Monday 10 November 2014

Alternate Best Actor 1946

And the Nominees Were Not:

David Niven in A Matter of Life and Death

Jean Marais in Beauty and the Beast

Dana Andrews in The Best Years of Our Lives

Van Heflin in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Henry Fonda in My Darling Clementine

50 comments:

Luke Higham said...

1. Andrews
2. Marais
3. Fonda
4. Niven
5. Heflin

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your ratings and thoughts on Cary Grant in Notorious & Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep

Also, later on today, Can I have your thoughts on Interstellar, as well as your ratings & thoughts on the cast.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

1. Andrews
2. Marais
3. Fonda
4. Heflin
5. Niven

RatedRStar said...

Jean Marais is epic in this film, his voice is so cool, he also plays two characters, The Beast and Avenant who is also the main villain. I know I made a good call suggesting him. I should say the film is amazing, possibly even better than the disney version.

1) Andrews
2) Marais
3) Heflin
4) Niven
5) Fonda

GM said...

1. Marais
2. Andrews
3. Fonda
4. Heflin
5. Niven

Anonymous said...

ANDREWS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael Patison said...

1. Dana Andrews
2. Jean Marais
3. David Niven
4. Henry Fonda
5. Van Heflin

The prediction seems relatively straightforward, which means, just like so many of the recent categories though for completely different reasons, I just know there's going to be some surprise that screws all of us.

Maciej said...

1.Andrews
2.Helfin
3.Fonda
4.Marais
5.Niven

Scott Gingold said...

1. Marais
2. Andrews
3. Fonda
4. Niven
5. Heflin

Anonymous said...

Louis I am not sure if you have done this before but what your ranking and thoughts be on all the Disney films you saw, if you have done this before could you tell me which review it was on?

Mark said...

1. Andrews
2. Fonda
3. Heflin
4. Marais
5. Niven

Robert MacFarlane said...

1. Marais
2. Andrews
3. Heflin
4. Niven
5. Fonda

Anonymous said...

I've only seen Andrews, and he was amazing. He's a close runner-up to Stewart for my win for this year. His second best performance after his devastating work in The Ox-Bow Incident.
Predictions:
1. Andrews
2. Niven
3. Marais
4. Heflin
5. Fonda

JackiBoyz said...

1) Andrews
2) Heflin
3) Marais
4) Niven
5) Fonda

mcofra7 said...

1. Marais
2. Andrews
3. Heflin
4. Niven
5. Fonda

Michael Patison said...

RatedRStar & Luke (& anybody else who cares to comment):
Thoughts on David Moyes' new job. Will he save the Basques from relegation?

Luke Higham said...

Michael: I'll say good luck to him, personally I would like to see this specialist in failure fall flat on his face again for my considerable pleasure but cannot give two f***s about it.

Luke Higham said...

Michael: By the way, do you have any reviews lined up soon.

RatedRStar said...

@Michael: I would like to see him fail again because it would be funny lol but, I think he will be fine, Real Sociedad are better than the position they are in, plus they did beat Atletico yesterday so they are in 15th now, so they will be fine I think, definitely wont be relegated.

Michael Patison said...

Luke: As a post-Moyes Evertonian I must say I really don't give a damn about how he does, but Real Sociedad really are better than they've shown thus far.

Unfortunately I don't at the present time. I may get out to see something this weekend, but I'm taking 18 hours this semester (that's a lot) and haven't had any time to see anything. I'll definitely be seeing upwards of 10 or 15 over the holidays, though.

Louis Morgan said...

Grant - 3.5(An interesting performance as Grant is purposefully cold in a stark contrast to Rains's emotional performance. I think his turn in showing the harshness of the spy is effective in this as he also almost rids himself entirely of his classic charm. The film kinda barely cares about his character and I would argue that he's barely even lead. In fact, I don't know, does Rains possibly have more screen time than him?)

Bogart - 4(This is not Bogart's best portrayal of a private eye but it's a good one. It's fairly usual Bogart for the most part but in a good way. He brings the steadfast cool here and as an extra plus he has that scene in the book store where he's rather entertaining doing something not like Bogart at all)

Interstellar - (I'll start with the bad. First off I have to say that what was with the sound mixing as some moments of seemingly important dialogue were unintelligible. Secondly I think this suggest Nolan's going down the wrong path as he seems to be pushing ambition and complexity for the sake of it. It had some of the same problems as the Dark Knight Rises that being an unnecessary twist, and one subplot too many. As well I thought it occasionally seized up with too much expository dialogue. The whole story needed to reigned in. This was a film though that you had to really go with or you will be left in the dust. Having said that I did go along with it for the most part but I might not have tolerated it at all if it were not for one man, and that one man is not Christopher Nolan)

I will be saving Matthew McConaughey.

Hathaway - 3.5(I liked her performance here nicely not bringing any of her sometimes problematic screen mannerisms and giving the emotional heft to many of the planetary scenes. I do feel though she was thrown some of the most troublesome random emotional moments that did not work. It wasn't her fault but rather the writing which kinda threw them out of nowhere)

Gyasi - 2.5(He was okay I suppose, but his big scene involving his character's change I think he could have done more with)

Bentley - 2(Really doesn't have any of the trademark Bentley badness here he just doesn't get to do much)

Irwin - 3(Quite surprising as his voice work I thought was more emotionally affecting than the two other crew members. Very good work since he even overcame his character's design which seemed to purposefully be designed to stop an emotional connection)

Chastain - 4(She gets a couple of overly cheesy moments given to her, but I have to say she managed to carry herself through them. I might have been even more against his whole scenes if it were not for her as she managed to be consistently moving and endearing throughout)

Caine - 2.5(I might be more positive if I could have heard what he was saying in his big scene. He offers a bit of his usual gravitas but he did far more as Alfred and especially Cutter)

Lithgow - 2.5(Liked what he did but there just wasn't enough of him)

Affleck - 2.5(His character was terribly shortchanged and one of the worst aspects of the film. Having said that it has nothing to do with his performance. He tried his best to make his character work, I can't say it succeeded but it wasn't his fault)

Damon - 3.5(I'm going back and forth in my mind on his performance but looking at him as a rouge star fleet Captain villain from the original Star Trek series, I'll say his performance worked)

Anonymous:

I'll get you that list just give me some time.

RatedRStar said...

Louis dont you dare put Rains in the lead rankings he is not the lead, Bergman is the lead followed by Grant than Rains.

RatedRStar said...

Your gonna troll me again arent you lol dont u ahhh =D lol.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your rating & thoughts on Mackenzie Foy and Ellen Burstyn in Interstellar.

Also I'm really happy that your saving McConaughey for the moment

Robert MacFarlane said...

Honestly, I don't know why people are so upset about the twist. It's no less unfathomable than the cloning from The Prestige.

Anonymous said...

Louis, what are your thoughts and ratings on Robin Wright and Rachel McAdams in A Most Wanted Man?

Louis Morgan said...

Disney Animated Films (I assume). You can read my thoughts on the top ones in my review of Paul Giamatti for Sideways and for most of the renaissance in my review of Richard Harris for Unforgiven.

1. Pinocchio
2. The Adventures of Icabod and Mr. Toad
3. The Great Mouse Detective
4. 101 Dalmatians
5. Dumbo
6. Alice in Wonderland
7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
8. Fantasia
9. Lady and the Tramp - (I enjoy this one because it takes a fairly low key approach to the story, which is a nice change since so many of the films can get so very intense)
10. Sleeping Beauty - (I might be too kind to this one as Beauty is forgettable, and The Prince, although better than a few, is also not all that memorable. I really like its style though and it has one of the very best Disney villains)
11. Bambi - (The best part of this one is actually the atmosphere of the forest the film creates. I mean the characters are okay, although even they have a strange turnover when they become adults, what makes it stand out is the way it conveys the beauty and danger of nature through its animation)
12. Beauty and The Beast
13. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - (Snow White is a particularly useless Princess but there's plenty to like still particularly the Dwarves and the evil witch makes for a fine villain)
14. The Rescuers Down Under - (It's like the Rescuers but with a lot more energy)
15. The Lion King
16. The Many Adventues of Winnie The Pooh - (Slightly cheating anyway since it's a combination of some previously made shorts. They do a better job of combining them than you might except and make an enjoyable movie out of it)
17. Cinderella - (Cinderella and especially the Prince are pretty bland. It's made up for by the stuff with the Mice and especially the scenes between the King and his adviser)
18. Aladdin
19. Peter Pan - (This would be lower as the lost boys and Peter Pan don't amount to much, if it were not for Captain Hook who is such good villain that I wished he had won)
20. Mulan
21. Frozen - (On re-watch this one went down for me little bit. The first half is pretty wonderful but second half feels like it goes too much on Disney conflict autopilot)
22. The Sword in the Stone - (Might as well be three shorts with the way the story is told, which is Arthur learns three things then just becomes King. Each segment I thought was at least okay, and the Wizard battle is pretty great)
23. The Jungle Book - (Odd how thinly structured it is as it basically just is a procession of supporting characters and then just kinda ends suddenly. Luckily several of those supporting characters are quite memorable and very entertaining. I do have to say though the overall design of the jungle is bizarrely lackluster in it)
24. Saludos Amigos - (Like Caballeros but without that unending ending)
25. The Three Caballeros - (The first shorts are quite entertaining but it loses itself in that final extended musical? number)
26. Robin Hood - (Peter Ustinov's quite a bit of fun but I did not really care for the rest of it much)
27. The Rescuers - (I don't mind this so much as I do like the Rescuers themselves, but this one just felt a bit slow and never that much fun)
28. The Fox and The Hound - (Haven't seen this one in a long time. I recall it being sweet enough but having some pretty forgettable songs and characters)
29. Dinosaur - It's like Land Before Time but I liked it less)
30. Tarzan
31. Pocahontas

Louis Morgan said...


Luke:

Foy - 3.5(Brilliant casting that's for sure. But aside from that I felt she gave a very naturalistic and moving. She also had fantastic chemistry with McConaughey and I thought they built their relationship incredibly well)

Burstyn - 2.5(Not as brilliant casting I would say as I don't think she carried the connection the way Foy and Chastain did so well. She wasn't bad though I just did not get much out of her performance)

Robert:

Well one good sir that involved Nikolai Tesla, anything is possible if you involve him. Seriously though I did not have a problem with that twist at all. What I took issue with was the other twist involving Caine's character which just seemed unnecessary.

Anonymous:

McAdams - 3(I liked her performance for the most part, but there were moments that I still felt her performance did not quite work. To be honest they were usually extremely specific reaction shots where I felt she overacted a tad, but overall I thought she fine.)

Wright - 2.5(Wright often doesn't do it for me, and it's not that even think she's actively bad, she's often kinda eh for me. That was the case here as I felt she could have built up the conclusion with her performance, but she puts all the cards on the table too quickly. It would have been far more effective if she had not only gained Hoffman's trust but also the audiences before the hammer came down)

Michael Patison said...

I completely agree with you about McAdams and Wright, Louis. I'm pretty sure I gave McAdams a 4 originally, but she's fallen, and now I put her at a weak 3.5. Wright, as you said, just is pretty meh. The only role I've ever seen her in where I thought she was good was in House of Cards, where her work in the 2nd season is spectacular and is easily the best part of an otherwise reasonably well-made, but sometimes ridiculous season.

Robert MacFarlane said...

A few questions: did the ending of A Most Wanted Man hit you as hard as it hit me? Because I felt like someone dropped an anvil on me. Have you ever seen Nightmare Before Christmas? That was a favorite of mine as a kid. Lastly, Is there a chance we might get as many 5's in Lead as last year?

Luke Higham said...

KoooK160: This year potentially can equal or even better last year, I think Louis will at minimum give 7 5's with Gleeson and Hardy as definites so far. Supporting is another story entirely, it's definitely looking a lot weaker than last year and the only performance, I can see getting a 5 right now is JK Simmons in Whiplash. As you might have known I did request Fassbender in supporting for Frank but I'll be well satisfied if he gets at least a 4.5 for his performance.

Anonymous said...

@kook160: you didn't ask me, but the ending of A Most Wanted Man almost killed me. I didn't see that coming at all, I was just shocked and overwhelmed by the whole thing. I thought McAdams was good, a bit shaky in the beginning but then pretty solid. Wright was way too obvious in the whole performance, it was pretty easy to say that she wasn't as trustworthy as she looked - although, as I said, I didn't expect the ending.

Scott Gingold said...

With all this talk of Disney movies, I was wondering Louis, who did you think were the standout voice actors in each of the Disney Animated Features?

Here's mine:
1937 - Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs - Lucille LaVerne (Queen/Witch)
1940 - Pinocchio - Cliff Edwards (Jiminy Cricket)
1940 - Fantasia - Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse)
1941 - Dumbo - Edward Brophy (Timothy)
1942 - Bambi - Peter Behn (Young Thumper)
1942 - Saludos Amigos - Pinto Colvig (Goofy)
1944 - The Three Caballeros - Clarence Nash (Donald Duck)
1946 - Make Mine Music - Sterling Holloway (Narrator of Peter & the Wolf)
1947 - Fun & Fancy Free - Clarence Nash (Donald Duck)
1948 - Melody Time - Dennis Day (Johnny Appleseed)
1949 - The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad - Bing Crosby (Narrator of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)
1950 - Cinderella - James MacDonald (Gus & Jaq)
1951 - Alice in Wonderland - Sterling Holloway (Cheshire Cat)
1953 - Peter Pan - Hans Conreid (Captain Hook & Mr. Darling)
1955 - Lady & the Tramp - Peggy Lee (Peg, Si & Am)
1959 - Sleeping Beauty - Barbara Luddy (Merryweather)
1961 - 101 Dalmatians - Betty Lou Gerson (Cruella DeVille)
1963 - The Sword in the Stone - Martha Wentworth (Madame Mim & Old Squirrel Lady)
1967 - The Jungle Book - George Sanders (Shere Khan)
1970 - The AristoCats - Scatman Crothers (Scat Cat)
1973 - Robin Hood - Peter Ustinov (Prince John)
1977 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - Sterling Holloway (Pooh)
1977 - The Rescuers - Geraldine Page (Medusa)
1981 - The Fox and the Hound - Jack Albertson (Amos Slade)
1985 - The Black Cauldron - John Byner (Gurgi)
1986 - The Great Mouse Detective - Vincent Price (Rattigan)
1988 - Oliver & Company - Cheech Marin (Tito)
1989 - The Little Mermaid - Samuel E. Wright (Sebastian)
1990 - The Rescuers Down Under - George C. Scott (MacLeech)
1991 - Beauty & the Beast - Jerry Orbach (Lumiere)
1992 - Aladdin - Robin Williams (Genie)
1994 - The Lion King - Jeremy Irons (Scar)
1995 - Pocahontas - Linda Hunt (Grandmother Willow)
1996 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Tony Jay (Frollo)
1997 - Hercules - James Woods (Hades)
1998 - Mulan - Eddie Murphy (Mushu)
1999 - Fantasia 2000 - Tony Anselmo (Donald Duck)
1999 - Tarzan - Minnie Driver (Jane)
2000 - Dinosaur - Ossie Davis (Yar)
2000 - The Emperor's New Groove - David Spade (Cuzco)
2001 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Michael J. Fox (Milo)
2002 - Lilo & Stitch - Chris Sanders (Stitch)
2002 - Treasure Planet - Martin Short (B.E.N.)
2003 - Brother Bear - Rick Moranis (Rutt)
2004 - Home on the Range - Roseanne Barr (Maggie)
2005 - Chicken Little - Steve Zahn (Runt of the Litter)
2007 - Meet the Robinsons - Steven J. Anderson (Bowler Hat Guy)
2008 - Bolt - Greg Germann (Agent)
2009 - The Princess and the Frog - Jenifer Lewis (Mama Odie)
2010 - Tangled - Donna Murphy (Mother Gothel)
2011 - Winnie the Pooh - Jim Cummings (Pooh & Tigger)
2012 - Wreck It Ralph - Sarah Silverman (Vanellope)
2013 - Frozen - Chris Williams (Oaken)
2014 - Big Hero 6 - Scott Adsit (Baymax)

Michael McCarthy said...

1. Jean Marais
2. Dana Andrews
3. Van Heflin
4. Henry Fonda
5. David Niven

Louis Morgan said...

I might as well make it a little clearer that I did like Interstellar and I appreciate that they weren't afraid to go such a sentimental route with science fiction. It is yet another film this year though that I thought was good but not great.

Robert:

A Most Wanted Man is the one film so far this year that I did unconditionally love, and yes that ending had quite the impact.

I've seen Nightmare on Christmas. I like just fine. I don't love it though. I certainly don't have any problems with it.

Well without giving too much away this year is getting pretty stacked in lead actor, I wish supporting would follow suit.

1937 - Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs - Lucille LaVerne (Queen/Witch)
1940 - Pinocchio - Walter Catlett (Honest John)
1940 - Fantasia - Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse)
1941 - Dumbo - Edward Brophy (Timothy)
1942 - Bambi - Peter Behn (Young Thumper)
1942 - Saludos Amigos - Clarence Nash (Donald Duck)
1944 - The Three Caballeros - Clarence Nash (Donald Duck)
1949 - The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad - Bing Crosby (Narrator of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)
1950 - Cinderella - Luis van Rooten (Grand Duke & The King)
1951 - Alice in Wonderland - Ed Wynn (Alice in Wonderland)
1953 - Peter Pan - Hans Conreid (Captain Hook & Mr. Darling)
1955 - Lady & the Tramp - Peggy Lee (Peg, Si & Am)
1959 - Sleeping Beauty - Eleanor Audley (Maleficent)
1961 - 101 Dalmatians - Betty Lou Gerson (Cruella DeVille)
1963 - The Sword in the Stone - Martha Wentworth (Madame Mim & Old Squirrel Lady)
1967 - The Jungle Book - George Sanders (Shere Khan)
1973 - Robin Hood - Peter Ustinov (Prince John)
1977 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - Sterling Holloway (Pooh)
1977 - The Rescuers - Geraldine Page (Medusa)
1981 - The Fox and the Hound - Jack Albertson (Amos Slade)
1986 - The Great Mouse Detective - Vincent Price (Rattigan)
1990 - The Rescuers Down Under - George C. Scott (MacLeech)
1991 - Beauty & the Beast - Robby Benson(The Beast)
1992 - Aladdin - Robin Williams (Genie)
1994 - The Lion King - Jeremy Irons (Scar)
1995 - Pocahontas - David Ogden Stiers (Governor Ratcliffe)
1996 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Tony Jay (Frollo)
1998 - Mulan - Donnie Osmond (Captain Li's Singing Voice)
1999 - Tarzan - Minnie Driver (Jane)
2000 - Dinosaur - Ossie Davis (Yar)
2002 - Lilo & Stitch - Chris Sanders (Stitch) (I forgot I have seen this))
2013 - Frozen - Kristen Bell (Anna)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: For Alternate 2014 Lead, are you planning on sticking with 5, extending it to 6 to 10 because of its stacked nature or do you have anything else planned for it.

Louis Morgan said...

Well let's just see how it turns out first and hopefully the Oscar nominees will reflect the strength of the year.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Fine, but only from Disney Renaissance on (I'm a 90's kid, sue me):

The Little Mermaid: Pat Carroll as Ursula (How is she no the automatic answer?)
Beauty and the Beast: Robby Benson as The Beast (In my opinion, the greatest voice role of all time and my win for 1991 Lead Actor)
Aladdin: Robin Williams as The Genie (duh)
The Lion King: Jeremy Irons as Scar (DUH)
Pocahontas: David Ogden Stiers as Ratcliffe (Automatic choice, the voice acting was otherwise laughably wooden in that one)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Tony Jay as Frollo (My favorite Disney villain)
Hercules: James Woods as Hades (The film's ace in the hole. Easily the only reason to watch it)
Mulan: Eddie Murphy as Mushu (Honestly, I prefer him voice acting)
Tarzan: Minnie Driver as Jane (Adds to a flat role)
Emperor's New Groove: Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton as Yzma and Kronk (Honestly, I can't think of one without the other)
Atlantis the Lost Empire: None, that movie sucked.
Lilo and Stitch: Chris Sanders as Stitch (that Guilmon/Gollum voice was actually sort of charming)
Treasure Planet: Brian Murray as Silver (Best thing about that dud)
Chicken Little: Steve Zahn as Runt (Horrible movie, but he had one or two lines that were funny)
Meet the Robinsons: Whoever did Bowler Hat Guy, I guess. Sort of hate this one too.
Tangled: Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider (Love that character so much, partially due to Levi's fun delivery)
Wreck-It Ralph: Alan Tudyk as King Candy (GREAT Ed Wynn impression)
Frozen: Indina Menzel as Elsa (I love her understated, nuanced delivery, loved her singing, and especially loved that character)
Big Hero 6: Either Daniel Henney as Tadashi or Scott Adsit as Baymax (Hard to choose, both characters were highlights for me.)

Barley remember Dinosaur and Rescuers Down Under, didn't see Fantasia 2000, Brother Bear, Home on the Range, Bolt, Princess and the Frog, or Winnie the Pooh.

Matt Mustin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Matt Mustin said...

It's been a while since I've seen a lot of the Disney films you guys are talking about, so I'll just do Pixar if that's OK.

Toy Story-Tom Hanks(Woody)
Toy Story 2-Joan Cusack (Jessie)
Finding Nemo-Albert Brooks(Marlin)
The Incredibles-Holly Hunter(Elastigirl)
Cars-Paul Newman(Doc Hudson)
Up-Ed Asner(Carl)
Toy Story 3-Ned Beatty(Lotso)

I can't remember A Bug's Life or Monsters Inc., and I have yet to see Ratatouille, WALL-E or Brave, and I don't plan on seeing Cars 2 or Monsters University.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Screw it, I'll do Pixar

Toy Story: Tom Hanks as Woody (I love how Woody's kind of an asshole in the first one, playing on Hanks's usual "aw shucks" persona.)
A Bug's Life: Kevin Spacey as Hopper (Spacey was actually sort of badass, to be honest)
Toy Story 2: Kelsey Grammar as Stink Pete (He just has one magnetic voice)
Monsters, Inc.: James Coburn as Waternoose (Speaking of magnetic voices, Coburn could make anything sound palatable)
Finding Nemo: Ellen DeGeneres as Dory (Not usually big on her, but she was very charming as Dory)
The Incredibles: Brad Bird as Edna (Pretty damn amusing voice)
Cars: Paul Newman as Doc (And the award for most overqualified voice in a Pixar movie goes to...)
Ratatouille: The entire cast, really. (LOVE this movie, and the entire cast is really amusing and charming, from Patton Oswalt to Ian Holm to Peter O'Toole. Can't choose just one)
WALL-E: None. (The best moments of the movie are with silence, not words)
Up: Bob Peterson as Dug (I had a golden retriever just like Dug, and I always imagined that voice if he could have talked)
Toy Story 3: Ned Beatty as Lotso (MAN what a bastard, and helped by Beatty's delivery.)
Brave: Kelly Macdonald as Merida (I like this movie more than most, and mostly because I like Merida.)

Haven't seen Cars 2 or Monsters University either, and don't plan to.

Matt Mustin said...

It's funny, Grammer was my original choice for Toy Story 2, but for some reason I changed it to Cusack. Now that I think about it, I'm going back to Grammer (who I feel is a very underrated actor in general)

Robert MacFarlane said...

He is.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis, what's your ratings and thoughts on David Hyde Pierce and Clayne Crawford in The Perfect Host and your thoughts on the film in general.

Michael McCarthy said...

Robert: I suggest viewing The Princess and the Frog. It's not perfect (the leading male character is boring and some of the songs are too) but some of the songs are a lot of fun, it contains charming voice work from Michael-Leon Wooley and Jim Cummings, and Keith David KILLS the villain role, his "I'm a Disney villain" song is one of my favorites of that sort actually.

I also happen to think Monsters University is underrated, but maybe that's just me.

Matt Mustin said...

Michaeal: Keith David kills EVERY role he's given.

Robert MacFarlane said...

The idea of Keith David playing a Disney villain sounds WAY too good to be true.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings & thoughts on Lucille LaVerne in Snow White, Eleanor Audley in Sleeping Beauty, Betty Lou Gerson in 101 Dalmatians, Robby Benson in Beauty and The Beast, Jeremy Irons in The Lion King and Tony Jay in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Michael Patison said...

I have some catching up to do.

The ending of A Most Wanted Man was devastating and truly shows just how brilliant Anton Corbijn is as a filmmaker.

Disney Renaissance to the present (I haven't seen most of the older Disney's since I was like 7 or 8, so they just are not going to happen):
The Little Mermaid: Pat Carroll (Ursula)
Beauty and the Beast: Robbie Benson (The Beast)
Aladdin: Robin Williams (Genie)
The Lion King: Jeremy Irons (Scar)
Pocahontas: David Ogden Stiers (Governor Ratcliffe) (Linda Hunt was also rather good, though nobody was great)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Tony Jay (Frollo) (My favorite Disney movie, even with the downside of the gargoyles, with the best songs ever to appear in a Disney movie and the single best villain. It's a testament to Jay's absolute brilliance that he stands out above the greatness of Tom Hulce, Paul Kandel, and David Ogden Stiers)
Hercules: James Woods (Hades) (I actually do rather like this movie and the songs, while certainly not subtle, are catchy and not without artistic merit, though Tate Donovan's (who is rather good on Damages) voice acting is pretty meh. I also rather love Susan Egan)
Mulan: Eddie Murphy (Mushu) (I don't count Donnie Osmond, who would otherwise challenge)
Tarzan: don't remember any of it outside of the always excellent Phil Collins
The Emperor's New Groove: Patrick Warburton and Eartha Kitt (Kronk and Yzma)
Atlantis: The Lost Empire: I echo Robert's thoughts to a T.
Treasure Planet: Brian Murray (John Silver)
Frozen: Kristen Bell (Anna)

Pixar:
Toy Story: Tom Hanks (Woody)
A Bug's Life: Kevin Spacey (Hopper)
Toy Story 2: Kelsey Grammer (Stinky Pete)
Monsters, Inc.: James Coburn (Henry J. Waternoose) (For the exact same reason as Robert. I also find this to be John Ratzenberger's best)
Finding Nemo: Ellen DeGeneres (Dory)
The Incredibles: Edna Mode (I nominate him)
Cars: Paul Newman (Hudson Hornet)
Ratatouille: I completely agree with Robert. I LOVE this movie so much, and to choose between O'Toole, Oswalt, and Holm would be murder.
WALL-E: Again I agree with Robert
Up: Ed Asner (Carl Fredricksen)
Toy Story 3: Ned Beatty (Lotso)
Brave: haven't seen it yet

Louis Morgan said...

Matt:

I thought the film was pretty terrible. It had many very amateurish qualities in terms of the editing and especially most the performances. The story was ridiculous, and not in a good way. I will admit it had twists I did not seem coming but also not in a good way.

Pierce - 3(It's basically him doing a evil Niles Crane. I don't buy him with the twist at all but I did think he offered the only entertainment value to be had with the film)

Crawford - 2(I suppose he could have been even worse, but his performance was very uncharismatic. He made for a bland hero but when he tries to menace that was also extremely underwhelming)

Luke:

LaVerne - 3.5(She appropriately icy cold as the Queen than is terrific in transforming to the sheer wretched insanity of the witch)

Audley - 3.5(She has such a beautifully maniacal quality about her voice. It's magnetic yet venomous. It's also so elegant while carrying such a menace)

Gerson - 3.5(A flawless combination of a high class extravagance yet with such a base viciousness about it)

Benson - 3.5(Another great combination here. Benson brings the animal qualities of the beast with his voice yet with just the right tenderness underneath it)

I believe I've given my thoughts on Irons and Jay before.