Wednesday 29 June 2016

Alternate Best Actor 1985: Results

5. James Mason in The Shooting Party - James Mason delivers an affecting portrayal of an elderly aristocrat watching time pass him by, worthy to be his final leading cinematic turn.

Best Scene: A final prayer.
4. Aleksei Kravchenko in Come and See - Kravchenko gives a powerful portrayal of the loss of innocence and devastation of a young boy through the horrors of war.

Best Scene: Witnessing the massacre.
3. Griffin Dunne in After Hours - Dunne gives an often hilarious and always effective portrayal of a sane man dealing with insanity of a single night.

Best Scene: Paul's breakdown.
2. Eric Stoltz in Mask - Stoltz manages to not be overshadowed by the appearance of character, giving a moving yet never simplistic portrayal of the honest person behind the mask.

Best Scene: Fighting with his mother. 
1. Tatsuya Nakadai in Ran - Tatsuya Nakadai gives a masterful portrayal of his version of a formerly strong ruler, so powerfully realizing the man's descent into madness as his world fall apart around him.

Best Scene: The siege of the third castle. 
Updated Overall

Next Year: 1985 Supporting

34 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Day-Lewis in My Beautiful Laundrette
Lone in Year Of The Dragon

Louis:
Can I have ratings and thoughts on:
Ogata
Eastwood
Brandauer
Combs
Hauer
Fox (Teen Wolf)
and Cruise (Legend)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'm pleased that you've been very positive on this year in general. :)

Your Top Ten films of 1985.

Your winners for Director and the technical awards.

And any other Female 4+ performances from '85 that you've recently seen.

Calvin Law said...

Thoughts/ratings on:
Ken Ogata in Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider
Klaus Maria Brandauer in Colonel Redl
Jeffrey Combs Re-Animator
Mel Gibson in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Tsutomu Yamazaki in Tampopo
Rutger Hauer in Ladyhawke
John Cusack in Better Off Dead
Timothy Hutton in The Falcon and the Snowman
Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in Explorers
Bobby Fite in Explorers
Sean Astin in The Goonies
Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf
Sean Penn in The Falcon and The Snowman
Tom Cruise in Legend
Matthew Broderick in Ladyhawke

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on Sara and Curry in Legend.

Anonymous said...

This was a great year. I'm glad that you upgraded Ford's performance in Witness to a 4.

Calvin Law said...

As for 1985 Supporting considerations:
Daniel Day-Lewis for My Beautiful Launderette
John Lone for Year of the Dragon
Ian Holm for Wetherby

And maybe
Kevin Costner in Silverado (though he may be co-lead)
Chris Sarandon/Roddy McDowall for Fright Night

Calvin Law said...

Should note the only ones I've seen here are Lone, Costner and the Fright Night boys. I'd give them all 4's.

Anonymous said...

For 1985 Supporting:
Daniel Day-Lewis for My Beautiful Launderette
John Lone for Year of the Dragon
Ian Holm in Wetherby

Robert MacFarlane said...

Supporting Suggestions: Whoever the hell played Evil Ed in Fright Night, I guess?

RatedRStar said...

Daniel Day Lewis - My Beautiful Laundrette
John Lone - Year Of The Dragon
Joel Grey - Remo Williams, The Adventure Begins
Ian Holm - Wetherby
Ian Holm - Dreamchild

RatedRStar said...

Great to see Ford get a 4, as to see Hurt and Julia.

I think Siskel and Eberts worst ever decision ever, was to have Jon Voight and Jack Nicholson as their winners for 1985.

RatedRStar said...

Year Of The Dragon is such an interesting film to study I think, got extremely mixed reviews, managed to get one of the most shocking award nominations ever for John Lone at the Golden Globes, manages to get 5 razzie nominations, was directed by the same man who made the epic flop Heavens Gate, this is a must see film for students I think, so much to study =D.

RatedRStar said...

Louis: One more point about John Lone, he played a woman beside Jeremy Irons in a Cronenberg film called M.Butterfly which got mixed reviews, might be worth a look perhaps? he seems to have very interesting range, Iceman and The Moderns too look very different for him also =D.

Robert MacFarlane said...

From what I've heard M. Butterfly is more or less a failure on every level.

Álex Marqués said...

Everyone: do you think there's a year/s where a performance from a bonus round could take the overall spot?

Luke Higham said...

Alex: Edward Woodward could pose a threat to Lemmon for '73.

Luke Higham said...

Alex: Louis' reviewing Russell Crowe for Master And Commander and he said, he might take the top spot.

Álex Marqués said...

Very interesting, Woodward was great and I've heard excellent things about Crowe.

Anonymous said...

Alex: There is a performance that I will not name that could possibly take over Milland's spot for 45.

Robert MacFarlane said...

If he gives Phoenix a 5 for The Yards, he would take 2000 Supporting by default.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm REALLY hoping for a 5 for Gandolfini in The Mexican.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Ogata - 4.5(The film itself I found most effective in its depiction of Mishima's personal story, rather than recreations of his work. This is largely due to Ogata's portrayal of the man. He brings this natural intelligence about the man, a innate confidence as well as even a charm. However within all that he conveys this displacement in the man that troubles him, and he effectively gives understanding to the man's perplexing action. Ogata's is pretty amazing in the final scenes of the film revealing the full intensity of the man's beliefs but as well the pain of defeat followed by a resignation of the fate he's set for himself.)

Eastwood - 4.5(A man with no name it would seem though Eastwood does not play him as his hero from the dollars trilogy. Now the usual confidence and presence is there, which is to be expected, and is welcome as ever. Eastwood finds a variation in this though as he carries an otherworldly quality in the preacher, and his moments of action seem like a man acting as final judgment rather than the usual Eastwood hero)

Brandauer - 4.5(Brandauer gives a very moving performance by portraying the constant personal war of sorts going in Redl mind throughout the film. Brandauer is good in showing a man keeping the proper behavior of a normal soldier, while subtly conveying the discomfort in this behavior, and only revealing a real ease in the moments where he can reveal his homosexuality. Brandauer gradually makes this charade only seem more difficult for Redl as the film goes on. This is until his heartbreaking final scene where he shows the man at his end.)

Combs - 4(His performance reminded of some good old fashioned Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff's style. Combs brings just the right tongue-in-cheek quality to his performance as a mad scientist. Everything he says just has this slight knowing twist to it, that really brings out the needed humor to be found in the material. He's a hoot as he devours the scenery in just the right fashion.)

Hauer - 3.5(Hauer is limited by his character where he essentially just needs to play the warrior hero, and the fact that he's frequently off screen due to the central concept of the film. However Hauer brings the sort of gravitas needed for a proper knight, while having just light of enough touch not to become too stuffy in the role either. I only wish he had better comic relief to bounce off of.)

Fox - 3(A few of these films I have not watched recently, I just had forgotten to include when I did the original ranking. Teen Wolf is one I have not seen in a long time. I do recall Fox giving an enjoyable and charming performance, though a far cry from his other turn from 85)

Cruise - 2.5(One of those films that I realized later that I had watched a long time ago, having not caught the name when I originally did. I did not even realize that Cruise was the lead, and just recall whoever the lead was fine yet not too memorable.)

I could use re-watch of Legend in general though I recall liking Sara and especially Curry.

Top Ten:

1. Back to the Future
2. Ran
3. Brazil
4. Kiss of the Spider Woman
5. Clue
6. Come and See
7. After Hours
8. Witness
9. The Purple Rose of Cairo
10. Pale Rider

Trip to the Bountiful. I'd give Page a five and my win.

Director: Akira Kurosawa - Ran
Production Design: Brazil
Sound Editing: Back to the Future
Sound Mixing: Ran
Score: Back to the Future
Editing: Back to the Future
Visual Effects: Back to the Future (need to watch Young Sherlock though)
Costume Design: Ran
Cinematography: Ran
Makeup and Hairstyling: Legend

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Gibson - 4(An effective reprise for the character despite having the rougher edges of his character stripped away in the second half.)

Yamazaki - 4(His performance is constantly broken up by the film's constant progression of food based sketches, but he gives a very charming low key turn that serves the film well.)

Cusack - 3.5(By the way for anyone who has not seen this film, it needs to be seen to be believed I think. Anyway Cusack is as stable of a presence as you can find in the film, and is quite enjoyable doing the hapless teenager routine.)

Hutton - 3.5(The film itself I found weakened by the fact that it just did not develop the friendship between the two friends well enough. Hutton, as per usual, gives a very natural performance that manages to bring out the underlying causes of the character's choices while avoiding histrionics. He's especially good in the final scenes of the film as he silently reveals the inner turmoil of the man who's lost control of the situation.)

Hawke & Phoenix & Fite - 3.5 for Hake and Fite, 2.5 for Phoenix(Now all three have good chemistry, and are all natural performers. Phoenix though seems a bit ill fitting to the part of the "nerd" and just does not exude the comfort he had in his later work. It also does not help that his character is the most static. Hawke is a great ball of energy in just the right way, making the high hopes of his character very endearing. Fite's very good in quietly showing his character's troubles while still bringing the needed enthusiasm in the later scenes. It's a shame though that the film basically was unfinished since Fite and Hawke's character arcs seem left in the air, while Phoenix never really had one)

Astin - 3(It has been a long time since I've seen the goonies, but I recall him giving an appropriately endearing portrayal of the enthusiastic pseudo leader of the group.)

Penn - 2.5(There are genuinely great seconds in this performance where he really makes the terrible state his character in resonate, but they are too few and far in between. Penn relies heavily on just going for 11 even in moments where his character should not be as distressed. It feels like a missed opportunity given the role, though again the central relationship between the characters never quite develops as it should.)

Broderick - 2.5(Eh where was Robert Downey Jr. when you needed him? He could have pulled off the humor and accent with ease. He's not terrible in some of the more dramatic moments actually, but really leaves much to be desired particularly in regards to making his little jokey asides work.)

Anonymous said...

Louis: Would you have preferred if Nolan had directed Avatar instead of Cameron?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

No, my problems with Cameron have always been with his writing not his directing.

Michael McCarthy said...

As far as review recommendations, here's all I got:

Donald Pleasence in Phenomena
Someone from the cast of Silverado (I'd lean towards Brian Dennehy)

Anonymous said...

I am quite curious, could you go a tiny bit further in your opinion of Cusacks film, what is there to be surprised by, its quality, is it good or ?(I havent seen it)

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I enjoyed it. It has an extremely bizarre surreal style to it though, which took me off guard as I assumed it was going to be traditional 80's teen comedy.

Luke Higham said...

Supporting Suggestions
Day-Lewis
Lone
Holm
Curry (Legend)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Page in The Trip To Bountiful.

Anonymous said...

Louis: About Avatar, what are your thoughts and rating for Weaver's performance?

Michael Patison said...

I don't really have any suggestions except for Day-Lewis.

I was going to ask if you might also do a combined review for the Clue men but then I realized you have already given your thoughts on them in the comments quite a while ago.

I'd also highly recommend The Official Story. It doesn't have any terrific male performances to speak of, but Norma Aleandro's performance I think gives Page and Whoopi a run for their money.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Top five years that you think have the weakest lineup of each of male/female leading/supporting performances? And the strongest?

Louis Morgan said...

Page - (Her performance is such a delicate and downright brilliant balance in terms of naturalism and actually mannerisms. Technically speaking this is a mannered performance, but there is no reason to notice given how authentic it always feels as Page always makes it feel how her character would behave and act. I loved this performance though as she does not waste an element of what the role has to offer. The certain potentially stereotypical old biddy behaviors, such as breaking out in hymns, or fighting with her daughter-in-law, never seem so simplistic with Page. The moments of hymns Page reveal such a joy of life, and passion in every words of a woman who seems to be free in the moment. When with her daughter-in-law though she's quite effective in the way she carries this uncomfortable stillness as though she must always hold back as who she truly is in order to not offend her. When she goes off on the titular journey Page is incredible in how flawlessly she handles the various moments of the journey. As she goes from one moment just being nice and courteous, to telling the difficult hardships of her life, Page never falls out of touch bringing forth the right emotion in any given scene, giving such texture that Page shows this woman living through these tales through her mind as she speaks through the past. It's an incredible work.)

Anonymous:

Weaver - 2.5(Better than some but it's not particularly inspired work from her. Found she just sort of blended in with the rest of the film, which is not a good thing.)

Anonymous:

My old rankings basically still stand for Lead and Supporting, that you can see in the Overall after I finished 2014 official lead.

For the other two I still have several years where I have not seen all five.