Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2000: Results

10. Jeremy Irons in Dungeons & Dragons - The best part of his atrocious film, however doesn't achieve the true brilliance of a performance of its ilk.

Best Scene: Blood in the sky.

9. Lucas Black in All The Pretty Horses - Brings a moving authenticity that is bluntly missing from the rest of his film.

Best Scene: Being taken off.

8. Stephen Tobolowsky in Memento - Tobolowsky in his brief screentime finds the humanity in his odd state.

Best Scene: Insulin.

7. Sean Connery in Finding Forrester - Connery one last time brings out his actor in delivering a properly charismatic yet also troubled turn as a recluse.

Best Scene: Explaining why he is recluse.

6. Kyle MacLachlan in Hamlet - MacLaclan gives a powerful portrayal that manages to modernize the role of Claudius while also mine the greatness of the character in his traditional form.

Best Scene: Limo phone call.

5. Song Kang-ho in Joint Security Area - Song gives a brilliant portrayal of man who puts on a facade of the cold soldier, and reveals the empathetic human within.

Best Scene: The Event.

4. Joaquin Phoenix in The Yards - Phoenix proves his measure early on here in his remarkable and intense portrayal of a wannabe gangster coming to terms with himself. 

Best Scene: Final scene.

3.  Emilio Echevarria - Amores Perros - Echevarria gives a terrific portrayal of man struggling with empathy so naturally seguing from a broken animal lover and a callous hitman.

Best Scene: Finding the dogs.

2. Paddy Considine in A Room For Romeo Brass - Considine delivers an absolutely stunning debut turn that manages to be equally every bit of the mess of a man both terrifying yet also heartbreaking.

Best Scene: The threat.

1. Malcolm McDowell in Gangster No.1 - Good predictions Razor, Ytrewq, Shaggy (X2), and Brazinterma. McDowell delivers a proper ferocious portrayal of a vicious gangster, yet is also oddly heartbreaking in his portrayal of a man realizing the meaningless of his life.

Best Scene: "Number one"

Updated Overall

Next: 1955 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2000: Stephen Tobolowsky in Memento

Stephen Tobolowsky did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Sammy Jankins in Memento. 

 

Back when Christopher Nolan's films had things called characters, we'd even have stories within the film telling a bit more about these characters, giving a novel thing called depth. That is the case here in Nolan's breakout film where much of the film we follow our protagonist Leonard (Guy Pearce) as he tracks down his wife's killer in reverse sequencing, however during this time we all see Leonard recounting his past earlier as an insurance claims investigator where he investigated a man who claimed to have anterograde amnesia, the condition Leonard is now suffering from. In short a condition where the person retains their past, however can construct new memories and instead is always attempting to understand where they are and what exactly it is that they are doing. This man who was just a normal man living with his wife (Harriet Sansom Harris), who is struggling with this condition as he tries to live his daily life. I think what one can highlight with character actor Tobolowsky's, most famous for his work in Groundhog Day probably, and to an even greater extent Harris's work, is the old adage of "No small parts". This as Jankins story is supplemental though provides an essential thematic element to the story, which is the simple humanity and tragedy of living with such a condition. Tobolowsky's performance shows the devotion one can bring to even a minor role, and in this we get this in Tobolowsky portraying a man in this state who isn't actively fighting against as Leonard technically is or think he is. This as Tobolowsky's performance is this one of a frequently vacant and confused look of a man. The only change being when he sees someone where this is this knowing smile, however carefully this preconditioned smile, not one for anyone in particular, but rather everyone in particular. Tobolowsky showing a man who just is in this constant state of being lost for himself and in turn unsure of everything in particular. Tobolowsky has two brief, yet pivotal, moments that speak so much to the real trauma of the situation where his wife can no longer can believe that her husband is so lost. In both moments Tobolowsky is heartbreaking in his reactions as he brings such an honest sense of confusion but also care of the husband trying to respond with whatever it is he needs to do, while not having the slightest idea. He delivers the right humanity to the condition, and speaks to a hidden truth that is within our central character's journey the whole time.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2000

And Nominees Were Not:

Emilio Echevarria in Amores Perros

 

Kyle MacLachlan in Hamlet

 

Malcolm McDowell in Gangster No. 1 (and to continue to contemplate his placement)

Stephen Tobolowsky in Memento

Sean Connery in Finding Forrester

Predict those Five, These Five or Both.

 

Joaquin Phoenix in The Yards

Lucas Black in All The Pretty Horses

Jeremy Irons in Dungeons and Dragon

Paddy Considine in A Room For Romeo Brass

Song Kang-ho in Joint Security Area