Thursday 29 December 2016

Alternate Best Actor 1993: Daniel Day-Lewis in The Age of Innocence

Daniel Day-Lewis did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Newland Archer in The Age of Innocence.

Age of Innocence is a fairly remarkable film about the very proper romantic entanglements in upper class 18th century New York.

1993 offered yet another banner year for Day-Lewis, much like in his breakout year in 1985, through his vastly different characters he portrayed. His Oscar nominated turn as a seemingly aimless Irish youth wrongly accused of a bombing in In the Name of the Father, a performance I feel I underrated in my initial assessment, and as Newland Archer in this film a repressed American in the late 1800's. The characters could not be more different in not only the backgrounds of the characters, their stature in society in their stories, but especially in their emotional nature. It is interesting in that Newland Archer's story is not one of hardship or tragedy in the more straight forward way. He's a consistently well off individual financially yet this is an interesting story of a man being held prisoner by society in a most particular sort of fashion.  It is essential then that he must be a man of the society and it must be said that if all of humanity depended on one man being sent back in time in order to complete some mission that requires integrating into the peoples of the past, the only man for the mission would be Daniel Day-Lewis.

Daniel Day-Lewis seems to walk right into any time period he wishes to inhabit. There is something so eloquent about this incredible ability in Day-Lewis. As, despite the evidence otherwise, it feels so effortless within his performance. Day-Lewis here seems like a man you'd see within a picture from the period. In that no facet of his very presence that feels in authentic to his setting. This of course begins with Day-Lewis's refined American accent that is stilted though in a way that alludes to a man who always seeks to conduct himself properly in society and in business. The accent though is so nicely gentle about it realizing a man of Newland's life and background with such ease. His physical manner is all part of this as again there is something in a man who is very much set within his place in society. He's strict in his manner so to speak yet there is not an inherent discomfort that Day-Lewis portrays in this either. He instead shows a man very much right where he should be merely in terms of being a man in his place in New York at this time. As usual, which what makes Day-Lewis synonymous with great acting, he makes it all so natural as it only ever serves his character.

The film itself is such an interesting period piece in the way it differs from the usual period piece given that it is directed by Martin Scorsese, a director known for his stories with more naturally volatile characters. I have to say I love Scorsese's direction here actually in that it acts as a brilliant companion to Day-Lewis's performance. The two's collaboration here is something to behold as they both in tandem realize a very particular state of being. In that both are constricted seemingly by the laws of the society of the story, yet I don't mean this is a negative sense in any way. In fact quite contrary. I love the way Scorsese's usual vibrancy is apparent yet it springs in bursts in moments where it pierces through the fabric of the tightly wound society. Day-Lewis's performance follows the same idea. Now Day-Lewis previously played what could seem like a similair character in A Room With A View. In that film he played a repressed Edwardian man. The thing is there, which was a supporting part, Day-Lewis cleverly gave a comedic performance by so effectively illustrating such intense repression. Day-Lewis's intentions here are quite different in that Newland is suppose to be the figure with empathize within the film, which could be challenge given the state of the character.

This is Day-Lewis of course that I am writing about and his greatness as an actor, is something I cannot dispute further proven by his performance here. This turn is so beautifully rendered that it is rather astonishing at times. There is never a breakdown moment in the entirety of this performance, not once. Day-Lewis stays true to the man whose greatest failing comes from the fact that he can only speak from the heart at the wrong times, and even then perhaps not with enough passion for it to matter. Day-Lewis work here is yet deeply emotional in the end. This is an intensely subtle performance as he always works within the proper confines of Newland Archer, a distant man in ways to those around him, yet he is never quite distance to us who can  see his deepest thoughts through Day-Lewis's performance and some brilliant touches on Scorsese's part. Newland Archer's problems stem from his relationship with a married woman Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) and later the woman cousin May Welland (Winona Ryder). The problem being that Newland truly loves Ellen, with just a hope granted through her troubled marriage, while society expects him to marry and stay with May despite a lack of genuine affection.

I have to admit I found Day-Lewis's performance often painful watch do to so how effectively he realizes the tension of this conflict within Newland throughout the film. He makes it such a sympathetic plight through the honesty in which he presents his scenes with Pfeiffer. Day-Lewis does not present lust, rather a true longing for who seems to be his intended soul mate. One moment in particular I find especially heartbreaking is a brief fantasy of Ellen coming to embrace him, one of those small bursts of emotion given in both Scorsese's and Day-Lewis work. There is a purity that Day-Lewis brings to the moment, that is defined by love in the moment, of a few seconds. Throughout his performance Day-Lewis always maintains that truth in Newland, which is unfortunately contained by the demands of society. Day-Lewis is incredibly moving as he realizing the difficulty of essentially the act of Newland's life as he is forced to refrain his true hearts desire in order to basically please others. Day-Lewis's work is fascinating as he expresses the real emotion of the man at the end of sentences in these lapses of his refinement. The lapses being unnoticeable by others, yet we can see them through the screen. There is such a poignancy as he makes the emotions so palatable within the edges of his performance. Day-Lewis technically maintains the man of a proper stature, yet we are allowed to see the real devastation in the man as happiness is denied for one reason or another, again and again. Day-Lewis never breaks once again, yet the torture of this life is understood through those margins, of a man crying out with a stern face and sometimes even a smile. Day-Lewis so cleverly infuses these scenes with the truth, even as Newland "lies". There is a scene late where Newland is attempting to work something out to be with Ellen, yet his now wife May gives him news that forces him to abandon his dream forever. Day-Lewis never yells out, yet the loss is all in his eyes, the anguish lies within him, yet never fully breaks outwardly. The most poignant moment in the film though comes for me in the last act, that takes place many years later where Newland is technically free to see Ellen, prodded to do so by his own son yet decides not to. This is said in but a few unimportant words. All that it means to Newland is made readily apparent in Day-Lewis's work. The sadness is persuasive in his gentle looks to Ellen's balcony, suggesting the years wasted and the despair of man recognizing that his dream was just that, only a dream. I found this to be such a powerful piece of work by Daniel Day-Lewis that proves not only his ability to craft this representation of a person from any period, to also more importantly give them real humanity and life.

114 comments:

Anonymous said...

Louis: Rating and thoughts on Pfeiffer, Ryder and Chaplin.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the scores of each Star Wars film.

Calvin Law said...

YES. Loved him here, and the film I consider one of Scorsese's very best.

Michael McCarthy said...

Does this mean you're gonna up his score for in the name of the Father?

Matt Mustin said...

In regards to Silence, is that a film that plays differently depending on your own beliefs?

Bryan L. said...

Saw the Extended Cut of Suicide Squad. It does a little more depth to Harley Quinn and Flag & Deadshot have more banter, but ultimately, it won't change your opinion of the film if you disliked it.

Louis: Who would you cast as Newland, May and Ellen in a 2016 version?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis:How would you rank this among Day Lewis's best performances? And are you going to upgrade him for In the Name of the Father?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Pfeiffer - 4(Now I will say no one feels as at home with the material as Day-Lewis, but that does not mean that don't acquit themselves well still. Obviously she exudes an appeal and charm as she always does. There is never a question required of what Newland sees in her. That's not really her point here though, as Pfeiffer engages in this dance of sorts with her performance, almost creating an unintentional cruelty in the character. In that Pfeiffer effectively and naturally depicts the way her character is so conflicted in emotion, as she offers that hope just as she crushes. Pfeiffer never makes this this conflicting in anyway, but rather just the unfortunate nature of someone in her situation.)

Ryder - 3.5(She certainly fulfills what is required of her part. She isn't cold yet she isn't warm either. She offers someone who is in no way horrible in anyway, yet seems entirely within herself in terms of attachment. I suppose perhaps she could have offered more in conveying her true feelings in regards to Newland and his relationship with Ellen, but I think her performance works well for the film as it is. Again this film is Day-Lewis's film and Newland's story limiting the other characters, though not in negative way for the film.)

Chaplin - 2.5(She's fine but does not really have enough to work with to really make an impact.)

Michael:

Yes. "The Medal" and the interrogation scenes alone frankly are worthy of a five.

Matt:

Quite possibly. It's a film where your reaction will definitely be your reaction, if you know what I mean.

94dk1:

Newland: Uh.......good luck

Luke Higham said...

An upgrade for Gangs Of New York would be nice too, but if not, I'll be completely fine with it.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Louis: Thoughts and rating for Alexis Smith in The Age of Innocence

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Phantom Menace - (Duel of the Fates is an all time great piece of music. The rest of it is a lot of more, goofy style Williams, that is more fitting to say Home Alone than to a Star Wars film. Jar Jar's Introduction music for example sound like Harry and Marv are about to invade Kevin's house. Again though that's to work with the film's problematic tone to begin with. The simple truth is when Williams needs to be epic, he makes it sound as such, unfortunately that's not what is always tasked of him.)

Attack of the Clones - (Actually some more than decent pieces in there, but nothing too memorable. At least not memorable enough to make up for the abysmal film it is trying to make up for. Some standard Williams, a lot of it sounds right from Hook. Again a bit of disjointedness in some of it, but not as much as with Phantom.)

Revenge of the Sith - (The strongest of the prequels soundtracks in a way, though part might because it reuses the Duel of the Fates. The style and tone though remains rather consistent. There is a power in the music in creating the sense of ominous despair, particularly in "Anakin's Betrayal", more than the film itself does I would say. It does its best to sell some scenes that otherwise are having more than a few problems. It often offers the emotion that the film is so sorely lacking.)

Star Wars - (One of the greatest scores of all time. Almost every portion of the score is instantly recognizable. It is iconic, and so often reused for a reason. The moment you hear this music you think star wars. It feels distinctly attached to the universe and in many ways helped to define it. So many of the characters, setting and moments can you identify through the music. It is epic, filled with character and emotion. Simply some of the best, ever.)

Empire Strikes Back - (Maintaing its greatness in score as well with such additions that are as memorable as anything in the original score, in fact "The Imperial March" one could argue is the most memorable of all Star Wars pieces. Even the less talked about pieces like "Yoda's Theme" are also beautiful and add so much to the film's power and atmosphere. It's an amazing score that masterfully combines the new material and the old to amplify the strengths of the film.)

Return of the Jedi - (A lot of it is standard, though more than decent, Williams. Most of it doesn't stand out too much though beyond the music for just the very end of the lightsaber duel, and the Ewok celebration music, which isn't exactly great though I enjoy it.)

The Force Awakens - (Rey's Theme is good and Kylo's theme is decent. Otherwise it is also very average tracks. Nothing stands out past them and they just kind of sound standard sort of Star Warszy. I also don't care for the Cantina theme much at all.)

Louis Morgan said...

Ruthiehenshallfan99:

Much like Chaplin, good but just doesn't have that much to work with.

Calvin Law said...

I hate pretty much all of George Lucas' revisions to the original trilogy except for the ending Ewok celebration song. I wish they'd release a version which has both Shaw and that score. Nitpicky, I know, but it is the final scene of the great trilogy.

Calvin Law said...

My 2016 The Age of Innocence cast would be Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, and Elle Fanning.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: Thoughts on Daniel Webber, and George Mackay in 11.22.63.

Calvin Law said...

And Leon Rippy and Kevin J. O'Connor.

Bryan L. said...

Maybe Tom Hiddleston for Newland?

Giuseppe Fadda said...

He was absolutely terrific in this and I agree completely with the review. However, I think Pfeiffer was just as good.

Anonymous said...

Louis, are you re-considering you rating for His performance in In the Name of the Father?

Álex Marqués said...

Woah, now I have to watch this one.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He'll get around to changing his rating by the end of this lineup.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Are you giving Schindler's List a re-watch fairly soon.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the scores from each Harry Potter film.

Charles H said...

Louis, Are you tempted to rank Gettysburg higher than Schindler's List on your favorite 1993 films?

Luke Higham said...

Charles: I've asked Louis about giving Schlindler's List a re-watch, just to make a final decision on Neeson's rating, but it's quite possible that Gettysburg could overtake it after Daniels' review is posted.

Charles H said...

Luke: It seems that Day-Lewis may be the best of the 5. Unless Hopkins or Cheung can top him but that seems unlikely.

Luke Higham said...

Charles: You're probably right, though I've never been one to really care about who wins, I'll be glad to see Hopkins get a 5 then move on to the next year.

Álex Marqués said...

luke: which are your acting winners from last year?

Luke Higham said...

Alex:
Lead Actor: Geza Rohrig - Son Of Saul
Lead Actress: Rooney Mara - Carol
Supporting Actor: Tom Hardy - The Revenant
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight

I'm gonna hold off on giving my 2016 winners for a good while as my work has kept me back from seeing a lot this year.

Michael McCarthy said...

I still think Hopkins has a strong chance of winning this.

RatedRStar said...

Louis being that its still christmas lol um is it possible I could ask for a little favour maybe, a certain winning request I made, would it b possible to swap it with an actor from the exact same film.

Anonymous said...

Louis: So before Mason was chosen for his part in A Star is Born, Grant had the role before he quit, and Bogart, Cooper, Brando and Clift were also considered. What are your thoughts on these choices?

Luke Higham said...

Mark Rylance is a knight of the realm. :)

Luke Higham said...

Charles: He's been given a knighthood.

Charles H said...

Luke: Oh! Well that's great.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: As Day-Lewis and Oldman are now level on fives, who do you prefer.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on George Lucas, Michael Bay, Brett Ratner and Paul W.S. Anderson.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Webber - (I don't think he quite reaches the heights of the Oldman when it comes to portraying Oswald, but I did rather like his performance. His intentions though are very different from Oldman's since Oldman's Oswald was meant to be a bit of enigma. This version of Oswald we are meant to know and understand much more as a man. His imitation is an effective embodiment and he's quite good at being both terrible yet almost sympathetic in his portrayal of the man's rather pathetic nature.)

MacKay - (Considering his character was technically there just for someone for Franco to talk to, I felt he effectively gave Bill more life than that. He has a nice humorous touch in his interactions with Franco, but I also found him particularly affecting in his scenes whenever he spoke of his sister. I will say that the later developments involving his character I felt were not the best part of the miniseries, but I did think he was pretty great in his final scene.)

Rippey - (Quite memorably opens the series to be sure, and gives a moving performance to be sure without ever overdoing his character's condition. I thought he was also quite excellent in his single scene later on particularly in the way he realized essentially the terrible complication of Jake trying to save him.)

O'Connor - (Loved his performance as he's just a great mystery man with his off kilter performance, and his random appearances throughout are always quite effective through his haunting stares. Then with his revelation sequence comes I found his performance incredibly powerful.)

Luke:

Philosopher's Stone - (Kind of amazing when you really think about it. Williams work once again fashions a whole entirely new fantasy world without any overlap with Star Wars. When you hear that theme you not only instantly think of Harry Potter but you also instantly think of magic. It is an excellent score even past that in the more incidental music. Everything seems to reflect its setting or character beautifully. The score was essential to creating the world, which it did magnificently.)

Chambers of Secrets - (Ah nothing really special about this one. Sounds mainly like recycled songs from the previous film, and just from other Williams's score in general. Not bad all to be sure, but pretty unsubstantial.)

Prisoner of Azkaban - (The same could be said for the most light hearted moments of this film. The darker stuff though, such as the Dementors theme, anything surrounding Sirius Black, and the werewolf are all pretty great. Essentially the score is less memorable when it doesn't matter, but when the film needs it the most it really kicks into gear quite effectively.)

Goblet of Fire - (The first score done not by Williams, and I will say Patrick Doyle's work usually often doesn't standout for me when he's working with Kenneth Branagh. The score certainly maintains consistency and you can see what it is going for through its more bombastic approach. Then again it is perhaps kind of bombastic at times in often a general sort of way. Not ineffective, but not great. Oh and the less said about "do the Hippogriff" the better.)

Order of the Phoenix - (Technically less ambitious in a way than Doyle, as Nicholas Hooper's score often sounds like "Hmm what would Williams do". Has some decent tunes with this approach in mind like Umbridge's theme, and "fireworks". Again nothing too substantial though, and I wouldn't say it's anything that grew the musical language of the series.)

Louis Morgan said...

Half-Blood - (A bit more of a leap for Hooper this time, and I would say effectively so. Although there is technically still a bit of aping, maybe required in order to naturally include the main themes one could argue. This score goes darker though in an effective way. Again not an excessively memorable score, but it serves the series's changing tone rather well.)

Deathly Hallows 1 & 2 - (Well with Desplat you certainly get something a bit more epic which is very fitting for the intensity of the films. Alexandre Desplat though I think is careful to keep enough of well a bounce so to speak to still reflect Williams's early works, such as his theme for the ministry of magic sequence. He brings the right fun, that magical sometimes inspirational tone when needed, yet weaves that in naturally with a more brooding rather emotional score. He maintains some of the ideas that began the series, yet manages to make the score his own. It is overall a rousing and often powerful work for both films.)

Will do.

Sir Mark Rylance sounds about right.

Must I choose, they're both great.

Lucas - (It must be said that he was a visionary, but at the time it seemed like he knew when to take other people's advice as well as when to differ to another. His original achievements should never be waved away, since the man made Star Wars. Success though seemed to be his ultimate failing as the more, power he seemed to gain the less interesting his idea became. That is even noticeable in the original trilogy with Return with the Ewoks that seemed to be an obvious merchandising ploy. He started to treat it with an odd detachment it seems, or at least a misguided view of the material. That even extends to his other work like Indiana Jones where apparently the majority of the bad ideas were his own, with Spielberg just trying to cover him. I honestly would like to see him to return to direct something more like American Graffiti and just see if maybe he has something smaller scale in him. As his view of the big scale films became bizarre and seemingly very cynical.)

Louis Morgan said...

Bay - (The man is excess in human form. He actually isn't without a certain eye, but cannot seem to understand the thing known as normal human behavior to save his own life. That is often the case with his often excessively juvenile sense of humor, and inability to make anything seem remotely natural that isn't basically excessive. That is big action or big people. He's actually not technically untalented, but the problem is rather his use of potential talent is to make some rather loud and obnoxious products.)

Ratner - (He's just a hired gun. His worst film, X-Men, was that of a man who obviously didn't really care about the material, and also just was rushed into making the film to begin with. I don't see malice in his work just a man there making a product, which can sometimes be fine, usually depending on other factors, but his work as director can go from being okay, never astonishing, to bad. Again just like a guy doing any job that he's not overly passionate about. Sometimes it'll be decent sometimes not, who cares got the job done, seems to be the attitude.)

Anderson - (The funny thing is that the two films that he only directed, but did not write or produce, Mortal Kombat and Event Horizon are his best films. That's not saying they are great films, Mortal Kombat just has some fun to offer and as I recall from seeing the film many years ago Event Horizon is a decent space horror film. The thing, maybe he needs to only focus on directing, because it isn't even that the writing is worse in his films he wrote, though it is, but his directing is often incompetent. Having no real ability in terms of directing coherent or effective action, making sets not seem like sets, maybe the cast work together in any actual way, a proper understanding of tone or you know anything else that makes a good director.)

Charles:

Love Gettysburg, but no.

Anonymous:

Bogart and Cooper I don't think would have worked at all. Grant could have worked, he's always a bit hit and miss with his dramatic performances though. Brando would have been terribly miscast at the time, as would have Clift, though post-56 Clift probably would have worked.

Matt Mustin said...

I saw Rogue One. I quite liked it, but I liked Force Awakens more. On the positive side, as to be expected from a Star Wars film, all the technical elements are great. Gareth Edwards' direction is pretty terrific as he gives everything such a perfect sense of scale in much the same way he did with Godzilla. The cinematography is also very impressive and I'd say this is probably the best shot Star Wars film since Empire. My problem comes with the script. None of these characters are really all that interesting, which was not the case with Force Awakens. But honestly, that's really a minor complaint because I did really enjoy it.

Jones-3(I thought her character, like all of the others, was very underwritten, and she doesn't really rise too much above the script, but she does bring the right passion to the part. I did think there were some moments where she was a little bit off, though.)

Luna-3(Pretty much the same as Jones, really.)

Tudyk-4(Oh my gosh, was he fun. I thought he added a great deal of humour and levity to the film, and I loved pretty much every one of his lines and I thought he managed to make his final scene actually kind of moving.)

Yen-3.5(Makes his character's unshakable belief in the force very moving, especially in his final scene.)

Jiang Wen-3.5(Very entertaining in his exasperation with Yen's character, but always with a clear love as well. Also, like Yen, his last scene is great.)

Mendelsohn-3.5(Okay, my problem with Domhnall Gleeson's work in Force Awakens was basically that he plays up the evil but he doesn't really make it fun to watch. Mendelsohn on the other hand hits exactly the right note, and I particularly liked his very first scene.)

Mikkelsen-3.5(Man, this guy can really get something out of very little, can't he?)

Whitaker-1(Alright, this was truly, utterly baffling. I mean, I genuinely have no idea what he was going for here. This is a potentially interesting character, and Whitaker just totally ruins that potentially with his truly bizarre work.)

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Matt: I'm reversed with you on Gleeson and Mendelsohn. Thought Gleeson's big Space Nazi speech was amusing as hell and Mendelsohn was tiresome the entire time.

Matt Mustin said...

@Robert: Interesting.

Calvin Law said...

Yen's work has strengthened with me a lot over time alongside Ahmed, Tudyk and Wen. I'm also growing fonder of Mendelsohn's performance, he was one-note and somewhat limited but like Mikkelsen, I think he actually did a lot within that. Jones I'll admit I do have a bit of issues with in retrospect, but not enough to bump her down, and Whitaker, who I'll agree is largely awful, I actually quite liked in his scenes with Jones.

Matt Mustin said...

Oh, I forgot about Ahmed. He's a 3.5 too.

Calvin Law said...

Also, THANK YOU for those Michael Bay thoughts. I agree he has quite a bit of technical talent, but his complete misunderstanding of human behaviour in general is what sinks most of his films. Funnily enough, though, my favourite film of his - Pain and Gain - is one of his least visually flashy films, and technically it features his usual ridiculous and inane portrayals of caricatures, but somehow it fits the tone of the film.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Honestly everything about Rogue One is not sitting well with me.

Anonymous said...

Louis: I was expecting you to be harsher on Lucas.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: 1990s cast for 11.22.63, with Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald?

Bryan L. said...

Ah, the dump month of January is about to rear its ugly head :/. Fortunately, some of the Oscar contenders should make it to a theater near me, such as La La Land.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Well remember I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan to begin with, so I get less aggravated by what he did to them, though I completely understand why others do. I probably get most annoyed by his general attitude later on, such as how he supposedly told Martin Scorsese that all those great looking sets in Gangs of New York could be done in CGI.

Calvin:

Jake: Viggo Mortensen
Sadie: Laura Dern
Oswald: Oldman (of course)
Bill: Peter Sarsgaard
Marguerite Oswald: Diane Ladd
Yellow Card Man: Stacy Keach
Johnny Clayton: Tom Hulce
Frank Dunning: Stephen Lang
Harry Dunning: Rip Torn

Calvin Law said...

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask what you thought about Frank Dunning/Josh Duhamel. As far as I'm concerned that's his best performance.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis, can I have your current wins in the technical categories this year?

Michael McCarthy said...

Just saw Fences. I thought Washington was EXCELLENT, he truly knows his way around that character. And personally I thought Davis's performance was very well adjusted to the screen, apart from maybe her "I've been standing there with you" monologue.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Duhamel - (Really a great performance. He's downright frightening in the part because how honest he makes his characters cruelty. He never makes him one note, and actually makes it particularly off putting the way he suggests an actual emotional concern for his family that contributes to his final act of violence to murder his family. It's downright chilling work since he makes him a man not just a monster.)

Matt:

Sound Mixing: Silence
Sound Editing: Hacksaw Ridge
Score: La La Land
Costume Design: Silence
Editing: Silence
Cinematography: Silence
Makeup and Hairstyling: Silence
Visuals: Dr. Strange
Production Design: Silence/La La Land(can't decide, in fact several of these are neck and neck between the two films)

Michael:

Her performance is sitting very well with me, I still have my reservations but I do feel the strengths of her best moments outweigh them.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your cast and director for a 1950's version of The Force Awakens.

Calvin Law said...

For me,

Sound Mixing: Arrival
Sound Editing: Hacksaw Ridge
Score: Moonlight
Costume Design: The Neon Demon
Editing: Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Cinematography: Hacksaw Ridge
Makeup/Hairstyling: Hail, Caesar!
Visual Effects: The Jungle Book
Production Design: Hail, Caesar!

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is Davis up to a 4 then.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your top 10 Best Original Song winners/nominees.
Mine:
1. Lose Yourself
2. Over the Rainbow
3. When You Wish Upon A Star
4. Eye of the Tiger
5. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
6. I Just Called to Say I Love You
7. Gonna Fly Now
8. Against All Odds
9. I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing
10. Glory

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Edit: Blame Canada from South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut would be my #10, I often forget that that's an Oscar-nominated song.

Charles H said...

Michael, Just saw Fences too in my area, I thought Washington was surprisingly good. The role fits like a glove.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Sequel then to that 1920's Silent Star Wars then?

Director: Robert Wise

Han Solo: Ronald Colman
Luke: Fredric March
Leia: Bessie Love
Kylo Ren: Richard Burton
Rey: Hope Lange
Finn: Sidney Poitier
Poe: Ricardo Montalban
Hux: Richard Attenborough

Luke:

Yes.

Tahmeed:

1. "Mona Lisa"
2. "I'm Easy"
3. "Beauty and the Beast"
4. "White Christmas"
5. "The Way you Look Tonight"
6. "Gonna Fly Now"
7. "Falling Slowly"
8. "Moon River"
9. "Live and Let Die"
10. "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing"

Despite its reputation there are a lot of great winners/nominees to choose from.

Calvin Law said...

I'm no huge fan of Nashville but I absolutely adore 'I'm Easy'.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: If the Lead Actor lineup turns out to be the one we've been predicting, what score do you think Louis will give it overall. I'm going with 24.5.

Calvin Law said...

I'll be daring and predict a possible perfect 25. It's not unheard of, we came extremely close in 2013 and there doesn't seem to be a Christian Bale equivalent this year. I'm essentially assuming that Affleck, Washington and Garfield will be 5's and that Mortensen, Gosling and alternate choices Edgerton and Hanks will be strong 4.5's or 5's.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Hanks got robbed three years ago. I'm very confident about Affleck, Mortensen, Garfield and Gosling. With Washington, somewhat less so but it's certainly possible, coming from the reaction.

I think Edgerton and Hanks will get 4.5s.

Michael McCarthy said...

Really hoping Washington gets a 5 for Fences. Out of the assumed lineup (Affleck, Washington, Gosling, Garfield, Mortensen) the only one I really doubted could be a 5 was Gosling. But considering Louis's glowing reaction to Stone and the fact that most of what he liked about her performance can also be seen in his, it's looking very good for him.

Álex Marqués said...

I'd love to see Washington getting at least more than a 4 in this blog.

Bryan L. said...

Here's what I'm predicting:
Affleck-5
Mortensen-5
Gosling-5 (Could also be a 4.5, but I'm sticking with a 5 for now.)
Garfield-4.5 (I think he was quite good but maybe not "5" good.)
Washington-4 but a borderline 4.5

Robert MacFarlane said...

Just got out of La La Land. I really liked it! I have quibbles, but what was good was REALLY good.

Charles H said...

Washington never deserved more than a 4 on this blog. Let alone a solid 3.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Washington totally deserves a 5 for Fences, he freaking brilliant in it.

Charles H said...
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Luke Higham said...

Louis: As a great admirer of classical music personally, do you like it as well and what are your favourite compositions.

Álex Marqués said...

Charles: Well, that's your opinion. I think he is perfect in Malcolm X.

Álex Marqués said...

(I'm referring to your first post)

Luke Higham said...

Charles: What's your opinion of Washington in Man On Fire.

Charles H said...
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Charles H said...

Alex, Perfect? I don't think so, Maybe a solid 3 or 3.5, The first half he overacts a tad, Similar to Cranston in Trumbo.

Charles H said...

Luke, Denzel gives a red-hot performance in the first half, But the weakness of the second half of the film weighs him down.

Luke Higham said...

Charles: Is he a 4 for you there.

RatedRStar said...

Well I am feeling quite smug now actually lol=D about my statement that 2016 Best Actor will be the best ever lol

One thing that we havent mentioned which is, is 2016 a better year for films than 2015, I am starting to think yes, especially for the Oscar nominated films, since 2015 had some below par Oscar films, 2016 at this moment in time doesnt really have any, since the bad Oscar bait films likely wont get nominated lol.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I'm not too sure about that, apart from Captain America, the summer really didn't live up to expectations.

And there's no way, 2016 will match or surpass 2015's fives total of 31.

Anonymous said...

I can't see the lineup being all fives.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Fair enough that is probably right I still stick by that the official 2016 Best Actor lineup will be the best ever though.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I certainly agree with you on that. :)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I think we'll get between 20 to 25 fives this year.

Anonymous said...

Still haven't seen Fences. Hope Washington surprises me.

Anonymous said...

Louis: I've read that Gosling was the first choice for The Joker in Suicide Squad, before Leto was cast. Do you think he could have worked?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I would've preferred if WB left out The Joker entirely from the film. It just felt like an afterthought, as well as a distraction. I'd rather see lesser known DC villains get their time to shine.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Which DC villains would you like to see in live-action?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: The Riddler and Mr. Freeze in particular deserved better portrayals than what we had from the Schumacher films.

Lesser-Known Villains.

Hugo Strange (Easily my #1)
Deathstroke
Solomon Grundy
Hush
Killer Croc (Batman film)
Deadshot (Same as Croc)
Black Mask
Ra's Al Ghul

Matt Mustin said...

Luke: We've had Ra's Al Ghul.

Luke Higham said...

Matt: Yes, but I would like to see him as the primary antagonist in a comic book-style Batman film, whereas Neeson's Ra's was set in a more realistic setting.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, Deathstroke is going to appear in Affleck's Batman movie.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Yeah, I know. :)

I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion, but I think it's time for The Joker to retire as a Live-Action film character.

Charles H said...

Luke, Tempted to give Washington a 4 for Man on Fire.

Luke Higham said...
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Luke Higham said...

Happy New Year.

Charles H said...

Happy New Year, to all! (Except Daniel) LOL JK Har Har Har.

Álex Marqués said...

Happy new year guys

Bryan L. said...

Luke: I actually agree. I think he's played out by this point and its time for another Batman villain to have a new interpretation. I'm hoping for The Riddler but he might be too similar to The Joker so maybe someone else.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year!
Luke: The Joker is so popular that I doubt they'll do such a thing.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Of course, but that's what I would do personally.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'm a bit worried about Deathstroke in Affleck's Batman film.

RatedRStar said...

Ha, Happy New Year everyone =D.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: DC are likely to fail again and meddle with Affleck's vision for the film but I'll wait until a trailer is released.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I hope Live By Night was just a misstep for Ben.

Anonymous said...

Luke: DC should have taken notes from Marvel.

moviefilm said...

HAPPY NEW YESR EVERYONR,!!! (sorry,I'm a bt drunk)

Calvin Law said...

Louis: any chance Luke Bracey could be upgraded to a 4 for Hacksaw?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

He could have been better than Leto but I'm glad he wasn't stuck in that film.

Calvin:

Yes.

RatedRStar:

After doing my own most recent top ten I agree that it has turned out to be a pretty strong year for film. I really only think the blockbusters disappointed, and even then we still had some good ones.

Luke:

Yes I do.

Clair De Lune - Debussy
Dies Irae - Mozart
Butterfly Etude - Chopin
Gymnopedie No.1 - Satie
Ave Maria - Schubert
Hallelujah Chorus - Handle

To name a few.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'm a big fan of Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, as well as a few others.

Off the top of my head.
Zadok The Priest - Handel
Requiem - Mozart
Ninth Symphony - Beethoven
1812 Overture - Tchaikovsky
Exodus - Wojciech Kilar

Calvin Law said...

Louis: Excellent!

I'll admit all my classical music knowledge is derived from films. Also yes, it's been a strong year for films. Not so much as 2015 yet but then again, I haven't seen a few of the most acclaimed ones.