Golden Globes 2012: Opinions & Predictions -Best Supporting Actor

     For 2 years running, I have ambitiously set out to post my commentary on all of the Globes' categories. I always publish posts on the less significant categories first (i.e. Best Song and Best Score) with the intention of blogging my way up to Best Picture. Due to lack of planning and bad use of time, I have never made it past the screenplay award. But no longer! The Globes air in 4 days and before they do so, I will be publishing multiple concise Globes Posts for the year. I'll be making Acting Posts, one for each of the Actors' fields (Lead in a Musical-Comedy/ Drama and Supporting) and the same for the Actresses. Then I'll publish my Best Picture (Musical-Comedy/ Drama) thoughts last. Today I'll kick things off with the Supporting Actors:

Best Supporting Actor:

     Alan Arkin -Argo
          Arkin has the uncanny ability to sow very little yet reap very much. He pulls awards and nominations out of thin air. His Oscar was even a huge upset, no one thought he would win (or deserved to) over Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls. Here he turns in a decent but forgettable performance as a Hollywood exec who helps build the cover under which the CIA will smuggle out American hostages from Iran. His performance certainly can't merit a win and really shouldn't have garnered him a nomination.

     Leonardo DiCaprio -Django Unchained
          I was expecting a lot. Tarantino's and DiCaprio's first pairing was sure to be wild, audacious, and juicy. I was let down. DiCaprio, a rare and consistently brilliant American actor, is stuck here in the muddled role of a sadistic plantation owner that winks at the audience too much to ever really be called evil, but never truly enters the realm of funny. He nails the accent, dons fake teeth, commits to the part... but even with all of DiCaprio's efforts the character never ascends to the pulpy glory of much of the rest of Django's cast. His star power earned him his invite to the ceremony, but it's unlikely it will get him a Globe as well.

     Phillip Seymour Hoffman -The Master
          I'm a huge admirer of the work of Paul Thomas Anderson. When I initially heard about The Master, I couldn't wait to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman (one of the greatest actors of our generation) as the manipulative cult leader. But the film ultimately belongs to Joaquin Phoenix in one of the best performances of his career. Hoffman's character (and Amy Adams' even more so) conceals a slow boil just beneath his superficial facade. It is a nuanced role for Hoffman, but not one of his best. It isn't an undeserving nomination, but it's not one I would have given him.

     Tommy Lee Jones -Lincoln
          If one could name a front-runner in this year's Supporting Actor race, I suppose it would be Jones. The fact that he is such is indicative of what a (bluntly) boring set of performances are in consideration this year -especially when far more daring performances barely seem apart of the conversation (i.e. Michael Fassbender in Prometheus or Dwight Henry in Beasts of the Southern Wild, even young Tom Holland in The Impossible). Jones has one truly great scene in Lincoln and it's when, in the middle of a speech, he realizes that verbalizing his political idealism will get him nowhere and so he finally comes to appreciate the value in playing the political game. But it is the scene that is great, not necessarily Jones in it. How Globes voters even noticed Jones to nominate him when he (along with all of Lincoln really) stands in the shadow of Daniel Day Lewis, I will never know.

     Christoph Waltz -Django Unchained

          The Globes have famously had trouble deciding how to categorize some roles. Most notably, they gave Kate Winslet a Best Supporting Actress Globe for her role in The Reader that she went on to win Best Actress for at the Oscars. This year too, Waltz's nomination in this category is somewhat questionable since he literally arrives onscreen in the film's opening sequence and remains there for almost every scene subsequent to it. The only argument for his nomination as a supporting actor is that he is not the film's namesake and that his character does exit the story for a portion of it. But regardless of how the role should be categorized, what a delicious role it is. As in Inglourious Bast*rds, Tarantino has written Waltz the role of a delectable wordsmith in the part of Dr. King Schultz. Waltz is perfectly suited to play the dentist turned bounty hunter who gives Django his freedom and goes with him to rescue his wife. In such a dull nominee pool, a performance this vibrant, alive, and entertaining (whether it belongs in the category or not) deserves a win!

Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones -Lincoln

Should Win (Of Who Is Nominated):
Christoph Waltz -Django Unchained

     Tomorrow (today technically, since it's past 1:00 AM) is going to be a huge day here at Rodney&Roger! For you early risers, I'll be typing my up-to-the-moment thoughts as the Oscar nominations are announced at 8:30 AM (EST) on the Rodney&Roger Facebook Page. Also, don't forget to check back in later in the day for my post on the Globes' Best Supporting Actress nominees. Then as the Critic's Choice Awards get underway at 8:00 PM (EST) on the CW, my up-to-the-minute thoughts will again be available on the Facebook Page! I look forward to our big day tomorrow, and hope you're here to experience it with me!