Here's a collection of great supporting performances that weren't acknowledged with awards, nominations or fanfare. Mostly we are talking about women here.
1988 - Betty Buckley in Another Woman. Buckley's one scene as Ian Holm's ex-wife who disturbs a party with her intense appearance is some seriously grand acting. The whole cast is incredible - one of Woody's most balanced ensembles. Outstanding supporting work from Gene Hackman, Martha Plimpton, John Houseman and more.
1989 - Laura San Giacomo in Sex, Lies and Videotape. Giacomo's balls-out sexy, nasty and smart performance as Cynthia, the uninhibited sister in Soderbergh's breakthrough put her on the map. Andie MacDowell, James Spader and Giacomo all should have been nominated for Oscars, but the movie is (and was) too in touch with intimacy and sexuality to connect to a conservative Academy.
1990 - 5 excellent actresses were nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1990 (Annette Bening in The Grifters, Lorraine Bracco in Goodfellas, Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, Diane Ladd in Wild at Heart, Mary McDonnell in Dances with Wolves. Goldberg gets a lot of flack from snobs for her win, but this was a tough choice and Whoopi IS comedy gold in Ghost. That being said, there were at least 5 other women who also deserved attention in 90.
Glenn Close in Reversal of Fortune
Dianne Wiest in Edward Scissorhands (If it were up to me, there would be a Dianne Wiest holiday. We could call it Supporting Actress Day!)
Jennifer Jason Leigh in Last Exit to Brooklyn
Helena Bonham-Carter in Hamlet
Shirley MacLaine in Postcards from the Edge (although this performance could have just as easily been considered leading)
and Madonna in Dick Tracy (seriously).
1991 - Judy Davis wasn't nominated for her fascinating, weird and deeply contrasting performances in Barton Fink and Naked Lunch.
1992 - Category confusion; Helena Bonham-Carter really ISN'T supporting in Howards End. But she isn't leading either, is she? Either way, there needs to be some way to acknowledge her beautiful performance. I feel much the same way about Anthony Hopkins in this rich film.
*Sydney Pollack is unflinchingly real and actually a tad-bit scary in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives. Judy Davis gets all the funny lines and deservedly was nominated, but Pollock's work is also worth noting.
1993 - '93 is another case where the Academy choose 5 super solid performances but they could have just as easily picked 5 others. The nominees were Anna Paquin in The Piano, Rosie Perez in Fearless, Emma Thompson in In the Name of the Father (honestly, this nom is weird and unwarranted), Holly Hunter in The Firm and Winona Ryder in The Age of Innocence.
UNNOMINATED; Joan Cusack in Addams Family Values. One of the funniest performances ever. Julianne Moore, Madelaine Stowe, Anne Archer, Andie MacDowell and Jennifer Jason Leigh are all remarkable in Short Cuts. Isabella Rossellini is fearless in Fearless.
1994 - Robin Wright Penn in Forrest Gump. She has never been nominated. Her snub in 94 was downright retarded.
1995 - Chloe Sevigny in Kids. Thank God for Chloe.
1996 - Parker Posey and Catherine O'Hara in Waiting for Guffman. One of these days O'Hara will get nominated.
1997 - Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen (or is she leading?) and Christina Ricci in The Ice Storm. STORM received zero nominations. In supporting actor, Jude Law was snubbed for Gattaca - great movie, great performance.
1998 - Jane Adams and Dylan Baker in Happiness. Lisa Kudrow in The Opposite of Sex (best supporting performance of the year), Catherine Keener in Your Friends and Neighbors.
1999 - Cameron Diaz and John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich. Maybe Julianne Moore for Magnolia? I need to see that flick again. Does it hold up?
2000 - JENNIFER CONNELLY in Requiem for a Dream. The Academy made up for this ridiculous slight by awarding her the following year for A Beautiful Mind. Guessing her snub has something to do with prudishness. She would certainly have been the first nominee who got fucked by a dildo onscreen, unless we choose to forget that famous Greer Garson scene in Mrs. Miniver.
2001 - Emily Watson in Gosford Park. Mirren and Smith were nominated. All three are great, but Watson was best. BIg fan of Kristin Scott-Thomas in the same flick. Barbara Hershey is fascinating in Lantana. I think everyone would agree the most traumatic event in 2001 was Naomi Watts's Best Actress snub for Mulholland Drive.
2002 - INSANE that Patricia Clarkson and Dennis Quaid weren't nominated for Far From Heaven. Far From Heaven should have swept the awards - Picture, Actress, both supporting, Director, Screenplay, Score, Cinematography. Great work by Cherry Jones in Signs, but not enough material for a nomination.
2003 - Melissa Leo kicked ass in 21 Grams. Hope Davis was terrific in American Splendor and The Secret Lives of Dentists (but both really are leads). Catherine O'Hara wonderful in A Mighty Wind,
2004 - Naomi Watts is special in I Heart Huckabees. Blanchett and Huston delectable in The Life Aquatic. Streep campy fun in Manchurian. I adore Bryce Dallas Howard and all the lovely theatre ladies (Weaver, Jones, Atkinson) from The Village.
2005 - The silly year when Crash triumphed over BB MTN for Best Picture and Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress for Walk the Line (I like the idea of nominating her for Election, but nothing else). My favorite leading female performance of '05 was Naomi Watts in King Kong. Maria Bello should have been nominated (and won) for A History of Violence in supporting. I wouldn't object to a Diane Keaton nomination for The Family Stone. She is bound to be nominated again the next decade, based on her 1 nomination per decade work ethic thus far - 77 Annie Hall 81 Reds 95 Marvin's Room 03 Something's Gotta Give. Looking forward.
2006 - A movie called FAILURE TO LAUNCH was actually greenlit and released. Great supporting perfs from Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada, Toni Collette in Little Miss Sunshine and those chicks from Pan's Labyrinth,
2007 - Kelly MacDonald in No Country for Old Men, Laura Linney in The Nanny Diaries, Susan Sarandon in In the Valley of Elah, Jennifer Garner in Juno.
2008 - Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading ("You're so coarse.") and in that Brad Pitt/David Fincher bore.
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