Best Supporting Actor Predictions

The Predicted Five

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Pros: Has done his best work with director Steve McQueen.  Been receiving consistent acclaim for this role and the movie is the Best Picture frontrunner.  Villains do well in this category.  Has been considered snubbed many times before.
Cons: Seems to do better with online fans, has not gotten far on the Oscar's radar.  May be too difficult of a role for voters to stomach.

Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks

Pros: Everyone's favorite actor playing the best loved figure in cinema history.  Hanks is having a comeback year with this and Captain Phillips.

Cons: Could be overshadowed by Thompson, may focus more on Captain Phillips, movie may not play well.

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers' Club

Pros: Gets completely lost in the part, many people did not recognize the actor in the part.  Voters love risks like this.

Cons: Movie may not be a huge contender.  Leto has never been in contention before, despite taking risks before.

Josh Brolin, Labor Day

Pros: Gaining a lot of buzz for this role and Jason Reitman gets great performances.  Brolin is a talented actor and this is the role that could win him an Oscar.

Cons: Trailer has not even been released and the film seems very divisive.  Competing with Fassbender in the unlikable villain category.

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Pros: Receives a lot of screen time in the trailer.  Surprised audiences with his nominated performance in last year's hit rom com.  Re-teaming with David O. Russell and Jennifer Lawrence.

Cons: Could be category fraud if this is more of a lead.  Split votes with Jeremy Renner or even Robert De Niro.  Movie has yet to be seen.

Runner-Ups

Will Forte, Nebraska

Pros: Alexander Payne gets his actors nominations.  This is very much an actor's movies and Forte delivers a strong performance in the trailer.  If Bruce Dern is a strong enough contender he could very well carry the SNL favorite to a nomination.

Cons: Only six SNL members have ever received acting nominations, all of whom were on the show before 1985.  Forte has been acting in bit parts for the past few years, but his one leading role was not well received.  Movie may be too small.

John Goodman, Inside Llewyn Davis

Pros: Many people were hoping he would receive a career nomination last season for either Argo or Flight.  Been a very prolific actor in the last two years and was featured in the last two best picture winners.  Many are hoping this will be his shot at his first nomination.  Works well with the Coens.

Cons: May not be a very large role.  Movie may be too understated for the Oscars.  Buzz is more about the actor than the movie or the role.

George Clooney, Gravity

Pros: Clooney usually a comfortable prediction to make during Oscar season.  This movie is a strong enough contender and Clooney is a popular enough star.  With this category being very open he could earn his fifth acting nomination.

Cons: Monuments Men just got pushed to 2014, which will make Clooney a less prolific figure this year.  The buzz for acting in this movie is all about Bullock.  Gravity may just not get any acting notices either.

David Oyelowo, The Butler

Pros: The Butler has been a huge success and has maintained consistent Oscar buzz.  With Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker both up for nominations (and Oprah likely for a win) it is possible that the strength of those two and the film's Oscar potential could bring Oyelowo to his first nomination.  This is a huge, difficult role.  Oyelowo is involved in many of the film's best moments and drives a lot of the drama.

Cons: He has not been mentioned at all.  Seems to be overshadowed by bigger names.  May not be his year for a nomination, will most likely be in contention soon though with the way his career is going.

James Gandolfini, Enough Said

Pros: The movie has been a surprise success and Gandolfini has been receiving some great word of mouth.  The late actor's passing hit many hard this year, some may want to give him a lifetime nomination.

Cons: Small film that may not be remembered Oscar time.  Seen as more of a TV star than a film star.  Outside of Heath Ledger there have not been any recent posthumous nominations.

Also in Contention

If the critical and commercial success Captain Phillips is a major contender co-lead Barkhard Abdi could enter the race.  However the unknown actor, while receiving a fair amount of acclaim, has not garnered enough buzz.  If Wolf of Wall Street is released this year and becomes a big hit Jonah Hill could conceivably earn his second nomination.  Matthew McConaughey's could also be up for a supporting nomination in the universally acclaimed Mud.  He has been having a good enough year that he could be up for a slot in leading and supporting.  Blue Jasmine has maintained some momentum, with most critics citing Andrew Dice Clay as giving the best supporting performance.  The formerly controversial comic could gain some precursor notice if the film is popular with voters.  James Franco earned a fair amount of attention online for his Spring Breakers consideration ad.  Many internet fans are vocal about that film, even though it is not an Oscar movie.

10 Candidates for Ant-Man

There is still a lot unknown about Edgar Wright's Ant-Man.  Will it be about Henry Pym, Scott Lang or both?  The internet has been throwing a lot of names around the role of Henry Pym for a number of years.  The consensus seems to be around Adrien Brody, Aaron Eckhart, Patrick Wilson, Simon Pegg, Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion (who the internet wants to cast in everything).  Here are my top ten choices for Pym.  Definitely a difficult character.  Pym has never held his own comic and is not well liked.  Ant-Man (or Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, Wasp, etc.) is a very different superhero.  Not a traditional leading man, but very insecure and tragic.  Casting the right actor is especially vital for this character as he walks the line between unlikable and tragic.  Need an actor who has a lot of depth, can struggle and gain the audience's sympathy.  Here are some of my picks:

Tobey Maguire

Extremely unlikely that Marvel would consider an actor most associated with Spider-Man for one of their lesser heroes (mainly would confuse audiences).  But in looking at what worked for Tobey as Peter Parker and what a lot of people did not like about his portrayal, those qualities would fit Pym perfectly.  The solemness, sadness, self doubt.  I have read a lot of criticism (that I don't necessarily agree with) that Tobey was a bad Spider-Man because he was too serious.  Well Pym is very much Peter Parker without any breaks.  I think it is a good fit, however unlikely.

Greg Kinnear

This one is also unlikely, even though it would work so perfectly.  Kinnear would be 52 or 53 by the time Ant-Man is released, which would make him too old to start out with the role.  However Kinnear can play a likable sadsack.  He can fail and be introspective without losing the audiences attention.  If he was younger he would definitely be in the top five.

Adam Scott

This was my top pick well before his Parks and Rec cohort was chosen for Guardians of the Galaxy (a casting choice I fully support).  I think that comedic ability is important for the role of Henry Pym in order to not only keep him likable but also to capture his humanity.  Scott has a certain reflectiveness and understated quality that can express a lot.

Casey Affleck

Casey never goes for likable.  He takes a lot of risks and if he were to ever play a superhero this is the one for him to play.  However humor is not his strong suit, and even if this is not a comedy he would come across as too serious to fit into the Marvel Universe.  Still an actor who can make a weasel like Robert Ford fascinating should be considered.

Mark Duplass

Definitely does not seem like a fit on the surface, but Duplass very much has a loser, geeky persona that he has made work in a variety of projects.  In fact I would use his character in Safety Not Guaranteed as inspiration for how to make Pym work in the movies.  Not a movie star, but may be recognizable enough to work.

Michael Pena

I have expressed my admiration for this actor on this blog a few times before.  Pena has a great range and it is often unexpected.  Physically, while he is in great shape, he is of smaller stature which would fit an insecure character like Pym.  Marvel has been great at taking chances on actors and Pena is one who has not quite had his big break yet.

Sacha Baron Cohen

You don't cast Sacha in a movie that he didn't write unless he is really the best choice for the character. Talladega Nights, Hugo and Les Miserables would not have worked without this individual.  I think that he is such a unique performer that he would need a character he could really make his own to justify him in a blockbuster.  That is Henry Pym.  Sacha is not trying to be a movie star, he is an artist that I think would find some definite undiscovered depths tot the character of Ant-Man.  Although having him on board for multiple movies with multiple filmmakers may be difficult.

Jude Law

Can be a leading man without needing to be charming.  Law can play unlikable and second fiddle.  Fits in drama, comedy and action.  Also we already know he could bicker with Iron Man.

Sharlto Copley

I love this guy.  He has only been in two movies, but he had created two perfect characters in those movies.  Between District 9 and The A-Team, Copley has a wide range.  His experiences in both movies would help him with this character.  There is an exciting, almost Sam Rockwell, exuberance to Copley.  For whatever reason Hollywood has not been using him, but this is one of those gambles that Marvel is great at making.

Josh Brolin

The best in the business at bringing humanity to difficult characters.  If he can make an audience follow Dan White imagine what he can do with a mess of a character like Hank Pym.  After Jonah Hex I imagine there would be some trepidation.  But Brolin is a certain type of actor that is difficult to cast in a leading role.  Ant-Man is his type of leading role.