Friday 9 September 2016

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2011: Tom Hiddleston in Thor

Tom Hiddleston did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Loki in Thor.

Thor is an average enough superhero about the titular god of thunder(Chris Hemsworth) being cast down to Earth after his arrogant actions.

Now I say Thor is an average superhero film, because it is. Not every character works, the romance doesn't work, and Kenneth Branagh does not handle the action scenes in an especially compelling fashion. However the film is worth noting for its specific achievements for the Marvel cinematic universe. One being that it successfully bridged the far more mythical elements of the comics universe to the technically more grounded aspects set up in Iron Man. The other thing the film brought was the good Marvel villain or at least apparently the only villain people seem to ever remember with Marvel. Now Tom Hiddleston has had more chances with the character but it is interesting to see actually how Loki changed in terms of his role per film. In the Avengers he was a straight forward villain, though entertainingly so, and later in Thor: The Dark World he was basically a rock star anti-hero.

Hiddleston began here with Loki at his most low key (no pun intended). Now this is rather fitting given that this is before any idea of Loki's villainy is known to the central characters, playing the sly manipulator rather than the grandiose super villain. Now Hiddleston deserves a great deal of credit, along with Anthony Hopkins as Odin, for effectively grounding the whole Norse elements of the story. Hiddleston importantly does not show his cards, and actually plays the role as though one never heard of Loki before in comics or mythology. Hiddleston rather effectively instead portrays Loki very much as the calm thinker of Thor's group, and the more reasonable of the two brothers. Hiddleston succeeds in making the whole early manipulations of Loki, to set Thor up to be expelled, wholly believable. Hiddleston does not emphasis a slick charm, something he would do in his later turns, but rather exudes a sympathetic support.

Loki's plans of course work early on, which gets Thor sent to Earth, but in doing so Loki finds he was in fact adopted by Odin from the gods' sworn enemies the Frost Giants. Hiddleston brings a surprising degree of pathos in his moment when confronting Odin over this. There is no simplification in his portrayal as he reveals Loki somewhat lost with understanding over his exact purpose. Hiddleston does not suddenly make Loki's nature change, and importantly brings the history of Loki and Odin to the scene. When Odin collapses, Hiddleston voices genuine concern in Loki for his father, bringing to life a very real connection that should be prevalent between father and son. It seems like this might change though as Loki assumes the throne of Asgard, and attempts to ensure that his brother never makes it out of Earth.

Hiddleston in these scenes brings more of the Avengers Loki, though still a bit more subtle, in revealing the cold villain who seems to be trying to usurp all power for himself. Hiddleston though plays the villain well and does so rather bluntly particularly when he goes about making a deal with the frost giants for them to murder his father. This is not Hiddleston compromising the rest of his performance though. The reason Hiddleston is playing the pure villain is because Loki himself is playing the part of the villain. Loki ends up betraying the frost giants by killing them when they try to kill Odin. In the end Loki's plan is only to prove his worth to his father, and Hiddleston's work matches this intention so well. There is a real desperation in the act, and he's actually surprisingly moving in the end as he reveals Loki's sadness as he fails in this task. Hiddleston never loses the personal connection in his work and he makes Loki's defeat in the end surprisingly tragic. It's a strong performance by crafting a compelling villain who never is defined by his status as the antagonist.

77 comments:

Calvin Law said...

I've always kind of loved this performance. Unfortunately he's gone somewhat downhill since that point, and I think this and The Night Manager show that Hiddelston is really at his best playing the low-key sort.

Baron Zemo is definitely my new favourite Marvel villain though, and I'm incredibly tempted to bump Bruhl up.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I cannot wait for the Taylor Swift breakup song about him.

Bryan L. said...

Yes! I predicted the rating for his performance!

Louis, what are your thoughts on the trailers for The Promise, Live by Night, and Free Fire? Hopefully, we get one for Silence very soon btw. I'm more intrigued by Free Fire and Live by Night tbh but The Promise has two of my favorite actors, which is nice.

Anonymous said...

Expected this rating.
Louis: Your top ten voices and episodes in X-Men: The Animated Series.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Free Fire looks pretty funny. I have to say Live By Night is giving me pause, mostly because I couldn't actually tell from the trailer what the plot is supposed to be. The Promise doesn't look that great outside of Isaac.

Calvin Law said...

I'm really intrigued by The Promise because I love the director, and the two leads. It seems like a very old fashioned sort of biopic but I can't wait, personally. Free Fire looks like a of of fun. Live By Night I'd agree with Robert in that the trailer was very vague in terms of what it's going to be about, but visually it looks pretty astounding.

Calvin Law said...

Also, what's everyone's top 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe performances to date? For me,

1. Robert Downey Jr, Civil War
2. Robert Downey Jr, Iron Man
3. Chris Evans, Civil War
4. David Batuista, Guardians of the Galaxy
5. Chadwick Boseman, Civil War
6. Daniel Bruhl, Civil War
7. Chris Evans, The Winter Soldier
8. Tom Hiddleston, Thor
9. Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy
10. Scarlett Johansson, The Winter Soldier

Calvin Law said...

5 for #1, 4.5's for 2 - 7, 4's for the rest.

Bryan L. said...

I think the Live by Night trailer did its' job considering it's the first footage shown. It'll (hopefully) get people intrigued by it. I do hope the next one shows a little more of the plot though.

Louis Morgan said...

94dk1:

The Promise - (I did not love the trailer itself. I should say nothing about the trailer stood out as clearly problematic though, I just did not find its presentation all that compelling. Isaac looks promising, Bale doesn't look bad, not sure about Le Bon. The director's success with similair subject matter with Hotel Rwanda makes me hopeful for it. )

Live By Night - (Did not like the trailer all that much itself in that it just felt jumbled. I don't think that will be reflective of the film. It looked visually rather interesting, and given it's Affleck directing it will probably be good. This was not a great sell, but just in terms of trailer construction)

Free Fire - (Well I'm intrigued to see if they can pull off a feature length shootout, or at least I assume that's what it is. Looked rather fun all round from that glimpse)

Anonymous:

Voices:

1. Cathal J. Dodd
2. Cedric Smith
3. Lenore Zann
4. Chris Potter
5. Philip Akin
6. George Buza
7. Norm Spencer
8. Don Francks
9. Lawrence Bayne
10. Catherine Disher

Episodes:

1. The Dark Phoenix Saga
2. Days of Future Past
3. Phoenix Saga
4. Beyond Good and Evil
5. Time Fugitives
6. Cold Vengeance
7. Slave Island
8. The Final Decision
9. A Rogue's Tale
10. Till Death Do Us Part

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on the performances of Dodd, Zann, Potter, Smith, Disher and Spencer?

Anonymous said...

Louis:...oh, and Buza as well.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'm pleased with the review and I'm glad that Chandler and Reiner's ratings have been raised for The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Chandler and DiCaprio's boat scene is my favourite scene in a Scorcese film of all-time. And Reiner has some of the funniest scenes in the film. I'm glad too :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Seen any new films lately.

RatedRStar said...

My winning request is Jacky Cheung - As Tears Go By

RatedRStar said...

I thought Cheung had been requested by someone ages ago but apparently not so ill put him in now

Luke: Could you have a look to see if that is the case.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

I completely agree with this review. He's easily the best thing of the movie (which I agree is quite average).

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Louis: May I have your thoughts and ratings on Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor in The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under?

Deiner said...

I agree he was good, certainly the best thing about the film (which I pretty much disliked). What are your thoughts and ratings on the rest of the cast?
I LOVED X-Men: The Animated Series <3

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: No one else requested him.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Which of Robert Donat's three 4.5 performances could be upgraded to a 5 for you?

Anonymous said...

Louis, what are your thought on Aaron Sorkins?

Louis Morgan said...

Dodd - (Simply the voice of Wolverine, the only voice that makes sense. He really brings the needed inherent menace to the character, look no further than Pryde of the X-Men to see that it's not a guarantee without the right performance. He's the cool badass he needs to be, but that's not all that. He effectively brings the more somber and troubled qualities aspect to Wolverine in a natural often rather affecting fashion)

Zann - (She does the southern belle without sounding ridiculous, or like a caricature. She brings a very real charisma to Rogue. The episodes that call upon her to bring something a bit more subtle, like a Rogue's tale, she's absolutely succeeds in doing so and effectively realizes the underlying pain of the character.)

Potter - (I always rather enjoyed his Cajun accent. I thought he offered the very much needed light touch, given how intense the stories actually got. I felt his voice work balanced it well though never tipping too broad, well still being entertaining)

Smith - (Brings the needed gravitas you want from Professor X, but also with always the sense of a clear empathy within the inherent intelligence his voice exudes)

Disher - (I'd say her work in general was on the tad melodramatic side. In the Dark Phoenix sage though I thought she was pretty amazing capturing the viciousness needed for the Phoenix along with the growing desperation of Jean underneath it all.)

Spencer - (Captured well the right sort of bravado for Cyclops. In that there is indeed the right confidence but even within in that there is a certain weakness as well. He's also terrific in the Dark Phoenix saga, and the fallout episodes bringing the needed emotional weight to Cyclops's loss)

Buza - (He really captures the right constant poetic tone of Beast, who seems as though he can't help but constantly show his intelligence. Again there's an earnestness that's needed since no ego goes along with it.)

Calvin:

I think my favorite line delivery in The Wolf Wall Street is Chandler's "Can you say that again, just the way you said it" after Jordan tries to bribe him.

Luke:

Florence Foster Jenkins
Our Kind of Traitor
Cafe Society

I'll probably see Sully tomorrow.

ruthiehenshallfan99:

Newhart & Gabor - (In both films their work is consistently good, and they make for such an endearing pair in both films. I like the sort of chemistry they form within their voices with Gabor offering the more outgoing energy, while Newhart brings a great deadpan modesty as per usual for him.)

Louis Morgan said...

Deiner:

Portman - 1.5(She could be worse I guess, but she's clearly not taking it seriously. I guess that could work, but she's not really going for a comedic performance either, more of a "I don't care" performance.)

Dennings - 1.5(At least she's going for a comedic performance I just did not really care for her performance)

Skarsgard - 3(Does his best to make up for where Portman and Dennings fail, as I found that he was actually funny while also succeeded in giving a bit of weight to the more dramatic moments)

Elba - 2.5(He has definite gravitas, and adds to the film despite not getting much to do.)

Alexander, Dallas, Asano, Stevenson - (They're not bad really, but none of them succeed in making their characters feel unique or stand out in any real way)

Tahmeed:

The Citadel probably.

Varun:

I'll assume you mean Sorkin as a writer. Well he's an interesting case in that he is definitely someone with a clear voice, but the thing is I don't know if that's always a great thing for him. There is no doubt there's an inherent energy to his dialogue, he as well can make seemingly banal material quite captivating, but that can also make his character seem a bit too similair at times. I'd also say his political work, which I've not seen a great deal of in terms of his television work, has almost this bizarre naivety about it. At least from what I've seen I think I probably prefer when he deals with subjects outside of that realm. I think it's best, based on the Social Network, if there is a director who can actually dominate over Sorkin in the film itself. Now I say that because I think that's the best film written by him, and it seems like Fincher managed to take a bit of the quirky edges off in the right way. The best qualities of Sorkin's work were readily apparent, while the weaker qualities were absent for the most part.

Calvin Law said...

Thoughts on the three films you saw, as well as thoughts and ratings on cast members you're not saving?

Calvin Law said...

Also, yeah I LOVE that line delibery, as well as DiCaprio's 'sail in a boat fit for a Bond villain, sometimes you got to play the part. I think it's time you two get the fuck off my boat.'

Matt Mustin said...

My favourite line delivery from Kyle Chandler in Wolf of Wall Street is probably "Yes, we want you to rat, that's fucking exactly what we want you to do, to rat" but my favourite delivery in the whole film is probably "BENI-FUCKING HANA?!"

Bryan L. said...

Honest Trailers summed this movie up the best:

"You've seen great superhero films (The Dark Knight, Superman, Iron Man). You've seen terrible superhero films (Catwoman, Daredevil, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) Now, prepare for a superhero film that's just kinda...eh, I mean, I guess they did the best they could adapting a comic book about a bratty space god."

I really feel like watching The Wolf of Wall Street again.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Florence Foster Jenkins - (The film I would describe as watchable enough if not mildly entertaining. It isn't any special, but I'll give credit to Frears for keeping a consistent tone across the board with that slightly heightened stereotypical 40's style he gives the film. He keeps everything together even though the story I don't think is ever all that compelling. It's more than serviceable though, and I might have liked it more if it weren't for a certain performance.)

I think Grant could get a nomination if they category fraud him.

Streep - 3.5(She's full on Streeping it here, but that makes sense given that the woman actually sang that way. Also that style Frears establishes fits well with what Streep is doing. She's enough fun in the role, bringing the right passion to the woman who sings her heart out no matter how bad she sounds, while establishing just enough of a pathos there in the woman who never exactly got to fulfill her exact dreams)

Helberg - 1(Okay his performance does fit in terms of the overarching style, but he's terrible. His whiny light delivery got tiresome the moment he started it. His comedic timing always felt off, and I really became annoyed as I think this character could have been delightful in the right hands. I don't know maybe with a BJ Novak type, like BJ Novak for example.)

Ferguson - 2.5(She was fine but just did not get to do much.)

Our Kind of Traitor - (Alright Michael was right I did really enjoy this. I guess I'm apparently just a Le Carre mark. I'll admit though it's probably not great. The leads just never seem to have enough of an importance, and their personal story just isn't all that compelling. I got sucked into the duplicitous world once again though. The film appears to be mostly aping the style of other adaptations but eh it aped well for me. Plus it had some things that really got me invested that I won't talk about yet.)

Louis Morgan said...

McGregor - 3(He's got enough charm in him, but this isn't an especially inspired McGregor performance. He's good, but it never feels like he is quite able to break out of the limitations of the role.)

Harris - 3(Like McGregor has enough of a charm, but can't do all that much with the role. They both offer the right empathetic presence throughout the film though, but they are severely overshadowed basically the whole time)

Saving Lewis and Skarsgard.

Cafe Society - (It's better Allen, but not great Allen. I enjoyed the film, but I think it will probably really fade in my memory in time. I liked the various strands of the story, but they really did not effectively cohere, particularly the violent gangster elements. I suppose the love story was suppose center it all but it never does. We just kind of get a feel for what the story is suppose to be, but it never seems to develop in anyway. We get kind of starts and ends here and there, but never really the whole thing)

Eisenberg - 3(He's a better Allen surrogate by doing more of his own neurotic thing. Although that means he's very much doing his usual wheelhouse. It's a decent enough example of it, but never more than that)

Stewart - 3.5(I liked her performance as she took kind of an atypical approach to this type of character. She's far more low key than usual though I liked what she did with. She found a certain charm within that in addition to effectively conveying the reasons for her character's decisions without really saying much.)

Stoll - 3(I liked what we saw of him, even when it didn't exactly fit tonally, but never felt there was enough. I particularly liked the scene where he was becoming Christian, but the film even rushed through that. He was really wasted because I really liked the glimpses we got of him, but that's all they were, glimpses.)

Camp - 3.5(I found her whole bit very funny, as she brought so much genuine feeling backwardness to the first time prostitute. I liked just how emotionally scattershot she was and managed to be rather hilarious.)

Carrell - 2.5(Fine, but I did not think he was that funny or anything else. I did not think he was bad either, but mostly just kind of there.)

Lennick - 3(Liked her Jewish housewife routine, once again. Added a nice bit of natural humor to the film, but again everyone seemed muted in a weird way due to constrictions of the story)

Calvin Law said...

Damn, BJ Novak would have been perfect in that sort of role.

Calvin Law said...

Also as someone who doesn't like Grant in general, I surprisingly loved him in Florence Foster Jenkins. I could bump him up on re-watch.

Robert MacFarlane said...

God, I hated the Camp scene in Café Society. Not because of her, but because it felt like a deleted scene from another Allen movie. Plus Eisenberg went full-Allen for that moment, and one never goes full-Allen.

I'd give a higher score to Stewart than you would, but that's just me.

Louis Morgan said...

Robert:

I wouldn't disagree that it was from a different movie.

Robert MacFarlane said...

The gangster stuff didn't gel for me either. I was not expecting such drastic detours into Goodfellasesque violence.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

I just rewatched The Wolf of Wall Street, and I bumped DiCaprio to my #2 of the year after McAvoy.
On an unrelated note, did anyone see TV Movie adaptation of The Five People You Meet in Heaven? I had to read the novel for my literature class last year, so I saw the film a week before my exam. Jon Voight gives a great performance of Eddie, and as far as sentimental and philosophical material goes, the TV film surprisingly pulls it off.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Have added The Witch to my 2016 rankings.

Tahmeed: I've never actually read the book either, which I really should considering how incredibly iconic it is. Voight giving a good performance this century? Well, I'll certainly check it out.

Anonymous said...

Louis, your thoughts on Charlie Kauffman as writer

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'm very pleased, that you're saving Lewis and Skarsgard. Having watched Our Kind Of Traitor yesterday, they are both #1 and #2 in supporting for me.

Calvin Law said...

The ending of Our Kind of Traitor is probably one of my favourites of the year, behind The Neon Demon and Eye in the Sky. Lewis' final reactions are spellbinding.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Calvin: I know right about Voight, I was surprised as hell by his turn. The worst performance I've seen of him was in Holes (the novel of which I have to read in my literature class this year). By all accounts, though he's supposed to be great in Ray Donovan as well.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm glad you liked Camp's bit as much as I did Louis, and that I'm not the only one who found Helberg insufferable. He might actually be my least favorite performance this year just because I think that character could have been so great.

I'd also have to give Stewart in Café Scoiety a higher rating though. I found she was surprisingly luminous without playing up any kind of obvious charm.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I actually think Holes was the last time Voight was good in anything.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: I saw Miles Ahead. Cheadle's great, though I'm not sure if he's gonna make my top 10 for 2016 Lead.

Luke Higham said...

*By the end of the year

Calvin Law said...

Tahmeed: I love Holes but Voight wasn't anything too special. I really liked Blake Nelson though. The whole cast was solid, Shia LaBouef included.

Luke: He is fantastic. I'm pretty certain he's going to be in my top 5 by the end of the year, if not still in the lead.

Calvin Law said...

To be fair though I'd still give Voight a 3.5

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: If requests were made for 2016, would you rather if they were Supporting instead of Lead, as there's usually less 5s for the former than the latter.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: Are you interested in potentially checking out any of Ben Mendelsohn's earlier work? I know you liked The Big Steal so I'm thinking of possibly checking a few of them out to see if I might request one.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: As a huge fan of his work, I really hope Mendelsohn's MVP of Rogue One.

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm equally hesitant in both categories, but I don't intend to police anyone on this blog.

Luke Higham said...

Screw it, I'm not good at keeping promises, so I've decided to make my request now and I honestly cannot wait until the 24th of January to announce it.

Hopefully the casts for Rogue One and Silence are great all-around, as I would like the lineup to be extended again, as well as a review for Ehrenreich.

My request is Harvey Scrimshaw in The Witch and if I win another one from this lineup, then I'll choose Ineson as well.

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: I think Louis should choose whatever 10 he wants for Lead, because I was a bit bummed that Courtenay missed out last year.

Luke Higham said...

Make that 12, with the Hell Or High Water men.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: If you watch Love & Friendship anytime soon, I would save Tom Bennett for the timebeing, as he's in the top 5 of quite a few Oscar Predictions for Supporting Actor.

Calvin Law said...

I need to re-watch for Bennett, I found him exceptionally funny but I probably need to reflect upon how high I'd rank him. Beckinsale is EASILY my Best Actress #1 so far.

Luke Higham said...

My 5s predictions for each category
Supporting Actress: 0-1
Supporting Actor: 4-5
Lead Actress: 2-4
Lead Actor: 7-9

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the cast of Burn After Reading besides Pitt, since you already reviewed him?

Calvin Law said...

He's given them at some point I'll look them up for you

Louis Morgan said...

Saw Sully, would have been a great short film.

Calvin:

Definitely interested in more Mendelsohn.

Varun:

Kaufman is a talented and inventive writer. Like Sorkin he is someone with a clear voice and style. I will say again though, as it seems is often with such writers, there is a bit of a catch there. Kaufman I think can be somewhat indulgent when he seems to include weirdness for weirdness sake, rather than say something odd that benefits the story. Much of his weirdness though can be beneficial when it is firmly connected with the characters and story like in his two best screenplays, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation. The mind warp of the memory loss was firmly connected to the central love story in ESSM, and the whole duplicity in Adaptation was essential to well the adaptation. Now I still need to see Synecdoche, New York, but judging by Anomalisa, though I know many loved it, he may need an equally inventive director to help illustrate his vision into something truly compelling as well as balance out his eccentricities.

Calvin Law said...

Thoughts on Sully and thoughts/ratings on the cast? I have no idea whether you'll be saving Hanks.

I think you'll love Synedoche, New York

Calvin Law said...

94dfk1: Right, I could've sworn I've read Louis' thought on Clooney, Jenkins, Swinton at some point but can't seem to find them.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Sully just does not have enough story to sustain even its limited run time, and even then they apparently had to falsify the central conflict which feels even pretty weak in the film. I mean if you want to see four separate pilot test simulations in a row then this picture is for you! You get very slow hearings, and a man call his wife just to make sure everything is okay in a very unassuming way. There just is not enough drama overall in the story. Now I will say the actual depiction of the landing is very effective, but even then Eastwood had to double down on the crash just to get the run time to where it is. It is also in the middle of the film, since if it opened with it there would have been nowhere to go. That sequence is well done by Eastwood. The screenplay just can't make the story more than it is, and neither can Eastwood.

Saving Hanks, who could be nominated, but based on how EVERY AWARDS BODY ignored his great work in Bridge of Spies I doubt it. Hanks does not care if he gets nominated, so everyone else has to for him to get nominated. I don't see it happening but it could if Sully goes American Sniper, though it has come out at the wrong time for that type of momentum.

I have to save Eckhart as well since, like Leonardo DiCaprio, Hanks apparently really knows how to talk up his male co-star to the nomination. Eckhart has a problem though since apparently his meatier part is sans Hanks in Bleed For this.

Linney - 2.5(Supportive wife on phone. She is fine at this, no more no less.)

Calvin Law said...

I love how generous Hanks is nowadays in deferring to his co-stars on and offscreen. A true gentleman.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top 10 favorite voices in the original G.I. Joe cartoon.

Bryan L. said...

Calvin: No worries.

I think Charlie Kauffman is an excellent writer, but I'm not crazy about his directorial efforts to be honest.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: My request is Harvey Scrimshaw in The Witch.

Anonymous said...

Thoughts and ratings on Patrick Wilson in Fargo, Young Adlt

Luke Higham said...

Wilson & Danson - (The two were both great at playing two of the least flamboyant characters in the season. The two never felt overshadowed because they were so good in depicting just the straight goodness of their character with such a natural warmth about themselves. The two were very good at having an eloquent yet simple morality that never felt self-righteous, and their indignation towards the bad men is always well earned. Plus the two have a great casually humorous chemistry and they convey so well the two's relationship over the years)

If Louis were to give ratings to TV performances at some point, as well as coming up with a different criteria for them, then he's a strong 4.5.

Calvin Law said...

Watching the OJ Simpson miniseries now, must admit I got a kick out of David Schwimmer talking to the Kardashian family about fame being fleeting.

Luke Higham said...

Speaking of Television, what are everyone's Emmy predictions.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Calvin: I laughed so damn hard at that scene when I first saw it xD.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I need to see more but I think Fargo will be the big winner.

Tahmeed: I kind of love the series so far.

Louis: I'll agree that Cuba Gooding Jr. is terrible. What do you think of Chiwetel Ejiofor in the role instead?

Anonymous said...

Thoughts and ratings on Bokeem Woodbine In fargo?

Giuseppe Fadda said...

Chiwetel Ejiofor would have been so good in the role. Gooding Jr. was almost unbearable, as was Travolta, thankfully Vance, Brown and especially Sarah Paulson were excellent. I actually wish Billy Magnussen was more in the series, I thought his few scenes were very entertaining.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

To be honest never saw that many episodes total back in the day.

Luke:

Noted.

Varun:

Wilson - 2.5(He can't overcome with just how thin his character is. Thankfully he avoids becoming just a broad cartoon, but he just can't make anything out of the role.)

Varun:

I covered him in Mifune's review for Sanjuro.

Calvin:

I'm sure Ejiofor would have been much better than Gooding, but I think I would have gone with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.