20/2/2015 Oscars 2015: Best Supporting Actor predictions Telegraph
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Oscars 2015: Best Supporting Actor predictions
Robbie Collin takes a look at this year's nominees for Best Supporting Actor
By Robbie Collin
4:40PM GMT 20 Feb 2015
The nominees:
Robert Duvall (The Judge)
What we said: "It’s a pleasure to see [Robert Downey Jr] out of his Iron Man costume, althoughhe treats his lines in much the same way as he does Tony Stark’s: like itches he’s raring toscratch. Similarly, Duvall growls irascibly as he has growled irascibly before, and anyonehoping to see these two actors in full flow will not leave the cinema disappointed."
Read Robbie Collin's The Judge review in full
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
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What we said: "Linklater andhis cast, who helped refine thedirector’s script, perfectlyexecute how long it takes usto become the lead charactersin our own lives, and howfumblingly the role is firstassumed."
Read Robbie Collin'sBoyhood review in full
Edward Norton (Birdman)
What we said: "EdwardNorton is uproarious as[Michael Keaton's] preeningcostar"
Read Robbie Collin's Birdmanreview in full
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)
What we said: "WhenChanning Tatum and MarkRuffalo first share the screen
in Foxcatcher, they’re like a pair of oversized puppies, bounding and nuzzling, paws raised up tosnouts, each man sussing out the other through scent and instinct."
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Read Robbie Collin'sFoxcatcher review in full
JK Simmons (Whiplash)
What we said: "Simmons, aseasoned character actorwho’s been great in themargins of everything fromSpiderMan to Juno, seizes onthe role with carnivorousgusto."
Read Robbie Collin'sWhiplash review in full
Robbie's prediction
WIll win: JK Simmons
Should win: JK Simmons
And now we turn to this year’s most dramatic case of awardsseason momentum: call it JKRolling. As soon as Whiplash premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year,there were whispers about how great JK Simmons was in the role of Fletcher, the hottemperedmusic instructor, and those whispers built to a mutter as the film hopscotched its way to Cannesand then Toronto.
After the film’s UK gala premiere at the London Film Festival last October, Simmons felt like asure thing – the role unleashes a kind of pentup tidal wave of charisma that’s amassed overyears of dependable character work – and it’s virtually impossible to resist. Wins at the GoldenGlobes, the Baftas and the Screen Actors’ Guild put him in pole position statistically too.
With the exception of Robert Duvall’s nod for The Judge, which feels a little more like ancestorworship than sharp critical thinking on the Academy’s behalf, this is an almightily strong
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category – but sorry, Ethan, Edward and Mark, this already feels sewn up.
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