Best Supporting Actor 2014

05. Ethan Hawke in Boyhood - For making us all remember that he IS a good actor, if it only takes Linklater movies to remind us. For perfectly portraying a wayward kid turned family man. For the father / son camping scene.

04. James Gandolfini in The Drop - For playing a tough guy the way only he could, with subtle layers and complexities. For knocking it out of the park with a final fitting performance. For accepting his fate in the car at the end.

03. Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher - For being the heart and soul of the film. For being kind and likeable,  sweet and endearing in a subtle lived in portrayal. For the scenes of brotherly love.

02. J.K. Simmons in Whiplash - For making me forget all about the sweet dad from Juno. For giving a tense, powerhouse performance as an enigmatic and menacing music instructor. For throwing cymbals at people's heads. For the "dragging or rushing" scene.

01. Edward Norton for Birdman - For sending up his own image as a difficult method actor by playing... a difficult method actor. For the brilliant complexities in his scene stealing work. For being fierce, funny,  complicated, charming and electric. For being sorely missed when he disappears three quarters of the way through. For the fist fight in his underwear.

Mini Reviews

The Drop
Stars: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini
Plot: An adorable abandoned pit bull plays a pretty big part in this story about a robbery at a bar used as a drop location for the mob.
Thoughts: I wanted to write a full review for this movie right after I saw it but I couldn't quite find the right words to describe how much I loved this damn movie. Based on a short story by Dennis Lehane and featuring superb performances by Hardy and Gandolfini, The Drop is easiest the best slow burn crime thriller I've seen since Mystic River.
Grade: A

Palo Alto
Stars: James Franco, Emma Roberts, Nat Wolff,  Jack Kilmer
Plot: A bunch of bored teenagers drink and party and mess around with strangers and teachers.
Thoughts: What a waste of time and talent. It's not that this movie was bad, just sort of boring and unnecessary.  It has it's moments - Kilmer, son of Val, is crazy cute the way his dad once was and Wolff is phenomenal,  stealing the movie with ease. But mostly it's a bore.
Grade: C

A Long Way Down
Stars: Pierce Brosnon, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots
Plot: Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, the movie follows four strangers who meet and form a pact when they all try to kill themselves on New Years Eve.
Thoughts: It's a fine adaptation of a fine book. The casting is pretty right on and all of the acting surely elevates a plot that somehow feels less ridiculous on screen than it did on the page. This movie is not anything special or amazing buy it's nice and Poots is my new girl crush.
Grade: B-

The Other Woman
Stars:Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann
Plot: A successful lawyer finds out her boyfriend has a wife and then the wife and the mistress bond when they realize he's cheating on them both but it's with Kate Upton so they are all, sure, that makes sense.
Thoughts: I found this movie mostly infuriating, disgusting and slightly offensive. However, it has a few charming parts, most of which concern Mann who I adore. I would just about watch her in anything. Obviously.
Grade: D+