity than even the film desired on this front.

Armitage is good by bringing a great deal of the sense of the shattered pride in Thorin that seems to propel him even more than the gold, and he conveys a deep seeded desire in Thorin as he ignores the pleads of those asking for their share rather than simply a one dimensional evil. Armitage rightly bring a discomfort in Thorin in these scenes as his manner becomes that of the dictator King who only wants absolute obedience from his men nothing else. Armitage although does bring the needed intensity into Thorin's threats against those who try to talk sense into him, he also though does show an unease of the whole act as though Thorin is trying very hard to be something he's not, rather than having truly gone evil. Armitage as well importantly brings a feeling of sadness to allude that the whole facade is eating away at him. There's one very good moment where after accusing Bilbo after stealing something, Bilbo shows it to only be an acorn for his garden at home. Armitage makes the sudden shift of gears in Thorin feels honest as a comfort once again comes to the character, and Armitage presents it as Thorin letting his guard down, showing the real nature of the dwarf in that moment.

Many of Peter Jackson's directorial choices in the film are questionable, but Armitage consistently acts as a saving grace in the film. The oddly done sequence where Thorin rejects his greed is strangely directed, but Armitage, by giving complexity to that phase of Thorin beforehand, manages to at least make the scene work in terms of the change in Thorin's character. Another odd choice once again comes about when Jackson makes the addition of just thirteen warriors a tide turning moment in a battle that involves thousands, it is a bit silly. I have to admit that I found the sequence far more rousing than I should have due to Armitage's work. He's great in his final speech to the men as he portrays the repentance and passion in Thorin's tone, and shows Thorin becoming the King he was meant to be not the one he thought he was suppose to be. Even though the battle scene is disjointed and bloated Armitage manages to remain compelling by reflecting the emotional victories and losses very much in the moment of the action scenes. He stays convincing even when the film is not, even in his interactions with a computer generated Billy Connolly. Armitage succeeds in making Thorin's final moments rather heartbreaking as he portrays Thorin's last without sadness, but rather a poignant happiness as Armitage shows that in the end his friendship to Bilbo was more important to him than a mountain of gold. Richard Armitage's work here consistently elevates his material, never faltering when the film does, and managed to keep me invested in the film despite its problems.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2014

And the Nominees Were Not:

Josh Brolin in Inherent Vice

Gary Poulter in Joe

Richard Armitage in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Michael Fassbender in Frank

Toby Kebbell in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes