Smackdown

The category is Best Supporting Actor and the year is 2008. So, it's the most fresh I could find.
My ranking:
1.Josh Brolin in Milk: Although I disliked Milk (I'm not homophobic I just did not like it that's all), I was amazed by Josh Brolin's subtle and frightening. He played Dan White, the man who assasinated Harvey Milk. I just wanted to see more of Brolin, he was sooooo good, he had 10 or 15 minutes of screentime, but he was doing wonders. And his scene when he's preparing himself to kill Milk is astonishing. Playing a mentally ill person in this way takes a courageous actor and Josh Brolin nailed this part. If Heath Ledger hadn't died, Brolin would have won hands down.
2.Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder: This movie was so much FUN. Pure fun from the beginning to the end and although some may find it tasteless and disgusting I think it totally found the perfect balance between funny and disgusting. So did Robert Downey Jr. This is not a typical baity role, but he's simply hilaious as Kirk Lazarus, the big-faced actor. I don't know he reminded me of Russel Crowe so much. Excellent work.
3.Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt: Wow, I really loved Doubt from the beginning to the end. I think it is a fascinating and underrated movie with terrific turns by the female cast. But I think Hoffman's role is not as baity as it seems. This movie rather relies on the women and Hoffman is not given very much to do in my opinion. Despite that he gives a very charismatic and stron performance.
4.Heath Ledger: I really miss Heath Ledger and I liked The Dark Knight, but this was really not an Oscar-worthy performance. I don't think that the Academy made the right decision, because what is he going to do with that award? I think most people are simply amazed by villians talking slowly and being "subtle", other examples are Javier Bardem and future Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz. I think in these cases people love the characters and the dialogues more than the actual performance, so that's why I think that they keep sweeping the awards.
5.Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road: Oh, this was such a booooooooooring movie and I think that Michael Shannon was just overacting in it. Again this is a kind of overacting which finds its audience who say it's brilliant, wonderful, but for me it was nothing memorable.