MOVIES: Best of 2011 -- Supporting Actor

The runners-up:

• Jonah Hill, Moneyball
• Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin
• Seth Rogen, 50/50
• Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
• Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The nominees:

• Albert Brooks, Drive -- cast against type, Brooks is a revelation as a psychopathic gentleman mobster who mixes courtliness and sadism.
• Armie Hammer, J. Edgar -- from the twinkly-eyed romantic of the young Tolson to the physical and mental struggles of the older, post-stroke Tolson, Hammer gets the details just right.
• Patton Oswalt, Young Adult -- a gloriously immature voice of reason whose history of nursing his own wounds makes him uniquely able to call out Charlize Theron's Mavis on her own bullshit.
• Christopher Plummer, Beginners -- a fine performance buried in a sentimental slog of a movie; Plummer's joy and thrill at finally exploring his real identity are contagious.

The winner:

• Brian Cox, Coriolanus -- the ultimate glad-handed schmoozing politician, trying desperately to pass on his skills to a stiff, unpopular protege before tragedy strikes.