9. Daniel Bruhl: Best Supporting Actor

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzNbGH1oZJc&w=584&h=390]

Unfortunately, Rush tanked at the domestic box office (despite being surprisingly great), but Daniel Bruhl will likely get recognized in place of his film. I’ve never been a huge fan of Bruhl, but count me a fan after being wowed by his pitch-perfect performance as the monomaniacal Niki Lauda, an off-putting Formula One driver who is built only to win. Lauda is so driven that he thinks of nothing but racing, but Bruhl finds the thorny humanity in it, making his Lauda strangely relatable. Despite being an asshole, I couldn’t help but root for the little fucker.