Sunday 18 October 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1995: Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise

Ethan Hawke did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Jesse Wallace in Before Sunrise.

Before Sunrise depicts the one night together of a young man and woman in Vienna after they randomly meet on a train. I really liked the film which means my hatred of Boyhood has been legitimized, correct?

Speaking of Boyhood that film might have worked if Richard Linklater had someone managed to make it about Ethan Hawke from the 80's to 90's. Instead of doing some impossible time bending though the two's collaboration started with this film. Hawke plays a young man Jesse on a trip with Europe who comes across a young French woman Céline (Julie Delpy) who happen to strike up a conversation on the train but before their paths uncross Jesse encourages her to spend the rest of the day with him in Vienna as his plane leaves from there the next day. She agrees and the rest of the film is the progression of their relationship mostly through their conversations as they go from one place to another in Vienna. Now the role seems simply enough in that Hawke just plays a young guy who does not have any serious problems in his life, and at worst has just a bit of pretense that a young man of his age can possibly develop, though nothing too worrisome. In fact I think Hawke does something very important in his very first moment of his performance, which is one of my favorite moments of his performance, is he does not set Jesse up as just some smooth operator. This is shown just in his very honest moment just before he first speaks to Céline, as he shows the hesitation and frankly just the effort needed to find the courage to speak to her.

Hawke putting this before the rest of his performance is essential in helping the audience sympathize with him once he takes the next step to invite her to his day, which he has nothing planned. It must be said that Hawke and Delpy have fantastic chemistry with one another particularly the way they play with it throughout the course of the film. The two realizes an undeniable connection just in the sheer comfort the two have in their interactions with one another, but importantly neither actor simplifies this into an abundant love too soon. The two are remarkable in the way they portray the progression of this really in each and every conversation throughout the rest of the day. As the proceed the two slowly begin to break down the awkwardness of strangeness and proceed to grow an even stronger warmth in their interactions with one another. They fall in love in such an unassuming and eloquent fashion. Although again something that is quite special about this, past what they already achieved which in itself is special, is that the two though also do manage to also create some of the problems that arise from the familiarity as it grows. Their fights are not severe though two make it so genuine in their portrayal of just the certain tensions that become more problematic, but give their relationship a natural depth.

Now I say Hawke could have Boyhood work, not only because with the real Boyhood Hawke made the scenes that do work in that film work, but also because Hawke just seems to understand Richard Linklater's wavelength as a writer and director, although apparently Hawke and Delpy both contributed to the writing of this film as well. What Hawke does so well though in regards to Linklater is make the words simply just work. Well here's the thing in regards to Before Sunrise, which in a way is a bit different from many films that focus on mostly speaking, is that the film is not necessarily excessively witty, though it certainly has insight. This is not a criticism of the film in the least, and it is notable that the film manages to make the conversations as engaging as they are despite not being particularly imperative in nature. A great deal of credit for this belongs to Hawke and Delpy because they both make it feel completely in the moment, and without even the slightest hint of anything being put on. Something that Hawke does that's rather risky is that he even allows Jesse in a way to have unlikable qualities at moments, though Hawke makes these feel an actual part of the guy that do not overwhelm rather just adds up into just who he is. Hawke and Delpy are wonderful in that they make the relationship and both people feel absolutely true. Although what they talking about does slowly gain greater importance there is never a tonal shift, but the two manage to make what they say to one another only mean more as the film progresses. The investment we feel only grows as their investment in one another does, and their final goodbye is quite moving without the film ever trying to enforce the emotion of the moment upon us. This is a terrific work from Ethan Hawke, and it is not surprising that he went on to become such a frequent collaborator with Linklater, as Hawke understands Linklater's vision and knows exactly how to bring it life through his performance.

94 comments:

Calvin Law said...

I re-watched this and it's now my Best Picture win for 1995. Hawke is seriously good here.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm really glad you liked the film so much, it's my Best Pic win for the year too. Personally I think Hawke and Delpy are even better in the other two.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Technically speaking, Hawke and Delpy are probably at their A-game in Before Midnight more than this one, but I think this film is my favorite of the three. And while I don't hold nearly as much animosity towards Boyhood, I certainly agree this is much better.

Kevin said...

Glad you liked the film and his performance. This is probably one of my favourite films and I wouldn't hesitate to give Hawke and Delpy fives.

What is your rating and thoughts for Delpy?

Michael Patison said...

Just finished Beasts of No Nation. The combo of Louis's thoughts and the Rotten Tomatoes consensus basically sums up my thoughts on it. Attah is amazing. Elba is terrific, but his final, heartbreaking facial expression should have had more than 1 second of screentime. The film and Fukunaga's direction and writing succeed so well because it doesn't focus on trying to hammer on how horrible the situation, the atrocities, etc. are but rather just focuses on how all of those things impact the people affected by them. The film is all the more impactful because of it.

Michael Patison said...

But I do 100% agree that the 2nd half is disappointing. It descends into mood music+montage and stays there for far too long.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Thoughts on these dream groups?
Harrison/Laughton/Ustinov/Sellers/Sim/Guinness
Colbert/Loy/Harlow/Lombard/Dunne
Olivier/DDL/Oldman/Guinness
Tracy/Stewart/Fonda/Cooper/Peck/Gable/Grant

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Fassbender/Hardy/Foster/Phoenix

Luke Higham said...

Louis: And Olivier/Rylance/Branagh/McKellen/Gielgud

Calvin Law said...

Also, what rating would you give Delpy?

Personally my dream would be Ralph Richardson/Ian Richardson/Rylance. Battle of wits awesomeness overload.

Luke Higham said...

Beasts Of No Nation
Attah - 5 (One of the best child performances I've ever seen and the best of the decade, period)
Elba - 5 (I have a minor nitpick with his final scene, though no fault of his own. Elba gives a really fascinating performance as the commandant, he's outstanding in the first half, great in the second & alongside Attah, manage to carry the latter half which isn't as gripping as it could've been and loved every single scene he had with his Co-Star)

My thoughts on the film are pretty much the same as Louis'.

Anonymous said...

Louis: I don't know if you were already asked this, but what's your rating and thoughts on Vincent Price in Laura?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: At the moment, what are your top 10 TV performances. I would also like you to include mini-series, TV films and an actor's best season.

E.g. 1. Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad (Season 5)

L Rime said...

Before Sunset is probably the best of the three overall because it balances what makes Sunrise and Midnight so good. The former's hopefulness and the latter's darkness. But they're all nearly perfect movies. Hawke is probably a 5 in Sunset and Midnight though. This performance is the worst of the three which isn't really saying much. He's a 4.5 here. Lol.

As for Boyhood, that movie is constructed like memories in a human mind. I greatly admire its format and commitment to it. It's a brilliant cinematic interpretation of how our minds work as we live on. I could probably break down the entire film and its genius, but for Louis' peace of mind, I won't. I gave him enough crap before about it. ;)

Robert MacFarlane said...

For some reason Sunset always connected with me the least of all three movies. I don't know if the real time format threw me off, but something about that one just felt... off to me. It's still good, but overall I consider it a bridge between two better films.

L Rime said...

Luke:

You got a top 10 for tv? I have a pretty eclectic taste when it comes to television. I tend to disagree with most people when it comes to television, less so when it comes to movies.

I'm not even sure I have a top 10 for tv when it comes to performances though. It's tough to nail down but I'd probably go with Timothy Olyphant from Justified at number one. I don't think Cranston was all that great in Breaking Bad. He was a bit too over the top for my tastes. But I don't really like the show itself either. I did think Aaron Paul was brilliant though.

L Rime said...

Robert:

I don't agree with you, but I can definitely see how someone would have that opinion.

Luke Higham said...

L Rime: For the moment, I'll give you a top 5.
1. Mark Rylance in Wolf Hall
2. Alec Guinness in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
3. Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad
4. Gary Oldman in The Firm
5. Ben Whishaw in The Hollow Crown
Honorable Mentions: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Game Of Thrones (Season 3), Jonathan Banks in Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul, Paul Giamatti in John Adams, Ian McShane in Deadwood and Helen Mirren in Elizabeth I.

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

L Rime: For Television Series/Mini-Series/TV Films.
1. Game Of Thrones (Apologies to Louis and Robert, but this is a very personal choice for me)
2. Breaking Bad
3. Band Of Brothers
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
5. Wolf Hall
6. Top Gear (UK)
7. The Hollow Crown
8. Life On Mars (UK)
9. John Adams
10. The Missing

Michael Patison said...

Performances may take awhile for me to whittle down, but here's my series, etc..
1. The West Wing
2. Breaking Bad
3. Battlestar Galactica (reboot, obviously)
4. Game of Thrones
5. Band of Brothers
6. Top Gear (UK)
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
8. 30 Rock
9. Doctor Who (reboot, thought I know this will get me a lot of grief)
10. Bleak House (2005)
HM (in this order): Wolf Hall; Downton Abbey (season 1, as it was considered a miniseries in the States)
The Carol Burnett Show; Angel; The Golden Girls

L Rime said...

Luke:

1. Justified - No show has better dialogue or characters. Period. Seasons 2, 3, 4, and 6 are probably the best seasons of television to come out this decade.

2. Farscape - Probably the most influential science fiction show of the last 20 years. From shows like Battlestar Galactica that pilfered ideas from it to modern Doctor Who that has tried to replicate its structure, it's beyond criminally underrated. Even movies like Guardians of the Galaxy in which people compare to Star Wars is actually more in debt to Farscape than anything else.

3. Community - The only sitcom I really take seriously despite its inconsistencies, because even its failures are entertaining.

4. Life on Mars (UK) - Was pleasantly surprised to see this on your list, Luke. It's a pretty overlooked show that deserves a whole lot more consideration. Has a great sense of atmosphere and paranoia with well written/acted characters.

5. Black Lagoon (Anime) - Animes count because they're tv shows too. Duh. No, but seriously, Black Lagoon is very Hollywood-esque, taking heavy influence from filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. It's also a big reason why it's one of the few Animes that flow significantly better in English than in Japanese. So if you ever check it out, pick the English version. All the characters are interesting, sometimes even unpredictable, and the storylines can be quite fascinating. The main character has an arc that's very reminiscent of Heart of Darkness. Maryke Hendrikse gives one of the most memorable voice-over performances ever.


Told you it was eclectic.

Luke, you play video games right? Any games you looking forward to that are coming out here in the next couple of months?

Robert MacFarlane said...

Am I allowed to have comedies on my list?

Michael Patison said...

In case anybody was wondering about my season preferences for The West Wing:
1. S2
2. S1
3. S4
4. S7
5. S6
6. S3
7. S5

Luke Higham said...

L Rime: No longer I'm afraid, though I do watch walkthroughs every now and again. I just can't afford a XB1 or a PS4 at the moment and PC Gaming has never really appealed to me.

I'll be watching a walkthrough for AC: Syndicate, which shouldn't surprise anyone, as I'm a massive fan of that franchise and maybe Star Wars Battlefront, but I'm focusing just on Film & TV for now.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Yes. :)

L Rime said...

Michael:

Top 10 Modern Doctor Who Episodes

1. Listen
2. Blink
3. Midnight
4. The Time of Angels/Flesh And Stone(two parters count as one)
5. The Doctor's Wife
6. Cold War
7. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
8. Mummy on the Orient Express
9. A Christmas Carol
10. The Eleventh Hour

It's very Moffat heavy as you can tell.

Luke:

Got any favorite games? Ever I mean. From any generation. You haven't really missed much this generation to be honest. Lol.

Luke Higham said...

L Rime: I only ever watched the first 3 series of the Doctor Who reboot and my favourite episode is 'Blink'.

From last generation, (I had a XBOX 360) Bioshock, Red Dead Redemption, GTA V, Assassins Creed II, Fable II, Batman: Arkham Asylum & Knight, Elder Scrolls V, Witcher II and Tomb Raider.

Luke Higham said...

*Arkham City :)

L Rime said...

Luke:

You should continue watching. The guy who wrote Blink actually took over as showrunner starting with the 5th series. I think he's done a pretty good job. He can get a little crazy with the time travel stuff every now and then, but even that sometimes can work really well.

I had a 360 as well. My favorite games were:

Bastion - A fantastic action adventure game. It's a very well written story that unfolded through constant voice narration that worked way better than it had any right too. Seriously, the way it presented its story was pretty groundbreaking and its technique should be used more. The gameplay was simple but fun and its soundtrack was amazing.

Far Cry 2 - A game that if released today, would still be ahead of its time by a decade. Far Cry 3 and 4 took out everything that made FC2 such a unique experience. The way it implemented gameplay mechanics to underline its narrative themes... it's so genius, the fact that it was released seven years ago blows my mind. And still, no other game has matched what its done since. Most games haven't even tried to do what its done, sadly.

Borderlands 2 - A role playing shooter that did everything a sequel is supposed to do. Improve on everything the original did. The classes had more depth, the story was more interesting as well as funnier, the villain is fantastic, and it also had great DLC just like the original.

Mass Effect 2 - Pretty much exactly what I said about Borderlands 2. It took everything about the original and improved upon it ten fold.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - The best Battlefield game with an extremely balanced and fun multiplayer.

That's just last generation. If I were to go back further, I'd probably add Halo: Combat Evolved, Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, Conker's Bad Fury Day, and Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Luke Higham said...

L Rime: I'd probably start off with the first series again, I quite liked Eccleston's tenure as the doctor. I also feel a bit of nostalgia when thinking about it.

L Rime said...

Luke:

Yea, Eccleston was great. It would have been awesome to see him go more than one series. Especially since I didn't really like Tennant all that much, except for a few episodes here and there. My favorite Doctor was Smith. I thought he was fantastic. Capaldi is great as well.

Michael Patison said...

L Rime:
Top 10 DW episodes for me:
1. Listen (I've watched it 3 times in the last 2 months and it never fails to be anything less than incredible)
2. Blink
3. Midnight
4. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (I 100% agree about the 2-parter thing)
5. The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone
6. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
7. The Doctor's Wife
8. Love & Monsters
9. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
10. Turn Left
HM: Vincent and the Doctor; Gridlock; 42

I'm currently rewatching the entire series (in the middle of Love & Monsters at this minute, as it turns out, so, if I remember, I'll post an updated top 10 when I'm done.


Luke:
I agree that you should continue watching. Moffat's tenure as showrunner has been anything if not interesting, and not always in a good way, but the series are worth watching just for the sheer ambition of them.

Michael Patison said...

L Rime and Luke:
Eccleston is definitely my least favorite, though he grew on me immensely when I rewatched him. I love Tennant and he and Smith continue to trade places as my favorite. Capaldi has been great thus far (he's 100% the reason why Listen is the greatest episode), but oftentimes it seems the writing staff are still having trouble figuring out how to fit in his Doctor's personality.

Michael Patison said...

What about Top 5 Favorite/Best Episodes of TV Ever?

For me:
1. Two Cathedrals (The West Wing, Season 2)
2. The Body (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 5)
3. Ozymandias (Breaking Bad, Season 5)
4. Listen (Doctor Who, Series 8)
5. Occupation/Precipice (Battlestar Galactica, Season 3)

You can enlarge it into 10 if you want, but I figured that'd be too difficult for me.

L Rime said...

Michael:

Dude, Listen is so good. So so so good. It's one of the best television episodes I've ever seen. I find your addition of Love & Monsters interesting. That's a love it or hate it episode right there. I absolutely despise it. Lol. But to each his own.

I think the last three episodes of the new season have a good chance of sneaking into my top ten possibly. Under The Lake/Before The Flood two parter and The Girl Who Died. Both are pretty remarkable. I'm not sure if they'll get in or not though. I'm gonna let them sink in for a while before considering them.

Calvin Law said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE

Definitely worth staying up till 3 for.

Michael Patison said...

L Rime:
I'm part of the love it group and think Marc Warren is wonderful in it.

As for the other two, I thought Before the Flood was terrific but was left too underwhelmed by Under the Lake. I have The Girl Who Died recorded, but still need to sit down and watch it.

L Rime said...

Michael:

It's really tough to come up with an all time list when considering every show I've watched. So, I'll just name a few I regard highly, in no order.

Decoy (Justified, Season Four)
Listen (Doctor Who, Series Eight)
...Different Destinations (Farscape, Season Three)
Bella (Elementary, Season Three)
A Scandal In Belgravia (Sherlock, Series Two)
Out of Gas (Firefly, Season One)
Tribal (Banshee, Season Three)

By the way, The Girl Who Died is pretty great. Get on that.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Calvin: It's a good trailer, but I'm still having trouble getting even remotely excited for a film directed by J.J. "It's Totally Not Khan, I Swear" Abrams.

Michael Patison said...

An addition to my top 10 series honorable mentions: Broadchurch

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

My favorite tv episodes ever:
1) Ozymandias (Breaking Bad)
2) Blackwater (Game of Thrones)
3) Remedial Chaos Theory (Community)
4) The Reichenbach Fall (Sherlock)
5) Hardhome (Game of Thrones)

Honorable mentions: Last Forever (How I Met Your Mother), The Watchers on The Wall (Game of Thrones), and every episode from seasons 2 and 3 of community.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'm looking forward to it. :)

Luke Higham said...

Can't wait for Gibson's review. :)

Robert MacFarlane said...

I can.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: What do you plan on seeing within the next week or two.

I'm looking forward to it, just for your reaction, in case he actually gets a five, which I don't think it will happen, but wouldn't be surprised if he did. :)

Calvin Law said...

Saw Macbeth. Not a masterpiece, but still a very effective piece of Shakesperean cinema. Visually arresting and the language is handled very well, but I don't know, there was something missing I can't quite pinpoint.

I'll hold off thoughts for a while because I need to re-think some of them, but for now:

Fassbender: 5 (the best performance of his I've seen)
Cotillard: 4.5
Considine: 3.5
Harris: 4
Thewlis: 3
Reynor: 2.5
Debicki: 3

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'm absolutely pleased that you've given Fassy a 5 for the first time. :) :) :) :) :)

Calvin Law said...

Also my new Lead Actor/Supporting Actor rankings:

1. Ian McKellen in Mr Holmes (5)
2. Matt Damon in The Martian (5)
3. Tom Hardy in Legend (5)
4. Michael Fassbender in Macbeth (5)
5. Johnny Depp in Black Mass (5)
6. Tom Courtenay in 45 Years (4.5/5)
7. Jason Bateman in The Gift (4.5)
8. Joel Edgerton in Black Mass (4.5)
9. Tom Hardy in Mad Max Fury Road (4.5)
10. Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw (4.5)

1. Benicio del Toro in Sicario (5)
2. Matthias Schoenaerts in Far From the Madding Crowd (5)
3. Nicholas Hoult in Mad Max Fury Road (4.5)
4. Oscar Isaac in Ex Machina (4.5)
5. Josh Brolin in Sicario (4.5)
6. Michael Sheen in Far From the Madding Crowd (4.5)
7. Peter Sarsgaard in Black Mass (4)
8. Ronald Cyler Jr. in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (4)
9. Sean Harris in Macbeth (4)
10. Joel Edgerton in The Gift (4)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Could you save your thoughts on Fassbender & Cotillard for your Lord/Lady Macbeth head to heads.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Luke: No clue. Planning on Crimson Peak, Bridge of Spies, Beasts of No Nation, and Steve Jobs.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'm feeling fairly confident, that your top 5 Lead performances are gonna get 5s from Louis. :)

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Sure. I definitely need a re-watch though, especially for Cotillard. I was on a 4 before but thinking more about it bumped her up to a 4.5, but I won't say any more at this point.

I sure hope so. It kind of pains me to push Hardy down to #3 but the more I think about it, Damon not only had a much better film around him, he also just simply gave an even more astounding performance. I really need to re-watch Mr Holmes to see if McKellen holds up.

Calvin Law said...

Also, am going to see Suffragette on Friday.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: what are your top 10 lead male performances for 2015?

Luke Higham said...

Just to remind everyone, these are the performances, that Louis has saved so far.

Nicholas Hoult - Mad Max: Fury Road - Supporting
Oscar Isaac - Ex Machina - Supporting
Paul Dano - Love & Mercy - Lead
John Cusack - Love & Mercy - Lead
Matthias Schoenaerts - Far From The Madding Crowd - Supporting
Michael Sheen - Far From The Madding Crowd - Supporting
Johnny Depp - Black Mass - Lead
Joel Edgerton - Black Mass - Lead
Matt Damon - The Martian - Lead
Benicio Del Toro - Sicario - Supporting
Josh Brolin - Sicario - Supporting
Tom Hanks - Bridge Of Spies - Lead
Mark Rylance - Bridge Of Spies - Supporting
Abraham Attah - Beasts Of No Nation - Lead
Idris Elba - Beasts Of No Nation - Supporting

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'll position my top ten at the end of the year, but for now, in no particular order.
Tom Hardy - Legend
Tom Hardy - Mad Max: Fury Road
Ian McKellen - Mr. Holmes
Abraham Attah - Beasts Of No Nation
Johnny Depp - Black Mass
Joel Edgerton - Black Mass
Matt Damon - The Martian
Jason Bateman - The Gift
Domhnall Gleeson - Ex Machina
Paul Dano - Love & Mercy
Hon. Tom Hiddleston - Crimson Peak

Calvin Law said...

My predictions for all of them:

Hoult: 4.5
Isaac: 4.5
Dano: 4/4.5
Cusack: 4/4.5
Schoenaerts: 4.5
Sheen: 4.5
Depp: 4.5/5
Edgerton: 4.5/5
Damon: 4.5/5
Del Toro: 5
Brolin: 4.5
Hanks: 4.5
Rylance: 5
Attah: 4.5/5
Elba: 4.5/5

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'm in agreement with you, though I'm feeling a bit more confident for Elba, So I'll go ahead and predict a 5 for him.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: Most of your predictions are quite spot on.

Michael McCarthy said...

Calvin:

First of all, shame on you for putting Cyler in your top 10...

Secondly, what are your thoughts on Fassbender in Macbeth? I'm really eager to see how his performance contrasts with other portrayals of the character I've seen.

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: Calvin's gonna hold on giving his thoughts, as he'll be doing a Macbeth Head To Head on his blog at some point in the near future.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Since I'm feeling really good about the recent Force Awakens trailer, I'm gonna predict ratings for the cast.
Ford - 4
Fisher - 3.5
Hamill - 3 (From the look of things, his appearance seems to be brief)
Driver - 3.5
Ridley - 4
Boyega - 3.5/4
Isaac - 4/4.5
Serkis - 3.5
Gleeson - 4

Calvin Law said...

Michael:

Apologies Michael :) And yes I'll get onto my Shakespearean head to heads soon. I will say that his take is not entirely dissimilar to that of Mifune.

Ford: 3.5
Fisher: 3.5
Hamill: 4 (I think he will be a one-scene wonder. Bold statement yeah)
Driver: 3.5
Ridley: 4/4.5
Boyega: 4
Isaac: 4
Serkis: 3.5
Gleeson: 3.5
Ngong'yo: 3.5
Christie: 3.5

Anonymous said...

Luke: What is your rating prediction for the "great" actress known as Lupita Nyong'o?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: 3

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

So is Nyong'o not a really like actress for a reason or is it something else?

Anonymous said...

ruthiehenshallfan99: Well, you see, Louis isn't a fan of her performance in 12 Years A Slave. He said her performance left him cold, claiming that Fassbender and Ejiofor.

Louis Morgan said...

Kevin:

Delpy - 4.5(Basically an echo of my thoughts on Hawke)

Anonymous:

Harrison/Laughton/Ustinov/Sellers/Sim/Guinness - (Hmm a comedy no doubt, definitely would want to see it)

Colbert/Loy/Harlow/Lombard/Dunne - (Take the last one and repeat it)

Olivier/DDL/Oldman/Guinness - (For this I'd want all four to take on roles that require their more chameleon style of performance, and make something quite special)

Tracy/Stewart/Fonda/Cooper/Peck/Gable/Grant - (Other expansive casts from the period did not exactly work all that well so, I can't say this one excites me all that much)

Luke:

In regards to the TV, are you sure you want this ranking right now?

Fassbender/Hardy/Foster/Phoenix - (The level of intensity would be off the scale and amazing to watch)

Olivier/Rylance/Branagh/McKellen/Gielgud - (Since we're time bending anyways a new Shakespearean play is discovered with five central roles all being a perfect fit for each actor)

Anonymous:

Price - 4(Price is a hoot in the role as the obviously sleazy and prime candidate for being the murderer. I particularly enjoy just his bizarre accent that he inflicts in the role that only adds to his role which is to create as obvious of a suspect as possible, I believe)

Calvin:

As even just someone who merely likes the original trilogy, that trailer makes it look promising very very promising. I particularly love that it gives almost nothing away in regards to the plot.

Luke Higham said...
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Luke Higham said...

Louis: If you're planning, what I think you're planning on doing in the future, would you at the very least say that Cranston's your #1.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Lastly, have you seen any new films recently.

Matt Mustin said...

Luke: Why would he tell you his #1 of all things?

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

Matt: You're right, though I'm quite sure that Cranston is his #1.

Louis: Forget what I said about your #1 TV Performance.

Luke Higham said...

Matt: I was feeling a bit too eager, I must say, though what are your top 5 TV Performances.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: If you're reviewing Gibson next, can I have your ratings and thoughts on the cast of Braveheart.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What do you think of this dream group?
Dunaway/Bancroft/Fonda/Spacek/Streep/Weaver

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Chris Rock is hosting the Oscars. Thoughts?

Luke Higham said...

Ruthiehenshallfan99: Never thought they would ask him to host again, From what I recall, he made a joke about Jude Law, which didn't go down well, especially with Sean Penn.

Luke Higham said...

The End Of The Tour
Segel - 4.5
Eisenberg - 4
It's a well written, fairly moving film with great work from Jason Segel, who embodies David Foster Wallace really well.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Luke: I believe (I have not seen the Oscars that year) that the joke was that Jude Law was usually not he first choice in films he was cast in at the time. So Rock was saying Law was second rate or not necessarily wanted.

Luke Higham said...

Ruthiehenshallfan99: Yes, that's exactly what the joke was.

I'm a bit optimistic for Rock, but I've come to a point where I just don't care who the host is. The last host I remember liking was Hugh Jackman.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Luke: From the hosts you have watched, what would your rankings be. So far I have only seen Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, and Seth MacFarlane. They go as follows.

1. DeGeneres (2014)
2. MacFarlane (2013) (despite his hit or miss jokes)
3. Harris (2015)

Luke Higham said...

Ruthiehenshallfan99: Just want to note, that I've only ever seen Rock's opening monologue from '05.

1. Jackman (2009)
2. DeGeneres (2007) (My first viewing experience)
3. Stewart (2008)
4. DeGeneres (2014)
5. Crystal (2011)
6. Martin/Baldwin (2010)
7. MacFarlane (2013)
8. Harris (2015)
9. Franco/Hathaway (2011, without hesitation, the worst hosts that I've had the misfortune of seeing)

Robert MacFarlane said...

I've pretty much either forgotten or hated every Oscar host since I started watching (2009 ceremony) with the grand exception of Hugh Jackman's frankly marvelous job. I'm still waiting for him to use that amount of charm in a movie, because he seems to run away from that real life appeal far too often.

Anonymous said...

Luke: This is another reason why Hammond is pretentious.
http://www.efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=3605

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Well, he's trash and overhypes, god knows how many bad films. It's annoying that he likes Alice In Wonderland and Superman Returns more than The World's End, which is the weakest in the Three Flavours trilogy, yet far superior to the two films that I mentioned.

Luke Higham said...

Spectre reviews have started to come in, and unfortunately it's rather mixed.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Anonymous: "Pretentious"? I do not think that word means what you think it means.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Robert and Luke: are the others really that bad?

Luke Higham said...

Ruthehenshallfan99: I'd go as far as Stewart, the rest just didn't work for me.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Well let's see, Franco was notoriously awful (Hathaway desperately tried in vain to keep it together), the Baldwin/Martin duo is entirely forgettable, as is Billy Crystal, Seth MacFarlane was his typical asshole self, I don't really "get" Ellen, and NPH was hampered some seriously awful joke writing.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Just looking at the rottentomatoes and in a cursory way at the reactions, the reactions seem fairly positive, with possibility that the running time is going to a point of division.

Braveheart:

Let me save O'Hara, McGoohan, and MacFayden for the moment.

Gleeson - 3.5(His role is particularly simple as basically just the loyal/sidekick slash friend for Gibson but he does that well. In addition in any scene that asks for more, particularly in his reaction to his father's death or his reaction to Wallace's torture at the end he delivers completely)

Marceau - 3(She brings what she needs to for the role, but not too much is asked of her)

McCormack - 4(She also has a limited role but has very good chemistry as well as a natural warmth about her in the early scenes. Then in her later scenes she is an appropriately haunting figure every time in which she appears)

Cosmo - 3(Brings just a nice bit of extra character to his few moments throughout the film)

Bannen - 3.5(He could have potentially played up the evil more, but I'm glad he did not. As within in Bannen portrayal he succeeds in creating a very honest desire in the man, that goes past ego and to the well being of his son)

Anonymous:

Dunaway/Bancroft/Fonda/Spacek/Streep/Weaver - (Well we'll say in the 70's itself which would probably be interesting if say it were an Altman film which could weave them all in)