Reel and Roll Awards (4): Best Supporting Actress 2017

P.S. I apologize in advance. Many of the upcoming 'reviews' of the performances/films nominated for an Oscar might be a bit shorter than one might expect, not due to lack of things to talk about, but rather due to time constraints - though there will certainly be more than a few lengthy ones too.

Top 10 Best Supporting Actress performances who weren't nominated for an Oscar:

10. Michelle Pfeiffer, Murder on the Orient Express

Though I wouldn't say this is the best ensemble ever in terms of division of labour, there's quite a few good performances, and a great one in Michelle Pfeiffer's take on Caroline Hubbard/Linda Arden, the equivalent character of Lauren Bacall in the original 1970s adpatation by Sidney Lumet. Pfeiffer easily tops Bacall in the role, as she fires off her one-liners and prissy antics with such verbose fire to her every word, and furthermore when the revelations of the film come, grants such surprising emotional power to the proceedings. It's remarkable work in what could've easily just been a phoned-in performance, showing that Pfeiffer's still got game. 

9. Sophia Lillis, It 

Lillis is just thoroughly great, and easily the standout of the Loser's Club. I found her particularly effective in playing the kid terrified not just by Pennywise the clown, but also her abusive father. That subplot could have been a bit much for the tone of the film, but she excels within it and grants a surprising amount of disturbing, viscreal impact to her characters plight, and makes it all the more heartwarming when she opens up and finds happiness with her new friends.

8. Sarah Adler, Foxtrot 

Adler gives a unique portrayal of a grieving mother, Daphna Feldmann, in one of the more underrated foreign language films of the year, as Adler portrays the heartbreaking, shattering instinctual heartbreak and shock of her character at the death of her son in the line of war. Afterwards her work takes on increasingly interesting directions as she almost plays off like a straight man to her husband Michael's (Lior Ashkenazi) increasingly bizarre behaviour, darkly humorous in her reactions, and in the final act of the film is rather incredible in showing how recent events have changed her into a bitter woman who copes with her sadness through bitting, passive aggressive behaviour

7. Bria Vinaite, The Florida Project 

Vinaite gives a superb film debut as a terrible mother to our protagonist Moonee. When I first watched the film - which I already loved - I wasn't quite sure about her performance, as she was almost unbearable to watch as such a troublesome and deeply deficient mentor figure to her daughter, and makes such terrible decisions over the course of the film. Well on re-watch, the brilliance of her performance revealed itself to me, as the whole point of the film is precisely that she's such an awful mother, but not an entirely awful person, as the little bits of something better and more self-aware within her, and her overwhelming love for her daughter, manifests itself into a really affecting portrayal of a potentially better person thrust into a role she's not cut out for.

6. Holly Hunter, The Big Sick 

This year has a sheer abundance of complex mother figures, and Hunter's performance is just another one of them. As Beth, mother of Emily (Zoe Kazan) and enemy turned comrade of her ex-boyfriend Kumail Nanjiani, she's great as the intense mother whose extreme volatile nature manifests itself into both hilarious scenes - see her confrontation with a frat boy at the comedy club - and some truly heartbreaking ones too. She finds such a lovely yet complex chemistry with her onscreen husband Ray Romano that ends up being one of the highlights of the film, and such a warmth in her love for her daughter despite limited interactions. I'm so glad we've gotten to see Hunter in a substantial role again, she's one of the best actresses in the Hollywood industry today. 

5. Allison Williams, Get Out

Starts off as a charming and rather sweet performance as the nice girlfriend and ends up as one of the scariest characters of the past year. Williams' brilliance can be found in how she never quite gives away the demented nature of her character while slightly suggesting it in the margins of the plot, and when she goes full-on creep in the final act, she's dynamite, from her deeply unnerving 'desperate' phone call to Rod, to her utterly horrifying reactions to Chris trying to end her life. Amazing performance that's just one o the many gems of the ensemble of Get Out.

4. Betty Gabriel, Get Out

The biggest acting revelation of the year for me, involving perhaps the best acted single scene of 2017, and though I'll concur that she's used in just the right quantity for the story to work, I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish there had been more of her in the film. Gabriel, as the Armitage family's housemaid Georgina, is great initially at the creepy stares and glances at Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), which soon manifests itself something else altogether. Her big scene with Kaluuya is amazing as she brings that offbeat elderly woman's disposition combined with the slightly 'caricatured' tics of a racist stereotypical 'housemaid', and in her emotional breakdown manages to be hilarious, creepy, and heartbreaking all in one go. It's a phenomenal performance, and I'm so excited that she's going to be on Westworld next season.

3. Tatiana Maslany, Stronger

One of the most overlooked performances of 2017, as her film completely bombed in awards season, and whatever few accolades or mentions it got went to her co-star Jake Gyllenhaal. Maslany gives one of the best takes on the 'supportive girlfriend' trope in recent memory, as she actually bothers to bring depth to the character beyond the 'supportive' nature, which is there of course, but she brings with it a certain bitterness at her boyfriend's behaviour both before and after the incident, and the strain it brings to her as she tries to keep things together. She's devastating in showing how the guilt of her character weighs down upon her, and never cheats in the more inspirational moments as she always keeps the motivational nature of her character rather low-key. 

2. Ana de Armas, Blade Runner 2049 

Armas' performance and character is arguably my favourite part of the film, outside of Roger Deakins' direction, and I would be lying if I didn't admit that after her departure I found it somewhat less engaging on the whole. Armas gives a terrific portrayal JOI who is essentially a sex hologram, and what she does within the parameters of this is rather fascinating. She has wonderful, heartfelt chemistry with Ryan Gosling's K, but underlying that is the fact that she is a holographic creation. The ambiguity of whether her feelings are 'real' or not is one of the most intriguing aspects of the film's writing, and de Armas makes this work incredibly well. The scene where she 'syncs' with another character is of course brilliant visual effects work, but also incredible acting on de Armas' behalf. She's a lovely, endearing presence, but also a heartbreaking one when we see hints of her trying to break out of her cyber state and be a 'real girl'. She makes her character one of the most memorable parts of a memorable film, and shows what an actor can really do even with such a seemingly 'limited' role.

1. Tilda Swinton, Okja 

Swinton gives one of her best performances in a role that's only grown higher in my esteem after watching other similarly 'grotesque' and showy performances from this year. As the Mirando sisters, Swinton is just as entertaining as her previous collaboration with Bong Joon-ho as another crazy spokesperson. As Lucy Mirando, the opportunistic CEO whose over-the-top cheeriness of her public persona in advertising her super pig campaign, contrasts brilliantly with the desperate individual at wit's end as she tries to find her way out of her sticky situation. Whether it's her opening scene where she makes such an extremely entertaining fuss out of how her pigs are going to 'taste fucking good', or her hilarious scenes where she berates Jake Gyllenhaal's Johnny Wilcox (who by the way is a performance I've grown to appreciate more as a sort of Buster Bluth-esque figure) for being an 'epic fail', she's a hoot to watch onscreen, while managing to find nuance in her character's anxieties.

Then, as we move onto the other sister, Nancy, who takes over the company, she's a pure note of terrible nastiness and contrasts so well with her other portrayal to make for quite the unnerving third act villain. I should mention that the one scene where we see her act against herself is one of the best scenes in the film, as we watch two forms of grotesqueness collide in such an entertaining fashion. This is a fantastic performance which runs the risky pendulum between going over-the-top and going too far perfectly, and I have to say that if Swinton continues to work with Bong Joon-ho this could be one of the all-time great collaborations.

For my thoughts on the actresses nominated for the Oscar (marked by a * on the list), click here.

1. Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread*
2. Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird*
3. Tilda Swinton, Okja
4. Ana de Armas, Blade Runner 2049
5. Tatiana Maslany, Stronger
6. Betty Gabriel, Get Out 
7. Allison Williams, Get Out 
8. Holly Hunter, The Big Sick   
9. Bria Vinaite, The Florida Project 
10. Sophia Lillis, It 
11. Michelle Pfeiffer, Murder on the Orient Express 
12. Sarah Adler, Foxtrot
13. Carla Juri, Blade Runner 2049 
14. Catherine Keener, Get Out
15. Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water*
16. Elisabeth Shue, Battle of the Sexes 
17. Julianne Nicholson, I, Tonya
18. Beanie Feldstein, Lady Bird
19. Beth Grant, Lucky 
20. Allison Janney, I, Tonya*
21. Sally Hawkins, Paddington 2
22. Tessa Thompson, Thor Ragnarok 
23. Riley Keough, Logan Lucky 
24. Elizabeth Olsen, Wind River 
25. Brie Larson, Free Fire 
26. Zoe Kazan, The Big Sick 
27. Fantine Harduin, Happy End 
28. Julia Roberts, Wonder 
29. Sylvia Hoeks, Blade Runner 2049
30. Andrea Riseborough, The Death of Stalin
31. Karin Konoval, War for the Planet of the Apes
32. Sarah Silverman, Battle of the Sexes 
33. Carey Mulligan, Mudbound 
34. Hannah Murray, Detroit 
35. Kaitlyn Dever, Detroit 
36. Hong Chau, Downsizing 
37. Elisabeth Moss, The Square
38. Kirsten Scott Thomas, Darkest Hour 
39. Eiza González, Baby Driver
40. Alanna Ubach, Coco
41. Valeria Cotto, The Florida Project 
42. Isabelle Huppert, Happy End 
43. Samara Weaving, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
44. Esther Garrel, Call Me By Your Name  
45. Naomi Ackie, Lady Macbeth
46. Betty Buckley, Split 
47. Juliette Binoche, Ghost in the Shell
48. Ari Graynor, The Disaster Artist 
49. Essie Davis, Mindhorn
50. Rachael Stirling, Their Finest
51. Mary J. Blige, Mudbound*
52. Olga Kurylenko, The Death of Stalin 
53. Zoe Salanda, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
54. Lois Smith, Lady Bird
55. Lily James, Darkest Hour 
56. Karen Gillan, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
57. Elizabeth Olsen, Ingrid Goes West 
58. Amira Casar, Call Me By Your Name
59. Kirsten Wiig, Downsizing 
60. Julie Walters, Paddington 2 
61. Parker Posey, Columbus  
62. Renée Victor, Coco
63. Lily James, Baby Driver 
64. Pom Klementieff, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
65. Michelle Pfeiffer, Mother! 
66. Carrie Fisher, The Last Jedi 
67. Connie Nielsen, Wonder Woman
68. Andrea Riseborough, Battle of the Sexes 
69. Amy Seimetz, Alien Covenant
70. Robin Wright, Wonder Woman
71. Salma Hayek, The Hitman's Bodyguard
72. Carmen Ejogo, Alien Covenant
73. Talia Webster, Good Time 
74. Elizabeth Rodriguez, Logan
75. Izabela Vidovic, Wonder 
76. Kelly Rohrbach, Baywatch
77. Zenobia Shroff, The Big Sick 
78. Rachel House, Thor Ragnarok 
79. Sofia Boutella, Atomic Blonde
80. Shirley Henderson, Okja
81. Julie Walters, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool 
82. Robin Wright, Blade Runner 2049
83. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Good Time 
84. Amiah Miller, War for the Planet of the Apes
85. Marisa Tomei, Spider-Man: Homecoming
86. Jennifer Connelly, Spider-Man: Homecoming
87. Jayma Mays, American Made
88. Lily Collins, Okja
89. Zendaya, The Greatest Showman 
90. Gabrielle Rose, Maudie 
91. Lucy Davis, Wonder Woman
92. Jackie Weaver, The Disaster Artist 
93. Katie Holmes, Logan Lucky 
94. Gal Gadot, Justice League 
95. Octavia Spencer, Gifted
96. Rosario Dawson, The Lego Batman Movie
97. Kari Matchett, Maudie 
98. Miranda Richardson, Stronger 
99. Harriet Walter, Mindhorn 
100. Kristen Wiig, Despicable Me 3
101. Judi Dench, Murder on the Orient Express
102. Elsa Pataky, Fast & Furious 8 
103. Gemma Jones, God's Own Country 
104. Katherine Waterston, Logan Lucky 
105. Kelsey Chow, Wind River 
106. Olivia Colman, Murder on the Orient Express
107. Sarah Wright, American Made
108. Nuppu Koivu, The Other Side of Hope
109. Ruby Rose, John Wick Chapter 2
110. Karen Gillan, The Circle 
111. Nev Scharrel, Despicable Me 3
112. Laura Dern, The Last Jedi 
113. Daisy Ridley, Murder on the Orient Express
114. Julia Jones, Wind River 
115. Mackenzie Davis, Blade Runner 2049
116. Maddie Ziegler, The Book of Henry 
117. Jenny Slate, Gifted
118. Emma Thompson, Beauty and the Beast 
119. Elizabeth Debicki, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
120. Michelle Williams, The Greatest Showman 
121. Zendaya, Spider-Man: Homecoming
122. Dana Gaier, Despicable Me 3
123. Miranda Cosgrove, Despicable Me 3
124. Halle Berry, Kingsman: The Golden Circle 
125. Anjela Nedyalkova, Trainspotting 2 
126. Kelly Marie Tran, The Last Jedi 
127. Nicole Kidman, The Killing of a Sacred Deer 
128. Penélope Cruz, Murder on the Orient Express 
129. Nathalie Emmanuel, Fast & Furious 8
130. Rebecca Ferguson, The Greatest Showman 
131. Brie Larson, Kong: Skull Island
132. Aidy Bryant, The Big Sick 
133. Rihanna, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
134. Lucy Boynton, Murder on the Orient Express  
135. Raffey Cassidy, The Killing of a Sacred Deer 
136. Lindsay Duncan, Gifted
137. Pom Klementieff, Ingrid Goes West 
138. Isabela Moner, Transformers: The Last Knight
139. Andrea Riseborough, Mindhorn
140. Julianne Moore, Kingsman: The Golden Circle
141. Hilary Swank, Logan Lucky 
142. Elena Anaya, Wonder Woman
143. Priyanka Chopra, Baywatch
144. Riley Keough, The Discovery
145. Charlize Theron, Fast & Furious 8
146. Abbie Cornish, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
147. Haley Lu Richardson, Split
148. Jessica Sula, Split
149. Rebecca Ferguson, The Snowman 
150. Jing Tian, Kong: Skull Island
151. Charlotte Gainsbourg, The Snowman 
152. Alexandra Daddario, Baywatch
153. Chloë Sevigny, The Snowman 
154. Laura Haddock, Transformers: The Last Knight
155. Élodie Yung, The Hitman's Bodyguard
156. Michelle Rodriguez, Fast & Furious 8