Tuesday 28 July 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1959: Anthony Franciosa in Career

Anthony Franciosa did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning a Golden Globe, for portraying Sam Lawson in Career.

Career is a decent enough film about an aspiring actors continued attempts to break out on the New York stage.

Anthony Franciosa is not an actor I have been fond of, in fact I found every other performance of his that I have seen pretty atrocious including his Oscar nominated performance. Well this perhaps brought him close to another nomination since he did indeed win the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama, which usually translates to an Oscar nomination. That was not the case for Franciosa. Well this seems like a good thing right? After all this part seems ready to come off poorly since one thing they keep mentioning is that above all else is that his character Sam Lawson is a talented actor. Well I have to admit Franciosa's not bad at all here. I don't know what happened maybe Dean Martin playing it so low-key made him relax a bit, or perhaps Shirley MacLaine chomping down the scenery whole sale made him decide to play it down, because Franciosa plays the part in a pretty calm fashion here. He almost comes across as a different actor as he does not just fall down upon his old tricks as he usually did.

Franciosa is actually likable, that's right likable, as he portrays the early scenes of Sam trying to make it in New York with his wife, despite success seeming so difficult to obtain. Franciosa manages to convey his particular passion quiet effectively actually and is able to realize his dream of the stage in a way that does not at all problematic. It would be very easy for such a character to seem far too self-indulgent but Franciosa manages to bring an honesty in this passion that makes you understand why Sam has this dream. Things do not get better though as he is unable to find steady work and his wife Barbara (Joan Blackman) begins to have some particular strong second thoughts about the venture. Now in these scenes something so bizarre happens, it's almost impossible to comprehend the strangeness of it all, in the scenes where Blackman gets kinda melodramatic and over the top Franciosa stay understated in his performance. Inconceivable. Franciosa goes past that though and is even quite good in portraying just that powerful yet desperate desire in Sam to achieve his dream no matter what, that you do feel sorry for Sam when she leaves him.

The oddity continues in his scenes with his agent Shirley (Carolyn Jones) who is trying her best to find him parts, but nothing ever seems to quite work out. Franciosa and Jones are just really charming together actually, and it enjoyable to see their little reactions with each other as they stay casual as Sam faces one defeat after another. There is such a nice warmth about the two's interactions that is not a traditional sort of romantic chemistry but Franciosa and Jones really make you see the unsaid love the two have for each other. Their relationship being the always the bright spot within the film and both actors earn this wonderfully well. The other main relationship is with another wannabe Maury (Martin), who Sam always comes across throughout his career. Although that start out together in a chummy enough fashion, when Maury finds any success he quickly forgets about Sam. Franciosa does a lot in his moments with Martin by portraying so well the intensity that grows in Sam through the frustrations he faces while dealing with the amoral Maury.

When later on Sam becomes somewhat amoral himself for a brief period, by stealing Maury's girl (MacLaine), Franciosa earns the darker side of Sam as he seems to hate everything, by building it up in the previous scenes. At the same time Franciosa effectively conveys the discomfort in Sam in being such a cruel man, and falling back into a better man feels just as natural. Before that happens though there is one last challenge to be performed. That's when Maury does one betrayal too many, and at a particular painful time leaving Sam to attack Maury while threatening to kill him. Time for good old Franciosa right? Wrong. First of all its though only scene this extreme in the performance, and deserved of the situation. Secondly though Franciosa delivers in making feel like the genuine hate from Sam towards a man who has pushed him too far. This performance is quite frightening to tell you the truth its breaking my whole reality, where things seemed so simple and Franciosa was only capable of a terrible performance. Saying this is the best I've seen from him is not good enough. He's actually good here, and not only that I found him endearing. That's right the film had classic feel good moment at the end thanks to how much I found myself caring for Sam as a character thanks to Franciosa.

147 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, well, well, well! Franciosa, you dog, you did it! You actually did it! You gave a good performance! By the way, Louis, what were your thoughts and ratings on Dean Martin, Carolyn Jones, Joan Blackman and Shirley MacLaine?

Anonymous said...

Wow that's a surprise! Anyway, I didn't expect Kay Walsh to be a 5 for The Horse's Mouth! Thoughts on her perf?

Luke Higham said...

Well Done Anthony, for once you didn't suck balls.

RatedRStar said...

Well this is a nice surprise, that's what may happen with the bonus rounds Louis, is that you may see more Golden Globe nomination performers to see if there is a hidden gem or not. I am so happy a new review is up 2, I thought you were gonna do the other 2 Nakadai films and assumed so because they were very long films =D.

Luke Higham said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I'm just glad, that he's seen Road To Eternity now and I'm confident that Nakadai will be reviewed for A Soldier's Prayer during the bonus rounds.

Calvin Law said...

Exactly the same thoughts as me Louis, when I first watched this I thought the whole universe was crumbling down around me...

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Anne Bancroft as an actress in general.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Since you've discontinued the nominee rankings, can you continue using the Year ranking for both categories, as it's nowhere near as hard to keep track of.

E.G. Lead #1 2013, Supporting #1 2014

Calvin Law said...

Everyone: Which actor for you has the most 4.5's without a 5? For a while back for me it was Leonardo DiCaprio, now though it's a tie between Michael Fassbender, and Cary Grant, Helen Mirren pretty close behind.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'd probably go with Boris Karloff, Peter Sellers would've been my choice earlier, but I gave him a 5 on rewatch for Dr. Strangelove and I gave Cary Grant a 5 in North By Northwest, which was about 5 months ago.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Meh, I give Sellers three fives for Dr. Strangelove, Lolita and Being There.
By the way, everyone, your top 10 best films shot in color/black-and-white?

Robert MacFarlane said...

Louis, to respond to your Ant-Man thoughts, didn't it seem like Stoll still thought he was in a Wright movie? I got serious Ramona's Evil Exes vibes from his performance.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: So you mean films with a blend of the two?

Anonymous said...

Calvin: No. Just pick films that were beautifully shot in color and other films that were shot in black-and-white.

Calvin Law said...

Oh okay!

1. Brief Encounter
2. The Third Man
3. The Elephant Man
4. It's a Wonderful Life (I mean it's my favourite film of all time but I think my top 3 have a distinctively beautifully shot B&W texture to them)
5. Sunset Boulevard
6. Yojimbo
7. The Innocents
8. Odd Man Out
9. To Kill a Mockingbird
10. Ikiru

1. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
2. Vertigo
3. Rear Window
4. Lawrence of Arabia
5. The Crying Game
6. Edward Scissorhands
7. Dr Zhivago
8. Alien
9. Inglorious Basterds
10. The Purple Rose of Cairo

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Haven't seen Being There Yet.

Inside Out Ratings
Poehler - 3.5
Smith - 3.5
Hader - 3
Black - 3/3.5
Kaling - 3

It's Pixar's best since Wall-E, though it's not my favourite animated film of the year. It was funny and quiet touching, but I was dazzled by Shaun The Sheep, earlier in the year.

It's my #6 for the year so far.

Robert MacFarlane said...

No rating for Richard Kind?

Anonymous said...

Black-in-White
1. The Third Man
2. Double Indemnity
3. Sunset Boulevard
4. Odd Man Out
5. The Elephant Man
6. Schindler's List
7. In Cold Blood
8. To Kill A Mockingbird
9. Brief Encounter
10. Psycho
Color
1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
3. Once Upon A Time in The West
4. Vertigo
5. Rear Window
6. Spartacus
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey
8. A Clockwork Orange
9. Gone With The Wind
10. Gravity

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Kind's a 3.5, leaning towards a 4.

Luke Higham said...

*Quite Touching.

Anonymous said...

Oops, I made a mistake. 8 should be Barry Lyndon and 10 should be The Searchers.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Louis, what's your rating and thoughts on Lee Ingleby in Master and Commander?

Michael McCarthy said...

For Inside Out, I think I'd also throw in a 3.5 for Kaitlyn Dias.

Luke Higham said...

Michael: Your ratings for Black, Kind, Hader and Kaling.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: After having a thought about it, Kind's a 4 now.

Michael McCarthy said...

Black: 3.5 (Perfect casting)
Kind: 3.5
Hader: 3
Kaling: 3

Luke Higham said...

Michael: I'll give Black a 3.5 as well.

Michael McCarthy said...

I might as well mention that (against my will) I just saw Ant-Man again.

The scenes involving Peña, T.I. and Dastmalchian were easily my least favorite parts of the film, the former two are still 2's for me as they were pretty annoying, and Dastmalchian is now a 1.5 because his character was a lazy racist clichè, and his accent wasn't very good.

On a more positive note though, I'm now very tempted to move Rudd up to a 4. He had a few great reactions I noticed more this time around, and on the whole he seemed to fit the tone of the film best. I think he, rather than Stoll, was the strongest indication of what the film would've been like had it been directed by Wright. Speaking of Stoll though, this time around I had an even greater appreciation for the broader approach he took in the latter half of his performance, but I still think the first half of his performance was stuck in this awkward middle ground where he couldn't seem to figure out how far to go with the character.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I actually do agree that Rudd also hints at a better film that could have been with his reactions. He gave me some positive Simon Pegg as a straight man vibes. I will say I'm sort of looking forward to what will probably be his hilarious interactions with the other Avengers.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin & RatedRStar: Your Bonus Round Suggestions for 2008 and 2009 Lead.

Robert MacFarlane said...

By the way, Little Dorrit would be considered 1987 by your rules, Louis.

Luke Higham said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luke Higham said...

Robert: We now have 3 supporting years with 7 Fives. :)

RatedRStar said...

Luke: I will look at my bonus spreadsheet and let you know when I get home from work, I will say that for 08 I have a winning request (Nick Cheung - Beast Stalker) as well as Mads Mikkelsen and Joaquin Phoenix are also on my list for 08 from what I remember putting in.

RatedRStar said...

On the spreadsheet they are on, Cheung was a winning request though.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Just in case, you overlook what Robert told you, Alec Guinness is 1987 by your rules for Little Dorrit.

Anonymous said...

Luke: By the way, Luke, what actors would consider some of Louis' choices blasphemous?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I wouldn't really know. If we are talking about actors who would really take issue with Louis's critiques, then Penn, Clooney, Depp, B. Cooper, Washington, RDJ, Streep, De Niro (Had 2 of his fives downgraded) and even Bale (I'm sure, that he'd be annoyed he didn't get a 5 for Rescue Dawn) would probably be near or at the top of the list.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Sorry, that's not what I meant about what kind of actors consider some of Louis' choices blasphemous. By the way, critics would complain about Louis only giving Hoffman a 4,5 in The Graduate and also a 4,5 for Kingsley in Gandhi. To tell you the truth, I think I liked Hoffman in Tootsie much more than Kingsley in Gandhi. I thought that Gandhi was decent at best, not as great as an epic. Critics would also consider Louis preferring Bullock over Blanchett for 2013 Best Actress blasphemous.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Anyway, I'm sure that Pacino, De Niro and Nicholson would hate the fact that Louis preferred Sim, Walker, Guinness and Clift over Brando in 1951, since Brando is their favorite actor. By the way, would Blanchett hate it that he gave her a 4,5 for Blue Jasmine. And I think that Lawrence would also take issue with a 4 for SLP. But do Streep and De Niro really take critique that seriously?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Any performance that's deemed iconic by critics, unfortunately has to be an automatic five in their minds. When it comes to Bullock and Blanchett, critics would say that only because Bullock won for The Blind Side, which is a far inferior performance, whereas Blanchett had yet to win Lead Actress and she was also directed by Woody Allen, who's worshipped by the Academy.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Well Streep didn't get a 5 for Sophie's Choice, which probably would annoy her a tad, and critics call it ...You get the picture.

And De Niro's annoyed for having 5 fives instead of 7.

Blanchett doesn't strike me as one that's gonna be pissed off about it.

Anonymous said...

What about Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino? Would they get annoyed at some of their ratings? I'm sure that DDL wouldn't care about his ratings. Yeah, I know about Sophie's Choice.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Actors like De Niro, Pacino and Nicholson, have the same attitude as critics, when it comes to iconic performances.

To your previous question, There is one, that I know about very well. Julia Roberts praised the hell out of Javier Bardem in Biutiful and received only a 2 for it.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Honestly, I'd have to say no for both on that one. Nicholson has 7 fives and he should be satisfied by that. Pacino wouldn't really give a shit in my opinion.

Robert MacFarlane said...

You guys read different critics than I do.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'm sure that critics and actors alike praised the hell out of Bullock when she got her Oscar for The Blind Side. And Louis gave her a 2,5. Pacino, De Niro and Nicholson, who are big fans of Brando, would probably get angry at Louis' ratings of Marlon Brando in Sayonara and The Young Lions.

Anonymous said...

As much I love Ebert, he praised Berry in Monster's Ball way too much. Bale seems like he would also get angry for getting a 4 for The Fighter.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Well, we are talking about the overall consensus of critics' opinions.

Anonymous: I've no recollection of Louis seeing The Blind Side and for that matter, give his rating & thoughts on Bullock.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Right, will do.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oh, I think he said that she was okay, but he never gave a rating, but I think he would give her a 2,5.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Okay. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: I don't understand why Louis would put Grace Kelly in his list of most overrated actresses, since she has never been really praised for being a great actress, but mostly for her beauty. Kate Winslet, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe are likely in his top 20.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Me neither.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: But it's Louis's opinion, so I'm fine with it.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Anyway, I'm tempted to wonder what are Louis' other top 10 most overrated actors/actresses.

Anonymous said...

Luke: But I'll ask him already.
Louis: Louis, what are your other top 10 most overrated actors and actresses?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Overrated Actors & Actresses #11-20.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I know that this is a little silly, I know, but, what Louis' preferences of actors over others would many critics consider blasphemy?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Eh, Ben Foster over Hardy and Fassbender. Some of Meryl Streep's Contemporaries like Sigourney Weaver and Sissy Spacek.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Yet, Louis likes about 70-80 more actresses than Streep.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Would Garbo over Bergman, Olivier over Brando, Stanwyck over Davis, count? Or not?

Anonymous said...

I guess not, huh?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Yes, as they are more consistent in Louis's opinion.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I've only talked to one critic who would have ben offended by Olivier over Brando, and that's because he had a weird bias due to Olivier's hatred of method actors. For the record, this critic was a complete moron who ignored acting styles of the times and influence. He also said Faye Dunaway prevented Chinatown from being a masterpiece, so fuck him.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Fuck most critics in general.

Anonymous said...

Robert: Method acting can be often a pain in the ass.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Dismissing most critics in general is not a good thing. Right now a bunch of talented young critics and writers are trying to find new jobs thanks to the death of The Dissolve, and that sort of mentality doesn't help anyone.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Does Louis really prefer Foster over Fassbender and Hardy? From what I've seen, he has only really seen 7 Foster performances, hasn't he?
Robert: You're right, but there are many pretentious critics.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Apologies, I meant guys like Roeper, Travers, Maltin, Rex Reed and Armond White.

Anonymous said...

Luke: And don't forget Hammond and LaSalle.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Them too.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Those men are in an old school of critics currently dying out. The new generation is in, and quite frankly people from that sort of school lost credibility after the death of Roger Ebert.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I asked Louis for a list of his 5 or 10 favourite actors under the age of 40 awhile back and Foster was #1, Hardy #2 and Fassbender #3.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oh, okay. DiCaprio wasn't in that list, I presume?

Robert MacFarlane said...

If Louis saw Foster in Alpha Dog, Hardy might take that slot.

Anonymous said...

Robert: Louis would probably like Foster in Alpha Dog very much.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: I will do supporting as well =D

2008 Lead
Nick Cheung - The Beast Stalker
Nicholas Tse - The Beast Stalker
Joaquin Phoenix - Two Lovers
Mads Mikkelsen - Flame and Citron
Woody Harrelson - Transsiberian

2008 Supporting
Liu Kai Chi - The Beast Stalker
Wang Xueqi - Forever Enthralled
Dennis Hopper - Elegy
Peter Sarsgaard - Elegy
Denis Lavant - Tokyo!

2009 is a harder one I will have to look.



Luke Higham said...

Robert: I think Louis judges the list on who hit the highest height. You never know, Hardy might be his #1 next January and his performance in The Revenant could get him there.

Anonymous: Can't remember exactly, but I wouldn't think so.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Anonymous: Sure, if he watched his scenes outside the context of the movie. Then his performance becomes comedic brilliance. Within the context of the film, he suffers from a director too stupid to reframe his scenes as parody. Given his ridiculous character, I do understand why he had no choice but to go full cartoon, but it still remains a tone deaf piece of acting in an already terrible film.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: PSH was requested for Synecdoche, New York.

Anonymous said...

Would like to see Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear be reviewed for 1962 Bonus.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He might get reviewed for the alternates, plus, I'm sure Louis has seen it already.

RatedRStar said...

Ah ok fair enough.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Shit, sorry. I meant to say that I wanted Mitchum to be reviewed for 1962 Alternate Best Actor.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: That's OK. :)

I have a Job Fair to attend in the morning, so Goodnight. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Wait, are you going to sleep that earlier?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: It's 22:09 British time now. I'm Northern Irish.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oh, I understand now. Well, that's also my time here. Well, catch you later. Goodnight. :)

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Martin - 3(I do think someone else could have brought a bit more to the part, but I do like Martin's screen presence, I really quite like him in his other performance from this year. Here Martin though is good in portraying the slick charmer, and of course can do a louse without a hitch. The character's darker moments are fine, but I do think he is overshadowed by Franciosa(not something I thought I'd ever write))

Jones

Blackman - 2.5(She has a decent moment near the end of the film with Franciosa that very nicely gives closure to the two's relationship, and actually depicts their very best chemistry. The rest of the time though she has a bit too melodramatic spin on the part, that becomes distracting at times)

MacLaine - 2(Not too far from her equally scenery munching work from a year earlier in Some Came Running. That work though I felt had more pathos than here where she goes full caricature the whole time, and this time around it just did not work for me)

Jones - 4(Jones has a unique presence that gives a natural character to her part to begin with. On top of that though she very good in portraying just the haggard state of being an agent who's seen what the world does to people. What I love though is that undercurrent of optimism and warmth in her wonderful scenes with Franciosa. Again they just were really good together)

Anonymous:

Walsh - (I love her work in the film as I think it perfectly compliments Guinness's performance in the film. She's a great acerbic straight man to his wackiness and the two play off each other incredibly. Although she derives much humor around her character's status as an "ugly bird" she never makes it a full blown caricature. There's an underlying sadness in her work as well that always makes her feel more than just a few lines. I find her scene on the boat at night with Guinness particularly fantastic as both reveal what there really is to the two of them past their fights)

Anonymous:

Bancroft - (Simply a great actress. To go beyond that though she had a particularly forceful presence as the majority of her performances have a certain incisiveness to them that always felt particularly well earned. From what I've seen she's given a slew of good to great performances as she crafts them uniquely in their emotional outlook. The worst I've seen from her, The Turning Point, she was still the best part)

Robert:

Certainly seemed that way in regards to Stoll.

Ingleby - 3.5(Quite liked his performance as he portrayed one of the few men who clearly should never had made it out to sea. He managed to convey his status as a man forced into life for a different reason then the men who had been pressed into it. Ingleby is quite moving in portraying this awkwardness in his interactions with the men, and is quite heartbreaking in his last scene when he shows how this has all gotten to him)

I'll have to correct that then thank you for the heads up.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your rating for Sissy Spacek in JFK.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I think he gave her a 3,5 or a 4, or something, I don't know.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I've found no record of that, plus I'm asking Louis for Spacek's rating, as a reference for ongoing projects, that I've been working on via Google Docs.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oops, my bad. Maybe it's just my imagination.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: That's OK. :)

I'm off to see Rogue Nation, in the next half hour.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin:
Black Mass Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XD0Q8JW9qw

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Hey, Calvin. Just wanted to ask you something. Are there really people who dislike Whitaker's Best Actor win?

Calvin Law said...

Not really dislike, more like feel it wasn't the best choice which is rubbish really, DiCaprio was nominated for a good but not amazing performance, Smith I actually liked but was nothing incredible, Gosling was solid but I feel a bit overrated, O'Toole I actually liked best out of these four as he gave a very moving performance, if he'd won I'd have had no complaints whatsoever, but in the end I think Whittaker was the best choice. He hasn't done much of note since but that's no reason to deny him the win. In terms of recently chastised winners I think Adrien Brody stands out more, I can actually accept that a bit more even though I love that performance since the other 4 nominees were very strong.

Luke: I'm intrigued, definitely.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Aside from Bird, Ghost Dog and Last King of Scotland, Whitaker hasn't done anything great since. What am I supposed to think of Whitaker, just because he won an Oscar? A great actor? The Butler has Oscar bait all written over it. When I saw that film and Selma (Even if I liked it), it seemed to me as if Oprah was fishing for an Oscar in all of her scenes.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I don't mind Brody's win, but to be honest I preferred Cage, Day-Lewis and Nicholson. Brody isn't exactly what I would call a great actor, an average one.

Calvin Law said...

Whittaker and Brody haven't really had the most consistent of careers I agree. But hey, at least they had their moments. I wouldn't call Brody an average actor, I'd say he's a misused great actor. He needs good roles and films to thrive though.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Meh, I don't see how Brody could be called a misused great actor, he's always wooden and bland to me (and you wouldn't call a wooden actor great, would you?). But that's just your opinion and my opinion.

Calvin Law said...

Also regarding the Black Mass trailer I think Depp looks like he'll be pretty awesome but I'm also quite interested with Edgerton, a role with helluva lot of potential so it seems.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: We'll agree to disagree :)

Anonymous said...

I hope that Streep doesn't get nominated for anything this year.

Calvin Law said...

Although Louis switching the 2002 win from Brody to Nicholson is one of my favourite choices up there with Cheadle over DiCaprio.

Also does anyone remember what rating and ranking Louis gave Eddie Redmayne in Les Miserables originally? I recall it being higher than it currently is.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I think he gave him a 4. Anyway, what do you expect from Redmayne's performance in Danish Girl?

Calvin Law said...

I think he'll be good at the very least. He won't win twice in a row no matter how amazing he is (although on the other hand remember Tom Hanks?), but I'm hoping for the best since I loved him in The Theory of Everything.

I think that, come Oscar time, momentum may unfortunately fail to reach McKellen at the rate Mr Holmes is being promoted now. Which is a shame. But realistically at this point I think the nominees will be,

Redmayne
Caine
Fassbender
Dicaprio
Foster/Cranston/Hiddleston

Calvin Law said...

I also hope Vikander delivers as it's her best chance of getting nominated. Ex Machina being too much of a genre film and Testament of Youth not generating enough hype, despite it being a fantastic film.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Sometimes I'd just wish for the Academy to nominate ten actors instead of five.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm actually thinking that The Danish Girl might be a crash and burn contender. Critics have been going turncoat over Hooper (as they should) and I'm thinking he's run his course in terms of Oscar love.

Calvin Law said...

Robert: You know what, I would not be surprised if that was the case.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I don't see Hiddleston be nominated or hell, even be an Oscar contender. Cranston and Foster are likely to be contenders and be nominated, since they are in biopics (and we know that they have chances to be nominated for Best Picture)

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: Um well though that'd be nice I don't think they'd ever do that. I'm glad Louis does something akin with his nominations though, as it's nice to have some actors always just on the cusp of the top 5 like Sidney Poitier getting several deserved nominations.

Calvin Law said...

For Hiddleston I was referring to I Saw the Light, not Crimson Peak, just in case I'd been misinterpreted.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'd actually be way more surprised by Cranston getting in for Trumbo over Hiddleston. Trumbo is more than likely this year's Hitchcock.

Calvin Law said...

Robert: I have the same gut feeling. Always has to be one of those eh? I remember when people were pegging Hyde Park on Hudson as a top Oscar contender...

Robert MacFarlane said...

Ah yes, the movie that tried to film a "tasteful" handjob and call itself Oscar bait.

Anonymous said...

Robert and Calvin: The worst Oscar bait film that ever got nominated is Extremely Loud and Extremely Close.

Calvin Law said...

Louis, Robert, Luke or anyone else: top 10 performances by a singer/musician in a film? As in they're known more for their music than acting generally.

1. David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth (4.5/5)
2. Cher in Moonstruck (4.5/5)
3. Tom Waits in Seven Psychopaths (4.5/5)
4. Cher in Silkwood (4.5/5)
5. Bette Midler in The Rose (4.5/5)
6. Ice Cube in Boyz in the Hood (4.5/5)
7. Bing Crosby in The Country Girl (4/5)
8. David Bowie in The Prestige (4/5)
9. Ludacris in Crash (4/5)
10. Eminem in 8 Mile (4/5)

Robert MacFarlane said...

You know, I only sort of dislike that movie instead of flat out hate it. For better or worse, it's probably the best of the three Daldry Best Picture nominees.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: Though I despise that film, I genuinely think Max Von Sydow should've won. Plummer was good and I'd give him a solid 4, but I really think Max Von Sydow gave a performance that had it been in a better film could've been an all time favourite of mine and as it stands, is a solid 4.5 and close to making my top 5 for the year.

Calvin Law said...

In fact on reflection I'll put him in my top 5.

1. Strong
2. Hardy
3. Brooks
4. Pitt
5. Von Sydow
(John Hurt just misses out)

Calvin Law said...

And actually switch Hardy and Brooks around.

Anonymous said...

Robert: I don't see how you can think that Extremely Loud and Extremely Close is better than The Hours and The Reader. Those two films are certainly much more tolerable than that annoying melodrama.
Calvin: I liked Plummer and Von Sydow, he gets a 4 from me. Louis gave a 1 for Horn, but I'll give him a 0. Bullock is a 2 for me. Can't understand why critics even liked Horn in the first place.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Because there are some moments in Extremely Loud I found to be pleasantly surprising (eg. the mother-son relationship was frustrating in a believable way) and the other two were hollow the entire time (outside of David Kross in The Reader). Yeah the 9/11 stuff was manipulative, but the moments with Bullock made it worth it for me.

Anonymous said...

Shit, I meant both get a 4.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I actually preferred Brooks in Drive over Strong in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Calvin Law said...

Robert: Bullock was very good I agree, I'd give her a 4 I think. I'm glad you also liked David Kross in The Reader.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm very firmly on Team Pitt for 2011 Supporting with no chance of me changing my mind.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Calvin: She's a fairly strong 4.5 for me. It's what I wanted to see from her in The Blind Side. I'm glad she's chosen better roles after her win. And yeah, Kross was pretty easily that film's MVP. Once he leaves, the film sort of dies.

Anonymous said...

Robert: I'm surprised how you liked Bullock that much.

Robert MacFarlane said...

To be honest, so was I.

Anonymous said...

Kross was easily the best thing about The Reader, wholeheartedly agree.

Robert MacFarlane said...

But of course Winslet got all the praise for playing the Sexiest Nazi Ever (TM).

Matt Mustin said...

Robert, I'm getting the impression you're not a huge fan of Kate Winslet, would that be fair to say?

Luke Higham said...

Saw Rogue Nation, it was quite entertaining, though Ghost Protocol remains the best of the five.

Cast Ratings
Cruise - 4
Renner - 3.5
Pegg - 3.5
Ferguson - 4
Rhames - 3
Harris - 3.5
Baldwin - 3
McBurney - 3

Luke Higham said...

It's still the second best in the franchise, by the way.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Rogue Nation looks entertaining.
Matt: He probably isn't.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Matt: I mentioned it on the blog before that I absolutely adore her in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but that's about it. She's not technically terrible in The Reader, just not very convincing. The only two times I really actually hated her are her hysterics in Heavenly Creatures (which is even worse when paired with Melanie Lynskey's pitch perfect performance) and Revolutionary Road.

Matt Mustin said...

I actually kind of liked her in Little Children, even though the movie itself is terrible.

Robert MacFarlane said...

She's fine in that. But again, nothing really that special.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Redmayne was originally 7th or 8th and was a 4.5 also.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Redmayne was originally 5th on the list, then kept dropping with Louis's increased reservations on his performance and the film.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

3.5

1. David Bowie - The Prestige
2. Courtney Love - The People vs. Larry Flynt
3. Cher - Silkwood
4. Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
5. Cher - Moonstruck
6. Bette Midler - The Rose
7. Ice Cube - Boyz in the Hood
8. Bing Crosby - The Country Girl
9. Tom Waits - Seven Psychopaths
10. Frank Sinatra - Von Ryan's Express

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Thanks for correcting me.