Saturday 27 August 2016

Alternate Best Actor 2011: Results

10. Jakub Gierszal in Suicide Room - Gierszal gives an inconsistent yet still effective portrayal of the descent into a suicidal despair.

Best Scene: The end
9. Michael Smiley in Kill List - Smiley delivers a heartfelt portrayal somehow of a hitman dealing with his friend's increasing instability.

Best Scene: Comforting the son. 
8. Michael Fassbender in Jane Eyre - Fassbender's work is an affecting enough portrayal of man escaping his repression and pain through the love of another.

Best Scene: Rochester admits his love to Jane. 
7. Antonio Banderas in The Skin I Live In - Banderas creates an interesting portrayal of sadistic mind that slowly begins to love his victim.

Best Scene: Ledgard admires his "creation".
6. Daniel Henshall in Snowtown - Henshall crafts a disturbing depiction of a serial killer who casually manipulates those around him to support his violent hatred.

Best Scene: John handles the "town hall". 
5. Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code - Gyllenhall gives a winning turn as he manages to keep pace with the film, meeting every single demand of his character, and amplifying the film's emotional resonance in turn.

Best Scene: Stevens has a perfect eight minutes.
4. Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus - Fiennes offers a striking portrayal of a vicious yet vulnerable portrait of a man defined by war.

Best Scene: Caius meets with his family. 
3. Peter Mullan in Tyrannosaur - Mullan creates a moving depiction of a hard man finding some sort of redemption through a kind yet troubled woman.

Best Scene: Joseph confronts Hannah.
2. Woody Harrelson in Rampart - Harrelson, despite the many weaknesses of his film, manages to deliver a nuanced and wholly compelling portrayal of police officer whose brutality seems to be enabled by the system he works in.

Best Scene: Dave's daughters bring him clothes. 
1. Matthias Schoenaerts in Bullhead Good Predictions RatedRStar, Psifonian, Michael McCarthy, Calvin, GM, and Luke. Schoenaerts offers a outstanding performance as a man beneath the perceived brute. He not only gives understanding to his behavior in so few words, but offers a heartbreaking portrait of his struggle with severe detachment due to the horrible injuries he suffered as a child.

Best Scene: Jacky fails to find the words.
Updated Overall

Next Year: 2011 Supporting

79 comments:

Robert MacFarlane said...

Sam Worthington in The Debt
Tom Hiddleston in Thor
Patton Oswalt in Young Adult (mediocre film, good performance)

Robert MacFarlane said...

Hm, figured you'd put Fassbender down a few slots, but I'm glad he's still a 5. I still wish you'd swap Edgerton and Hardy for Warrior.

Michael Patison said...

The only one I can think of off the top of my head:
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Headhunters

Calvin Law said...

I'm so pleased Schoenaerts has taken this one :D I'll have my request ready in a bit.

Anonymous said...

John Smith:

Patton Oswalt/Young Adult (That charachþer is me)

Deiner said...

@Louis: can you repost your thoughts and ratings on Joseph Gordon Levitt in 50/50, Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method, Chris Hemsworth in Thor, John C. Reilly in Carnage and Eddie Redmayne in My Week With Marilyn? Btw, great job!

Calvin Law said...

Thoughts/ratings for:

Omar Sy in and Francois Cluzey in The Inotuchables (glad you liked them Louis, what did you make of the film?)
Mel Gibson in The Beaver
Matthew McConaughey in The Lincoln Lawyer
Matt Damon in The Adjustment Bureau
John Boyega in Attack the Block (and what did you think of the film)
Paul Giamatti in Win Win
Ben Foster in The Mechanic
Johnny Depp in Rango
Dominic Cooper in The Devil's Double
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 50/50
The three leads of Horrible Bosses

And your thoughts on The Raid, and Win Win as films.

Gosh, that was a lot. Sorry!

Deiner said...

@Louis: Oh, and yes please! Review Patton Oswalt in Young Adult. The only other I can think of are Simon Russell Beale in The Deep Blue Sea; Jesper Christensen, Marlon Csokas and Sam Worthington in The Debt; and maybe Tom Hiddleston in Thor. Btw, can you repost your updated top female peformances of 2011?

Anonymous said...

Sam Worthington in The Debt
Patton Oswalt in Young Adult
Paul Giamatti in Ironclad
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Headhunters
Tom Hiddleston in Thor

Louis: Your cast and director for:
Hail, Caesar! (1950's version)
The Right Stuf, fThe Good Shepherd and Hollywoodland (1960's version)

Deiner said...

@Louis. Btw, I've forgot to suggest two other performances that I haven't seen but apparently are good; Michel Blanc in The Minister (he won the César Award) and Cheyenne Jackson in The Green.

Michael McCarthy said...

Damn, I wish Shannon got to keep his top 5 status.

Michael McCarthy said...

Oh, and my winning request is Kevin Bacon in The River Wild.

Calvin Law said...

I've decided on mine; Michael Redgrave for 1951 Lead, for The Browning Version.

Álex Marqués said...

Glad to see Schoenaerts in the top 5. I guess I'll have to watch Rampart.
I still think Fassbender was more impresive than Gleeson, though.

Anonymous said...

Louis, can I please get your thoughts on these actresses:

Meryl Streep
Jessica Lange
Sissy Spacek

Luke Higham said...

Relieved that Fassbender's still a 5.

Brian Cox in Coriolanus
Simon Russell Beale in The Deep Blue Sea
Kevin Spacey in Margin Call
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Headhunters
Sam Worthington in The Debt, Patton Oswalt in Young Adult or Paul Giamatti in Ironclad.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on any Female performances that got a 4 or more from you.

And:
Andy Serkis in both Rise and Dawn of The Planet of The Apes.
Jason Statham in The Mechanic
David Thewlis in The Lady
Pegg, Frost and Rogen in Paul
Iko Uwais in The Raid
James Franco in RIse Of The Planet Of The Apes

I'm saving my request until January.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: And Chris Hemsworth in Thor.

Lastly, have you seen any new films lately.

Calvin Law said...

Guys do you have any recommendations for film head-to-heads? Like films with similar sorts of themes, story arcs etc. I just did one on Braveheart/Gladiator, it was an enjoyable writing process so just wondered whether any of you've any ideas how to go forth.

RatedRStar said...

Nikolaj Coster -Waldau - Headhunters
Patton Oswalt - Young Adult
Kevin Spacey - Margin Call
Brian Cox - Coriolanus
Simon Russell Beale - The Deep Blue Sea


Whats everyones thoughts on the "Emo" culture and fashion =D?

Álex Marqués said...

Calvin:
The Thing/The Hateful Eight
Memories of Murder/Zodiac

Giuseppe Fadda said...

I'm so sad Fassbender is not in the top 5 anymore, he is my winner for the year quite easily. But still, glad that his rating is still a 5, especially considering you don't care for the movie.

What are your female top 10s leading and supporting for 2011?

moviefilm said...

I dunno Serkis and Hiddlestone, the others coming to mind:
Jeremy Irons - Margin Call
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Moneyball/Ides of March
Ben Kingsley - Hugo

Giuseppe Fadda said...

Oh, and I'm delighted that you liked both Clouzot and Sy for Intouchables. They were both great.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@RatedRStar: I have a weakness for a few mid-2000's emo bands, though Paramore is the only one I'd go out of my way to call great.

Bryan L. said...

Anyone here seen War Dogs? I thought Hill gave a very good performance, and Teller wasn't bad either.

Calvin Law said...

94dfk1: I've heard very mixed sorts of reviews but I'm interested.

Louis: what did you think of Shimura, and Yolo Katsuragi in Scandal? For the most part I thought most of the performances outside of Mifune were a bit too theatrical, but these two managed to have some heartfelt moments despite the rather heavyhanded material, although Shimura would do the whole weak-willed man far better 2 years later.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top 10 favorite voice actresses.

Bryan L. said...

What movies would you guys recommend to see that feature/star Matthias Schoenaerts? He seems to be regarded pretty well around these parts and I want to find out for myself. And as to any recommendations, I mean more mainstream, accessible films like Hardy in TDKR and The Revenant and Fassbender in X-Men: First Class and Prometheus.

Anonymous said...

94dfk1: Rust and Bone, The Drop and Far From The Madding Crowd.

Calvin Law said...

I'd agree with Anonymous on all those 3. He's also played pretty thankless roles in A Bigger Splash and Suite Francaise but he's perfectly adequate in them.

Louis Morgan said...

Deiner:

Thanks.

Gordon-Levitt - 3.5(Gordon-Levitt is someone I've yet to love in anything. He's good here in terms of just giving a solid leading turn for the most part in his slightly comedic, and always unassuming portrayal of the young cancer patient. He balances this tone rather well in his performance. He importantly never goes too broad nor does he make the more dramatic elements seem out of place. It's fine work.)

Reilly - 3(Just to reiterate quickly, his chemistry with Foster doesn't exactly work, and much like Winslet, though not to as an extreme of degree, struggles to find the exact tone for the piece. He has good moments in there particularly his moments of bro-like bonding with Waltz.)

Redmayne - 1.5(Just an extremely bland performance from him with a bit of that trademark weirdness for no reason. He gets overshadowed by Williams, and she's not even giving a good performance either.)

Calvin:

Sy & Cluzet - 4(They were the film, and I imagine I might not have liked it if it weren't for their winning performances. They just had such great chemistry together that it was hard not to have a great time with the two. Sy is so endearing, bringing so much infectious energy to his performance that you'd absolutely believe he'd brighten up the man's day since he brightens up ours. Cluzet is a great counterpoint in his realization of this. He has some great comedic timing as he plays off Sy, but also really makes the more dramatic elements work as well.)

Gibson - (I did not care for the film in the slightest. Gibson though I thought brought his A-game and managed to create a moving depiction of a man finding first solace then madness in the titular creation. The whole concept would have entirely fallen flat without Gibson who makes the insanity wholly work in his favor. Also special mention for his great Ray Winstone voice as the Beaver.)

McConaughey - 4(Rock solid leading turn by McConaughey. He brings the needed charisma as you'd expect, and really owns the film every step of the way.)

Damon - 4(Damon at his most charming. Technically a limited role in a way since the film is almost entirely based on his chemistry with Blunt. Luckily their chemistry is indeed amazing and the two make you root for them which is pivotal to the film's success)

Boyega - 4(Boyega gives a good performance as he manages to transition to the likable hero despite how they first meet him. He does a particularly good job of portraying the attempt at being the tough "man of the block" while revealing just the real vulnerabilities of a scared kid.)

Giamatti - 4(Right in his wheelhouse but a good example of it. His performance style really works well with McCarthy's lowkey style, and Giamatti makes for a likable, if questionable, sadsack for us to emphasize with.)

Louis Morgan said...

Foster - 4(He does his absolute best to make the film more than an extremely standard action film. It's still extremely standard on the whole, but at least Foster's scenes offer a bit more. Foster does not get too much help from Statham, who is doing his usual thing for the most part, but he really gives an effective portrayal of the troubled guy. He makes the assassinations scene more than that as Foster portrays how the guy is changing. The film does not build well to it, but Foster makes his final scenes have an emotional impact especially due to his last reaction which is pure gold.)

Depp - 3.5(I really enjoyed Depp's voice work here. He gives so much life to his character, and to the film itself. There's an energy in it that is particularly endearing, and really sells much of the film's comedy through his great delivery here. Honestly I'd say we'd be all better off if all of his and Verbinski's collaborations were animated from now on.)

Cooper - 3.5(His work as Latif is fine, but the film fails to really engage with the idea of the life of the double enough by reducing it down almost an action thriller. This limits that side of his performance severely, though he's perfectly fine as a hero. His Uday is a memorable bit of madness. There's not a great deal of nuance to it, but Cooper makes it work as sadist who has basically never been told no in his lifetime.)

Bateman, Sudeikis and Day - 3(They are all doing their usual shtick, it's a fine example of their shtick, though not a prime example of it.)

The Raid - (One amazing set piece after another with more than enough emotional investment to carry you from one to the next. Loved every minute of it.)

Win Win - (One of those films that just hit the sweet spot for me in that I just enjoyed spending time with the characters.)

Attack the Block - (I'll be completely honest I found the thickness of the slang a bit tiring, and the human villain I thought was too hard to believe. However it was otherwise a fun monster film aided particularly well by Boyega's charismatic turn.)

Let me get you those Scandal thoughts soon.

Anonymous:

Hail, Caesar! (1950's version directed by Billy Wilder)

Purposefully avoided the exact inspirations.

Eddie Mannix: William Holden
The Thackers: Agnes Moorehead
DeeAnna Moran: Jean Hagen
Baird Whitlock: Kirk Douglas
Hobie Doyle: Warren Oates
Laurence Laurentz: Noel Coward
Joseph Silverman: Charles Durning
C.C. Calhoun: Judith Anderson
Burt Gurney: Jack Lemmon
Arne Slessum: Maurice Chevalier

The Right Stuff (1960's directed by Robert Wise)

Gus Grissom: Leslie Nielsen
Gordon Cooper: James Garner
John Glenn: Charlton Heston
Alan Shepard: Cliff Robertson
Chuck Yeager: Steve McQueen
Wally Schirra: Murray Hamilton
Glennis Yeager: Ann Blyth
Betty Grissom: Terry Moore
Annie Glenn: Lee Grant
Trudy Cooper: Suzanne Pleshette
The Nasa Recruiters: Don Adams & Dick York

The Good Shepherd (1960's directed by John Frankenheimer)

Edward Wilson: Montgomery Clift
Margaret Wilson: Lee Remick
General Sullivan: Gig Young
Philip Allen: Walter Matthau
Joseph Palmi: Frank Sinatra
Ray Brocco: Peter Falk
Edward Wilson: Scott Wilson

Hollywoodland (1960's version directed by J. Lee Thompson)

Louis Simo: Alan Arkin
Toni Mannix: Lauren Bacall
George Reeves: Stephen Boyd
Eddie Mannix: James Cagney
Leonore Lemmon: Eileen Brennan
Art Weissman: Brad Dexter

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Meryl Streep - (Streep is a very talented performer, and actually when she goes for a more naturalistic approach she does very well. I find that she too often lets the tail wag the dog as she focuses so much on her accent and mannerisms that it overwhelms the character. When she pulls back, or simply find the right role though she is capable of a great deal)

Jessica Lange - (I actually haven't seen all that much of Lange. I thought she was okayish in most of these films, but I have not seen anything where she really stood out to me. Again though I don't think I've seen any of her leading performances.)

Sissy Spacek - (One of the greatest period. Spacek I find is almost incapable of being false with work. Spacek has one of the greatest emotional ranges out of any actress, as she just seems to find the truth of any part she plays. I'd also say she has more of that "general" range than many know. The film may be terrible, and the parts paper thin, but in Trading Mom she proved that she is quite capable of accents and disappearing into roles, she just has not been called upon to do it much.)

Luke:

Serkis - 4(Serkis brings the needed humanity to the ape, and in both films effectively creates an arc within very little. The first being the growing intelligence and ambition of the character, in the second the slow understanding of the complexity of the human/ape relationship. Also notable is his vocal performance which is surprisingly effective, as he portrays the effort to release the words)

Statham - 3(He does his usual thing well, and there just a couple moments with Foster that suggest a little more. I would say not enough though most of the time and he too often leaves Foster to do the heavy lifting while not adding enough in the margins)

Thewlis - 3.5(He's more than just fine in the supportive husband role. It's very limited, caused by the film itself which keeps the story very constrictive. Thewlis though elevates best he can though and does giving a moving portrayal of the man's unconditional love for his wife.)

Pegg - 3.5(Basically hated all of Paul, which I actually saw in 2011, but just did not bother to include them in the ranking. Pegg though does his best to add some charm to the charmless film.)

Frost - 2(A misstep by him. Doesn't find a new approach here as the friend, and his chemistry with Pegg is not as endearing as it usually is)

Rogen - 2(The shtick behind his casting gets old very quickly, and Rogen does nothing more than stick to the shtick.)

Uwais - 3(Obviously he's more there for the fighting than the acting. He does well with what is required for him, and creates the sympathetic hero the film needs.)

Franco - 2.5(A bland role and a fairly bland performance. He's not really bad though, but overshadowed completely by Serkis.)

Actress:

1. Rooney Mara - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (A man can only admit when he was wrong and ask forgiveness)
2. Olivia Colman - Tyrannosaur
3. Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene
4. Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin - 4.5
5. Mia Wasikowska - Jane Eyre
6. Kristin Wiig - Bridesmaids - 4
7. Michelle Yeoh - The Lady - 4
8. Jodie Foster - Carnage
9. Viola Davis - The Help - 4
10. Saoirse Ronan - Hanna

Still need to see Melancholia.

Supporting Actress:

1. Jessica Chastain - Take Shelter
2. Sareh Bayat - A Separation
3. Elena Anaya - The Skin I Live In
4. Marion Cotillard - Midnight in Paris
5. Berenice Bejo - The Artist
6. Carey Mulligan - Drive
7. Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
8. Jessica Chastain - The Tree of Life
9. Emily Blunt - The Adjustment Burea - 4
10. Amy Ryan - Win Win - 4

I'll get you the thoughts later.

Anonymous:

I'll get you those soon.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm surprised you ranked Ryan over Lynskey for Win/Win.

Calvin Law said...

Knew you'd come round to Mara. I completely agree with you about Intouchables, for example the ending is very standard, but the performances helped enliven it so much.

Calvin Law said...

Wasn't a huge fan of Rise of the Planet of the Apes but I actually didn't mind Franco. I appreciated him showing restraint for once, liked how likable he made his character, and set up a rather beautiful scene in Dawn (which is a film that's sitting much better with me over time).

Matt Mustin said...

I watched Green Room. I gotta tell you I really didn't find it to be anything special at all, and considering how much I liked Blue Ruin, I was pretty disappointed by this. I will say though, that pretty much every technical aspect is great, in particular the absolutely fantastic production design.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I was heavily disappointed by Green Room too, but I didn't even like the technical aspects. HATED the lensing.

Matt Mustin said...

I liked the cinematography because of how grimy it was, which is perfect for a punk band held captive by neo nazis.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I hated it since the bottle-green tinting came off like a lame visual pun. Plus I thought the griminess destroyed any sense of mis en scene.

Matt Mustin said...

See, again though, the idea was to to give you a claustrophobic feeling of being in an extremely seedy Neo-Nazi punk club, and that totally worked for me.

Matt Mustin said...

I'll give you the green tinting, though, but I'm just not really a huge fan of that in general (stop it, Fincher!)

Calvin Law said...

I'll be honest, Green Room isn't sitting as well with me as Civil War and Eye in the Sky, the other two films in my top 3, but I still love it quite a bit.

Calvin Law said...

I agree with Matt about the production design in general (though I liked the green tinting itself), but my favourite part of the film were actually the characters. I thought each of them were prety vividly drawn out, from Yelchin and Poots' wonderful performances to the smallest supporting role (i.e. Clark the dog lover).

Matt Mustin said...

See, I thought the characters were *awful*. The performances were fine, but as written they are paper thin.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your ratings for Bejo, Mulligan, McTeer and Chastain.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your rating and thoughts on Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids.

Álex Marqués said...

Louis: What are your new thoughts on Mara?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Headhunters
Brian Cox in Coriolanus
Patton Oswalt in Young Adult

Giuseppe Fadda said...

Louis I suggest you to see Melancholia. Dunst and Gainsbourg are both superb.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on:
Spacey, Farrell and Aniston in Horrible Bosses
Donald Sutherland in The Mechanic
John Lithgow, Tom Felton and Brian Cox in Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Seth Rogen in 50/50
The Cast of Rango
and Anthony Hopkins in Thor

Calvin Law said...

Man, Donald Sutherland in The Mechanic, utter waste of a great actor, would have much preferred it was a Tim about the dynamic between him and Foster' s character.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: brief thoughts on The Untouchables and The Adjustment Bureau as films?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your top 15 actors in the 30-45 age group.

Anonymous said...

Louis, who do you consider to be the 10 best directors working today and would also appreciate if you list you top 10 underrated directors.

Anonymous said...

P.S I'm John Smith, will be using this account and try to be more active hahahaha.

Michael McCarthy said...

I watched Ironclad last night and WOW is it bad. Giamatti's pretty good though, if only because he's the one actor who kind of embraces the ridiculousness of the film.

Bryan L. said...

Has Louis reviewed Ed Harris in Snowpiercer in a post or a comment? He ranked pretty highly in Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2013 and Snowpiercer is his top film for 2013.

Anonymous said...

94dfk1 and everyone else who has seen the movie: How would you rank Evan, Harris, Sang Kang-Ho?

Evan: 4

Harris: 3.5

Sang Kang Ho: 4

Matt Mustin said...

Varun: Here's my ratings
Evans-4
Harris-4.5
Kang Ho-3.5

Álex Marqués said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Giuseppe Fadda said...

Evans - 4 (bordering on a 4.5)
Harris - 4.5
Kang Ho - 4

Swinton was my favorite of the cast and my winner for the whole year.

Louis Morgan said...

Breaks my heart to say.

R.I.P. Gene Wilder

Luke Higham said...

R.I.P. Gene Wilder :(

Matt Mustin said...

Yeah, this one is crushing.

RatedRStar said...

RIP Gene Wilder xx

Giuseppe Fadda said...

RIP Gene Wilder :(

Anonymous said...

Gene Wilder was one of those actors, who when you hear that he got an Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor, its like the same reaction with Harrison Ford getting an Oscar nomination, its like you go " that is so awesome, Gene Wilder got an Oscar nomination"

Álex Marqués said...

RIP Gene Wilder :(

Anonymous said...

Gene Wilders nomination for The Producers I think would be considered what Johnny Depp for 2003 and Waltz for 2012 would have been called which is the cool vote, and with The Producers winning the Oscar for screenplay and the controversy the film had with it causing quite a stir, I think Wilder could easily have had a better chance of winning than the slowly losing momentum Massey and a child performance in Jack Wild in which surely no veteran Oscar voter would have given many votes for him to win.

Anonymous said...

R.I.P. Gene Wilder

Calvin Law said...

RIP Gene Wilder.

Calvin Law said...

Varun:

Evans - 4.5
Harris - 4.5
Kang Ho - 3.5

Robert MacFarlane said...

I don't give ratings anymore, but I thought Kang-Ho was way better than Harris's glorified cameo in Snowpiercer (which I thought was totally ruined by those last twenty minutes).

Also, RIP Gen Wilder. Horrible news to come home to.

Robert MacFarlane said...

*Gene

Louis Morgan said...

Robert:

I liked Lynskey as well, and though she had the meatier part, I just loved what Ryan did with her fairly limited role.

Luke:

4.5, 4.5, 4.5 and 4

McCarthy - 3.5(I liked her performance well enough, but I have to admit the less broad comedy I felt worked better in film. McCarthy I'd say was the best in that side of the film, and she's certainly entertaining though I did not love her performance by any means.)

Alex:

(Although her accent technically isn't especially Swedish, it doesn't matter. The sheer magnetism of her performance is downright amazing. She's just fascinating to watch here, and she commands the screen so effortlessly it's pretty notable. At the same time though she's terrific in realizing the challenging dynamic of her character which is a bit tricky. In that she dominates in terms of presence yet makes the severe vulnerability and general awkwardness of the character feel wholly natural next to her more confident qualities. She differentiates this properly showing the assurance of Lisbeth basically doing her job, which she is a master of opposed to her personal life where she so honestly captures a real shyness.)

Luke:

Spacey - 3.5(He was pretty entertaining in doing an extra smug version of the smug Spacey routine.)

Farrell - 2.5(Did not think he really stood out which was odd considering how bizarre he looked.)

Aniston - 3(Thought her one note sex pot routine was enjoyable enough.)

Sutherland - 2.5(Completely wasted as Calvin said. He's good with the little he has, but it's a shame to see him in such a thankless role. The same goes for him in Horrible Bosses as well.)

John Lithgow - 3(A rather affecting performance and effectively portraying the character's condition, while bringing a nice warmth to his performance the rest of the time.)

Felton - 2.5(Doing his usual Malfoy routine. He's fine, and it certainly works for the part.)

Cox - 3(All I could think in the film was you have BRIAN COX, and you don't make him the main human villain. Where's the logic in that? Cox does his usual thing and does it well. Plus extra points for his surprisingly moving reaction to hearing about his son.)

Rogen - 2.5(Did not find that he maneuvered the tone all that well, falling upon his old tricks a bit too often. He had the occasional good moment in there, but I never felt he was quite in the movie that Gordon-Levitt was in.)

Louis Morgan said...

Fisher - 3(I felt through her earnest performance she managed to make her very cliched part rather endearing.)

Stanton, Winstone, Root - 3(All offered more than an enough appropriate gruffness to their roles.)

Olyphant - 3(Good Eastwood impression.)

Beatty - 3(Very much a reprise of his Toy Story 3 performance. Works well once again.)

Nighy - 3.5(Very enjoyable work, really putting the slither in his voice, and actually making his character quite menacing.)

Hopkins - 3(Hopkins can really sleepwalk if he wants to in a role, so I'm glad he bothered to bring the needed gravitas to Odin here. Not the most complex performance, but certainly gets the job done.)

Tom Hardy
Ben Foster
Matthias Schoenaerts
Michael Fassbender
Joaquin Phoenix
Michael Shannon
Jake Gyllenhaal
Cillian Murphy
Oscar Isaac
Ryan Gosling
Christian Bale
Leonardo DiCaprio
Jeremy Renner
Ewan McGregor
Ethan Hawke

Varun:

Paul Thomas Anderson
Martin Scorsese
The Coen Brothers
Christopher Nolan
Quentin Tarantino
Steven Spielberg
Alfonso Cuaron
Nicholas Winding Refn
Edgar Wright
Martin McDonagh

1. William Wellman
2. John Carpenter
3. Kihachi Okamoto
4. Guy Green
5. Martin McDonagh
6. Alexander Mackendrick
7. James Whale
8. Martin Ritt
9. Joe Carnahan
10. Edgar Wright

Calvin:

The Intouchables - (There's nothing great about the direction or writing. Those elements are serviceable, and some of the writing might have been problematic without the leads. The two of them just make it all work, and make it a most enjoyable film that does not hide its feel good intentions in the least)

The Adjustment Burea - (Kind of in a similair situation to The Intouchables actually. In that the leads chemistry is what really makes it. The film itself I thought was just fine as the whole. It's one where it takes such a potentially expansive concept and simplify in order to tell a very simple story, which I suppose it a little frustrating in a way. Luckily that story is worth investing in due to Damon and Blunt.)

TParker said...

I nominate Stefán Karl Stefánsson in 'Polite People'.