Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Supporting Actor

Top 10 Performances by a Supporting Actor

Looking at my list for the best supporting actors, there's not really a system or a commonality between them except eight out of the ten played off-their-rocker psychopaths, killers, molesters, or schizophrenics. The two sane ones weren't so over the top, but sweet and gracefully filled the stage with presence.

Dev Patel in "Slumdog Millionaire" captured the essence of unstoppable determination in the name of love. He wasn't over the top or under-performing - he was perfect in a crucial age-role of the film. The other lucid character was played by James Franco in "Milk." Franco - with "Pineapple Express" under his belt - had a tremendous career, jump-starting a future in great films. In "Milk," he was more like the housewife to Harvey Milk, a Jackie Onassis to her JFK.

Eddie Marsan, who was pitch-perfectly creepy as the driving instructor in "Happy-Go-Lucky," begins the eight crazies. He contrasted Sally Hawkin's character so masterfully that sometimes you weren't sure if she's ever leave the car alive. In "Revolutionary Road," Kate and Leo go head-to-head, but in the few scenes with Michael Shannon - the only role who understands the couple's escapism dream - are brilliant. The man out-performs DiCaprio in every which way. A possible child molester, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a priest in "Doubt" who must defend his sexuality and position at a 1964 Catholic school in the Bronx. Like the feuds in "Revolutionary Road," Hoffman clashes swords with Meryl Streep - if only we could have a sword-duel to see who would truly win. In "Burn After Reading," Brad Pitt, releasing his inner-Keanu, blooms as the bouncy/screwball gym trainer who teams with Frances McDormand to uncover a possible government secret, while John Malkovich goes ape-shit on the Coen Brothers set as the man McDormand and Pitt are after. Also starring in the same film are Tom Cruise as the foul-mouthed, rapping movie producer and Robert Downey, Jr. as the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude. Cruise was off-the-charts crazy, while you had to look beyond the character-over-character/skin-over-skin to find the insanity of Downey, Jr.'s character.

And then, in a whole other universe of caliber, there is the unreachable Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight." All I have to say about his performance is that it is the best performance of the 21st century, and one of the best in cinematic history. Transcendent. Sinister. Perfect.

And now, the list of the 2008 Top 10 Performances by a Supporting Actor:

10. Dev Patel as Jamal Malik in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

9. John Malkovich as Oscbourne Cox in BURN AFTER READING

8. Brad Pitt as Chad Feldheimer in BURN AFTER READING

7. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in TROPIC THUNDER

6. Michael Shannon as John Givings in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

5. James Franco as Scott Smith in MILK

4. Robert Downey, Jr. as Kirk Lazarus in TROPIC THUNDER

3. Eddie Marsan as Scott in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

2. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Brendan Flynn in DOUBT

1. Heath Ledger as The Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT

Dane's Oscar Predictions

So, that time of year has arrived, when everyone (well, those of you who are into film awards) take a guess as to what 5 nominations per category the Academy will put forth as the best of the year. In predicting, one takes into account what other people say, reviews, precursor awards, and, most importantly, the surprise Oscar nods. Without further ado, here are my somewhat ballsy predictions for this year's Academy Awards (released on Thursday):

Note: Italicized predictions are ones that I predicted last March and have decided to stick with.

BEST PICTURE

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

MILK

THE READER

THE WRESTLER

I feel very, very, very, unsure about these predictions. Why? Because other than "Slumdog" I have NO IDEA who is going to be nominated, and - it seems - neither does anyone else! "Ben Butt" is too epic and beautiful for the Academy to let go, so I think that's in definitely too, but the other three are toss ups. I chose "Milk" because of it's political content in a very political time. "The Wrestler" for it's gorgeously paced movement as a film and to put a down-to-earth film on the list. And, "The Reader" because it's about the Holocaust and the Academy really like Daldry. I won't get into the whole, well maybe it's this movie or this movie because I want to seem confident even though I'm not!

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

David Fincher for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Darren Aronofsky for THE WRESTLER

Stephen Daldry for THE READER

Christopher Nolan for THE DARK KNIGHT

Going on my "Wrestler" kick, Aronofsky is in. Daldry has been nominated for all of the 2 films he's directed ("The Hours" and "Billy Elliot") so count him in with the five. Boyle, Fincher, and Nolan are complete and utter locks. There you have it! Note: I'm acting wayyyy more confident than I actually am in this category!

BEST ACTOR

Richard Jenkins in THE VISITOR

Frank Langhella in FROST/NIXON

Sean Penn in MILK

Brad Pitt in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Mickey Rourke in THE WRESTLER

Honestly, I believe that Pitt is the only one on the chopping block. However, there's only 1 or 2 other actors to fill his shoes. I expect this category to be pitch perfect.

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway in RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

Sally Hawkins in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

Meryl Streep in DOUBT

Michelle Williams in WENDY AND LUCY

Kate Winslet in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

This category is in the same situation as Best Actor's: Four locks, and then one open space. The only difference is that the open space can be filled by 5-7 actresses very deserving of the nod. I'm going with Williams hopefully. She's the silent trout ready to bit the bait - plus it would be historic to see her nominated with Heath.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Downey, Jr. in TROPIC THUNDER

James Franco in MILK

Philip Seymour Hoffman in DOUBT

Heath Ledger in THE DARK KNIGHT

Dev Patel in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Franco, in my opinion, was the best supporting actor in "Milk" and will be rewarded with a nomination. Patel is riding the rocket ship that is "Slumdog Millionaire." Downey had too great of a year to get away without being nominated. Hoffman was incredible in "Doubt" and is an Oscar favorite. Then there is Ledger who gave the best performance of the year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams in DOUBT

Penelope Cruz in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

Viola Davis in DOUBT

Marisa Tomei in THE WRESTLER

Kate Winslet in THE READER

There will be snubs any way you look at it in this highly qualified category. I think "The Wrestler" is going to do better than expected with nomination count and Tomei will help that cause. Winslet and Cruz have their feet in the door already. Then there are the ladies of "Doubt." Without a Best Picture/Director nomination, Davis and Adams are sure to be nominated.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire
Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kanpoor, Irrfan Khan, Madhur Mittal & Ayush Mahesh Khedekar

Out of all the films that have been released this year, Danny Boyle's unforeseen yet palpable masterpiece will win the naked golden man as the best movie of the year. "Slumdog Millionaire" is a rare occasion. Pop culture and a Dickensian tale never seemed so perfect together. It's a story of rock-bottom desperation, desperate love, and a romance retelling every love story out there. It's tainted with hardships most could never comprehend, but settles in memory as pure, weightless, effortless.

Jamal Malik, a young so-called "slumdog", finds himself on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" hosted cunningly by Anil Kanpoor who draws Regis Philbin, giving him claws. Jamal is one question away from winning the game, however, being of a unfortunate lifestyle, he's taken into custody and questioned as to how he knows all of the answers. Consequently and simultaneously, we discover both how Jamal knows the answers of the game show (such as "What U.S. president is on the one-hundred dollar bill?") and the young man's life story - which, of course, is the point of the film.

The movie opens with a question, at the time unanswerable, and ends with the answer - brilliantly, might I add. The script boils the theme of fate; that certain situations are meant to be, nothing is coincidence, and that some events are written. Jamal's life, full of such adversity, from both his society and surroundings, but most effectively, his older brother Salim. Salim's character, envious of Jamal's goodness and compassion, forces situations in which his younger brother must struggle through. Yet, Jamal never loses hope or sight of his true ambition: to find his long-lost love: Latika.

Spanning about fifteen years or more, Jamal, Salim, and Latika are played by three different performers of different ages. This can be problematic for some films, however with excellent casting and brilliant directing, "Slumdog's" three generation characters shine on their own and in their own light. Latika begins as a lost soul (Rubiana Ali), a girl with no parents and no where to go. She then forms into a beautiful young girl (Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar), about to be tainted by profiteers selling her to the highest bidder, and finally grows into the stunning woman of Jamal's dreams played glamorously by Freida Pinto. All three Salim's (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, and Madhur Mittal) portray a struggling brother who loses himself to the horrors and temptations of the slums. He is the Cain to Jamal's Abel, though the parable works a bit differently here.

Yet, the real power of the three actors irradiates off of the Jamal's. The youngest, played by Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, brings an unstoppable innocence and happiness to the shit that covers his life (and his entire body). He smiles and you can't help but give into his infection. The middle Jamal (Tanay Chheda) had a rough road ahead of him after such an enthralling performance by Khedekar, however, once he arrived at the Taj Mahal, Chheda overpowered us with slyness and skill. As for Dev Patel as the oldest Jamal, he allows the character a quietness mirroring his patience and his longing for Lakita. There isn't much that surprises him, though his will to find her overcomes him in an instant. He delivers a great performance for such a young, unknown actor.

Danny Boyle, the director, gives this year a world of reality and hope; something that is so polluted, it seems nothing good can come out of it. Yet, it does. A true fairy tale without the glitz and cliche, "Slumdog Millionaire" is this year's dog to bite and beat. But I doubt it will happen.

Grade: A+