Sunday 16 August 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1976: Gregory Peck in The Omen

Gregory Peck did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Robert Thorn in The Omen.

The Omen tells the story of a U.S. diplomat who receives a replacement for his son, unfortunately the boy appears to be the antichrist. It's a pretty good horror film, with an especially memorable score, although I don't think it quite gets under the skin the way The Exorcist did, the film this one is clearly trying to ape.

In the seventies many of the old time Hollywood actors find themselves in parts and films that were quite the far cry from their earlier films. This was certainly the case for Gregory Peck being in this film. Being in a film of this nature could easily lead such an actor to go BIG, which Peck would do two years later in The Boys From Brazil, although I must admit that I, and apparently everyone else, like that performance. That's not the case here for The Omen as Peck does not use it as an excuse to play into the rather extreme and in someways absurd tone of the story. Peck instead really downplays his part as the American diplomat in England who after the death of his son, apparently in childbirth, he is offered oddly a new one by a questionable priest. Peck's actually really quite good in providing just the honest emotions of the situations as he conveys Thorn's confusion over the request while realizing the certain emotional vulnerability in him at the time which makes him conducive to the strange request of the priest to take this other child as his own.

After this point he and his wife (Lee Remick) seem content enough with "their" child Damien this until some strange this start to occur starting at Damien's birthday party where his current Nanny hangs herself in front of the party claiming it was all for Damien. This scene sets up the point of much of Peck's performance in the film as Thorn is one of the many witnesses to the hanging. That being quite a very down to earth human reaction to the very bizarre occurrences that all seem to surround his adopted son in some way. Peck's very good in this scene in making the horror feel real through his own realistic reaction fitting a man who has just scene a woman hang herself apparently as a tribute for his son. This actually goes for every death in the film as Peck gives them a bit of extra weight past merely the shock factor by giving some humanity to them in addition to the shock factor. The majority of this comes from Peck who avoids falling into overacting and going in with some of the ridiculousness of the kills, but rather makes them far more horrifying by showing what a normal man's reaction would be to them.

Peck's performance though does go past simply giving something to the film's more extreme moments of violence. He also interestingly acts as one of the two straight men for the film, the other one being David Warner as a photographer whose photographs tell him more than he would like. The arc for Thorn begins when that same priest who gave him the baby now appears to him telling him that the child is in fact the antichrist and must be destroyed. Peck does well to begin as one would expect which is simply sheer disbelief and confusion over these revelations, as they seem to be complete nonsense. When the odd yet tragic events begins though things begin to change. Peck is very effective in portraying the gradual change in his character. As that initial confusion becomes more of a concerned puzzlement as problems continue to occur, to slowly something more as it is evident that it clearly has something to do with his "son". Peck manages to find just the right natural approach in this as it never feels as though Thorn is being unrealistically stubborn, or far too easily accepting of such otherworldly ideas.

What Peck does particularly well is keeping the revelations with the severe attachment that this involves the boy he has raised himself, and Peck carefully keeps this alive in a certain pressure in Thorn explaining what keeps him from accepting the truth the way Warner's character does. Certain things work their way to get Thorn to move back this though, when the violence begins hitting closer to home. Peck is really quite moving in just the quiet despair he reflects when Thorn is told some especially horrible news over the phone. Peck is able to attach this within Thorn to almost wholly accepting the truth of it all, but unfortunately there is one problem to solve it all he must kill the boy. I'll admit a slight sour point for me comes from soon after the news as I feel Peck overacts just a tad in portraying Thorn's rejection as just a bit much, to me it felt like Peck in Spellbound which is not a good thing. Thankfully Peck more than makes up for it in the climatic scene where he realizes the terrible conflict in Thorn that forms his hesitations but also his convictions as he attempts to commit the deed despite it seeming so unbelievable. This is a strong performance from Peck as he manages to ground the film by keeping a human element within it, while stopping it from becoming simply a fright show.

122 comments:

Anonymous said...

What did you think of Remick and Whitelaw?
Also, how do you think Bogart's career would have continued had not he died in 1957? Oh, and the director and the rest of the cast for Taxi Driver (1930's Pre-Code)

Robert MacFarlane said...

1. Wayne
2. Eastwood
3. Carradine
4. Redford
5. Peck

Anonymous said...

Oh, and your top ten Peck performances.

Calvin Law said...

Thoughts and ratings on the rest of the cast? Also changing my predictions:

1. Wayne
2. Redford
3. Eastwood
4. Carradine
5. Peck

mcofra7 said...

1.Wayne
2.Eastwood
3.Redford
4.Carradine
5.Peck

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'm glad you liked him. :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your top ten Horror film scores.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Many of Bogart's contemporaries did not make many films later in their careers anyways, like Cagney for example, so he might have had a couple more films where he was the lead then gone probably into retirement with maybe, just maybe, some random return. For example if he lived all the way to 1985 one could easily see him in William Hickey's part in Prizzi's Honor.

Remick - 3(I find she rarely did not get a thankless role unfortunately. Again though she's good with the little she's allowed to do, and does portray in a rather realistic fashion a mother who's just basically fed up with her son)

Whitelaw - 5(She and Goldsmith are fighting it out for contributing the best thing to the film. She's outstanding though as she goes just far enough into the absurd without going over board in portraying such a sinister love in that way she looks at Damien. Beyond that she's so wonderfully off putting in being so excessively proper yet menacing in depicting her manner as that of a truly respectable British Nanny. She's helps build the atmosphere of dread brilliantly, and is just chilling when the full evil of her character comes out. She's especially frightening in the hospital scene, as I'd say she actually manages to have eyes perhaps as even scary as Kathleen Byron in Black Narcissus)

Taxi Driver (1930's James Whale)

Tom: William Powell
Sport: George Bancroft
Betsy: Jean Harlow
Wizard: Louis Wolheim

Anonymous:

Peck Top Ten:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. MacArthur
3. The Boys From Brazil
4. The Keys of the Kingdom
5. The Omen
6. The Gunfighter
7. The Guns of Navarone
8. Captain Newman M.D.
9. Roman Holiday
10. Twelve O'Clock High

Calvin:

Stephens - 3(He's good at doing the creepy face without over doing it, even though I don't feel he does all that much on the whole)

Warner - 4(From what I've seen Warner is always good and manages to add a little something by his sheer presence. Here he manages to make it feel like you've gotten to know his somewhat acerbic photographer pretty much just through his performance. That works well here where he's technically in a role that is mainly there to hear various exposition along with Peck. Like Peck he brings some gravity to the proceedings by nicely downplaying the part)

Troughton - 3(Not so much downplaying the part is Troughton but his rather expressive performance works in creating the derangement of his character rather well)

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

1. Psycho
2. Jaws
3. The Thing
4. Alien
5. The Omen
6. The Exorcist
7. Halloween
8. The Night of the Hunter
9. Videodrome
10. A Nightmare on Elm Street

Anonymous said...

What is your rating for Peck in Captain Newman M.D.? 3,5 or a 4? And what do you think would happen to Carole Lombard's career if she had never died in that tragic plane crash in 1942?

Calvin Law said...

Glad you loved Whitelaw, she's #4 on my all-time Best Supporting Actress list.

Calvin Law said...

Also, Louis: thoughts and rating for Benson Fong in The Keys of the Kingdom? You left him out of your 1944 supporting list, even though I remember him having a fairly substantial role.

Luke Higham said...

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Whitelaw's a 5. I Love you Louis. :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the decapitation scene.

Your Female Lead/Supporting Top 5s and other 4+ Performances for 1975 and 1978.

JackiBoyz said...

1. John Wayne
2. Clint Eastwood
3. Robert Redford
4. David Carradine
5. Gregory Peck

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your rating & thoughts on Leo McKern.

Calvin Law said...

Everyone: your top 10 horror films, and horror performances, of all-time

1. The Innocents
2. Jaws
3. Alien
4. The Exorcist
5. The Omen
6. Silence of the Lambs
7. Rosemary's Baby
8. Dead of Night
9. Don't Look Now
10. Scream

1. Deborah Kerr in The Innocents
2. Veronica Cartwright in Alien
3. Billie Whitelaw in The Omen
4. Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
5. Martin Stephens in The Innocents
6. Robert Shaw in Jaws
7. Toni Collette in The Sixth Sense
8. Edward Woodward in The Wicker Man
9. Yaphet Kotto in Alien
10. Donald Sutherland in Don't Look Now

Calvin Law said...

Also 10 actors who you never saw/never seen lead a horror film, that you'd like to see.

1. James Stewart
2. Carey Mulligan
3. Sidney Poitier
4. Daniel Day-Lewis
5. Ralph Richardson
6. Celia Johnson
7. Jeff Bridges
8. Al Pacino
9. Peter O'Toole
10. Anne Bancroft

Anonymous said...

Calvin:
1. Jaws
2. Psycho
3. The Thing
4. Alien
5. Halloween
6. The Shining
7. Silence of the Lambs
8. Nightmare on Elm Street´
9. Scream
10. The Omen
Performances
1. Anthony Perkins in Psycho
2. Robert Shaw in Jaws
3. Deborah Kerr in The Innocents
4. Billie Whitelaw in The Omen
5. Veronica Cartwright in Alien
6. Sigourney Weaver in Aliens
7. Janet Leigh in Psycho
8. Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
9. Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs
10. Sigourney Weaver in Alien

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I'm not so sure about who I'd like to see. Also, Pacino was in The Devil's Advocate, a horror film, by the way.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Shit, I forgot that he was supporting in that.

Calvin Law said...

Oh yeah, no it counts because I see him as leading in that with Reeves. In which case I'll replace him with Maggie Smith.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin:
Films
1. Psycho
2. The Exorcist
3. Jaws
4. Alien
5. The Wicker Man
6. The Innocents
7. Don't Look Now
8. The Devils
9. The Night Of The Hunter
10. Halloween
11. The Shining
12. I Saw The Devil
13. The Omen
14. The Silence Of The Lambs
15. The Thing
Performances (Personal Choices)
1. Robert Shaw in Jaws
2. Billie Whitelaw in The Omen
3. Edward Woodward in The Wicker Man
4. Anthony Perkins in Psycho
5. Choi Min-Sik in I Saw The Devil
6. Robert Mitchum in The Night Of The Hunter
7. Veronica Cartwright in Alien
8. Ian Holm in Alien
9. Oliver Reed in The Devils
10. Jason Miller in The Exorcist
Hon. Donald Sutherland in Don't Look Now/Anthony Hopkins in The Silence Of The Lambs

In terms of leading a horror film, my number 1 choice is definitely Carey Mulligan. My other choices are most likely actors I really like.

Calvin Law said...

I have a confession to make. I'm not a fan of The Night of the Hunter, at all. I think Mitchum is very good in it, as is Gish, and Laughton's direction has it's fair share of striking moments, but I don't know it felt a bit muted and boring, in my opinion.

Calvin Law said...

Also nearly forgot, Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: That's okay if you're not big of a fan. I myself have a little problem with the scene from To Kill A Mockingbird where Scout forces the mob to go home. It seems unrealistic to see a little girl forcing adults to go away.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Your Top 5 or 10 Horror film Moments
1. The Omen - Decapitation
2. The Exorcist - 'Could you help an old altar boy, father'
3. Jaws - Indianapolis Speech
4. The Wicker Man - Ending
5. Psycho - Shower

Anonymous said...

Luke: My top 5 horror moments
1. Psycho - Shower scene
2- Jaws- Indianapolis
3. The Thing- Spider Head
4. Alien- Chestburster scene
5. The Omen- Decapitation scene

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Forgot about the chestburster. It's tied 5th for me. :)

Michael McCarthy said...

Calvin: Sorry it's taken you so long to get back to you but here are my thoughts on Basquiat.

Wright inhabits the role of Basquiat so well that he rarely ever seems mannered even though he technically very much is. He has this casual approachable quality to him that makes him seem like any guy you could meet, but does equally well to bring to life the quiet eccentricities that made Basquiat such a unique artist. In every scene where he's creating art, he doesn't show Basquiat to be some kind of obsessive perfectionist who feels the need to put all of his blood, sweat and tears into every painting he does, he just lets his art come naturally and trusts his art to capture what he's feeling at any moment. One aspect the film handles quite well is his drug use, it never dwells on it too long making it possible for Wright to always make his addiction something that is present without it ever overwhelming the rest of his performance. Other than that, the film has some generic moments and I don't think it does enough with Basquiat's relationship with Warhol, but Wright never lets this weaken the impact he makes because his performance stays honest and relatable throughout the film and is quite moving when Basquiat loses his friend and mentor.

Bowie I thought was fine as Warhol, his impression was decent even though there were slight accent issues and like I said I think the film should've done more with his character.

Calvin Law said...

I will definitely be checking it out Michael. I really like Wright as an actor in general, and to see him get a good role for once, is an opportunity I can't pass up.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Show Me A Hero had a REALLY strong start.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Louis: I just have a question. Would you consider the following women lead or Supporting in their following films

Vivien Leigh in Ship of Fools

Julie Harris in East of Eden

Patricia Neal in Hud (Neal seems to be in the same situation as Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld in it comes to the category)

Anonymous said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on:
James Stewart in Call Northside 777 and Winchester '73
Joan Blondell in A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Karl Malden in Baby Doll
John Garfield and Spencer Tracy in Tortilla Flat (I know your thoughts, but not the ratings)
I think I asked you already for Bogart in The Harder They Fall, right? If not, could you repost it?

Calvin Law said...

Robert: How was Oscar Isaac.

Robert MacFarlane said...

He was fantastic.

Calvin Law said...

He's rapidly becoming one of my favourite actors working today.

Anonymous said...

Isaac is like the new Pacino.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Technically a reverse Pacino. He started off his mainstream career as a ham in Robin Hood and Sucker Punch, then launched into wonderfully subtle performances that got him acclaim.

Anonymous said...

Robert: You're right. But his performance in A Most Violent Year reminds me a lot of Pacino in Godfather 1.

Robert MacFarlane said...

The resemblance is uncanny, that's for sure.

Calvin Law said...

Everyone: your Lead/Supporting wins for 1960-1969.

1960: Jack Lemmon in The Apartment/Laurence Olivier in Spartacus

1961: Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo/Martin Stephens in The Innocents

1962: Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia

1963: Dirk Bogarde in The Servant (Courtenay is close behind)/Donald Pleasance in The Great Escape

1964: Peter Sellers and George C. Scott in Dr Strangelove

1965: Rod Steiger in The Pawnbroker/Tom Courtenay in Dr Zhivago (also Catherine Deneuve is my new win for Lead Actress, in Repulsion)

1966: Michael Caine in Alfie/John Hurt in A Man for All Seasons

1967: Sidney Poitier in In the Heat of the Night/Alan Arkin in Wait Until Dark

1968: Charles Bronson in Once Upon A Time in The West/Trevor Howard in The Charge of the Light Brigade

1969: Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid/Gig Young in The Shoot Horses Don't They?

Anonymous said...

I'll write all my acting winners.
1960: Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry//Janet Leigh, Psycho//Charles Laughton, Spartacus//Jean Simmons, Spartacus
1961: Paul Newman, The Hustler//Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's//Montgomery Clift, Judgement at Nuremberg//Pamela Franklin, The Innocents
1962: Jack Lemmon, Days of Wine and Roses//Lee Remick, Days of Wine and Roses//Brock Peters, To Kill a Mockingbird//Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate
1963: Paul Newman, Hud//Ingrid Thulin, The Silence//Melvyn Douglas, Hud//Patricia Neal, Hud
1964: Peter Sellers, Dr. Strangelove//Kim Stanley, Seance on a Wet Afternoon//George C. Scott, Dr. Strangelove//Lila Kedrova, Zorba the Greek
1965: Terence Stamp, The Collector//Samantha Eggar, The Collector//Oskar Werner, Ship of Fools//Simone Signoret, Ship of Fools
1966: Burton, Taylor, Segal and Dennis for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
1967: Paul Newman, Cool Hand Luke//Audrey Hepburn, Two for the Road//Alan Arkin, Wait Until Dark//Anne Bancroft, The Graduate
1968: Peter O'Toole, Lion in Winter//Katharine Hepburn, Lion in Winter//Gene Wilder, The Producers//Lynn Carlin, Faces
1969: Dustin Hoffman, Midnight Cowboy//Maggie Smith, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie//Gig Young, They Shoot Horses Don't They?//Pamela Franklin, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Calvin Law said...

1960: Jean Simmons in Elmer Gantry/Leigh
1961: Rita Tushingham in A Taste of Honey/Franklin
1962: Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker/Lansbury
1963: N/A, Neal
1964: Need to see more.
1965: Just remembered, Elizabeth Hartman in A Patch of Blue/ Signoret
1966: N/A for Lead, but for supporting Wendy Hiller for A Man for All Seasons
1967: Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark/Bancroft
1968: Hepburn/ Need to see more
1969: Smith/Susannah York in They Shoot Horses Don't They?

Anonymous said...

CAROL teaser, guys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt-WC9xa7qs

Very beautiful, I think.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

This is bound to change but oh well.

1960: Anthony Perkins in Psycho, Sophia Loren in Two Women, Janet Leigh in Psycho or Jean Simmons in Spartacus, Laurence Olivier in Spartacus
1961: Clark Gable in The Misfits, Audrey Hepburn in The Children's Hour or Vivien Leigh in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, Rita Moreno in West Side Story, Montgomery Clift in Judgment at Nuremburg
1962: Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mocking Bird or Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, Anne Bancroft or Patty Duke (Not sure if she should be lead or supporting) in The Miracle Worker, Shelley Winters in Lolita, Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia
1963: Paul Newman in Hud, Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, Patricia Neal in Hud, Melvyn Douglas in Hud
1964: Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins, Gladys Cooper in My Fair Lady, David Tomlinson in Mary Poppins
1965: Omar Sharif in Doctor Zhivago, Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, Vivien Leigh in Ship of Fools, Tom Courtenay in Doctor Zhivago
1966: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Wendy Hiller in A Man for All Seasons (Possibly Sandy Dennis), George Segal in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
1967: Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde, N/A, George Kennedy in Cool Hand Luke
1968: Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter, Shani Wallis in Oliver! (Maybe), Anthony Hopkins or Timothy Dalton in The Lion in Winter
1969: Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, N/A, Katharine Ross in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, N/A (I really have not seen anything else besides that)

Robert MacFarlane said...

I just realized that I meant to give Corey Hawkins in Straight Outta Compton a 4.5 instead of a 5 on the last topic. Sorry. Still great.

Anonymous said...

Carol looks amazing. The book is so great, I have high expectations.

Anonymous said...

I'll write mine then.
1960: Anthony Perkins in Psycho/Janet Leigh in Psycho/Laurence Olivier in Spartacus/Jean Simmons in Spartacus
1961: Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo and Paul Newman in The Hustler (TIE)/Deborah Kerr in The Innocents/Montgomery Clift in Judgment at Nuremberg/Judy Garland in Judgement at Nuremberg
1962: Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia/Geraldine Page in Sweet Smell of Youth/Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia or Robert Ryan in Billy Budd (TIE)/Angela Lansbury in the Manchurian Candidate
1963: Paul Newman in Hud (Mifune's my 2#)/Ingrid Thulin in The Silence/Melvyn Douglas in Hud/Patricia Neal in Hud
1964: Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove/Kim Stanley in Seance of a Wet Afternoon/George C. Scott and Sterling Hayden in Dr. Strangelove (TIE)/Lila Kedrova in Zorba
1965: Richard Burton in The Spy Who Came From The Cold/Elizabeth Hartman in A Patch of Blue/Tom Courtenay in Dr. Zhivago/Simone Signoret in A Patch of Blue
1966: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?/Sandy Dennis and George Segal in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1967: Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate/Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark/Alan Arkin in Wait Until Dark/Anne Bancroft in The Graduate
1968: Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter/Henry Fonda in Once Upon A Time In The West/Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby
1969: Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy (TIE)/Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie/Gig Young in They Shoot the Horses, Don't They?/Celia Johnson in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Calvin: Wasn't Courtenay your Best Actor 1962 win?

Anonymous said...

Oops, made a mistake. Franklin's my 1969 Best Supporting Actress.

Anonymous said...

*Sweet Bird of Youth.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: That was a while ago. He's still on the cusp of my all-time Top 10 Lead performances, but O'Toole has just stayed with me even more. My nominees that year, are:

1. O'Toole
2. Courtenay
3. Peck
4. Lemmon
5. Stewart

Calvin Law said...

1962 is my most competitive year. Lawrence of Arabia v.s. To Kill a Mockingbird for Best Picture. Bancroft v.s. Duke v.s. Page v.s. Remick v.s. Caron for Best Actress. All 5 Lead Actor nominees, plus Mason, Werner. In supporting, a dogfight between Duvall, Quayle, Sharif, Rains, Ryan, Sellers; Lansbury is the only fairly straightforward choice.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Since Page is Louis' choice for Best Actress 1962, I'm waiting to see the rating for Newman.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Well, my predictions for Louis' overall ranking for Best Actor
1. Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
2. James Mason in Lolita
3. Tom Courtenay in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
4. Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses
5. Toshiro Mifune in Sanjuro
6. Tatsuya Nakadai in Sanjuro
7. Oskar Werner in Jules and Jim
8. Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird
9. Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear
10. James Stewart in Who Shot Liberty Valance
11. Henri Serre in Jules and Jim
12. Laurence Harvey in The Manchurian Candidate
13. Paul Newman in Sweet Smell of Youth
14. Ralph Richardson in Long Day's Journey Into Night
15. Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate

Luke Higham said...

1. O'Toole
2. Courtenay
3. Mason
4. Lemmon
5. Peck
6. Stewart
7. Mitchum
8. Mifune
9. Werner
10. Harvey

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I think Nakadai's gonna be put in supporting.

Anonymous said...

My prediction for Best Supporting Actor
1. Ryan
2. Sellers
3. Sharif
4. Rains
5. Guinness
6. Quayle
7. Hawkins
8. Quinn
9. Kennedy
10. Duvall

Luke Higham said...

1. Ryan
2. Nakadai
3. Sharif
4. Sellers
5. Rains
6. Guinness
7. Duvall
8. Hawkins
9. Quinn
10. Kennedy

Anonymous said...

Luke: What ratings are you expecting for the Supporting nominees, apart from Sharif?

Robert MacFarlane said...

I think Werner will get lower and Harvey higher.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Forgot about Ferrer and I think he's gonna come 7th.
Ryan - 5
Nakadai - 5
Sharif - Might go up to a 5 on rewatch
Sellers - 4.5/5
Rains - 4.5
Guinness - 4.5
Ferrer - 4.5
Duvall - 4.5
Hawkins - 4/4.5
Quinn - 4/4.5
Quayle - 4 (From what I remember, Louis wasn't particularly enthusiastic in reviewing him)
Kennedy - 4


Luke Higham said...

Robert: I'm going back and forth between the two. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: What ratings are you expecting for Stewart, Mitchum, Werner and Harvey? And if possible, Newman in Sweet Bird of Youth?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: It's an incredibly strong year.
Stewart - 5
Mifune - 4.5/5
Mitchum - 4.5/5
Harvey - 4.5/5
Werner - 4.5
Newman - 4.5

Psifonian said...

1. I had a computer technical issue that ended up destroying all of my montage footage, so it's gonna be a long while recovering. It's a shame, too, as I was two clips away from completing Supporting Actor. Oh well, this'll teach me to double-down on backups.

2. I'm seriously, seriously considering breaking my "no TV" rule for Best Actor this year to account for Mark Rylance, even though it's a miniseries. If I did this, 2001 Best Supporting Actor would change as well (and go to Ron Livingston for "Band of Brothers"). Just out of curiosity: would you guys consider a finite miniseries a different format than a film, because if so, what makes a six-part series different from a two-part film (like "Angels in America"). Seriously wondering.

Luke Higham said...

Psifonian: If I took TV into account, Nothing's gonna top Rylance this year for me. The only performance I could see coming anywhere close to that is Ben Foster in The Program.

After The Bonus Rounds, would you like to see Louis do reviews for Television.

Anonymous said...

Psifonian: Since Schell is your win for 1961 Lead, then who's your 1961 Supporting winner?

Psifonian said...

Luke: I'm most curious to see "The Revenant" boys and Foster, of course (and Hardy in "Legend"; I'm a sucker for dual roles).

Anonymous: Clift.

Luke Higham said...

Psifonian: I'm really, really looking forward to those performances as well. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke & Psifonian: The 5 leading performances I'm looking for this year are:
DiCaprio in The Revenant
Hardy in Legend
Fassbender in Macbeth
Foster in The Program
Courtenay in 45 Years

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: My #4 is Fassbender in Macbeth, Johnny Depp's #5 for Black Mass and Courtenay's my honourable mention for 45 Years.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
1. Foster
2. DiCaprio
3. Hardy
Another Honourable Mention is Fassbender in Steve Jobs

Supporting
1. Hardy/Poulter/Gleeson
2. Rylance
3. Elba
4. Waltz
5. Russell/Jackson
Hon. Del Toro

Female Lead
1. Blanchett
2. Mara
3. Mulligan (Suffragette)
4. Vikander (The Danish Girl)
5. Rampling
Hon. Ronan

Female Supporting
1. Cotillard
2. Chastain
3. Leigh
That's about it really

Robert MacFarlane said...

I have to admit, I never even considered the possibility of counting in anything TV related on my own personal ballot, least of all miniseries. If I did, McConaughey would have been my win last year for True Detective Season 1 pretty easily, and Rami Malek would have made my Supporting lineup in 2010 for The Pacific.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Let's see if Redmayne can give a better performance in The Danish Girl than the one he gave in Theory of Everything.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I hope so, but we'll see. :)

Anonymous said...

Man, was Redmayne terrible in Jupiter Ascending.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Still haven't seen it yet, though I'm looking forward to his future Wiseau review.

Anonymous said...

Luke: The review'll be entertaining for sure.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm really not optimistic about Redmayne in The Danish Girl. He's been known to give bad and lacking performances as often as good ones, and even in The Theory of Everything he fell into some of the pitfalls of that type of performance. I'm betting that playing transgender will lead to some overacting from Redmayne, especially when you consider how poor his direction will likely be.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I actually think he sounds like a good fit for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Hell, he looks like he could have been a displaced Weasly.

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: Like any other actor or actress, I do want Redmayne to succeed, though I definitely see where you're coming from on this. I too have middling expectations, but I expect Vikander to be great, regardless of Hooper's direction.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I have a felling that the years down the road, Redmayne will have finally "earned" his Oscar for another performance, and he won't even be in the awards conversation. Call it a gut feeling.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: True. :)

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Psifonian: Since you're the biggest Cloud Atlas fan here and also the biggest Redmayne skeptic, what did you think of Jupiter Ascending?

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling that Redmayne will likely end up like Brody. Jupiter Ascending was just awful and The Danish Girl...well it hasn't been released. It could be okay or good, like The King's Speech.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Apart from The Damned United and to a moderate extent, Les Mis, like everyone else, I don't think Hooper's a good enough film director, whereas his TV work is far superior.

Luke Higham said...

To clarify, his direction's ok for Les Mis, I meant the film as a whole.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I think that the film was just okay for the most part as well. The shaky cam was one of the weirdest parts of the entire film.

Psifonian said...

Robert: Let's just say that I won't be watching "Sense 8" any time soon.

Michael McCarthy said...

I actually think Les Mis is his worst work as a director.

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: His direction was definitely the weakest aspect of that film, though I've liked The King's Speech less and less over the years.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Psifonian: Haha, it's rough, huh?

Psifonian said...

Robert: Eddie Redmayne should give back his Oscar after committing "Jupiter Ascending." Yes. I said "committing." That was an atrocity. He should give his Oscar back and sit in a corner and think about what he's done until he's old enough to know better. I think 89 is a sufficient age. Until then, no more acting.

Robert MacFarlane said...

But what a fascinatingly terrible performance it is! It's a performance so bad that it boggles any sense of logic or reason. Very few bad performances cause the discussion he caused. It's a grand jewel of shit, and it should be cherished for generations as the pinnacle of failure of the craft.

Anonymous said...

Robert: You're so right. It's right up there with Tommy Wiseau in The Room.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I CREATE LIFE!

... and I destroy it.

Calvin Law said...

If I counted television films/serials into my awards choices, I think the likes of Ian Richardson, Donald Sutherland and Alec Guinness, and Claire Foy too, would have several more wins under their belts.

Calvin Law said...

Psifonian: what are your thoughts on Ben Whishaw in Cloud Atlas.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Apparently Redmayne was up for Domhnall Gleeson's role in The Force Awakens and didn't get it. Which for me is funny because Gleeson strikes me as a more consistently good and diverse counterpoint to Redmayne.

Calvin Law said...

Also the more I think about Jupiter Ascending...the more I realise that actually, it could've all probably worked out with a different set of leads. I did not hate Tatum but I thought he handled the whole thing a tad, no, WAY to seriously. And Kunis was dreadful because she tried to give conviction but she's really not the sort of actress for that. I did not mind watching it personally because Redmayne was so fascinatingly awful, at least he was awful in an entertaining sort of way as opposed to the drab dullness of Kunis, Booth, and Tatum.

Calvin Law said...

Gleeson is definitely the better actor. In fact I think there's no one out there today who's better at making something out of nothing, script/characterwise. Just look at Unbroken, Calvary, True Grit, and to an extent, Ex Machina.

Calvin Law said...

And in About Time he makes a more endearing, likable, charismatic and just overall better Richard Curtis lead than Hugh Grant could ever aspire to.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: And Frank. :)

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Psifonian: I believe I have seen some of your videos. Are you the one who makes the "Psifonian Awards" videos, or am I mistaking you for someone else?

Anyways, I would totally understand adding people from miniseries or a TV movie to a list. For example, My best Actor for 1977 is Robert Powell for Jesus of Nazareth. I might even go as far as to add voice acting as well, if I am not quite impressed with live action performances for that year.

Robert: "It's a grand jewel of shit". I might use this one day, but I am giving you credit now, because I was laughing so hard when I read it. By the way, I have never seen Jupiter Ascending, but having been here, I really do not plan to.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I haven't actually seen the whole thing, I just skipped to the parts with Redmayne and laughed my ass off. I wish we had more bad performances like him and Kiefer Sutherland in Pompeii.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: AMEN TO THAT. :)

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Robert: Guess I'll be skipping Pompeii too. And Louis HAS to do a Redmayne review. I want to laugh as much as I did in the Wiseau review!

Psifonian said...

I love the entire ensemble of "Cloud Atlas." Whishaw barely misses my lineup, but he is so good and plays against D'Arcy and Broadbent beautifully.

And to whomever asked, yes, I am the person who does the Psifonian Awards.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Maybe because I'm not very fond of Cloud Atlas, but I would say Whishaw was pound-for-pound the MVP of that film.

Calvin Law said...

He is my MVP too, although I loved the film myself.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I found myself put-off by the garish visuals, inconsistent acting, and on-the-nose script.

Matt Mustin said...

I saw Cloud Atlas with a couple of friends who both *LOVED* it. I decidedly did not. In fact, I would say I hated it. Oh, if you could have been there.

Robert MacFarlane said...

My entire theater were in belly laughs when "Old Georgie" showed up for the first time. In fact the theater I was in seemed to be laughing at the serious moments a lot more than the deliberate comedy of Boradbent's story.

Matt Mustin said...

They could've cut out all that nursing home stuff completely, if you ask me.

Robert MacFarlane said...

*Broadbent

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'll give it points for ambition and (misplaced) sincerity, but still a schizophrenic product that needed a more restrained hand.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Robert: Just Google searched Old Georgie. Seriously, what is he? I just had to laugh when I saw him.

Robert MacFarlane said...

He's what happens when vague, muddled concepts become characters. I honestly thought someone spiked my popcorn with PCP.

Psifonian said...

And yet, I'd rather watch two hours of Old Georgie than two minutes of Eddie Redmayne in "Jupiter Ascending."

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'd honestly watch a double act of both of them, for all the wrong reasons.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

4. I imagine Lombard would have followed a somewhat similair path to Claudette Colbert and Irene Dunne where they continued to do romantic comedies while adding more dramatic work down the line.

Calvin:

To be honest I could use a re-watch of that film.

Luke:

A memorable scene to be sure.

1975:

Lead:

I mean I'd give Hepburn a three for Rooster Cogburn, and the same Sarandon for Rocky Horror but that's it. I mean I could put Fletcher lead, but I don't quite feel that she is.

Supporting:

Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (Improves every time on re-watch)
Geraldine Chaplin - Nashville
Ronee Blakley - Nashville
Faye Dunaway - Three Days of the Condor
Marisa Berenson - Barry Lyndon - 4

1978:

Actress:

Jamie Lee-Curtis - Halloween
Jane Fonda - Comes a Horseman - 4
Margot Kidder - Superman
Brooke Adams - Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Jane Fonda - Coming Home

Supporting Actress:

Maggie Smith - California Suite
Angela Lansbury - Death on the Nile
Veronica Cartwright - Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 4.5
Uta Hagen - The Boys From Brazil - 4
Meryl Streep - The Deer Hunter

McKern - 3(Not enough McKern is all I can say. McKern though also brings a bit gravitas in his scene, and delivers in giving something to a character who's point is a bit rushed)

Ruthiehenshallfan99:

Leigh - Supporting
Harris - Supporting
Neal - Supporting

Anonymous:

I think you can find the majority of those in either a corresponding performance or the results for the given year.

Garfield and Tracy - 1.5