Thursday 15 October 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1995: Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys

Bruce Willis did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying James Cole in 12 Monkeys.

The 12 Monkeys did receive attention for the performance of Brad Pitt as the crazed Jeffrey Goines but Bruce Willis was ignored in the film's central performance as a man from an apocalyptic future sent back to gather information that created the virus that caused the societal collapse. Willis begins the film in a way in which it seems like it might be a character more normally in his wheel house that being a man with a mission. Willis though even in these early scenes set in the future does not portray Cole as one of the hero types. Willis instead portrays him as a rather exasperated man as you can feel the wear of a man that would come from having lived in such a desolate place for the majority of his life. Also even to start though Willis conveys a definite desperation about Cole, as he seems constantly haunted by the past, and not just simply because he's currently living in a prison of sorts. Willis does not try in anyway to play the part like a Willis type hero, apparently even the directory Terry Gilliam gave Willis a list of Willis's own usual tricks that he was not to employ in this performance. Well that direction certainly pays off as even before Cole takes his mission Willis gives us a real sense of the horrible condition Cole is in as well as basically the horrible condition of the world through the individual state of this man.

The film then proceeds to jump after Cole has apparently made his journey into the past. We do not witness the time travel, but it appears it is a bit less pleasant than taking a drive in a DeLorean. When we see Cole again he has found himself in a mental institution where a psychiatrist Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) attempts to help him. Willis is excellent in his first scene as he is restrained in a room having been arrested after attacking police officers. Willis, unlike a certain co-star, portrays the "madness" of Cole incredibly well. Willis shows the way his body seems to be completely wasted almost by the journey in just the wretched state he is in. Willis though importantly depicts the ramblings of Cole especially well by conveys the extreme fear in Cole's voice as he just tries to tell the doctor his mission. Obviously trying to tell someone your from the future is not easy. Willis is terrific in making even more difficult in a believable fashion by so well realizing not only what the time travel has done to him, but also portrays just the amount of the anxiety gripping him knowing the importance of his mission. Willis also establishes instantly that this most definitely will not be a typical Bruce Willis performance.

Bruce Willis continues to be almost surprisingly good in the scenes set in the mental institution making Pitt's performance, which on re-watch come off even worse on re-watch and pretty much is just a bad version of Dennis Hopper's performance in Apocalypse Now, look quite amateurish by comparison. Willis does well to realize the whole state of Cole in these scenes within a brilliantly internalized intensity of being in a situation he does not quite understand, while still being burdened by the purpose of his mission. Along with that though Willis portrays so well the daze that Cole is in caused by the drugs that the institute is giving him. In all of that though Willis is still able to create the sense of Cole attempting to break out of all it in his attempt to find out the information he needs in the future. Willis is particularly good in a scene where he attempts to explain his purpose once again, this time calmer though also likely medicated, in front of the panel of psychiatrists. Willis conveys so well the single minded nature of Cole as well as the incredible sense of urgency as he tries to put it clearly to the psychiatrists. Willis is excellent because he does still sound completely insane, though if one believe he is from the future Willis shows the painful situation that Cole is in.

Eventually the future takes Cole back only to send him back into the past again, with the process only making Cole worse every time he is thrown through time, even at one point being shot after accidentally being sent back to World War I. Willis portrays well just how severe this treatment is damaging Cole as he presents an even more jumbled man than before. Willis plays it as though Cole is still not sure where exactly the time has left him only that he must try to finish his mission either way. He's the right jumble of emotions as he can't quite comprehend what exactly he's been through even while being wrecked with fear of the upcoming demise of humanity, as well as that nightmare that never ceases to stop haunting him. Willis though also carefully begins to show the way that Cole is finally attempting to break out of the web that he's caught in through his attachment from the future. The moments where Cole becomes violent Willis makes particularly natural as the actions of a very scared man lashing out. As well though Willis is very moving in the few instances of comfort he finds in the past, presenting him just as man trying to find a bit of comfort.

During this time Cole kidnaps Dr. Railly, and Willis is marvelous in making Cole such a mess to the point that he would much more likely be seen as a deranged mental patient. The two though technically become a bit of a Hitchcockian duo, fitting considering at one point they hide out at a Hitchcock marathon. They especially fit well into the 39 Steps duo with the kidnapping and with Railly being quite skeptical of Cole's claims. Willis and Stowe are fantastic together as Stowe acts as the very scared straight man to Willis's portrayal of Cole that is insanity though he never loses a certain sense that there still is more to him than that. What's so exceptional about both performances is how well in tune with one another as the two gradually switch positions as Railly starts to support Cole's ideas about the future, while Cole begins to doubt them as to try to fight against his apparent insanity or perhaps fight against the oppression nature of his future. I love that as Cole attempts to accept this Willis makes him even more withdrawn as a man struggling very deeply to keep his mental instability in check, all the while Stowe becomes far more manic as Railly starts to believe the severity of Cole's mission. Most remarkable of all though is how well they realize the romantic element between the two which does not really stop to declare itself but rather is well earned through just growth of understanding as well as warm that Willis and Stowe realize so wonderfully through their performances. Willis also is great in that this attachment seems to find Cole some comfort even as every new development keeps him in a state of confusion. His final scene is a tremendous final moment for Willis to finish his great work because he leaves Cole as just going through the motions of his fate of sorts that he has apparently been stuck in since the beginning, but finds just right poignancy in the moment through that one connection he does make before meeting his destiny.

129 comments:

mcofra7 said...

Louis: Have you seen the Basketball Diaries? Curious to hear some thoughts on DiCaprio in the film.

mcofra7 said...

Not suggesting you see the film though. Just curious

Calvin Law said...

Thoughts and ratings on the rest of the cast?

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

RIP Joan Leslie. I honestly loved her in Sergeant York.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Your Thoughts on Macbeth and ratings for the cast, with thoughts on Fassbender and Cotillard.

RatedRStar said...

Louis: I think I would give Brad Pitt a 1.5 or a 2, its insanely bad and probably the only thing that stops 12 Monkeys from being a masterpiece, it wouldn't matter if Pitt was just a cameo but he keeps reappearing.

Luke: This version of Macbeth stands as my second favorite behind Throne of Blood, which means I enjoyed it a lot, its very gritty and has this ghoulish atmosphere to it which is great, I found the battle sequences to be perhaps a bit stylish even though they were well done.

Fassbender (5) Fassbender takes a particular method just like Mifune did, whereas Mifune went for a giant egotistical Macbeth who was power hungry, Fassbender creates this proud warrior who is secretly desperate, I found his scenes with Marion to be great, they show a passionate love but also venomous hate between each other as the situation becomes more dire.

Cotillard (5) I found her to be the best Lady Macbeth, she is properly caring and loving in a convincing way but also has a creepy evil side that is manipulating Macbeth at every turn, but doing so in a great way so that nobody would suspect her, towards the end of the film she is amazing in suffering this guilt which drives her mad, and its all earned.

Harris (3.5)
Considine (4)
Reynor (3)
Debicki (3)
Thewlis (3.5)

Anonymous said...

Louis: Wow, I wasn't expecting a 5 for Willis.
Who would be your top 10 dream pairings (actors/actresses)?

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I really cannot wait to see the film and am feeling relieved that you loved Fassbender and Cotillard.

Are you looking forward to Assassin's Creed. :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your Top Ten Actor/Actor (Male) and Actor/Director Dream Pairings.

I just knew you'd give Vikander a 4.5, but I'm still pleased that you liked her. :)

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: Wow, it must be great. Can't wait to see this.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: With this review, I wouldn't be surprised, if Gibson got a five for Braveheart.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I don't actually think he will get a five. If he did, I would be surprised.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He's a 4.5 for me, but I'm starting to get the feeling that it's a possibility.

Robert MacFarlane said...

If Gibson gets a 5, SFGSARGDVAVQWCARCDSDCFACDWACWCSADWQRVWFVSVCQWAF

Luke Higham said...

Robert: :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Gibson is a 4,5 for me also. I was really surprised that Willis got a 5. He's a 4,5 for me.

JackiBoyz said...

RatedRStar: What are your thoughts on The Program and Ben Fosters work?

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Ratings on the cast as well. :)

RatedRStar said...

Luke and JackiBoyz: I actually only just managed to get to the screening as I was late waking up lol.

The Program is just a very standard telling of the story, I find the direction by Frears to be quite lifeless, with the attempted stylish look failing, I mean I don't care about the sun shining at the camera so often it is annoying, some of the performances aren't anything to write home about either, this story is interesting in general but it really doesn't do anything different that hasn't been told, I kinda wanted this film to go even further and possibly explore new territory but it never does, it does one very good thing in it though.

Foster (4.5) I feel Foster gives a performance better than what was written, for me he is written as one dimensional evil lol, Foster does so much more though suggesting that he always feels a slight guilt and desperation to everything he is doing, but also shows the arrogance and downright creepiness to what he is doing also, particularly in the scene where he confronts O Dowd for the last time and even in the scene with Foster talking to himself in the mirror before a conference, he shows this acting confident but also nerves, as all of the confidence he has at the beginning is drained out, I feel this was great work with almost nothing backing it.

O'Dowd (2.5)
Pace (2)
Piemons (3)
Menochet (1.5)
Hoffman (2)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Anything less than a 4.5 from you, would've been disappointing for me, personally, so I'm glad you liked him at the very least and is the only reason why I want to see the film.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: I think everyone would have agreed that Foster would be the only reason to see the film lol I should say that 1.5 I gave to Menochet was no joke lol he really is terrible.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: :)

What are your top 5 most anticipated films of 2016.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Oh also I am still not confident about Assassins Creed lol, and I dont think I would be able to give any for 2016 just yet lol its a little too early.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: OK. :)

I'll give you mine anyway.

Silence
Hail, Caesar!
Rogue One
Deadpool
X-Men: Apocalypse
Hon. Assassins Creed

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: Damn, poor Menochet. He was great in his only scene in Inglourious Basterds. Was he too bland or something in The Program?

Anonymous said...

Luke: Do you think Reynolds will give a good performance as Deadpool?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Surpassing his performance in Origins: Wolverine is very much a given, though I'm confident that he's gonna give a good performance.

I didn't choose Civil War as one of my anticipated films, because I'm really getting fatigued by the MCU.

RatedRStar said...

Anonymous: I found Menochets performance extremely cartoonish lol and completely over the top, it basically played it as if he were a some creepy mad professor.

L Rime said...

I'm not so high on this movie nor the performance. I think Willis is good, a 4 at best. What's interesting is that I really liked it when I watched it the first time, but every time I re-watch it, it gets worse for me.

L Rime said...

The movie has gotten worse I mean, not Willis' performance. He's always been hovering around a 4 for me regardless of my opinion on the movie itself.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Hey everyone! I bought a lot of new movies that I hope to love (and one I already love). Are there any performances I should look out for (4+ material) and those to be cautious of (1.5-)? Here they are:

He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
Love Me Tonight (1932) (I have already seen it and loved it, but want to see it again)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
Black Narcissus (1947)
The Big Heat (1953)
Portrait in Black (1960)
Madame X (1966)
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
Hamlet (1996)
Jane Eyre (2011)
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Cinderella (2015)

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Oh, and I can also state why I bought them if you wish to know. For example, I bought Love Me Tonight partially because I have not seen it in a while and partially because I do not have a single Jeanette MacDonald movie in my collection.

Anonymous said...

ruthiehenshallfan99: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Hamlet (1996) and Black Narcissus have amazing performances. Well, Hamlet has its ups and downs in terms of performances.

Louis Morgan said...

Saw Bridge of Spies will be watching Beasts of No Nation soon.

mcofra7: Haven't seen it.

Calvin:

Stowe - 4.5(Bordering on a five as well. I find she creates a particularly endearing presence within the film by making her character outside of the realm of the insanity most of the other main players seems to be in. Again as I mentioned in the review her chemistry with Willis is great, and she is convincing in making that relationship which as well as in doing the switch in terms of which one believes Cole really is a time traveler)

I'd go even lower on Pitt now.

Anonymous:

In no particular order:

Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando (Early 50's)
Michael Fassbender and Tom Hardy
Joaquin Phoenix and Daniel Day-Lewis
Laird Cregar and Sydney Greenstreet
Clint Eastwood and John Wayne
Jeff Goldblum and James Woods
Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier
Cary Grant and Clark Gable
Terence Stamp and Malcolm McDowell
Nicolas Cage and Tim Curry

Luke:

Actor/Director:

Again No Particular Order:

Joaquin Phoenix/Werner Herzog
James Woods/Quentin Tarantino
Ben Foster/Nicolas Winding Refn
Sharlto Copley/Mike Leigh
Josh Brolin/Wes Anderson
Joe Pesci/Martin McDonagh
John Hurt/Paul Thomas Anderson
Gary Oldman/David Lynch
Matthew McConaughey/David Cronenberg
Viggo Mortensen/Martin Scorsese

Anonymous said...

Louis: Of these dream pairings, which one would you consider the most interesting and least interesting? And why?
Garbo/Bergman
Monroe/Taylor
Brando/Newman
Pacino/Nicholson
Brando/Clift
Brando/Olivier
Bogart/Mitchum
DDL/Oldman

Anonymous said...

Louis: Also Chaney Sr./Chaplin.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on Bridge Of Spies and Ratings & Thoughts on the cast.

Lastly, the reason why you chose Fassbender/Hardy.

Luke Higham said...

I saw Sicario, it's a good thriller, which has an outstanding performance from Benicio Del Toro and great work also from Blunt and Brolin. Del Toro's performance is not just my Supporting #1 but my favourite performance in any category so far this year. The Cinematography is fantastic as well.

Ratings
Blunt - 4.5
Brolin - 4.5 (He's fantastic in his last scene with Blunt)
Del Toro - 5
Kaluuya - 3

Anonymous said...

Luke: Poor Deakins will lose again to Lubezki...

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I love both of them and the academy should be ashamed for not awarding Deakins earlier. I hate saying it and it's probably unpatriotic of me, but I'm supporting Lubezki as the cinematography in the trailer looked absolutely breathtaking.

Anonymous said...

Luke: It seems that with every movie he photographs, Lubezki just keeps getting nominated. But then again, he's a genius.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Plus, I would like to see someone win a category three times in a row and deservingly so.

Luke Higham said...

Lubezki should have 4 Oscars right now.
Children Of Men
The Tree Of Life
Gravity
Birdman

Anonymous said...

Luke: Yeah, I agree. By the way, I don't know about you, but I think Robert Shaw would have been an interesting choice for Captain Ahab.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He would've been a perfect choice. :)

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: your top 5 Cotillard's performances now you saw Macbeth :)

Anonymous said...

Plus: is she actually lead or supporting in this film?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'll be a bit surprised if she's Lead, reviews have suggested otherwise.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous: I would presume she's lead.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Garbo/Bergman - (Potentially interesting if say Garbo had come out retirement for a Bergman film, of the Ingmar variety, as I would want them both in very dramatic territory as I feel that's where they often did their best work)

Monroe/Taylor - (Likely would be enjoyable enough in the sort of comedies Monroe usually starred in. As dramatic pair it could be hit or miss, although I would say that's due to Taylor)

Brando/Newman - (Uninteresting simply in that I feel that by time Newman broke out it would be too late with Brando's overindulgence)

Pacino/Nicholson - (Interesting in the 70's would be a disaster likely in post-80's. Their styles seem like they could make something special in the 70's, it would be an overactive ham fest most likely though later on)

Brando/Clift - (It would have to be fifties as damaged Clift and indulgent Brando would not meld together well in the least. Both in their prime though could have offered something quite special though)

Brando/Olivier - (Its easy enough to see Olivier as Brutus in Julius Caesar, which likely would have worked well. Out of Shakespeare though I don't see the two exactly melding.)

Bogart/Mitchum - (Well I suppose one would not get more haggard and hard-boiled than having these two together. I think it would be quite the interesting pairing)

DDL/Oldman - (The most interesting of them all for me as I just would love to see them share a scene going toe to toe, Paul Thomas Anderson needs to get on that post haste. Although he probably should avoid throwing in Joaquin Phoenix as the world would explode by the level intensity created by the three. It also would be funny if the two just teamed up for a comedy and each played multiple character, though that might cause Day-Lewis to develop a dissociative disorder.

Chaney/Chaplin - (The tramp meets the Phantom, I'll take it. I think a horror comedy directed by Chaplin would probably be something special anyways.)

Luke:

In regards to Hardy/Fassbender I just think they could be good together.

Well I'll just have to somehow avoid talking about the best part of the film, I'll also save Hanks. The film itself is a solid Spielbergian film, yes there are music swells, not by John Williams but you could have fooled me. It's a well done example of it, and in terms of style for me it felt like a better done version of the Imitation Game, although this is helped because it does not need to deal with all of Turing's extra baggage as well as its story involving espionage. The film moves along nicely though it seems like there was perhaps room for more development, mainly that we never see Hanks's Donovan really defend Rylance's Abel, which is a shame since every scene they do share is great. Also the film seems like that's what's its going to be about as well due to a bit of build up, even involving an overly enthusiastic assistant, that never really pans out. Again though these scenes are not poorly done it just kinda wavers on what it's going to focus on. Once the real plot starts, which could be too late for some, it is quite an effective thriller, with the climactic scenes being particularly well handled. Like most of his films post Jurassic Park, he does not know exactly know when to fade to black though. He just always wants to linger longer than he should. It's not a flawless work, but the strength of the best elements outweigh these flaws enough to make this a satisfying effort from Spielberg.

The rest of the cast varies from 2.5 to 3's.

Also saw Beasts of No Nation, and supporting actor is quite the interesting category this year I must say.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Beasts Of No Nation and your ratings and thoughts on the cast.

I'm guessing that you really loved Rylance.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What about a trio? Kind of like Pacino/Nicholson/De Niro, Olivier/Mason/Guinness and Brando/Clift/Dean?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is Elba Supporting for you.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I'm saving Elba and Attah. The first half of the film is outstanding creating what could seem like just a nice story about a family in Africa, this is bluntly stripped away through its unflinching depiction of a child soldier. The film makes this an absolutely harrowing journey, but also is fascinating in its depiction of the sort of cult like mentality that is planted in the boys to send them to war. That being said I did not think the second half of the film was nearly as good. It meanders a bit, and moments that should seem pivotal to the story just don't quite have the impact it seems like they should. These are not bad scenes by any measure they just don't hold up to the first half. The final scenes involving Elba's character feel a bit underdeveloped. The last scenes though bring home the story fairly well though, and maybe its just me but I felt it kinda had a 400 Blows vibe to them. The film does not quite become the masterpiece that seemed possible with the first half. Nevertheless its a very good film creating an atmospheric portrait of a boy's descent into hatred.

Elba is unquestionably supporting to me. The rest of the cast is fine, but no one else stands out too much.

Anonymous:

Pacino/Nicholson/De Niro - (

The Present: Old-Timers a comedy about three old friends getting together for a nice golf getaway in Florida. Little do they know they've made their trip on the same week as spring break. So long for a bit of quiet time!

70's - Something good)

Olivier/Mason/Guinness - (A detective (Mason), must investigate the murder at the estate of a British lord (Olivier), who has an odd variety of servants and guests all over the estate (all played by Guinness). I'll take it!)

Brando/Clift/Dean - (Hmm I don't know let's say a modernized version of Les Miserables set around The Spanish Civil War: Clift - As the Jean ValJean type, Brando as the Javert type, and Dean as the Marius type. That could be interesting.)

Luke Higham said...

I saw The Gift, it's a very good psychological thriller with very good performances from its main trio.
Ratings
Bateman - 4.5
Hall - 4
Edgerton - 4/4.5

Luke Higham said...

So it seems that we're gonna have at least 5 fives in supporting. By the look of things, Hardy, Del Toro, Rylance and Elba are definites.

I hope Attah does extremely well. :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: What's your schedule for the coming month.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

I am watching a little bit of The Bad Seed. It's... interesting. If anyone has seen it before, what are your thoughts on the film and the actors?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke: What do you mean exactly?

mcofra7 said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on Elba as an actor?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: What do you plan on seeing within the next 4 weeks, is what I meant. :)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Your thoughts on Crimson Peak and ratings for the cast.

Anonymous said...

John Smith:

Louis and everyone else, what are your top ten performances In Hong Kong movies?

1. Takeshi Kaneshiro/Fallen Angels (Second favorite Hong Kong movie)
2. Yeong-ae Lee/Symphaty For Lady Vengeance
3. Kang-Ho Song/Memories Of Murder (Favorite Hong Kong movie)
5. Tony Chiu Wai Leung/In The Mood For Love
6. Park No-Shik/Memories Of Murder
7. Min-Sik Choi/Lady Vengeance
8. Min-Sik Chou/ I Saw The Devil
9. Hye-Ja Kim/Mother
10. Bin Won/Mother

There are many movie like Chungkin Express, Infernal Affair (Gonna watch it today), Happy Togheter and so on that i have not been able to see. So this is just a list for those i have seen. Fucking love Hong Kong movies!

RatedRStar said...

Luke: I liked Crimson Peak, I got a very Rebeccaish vibe from it, I found the performances all fine really although not amazing but very appropriate, the look is fantastic, I do think that it isn't scary but does have a creepy atmosphere, perhaps there are a few too many twists don't really add anything but ah well.

Wasikowska (3.5)
Hiddleston (4)
Chastain (3.5)
Beaver (3)
Hunnam (3)

John Smith: Thats very tricky for me I have seen so many lol, this list will probably change over time, also I should say that Kaneshiro for Fallen Angels will likely appear on this blog as I am determined to get him reviewed at some point, did you know that Kaneshiro never recieved any acting nominations ever, despite many films he starred in being nominated at ceremonies.

1)Tony Leung Chiu Wai - Infernal Affairs
2)Liu Ye - Lan Yu
3)Lau Ching Wan - Mad Detective
4)Anthony Wong - Beast Cops
5)Chow Yun Fat - A Better Tomorrow
6)Stephen Chow - A Chinese Odyssey series
7)Tony Leung Ka Fai - 92 Legendary La Rose Noire
8)Anthony Wong - The Untold Story
9)Roy Cheung - Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone
10)Francis Ng - 2000 AD

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Your thoughts on Carey Mulligan in Suffragette.

RatedRStar said...

Louis: I don't think you would mind too much if Takeshi Kaneshiro appeared again on this blog in the future, especially playing a very similar role to his work in Chungking Express, directed by the same person.

Anonymous said...

Louis: I also would like to see Watts/Blanchett/Kidman. What do you think of it?

RatedRStar said...

Luke:

Mulligan (I found she gave a very good emotional performance starting out as very quiet and just accepting her position, but then as she joins the cause she then becomes more passionate and brave standing up for what she believes is right, I found her scene where she loses her , she is by far the best performer in the film due to the scripts ruining Gleeson and Whishaws performances so that they are 1 note)

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Forgot to finish that, I found her scene where she loses her son to be excellently played.

Anonymous said...

John Smith:

The only movie i have seen with Kaneshiro Is Fallen Angels, but looking over his filmography i am quite surprised that he has not gotten any attention especially for Fallen Angels which i can call without hesitation on of my favorite performances of all time. He was so weird and touching. He pulled my heartstrings for real in that film, i loved him!

I hope Louis reviews his performance in Fallen Angels for the bonus reviews (;

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar & Calvin: With the 2015 alternates, do you think there's gonna be 10 reviews for both categories.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Yes definitely

John Smith: Yes it is strange that Takeshi never recieved anything for Fallen Angels, despite that film doing well at the HK awards that year, I imagine awards committees couldn't take a heart throb seriously although that statement is questionable since actors like Nicholas Tse and Eddie Peng have no problem getting multiple award nominations in just a few years lol.

RatedRStar said...

Heres the Takeshi Kaneshiro snub timeline

Chungking Express - Tony Leung Chiu Wai won best actor and the film won best picture

Fallen Angels - nominated for 9 HK awards, won for Best Supporting Actress

Perhaps Love - Won best actress and recieved a bunch of other awards, no nomination for Takeshi or Jacky Cheung.

Confessions Of Pain - Tony Leung Chiu Wai was nominated but not Takeshi again?

The Warlords - Andy Lau and Jet Li were nominated with Li winning, the third lead player Takeshi snubbed again

Red Cliff Part 1 and 2 - Tony Leung Chiu Wai nominated over Takeshi again despite being mostly dubbed, Chang Chen once again nominated in supporting despite being almost always a leading player.

Wu Xia - All the main players nominated minus Takeshi and Donnie Yen (who has been nominated for acting in the past).

Louis Morgan said...

mcofra7:

Disregarding Beasts entirely, I have not been overly impressed by his film work though that's mainly due to the majority of it being extremely thin parts like in Prometheus and Thor. I was not too keen on the only substantial film role of his that I've seen, Mandela Long Walk to Freedom, but that was a rather terrible film. Outside of that I've not seen his television work where he's received the most praise.

Luke:

In terms of wide releases I'll probably be seeing Steve Jobs and Spectre. I'll see what comes my way in terms of limited releases.

John Smith:

I Saw the Devil, Mother, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, and Memories of Murder are from Korea not from Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Performances:

1. Tony Leung - Infernal Affairs
2. Lau Ching Wan - Mad Detective
3. Michelle Yeoh - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
4. Tony Leung - Happy Together
5. Anthony Wong - Beast Cops
6. Takeshi Kaneshiro - Chungking Express
7. Andy Lau - Infernal Affairs
8. Tony Leung - The Longest Nite
9. Ziyi Zhang - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
10. Tony Leung - Hardboiled

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Have you seen Thor (2011).

Louis Morgan said...

Parts of, which is why I have not included it in the rankings for that year.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Would you consider Hiddleston for that year.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: After watching Mark Rylance for the first time in Bridge Of Spies, are you now somewhat eager to watch Wolf Hall. :)

Anonymous said...

Louis: You forgot to answer this. What do you think of a dream trio such as Watts/Kidman/Blanchett?

Anonymous said...

Luke: I bet he is eager.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :)

Anyway, I saw Crimson Peak, I thought it was a fairly ineffective horror film, though I'll give credit to the cast for keeping me somewhat invested.

Ratings
Wasikowska - 4
Hiddleston - 4/4.5
Chastain - 4.5
Hunnam - 2.5

moviefilm said...

I just saw Crimson Peak. It's quite not working as a horror film, but as any other film genre, either. It's a bas comedy, bad victorian romance. I felt bored, it was predictable and full of clishé.

Wasikowska - 2.5
Hiddlestone - 3
Chastain - 3.5
Hunnam - 2

Anonymous said...

Luke: Whoa, I thought you'd like it, but saying that it was ineffective, well, doesn't stop me from checking it out. Well, you'll be seeing Macbeth, right?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Of Course, whenever I get the chance. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: I also will watch it whenever I get the chance. If Fassbender and Cotillard are truly great, then they would make Olivier and Leigh proud.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Crimson Peak does have positives such as the acting and the production values and I would like to get your thoughts on it too. Not once though did I get a chill up my spine.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, I told you that I would be checking it out. I still haven't watched it yet. :)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, uh, what do you think of Watts/Kidman/Blanchett as a dream trio?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Actually, I admit being a bit harsh on Crimson Peak, It wasn't frightening by any means but the haunted house felt like a character in itself and so I quite liked the atmosphere. :)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: In terms of Actresses, it's quite the interesting pick. I'd have them in a historical drama with Kidman in the lead, (Her best performances tend to come from lead roles) with Watts and Blanchett as supporting players. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: I agree that it's quite interesting. If we are going to have what, a quartet or quintet in terms of actors/actresses, which ones would be interesting?

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Its likely Crimson Peak wont be on my top 10 list at the end of the year but I guess I still liked it enough =).

Calvin Law said...

Well I must be in the minority here as I just saw Crimson Peak and I really liked it. I didn't see it as a 'chiller' sort of horror, Rebecca-esque I think agreed with RatedRStar, and loved how gorgeously it was shot. The script does run a bit thin occasionally but the atmosphere more than makes up for it.

Wasikowska: 4.5/5 (yet another brilliant subversion of the 'straight' female after Jane Eyre and Stoker)
Hiddleston: 4.5
Chastain: 4.5
Hunnam: 4

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
Fassbender/Hardy/Cotillard/Mulligan
De Niro/Pacino/Spacek/Streep
Fassbender/Hardy/Foster/Phoenix
Olivier/Rylance/McKellen/Gielgud
Karloff/Lugosi/Chaney/Price
Chaplin/Keaton/Laurel & Hardy/Lloyd
De Niro/Pacino/Nicholson/Hackman

Anonymous said...

Luke: Very interesting quartets.
Brando/Clift/Dean/Garfield
Hepburn/Davis/Crawford/Stanwyck
Streep/Lange/Spacek/Weaver
O'Toole/Burton/Harris/Reed
Olivier/Laughton/Mason/Guinness
Bogart/Mitchum/Ryan/Widmark
Stewart/Grant/Gable/Tracy
Eastwood/McQueen/Bronson/Marvin
Rank the most interesting to least interesting

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Most interesting to me are the Hellraisers and Larry/Charlie/Jimmy/Al.

Least Interesting is such a tough one for me, but I'll give the nod to Brando/Clift/Dean/Garfield and haven't got a reason why I chose that quartet.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Perhaps because you think that a film starring the first method actors wouldn't be interesting?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I don't have a least interesting pick then. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, I'm going with quintets.
Pacino/De Niro/Nicholson/Hackman/Hoffman
Olivier/Gielgud/Richardson/Rylance/Branagh
Stewart/Gable/Grant/Fonda/Tracy
Wayne/Eastwood/McQueen/Bronson/Marvin
Bogart/Lancaster/Douglas/Mitchum/Ryan
DDL/Oldman/Gleeson/Caine/J. Hurt
Irons/Julia/W. Hurt/Goldblum/Woods
Fassbender/Foster/Hardy/Gleeson/DiCaprio
Garbo/Bergman/Ullmann/Von Sydow/Vikander
What about these, huh?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I love all your picks, my favourite's Olivier/Gielgud/Richardson/Rylance/Branagh, followed by Fassbender/Hardy/Foster/Gleeson/DiCaprio.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Do you believe that Brendan Gleeson will get an actual Oscar nomination someday?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: With any great actor, it's never say never though I'm starting to think, a first nomination's gonna pass him by. :(

Anonymous said...

Luke: Now, I'll do some more, if you don't mind. :)
Olivier/Gielgud/Richardson/Mason/Laughton/Guinness/Redgrave
Streep/Fonda/Lange/Dunaway/Burstyn/Weaver/Spacek
Bogart/Mitchum/Douglas/Lancaster/Widmark/Ryan/Holden
Pacino/De Niro/Nicholson/Hoffman/Hackman/Duvall/Redford
Stewart/Poitier/Grant/Gable/Newman/Powell/Colman
O'Toole/Burton/Harris/Reed/Courtenay/Finney/Bates
Karloff/Lugosi/Chaney Sr./Price/Lorre/Lee/Cushing
Chaplin/Keaton/Lloyd/Arbuckle/Laurel and Hardy/G. Marx

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Once again, I love all your choices. :)

My favourite's the Hellraiser/Kitchen Sink Septet. :)

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

I saw The Bad Seed last night, mostly because I plan on seeing every nominated performance (and nominees for directing and best picture). It is fairly interesting, with a very interesting premise. However, the ending was really bad (the cast call) and unnecessary. Anyways:

Kelly: 2.5/3/3.5
McCormack: 3.5
Heckart: 2/2.5
Varden: 2.5/3
Hopper: 2

Pretty indecisive here. Has anyone seen it? What were your thoughts on the movie?

I plan to see The Petrified Forest tonight.

Anonymous said...

Luke: What about a group of ten? This will be tough, but I'll bite. :)
Fassbender/DiCaprio/Hardy/Foster/McConaughey/D. Gleeson/Phoenix/Gosling/Cumberbatch/Hiddleston
Olivier/Gielgud/Richardson/Mason/Laughton/Guinness/Scofield/Rylance/Branagh/McKellen
Brando/Steiger/Clift/Newman/Pacino/De Niro/Nicholson/Hoffman/Hackman/Duvall
Bogart/Mitchum/Douglas/Lancaster/Ryan/Holden/Widmark/O'Brien/Heflin/Quinn
Streep/Fonda/Lange/Burstyn/Dunaway/Weaver/Close/Spacek/J. Foster/Sarandon
O'Toole/Burton/Harris/Reed/Finch/Courtenay/Bates/Finney/Harvey/Stamp
Wayne/Eastwood/Van Cleef/Wallach/McQueen/Bronson/Marvin/Heston/Garner/Cooper
DDL/Oldman/B. Gleeson/J. Hurt/Caine/Connery/McKellen/Hopkins/Firth/Fiennes

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Probably not.

Trust me I'll see Wolf Hall.

Anonymous:

Sure in a Lars von Trier film.

ruthiehenshallfan99:

I found the film's theatrical leanings were a bit too evident in its translation and the acting, though I did enjoy Henry Jones's performance.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: The Shakespearean men for me. :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: :) :) :) :) :)

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your ratings for the rest of the cast of The Entertainer?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Livesey - 4(A re-watch could move him up higher)
De Banzie - 4
Plowright - 3.5
Bates - 3.5
Finney - 3

Anonymous said...

Louis: What potential could you see from these quintets?
Bogart/Mitchum/Douglas/Lancaster/Ryan
Olivier/Gielgud/Richardson/Mason/Guinness
Pacino/De Niro/Nicholson/Hackman/Hoffman
Streep/Lange/Spacek/Weaver/Burstyn
Karloff/Lugosi/Chaney/Price/Lorre
Cregar/Rains/Brennan/L. Barrymore/Mitchell

Anonymous said...

Louis: Also these.
Wayne/Eastwood/Wallach/Van Cleef/Bronson
Chaplin/Keaton/Lloyd/Arbuckle/Laurel and Hardy

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Louis: Shoot, I forgot to rate Jones: 3.5

I found Kelly to be very problematic. I truly don't know what rating to give her.

What are your thoughts and ratings on the cast of The Bad Seed?

Anonymous said...

Ruthiehenshallfan99:
Here's his ratings and thoughts on the cast of The Bad Seed:

Kelly - 2.5(I never felt her performance quite came together as it should. She rightfully portrays her character as rather explosively emotional in the moment, but never with that great of fervor or intensity. It just never feels as though she goes for the throat in the part, and her whole performance is slightly too much yet still underwhelming)

McCormack - 2.5(She purposefully one note, which is understandable considering the whole idea is being the evil sweet little girl, but I just don't feel she did that note all that well. She's never very scary or that funny if that's what she going for)

Jones - 3.5(I'll admit I probably should like him less, and wholly understand if one were to think he was terrible. I thought his performance though was an over the top hoot doing the creepy gardener routine with a wonderfully flamboyant glee)

Heckart - 3(She has some good moments inside of her performance of intense drunkenness with intense grief but her work never becomes nearly as volatile as one would expect. The reason being for me anyways is her excessively theatrical movements that do seem right off the stage so every member of the audience can see. Especially that raise of the glass near the end of her performance that just seems a little too rehearsed)

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

I saw The Petrified Forest last night. I liked it quite a bit. Don't have a lot to say like I did The Bad Seed.

Davis: 4
Howard: 4
Bogart: 4
Grapewin: 2.5
Tobin: 2
Foran: 1.5/2

Anonymous said...

Louis, thoughts and rating on

Meryl Streep/The Deer Hunter



Anonymous said...

Anonymous: The Deer Hunter - 4(She is certainly overshadowed by her co-stars but she gives a moving and honest portrayal of her rather limited character)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: She's gone down to a 3.5 now.

I managed to see Crimson Peak again and appreciated it more this time round. I viewed it as more of a gothic romance, which was Del Toro's intent to begin with. It still has some flaws, but overall it's a solid enough film. Hiddleston's now a 4.5 for me, everyone else remains the same.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oh, right, I forgot.
A dream pairing: Franciosa/Wiseau.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :)

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Anonymous: Franciosa/Wiseau/Zane

Luke Higham said...

I'm gonna watch Beasts Of No Nation tomorrow. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Have fun. :)
Olivier/Welles/Brando
Guinness/Brando/Olivier/Laughton
Dunaway/Bancroft/Sarandon/Spacek
Laughton/Harrison/Gielgud/Sim
Colbert/Dunne/Lombard/Loy

Louis Morgan said...

One more note on Bridge of Spies is that's sitting particularly well with me, and actually the more I think about it, I'm actually think it's my second favorite of the year.

Anonymous:

Bogart/Mitchum/Douglas/Lancaster/Ryan - (Two crime lords, one older (Bogart) one younger (Mitchum) are going to war, with a hit man playing both sides (Ryan) and two police detectives (Douglas and Lancaster) trying to pick up the pieces)

Olivier/Gielgud/Richardson/Mason/Guinness - (Glengarry Glen Ross though instead its five soldiers for a lord losing power, being forced to find a new strategy Always Be Conquering states the envoy (Mason) there to motivate them giving them the ultimatum the most successful is made a Knight, the second is given a new set of armor and the rest are executed. Olivier as the one who seems like he has a plan, Guinness as the past his prime soldier desperately trying to live, Gielgud as the constantly complaining one while Richardson as the meek one who mostly listens to Gielgud. I'll take it)

Pacino/De Niro/Nicholson/Hackman/Hoffman - (A remake of the first one with Pacino and De Niro as the crime lords, Nicholson as the hit man, and Hackman and Hoffman as the detectives. I'll take it)

Streep/Lange/Spacek/Weaver/Burstyn - (I'm not to keen on this one simply as I feel Lange, Streep and maybe Burstyn could bring the worst out of each other while Weaver and especially Spacek would be trying desperately to tone things down)

Karloff/Lugosi/Chaney/Price/Lorre - (Something in a haunted house)

Cregar/Rains/Brennan/L. Barrymore/Mitchell (I would definitely want to see this since an all character actor cast would be most unusual for the period)

Wayne/Eastwood/Wallach/Van Cleef/Bronson - (As long Leone's at the helm I'm in)

Chaplin/Keaton/Lloyd/Arbuckle/Laurel and Hardy - (No matter what I'd be quite interested to see how either Keaton or Chaplin, as director, would be able to balance all of the comedians out. Not sure it would work, but I'd love to see the effort)

Anonymous:

Franciosa/Wiseau/Zane - (Must be written and directed by Wiseau though. The film and the acting would be indescribable but also unforgettable)

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Louis: The final trio must be seen to be believed. As for the Chaplin group, it would have to be done before the Arbuckle controversy, or it will never work.

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