Tuesday 6 October 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1995: Kenneth Branagh in Othello

Kenneth Branagh did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for Sag, for portraying Iago in Othello.

This is an effective adaptation of Othello which takes kind of Franco Zeffirelli style of approach for the adaptation.

This version of Othello does hold two things in common with the 1965 version starring Laurence Olivier. That being both star famous Shakespearean actors, Olivier and Branagh, who usually tend to direct their own adaptations, but in this case leave it in the hands of another. One other thing in common is just like Frank Finlay in the 65 version, the award recognition for Branagh came in the supporting category even though the story follows Iago's perspective as well as he has the most dialogue, in addition to having the most influence over the story. The similarities end as the 65 version basically took on the aesthetic of a filmed play, whereas this version attempts the Zeffirelli's approach of putting it in a setting most seem to imagine it takes place in. One other major difference, which also holds true for the Orson Welles version as well, is that the "bigger" actor plays Iago rather than Othello. Although one could argue otherwise in regards to Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh in the grander scheme of things, that certainly was the case in regards to the actor's stature in regards to Shakespeare.

This makes his Sag replacement even more ridiculous though since this version seems like it perhaps gives even more focus to Iago than usual, which is really saying something. Iago is perhaps Shakespeare's second most infamous schemer, I'll be getting to the most infamous one soon, even though this version takes a bit of a similair approach that Olivier took in his depiction of that other schemer. Like in that film, this film makes it almost as though the audience itself is a co-conspirator with Iago since Branagh instead of delivering his monologue to himself or to the stars or something, he delivers them right to those watching as though he is speaking directly to us. Now because of this perhaps Branagh takes a very distinct approach in realizing the character. Roger Ebert claimed Branagh played the role as though Iago was gay and interested in Othello, and at least in his review with Gene Siskel acted as though this ruined the film. Although apparently it seems Ebert himself may have been tricked by Branagh's approach for the character, which is not as simple as that.

Branagh plays Iago as a man of many faces, and is excellent in his realization of how it is that Iago works as a manipulator. In his scenes with the hot headed Roderigo Branagh plays them as though Iago is a bit of the man's personal instigator, always just prodding him along with some negative encouragement to make some rather harsh decision which he naturally hopes will cause him to fight the prideful Cassio, which in turn Iago hopes will cause Cassio to lose position of confidence with Othello. Now with Cassio perhaps one could interpret Branagh approaches gay, though I find it is more of the over enthusiastic hanger on, as Branagh plays Iago towards Cassio as a very soft man who just seems to be wowed to be in his presence, simply encouraging any foolish action through just how how supportive he seems. Branagh does this well as in both instances there seems to be no threat of a manipulator since he basically seems to just tell Cassio and Roderigo what they want to hear, even though that all just turns to what he wants to happen.

Branagh even continues this with the two main women of the story the first being Iago's own wife Emilia. Branagh again is terrific by showing Iago just playing with her the whole time as when she tries to give him affection he treats her as though she is a bothersome bore, but when she offers any aid in his scheme Branagh changes Iago to the passionate lover as though Iago is giving her motivation in to ensure she continues to aid in his schemes. With Othello's wife Desdemona Branagh instead portrays it as Iago is just the perfect sort of best friend in for her to espouse her fears to, and the most gentle shoulder to cry on as Branagh only suggests such an honest in his interactions with her, though without a hint of hidden motives except of course when she's not looking. The most important relationship though is obviously with Othello himself. In the early scenes, before Iago has created the trouble, Branagh presents Iago as the man with the warmest of smiles whenever Othello is around, and only ever there to lend a hand of support to his commander. Of course as Iago plants the seeds of doubts in Branagh still conveys such a trusting element in Iago, as he stays calm, even in Othello's outbursts, and just seems there to offer the righteous support of a honest right hand man. Every one of these faces shown to these people though is wholly false, and the true Iago that we see is when he addresses the viewer, which are my favorite moments of Branagh's performance. Branagh is ice cold in these moments as Iago marks out each step of his plan clearly having no emotion whatsoever in regards to the suffering he is about to cause. The only strong emotion Branagh reveals is a palatable hatred in Iago towards Othello, and this devious joy Iago seems to derive from his manipulation possibly revealing what motivates him. Although I would not necessarily classify this as one of the very best Shakespearean its very strong work, and is another example of Branagh excelling in finding an effective variation of one of the Bard's most notable creations. 

163 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your Female Lead/Supporting Top 5s with ratings and other 4+ performances for 1991 and 1992.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings & Thoughts on the rest of the cast.

RatedRStar said...

I was worried about Branagh as I have heard many negative reviews about this version but I am happy you liked it =D. Which version of Othello is your favorite Louis?

Luke Higham said...

I hope Gibson's review is coming next. :)

Anonymous said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on:
James Garner in The Great Escape and Support Your Local Sheriff
Lana Turner in Peyton Place and Johnny Eager
Myrna Loy in Lonelyhearts and Manhattan Melodrama
Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin and Dean Jagger in Bad Day at Black Rock.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Louis: Thought on Susan Hayward?

Calvin Law said...

1. Freeman
2. Jones
3. Branagh
4. Pryce
5. Hawke

1. McKellen
2. Harris
3. Willis
4. Gibson
5. Widerberg

RatedRStar said...

One of the many reasons I love this blog is that whenever Louis reviews a film from the S + E era I always like to find their vid and see how it compares since the comparison between their opinion and yours on this film is very wild indeed =D.

Its probably no surprise that Branagh and the others missed out on Best Actor since the Best Actor category for 1995 could win the award for most awards bait performances lol, a suicidal alcoholic, an inspirational teacher, a president, a posthumous performance with a giant campaign behind it, and a man on death row lol =D.

JackiBoyz said...

I imagine the academy wasn't interested in Shakespeare during 1995 since I imagine they didn't want both Branagh and McKellen nominated so they likely didn't vote for them, instead possibly giving more votes to James Cromwell for Babe (I am certain he was the surprise nominee which is good indeed) and Massimo Troisi (if there wasn't a huge campaign I don't think he would have been nominated whereas Penn,Cage and Hopkins were all locked, and Dreyfuss likely had the Oscar bait card played.

mcofra7 said...

1. Freeman
2. Pryce
3. Jones
4.Branagh
5. Hawke

1. McKellen
2. Willis
3.Harris
4. Gibson
5. Widerberg

Luke Higham said...

1. Freeman
2. Jones
3. Branagh
4. Pryce
5. Hawke

Kevin said...

1. Freeman
2. Jones
3. Pryce
4. Branagh
5. Hawke

Also just saw the trailer for Triple Nine, looks pretty intense to say the least

Robert MacFarlane said...

Not gonna lie, Triple 9 looks pretty generic.

Luke Higham said...

My expectations have been lowered a bit, which is disappointing when it comes to Hillcoat.

Robert MacFarlane said...

The only things that interest me from the trailer are Affleck and the fact Kate Winslet is playing a mob boss.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Same Here.

Anonymous said...

Bridge of Spies has been getting great reviews. I can definitely see it being nominated for Best Picture, Actor, Director, Supporting Actor, Screenplay..etc.

Calvin Law said...

Luke, Robert: The trailer did not interest me at all, even Winslet and Affleck.

Anonymous: I am really looking forward to Bridge of Spies. And you know what? I would not be surprised if both Hanks and Rylance both got nominations.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'm just somewhat interested about Affleck and after seeing the trailer yesterday, I'm finding it really hard to care about the film at all.

I'm pleased that most critics have singled out Rylance's work and had better get a nomination.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: At this moment in time, I'd rather see Hanks get nominated over Redmayne.

Calvin Law said...

I'm just thinking they might nominate him after snubbing him for Captain Philips. People are talking about Damon as a potential contender too, and I could totally see that happening, so looks like Best Actor's not as much of a fixed things as some people think. At this point the only certainties seem to be DiCaprio, and Fassbender.

As for Rylance though I'm happy too, not a single review I've read that hasn't lapped him with praise. And apparently Speilberg's direction is fantastic too, I've been hearing comparisons of it to a thriller-esque Mr Smith Goes to Washington which fascinates me.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Lead's looking stronger than I thought it would be this year, though I still don't think it's gonna match 2014 in terms of fives.

On paper, supporting looks incredibly strong this year and it wouldn't surprise me if it's the best ever. Same with the female categories.

The overall fives record is 17 from last year and I fully expect that to be broken.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: My biggest hope from the nomination announcement is that both Fassbender and Hardy get nominated, as they should get reviewed twice, though more so for the former as Steve Jobs looks more and more like a 4.5 to me.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I fully expect Louis to review Hardy for The Revenant, regardless if he's nominated or not.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: My exact thoughts, really :)

My new predictions,

Best Actor:
DiCaprio
Fassbender
Depp
Damon
Hanks/Redmayne/McKellen (I still have hope)/Cooper/Caine

Best Actress:
Mulligan
Larson
Lawrence
Blanchett
Ronan/Tomlin (Charlotte Rampling, as well as Courtenay, seem to be losing momentum. Which is a shame as I just saw the film and they're both fantastic. I have so many 5's this year already it's crazy)

Best Supporting Actor:
Rylance
Hardy
Keaton
Tremblay
Jackson/Russell/Del Toro

Best Supporting Actress:
Mara
Vikander (damn category fraud but I haven't seen the films yet so I'll hold out on criticsm thus fa)
Fonda
Winslet
Allen

Calvin Law said...

And my (predictions) for Louis' ratings:

DiCaprio: 5
Fassbender: 4.5
Depp: 4.5/5
Damon: 4.5/5
Hanks: 4.5
Redmayne: 4/4.5
McKellen: 4.5/5
Cooper: 4.5
Caine: 4.5
Mulligan: 4.5/5
Larson: 5
Lawrence: 4.5/5
Blanchett: 4.5/5
Ronan: 5
Tomlin: 5
Rylance: 5
Hardy: 5
Keaton: 4.5/5
Tremblay: 4.5
Jackson: 4.5
Russell: 4.5
Del Toro: 5
Mara: 5
Vikander: 4.5/5
Fonda: 4
Winslet: 4/4.5
Allen: 4/4.5

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: For Lead Actor, I obviously want Caine or McKellen for that final slot, with Lead Actress, Ronan and for Supporting, I honestly don't care as all 7 of those that you chose, look like 4.5+ to me, but If I had to choose out of Jackson, Russell and Del Toro for that final slot, I'd go with the latter.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Mine are.
DiCaprio: 5
Fassbender: 4.5
Depp: 5
Damon: 5
Hanks: 4.5
Redmayne: 4/4.5
McKellen: 5
Cooper: 4/4.5
Caine: 4.5/5
Mulligan: 4.5
Larson: 5
Lawrence: 4/4.5
Blanchett: 5
Ronan: 4.5/5
Tomlin: 4.5
Rylance: 5
Hardy: 5
Keaton: 5
Tremblay: 4.5/5 (Hope it's the 2nd male child performance to get a 5 from Louis)
Jackson: 4.5/5
Russell: 4.5/5
Del Toro: 5
Mara: 5
Vikander: 5
Fonda: 4
Winslet: 4/4.5
Allen: 4/4.5

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'm gonna go with a 4.5 for Cate Blanchett's performance in Truth.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I saw Sicario.

1991:

Lead:

Jodie Foster - Silence of the Lambs
Susan Sarandon - Thelma and Louise
Angelica Huston - The Addams Family - 4.5
Geena Davis - Thelma and Louise
Linda Hamilton - Terminator 2

Supporting:

Judy Davis - Naked Lunch
Christina Ricci - The Addams Family
Judy Davis - Barton Fink
Ruby Dee - Jungle Fever - 4
Kathleen Quinlan - The Door

And:

Tyra Ferrell - Boyz N The Hood
Meryl Streep - Defending Your Life - 4

1992:

Lead:

Sigourney Weaver - Alien 3
Emma Thompson - Howard's End
Cynda Williams - One False Move - 3.5
Whoopi Goldberg - Sister Act - 3.5
Geena Davis - A League of Their Own - 3

Supporting:

Marisa Tomei - My Cousin Vinny
Miranda Richardson - The Crying Game
Geraldine Chaplin - Chaplin - 4
Sadie Frost - Bram Stoker's Dracula - 4
Frances Fisher - Unforgiven - 4

Fishburne - 4(He's less comfortable than Branagh in terms of the language, and the same goes when comparing his work against Welles's and Olivier's depiction of Othello. Fishburne though does actually provide the reputation of Othello for his performance as he certainly brings a greater command to the part. We see why so many would love his Othello since he exudes this confidence, though with a certain understated warmth. Fishburne is also effective in his portrayal of the growing jealousy in Othello as Iago works his plot though I do think Branagh overshadows him a bit. He delivers the raw emotion needed though particularly in the final scene, where he is quite moving when depicting Othello's realization.)

Louis Morgan said...

Jacob - 3.5(She's quite good in just depicting a sensuality within her character, while only still portraying her as a genuine innocent. Jacob's performance works because she allows the idea Iago creates flourish simply through her allure, while never actively depicting any actual attempt at it, leaving it as just a natural part of her, as she brings more of an active warmth about her. Leaving Desdemona's fate as truly unfortunate, since she has absolutely no hand in it whatsoever)

Parker - 3(He's fine in that he has the right sort of confident manner in his depiction though he does not make too much of an impact)

Maloney - 1(After this and Hamlet I'd say he might just be terrible. Again he's horribly one note portraying anger more as more of extreme madness for some reason, and just seeming over the top the entire time he's on screen)

RatedRStar:

Welles's version.

Anonymous:

Garner - The Great Escape - 4.5(My favorite performance of his that I've seen. Garner brings his usual charm, but utilizes it here in a particularly effective way as he turns it on specifically when he's doing his job as the scrounger. Past that though he has really great chemistry with Pleasence and the two's friendship ends up being surprisingly moving in the end thanks to the two actors)

Support Your Local Sheriff - 3.5(He's doing his usual thing in just portraying the part with his usual charm and just that usual extreme confidence. It works for the film's style of comedy rather well, and it's an enjoyable performance)

Turner - Peyton Place - 2.5(Much like most of the performances in the film I found her just to be fairly bland and forgettable)

Johnny Eager - 2.5(She's not bad but she also really does not have a whole lot to work with either)

Loy - Lonelyhearts - 3.5(The film attempts too many subplots without developing them enough to give them purpose. I liked Loy in that I think she realized the difficult relationship with Robert Ryan's character in just a few scenes rather well, mostly through simple enough interactions. I don't think she had the material to make too much of her character, but did well with what she had)

Manhattan Melodrama - 3(I don't think her casting quite works for the part, but I do think she tries her best to make up for it. It does not hurt that she shares scenes with William Powell, which always works in her favor, though just their chemistry is the best part of her work in this film)

Ryan - 4(Again what Ryan does so well is that he never makes the villain as simple as they might have been otherwise. Of course he brings his usual menace as he always does, though he also conveys genuine fear about being found out, as well as successfully suggests the desperation in the man that motivates the man)

Borgnine - 3.5(Borgnine is just a good thug to be sure, as he's enjoyably uncouth and sleazy in the role)

Marvin - 3.5(Same thoughts as Borgnine basically they're a good pair of louts.)

Jagger - 3(Jagger is appropriately pathetic in the role as he shows just a man who has absolutely nothing to offer, and is particularly good in the scene where he tries to find courage though fails miserably)

ruthiehenshallfan99:

Haven't seen enough of Hayward.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on Sicario and Ratings & Thoughts on The Cast.

Anonymous said...

Luke and Calvin:
Mine are:
DiCaprio: 5
Fassbender: 4,5
Depp: 5
Damon: 4,5/5
Hanks: 4,5/5
Redmayne: 4/4,5
McKellen: 4,5/5
Cooper: 4,5
Caine: 4,5/5
Mulligan: 4,5/5
Larson: 5
Lawrence: 4,5
Blanchett: 5 (Carol)/4,5 (Truth)
Ronan: 4,5/5
Tomlin: 4,5/4
Rylance: 5
Hardy: 5
Keaton: 5
Tremblay: 4,5
Jackson: 4,5/5
Russell: 4,5/5
Del Toro: 4,5/5
Mara: 5
Vikander: 5
Fonda: 4
Winslet: 4/4,5
Allen: 4/4,5

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on The Great Escape as a film overall? And what rating would you give it?

Luke Higham said...

My Category Predictions
Picture: Spotlight
Director: Inarritu or McCarthy
Lead Actor: DiCaprio
Lead Actress: Mulligan or Larson
Supporting Actor: Keaton
Supporting Actress: Mara
Original Screenplay: Hateful Eight or Spotlight
Adapted Screenplay: The Revenant or Steve Jobs
Cinematography: LUBEZKI!
Costume Design: Cinderella
Production Design: Crimson Peak
Film Editing: Sicario
Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Makeup & Hair: Black Mass
Foreign Language: Son Of Saul (Hungary)
Original Song: Who Fucking Cares
Original Score: Hateful Eight
Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound Editing: The Revenant
Animated Feature: Inside Out

Anonymous said...

Luke: What makes you predict that Spotlight will win Best Picture?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I think the race is wide open right now, but I see Spotlight being the most appealing to Academy Voters.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Actually, make that a two horse race between Spotlight and The Revenant.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Anyway, I'm glad Keaton has been more picky in choosing roles. He has always been an underrated actor (he's one of my favorite actors to have played Batman along with Bale) and gives good performances.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Agreed.

Louis Morgan said...

Sicario screenplay is perhaps a bit flimsy though I think it is bolstered well by its acting, its technical excellence (particularly the cinematography) and to a certain extent the direction. I never felt it became that taught of a thriller, not a bad one though, just never quite created as much tension as you find in the very best thrillers. Having said that I still found it rather gripping and compelling for the most part even though I think it keeps many of its ideas a bit too simplistic. Still it has some very strong moments and sequences throughout, and I certainly liked it. One just a side note a film is not allowed to say Emily Blunt does not look good, as their attempts to make her look frumpy failed miserably.

I'm saving del Toro and Brolin. I should note that I do believe del Toro is supporting.

Blunt - 4.5(I really liked her performance as I found she actually subverted the hard heroine in a rather effective fashion. She's good in portraying that sort of confidence and harder edge of her character in the early scenes, though in the private moments she's very good at revealing the real wear of the situation. As the film proceeds Blunt helps create a greater impact of each scene through her very honest reactions to each questionable situation, while also showing how this forces her to slowly lose her reserve. Her final scene is especially good because Blunt absolutely earns the state she ends up in at the end)

Kaluuya - 2.5(He failed to elevate his character above the limits placed upon him on the script. It could have possibly been a very classic sort of supporting role, or he possibly could have been the heart of the film but Kaluuya fails to make much of an impact. He's not actively bad, but he never makes his character come to life)

Donovan - 3(I often find him to be terrible but I quite liked him here. I found he brought a lot of character to the film in his few scenes by doing his best Scoot McNairy impression)

Anonymous:

I think The Great Escape is a whole lot fun with a particularly memorable score to boot. It does especially well in making the procedure of the escape engaging, as well keeping the personal stories effective despite being fairly simple. The actual escape is quite exciting with both its quieter moments involving say Attenborough's character as well as the more over the top, in a good way, scenes involving McQueen's escape. One could say maybe the dark ending is perhaps a bit jarring, but I think it only adds to the disconcerting nature of the moment.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Just another question. What are your thoughts and ratings on Skip Homeier in The Gunfighter?

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

A little sad that Lana Turner is only a 2.5 for Peyton Place (2.5 for Johnny Eager is understandable, since she really does not have much to do). I personally love her performance!

Calvin Law said...

It is pretty much impossible to make Emily Blunt look anything less than gorgeous because she just is :)

Calvin Law said...

What is everyone's top 10 for 1995?

1.Se7en
2. Babe
3. Dead Man Walking
4. The City of Lost Children
5. Apollo 13
6. Cry, the Beloved Country
7. Richard III
8. Sense and Sensibility
9. Leaving Las Vegas
10. Crimson Tide

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Calvin: I have not seen enough. And my number one does not really count as a movie but oh well.
1. Les Miserables 10 Anniversary concert (10/10) (oddly enough, today marks 20 years since that concert and 30 since the show began)
2. Toy Story (10/10)
3. Apollo 13 (9/10)
4. Pocahontas (8/10)
5. Babe (8/10)
6. Braveheart (8/10)
7. The Seventh Brother (7/10) This is an animated movie that was later dubbed in English.
8. Balto (6/10)
9. A Goofy Movie (6/10)
10. Tommy Boy (2/10)
Literally everything I have seen from 1995. This is painful Can't wait to see more movies and take numbers 7-10 off the list (or at least see Balto and A Goofy Movie again and possibly improve their ratings. Also, if I were to see Braveheart once more, I might like it a lot less.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your Female Lead/Supporting Top 5s with ratings and other 4+ performances for 1993, 1996 and 1999.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin:
1. Seven
2. Cry, The Beloved Country
3. Richard III
4. Babe
5. Sense And Sensibility
6. Leaving Las Vegas
7. Dead Man Walking
8. Rob Roy
9. Braveheart
10. Toy Story

JackiBoyz said...

1)Leaving Las Vegas
2)Dead Man Walking
3)Seven
4)Babe
5)Apollo 13
6)12 Monkeys
7)Sense and Sensibility
8)Crimson Tide
9)Fallen Angels
10)Richard III

Omar Franini said...

1) Leaving Las Vegas
2) Casino
3) Seven
4) Dead Man Walking
5) 12 Monkeys
6) Apollo 13
7) Braveheart
8) Toy Story
9) Sense and Sensibility
10) Cry, The Beloved Country

Robert MacFarlane said...

There's an extremely disturbing lack of Before Sunrise on these lists.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: I forgot, that's my #4. :)

And 12 Monkeys is my #6.

Calvin Law said...

Robert: I haven't seen it in AGES which is why I left it off.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Louis: Thoughts on Hillary Swank?

Michael McCarthy said...

1. Before Sunrise (all three of those movies have had incredible staying power with me so far.)
2. Se7en
3. Toy Story
4. Sense and Sensibility
5. Cry, the Beloved Country
6. Twelve Monkeys
7. Richard III
8. Living in Oblivion
9. Babe
10. Apollo 13

GM said...

The Bridges of Madison County? :(

Anonymous said...

Calvin:
1. Se7en
2. Casino
3. The Usual Suspects
4. Toy Story
5. Braveheart
6. Twelve Monkeys
7. Apollo 13
8. Cry, the Beloved Country
9. Richard III
10. Sense and Sensibility

RatedRStar said...

I actually liked the 3 Before films but I think Sunset is merely a fine film while I would call the other 2 very good.

L Rime said...

All three are fantastic, but I think Sunset is actually the best one. It's a nice balance between the two and also, excuse my hyperbolic statement, it has one of the greatest endings in cinematic history.

GM said...

RatedRStar: Funny, Sunset is my favorite. I think it synthesizes perfectly what the trilogy is about.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Sunset is my least favorite of the three, but I think a revisit to all of them is in order.

Michael Patison said...

List ruthie... I haven't seen much of anything, so this is just a rating of everything I've seen from the year (I think).
1. Se7en
2. Sense and Sensibility
3. The Usual Suspects
4. Babe
5. Toy Story
6. Braveheart
7. Leaving Las Vegas
8. Dead Man Walking
9. Apollo 13
10. Pocahontas

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Apart from The Martian and Sicario, have you seen anything else in the past week or two.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'll just throw in that I saw Sicario, and even though I thought the script could've had a lot more to it, I thought Villeneuve's direction was actually very assured and the last couple of scenes were freaking brutal.

Luke Higham said...

Michael: Your ratings for the cast.

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

Hail, Caesar! Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRqKieJzCeo

Michael McCarthy said...

Blunt: 4.5
Del Toro: 5 (holy hell was he chilling)
Brolin: 4.5
Kaluuya: 3
Bernthal: 3 (still WAY better than his performance in M&E&DG)
Hernandez: 3.5

Anonymous said...

Luke: I can't wait for this film.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Clooney actually looks promising for once and Brolin's gonna excel as well.

Michael McCarthy said...

Based on the trailer I think I'm actually most excited for Tatum, even though Brolin, Clooney and even Johansson all look great. I really hope Fiennes has a good role too.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I could see this film being nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Director.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: The Coens are award magnets, so it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. :)

I'll make an extremely early prediction with Clooney for Best Supporting Actor.

Luke Higham said...

*Nominated

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: The only bad news is that the film's being released in February.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, that's a shame.

Calvin Law said...

Trailer was awesome.

Also Alden Ehrenreich looks exactly like a young Brad Dourif, it's crazy.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: What's your #1 dream pairing. (Actors)

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm already starting a FYC campaign for Tatum. First stop on the EGOT train, baby.

Anonymous said...

Luke: We'll see if Louis will love Clooney in this film or not.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: It would be nice to see him, do really well for a change. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: It would be surely nice for him to do so. BTW, you asked Calvin who was his number 1 dream pairing, right? I would love to see DDL/Oldman and Hardy/Fassbender.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: My Top 3 are:
1. Fassbender/Hardy (Only ever starred together in Band Of Brothers, yet never shared any scenes)
2. Day-Lewis/Oldman
3. Olivier/Rylance (Fantasy)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Overall, top 10, excluing the top 3?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: In no particular order.
Hardy/Mulligan
Hardy/Cotillard (Can't remember them sharing any scenes in Inception)
Hardy/Vikander
Fassbender/O'Toole
Gyllenhaal/De Niro (Prime)
Hardy/Brando
Isaac/Pacino

Luke Higham said...

*Whishaw/Courtenay

Anonymous said...

Luke: Anyway, I don't really have a top 10, but these could have been interesting, but never happened:
Garbo/Bergman (Swede vs Swede)
Monroe/Taylor (Rivals making a movie together)
Brando/Newman
Pacino/Nicholson
Brando/Clift
Brando/Olivier
Bogart/Mitchum


Anonymous said...

Luke: Chaney Sr/Chaplin would also have been interesting. Out of all these eight dream pairings, which do you find the most interesting to least interesting?

John Smith said...

Might be some nominations for Hail, Caesar. Watched the trailer and now i have my hopes up!

Luke Higham said...

1. Brando/Olivier
2. Garbo/Bergman
3. Chaney Sr/Chaplin
4. Pacino/Nicholson
5. Bogart/Mitchum
6. Brando/Newman
7. Brando/Clift (They both starred in The Young Lions, though Louis said they didn't share any scenes together)
8. Monroe/Taylor

Anonymous said...

Luke: I was not expecting Greta Garbo/Ingrid Bergman to be at 2#.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I very much like the Swede Vs. Swede idea, though I would actually rather see Garbo/Ullmann. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Anyway, another really interesting pairing would be Olivier/Guinness.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Many good, huh? What about a trio?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
Fassbender/Hardy/Foster
Olivier/Rylance/Branagh
De Niro/Nicholson/Pacino
Cotillard/Vikander/Mulligan

Anonymous said...

Luke: Can you think of some other four trios?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
Mason/Guinness/Olivier
A. Hepburn/K. Hepburn/Taylor
Ullmann/Cotillard/Spacek
Chaplin/Laurel And Hardy/Keaton

Anonymous said...

Luke: Very good. So, who do you think will be reviewed next?

Michael McCarthy said...

Olivier and Guinness actually did act on stage together in King Lear, before either were well-known. Apparently Guinness got raves but Olivier got mixed reviews.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Either Gibson or McKellen.

Michael Patison said...

Anonymous:
Rylance/DDL (if what I've heard about his role preparation is actually true, that is
Greenstreet/PSH (fantasy)--I don't know if that's actually any good, but whenever I think about a modern casting for The Maltese Falcon, I can't help but wish PSH were still alive to play Gutman (and really everything else for that matter)

One (hopefully) interesting theoretical ones:
Dujardin/Chevalier

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm just going to copy the three I mentioned on Facebook a few weeks ago;

Emily Blunt and Rose Byrne passive-aggressively insulting each other in a London cafe for an hour and a half.

McConaughey and Ethan Hawke getting unfathomably stoned and talking about philosophy in a Richard Linklater joint.

Joaquin Phoenix and Michael Fassbender staring intensely and sadly at each other for three hours.

L Rime said...

Michael Biehn and Timothy Olyphant in a western, preferably as brothers.

A young Paul Newman and a young Cole Hauser in a crime drama, preferably as brothers.

Mia Wasikowska, Carey Mulligan, and Michelle Williams in a period piece, preferably as sisters.

Lol.............

I'm only half joking.

Michael Patison said...

Just got back from seeing The Martian. Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it not interrupted by the idiotic people laughing at well-done serious moments in the row behind me.

Damon is excellent (never thought I'd say that), and his introductory scene is reminiscent of Tom Hanks' excellent breakdown scene in Captain Phillips, particularly in quality, and is very effective in his creation of his character. This is perhaps most notable because he successfully convinced me that he was as smart as he supposedly was, especially since he's not very convincing at that in Good Will Hunting (granted that is nearly 20 years ago now).

But outside of him, while the males are uniformly good (especially a lively, but characteristically earnest Sean Bean) and the female astronauts are too (not so much the unnecessary Wiig and that other word), the film is Scott's and his direction is terrific.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: When is the review.

Anonymous said...

Luke: He could likely post it today, or not. BTW, I think I have much more of a grasp on what Method acting truly means. So it means developing internal abilities, huh? Not about staying in character. I guess Method actors found about Paul Muni staying in character in most of his and added that to the list.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Anonymous: In no particular order

Vivien Leigh/Everyone at least once (that saves a lot of typing)in particular
Vivien Leigh/Bogart
Leigh/ Clift
Leigh/Brando (again)
Leigh/De Havilland (again)
Leigh/Newman
Leigh/Ava Gardner
Leigh/Lana Turner
Leigh/Norma Shearer
Leigh/Deborah Kerr
Leigh/Garbo
Leigh/James Stewart
Leigh/O'Toole
Leigh/Jean Simmons
Leigh/Cotillard
Leigh/Hardy
Ava Gardner/Lana Turner
Gardner/Elizabeth Taylor
Taylor/Turner
Lana Turner/Julianne Moore (due to Imitation of Life and Far from Heaven
Olivia de Havilland/Joan Fontaine
Ilene Woods/anyone
Jennifer Jones/Teresa Wright/Dorothy McGuire (They all seemed like such sweet people)
Judy Garland/Liza Minnelli
Jeanette MacDonald/Judy Garland/Ilene Woods/Mary Costa (my favorite singers)
Debbie Reynolds/Carrie Fisher
The Hepburns
Ginger Rogers/Cyd Charisse/Moira Shearer
Fairbanks/Flynn
There's too many more.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...
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ruthiehenshallfan99 said...
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Anonymous said...

ruthiehenshallfan99: I can definitely see that you really love Vivien Leigh. I know that you give her like three or four wins, but with all those dream pairings, I can finally see your true love for her. BTW, I saw you in the video with all those GWTW screen tests.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...
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ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Ava Gardner/Frank Sinatra
Vivien Leigh/Ilene Woods
Brigid Bazlen/anyone
Norma Shearer/Olivia Hussey (Two Juliet's)
Fred Astaire/Moira Shearer

Anonymous said...

ruthiehenshallfan99: I mean, I saw you in the comments of that video (I don't have an account). I would say Jones/Wright/Reed instead of Jones/Wright/McGuire.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

anonymous: I actually might just add Reed, but keep McGuire for a notable supporting role. I guess I will include Brigid Bazlen and Elizabeth Taylor, since several people at the time have noticed a few similarities between the two, so casting them as sisters would be interesting, as well as putting Vivien and Janet Leigh together as well as Janet Leigh and Norma Shearer in a film, since Shearer brought Leigh to MGM's attention. Also should mention Adriana Caselotti, Ilene Woods, Mary Costa as another dream cast (along with the other Disney voice actresses) (plus Kathryn Beaumont). As for Vivien Leigh's many dream team castings, maybe I overdid it. I definitely love her, though.

Anonymous said...

ruthiehenshallfan99: What do you think of a dream pairing like Elizabeth Taylor/Marilyn Monroe?

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

Since I'm feeling quite bored right now, I'm gonna predict all the fives for each category. I'll include the 2 Fives that Louis' has given and I'll be taking a gamble on some of these predictions as well. This is just for fun by the way.
Female Supporting
Marion Cotillard in Macbeth
Jessica Chastain in Crimson Peak
Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina
Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight

Male Supporting
Tom Hardy in The Revenant
Mark Rylance in Bridge Of Spies
Benicio Del Toro in Sicario
Josh Brolin in Sicario (Louis didn't say 'At the moment', which usually means a 4.5)
Michael Keaton in Spotlight
Harvey Keitel in Youth
Christoph Waltz in Spectre
Samuel L. Jackson in The Hateful Eight
Kurt Russell in The Hateful Eight
Domhnall Gleeson in The Revenant
Will Poulter in The Revenant (I'm getting a bit of a Hendry/Bannen feeling with these two)

Female Lead
Rooney Mara in Carol
Cate Blanchett in Carol
Brie Larson in Room
Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn
Carey Mulligan - Far From The Madding Crowd
Alicia Vikander - Testament Of Youth

Male Lead
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Idris Elba - Beasts Of No Nation
Michael Fassbender - Macbeth
Johnny Depp - Black Mass
Joel Edgerton - Black Mass
Tom Hardy - Legend
Matt Damon - The Martian
Ian McKellen - Mr. Holmes
Ben Foster - The Program (I'm losing a bit of confidence, but despite the reviews, I'm not giving up on him)
Abraham Attah - Beasts Of No Nation
Jason Segel - The End Of The Tour

Luke Higham said...

I'll also predict a 5 for Geza Rohrig in Son Of Saul, though I'd prefer if he was saved for the bonus rounds instead.

Luke Higham said...

I'll include Courtenay as well, as it could be an Amour-like scenario.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I seriously don't believe that Gleeson and Poulter will get fives. I would say 4,5's. Well, depends on much screentime they have on the film.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Depends on the Screentime. :) It's a No Guts, No Glory prediction for me though.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I honestly thought you would prefer DDL/Oldman over Fassbender/Hardy.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I slightly prefer Fassbender/Hardy over DDL/Oldman, because they're my two favourite actors working at the moment.

Calvin Law said...

I've been watching the Hail, Caesar! trailer on repeat now and I have a feeling it's going to be a masterpiece. Unlikely to top Inside Llewlyn Davis which simply has shot up my all-time best films list with each and every re-watch. But I still can't wait.

On a separate note I really do love how they cast actors who I've always thought would've fitted perfectly into that era of Hollywood. For example, Brolin a sort of Lee Marvin with a more sensitive bent.

Luke Higham said...

A Dream pairing, that I forgot about is Audrey Hepburn and Carey Mulligan.

Anonymous said...

Luke: They're both classy, a perfect match.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm not sure I can see Jackson getting a 5 for The Hateful Eight, from what I've seen it just looks like a typical Sam Jackson performance. Vikander might get one for Testament of Youth but probably not The Danish Girl just because it's hard to imagine someone being able to give a truly great performance in a Tom Hooper film. I also wouldn't count out Oscar Isaac in Ex Machina.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Anonymous: I am not sure what the story between Monore and Taylor is, but I am for those two being together in a movie. Also would like to see Vivien Leigh/Olivier/Branagh.

Anonymous said...

ruthiehenshallfan99: Are you talking about their rivalry? That's why I would have liked to see a movie between them.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Really late with this but oh, well. These are the 2015 films I really look forward to see:

Ex Machina
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Cinderella
Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Age of Adaline
Far from the Madding Crowd
Mad Max: Fury Road
Inside Out
Mr. Holmes
Ant-Man
Macbeth
The Martian
Steve Jobs
Room
The Peanuts Movie
Trumbo
The Good Dinosaur
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Anonymous said...

ruthiehenshallfan99: Don't you wanna see The Revenant?

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Anonymous : Almost forgot about that. Yes, I do. Thanks for reminding me!

Anonymous said...

ruthiehenshallfan99: No problem. :) I would also like to see Watts/Kidman/Blanchett.

L Rime said...

I saw both Sicario and The Martian today. The former was quite good. I'm pretty sure the latter is a masterpiece. The 2nd best movie of the year, behind Fury Road.

Calvin Law said...

Saw Sicario. Really, really liked it. The first half I think was maybe a bit slow to get going but I would go so far as to say the second half is near-perfect. That dinner scene I think was one of the best done scenes I've seen all year long.

Blunt: 4.5 (tempted to go higher)
Brolin: 4.5
Del Toro: 5 (my new #1 supporting)

L Rime said...

Del Toro was absolutely remarkable in the dinner scene.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

It's been almost 5 days. When is the next review?

Luke Higham said...

R.I.P. Louis Morgan

JackiBoyz said...

Holiday maybe?

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: There was 10 days between Copley/District 9 and Hardy/Bronson, so I wouldn't worry just yet, though it's gonna be one of the saddest moments in my life, if he died.

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: I can't do without this blog.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Maybe he's just extremely busy, perhaps?

L Rime said...

Luke is using Louis for his blog, confirmed. ;)

Matt Mustin said...

I love it. Someone doesn't update their blog in a while and everyone immediately assumes that they're dead.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Go home Luke, you're drunk.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Hahahaha. :)

I was kidding, though I am feeling a bit frustrated. He's either on holiday, a relative might've passed away or has a broken PC/Laptop.

I understand why the reviews are taking as long as they are, as I believe that he doesn't want to start the bonus rounds until after the 2015 reviews.

Luke Higham said...

Everyone: Who do you think is gonna take Louis' overall win for all four acting categories, as well as best picture.

Best Picture: The Revenant, Beasts Of No Nation or Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Actor: DiCaprio or Elba

Best Actress: Mara

Best Supporting Actor: Hardy or Del Toro

Best Supporting Actress: Cotillard


Michael Patison said...

I wouldn't worry. There were also 8 days after Gene Hackman in The Conversation, if I recall correctly

Anonymous said...

Luke:
Best Picture: The Revenant
Best Actor: DiCaprio
Best Actress: I honestly don't know...
Best Supporting Actor: Hardy
Best Supporting Actress: Cotillard
Maybe he has been seeing movies...
Michael: No, it was one day.

Anonymous said...

Hahahaha, Luke you kind of need to get a life no offense.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I appreciated Robert's comment, I got the message across wrong.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: My Grammar's not perfect by the way and I wasn't serious about not being able to do without this blog.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I apologise to Robert and anyone else, if I caused any offence.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: And I have to attend a recruitment event tomorrow, so I am looking for employment.

Luke Higham said...

Everyone: I think Louis' back. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: No offense taken. :) I was not the anonymous who told you to get a life. But I'm sure you know about that. :)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :)
Having a minor form of Aspergers and being somewhat socially awkward, is what causes me to say things that I don't really mean or come off in a different way than I intended..

Robert MacFarlane said...

The anonymous that told you to get a life is an asshole. Don't take it to heart.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Thanks. :)

Michael Patison said...

Anonymous: Sorry I misremembered when exactly it was. I just remember going on an 8-day hiking trip expecting to miss 6 or 7 reviews but didn't miss one. I remember it being around a Gene Hackman review but I could be wrong.

Louis Morgan said...

You take a few days off and suddenly your declared officially dead..anyway

Luke:

1993:

Lead:

Holly Hunter - The Piano
Emma Thompson - The Remains of the Day
Angela Bassett - What's Love Got to Do With It
Andie MacDowell - Groundhog Day - 3.5
Laura Dern - Jurassic Park - 3.5

Supporting:

Darlene Cates - What's Eating Gilbert Grape? - 4.5
Lily Tomlin - Short Cuts - 4
Dana Delany - Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - 4
Emma Thompson - In The Name of the Father
Laura Dern - A Perfect World

1996:

Lead:

Frances McDormand - Fargo
Brenda Blethyn - Secrets & Lies
Juliet Binoche - The English Patient
Marianne Jean-Baptiste - Secrets & Lies
Diane Keaton - Marvin's Room

Supporting:

Courtney Love - The People Vs. Larry Flynt
Kate Winslet - Hamlet
Joan Allen - The Crucible
Renee Zellweger - Jerry Maguire - 4
Diane Wiest - The Birdcage - 4

And:

Phyllis Logan - Secrets & Lies - 4
Alice Krige - Star Trek First Contact - 4

1999:

Lead:

Hillary Swank - Boys Don't Cry
Reese Witherspoon - Election
Rachel Weisz - The Mummy - 3.5

Supporting:

Melora Walters - Magnolia
April Grace - Magnolia
Sigourney Weaver - Galaxy Quest - 4.5
Sissy Spacek - The Straight Story
Toni Collette - The Sixth Sense

And:

Chloe Sevigny - Boys Don't Cry
Cameron Diaz - Being John Malkovich - 4
Patricia Clarkson - The Green Mile - 4
Gweneth Paltrow - The Talented Mister Ripley - 4
Courtney Love - Man on the Moon - 4