Hello everyone, and welcome back to THE MATTY’S! Everyone’s favorite movie awards show! And do you know why it’s everyone’s favorite movie awards show? Because I tell it like it is. I don’t sugar coat it here at THE MATTY’S. I, [I mean,] WE, here at “The Matty Academy” take our movies VERY seriously. We don’t just pick the five Oscar contenders and spit out a winner for you. We see these films, we disect them, study them, and stitch them back together. Then, and only then, do we decide if we like them or hate them, (or something in between) and then we tell you exactly what we think about them. We care about our movies, and we MOST DEFINITELY care about the inegrity of our awards show. We will not kowtow to these holier-than-thou awards galas that think their shows are better than any others. Let’s remember now that these are all just opinions, and no one is wrong when it’s an opinion.
But let’s get one thing clear, these are MY opinions and MY opinions are ALWAYS right. I am MATTY, hear me ROAR!
Moving right along.
Last week at THE MATTY’S we awarded the “Golden Nose” statuette to June Squibb, our “Best Supporting Actress” winner. This week we deal with the dudes.
And the nominees for “Best Supporting Actor” are:
Whoa, whoa, whoa! I’m getting my “Snub Vote” out of the way right now!
This is a very tough category this year, but come on, if Oscar can give out NINE “Best Picture” nods then why not a couple more acting nods to some worthy thespians? Here at “The Matty Academy” we do just that.
Here are a few actors that I think got snubbed out of Oscar nominations.
Sharlto Copley, (Old Boy): Sure, no one saw this film except me… and apparently no one liked this film except me. But like usual, Copley shined. He put on an energetic and demonic performance.
Harrison Ford in “42” and Matthew McConnaughey in “Mud” were both worthy contenders for a nomination.
And for my biggest Snub Vote:
James Franco (Spring Breakers): Hmm, he was this year’s winner for “Best Supporting Actor” at the “2013 Los Angeles Film Critics Association” AND “The National Society of Film Critics” awards. He was also rumored for a possible Oscar nod… Well folks, he’s just been nominated for a MATTY! I loved him in “Spring Breakers” as Alien, the dark, demented, drug dealer just looking for a good time. Boy, was that movie dark. Not what I expected at all. (And, not to toot my own horn here, but I said he should be up for a “Best Supporting Actor” nod in March, way before any of these so-called REAL critics were on the Franco bandwagon.)
Next up is Barkhad Abdi, (Captain Phillips): Not a bad first time out for Barkhad. Abdi has ONE film under his belt, this one. I’m not going to lie to you, He was fantastic in this movie, but with a stacked category like this one, let’s hope he doesn’t get lost at sea.
Bradley Cooper, (American Hustle): This is yet another great acting performance by Cooper. Unfortunately there are so many good performances in this film that he may slip through the cracks. Too bad more critics didn’t remember him for his excellent work earlier last year in “The Place Beyond The Pines.”
Jonah Hill, (The Wolf of Wall Street): What can I say about Hill? He was crazy good in “Wolf.” But good enough to win him the coveted “Golden Beak?” We’ll see.
Jared Leto, (Dallas Buyers Club): Leto plays “Rayon,” a cross-dressing homosexual with AIDS who’s just trying to live longer by using non-FDA approved drugs. There’s a lot more to the story, but Leto’s character is an incredible piece of this true-life tale.
Michael Fassbender, (12 Years a Slave): BOOM! Fassbender’s character punches you in the face… hard. He’s a slave owner, and a bad man. I liken him to Christoph Waltz’s “Col. Hans Lander” from “Inglorious Basterds,” he’s that evil. But was he evil enough to garner him his first MATTY? We’ll find out shortly.
So there you have it. Nine, (count ’em) NINE nominees up for “Best Supporting Actor.” Now, I think you all know just by reading this column who will most definitely NOT be taking home the MATTY this year. (Sorry Harrison, Jonah, Copley, and Abdi, you were all great, but look at all the talent here! Too many great performances.) Everyone is deserving of a nod, but only one can “finger the nostrils.” (That’s how you carry the MATTY statuette.)
So let’s get to it.
And THE MATTY for “Best Supporting Actor” goes to:
Jared Leto!
Yeah, I’m sorry for spewing out all that James Franco hype (and then not giving him the MATTY,) but honestly, up until I saw “12 Years a Slave” and “Dallas Buyers Club”, Franco was absolutely my front-runner. He was great in “Spring Breakers.”
Ok, let’s get back on track here.
The Oscar WILL go to: Jared Leto
The Oscar SHOULD go to: Coin toss. Both Fassbender and Leto were incredible.
And there you have it, another MATTY given out. Congratulations Jared Leto on a job well done.
Be sure to join us right back here at “The Matty Academy” for Part 3 of our awards ceremony. The category will be “Best Actress.”
I hope you enjoyed this riveting enstallment of THE MATTY AWARDS. See you all next week.
Matty W. Kelley, A Seat Apart Productions, reporting.