Best Actor: Will Poulter

Showing posts with label Will Poulter. Show all posts

Friday, 9 February 2018

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2017: Results

10. Daniel Craig in Logan Lucky - Craig goes wildly against his established James Bond type here to give a very entertaining portrayal of a southern crook that manages to get laughs even when the film undersells his moments.

Best Scene: "We're dealing with science here"

9. Hugh Grant in Paddington 2 - Grant gives a very enjoyable performance here bringing the needed charm but also the explosive ego to his villainous actor.

Best Scene: A character conference.

8. Paul Dano in Okja - Dano gives yet another strong performance here bringing such warmth and delivering an uncompromising empathetic figure within a film that is very much in need of one.

Best Scene: Taking the stage.

7. Jack Dylan Grazer in It - Grazer gives the best performance of the loser boys as he not only adds so much to the overall chemistry of the group, but also has some stand out individual moments through his arc that he realizes so well.

Best Scene: Gazebos.

6. Mark Hamill in Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Although I think his performance is slightly weakened by the forced humor given to his character, Hamill delivers a powerful reprise here in his depiction of a broken man.

Best Scene: Final scene with Leia.

5. Jerome Flynn in Loving Vincent - Flynn in one major scene makes a tremendous impact that sums up the nature of van Gogh's death through his moving portrayal of the man who blames himself for it.

4. David Lynch in Lucky - Lynch delivers some Lynchian greatness here as he manages to be both hilarious yet heartbreaking in his portrayal of a man who has lost his tortoise.

Best Scene: Coming to terms with tortoise loss.

3. Romain Duris in All the Money in the World - Duris quietly steals this film in his dynamic and moving depiction of the crisis of conscience of his kidnapper who struggles with his innate goodness as he tries to be a bad man.

Best Scene: The amputation.

2. Will Poulter in Detroit - Poulter's work is truly disturbing here as rather than portraying an overt drooling racist he depicts a calm and confident one who doesn't need to announce his prejudice as obvious hate rather he puts it within his horrible actions.

Best Scene: Interrogation tactics gone wrong.

1. Patrick Stewart in Logan - Good Prediction Michael McCarthy. Patrick Stewart gives a heartbreaking reprise of his most famous cinematic role. He realizes the real tragedy of the Professor's demise through how far he has fallen through his failing mind, but also finds a real poignancy just in those minor hints of the man he once was.

Best Scene: The most perfect night.

Overall Ranking:

Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Kōji Yakusho in The Third Murder
Sebastian Stan in I, Tonya
Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Patrick Stewart in Logan
Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project
Will Poulter in Detroit
Romain Duris in All the Money in the World
David Lynch in Lucky
Jason Isaacs in The Death of Stalin
Jerome Flynn in Loving Vincent
Mark Hamill in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Tom Skerritt in Lucky
Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World
Jack Dylan Grazer in It
Michael Palin in The Death of Stalin
Paul Dano in Okja
Eric Tsang in Mad World
Mark Rylance in Dunkirk
Algee Smith in Detroit
Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water
Michael Keaton in Spider-man: Homecoming
Hugh Grant in Paddington 2
Daniel Craig in Logan Lucky
Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Mom
Bruce Greenwood in Gerald's Game
Jason Mitchell in Mudbound
John C. Reilly in Kong: Skull Island
John Boyega in Detroit
Brendan Gleeson in Paddington 2
Rory Cochran in Hostiles
Jean-Louis Trintignant in Happy End
Ray Romano in The Big Sick
Paul Walter Hauser in I, Tonya
Paddy Considine in The Death of Stalin
Caleb Landry Jones in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Cillian Murphy in Dunkirk
Bradley Whitford in Get Out
Robert Carlyle in T2
Rupert Friend in The Death of Stalin
Ben Foster in Hostiles
Shia LaBeouf in Borg McEnroe
Armie Hammer in Free Fire
Jeff Goldblum in Thor: Ragnarok
Stephen Merchant in Logan
Terry Notary in The Square
Bill Nighy in Their Finest
Thomas Kretschmann in A Taxi Driver
Sharlto Copley in Free Fire
Michael Rooker in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
Dave Bautista in Blade Runner 2049
Michael Stuhlbarg in Call Me By Your Name
Harrison Ford in Blade Runner 2049
Clarke Peters in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Bruce Greenwood in The Post
Carlos Sanz in Stronger
Michael Shannon in The Shape of Water
Idris Elba in Molly's Game
Jaeden Lieberher in It
Stellan Skarsgard in Borg McEnroe
Anthony Mackie in Detroit
Kenneth Branagh in Dunkirk
Bob Odenkirk in The Post
Ewen Bremner in T2
Gil Birmingham in Wind River
Dave Bautista in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
Michael Stuhlbarg in The Shape of Water
Jon Hamm in Baby Driver
Luke Evans in Beauty and the Beast
Ian McShane in John Wick Chapter 2
Ben Mendelsohn in Darkest Hour
Buddy Duress in Good Time
Lakeith Stanfield in Get Out
Traci Letts in Lady Bird
Peter Dinklage in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Bill Skarsgård in It
Austin Stowell in Battle of the Sexes
Jack Reynor in Free Fire
O'Shea Jackson Jr. in Ingrid Goes West
Kurt Russell in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
Jared Leto in Blade Runner 2049
Jack Lowden in Dunkirk
Danny McBride in Alien: Covenant
J. Quinton Johnson in Last Flag Flying
Ben Safdie in Good Time
James Darren in Lucky
Woody Harrelson in War for the Planet of the Apes
Ryu Jun-yeol in A Taxi Driver
Tom Hiddleston in Thor: Ragnarok
Jamie Foxx in Baby Driver
Jeremy Ray Taylor in It
Owen Wilson in Lost in London
Graham Greene in Wind River
Josh Gad in Beauty and the Beast
Tom Hardy in Dunkirk
Hugh Bonneville Paddington 2
Camille Salameh in The Insult
Mark Hamill in Brigsby Bear
Gary Basaraba in Suburbicon
Fionn Whitehead in Dunkirk
Udo Kier in Brawl in Cell Block 99
Jeffrey Tambor in The Death of Stalin
John Hawkes in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Ronald Pickup in Darkest Hour
Taika Waititi in Thor: Ragnarok
Jonathan Majors in Hostiles
Oscar Issac in Suburbicon
Ron Livingston in Lucky
Pedro Pascal in Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Cillian Murphy in Free Fire
Mark Ruffalo in Thor: Ragnarok
Barry Keoghan in Dunkirk
Matt Walsh in Brigsby Bear
Too Hae-jin in A Taxi Driver
CJ Jones in Baby Driver
Johnny Lee Miller in T2
Timothy Spall in The Party
Gael Garcia Bernal in Coco
Akshaye Khanna in Mom
Ian Hart in God's Own Country
Wes Studi in Hostiles
Ed Oxenbould in Better Watch Out
Dwight Yoakam in Logan Lucky
Jacob Latimore in Detroit
Bill Pullman in Battles of the Sexes
Domhnall Gleeson in American Made
Jesse Plemons in Hostiles
Cillian Murphy in The Party
Tom Holland in The Lost City of Z
Tommy Flanagan in The Ballad of Lefty Brown
Joe Cole in Thank You For Your Service
Chosen Jacobs in It
Steven Yeun in Okja
Kenneth Cranham in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
Kevin Costner in Molly's Game
Aneurin Barnard in Dunkirk
Eddie Marsan in Atomice Blonde
Robert Pattinson in The Lost City of Z
Kit Harington in Brimstone
Chris O'Dowd in Loving Vincent
Josh Gad in Murder on the Orient Express
Paul Scheer in The Disaster Artist
Barry Shabaka Henley in Lucky
Wyatt Russell in Ingrid Goes West
Adnan Siddiqui in Mom
Dallas Roberts in My Friend Dahmer
John Goodman in Atomic Blonde
Greg Kinnear in Brigsby Bear
Oscar Isaac in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Boyd Holbrook in Logan
Michael Smiley in Free Fire
Stephen Henderson in Lady Bird
Bruno Ganz in The Party
Lior Ashkenazi in Norman
Giancarlo Esposito in Okja
Stephen Root in Get Out
Stephen Dillane in Darkest Hour
John Boyega in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Seth Rogen in The Disaster Artist
Marcus Henderson in Get Out
Harry Styles in Dunkirk
Martin McCann in Lost in London
Laurence Fishburne in John Wick Chapter 2
Finn Wolfhard in It
Steve Buscemi in Norman
Toby Jones in Atomic Blonde
Michael Sheen in Brad's Status
Don Johnson in Brawl in Cell Block 99
Barry Keoghan in The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Sterling K. Brown in Marshall
Willem Dafoe in Death Note
Armie Hammer in Call Me By Your Name
Tom Glynn Carney in Dunkirk
Dwayne Johnson in Fast 8
Jason Statham in Fast 8
Ralph Fiennes in The Lego Batman Movie
Kurt Russell in Fast 8
Robert Downey Jr. in Spider-man: Homecoming
Alex Lawther in Goodbye Christopher Robin
Karl Urban in Thor: Ragnarok
Glenn Fleshler in Suburbicon
Carel Struycken in Gerald's Game
Alan Cumming in Battle of the Sexes
Rob Morgan in Mudbound
Ben O'Toole in Detroit
Brian Gleeson in Phantom Thread
John Lithgow in Beatriz At Dinner
John Magaro in War Machine
Alec Secareanu in God's Own Country
Benjamin Bratt in Coco
Jon Favreau in Spider-man: Homecoming
Barkhad Abdi in Good Time
Noah Taylor in Paddington 2
James D'Arcy - Dunkirk
Choi Woo-shik in Okja
Mathieu Kassovitz in Happy End
Eddie Izzard in Victoria and Abdul
Bokeem Woodbine in Spider-man: Homecoming
Morgan Spector in Chuck
Anthony Hopkins in Thor: Ragnarok
Peter Capaldi in Paddington 2
Bobby Cannavale in I, Tonya
Wyatt Oleff in It
Derek Jacobi in Murder on the Orient Express
Matvey Novikov in Loveless
Franz Rogowski in Happy End
Adeel Akhtar in The Big Sick
Jason Mitchell in Detroit
Lakeith Stanfield in War Machine
Colin Firth in Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Donald Glover in Spider-man: Homecoming
Brian Gleeson in Logan Lucky
Jack Quaid in Logan Lucky
David Thewlis in Wonder Woman
Kwon Hae-hyo in On the Beach at Night Alone
Sam Riley in Free Fire
Ron Perlman in Chuck
Richard E. Grant in Logan
Jonathan Pryce in The Man Who Invented Christmas
Alex Wolff in My Friend Dahmer
Samuel L. Jackson in Kong: Skull Island
Nicholas Hamilton in It
Sam Claflin in Their Finest
Marton Csokas in Mark Felt
Jung Jae-young in On the Beach at Night Alone
Michael Rapaport in Chuck
Traci Letts in The Post
Johannes Krisch in In The Fade
John Goodman in Kong: Skull Island
Colin Farrell in Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Michael Cera in Molly's Game
Beulah Koale in Thank You For Your Service
Mark Strong in Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Lance Reddick in John Wick Chapter 2
Christopher Plummer in The Man Who Invented Christmas
Jim Gaffigan in Chuck
Denis Moschitto in In The Fade
Said Taghmaoui in Wonder Woman
Matthias Schoenaerts in Our Souls At Night
Jacob Batalon in Spider-man: Homecoming
Bradley Cooper in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
Willem Dafoe in Murder on the Orient Express
Lucas Hedges in Lady Bird
Bill Camp in Molly's Game
Billy Crudup in Alien Covenant
Timothee Chalamet in Lady Bird
Ewan Bremner in Wonder Woman
Michael Cera in The Lego Batman Movie
Christopher Fairbank in Lady Macbeth
David Cross in The Post
Anupam Kher in The Big Sick
Jon Bernthal in Wind River
Paul Hilton in Lady Macbeth
Tom Hanks in The Circle
Domhnall Gleeson in Mother!
Ezra Miller in Justice League
Nick Offerman in The Hero
Shea Whigham in Death Note
Paul Anderson in Brimstone
Jacob Tremblay in The Book of Henry
Michael McElhatton in The Foreigner
Emory Cohen in War Machine
Christopher Lloyd in Going in Style
Ian McKellen in Beauty and the Beast
Udo Kier in Downsizing
Peter Fonda in The Ballad of Lefty Brown
Leslie Odom Jr. in Murder on the Orient Express
Tim Blake Nelson in Colossal
Lee Pace in The Book of Henry
Michael Sheen in Norman
Dominic West in The Square
Christopher Abbot in It Comes At Night
Caleb Landry Jones in The Florida Project
Noah Taylor in Free Fire
Michael Stuhlbarg in The Post
Christoph Waltz in Downsizing
Stephen Graham in Films Stars Don't Die Liverpool
David Yow in I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
Jesse Plemons in The Discovery
Sunny Suljic in The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Arnaud Valois in BPM
Jim Caviezel in The Ballad of Lefty Brown
Caleb Landry Jones in Get Out
Steve Zahn in War For the Planet of the Apes
Owen Wilson in Wonder
Ed Harris in Mother!
Bradley Whitford in The Post
Benicio del Toro in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Dustin Hoffman in The Meyerowitz Stories
Garrett Hedlund in Mudbound
Aleks Mikic in Better Watch Out
Israel Broussard in Happy Death Day
Jack Reynor in Detroit
Aidan Gillen in The Lovers
Brian Gleeson in Mother!
Lucas Hedges in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Jason Momoa in Justice League
Riz Ahmed in Una
Jordan Rodrigues in Lady Bird
Andy Serkis in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Lil Rel Howery in Get Out
Ian Glen in My Cousin Rachel
Matthew Rhys in The Post
Jon Hamm in Marjorie Prime
Tom Hollander in Breathe
Robert Redford in The Discovery
Ray Fisher in Justice League
Adeel Akhtar in Victoria & Abdul
Emory Cohen in Shot Collar
Tim Robbins in Marjorie Prime
Dan Stevens in Colossal
Jim Belushi in Wonder Wheel
Zach Efron in The Greatest Showman
Austin Abrams in Brad's Status
Jason Clarke in Mudbound
Henrik Rafaelsen in Thelma
Eugene Brave Rock in Wonder Woman
Seth MacFarlane in Logan Lucky
Ewan Mcgregor in Beauty and the Beast
Jay Hernandez in Bright
Johnny Depp in Murder on the Orient Express
Oliver Platt in Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman
Jeffrey Donovan in Shot Collar
Dacre Montgomery in Better Watch Out
Scott Eastwood in Fast 8
J.K. Simmons in The Snowman
Common in John Wick Chapter 2
Edgar Ramirez in Bright
John Ortiz in Going in Style
Domhnall Gleeson in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
John Slattery in Churchill
Jeremy Strong in Molly's Game
Tyler Ross in The Lovers
Toby Kebbell in Kong: Skull Island
David Dencik in The Snowman
Bo Burnam in The Big Sick
Chris O'Dowd in Molly's Game
Clancy Brown in Stronger
Danny Huston in Wonder Woman
Zack Galifianakis in The Lego Batman Movie
Billy Magnussen in Ingrid Goes West
Dean Norris in The Book of Henry
Devon Graye in I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
John Krasinski in Detroit
Ike Barinholtz in Bright
Kurt Braunohler in The Big Sick
Mike Colter in Girls Trip
Jonathan Banks in Mudbound
Jonas Karlsson in The Snowman
Michael Mando in Spider-man: Homecoming
Caleb Landry Jones in American Made
Jake Gyllenhaal in Okja
Riccardo Scamarcio in John Wick Chapter 2
Thomas Mann in Kong: Skull Island
James Jordan in Wind River
Elton John in Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Ellar Coltrane in The Circle

Next Year: 2017 Lead

Wednesday, 7 February 2018

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2017: Algee Smith, John Boyega and Will Poulter in Detroit

Algee Smith, John Boyega and Will Poulter did not receive an Oscar nominations for portraying Larry Reed, Melvin Dismukes, and Trooper Philip Krauss respectively in Detroit.

Detroit follows a few different individuals once it hones in on one night during the Detroit riots of 1967. The first of the three most notable of these individuals is Larry Reed an inspiring Motown singer who we are first introduced to as his group is about to debut on stage. Smith plays Larry without a care in mind towards the riots but rather a directness towards the fulfillment of the dream. This is not a selfish thought as portrayed by Smith but rather the most fervent optimism about living his dream. This is infused into the entirety of his work as he so earnestly speaks of going on stage offering one of the most potentially naive yet pure attitudes within the gritty film. Smith doesn't make this corny though making this desire pure in the right way particularly in his rather remarkable singing that captures the Motown style, but with this real heart that so effectively exudes the optimism within the act. When the riots cancel the show the disappointment that Smith shows is genuine to this guy caught up in his dream to the point he does ignore what's around him. When he is with his other band mates trying to avoid the riots, Smith's performance keeps this devotion towards this thought as a man with a sight on his goal, and his main frustration being the denial of that. What's important though is that Smith finds that optimism in the goal that doesn't make Larry seem indifferent but just almost on a different wavelength even while fires rage around him.

This is rather different from the introduction to John Boyega's Melvin Dismukes who works as a security guard for a store in the riot zone. Boyega portrays his part with a world weariness but not a true cynicism. When we first meet him he portrays the focus of a man just doing his job in the way he knows how. When he goes about helping a rioter from the brutal treatment of a policeman. Melvin stands between two aggressors. Boyega depicts this exact calm in Mevlin as he attempts to cool the situation between the cop and the young man delivers every line with this exact patience. He speaks just trying assuage any problems not in a subservient way but rather as someone who desires peace and order above else. Boyega in this moment shows this as man who probably has been doing this awhile particularly when he has a word with the young rioter just a second later who calls him an "Uncle Tom". Boyega's great as he still keeps that same calm that defines his portrayal, but after the man leaves has the perfect near eye roll reaction that shows that Melvin's probably been called something similair many times while working his job as a security guard. Boyega lays the right stake as Melvin as one of the few people who intends to reduce rather than exacerbate any given situation during the riots.

The last player of this trio is played by Will Poulter as one of Detroit's officers Philip Krauss. We initially meet Krauss on patrol during the day when there is a level of calm for the moment, yet he takes it upon himself to mortally wound a man who has taken groceries from a store. Poulter in this scene establishes Krauss as the film's most despicable character but not in the way one might expect. He does not portray Krauss as the drooling racist, in fact his fellow officers are far more open in that regard. Poulter doesn't play it as Krauss is hiding this either, instead he plays it in a way that is possibly far more disturbing. Poulter makes Krauss's racism implicit within his portrayal of the man's attitude towards the riots. When he speaks that the rioting shouldn't be allowed to go on like this, that "they" deserves a lesson, or even when he shoots the man there is no sadism displayed. He instead delivers these lines as though they are of this firm philosophy in the man, a man who believes himself to be so above the people he is policing that it isn't something he struggles with. His racism is something that Poulter depicts as Krauss is so comfortable with it doesn't require any of the typical outrage, as he just so firmly believes in his superiority to the point that he feels he is justified in any actions he takes in order to maintain the "peace". When a detective says he's going to be charged for the man he shot, Poulter shows only mild frustration, and only a bit of confusion fitting to a man who is absolutely convinced of his unnerving belief. Poulter shows that he's not a man who need to speak with unneeded zealousness because he knows he's in the "right".

The three sadly all converge on the Algiers hotel. Smith's Larry gets there first with his friend Fred (Jacob Latimore) who are just trying to wait out the riots within the hotel. Smith is good in these scenes establishing the style of Larry just directly outside of the sphere of performance. In one part just his easy friendship between the two one based on encouragement for that dream though, where Smith just depicts a mild somberness due to that denial caused earlier in the night. The two have just enough a warmth between the two suggesting their friendship as when Fred encourages him to keep working for his singing career Larry attempts to help Fred find a woman within the vicinity of the hotel. Smith's also very good in these scenes in portraying Larry as guy who is properly smooth, he has a definite charm, but perhaps not quite smooth as he thinks he is. This happens when arrives in the annex whereas the other men there are non too impressed by his personal style, and Smith reactions are very effective here in portraying kind of losing that overt confidence he projected so well when he initially approached the women who led him and Fred to the annex. A practical joke, involving a starter pistol, soon gets out of hand when the noise of the fake gunshots cause the law enforcement outside to believe there is a sniper in the building.

The law enforcement group eventually includes Boyega's Melvin, but is more or less lead by Poulter's Krauss who is the first to enter the building. His first act in there is to once again shoot a fleeing man which Poulter portrays without hesitation. Instead he depicts again this mindset of an extremist's justification as he is not at all phased by this as he quickly plants a knife to make the escapee seem as though the shot into the back was somehow warranted. Poulter brings this unsettling assurance in the moment though as though this is merely Krauss going about his business as he firmly believes is fit, which if he suspects you for a moment you're target practice for him. Krauss takes over as he has all the denizens lined up on a wall for interrogation. Poulter is terrifying here in the intensity he brings in this scene. What is particularly unnerving is how Poulter plays the scene with such an effortless command, as though this brutality is what Krauss has been waiting for. He specifically doesn't seem at all messy and in a way is scarier in the more subdued hatred that he expresses because of how refined it is within the man. There is a detached precision in Poulter's performance who goes from one verbal or physical attack to another with such ease without a moments hesitation, as though this is his "duty" of his to perform. Poulter conveys absolute control of the situation that makes it all the more horrifying for the complete lack of empathy in any facet of his work.

This leaves Smith's Larry at sometimes the literal blunt end of a gun, and his performance adds to the visceral quality of the scene. Smith portrays Larry as barely able stand amidst all the shouting and violence as he depicts a man wholly gripped in fear. Although he is part of the group being attacked he does stand out within this once Poulter's Krauss demands that the group starts praying for their lives. Smith is absolutely haunting in his depiction of this by bringing the same passion into his performance here than on stage, but now as this terrified cry for help when doing so rather than with the optimistic cheer of before. Boyega's Melvin appears as though potentially one of the few sources of help as he also arrives on the scene. Boyega plays this quite well because he does not play Melvin as this hero at the annex. Boyega instead properly shows, largely with very few speaking lines, depicts the right sense that Melvin is trying to figure out what is going on himself. Unlike Poulter, he does bring an underlying sense of empathy as he watches the brutality, but within that conveys the sense of confusion. Boyega properly plays it as Melvin has no idea whether or not the members of the annex are guilty or not, since there was no way for him to know. When he takes one of the men away into another room in the annex Boyega bluntly delivers the questions on where the gun is, offering still a sense of understanding in this interactions, but still with the hesitation of a guy who doesn't know exactly what's going on.

Krauss's reign of terror continues even as he goes about interrogating everyone, multiple ways including fake "shooting" them in order to find the gun that doesn't exist. Poulter's work does overpower these scenes in how effectively he realizes the sheer extent of the man's vicious behavior without a hint of shame. Again though Poulter keeps to the idea of the man's conviction towards his deranged worldview that makes him act without impunity, and this hollowness as the violence comes so easily to him. Poulter's performance though goes further in that he's not one note, but the variations that appear in Krauss Poulter uses them only to make the man all the more disquieting. This includes the scene where he interrogates the two women in the hotel. At first doesn't hold back but when it appears he's gotten any information from them, Poulter shows Krauss's effort to offer a bit of comfort through this little smile he gives that is downright bone chilling by how Poulter realizes as this brief almost alien false face for the man while attempting to do something completely against his nature. The other moment that shows any other side is when one of his fellow officers shoots one of the hotel guests after failing to understand Krauss's fake shooting interrogation tactic. Poulter doesn't humanize Krauss in this rather he just merely shows that he is human in his reaction. A reaction of genuine fear and concern. A concern not at all for the dead man, but rather Poulter plays it as this realization that things might have finally gotten out of hand for him and the other officers.

The incident ends with Smith portraying Larry as petrified in fear and both physically and emotionally exhausted by the end. His performance completely brings about the wear of the man as this man who is an absolute wreck as he stumbles away looking for any help. Boyega, while I do think Melvin is somewhat under served as a character throughout the film, effectively conveys the growing unease in the realization that something has gone very wrong here. Poulter though shows that Krauss with still his personal determination to somehow get himself off of the night as he lets most of the men go except demands that they will lie about what happened. Poulter delivers this threat in a truly alarming way by again being so direct and blunt in this. In his eyes there is only this certainty that he will have no hesitation to kill if he does not hear as he wants to hear with his questions. When Larry's friend Fred fails to lie, Poulter portrays the reaction to this with just a slight shrug as one more atrocity that Krauss can live with. This leads to the final act of the film, which is the weakest portion of the film. Boyega again feels somewhat short shrift by the narrative as Mevlin is arrested and charged along with the racist officers. This isn't really explored all that much beyond a few brief scenes including one where Melvin is interrogated by detectives, then a later scene where he vomits upon realizing the men will get off. This seems like a complicated idea that just isn't given the time to develop. That leaves Boyega with only a few brief scenes. They are are well portrayed as in the interrogation where Boyega begins with this earnest explanation and slowly drifts this unease into his face as the men's questions become more intense. The same is true for his later scene where he conveys that inward disgust at the result incident. Boyega gives a terrific performance and really makes the most he can out of the part, a part that seemed to have more potential though then we see within this film. Poulter only has a few moments after the incident ends. He uses them well though to show a man who has not all been changed by the events still showing that same confident streak even when taken into questioning where he portrays this just general confusion as though he couldn't possibly know why he's being arrested. His very final moment is one last great one for his performance where he tells Boyega's Melvin that "You're a good guy". Poulter's delivery couldn't be more patronizing as though he's recognized one person from what he sees as the lower class worthy of his minor approval. Poulter delivers a great performance in a truly frightening depiction of unrepentant monster defined by his grotesque philosophy. The film ends with the story of Larry as he tries to move on after his brutal treatment and the death of his friend. Smith is incredibly powerful in portraying the complete loss of any of that optimism or drive in the man as he refuses to follow his singing career. Smith, even in the final scenes, where Larry is now singing with a church choir, his singing, though as potent in terms of technical skill, now is defined by sorrow and pain rather than the joy of his expression. Algee Smith is heartbreaking in showing in his performance the transformation of the sanguine young man reduced to a living victim of the event who continues on in this solitude forever scarred by his experience.

(Smith & Boyega)

(Poulter)

Friday, 2 February 2018

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2017

And the Nominees Were Not:

David Lynch in Lucky

Patrick Stewart in Logan

Daniel Craig in Logan Lucky

Jerome Flynn in Loving Vincent

Romain Duris in All the Money in the World

And for the Second Set of Predictions:

Will Poulter in Detroit

Mark Hamill in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Hugh Grant in Paddington 2

Paul Dano in Okja

Jack Dylan Grazer in IT

With special appearances by:

John Boyega in Detroit

Brendan Gleeson in Paddington 2

Bill Skarsgård in IT

Best Actor