best of 2007: best supporting actor, best supporting actress
The Oscars are barrelling down on us -- the ceremony is this coming Sunday, February 24 -- so it’s time to close out Movie Year 2007. Between today and tomorrow, I’ll share with you my own picks for the bests of the year, plus my predictions for Oscar night.
After the jump, the top 5 best supporting actors and best supporting actresses of 2007.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James: His Robert Ford is the uber stalker, the first weaselly, insecure dork to stalk a celebrity and shoot him for his own glory, and Affleck is outstanding in the role. [buy at Amazon]
2. Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood: I’d never have thought to cast someone as young as Dano -- he’ll be 24 this year -- in the intense dual roles of divergent brothers, one of whom becomes a potent antithesis to Daniel Day-Lewis. But he pulls it off, marvelously. [preorder at Amazon]
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War: Leave it to Hoffman to take what should have been throwaway part and steal the show with it. His snarky CIA operative is a hoot.
4. Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men: Cold as ice, Bardem’s hitman without a conscience is one of the more unsettling characters in recent cinema memory. [preorder at Amazon]
5. Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton: He’s always great, but in just one scene here, in which he swings from scattered insanity to focused rationality, Wilkinson seals his subtle genius. [buy at Amazon]
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There: She’s the best Bob Dylan in a slew of pseudo Dylans, and she’s a chick. How cool is that? [preorder at Amazon]
2. Saoirse Ronan, Atonement: She’s 12 years old, and she steals the movie with her incredibly grounded yet simultaneously fantasy-minded pubescent. [buy at Amazon UK]
3. Margo Martindale, Paris, je’taime: Her American abroad starts out as a caricature of the ignorant tourist and becomes a poignant portrait of the power of travel to change us all. [buy at Amazon]
4. Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone: Is she a mother spectacularly unconcerned with the fate of her own child, or is she a woman so afraid of her own life that nothing can rouse her from that fear? Ryan’s is a startling interpretation of an demanding role. [buy at Amazon]
5. Marcia Gay Harden, The Mist: In world overrun by monsters, she’s the far scarier villain, showing us that the evil that men -- and women -- can do is far more insidious and far more dangerous that mere creatures can do with their claws and fangs.
(Technorati tags: Casey Affleck, Assassination of Jesse James, Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War, Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men, Tom Wilkenson, Michael Clayton, Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There, Saoirse Ronan, Atonement, Margo Martindale, Paris Je T’aime, Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone, Marcia Gay Harden, Mist)
comments
posted by Kathy A (Fri Feb 22 08, 12:48AM)
Margo Martindale, Paris, je’taime: Her American abroad starts out as a caricature of the ignorant tourist and becomes a poignant portrait of the power of travel to change us all.
Yes!! Her transformation in that five-minute segment is so well done.
BTW, what was your take on the film as a whole? I thought it was one of the best movies of the year (but I'll admit to not having seen too many films last year).
posted by Pen Dragon (Fri Feb 22 08, 12:48AM)
Blimey, I just saw that new Juno poster on your homepage and just about choked to death. Hilarious. Best crossover parody I've seen in a long time.
posted by MBI (Fri Feb 22 08, 10:19AM)
I really don't see what's so great about Hoffman's performance. Love the guy, loved the movie (seriously, loved the movie), but I definitely did not leave the theater thinking about his performance.
No complaints about any of the other picks, though, even the obvious ones. As much as I hated Michael Clayton, Tom Wilkinson was fan-freaking-tastic, and I think I even liked him better than Bardem.
posted by MaryAnn (Fri Feb 22 08, 11:27AM)
I loved *Paris, Je T'aime,* and I'm gonna try to find time to review it before I go to Paris at the end of March... and then maybe again afterward too!
Hoffman in great in *CWW* because he's so perfectly the antithesis of what we expect from movie spooks. Apart from the fact that as in his every performance, he's so *there* -- you never see him "acting."
posted by Moe (Fri Feb 22 08, 3:13PM)
Marcia Gay Harden and Javier Bardem from that list.
I haven't seen Atonement, I'm Not There and Paris Je'taime 'cuz they never opened near me but their characters stayed in my head long after i wanted them banished.
Harden's in particular. I cringed and made a fist everytime she talked. I've never wanted anyone more dead in a movie before. So much so that i had to calm myself down and remember that it's just a movie and she's only playing a character i dispise to the core.
BTW, didn't know you were going to Paris. Have fun.
Paris is a great city for a vacation.