By Nathaniel R
Over the weekend Fences had its first screening in Los Angeles and Viola Davis apparently lived up to the prerelease hype so there you have your near-certain winner in the Supporting Actress category this year. (I haven't seen it yet so no comment on that until I do.) But nominations are our favorite part of the Oscar nomination circus anyway so even if the race is wrapped up and Viola becomes a record-breaker as we predicted, it's fun to keep sifting through the options.
Yes, it's that time of year when we begin to take stock and are promptly filled with anxiety about sacrificing favorites as we winnow down to the magic number of 5 for our awardage. Along with the anxiety, though, comes such appreciation for the art of the movies. It's one of the many reasons we cherish awards season...
Awards season gives us the excuse / chance / mandate to reflect on all these fascinating characters we get to meet every year. And marvel at the actresses who bring them to life with such skill and insight.
Here are 10 -- no make that 20 -- supporting performances by actresses I'm quite fond of / still thinking about as the year enters its final stretch... how about you?
NATHANIEL'S CURRENT TOP 20 SUPPORTING ACTRESSES OF 2016
TOTALLY RANDOM ORDER
- Greta Gerwig - 20th Century Women
- Nina Arianda - Florence Foster Jenkins
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw - Miss Sloane
- Molly Shannon - Other People
- Tyne Daly - Hello My Name is Doris
- Paulina García - Little Men
- Toni Collette -Glassland
- Kate Dickie - The Witch
- Rossy de Palma - Julieta
- Naomie Harris - Moonlight
- Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea
- Kate McKinnon - Ghostbusters
- Antonia Zegers - The Club
- Elle Fanning - 20th Century Women
- Greta Gerwig - Jackie
- Olivia Colman - The Lobster
- Tilda Swinton - Doctor Strange
- Nicole Kidman -Lion
- Felicity Jones - A Monster Calls
- The Lovely Laura Linney - Nocturnal Animals
[IMPORTANT NOTE: I have not yet seen Queen of Katwe, Fences, Eye in the Sky, Hidden Figures, Certain Women, Collateral Beauty, The Founder, Allied or Indignation all of which feature actresses of note in supporting roles]
Who are your favorite supporting actresses from the year thus far and who, that you haven't seen, are you most looking forward to?