My Award Nominations: Supporting Actor

There was a lot more to choose from in the supporting ranks than among the leading men this year. I could list my top twenty picks and still not have mentioned everyone worth mentioning. My picks for Best Supporting Actor:

Review - Sicario

Cops and cartels, midnight raids and public shootouts, blood vendettas and hidden agendas, and a whole lot of dead bodies literally walled up in a house of horrors. If you told me all of this sounds like it belongs in a trashy detective novel, I'd probably agree. If told me it all sounds like it belongs in a trashy movie I'd say, “Hold the phone! Who says the movie has to be trashy?”

And of course, it isn't. French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve insinuates and executes all of these familiar genre tropes with hitman-like precision in Sicario, delivering one of the most cringe-inducing, butt-clenching, excruciating films of the year... And I mean every one of those in the best possible way.

Working from a twisty screenplay by actor-turned-writer Taylor Sheridan (Sons of Anarchy), Villeneuve has crafted an excellent thriller that's every bit as refined (if not more so) as the glossy biopics and period pieces that angle for adult dollars at the multiplex every fall. Along with 2012's Prisoners and last year's Enemy, Sicario further embosses his reputation as a filmmaker capable of elevating even the pulpiest story material with his surgical attention to form and construct.

Review - The Wolfman

Caught up with this on DVD. 'Tis the season.

With the right frame of mind and a taste for some horror movie camp, The Wolfman can be quite enjoyable, but shouldn't be mistaken for a good film. The narrative is clunky and bluntly told, often relying on expository backstory in an attempt to give dimension to characters that were never meant to be deeper than a puddle. Benicio Del Toro is rather wooden when his face isn't buried in prosthetics, and struggles with an awkward accent.

But let's be honest, did we really expect that much from a mid-February release? We might have expected a few quality scares, but even those weren't delivered with 100% conviction. One expectation that was fulfilled, however, was the film's beautiful design. From the Gothic sets to the distinctive costumes to the foggy silhouette-laden photography, it hearkens back to old-school excessive Hollywood film-making, and serves as a respectable homage to the original Wolf Man from 1941. And of course, not enough can be said of makeup effects legend Rick Baker, whose ground-breaking work on An American Werewolf in London in 1981 was what first prompted the Academy to instate a Best Makeup category. It's great to see him return to his lycanthropic roots!

I'd be surprised if he doesn't earn yet another nomination, no matter how poorly the film was received. It's an exceptional accomplishment that would easily top any of 2009's.

** out of ****