Wednesday 13 July 2016

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1985: Ian Holm in Dreamchild

Ian Holm did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Charles Dodgson more famously known as Lewis Carroll in Dreamchild.

Dreamchild is a curious film that covers parts of the early and later life of Alice Liddell, the girl who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.

Dreamchild tells its story in a jumbled fashion as it jumps around from the younger Alice, the older Alice, a reporter hoping to get a good story out of her, and a few fantasy moments depicting sequences from Alice in Wonderland itself. We are given glimpses of Ian Holm's portrayal of the author of that novel, Charles Dodgson, who was more famously known by his pen name Lewis Carroll. We never see through Dodgson's eyes throughout the story, and the film seems to purposefully keep a distance from the man. He has few spoken line, as Holm is often silent. There are  times where it seems a pivotal line is coming in terms of explaining the character, yet the film stops just before verbalizing an exact understanding of Dodgson. The character seems left in Ian Holm's hands, and much of the film relies on what he is able to do within the confines set against him which are quite extreme. Dodgson is a ghost in the film, not literally but rather the memories of himself always haunt Alice in the future as she ponders the past. This idea is how we first see Dodgson as he is in and around Alice's life due to Dodgson being one of the lecturers at Christ Church, where Alice's father was the dean.

Holm is a performer who can indicate a great deal without directly revealing himself either as seen formerly in Alien. The brilliance of Holm's work begins with the very image he crafts of Dodgson as a man. The manner Holm takes is striking as there is something inherently withdrawn about his work. Even when he is not trying to communicate Holm effortlessly realize a difficulty in this regard through through the often closed off spirit that Holm exudes in the man. Holm alludes to a painful life in Dodgson as a man who is almost forced into an inherent awkwardness due to the standards of society. Holm is a naturally compelling performer, and that is readily apparent in these glimpses of Dodgson we are given. There is something truly fascinating about Holm's work as he succeeds in creating this sense of unease when we see him, and even by the notion of him. This is not to say this is some sort of horror based performance, it's not, but rather Holm is able to wordlessly inflict the anxiety within the unknown. This unknown being connected to the way the elderly Alice views the man, but also the way we view him since we can only ever see him through her eyes.

The complexity of this relationship is never simplified by Holm's performance, and that sense of discontent does not define Holm's work. Quite the opposite as early on there is a scene where Dodgson entertains Alice and her sisters by regaling one of his stories that would eventually become Alice in Wonderland. Holm in the moments of storytelling reveals an abundance of warmth and a sense of Dodgson calling upon something rather special within him to tell these stories. There is a tenderness about the man Holm brings to these words, but also a comfort in one's self. When Holm speaks these words there is this firm belief in them, and in the moment that unease about the man fades. Holm conveys this through the way he depicts Dodgson living through the stories in his mind while he regales them to the children. What would make Dodgson, Lewis Carroll,  a world renowned figure is realized so gently by Holm. That inspiration that created Wonderland seems something fluid in Holm's performance, which gives understanding to the eventual perspective of the man in the greater public eye.

The film stays closer in the private eye of Alice though as she spends time going over her memories in an apparent attempt to decipher the man. Holm is flawless in crafting this difficult perception of the man as he interacts with the little girl. Holm does not falter in terms of maneuvering the conflicting view of the character. The unease of the man seems to come with the man being potentially a pedophile, who is lusting after Alice. Holm glares towards her reflect a definite desire yet he does not allow one to condemn the man so easily, since he does explicitly note the desire. In those sames eyes Holm is able to suggest a certain enchantment of man who only sees a kindred spirit within the child's innocence. When one watches Holm one can also see the somberness of a lonely man, who cannot be exactly who he is. Again this could be a man hiding from society because what he hides is something disturbing, or a man of a purer nature than what society allows for. Holm enablesthis duplicity of view yet he never enforces it precisely. It's fascinating work since Holm doesn't just switch his performance in a Rashomon sort of way, he presents one man exactly as he is, and leaves it to us to see who he is. At the same time this never feels an inarticulate or vague performance, Holm knows who the man is and only ever shows us that man. It's astonishing what he is able to do since he is able to be off putting while we are still able to emphasize with the man. There is an incredible scene for Holm when Dodgson asks Alice about marriage. He doesn't finish his question. Holm in this is a lusty old man propositioning a girl, but also heartbreaking as man wishing a girl to hold on to the innocence he found so special. There are few scenes where Alice lashing against Dodgson since he never explains his intentions clearly to her either. Holm allows you to see it as a creepy man getting his comeuppance in a second, then again he seems like a broken boy who just bullied by one of his few friends. This is outstanding work by Ian Holm as he matches the challenge of the role, by making a challenging character for the audience.  Holm realizes an enigmatic yet profound portrait fitting to the mystery of the man that Lewis Carroll was.

99 comments:

Calvin Law said...

Damn. I definitely want to see this now.

Speaking of Holm, what did you think of him as Bilbo Baggins? I know everyone praises Martin Freeman who is indeed great, but I don't think Holm's work, particularly in Fellowship of the Ring, should be neglected as he's pretty much a perfect Bilbo too.

Michael McCarthy said...

I really didn't care for this film a whole lot, but I freely admit that Holm was far and away the best thing about it.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Which actor would you have chosen over Murray in Advise and Consent?

Anonymous said...

*have you

Calvin Law said...

Lastly I'm really glad this is panning out to be such a good year.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Calvin: I honestly think the scariest scene in the trilogy was his sudden attempt to attack Frodo in Fellowship.

Calvin Law said...

Oh that scene haunted me as a child and still gives me a jump now. His reaction afterwards is heartbreaking too.

Calvin Law said...

Also,

1980's The Hobbit
Bilbo: Ian Holm
Gandalf: Ian McKellen (I always forget how young he actually was back then, but I'm sure he could've aged himself)
Thorin: Alan Rickman
Balin: Ralph Richardson

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the rest of the cast.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Emmy nominations were announced. Kit Harrington got in, which is good. The bad news is Sophie Turner got snubbed despite three ladies getting in for Thrones. Other bad news: McKean and Seehorn snubbed for Better Call Sual. Worst News: No Oscar Isaac at all.

Luke Higham said...

Pleased for Harington, shame about Issac.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

Honestly, I wish Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was nominated instead of Dinklage. But thrilled about Harington. Shame about Turner who was better than all of the three nominated ladies (I'm happy about Headey and Williams but it's embarrassing that Clarke has three nomination while Coster-Waldau, Liam Cunningham, Turner and Dormer have zero)

Louis Morgan said...

In regards to the Emmy nominations Gooding Jr. over Isaac is rather painful. Love that Harington got in. Thankfully Sapochnik got in this time. Michael McKean probably should have been in there over Banks or Dinklage though they were both still good. Turner was snubbed HARD given the three nominations in her category, though I don't mind seeing the other Stark sister finally making it in, Clarke on the other hand.....

Calvin:

I thought he was a perfectly cast as Bilbo, and I'd love to imagine that 80's Hobbit directed by Terry Gilliam. Holm brings that same unassuming charm that Freeman did so well in his few scenes in the trilogy as well as is quietly affecting in depicting what age and the ring has done to him.

To add to your cast:

Gabriel Byrne as Bard
David Warner as Thranduil

Michael:

I'd agree that the film is not great.

Luke:

Browne - 4(Her performance is an effective ones in its two parts. On one side she is entertaining as the stiff upper class woman while effectively conveying the way she is haunted by Dodgson as well as her loses over the years. However the way the film switches her character is rushed, and Browne is not as good as Holm in terms of working within the margins. Again as the nicer Alice she's good but the transition isn't quite earned.)

Gallagher - 2.5(I swear Gallagher does the same thing in every film he's in with that crooked smile of his. This actually works well enough for his part, but he can't stop his sub-plot from feeling like a waste of time)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Rating and thoughts on The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and thoughts on the cast.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Would you say The Big Country is the worst Wyler film you've seen?

Louis Morgan said...

I think I found the worst snub, Ramin Djawadi.

Luke:

Hold on for just a bit.

Anonymous:

Yes.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Wnat are your thoughts on the cinematography of The Best Years of Our Lives?

Giuseppe Fadda said...

Gooding Jr. is awful in The People v. O.J. Simpson, as is John Travolta in my opinion.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Gooding Jr. - (The show itself never felt 100% sure of its tone as there is a notable vein of camp that I don't feel always cohered naturally. Now Simpson is a difficult part just because of how naturally ridiculous he seems in reality. Gooding embraces this to its fullest, which seems needed, but the problem is he does not pull it off. He's ridiculous in the wrong way in that he too often falls on overwrought whiny note. Gooding falls the most in terms of bringing the needed charisma to the man so many are shown to be in love with. Gooding never is convincing in this regard, and his performance falls short.)

Travolta - (Travolta also goes for hard camp and way over does it in terms of getting every tic he can of the man he's portraying. Again the real figure can be looked at as a bit of caricature but Travolta's focus on this makes it impossible to ever take his performance seriously. He calms down a bit as the series progresses but never enough that it does not just seem like Travolta hammy it up)

Schwimmer - (I'll admit I did get a kick out of his always heartbroken delivery of the word "juice", however I do think he too often focused on this sadsack routine. He has good moments in there like when he's looking through O.J.'s gym bag for example, and I will excuse him somewhat in terms of the lacking portrayal of the conflict regarding his character's view of O.J.. The reason being part of it should come from his scenes with O.J. which are made impossible by Gooding's portrayal.)

Louis Morgan said...

Vance - (Now Vance basically shows Travolta and Gooding how it is done. Again Johnnie Cochran is already a broad personality, and it would have been easy just to go fully Jackie Chiles with the part. Vance intelligently saves these moments for the court. Vance brings the showman brilliantly, but does not go too far. He is able to show Cochran playing it up a bit for the crowd so to speak. Vance carefully does not show this to be facade in the personal scenes, but instead does well to reveal it as a purposefully extreme version of his normal personality. Vance never embraces the camp only light touching upon it when it serves the character correctly.)

Lane & Morrow - (They are both showboating to the extreme but I felt it worked given that's the exact purpose for each of their characters. They smartly down get overly bogged down by mannerisms, and just instead ACT to the fullest. Both of their performance work in their regard, since both of them are putting on a good show in court all the same.)

Paulson - (I must admit I don't love this performance as much as most. There are just a few individual lines, mostly in the early episodes, where she goes into the camp territory herself. Thankfully these are only brief indulgences and she manages to make up for them as the series progresses. She's best in portraying the growing destabilization of her character as the series progresses, and basically just how spent she becomes from the constant scrutiny. She's does a good job of basically portraying the weaknesses of the defense by portraying a natural clumsiness and lack of charisma in the courtroom while being moving in revealing the emotional devastation in this failure.)

Brown - (I'd say he's actually more lead than Gooding is, but I digress. Brown's performance, like Paulson, is effective in portraying incompetence without self-loathing or any mean spirited quality to it. Brown is good in the courtroom scenes in showing the inexperience of the man right down the hesitations of the man's speech, as few things he can get out without some delay leaving him without the right conviction. When it does come Brown portrays it as a lashing out in frustration, while still making the passion behind the man's motivation still earnest.)

Anonymous:

The cinematography is beautiful capturing a hopeful spirit of the post-war America in its vibrant lighting. The shading is wonderfully used in the margins almost as a suggestion of the past experiences of the veterans. The framing is just about flawless and the choices amplify so many moments in the film particularly the husband and wife embrace and the field of dead aircraft.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Oh, and for Advise and Consent, Christopher Plummer or Vic Morrow.

Calvin Law said...

Happy for all the Fargo love. Very disappointed about Isaac, I thought they'd love him.

Calvin Law said...

In terms of snubs I wish Debicki got in, but am so glad both Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie have been deservedly nommed.

Calvin Law said...

Actually Olivia Colman got in so I can't complain, she'd be my MVP for the series.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Glad about all the Game of Thrones and Mr. Robot love, even if Christian Slater did get snubbed for an amazing performance. Oh well, at least it proves winning TV Golden Globes doesn't guarantee an Emmy nomination.

Calvin Law said...

Also, 2010s Alien directed by Quentin Tarantino ( gonna do a blog post on this):
Ripley - Elizabeth Debicki
Dallas - Daniel Bruhl
Lambert - Emily Blunt
Parker - Barkhad Abdi
Brett - John Hawkes
Kane - Christoph Waltz
Ash - Simon Pegg

Anonymous said...

1960's Network (Directed and written by Kubrick)
Howard Beale: James Cagney (He was Kubrick's favorite actor)
Max Schumacher: Henry Fonda
Diana Christensen: Anne Bancroft
Frank Hackett: Sterling Hayden
Arthur Jensen: George C. Scott
Don't know who to pick for Louise.

Deiner said...

By the way, have you given your thoughts and rating on Streep and Estwood in The Bridges of Madison County? Because I've been looking and I can't find them and I would like to hear your thoughts on both of them.

Luke Higham said...

Eastwood - 4(Not a surprise from me I suppose that I preferred Eastwood here to Streep actually. I think Eastwood really does well in the role as he undercuts the sentiments and possibly trappings of a sappy romance by just presenting this man as an actual lived in man whose found love in a way that seems to surprise himself. He never comes off as creep even as he tries to pressure her to go with him. Eastwood artfully keeps the film from falling too much into melodrama which it easily could have considering the material)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your 2010s Casts for Braveheart, Rob Roy and Troy.

Deiner said...

Thank you Luke.
Louis can you post your thoughts and rating on Streep, because I'd like to hear what you think of her.

Luke Higham said...

Oscar Isaac's been cast alongside Mark Rylance in an upcoming Spielberg project. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Isaac and Rylance together? This is great.

Louis Morgan said...

Braveheart

William Wallace: Joel Edgerton
Princess Isabella: Melanie Laurent
Murron: Freya Mavor
Robert the Bruce: Richard Madden
Campbell: Brendan Gleeson
Stephen: Aidan Turner
Elder Bruce: Ciaran Hinds
Longshanks: Jeremy Irons

Rob Roy:

Rob Roy: Michael Fassbender
Mary: Kelly MacDonald
James Graham: Mark Rylance
John Campbell: Anthony Hopkins
Killearn: Conleth Hill
Archibald Cunningham: Domhnall Gleeson

Eh I'd rather do a classic Troy.

Deiner:

Streep - 3(This is one of the few performances for me that I felt was very much held back by the accent she uses. It is not even that it's a terrible accent or something, but it never feels natural. She never made convincing that she was Italian and the accent felt artificial. Now this felt particularly debilitating for me because the nature of the film needs an emphasis on being genuine. This choice by Streep always kept this distance from embracing the character's personal plight as strongly as the film wishes. However I did find her chemistry with Eastwood worked well enough, and had good moments in there. That artifice never waned for me, leaving it an underwhelming performance)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your 2010s Cast for a traditional Iliad film.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who would be your cast in that classic Troy (50's or 60's)?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I'm against any remake since has there been a good film about Greek/Roman mythology in the last twenty years? I'm genuinely curious, whether or not it includes the gods literally.

Anonymous:

Troy (1950's)

Achilles: Burt Lancaster
Hector: Charlton Heston
Paris: Roddy McDowall
Helen: Maria Schell
Agamemnon: Charles Laughton
Menelaus: George Sanders
Odysses: James Mason (Hopefully get the sequel)
Priam: Cedric Hardwicke

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Seen anything new lately.

Louis Morgan said...

Elvis & Nixon
Demolition

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on the films and ratings & thoughts on the casts.

Can you watch The Witch around October time, because I'm hoping to see Ineson and Scrimshaw in contention for a review.

RatedRStar said...

I suffer from pretty huge Social Anxiety so I am happy that Rami Malek was recognised for Mr Robot for probably the best Social Anxiety performance ever.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your rating and thoughts on John Dall and Farley Granger in Rope?

Anonymous said...

It is so great to see that Ian Holm is alive and well, as well as having an Oscar Nomination, Louis are you ever tempted to give Holm the win for 1981, he is pretty amazing I think.

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis, what are your top ten films of 1935, 1937 and 1963?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I'll watch the witch sometime.

Elvis and Nixon is a fun weird minor movie about a fun weird story. It's not anything great, but it works about as well as a good storyteller telling you about the strange story of the meeting between Elvis and Nixon. It really does not have anything substantial to say about either man, but just is entertaining enough in terms of giving the details of such a bizarre meeting between two men.

Shannon - 4(Now I could see someone being harder on this performance because he's definitely not Elvis as he does not attempt any of the mannerisms or voice. To be fair it's rare that someone can pull off this type of work without seeming just an imitation. In those cases you're either great or terrible. Shannon technically takes the safe route, but I still found this to be an interesting performance. Shannon does convey well the personality of a man whose fashion himself to be above it all, as he interacts with most people as on another wavelength, while still having a certain charm despite this. I found him quite great in the moments with his best friend, or when people cannot see past the image even for a moment. Shannon conveys this sadness fitting of a man who can never exactly be himself even for a moment.)

Spacey - 3.5(This is not suppose to be a particularly serious depiction of Nixon, yet I still found he did a better job than most of those depictions of the man. Spacey does do the mannerisms but does not over do them to the point of absurdity. He oddly enough keeps them fairly subtle all things considered. He has the right sort of fun in the role, and is particularly funny at any point where Nixon seems to try to absorb some of Elvis's cool.)

Hanks - 3.5(A funny straight man performance for the film as he bounces off the titular two, and his reactions are consistently amusing whenever either of the men seem to break a protocol.)

Louis Morgan said...

Demolition is curious in the way that it doesn't work because there's something about it that kept me invested despite some severe problems with the writing and directing. That something made me stick through the bizarre and often aggravating choices throughout the film. Now this is despite everything else being weighed down one way or another, that one element seemed to stay above it all. It doesn't work as a film, but that one thing does work.

I'm saving Gyllenhaal for a completely unrelated reason I swear.

Cooper - 3(Thin role as the stern step father. He does the stern side well as you'd expect, but did a good job of infusing the needed pathos at the same time.)

Watts - 2.5(I love Watts as a performer but she was sunk by her part that was more of a series of quirks than a real character. She could not make the Weed smoking, stalking, flaky, sunny, angry, mother work as a singular person.)

Lewis - 2(A bit too self-conscious but he's not helped by the part either. Unfortunately his role is not far from his onscreen mother in that it is too all over the place.)

Anonymous:

Dall & Granger - 2.5(Both I found paled in comparison to Stockwell and Dillman's take on essentially the same characters. Both are fairly bland performers to begin with which does not help them carry the film. They are technically well cast in each role, unlike James Stewart, as Dall is appropriately smug, Granger appropriately meek. The two stay on these notes throughout and overplay them a little too often. There have a few good moments in there, but both seem as constricted as the film's one shot gimmick.)

Anonymous:

Tempted....sure.

Michael:

1935:

1. 39 Steps
2. Bride of Frankenstein
3. The Informer
4. A Tale of Two Cities
5. Ruggles of Red Gap
6. David Copperfield
7. Top Hat
8. Captain Blood
9. A Midsummer's Night Dream
10. Mutiny on the Bounty

1937:

1. Grand Illusion
2. Make Way For Tomorrow
3. The Awful Truth
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
5. Captains Courageous
6. Lost Horizon
7. Way Out West
8. The Hurricane
9. The Life of Emile Zola
10. A Star is Born

1963:

1. High and Low
2. Hud
3. Charade
4. The Great Escape
5. The Birds
6. Billy Liar
7. Tom Jones
8. From Russia With Love
9. Lilies of the Field
10. 8 1/2

Calvin Law said...

Gosh, 1963 was such a great year.

Glad we basically share the exact same thoughts on Demolition. And can't wait to see Elvis and Nixon.

moviefilm said...

Can anyone help me? Some time ago Louis was asked to put down TOP 10 mannered performances and he said he's gonna respond to that later. I can't find it anywhere. Can anyone help me find it?

Luke Higham said...

moviefilm: He hasn't posted the list yet.

moviefilm said...

luke: Okay, thank you. At least I see, why can't I find it. LOL

Louis Morgan said...

moviefilm:

There not much of a point as it would basically be a combination of my four top ten of all time lists given that there are technically mannered performances in each for example Robert Shaw - Jaws, Richard Attenborough - 10 Rillington Place, Martin Landau - Ed Wood, Gene Hackman - The Conversation, Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive, Gloria Swanson - Sunset Boulevard.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your cast and director for a 1960's version of Mississippi Burning.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Directed by Martin Ritt

Anderson: Robert Ryan
Ward: Alan Arkin
Mrs. Pell: Suzanne Pleshette
Deputy Pell: Ben Gazzara
Sheriff Stuckey: James Best
Mayor Tilman: Dennis Weaver
Frank Bailey: John Saxon
Clayton Townley: Robert Duvall

Anonymous said...

Louis: What Spider-Man villain would you like to see in Spider-Man: Homecoming?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Well given that it's Michael Keaton I'm fine with the Vulture as long as it starts with him floating in the room and the voice in his head says "how did we get here". Otherwise I think he'd make a good Mysterio.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Just one final retrocasting question. Who would be your cast and director for a 1950's version of Good Night and Good Luck?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Directed by Sidney Lumet:

Edward R. Murrow: James Stewart
Fred Friendly: Frank Sinatra
Joseph Wershba: Ralph Meeker
Shirley Werhsba: Gene Tierney
Don Hollenbeck: Henry Fonda
Sid Mickelson: Kevin McCarthy
William Paley: Ed Begley


Bryan L. said...

1970s retrocast of Brokeback Mountain, Louis and anyone? For director, I'd pick Ingmar Bergman.

Also, in which post did Louis comment on a remake cast for Lawrence of Arabia and Amadeus? I recall Michael Fassbender being selected as the title character for the former and I myself think he's perfect.

Louis Morgan said...

94dk1:

I commented on that in Griffin Dunne's review.

For Brokeback Bergman would work if it was set in Sweden, judging by The Touch, translation to English caused something to be lost. For English version though:

Directed by John Schlesinger:

Ennis: Jeff Bridges
Jack: James Woods
Joe: Jack Warden
Alma: Sissy Spacek
Lureen: Meryl Streep

Anonymous said...

That cast for Good Night and Good Luck is so perfect.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

http://tahmeedsreviews.blogspot.com/2016/07/my-top-ten-tv-episodes-of-all-time.html
I've started a blog myself, reviewing TV shows and movies. It's not the first time I've posted, but I guess it's the first blog post I put genuine effort into. I'd love for you guys to check it out, and tell me what you think :)

Calvin Law said...

Tahmeed: checked it out :)

94dfk1: I like Louis' choices. If we were to move onto the 80's, Mickey Rourke as Ennis and Matt Dillon as Jack.

Michael McCarthy said...

^Directed by Wim Wenders

moviefilm said...

Louis: Thank you for the respond.

Anonymous said...

Louis: In your opinion, what is the worst form of movie criticism?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

If you mean in terms of type video, written reviews, or in depth critical analysis, all have their value one way or another. In terms of elements that can be problematic in criticism, I would say the worst would be the use of broad terms without detail such as when words like "pretensions" or "boring" are used without elaboration.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Are there any TV shows or Mini-Series, that you've been meaning to watch such as Deadwood or Sherlock.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who are your top 10 most likable actors?

Bryan L. said...

Man, I completely forgot about Schlesinger. And he directed Midnight Cowboy as well. Anyway, Thanks for answering both of my requests! I have one more, though.

Also, what are your thoughts on Denis Villenueve as a director and whom would you say are his contemporaries? Prisoners seems very Fincher-like to me but I wouldn't say the same about Sicario or Enemy. I'm not the biggest fan of Blade Runner, but I'm still anticipating what he'll do with the sequel. Arrival also seems like it'll make some noise later on this year.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Well those two anyways.

Anonymous:

Living and Dead? Similar to most charming or best in interviews, which I've done, since I don't know em personally it would be hard to say.

94dk1:

Having only seen Sicario, Enemy and Prisoners I'd say he's an intriguing and fairly talented director. Right now I'd say he's someone perhaps in the midst of fashioning his own style, like the way Paul Thomas Anderson did over his career. As his films don't feel like ripoffs but the influences can be felt. David Fincher - Prisoners, David Lynch - Enemy, I'm guessing perhaps Ridley Scott - Blade Runner 2.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who are your favorite X-Men characters?

Calvin Law said...

Prisoners (1990's Fincher's version)
Loki: Brad Pitt
Keller Dover: Kevin Costner
Grace Dover: Laura Linley
Franklin Birch: Giancarlo Esposito
Nancy Birch: Angela Bassett
Holly Jones: Sissy Spacek
Alex Jones: Ethan Hawke

Calvin Law said...

*Linney

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Cyclops
Nightcrawler
Gambit
Kitty Pryde
Emma Frost

Calvin Law said...

On the topic of X-Men:

1980's X-Men directed by Richard Donner
Magneto: Maxmillian Schell
Professor X: Patrick McGoohan
Cyclops: James Spader
Jean Grey: Robin Wright
Mystique: Daryl Hannah
Nightcrawler: Klaus Kinski

Bryan L. said...

Thanks. I feel like Sicario has a bit of a Kathryn Bigelow feel, with the female lead in a male-dominated profession. And I think if Bigelow decided to tackle the drug war theme, her result wouldn't be too far off from Sicario. I could also see Emily Blunt in Chastain's role.

Sicario 1990s cast, directed by Michael Mann (Bigelow had nothing but flops in the 90s unfortunately):

Kate Macer: Sandra Bullock

Matt Graves: Tommy Lee Jones

Alejandro Gillick: John Leguizamo

Costner would be great for Keller Dover btw. Brad Pitt would work for Detective Loki but I'd like to see what Robert Downey Jr. would've done with the part back in the 90s. He was great in Zodiac.

Calvin Law said...

Oh now you suggest it Downey Jr. would be fantastic. I was merely going with Pitt as Fincher's muse.

Could see Bullock and Jones nailing those roles, Leguizamo? Who knows, perhaps. I still think Raul Julia would've killed it in the early 1990's.

Calvin Law said...

I think I'd go for Edward James Olmos actually.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis, what currently working actor would you cast as Judge Roy Bean?

Louis Morgan said...

Matt:

Russell Crowe

Matt Mustin said...

Oh wow. That's actually kinda perfect.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who would be your choices for Ahab, Ishmael and Father Mapple in a Moby Dick adaptation made today?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

The mini-series choices are pretty good (don't know if they worked out though) nevertheless:

Ahab: Mel Gibson
Ishmael: Jack Reynor
Father Mapple: Terence Stamp

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis, can I get your top 10 films of 1970, 1972 and 1983?

Also, present-day Galaxy Quest directed by Paul Feig:

Jason Nesmith: Nathan Fillion
Gwen DeMarco: Sandra Bullock
Alexander Dane: Mark Strong
Fred Kwan: Daniel Dae Kim
Tommy Webber: Donald Glover
Guy Fleegman: Evan Peters

Louis Morgan said...

Michael:

1970:

1. Ryan's Daughter
2. Patton
3. Little Big Man
4. Scrooge
5. Five Easy Pieces
6. Twelve Chairs
7. Kelly's Heroes
8. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
9. El Topo
10. Cromwell

1972:

1. The Godfather
2. Deliverance
3. The New Land
4. Cabaret
5. The Cowboys
6. Sleuth
7. The Candidate
8. Frenzy
9. Aguirre, The Wrath of God
10. Fat City

1983:

1. A Christmas Story
2. Videodrome
3. The Right Stuff
4. The Dresser
5. The Dead Zone
6. The Big Chill
7. Trading Places
8. Tender Mercies
9. Risky Business
10. The Ballad of Narayama

Calvin Law said...

For Film Thoughts I request Cabaret, The Right Stuff, and The Dresser.

RatedRStar said...

Louis: You been asked quite a lot over the last couple of years or so, one of your most common questions which is what are your top ten films of the year, why don't you do similar to your winning requests page and your film thoughts page? like by having a top ten favourite films 1927-2015 list so that anyone can find them right away and then you will always remember your top ten list so that if you see a better film or whatever then you can change it =D.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Saw Ghostbusters. It's okay. Kate McKinnon is 100% awesome in it.

Michael McCarthy said...

I keep hearing about her and I can't wait. I've been waiting to see her break out into film. Hopefully I'll get to see it tonight.

Robert MacFarlane said...

She is guaranteed to make my top 5 for Best Supporting Actress at the end of the year.

Calvin Law said...

I saw it too. I rather enjoyed it, not a great film but certainly deserving of the better than expected critical response. McKinnon was great, also thought Hemsworth was pretty enjoyable.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your top 10 worst Best Original Score winners?

Anonymous said...

*Who

Louis Morgan said...

RatedRStar:

That's a good idea.

Anonymous:

1. Song Without End
2. 'Round Midnight
3. Midnight Express
4. The English Patient
5. Slumdog Millionaire
6. Titanic
7. Babel
8. Anthony Adverse
9. Finding Neverland
10. Brokeback Mountain

To be fair most of these are in no way terrible, and I should note I only included films I've seen since I do believe context matters for best score.

Bryan L. said...

Calvin:

Thanks. I also thought of Julia Roberts as Kate Macer but Bullock is more believable in action roles IMO (Gravity, The Heat). Just looked up some images of Raul Julia and Edward James Olmos from the 90s and they would've nailed it. Can't go wrong with either.

Bryan L. said...

Apart from the main theme of Brokeback Mountain (I believe it's called Wings), not much of the score stood out to me. Wings is a good song though, the instrumental version even bett

Speaking of Brokeback Mountain, someone mentioned Mickey Rourke being a good fit for Ennis in the 80s, so I looked up some photos from him in those days on Google Images. Wow, I could barely tell it was him. Then again, due to me being part of a younger generation, I've only seen him in The Wrestler and Iron Man 2 lol.

Calvin Law said...

I love the scores for Titanic and Brokeback Mountain, but agree with most of the rest.

94dfk1: yeah, Rourke was a huge heartthrob back in the day. Wonder what he's doing now? Such a shame his career resurgence was so brief.

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis: I don't know if you're planning on seeing Ghostbusters, but I saw it last night and Kate McKinnon does for that movie what Bruce Dern did for The 'burbs.

Louis Morgan said...

Michael:

Well that's high praise in my book. As someone who liked but didn't love spy, I'm not in a hurry to see it, but I will check it out eventually.