Thursday 14 April 2016

Alternate Best Actor 1971: Al Pacino in The Panic in Needle Park

Al Pacino did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Bobby in The Panic in Needle Park.

The Panic in Needle Park though effective in parts is a disjointed film that follows the relationship between two drug addicts, Helen (Kitty Winn) and Bobby.

This stands as Al Pacino's "The Men" in that it is his only leading turn which predates his major breakout with The Godfather. The earliest scenes of his performance in the film call upon something Pacino rarely ever called upon in the seventies or even later in his career that being a natural charm. As also shown in the Scarecrow a couple years later, also directed by Jerry Schatzberg, Pacino is more than capable in this regard and it is always interesting to see the actor, best known for the brooding Michael Corleone, to be able to relax a little bit. Pacino is indeed very charming here as he shows Bobby, in his best moments, to have this certain lust for existence itself as he goes about his random days in any way he wishes. Pacino brings the right exuberance to these moments, and most importantly realizes the appeal of Bobby as his relationship with Kitty initially begins. In the early scenes the drugs are more of in the background and Pacino has some very strong chemistry with Winn. They have the right ease with each other, and this is pivotal to the way they develop in the film. They are terrific in the way they create the initial basis of the co-dependence as they find the initial basis in a genuine affection, which Pacino makes particularly convincing by how engaging of a personality he is.

The central relationship though begins to find its rough patches right away though given that they are both drug addicts, and Bobby only encourages the use of harder drugs to Helen. Pacino quickly reveals that the charming side, though earnest in its own right, is not all there is to Bobby. Pacino is very good in developing Bobby's whole attachment to drugs which he does in an effectively casual fashion. That is when he uses heroine and encourages Helen to use it as well Pacino does not portray Bobby really giving anything a second thought. Pacino creates the sense of a true addict, who has been an addict for some time, in the way he does not suggest really even a moments hesitation at any point. Pacino instead portrays this as naturally as he does Bobby's charm. Pacino allows to be simply part of the life, and getting high is almost the same as breathing for him. There is a great moment early on for Pacino when Bobby asks Helen to score for him. Pacino is excellent in this scene as he bridges the charmer with the addict, and not even in a sinister way. Instead Pacino manages the connection in Bobby words as he makes it sound like a good step in their relationship, and what's remarkable is that Pacino makes sense of it, at least in terms of Bobby's view. Pacino finds an honesty in the request as he makes it of the genuine lover, rather than of a seedy user.

Now as the film progresses, and focuses far more closely on Helen than Bobby, though Pacino is still lead, it becomes far less concise and rather aimless. The point behind this is understandable, which I will get to in a moment, but it falters in that it fails to makes itself compelling enough within this aimlessness. Pacino's performance also becomes aimless though again understandably so. This is as Bobby begins to become all over the place, this is in part due to the greater focus on Helen, as we never witness a transition period, not even a brief one. In one scene Bobby will be raging against Helen for being a prostitute, the next he'll be loving her, the next he'll be high and lost, others he'll be overdosing and almost dying, the next still he'll be back to his charming self that wins Helen over once again. This not exactly as much of a problem as it might sound, and it certainly is not a problem with Pacino's performance. The reason being the film's goal as well as Pacino's is to capture the mess that the pair of co-dependent junkies becomes. The film's mess again is unfortunately not quite compelling enough, but Pacino should not be faulted. Pacino manages to capture any side of Bobby we might see at a given point and is convincing on that side. Whether that is bringing back the charm, or bringing a far uglier side in the intense anger that comes about in the worst moments of the relationship. The same goes in drifting from a seemingly functioning drug addict, to Pacino becoming a physical wreck whenever Bobby is suffering from too much or too little heroine. Pacino's work makes a cohesive whole out of the mess that Bobby is. I do have to admit though that the film's own weaknesses hinder Pacino a bit. However Pacino's performance on its own still stands as strong early indication of his talent as an actor.

213 comments:

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Anonymous said...

I'd give him a 4,5, but I understand your points.
By the way, who would be your casts and directors for versions of Crash in the 50's and 60's?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Rating & Thoughts on Winn.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'd go a little higher on this too. Louis, I know you've gotten this question for a lot of performances, but is there any chance of him being upped to a 5 for Scarecrow? I thought he was even stronger than Hackman, on top of how moving he was I've never seen him be so naturally funny in any other film. He'd actually be my second place for the year, right on Sutherland's tail.

Michael McCarthy said...

Also, did Crowe's rating for The Insider officially go up?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

But WHY pre-make Crash????
Fine....

1950's directed by Martin Ritt:

Jean Cabot: Olivia De Havilland
Detective Waters: Woody Strode
Gia: Katy Jurado
Sgt. Ryan: Richard Widmark
Rick Cabot: William Holden
Peter Waters: Rupert Crosse
Anthony: Harry Belafonte
Christine: Ruby Dee
Cameron: Ossie Davis
Daniel Ruiz: Eli Wallach
Officer Hansen: Theodore Bikel
Farhad: Rex Ingram
Flanagan: John Carradine

1960's directed by Elia Kazan:

Jean Cabot: Eva Marie Saint
Detective Waters: Sidney Poitier
Gia: Susan Kohner
Sgt. Ryan: Lee Marvin
Rick Cabot: James Garner
Peter Waters: Lou Gossett Jr.
Anthony: James Earl Jones
Christine: Diahann Carroll
Cameron: Brock Peters
Daniel Ruiz: Hector Elizondo
Farhad: Anthony Quinn
Officer: Hansen: Alan Arkin
Flanagan: Keenan Wynn

Luke:

Winn - 4(I rather liked her performance in that I found she naturally depicted the various states like Pacino. She also manages to make a certain likability with Helen, despite some of her actions, even within the rather shy way she plays the character. I don't quite love her performance though, and not really for an easily identifiable reason. She just does not quite have that extra something.)

Michael:

Yes.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is Crowe a 4 for Gladiator.

Anonymous said...

Louis: So is Butler a 2,5 or a 3 for his performance in 300?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Yes.

Anonymous:

2.5

Calvin Law said...

What did you think of Raul Julia lol

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

I rather liked him, but the again what else would you expect from me?

Calvin Law said...

So interesting to see him at such an early stage in his career. You know he was a Shakesperean actor too? God I'd have loved to see him take on some of those plum Bard roles. Titus Andronicus. Iago. Angelo.

Calvin Law said...

Also while you're doing all these upgrades Charles Bronson *wink* in Once Upon a Time in the West *wink* *wink*

Just kidding Louis won't be that kinda chap. Although it's always nice to see a win for my year upgraded to a 5 (Hurt in The Elephant Man, Cagney in Angels)

Anonymous said...

I'd want to see Bronson getting a 5. He was poorly underused as an actor later in his career and he made those films with Michael Winner.

Anonymous said...

*I'd like if Bronson was upgraded to a 5

Calvin Law said...

I'd just say he's an incredibly underrated actor overall. I even enjoy watching him in those awful Death Wish films because of how naturalistically engaging he is as an actor. He was great as well at playing the understated 'straight man' to his mote flamboyant co stars, enhancing their performances.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

It's a shame it took so long for his film career to really start.

Oh and on Bronson, you know I don't mind coming up with an excuse to watch Once Upon a Time in the West again.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: So have you seen The Friends of Eddie Coyle yet?

Robert MacFarlane said...

I wouldn't mind if you upgraded Eisenberg to a 5 for The Social Network. If anything my appreciation for his performance there has been solidified after seeing him as Luthor.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: lastly, isn't it a shame Attenborough and Hurt never worked together again, and who'd you cast in a 1950's and 2010's version of the story of 10 Rillington Place? I was thinking maybe Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson or Alistair Sim as Christie, and Peter Finch as Timothy Evans.

As for a 1990s, 2000s and 2010s version (god forbid they do a remake) I think Jim Broadbent would be an interesting choice for 1990s Christie,but can't think of anyone else.

Calvin Law said...

Also horray for Charlie!

Anonymous: I have. It was really good wasn't it? Particularly liked that ending, very unique to just kind of end on that strangely sad note. I thought Richard Jordan and Robert Mitchum were equally great and I loved the direction.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I recommend you to watch those Karloff performances I told you about.

Calvin Law said...

For what it's worth Mitchum has really grown on me as an actor and I love his stylized approach now, and I should probably give Night of the Hunter a rewatch.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous: will do.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I find quite a shame that Mitchum starred in so many mediocre movies.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Indeed a shame. As for 50's I think I'd go Sim for Christie, and well... Attenborough as Evans.

Calvin Law said...

Michael: I'm glad to see someone else have Sutherland as their pick for 1973 lead.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

I second Robert's wish of wanting Eisenberg upgraded for The Social Network.

Alex Marqués said...

Very happy to see Crowe's performances upgraded, The Insider in particular. What are your thoughts on him as an actor Louis?

Calvin Law said...

What's everyone's top 10's for picture, lead and supporting actor now for 1971? Having seen all of these fellows besides Von Sydow (who I'm sure is brilliant),

1. 10 Rillington Place
2. A Clockwork Orange
3. The Last Picture Show
4. Play Misty For Me
5. Brian's Song (TV movie but I'm counting it)
6. Harold and Maude
7. Get Carter
8. Red Sun
9. The Panic in Needle Park
10. Shaft

1. Richard Attenborough, 10 Rillington Place
2. Paul Scofield, King Lear
3. Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange
4. Billy Dee Williams, Brian's Song
5. Clint Eastwood, Play Misty For Me
6. James Caan, Brian's Song
7. Michael Caine, Get Carter
8. Al Pacino, The Panic in Needle Park
9. Toshiro Mifune in Red Sun
10. Charles Bronson in Red Sun

1. John Hurt, 10 Rillington Place
2. Jeff Bridges, The Last Picture Show
3. Ben Johnson, The Last Picture Show
4. Andy Robinson, Dirty Harry
5. Jack Albertson, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
6. Ian Henry, Get Carter
7. Jack Warden, Brian's Song
8. Donald Pleasance, THX 1138
9. John Osborne, Get Carter
10. Alain Delon, Red Sun

Calvin Law said...

Also Louis: thoughts/ratings for Judy Geeson and Pat Heywood in 10 Rillington Place.

Alex Marqués said...

Calvin: No Gene Wilder? :(

Anonymous said...

Louis, what are your thoughts on John Hurt? Is he one of your favourite actors?

Alex Marqués said...

Anonymous: He is in his top 20 favourite actors list.

Anonymous said...

Calvin:
My top ten movies of 1971
1. A Clockwork Orange
2. The Last Picture Show
3. 10 Rillington Place
4. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
5. The Devils
6. Dirty Harry
7. The Emmigrants
8. The French Connection
9. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
10. Macbeth

Best Actor Top 10
1. Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange and Richard Attenbourough in 10 Rillington Place (TIE)
2. Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry
3. Michael Caine in Get Carter
4. Oliver Reed in The Devils
5. Paul Scofield in King Lear
6. Clint Eastwood in The Beguiled
7. Max von Sydow in The Emmigrants
8. Al Pacino in The Panic in Needle Park
9. Gene Hackman in The French Connection
10. Jon Finch in Macbeth

Best Supporting Actor Top 10
1. John Hurt in 10 Rillington Place
2. Ben Johnson in The Last Picture Show
3. Andy Johnson in Dirty Harry
4. Jeff Bridges in The Last Picture Show
5. Jack Albertson in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
6. Fernando Rey in The French Connection
7. Roy Scheider in The French Connection
8. Bruce Dern in Drive, He Said
9. Donald Pleasance in THX-1138
10. Patrick Magee in A Clockwork Orange

By the way, is Red Sun any good?

Calvin Law said...

Ahh I actually meant The Beguiled when I wrote Play Misty for Me. Red Sun is pretty good. Technically a bit messy in its plotting but Mifune and Bronson are an unsurprisingly effective duo, they have great chemistry, and the ending id fairly powerful.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: What did you think of The Bravados as a film overall?

Alex Marqués said...

Attenborough and McDowell are both so amazing in their respective roles.

Anonymous said...

Alex: Because of that, I give them a tie. :)

Alex Marqués said...

Just watched Get Low. Not a great movie, but Duvall's performance... wow. He was completely snubbed that year.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Seems there are a lot of movies from this year I need to see. All I've seen is Willy Wonka, Nicholas and Alexandra, Le Mans, and Here Comes Peter Cottontail (a TV movie).

Anonymous said...

Just watched Young Man with a Horn. It was good, and I found Kirk Douglas astounding. He's surely one of the best intense actors of all time. I'm amazed how he's still with us.

Luke Higham said...

Has anyone seen Noah (2014).

Calvin Law said...

Alex: Duvall is my win for the year by far.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Yep it was okay. Only weak links were Booth and Watson, Logan Lerman was surprisingly good.

Alex Marqués said...

Calvin: who are your 2010 nominees for best actor and best supporting actor?

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: What rating would you give Crowe.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I'm probably gonna see Eye In The Sky tonight. I hope Rickman has gone out on a high. :)

Luke Higham said...

*high note.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Nope, haven't seen Noah.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I hope so too with regards to Rickman. I'd give 3.5's to both Crowe and Lerman, 3's to Winstone, Connelly and Hopkins, and 2's to Booth and Watson.

Anonymous:

Lead
1. Robert Duvall in Get Low
2. Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
3. Javier Bardem in Biutiful
4. George Clooney in The American
5. Jeff Bridges in True Grit

Supporting
1. Choi Min-Sik in I Saw the Devil (though I might switch him over to lead)
2. Christian Bale in The Fighter
3. Kieran Culkin in Scott Pilgrim v.s. the World
4. Cillian Murphy in Inception
5. John Hawkes in Winter's Bone

Alex Marqués said...

I'd say that Choi Min-Sik is lead in I Saw The Devil. Pretty good lists.

Anonymous said...

Calvin: You liked Bardem's performance in Biutiful, huh?

Calvin Law said...

Alex: In lead he'd be my #2 probably.

Anonymous: Yep. I'm kind of the opposite of Louis in that I thought he was alright in The Sea Inside (a 3.5 or weak 4) but find him great in Biutiful where I feel he gives an incredibly powerful performance.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your ratings and thoughts on the cast of The Punisher?

Anonymous said...

Finally watched Red Sun. It was good and Mifune and Bronson were great.

Luke Higham said...

Eye In The Sky
Mirren - 4.5
Paul - 3.5
Rickman - 4
Abdi - 3.5
I thought it was excellent.

Anonymous said...

I bet that Scofield will be last.

Calvin Law said...

A friend told me this was the best silver screen work that Paul's done. He said all the principles were good but like you thought Mirren stood out best.

Louis Morgan said...

Alex:

Crowe is a one of a kind actor in this day and age, and it is hard to imagine any other actors in his most notable roles because of that. He has that old school charisma and screen presence that is something rather special all in itself. Crowe though takes it all a step further by having actually rather considerable emotional range, excelling in a variety of roles.

Calvin:

I fear you and Anonymous might be in line for an Oompa Loompa song for your Gene Wilder snubbing.

Any who.

Geeson - 3.5(She's good in her in that she makes her seemingly somewhat immature woman in a very honest fashion that always feels very real. By doing this and presenting as just a human being though she certainly still draws right of sympathy even while she is not always likable.)

Heywood - 4(She's really good in the way she makes you understand Mrs. Christie despite never given much focus. In between the lines she develops well the certain unease along with Christie while still suggesting their standard domestic history with one another. As the film proceeds she's very moving in, again with little focus given to her, in her development of Mrs. Christie seeing her husband for what he is. Although it's off screen her death is extremely disturbing in part due to how genuine her performance had been as the kind woman with a truly horrible husband.)

Anonymous:

Jane - 2(He leaves a whole lot to be desired in the role as he seems more just of mildly annoyed by the death of family than anything else. His whole performance is excessively light weight and fails to convey any of the needed pathos for his character. Jane plays him as just kind of a guy who kills people, and tries honestly to be too smooth which is all wrong for the character. Jon Bernthal's exceptional take on the character makes Jane's own look only worse)

Foster - 3(Thought he managed to bring a bit of actual humor to his performance, without it seeming forced, and managed to be affecting enough in the scene after he is tortured)

Patton - 3(I found he was effective, though in a different movie, of a guy struggling to hide his secrets. Honestly he should have been the main villain and the film would have been better off)

Scheider - 2.5(He's more than just fine in his one scene, frankly the film would have been better if he had stuck around)

Travolta - 2(Travolta should never be allowed to play villains. He just is not made for it. His attempt at menace always are a bit laughable. This actually is not the worst example of one of his failed attempts, but a failed attempt nevertheless.)

Robert MacFarlane said...

Ratings and thoughts on the cast of Battlefield Earth?

Calvin Law said...

Agree completely about Heywood, she made so much out of little moments like that line, 'I know where you should be.' As for Wilder I need a re-watch, but consider this blasphemous: I actually prefer Depp to him. Neither of them fits the character I read in the book (my ideal casting choice would be 1990s Jeff Daniels) but I actually liked Depp a lot and thought his daring approach paid off. *prepares for hellfire*

Louis Morgan said...

Robert:

hooo boy

Travolta - 0(I actually cancelled the Wiseau because I was not finding him entertaining at all. He's tiresome here as he really does seem to believe he's this effective, complex villain, yet does those ridiculous line readings all the same. It's bizarre yet fails to be amusingly so. it's just really hard to watch)

Pepper - 2(You know God bless him. He does try though in a very particular way. He throws it all in a way, that it seems like he probably broke down laughing after every take as though he was saying "now where are the real lines I'm suppose to say?".)

Whitaker - 1(He could not look more disinterested as he seems to be actively contemplating at certain moments if he really owed Travolta that much of a favor.)

Calvin:

I cast yee out!!!!!!!!

You know Calvin I respect your opinion but this one ahhh. Okay..... ahhhh. Alright with Depp I don't think he's even being daring. He's just doing a slight variation of his Ed Wood. That slight variation though is to rid that earlier performance of any of its wit and charm.

Calvin Law said...

I think a lot of my liking of that performance is down to nostalgia and the conditions I first watched it in. I think I might give the whole Christopher Lee subplot a lot more credit than it actually deserves because of how much it emotionally impacted me first time round. I remember being a bit creeped out by Depp but in a way I felt worked for the film. I definitely didn't find Wonka very charming there, and whether or not it was Depp's intent to be so we'll never know. I thought it worked well for the role though.

I definitely need a re-watch of Wilder though, especially since I used to not be a big fan, but have since seen a couple of things I quite enjoy him in (Blazing Saddles, and that Richard Pryor flick I can't recall the name of off the top of my head, Young Frankenstein). Also I am a Depp apologist...he's basically my Sharlto Copely for you (though I'm a Copely apologist too).

Calvin Law said...

On a similar note, one performance in similar vein of conception as Depp's, Jim Carrey in The Grinch, I also like more than I probably should.

Calvin Law said...

Also glad you hated Travolta as much as I did, and he has absolutely no excuse for the atrocious performance he gave seeing as his heart and soul was put into the production. Whitaker was bad, agree about Pepper, but the LVP in my opinion was that godawful slanting cinematography.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Did you make it to the "friendly bartender" scene though? Because that's worthy of at least one Wiseau for Travolta.

Anonymous said...

Louis: How do you think Duel in the Sun could have been much better? Like I said before, Hayworth and Mitchum would have better choices for Jones and Peck's roles, but what more?

Alex Marqués said...

Louis: I don't know if you've posted it before, but what would be your choices for Best Cinematography from 1990 to 2015?

Anonymous said...

Alex: Well, he gives the 2007 award to Deakins for Jesse James and probably all of Lubezki's awards.

Alex Marqués said...

I find disgusting that Deakins hasn't won an Oscar yet.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: His winners for 2007 and 2015 are Elswit for There Will Be Blood and Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road.

Robert MacFarlane said...

There Will Be Blood is brilliantly shot, but it is not even close between Deakins and Elswit for me. Deakins's work was flawless.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Really? I thought that he preferred Deakins to Elswit.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: His Top Ten best shot films of all-time.
1. The Thin Red Line
2. There Will be Blood
3. Days of Heaven
4. The Assassination of Jesse James
5. Lawrence of Arabia
6. Barry Lyndon
7. The Third Man
8. Once Upon a Time in the West
9. Apocalypse Now
10. The Conformist

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oops, sorry. :) I got confused. Thought that Jesse James was above There Will Be Blood.

Calvin Law said...

For me the most beautifully shot film ever is quite easily Brief Encounter. Although The Elephant Man and There Will Be Blood are close.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Watching Son of Saul tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Just watched Pork Chop Hill, starring Peck in the title role. Very good and enjoyable film and certainly better than The Hunters, another Korean War film.

Anonymous said...

*leading role

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Is there any chance Al Pacino could ever get his win back in 1975 over Jack Nicholson? Not that I'm knocking, cause I love both performances.

Anonymous said...

Tahmeed: I don't know if he will give Pacino's win back. But in my opinion, I'd like a tie between the two of them since they give such wonderful performances.

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis, what're your rating and thoughts for Morgan Freeman in Lean On Me?

Alex Marqués said...

I agree with Anonymous, even if ties should be avoided those two performances are just on another planet.

Anonymous said...

Well, just finished re-watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Wilder is now a 5.

Louis Morgan said...

Robert:

I did and I probably should have laughed at that but I suppose every one of Roger Christian's choices left me in too much of a bad mood to do so.

Anonymous:

A better screenplay honestly as the whole brother angle seemed so muted in particular.

Alex:

1990: Goodfellas
1991: Barton Fink
1992: Unforgiven
1993: Schindler's List
1994: The Shawshank Redemption
1995: Braveheart
1996: Fargo
1997: Boogie Nights
1998: The Thin Red Line
1999: The Straight Story
2000: O Brother Where Art Thou
2001: The Fellowship of the Ring
2002: The Road to Perdition
2003: Master and Commander
2004: The Passion of the Christ
2005: The Proposition
2006: Children of Men
2007: There Will Be Blood
2008: The Dark Knight
2009: Inglorious Basterds
2010: True Grit
2011: Drive
2012: Skyfall
2013: Only God Forgives
2014: Birdman
2015: Mad Max: Fury Road

Tahmeed:

Probably not, but that's not a knock against Pacino's performance.

Michael:

Freeman - 4.5(Again just one I forgot to rank. This is a good performance by Freeman and along with Driving Miss Daisy shows a nice range in his 89 work from his gentle driver to his tough principal. Freeman is pretty great in every scene where he takes charge because that's exactly what he does in every scene. He's careful enough never to be one note always bringing the right nuance by having just enough of an undercurrent of earnest concern, while not ever holding back in terms of his depiction of his no nonsense character)

Anonymous said...

Louis: Which film do you think is worse? Avatar or Dances With Wolves?

Louis Morgan said...

Avatar.

Calvin Law said...

Definitely agree. Dances With Wolves has its own merits, I find it quite beautifully shot, there's some interesting insight into the lives of Indian Americans, I don't hate Costner (though I wouldn't give him anything above a 2.5) and I like Rodney A. Grant's performance. The ending is also fairly moving. I'd give it a 3, certainly did not deserve Best Picture but miles better than Avatar which is a definite 1 in my books.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who do you prefer as an actor: Cooper or Heston? I have to say after re-watching Hamlet (1996), Heston is a 4,5 for me.

Calvin Law said...

Son of Saul was a tough watch, but worth it. The cinematography definitely was one of the highlights here as it helps immerse the viewer so powerfully into the horror of day-to-day camp life. It's particularly stylized but everything else is very much minimalist down to the dialogue, and performances. I need to ruminate awhike on Rohig but all I can say is Luke was onto something when he requested him before switching to Mendelsohn.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Thanks. :)

Saw The Jungle Book. I quite liked it and is certainly one of the better Live-Action remakes from Disney.

Sethi - 2.5/3
Murray - 3.5
Kingsley - 3
Elba - 3.5
Nyong'o - 3
Johansson - 2.5/3
Walken - 3

Luke Higham said...

There's a good quality version of The Witch online.

http://putlocker.is/watch-the-witch-online-free-putlocker.html

Louis: Please watch it sometime in the next couple of days.

Luke Higham said...

*Sethi - 3

Anonymous said...

Watched If... and found it to be a very good film, with McDowell giving a great performance. He is seriously underrated.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: What rating would you give him.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Probably a 4,5.

Luke Higham said...

The Witch
Taylor-Joy - 4.5/5
Ineson - 4.5
Dickie - 4
Scrimshaw - 4.5
It's a really good film, with a rather chilling atmosphere and great performances from its cast.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Heston, who I prefer in general, but also I believe has the highest height with Hamlet.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Do you think you could see his performance in Will Penny? Heston himself said that was his favorite performance.

Anonymous said...

*review

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Yes.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Is there something that kept you from putting Kirk Douglas on your top ten list of most intense actors?

Anonymous said...

Louis, I know you have Norton higher than Macy in 96 for Supporting Actor. Do you still rate Norton in Primal Fear higher than Macy in Fargo? I know you give Macy the win in lead.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Seen anything new recently.

Anonymous said...

Saw Ant-Man. Found it to be a load of fun.
Rudd: 3,5
Lily: 3
Douglas: 3,5
Stoll: 3
Pena: 3
The Crew: 2,5

Alex Marqués said...

Louis: how would you rank your favourite performances by the great Brendan Gleeson? Also, are you planning to post Daniels' review for Gettysburg? I haven't watched the movie on its entirety, but I can understand why he's your winner for 1993, and I'd love to read your thoughts on him.

Luke Higham said...

Alex: Louis' gonna review him for 1993 Bonus Lead.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

No not really, there has just been some very intense actors over the years.

Anonymous:

I'd probably switch to Macy, as I really should re-watch Primal Fear to see how Norton's performances holds up to repeated viewings.

Alex:

Luke is correct in regards to Daniels.

Gleeson ranking:

1. In Bruges
2. The General
3. The Guard
4. Calvary
5. Six Shooter
6. 28 Days Later
7. Gangs of New York
8. In the Heart of the Sea
9. Braveheart
10. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
11. Suffragette
12. Cold Mountain
13. Edge of Tomorrow
14. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
15. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
17. Albert Nobbs
18. Michael Collins
19. Troy

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

And I haven't seen anything new.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Do you plan on watching The Witch anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What do you think of a 50's version of Blue Velvet with Hitchcock as director?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I'll try to get around to it soon.

Anonymous:

No other choice is possible.

With:

Jeffrey: Christopher Plummer
Dorothy: Ingrid Bergman
Frank: John Carradine
Sandy: Dyan Cannon
Detective Williams: Leo G. Carroll
Ben: George Sanders

Anonymous said...

Louis: What about 50's Mullholland Drive and Twin Peaks? I also think he would been the perfect choice for those movies.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Haven't seen Twin Peaks, the tv series or movie.

Mulholland Drive I think would be technically less fitting for Hitchcock, simply because he seemed liked a clearer narrative however just for fun.

Dark-Haired Woman: Jane Greer
Elms: Eva Marie Saint
Adam: Stephen Boyd

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who do you think would have been perfect as Dirk Diggler in a 50's Boogie Nights? I'd go with Dean and Gable would have been perfect as Horner.

Alex Marqués said...

Just watched In Cold Blood. The cinematography and direction were great, and the performances of Wilson and Blake absolutely fantastic, especially the latter because of that monologue before the execution...that scene with the rain outside the window was pure perfection.

Anonymous said...

Alex: Glad you loved it. One of the things I appreciate so much about film is the cinematography, especially in black-and-white.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I think you made the right choices.

Anonymous said...

Louis have you read the Game of Thrones books? If so what characters do you think were better in the show and which ones do you think were better in the books?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Better in the Show:

Robert Baratheon (Sooooo much better)
Catelyn Stark
Roose Bolton
Joffrey
Oberyn Martell
The Hound
Maester Luwin
Bronn
Varys

Better in the Books:

Stannis
Little Finger
The Mountain
The Sand Snakes (though that's not really saying anything)

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on the argument "less is more", when it comes to acting?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I kind of hate that statement whenever used in a blanket way in anything performances included. Yes that can be a case, but more can also be more. There's such a thing as too simplistic. Subtly can work better for certain parts but actually is not guaranteed to. It always depends on the individual character.

Alex Marqués said...

I find it interesting that for this decade there isn't a performance that shares a win both from the academy and from this blog. I guess Dujardin, DDL, McConaughey, Keaton and Simmons were close though.

Calvin Law said...

Alex: I agree. I think McConaughey was the most surprising for me, having not seen Filth before Louis' review, I sure as hell was not expecting him to win the overall.

Alex Marqués said...

Now that I think about it, only Ledger and Waltz achieved that the last decade.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm still kinda hoping Louis will switch McConaughey and McAvoy at some point.

Robert MacFarlane said...

#TeamLlewynDavis4Life

Anonymous said...

Louis: If you rewatched Sergeant York, could Cooper go back to a 1,5? Seriously, I don't know what he was thinking in that movie. I think that performance shows that the "less is more" argument doesn't always work.

Anonymous said...

Louis: And speaking of Cooper, I have to disagree with you on his performance in For Whom The Bell Tolls. I'd give him a 2. I seriously didn't believe him as being the leader of the guerrillas since he has such a dull voice.

Alex Marqués said...

Hey guys can you post your 20 favourite actors? In no order:
Robert De Niro, Tom Hardy, Toshiro Mifune, Harry Dean Stanton, Daniel Day-Lewis, James Stewart, Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Tatsuya Nakadai, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin Spacey, Sir Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Edward Norton, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Dustin Hoffman, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Alec Guinness and James Cagney will probably enter the list when I see more stuff by them.

Anonymous said...

Alex: In no particular order...
Olivier
Mifune
Mason
Stewart
Guinness
Hackman
Duvall
Cagney
Robinson
Hurt
Nakadai
Gleeson
Oldman
Hardy
Fassbender
DDL
Chaplin
PSH
Laughton
Chaney Sr.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: If Fassbender were to play Oliver Cromwell in a film at some point in the future, then who's your choice to direct and who would you cast as Charles I.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Did you finish watching Hannibal.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I don't know, maybe Rylance as Charles?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He would be my choice. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Got any updated predictions for the Oscars?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Robert will kill me, if I do. I'll wait until June to give my predictions. :)

Calvin Law said...

At the risk of Death by Robert I'll just say that:

Liam Neeson will be winning Best Supporting Actor

Mel Gibson's future resides on Hacksaw Ridge and methinks he will nail it

Midnight Special will unfortunately be COMPLETELY snubbed.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: What's your ratings and thoughts on Bruce Payne in Highlander Endgame and Tyler Man in X-Men?

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Nah I've kind of lost enthusiasm for it. Which is why I rarely pick up tv series, my attention span is more suited to film.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Completely understandable and feel the same way as you do. :)

Calvin Law said...

As for a Charles I + Cromwell film, I'd go for Simon Pegg and Ben Mendelsohn, respectively.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Will we get the next review today?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: We should have it by friday.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I hope Scofield gets a 5.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I thought we would get it today because I noticed that this review came out in Thursday, so I thought that perhaps we would get the next one in Wednesday.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Well, don't get your hopes up. There's been many a time of me waiting until 5 O'Clock in the morning for a review that never came and being absolutely frustrated by it.

Anonymous said...

Luke: We need to be more patient.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Hope if you don't mind, but I suggest you to watch Tyrone Power's performance in Nightmare Alley. It seriously annoys me how Power is so wooden in the majority of his films and yet in this, he shows emotion and in Witness for the Prosecution as well. You have to wonder what the hell was his problem as an actor if he always could show emotion.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Of Course. I'm rather pleased we're getting one review a week, as I've had Thyroid problems since November and really need to be sleeping much earlier.

Anonymous said...

Luke: You already told me you needed to sleep much earlier.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'll make note of it, but probably won't see it anytime soon.

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

Anonymous: That only lasted for a couple of weeks and got into my bad habits again, but now, I really need to take it more seriously.

Anonymous said...

Luke: There's one thing I'll never do in my life and that is smoking. People should take care of their health, not destroying themselves.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Never Smoked, Never did Drugs, though I have drunk Alcohol on the odd occasion, but I'm quite sure I'm fine.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I haven't drank any alcohol. Maybe it's because I'm one of those people who wants to live a hundred years.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I haven't drunk alcohol since last September and whenever I do drink Alcohol, I usually have Half & Half with Lemonade.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Lemonade is damn good.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :)

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Mane - 1(A waste of a good villain. He just makes Sabrrtooth a series of dull grunts where he could easily be so much more.)

Payne - 2Wiseaus(He's just a bit dull much of the time. However the scenes where he really tries to menacing he ends up being rather hilarious)

Anonymous:

No.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What actors do you think should have never played villains?

Louis Morgan said...

John Travolta and Guy Pearce

Anonymous said...

Louis: What about Charles Bickford and Gregory Peck (although he was very good in Boys From Brazil)?

Louis Morgan said...

Well I believe I've only seen one villainous turn from Bickford so I can't quite condemn the very idea because of that. As for Peck it would be an utter shame to deny the world his performance in The Boys From Brazil.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Bickford seems to be a mixed bag for you as a character actor. Anyway, do you think that his character in The Big Country was the least interesting?

Calvin Law said...

So with regards to the trailers that came out today:

Girl on a Train looks supremely average, like a poor man's Gone Girl. Hopefully Blunt will be good enough to gain some awards traction.

The Magnificent Seven I'm ashamed to admit does look like a bit of fun, but then again I'm a sucker for most things Denzel.

The Infiltrator looks decent. I'm really liking Bryan Cranston's film resume thus far, so I'm sure he won't disappoint.

Jason Bourne's trailer was a bit messy and probably showed a bit too much, but I'm excited for it. Incredible how Damon really doesn't seem to have lost a step at all. Hopefully Vikander's role will have some substance to it though.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

I actually thought that the trailer of Girl on a Train was good and I'm very interested in seeing movie (although I might be kind of biased because I love Emily Blunt).

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Finally watched Galaxy Quest.Loved it.
My ratings for the cast are:
Allen: 4
Weaver: 4
Rickman: 4.5
Rockwell: 5
Shalhoub: 3.5
Mitchell: 2.5

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Francis Ford Coppola, David Cronenberg, David Fincher, David Lean, David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese as directors.

Luke Higham said...

R.I.P. Prince

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your ratings and thoughts on the cast of Detective Story?

Luke Higham said...

Louis:
Midnight Special
http://putlocker.is/watch-midnight-special-online-free-putlocker.html

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your ratings and thoughts on Ryan Gosling in Lars and the Real Girl.

Calvin Law said...

Tahmeed: Don't think he's seen it.

Just saw Mulholland Drive. What. The. Fuck.

Need to get my head round it would be an understatement, but without quite understanding it I loved it.

Anonymous said...

Louis what are your thoughts on these Bond films?

Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds Are Forever


Also Tahmeed I dont think he has seen Gosling, its not in the rankings?

Robert MacFarlane said...

Hey Louis, would you consider upping Evans in Winter Soldier to a 4.5?

Calvin Law said...

I have to say, The Founder looks excellent. I'm really, really excited.

Luke Higham said...

Has anyone seen The Witch yet.

Anonymous said...

Watched The Witch. Pretty good horror thriller.
Taylor-Joy: 4,5
Ineson: 4,5
Dickie: 4
Scrimshaw: 4,5

Anonymous said...

Louis: Have you rewatched any movies recently?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Your thoughts on Taylor-Joy, Ineson and Scrimshaw.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, all I can say is that they gave great characterizations to their respective parts.

Kevin said...

Louis, what are your thoughts on Daredevil season 2, and also the cast of season 2?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your Cast And Director for The Duellists. (2010s)

Anonymous said...

Louis, for 1991 Supporting can you please review Pesci and Sutherland for JFK?

Anonymous said...

Luke: How about Peter Weir for director?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: An obvious choice, though I would like an alternative.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Can't think of any other choice.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: That's OK. :)

Anonymous said...

Louis: If Bogart didn't die in 1957, what roles could you see him in? I think he could have played March's role in Seven Days in May.

Anonymous said...

Luke: How about British actors for Carradine and Keitel's roles?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
D'Hubert - Ben Whishaw
Feraud - Tom Hardy

Anonymous said...

Luke: You're absolutely spot on.

Calvin Law said...

The Jungle Book hit the good ol' nostalgic spot, I liked it a great deal. Beautiful to look at and I liked the deviations from the original.

Sethi: 3
Kingsley: 3/3.5
Elba: 3.5
Nyong'o: 3
Murray: 3.5 (perfection)
Walken: 3.5 (my favourite, and hearing him sing 'I Wan'na Be Like You' is just...great.)
Johnasson: 2.5

Robert MacFarlane said...

I just saw Everybody Wants Some!! and kind of loved it.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Seen anything new lately.

Anonymous said...

So, I just watched Libeled Lady and it was very enjoyable. Powell was great as usual.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I'd say so.

Tahmeed:

Glad to see you liked it and took to Rockwell.

Luke:

I'll try to get you those sometime soon, but I want to try to focus on writing the next review at the moment.

Also Hardy's a great fit for Feraud but I think I'd go Matthias Schoenaerts for D'Hubert.

Anonymous:

I think I might have covered Douglas, Parker and Grant in the past. However for the rest...Freed, McMahon and especially William Bendix, as per usual, do well to give a lot of life to their characters who technically are just going through their duties as detective. You feel as though you get to know each of them from these situations though, again Bendix especially who is rather moving in the final scenes of the film.

Wiseman - 3(A bit over the top at times but I still found him to be effective enough as the brash petty thug)

Anonymous:

Noted.

Kevin:

The second season is far less cohesive than the first, and I really don't think they manage to pull the strands together in an effective fashion. In addition the show really struggles to give any purpose to Karen and Foggy, and I think tonally they are little awkward in the scheme of things. The Hand villains work well enough if a bit standard, and I was not thrilled with how they decided to handle Elektra's whole story. She still handled it a million times better than the movie version, but I thought they tried too hard to give an explanation to her nasty side, where some psychopathy is a good enough explanation. Now the actions scenes are still very strong, and more importantly almost everything involving the Punisher was exceptional, all except the attempts to keep Karen part of it made it far more convoluted than it needed to be. However everything he did was compelling and made for some particularly memorable moments in his interactions with Daredevil as well as in prison. It was definitely an uneven season but what did not work so well wasn't really bad still, and what did work was great.

Cox - (Continues to do very solid work in both sides of the role. I will say he had a bit less to work with here, given his arc that the Punisher should have compelled was already handled in season one. His role is less dynamic here, which unfortunately stems from the shortcomings in the Elektra storyarc, but he does well as the very much the straight forward hero. There seems like there probably should have been more in terms of the relationship with Elektra but again I think it's much more the fault of the writing.)

Woll - (I think she's okay for the most part, but she's not good enough to make up for the artificial way they try to give her a point unfortunately. Also her scenes are a bit too repetitive, though not to the extent of the one below her, and her character does not really advance in a particularly interesting way here.)

Louis Morgan said...

Henson - (He's really pretty terrible, and hasn't really gotten any better since his days as a member of the Mighty Ducks. His comic timing is horrible, and completely fails in that department in that he's far more annoying than endearing. To make it all worse though is how whiny they made him this season as all he ever does is go "stop being Daredevil!" every other sentence. That unfortunately only makes things worse, and I had a very strong urge to fast forward through all of Foggy's scenes)

Yung - (She's got the exotic down, a bit of the allure, and a bit of psychosis needed for Elektra but I don't think it quite adds up to quite a satisfying performance. Her work, despite Elektra doing some rather intense things throughout, always seems a bit light weight as just fitting the role of the femme fatale without going any deeper than the more obvious traits of such a character. Elektra's a great character and while being a major step up from the last rendition(which is not saying anything)it still leaves more than a little to be desired)

Glenn - (Continues to be a perfect Stick. I particularly loved his final scene in the season.)

D'Onofrio - (Greatly preferred him this season than last, maybe he eased up on the mannerisms a little or maybe I just got use to them. Either way I finally felt he exuded the sort of menace I had wanted from him last season, particularly in the scene where he directly threatens Murdock. I found him extremely compelling here altogether especially in the scenes where he quietly orchestrates the hostile takeover of his cell block)

Bernthal - (The unquestionable MVP of the season for me as he just nails the Punisher down from the first time we see him. His whole creation of the man is so remarkable from his completely hollow eyes to his voice that sounds as though he's speaking with a few shards of glass in his throat. Bernthal makes it all feel natural to Frank, and is brilliant as he suggests exactly what the experience has done to him. What I love is the way Bernthal manages to combine this absolutely chilling unemotional soullessness on the surface as Frank kills, while always carrying the striking hatred in this internal intensity, as well as a definite overwhelming sadness that is truly the core of Frank. This was an amazing performance and he especially deserves credit for somehow pulling off "Frank gives love advice" scene. That should not have worked but Bernthal made it work.)

Anonymous:

I would not mind giving either of them a full review, Pesci in particular.

Robert:

It's possible. I strangely enough have never re-watched it.

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