Monday 28 March 2016

Alternate Best Actor 1971

And the Nominees Were Not:

Oliver Reed in The Devils

Jon Finch in Macbeth

Paul Scofield in King Lear

Al Pacino in The Panic in Needle Park

Max von Sydow in The Emigrants

150 comments:

Luke Higham said...

1. Scofield
2. Reed
3. Von Sydow
4. Finch
5. Pacino

Anonymous said...

Well, this is a tough one.
1. Reed
2. Scofield
3. Von Sydow
4. Finch
5. Pacino

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

Louis: Please start off with Finch.

mcofra7 said...

Hoping you like Finch

Robert MacFarlane said...

1. von Sydow
2. Reed
3. Finch
4. Scofield
5. Pacino

GM said...

1. Sydow
2. Reed
3. Finch
4. Scofield
5. Pacino

Deiner said...

Predictions:
1) Oliver Reed in The Devils
2) Max von Sydow in The Emigrants
3) Paul Scofield in King Lear
4) Jon Finch in Macbeth
5) Al Pacino in The Panic in Needle Park

Calvin Law said...

1. Reed
2. Scofield
3. Pacino
4. Von Sydow
5. Finch

Anonymous said...

I gotta say, the 70's have perhaps some of the best performances ever on film.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What do you think of the idea of a crime film with Sam Spade and Nick Charles?

Psifonian said...

1. Reed
2. Von Sydow
3. Scofield
4. Pacino
5. Finch

Giuseppe Fadda said...

1. Reed
2. Scofield
3. Von Sydow
4. Pacino
5. Finch

RatedRStar said...

1. Reed
2. Sydow
3. Scofield
4. Finch
5. Pacino

JackiBoyz said...

1. Reed
2. Scofield
3. Von Sydow
4. Finch
5. Pacino

Maciej said...

1.Scofield
2.Pacino
3.von Sydow
4.Finch
5.Reed

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

RatedRStar: Your suggestions for 1999 Lead.

Calvin Law said...

I've got a few suggestions of my own:

Nicolas Cage in Bringing Out the Dead
Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy in Bowfinger (well not sure if they're worth anything more than a 4 each, but it's two of their funniest performances IMO)
Om Puri in East is East
Paddy Considine in A Room for Romeo Brass (starting to think he's more lead than supporting)

For supporting, Stephen Rea in The End of the Affair, and Tim Robbins in Arlington Road (though he could be lead), are interesting performances to look at in flawed films.

Calvin Law said...

Also, Adrien Brody in Summer of Sam is a VERY strange performance that works (kind of) for me, not really review-worthy and I doubt Louis will take to it, but worth a look.

Calvin Law said...

Also (can't believe I forgot them...)

Anthony Hopkins in Titus
Jim Broadbent in Topsy-Turvy

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Ray Winstone in The War Zone.

Calvin Law said...

Hm...he's good in that but frankly I see it as a slightly lesser version of his work in Nil by Mouth. Still worth a look at though (the true highlight of the film is Lara Belmont).

Luke Higham said...

Calvin & RatedRStar: Your rating predictions

Reed - 5
Sydow - 4.5/5
Scofield - 4.5
Finch - 4.5
Pacino - 4

And a 5 for Ullmann in The Emigrants.

John Smith said...

1.Sydow
2.Reed
3.Pacino
4.Scofield
5.Finch

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'll give you my rating predictions:
Reed: 5
Scofield: 4,5
Max von Sydow: 4,5
Finch: 4,5
Pacino: 4,5

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Your thoughts on those that you've seen from the lineup.

Anonymous said...

Luke: It's been a long time since I've seen Pacino, Scofield and Von Sydow. All I can say is that they were great, with Scofield being my favorite out of the three. He was amazing as King Lear, and that's saying something because King Lear is probably the most challenging Shakespearean character.

Calvin Law said...

Reed - 5
Sydow - 4.5
Scofield - 5
Finch - 4
Pacino - 4.5

Calvin Law said...

Haven't seen Reed or Sydow but for the other 3 for me:

Scofield: 5 (one of the all-time great Shakesperean performances)
Pacino: 5 (his second best performance, a raw, unflinching portrayal of drug addiction with a great deal of charisma he so rarely utilized afterwards)
Finch: 4/4.5 (a good approach to the Scottish King though somewhat overwhelmed by the style, something which did not happen to Fassbender)

Luke Higham said...

I've gone back to my original prediction.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Sorry took so long I was at work lol and couldnt find a time to reply,

These are currently, my five for 99

Tom Cruise - Eyes Wide Shut
Ray Winstone - The War Zone
Denis Lavant - Beau Travail
Nicolas Cage - Bringing Out The Dead
Jude Law - Existenz

I have seen East is East, and I did like Puri but I felt the script just wanted him to be just a villain, only in his final scene did I feel the script let him be 3 dimensional.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Law was nothing special in eXistenZ.

RatedRStar said...

Thanks lol haha.

RatedRStar said...

Any replacement then? I am not putting Puri in, there isnt really a whole lot of options.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

RIP Patty Duke

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luke Higham said...

R.I.P. Patty Duke

RatedRStar said...

RIP Patty Duke


You know what fine I will put Puri in because I did like him, and I did like the film itself mostly even if Puri was Michael Shannoned for most of the film.

Anonymous said...

R.I.P. Patty Duke. She was amazing in The Miracle Worker.

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: Do you have bonus supporting spreadsheets of the 1930's?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Are there any Oscar categories, that you would get rid of and what would you replace it/them with.

E.g. Best Stunt Coordination instead of Original Song.

Anonymous said...

I'd want Best Actor/Actress (Drama) and Best Actor/Best Actress (Comedy/Musical)

Alex Marqués said...

The bad thing about separating Comedy from Drama is that usually actors that tend to do comedy always end up in thar category, even if their movie isn't really a comedy.

Anonymous said...

Alex: At least, two actors/actress could win Oscars for their acting performance.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I already hate that split between the two at the Globes, I'll be damned if I'd ever want that for the Academy.

Anonymous said...

I never understood the need of a Best Original Song category.

Alex Marqués said...

Louis: What are your favourite scenes of Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in In Bruges respectively?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Curious and I'm not sure they'd meld all that well without changing the nature of Spade.

Luke:

I don't mind Original song all that much(though it really isn't needed), but if I were to do a trade off I would not mind its loss for stunt coordination. Another addition I think should be five nominees for Hair styling and Makeup.

Anonymous:

That would open up to a whole new slew of category fraud, and really it's harder to categorizes a performance into a genre than a movie. There can be comedic performances in mostly dramatic films for example Peter Sellers in Lolita. In fact this problem has come up with the Golden Globes. James Mason won the best actor award for Musical/Comedy for A Star is Born, despite not singing a note, and definitely not being very funny.

Alex:

Gleeson - In the Tower with Harry.

Farrell - In the park near the alcoves.





















RIP Patty Duke

Anonymous said...

Louis: In your opinion, who was the worst person? Chuck Tatum or J.J. Hunsecker?

Louis Morgan said...

Hunsecker without a doubt. Tatum was a mostly amoral opportunist but had a conscience somewhere, Hunsecker was rotten to the core.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Could Douglas' performance in Ace in the Hole go up to a 5 if you rewatched the film?

mcofra7 said...

1. Reed
2. Pacino
3. Scofield
4. Von Sydow
5. Finch

Anonymous said...

Louis: Was it easy for you to tell right off the bat that the characters in The Big Country were one-dimensional.

RatedRStar said...

The Bafta nominations look quite star studded as Mark Rylance, Idris Elba, Tom Courtenay, Ian McKellen and Ben Whishaw are all recognised =D.

RatedRStar said...

I also might like to watch This is England 90, since I liked the film version, also Cucumber looks like a modern day Queer as Folk and since I liked that (Aiden Gillens greatest performance!!!!) I like the Bafta lineup this year.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I hope Mark wins.

Alex Marqués said...

I'm about to finish Wolf Hall, and I think Rylance couldn't be more perfect in it. It was cool to see him praise Brad Pitt's performance in The Assassination of Jesse James in an interview :)

Calvin Law said...

Has anyone seen the new version of The Dresser? As a massive McKellen fan I thought he was good but there felt something a bit lacking, and definitely nowhere near Courtenay's great performance, but Hopkins was very good, I would say about on par with Finney.

Hope Rylance wins.

Calvin Law said...

Louis, and anyone else: Do you think Tim Roth, the original casting choice, would've worked for Severus Snape?

Robert MacFarlane said...

No clue, but admittedly it's hard for me imagine anyone but Rickman as Snape.

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: Hope Rylance wins.

RatedRStar said...

Calvin: I honestly cant imagine anyone other than Rickman either, maybe Jeremy Irons?

Its funny that Ian Mckellen has been nominated for The Dresser while the previous person who played him, Tom Courtenay is also nominated as Best Supporting Actor in the same category lol.

Mark Rylance will 100 percent win I think, but there is a small part of me that wants Ben Whishaw to win again because Ben Whishaw is just the most adorable actor ever =D.

Calvin Law said...

Whishaw is a great actor, and it's such a shame 2015 was such a mediocre year for film with regards to the roles he got.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Same.

Louis: You really should watch Whishaw's performance as Richard II in The Hollow Crown.

RatedRStar said...

Ben Whishaw will get recognised from Oscar at some point, he is so young and he tends to always be in high profile films so surely his time will come =D.

RatedRStar said...

Ben Whishaws win for The Hollow Crown was one of the best decisions Bafta could have made, even though Whishaw should have won for Criminal Justice before =D.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Yes probably.

Anonymous:

I suppose yes.

Calvin:

I must agree that it is hard to see anyone else in the role. I like Roth, but he seems almost a too inherently emotional performer to keep the true nature of Snape under wraps for so long. Rickman was perfectly cast.

Anonymous said...

Whishaw is a great actor, but if he is to get an Oscar nomination, he must get better roles.

George Woolf said...

Are you going to review the actresses after you finish reviewing the actors?

Anonymous said...

George: No, he won't do that.

Luke Higham said...

George Woolf: He has no plans for reviewing Actresses.

Robert MacFarlane said...

The timeframe Louis had where he could have reviewed actresses has long since passed.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I've kinda gone off the TV Idea now, since I don't think Louis, will be writing regularly after the bonus rounds.

I would love to see reviews for Rylance in Wolf Hall and Isaac in Show Me A Hero though.

Anonymous said...

Luke: He definitely will review Rylance.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He should review his favourites and other suggestions, yet review them at random instead of having lineups, as that would take longer.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Of course. I've heard some terrible things about Caligula (1979), by the way. Is McDowell any good in that? I'll probably see it for his performance.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He's entertaining and would give him a 4, though the film is a one and done for me. It's pretty terrible and quite off-putting in a graphical sense, though good luck to anyone who attempts to watch it.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I guess you're hoping for Redgrave to get a 5 with The Devils, aren't you?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I just hope Louis really likes her for a change, a five would be a bonus.

I'm really pissed off that Warner Bros. refuse to release the uncut version of it.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'll probably watch The Devils anytime soon.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Watch the longest version available, if you can. It's about 108 minutes long. The uncut version's an extra 8 minutes apparently.

Anonymous said...

Luke: It's still so sad that Rickman passed away. He seemed like one of the nicest actors to ever meet.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Agreed. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'll probably return to Sonic if SEGA makes a great game like the Genesis games, but I'm not trusting them to do that. There are some pretty good Sonic fan games.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I have to say that Sonic CD has great music and great art direction.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: It's been a very long time, since I played CD, but the art direction is indeed very good for it's time.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Rank these ten actors from favorite to least favorite and your favorite performances of theirs.
Robert Mitchum
Humphrey Bogart
Dana Andrews
Kirk Douglas
Burt Lancaster
Robert Ryan
Richard Widmark
James Cagney
Edward G. Robinson
Gregory Peck

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
10. Gregory Peck - To Kill A Mockingbird and The Omen
9. Richard Widmark - Kiss Of Death
8. Dana Andrews - The Ox-Bow Incident and The Best Years Of Our Lives
7. Humphrey Bogart - The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre
6. Burt Lancaster - Sweet Smell Of Success, Elmer Gantry, The Train and Field Of Dreams
5. Robert Ryan - Billy Budd, The Iceman Cometh, The Naked Spur and The Wild Bunch
4. Robert Mitchum - Cape Fear, The Night Of The Hunter and Out Of The Past
3. Kirk Douglas - Lust For Life, Paths Of Glory, Champion and Ace In The Hole
2. James Cagney - Angels With Dirty Faces, The Public Enemy and White Heat
1. Edward G. Robinson - Double Indemnity, Little Caesar, Scarlet Street and The Sea Wolf

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Can you give me lists of 10 currently working Actors and Actresses.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'll rank them as well.
1. Edward G. Robinson- Double Indemnity, Little Caesar, The Sea Wolf, Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet and Key Largo
2. James Cagney- Angels With Dirty Faces, White Heat, The Public Enemy, The Roaring Twenties and One, Two, Three
3. Kirk Douglas- Champion (Easily a 5), Lust For Life, Paths of Glory, Ace in The Hole and Lonely are the Brave
4. Robert Mitchum- Night of the Hunter, Cape Fear, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, Out of the Past and The Friends of Eddie Coyle
5. Robert Ryan- Billy Budd, The Iceman Cometh, The Set-Up, The Naked Spur and The Wild Bunch
6. Burt Lancaster- Sweet Smell of Success, Elmer Gantry, The Leopard, The Train and The Swimmer
7. Humphrey Bogart- The Treasure of The Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Dead End and The Big Sleep
8. Dana Andrews- The Ox-Bow Incident, The Best Years of Our Lives, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Laura and Ball of Fire
9. Richard Widmark- Kiss of Death, The Bedford Incident, Time Limit, Night and the City and No Way Out
10. Gregory Peck- To Kill a Mockingbird, The Omen, The Boys from Brazil, The Gunfighter and The Bravados

Anonymous said...

Luke: 10 actors and actresses currently working? I don't know how to respond to that since there are many great actors and actress currently working.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Under the age of 45 then.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, I'll add Fassbender, Hardy, Foster, Schoenarts, DiCaprio, Isaac and Domnhall Gleeson to the list of actors. For the list of actresses, perhaps Cotillard, Larson, Vikander, Ronan and Theron...

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oh, and Mulligan as well.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
For Men, Michael Shannon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Joaquin Phoenix.

For Actresses, Carey Mulligan, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Kate Winslet and Amy Adams.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Shannon, Gyllenhaal and Phoenix are on my list. Thanks for reminding me of them. And for the list of actresses, I have to say that Chastain is more consistent than Lawrence, Winslet and Adams.

Anonymous said...

Luke: After 1971 is completed, what year you want next?

Luke Higham said...

Actors
1. Hardy - The Revenant, Locke, Bronson and Legend
2. Foster - 3:10 To Yuma, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Lone Survivor and The Program
3. Fassbender - Macbeth, Shame, 12 Years A Slave, Hunger and Inglourious Basterds
4. Isaac - Show Me A Hero, Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year and Ex Machina
5. Phoenix - The Master, Her, Inherent Vice, The Yards and We Own The Night
6. Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler, Prsoners and Donnie Darko
7. Shannon - Take Shelter, Shotgun Stories and The Iceman
8. Gleeson - Ex Machina, Calvary, Frank and The Revenant
9. Schoenaerts - Far From The Madding Crowd, The Drop and Rust And Bone
10. DiCaprio - The Wolf Of Wall Street, The Departed, The Revenant and Django Unchained

Actresses
1. Cotillard - The Immigrant, La Vie En Rose, Rust And Bone, Two Days, One Night and Macbeth
2. Mulligan - Far From The Madding Crowd, An Education, Suffragette, Drive and Never Let Me Go
3. Theron - Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road and Young Adult
4. Larson - Short Term 12 and Room
5. Vikander - Ex Machina, Testament Of Youth and A Royal Affair
6. Ronan - Brooklyn, Atonement, The Lovely Bones and Hanna
7. Chastain - A Most Violent Year, Take Shelter and The Tree Of Life
8. Adams - Doubt, The Master and Enchanted
9. Winslet - Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Sense And Sensibility, Hamlet, Steve Jobss and Little Children
10. Lawrence - Winter's Bone

As long as Louis does both Lead and Supporting instead of doing consecutive Lead lineups, which he did initially for the Oscar and Alternate reviews, then I would like 1985 or 2005 next. Nakadai and Kravchenko for the former and Kingdom Of Heaven for the latter.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I want 1973 to be next, but there are so many great performances in other years that I don't mind what year Louis will pick next.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: If Louis didn't stick with the one per decade rule, I'd want 1973 next.

Anonymous said...

Luke: 1973 is a pretty good year. Woodward, Sutherland and Mitchum...haven't seen these possible nominees: Blake and McDowell.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Looks like Isaac is teaming up with Alex Garland once again, for a new film called Annihilation. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Natalie Portman are also in the cast.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Looking forward to that. :)

Hope Portman gives a good performance, especially after Jane Got A Gun bombing.

Anonymous said...

Luke: IMO, I think Sonic 1 still holds up pretty well.

Calvin Law said...

1. Cagney (Angels with Dirty Faces)
2. Douglas (Lust for Life)
3. Ryan (Billy Budd)
4. Robinson (Double Indemnity)
5. Lancaster (The Scalphunters)
6. Peck (To Kill a Mockingbird)
7. Mitchum (Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison)
8. Bogart (Casablanca)
9. Andrews (The Ox-Bow Lake)
10. Widmark (haven't seen anything with him yet)

For under 45 actors,

1. Tom Hardy (Locke)
2. Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewlyn Davis)
3. Christian Bale (The Prestige)
4. Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma)
5. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)
6. Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
7. Ryan Gosling (Drive)
8. Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
9. Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas)
10. Matthias Schoenaerts (The Drop)/Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) / Tom Hiddleston (High-Rise)

Calvin Law said...

Actress:

1. Marion Cotillard (Inception)
2. Carey Mulligan (An Education)
3. Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)
4. Rooney Mara (Carol)
5. Emily Blunt (Sicario)
6. Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta)
7. Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)
8. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)
9. Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
10. Brie Larson (Room)

Hon. Mentions: Rose Byrne (The Goddess of 1967), Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Eva Green (The Dreamers)

moviefilm said...

1) Paul Scofield
2) Max von Sydow
3) Joe Finch
4) Al Pacino
5) Oliver Reed

Anonymous said...

Made a mistake. Widmark should be in 8#, while Andrews is 9#.
Calvin: Haven't seen Kiss of Death yet? Widmark would have been a great Joker.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Louis: What do you think of my theory that Eisenberg bombed Luthor on purpose?

Louis Morgan said...

Robert:

I could see it given that it sounds like he got the part by possibly showing some disdain for one of Snyder's ideas.

I do ponder though if Snyder does anything to actually direct his actors.

Anonymous said...

Louis: So William Powell was supposed to play Melvyn Douglas' role in Ninotchka. I would have loved to see him and Garbo together in that film.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

He would have been perfect especially since it seems like Douglas was kind of trying to do Powell in that film to begin with.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Will we get the first review by Sunday.

Anonymous said...

Louis: If the American was made in the 60's, who would have been your choice for Clooney's role?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Maybe.

Anonymous:

Burt Lancaster

Anonymous said...

Louis: I knew that you would go for Lancaster. Do you feel that the way of Arthur Kennedy often giving an enthusiastic acting style is his way to try steal a scene?

Anonymous said...

*enthusiastic performance

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I imagine that's a good possibility given that his leading turn in Bright Victory is a bit more subdued.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your ratings for Balsam, Cronyn and O'Sullivan in Cleopatra?

Anonymous said...

And Cole as well.

Calvin Law said...

Saw The Proposition. Was nice having you as my 2005 Best Actor win, Viggo. (As for the film itself I thought it was very good, not my favourite of the year but my wins for Best Actor, Set Design, and Cinematography, and runner-up for Supporting Actress).

Calvin Law said...

RatedRStar: How's this for a Hong Kong Revenant :)

Hugh Glass: Tony Leung Chiu Wai
John Fitzgerald: Lau Ching Wan/Francis Ng
Captain Henry: Alex Fong
Bridger: Eddie Pang

Calvin Law said...

And directed by Wong Kar Wai, of course.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: That's a nice cast for a Hong Kong Revenant.
I'll do some retro casting as well:

Gangs of New York (Late 40's, by Raoul Walsh):
Amsterdam Vallon: Montgomery Clift
Bill the Butcher: James Cagney
Jenny Everdeane: Rita Hayworth
Priest Vallon: Pat O'Brien
Boss Tweed: Edward Arnold

Inglourious Basterds (Late 50's, by Fred Zinnemann)
Aldo Raine: Burt Lancaster
Hans Landa: Otto Preminger
Von Hammersmark: Maria Schell
Archie Hicox: Dirk Bogarde
Donny Donowitz: Vic Morrow
Shosanna Dreyfus: Simone Signoret
Major Hellstrom: David Niven

Alex Marqués said...

It's very nice to see Winstone's work in The Proposition being praised in this blog, it's an extremely underrated performance. It's surprising how much depth he adds to his character.

Michael Patison said...

I'm changing my prediction:
1. Paul Scofield
2. Oliver Reed
3. Max von Sydow
4. Al Pacino
5. Jon Finch

Also, I know this is a little late, but I might like to see Best Song replaced by Best Score for a Musical, like they had through the '70s. It might end up being a bad idea and pointless, but maybe just try it out again. I completely agree with Louis on the Makeup and Hairstyling, and I'd love to see Stunt Work get an award. I mean, SAG has it, so why not Oscar?

I think it'd be interesting if they started handing out special awards to kids for achievement (i.e. Wallis, Tremblay, Ronan in Atonement). The only negative I could foresee is that then no kid, no matter how deserving, would ever get an actual nomination.

Michael Patison said...

Somebody mentioned Clooney, and I've got to say that it's so disappointing that he just seems to try to get by on his charisma so much of the time. And then you have stuff like The Descendants where I personally thought he was quite good at the beginning but then really failed from the moment he learned of his wife's infidelity. I'll also go on record, I probably have already, as saying that I think he's excellent in Up in the Air, contrary to what everybody else says. But I digress.

It's so disappointing because I just finished watching all of the good seasons of ER (1-9, fyi, though 10 isn't bad) and he's terrific.


On a different note, has anybody seen Happy Valley? I'm trying to decide whether to watch it. I know it's got tremendous reviews, and I have an excellent track record with British crime dramas of late, so it's probably dumb that I'm questioning it, but I was just wondering what other people's thoughts were.

Luke Higham said...

I know I've got plenty of time, but I'll change my prediction again.
1. Scofield
2. Reed
3. Von Sydow
4. Pacino
5. Finch (I just hope you like him Louis)

Michael Patison: Did you see The Devils.

RatedRStar said...

Calvin Law: Very nice =D

Luke: Speaking of Francis Ng, could you find me a post of him, in which I think, I might be mistaken, that Francis Ng for Infernal Affairs II was a winning request at some point?, I cant remember if I changed it or simply didnt make the request but I remember possibly mentioning that performance within those areas of interest.

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

RatedRStar: It's your tenth favourite HK Performance of all-time. And you never requested him.

By the way, I'm not sure if you know this by now, but Louis has scrapped Request Switches.

Michael Patison said...

No, actually the only one of these I've seen is Macbeth, but I just figured that, no matter how good Reed's part and performance are, King Lear, when in the hands of someone as capable as Scofield, is a world-beater.

Luke Higham said...

Michael Patison: Your thoughts on Macbeth and ratings & thoughts on Finch and Annis.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: What were the other 9? and I wasnt gonna change requests I was just making sure that I hadnt changed him in the past, he may be requested in the future perhaps, although supporting actor 2003, I think he could get in without a request.

Luke Higham said...

1. Tony Leung Chiu Wai in Infernal Affairs
2. Liu Ye in Lan Yu
3. Anthony Wong - Beast Cops
4. Maggie Cheung - Comrades: Almost a Love Story
5. Lau Ching Wan in Mad Detective
6. Anthony Wong - The Untold Story
7. Ronald Cheng - Vulgaria
8. Tony Leung Ka Fai - 92 Legendary La Rose Noire
9. Liu Kai Chi - The Stool Pigeon

Anonymous said...

Finally watched Macbeth (1971). Decided to watch Macbeth first, then The Devils.
Ratings and thoughts
Finch: 4,5 (He's great, but not as great as Fassbender or Mifune's portrayals)
Annis: 4 (Not on the level of Cotillard's Lady Macbeth, but still very good work)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Your thoughts on the film overall.

Anonymous said...

Luke: It's a very good adaptation in my opinion. Not as great as Throne of Blood and Fassbender's Macbeth.

Srinivas said...

I read on your previous post Louis that you appreciate Deborah Kerr in The Innocents very much. It is one of the greatest performances in one of the greatest movies ever IMO. Could you please give give your thoughts on the movie and what you think actually happens in it? Are the ghosts real or a figment of Miss Giddens' imagination? I think the strength of Kerr's performance lies in that she makes the character so mysterious. Also, what do you think of her in The Night of the Iguana, another of her great performances.

As for this lineup, I have seen Reed and von Sydow and both are magnificent, Reed especially.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: That list is still mostly spot on, it might change at some point though =D.

Liu Ye is an actor I have high hopes for, just like when I told Louis about Lau Ching Wans reputation as one of Hong Kongs best most consistent actors, that can also apply to Liu Ye, he only has 2 HK nominations though which a bit disappointing, could be worse, could be Takeshi Kaneshiro.

Michael Patison said...

Luke: My ratings would be the same as Anonymous's for Finch and Annis. As for the film, I found it effective when watching, but as I reflect on it more, the more and more I end up agreeing with some of the critics who derided it for how violent it was. Sometimes it just seems out of place.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Again everyone who's not Roddy McDowall in that film, including those usually reliable actors, seem very awkward and stiff in their roles.

Calvin:

Glad to hear you took to the film, and Winstone in particular, I assume. I'd be curious to know what side you fall onto in regards to John Hurt.

Anonymous said...

Louis: How do you think Some Came Running could have been much better?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

A better screenplay, a better lead, a stronger supporting cast, and a different approach Minnelli who almost seemed to be attempting to do a Joshua Logan film (which is a very bad thing).

Anonymous said...

Louis: What would be your ideal leading man and supporting cast for the film?

Louis Morgan said...

Perhaps Richard Widmark in Sinatra's role, Kevin McCarthy in Kennedy's. I think MacLaine and Martin could stay though.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What do you think of a version of Falling Down in the 60's with Douglas as D-Fens Foster and Lancaster as Prendergast?

Louis Morgan said...

I think the elder Douglas is a great fit, but I think Predergast should be a bit older than Foster, than Lancaster was over Douglas, so I'd probably go James Cagney.

Louis Morgan said...

Srinivas:

I take to the interpretation that technically the ghosts are real in terms of they continue to metaphorically haunt Miles and Flore, who were likely abused by the old caretakers in some way, which would explain Mrs. Grose's certain initial acceptance of Miss Giddens's concern. However I believe the physical apparitions are in Miss Giddens's mind.

I liked her in Night of the Iguana though I could use a re-watch.