Sunday 9 August 2015

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1959: Laurence Olivier in The Devil's Disciple

Laurence Olivier did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Bafta, for portraying General John Burgoyne in The Devil's Disciple.

The Devil's Disciple is a bit of a hidden gem about two men a reverend (Burt Lancaster) and a renegade (Kirk Douglas) whose lives are intertwined and changed by the American Revolution. Although I must admit I have a soft spot for films about the American Revolution since there are oddly so few of them.

Although I have listed before that Sleuth is Olivier's showboating performance of just how good he is, but there is yet another one to note. This time in the role of General John Burgoyne a high ranking British General attempting to stop the American Revolution. The only problem is that Burgoyne does not seem to be all that interested in his duties as a General. Burgoyne was actually a dramatist, which seemed to be his true calling opposed to soldiery. This fact does not come up in the film's dialogue ever, but it seems to have been taken into consideration by Olivier's performance. Olivier is terrific because he essentially plays Burgoyne as a playwright who basically treats his current reality as if it were a play. Olivier has it less being that Burgoyne is a General, but instead that he's playing the part of a General as one should. There Olivier brings such a confidence and proper stature to General Johnny as he walks about as a British General should, and speaks with such authority as he quickly delivers his orders as though it was some sort of game. Olivier is great in this early scene as he takes a momentary pause from the game as he is forced to somberly nod just before a suspected rebel is about to be hanged.

The succeeding scenes Olivier is so much fun in depicting the excessively proper style of Burgoyne as attempts to fulfill his duties as General. Olivier always shows Burgoyne's mind to be slightly above it all more than anything. Olivier is terrific in depicting this needlessly indulgent manner of Burgoyne such as when his men demand some random Americans that are in the way get out immediately, despite the forcefulness of his entourage, Olivier presents the most pleasant of hand waves to smooth over the communication. Of course this even is the case in most of his interactions with his men, particularly a far more spirited soldier played by Harry Andrews. One of the best moments depicting this is when his men are being delayed in the forest and his men are frustrated to no end by sniper attacks as well as being forced to constant delays due to trees being purposefully cut to block their passage. Olivier keeps the perfect composure of General Burgoyne as the most aggravated he gets about the attacks is when he must apologize to his lady friend for the disturbance of the tea time. Olivier gives us the most impossibly gentlemanly soldier one can imagine, and it is marvelous.

Now Olivier would go on to win a Bafta as an excessively proper General a decade later for Oh What  A Lovely War, but in that case he played a fool, Olivier actually does not play Burgoyne as a fool, which is quite interesting. In fact it is quite the opposite as Olivier suggests that his lax manner in part comes from the General possibly being a little too knowledgeable about the affair to the point that he is rather sure of the results. One of Olivier's best scenes is when Douglas's character is put on trail for being mistaken for Lancaster's character, although it's for a crime that Douglas's character committed. Burgoyne does not handle the proceedings, but rather observes the proceedings offering a few bits of commentary now again. These are usually in the form of the General's rather extreme cynicism that is technically opposed to his goals as a General, but clearly masked through wit to avoid any problems. Olivier is hilarious as he has impeccable timing in each and one of these brilliant lines that he ensures are as biting as possible. I particularly love though how bright and inspiring Olivier's manner is as though Burgoyne is technically laughing at himself a bit due to the conundrum he's found himself in.

Olivier is showboating here at his finest as every time the camera turns to him it's sure to be something special, Olivier simply shows how showboating is done since it fits the part as well as he ensure that we're getting as much enjoyment from watching him as he seems to be having performing the part. One of my favorite moments of his has to be when Douglas's character questions the British who are going to have him hanged simply because its their job, to which Olivier retorts with such sly delicacy that if the man were to see Burgoyne's pays stubs he'd think better of him. Olivier's work is so consistently delightful while wholly delivering the purpose of the character still. Olivier in the end presents him as a man of duty still, but nevertheless a man who's not going to let his own duty fool himself, or stop himself from trying to enjoy his current existence best he can. When Burgoyne is forced to deal with something directly, that being negotiations due to some surprisingly results of a battle, Olivier is excellent in portraying a more incisive figure, who certainly commands a presence while trying to do his best to maintain his army's position. Of course this makes it all the funnier afterwards where Olivier depicts the exasperation rather than disbelief when Burgoyne has realized he's positioned to lose his next battle simply because the British war office did not want to disturb another General's plans. It needs to be said that the part of General Burgoyne is a great one, and Olivier wholly realizes this with his equally great performance. Every juicy line he has he articulates flawlessly and he manages to give one of the most thoroughly entertaining performances of his illustrious career. 

194 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Yesssssssssss! Olivier has 9 fives.

Calvin: I'm seeing Child 44 tomorrow.

4+ Performances 2015 so far - List (No Particular Order)
5s
Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina
Ian McKellen - Mr. Holmes
Alicia Vikander - Testament Of Youth
4.5
Tom Hardy - Mad Max: Fury Road
Charlize Theron - Mad Max: Fury Road
Nicholas Hoult - Mad Max: Fury Road
Domhnall Gleeson - Ex Machina
Oscar Isaac - Ex Machina
Carey Mulligan - Far From The Madding Crowd
Matthias Schoenaerts - Far From The Madding Crowd
Michael Sheen - Far From The Madding Crowd
4
Laura Linney - Mr. Holmes
Colin Firth - Kingsman: The Secret Service
Mark Strong - Kingsman: The Secret Service
Kit Harington - Testament Of Youth
Michael Fassbender - Slow West
Cate Blanchett - Cinderella
Jeremy Renner - Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Paul Bettany - Avengers: Age Of Ultron
James Spader - Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Richard Kind - Inside Out
Tom Cruise - Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Rebecca Ferguson - Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Simon Pegg - Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Anonymous said...

Yes! Yes! Yes! Now Olivier has nine fives! Great! But damn it, wish he got 10 fives or more, like Mifune.

Michael McCarthy said...

I give him a 4.5, but I may change that down the road as I completely understand the 5. He was really interesting here.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Having only seen 13 films, coming up with all my 4's, 4.5's, and 5's shouldn't be too hard:

4:

Brie Larson in Trainwreck
Amy Poehler in Inside Out
Oscar Isaac in Ex Machina
Rebecca Ferguson in Rogue Nation
Jeremy Renner in Age of Ultron
Michael Fassbender in Slow West
Rebecca Hall in The Gift
Joel Edgerton in The Gift

4.5:

Jason Bateman in The Gift
Amy Schumer in Trainwreck
Rose Byrne in Spy
Nicolas Hoult in Fury Road
Charlize Theron in Fury Road

5:

Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina

Anonymous said...

Wow, this Swedish actress. Alicia Vikander is really something. Two powerhouse performances (Ex Machina and Testament of Youth) in one year. Damn, Garbo and Bergman would be proud of her.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts overall on True Detective: Season Two.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I can give you my complete thoughts on that. Ahem...

It sucked.

There ya go. A complete and thorough analysis.

Anonymous said...

Luke: All I have to say that it was meh for me.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: It was a long step below Season One. :)

Goodnight. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Goodnight, then. :)
Louis: By the way, Louis, your thoughts on Philip Alford and John Megna in To Kill A Mockingbird.
Oh, and your cast and director for:
American Beauty (30's)
Heat (40's)
Million Dollar Baby (60's, 70's and 80's)

Omar Franini said...

Louis, your thoughts on the cast of Inherent Vice and Gosford Park

Michael McCarthy said...

4's

Colin Firth-Kingsman: The Secret Service
Domhnall Gleeson-Ex Machina
Oscar Isaac-Ex Machina
Jeremy Renner-Avengers: Age of Ultron
Matthias Schoenarts-Far from the Madding Crowd
Rose Byrne-Spy
Jason Statham-Spy
Phyllis Smith-Inside Out
Laura Linney-Mr. Holmes
Brie Larson-Trainwreck
Simon Pegg-Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

4.5's

Tom Hardy-Mad Max: Fury Road
Charlize Theron-Mad Max: Fury Road
Carey Mulligan-Far from the Madding Crowd
Michael Sheen-Far from the Madding Crowd
Alicia Vikander-Testament of Youth
Ian McKellen-Mr. Holmes
Amy Schumer-Trainwreck
Bill Hader-Trainwreck
LeBron James-Trainwreck (sorry not sorry)

5's

Alicia Vikander-Ex Machina
Nicholas Hoult-Mad Max: Fury Road

Anonymous said...

Ratings/thoughts on Peggy Aschroft and Lucie Mannheim in The 39 Steps?

Anonymous said...

Also, what are your thoughts and ratings on:
Jean Harlowe in Hell's Angel
Beryl Mercer in All Quiet on the Western Front
Henrietta Crosman in The Royal Family of Broadway
Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage
Merle Oberon in The Scarlet Pimpernel
Edna May Oliver in David Copperfield
Blanche Yurka in A Tale of Two Cities
Helen Broderick in Top Hat
Sorry if they're too many.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: You've upped McKellen to a 5 yay :) May I ask why?

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: He was on the border to begin with and the more I thought about it, his breakdown scene resonated even more for me, plus, I love his mannerisms as well. :)

Luke Higham said...

Omar!: Inherent Vice: Louis's initial thoughts
Waterston - 3.5(I think she was properly hippy and drug addled, but I don't know she did not leave the lasting impression that I think was capable for the character)

Short - 3.5(The funny thing is I think Anderson got Short to downplay his usual shtick here, and he's much funnier because of it. It's an enjoyable bit of deranged screwball humor from him and I quite liked his going from respectable dentist to sleazy druggie in a matter of seconds)

Wilson - 3(I don't think you could technically have better casting for a hippie than Owen Wilson, I mean he just has the voice. Wilson technically does not need to do too much more just say his lines in that voice with enough meaning which he does)

Del Toro - 3(This film is really a parade of weirdness and I have to say no one felt like they overlapped here. Del Toro does a nice bit of oddity as Doc's "lawyer" and I particularly enjoyed his first scene where he did the lawyer talk somewhat incompetently)

Malone - 3.5(Now I thought she made a stronger impression in one scene than Waterston did. I thought she was rather moving in portraying the sunny deposition of her character that seemed to hide someone who's really probably a burnout in more way than one)

Witherspoon - 3.5(Almost everybody here actually adds something and Witherspoon is no exception in doing the, more proper, source of information standard to a detective story, but done in a far more off-beat fashion. She's wholly enjoyable, particularly the "Are You?" exchange with Phoenix)

Chau - 4(Technically the cliche of the cheery Asian prostitute, but again with a bit of weird twist to it. She's delightful though with her kinda broad, but not too broad, delivery as though her character knows she's fulfilling the role of exotic informant)

Gosford Park:

To be honest I'm not really that much of a fan of the film. I did not actively dislike it in anyway, but one of my problems is that I kinda felt the ensemble faded together for the most aside from a few examples. Kelly Macdonald since she's almost the lead, Clive Owen due to the mystery, Maggie Smith since she was doing what has become her standard shtick and I guess Ryan Phillipe because of the twist involving her character. I did not even really notice Helen Mirren until her breakdown scene at the end. My favorite I suppose was Macdonald followed by Owen, but I still did not love them.

Calvin Law said...

My 4+ performances of 2015 so far:

5
Ian McKellen in Mr Holmed
Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina
Alicie Vikander in Testament of Youth
Carey Mulligan in Far From the Madding Crowd
Matthias Schonearts in Far From the Madding Crowd

4.5's
Tom Hardy in Fury Road
Charlize Theron in Fury Road
Nicholas Hoult in Fury Road
Cate Blanchett in Cinderella
Michael Sheen in Far From the Madding Crowd
Hattie Morahan in Mr Holmes

4's
Rose Byrne in Spy
Michael Pena in Ant-Man
Helena Bonham Carter in Cinderella
Domnhall Gleeson in Ex Machina
Milo Parker in Mr Holmes
Laura Linney in Mr Holmes
Richard Kind in Inside Out

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I thought Gyllenhaal was a 4.5 for you in Southpaw. :)

Calvin Law said...

Ah yes Gyllenhaal, how could I forget him. Is that my subconsciousness telling me to bump him down? :)

Calvin Law said...

Also Bettany and Renner for my 4's.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: My choices for your retroactive castings

American Beauty (30's)
Directed by Leo McCarey
Lester: William Powell
Carolyn: Myrna Loy
Jane, Angela, Ricky: Don't know enough about the young actors of the time
Frank: Thomas Mitchell
Barbara: Irene Dunne

Million Dollar Baby (70's)
Directed by Tony Richardson
Frankie: Trevor Howard
Eddie: Brock Peters
Maggie: Susannah York

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Any changes to your female top 5s for 1959 and have you rewatched Hepburn's performance in The Nun's Story.

Anonymous said...

Louis, is Loren in Two Women 1960 or 1961 Lead by your rules?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: It's 1960 by Louis's rules as it's first theatrical release date was in December of that year.

Anonymous said...

Louis what are your thoughts on Olivia DeHavilland in My Cousin Rachel? I know she's a 4.5 I'd just like to know what exactly do you think of her.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: DeHavilland - 4.5(Although I hate what the film ends up doing with the character, feeling like refusing to make a choice rather than keeping it ambiguous in a good way. DeHavilland is quite adept at playing the two sides of her character though. She has a certain allure and charm that the way she manipulates Burton's character is believable. She as well though does have a certain coldness to her manner to keep the mystery alive on whether or not she is a murderer)

Anonymous said...

@Luke: Thanks :)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :)

Anonymous said...

So, Luke, any worthy nominees for the Bonus 1959 Best Actor? The only worthy nominee I know of is Brando in The Fugitive Kind.

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

Anonymous: Maybe Soumitra Chatterjee in The World Of Apu, Breno Mello in Black Orpheus or Alberto Sordi in The Great War.

For 1959, Louis's gonna have to watch foreign films, so that we can have a full lineup.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: I would add Fredric March in Middle Of The Night as well.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous & RatedRStar: I know this is incredibly early, but I do have a suggestion for Bonus 2015 Lead and it's Geza Rohrig in Son Of Saul.

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: Cagney in Shake Hands With The Devil as well, too. Plus Louis could review him in A Man of a Thousand Faces for Bonus 1957 Lead.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Sure why not lol winning request him if you like him so much =)

I am going to sit down and watch Darby O'Gill and the Little People so that I can finally complete my top 10 of 1959.

RatedRStar said...

Ye Man Of A Thousand Faces looks like an interesting one, very different since Cagney looks quite physical in the role even though he was getting on a bit.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Son Of Saul had a great deal of buzz out of Cannes and is a possible winner for Best Foreign Language Film.

I haven't seen it yet and it won't be released around these parts, as well as the US till probably next February/March. :)

Louis won't see it in time for the Alternates.

Anonymous said...

Luke: How do you think fans of Assassin's Creed will react when the film comes out?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Whether, there's that many fans left, due to the annual release cycle, I'm not sure. I've heard rumors that it's taking place in 15/16th century Spain during the Inquisition (Which isn't depicted in the games and that's a good thing). It has two of the best actors in the world and a director that I could trust. (They've got on very well during Macbeth's production and it bodes well for this film)
The property itself is one of the easiest to adapt, so I predict a 70/80% RT rating. The only thing that's really gonna piss off fans is if there's a lot of the modern day bullshit, they want the film to focus completely on the time period.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'm expecting mixed to negative reviews. Fassbender and Cotillard could at least give good performances like they always do. Cotillard seems like she can do no wrong.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I know it's a video game movie (All of them suck), but please tell me that you want it to exceed your expectations. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, all right, I'm willing to give it a chance.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Yay. :)

Omar Franini said...

Luke: ratings and thoughts about the cast of Requiem For a Dream :)

Calvin Law said...

Cagney in Shake Hands with the Devil must be reviewed for the Alternates, Cagney is great there. I haven't seen Man of a Thousand Faces but I most certainly shall as Cagney is one of my all time faves.

Anonymous said...

Luke: After seeing Ex Machina and Testament of Youth, all I have to say is that this Alicia Vikander has a lot of promise. Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman would be proud of her.

Calvin Law said...

omar!: Here are my ratings

Burstyn: 4.5 (verging on a 5)
Leto: 4
Connelly: 3.5
Wayans: 3.5

Luke Higham said...

Omar!: My Ratings for Requiem For A Dream. Louis hasn't seen the film yet.
Burstyn - 5
Leto - 4
Connelly - 3.5
Wayans - 3

Luke Higham said...

Omar!: Those thoughts I gave you earlier, were Louis's. It's my job really, to find previously published comments from Louis, in order to save time. :)

Anonymous said...

Omar!:
Requiem For A Dream
Burstyn- 5 (My win for 2000 Best Actress, I'll never understand how Roberts got it)
Leto- 4
Connelly - 3,5
Wayans- 3 or 3,5 (I can't decide)

Calvin Law said...

Luke:With great power comes great responsibility :)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: They sure are, same with Liv Ullmann. (I know she's Norwegian, but she's done a lot for the Swedish Film Industry).

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: :)

Luke Higham said...

Omar!: You're Welcome. :)

Luke Higham said...

I'm watching Child 44 now, so I'll be back later. :)

Calvin Law said...

Luke: What rating do you think Louis will give Oscar Isaac in Ex Machina

Calvin Law said...

Have 'fun' with it :)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Well, he did say that he was gonna save him for the moment, so I expect a 4.5.

MUST GET BACK TO FILM. :)

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I cannot see our friend Luke having fun with Child 44. :)

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: Hope he'll enjoy it to an extent.

Luke Higham said...

Child 44 - (Decent enough thriller with a fine performance from Tom Hardy).

Ratings
Hardy - 3.5
Rapace - 3
Oldman - 2.5
Considine - 3
Kinnaman - 1.5
Clarke - 2/2.5
Cassel - 2

Anonymous said...

I'll definitely check out Child 44.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I'll be a bit more generous than Robert, and say it needed more Fred Ward.

Seriously though it was a very flawed partially coming from the lack of a directorial vision, also though from just how excessively derivative it was, which wouldn't have mattered so much if it had been done better. Pizzolatto though clearly needs a good director for his style, although he also needs to work on his exposition as it always comes off as a bit too muddled. He should have kept the scope smaller as Kitsch's character could have easily been removed and the season would have lost nothing.

On that point that acting was mixed bag. Farrel, despite a bad first episode, found his ground and ended up giving a good performance. I found Kitsch and McAdams never quite got a grip on their characters to make them come to life as they needed to. Vaughn I would rank second out of the main cast actually, and I think his main problem was he was saddled with the most stylized Rust Cohle flamboyant lines, which were ill fitting for the rest of his performance. I did think had a good moments when he was allowed to get away from those sort of lines and play a straighter gangster type. I actually thought he was quite good in this finale where his character was far more down to earth (even though he had hallucinations thrown in).

With all its flaws though I did think it had good scenes, and I never felt like giving up on the series despite its abundance of problems.

On the Nun's Story, not yet, but I still intend to.

Anonymous:

Might as well ask about them in Duvall's review for supporting 62.

American Beauty (30's)

Echo Calvin's choices although add:

Jane: Bonita Granville
Angela: Anne Baxter
Ricky: Jackie Cooper

(1939 by the way)

Heat (40's Raoul Walsh)

Neil McCauley: James Cagney
Lt. Vincent Hanna: Humphrey Bogart
Chris Shiherlis: Montgomery Clift
Justine Hanna: Claire Trevor
Nate: Edward G. Robinson
Michael Cheritto: Edmond O'Brien
Trejo: Anthony Quinn
Waingro: Richard Widmark

Million Dollar Baby (60's John Huston)

Frankie: Clark Gable
Dupris: Montgomery Clift
Maggie: Geraldine Page

(80's Martin Ritt)

Frankie: Burt Lancaster
Dupris: Lee Marvin
Maggie: Sigourney Weaver

Anonymous:

I thought both of those 39 Steps ladies were fine, but I did not feel either made too much of an impact.

Harlowe - 2.5(Not given enough to do, but she still has a certain presence even in a severely underwritten role)

Mercer - 2.5(In the scheme of that film she did not leave much of an impression on me at all, in that I remember most of that film quite vividly yet can barely recall her performance)

Crosman - 2(Bland and uninteresting just like everything not named Fredric March in that film)

Davis - 4(Davis is certainly acting up a storm in this one but it works in creating the flamboyance and shrewish nature of her character. I don't quite love her here, but her performance certainly is grating in the right sort of fashion)

Oberon - 3(She's nicely charming, but just does not get much to do in this case)

Oliver - 3.5(She gives an enjoyable colorful performance bringing an understanding to the flamboyant slightly random nature of her character through making her behavior feel natural in an eccentric sort of way)

Yurka - 3(She's kinda one note in that I think she might have brought a bit more pathos and created at least an understanding for character. Nevertheless her performance still works in creating the rage that defines her behavior)

Broderick - 3(Thought she gave an enjoyable enough performance that worked as a nice foil to Edward Everett Horton)

Anonymous said...

Louis: Ever seen the original ending to The Lion King?

Anonymous said...

If not, here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y14TwUGQ3xE
Then, your thoughts on it.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I think that would have been a far more visual compelling and certainly fitting ending for Scar rather than his death by Hyenas which I always felt was a bit underwhelming as Disney villain deaths go.

Anonymous said...

Louis: I understand why they decided to cut it out. It would be traumatizing for kids to watch it.

Anonymous said...

Louis: And one final question, do you still feel that you could change some of your choices for Lead and Supporting?

Calvin Law said...

Grr Fantastic Four was just infuriatingly mediocre. Sparks of fun and invention here and there but not nearly enough to compensate for the general drudgery and slow pacing, as well as very very rushed characterisation.

Teller - 2.5 (not actively bad but very much miscast, he improves over the course of the film but his opening scenes really irritated me, overall I preferred Gruffudd who unlike Louis, I found to be an engaging enough and charming lead; I'd give him a 3)
Bell - 2 (also not actively bad but also miscast, not much to do really beyond being CGI'd, again I much preferred Chiklis who I gave a 3)
Mara - 1.5 (incredibly bland character done no favours with an equally bland performance, I found her better than Alba...but not by much)
Jordan - 3 (easily the best part of the film, although I generally do have a bit of a soft spot for Jordan as an actor, he has good chemistry with Teller and instills quite a bit of energy into the film, I will say that he and Evans are just about on an even par with me)
Kebbell - 1.5 (I actually quite liked him in his first few scenes, unfortunately all of his interesting quirk is eschewed for some full-blown OTT villainy which may be more suited to Doom but in Kebbell's hands becomes tasteless ham)
Nelson - 1 (even worse as he's just unappetizing ham throughout, period, I was glad to see him depart the film which may have been the intention, nevertheless bad bad performances)
Cathey - 2.5 (wish the film had spent more time with him as he had a strong sense of gravitas and was quite moving in his final scene, unfortunately he gets almost nothing to do outside of that)

Robert MacFarlane said...

Louis, by your criteria shouldn't Hackman be co-lead in Unforgiven? Almost all of his scenes are from his POV.

Anonymous said...

Louis, I know you gave a 4,5 for Newman in The Sting, but what about your full thoughts on him?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your rating for Sonia Braga in Kiss Of The Spider Woman.

Calvin Law said...

Louis + anyone else: Retroactive casting for Dr Zhivago in 2010's?

Yuri Zhivago: Oscar Isaac
Lara: Carey Mulligan
Pasha: Ben Whishaw
Komarovsky: Brendan Gleeson



Luke Higham said...

Calvin:

Yuri: Matthias Schoenaerts (I've heard that he's actually blonde in the book, though based on his appearance in the film, I'd probably choose Isaac as well)
Lara: Carey Mulligan
Pasha: Ben Whishaw (Courtenay Reincarnated)
Komarovsky: Brendan Gleeson

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I think that would also be my cast for a remake of Doctor Zhivago.

Calvin Law said...

Actually yes, Schoenaerts would be an even better choice as he does indeed fit the book's portrayal much better.

Calvin Law said...

Also FYC some 1959 films,

Anatomy of a Murder (1990s)
Biegler: James Woods
Laura Manion: Claire Danes
Lt. Frederick Manion: Barry Pepper
Parnell: Richard Farnsworth
Dancer: Guy Pearce

Hiroshima Mon Amour (2010s)
Elle: Marion Cotillard
Lui: Hiroyuki Sananda

Ben-Hur (1940s)
Judah: Kirk Douglas
Messala: Trevor Howard
Ilderim: Akim Tarimoff
Esther: Joan Greenwood
Quintus: Raymond Massey

Ben-Hur (1960s)
Judah: Steve McQueen
Messala: Oliver Reed
Ilderim: Anthony Quinn
Esther: Sarah Miles
Quintus: Anthony Quayle

Compulsion (1980s)
Steiner: Robert Downey Jr.
Strauss: James Spader
Wilk: James Mason

Our Man in Havana (1970s)
Wormold: Michael Caine
Beatrice: Susannah York
Hawthorne: Laurence Olivier
Kovacs: Topol
Hasselbacher: Donald Sutherland

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: A 2010s Ben-Hur please.

Anonymous said...

Ben Foster as Judah, perhaps?

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

Anonymous: That's a great choice, his own background alone would fit right into the character. :)

Calvin Law said...

Well they're already doing one haha with Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur, hmm I like Huston as an actor but can't help feeling it'll be a disappointment. Anyway,

Ben-Hur: Matthias Schoenaerts/Channing Tatum/Dan Stevens/Chris Evans
Messala: Oscar Isaac
Esther: Rose Leslie
Ilderim: Amitabh Bachchan
Quintus: Ciaran Hinds

Calvin Law said...

Ah yes, Ben Foster. I pick him over my original choices then :)

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Um, Tatum as Ben-Hur? Nope. Sorry. Can't buy him in that role. Those other three choices would be without a doubt better.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Have you ever seen Rome (2005-07), because Hinds played Julius Caesar. :)

Calvin Law said...

I mentioned him only because I'd like to see him try carrying an epic. Jupiter Ascending was an awful film but he had flashes of potential within it of a Heston-esque sort of presence.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I have not is it any good? :)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I consider the first season, to be really good, though the second is very rushed. (There was originally going to be five seasons, then it was cancelled and crammed 2 seasons into 1 for Season Two)

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I'm shocked at the thought that there are many women who like Jupiter Ascending.

Anonymous said...

But who cares? Some women are just plain stupid.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Oh, and what about a remake of North by Northwest in the 2010's?

Omar Franini said...

Luke: what Are your thoughts and ratings about the 2015 Oscar best actress category?

Luke Higham said...

Omar! My Ratings
Cotillard - 5 (Amazing)
Moore - 4.5 (Really Good Work)
Jones - 4.5 (Better than Redmayne, in my opinion)
Pike - 4.5 (Less effective on rewatches, though still very good)
Witherspoon - 3 (She was fine)

Calvin Law said...

Thornhill: Don Cheadle
Eve: Emma Stone
Vandamm: Bill Nighy
Leonard: Andrew Scott
Professor: Frank Langella

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I sense a backlash. :)

Omar Franini said...

Thank you! My ratings Are:
Cotrillard: 5
Pike: 4.5/5
Witherspoon: 4
Moore: 4
Jones: 4

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Haha :)

For me,

Cotillard: 5
Jones: 5
Moore: 4.5
Pike: 4
Witherspoon: 4 (a re-watch bumped her up)

Anonymous said...

omar!, I just might as well show my ratings to you:
Cotillard- 5
Moore- 4,5
Pike- 4,5
Jones- 4,5
Witherspoon- 2,5

Calvin Law said...

Also, for supporting actress:

Streep: 4.5
Stone: 4.5
Knightley: 4
Dern: 3.5
Arquette: 3.5

Omar Franini said...

And what about Aniston performance in Cake? I thought she was Oscar worthy

Calvin Law said...

I keep going back and forth with Arquette, on whether it's a bad performance that's disguised by gimicry, or a great performance saddled with gimicry, I know I'm not making much sense here.

Anonymous said...

Supporting as well, omar!:
Streep- 4
Stone- 4,5
Knightley- 2
Dern- 3,5
Arquette- 1,5

Luke Higham said...

Stone - 4.5
Streep - 3.5 (I admit it, she was good here)
Dern - 3.5
Knightley - 3/3.5
Arquette - 2

Luke Higham said...

Omar!: 2.5/3, preferred Barraza.

Omar Franini said...

Stone: 4
Streep: 3,5
Dern: 3,5
Arquette: 3
Knightley: 3

Michael McCarthy said...

I have one for North by Northwest (2000's):

Thornhill: Clive Owen
Eve: Rachel McAdams
Vandamm: Jared Harris
Leonard: Mark Strong

Anonymous said...

My ratings for Best Actress 2015 would be:
Pike - 5
Cotillard - 5
Moore - 4.5
Jones - 4.5
Witherspoon - 3.5
And for Supporting:
Stone - 4.5
Streep - 4
Knightley - 4
Arquette - 4
Dern - 3

Luke Higham said...

Louis & Calvin: Your Cast and Director for Moulin Rouge (2010s).

Luke Higham said...

Louis & Calvin: 2001 Musical. :)

Calvin Law said...

2010s
Christian: Eddie Redmayne
Santine: Emmy Rossum
Zidler: Jim Broadbent

Also, alternate 2010s Les Miserables
Jean Valjean: Ewan McGregor
Javert: Hugh Jackman

Calvin Law said...

Seriously I find it impossible to imagine anyone but McGregor in the role. He IS Christian. I know there's no chance of him being upgraded to a 5 in Louis' books but if there's any performance of his that deserves one, it's that.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I agree with you. :)

Michael McCarthy said...

I gotta say I reeeeeeally can't see Jackman as Javert at all. I also think McGregor would make a great Valjean in a non-musical Les Mis, but he really doesn't have the voice to play him in a musical.

Matt Mustin said...

I agree with Michael completely.

Luke Higham said...

I was agreeing on McGregor deserving a five for Moulin Rouge.

Calvin Law said...

Each to his own. I thought Jackman was very good but I'd always thought McGregor had a really strong voice in Moulin Rouge. I don't know much about singing though so there's that.

Calvin Law said...

Jackman as Javert mostly because he fits how I see him in the book. Although I can definitely see where you're coming from Michael as it's an incredibly charmless role which would go entirely against many of Jackman's strengths.

Michael McCarthy said...

That's a lot of the reason I don't think Jackman is right for Javert. Also Jackman has a tendency to be very flamboyant and extreme with his emotions, whereas JAvert's emotions need to be understated and played very close to the chest.

As for McGregor, I don't mean to say he has a bad voice. He showed us n Moulin Rouge that he does have a fairly strong voice for pop music, but Les Mis is a very different style of music.

Calvin Law said...

Thanks Michael, I've learnt a fair share for today :) would you keep the cast for Les Mis the same then? I remember you loving the film if I'm not mistaken.

Michael McCarthy said...

Haha I think you're mistaken, I'm really not a big fan of the movie. I'd definitely have given the leads to different actors, preferably ones who had performed the role onstage like Alfie Boe for Valjean and Norm Lewis for Javert. I'd've kept Samantha Barks and Aaron Tveit, and Eddie Redmayne I think would've been great if he'd had someone coaching him not to push his voice too hard. I think Hathaway, Cohen, and Carter fit their respective roles very well but were hampered by poor direction. As for Cosette...she's a flimsy enough role that pretty much any actress with the right voice (not Seyfried) could've played her just fine.

Michael McCarthy said...

I love the musical and I definitely think a great movie could be made out of it, but there were far too may missteps made in the 2012 film. The only musical that I think couldn't possibly translate well into film is The Last 5 Years, and so far I've been proved right.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I would have adapted it differently as well, though my idea of cutting out some of the more expository songs and replacing them with dialogue would have pissed a lot of theater purists off. I would have kept most of the cast barring Jackman, Crowe, and Seyfired. They all showed shades of better performances that were hampered by a hack of a director.

Anonymous said...

Robert: You hated the shaky cam movement?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Seen anything new this past week.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Goodnight.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :)

Matt Mustin said...

I really, really didn't have a huge problem with the way Les Mis was shot aside from a few small moments. Really, it didn't at all bother me.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I honestly cannot understand how people can watch it and not find it hideous. It's like watching a Terry Gilliam acid trip on a Battlefield Earth slant.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oh, goodnight. :)

Anonymous said...

Robert: I assume you're not a fan of Gilliam's work? Not even Brazil?

Matt Mustin said...

Anonymous: Not to answer for him, but he didn't actually say that.

Robert MacFarlane said...

No, not that (though I do hate Brazil and its simple-minded satire), but his films are generally shot with fish-eyed lenses like Hooper's work. The difference is Gilliam has a good reason to do it.

Michael McCarthy said...

I gotta side with Robert on this. From the incessant closeups formed with soft-focus dead space to the arbitrary wide-angle lenses to the random Dutch angles...it was just really tasteless filmmaking.

Michael McCarthy said...

^Referring to Les Mis

Matt Mustin said...

The closeup thing is the argument I really don't get. The fish eye lenses and dutch angles don't work for the most part, but I had almost no problems with the closeups.

Robert MacFarlane said...

The closeups wouldn't bother me so much if they were well shot. The overabundance of them made it more noticeable at how claustrophobic the whole thing felt. I mean, Birdman had that too but it felt natural.

Anonymous said...

1. Cotillard - 5 (brilliant)
2. Pike - 4.5 (exact Luke's words)
3. Moore - 4 (happy she won, but it's not among her very best works, even though it's an excellent piece of acting)
4. Jones - 4 (mistreated by the screenplay and the editing, but when she has space to shine, she really REALLY does)
5. Whiterspoon - 3 (very nuanced character to Whiterspoon, but she brings some of the needed strength).

1. Arquette - 4.5
2. Dern - 3.5 (little to do, but done with so much honesty and brightness)
3. Stone - 3.5 (fine, I don't like the movie but think the cast is good; differently of Keaton and Norton, she doesn't have much of a character, and it's not THAT cohesive, but she's good enough)
4. Streep - 3 (OK, showy in a way Streep doesn't seem wrongly over, but Blunt was SO MUCH better)
5. Knightley - 2.5 (like Dern, nothing much to do, but done with simple effectiveness, nothing else).

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

There are few years like 2007 (Supporting) for example.

Robert:

Nein! As I wouldn't agree that they're from Little Bill's perspective. His first scene he comes in after Skinny and the prostitutes. When he's warned about the bounty again it follows Skinny in. His confrontation with English Bob is really from Bob's perspective. I'd say his scenes with Beauchamp focus about equally on both men. Compare that with Eastwood who never loses focus in his scenes. Little Bill is a prominent character, but he never leads the film.

Anonymous:

I've given my thoughts on Newman somewhere.

Luke:

4.5

Anonymous said...

Louis: Since you gave your ratings for Virginia Woolf, what are your full thoughts on it and The Graduate? Oh, and would you consider The Graduate better than Virginia Woolf?

Anonymous said...

Louis: What about Jackass and the Hangover as silent comedies in the 1910's or 1920's? Cast and director?

Luke Higham said...

R.I.P. Uggie :(

Calvin Law said...

Uggie :(:( Might rewatch The Artist tonight.

Anonymous said...

RIP Uggie :(:(:(

Psifonian said...

Gentlemen, "The Hateful Eight": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis

Luke Higham said...

Psifonian: Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God. :) :) :)

Luke Higham said...

Psifonian: In all seriousness, It's a very good trailer and I'm looking forward to it. :)

Robert MacFarlane said...

Not sure how I feel about that trailer yet, but I am very excited for Kurt Russell. Alsop thankful Tim Roth is British and not doing one of his usual piss-poor American accents.

Robert MacFarlane said...

*also

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Same. :)

Calvin Law said...

I'm actually most looking forward to Leigh based on this trailer. Although Jackson and Russell have got me quite excited. As for the trailer itself, it's essentially a teaser so I'll reserve judgement, on the assumption that they're keeping most stuff under wraps as of now.

Luke Higham said...

Trumbo Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0dZ_2ICpJE

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Hmm not so sure about this one. Promising cast, but I feel like it could be one of those biopics which repeatedly, forcefully hits you on the head with the 'importance' of its themes and forces its message down your throat

Robert MacFarlane said...

Cranston looks a tiny bit mannered, but it could be okay.

Anonymous said...

Psifonian: Looks amazing! It'll be a damn masterpiece for sure! By the way, Psifonian, I remember seeing your Best Actor video a while ago and I saw Schell as the winner for 1961. How? Schell is supporting in the film, not lead. You could choose someone like Newman in The Hustler or Mifune in Yojimbo.
Luke: Ehh, kinda good, I guess. The final product can be okay, in my opinion, with Cranston being the best part of it.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I think it will end up being another Hitchcock, though I do expect Cranston to be better than Hopkins.

Psifonian said...

Nah; Schell has enough perspective, screen presence and importance that I consider him as co-lead with Tracy. I feel that the structure of "Judgment of Nuremberg" is set up that we are supposed to view the case as impartially as possible, with our preconceived notions of everything on one side and the defense on the other. Schell, I feel, is given enough to work with to be leading in my eyes. I can see people wanting to consider Tracy the sole lead or deign the whole thing an ensemble, but Schell is leading for me.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I agree with Psifonian on that one.

Anonymous said...

Tarantino trailer: who called my attention the most was Roth - it seems that he's given a more comedic character (probably the one that was meant to be, at first, Watlz's).

Trumbo: it is clear that the movie is going to have a more humoristic tone - I mean, that's what Cranston performance seems to demonstrate.

NYFF lineup: http://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2015/daily/the-new-york-film-festival-sets-26-films-for-the-2015-main-slate/
I see another Cotillard snub at the oscars (Carol in, MacBeth out, plus the strategy that was announced for the film = Immigrant/Coriolanus treatment) :'(

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'm not surprised, It's the same old story with Harvey, Doesn't like Marion and couldn't give a toss about the film she is in. :(

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Anyway, all I'm hoping for is that she's gonna knock it out of the park and receive her 4th 5 star rating from Louis.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Who would you pick instead of Tom Sturridge for the role of Sergeant Troy in Far From The Madding Crowd.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Cotillard seems to be one of those actresses that never disappoints. :)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Apart from The Dark Knight Rises, though I blame some of the writing for that. :)

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Luke: I haven't seen the movie, but I think Paul Schneider could have pulled it off. He can do British accents and has played similar characters before.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: From what I remember. he was good in Bright Star, so it's a good choice. :)

Omar Franini said...

I'm so excited about the trailer of The Hateful Eight! I read the original script and i thought it was very great, it's very similar to Reservoir Dogs and i hope for some awards to Kurt Russell

Anonymous said...

Luke: I remember how overly praised Hopkins' performance in Hitchcock was. Anyway, I hope Cranston can give a great performance despite the script and direction. Today, I rewatched Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and It's A Wonderful Life.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: When is the review. :)

Robert MacFarlane said...

Can I get everyone's choices for Beast Supporting Actor from 2000 to now? I want to see the different choices.

Anonymous said...

Robert:
2000- Oliver Reed
2001- Ian McKellen
2002- Christopher Walken
2003- Paul Bettany
2004- Philip Seymour Hoffman
2005- Ed Harris
2006- Michael Caine
2007- Javier Bardem
2008- Heath Ledger
2009- Christoph Waltz
2010- John Hawkes
2011- Albert Brooks (Strong's my 2#.)
2012- Christoph Waltz
2013- Michael Fassbender
2014- J.K. Simmons

Robert MacFarlane said...

Mine:

2000: Joaquin Phoenix in The Yards
2001: Joe Pantoliano in Memento (remember, I go by US release dates)
2002: Robin Williams in Insomnia
2003: Peter Sarsgaard in Shattered Glass
2004: David Carradine in Kill Bill Vol. 2
2005: Mickey Rourke in Sin City
2006: Steve Carell in Little Miss Sunshine
2007: Sam Rockwell in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2008: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
2009: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
2010: Jeremy Renner in The Town (could switch to John Hawkes or Keiran Culkin)
2011: Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life
2012: Sam Rockwell in Seven Psychopaths
2013: Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips
2014: Ethan Hawke in Boyhood

Matt Mustin said...

Robert: Tentative, because there's still quite a bit I need to see. Lead would probably be easier for me.
2000-Jason Isaacs in The Patriot
2001-???
2002-Christopher Walken in Catch Me If You Can
2003-???
2004-???(I told you I had a lot to see)
2005-Clifton Collins Jr. in Capote
2006-Jack Nicholson in The Departed
2007-John Carroll Lynch in Zodiac (only because I consider Bardem lead...for the moment)
2008-Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
2009-Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
2010-Ben Mendelsohn in Animal Kingdom
2011-Albert Brooks in Drive
2012-Javier Bardem in Skyfall
2013-Michael Fassbender in 12 Years A Slave
2014-J.K. Simmons in Whiplash

Robert MacFarlane said...

Love the Collins mention. Really underrated performance. My runner-up.

Matt Mustin said...

As you can see, I'm clearly a big fan of villains.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I think Schneider would be a good choice. Dan Stevens would've been perfect though.

2000- Gary Lewis
2001- Ian McKellen
2002- Christopher Walken
2003- Albert Finney
2004- David Carradine
2005- Val Kilmer
2006- Jackie Earle Haley/Sergei Lopez
2007- Steve Zahn
2008- Heath Ledger
2009- Christoph Waltz
2010- Christian Bale (I keep him in Supporting yes but I do need a re-watch at some point; if he moves to lead, Renner would be my choice)
2011- Mark Strong
2012- Ben Whishaw
2013- Ben Foster
2014- J.K. Simmons

Calvin Law said...

Robert: Hawke and Abdi are my runner ups for 2014 and 2013. Also love the Keiran Culkin mention, Scott Pilgrim is such a fun film to watch.

Matt Mustin said...

Anyone wanna give their choices for lead?

Robert MacFarlane said...

Sure:

2000: Christian Bale in American Psycho
2001: Guy Pearce in Memento
2002: Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York
2003: Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (I regret nothing)
2004: Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005: Jeff Daniels in The Squid and the Whale
2006: Ray Winstone in The Proposition (It was released stateside 2006)
2007: Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2008: Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges
2009: Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker
2010: Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
2011: Michael Fassbender in Shame
2012: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
2013: Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis
2014: Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year

Calvin Law said...

2000: Guy Pearce (Memento)
2001: Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge)
2002: Adrien Brody (The Pianist)
2003: Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent)
2004: Bruno Ganz (Downfall)
2005: (can't decide yet)
2006: Christian Bale (The Prestige)
2007: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
2008: Colin Farrell (In Bruges)
2009: Sam Rockwell (Moon)
2010: Robert Duvall (Get Low)
2011: Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
2012: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
2013: Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewlyn Davis)
2014: Tom Hardy (The Drop/Locke)

Matt Mustin said...

Here's my picks for lead:
2000-Christian Bale in American Psycho (Guy Pearce is a *very* close second, and a rewatch of either film could switch them around)
2001-Tom Wilkinson in In The Bedroom (Gene Hackman's right on his heels, and it's the same situation as above)
2002-Tom Hanks in Road to Perdition
2003-Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean
2004-Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005-Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote
2006-Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed
2007-Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood
2008-Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges
2009-Colin Firth in A Single Man
2010-Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island
2011-Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2012-Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
2013-Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years A Slave
2014-Tom Hardy in Locke

Anonymous said...

Matt: Can't believe Nicholson is your 2006 win.
I'll give my lead choices:
2000- Guy Pearce
2001- Tom Wilkinson
2002- Jack Nicholson (Liotta's my 2#, Day-Lewis my 3#, Cage is fourth and Brody is 5th.
2003- Russell Crowe
2004- Bruno Ganz
2005- Philip Seymour Hoffman
2006- Ulrich Muhe
2007- Daniel Day-Lewis
2008- Brendan Gleeson
2009- Hardy, Rockwell and Mortensen were all deserving.
2010- Jesse Eisenberg
2011- Gary Oldman (I preferred Fassbender, Gosling, Gleeson and Shannon over Dujardin)
2012- DDL/Phoenix
2013- Matthew McConaughey
2014- Michael Keaton (Gyllenhaal's my 2#)

Calvin Law said...

Oh I completely forgot about Curse of the Black Pearl but yes Depp would be my choice too. What rating would you give him Robert?

Calvin Law said...

Also for 2009 Lead, switch back to Hardy in Bronson for the timebeing. And I just remembered Cillian Murphy in Inception. He'd be my 2010 Supporting win actually.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Calvin: I would give him a 5. It's the first and only time his current antics have ever truly worked. Plus in the first Pirates there was an element of mystery, danger, and overall badassery that's totally absent from his reprisals. Scenes like him threatening to shoot Will in the beginning show hints of a darker character we never got in the sequels. At the end of the day it's a performance I actually appreciate more and more when I see how much worse it can and did get.

Michael McCarthy said...

Calvin: You have no idea how thrilled I am that someone else picks Lewis for 2000 supporting.

Supporting:

2000: Gary Lewis in Billy Elliot
2001: James Gandolfini in The Mexican
2002: Chris Cooper in Adaptation
2003: Sean Astin in Return of the King
2004: David Carradine in Kill Bill Vol. 2
2005: Ed Harris in A History of Violence (though Rourke is gaining)
2006: Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children
2007: Steve Zahn in Rescue Dawn (Freeman is right behind him)
2008: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
2009: Christopher Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
2010: Ben Kingsley in Shutter Island (I hope his rating can go up in a Bonus Review?)
2011: Albert Brooks in Drive
2012: Sam Rockwell in Seven Psychopaths
2013: Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave
2014: J.K. Simmons in Whiplash

Lead

2000: Guy Pearce in Memento
2001: Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums
2002: Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York
2003: Choi Min-sik in Oldboy
2004: Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005: Viggo Mortensen in A History of Violence
2006: Christian Bale in The Prestige
2007: Philip Seymour Hoffman in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
2008: Colin Farrell in In Bruges (Practically a tie with Gleeson)
2009: Sam Rockwell in Moon
2010: Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine
2011: Michael Shannon in Take Shelter
2012: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
2013: James McAvoy in Filth (I could easily switch to McConaughey sometime though)
2014: Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler

Anonymous said...

I'll give my choices for Best Actor 1970-1979.
1970- Scott, Nicholson and Hackman were all deserving.
1971- McDowell (Attenborough's my 2#).
1972- Olivier (Pacino's my 2#. Can likely replace Olivier)
1973- Lemmon
1974- Hackman, Pacino and Nicholson.
1975- Pacino and Nicholson. I easily preferred these two to Scheider, Connery and Caine, who are also fives as well to me.
1976- De Niro
1977- Carney
1978- De Niro
1979- Sellers
There are many five-star performances in the 1970's for sure.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I have to admit I dropped McAvoy to a 4.5 for Filth myself. He didn't quite stick with me like others did and I really have come to hate that film.

Calvin Law said...

1970: George C. Scott (Patton)
1971: Richard Attenborough (10 Rillington Place)
1972: Al Pacino (The Godfather)
1973: Donald Sutherland (Don't Look Now)
1974: Gene Hackman (The Conversation)
1975: Al Pacino (Dog Day Afternoon, my #2 of all-time)
1976: David Bowie (The Man Who Fell to Earth) I still can't decide whether Finch is lead or supporting.
1977: Richard Dreyfuss (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
1978: Robert De Niro (The Deer Hunter)
1979: Peter Sellers (Being There), I really need to see Wise Blood

Michael McCarthy said...

So I just saw Fantastic Four....and I honestly think the people on this blog have been way too easy on it. It was horrendous.

Robert MacFarlane said...

You're telling me Fantastic Workprint isn't worth seeing? Shocker.

Michael McCarthy said...

It was worse than I thought it would be. The cast has no chemistry with each other and the writers clearly cared more about being the antithesis of everything MCU than about doing anything creative with it.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Virginia Woolf is a film that I feel does quickly become tiresome as don't think the material is nearly as special as it's often made out to be. I think it frankly works better for a setup for performances, though even in that case I find the histrionics of Taylor and Dennis to be also a bit tiresome after a while. Burton ends up working for me anyways, but I'm starting to feel Segal's far more subdued work is the best in the film.

The Graduate is a film that I find works just fine though I don't find it to be as remarkable as some do. The relationship between the wayward Ben and Mrs. Robinson is the highlight and the best scenes are between them as it depicts their gaps but also how it is that the two come together. Where I find less interesting is when the daughter gets involved as it feels more formulaic (even though it had a hand in that formula), but nevertheless it feels a step down from the first act. It does end a high note though with that final shot though.

Anonymous:

Haven't seen either so I can't really cast em.

Psifonian:

Do you consider Widmark lead as well?

Robert MacFarlane said...

I think I might have considered Widmark Lead back when I saw it years ago. Need to revisit it.