Tuesday 4 August 2015

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1959: Orson Welles in Compulsion

Orson Welles did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning Cannes, for portraying Jonathan Wilk in Compulsion.

Orson Welles received the Cannes prize along with Dean Stockwell and Bradford Tillman who played the leads as the two young intellectuals who decided to commit the "perfect murder", despite not appearing until the last third of the film. Welles though did receive top billing, and I ponder that perhaps being seen as a leading performer kept Welles from ever receiving another acting nomination after Citizen Kane. Either way Welles receiving top billing though is sensible, past his greater prominence, because Welles does really lead the last third of the film in which he appears since the film decides to try to depict how the real Leopold and Leob managed to avoid the death penalty. Jonathan Wilk is a stand in for the killers' real life lawyer Clarence Darrow. Darrow would be portrayed again in all but name a year later by Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind who would also be Oscar nominated for it. Where in Inherit the Wind that film's Henry Drummond took on the case to promote evolution rather than exactly for the specifics of the case itself, Compulsion's Jonathan Wilk is doing the same as instead of trying to prove their innocence he instead is trying to take a stand against capital punishment that the men will no doubt face otherwise.

Spencer Tracy played his version of Darrow as a firebrand in court, and a bit of almost a jovial character out of court. That's actually very different from Welles approach who instead goes about depicting his Darrow quite a bit differently. The various long fights of his career as well as his age can be seen through Welles is own face as he expresses the wear of this sort of life through his own performance. In the few moments we get of Wilk outside of the courtroom or engaged in some other court related proceedings Welles frankly depicts a more realistic sort of man who carries a certain somberness as a man who perhaps has a few hesitations and reservations regarding his duty as normal man would. Welles presents a man who frankly does not have the energy or time to be a character outside of the court, because that life requires so much of him. Of course the majority of Wilk's screen time is devoted to defending the two men. This includes several scenes proceeding the actual trial where Wilk attempts to save the men early by trying to have them both be proven to be insane, this proves difficult though since both men have already confessed to the crimes as well as have been proven to be sane by the prosecutor's own doctors.

This leaves Wilk to basically only use his own considerable talent to try to save them from hanging. This includes several moments where Wilk points out or indirectly insults the method of his opponents. Tracy again played this method as very loud and overt. Welles is even more incisive in revealing Wilk's intelligence in these scenes though he takes a far more understated approach. Welles instead of outwardly just blasting them with his views, as though he's trying to put them into submission, brings a more persuasive quality as though his corrections are not to make himself feel smarter, but actually promote something better for all. Welles quietly exudes this intelligence in Wilk so well and tears into any given scene so well, without ever raising his voice either. It's quite a different approach for this sort of character, but it works incredibly well to realize actually the beliefs of his character in addition to his methods as a lawyer. The shrewd nature of Wilk can only go so far though, and due to the men's obvious guilt it leaves him no alternative to plead guilty in order to directly appeal to the judge for mercy for the men.

Wilk's summation is a particularly long one but Welles is riveting for every moment of it. Again Welles actually stays fairly withdrawn but shows what Wilk is driving it as he's attempting to appeal to humanity itself. There is no sympathy in his words for the act, but Welles instead gives the passion within Wilk's words that advocate for justice not revenge. There is a powerful emotionality in Welles as he expresses the earnest need in Wilk that love will outweigh hate. Again Welles does so well to be persuasive as Wilk as he conveys the way Wilk is most disturbed by the insistence that more blood should be shed, and Welles wonderfully illustrates this philosophy through his sober performance. As Welles is able to bridge a gap from any political statement to instead making the words from Wilk feel only as truths. The scene could have been a long monologue of statements. Welles though brings such a weight to each word and manages to make it absolutely convincing that the men's lives would be spared. As great as that scene is though my favorite moment of his performance is brief one after the men have been sentenced to life in prison and seem to be ready to continue in their pompous "superior" ways. Wilk finally no longer has to defend them, and is able to take them to task. Welles is outstanding as he once again takes that incisiveness in his performance to Wilk's disgust as he breaks down their own foolish philosophy showing just how little regard he had for either man. This is terrific work from Welles as he manages to find quite the unorthodox yet such an effective approach to this sort of role.

128 comments:

Matt Mustin said...

Wasn't expecting a five for this.

Unrelated, but I just saw Rogue Nation and absolutely loved it. Ratings on the cast:
Cruise-3.5
Ferguson-3.5
Pegg-4
Renner-3.5
Harris-2
Rhames-2.5 (he's actually fine, but given nothing to do)
Baldwin-2.5
McBurney-3 (very short role but he has such a natural gravitas)

Michael McCarthy said...

I can totally get behind this.

1. Stephen Boyd
2. Joseph Schildkraut
3. Orson Welles
4. Laurence Olivier
5. James Mason

Robert MacFarlane said...

1. Boyd
2. Schildkraut
3. Welles
4. Mason
5. Olivier

Anonymous said...

Wow! A five for Welles! Just as I predicted.
1. Schildkraut
2. Boyd
3. Welles
4. Olivier
5. Mason
By the way, Louis, your casting and director for The Departed in the 40's, 50's and 60's?

Michael McCarthy said...

50's The Departed HAS to be Brando and Clift.

Anonymous said...

Michael: Brando and Clift? That's brilliant. Geez, if only Clift never had that damn accident. He and Brando deserved better. Could you imagine a premake of Heat in the 70's with both of them?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

40's (Carol Reed):

Billy Costigan - Trevor Howard
Colin Sullivan - James Mason
Frank Costello - Roger Livesey
Charles Queenan - Charles Laughton
Sean Dignam - Peter Ustinov
French - Robert Newton
Ellerby - Ralph Richardson
Madolyn - Celia Johnson
Barrigan - Dan O'Herlihy

50's (John Huston):

Billy Costigan - Montgomery Clift
Colin Sullivan - Marlon Brando
Frank Costello - Lee J. Cobb
Charles Queenan - Clark Gable
Sean Dignam - Gig Young
French - Anthony Quinn
Ellerby - Edmond O'Brien
Madolyn - Eva Marie Saint
Barrigan - Ernest Borgnine

60's (Richard Brooks):

Billy Costigan - Steve McQueen
Colin Sullivan - Paul Newman
Frank Costello - Rod Steiger
Charles Queenan - James Cagney
Sean Dignam - Alan Arkin
French - Peter Falk
Ellerby - Walter Matthau
Madolyn - Natalie Wood
Barrigan - Bruce Dern

Anonymous said...

Louis: Oh, and year releases, please. So Beast Wars is your favorite Transformers show, huh?

Anonymous said...

1. Boyd
2. Schildkraut
3. Welles
4. Mason
5. Olivier

Calvin Law said...

1. Stephen Boyd
2. Joseph Schildkraut
3. Orson Welles
4. Laurence Olivier
5. James Mason

JackiBoyz said...

1. Stephen Boyd
2. Joseph Schildkraut
3. Orson Welles
4. James Mason
5. Laurence Olivier

RatedRStar said...

1. Stephen Boyd
2. Joseph Schildkraut
3. Orson Welles
4. Laurence Olivier
5. James Mason

RatedRStar said...

I thought Rogue Agent was pretty good, I think I liked Ghost Protocol a bit more, I thought the ending to Rogue Agent was pretty meh, as well as Sean Harris who usually can do good work but here just seems too cartoonish.

RatedRStar said...

Rogue Nation I meant, Rogue Agent where did that come from lol.

Luke Higham said...

It's good to be wrong. :)

1. Schildkraut
2. Boyd
3. Welles
4. Mason
5. Olivier

Luke Higham said...

Deadpool Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2bhOJLedKc

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Fantastic Four's reviews are terrible.

RatedRStar said...

I'm I the only one who is actually laughing at the Fantastic Four Reviews lol, the shittest Marvel superhero team ever.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I was laughing too, though at the same time, I felt a bit sad as well.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: You're right about Harris, I think I cut him a bit too much slack.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Regarding the Fantastic Four, they've certainly have nothing on the X-Men.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I just knew this film would receive negative reviews. They are so hilarious! I'm also waiting for the new Sonic movie to get negative reviews. But the fans will love it because it's a departure from the light-hearted Sonic games they so hate. They'll finally get the dark and edgy Sonic movie they so desire.

Kevin said...

Kinda bummed that Fantastic 4 is getting all these negative reviews. Chronicle was one of my favourite films of 2012 and Teller, Bell, Jordan, Mara and Kebbell are all really good actors, so I thought the film was gonna be good. At least the Deadpool trailer didn't disappoint.

Luke Higham said...

Kevin: The Trailer was really really good and I'm very pleased it's rated R/15-18.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Eh, Deadpool didn't look as funny as I thought it would be. Mostly I just found it smarmy.

Michael McCarthy said...

Doesn't Deadpool have to be kind of smarmy? I mean I always kinda thought the charm of Deadpool was that you couldn't help but root for him even though he's such an asshole.

Michael Patison said...

1. Stephen Boyd
2. Joseph Schildkraut
3. Orson Welles
4. James Mason
5. Laurence Olivier

Michael Patison said...

Also, I finally saw Far from the Madding Crowd and thought it was terrific, though I'll admit my love for the genre is probably clouding my judgment somewhat from any of the movie's flaws.
Mulligan: 5
Schoenaerts: 5 (despite my rating for Mulligan, he stole the show for me)
Sheen: 4
Sturridge: 3

Saw Age of Ultron as well and thought it was decent, but nothing too special. Spader's voice work was definitely the highlight.

Luke Higham said...

Michael: Apart from giving your Oscar predictions, I guess your blog's now defunct.

I'm glad you liked FFTMD, though I don't share your sentiment for Sturridge.

I give Mulligan and Schoenaerts 4.5s, Sheen a 4 and Sturridge a 2.

Luke Higham said...

Michael: Renner was the highlight for me.

Calvin Law said...

I'm glad you all enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd, it's my #3 for the year and Schoenaerts is my Best Supporting Actor #1 for the timebeing. Glad you liked Sturridge to an extent Michael, I've upped him to a 2.5 because some of what he does, does work for the role. It's just always feels a bit sorely lacking in impact.

Calvin Law said...

Saw Inside Out. Really, really liked it, technically speaking nothing groundbreaking but just a very sweet and moving film, I will admit to tearing up at several points, particularly at a very heartbreaking sacrifice scene, and leaving the cibema with a big smile on me face.

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

Calvin: Best scene of the film and what's a cibema. :)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Ratings for Inside Out and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

Michael Patison said...

Louis: Thoughts and rating for Guinness in Our Man in Havana

Luke: At this point maybe. I still haven't decided. I still love seeing the movies, but I just seem to never be able to find the drive to actually write about them.

Plus, I've been abroad for the last 10 weeks and just got back yesterday, so I haven't seen anything to be able to write about in the first place. I guess we'll see.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm not budging on my 2 for Sturridge. He played the character as an unlikable bully and made it completely unbelievable that Bathsheba would fall for him.

Luke Higham said...

Michael:
Guinness - 4.5(Some strong work here as well, and it is a bit fun to see Guinness play a Spy who isn't exactly George Smiley. Guinness probably was the only possible choice for this role because of the film's slightly random tone in the way it maneuvers between comedy and drama. Guinness is a master of this though and manages to make some of his screw ups quite funny while honestly conveying some real fear internalized within his character. He pulls it off as he is able to derive humor from the hapless moments while still effectively portraying the gradual maturation of his character through the experiences of his new job in a moving fashion)

Michael McCarthy said...

Just a general question for anyone who wants to answer, does anyone have any films that they think would make really good musicals or operas? Here are a few of mine:

Musicals:

Seven Psychopaths
Field of Dreams
Magnolia
Fargo
Children of Paradise
Double Indemnity
A Fish Called Wanda
Stalag 17
Birdman
Any Wes Anderson film

Operas:

In Bruges
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Vertigo
Dangerous Liaisons
Doctor Zhivago
Come and Get It
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Pan's Labyrinth
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Her

Anonymous said...

Oh my god Magnolia would really make for an amazing musical, and Dangerous Liaisons an amazing opera. I'd say that also The Age of Innocence could be a great opera, and maybe From Here to Eternity and All About Eve could be fine musicals.

RatedRStar said...

Oh thats a good list, um all of them pretty much =D, From Here to Eternity would be good and heck if it were made in 1953 and still had Sinatra in it, I am sure he would have done better.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Welles is surprisingly skinny here.

1. Boyd
2. Schildkraut
3. Welles
4. Mason
5. Olivier


I

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Seen any new films recently.

Michael McCarthy said...

Anonymous: I agree about The Age of Innocence and From Here to Eternity. There actually already is a musical of All About Eve, it's called Applause. Lauren Bacall starred in it on Broadway in 1970.

Anonymous said...

@Michael: Oh I didn't know, thank you for correcting me.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Just got outta Southpaw. Aggressively mediocre film. Gyllenhaal was out of his element.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: It was complete rubbish. Your rating and thoughts on Gyllenhaal.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Probably a 3 or 3.5 for him. The first half of his performance feels like awkward attempts to imitate Eminem (who his role was written for)and comes off like a weird Brando impression. His Big Emotional Scenes (TM) when McAdams gets stuffed in the fridge are actually the worst moments of his performance. That being said, he gets better as the film goes on. Once his character has to change (though the film is never actually clear whether he's actually an addict for some weird reason) he becomes less mannered and obvious. To be honest I actually preferred some of the other cast members.

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

Robert: Ratings on the rest of the cast. You'll lose credibility from me, if you liked 50 Cent and Ora over Jake. :)

Robert MacFarlane said...

I have to think about it a little more before I get back to you on that, but I will say I was really confused why you hated 50 Cent so much. He was *fine*. As for Rita Ora, I honestly think Weinstein's comments about her being some big acting revelation was some sort of mean prank.

RatedRStar said...

I will actually feel quite depressed, if Jake Gyllenhaal actually gets nominated for Southpaw, especially, if it is over a 4.5 or 5 star performance.

I should say that I think Orson Welles looks a lot worse here than I first thought, he looks on the level of Montgomery Clift after his crash =(

I mean what happened to Welles?

Luke Higham said...

Robert: I have him up to a 2. Who knows, my hate for the film itself, may have clouded my judgment, but I'm standing by my opinion for now.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I thought he was appropriately sleazy.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: 15 months, in getting a job has made me feel a bit depressed. (I finally have a Job interview and it's tomorrow morning)

From a personal standpoint, I'm gonna be so pissed off, If Tom Hardy fails to get a nomination this year.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: It wasn't just me who gave 50 Cent a negative rating, Calvin did as well.

Michael Patison said...

Michael McCarthy and Luke: After rethinking I actually agree and Sturridge is now a 2 for me. I was trying to justify liking him, but I'm becoming increasingly unsuccessful. He did indeed just play him like a pompous jackass. Aside from the self confidence Sturridge portrayed, there's really very little recommending him to Bathsheba, but even that came across as arrogance the vast majority of the time.

Luke: Thank you very much for the Guinness rating. I knew if I put it up that you'd be able to find it if he had already put it up.

Luke Higham said...

Michael: You're Welcome.

Anonymous said...

Michael: I don't see any of those films being fitting for musicals or operas.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

1948, 1957, 1965. I find Beast Wars to be easily be the best. It's aided by its smaller cast of characters, and that it has a continuing storyline. This actually allows it develop past the scheme of the week and create some actually fairly interesting plot lines. It also offers development of the characters as well as their relationships with one another.

Luke:

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Oh and Good luck.

Calvin:

I just had to bring this up as Our Man in Havana reminded me of something. I don't know about yourself but in the top ten performances by musicians turned actors I completely forgot about Burl Ives. Judging from what I've seen from him he could easily be the best musician turned actor.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thanks, At least, I'll get the experience.:) Ratings & Thoughts on the cast of Rogue Nation and thoughts on the film itself.

RatedRStar said...

@Luke: Yes best of luck, it is very hard in this day and age to get a job at a young age, so if you don't get it, dont worry about it =D the fact that you were considered means you had good attributes about you, all I would suggest you do in your job interview is keep a positive attitude, be polite and say what you feel is appropriate to your job and why you think you are the best man for it =).

Can I ask what the interview is for, I understand totally if you wish to keep it a secret =D but whatever the job is, never feel embarrassed, a job is a job.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: Yep he was an incredible actor. I just always forget he was a snger

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Customer Service Assistant.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: And be relaxed.

RatedRStar said...

@Luke: Awesome where at =).

RatedRStar said...

@Luke: Oh yes be relaxed, the people in interviews nowadays are usually very friendly and understanding so ull b fine.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Peacocks. :)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: At the end of the day, it's a matter of luck. Even if I fail to get the job, I hope I wouldn't have to wait another 15 months. :)

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Thats great =), so how did it come about? did you want part time work while in education, or you going for full time and want to get earning right away or =D, how did it happen, as I said you dont have to say anything =D its nice to hear on the blog though since the people on this blog do care lol.

Anonymous said...

Louis: In 1948, Reed would have directed The Fallen Idol as well. So when does he do the British version of Pulp Fiction in the 40's. Have you seen Animated and Prime as well?

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Well, I had a part time course in retail for 7 months with unpaid work experience and I enjoyed it very much. Then, I've been getting help from an employment agency, with editing CVs and more effective Job searching. I did have interview training this morning and didn't go as well as I hoped, though I didn't get as much preparation as I would've wanted. I'm preparing myself for tomorrow.

I sent my CV to Peacocks and they gave me a call, confirming that I have an interview.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: The job's 4 hours a week at first, then it should go up gradually.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Wow thats great, the only way is up my friend =D I wish you the best of luck =D and its probably best you go to bed and get up nice and refreshed early =D goodnight.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Goodnight. :)

Calvin Law said...

Good luck Luke!

I'll get you thoughts and ratings in a bit

Anonymous said...

Luke: Good luck, Luke.

Michael McCarthy said...

I just watched Time Bandits for the first time and kinda loved it. Louis, what are you're ratings and thoughts for David Warner in it? Because I'm surprised he's not waaaaaay higher, he'd be at least a 4.5 for me.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Interview went very well. :)

RatedRStar said...

Luke: That's great =D, what happened?

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I was positive, didn't look down once, which has been an issue of mine for a long time, talked about Job duties such as hanging up clothes, work at the till and Hoovering. Had Customer Service Skills and Prior Experience in Stock Replenishment and Rotation, though had an understanding of placing the smallest clothing at the front and the largest at the back. I told them by previous experience, that I was punctual, very well mannered and had exceptional time keeping. Situations that I encountered during my unpaid work experience and having solutions to the problem and examples of customer service. I said that I was quite shy and a bit nervous but I'm fully aware that I have to fix that. I asked them what the hours were and it's 8-12 hrs Max. The Interview lasted about 5 minutes, the questions were short and sweet and the interviewers were very friendly, so thankfully I was only slightly nervous. I'm glad I had the opportunity and at the very least, I got experience from it. :)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I did say also, why I wanted to join the store. In short, I pretty much said, It's a fashion retail chain, I'm pursuing a career in retail and I'd be truly grateful for the opportunity.

Anonymous said...

Luke: It looks like it well then. I hope you do well.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Thanks. :)

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Awesome congrats, what ever happens now, you did darn good =D.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Thank you very much for the kind words, as well as your support, then again, you've always been kind and caring. :)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Your predictions for the top 6 in the Premier League this season.
1. Arsenal (I'm heartbroken by Cech's transfer)
2. Chelsea (Hate saying it, but our Pre-Season has been average at best and quite a few players look exhausted already)
3. Man City
4. Man Utd
5. Liverpool
6. Spurs

moviefilm said...

First time in history, I'm gonna change my predictions:
1) Joseph Schildkraut
2) Orson Welles
3) Laurence Olivier
4) Stephen Boyd
5) James Mason

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Huggg you 2 =D

1: Chelsea (for me they are still the favorites, they have a still very strong and balanced squad, and more importantly an iconic manager
2: Man Utd (Every Man Utd signing looks impressive so far, I think their defense will cost them though unless they do sign someone good)
3: Arsenal (They could finish second but their squad is so small that I could see players getting injured again)
4: Man City (If Sergio Aguero wasn't in this squad I would say this team is doomed, they have too many aging players, I think both Sterling and Delph will flop, and they have a manager who will leave at the end so its like they have no momentum at all)

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Liverpool 5th and Spurs 6th, the signings just don't do it for me, I don't think its enough.

Luke Higham said...

Saw Fantastic Four, It was tolerable, though not recommendable. The first half was plodding and the second was extremely rushed. Von Doom's alter ego doesn't come in until about 20-25 minutes from the end. It's short for a superhero film (100 Mins) and it desperately needed another 30. It felt like a three act story condensed into a two act film. The only real positive I could give is that it's not the most pointless reboot to have been devised, as the original films were utter rubbish & had some potential behind it. I would also like to point out, that this may be the first Non-Rated R Marvel film to not have a Stan Lee Cameo.

Ratings
Teller - 2.5
Mara - 2
Jordan - 2/2.5
Bell - 2
Kebbell - 2 (Once again, another Non-Compelling Marvel Villain)
Cathey - 2.5
Nelson - 1.5

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I think Arsenal will come 2nd at least. Cech's been very reliable so far and could save them 10 points this season.

Anonymous said...

Luke: It looks like the RT rating for F4 has dropped to 9%. And it has a 4,5 on IMDB. I think that they should have made the film in The Avengers tone. People these days are so obsessed with making superhero films dark and gritty. Anyway, like I told you before, Luke, they are attempting to make a dark and gritty Sonic film and I have no hopes for it.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: We'll see, though I have no interest at all. The only Video Game properties, I ever wanted to see made into a film are Assassin's Creed, The Last Of Us, Red Dead Redemption and Uncharted.

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

Anonymous: Ratchet and Clank could be decent. If Assassin's Creed fails, then there's no hope for Video Game Movies to succeed.

Anonymous said...

Heavy Rain is a terrific videogame and it would make for a truly fantastic thriller. With a great director and a great cast (I can imagine Jake Gyllenhaal as Ethan, Rooney Mara as Madison, John Goodman as Shelby, James McAvoy as Jayden and Nicole Kidman as Lauren) it could be quite a masterpiece.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Ugh, HATE Heavy Rain. It was already a lousy movie disguised as a game made by that hack David Cage.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Since they so want to make a dark and gritty Sonic movie, here's my plot. The world goes bananas when they see Sonic for the first time. Scientists want to capture and dissect him. Hunters want to kill him and hang his head on a wall. Crazy people start a cult and worship him as a god. There's one scene where Sonic has to snap a young soldier's neck. Sonic is a rebel without cause, Tails is a young arms dealer who builds weapons and vehicles for the military, Knuckles is the Guardian of The Master Emerald who always rhymes, Amy is a crazy girl in love with Sonic. Eggman is a terrorist who wants to conquer the world by finding the Chaos Emeralds and he will kill anyone who stands in his way. During his quest to save the world, Sonic is constantly stopped in his tracks by Shadow, his evil twin brother and Metal Sonic, a robotic version of Sonic. The film will contain the darkness and grittiness that Sonic fanboys have been desiring for a long time. There will be adult humor and stylized violence. The darkest scene of the movie is when Eggman destroys an entire city with a Chaos Emerald-powered missile.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Forgot about Heavy Rain. :) Who's your choice of director. I read an article a long while back on well known directors making a video game movie and Christopher Nolan (I'm unsure about it) was chosen for Heavy Rain.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: It is one of those properties that you either like or absolutely hate. I fall into the former category, though I understand why you wouldn't like it.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Most games would make mediocre films, even the good ones. I mean, what's to separate The Last of Us as a film from any other zombie drama once you remove the interactivity? It's one thing to watch people do bad things to survive, it's another to to play in that person's shoes. The developers realized this when they made the game and made that interactivity count.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: I appreciate your opinion very much, though if Assassin's Creed happened to be decent, I'll still be pleased about it.

Anonymous said...

Robert: Count me as someone who wouldn't play something like The Walking Dead.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm a little more hopeful about that one considering who the director and stars are.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Wait, you like David Cage's nonsense but won't touch Telltale's actually good interactive dramas?

Anonymous said...

Robert: I wasn't the one who suggested a Heavy Rain movie, it was another anonymous.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: It's really good and I enjoy GOT as well.

Anonymous said...

The dark and gritty Sonic film is going to be produced by Sony and its release date hasn't been announced yet. Many fans thought that it will release in Sonic's 25th Anniversary.

Anonymous said...

@kook160: I am the anonymous who suggested Heavy Rain, I love that game I think it's just amazing and unique. I can see why you don't like it, but I think it's brilliant, I can't praise it enough. I love how everything you do can lead to a different ending.
@luke: glad you like the game! I'd pick David Fincher as the director.

Anonymous said...

Robert: Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't touch those types of games. Games are made to be played, not to be seen. Hence why they are called video games.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Okay, this is really damn confusing. Can you guys just pick a user name? It's not that hard.

Anonymous said...

Robert: All right, I was the one who told you that I don't like interactive dramatic videogames. The other anonymous was the one who suggested David Fincher as a director for an adaptation of Heavy Rain. And he likes those games.

Robert MacFarlane said...

You can still choose a username. Just putting it on the table.

Anonymous said...

Robert: Eh, I don't really want to, but whatever. Almost all video game adaptations are terrible, I don't see why they should bother with them.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I don't know, whether you've accidentally overlooked my previous comment, but in case that you have, Can I have your ratings & thoughts on the cast of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and your thoughts on the film.

RatedRStar said...

For me David Cage is 1-2 for me, I really liked Heavy Rain because of its atmosphere and murder mystery plot, but I hated Fahrenheit and Beyond Two Souls.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Same.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Have not seen any of the later series.

Luke:

I did not miss your comment I just finally had the time to give a full response.

The film itself I thought was very enjoyable. It had plenty of memorable set pieces, while kept a strong enough emotional drive within the story to pull it along. It's my favorite of the series actually.

Cruise - 3.5(Rock solid Crusing all the way through)

Renner - 3(Kinda gets caught in a thankless role, but he's good with the bits he's allowed to do)

Pegg - 3.5(Adds quite a bit of humor the proceedings while actually being quite moving the role as well. He managed to be the heart of the film)

Ferguson - 3.5(Matched Cruise along the way without ever once losing the step with him. A worthy action hero in her own right especially since I could actually easily see her lead her own mission so to speak)

Rhames - 3(He does not get much to do but I quite liked his chemistry with Renner)

McBurney - 3(Isn't this the same role he always plays? Anyways he's good at it though.)

Baldwin - 3(He was fine mostly being the stupid superior, but added just a bit of character to the role particularly in his later scenes)

Harris - 2(You know I have to say I like performances like these for two reasons. One because its a good rebuttal when people wave their hand about the validity of the greatness of a great villainous turn, but also it shows that an action film can completely work despite not really having a great villain. Harris is very underwhelming in the role as his stare comes off as more comical than menacing, and tries to let the script do to much for him)

Hollander - (WOW Simon Foster really made a come back after the Wall incident)

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

Louis: It's a bit too soon calling it your favourite, when you haven't seen Ghost Protocol.

I've put Harris down to a 2.5.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Have you ever played a Sonic game? Oh and who would be your cast for Tropic Thunder in the 60's and 80's?

Matt Mustin said...

luke: this one might be better than Ghost Protocol, actually.

Luke Higham said...

Matt Mustin: While having second thoughts, Rogue Nation is now my #1 though I'm just saying, that he might like Ghost Protocol equally, if not more. There are quite a few who still prefer Ghost Protocol.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I made the same joke about Simon Foster to a friend.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

.....I have seen Ghost Protocol, although I just noticed I forgot to include it in that years rankings.

Anonymous:

The Genesis games only.

Tropic Thunder 1960's (Billy Wilder):

Tugg Speedman: Tony Curtis
Kirk Lazarus: Burt Lancaster
Jeff Portnoy: Jackie Gleason
Alpa Chino: Louis Gossett Jr.
Kevin Sandusky: Gene Wilder
Four Leaf: Lee Marvin
Damien Cockburn: George Cole
Cody Underwood: Cliff Osmond
Rick Peck: Gig Young
Les Grossman: Paul Newman

Tropic Thunder 1980's (John Landis):

Tugg Speedman: Steve Martin
Kirk Lazarus: Michael Caine
Jeff Portnoy: John Belushi
Alpa Chino: Eddie Murphy
Kevin Sandusky: Rick Moranis
Four Leaf: Robert Duvall
Damien Cockburn: Nigel Havers
Cody Underwood: John Candy
Rick Peck: Michael Keaton
Les Grossman: Harrison Ford

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Will you see both Testament Of Youth and Far From The Madding Crowd before or during the 2015 reviews and rankings. :)

Anonymous: Goodnight. :)

COME ON MASON!

Anonymous said...

Richard Fleischer had a big problem with Welles when, as I recall, he needed the star to do either some looping or retakes after filming was completed, and Welles could not be bothered, heading off to commence one of his directorial projects elsewhere. Fleischer said that as a result, Welles' final summation had to be pieced together from various takes. RF was of the opinion that Welles cost himself Academy recognition by his refusal to cooperate and take the time to do the necessary post-production work.