Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2008: Results

5. Eddie Marsan in Happy-Go-Lucky- Marsan a good supporting performance through the film, and even helps Hawkins's performance come alive more in their scenes through the extreme differences of their characters.

4. Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight- I would not quite put his performance quite up there with Ledger and Oldman, but on his own he creates his character's journey effectively and gives a strong performance throughout the film.

3. Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading- This is a great performance from Pitt, and  it could not be a better comedic portrayal of an idiot.

2. Gary Oldman in The Dark Knight- Oldman gives a moving performance creating Commissioner Gordon into a fully fledged three dimensional character.

1. Ralph Fiennes in In Bruges- Good Predictions Lezlie and Michael Patison, feel free to name a year and a performance. Fiennes easily wins this year, and I must say I really did consider giving him the overall. I love every aspect of this performance every one of his scenes are amazing as he is both an imposing villain but as well an always hilarious character.

Overall Rank:

1. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
2. Ralph Fiennes in In Bruges
3. Gary Oldman in The Dark Knight
4. Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
5. Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading
6. Josh Brolin in Milk
7. Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight
8. Jason Butler Harner in Changeling 
9. Eddie Marsan in Happy-Go-Lucky
10. Liev Schrieber in Defiance 
11. Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder
12. John Malkovich in Burn After Reading
13. Anthony Mackie in The Hurt Locker
14. Ralph Fiennes in The Duchess 
15. Richard Jenkins in Burn After Reading
16. Liam Cunningham in Hunger
17. Giancarlo Giannini in Quantum of Solace
18. Viggo Mortensen in Appaloosa
19. Bill Irwin in Rachel Getting Married
20. J.K. Simmons in Burn After Reading 
21. Kevin Bacon in Frost/Nixon
22. Anil Kapoor in Slumdog Millionaire
23. Jeff Bridges in Iron Man 
24. Matthew McConaughey in Tropic Thunder
25. Mark Strong in Body of Lies
26. Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road
27. Jordan Prentice in In Bruges
28. Michael Caine in The Dark Knight
29. Nick Nolte in Tropic Thunder
30. Morgan Freeman in The Dark Knight 
31. Chin Han in The Dark Knight
32. Ralph Fiennes in The Reader
33. Jeffrey Wright in Quantum of Solace
34. Russell Crowe in Body of Lies
35. Haaz Sleiman in The Visitor
36. Brian Geraghty in The Hurt Locker
37. Eric Roberts in The Dark Knight 
38. William Hurt in The Incredible Hulk
39. Mathieu Amalric in Quantum of Solace
40. Jack Black in Tropic Thunder
41. Jay Baruchel in Tropic Thunder
42. Jamie Bell in Defiance
43. David Harbour in Revolutionary Road 
44. Danny Mcbride in Tropic Thunder
45. James Franco in Milk
46. Tim Roth in The Incredible Hulk
47. Sam Rockwell in Frost/Nixon
48. John Malkovich in Changeling
49. Oliver Platt in Frost/Nixon
50. Jeremy Irons in Appaloosa  
51. Greg Kinnear in Ghost Town
52. Terrence Howard in Iron Man
53. Jeffrey Donovan in Changeling
54. Brandon T. Jackson in Tropic Thunder
55. Emile Hirsch in Milk
56. Ray Winstone in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
57. Bee Vang in Gran Torino
58. Chris Messina in Vicky Christina Barcelona
59. John Hurt in  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (How dare this movie cause a bad John Hurt performance)
60. Diego Luna in Milk
61. Shia Laboeuf in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I should note I only listed supporting performances that I at least remembered in some way.

Next Year: 1985 Supporting

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2008: Eddie Marsan in Happy-Go-Lucky

Eddie Marsan did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Scott in Happy-Go-Lucky.

Happy-Go-Lucky is about a persistently happy and optimistic woman Poppy (Sally Hawkins) who goes about doing various things in her life. Happy-Go-Lucky is very much basically the same type of film as Mike Leigh other film Naked in that they both follow their very particular protagonist in various events that are not necessarily connected. The difference is that is far far far lighter tone than Naked, which largely comes in the that Poppy is constantly positive opposed the constantly negative Johnny in Naked. I must say though that Naked is the superior film as the other characters, and events in Johnny's life just tend to be far more interesting. Only really one group of scenes worked as well as I would have liked.

Luckily the scenes that do work involve Eddie Marsan as Poppy's driving instructor. Scott is as angry as Poppy is happy. Marsan portrays Scott as always being at least a little angry, and really there are only different levels of anger he can be at. Marsan is quite effective in portraying the anger that is always bubbling underneath, in that Marsan's head always seems ready to explode. Marsan portrays it as something always beating down in Scott, and every line he delivers has a certain degree of brashness to it, even when he is just trying to teach. Marsan portrays that even when calm Scott is still slightly irritated and annoyed in some way. Marsan makes that it is not that Scott is just mad at the moment, but clearly that his anger issues have a long a history.

Important to these scenes though are of course Scott's reactions with Poppy as she stays constatnly playful and upbeat even though it continually ticks him off. Marsan and Hawkins have a terrific chemistry actually in that they are steadfast in their characters almost the entire time. Hawkins always stays upbeat in the scenes, always being playing with Scott and laughing her way through, as Marsan is persistent in Scott's never ending anger and the ease in which he gets mad from just the slightest thing Poppy says. Very importantly Marsan makes it clear that Scott's anger is really something he suffers from really, as he seems almost in some sort constant pain along with his anger, and really his anger is so severe he barely can even understand the fact that Poppy is having some fun with him.

The extreme dynamic between Hawkins and Marsan works well making there scenes consistently enjoyable. They are fairly consistent in these entertaining scenes until their final one together where Scott's anger finally get the better of him. Marsan is properly intense here as the always angry man gets to the point of being violently so. Marsan is strong here becuase he does not show that this is going anywhere else for Scott this is just allowing his emotional state to devolve to its purest form. Marsan is appropriately raw here as Scott just breaks down emotionally as he portrays all of Scott's hate in his life, as well as his sadness at once. Marsan is great in this scene and nails it showing just how troubled of a man Scott really is. This is a good supporting performance through the film, and even helps Hawkins's performance come alive more in their scenes through the startling differences of their characters.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2008

And The Nominees Were Not:

Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight

Gary Oldman in The Dark Knight

Ralph Fiennes in In Bruges

Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading

Eddie Marsan in Happy Go Lucky

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