Saturday 11 July 2015

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1989: Hugh O'Conor and Ray McAnally in My Left Foot

Hugh O'Conor did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Christy Brown in My Left Foot.

Hugh O'Conor plays Christy Brown as a boy suffering from cerebral palsy in the earliest years of his life when everyone seems to believe that he's mentally disabled due to his physical impairment which leaves him with essentially only the use of his left leg and foot. O'Conor's physical performance is incredible. His portrayal of the effects of palsy never for a moment feels like a put on or acting in the least. O'Conor depicts so well the difficultly of Christy's condition in the randomness of the muscle movements of his face as well as the sheer weight of being unable to control the majority of his body. It's impeccable work from O'Conor as it just feels wholly real and that you are watching a poor boy with this severe disability. there is never a second even in this which feels false. What I love about the film, and this carries over to O'Conor's performance as well though is that this is not a film just about the depiction of a disability. It's always first and foremost about the man, well at first the boy, who manages to find a way in which to deal with the constrictions of it.

O'Conor of course has a set restriction, technically even more severe than his successor in the part since at this point Christy cannot even speak, due to he fact that he must maintain Christy's impairment so he also must portray the mind in the body. O'Conor does so much with his eyes in the role as he makes it rather clear that Christy is not the simpleton so many seem to take him for. A prevailing emotion that O'Conor so well expresses in his performance is the frustrations in Christy due to his forced position in life. O'Conor is interesting though in that he does not portray this in a downtrodden way as a sort of sadness. Instead O'Conor portrays an actual anger in Christy as he must basically fight against himself in order to be recognized, and rather than wanting people to feel sorry for him, he wants them not to be. O'Conor even manages to bring a little humor in part as he conveys Christy's intelligence in his expressions of a certain exasperation Christy feels when he is treated as a simpleton, particularly when a neighbor is slowly telling him letters that's he's definitely well aware of.

O'Conor realizes the spark that will motivate Christy's artistic endeavors later in life, in these early scenes as he's simply just trying to tell people he can think for himself. Although he is unable to say whole words O'Conor's delivery of the grunts of sorts that Christy is able to get out past his physical restrictions is no that of a some random noise. O'Conor brings the intensity of someone fighting to speak, he's trying to vocalize but is just unable able to do it. The moment where Christy finally proves his intelligence to his family by taking chalk with his left foot to write out mother on the floor is simply an amazing scene, and O'Conor's performance contributes greatly to this. O'Conor portrays so well the considerable physical effort it takes for Christy to do this, but also expresses the relief and satisfaction in Christy when he finishes. O'Conor whole work here is a wonderful depiction of Christy initial struggle for recognition. It does stand out on his own completely, but it does more than that. In some biography films there is a bit of disconnect between the child actor we begin with before we get to the adult actor, as though they are almost just wasting time before we really get to know the character. That is not the case here. Even though its an extreme jump in years when Daniel Day-Lewis takes over for O'Conor, there is nothing lost between the performances. O'Conor's performance matches Daniel Day-Lewis's performance, and Day-Lewis's matches O'Conor's. There is a clear progression between the two which is a marvel to behold.
Ray McAnally did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning BAFTA, for portraying Patrick "Paddy" Brown in My Left Foot.

Brenda Fricker, rightly, won the Oscar for portraying Christy's mother. Even with that eventual and sadly posthumous BAFTA win Ray McAnally was ignored as Christy's father. This may have partially been due to the nature of the role of Mr. Brown which feels a bit thankless at times. The first reason being Mr. Brown is not an immediately likable sort. In a far cry from his performance as the refined Bishop in The Mission, for which he also won the BAFTA, Mr. Brown is a working class father that if he were American might be described as a blue collar slob. One of the earliest scenes we see him in is finding out about Christy's birth and the complications in regards to Christy's condition. Mr. Brown instead of dealing with it in any refined fashion goes about by going straight to the pub. Even in this earliest scene of Paddy drinking away his sorrows McAnally does not leave him as simple as he might of been. McAnally certainly is good in creating that rough personality fitting for the rough drinker, but even within this McAnally subtly alludes to Brown sadness, as well as violence to a man with too many comments, not coming from Brown being saddled with such a son rather because people will treat his son as less of a man.

When Christy is a boy his father, much like everyone other than sort of his mother, is under the belief that Christy's mind is disabled as well. McAnally carefully does not portray any contempt in Paddy towards his son at this time, in fact there is even a certain protective quality McAnally suggests whenever he feels that Christy is being mistreated or in a position where he could be potentially mocked. Nevertheless though due to expecting nothing from him he does not exactly pay his son any extra attention. This is until that "mother" scene I referred to in O'Conor's review. Again it is amazing scene which is contributed greatly by O'Conor's, Fricker's, and McAnally's performances. What I love is how McAnally differs Fricker's work. Fricker is very moving in her depiction of Christy's mother's being vindicated for her faith, but McAnally is just moving in his depiction of Paddy's reaction. Although he certainly doubted his son before McAnally is outstanding as he conveys the pride in Paddy in seeing his son's intellect. McAnally is particularly great in the way he shows Paddy being moved to tears, and almost has to move to an over joyous celebration in order to stop himself from breaking down completely.

The thankless nature comes a bit as the film continues just because McAnally gets less time than Fricker, but he certainly still keeps a strong presence throughout the proceedings. McAnally also does have to deal with less endearing side. What's special about this performance is that McAnally brings depth to the rather uncouth side of Paddy. McAnally does not hold back in that he is certainly quite imposing when his rage does reveal itself, but is never something simple. One terrific moment for McAnally is when the large family must eat porridge due to Mr. Brown having been fired, and Christy makes a few comments. McAnally does not show a baseless rage but presents where it comes from. McAnally brings a vulnerability in the action that he suggests seems to stem from Mr. Brown knowing that he's not properly providing for his family. McAnally never treats Mr. Brown as a simple man even at his worst when he viciously berates his pregnant daughter. In the moment just before McAnally is just as good at showing the loving side as he plays with another one of his sons, and even in the switch McAnally never makes Mr. Brown's reaction as something from an uncaring father quite the opposite actually. McAnally makes an honest man of this sort. One of his best scenes is when Mr. Brown shows his love to Christy by building him a room, though never says it, there is such a warmth that McAnally gives in his action that he gives sense to Mr. Brown. This is a brilliant performance by Ray McAnally which works as an excellent counterpoint to Brenda Fricker's work. Where she presents a wholly positive influence for Christy, McAnally vividly creates both the positive and negative influences Christy Brown's father also had on the man.

250 comments:

1 – 200 of 250   Newer›   Newest»
Calvin Law said...

Even though my predictions are once again stumped...I'm glad :)

Anonymous said...

They were spectacular along with Day-Lewis and Fricker.
Oh, I forgot, Louis. Your thoughts on:
Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight and Spellbound
Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce
Marlon Brando in Mutiny on the Bounty, The Formula and the Missouri Breaks
Also, your thoughts on Marlon Brando as an actor in general.
By the way, I love your blog. I really like your reviews on these Oscar-winning and nominated performances. Plus, on the ranking of Bogart for In A Lonely Place, I believe that some people would find that blasphemous and controversial, since many people say that's one of Bogart's best performances. Glad to see different views on performances that are considered by many people to be the greatest.
Also, who are your top 10 most overrated actresses?
Plus, what are your thoughts on the film To Kill A Mockingbird as a whole, Louis? Do you think it's a perfect film or a flawed film?

Michael McCarthy said...

So is Fricker a 5 now?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I'll get you those thoughts soon.

Michael:

Yes, although she was always a five in my mind. The original rating was an error.

Luke Higham said...

At last, A Male Child performance gets a 5.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your revised top ten for child performances.

Anonymous said...

Louis, who are your top ten British Actors of all time?

Calvin Law said...

Let's open these two questions out to the whole board :)

1. Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker
2. Martin Stephens in The Innocents
3. Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun
4. Hugh O'Connor in My Left Foot
5. Pamela Franklin in The Innocents
6. Mary Badham in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
7. Hayley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense
8. Christina Ricci in The Addams Family
9. Jean Pierre-Leaud in 'The 400 Blows'
10. Philip Alford in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

1. Gary Oldman
2. Trevor Howard
3. Tom Courtenay
4. John Hurt
5. Ian Richardson
6. Ian McKellen
7. Tom Hardy
8. Alec Guinness
9. Ralph Richardson
10. Daniel Day-Lewis

A very personal list.

Calvin Law said...

I should note though that there are plenty of other actors who were very close to cracking the top 10 (Mark Rylance, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ewan McGregor, Anthony Quayle, Jeremy Irons, Roger Livesey)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin:
Child Performances:
1. Aleksei Kravchenko in Come And See
2. Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker
3. Hugh O'Conor in My Left Foot
4. Pamela Franklin in The Innocents
5. Martin Stephens in The Innocents
6. Tye Sheridan in Mud
7. Tom Holland in The Impossible
8. Jean Pierre-Leaud in The 400 Blows
9. Christina Ricci in The Addams Family
10. Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense
11. Natalie Portman in Leon: The Professional
12. Christian Bale in Empire Of The Sun

British Actors:
Excluding Ireland
1. Laurence Olivier
2. Richard Attenborough
3. James Mason
4. Gary Oldman
5. Alec Guinness
6. Robert Shaw
7. Daniel Day-Lewis
8. Tom Courtenay
9. Claude Rains
10. John Hurt
The rest of my top 20 are in no particular order
Sean Connery
Michael Caine
John Gielgud
Ralph Fiennes
Tom Hardy
Mark Rylance
Jeremy Irons
Ralph Richardson
Charles Laughton
Bob Hoskins

Calvin Law said...

Also what are everyone's thoughts on the info/trailers from Comic Con so far?

Star Wars: I'm more hyped than ever, officially my #1 anticipated film of the year now. I love that they're going for Gleeson as a villain, anyone who's seen Calvary knows how well he can do psychotic. That 3 minute behind the scenes video was incredibly nostalgic and what little I could gather from it, I loved.

Batman v.s. Superman: Well that trailer was pretty interesting. I'm not completely sold on Affleck and that Batsuit yet but I have a feeling my previous reservations are about to be put wrong. I like how it seems though that they'll use both characters to facilitate the other's arc, and not just make it all about Batman which was what I'd feared. Also Irons and Hunter look like they'll have great roles, and I'm very interested to see what direction Eisenberg's performance will take.

Deadpool: the leaked trailer wasn't the barnstormer I'd expected but it certainly looks good. I'm glad Reynolds has found a role that fits his abilities perfectly, and I did like the tone of the trailer overall.

Suicide Squad: Well Jared Leto's Joker from what little you get to see in it, I have mixed reservations about. He hasn't really done that much to manipulate his voice, I do like the whole physical getup but the voice is crucial, hopefully it's just a snippet of something better. But overall it was a pretty good trailer.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Love your lists, Shaw would be close to my top 10 too.

Calvin Law said...

Also forgot Portman, she'd be my #3 actually.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Apologies for not including Ian McKellen, If Rylance's performance in Wolf Hall wasn't as good as it was, he would've made my top 20.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I've decided to wait on Suicide Squad and Deadpool.
Star Wars:
I think there's no doubt that it's gonna be the third best at least in the franchise and it's great that Gleeson is playing a villian, but at the same time, I'd love it if he played an Anti-Hero. I would also like to say that I have no problems with the anthology films, since if there's one cinematic universe, that I could easily get into, it's Star Wars.

Batman V Superman:
I have to be honest, I liked this trailer alot. I didn't have a great deal of doubt about Affleck's suitability in the role of Batman, but he seems to be quite comfortable from what I've seen, so I'm certainly interested in his interpretation of the character. I'm glad Irons and Hunter are back in the mainstream again, especially Jeremy, who's been doing Indies and TV Films for the past 9 years. I'm also interested in Eisenberg and I'm quite glad they've taken a different approach to Luthor.

Calvin Law said...

I actually think Return of the Jedi is a bit overhated personally, although I agree this film will probably be better than it. The Darth Vader and Sidious stuff is great obviously, but I actually for one really enjoyed that grotesque first act rescue of Han, and also I quite like the Ewoks (there, I said it, I like Ewoks).

Gleeson could be playing an anti-hero; you never know. I think the more likely candidate for that role though, would probably be Lupita Nyong'o, or Gwendoline Christie.

Anonymous said...

I don't really have any favorite actors/actresses/movies or whatever. It's just, there are too many great British actors for me to pick a favorite.
Here's a list in no particular order of the greatest British actors.
Alec Guinness
Bob Hoskins
Brendan Gleeson
Charles Laughton
Claude Rains
Daniel Day-Lewis
James Mason
Jeremy Irons
John Gielgud
John Hurt
Gary Oldman
Ian McKellen
Michael Caine
Michael Fassbender
Laurence Olivier
Paul Scofield
Peter Sellers
Peter O'Toole
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Richardson
Richard Attenbourough
Richard Burton
Richard Harris
Robert Shaw
Sean Connery
Tom Hardy
Tom Courtenay
Trevor Howard

Anonymous said...

Oh, I forgot Anthony Hopkins and Mark Rylance on that list, lol.

Anonymous said...

Oops! Looks like Albert Finney was also out of the list! Yeah, there are too many great British actors with many great performances for me to have a favorite, lol.

Michael McCarthy said...

In regards to Deadpool, I'd be more intrigued to see Reynolds in the role if I didn't think Sam Rockwell would be absolutely perfect for it.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Personally, Return Of The Jedi is good, with the Vader/Luke/Emperor scenes, Shaw's poignant one scene wonder and has aged well enough from a technical aspect, although I felt something was missing. Having said that, I still love it, in terms of nostalgia.

Anonymous said...

Louis and guys, what are your ratings for Marisa Tomei in In The Bedroom? I guess most of you like a lot Spacek and Wilkinson, but I wonder what you think about her in this film. That performance was a huge emotional punch for me.

About Superman/Batman trailer - yeah, Eisenberg looks quite promising in this role that seemed, at first, an average case of miscasting.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: 4

Matt Mustin said...

In regards to Tomei I'm wavering between a 4.5 and a 5, I'm not quite sure which.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: 4

Robert MacFarlane said...

Anyone else watching the new season of True Detective? Because quite frankly it's been pretty bad.

Calvin Law said...

Can't say I'm that keen on it. How've the main cast been? My friend says Taylor Kitsch, McAdams and Vaughn are awful, and that Farrell is considerably better than the rest.

Calvin Law said...

Although I've also heard good things about Vaughn's performance.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Yeah, I'd agree with that. Farrell started off on their level but has risen above it in subsequent weeks. A damn shame how little I care about the rest of it.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Vaughn is the worst of the bunch.

Calvin Law said...

Shame. I was hoping there'd be some revelatory acting from those three, but it seems they really are just bad actors.

Calvin Law said...

Well not bad I guess. Mediocre and limited I'd say.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: what are your thoughts on Michelle Monaghan in True Detective

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Thank you for the kind words. I think you find my thoughts on Bergman somewhere in the 44 section.

Spellbound - 3.5(A mostly reactionary role for her here but I do think she does try her best to make up for Peck's weaknesses. I won't say she manages to make up for him, but she at least is able to make some of the tension through her work)

Crawford - 4.5(This is her iconic role for a reason as she is good in the role. She brings the needed sort of passion and determination. She manages it well in that she's very assertive yet there is something somewhat unassuming about it, and effectively conveys what her character must do to survive in her position)

Haven't seen The Formula or Missouri Breaks. Brando I feel was a very talented actor at his peak with his great intensity and unique screen presence. At the same time I feel that whenever he's being at all self-indulgent or is not directed well he becomes very underwhelming as an actor. In both his early career and resurgences it unfortunately was a rather swift switch for him.

Prefer not to use overrated but alright:

1. Meryl Streep (By virtue of the extent of praise she receives)
2. Julia Roberts
3. Natalie Portman
4. Grace Kelly
5. Elizabeth Taylor
6. Vanessa Redgrave
7. Judi Dench
8. Scarlett Johansson
9. Jane Fonda
10. Bette Davis

I would not classify To Kill a Mockingbird as either perfect or flawed. I do think there are not a few moments that could have been handled a bit better in terms of the adaptation most importantly the death of the prisoner, and Mary Badham does leave a bit too much to be desired. Nevertheless I think it is quite good at creating the quiet atmosphere of the life in the town and a particularly love the build up of the mystery involving Boo Radley especially how the ending is handled in regards to him. This is of course around the more serious matters in the courtroom which I feel the film connects the two sides in an interesting and effective fashion, with the pivotal scenes being quite powerful.

Luke:

1. Patty Duke - The Miracle Worker
2. Hugh O'Conor - My Left Foot
3. Pamela Franklin - The Innocents
4. Tye Sheridan - Mud
5. Martin Stephens - The Innocents
6. Christina Ricci - The Addams Family
7. Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
8. Tom Holland - The Impossible
9. Haley Joel Osment - The Sixth Sense
10. Natalie Portman - The Professional

British Actors:

1. Richard Attenborough
2. Laurence Olivier
3. Alec Guinness
4. James Mason
5. Robert Shaw
6. Tom Courtenay
7. Gary Oldman
8. Daniel Day-Lewis
9. Claude Rains
10. Brendan Gleeson

Robert:

I've been watching it. I thought it has slowly improved, although is far from the original. I actually really loved the Lynchian scene in the third episode particularly with Fred Ward showing up. Out of the main acting the stand out is Farrell (does he have to be named Ray to give a really emotional performance?) who I'm starting to really like even though I thought he was shaky in the first episode.

Calvin:

Really her role is there mainly for Harrelson's benefit as we only see basically the extremes of the Maggie character to see how it effects his life. She does well in these limitations though and is certainly believable although the nature of it does make it feel somewhat repetitive.

Calvin Law said...

I don't know what the issue is with Colin Farrell. He seems to give great performances (In Bruges, Tigerland), good performances (Seven Psychopaths, Odine, Phone Booth), and horrible/underwhelming performances (Total Recall, Daredevil, Miami Vice) randomly.

Calvin Law said...

Also has Richard Attenborough overtaken Olivier as your favourite actor, or would that be Mifune?

Anonymous said...

Louis, I suppose Bergman's a 4,5?
By the way, was it easy for you to pick O'Toole over Peck for 1962 Best Actor? Or was that hard?

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin: Mifune.

Anonymous:

Easy but that's only because of how much I like O'Toole's performance.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Tell me, what do you think of Vaughn so far?

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: Peck was his #3.

Calvin Law said...

1962 is a bloody hard year to pick for best actor. O'Toole is an easy enough win but Courtenay, Peck, Lemmon, Stewart, Stamp etc. make the runner ups incredibly difficult to decide.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Am I the only one who thought Harvey was a 5 for Manchurian Candidate that year?

Calvin Law said...

Also for Louis I'm assuming you top 10 now is something like:

Mifune
Attenborough
Olivier
Hackman
Fuinness
Mason
Shaw
Stewart
Duvall

And...no idea for the last spot.

Calvin Law said...

Robert: I still need to re-watch it.

Calvin Law said...

I remember being impressed by Lansbury, Harvey and even Sinatra though so it bodes well.

Calvin Law said...

*Guinness

Anonymous said...

You're right, Calvin. It is a pretty damn hard year. But it's somewhat controversial since there are discussions on who should have won, if it should have been O'Toole (A performance I love very much) or Peck (It's a performance I like but not that much.)
On the other hand, I'm surprised that Louis put Attenborough over Olivier on the number 1 spot, since Olivier has like 7 performances that have gotten a 5 (I think Louis will give Olivier another 5 for The Devil's Disciple), while he only gave 5 to three or four performances of Attenbourough.
Robert: I don't know about Harvey being a 5. I would give him a weak 4,5. In my opinion, Lansbury was easily the best of the cast of The Manchurian Candidate.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Why can't they both be 5's? Harvey more than excelled in his part. He easily could have portrayed Shaw as a one-note douchebag yet still managed to squeeze in a palatable fear, sadness, and regret into the role.

Louis Morgan said...

Robert: I have not watched the fourth episode yet, but for the most part, like McAdams and Kitsch, I just don't find he gives off enough of a reading for his character even. His story is ripped right from a Long Good Friday, a little too closely I think at the moment. I mean they even had a scene where a underling was dead in a hole and he sadly pondered why anyone would kill the guy. Comparing him to Bob Hoskins in that film, well he does not even come close. At the same time I don't think this is the terrible Vaughn of Psycho or the Lost World. I actually did find just a bit of menace in his fight scene, but what if someone brought what Hoskins did to such a similar role. It was possible I think, but Vaughn is not up to the task. I can't help but think maybe Pizzolatto thought his material simply elevated actors. That's why they went with actors, other than Farrell who will always have In Bruges to his name, who are a tad unproven. It instead might be that it was the other way around where the very talented Harrelson and McConaughey elevated his work.

Calvin:

Something like that.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: Though O'Toole would've been a great win, if I'd been voting back then I admit, I would've voted for Peck. Unlike many people on here I thought he was generally a good actor and a very likable onscreen presence in everything I'd seen him in outside of Spellbound. I love Peck's performance, To Kill a Mockingbird is just barely my Best Picture win for that year, it was his final nomination and unlike many veteran wins it was a very deserving one.

I'm guessing Attenborough's 4 5's are just too good to be denied. Remember, Louis' favourite actors are not always defined by the number of 5's they get. Rod Steiger has 4 strong 5's but he's far from Louis' favourite actor; same for Jack Nicholson who Louis loves in his 1970s performances and has given I think around 6 5's to but who isn't in his top 20.

Calvin Law said...

In retrospect, I think the worst Oscar decision ever made would have to be Dean Jagger winning 1949 supporting actor. They already kind of messed up by not nominating Welles, Guinness or Trevor Howard, but could've very easily rectified that by giving Ralph Richardson's great performance the win. Instead...

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: Also some of Louis' favourite actors don't have all that many 5's, just a lot of 4.5's and 4's (i.e. John Hurt, Viggo Mortensen, Raul Julia)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I understand your opinion. Personally, like Louis and many people on the blog, I believe that Peck was an okay actor. He's someone who would be on my list of least favorite actors or most overrated, lol. On To Kill A Mockingbird, I like Peck's performance but like I said before, it's simply a performance I'm not that fond of (I guess because of his stiffness or unconvincing Southern accent). I think that the only reason why Peck worked on the part of Atticus Finch was because the character was very much like himself. On the other hand, the character that O'Toole had to portray was a very complex one, and I believe that he did very convincingly and I guess that's way. Plus, I think that some people would say it's blasphemous for people like Louis and me to prefer O'Toole over Peck and would call it an invalid opinion. All that matters on picking is a valid opinion. If you prefer O'Toole's complex characterization or Peck's respectable nobility, that's great. I strongly believe those are pretty valid opinions.
Anyway, it was great talking with you, Calvin. To each their own. :)

Anonymous said...

oh, I forget to say that (that's why many people prefer O'Toole's performance over Peck).

Anonymous said...

Damnit, I should have said, all that matters on picking your choice has to have a valid opinion.

Calvin Law said...

Don't get me wrong, O'Toole's my #3 leading performance in a film, of all-time. Peck is #21 I think. It's just the sentimental factor that gives Peck my vote.

Anonymous said...

Oh, okay. So, you actually prefer O'Toole's performance over Peck's, yet you give him the vote due to sentimental factor? Okay, I understand it now, Calvin.
Oh, and I would like to ask you something.
What are your thoughts on these four actresses?
Bette Davis
Barbara Stanwyck
Joan Crawford
Katharine Hepburn
Oh, and your favorite and least favorite of these actresses.

Calvin Law said...

Davis: I genuinely do love some of her performances like Dark Victory (win for 1939 although I have not seen Gone with the Wind yet), and Now Voyager (my win for 1942). I do think though when she's not great she gets very hammy and overwrought. An extreme actress but one I love at times.

Stanwyck: One of my favourite actresses. Obviously Double Indemnity is her highest height and she's spellbinding there. She's also great at really toning her allure down in Stella Dallas (another great performance), and I think she has a great knack for lighthearted comedy too.

Crawford: Haven't seen much of her but I've thoroughly liked her in all I've seen hee in. Sudden Fear (is that what it's called? With Jack Palance) was an excellent performance and I liked her a great deal in Mildred Pierce as well.

Hepburn: Never got the whole big deal about her as an actress. I find her particularly overrated for her winning performances, I like The Lion in the Winter well enough but I don't think her performance is all that special, there I said it. I've only ever really liked her in 'Bringing Up Baby'. Otherwise I find her a bit stagy and overly dramatic, essentially I find her style to be a lesser version of my favourite actress, Deborah Kerr, there I said that too, Kerr >> Hepburn.

Stanwyck



Davis
Crawford (although seeing more of her could easily propel her up)


Hepburn

Anonymous said...

Oh, sorry for annoying you once more, Calvin, but your thoughts on Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor and Audrey Hepburn. And of course, favorite to least favorite.
And that's all I have for now. See ya later.

Calvin Law said...

No worries I won't mind more, as you can tell I love writing lol

Bergman: Kinda like Hepburn, although I like her much more since I think she's great in the likes of Casablanca, Notorious (a film I don't like but she's still terrific, also Claude Rains is now a 5 for that I don't think my dislike of the film should taint my perception of that great performance), The Inn of Sixth Happiness etc. but there's several performances of her I really don't like.

Garbo: Haven't seen anything of hers yet. I need to rectify that ASAP.

Kelly: She was never much of an actress, but I did like her to an extent in The Country Girl, and thought her style worked for Rear Window and Dial M for Murder.

Monroe: I actually thought she had a great deal of charm, nothing incredible but she was good enough at working within her limitations, particularly in 'Bus Stop'.

Taylor: Very overrated actress who often dominated the screen in a not particularly appealing way. I actually think she wasn't a very good Martha in WAOVW, and it really reflects what I think is generally wrong with her style, her ego comes through too often.

Audrey Hepburn: my preferred Hepburn, blasphemous I know. She's always at the very least charming and appealing, and when she really tried she often turned in wonderful performances like in 'A Nun's Tale', 'Roman Holiday', 'Wait Until Dark', 'The Children's Hour'.

Hepburn
Bergman (for her highs)
Monroe


Kelly
Taylor


Anonymous said...

Louis, even if you prefer Garbo, do you still like Bergman as an actress? I think she's given many great performances. Also your thoughts in general on Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis? And, I know Dunne is 1937 and Garbo is 1936 by your rules, but considering they were nominated together, would you have voted for Garbo in Camille or Dunne in The Awful Truth?

Anonymous said...

Also, what are your thoughts on your top 10 actresses in general? I'm kind of surprised that Elizabeth Taylor is on the list, I thought you liked her. And I personally love Bette Davis, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep and Vanessa Redgrave (her performance in The Devils is incredible, and she's great in Isadora and The Bostonians as well), so I'm quite sad to see them on your list.

Anonymous said...

Oh and, third and last question I'm sorry, what are your ratings and thoughts on the two nominated supporting ladies from Mildred Pierce? I thought Blyth was very good although she overdoes her evilness a few times, and I liked Arden but she didn't do much.

RatedRStar said...

Louis was it a hard decision to give Sharif the win over Stamp, because well I keep mentioning I would like to think that it would be quite close between them?

Calvin Law said...

RatedRStar: I think a re-watch of Billy Budd could well bump Stamp up to a 4.5 for Louis. However, I don't think they'll be competing in the 1962 rankings because Stamp will be moved over to lead

Calvin Law said...

Stamp was probably a pleasant surprise nomination, considering Billy Budd was not nominated for anything which is a travesty, Art Direction and Adapted Screenplay would've been deserving.

RatedRStar said...

One problem I had with Katherine Hepburns work is that especially early in her career she would play the hottie who the guys chased but, am I the only person who doesn't think Hepburn is that attractive at all, like she seems more like your sister then a sexy type, unlike say Bergman who matter how bad she was sometimes she would still have a great appearance.

Calvin Law said...

I agree. I thought actresses of that period who conveyed sexual allure best were Stanwyck, Bergman, Bacall, Kerr.

RatedRStar: Have you seen Priscilla Queen of the Desert? With Terrence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce as transvestites haha

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous and Calvin: Olivier has 8 5s, Attenborough has 4, Nicholson has 7.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: With 1962 Lead, you forgot about James Mason in Lolita.

Anonymous said...

Why does that matter to you about Hepburn being attractice RatedRStar? when u r a gay?

Anonymous said...

Katharine Hepburn may not have been sexy but she was so full of life and lively that she was just enchanting. And in my opinion Lauren Bacall is not alluring at all, mostly because she's as expressive as a block of wood.

JackiBoyz said...

To that first Anoynmous what a pathetic answer that was that had nothing to do with the question, why would it matter if he was gay or not? I reckon your the same guy from before that was a jerk, just so stupid.

Anonymous said...

To the Anonymous who commented at 07:02... It's not like gay guys can't understand when a woman is attractive or not. What was the point of your comment?

By the way, Psifonian I just saw your Best Supporting Actress video and it's great. Love some of your new picks: Rainer in 1936, Clarkson in 2003, Eileen Brennan in 1973, Dietritch in 1958, Wright in 1946... I also liked your mention of Piper Laurie in 1961, even if I don't love her performance in that. I may not agree with all of your choices (dislike Brady in 1937, don't care for Bainter in 1938, and although she's very good I don't think Grace for Magnolia deserved to win in 1999 over Chloë Sevigny, Melora Walters and Nicole Kidman). I'd like to ask you, what do you think of Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut, Dogville and in general? What are the Streep performances you like (I know you're not a fan)? And why didn't you like Blue is the Warmest Colour? I pretty much loved it.

Luke Higham said...

Oh God!, Not this again.

JackiBoyz said...

Great, and now he probably wont appear on the blog for another long while, Louis can you delete these kind of comments in the future, because I am all for bickering and disagreements on films but this is just pointless and not necessary an not really about films.

RatedRStar said...

No am not going anywhere I will just ignore it and say.

Calvin Law: Yes I have seen the film, I thought it was fun and with a big heart =).

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Can I have your thoughts on your top ten overrated actresses.
I know that one of the anonymous readers asked for the same thing, but you might misinterpret it as your top ten favourite actresses instead.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with you, Calvin. I think Stanwyck was easily better than Davis, Crawford and Hepburn. She was so alluring and natural. Not to mention she was a very likable person. People say Streep is like Davis or Hepburn, but she's more like Stanwyck to me.
Anyway, on Katharine Hepburn, I loved her in The Lion in Winter along with O'Toole and they're my wins for 1968 Best Actor and Actress. And, yes I have seen Fonda in Once Upon A Time In the West and I give him the win for 1968 Best Supporting Actor.

Anonymous said...

I've got to wonder. What kind of rating Louis will give to Ralph Richardson's performance in Long Day's Journey to Night? And for Robert Mitchum and Peck in Cape Fear?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: For your Child Performance list, You forgot about Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story.

Calvin Law said...

RatedRStar: I really liked it myself. Although Hugo Weaving is probably the ugliest woman ever lol he was a riot. Pearce was good too but best of the lot was the moving but hilarious Stamp.

Anonymous: My MVP from Once Upon a Time in the West is actually Charles Bronson, who made the biggest impact on me.

I personally give Richardson a 4.5 verging on a 5. Louis might give him anything ranging from a 2.5 to a 5 for that, it's that divisive.

For Cape Fear I think he'd give Peck a 4 and Mitchum a 4.5/5.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean by MVP?

Calvin Law said...

My favourite performance (most valuable player, so to speak)

Anonymous said...

I think that the overall rank for 1939 Alternate Best Actor will be like this:
1st: Charles Laughton (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)- 5
2nd: Henry Fonda (Young Mr. Lincoln)- 4,5 or 5 (Likely 4,5)
3rd: James Cagney (The Roaring Twenties)- 4,5
4th: John Wayne (Stagecoach)- 4,5
5th: Charles Boyer (Love Affair)- 4,5
1939 is without a doubt one of the greatest years in film.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: You mean for the alternate lineup.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Because if that's the case, then it would be Gable, Laughton, Stewart, Olivier and Fonda in the top 5.

Anonymous said...

For Alternate Best Actor 1976
John Wayne- The Shootist (4,5/5)
Dustin Hoffman- All the President's Men and Marathon Man (4,5)
Robert Redford- All the President's Men (4)
Gregory Peck- The Omen (4)
For Alternate Best Supporting Actor
Robert Shaw- Robin and Marian (5)
Hal Holbrook- All the President's Men (4,5)
Carl Weathers- Rocky (4)
Yeah,that's what I meant, Luke.

Anonymous said...

For 1940 Alternate Best Actor
Cary Grant- Philadelphia Story (4,5)
Cary Grant- His Girl Friday (4,5 or 5)
James Stewart- The Shop Around The Corner (4,5 or 5)
Gary Cooper- The Westerner (Likely a 2 or a 2,5)
Even if Grant gets a 5, Olivier is going to win.
For 1940 Alternate Best Supporting Actor
George Sanders in Rebecca and Foreign Correspondent (4,5 or 5, I don't know)
Herbert Marshall in Foreign Correspondent (4,5)
I think that Brennan's win is assured.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
1976:
Male Lead
Wayne - 5
Hoffman - 4/4.5 for ATPM and 4.5 for Marathon Man
Redford - 4.5
Peck - 4/4.5 (Personally, I'm hoping for the latter)
Male Supporting
Shaw - 5 (It's Shaw, so of course he's getting a 5)
Holbrook - 4.5/5
Weathers - 4.5
The Omen
Warner - 3.5/4
Troughton - 3/3.5
Female Lead
Spacek - 5
Female Supporting
Whitelaw - 5
Laurie - 4.5/5

Anonymous said...

Who will likely win 1962 Best Supporting Actor. Ryan or Sellers? Personally, both of them would get 5's from me.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Ryan, also Sellers has yet to get a 5 and I don't expect it to change anytime at all (He originally gave him a 5 for Strangelove, though whether it was by accident or not, I can't remember). Sharif might go up to a 5 for Lawrence Of Arabia and I wouldn't discount Rains, Duvall (TKAM) or Nakadai (Sanjuro) either.

Anonymous said...

I don't exactly if Rains is going to get a 5, more like a 4,5. Duvall, a 5? Really, he's good with the little screentime he has, but I'm not sure if he would get a 5 from Louis. I think that Louis would give him like a 4 or 4,5. Nakadai will probably get a 5 or a 4,5.

Anonymous said...

*Oh, I should have said I don't know exactly. Sorry about that.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'll clarify a bit further. I didn't really mean that Rains and Duvall were getting fives, we might not even get fives at all for the year, although it's quite unlikely since Louis said awhile back that he's yet to review Ryan's best villainous work and we all know his love for Kurosawa so it's a three way fight between Ryan, Nakadai and Sharif.

Calvin Law said...

1939:
1. Gable
2. Laughton
3. Stewart
4. Cagney
5. Olivier

I'm hoping Donat will be bumped up to a 5.

1976
1. Finch
2. Wayne
3. Redford
4. Giannini
5. Peck

1. Olivier
2. Holbrook
3. Shaw
4. Weathers
5. Meredith

1940
1. Olivier
2. Stewart
3. Chaplin
4. Grant
5. Fonda

1. Brennan
2. Sanders
3. Carradine
4. Marshall
5. Frank Morgan for The Mortal Storm if Louis watches it

1962 Supporting, can't wait. I'm predicting:

1. Sharif
2. Ryan
3. Nakadai
4. Sellers
5. Rains
6. Ferrer
7. Guinness
8. Duvall
9. Laughton
10. Quayle

Calvin Law said...

I'm not expecting a 5 for Duvall but it'd be a pleasant surprise if he does. I'm also hoping Brock Peters will get a 4 or 4.5

RatedRStar said...

Calvin Law: Yes Stamp is just wicked lol, a very different Stamp then anything before him.

Luke: I would say Rains and Duvall would get 4.5s also, I mean I reckon there will be 10 reviews (I reckon Lawrence Of Arabia cast should count as one to give others a chance)

Calvin Law said...

Also my Lawrence Arabia guesses are wild guesses. Just purely based on Louis' usual preferences for ensembles I'd say:

Rains: 4.5/5
Ferrer: 4.5/5
Guinness: 4.5/5
Quayle:4 to 5
Hawkins: 4.5
Kennedy: 4
Quinn: 4

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I'm in agreement with you.

Calvin Law said...

RatedRStar: I've been giving out more 5's to Rains recently, bumped him up for Lawrence and Notorious. I'm also hoping that Louis might someday bump his performance in Casablanca up to a 4.5, it just doesn't seem right that he gets a 4.5 for Mr Skeffington but just a 4 for that lovable French rogue.

Calvin Law said...

Luke, RatedRStar, anyone: Best picture/director choices for 1939, 1940, 1962 and 1976?

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Your predicted ratings for The Omen cast and Spacek and Laurie in Carrie.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin
1939: Gone With The Wind/Victor Fleming
1940: The Great Dictator/ Charlie Chaplin
1962: Lawrence Of Arabia/David Lean
1976: Network/Martin Scorsese for Taxi Driver

Calvin Law said...

1939: Goodbye Mr Chips, Frank Capra for Mr Smith Goes to Washington

1940: The Shop Around the Corner, Alfred Hitchcock for Foreign Correspondent

1962: To Kill a Mockingbird, David Lean for Lawrence of Arabia

1976: Rocky, Alan J. Pakula for All the President's Men

Calvin Law said...

Carrie: No question 5's for both. I mean Spacek is his favourite actress and that's probably her greatest performance.

Omen: Peck a 4.5 methinks. Warner, Troughton and McKern would all get 3 to 3.5's. And I think Whitelaw might get a 5.

Calvin Law said...

Also, my director win for 1940 would be Chaplin as well, my bad.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Do you think an upset is possible for 1939 lead, and if so, who has the biggest chance of snatching the win from Gable, I think Laughton has a slim chance but very slim.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: His favourite at the moment you mean, since Ullmann, Cotillard and Watts might change that in the next couple of years.

Calvin Law said...

Also 1939 supporting will probably be, either Mitchell, Rains, or an Oz chap for the win, hopefully my request Richardson'll be right on their heels. My win for the year though is Rains in Mr Smith Goes to Washington.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I think Gable's Win is set in stone already.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'll go with Mitchell for Supporting.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Yep, I think out of those three Cotillard has the biggest chance. Since he's seen quite a bit of Watts already. Ullmann he seems to have loved in everything he's seen her in. So there's a chance.

Calvin Law said...

I really need to watch Gone With the Wind. ASAP

Anonymous said...

1939: Gone With The Wind/Victor Fleming
1940: Rebecca/Alfred Hitchcock
1962: Lawrence of Arabia/David Lean
1976: Taxi Driver/Martin Scorsese
By the way, Calvin, Luke, RatedRStar, your choices for Best Actress 1940-1949.
I'll give my choices.
1940- Joan Fontaine (Rebecca)/Rosalind Russell (His Girl Friday) (TIE)
1941- Barbara Stanwyck (The Lady Eve)
1942- Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca)
1943- Teresa Wright (Shadows of a Doubt)
1944- Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity)
1945- Celia Johnson (Brief Encounter)
1946- Ingrid Bergman (Notorious)
1947- Deborah Kerr (Black Narcissus)
1948- Joan Fontaine (Letter From An Unknown Woman)
1949- Olivia de Havilland (The Heiress)

Oh, I forgot. I think Louis will give a 4,5 for Duvall's performance in Network. I think that Clint Eastwood in The Outlaw Josey Wales will probably be reviewed. If Louis sees Carrie, he'll likely will prefer Spacek over Dunaway, since she's his favorite actress.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: any requests for my next head-to-head, I'm thinking maybe Caligula, but I need to find time to start I Claudius. Right now I'm thinking perhaps Francis Urquhart v.s. Frank Underwood, House of Cards.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I think by the end of the bonus rounds, either Cotillard or Ullmann will have the most 5s, though the former is more likely since she has Macbeth this year and it's no secret that Louis's wanting to start the bonus rounds off with 2012 (Rust And Bone).

Calvin Law said...

1940- Joan Fontaine (Rebecca)
1941- Barbara Stanwyck (Ball of Fire)
1942- Bette Davis (Now, Voyager)
1943- Teresa Wright (Shadows of a Doubt)
1944- Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity)
1945- Celia Johnson (Brief Encounter)
1946- Deborah Kerr (I See a Tall Dark Stranger)
1947- Deborah Kerr (Black Narcissus)
1948- Moira Shearer (The Red Shoes)
1949- Olivia de Havilland (The Heiress)

Calvin Law said...

Duvall would be a very worthy 4.5 for Network.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
1940 - Fontaine/Rebecca
1941 - Davis - The Little Foxes
1942 - Bergman - Casablanca
1943 - Wright - Shadow Of A Doubt
1944 - Stanwyck - Double Indemnity
1945 - Johnson - Brief Encounter
1946 - Bergman - Notorious
1947 - Kerr - Black Narcissus (Haven't seen a great deal from this year)
1948 - De Havilland - The Snake Pit
1949 - De Havilland - The Heiress

Calvin: Go with Richardson/Spacey (House Of Cards) for now, then the Thomas Cromwell lineup, which I'm highly anticipating, although that's due to reading your review of Rylance's work in Wolf Hall.

Spacek has way more screentime as well than Dunaway.

Calvin Law said...

Cromwell might take a while as I've only seen McKern and Rylance so far...and I guess that forgettable bloke in The Other Boelyn Girl. Ugh.

Calvin Law said...

But yeah it'll be a glowing review for Mr Rylance to put it mildly

Luke Higham said...

We now have the most commented page on the blog. =)

Anonymous said...

My choices for Best Actress 1960-1969
1960- Janet Leigh (Psycho) (Yes, over Sophia Loren and Jean Simmons)
1961- Deborah Kerr (The Innocents)
1962- Geraldine Page (Sweet Smell of Youth)
1963- Ingrid Thulin (The Silence)
1964- Kim Stanley (Seance on a Wet Afternoon)
1965- Elizabeth Hartman (A Patch of Blue)
1966- Elizabeth Taylor (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
1967- Audrey Hepburn (Wait Until Dark)
1968- Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter)
1969- Maggie Smith (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: For Cromwell, I forgot to mention James Frain in The Tudors, though it's probably gonna take too long to get through. Just watch Wolfe Morris in the TV Version of Henry VIII and his Six Wives. The film version's (Pleasence) very hard to find, though I have seen it myself on a TV Broadcast.

Instead of Cromwell, maybe Hannibal Lecter.

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

1960- Jean Simmons - Elmer Gantry
1961- Deborah Kerr - The Innocents
1962- Geraldine Page - Sweet Bird of Youth
1963- Ingrid Thulin - The Silence
1964- Kim Stanley - Seance on a Wet Afternoon
1965- Elizabeth Hartman - A Patch of Blue
1966- Bibi Andersson - Persona
1967- Faye Dunaway - Bonnie And Clyde
1968- Katharine Hepburn - The Lion in Winter
1969- Maggie Smith - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Anonymous said...

Best Actress 1927-1929
1927: Janet Gaynor (Sunrise- A Tale of Two Humans)
1928: Lillian Gish (The Wind)/Maria Falconetti (Passion of Joan of Arc) (TIE)
1929: Louise Brooks (Pandora's Box)
Best Actress 1930-1939
1930- Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel)
1931- Marie Dressler (Min and Bill)
1932- Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express)
1933- Greta Garbo (Queen Christina)
1934- Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night)
1935- Katharine Hepburn (Alice Adams)
1936- Greta Garbo (Camille)
1937- Irene Dunne (The Awful Truth)
1938- Bette Davis (Jezebel)
1939- Vivien Leigh (Gone With The Wind)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'll give you my choices for 2000-2015.
2000: Ellen Burstyn - Requiem For A Dream
2001: Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive
2002: Oksana Akinshina - Lilya 4-Ever
2003: Charlize Theron - Monster
2004: Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake
2005: Felicity Huffman - Transamerica
2006: Laura Dern - Inland Empire
2007: Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose/Tang Wei - Lust, Caution/Anamaria Marinca - 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days
2008: Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long
2009: Kim Hye-Ja - Mother
2010: Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone/Yoon Jeong-Hee - Poetry
2011: Tilda Swinton - We Need To Talk About Kevin
2012: Marion Cotillard - Rust And Bone
2013: Marion Cotillard - The Immigrant
2014: Essie Davis - The Babadook

RatedRStar said...

Omg so much to keep track of lol um ye what they said also lol =D

Anonymous said...

Luke, your choices for 1960-1969 Best Actor

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
1960: Anthony Perkins - Psycho
1961: Toshiro Mifune - Yojimbo
1962: Peter O'Toole - Lawrence Of Arabia
1963: Toshiro Mifune - High And Low
1964: Tom Courtenay - King & Country
1965: Terence Stamp - The Collector
1966: Eli Wallach - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
1967: Robert Blake - In Cold Blood
1968: Henry Fonda - Once Upon A Time In The West
1969: Dustin Hoffman - Midnight Cowboy

Anonymous said...

Well, here's my choices.
1960- Anthony Perkins- Psycho
1961- Toshiro Mifune- Yojimbo/Paul Newman- The Hustler (TIE)
1962- Peter O'Toole- Lawrence of Arabia)
1963- Paul Newman- Hud (Mifune's my 2#.)
1964- Peter Sellers- Dr. Strangelove
1965- Richard Burton/Terence Stamp/Sean Connery
1966- Richard Burton- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Wallach is 2#, Scofield is 3#, Nakadai #4, Caine #5)
1967- Dustin Hoffman- The Graduate (Blake, Newman, Steiger and Poitier were also great.)
1968- Peter O'Toole- The Lion in Winter (I put Fonda in supporting and gave him the win.)
1969- Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight- Midnight Cowboy (TIE)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Your ratings and thoughts on Reed and Redgrave in The Devils.

Anonymous said...

I don't remember much of the film, but I thought they were good.
What are your thoughts on Fredric March, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, Laurence Olivier, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck and James Cagney as actors?
And also, who is your favorite of these four actresses?
Stanwyck, Davis, Crawford or Hepburn?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Stanwyck

It will take me quite a while to write my thoughts on them, but I'll say that I love Olivier, Stewart & Cagney and like the rest well enough apart from Cooper.

Louis Morgan said...

I should note Olivier is still my number one British actor although Mifune is my favorite overall. I had not noticed I accidentally put Attenborough number one and misread Calvin's question.

Anonymous:

Meryl Streep (She's actually a good actress, but not he greatest of all time. She too often seems to just go any direction she wishes with a character sometimes really make little out of material with potential. I don't even find her early work as revelatory as some, although there definitely is good work there. She has talent, I just find the greatest of all time treatment to be a bit much)

Julia Roberts (Alright this is much more of an active dislike. I find her movie star turns to be cloying and charmless. Then I find her serious work to be very oddly mechanical and off putting. The most I've liked her was in August Osage County, and even then I thought she was fine only for about half the film)

Natalie Portman (She has Leon and Cold Mountain. I find her pretty lackluster in everything else though)

Grace Kelly (She's good in Rear Window, but underwhelming in everything else I've seen her in)

Elizabeth Taylor (Overrated is different from dislike. I actually do quite like her in A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for example. I'm not in love with her work in Virginia Woolf as some are though, and I do think she can be downright terrible sometimes. Such as in Cleopatra or some of those other glamor parts she did with Burton, other than The Taming of the Shrew)

Vanessa Redgrave - (Again I don't dislike her it's just the level of praise she receives, although I probably should see the Devils. It's just I don't think she haunts Julia nor does she steal Prick Up Your Ears, Atonement, or Howard's End in just a few minutes as some say she does. Having said all that I think she's at least decent in all those performances, but I have not seen a truly great performance from her yet. Although I haven't seen The Devils)

Judi Dench - (Find her doing the serious wise old lady routine can be too boring and she too often coasts on the same thing without bringing any alteration. I'd say that's what made Philomena for example quite intriguing since it was a potentially similair character for her, but it felt new. Too often though that's not the case)

Scarlett Johansson - (Just don't find the appeal as I find her to be wooden most of the time. Her best performance is in Her, but even then I found the praise she was getting kind of aggravating as though a vocal performance was never worthy of praise before she did it)

Jane Fonda - (Level of praise again as I do rather like her in They Shoot Horses Don't They?. I do think she can have too mannered of a screen presence though)

Bette Davis - (Similar boat to Streep and Fonda. I actually often like her performances but if she wants to be she can go way off the deep end like in Mr. Skeffington)

Jackiboyz:

I try to delete purposefully hateful or trolling comments (towards other commentators) if I see them first, unfortunately that is not always the case.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: You will see The Devils, since I did request Reed for '71 Lead. =)

I'm not particularly confident that you will give Redgrave a 5 for it either, as she has a very important 8 minute scene involving herself and a group of nuns having sex with a statue of Jesus Christ, which has yet to be restored.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Also even though prefer Garbo and don't care for Bergman's performances in Joan of Arc and For Whom the Bell Tolls I do still like her as an actress particularly in Casablanca, Notorious, Gaslight and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Can you repost your rating for Bergman in Gaslight.

Louis Morgan said...

4.5

Anonymous said...

Oh, and uh, Louis, thoughts on
Fredric March in Inherit the Wind and Desperate Hours
Humphrey Bogart in Desperate Hours and Key Largo.
Your thoughts on Stanwyck in general and do you prefer her over Crawford and Katharine Hepburn
Also, are Wayne and Stewart a possibility for 1976 Alternate Best Actor and Supporting?
Finally, what are your thoughts on Fredric March, Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney as actors in general?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Wayne's a definite. I'm not sure about Stewart though.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
March - 4(When March does not ham it up he's usually good, and he does not ham it up here. He's very good at creating the titular desperation as the film progresses through, and builds it up quite well. When the climax hits March absolutely earns his well delivered out burst and makes the end particularly satisfying)

Anonymous said...

Louis SEE Autumn Sonata. Both Bergman and Ullmann are just amazing, 5 star performances.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'm pretty sure he'll see it when he gets to 1978, as he liked almost all of Ingmar Bergman's work, that he's seen so far. (Don't know his opinion on Through The Glass Darkly)

Robert MacFarlane said...

Do you listen to any podcasts, Louis?

Anonymous said...

Your thoughts on March, Marvin and Bridges in The Iceman Cometh, Claudia Cardinale in Once Upon A Time in the West and Charles Bronson in the Indian Runner?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Don't you think that's enough for one day. I mean, we don't want to wait another 2-3 days for the review, with Louis being quite busy for the past 2 months.

Anonymous said...

If you were to choose between Garbo (Camille) and Dunne (The Awful Truth) for Best Actress 1937 among the Oscar nominees, who would you choose?

Anonymous said...

Oh, and your thoughts and ratings on Blyth and Arden in Mildred Pierce?

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

Anonymous: I'm not having a shot at you, by any means, I'd just like a bit of restraint when it comes to asking for ratings & thoughts on performances that you like since the page is bloated.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin, RatedRStar and Louis:
Suicide Squad Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3hecGO_04

RatedRStar said...

Omg 156 comments now Louis you feel popular =D lol

Luke: Ehh it looks alriteish I guess, I am not entirely optimistic, I see it having a major problem in that because there are many characters its likely that the film will struggle to juggle them all and give them enough time and depth.

RatedRStar said...

I am not really sure about that Leto voice, doesn't seem very well, jokerish I guess lol seems quite underplayed which I am not sure is the right way to go, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn actually looks like she captures the character well enough.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Robbie is the only one I'm excited for. Okay, maybe Davis too, but that's because I like that character more than most.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis, something I'm confused about. In the 2012 Best Actor Line-Up, you have Day-Lewis (Lincoln) ahead of Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), but in your overall line up, you have Phoenix at #1, with Day Lewis at #2.

Anonymous said...

Eh, looks okay. Robbie looks good and Leto as Joker is just...ehh. What's the point of this trailer anyway? Bad guys doing good things? Really?

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: In Louis's summary, he said that Day-Lewis was his winner for the moment. That's why he hasn't switched their positions on the 2012 Lead/Supporting nominees results page. Phoenix is his favourite for the year, so I'd just ignore it if I were you.

Calvin Law said...

Oh wow, the record has been broken lol this page is a hefty one indeed. I'll give my Actor wins for the 60s and 2000s and 1920s at some later point.

Luke and RatedRStar: Leto's approach seems a bit low-key I agreee but she could be good. Robbie seems perfectly cast.

Psifonian said...

"Steve Jobs" had an unembargoed screening last night. Word is that it's well-acted, with Fassbender and Winslet almost assured nominations, but the third act is problematic and Boyle is evidently uninspired in terms of direction.

Luke Higham said...

Well, there goes Fassbender's 5 star rating. A 4.5 is what I'm hoping for anyway and should have his best performance of the year with Macbeth.

I guess Fincher was sorely needed for the film.

Psifonian said...

While I'm by no means a fan of Danny Boyle (save for his Garland collaborations and "Shallow Grave"), I really didn't want Fincher anywhere near this. His doom-and-gloom aesthetic is really wearing thin on me; he needs to (figuratively and literally) lighten the hell up. Seriously, get a goddamn lighting rig, Dave. That's why I'm leery about "Utopia" (well, that and Gillian Flynn is just awful).

That said, he did pair well with Sorkin last time. But wouldn't it be hilarious if Fincher had done it and lost out to Hooper again?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Can I Have a list of your top ten overrated & underrated directors with thoughts on all of them.

Luke Higham said...

Psifonian: Yes, it would. =)

America, please leave our shows alone.

Luke Higham said...

With The Office and House Of Cards as exceptions.

Calvin Law said...

I dunno mate, watching the American House of Cards now and while it's alright, it's nothing compared to the original. And Kevin Spacey can't hold a candle to Richar...oh wait, I shouldn't say too much yet.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I like it well enough, I'm just glad it wasn't a disaster.

Calvin Law said...

Also outside of Robin Wright who's by far the best thing on the show, the supporting players are all pale imitations of the Brits. Corey Stoll, most certainly no Miles Anderson. And Kate Mara's pretty mediocre thus far. Especially compared with the brilliant Susannah Harker.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Agreed.

Calvin Law said...

It's not bad Luke, don't get me wrong. I just feel that maybe they should've called it something else entirely, since the basis on the UK series really doesn't do it much favour.

Calvin Law said...

I agree with you about The Office though. I like both shows though, and the cast member preferences vary (i.e. Carrell over Gervais, Freeman and Crook over Kra-whats his name and Wilson)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Once again, I agree with you.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Eh, I've always liked the doom-and-gloom, green-tinted aesthetic. Then again, that might just be personal taste considering I've always liked darker shades of color.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Your top ten overrated directors.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Honestly, I was worried about Steve Jobs less because of Boyle being in the director's chair instead of Fincher and more because Aaron Sorkin has overstayed his welcome. His screenplay for The Social Network is great even if his flaws as a writer were there. But when he's let off of the leash? We get something as unforgivably awful like The Newsroom. The fact that the third act is being criticized doesn't sound too surprising. I am surprised that Winslet's getting good reviews considering Sorkin's ability to write female characters died once he was fired from The West Wing.

Calvin Law said...

I'll give both over and underrated, but only 5 each as I can't think that well now.

1. Sam Mendes (let hellfire rain on me)
2. Robert Altman
3. Ridley Scott
4. Oliver Stone
5. Ron Howard

1. Carol Reed
2. Guy Green
3. Guillermo del Toro
4. Tony Richardson
5. Joseph Losey

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Have you seen any new releases recently.

Calvin: I like both your lists, even if I somewhat disagree on Mendes.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm in total agreement on Mendes. I didn't even think Skyfall was that good.

RatedRStar said...

Michael Fassbender getting good reviews and another nomination is good.

hehehehehehhe everything is going to plan so far isnt it Luke and fellow Fassy fans =D


I actually do like Danny Boyle, I mean I actually think his style adds to films that could have been boring, although I think Slumdog is still boring even with his help and The Beach is just misguided.

127 Hours and Trainspotting would be my favorite Boyle films so far.

Shallow Grave I think is an interesting enough film, and I disagree slightly with Siskel and Eberts review on it, I think we were supposed to hate these characters, I wished that there was a bit more humour though to be honest.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: I like Road To Perdition and Love Skyfall, didn't like American Beauty, Jarhead, Away We Go and Revolutionary Road.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: =)

My Favourite Boyle film is a tie between Trainspoting and 28 Days Later.

RatedRStar said...

I cant help but say this, I love Skyfall =D I thought it was nearly flawless and I usually dislike Mendes but here I thought he was great, the film from its music, cinematography, acting, excitement, drama and how tense it really was, I would have my top 5 bond films like this.

1)Casino Royale
2)From Russia With Love
3)Skyfall
4)Goldfinger
5)Goldeneye

RatedRStar said...

I also do like Road To Perdition, its sprinkled in classiness.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Somewhat = Moderate

Anonymous said...

If the Academy nominates Fassbender for next year, I'll bet it's Steve Jobs.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: That's by far the obvious choice.

Calvin Law said...

I hate Revolutionary Road, Away We Go and American Beauty. Don't particularly like Jarhead or Road to Perdition. And I really like Skyfall even though I dislike Craig's bond, but really based on one factor only: Bardem. My top 5 Bond films?

1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. From Russia With Love
3. Goldfinger
4. Skyfall
5. Goldeneye

I also like Boyle as a director generally, although I do think my enjoyment of the likes of Trainspotting and Shallow Grave are mostly heightened by the brilliant acting of McGregor, Ecclestone, Carlyle etc.

Luke Higham said...

*Trainspotting

Calvin Law said...

As for the Academy I hope Mr Holmes will still be in awards conversations by 2016. McKellen should have more than 2 nominations at this point, he should've been nominated in 1995, and 2003 for Richard III and Emile.

Anonymous said...

Nearing 200 comments, folks...

Anonymous said...

2015 seems like it'll be a even better year than 2013 or 2014. Anyway, I except DiCaprio and Hardy to be nominated this year.

Luke Higham said...

Come on people, we're almost there.

Calvin Law said...

Also I think he should've won in 1998. Norton was never going to win, he was a surprise nominee, Begnini can fuck off, Nolte was alright, Hanks was good, McKellen was exceptional.

I won't grudge his 2001 loss as Broadbent was deserving as well, and it felt good to see an underrated character actor win.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: You don't seriously think Louis's gonna give more than 17 5s this year, which is the current record set by last year.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: They're definitely locks, I've heard rumours that Poulter has an incredibly meaty role too, sounds good.

Michael McCarthy said...

I just wanted to acknowledge a previous comment and say I disagree ENTIRELY about Corey Stoll. I haven't seen the UK version but I think he was excellent in House of Cards and may have even been the MVP of the first season.

In regards to Skyfall, I gotta say I really liked it too. What I actually liked most about it was its attitude of "Ok, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace were a prologue, and this is where the real Bond movies start happening." Also of course I though Bardem was great, an that sihouetted fight scene earlier on was just beautiful.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: If were talking about the quality of nominees in both categories, I'd have to say no unfortunately.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Yeah, I wasn't big on Road to Perdition to be honest. Sort of wimpy for a film about 20's era gangsters with pitiful attempts to ape off of Malick's style. Plus it features the worst I've seen from Jude Law as an actor.

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