Tuesday 2 August 2016

Alternate Best Actor 2011: Michael Smiley in Kill List

Michael Smiley did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Gal in Kill List.

Kill list begins as a moderately interesting and disturbing character study about two former soldiers who work as hitmen. The problem is in the last twenty minutes it goes off the deep end by becoming a straight horror film.

Michael Smiley is an actor who I must admit I knew best, before watching this film, as the manic bike messenger from Spaced. Well he's quite a bit more understated here in his scruffier, David Wilmotesque appearance. I must admit I forgot his Spaced connection rather quickly while watching this film which begins by depicting a man and his damaged relationship with his wife. This man is Jay played by Neil Maskell, and Smiley is really the secondary lead, bordering very closely on supporting, as Gal, Jay's old army buddy. Now Maskell's performance is one of constant, though understandably so, intensity. It does not make Jay a particularly likable or relatable sort, luckily there is Smiley to pick up the slack. Smiley is not just a breath of fresh but really any air in the film, considering how suffocating Jay's viciousness can be to witness. Smiley brings a needed low key charm about Gal who we first see trying to be a true friend to Jay just in a dinner party between friends.

Smiley and Maskell strike up the needed chemistry between the two men. Their interactions always have the comfort between two men that have been friends for a long time. There is that natural ease between the two as they make the friendship feel genuine. There is something perhaps even more important there between the two of them in is a level of understanding that shows that they all have been through a lot together as well. Smiley is particularly good in his portrayal of Gal's reactions towards Jay as in his eyes. There is always the present understanding that he knows what afflicts the man, having gone through it himself, even though he is not controlled by it in the same way. Smiley's work though still has Gal carry a similar pain. Smiley presents Gal as someone far more able to cope with the past as it is part of his being, there is a certain dread in him that reveals that pain. Smiley though shows the distinct control Gal has over it which is never the case for Jay.

Smiley allows for the one endearing character in the film, even though Gal is also a hitman, due to the way he establishes the fairly laid back and earnest attitude of the character. There is a very good moment early on in the film, while Jay and his wife are fighting, where Gal takes their son away from yelling to his room. Smiley's wonderful in bringing such a warmth as he comforts the boy while portraying a so well a very genuine concern for Jay and his family. After the dinner scene the film then depicts the two going off on the titular kill list. The two go about eliminating the various targets on the list, but with each target Jay uses increasingly brutal methods to murder the men. Smiley's performance grounds these scenes and keeps them from merely being indulgent moments of graphic violence. Smiley portrays Gal also going through with the murders, though as a straight professional, which is technically chilling its own right. Smiley however manages to bring a degree of poignancy by depicting Gal's unease at Jay's behavior and his own frustration as Jay only becomes worse with each new kill. Of course any build up in terms of Smiley's work or Maskell's work ends up being for nought by the film's hard shift into the world of a human sacrificing cult. Smiley I suppose still aids the film best he can by attempting to ground the final act in real terror, though the whole thing is a bit too ridiculous for him to succeed entirely. It is also unfortunate that the final twist overwhelms all else, and that's all the film ends up being about. Smiley's portrayal of the sympathetic hitman remains a highlight of the film despite the film sort of wasting what he brought to the role through its last act.

156 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your rating and thoughts on Maskell.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'm pleased, you've given him a good rating. :)

Anonymous said...

What are your thoughts on Spaced, and your thoughts on that shows cast?

RatedRStar said...

Speaking of performances that Louis has yet to be impressed by, I am very soon going to watch Nightmare Alley with Tyrone Power and Force Of Evil with John Garfield, I really hope they can do well.

Michael McCarthy: Very fair review on Suicide Room and Gierzal, I reckon Louis might be similar in having that curious mixed response.

I think 2016 has been the worst year this decade so far in terms of films, with too many just OK films with only a few being really good and not quite enough outstanding films, fortunately there are lots during Oscar Season that I am quite excited by and that will change the rankings for me I reckon =D.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: This summer's been a disappointment and Suicide Squad's mixed to negative response has made me feel quite miserable to be honest.

I forgot to say this, but I finally got a job with M&S.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Eh, I wasn't expecting anything great about Suicide Squad.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Well, I was hoping for a decent film, especially after the BVS debacle, but unfortunately it just isn't the case.

DC & Warner Bros. really need to get their act together, though Wonder Woman does look promising.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Congratulations =D, tell us about it, what happened? =D, have you started yet?

I am quite disappointed by the Suicide Squad response as I really hoped it could have been a hidden gem.

Calvin Law said...

Well done Luke!

I'd say reserve judgement. For the first half of 2015 I thought it was going to be a solid and decent year, but of course the second half proved to be magnificent, as well as Mad Max growing on me throughout.

Also nice pace with these reviews Louis, hope you're not wearing yourself out. We can always wait a few more days. :)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Thanks. I had work experience for a month, provided by The Prince's Trust and have been employed these past two weeks.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: It seems like a non-Nolan DC movie never works.

Calvin Law said...

I reckon Suicide Squad will be fine, I expected divisive reviews anyway.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar & Calvin: That's also the reason why, I'm behind with my viewing experiences. There's a few, that I was gonna watch like Everybody Wants Some!, The Shallows and Sing Street but I'm gonna have to leave them for a later date.

I'm currently watching Demolition, Gyllenhaal's impressed me so far, though the film's nothing special.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Oh, and by the way, congratulations on getting the job.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Thanks. :)

Luke Higham said...

At the moment, I'm just gonna watch Elvis & Nixon, Green Room and Free State Of Jones (Whenever a good quality version comes online)

RatedRStar said...

My Nightmare Alley link broke so I am just gonna watch Force Of Evil tonight.

Luke Higham said...

I saw Ghostbusters not that long ago, McKinnon's very good and Jones was decent, but wasn't all that entertained by it.

Anonymous said...

Saw Ghostbusters as well. Mehhhhhhhh.....

Luke Higham said...

Has anyone got possible requests in mind for 2016 supporting or lead, yet not announcing them until the nominations are revealed.

Calvin Law said...

Lead:
Cheadle (feel like he won't be nominated)
Yelchin
Downey Jr. (even though he's still supporting in my books)

Supporting:
Ehrenreich

...and that's about it.

Luke Higham said...

I might request a supporting performance, (Ineson or Scrimshaw) though I'm hoping the year will be strong enough for Louis to do 10 instead of 5.

Calvin Law said...

I prefer waiting to see how the year pans out before requesting a performance. For example this point last year I was thinking of requesting Schoenaerts for FFTMC thinking he would be my win. Come 2016 he just barely makes my top 10.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I think Downey Jr., Crowe and Gyllenhaal will make the final 10.

Anonymous said...

Luke: For Lead, probably Crowe, Cheadle and Yelchin.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: That's what I plan on doing. :) And I can't go go back on a request now with the rule change.

Calvin Law said...

Meh, I'm not as keen on Crowe and Gosling as I was on first viewin . Still good and still 4.5's but I don't find new things to appreciate about their performances like I do with Jake G, Downey Jr, Yelchin, and Cheadle.

Anonymous said...

Still have to see Gyllenhaal in Demolition. He really needs better scripts and directors.

Luke Higham said...

And I still have to see Yelchin.

Anonymous said...

I kind of hope that the next year that gets reviewed is pre-1970.

Anonymous said...

*decade

Luke Higham said...

*And I can't go back on a request now with the rule change.

Anonymous: 1960 or 1968 for me. I hope the first 00 year, will be 2005.

Álex Marqués said...

Congratulations Luke!

Luke Higham said...

Alex: Thanks. :)

Calvin Law said...

I'm looking forward to 1951 and 1958 most, for very personal reasons.

Anonymous said...

If the next decade is the 1940's, I'd want either 1940 or 1945 to be reviewed. Plenty of hidden gems in those years.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on the special effects of The Invisible Man?

RatedRStar said...

Just seen Force Of Evil, I would say it is John Garfields best performance I've seen from him although I don't think he was the MVP of the film.

Anonymous said...

Louis: This is just my opinion, but if Milk had been made in the 1980's, I could see Pacino playing Milk. What do you think?

Bryan L. said...

Just finished watching Cloud Atlas. I'd give it a 4.5/5. Also, I liked Tom Hanks just fine but what other stars do you think would've done a better job? Gary Oldman would indeed be perfect, but I doubt studios would finance the film with him as one of the bigger names. I would've liked to see what Russell Crowe would've done in Hanks' place.

Calvin Law said...

I personally think Oldman should've replaced Weaving probably. Though he'd do well in Hanks' roles. Crowe would've been a great choice actually. I could see him being quite the hoot as both the cockney gangster and especially Goose. For other possibilities I'd suggest Johnny Depp (could've gone badly but if he moderated himself appropriately he could be great), Simon Pegg, Damian Lewis, and Christian Bale.

Calvin Law said...

I think Hanks is perfectly fine on the whole, Hoggins is a misstep and the doctor is a bit bland, but I liked his Henry Goose, and actually find him quite great in the last segment.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Literally anyone could have done better than Hanks on Cloud Atlas.

Bryan L. said...

My exact thoughts of Hanks during the London story was "Russell Crowe would've owned this part", which is why I brought him up actually lol. If this movie was made in say, 2006, instead of 2012, I'm confident he would've been at the top of the shortlist. His Zachry would've been about the same as Hanks, though. They both work for that segment.

Depp: I also agree. As Louis said in Fiennes' review in The Grand Budapest Hotel, Depp has had a recent tendency to be indulgent. If he restrained himself, he would've been terrific.

Bale: Another great choice. His London segment also would've been a sight to see. I really see him as Goose and Dr. Sachs.
Pegg: Haven't seen much of his work outside Edgar Wright's films and his franchises, but he's pretty good. I think he actually fits better in Weaving's role actually. Someone mentioned in another thread (can't remember which one) that Edgar Wright would've been a good choice to direct a couple of the stories (he would've done the London and San Francisco story justice IMO), so maybe he would've brought Pegg on board.

Lewis: I actually haven't seen any of his work, but I have a couple of friends who watch Homeland and they say he's outstanding in that, so who knows?

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis: Can I get your top ten films of 1952, 2004 and 2009?

(I swear this is the last one.)

Giuseppe Fadda said...

@RatedRStar: who is the MVP of Force of Evil you were mentioning before?

RatedRStar said...

Giuseppe Fadda: I would give both Garfield and Thomas Gomez a 4, Gomez I think stands out slightly more in a role that looks thin but Gomez gives it the right amount of gusto and heart.

Anonymous said...

Like what the hell was that ending so disappointed. Fine performance from him though.

Calvin Law said...

Also what are your thoughts on Spaced Louis?

Álex Marqués said...

The ending actually makes more sense if you follow some of the movie's previous clues, but it's easy to see why it's disappointing.

Álex Marqués said...

Louis: Are you planning to watch A Separation?

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: What are your predicted ratings for your personal 2010 Lead and supporting lineups, as well as 2011 Supporting.

Louis: Could you also watch Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and We Need To Talk About Kevin.

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: Do you consider Fassbender Lead or Supporting for Jane Eyre.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: Last question. Had Sergio Leone gone with Clint Eastwood for Harmonica in Once Upon a Time in the West, how do you think it'd have turned out? I personally think it might not have ended up being as effective. Eastwood would've been a great straight man, deadpan hero on a quest for vengeance, but Bronson brought a certain emotional rawness and a different sort of intensity different to Eastwood's usual sort.

Calvin Law said...

Not like I'm trying to pester you into watching the film or anything again, no, I'm not that manipulative ;)

Anonymous said...

Calvin: I'm glad Bronson was cast, he was perfect.

Michael McCarthy said...

Alex: I know there were clues early on. That doesn't change the fact that it had nothing to do with the story that was being told up to that point.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is Elena Anaya Lead or Supporting for The Skin I Live In.

Álex Marqués said...

I think some stuff had to do with it, but as I said, it's easy to be annoyed by the ending. I don't know, it had a effective impact on me at least.

Calvin Law said...

I don't feel all that strongly about Ben Wheatley as a director overall, to be fair. Everyone's saying he's the new British big thing, but you've got other contemporaries with far more impressive efforts like Joe Cornish, Andrea Arnold, Richard Ayoade (who I also LOVE as a comedian), and Paddy Considine.

Calvin Law said...

Alex: I do agree with you that the ending had an impact on me personally, but I thought Wheatley's direction overall was definitely quite mixed. I loved the atmosphere, tension, and the final payoff/scene was well done, and Smiley is great. But the transition between the two sides is really quite poor. Kind of the problem I had with High-Rise as well, except High-Rise was even more problematic in that it's literally a film of two halves, the second which is extremely incoherent and messy.

Calvin Law said...

Also, watched Snowtown. While I once again did not really take to Justin Kurzel's direction (but I think it's more of a subjective thing like my general disinterest with Sam Mendes), its screenplay and music was strong, and Henshall really was great. I certainly wouldn't mind him taking a 5, as he's quite close to that for me too.

Álex Marqués said...

Yeah I wasn't a fan of Wheatley's direction either.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Maskell - 3.5(Again his chemistry with Smiley does add a lot, and Maskell himself is effective in terms of bringing the needed intensity to the role without going over the top. However when compared to other performances as similarly vicious characters, like say Michael Rooker in Henry, Maskell's work never quite seems to dig past a certain point. The character's descent never quite becomes engaging in a way you'd expect it to be. It's never a bad performance, but never is especially compelling either.)

Anonymous:

Spaced is just a really a very funny sitcom and it is interesting to see Edgar Wright developing his style of comedy and style of direction with the show. The series keeps to its simple premise, fitting for a sitcom with characters that fit that mold as well technically speaking, and it is fun to see what Wright is able to do in those limitations.

Pegg - (I suppose his least impressive work with Wright, but that's not really saying much. Here though he's just working with the standard enough sitcom lead. Pegg though is enjoyable as usual in the part, and certainly makes for an endearing lead.)

Stevenson - (She's got a nice bit of chemistry with Pegg, and is also rather entertaining. Thankfully Spaced is a sitcom to have the good sense not to have the female character be the wet blankets as far too many do. Stevenson's a delight.)

Frost - (Frost is hilarious in the role often playing the part as though he's some sort of dog to Pegg's character. He's very funny though in portraying such soft fellow while still presenting himself as the hard bitten military type.)

Carmichael - (As the ditzy best friend type she certainly is amusing enough.)

Heap - (As the "artistic" type he's also very funny in an often deadpan fashion of portraying his character's rather detached manner.)

Deakin - (As the over the top horny, drunkard land lady she's appropriately grotesque in her own style to the point of being properly amusing, while actually managing to avoid being a pure caricature as there are some semi-dramatic moments later on that she pulls off quite well.)

Serafinowicz - (His appearances are some of the highlights of the series. I love that he plays the part as though he is some action movie villain, and brings that sort of menace to the part)

Luke:

Congratulations.

And I'll keep those in mind.

Anaya is supporting.

Anonymous:

Some of the destruction is a bit too miniature, but all of the invisibility still looks great.

Anonymous:

I certainly could see 80's Pacino in the role.

Michael:

I don't mind as I'm constructing the full list when I answer your inquiries.

1952:

1. The Quiet Man
2. Ikiru
3. Limelight
4. The Importance of Being Earnest
5. Carrie
6. Othello
7. 5 Fingers
8. The Life of Oharu
9. Sudden Fear
10. Bend of the River

2004:

1. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
2. Collateral
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. Shaun of the Dead
5. Kill Bill Vol. 2
6. The Incredibles
7. Hotel Rwanda
8. Downfall
9. Layercake
10. Spider-Man 2

2009:

1. Inglorious Basterds
2. District 9
3. Bad Lieutenant
4. The Road
5. Moon
6. Coraline
7. A Serious Man
8. Bronson
9. In The Loop
10. The Damned United

Alex:

I saw the hints, but for me it did not make it seem any less ridiculous.

Yes to your second question.

Calvin:

I'd agree about Bronson over Eastwood. Eastwood likely would have continued the part as the Man with No Name type, which would have lessened Harmonica's connection to Frank.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thank You. :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'd highly recommend seeing Blackadder. The first series is a mess and you might as well skip it, though Brian Blessed is very entertaining, as you would expect him to be.

Series 2 to 4 are fantastic and Rowan Atkinson gives by far his best work. The cast is superb all-round and the fourth series has the greatest ending to a TV sitcom/comedy, I've seen.

Michael McCarthy said...

Luke: I guess I'd say he was lead, just because even though the film follows Jane exclusively, it seems like most of her actions are in some way motivated by Rochester. Kind of like Olivier in Rebecca.

Louis: Well with these last three I actually have records of all of your top tens now, would you like me to post the ones you haven't posted recently?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I'll keep the recommendation in mind.

Michael:

If you don't mind.

Matt Mustin said...

Yeah, Blackadder will *probably* make you a Rowan Atkinson fan. As will his quite frankly brilliant stand-up.

Calvin Law said...

Bar a not terrible but inconsistent first season, Blackadder is a flawless series.

Calvin Law said...

Michael: Now that you mention it...could there be an argument made for Olivier being supporting in Rebecca?

RatedRStar said...

Blackadder is a pretty amazing series and series 4 is on another level in that it is one of the only TV series ever in which all 6 episodes are fantastic.

There are quite a lot of iconic British sitcoms that you should watch which feature absolutely great comedic and dramatic moments from very underrated actors giving great performances.

RatedRStar said...

Ohh if I could recommend any sitcoms there are so many, I have to go with my heart and say Red Dwarf would make anyone smile =D.

Michael McCarthy said...

Calvin: You absolutely could.

Louis: Sure, but for purposes of time this made take a few installments.

Louis's Top Tens (1 of 4)

!928:

1. The Passion of Joan of Arc
2. The Wind
3. Docks of New York
4. The Crowd
5. Steamboat Bill, Jr.
6. The Wedding March
7. The Fall of the House of Usher
8. The Last Command
9. The Circus
10. Street Angel

1936:

1. Modern Times
2. After the Thin Man
3. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
4. The Lower Depths
5. Dodsworth
6. Rembrandt
7. Come And Get It
8. Secret Agent
9. The Charge of the Light Brigade
10. My Man Godfrey

1939:

1. Gone with the Wind
2. Stagecoach
3. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
4. Beau Geste
5. The Wizard of Oz
6. The Roaring Twenties
7. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
8. Ninotchka
9. Only Angels Have Wings
10. Midnight

1940:

1. Rebecca
2. Pinocchio
3. The Great Dictator
4. The Shop Around the Corner
5. Foreign Correspondent
6. The Grapes of Wrath
7. The Sea Hawk
8. Contraband
9. The Bank Dick
10. The Great McGinty

1941:

1. The Maltese Falcon
2. Citizen Kane
3. The Strawberry Blonde
4. Sullivan's Travels
5. Dumbo
6. The Devil and Daniel Webster
7. The Sea Wolf
8. Love Crazy
9. Ball of Fire
10. High Sierra

1942:

1. Casablanca
2. The Murderer Lives at Number 21
3. Saboteur
4. Bambi
5. The Palm Beach Story
6. To Be or Not To Be
7. This Gun For Hire
8. The Pied Piper
9. Yankee Doodle Dandy
10. This Above All

1943:

1. Shadow of a Doubt
2. The Ox-Bow Incident
3. Five Graves to Cairo
4. The More the Merrier
5. Sahara
6. Heaven Can Wait
7. This Land is Mine
8. The Human Comedy
9. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
10. Sanshiro Sugata

1945:

1. Brief Encounter
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
3. Children of Paradise
4. The Lost Weekend
5. Leave Her to Heaven
6. Scarlet Street
7. And Then There Were None
8. The Men Who Tread On the Tiger's Tail
9. Open City
10. The Story of G. I. Joe

1946:

1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. The Best Years of Our Lives
3. A Matter of Life and Death
4. Beauty and the Beast
5. Notorious
6. The Big Sleep
7. Angel on My Shoulder
8. The Killers
9. The Stranger
10. Gilda

1949:

1. The Third Man
2. Battleground
3. The Heiress
4. Kind Hearts and Coronets
5. Stray Dog
6. White Heat
7. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
8. The Quiet Duel
9. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
10. Champion

1953:

1. Stalag 17
2. The Wages of Fear
3. Ugetsu
4. From Here to Eternity
5. Julius Caesar
6. The Naked Spur
7. The Big Heat
8. Roman Holiday
9. Titanic
10. Shane

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Ill get you that list later, I need to take one or two out because of wrong release dates.

Speaking of Michael Fassbender I havent seen this but does anyone know if Michael Fassbender is lead or supporting in Eden Lake? he seems lead but he isnt the main character?

Calvin Law said...

Funny how some of the years with strongest top individual films (1942, 1945, 1946, 1953). 1

1940 was definitely one of the greatest years for films of all-time. Louis' top 6 or so are all masterpieces of either the technical, acting, or both, masterworks.

RatedRStar said...

I reckon The Thief Of Baghdad will appear on that list when you get to it =D.

Anonymous said...

Well suicide squad wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: your ratings.

Anonymous said...

Luke: smith-3
Leto-3
Robbie-3
Davis-4
Kinnaman-1.5
Everybody else 2
Movie-2.5
On rewatch I feel all the scores would drop except maybe Davis. I think the script maybe hindered a lot of the actor's performances.

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis's Top Tens (2 of 4)

1955:

1. Bad Day at Black Rock
2. The Night of the Hunter
3. Les Diaboliques
4. Lady and the Tramp
5. Mister Roberts
6. Marty
7. Richard III
8. The Ladykillers
9. I Live inFear
10. East of Eden

1956:

1. The Killing
2. Giant
3. The Ten Commandments
4. Lust for Life
5. The Wrong Man
6. Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
7. Attack
8. The Man Who Never Was
9. The Searchers
10. The Green Man

1957:

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai
2. Paths of Glory
3. Throne of Blood
4. The Seventh Seal
5. Witness for the Prosecution
6. Sweet Smell of Success
7. 12 Angry Men
8. 3:10 to Yuma
9. A Face in the Crowd
10. The Lower Depths

1959:

1. Ben-Hur
2. Anatomy of a Murder
3. North by Northwest
4. Hiroshima, Mon Amour
5. Darby O'Gill and the Little People
6. The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
7. The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
8. The Devil's Disciple
9. Sleeping Beauty
10. Our Man in Havana

1962:

1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Harakiri
3. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. Sanjuro
6. Cape Fear
7. The Manchurian Candidate
8. Billy Budd
9. Lolita
10. Days of Wine and Roses

1967:

1. Le Samourai
2. Bonnie and Clyde
3. In Cold Blood
4. In the Heat of the Night
5. Wait Until Dark
6. Cool Hand Luke
7. Samurai Rebellion
8. Far From the Madding Crowd
9. Bedazzled
10. To Sir, with Love

1969:

1. Z
2. Army of Shadows
3. The Wild Bunch
4. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
6. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7. Midnight Cowboy
8. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
9. Take the Money and Run
10. The Reivers

1971:

1. 10 Rillington Place
2. A Clockwork Orange
3. Get Carter
4. The Last Picture Show
5. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
6. Dirty Harry
7. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
8. The Beguiled
9. The French Connection
10. Wake in Fright

1975:

1. Jaws
2. Dog Day Afternoon
3. The Man Who Would Be King
4. Three Days of the Condor
5. Nashville
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
7. Seven Beauties
8. Barry Lyndon
9. Night Moves
10. French Connection II

1976:

1. All the President's Men
2. The Outlaw Josey Wales
3. Network
4. Rocky
5. The Omen
6. Carrie
7. Marathon Man
8. The Front
9. The Missouri Breaks
10. The Shootist

1977:

1. The Duellists
2. The Late Show
3. Cross of Iron
4. The American Friend
5. Star Wars
6. Sorcerer
7. A Bridge Too Far
8. An Average Little Man
9. Eraserhead
10. Black Sunday

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis's Top Tens (3 of 4)

1979:

1. Alien
2. Apocalypse Now
3. Nosferatu the Vampyre
4. The Warriors
5. Escape From Alcatraz
6. Life of Brian
7. Breaking Away
8. Rocky II
9. Wise Blood
10. The In-Laws

1982:

1. The Secret of NIMH
2. The Thing
3. Blade Runner
4. The Verdict
5. E. T. The Extra Terrestrial
6. Diner
7. Moonlighting
8. The Year of Living Dangerously
9. The Grey Fox
10. First Blood

1988:

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
2. A Fish Called Wanda
3. Tucker: A Man and His Dream
4. Die Hard
5. Dead Ringers
6. Scrooged
7. Midnight Run
8. Cinema Paradiso
9. Eight Men Out
10. Bull Durham

1989:

1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
2. My Left Foot
3. Crimes and Misdemeanors
4. Henry V
5. Casualties of War
6. Sex, Lies & Videotape
7. True Believer
8. The 'burbs
9. Glory
10. Back to the Future Part II

1990:

1. Goodfellas
2. Misery
3. Reversal of Fortune
4. Miller's Crossing
5. Wild at Heart
6. Back to the Future III
7. Home Alone
8. White Hunter Black Heart
9. Hamlet
10. The Rescuers Down Under

1991:

1. Barton Fink
2. JFK
3. The Silence of the Lambs
4. Beauty and the Beast
5. Thelma and Louise
6. Boyz N the Hood
7. Defending Your Life
8. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
9. The Addams Family
10. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

1992:

1. Unforgiven
2. The Player
3. The Crying Game
4. Glengarry Glen Ross
5. My Cousin Vinny
6. Bram Stoker's Dracula
7. Hardboiled
8. Alien 3
9. The Muppets Christmas Carol
10. Reservoir Dogs

1993:

1. Schindler's List
2. Gettysburg
3. Jurassic Park
4. Groundhog Day
5. Tombstone
6. The Fugitive
7. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
8. Naked
9. In the Line of Fire
10. A Perfect World

1995:

1. Braveheart
2. Se7en
3. Babe
4. 12 Monkeys
5. Before Sunrise
6. Dolores Claiborne
7. Apollo 13
8. Smoke
9. Dead Man Walking
10. Die Hard with a Vengeance

1996:

1. Fargo
2. Hamlet
3. Secrets & Lies
4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
5. Bottle Rocket
6. Sling Blade
7. Trainspotting
8. Ransom'
9. Jerry Maguire
10. Swingers

1997:

1. L.A. Confidential
2. Boogie Nights
3. Hard Eight
4. The Apostle
5. Jackie Brown
6. The Sweet Hereafter
7. Lost Highway
8. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
9. The Full Monty
10. Donnie Brasco

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis's Top Oh you get the idea

1998:

1. The Thin Red Line
2. The Truman Show
3. A Simple Plan
4. Beast Cops
5. The Big Lebowski
6. Dark City
7. The General
8. Rush Hour
9. Saving Private Ryan
10. Shakespeare in Love

1999:

1. Magnolia
2. The Straight Story
3. The Green Mile
4. The Insider
5. Galaxy Quest
6. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
7. Office Space
8. The Sixth Sense
9. Ravenous
10. The Mummy

2005:

1. The Proposition
2. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
3. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
4. A History of Violence
5. Grizzly Man
6. Batman Begins
7. Good Night and Good Luck
8. Munich
9. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
10. Cinderella Man

2006:

1. Children of Men
2. The Prestige
3. Casino Royale
4. The Lives of Others
5. Letters from Iwo Jima
6. The Departed
7. The Painted Veil
8. A Scanner Darkly
9. Inside Man
10. Thank You For Smoking

2007:

1. Zodiac
2. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3. Hot Fuzz
4. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
5. No Country for Old Men
6. There Will Be Blood
7. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
8. Rescue Dawn
9. Eastern Promises
10. Gone Baby Gone

2010:

1. I Saw the Devil
2. The Social Network
3. The American
4. The Ghost Writer
5. Animal Kingdom
6. Inception
7. True Grit
8. Shutter Island
9. Let the Bullets Fly
10. Toy Story 3

2012:

1. Skyfall
2. The Master
3. Seven Psychopaths
4. Cloud Atlas
5. Lincoln
6. Zero Dark Thirty
7. Argo
8. Moonrise Kingdom
9. The Grey
10. Django Unchained

2013:

1. Snowpiercer
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
4. 12 Years a Slave
5. Gravity
6. Mud
7. The Zero Theorem
8. Captain Phillips
9. Fast & Furious 6
10. Dallas Buyers Club

2014:

1. Birdman
2. Whiplash
3. Nightcrawler
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. Inherent Vice
6. The Babadook
7. Foxcatcher
8. John Wick
9. A Most Wanted Man
10. Edge of Tomorrow

2015:

1. Mad Max: Fury road
2. The Hateful Eight
3. Creed
4. Bridge of Spies
5. The Revenant
6. Sicario
7. The End of the Tour
8. Spotlight
9. Brooklyn
10. Macbeth

The rest can be found in the reviews between James Mason in The Shooting Party and this one.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Saw Green Room finally. I guess I'll be the group contrarian again, because I really didn't care for it. I wasn't offended or anything, I just thought it was kind of dumb. MAJOR step down from Blue Ruin. Yelchin and Blair were the best parts.

Anonymous said...

A page should still be done I think with the top tens at some point since at some point I reckon most people will forget where they were, and of course they will likely change number positions at some point, heck you could copy and paste these into a page.

RatedRStar said...

Rescuers Down Under =D ahh Louis lol.

Louis Morgan said...

Michael:

Thank you Michael.

RatedRStar:

Haven't we been through this before. What's wrong with the Rescuers Down Under?

RatedRStar said...

Louis: Just teasing lol hehe.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your casts for Letters from Iwo Jima (Kurosawa) and Flags of Our Fathers (Zinnemann) in the 50's.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Haven't seen Flags so it would be hard to think of who would be good for what role.

Letters From Iwo Jima:

General Kuribayashi: Toshiro Mifune
Private Saigo: Isao Kimura
Colonel Takeichi Nishi: Masayuki Mori
Private Shimizu: Tatsuya Nakadai
Lieutenant Ito: Yoshio Inaba

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your Ratings and thoughts on the cast of A Separation.

RatedRStar said...

Louis: Good job on the top tens =D, makes things a lot easier now especially for you so that you can change them easily and not have to type them in every 4 or so posts as often that happens lol.

You looking forward to Gierzal? =D lol hope you got your popcorn ready.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Heres that list you wanted

2011 Supporting
Waldau - 4
Oswalt - 4
Spacey - 4.5
Miller - 3.5
Beale - 4.5

2010 Lead
Ahmed - 4
Douglas - 4.5
Reynolds - 4.5
Carrey - 4
Mikkelsen - 4.5

2010 Supporting
Kai Chi - 4.5
Hoskins - 4
Okada - 3.5
Robin - 4
Xueqi - 3.5

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: What about Nilssen in King Of Devil's Island.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Could you do 2005 supporting as well, please. :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: When you get to Supporting, could you watch Ironclad. As a film, it's watchable enough yet Paul Giamatti completely steals the film with 2 scenes and Brian Cox is quite good as well.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: you've left Brighton Rock off again ;)

Calvin Law said...

Let's hope ol Pinkie will be forgiving.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Ha I originally took him out because I had him in 2011 but he is 2010 release and I forgot about him lol, I will definately put him back in the lineup for Okada, I would say 4.5.

2005 Supporting
Massoud - 5
Norton - 4.5
Siddig - 4.5
Dillane - 4
Murphy - 4

Luke Higham said...

I seriously hope for a 5 in 2010 supporting.

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar could I have your bonus Best Actor 1975 and Best Supporting 2001 ratings please?

RatedRStar said...

Luke: It might happen, as long as Louis likes it thats good =D lol, not every year will have fives.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I know. :)

RatedRStar: With 1979, I predict a 4 and a 4.5 for Malcolm McDowell in Caligula and Time After Time, as well as a 4.5 for David Warner.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: I do wonder if Louis is prepared for Caligula lol haha,

Anonymous said...

Louis, can you ask you the reason why you think that Laura Harring is leading and not supporting in Mulholland Drive? I just can't choose if she's leading or supporting for me.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Who would've been your ideal choices to direct the Harry Potter films apart from Prisoner of Azkaban.

RatedRStar said...

Anonymous:

1975 Best Actor
Mitchum - 4.5
Dern - 4.5
Hackman - 4.5
Munzuk - 5
Bates - 4

2001 Supporting Actor
Gandolfini - 4.5
Christensen - 3
Boskins - 4
Courtenay - 4.5
Tam - 4

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Can't wait. Every cast member disowned that film with the exception of John Gielgud.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Gielgud loved every moment of it, as much as I love Gielgud I have to wonder if he was smoking something lol.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Saw Café Society. Big mixed bag, but Kristen Stewart was totally aces.

Michael McCarthy said...

I liked Cafe Society, but am I wrong or did that film do everything in its power to keep Corey Stoll from being able to show off his talent?

Robert MacFarlane said...

His scenes were so baffling. The film's shift to grisly Scorsesesque violence were some of the most jarring moments I've seen all year.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Hatami - 3.5(I thought her performance was effective though I feel she plays the least dynamic of the main characters given that her character is basically set in place from the start. This is not a problem as she portrays well the indignation towards her husband. She thankfully never becomes one note, despite the somewhat limited nature of the part, as she makes her somewhat limited view believable and understandable.)

Moaadi - 4.5(A strong performance that really keeps it close to the chest. Moaadi stays very subtle throughout as he depicts Nader as basically a father just trying to take care of his own dad, while staying out of trouble with the law. Even when the character lies, or makes questionable decision Moaadi's understated work makes it so easy to empathize with his plight. There are so many great moment in his performance as he does show the wear of the situation slowly over take him, as well as in just some slight moments revealing the underlying moral conflict he's going through.)

Hosseini - 3.5(As the constantly angry husband it is a role that one can very easily overplay. Hosseini's work though always feels very real by bringing the needed variation in the anger, while making the anger still overwhelm the man as it should. He brings the needed nuance to it though as he does manage to suggest legitimate concern for his wife within his outbursts.)

Bayat - 5(Her work I thought was rather fantastic in every regard. She actually says very little in terms of dialogue, perhaps the least out of the main characters, yet she says the most at the same time. She's outstanding in the way she portrays the changing and conflicting motivations of her character. She's heartbreaking in her depiction of her own suffering and emotional exasperation due to the events. However she also is exceptional the way she suggests perhaps a bit of genuine anger in her, though combined with a definite sadness as the situation only becomes worse. I loved her performance.)

Farhadi - 4(After suffering the performances of Sophia Coppola and Jenny Lumet, I'm glad to see a director's daughter who can actually act. Farhadi gives an effective performance that basically builds in importance as she coveys well the weight of the situation. She's terrific in the way she portrays the way she gradually changes the way she interactions and reacts to her parents throughout the story)

Luke:

I actually would have been fine if David Yates had directed all of them, though with a screenwriter other than Steve Kloves. Though for fun, while disallowing any of the real directors and no doubling down.

Philosopher's Stone: Steven Spielberg
Chamber of Secrets: Kenneth Branagh
Goblet of Fire: Ridley Scott
Order of Phoenix: Guillermo del Toro
Half-Blood Prince: David Fincher
The Dealthy Hallows: Peter Jackson

RatedRStar:

Hmm doesn't exactly sound like a popcorn movie, but alright!

Calvin:

Fixed it. Didn't want ole Pinkie murdering me in the Tunnel of Love.

Anonymous:

She's on the border but I feel there are enough scenes from her perspective, away from Watts, to place her lead. She seems less important at times however we follow her to Watts so I feel that she's lead.

Bryan L. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Giuseppe Fadda said...

I liked Hosseini more than you and Farhadi less, but I'm so glad you loved Bayat, she was amazing. What do you think of the movie itself?

Alex Marqués said...

Louis: Which is your favourite female lead performance of 2011 from what you've seen?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Crap, torrentz.eu is down :(, only three weeks after the owner of kickass torrents was arrested.
I really should note that the only reason I torrented at all was because in Bangladesh (where I'm from), the only movies that would come to theatres were action or franchise films. And the CDs in most stores were pirated already and were in horrible quality.

Louis Morgan said...

Saw Suicide Squad my ratings for the cast:

Smith - 2.5
Leto - 2
Robbie - 3.5
Kinnaman - 2
Davis - 3.5
Courtney - 3
Hernandez - 3
Delevingne - 1.5
Fukuhara - 2

Giuseppe:

I thought it was great.

Alex:

Colman in Tyrannosaur.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Thoughts on the cast of Suicide Squad.

Calvin Law said...

For me:

Smith: 3.5
Leto: (I'll be doing a head-to-head for him)
Robbie: 3.5
Kinnaman: 1.5
Davis: 3
Courtney: 3/3.5
Hernandez: 3.5
Delevinge: 1.5
Fukuhara: 2

The film was eextremely exciting but also very flawed.

Luke Higham said...

Saw it too, very problematic, though I enjoyed it in parts.
My ratings are:
Smith - 3
Robbie - 3.5
Leto - 2 (I found his appearance quite pointless, but even then, he pales in comparison to Heath)
Kinnaman - 2 (The best I've seen from him, though Hardy would've knocked this role out of the park)
Davis - 3.5
Courtney - 3
Hernandez - 3.5
Delevigne - 1.5 (Terrible villain, though she's certainly more bearable than Eisenberg)
Fukuhara - 2

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Suicide Squad.

Calvin Law said...

Fukuhara was completely pointless so I can't really blame her for the blandness of it. Kinnaman was actually terrible, and the part had loads of potential if given to a more dynamic performer. Delevigne was fine as Moone but a terrible villain, they really wasted her as a performer. I enjoyed Robbie and Smith thoroughly even though their roles were perhaps too obviously written to accomodate them and focus on them, and they never quite brought the 'villain' side of the characters out. I'm gonna bump Davis up as she brought quite the bite and comedic bent to her character's viciousness. Courtney was a pleasant surprise as he was just hilarious with each of his uncouth reaction shots. Hernandez managed to make me care for a very thinly written arc and nailed his dramatic scene well.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was also wasted in terms of both his vocal chords and character. But I enjoyed Killer Croc.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Smith - (Smith goes on the charm offensive here which works in parts. The problem is Smith never gives the needed darker edge to the character. He'll often say threatening things yet there's no real bite to them as he just keeps to being jovial Will Smith. Smith is there to play, but he's never exactly convincing as Deadshot)

Leto - (The worst live action Joker to grace the screen. What I found strangest about his Joker though is that he's actually kind of bland in moments, which is the last thing you'd expect any Joker to be. At the very least go full HAM. Leto though focuses on just acting weird without purpose. His most common thing seemed to be just getting into other's personal space. There are so many awkward moments in his performance where he talks just randomly like he's waxing philosophically yet it all comes off so flat. There's no humor in his joker, nor is there the menace, something Ledger combined so effortlessly with his work.)

Robbie - (Although I'd say her accent was tad inconsistent, not distracting way, she did a fine job of treading the line between the real madness of the character as well as the more humorous side of it. She balanced the two sides rather well but I only wish she was within a better film as well as had a better Joker to work off of)

Kinnaman - (There were so many exchanges with Smith were I'm sure Tom Hardy could have made great. They fall flat though due to Kinnaman. He's extremely bland in the role and makes Flagg extremely unlikable, which I don't think was quite the point.)

Davis - (Brought the needed incisiveness to the character and she absolutely dominates her scenes as Waller should. I hope they can make a good sequel because I'd like to see more of her in the this role.)

Courtney - (Really enjoyed the energy he brought to the part, and was entertaining whenever he could be. Unfortunately the film really wasted him for the most part.)

Hernandez - (Found he wasn't doing anything too notable for most of the film until the bar scene. Then I though he absolutely delivered and made me care about his character.)

Fukuhara - (Her only purpose was to give Harley a sword. Otherwise she was just there)

Delevigne - (She reminded me of Jaye Davidson in Stargate, that's not a good thing. She was alright in her "human" scenes, as well as parts of her first scene as the Enchantress, but then was abysmal as the Enchantress the rest of the time. Especially when she was doing those bizarre movements near the end.)

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

The film itself I thought was a complete mess in terms of tone, and storytelling. There were some moments I liked, no not even scenes, like the Enchantress's transformation and certain moments with Robbie and Davis. There was not a group dynamic set. They were just there with nothing coming close to a natural relationship between the characters. The origin scenes were all very haphazard and failed to offer the needed character development to the squad. The whole Enchantress element came off silly at best, and was again a terrible villain. What was perhaps even worse was that her plan amounted to a sky spire, which I think we've seen too many times at this point. The whole pacing of the story was terrible, such as that flash forward, then flashback involving where Waller was in the final conflict could not have been more awkward. Then there were just so many individual scenes that flowed bizarrely such as when the Joker talks to the prison guard, when Joker kills the guy at the strip club, or really almost any scene with the Joker to be honest. The film is just a series elements smashed together, it needed to be simplified, they should have just cut the squad down, and turned it into a smaller scale story. Of course the tone also needed to be refined as it goes from such emotional extremes so randomly throughout. What I think might be the worst thing about it for me was just how bland the action scenes were. Not a single one was fun, or engaging. It was a mess wasting so much potential, including a great soundtrack which was also poorly implemented.

Matt Mustin said...

On the topic of the Joker, has anyone scene the Killing Joke movie yet?

Calvin Law said...

Matt: Nope haven't heard the best things about it.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: what did you think of the Acme Chemicals vent scene? I thought that was worse than any of the other scenes you mentioned.

Bryan L. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bryan L. said...

Anyway, 2016 Superhero Movie rankings anyone?

1. Civil War
2. Deadpool
3. Suicide Squad
4. X-Men: Apocalypse
5. Batman V Superman

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

That was terrible as well, everything about Joker in that scene felt disjointed. Which is again odd in that the Joker should be chaotic, but the way it was handled wasn't compelling in the slightest. I honestly would have to go on for a very long time in order to cover all that I disliked about the film.

Calvin Law said...

94dfk1: Same for me.

Agree about Joker here. And though I enjoyed the film, I think you'd agree Louis that this film made me appreciate Guardians of the Galaxy a lot more.

Anonymous said...

Louis- Do you think the film would have been better if they made the Joker the main villian?

Calvin Law said...

1980's Suicide Squad directed by Philip Kaufman

Deadshot: Rutger Hauer
Flagg: Scott Glenn
Joker: David Bowie
Amanda Waller: Cicely Tyson
Diablo: Raul Julia
Boomerang: Bryan Brown
Harley Quinn: Chloe Webb

And keep it at that.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Yes, though preferably played by someone else.

Anonymous said...

Louis: I don't know if this has been asked before but what are your thoughts on Gerard Depardieu?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I have not seen a great deal of his output on the whole. However from what I've seen I find him to be ham, and not an entertaining one either. Again though I have only seen a handful of his performances.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Sounds like you should go lower than a 2 for Leto.

Louis Morgan said...

Robert:

Eh, I think you're right.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

Too bad Delevingne seems to be very poor in Suicide Squad, I thought her performance in Paper Towns was surprisingly great. But I sort of expected it, she really looked quite bad from the trailer.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm not surprised it sucks. Then again, I couldn't even finish Fury, so maybe Ayer isn't for me.

Calvin Law said...

I can only really defend Suicide Squad from a very subjective point of view as I enjoyed it throughout despite all its massive problems.

Giuseppe: I think it was more of a case of miscasting than anything else. The role completely masks all her strengths as a charming screen presence and forces her to become a bit of a stick in the mud in the third act; I've never felt more bored with a third act villain showdown scene.

Anonymous said...

Just watched Suicide Squad. What a mess.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is Barat supporting for A Separation.

Anonymous said...

My ratings for the cast:
Smith: 2,5
Leto: 1,5 (Worst. Joker. EVER!)
Robbie: 3,5
Kinnaman: 1,5 (He makes his fellow Swedes facepalm)
Davis: 3,5
Courtney: 3,5
Hernandez: 3,5
Delevingne: 1,5
Fukuhara: 1,5

Luke Higham said...

My 2016 Superhero film ranking.
1. Captain America: Civil War
2. Deadpool
3. X-Men: Apocalypse
4. Suicide Squad
5. Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Bayat is supporting.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who would you have chosen over Leto for Joker?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Hard to say, as I would not have said Ledger was an obvious choice for the role before he played it either.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your top ten scores by John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Jerry Goldsmith.

Anonymous said...

Watching Leto's performance made me miss Ledger.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

John Williams:

1. Jaws
2. Jurassic Park
3. Schindler's List
4. Star Wars
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
6. JFK
7. Superman
8. Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone
9. Catch Me If You Can
10. E.T.

Hans Zimmer:

1. The Thin Red Line
2. Gladiator
3. The Lion King
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
5. Interstellar
6. The Last Samurai
7. Inception
8. The Dark Knight
9. Black Hawk Down
10. Batman Begins

Jerry Goldsmith:

1. Alien
2. The Omen
3. The Secret of NIMH
4. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
5. Patton
6. First Blood
7. L.A. Confidential
8. The Sand Pebbles
9. Legend
10. Chinatown

Calvin Law said...

While you're at it Louis, a top 10 for Carter Burwell?

Calvin Law said...

Also rewatching There Will Be Blood and Paul Dano might just sneak his way omto my 2007 Best Supporting Actor nominees.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Fargo
3. In Bruges
4. True Grit
5. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
6. Barton Fink
7. The Man Who Wasn't There
8. Mr. Holmes
9. The Hudsucker Proxy
10. Blood Simple