tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24575526003807618372024-03-18T23:16:06.335-04:00Best ActorLouis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.comBlogger3402125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-41589719321048889282024-03-18T18:38:00.000-04:002024-03-18T18:38:35.206-04:00Alternate Best Actor 1945: Danny Kaye in Wonder Man<div style="text-align: left;">Danny Kaye did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Edwin Dingle and Buzzy Bellew in Wonder Man. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYqSGb95qjRCUa6TjBGkUSbVtKMC4n37toOWToYWQQt3DSEJZQS35ILfwgMU4AGq65tbrpwqJ_tO_Znn-WHGc8p99I4k5N71rF_NSiYoiwDP5k7TVg8GqX9H7lniEo8uypNnoXkJaqvyFAMqW70V3gQ3xgxyjtGsZCU6yhqdjnBHuVm30BORfr7KT516N/s1744/Danny%20Kaye%20Wonder%20Man.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1744" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYqSGb95qjRCUa6TjBGkUSbVtKMC4n37toOWToYWQQt3DSEJZQS35ILfwgMU4AGq65tbrpwqJ_tO_Znn-WHGc8p99I4k5N71rF_NSiYoiwDP5k7TVg8GqX9H7lniEo8uypNnoXkJaqvyFAMqW70V3gQ3xgxyjtGsZCU6yhqdjnBHuVm30BORfr7KT516N/s320/Danny%20Kaye%20Wonder%20Man.png" width="320" /></a></div>Wonder Man tells the story of two very different twins, one an entertainer who is murdered by the mob and as a ghost seeks out his intellectual brother to make things right. <br /><br />Kind of wandering through Danny Kaye's oeuvre you could argue him as kind of almost an auteur actor in that you can see the films are so clearly tailor made for what he brings as a performer, rather than any other element. What that means is we very much always get some kind of Kaye variety experience within the film, though this varies from film to film, but have similar trademarks to each. This film in particular is very open in this concept as we see Kaye get to play two variations on this variety as the two brothers, and really several others as we open the film with the entertainer brother Buzzy Bellew. Where Kaye brings a vocal delivery as a boisterous devil may care sort, where he is outgoing at every venture we see him and really every scene he approaches with a different accent or kind of riff as a character who very much is always on. This is broad, but technically it is broad in the service of a broad character who is purposefully broad, so it all makes sense, particularly for a film of this ilk. I guess where there's hesitation on my part, is I don't exactly love these opening Kaye riffs as much as I often do from him, as his random Irish accent for a moment or his jungle musical routine, are all fine, but I don't think are overly notable Kaye bits, as Kaye bits go and while I wouldn't quite say grating, I would say I kind of had enough of the in your face Buzzy right before he gets murdered by the mob, having been a police witness.<br /><br />Of course as is frequently the case I did not read the synopsis of this one before going in so there was plenty of Buzzy left over, but first we have to meet Edwin Dingle, the brother of Buzzy who we meet very calmly studying in his intellectual space, with a very deliberate subdued and shy delivery. Kaye often plays the hapless man who is a bit shy and bumbling, but this is a purposeful notch more in really emphasizing it to make Edwin also broad in his own way, but broad in the way he is so intensely modest. And again as I see Edwin, I like Kaye's bit well enough he's doing in this way, but I'm not exactly sold by it the way I was in The Court Jester or Me and the Colonel. Anyway the crux of the film comes in when Buzzy shows up as a ghost, for reasons unknown, and asks him to pretend to be him to still take down the gangster therefore continue as his performer briefly as well. Anyway, Kaye plays off himself, okay, in playing the sort of expected ghost hi-jinks, of others not being able to see him, and playing against himself with the big big Buzzy and the small small Edwin. It's fine, if not overly noteworthy in terms of the bits as they go. The timing is kind of there, as is the general idea, but the moments just aren't as funny as they could be or as prime Kaye shows them to be able to be. Although we actually get far less of this as you'd expect.<br /><br />The film then goes into what should be a series of hilarious situations as Edwin is the fish out of water pretending to be the confident performer and also being threatened by gangster, and getting flustered by trying to deal with both his and Buzzy's love interests. Unfortunately all of this isn't nearly as funny as it sounds like it should be when you're describing it, as more of the film is spent on the musical performances and less on really getting into some genuinely hilarious situations of Edwin being pulled into multiple places. When Kaye is getting to play Edwin bumbling around trying to be Buzzy, whether that is with the women, or in failed performances, or in even police interrogation, he's at his best doing that fumbling around the lines and physical sort of sloppiness that Kaye does so well. He's a lot of fun in these moments, even if at times the lines just are "where's Buster", but Kaye brings an endearing energy. Less interesting though are the romances, neither that go anywhere comically or romantically. Or the performances of Buzzy when he possesses Edwin to perform, which just aren't Kaye at his most inspired, not that they're terrible, but they're just not great either. And I think that is much of this film, which is likeable enough, but never beyond that. The whole idea of Kaye playing twins, playing off himself as a ghost, playing against gangsters, sounds like the formula for a great romp, but it's only okay as a film, and not all that much better as a showcase for Kaye unfortunately. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9F7S9sW1AaxblPbmR_Al5StzVharBkkDOL21IZGq7VqPh-npVjee4gdGtjlEdPD7jkYiWHQ-F5RUTUuuPayLE3sy7cWG42Dfe-LI5UN7oi08cui8ReNIYIcGFXBYW6DG-XmQJgUjkruPFGT_PFA67OksX6_9N-udAdz9_yu7y3t4wFsEjDJUrmzV6LqUU/s874/3.5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="874" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9F7S9sW1AaxblPbmR_Al5StzVharBkkDOL21IZGq7VqPh-npVjee4gdGtjlEdPD7jkYiWHQ-F5RUTUuuPayLE3sy7cWG42Dfe-LI5UN7oi08cui8ReNIYIcGFXBYW6DG-XmQJgUjkruPFGT_PFA67OksX6_9N-udAdz9_yu7y3t4wFsEjDJUrmzV6LqUU/w283-h115/3.5.png" width="283" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-9321879210023434362024-03-10T22:30:00.000-04:002024-03-10T22:30:57.895-04:00Alternate Best Actor 1945<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQTzdFgqig-SgvQMw9Djrt03gY_a6gXL3iLghbWml1z9rLraPi786F-R0AKdKmae0Z2U8PfN6AD-WxL57gxwTldLvwlDvd4qnB5NvVz-530SsrpVsuoGA-HSSyPK6gexnWkqygbKl-45-vBQDQ2VdPrwwvv1CBSyxqPtzFTP-dpDG2tmAyYO_wncSKyQD/s1184/1945.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="1184" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQTzdFgqig-SgvQMw9Djrt03gY_a6gXL3iLghbWml1z9rLraPi786F-R0AKdKmae0Z2U8PfN6AD-WxL57gxwTldLvwlDvd4qnB5NvVz-530SsrpVsuoGA-HSSyPK6gexnWkqygbKl-45-vBQDQ2VdPrwwvv1CBSyxqPtzFTP-dpDG2tmAyYO_wncSKyQD/w540-h221/1945.png" width="540" /></a></div> And the Nominees Were Not:<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Danny Kaye in Wonder Man</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Roger Livesey in I Know Where I Am Going</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Laird Cregar in Hangover Square</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />Errol Flynn in Objective, Burma!</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Pierre Brasseur in Children of Paradise</b></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-20312668309550441832024-03-08T20:13:00.006-05:002024-03-08T21:25:38.828-05:00Best Production Design<div style="text-align: left;"><b>1931:</b><br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Herman Rosse - Frankenstein </b></li><li><b>Lazare Meerson - À Nous La Liberté</b></li><li><b>Charles D. Hall - City Lights</b></li><li><b>Herman Rosse & John Hoffman - Dracula</b></li><li><b>Emil Hasler & Karl Vollbrecht - M</b></li></ol></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1932:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol><li><b>Mitchell Leisen - The Sign of the Cross</b></li><li><b>Jean Perrier - Wooden Crosses</b></li><li><b>Jean d'Eaubonne - The Blood of a Poet</b></li><li><b>Cedric Gibbons & Merrill Pye - Freaks</b></li><li><b>Wily Pogany - The Mummy <br /></b></li></ol></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1933:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Carroll Clark - King Kong</b></li><li><b>Emil Hasler & </b><b>Karl Vollbrecht - The Testament of Dr. Mabuse </b></li><li><b>Alexander Toluboff - Queen Christina</b></li><li><b>Vincent Korda - The Private Life of Henry VIII</b></li><li><b>Jack Okey - 42nd Street</b></li></ol><div><b>1934:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Roland Anderson - Cleopatra </b></li><li><b>Uncredited - Babes in Toyland </b></li><li><b>Hans Drier - The Scarlet Empress</b></li><li><b>Charles D. Hall - The Black Cat</b></li><li><b>Lucien Carré, </b><b>Jean Perrier & Paul Colin - Les Misérables</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1935:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Charles D. Hall - Bride of Frankenstein</b></li><li><b>Cedric Gibbons - A Tale of Two Cities</b></li><li><b>Stephen Goosson - The Black Room</b></li><li><b>Van Nest Polglase - Top Hat</b></li><li><b>Roland Anderson - The Crusades</b></li></ol></div><div><div><div><b>1937:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Stephen Goosson - Lost Horizon</b></li><li><b>Ken Anderson, McLaren Stewartm Kendall O'Connor, Charles Philippi, Hugh Hennesy, John Hubley, Harold Miles, Terrell Stapp, Gustaf Tenggren ,Tom Codrick & Hazel Sewell - Snow White and The Seven Dwarves</b></li><li><b>Lyle R. Wheeler - The Prisoner of Zenda</b></li><li><b>Richard Day & Alexander Golitzen - The Hurricane</b></li><li><b>Jacques Krauss - Pepe Le Moko</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1938:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Carl Jules Weyl - The Adventures of Robin Hood</b></li><li><b>Cedric Gibbons - Marie Antoinette</b></li><li><b>Nikolai Solovyov - Alexander Nevsky</b></li><li><b>Léon Barsacq & Georges Wakhévitch - La Marseillaise</b></li><li><b>Stephen Goosson - You Can't Take It With You</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1942:<br /></b></div><div><ol><li><b>Carl Jules Weyl - Casablanca</b></li><li><b>Albert S. D'Agostino - The Magnificent Ambersons</b></li><li><b>Carl Jules Weyl - Yankee Doodle Dandy</b></li><li><b>Georges Wakhévitch - The Devil's Envoy</b></li><li><b>James Basevi - The Black Swan</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1943:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Emil Hasler & Otto Guelstorff - Münchhausen</b></li><li><b>Alfed Junge - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp</b></li><li><b>Alexander Golitzen & John B. Goodman - Phantom of the Opera</b></li><li><b>James Basevi & William S. Darling - The Song of Bernadette</b></li><li><b>James Basevi & Wiard B. Ihnen - Jane Eyre</b></li></ol></div><div><div style="font-weight: bold;">1944:</div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Cedric Gibbons, William Ferrari, Paul Huldschinsky & Edwin B. Willis - Gaslight</b></li><li><b>Lemuel Ayers, </b><b>Cedric Gibbons, </b><b>Jack Martin Smith & Edwin B. Willis - Meet Me in St. Louis </b></li><li><b>Iosif Shpinel - Ivan the Terrible </b></li><li><b>Hans Dreier, </b><b>Ernst Fegté & </b><b>Stephen Seymour - The Uninvited</b></li><li><b>Lyle R. Wheeler, Leland Fuller &Thomas Little - Laura</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1947:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Alfred Junge - Black Narcissus</b></li><li><b>Sturges Carne, </b><b>Stephen Goosson, </b><b>Wilbur Menefee & </b><b>Herman N. Schoenbrun - The Lady From Shanghai</b></li><li><b>Lyle R. Wheeler, J. Russell Spencer & </b><b>Thomas Little - Nightmare Alley</b></li><li><b>Max Douy - Quai des Orfèvres</b></li><li><b>Richard H. Riedel, </b><b>Russell A. Gausman & Ted Offenbecker - Ivy</b></li></ol><div><b>1948:</b><br /><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Hein Heckroth & </b><b>Arthur Lawson - The Red Shoes</b></li><li><b>Roger K. Furse & Carmen Dillon - Hamlet</b></li><li><b>Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson, Albert Nozaki, </b><b>Sam Comer & Ross Dowd - The Big Clock</b></li><li><b>Guy de Gastyne & </b><b>Christian Bérard - Les Parents Terribles</b></li><li><b>Richard Day, Edwin Casey Roberts & Joseph Kish - Joan of Arc</b></li></ol></div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>1949:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Cedric Gibbons, Hans Peters, </b><b>Edwin B. Willis & Alfred E. Spencer - Battleground</b></li><li><b>Edward Carrere & </b><b>Fred M. MacLean - White Heat</b></li><li><b>Wolfgang Reitherman, Frank Thomas, John Lounsbery, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl & Ollie Johnston - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad</b></li><li><b>Harry Horner, John Meehan & Emile Kuri - The Heiress</b></li><li><b>William Kellner & </b><b>Philip Stockford - The Queen of Spades</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1950:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Jean d'Eaubonne, </b><b>Charles Merangel & Henri Vergnes - La Ronde</b></li><li><b>Jean d'Eaubonne & </b><b>Albert Volper - Orpheus</b></li><li><b>Takashi Matsuyama & </b><b>H. Motsumoto - Rashomon</b></li><li><b>Hans Dreier, John Meehan, </b><b>Sam Comer & Ray Moyer - Sunset Boulevard</b></li><li><b>Ernst Fegté & George Sawley - Destination Moon</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1951:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Hein Heckroth - The Tales of Hoffmann</b></span></li><li><b>Ralph W. Brinton & </b><b>Freda Pearson - Scrooge</b></li><li><b>Mary Blair - Alice in Wonderland</b></li><li><b>Lyle R. Wheeler, Addison Hehr, </b><b>Thomas Little & Claude E. Carpenter - The Day the Earth Stood Still</b></li><li><b>John Bryan - Pandora and the Flying Dutchman</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1952:</b></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell, </b><b>Edwin B. Willis & Jacques Mapes - Singin' in the Rain</b></li><li><b>Jean d'Eaubonne & Robert Christidès - Le Plaisir</b></li><li><b>Alfred Junge - Ivanhoe</b></li><li><b>John Hawkesworth, Joseph Bato & </b><b>Vincent Korda - The Sound Barrier</b></li><li><b>Richard Day & Antoni Clave - Hans Christian Anderson</b></li></ol></div></div><div><b>1954:</b></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>J. McMillan Johnson, Hal Pereira, </b><b>Sam Comer & Ray Moyer - Rear Window</b></li><li><b>So Matsuyama - Seven Samurai</b></li><li><b>John Meehan & Emile Kuri - </b><b>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</b></li><li><b>Makoto Sono & </b><b>Eiji Tsuburaya - Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto</b></li><li><b>Gene Allen, Malcolm C. Bert, George James Hopkins, & Irene Sharaff - A Star is Born</b></li></ol></div></div><div><b>1955:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Hilyard M. Brown & </b><b>Alfred E. Spencer - The Night of the Hunter</b></li><li><b>Max Douy, </b><b>Jean André<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> & </b><b>Jacques Douy - French Cancan</b></li><li><b>Roger K. Furse & Roger Ramsdell</b><b> - Richard III</b></li><li><b>Léon Barsacq - Les Diaboliques</b></li><li><b>Malcolm C. Bert, James Basevi, </b><b>George James Hopkins, & William Wallace - East of Eden</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1957:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Ludwig Reiber - Paths of Glory</b></li><li><b>Robert Clatworthy, Alexander Golitzen, Ruby R. Levitt & Russell A. Gausman - The Incredible Shrinking Man</b></li><li><b>Yoshirô Muraki - Throne of Blood</b></li><li><b>P.A. Lundgren - The Seventh Seal</b></li><li><b>Donald M. Ashton - The Bridge on the River Kwai</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1958:</b></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Kisaku Itô & Mototsugu Komaki - The Ballad of Narayama</b></li><li><b>Henri Schmitt - Mon Oncle</b></li><li><b>Sergei Eisenstein & Iosif Shpinel - </b><b>Ivan the Terrible Part 2</b></li><li><b>Yoshirô Muraki - The Hidden Fortress</b></li><li><b>Sam Comer & Frank R. McKelvy - Vertigo </b></li></ol></div></div><div><b>1960:</b></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Robert Clatworthy, Joseph Hurley & </b><b>George Milo - Psycho</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Alexander Golitzen, Eric Orbom, Russell A. Gausman & Julia Heron - Spartacus</b></span></li><li><b>Yoshirô Muraki - The Bad Sleep Well</b></li><li><b>Giorgio Giovannini & </b><b>Nedo Azzini - Black Sunday</b></li><li><b>Alexandre Trauner & Edward G. Boyle - The Apartment</b></li></ol></div><div style="font-weight: bold;">1961:</div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Wilfred Shingleton - The Innocents</b></li><li><b>Yoshirô Muraki & </b><b>Yoshifumi Honda - Yojimbo</b></li><li><b>Boris Leven & Victor A. Gangelin - West Side Story</b></li><li><b>Veniero Colasanti & John Moore - El Cid</b></li><li><b>Kazue Hirataka - The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1963:</b></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Elliot Scott & </b><b>John Jarvis - The Haunting</b></li><li><b>Mario Garbuglia, </b><b>Giorgio Pes & Laudomia Hercolani - The Leopard</b></li><li><b>Geoffrey Drake </b><b>- Jason and the Argonauts</b></li><li><b>Yoshirô Muraki - High and Low</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Ralph W. Brinton, Jocelyn Herbert, Ted Marshall & Josie MacAvin - Tom Jones</b></span></li></ol></div></div><div><b>1964:</b></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Ken Adam</b><b> - Dr. Strangelove</b></li><li><b>Shigemasa Toda & Dai Arakawa - Kwaidan</b></li><li><b>Bernard Evein - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Carroll Clark, William H. Tuntke, Emile Kuri & Hal Gausman - Mary Poppins</b></span></li><li><b>Veniero Colasanti & John Moore - The Fall of the Roman Empire</b></li></ol></div></div><div><b>1965:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>John Box, Terence Marsh & Dario Simoni - Doctor Zhivago</b></span></li><li><b>José Antonio de la Guerra - Chimes At Midnight</b></li><li><b>Yoshirô Muraki - Red Beard</b></li><li><b>John DeCuir, Jack Martin Smith & Dario Simoni - </b><b>The Agony and the Ecstasy<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Richard Day, William Creber, David S. Hall, Ray Moyer, Fred M. MacLean & Norman Rockett - The Greatest Story Ever Told</b></span></li></ol></div><div><b>1966:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Mikhail Bogdanov Gennady Myasnikov, Georgi Koshelev & Vladimir Uvarov - War and Peace Part I</b></li><li><b>Carlo Simi -</b><b> The Good, The Bad and The Ugly</b></li><li><b>Takashi Matsuyama - The Sword of Doom</b></li><li><b>Yevgeni Chernyayev - Andrei Rublev</b></li><li><b>Mikhail Bogdanov Gennady Myasnikov, Georgi Koshelev & Vladimir Uvarov - War and Peace Part II</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1968:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Anthony Masters, Harry Lange & Ernest Archer - 2001: A Space Odyssey</b></li><li><b>Carlo Simi - Once Upon a Time in the West</b></li><li><b>Marik Vos-Lundh - Hour of the Wolf</b></li><li><b>Lorenzo Mongiardino</b><b> - Romeo and Juliet</b></li><li><b>Walter M. Scott & Norman Rockett - Planet of the Apes</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1970:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Ester Krumbachová & Eva Lackingerová<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Valerie and Her Week of Wonders</b></li><li><b>Evgeny Eney, </b><b>Ye. Yakuba & <span style="white-space: pre;"><b>I. Zaytseva </b></span></b><b>- King Lear</b></li><li><b>Ferdinando Scarfiotti</b><b> - The Conformist</b></li><li><b>Stephen B. Grimes & Roy Walker</b><b> - Ryan's Daughter</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Urie McCleary, Gil Parrondo, Antonio Mateos & Pierre-Louis Thévenet - Patton</b></span></li></ol></div><div><b>1971:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Leon Ericksen</b><b> - McCabe & Mrs. Miller</b></li><li><b>John Box, Ernest Archer, Jack Maxsted, Gil Parrondo & Vernon Dixon - Nicholas and Alexandra</b></li><li><b>Harper Goff - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</b></li><li><b>Michael D. Haller - THX 1138</b></li><li><b>John Barry </b><b>- A Clockwork Orange</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1973:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Alejandro Jodorowsky - The Holy Mountain</b></li><li><b>Henry Bumstead & James W. Payne - The Sting</b></li><li><b>Kazuo Satsuya - Lady Snowblood</b></li><li><b>Mario Chiari & Enzo Eusepi - Ludwig</b></li><li><b>Shen Chien - Enter the Dragon</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1974:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham & George R. Nelson - The Godfather Part II</b></span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Jack Fisk & Sissy Spacek - Phantom of the Paradise</b></span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Richard Sylbert, W. Stewart Campbell & Ruby Levitt - Chinatown</b></span></li><li><b>Dean Tavoularis & </b><b>Doug von Koss - The Conversation</b></li><li><b>Dale Hennesy & Robert De Vestel - Young Frakenstein</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1975:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Ken Adam, Roy Walker & Vernon Dixon - Barry Lyndon</b></li><li><b>Giuseppe Bassan & Armando Mannini - Deep Red</b></li><li><b>Alexandre Trauner, Tony Inglis & Peter James - The Man Who Would Be King</b></li><li><b>Richard Macdonald & George James Hopkins - The Day of the Locust</b></li><li><b>Brian Thomson</b><b>e - The Rocky Horror Picture Show</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1978:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>John Barry, </b><b>Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Stuart Craig, Tony Reading, Norman Dorme, Ernest Archer & Philip Bennet - Superman</b></li><li><b>Jack Fisk & Robert Gould - Days of Heaven</b></li><li><b>Martin Rosen - Watership Down<br /></b></li><li><b>Anna Asp - Autumn Sonata </b></li><li><b>Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham, George R. Nelson & Bruce Kay - The Brink's Job</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1979:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Michael Seymour, Leslie Dilley, Roger Christian & Ian Whittaker - Alien</b></span></li><li><b style="white-space: normal;">Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham & George R. Nelson - </b><b>Apocalypse</b><b style="white-space: normal;"> Now</b></li><li><b>Andrei Tarkovsky, Aleksan, Aleksandr Boym & Rashit Safiullin - Stalker</b></li><li><b>Henning von Gierke - Nosferatu The Vampyre</b></li><li><b>Pierre Guffroy & Jack Stephens - Tess</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1980:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Harry Lange, Alan Tomkins & Michael D. Ford - The Empire Strikes Back </b></li><li><b>Roy Walker</b><b> - The Shining</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Stuart Craig, Robert Cartwright & Hugh Scaife - The Elephant Man</b></span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Yoshirō Muraki - Kagemusha</b></span></li><li><b>Tambi Larsen & James L. Berkey- Heaven's Gate</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1981:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley & Michael D. Ford - Raiders of the Lost Ark</b></li><li><b>Ken Adam & </b><b>Garrett Lewis </b><b>- Pennies From Heaven</b></li><li><b>Rolf Zehetbauer</b><b> - Das Boot</b></li><li><b>Anthony Pratt & </b><b>Bryan Graves - Excalibur</b></li><li><b>Milly Burns</b><b> - Time Bandits</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1983:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Norman Reynolds, Fred Holw, James L. Schoppe & Michael D. Ford - The Return of the Jedi</b></li><li><b>Geoffrey Kirkland, Richard Lawrence, W. Stewart Campbell, Peter R. Romero, Jim Poynter & George R. Nelson - The Right Stuff</b></li><li><b>Carol Spier & </b><b>Angelo Stea - Videodrome</b></li><li><b>Richard Macdonald & Rick Simpson</b><b> - Something Wicked This Way Comes</b></li><li><b>Brian Morris & Ann Mollo</b><b> - The Hunger</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1984:</b><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Patrizia von Brandenstein & Karel Černý - Amadeus</b></li><li style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Anton Furst</b><b> - The Company of Wolves</b></li><li><b style="font-weight: bold;">Giovanni Natalucci, </b><b>Bruno Cesari, </b><b>Osvaldo Desideri & </b><b>Gretchen Rau</b><b> - Once Upon a Time in America</b></li><li style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Allan Cameron</b><b> & Emma Porteous- 1984</b></li><li><b>Elliot Scott & Peter Howitt - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1985:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Norman Garwood & Maggie Gray</b><b> - Brazil</b></li><li><b>Yoshirô Muraki, </b><b>Jiro Hirai, </b><b>Mitsuyuki Kimura, </b><b>Yasuyoshi Ototake, </b><b>Tsuneo Shimura<span style="white-space: pre;"> <b>Osumi Tousho</b></span> & </b><b> - Ran</b></li><li><b>Jim Morahan & Ann Mollo - Legend</b></li><li><b>David L. Snyder & Thomas L. Roysden - Pee Wee's Big Adventure</b></li><li><b>Lawrence G. Paull </b><b>& <b>Hal Gausman </b></b><b>- Back to the Future</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1987:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Ferdinando Scarfiotti, Bruno Cesari & Osvaldo Desideri - The Last Emperor</b></span></li><li><b>William Sandell & Robert Gould </b><b>- Robocop</b></li><li><b>Armin Ganz, Kristi Zea, <b>Robert J. Franco & </b><b>Leslie Pope</b></b><b> - Angel Heart</b></li><li><b>Anton Furst</b><b> - Full Metal Jacket</b></li><li><b>Terence Marsh & </b><b>John Franco Jr.- Spaceballs</b></li></ol></div><div><div><b>1988:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen</b></li><li><b>Elliot Scott & Peter Howitt</b><b> - Who Framed Roger Rabbit?</b></li><li><b>James McAteer & </b><b>Elinor Rose Galbraith - Dead Ringers</b></li><li><b>Bo Welch & Catherine Mann</b><b> - Beetlejuice</b></li><li><b>Kazuo Oga - My Neighbor Totoro </b></li></ol></div></div><div><b>1991:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - Barton Fink</b></li><li><b>Richard Macdonald & Cheryal Kearney- The Addams Family</b></li><li><b>Marc Caro & Aline Bonetto - Delicatessen</b></li><li><b>Carol Spier & Elinor Rose Galbraith<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> - Naked Lunch</b></li><li><b>Cao Juiping - Raise the Red Lantern</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1992:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Thomas E. Sanders & Garrett Lewis - Dracula</b></li><li><b>Henry Bumstead & Janice Blackie-Goodine - Unforgiven</b></li><li><b>Norman Reynolds & Belinda Edwards</b><b> - Alien 3</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Stuart Craig & Chris A. Butler - Chaplin</b></span></li><li><b>Luciana Arrighi & Ian Whittaker - Howard's End</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1993:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Dante Ferretti & Robert J. Franco - The Age of Innocence</b></span></li><li><b>Deane Taylor - The Nightmare Before Christmas</b></li><li><b>Allan Starski & Ewa Braun - Schindler's List</b></li><li><b>Rick Carter & Jackie Carr</b><b> - Jurassic Park</b></li><li><b>Andrew McAlpine & Meryl Cronin</b><b> - The Piano</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1994:</b></div><div><ol><li><b>Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - The Hudsucker Proxy</b></li><li><b>Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Interview With The Vampire</b></li><li><b>Alex McDowell & Marthe Pineau- The Crow</b></li><li><b>Richard Peduzzi & Olivier Radot - La Reine Margot </b></li><li><b>Tom Duffield & </b><b>Cricket Rowland - Ed Wood</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1996:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Tim Harvey - Hamlet</b></li><li><b>Victor Kempster & Meredtih Boswell</b><b> - That Thing You Do!</b></li><li><b>David Goetz - The Hunchback of Notre Dame</b></li><li><b>Ivan Maussion - Ridicule</b></li><li><b>Cecilia Montiel & Felipe Fernandez del Paso - From Dusk Till Dawn</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1997:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Jeannine Oppewall & Jay Hart - L.A. Confidential</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Peter Lamont & Michael D. Ford - Titanic</b></span></li><li><span><b style="white-space: normal;">Dan Weil, </b><b>Maggie Gray & <span style="white-space: pre;"><b>Anna Pinnock</b></span></b><b style="white-space: normal;"> - The Fifth Element</b></span></li><li><b>Jan Roelfs & Nancy Nye - Gattaca</b></li><li><b>Bo Welch & Cheryl Carasik - Men in Black</b></li></ol></div><div><b>1999:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Eve Stewart & John Bush - Topsy-Turvy</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Rick Heinrichs & Peter Young - Sleepy Hollow</b></span></li><li><b>Owen Paterson, </b><b>Lisa Brennan, </b><b>Tim Ferrier & </b><b>Marta McElroy </b><b>- The Matrix</b></li><li><b>Dante Ferretti & Carlo Gervasi - Titus</b></li><li><b>Leslie Tomkins, Lisa Leone & Terry Wells - Eyes Wide Shut</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2000:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>William Chang - In the Mood For Love</b></li><li><b>Arthur Max & Crispian Sallis - Gladiator</b></li><li><b>Timmy Yip - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</b></li><li><b>Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - O Brother, Where Art Thou?</b></li><li><b>Assheton Gorton - Shadow of the Vampire</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2001:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Grant Major & Dan Hennah - LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring</b></li><li><b>Yoji Takeshige & Noboru Yoshida - Spirited Away</b></li><li><b>Jack Fisk & Barbara Haberecht - Mulholland Drive</b></li><li><b>Rick Carter & <b>Nancy Haigh </b></b><b>- A.I. Artificial Intelligence</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Stuart Craig & Stephenie McMillan - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</b></span></li></ol></div><div><b>2002:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Gangs of New York</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Grant Major, Dan Hennah & Alan Lee - LOTR: The Two Towers</b></span></li><li><b>Tingxiao Huo & Zhenzhou Yi - Hero</b></li><li><b>Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - Road to Perdition</b></li><li><b>Alex McDowell & Anne Kuljian - Minority Report</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2003: </b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Grant Major, Dan Hennah & Alan Lee - LOTR: The Return of the King</b></span></li><li><b>William Sandell & Robert Gould - Master and Commander</b></li><li><b>Ryu Seong-hie & Hong-sam Yang - Oldboy</b></li><li><b>Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - Big Fish</b></li><li><b>Yohei Taneda, </b><b>David Wasco, </b><b>Yoshihito Akatsuka &<span style="white-space: pre;"><b>Sandy Reynolds-Wasco</b></span></b><b> - Kill Bill: Vol. 1</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2005:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Arthur Max, </b><b>Emilio Ardura & <span style="white-space: pre;"><b>Sonja Klaus</b></span></b><b>- Kingdom of Heaven</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Grant Major,<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dan Hennah & Simon Bright - King Kong</b></span></li><li><b>Sarah Greenwood<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>& Katie Spencer - Pride & Prejudice</b></li><li><b>Chris Kennedy & Jill Eden </b><b>- The Proposition</b></li><li><b>Nathan Crowley, </b><b>Andrew Hodgson, </b><b>Paki Smith & <span style="white-space: pre;"><b>Simon Wakefield</b><br /></span></b><b>- Batman Begins<br /></b></li></ol></div><div><b>2008: </b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Jo Hwa-seong - The Good The Bad The Weird</b></li><li><b>Stephen Scott, </b><b>Elli Griff & <span style="white-space: pre;"><b>Zsuzsa Mihalek - </b></span></b><b>Hellboy 2</b></li><li><b>Mark Friedberg & Lydia Marks</b><b> - Synecdoche New York</b></li><li><b>Tim Yip - Red Cliff Part 1</b></li><li><b>Donald Graham Burt & Victor J. Zolfo - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button</b></li></ol></div><div></div><div><b>2009:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds Wasco - Inglourious Basterds</b></li><li><b>Nelson Lowry - Fantastic Mr. Fox</b></li><li><b>Henry Selick - Coraline </b></li><li><b>Maamar Ech-Cheikh & Jimena Esteve - OSS 117: Lost in Rio</b></li><li><b>Alex McDowell & Jim Erickson - Watchmen</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2010:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Shutter Island</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias & Doug Mowat - Inception</b></span></li><li><b>Jess Gonchor<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>& Nancy Haigh - True Grit</b></li><li><b>Marcus Rowland & Odetta Stoddard - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World</b></li><li><b>Stuart Craig & Stephenie McMillan - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2011:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Maria Djurkovic, </b><b>Tatiana Macdonald & Zsuzsa Mihalek - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</b></li><li><b>Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Hugo</b></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;"><b>Laurence Bennett<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>& Robert Gould - The Artist</b></span></li><li><b>Anne Seibel & Hélène Dubreuil - Midnight in Paris</b></li><li><b>Beth Mickle & Lisa K. Sessions - Drive</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2012:</b></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Hugh Bateup, </b><b>Uli Hanisch, Rebecca Alleway & </b><b>Peter Walpole - Cloud Atlas</b></li><li><b>Dennis Gassner & Anna Pinnock - Skyfall</b></li><li><b>Mark Digby, Michelle Day & Tom Olive - Dredd</b></li><li><b>Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer - Anna Karenina</b></li><li><b>Adam Stockhausen & Kris Moran - Moonrise Kingdom</b></li></ol></div></div><div><b>2013:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Ondrej Nekvasil & Beatrice Brentnerova<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Snowpiercer</b></li><li><b>Happy Massee & David Schlesinger - The Immigrant</b></li><li><b>Darren Gilford & Ronald R. Reiss - Oblivion</b></li><li><b>William Chang & </b><b>Alfred Yau - The Grandmaster</b></li><li><b>Adam Stockhausen & Alice Baker - 12 Years a Slave</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2014:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Adam Stockhausen & Anna Pinnock - The Grand Budapest Hotel</b></li><li><b>Nathan Crowley & Gary Fettis - Interstellar</b></li><li><b>David Crank & Amy Wells - Inherent Vice</b></li><li><b>Gary Williamson & Cathy Cosgrove - Paddington</b></li><li><b>Suzie Davies & Charlotte Watts - Mr. Turner</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2015:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Colin Gibson & Lisa Thompson - Mad Max: Fury Road</b></li><li><b>Mark Digby & Michelle Day - Ex Machina</b></li><li><b>Dimitri Capuani & Alessia Anfuso - Tale of Tales</b></li><li><b>Jack Fish & Hamish Purdy - The Revenant</b></li><li><b>Yôhei Taneda & Rosemary Brandenburg - The Hateful Eight</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2016:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Silence</b></li><li><b>Ryu Seong-hie - The Handmaiden</b></li><li><b>Anna Biller - The Love Witch</b></li><li><b>David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds-Wasco - La La Land</b></li><li><b>Jess Gonchor & Nancy Haigh - Hail Caesar!</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2017:</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Dennis Gassner & Alessandra Querzola - Blade Runner 2049</b></li><li><b>Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau & Jeff Melvin - The Shape of Water</b></li><li><b>Mark Tildesley & Véronique Melery<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Phantom Thread</b></li><li><b>Gary Williamson & Cathy Cosgrove - Paddington</b></li><li><b>David Scheunemann, Zsuzsa Mihalek & </b><b>Mark Rosinski - Atomic Blonde</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2018:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Fiona Crombie & Alice Felton - The Favourite</b></li><li><b>Nathan Crowley & Kathy Lucas - First Man</b></li><li><b>Martin Whist & Hamish Purdy - Bad Times At the El Royale</b></li><li><b>Jess Gonchor & Nancy Haigh - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs</b></li><li><b>Paul Harrod & </b><b>Adam Stockhausen - Isle of Dogs</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2019:<ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Lee Ha-jun & Cho Won-woo - Parasite</b></li><li><b>Craig Lathrop & Ian Grieg - The Lighthouse</b></li><li><b>Dennis Gassner & Lee Sandales - 1917</b></li><li><b>Jess Gonchor & Claire Kaufman - Little Women</b></li><li><b>Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</b></li></ol></b></div><div><b>2020: </b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Karen Murphy & Rebecca Cohen - True History of the Kelly Gang</b></li><li><b>Donald Graham Burt & Jan Pascale - Mank</b></li><li><b>Cristina Casali & Charlotte Dirickx - The Personal History of David Copperfield </b></li><li><b>Peter Francis & Cathy Featherstone - The Father</b></li><li><b>Katie Byron & Sérgio Costa - Color Out of Space</b></li></ol></div><div><b>2021:</b></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau - Nightmare Alley</b></li><li><b>Patrice Vermette & Zsuzsanna Sipos - Dune</b></li><li><b>Stefan Dechant & Nancy Haigh - The Tragedy of Macbeth</b></li><li><b>Adam Stockhausen & Rena DeAngelo - West Side Story</b></li><li><b>Jade Healy & Jenny Oman - The Green Knight<br /></b></li></ol><div><b>2022:</b></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Craig Lathrop & Niamh Coulter - The Northman</b></li><li><b>Florencia Martin & Anthony Carlino - Babylon</b></li><li><b>James Chinlund & Lee Sandales - The Batman</b></li><li><b>Ethan Tobman, Gretchen Gattuso & Andrew LemMon - The Menu</b></li><li><b>Ryu Seong-hie - Decision to Leave<br /></b></li></ol><div><b>2023:<br /></b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>James Price, Shona Heath & Zsuzsa Mihalek - Poor Things</b></li><li><b>Jack Fisk & Adam Willis - Killers of the Flower Moon</b></li><li><b>Adam Stockhausen & Kris Moran - Asteroid City</b></li><li><b>Jeong Yi-jin & Jeong In-cheol - Cobweb</b></li><li><b>Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer - Barbie</b></li></ol></div><div><b>Ken Adam, </b>2 nom <b>2 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1964: Dr. Strangelove (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1975: Barry Lyndon (WINS)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Roland Anderson, </b> 3 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1934: Cleopatra (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1935: The Crusades (Nom)</div></div><div>Best Production Design 1948: The Big Clock (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ernest Archer, </b>3 noms <b>2 wins</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey (WINS)</b><br />Best Production Design 1971: Nicholas and Alexandra (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 1978: Superman WINS)</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>John Barry, </b>2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Best Production Design 1971: A Clockwork Orange (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)</b><br /></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Mikhail Bogdanov, </b>2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part I (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part II (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>John Box, </b>2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1965: Doctor Zhivago (WINS)</b><br />Best Production Design 1971: Nicholas and Alexandra (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sam Comer, </b>4 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1948: The Big Clock (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1950: Sunset Boulevard (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 1954: Rear Window (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1958: Vertigo (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>W. Stewart Campbell, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1974: Chinatown (Nom)<br />Best Production Design 1983: The Right Stuff (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Cathy Cosgrove, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2014: Paddington (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2017: Paddington 2 (Nom)</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Stuart Craig, </b>5 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)</b></div></div><div>Best Production Design 1980:The Elephant Man (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1992: Chaplin (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2001: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2010: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>William Creber, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1968: Planet of the Apes (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Richard Day, </b>4 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1937: The Hurricane (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1948: Joan of Arc (Nom)</div></div><div>Best Production Design 1952: Hans Christian Anderson (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1965: The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Mark Digby, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2012: Dredd (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2015: Ex Machina (Nom)</div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Leslie Dilley, </b>4 noms <b>4 wins</b></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1979: Alien (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1980: The Empire Strikes Back (WINS)</b></div></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark (WINS)</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Norman Dorme, </b>3 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1975: Rocky Horror Picture Show (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1985: Legend (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b>Hans Dreier, </b>4 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1934: The Scarlet Empress (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1944: The Uninvited (Nom)</div></div></div><div>Best Production Design 1948: The Big Clock (Nom)</div><div><div>Best Production Design 1950: Sunset Boulevard (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tom Duffield, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1988: Beetlejuice (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1994: Ed Wood (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jean d'Eaubonne, </b>4 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Best Production Design 1932: The Blood of a Poet (Nom)<b> <br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1950: La Ronde (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1950: Orpheus (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1952: Le Plaisir (Nom)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Jack Fisk, </b>4 noms</div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1974: Phantom of the Paradise (Nom)<br />Best Production Design 1978: Days of Heaven (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2001: Mulholland Drive (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2023: Killers of the Flower Moon (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Dante Ferretti, </b>8 noms <b>5 wins</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1988: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (WINS)</b><br /><b>Best Production Design 1993: The Age of Innocence (WINS)</b></div></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1994: Interview With The Vampire (Nom)</div></div><div>Best Production Design 1999: Titus (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 2002: Gangs of New York (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 2010: Shutter Island (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 2011: Hugo (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 2016: Silence WINS)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Michael D. Ford, </b>4 noms <b>3 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1983: Return of the Jedi (WINS)</b></div></div><div>Best Production Design 1997: Titanic (Nom)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>Anton Furst, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1984: The Company of Wolves (Nom)<br />Best Production Design 1987: Full Metal Jacket (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Dennis Gassner, </b>6 nom <b>2 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1991: Barton Fink (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1994: The Hudsucker Proxy (WINS)</b></div></div><div>Best Production Design 2000: O Brother Where Art Thou? Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2002: Road to Perdition (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2003: Big Fish (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2012: Skyfall (Nom)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Cedric Gibbons, 7 </b>noms <b>3 wins</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1932: Freaks (Nom)</div><div><div>Best Production Design 1935: A Tale of Two Cities (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1938: Marie Antoinette (Nom)</div></div></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1944: Gaslight (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1944: Meet Me In St. Louis (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 1949: Battleground (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1952: Singin' In the Rain (WINS)</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b>Jess Gonchor, </b>3 noms</div><div><br /></div></div><div>Best Production Design 2010: True Grit (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2016: Hail Caesar! (Nom)</div></div><div>Best Production Design 2018: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Nom)</div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Stephen Goosson, </b> 2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1935: The Black Room (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 1937: Lost Horizon WINS)</b></div></div><div>Best Production Design 1938: You Can't Take It With You (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Robert Gould, </b>4 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1978: Days of Heaven (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1987: Robocop (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2003: Master and Commander (Nom)</div></div><div>Best Production Design 2011: The Artist (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sarah Greenwood, </b>3 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2005: Pride & Prejudice (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2012: Anna Karenina (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2023: Barbie (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Nancy Haigh, </b>10 noms <b>2 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1991: Barton Fink (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1994: The Hudsucker Proxy (WINS)</b></div></div><div>Best Production Design 2000: O Brother Where Art Thou? Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2001: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2002: Road to Perdition (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2003: Big Fish (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2010: True Grit (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2016: Hail Caesar! (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2018: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2021: The Tragedy of Macbeth (Nom) <br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Charles D. Hall, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1931: City Lights (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1934: The Black Cat (Nom)</div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Emil Hasler, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1931: M (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1933: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b>Dan Hennah, </b>4 noms <b> 2 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 2001: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 2002: LOTR: The Two Towers (Nom)</div></div><div><b>Best Production Design 2003: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)</b></div></div><div>Best Production Design 2005: King Kong (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>George James Hopkins, </b>3 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1954: A Star is Born (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1955: East of Eden (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1975: Day of the Locust (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Peter Howitt, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1984: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1988: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Alfred Junge</b>, 2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1947: Black Narcissus (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1952: Ivanhoe (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Georgi Koshelev , </b>2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part I (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part II (Nom)</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Harry Lange, </b>2 noms 2<b> wins</b></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1980: The Empire Strikes Back (WINS)</b></div><div><b> </b></div><div><b>Craig Lathrop, </b>2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b> </b></div><div><div><div>Best Production Design 2019: The Lightouse (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 2022: The Northman (WINS)</b></div></div><b></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Alan Lee, </b>2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2002: LOTR: The Two Towers (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 2003: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Francesca Lo Schiavo, </b>6 noms<b> 4 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1988: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (WINS)</b><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1994: Interview With The Vampire (Nom)</div></div><div><b>Best Production Design 2002: Gangs of New York (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 2010: Shutter Island (WINS)</b></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2011: Hugo (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 2016: Silence (WINS)</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fred M. MacLean, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1949: White Heat (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1965: The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Grant Major, </b>4 noms <b> 2 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 2001: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 2002: LOTR: The Two Towers (Nom)</div></div><div><b>Best Production Design 2003: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 2005: King Kong (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Jack Maxsted, </b>2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1963: Jason and the Argonauts (Nom)<br />Best Production Design 1971: Nicholas and Alexandra (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Zsuzsa Mihalek, </b>4 noms 2<b> wins</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 2008: Hellboy II (Nom)</div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 2011: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (WINS)</b></div></div><div>Best Production Design 2017: Atomic Blonde (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 2023: Poor Things (WINS)</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Alex McDowell, </b>3 noms</div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1994: The Crow (Nom)<br />Best Production Design 2002: Minority Report (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2009: Watchmen (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stephenie McMillan, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2001: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2010: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Kris Moran, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2012: Moonrise Kingdom (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2023: Asteroid City (Nom)</div></div><div><br /><b>Ray Moyer, </b>3 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Best Production Design 1950: Sunset Boulevard (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 1954: Rear Window (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1965: The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Yoshirô Muraki, </b>7 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div>Best Production Design 1957: Throne of Blood (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1958: The Hidden Fortress (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1960: The Bad Sleep Well (Nom)</div></div></div></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1961:Yojimbo (Nom)</div></div><div>Best Production Design 1963: High and Low (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1965: Red Beard (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1980: Kagemusha (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Gennady Myasnikov, </b> 2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part I (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part II (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Gil Parrondo, </b>2 noms </div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1970: Patton (Nom)<br />Best Production Design 1971: Nicholas and Alexandra (Nom)</div><div> </div><div><b>Jean Perrier, </b>2 noms</div><div> </div><div>Best Production Design 1932: Wooden Crosses (Nom)<div><div>Best Production Design 1934: Les Miserables (Nom)</div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Anna Pinnock, </b>3 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1997: The Fifth Element (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2012: Skyfall (Nom)</div></div><div><b>Best Production Design 2014: The Grand Budapest Hotel (WINS)</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Norman Reynolds, </b>4 noms <b>3 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1980: The Empire Strikes Back (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1983: Return of the Jedi (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1993: Alien 3 (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, </b>3 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Best Production Design 2003: Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 2009: Inglourious Basterds (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 2016:La La Land (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Norman Rockett, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1968: Planet of the Apes (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Herman Rosse, </b> 2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1931: Frankenstein (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1931: Dracula (Nom)</div><div> </div><div><b>Ryu Seong-hie</b>, 3 noms</div><div> <div><div>Best Production Design 2003: Oldboy (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2016: The Handmaiden (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2022: Decision to Leave (Nom) <br /></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>William Sandell, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1987: Robocop (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2003: Master and Commander (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Elliott Scott, </b>3 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1963: The Haunting (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1984: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1988: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Iosif Shpinel, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1944: Ivan the Terrible (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1958: Ivan the Terrible Part 2 (Nom)</div></div><div><br /><b>Carlo Simi, </b>3 noms</div><div><br /></div><div>Best Production Design 1966: The Good The Bad and The Ugly (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1968: Once Upon a Time in the West (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1984: Once Upon a Time in America (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Dario Simoni, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1965: Doctor Zhivago (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1965: The Agony and Ecstasy Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jack Martin Smith, </b>3 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>Best Production Design 1944: Meet Me in St. Louis (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1965: The Agony and The Ecstasy (Nom)</div></div><div>Best Production Design 1968: Planet of the Apes (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Katie Spencer,</b> 3 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2005: Pride & Prejudice (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2012: Anna Karenina (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2023: Barbie (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Adam Stockhausen, </b>7 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2012: Moonrise Kingdom (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2013: 12 Years a Slave (Nom)</div></div><div><b>Best Production Design 2014: The Grand Budapest Hotel (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 2018: Isle of Dogs (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2021: West Side Story (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2023: Asteroid City (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dean Tavoularis, </b>4 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1974: The Godfather Part II (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1974: The Conversation (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1978: The Brink's Job (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1979: Apocalypse Now (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Vladimir Uvarov, </b>2 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part I (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part II (Nom)</div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Karl Vollbrecht, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1931: M (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1933: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Nom)</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roy Walker, </b>3 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>Best Production Design 1970: Ryan's Daughter (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 1975: Barry Lyndon (WINS)</b></div></div></div><div>Best Production Design 1980: The Shining (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>David Wasco, </b>3 noms <b>1 win</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Best Production Design 2003: Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Nom)</div><div><b>Best Production Design 2009: Inglourious Basterds (WINS)</b></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2016:La La Land (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Gary Williamson, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 2014: Paddington (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 2017: Paddington 2 (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bo Welch, </b>2 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1988: Beetlejuice (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1997: Men in Black (Nom)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Carl Jules Weyl, </b>3 noms <b>2 wins</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1938: The Adventures of Robin Hood (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1942: Casablanca (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1942: Yankee Doodle Dandy (Nom)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lyle R. Wheeler, </b>4 noms</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Best Production Design 1937: The Prisoner of Zenda (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1944: Laura (Nom)</div><div>Best Production Design 1947: Nightmare Alley (Nom)</div></div><div>Best Production Design 1951: The Day the Earth Stood Still (Nom)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Edwin B. Willis, </b>4 noms <b>3 wins</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Best Production Design 1944: Gaslight (WINS)</b></div><div>Best Production Design 1944: Meet Me In St. Louis (Nom)</div></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1949: Battleground (WINS)</b></div><div><b>Best Production Design 1952: Singin' in the Rain (WINS)</b></div></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com124tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-67047027134125022962024-02-25T14:33:00.003-05:002024-03-10T19:01:19.993-04:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Results<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbqOkkXlvbpdXqOb3Jexgt2JsENtTAzMcz2nfmLmock2hmOBBXmjKCoKQDaQfebU9Y0nIZLpx_ghvyuwvktksQ-LKAFtHvAyQc2cyISshOAiRn3aMOCRn0LtERTyoAJGqW-7HaG2n1cQVJxakcO3NcOT1q1PbPHho4ufS8kLbovnyFnf2B_LoTobuQa9h/s1182/2023.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1182" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbqOkkXlvbpdXqOb3Jexgt2JsENtTAzMcz2nfmLmock2hmOBBXmjKCoKQDaQfebU9Y0nIZLpx_ghvyuwvktksQ-LKAFtHvAyQc2cyISshOAiRn3aMOCRn0LtERTyoAJGqW-7HaG2n1cQVJxakcO3NcOT1q1PbPHho4ufS8kLbovnyFnf2B_LoTobuQa9h/w443-h349/2023.png" width="443" /></a></div>10. Mads Mikkelsen in The Promised Land - Mikkelsen is ideal for the "western" lead here, playing stoic strength with ease, but then making such an impact as he reveals the hidden depths of the character. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Reunion with Anmai. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi2Da_UFY6Xu4Rnzb1X4hCgV5WgaIO_7m1Ejfyp6j2KxmsXpg8GHet12tjCf3Z5AGKCb4TfUe5dWAfHjGFE_GVXKf4D1ew0m9Y6cdTFDSjfmZge3k5e2otZOFpCXqy1ZEGTZW4GSIx6bwHD5ggopDH4NX_NC-6NsbQPgFB9pD40fvXeHpMCdhsHU3F3zN/s1108/4.5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1108" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi2Da_UFY6Xu4Rnzb1X4hCgV5WgaIO_7m1Ejfyp6j2KxmsXpg8GHet12tjCf3Z5AGKCb4TfUe5dWAfHjGFE_GVXKf4D1ew0m9Y6cdTFDSjfmZge3k5e2otZOFpCXqy1ZEGTZW4GSIx6bwHD5ggopDH4NX_NC-6NsbQPgFB9pD40fvXeHpMCdhsHU3F3zN/w263-h84/4.5.png" width="263" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">9. Michael Fassbender in The Killer - Fassbender covertly gives a hilarious portrayal of a man who believes himself to be the perfect assassin but is far from that. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Poor estimate. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqDMbjKbIV5WHV-Tf0jwXOsGr-3bT56uP6acFcWuXazuM8qUhBxjO558uJA5AcPzgP4j-Z5jsAUj1k3hg7aHeDTlvqU4L3O_Suo23i5f3bMoPvg9bPHQD8CDRHG59_gW1zgYKEQ5a4uMDVlUyU58JszVmidV_FhKKYQp2YXgVEQ0J_rlocQ4-uO_ZazR18" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="84" data-original-width="263" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqDMbjKbIV5WHV-Tf0jwXOsGr-3bT56uP6acFcWuXazuM8qUhBxjO558uJA5AcPzgP4j-Z5jsAUj1k3hg7aHeDTlvqU4L3O_Suo23i5f3bMoPvg9bPHQD8CDRHG59_gW1zgYKEQ5a4uMDVlUyU58JszVmidV_FhKKYQp2YXgVEQ0J_rlocQ4-uO_ZazR18=w271-h86" width="271" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Sōya Kurokawa in Monster - Kurokawa gives a dynamic portrait of the sides of the young boy we can't understand and slowly granting us that understanding with a real potent empathy. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Playing it away. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Charles Melton in May December - Melton seemingly is giving one performance as a man "content" in his existence and brings such a power to the crumbling away of that facade. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Roof. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Teo Yoo in Past Lives - Yoo gives a powerful though very subtle portrayal of the deep connections and romantic notions of a man who is separated by his love in more than one way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Bar.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Glenn Howerton in Blackberry - Howerton gives one of the most entertaining performances of the year by going all in portraying a business shark without a hint of shame. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Doing it all in one day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Zac Efron in The Iron Claw - Efron gives a powerful portrayal of relatively simple man bottling up his emotions until they finally pour out. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>"I used to be a brother"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers - Scott gives a heartbreaking portrayal of a man re-experiencing his grief and the complicated relationship with his parents in a most unusual way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Talk with dad. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers - Sessa gives an all time great debut, that avoids all the pitfalls of his role, while thriving in the risks he takes to give an entertaining and very moving performance. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>"I was going to say the same thing"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Kōji Yakusho in Perfect Days - Yakusho gives a perfect, often silent, performance that just embodies so much of the human experience, despite being also so very specific. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Playing with shadows. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYZB467P_h2uIJdYhyphenhyphenEnWskeUqqIkXl2qiopInMb83EVDo8KH9-GEHe6XtFNxd3yhIjQGlWBbqCQd-LVyPHdgmDrBfGaJyak6_XTZeQ9zJM9MG2iap0ZL5rOm3Dq1BPeh6E7hlR32_mKjXgbxWxcJemt2y0vnsGomepI0ASHcgZ8Lrh-YqiJklhVvF_q/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Overall:<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer</b></li><li><b>Kōji Yakusho in Perfect Days</b></li><li><b>Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers</b></li><li><b>Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers</b></li><li><b>Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers</b></li><li>Zac Efron in The Iron Claw</li><li>Glenn Howerton in Blackberry</li><li>Teo Yoo in Past Lives</li><li>Charles Melton in May December</li><li>Sōya Kurokawa in Monster - 5</li><li>Michael Fassbender in The Killer</li><li>Mads Mikkelsen in The Promised Land</li><li>Benoît Magimel in The Taste of Things</li><li>Manolo Solo in Close Your Eyes</li><li>Eita Nagayama in Monster</li><li>Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction</li><li>Jason Clarke in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial</li><li>Nicolas Cage in Dream Scenario</li><li>Joaquin Phoenix in Beau is Afraid</li><li>Peter Sarsgaard in Memory</li><li>Byung-hun Lee in Concrete Utopia</li><li>Christopher Abbott in Sanctuary</li><li>Song Kang-ho in Cobweb</li><li>Jussi Vatanen in Fallen Leaves</li><li>Joel Edgerton in Master Gardner</li><li>Tom Blyth in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes</li><li>Michael B. Jordan in Creed III - 4.5</li><li>Enzo Vogrincic in Society of The Snow </li><li>Gael Garcia Bernal in Cassandro</li><li>Alberto Ammann in Upon Entry</li><li>Anthony Hopkins in One Life</li><li>Chris Pine in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves</li><li>Franz Rogowski in Passages</li><li>Harris Dickinson in Scrapper</li><li>Barry Keoghan in Saltburn</li><li>Christian Friedel in The Zone of Interest</li><li>Michael Caine in The Great Escaper</li><li>Dave Bautista in Knock At the Cabin</li><li>Seydou Sarr in Io Capitano</li><li>Riz Ahmed in Fingernails</li><li>Alexander Skarsgård in Infinity Pool</li><li>Soma Santoki in The Boy and the Heron</li><li>Jay Baruchel in Blackberry</li><li>Deniz Celiloğlu in About Dry Grasses</li><li>Colman Domingo in Rustin </li><li>Thomas Schubert in Afire</li><li>David Jonsson in Rye Lane</li><li>Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 </li><li>Saleh Bakri in The Blue Caftan</li><li>Shameik Moore in Spider-man: Across The Spider-Verse</li><li>Tobias Menzies in You Hurt My Feelings</li><li>Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Chevalier </li><li>Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar</li><li>Paul Dano in Dumb Money</li><li>Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - 4</li><li>Taron Egerton in Tetris </li><li>Jake Lacy in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial</li><li>Johnny Flynn in One Life</li><li>Keanu Reeves in John Wick Chapter 4 </li><li>Nicolas Cantu in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem</li><li>Brady Noon in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem</li><li>Shamon Brown Jr. in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem</li><li>Micah Abbey in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem</li><li>Mamoudou Athie in Elemental</li><li>Matt Damon in Air </li><li>Michael Fassbender in Next Goal Wins</li><li>Kenneth Branagh in A Haunting in Venice</li><li>Corey Hawkins in The Last Voyage of the Demeter</li><li>Jorma Tommila in Sisu</li><li>Park Seo-joon in Concrete Utopia</li><li>Ralph Fiennes in Ratcatcher</li><li>Timothee Chalamet in Wonka</li><li>Jaime Vadell in El Conde</li><li>John Boyega in They Cloned Tyrone </li><li>Adam Driver in Ferrari - 3.5</li><li>Ryunosuke Kamiki in Godzilla Minus One</li><li>Ethan Hwang in Riceboy Sleeps</li><li>Dohyun Noel Hwang in Riceboy Sleeps</li><li>Zachary Levi in Chicken Run: Rise of the Nuggets</li><li>Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3</li><li>Joel Edgerton in The Boys in the Boat</li><li>Paul Rudd in Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania </li><li>Ezra Miller in The Flash - 3</li><li>Jason Schwartzman in Asteroid City</li><li>Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny</li><li>Vin Diesel in Fast X </li><li>Rupert Friend in The Swan - 2.5</li><li>Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Ben Aldridge in Knock At the Cabin</li><li>Michael A. Goorjian in Amerikatsi</li><li>Callum Turner in The Boys in the Boat</li><li>John David Washington in The Creator - 2</li><li>Bradley Cooper in Maestro - 1.5</li><li>Charlie Day in Fool's Paradise </li><li>Ken Jeong in Fool's Paradise - 1</li></ol><div>Next: 1945 lead, though will be on break until the Oscars. </div></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com182tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-40755660448193578922024-02-25T11:42:00.006-05:002024-02-25T11:55:44.998-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Teo Yoo in Past Lives<div style="text-align: left;">Teo Yoo did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a BAFTA, for portraying Hae Sung in Past Lives. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoSX11iOr3Ru8KRRAlMckkWWCzk5rLQV63-nmuJuL3ETffUyzHPVrAtvHvw2nF5liJgrNqBES-DSgSFOoKkhexuvwcJ0hSaPWlX3-Ct6hX4gtKW2p-xe4-O0J8H2CmnmTutTQG7fr-_uETOPd_Y8LQPyx2a468_M82Di5EEiNHqjvcC3xc2eBapGb8Uv4/s1267/Teo%20Yoo%20Past%20Lives.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1267" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoSX11iOr3Ru8KRRAlMckkWWCzk5rLQV63-nmuJuL3ETffUyzHPVrAtvHvw2nF5liJgrNqBES-DSgSFOoKkhexuvwcJ0hSaPWlX3-Ct6hX4gtKW2p-xe4-O0J8H2CmnmTutTQG7fr-_uETOPd_Y8LQPyx2a468_M82Di5EEiNHqjvcC3xc2eBapGb8Uv4/s320/Teo%20Yoo%20Past%20Lives.png" width="320" /></a></div>Past Lives tells the three phases of the relationship between Nora (Greta Lee), a Korean woman who moves to America with her parents and her old childhood crush from Korea. </div><div><br /></div><div>Teo Yoo plays first the college age Hae Sung, and it has to be said that both he and Lee are great in playing this age, technically with slight changes in appearance but more important is the vibe of their performance. There's a lack of maturity just innately in their manner in general, as they have the mix between the adult and still sort of breezy kind of childlike approach as we see the two in this phase in their lives. Their interaction here though is mainly through literally skype, and in their performances, what they give very much are performances befitting the skype call as compared to how we see them briefly in their personal lives, which again has that specific kind of untamed energy. Anyway the two link up, after their childhood pseudo romance, to talk again over the internet, where the performances beyond the age setting, which isn't something you even think about when watching the film, very much contain that specific approach in these conversations. As both performers are unnatural, in their naturalism, and by that what they do is that sort of awkwardness initially of the skype call, where there are the breaks in conversation from it, sometimes just due to lag, but more than anything this kind of way of monologuing a little bit of their lives due to the nature of it. We see that as each speaks with sincere enthusiasm towards their interests, hers art, his engineering, where both performers show the respectable give and take between their performances. They are interested in their way, but there is a certain presentation of this as well, as showing enthusiasm, not fakely, just in the skype way of making sure your emotions are seen. </div><div><br /></div><div>The skype call begins very gently as both performers speak with at first certain hesitations then more of a natural cadence slowly builds in their performances, as they each become more comfortable in sharing themselves as they go along. The key moments in this, is each speaks with interest in their lives and a calmness about them even. When each suggests a change in that, which would be one visiting the other, every time they ask "Why would I visit said country/city". Both performers again play this absolutely beautifully because they both say it as a question to be answered but also the answer. In that the delivery articulates this kind of sense of the lack of interest in separating themselves from their current existences though leaving something open in the pause. Something that we do in the suggestion when either suggests the invite with a similarly calm way that is trying to persuade them to come though again the delivery is revealing what they're saying while also hiding what they're saying. Neither is completely open in their performances, they're close to it, but they're just not quite there. The connection is there, but so is the disconnect in every one of these interactions, even as the skype awkwardness diminishes after a while, they still aren't quite directly as one. What we see is the possibility, but that possibility but also not quite being enough. And so far, I'm referring to the performances together, because they are so together in representing this state as one, even if separated in their place, and the two are as one in their moments of nostalgia, enjoying each other's company in conversation, and learning about one another, but also as one in keeping that certain barrier up. </div><div><br /></div><div>Their conversations end as neither takes the next step in terms of overtly saying they'd give up their current life for the other, and we leap 12 more years, and that is where the performances branch off fully between Lee and Yoo. Yoo we come back into, and again it is impressive is how much he is the "man" now compared to the younger man coming into his own previously. Again it is just a little less in terms of his physical manner that he creates just the sense of maturity in his movements and manner. It isn't anything showy, it is just something convincing that Yoo brings, and worth noting so does Lee, that we completely sense the change in time because we so clearly see the change in them. There is more though however to Yoo as we see him as the older man, successful enough, though living with his parents, which isn't out of the ordinary for Korea, however we do see a man very much more isolated. We see kind of a manner as he seems closed off a bit, even with his friends here, or with his parents, or even the brief glimpse we get of the man in any attempted romance. Yoo shows definitely more than a shield as we see an innate shyness in the man as part of who he is, and very much this quiet sense of isolation in Korea. Yoo doesn't present this as seething sorrow, but it is definitely something very direct and real as part of his existence. It is something he wears as he walks around and he shows absolutely a lonely man in Hae Sung. Although I wouldn't describe Yoo's performance as sad, it is hard not to feel a bit of sadness in seeing him go along as he did, as this solo man, clearly without a fundamental connection in his life. </div><div><br /></div><div>The true heart of the piece therefore comes in as he visits America to see Nora, who has now married the American Arthur (John Magaro) and seems happy enough in her success and her life as an American and New Yorker. Nonetheless she agrees to meet Hae Sung despite the two having ended on a note of that disconnection. And now the performances are great in the difference between them, despite the chemistry of their work. The chemistry which is palatable, we see particularly a fundamental shift that Yoo brings in showing that Hae Sung now doesn't have that air of loneliness anymore when he is with Nora. He's much more open and frankly there's just an innate cheer in his face as we see a man truly just unabashedly enjoying his time with her. I think what Yoo does so well is create the specific confines of this relationship and what it means for Hae Sung. As Yoo strikes probably the most ideal balance in creating the sense of love without suggesting anyone with truly any devious notions. Rather what Yoo does that is particularly fascinating is this kind of innocence in his performance that is rather beautifully performed because it really has two separate but pivotal impacts. The first being this innocence immediately disarms you from ever thinking that Hae Sung has any true ill-designs within this relationship, but also in a way shows more of the appeal for Nora to him as in a way, that never feel petulant or arrested development, is kind of the boy she once had a crush on in this way. Yoo finds this specific quality in his face that brings this special kind of manner that never feels unrealistic, but rather just naturally to the sense of the man who is this hopeless romantic, which in a way even accepts Nora's marriage as part of that. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yoo approaches each scene between them with this seeming sense of the romantic who is true to his heart, and in a way both completely open in his love for her, while also being respectful entirely with her love for her husband. A balance that perhaps shouldn't work, or at least should perhaps seem illogical, yet the way Yoo plays every moment of this, it just seems to make all the sense in the world. When for example he asks about Nora and Arthur sometimes fighting, Yoo's delivery is key because it could seem some kind of snipping at the relationship but how Yoo speaks the line is that of genuine curiosity. Curiosity that is part of the overall sense of discovery in his performance as he goes along exploring New York and America with her where Yoo brings always that quiet sense of appreciation for the time and the company as it is. We have the moments of him just appreciating the sights with her in this way and creating always this innate fascination with everything that Nora is. Yoo never overdoing this to being creepy though rather the right sense of earnestness to each interaction that creates a particularly moving portrayal of a man appreciating the woman without seeming aggressive in this way. Perhaps part of that is that obviously Nora is always speaking her mind, including noting his romantic sensibilities are what might keep him from being married, something where Yoo has this quiet sort of resignation about it, just as he also speaks about himself in not completely degrading way, but in a way of assuming himself to be just a bit less than he is. Again it's all in the exact delivery, because this could be miserable pathos tweaked one way or another, but Yoo finds just the right tone to make a natural expression of the man understanding his position in life, while accepting the challenge of it, maybe not loving that, but not hating it either. </div><div><br /></div><div>As beautifully done as the scenes of Nora and Hae Sung's "dates" are, which are as much made up in just the moments of glances and silences, which are pitch perfect in the sense of the history between the two and the sense of the "almost" within that. Neither is projecting lust, or some sense that either is going to suddenly run away with the other, but what you can't help but sense is the poignancy of the completely uncomplicated affection that does exist between them even as they must exist on their chosen path rather than the path together they very easily might've had. There is most certainly something there as they look at each other silently, but part of what is there is the knowledge that what is there cannot ever be more than that. I think the most dynamic scenes are the ending of the film where Hae Sung, Nora and Arthur go out together. It is a fascinating relationship that we see between the three of them in this situation that is something particularly special. Yoo in his delivery with Lee changes it a touch, as he speaks almost in this secret language to her, secret because Arthur really doesn't know it, and there is a kind of playfulness that Yoo brings at times as almost the old friend messing while hanging out with the new friend. It again is so deftly handled by Yoo he never seems weird in this approach but rather grants you a sense of their specific history as he does ask her why she hasn't gone to the Statue of Liberty with her husband. Yoo is so great though because even in these playful moments the sincerity of his performance is what shines through in granting a sense of needed honesty to this kind of ribbing while also reaffirming the connection he does share with Nora despite the distance of their relationship. And it is important to note the moments between Hae Sung and Arthur, albeit brief they are important. As both do have a certain awkwardness in their interactions with Yoo bringing the humbleness in his initial introduction, and then in their moment together, after a long night with Nora, Yoo and Magaro have a certain shakiness in their interactions, however still there is a special kind of sincerity as the two wish each other well regardless. They still always evoke that they are working in this strange space as they are, but as both actors present the men as trying to make the situation as ideal as possible even if definitely out of the ordinary. I particularly love the moment where Hae Sung says even they share connection, which Yoo again doesn't make it some over the top sell or even obfuscation of his intention rather genuine direct care towards the other man. The final moment between Hae Sung and Nora is almost just a silent goodbye, which is again tender, yet also complicated in the two clearly sharing much albeit in this very specific way. With their final words being acceptance of their choices and Yoo's delivery of it containing that complicated feeling of the could've been, but with this poignant contentment of someone who has also accepted things as they are. This is a truly great performance by Teo Yoo, that exists in such a subdued yet always resonate space, that crafts the journey not out of the big moments, but rather the gentle silences that denote such profound and fundamental connections. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RYcrzd9ZQvMG4kDuVB_Bsq0hyG0lDGpltWHfPH6TRUJbUjvkHA5iC4fU25WTyPnJAIEmKqyK5CCkLfgOjbolP-wUU7b6geYMCpoa3aYOERB6iYeDQbqFB4RkTSg6k5XF_yYMMOfbC41LsMNkhJ-KpIy7mpqLgo91WRutooxCwWx396AuNt-KvVPVLT27/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RYcrzd9ZQvMG4kDuVB_Bsq0hyG0lDGpltWHfPH6TRUJbUjvkHA5iC4fU25WTyPnJAIEmKqyK5CCkLfgOjbolP-wUU7b6geYMCpoa3aYOERB6iYeDQbqFB4RkTSg6k5XF_yYMMOfbC41LsMNkhJ-KpIy7mpqLgo91WRutooxCwWx396AuNt-KvVPVLT27/w404-h116/5.png" width="404" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-18419038929964054072024-02-23T21:32:00.002-05:002024-02-23T21:32:25.897-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Kōji Yakusho in Perfect Days<div style="text-align: left;">Kōji Yakusho did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning CANNES, for portraying Hirayama in Perfect Days. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkXjznvEQoQlSRNL9y7S4qLw1NvQEb4YVmMc2L5H6SzeVz8GUAegwSToX5A1ClovM09G04oQgVx7TywI28Om-kMJBYtTGN3pyYFS9ezGCspHugqt4vwMcVBcXM-2duPw8-7ppJytLUDstvTSrd8nL2H9xgY6040N3_GdhuNWCALRrBemfYoKv-s6eMfB4/s1270/Koji%20Yakusho%20Perfect%20Days.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1270" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkXjznvEQoQlSRNL9y7S4qLw1NvQEb4YVmMc2L5H6SzeVz8GUAegwSToX5A1ClovM09G04oQgVx7TywI28Om-kMJBYtTGN3pyYFS9ezGCspHugqt4vwMcVBcXM-2duPw8-7ppJytLUDstvTSrd8nL2H9xgY6040N3_GdhuNWCALRrBemfYoKv-s6eMfB4/s320/Koji%20Yakusho%20Perfect%20Days.png" width="320" /></a></div>Perfect Days follows a sanitation attendant through a week in his life. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The last time I watched a film with Kōji Yakusho in it, it was the horrifying film Cure, so quite a shift in tones as I come into his work here as the attendant of the many public bathrooms of Tokyo. A performance that seems like all performance, while also being no performance, seemingly no great importance in what it is exploring, but also massive importance. And what I mean by all this, is the majority of this performance is just seeing a man going about his day of doing a job faithfully and consistently, listening to oldies (only when driving not while working), having lunch, taking the occasional picture of light coming through trees, visiting restaurants and occasionally some plant rescue. All of this is pretty just things that people do, given intimate detail by director Wim Wenders, with a focus being the whole notion of appreciating the day of this man. Yakusho's performance is just going through this action as Hirayama, who for much of the early scenes barely says a word, and we just see him living his life in the simplest sense of that idea. So what is the performance then? Well, it is kind of everything even the whole notion of it is also being absolutely nothing in terms of noticeable performance, just being as his, and as a performance. No more, no less. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />A person just existing may seem like an easy task to one who has never seen deadly dull performances of the ilk, so one must credit the specificity of the action, the editing and Yakusho's performance that the most mundane of moments are absolutely captivating here. Yakusho as the man about his job has a monk-like dedication as we see him go about every little segment of each bathroom with clear attention to detail and this focus. The man is here to do his job, and to do it right. There's ease in his action, even when dealing with less than ideal situations, like a man kicking over his caution sign without picking it up, Yakusho's performance shows Hirayama makes no particular note of it, he just keeps working. Even the nonsensical behavior of his far less focused co-worker, Yakusho shows a man not phased much by his less than stellar performance, rather just the conviction within his own work where everything is an exact task he will go about as a true professional. There's a minor slight disbelieving glance when his coworker is on his phone when doing the job, but even so he stays true and direct. Yakusho makes something wonderful about just a man doing his job, and in this case cleaning filth, that is wonderfully admirable as showing a man who is able to do it with a considerable ease in spirit. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And perhaps we see the nature of the man most in the moments where he is not working, which big and small speak so loudly through honest poignancy realized in Yakusho's performance. Which is never cloying or forced in the idea of calm, it is just calm in a way that is mesmerizing in its way by how generous and pure it all seems. Take the first time someone ends the bathroom while he's working, which he quickly steps out for the minutes he needs to before proceeding again. Yakusho's performance as the man waiting isn't that of a man being impatient or annoyed by the moment; rather, you see him instead look up and take a moment in. And Yakusho's entirely wonderful in the way he makes this so genuine in the way Hirayama enjoys the little moments in life even as a quick respite between working, he still finds something worthwhile by just taking in the life around him. When we see him in lunch break, again we see the man just enjoying what he can, breathing in nature, taking in the sights he can see, and just finding the beauty of living in a way that feels so naturally earned through the delicate ease of Yakusho's performance. Although much of his reactions are specific, never do they feel as such as we just see him being him in a way that is entirely true to just being. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />When not working we see the man go about his day in a similar way that is built on routines, though this isn't about doldrums, rather it is about appreciation of these moments in fact. Take particularly when we see his hobby of saving interesting plants by picking them up and then planting them in his home garden. Yakusho makes the big statements so often not by saying anything at all, but also by his expression being equally quiet. He's not making big mime gestures, rather he's granting insight in such an easy way of a man who is very calm even in his expressiveness. But in this making the expressions he does have such a power to them, such as the generous pride we see in the slight smile as he goes about tending his garden clearly with a sense of love for this hobby. And there is the almost indescribable brilliance at times, of just little things he does, moving his fan from him to another, glancing at a rainstorm, enjoying his bath, getting a quick bit of excitement from a reaction to a baseball game all shouldn't exactly be captivating but they are. And again it isn't by Yakusho forcing us to enjoy his company, it just seems impossible to not enjoy it. What his performance is generous in spirit, in the way of inviting us in, though inviting us in the kind of purest empathy of showing a human trying just to be human. But always key to this, is basically showing that this is something worthwhile even in its seeming simplicity. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />After the first day what we examine between the routine mostly are what are the changes that he undergoes. Some changes are pretty minor, like a sincere bit of fun with playing a quick game of ongoing tic tac toe with an unknown user of the bathroom, but some are more substantial like when Hirayama ends up getting pulled into his coworkers fairly weak attempt to try woo a woman. And we get some great comedy as Hirayama's routine is disrupted by this and he's literally stuffed into the back of his own car as the younger pair pilot his car and his radio. As much as it is a sillier setup Yakusho's marvelous in the same way, but a new way. Same way in that this just the character so naturally, so remarkably, but what's new is what we see more of the man as he engages within the situation. He's funny as he makes sure they don't break his tapes as they use them, as well as just his general expression of quietly observing the situation, being awkward in a certain sense, while trying to be as natural as he can. Yakusho just being a joy to watch explore the scene, because we too are exploring with him in this interaction, and he's completely lovely in also bringing this ease of warmth when he admires the young woman's appreciation for his taste in music or even more so his extremely endearing head-shaking in just reflecting on this interaction. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The button on that scene is the young woman bringing back one of the tapes she borrowed to hear it one more time, and Yakusho articulating the right sort of sense of connection and disconnection at the same time. Awkward but with understanding and like most scenes just watch what Yakusho is doing and there's so much life in there. Yakusho suggests life experience even when not saying it as the young woman ponders her own experiences and anguish it seems, with Yakusho being calm in his care and understanding. With the unexpected kiss on the cheek though being a tremendous scene by the perfectly acted moment by Yakusho of the genuine surprise of the older man who can take it as anything but something to be appreciated and a bit taken aback by. But tis the philosophy of this man it would seem who just is taking all as it is, and as much as he's a hard working man it seems life, even frequently alone, is east through the sense of appreciation for it that fills the scenes. Yakusho's performance is one of amplification in silence so often, that it is about as remarkable as it comes in the way he articulates the way of the man. Whether it be reading a book with interest, or just taking a moment to appreciate a live performance of a bar owner, with the deepest care that has such a tremendous power in his reaction because it speaks so strongly to the philosophy of the man. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Of course who this man was before this point in his life, well we finally figured some of that out when his niece unexpectedly turns up on his doorstep after running away from home. Yakusho is outstanding in seeing here because he again couldn't be more genuine in granting an immediate sense of history as he looks in confusion at first but then slowly this loving realization of his family along with the years that have gone by in his delivery of her name. We now see the break in the routine and Yakusho is fantastic in being different, though still so natural, in showing the man with a bit more required self-awareness as he now knows he's being watched by his niece. Yakusho now does things with a bit more of a rush at times, a bit more of a show as he attempts to in a way now do his routine while presenting his routine to his niece. It isn't this painstaking difference, but subtle in Yakusho's performance that shows a break in his equilibrium. Not an unpleasant break mind you, but a break from it. Even though he has a moment where he's a bit more self-aware in the way he goes about his apartment now, we also see the poignant warmth as he goes about sharing his experience with his niece. Bringing the sense of an innate love even when needing to fumble about a bit such as ask what shop "spotify" is, bringing the natural humor of the man of his generation with an elegant purity to Hirayama absolutely just being who he is as he is. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We have such moments of tender beauty, such as when Hirayama shows off his old camera with that certain easy pride of a man who just loves to do things his way, while also being taken aback as she shows off a gift he once gave her to which he has no memory but attempts to put on the grace of an uncle about it. With their being the most pleasant of suggestions of this relationship as you see the connection of long ago, even as again she kind of questions his state, such as his tree picture taking and there is again something so special in the sincerity of Yakusho's smile at the very idea of the question. Yakusho's performance expresses itself in new ways even as consistent in his ways, as we see the man with specific familial connection, and it is fascinating. As despite the man always being alone, you never sense him being truly lonely, but what Yakusho presents in these scenes is that while the man isn't desperate for the connection the appreciation for such a connection isn't something he'd ever hide. With Yakusho so honestly creating the years of separation in the emphasis on the certain discovery, but so much the real love in the brightness of his smile every time she indicates she always wanted to see him again, even if he might not be able to fully decipher the reason immediately. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">We have probably one of the longest talking scenes up till this point in the film as Hirayama briefly comments on the relationship between himself and his sister. Yakusho is truly amazing in this scene as we get Hirayama's simple yet profound statements in the nature of there being different worlds for different people to explore, and he and his sister are in two different worlds in that respect. It isn't with heartache Yakusho speaks the words, nor pompous disregard, rather a concise understanding of where this man finds his happiness in his life. The next moment is even more tremendous of a moment, as modest as Yakusho's delivery is, as the niece asks about the next time they'll meet and Hirayama simply says "next time is next time" "today is today". Yakusho speaks with the utmost conviction albeit also so gently in his way, and really with such a sense of jubilation that it is hard not to be inspired to take his the idea he's projecting to heart. As you see in his voice, in his eyes, and his whole demeanor that this is fundamental to the man, and his belief in life, which we have seen throughout the film up until this point, we just didn't realize it. His scene with his sister perhaps speaks even more to the man, as she comes to pick up her daughter from him. It's an extraordinary scene because both actors immediately, you know these two are siblings, not the closest, but you do sense the ease of siblings, even as they exist in "different worlds" as he describes it. And you do see the different worlds, just as you see the history, as he smiles with such a brotherly smile as she brings him his favorite chocolate as a thank you, but you do see the separate world as she asks if he's really cleaning toilets with a bit of judgment, to where we see in Yakusho a man without a shame a man who is who he is and will be that. But in their final embrace, no more words, but the connection is fundamental, is truly deeply felt, and you do see understanding even if still separation. With one of the most emotional moments from Yakusho words, which speaks volumes from his reserve, as we do see a bit of sorrow as he breaks down briefly, where even in acceptance in his relationship Yakusho naturally reveals, acceptance doesn't mean sadness can't exist within that. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We continue another the break in the routine, in what perhaps speaks most strongly about the idea of appreciating the little things, can sometimes not even be enough, when you are overworked to the bone and not allowed to appreciate them. As Yakusho's co-worker quits with little notice leaving the man to do the most evil of punishments...the regrettable double shift. And within this sequence we see that his equilibrium being broken, by being asked to do more than he should in all rights have to do, shows the man still working diligently, but now instead of a profession he's truly just doing his job as an overworked job. He's moving around just to do things, just going from place to place, there's no calm, there's no focus in the job, but most of all we see that he can't take those seconds to appreciate life because he only has more and more work to do. Yakusho shows perhaps so simply this pain in this by showing us the natural joy the man finds in life being lost, and replaced with annoyed frustration at this state. Leaving his exasperated delivery of needing his bosses to find someone, as the man truly having enough when far too much is being asked of him. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">True to form, when he gets a new coworker the next day, peace can be found, and honestly it's hard not to feel the same immense relief that Hirayama feels. We have the final break that occurs by accident, as he stumbles into a bar at the wrong time, to find the owner and a man embracing, causing Hirayama to run off. Great acting by Yakusho in just completely embodying many of what many have also had, which is the "ooh didn't mean to step into a personal moment, I will try to erase myself from existence as quickly as possible". That's not the break actually, rather the break is when the man (Tomokazu Miura), misinterpreting Hirayama's quick exit, tracks down Hirayama to try to explain the situation, as the man thought Hirayama might've had some closer relationship with the bar owner, which he did not. What follows is just an extraordinary scene, and one of the very best of 2023. Yakusho begins in just being taken aback a little confused by the sudden appearance but welcoming enough as he can be, as the man asks for cigarette off of him, before inquiring more, where Yakusho grants Hirayama just the perfect look of a man who just is trying not to focus too much on his accidental embarrassment. The man reveals himself to be her ex-husband, which you see the tension of trying to be a distant stay in Yakusho, until the man reveals that he is dying of cancer. Yakusho gives one of the most beautiful portrayals of human empathy as his face falls in hearing this news, losing the awkwardness and switching to trying to now immediately find some kind of connection as he offers the man a beer and a bit of friendship. Yakusho being so wonderful in the way he just listens to the man, even if he has to gently explain he's not in any relationship with his ex wife, and exudes just the utmost generous warmth in his endearing smile towards the man. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">A smile that comes as the man ponders if shadows get darker when on top of each other, to which Yakusho invites the man over to check, and well Yakusho portrays it as though Hirayama has become a boy who found a friend to play with on a playground. Bringing this perfect combination of the weight of what he just heard but this energy of a man trying to bring a bit of happiness to another in such a desperate time. When both men start trying to jump on each other's shadows, the chemistry and the connection couldn't feel more honest or natural, and couldn't be more heartwarming. As both actors are just kids again in the moment, and in that you see the men be able to share in a simple joy of life, if for a minute, but what an essential minute that is. Yakusho's performance here is masterful in a way that you don't often see, but when you do it is a treasure to behold. As it is completely effortless, never do you feel performance or look at performance. It isn't a performance about accents or the most extreme moments of human condition. It is a performance about the human condition, capturing in a way few performances do, by making every little gesture, every reaction and every interaction something special and a pleasure to behold in itself. And this review simply wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention his final scene, of Hirayama starting his week again by driving to his job early in the morning while listening to his music and seemingly taking a moment for reflection on what it means to be human. Yakusho's expression of Hirayama in this moment in a way seems to express it all, as there is the bitter with the sweet, joy with the sorrow, intense happiness, with tragedy as Yakusho seems to go through almost every emotion between that gap of sadness and jubilation. With such a fundamental ease in his performance that it is just particularly stunning bit of acting, particularly at the very end where he in the same expression you see tremendous joy with tremendous sadness, which doesn't feel contrived, doesn't feel forced, rather it feels just like the truth of what any one of us can experience, expressed with the utmost perfection from a performer. Perfection because never does it feel like acting, it just is, is in a way that is this whole performance, that can bring every one of us into a singular life of an elderly Japanese man cleaning toilets and not make it remotely foreign but rather profoundly universal. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MyrzhB6UWOSlwR7MMP0ymCFOwJkxXTpCS6unB7gnS53P3QIn8V0FMFkD8ST3OGxBnVszW6MZkERZLtmNTq58SBj5TYgTXHyqcPyNdCuYW91g7f6nWhiJmBaP86GDDFB3rtq9I8tvioxTsCc-x0l6MxEVJfJYjZa87mjxtyMNyPiToR7Q8ZNiPe4hvsfm/s1228/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MyrzhB6UWOSlwR7MMP0ymCFOwJkxXTpCS6unB7gnS53P3QIn8V0FMFkD8ST3OGxBnVszW6MZkERZLtmNTq58SBj5TYgTXHyqcPyNdCuYW91g7f6nWhiJmBaP86GDDFB3rtq9I8tvioxTsCc-x0l6MxEVJfJYjZa87mjxtyMNyPiToR7Q8ZNiPe4hvsfm/w394-h113/5.png" width="394" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-60115575843985560612024-02-20T20:48:00.003-05:002024-02-20T21:00:58.940-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Glenn Howerton in Blackberry<div style="text-align: left;">Glenn Howerton did not receive an Oscar nomination because the Academy is IDIOT SAVAGES, despite being nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and a few critic's awards, for portraying Jim Balsillie in Blackberry.<br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCB4jaIDzpcSSz88Y0qc-Wu5EkMpTmjP0qlTzzWLQ5kKGd8GVjh9h2VAOjR6J9Z5PRs3_-XxKXfTvBCt7zm00eC6MeARpBieivsmgfPOo6Ms-lLzEgsZQ1dCXIv2-FzTvv-A8sSNkR5eZ3CLCPlfszJS1muUfSLe1qFUK7xo0vphTga_VipQG9B1-OZ4F/s1900/Glenn%20Howerton%20Blackberry.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1900" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCB4jaIDzpcSSz88Y0qc-Wu5EkMpTmjP0qlTzzWLQ5kKGd8GVjh9h2VAOjR6J9Z5PRs3_-XxKXfTvBCt7zm00eC6MeARpBieivsmgfPOo6Ms-lLzEgsZQ1dCXIv2-FzTvv-A8sSNkR5eZ3CLCPlfszJS1muUfSLe1qFUK7xo0vphTga_VipQG9B1-OZ4F/s320/Glenn%20Howerton%20Blackberry.png" width="320" /></a></div>Blackberry depicts the rise and fall of the company that invented the first smartphone. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">It is with much pleasure that I can finally review Glenn Howerton for a performance, as I have always been a champion of his all time great comedic work on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, so to see him find a decent role, and then excel at it feels like vindication. And excel he does as the CEO of the company invited on hesitantly by the more tech minded Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) to run the company on the business side of things. Howerton of course has a powerful golden god-esque presence to begin with but importantly what he is doing here is crafting a particular character here that is making use of his talents we know him for but directed in the right way to become this guy. This guy that Howerton sets up as specifically a shark in the business world whose methods are that of basically personal force more than anything and his ability to try to guess the worst intentions of others, since he himself often would pick those intentions. Howerton in the early scenes portraying Balsillie as the man with the aggressively specific intention and his eyes are that of a predator looking for some sort of opportunity for gain, watching for it, in order for him to be able to strike. His performance works particularly effectively as contrast to the meek Baruchel and Mike's goofy second Doug (Matt Johnson), where Howerton presents everything as man whose mind is for success without caring who he has to figuratively murder for them to advance. A man who unlike them isn't lost in anything other than making sure he can make it unquestionably to the top. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I think something important that Howerton does is that he basically utilizes what he is known for to enliven the work but doesn't allow it to pigeonhole the performance into the wrong kind of genre of performance. Howerton as a comedic performer often is the one making things funny merely by the nature of his performance and his very specific line delivery and intensity of his performance. That is here, and this is a very entertaining performance as he is the colossal ball buster and vicious businessman who seems like a tornado through the sloppy world of Mike's nerd infested company. Howerton's a hoot every second he comes in and so directly cuts through every scene with the man demanding action from them without hesitation or reservation in regards to how they might feel about it. He's fun to watch, but he also does two important things to really keep it from just becoming a one note caricature rather than an extreme character. One is that Howerton's intensity is with specific intention towards showing the way the man's intensity is always attached to making things happen and for success. He's a man who is pretty heightened all the time, but he's not always at 11. Howerton goes to 11 at the right moments where you see it basically as the man's arsenal to launch his attacks in order to either get his company to actual work for him, or to try to come basically to present arms with like minded business centric men who he knows how to battle and in what ways. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">The other is that Howerton is not always that specific intensity that is outward, though he presents Balsillie as always a pretty intense guy, he balances it with moments that does give the right hints to the character as a man even if it isn't something he wants to show frequently. When for example early on he goes to the bank to find his investment was immediately used for debt, Howerton shows a disbelief as the man can be lost. Or later when he admits to having lost his job before joining their company and having mortgaged his house to support this endeavor. Howerton brings just a hint of vulnerability fitting a man who has no desire to show it whatsoever, but it is there as cut-throat as he can be. Howerton makes the most though in balancing it to grant nuance to his performance. Which also is in even the business side of the character where Howerton is great in showing the different methods of the man which are not singular to his more aggressive style which we specifically see when either motivating or in direct conflict with someone. As we see when he first pitches the phone, Howerton brings a more persuasive force where he accentuates all the positives and presents a more open quality as the man trying to sway the people to his sale. Or when we see him play against a more powerful shark in the CEO of Palmpilot, Howerton brings it in to play the seeming submissive as eloquently as the shark, in bringing the sense of subterfuge as just a natural part of his arsenal.<br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Howerton very much carries the film as we follow the Blackberry in its success streak, though seemingly battling one crisis after another, including an attempted hostile takeover, where Balsillie will build up no matter what even when the tech may not be able to handle it. Howerton brings an appropriate for a Safdie film type of locked-in conviction of his performance to go from one problem to another to keep selling everything. Where Howerton is the pressure cooker performance and is captivating every second of it. Part of this is including his anger, which let's be honest here Howerton plays anger perhaps better than almost anyone if he is able to do it in a way that is hilarious while also being completely convincing in its viciousness. Which is entirely ideal here as he brings such a perfect kind of shamelessness consistently as Balsillie does whatever he can to try to keep Blackberry on top. Which we naturally get great moments of him going about his negotiations where Howerton's expression is always just focused on the goal not on anything else, as he speaks to offering millions of dollars to get the right engineers, he speaks just whatever it takes, including illegal stock offers, which Howerton presents as just another weapon for him to use no more than no less. Meanwhile bringing only the most direct wraith on his own staff when anything goes wrong, and Howerton is hilarious yet also convincing in just presenting it as the innate nature of the man whenever anything is less than perfect. Although I love just the bits of balance, such as when the engineers do present him with a great idea, the jubilation in his voice is just as sincere, if entirely related to clearly the money he is about to make. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The last act, which I would say is the weakest act of the film, where the company is scrambling to deal with the Iphone, and I say that in that I think there just needed to be a little more of just minor respite to indicate their top of the world status, if even just for one complete scene. I just think this would've helped tee up just a little more of them becoming potentially somewhat overly comfortable in their position to get blindsided as they do, as we jump into Balsillie as he seems more concerned with buying, and secretly moving a hockey team rather than dealing with the company. Howerton regardless though is still great in the scenes of him maneuvering this deal as basically just another target with just this nonchalant and shameless brandishing of his power now. Still just a mesmerizing performance in itself, as we see Balsillie's last day presented essentially as he attempts to figure out how the Iphone is going to work with so much data use, while trying to close the deal on his hockey team and avoiding the investigation into his illegal stock sales. Howerton naturally goes one step beyond the 11 to bring all of it into this final sequence of just the man going as far as he can all at once, and again he is simply fun to watch nearly lose it in this section. Primarily when we see the NHL denies his purchase deal for having boasted about his plans to move it, where Howerton naturally brings Balsillie a bit lost for words in seeing his lack of shame coming to bite him before backpedalling towards his usual choice of intense anger. I will say this is the one time where I perhaps saw more Dennis than Balsillie, as he delivers the ridiculous line at the NHL which is that he is "From Waterloo where the Vampires hang out" as some kind of warning but I'll let him have it. As one he has to sell an absurd line, so perhaps going all in in this way into his "training" for selling insane lines is the way to go, and two he manages to make it work just by going for it as he does. What I like though is that after this we finally see the man lose steam which Howerton portrays as the collapse of the man's confidence as he first hears the plan to make the Iphone work as crushing and then finds out that Mike is giving him up to the FTC. Howerton plays it as basically this state of exhaustion with a hint of almost this kind of admiring surprise as he sees Mike finally assuming the role of the shark, that he had always played, and portrays the accepting disbelief of Balsillie in the moment beautifully. Balsillie is finally a man lost for words, and Howerton earns that by creating this final depletion of that fire that energized him, and perhaps he exhausted in his hockey purchase failure. And I won't lie this whole performance I got a kick out of, one it was proof of something I already knew, however proof in the form of a consistently captivating, entertaining and altogether compelling portrait of drive for success regardless of cost, a performance that remembers the essential traits of a great performance:</div><div style="text-align: left;">Demonstrate character in every action. <br />Elevate the dialogue. <br />Nuance should be utilized appropriately.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Navigate tone. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Invigorate the audience.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Service the material. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Gm5tnG_l0rnOO4Lz6JI91Jix5Fr01-L-bDeQavPEQHDGZJF9qimNsynCknrRPvSdftNXbnc2BNxqQXZGtTAn-bdmJBvRlzXq-8e_32F1XMtpcKLHiXujzBvJYYZS-tF-szDXx3EaL8k1RwsC3uNFtt-9uzcujQww4PyX3aIfTsGGJWbysIdnL-j0YUtE/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Gm5tnG_l0rnOO4Lz6JI91Jix5Fr01-L-bDeQavPEQHDGZJF9qimNsynCknrRPvSdftNXbnc2BNxqQXZGtTAn-bdmJBvRlzXq-8e_32F1XMtpcKLHiXujzBvJYYZS-tF-szDXx3EaL8k1RwsC3uNFtt-9uzcujQww4PyX3aIfTsGGJWbysIdnL-j0YUtE/w400-h115/5.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(For the Five Star Man) <br /></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-33558654354825670692024-02-19T20:54:00.000-05:002024-02-19T20:54:36.368-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Charles Melton in May December<div style="text-align: left;">Charles Melton did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning several critic's awards, for portraying Joe Yoo in May December. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ekPl5Dfy541VZN45XFQNk-CGi8vf-IHTvA6U2JM8hRj9zAdv3QcnFMy2ymEz-5oRGOMXXnR-UAc4q5UPXRnTz-YdG2EGRkIglY3-Qww2psrx4PvzKEy-JyxAMkn70-swf7v6Ygu9mq0_MaFK6mQoDzqSAG6ZIbWYY3oKrCl2fU6H6xrk7taUl31G8BDo/s1828/Charles%20Melton%20May%20December.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1828" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ekPl5Dfy541VZN45XFQNk-CGi8vf-IHTvA6U2JM8hRj9zAdv3QcnFMy2ymEz-5oRGOMXXnR-UAc4q5UPXRnTz-YdG2EGRkIglY3-Qww2psrx4PvzKEy-JyxAMkn70-swf7v6Ygu9mq0_MaFK6mQoDzqSAG6ZIbWYY3oKrCl2fU6H6xrk7taUl31G8BDo/s320/Charles%20Melton%20May%20December.png" width="320" /></a></div>May December follows an actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) as preps for a role by meeting and investigating a woman Gracie (Julianne Moore) who had a sexually inappropriate relationship with an underage child, and later married him. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Charles Melton previously is an actor I didn't really notice much in the few things I had seen him in, in fact didn't notice he was in them other than Poker Face, where he played a fine though not standout killer of the week. So hearing about his standout work in this film I was very much interested to see what exactly he had in him, in the role of the now aged former victim of sexual abuse, though married to his predator. And I'll admit watching it the first time I was still wondering in the early scenes of the film, where despite getting a bit more focus camerwise found Melton just kind of there in his early scenes where Elizabeth comes to visit and tries to get to know him and Gracie. Melton's performance frankly seems a bit bland as he goes about this seemingly doting around his wife as we see him. Always there for her to lie on and just laughs off a box of sent over crap, literally, as though it is standard procedure. Melton's performance doesn't seem to have much to it in these early scenes as he presents just a man just kind of doing whatever his wife wants and being the image of a potential "ideal" of someone who is doing whatever he can to support his wife. There is no complication in that rather he seems to be existing in this state of a kind of created being, with a certain malaise underlying it all. As he speaks just in a subdued if not also unremarkable way, just being kind of well "there". Which might sound like I am currently tearing this performance a new one in my description of it all so far, but trust me I'm not. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Rather, Melton's performance is creating the image for the outside of the man who seems to be compliant in his own former abuse by the way he just seems to be existing so calmly in this state. Although Melton's performance would seem bland, what it is doing is actually setting up for the shift. As his line deliveries are almost like afterthoughts of the man just barely putting himself into conversations between Gracie and Elizabeth. His manner is always different, he is always just there seeming to wait to be supported, and seemingly just alright with everything that is going on. It might seem boring in fact, but what Melton is doing is setting much up with this performance. By being a man of no importance it would seem, just going about his life as this near drone under the sway of Gracie. Although there are moments where Melton speaks just a little more in his performance, which seems to speak much more. When for example Gracie is less open to some of Elizabeth's questions, Melton's face denotes a quiet anxiety as well. When Elizabeth tries to ask him a few more questions early on, Melton's low key great though by actually playing it so stiff. In that what Melton's doing as he's speaking his lines with this kind of just functioning statements, and when pressed to analyze anything about himself such as the fact that he has college age kids at such a young age, Melton's little break and sudden hesitations gives the hint of that all is far from right with Joe, despite how he may seem much of the time. Perhaps the most staggering scene in this stage of his performance is the one with his father where their interaction couldn't be more distant, however outside of the watchful eye of Gracie, you see Melton's performance just slightly but profoundly to suggest a real sorrow, however a sorrow perhaps Joe doesn't entirely understand. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Although all this would be maybe looking too much into this if there was a very exact and brilliant gradual change in Melton's performance as Joe the more Elizabeth interacts with him and the more she causes, if only for selfish reasons on her part, to think more about his past. When for example she asks about his habit of saving butterflies, Melton is great in the way we see the malaise partially remove itself from him as he lets out excitement about his quiet passion. Just a little bit and Melton's so good because he almost seems to be struggling against a kind of conditioning in every moment of the conversation. He's kind of showing himself but not fully. And we have more of this when Elizabeth asks him more for his side of the story where Melton is great in his run down of Joe's version of the events, which is an incredible mix in his performance between conditioning and seeming truth which he differentiates in his performance. When telling it as though he is somehow the one who wanted to be preyed on by a much older woman, Melton recites the lines as though very much Joe reciting his lines where each point seems so specifically said with this overdone calm and consideration for selling the perspective that has been brainwashed into him. Again when Joe talks a little more about his own family, having lost his mom and dealt with his distant father and his own problems with girls that were his own age. The emotion as he drifts to these lines suddenly feels real and more importantly suddenly feels very raw and powerful as he speaks these words as filled with so much more anxiety and more importantly truth. We see in the same scene from Melton the man who he truly is in what has happened to him and the man who has been "crafted' by Gracie. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />We see the contrast between Joe and Gracie, when she has a mental breakdown, and Melton portrays this sad sort of reduction of himself to be her "rescuer" every time and is a most frozen in arrested development. This is against when we see him with his adult children, where Melton portrays the "dad" at moments where you again see a break in his behavior. His interactions with them are more natural than with Gracie and you see the moment of seeming attempts at real happiness albeit broken in their way still. Something that comes out more when he talks to his son on the roof of his house and they both get high. Melton is great in the scene because in the moment, he shows the man unencumbered by any of the forced expectations put on him by Gracie. Melton's breakdown reveals more than just a guy not knowing how to deal with the drugs, rather a man seeing his emotions more directly for once. His delivery is so powerful because it is a man so sloppily coming out with any sense of self and trying to explain himself to his son. Melton brings such a seething desperation in the moment of just showing how truly broken the man is in the moment, and struggling to try to fully connect with his son beyond the confines of the mental prison Gracie has put him in. Melton shows the mess within the man's mind when he begins to face it, though what we see as the film progresses is the man coming more and more to terms with his mental anguish. Melton's performance basically shedding off that state we originally saw him in through the first act of the film, and we see the shifting in the man as he seems to be finally doing any reflection whatsoever on what was done to him at a young age. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Part of this comes in when Elizabeth purposefully seduces him, seemingly just for her own research for her role and little else, where Melton's performance is great in the aftereffect of it because you see his reaction closer to like a teenage boy in the moment. You see suddenly shame reflect on his face and anxiety as you see him thinking about Gracie, though not as sadness but rather as an internalized fear. Melton though articulates so much pent up hesitation and frustration that speaks to a history of repression. When Elizabeth dismisses his whole life as "a story", Melton's performance is very effective in showing just how broken Joe is as he brings such a natural, unnatural quality, and by that we get this sense of adult like betrayal in his anger towards Elizabeth's blitheness, while also showing the sheer mess as he falls into this petulant childlike delivery of any line speaking towards thinking that Elizabeth cared for him. And with this Melton shows the man who doesn't want his emotions played with but also the boy whose whole idea of romance, attraction and sexual behavior is completely broken by what was done to him as a child. He's equally fantastic in the following scene with Gracie, where you see the man no longer in the sunken state but yes in the submissive state as he tries to talk to Gracie. Where he and Moore don't have chemistry of a romantic pair, rather you see consistently this state of manipulation. Starting with this meek way of trying to get beyond her control in her way and genuinely asking if he was too young to make the decisions she claims he made to pursue the relationship. Melton is heartbreaking because you sense the years of anxiety but also mental grooming he is struggling through as he shows deep down it is just a man looking for answers for this life of his, which Gracie treats only as an infraction. Melton is very moving then in his final scenes in the film where we see him with his daughter before graduation and you have the hint of a more complete man in the honest way he presents his love to his daughter. In the moment Melton shows the one part of Joe that isn't controlled or broken in any way and that's the love for his kids. With his final reaction to seeing his kids graduate high school being incredible work that offers an end to his character without words. As you see that love in his eyes, the man is moved as a man should be to see his kid, but this slowly becomes mixed in with all the trauma the man has gone through and is finally truly feeling as he breaks down in the moment so painfully though poignantly as you do see the joy of children with the suffering of his plight. This is great work by Charles Melton because what he does is present you with the surface idea, which he slowly cracks at then reveals the truth in his powerful portrait of man finally realizing his life is a lie. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFC81DPGIJEu6oo0IeW1qFenSS166osj_H6W8l2UY9ucRqa8kUTst_xGV-BMSpWrpQWT_c_s3k-evUn6f2AItkQtFxhet16gnoVkjUiSskTI3H6xvJDYDp8mWSD2t6xnLMq2Gq9qntI7fwE7cK8w4WEgtTwZS9PZt1TpgqPWstwhpJ3xpDGF6revF1Nbf1/s1228/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFC81DPGIJEu6oo0IeW1qFenSS166osj_H6W8l2UY9ucRqa8kUTst_xGV-BMSpWrpQWT_c_s3k-evUn6f2AItkQtFxhet16gnoVkjUiSskTI3H6xvJDYDp8mWSD2t6xnLMq2Gq9qntI7fwE7cK8w4WEgtTwZS9PZt1TpgqPWstwhpJ3xpDGF6revF1Nbf1/w364-h104/5.png" width="364" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-90811608747720298962024-02-18T20:23:00.004-05:002024-02-18T20:25:34.821-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Michael Fassbender in The Killer<div style="text-align: left;">Michael Fassbender did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying the titular character of The Killer. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn9WQCeg6iSN-Mq7-DardlilHiOyK_2XaCxRtunWPnWEiI7EDAfY9SuORcPnRN1QcGD0xH-B-WVM8PQdzGrY9P4lNEPDFp-YuPjyH1Xfn0fuIIDIz8fiwgrVpLMm1v6MVKpvQ7-uZD3LGGwoNEu7u-I0Bqy_DHcqQXPtdJ0_2PaHObGeg-woCRbVmS9wc/s1558/Michael%20Fassbender%20The%20Killer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1558" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn9WQCeg6iSN-Mq7-DardlilHiOyK_2XaCxRtunWPnWEiI7EDAfY9SuORcPnRN1QcGD0xH-B-WVM8PQdzGrY9P4lNEPDFp-YuPjyH1Xfn0fuIIDIz8fiwgrVpLMm1v6MVKpvQ7-uZD3LGGwoNEu7u-I0Bqy_DHcqQXPtdJ0_2PaHObGeg-woCRbVmS9wc/s320/Michael%20Fassbender%20The%20Killer.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Killer follows the exploits of, well the killer, who seeks revenge after retribution for a botched job.</div><div><br /></div><div>Writing a review for Michael Fassbender as the Killer takes time, persistence and a Netflix subscription...or perhaps a borrowed subscription if one pays it back with an HBO MAX subscription. I have already written the requisite of Fassbender's lack of a nomination and brief synopsis, perhaps should be known already, but one does have to stick to their plan, not improvise, well except the review itself is written as I'm writing but regardless, as I review this, I must remember my review of Bradley Cooper's Oscar nomination this year and remember that empathy is weakness. I need to stick to my plan and write this review, but I keep narrating to myself instead which can really get in your way. I haven't had my required protein for the day, perhaps I should follow the Killer's advice and get a McDonald's breakfast sandwich, however the additional ingredients of dirt from the employees poor hygiene and extra ounces of grease tend to cause a miserable pain to my digestive system. Although perhaps the killer's less than stellar taste in fast food choices speaks to my realization against the common idea that "Films about hitmen are cool" it's not Jean Pierre-Melville but it should be. But it's the language of The Killer though in fact is being subverted by the language of the Killer. As I've noticed some have believed the film engages in the nihilism that Fassbender's killer espouses, so I have to ask "Based on what exactly". It is true as I'm doing now we hear the Killer's thoughts spoken in a calm if not even dulcet tone by Michael Fassbender, who seems like someone who will play the cool killer, who is the expert at all things, but the one thing you need to remember about the Killer is "HE...IS...FULL...OF...SHIT" Shit, gave away the main point of my review too early, best just press on. </div><div><br /></div><div>After all I need to remind any reader that the first person the killer quotes is Popeye the sailor man, not known to be the greatest philosophers, personally I prefer Bluto, who has been known to be so mean that he beat himself up, although that was only in the infamous Robert Altman film and may not in fact hold up to scrutiny. Much as the hitman's own philosophizing which includes another quote where Fassbender stares blankly and a "duhhhh" coming out of his mouth wouldn't exactly be out of place on his vacant face as he fails to properly cite his source much like a Wikipedia article written in the early 2000's. And in the man's voice every word is about the meticulousness of his planning, yet he almost immediately gets caught and looks upon Fassbender's face which is of a man who is very much concerned about being found out. He glances looking around his perch from where he is going to kill his proposed target, and what is his performance exactly. Well Fassbender is presenting curiosity not precision, and despite everything being built for the kill in the Killer's calm claims, I must ask again "Based on what exactly?". The Killer's own buildup to his first attempted kill is all of a man gearing up for the kill. Fassbender's expression of a man pumping himself up for it and we have two completely disparate moments in a singular scene around performance. As we first hear that the killer "DON'T...GIVE...A...FUCK" which Fassbender delivers with the utmost confidence and pride, against his "fuck" after immediately missing his kill he prepared so much for, with the face of a man who screwed up royally that gets funnier the more you think about it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I should take a moment though to immaculately clean my computer before I keep typing, as there can be a minute build up of dust over weeks and months, however one must keep their computer relatively dust free in order to complete a review. A review here I'll freely admit my bias towards captivating silent physical performance, that has much to do with presence, but the presence must be there. Michael Fassbender, despite seemingly indirectly killing ("wocka wocka" - Fozzy Bear) the talent of many formerly talented directors in his last few films, this time David Fincher thankfully was spared and we have an ideal match up with the cold calculation of the director being matched by the cold calculation of a performer. And I will make no bones about it, it is compelling just to watch Fassbender do the rigmarole of his tasks as he goes about his various methods of preparing his kills and body disposals. He shows in his physical work just the precise manner of the man who believes he's "sticking to the plan" again and again. Although that may break my thesis of his incompetence, I never said incompetence, he's just full of it, and isn't *as* good as he thinks but more so isn't as anything as he thinks, to explain, which of course I'm going to explain, this is my review after all, he's also not *as* heartless as he claims he is, though Fassbender plays this on the margins, effectively so. In the opening escape, he is genuinely fearing for his life in Fassbender's furious breathing and concerned eyes, though trying to hold it together. When other hitmen try to attack his girlfriend, Fassbender's performance shows that the Killer does care about her and his whole home away from killing, even if he wants to so desperately suggest otherwise. Everything in Fassbender's performance suggests he does care, he's holding back as much as he can, but the degree of which he's expressing his concern shows this to be a wounding event, and also explaining why he then goes about his revenge tour shortly afterwards. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now do I have to note that we see the cold killer, of course, but what we see with Fassbender though very much is the projecting of this trait, almost as someone who saw Le Samourai, and said "that's literally me" without watching the ending of that film...or more likely with the Killer saw the trailer one time and it was directed by a former French resistance fighter...what was his name again? As what Fassbender does on the edge of moments suggests the truth, as when he kills the cabbie who drove the hitmen to his house, there is a brief glimpse of vicious anger before he shoots him even though his head up to that had been the heartless killer. His vocal performance additionally is frequently at odds with what he is doing, as his voice is one of my favorite narrations in recent years because it is so falsely true to what he actually is doing most of the time. As every narration conversation it is with that confidence of the man who has outlined every kill with the precision of the genius, yet probably might need a few letters spotted as well for spelling antidisestablishmentarianism, that's for all you Honeymooners fans out there...is that just me, well you know as the Killer says I DON'T GIVE A , eh forget it. Anyway, frequently you get the punchline from the narration, to the action, to the performance. As take it when he kills his old mentor and job liaison, where he calmly uses a nail gun on him, positions an option for survival then calculates his survival time so specifically in his head, only for the man to immediately choke on his own blood, and Fassbender's befuddled realization of his failure is pure darkly comic gold. </div><div><br /></div><div>He says "forgo empathy" but he does stage his mentor's secretary's death as an accident as a way to honor her last wish. He prepares to carefully murder the brute hitman who attacked his girlfriend, by carefully disabling his Pitbull through drugs then maneuvering in the house, only to get his ass kicked, for the lack of a better description, where Fassbender's many "oh shit" reactions subvert the "cool" presence beautifully as does his "ah come on" when finding only a cheese grater in a kitchen draw and frankly Fassbender's face is hilarious. As is the fact that he didn't fully disable the dog, needing to high tail it out of there, and even his narration gets impacted this time, where Fassbender's voice changes briefly from the calm control as though the beating was so bad even that front has to take a breather. His later sleeping on the plane to his next target is of any exhausted man, whose worked too hard the past few days, and there's nothing remotely cool about it. And my review of this performance wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the quote as he goes about stalking the expert hit person (Tilda Swinton) "It’s common knowledge when a female is found slain, the prime suspect is always the husband or boyfriend. Especially if she hasn’t been sexually assaulted." spoken with a return to the cold calculation and we get one more subversion even in his narration for Fassbender's hilarious line delivery (frankly one of my favorites of 2023) "Well, maybe not common knowledge." which he says a quick correction as though he's just realized how ludicrous his previous statement sounded. The one time we do see the pure Killer routine not shake for a moment is confronting the final target, where his demeanor is purely that of the cold blooded killer...and even this is a subversion because the target (Arliss Howard) happens to be just a bit of idiot who has too much money, and the killer when most able to present himself as he believes him to be...he doesn't kill. Now did I write this review just to do it in part in the style of the Killer's own narration partially, no in fact I didn't come up with that until I started writing the review and just seemed the easiest way into the performance. But one does have to ask the need to feel secure in one's opinion. It's a slippery slope. Opinions are a placebo. The only review path, is the one you just wrote (as long as it ends with clear rating at the end of the review as rating and paragraph counts are everything). If, you can't accept this opinion of loving Fassbender's work as wonderful dark comedy, well maybe you're not one of the few. Maybe you're just like me. One of the many....whatever that's supposed to mean...not sure that part made sense. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEOOPh66xrmuvJhA0nOahjsfEKUgp_VyxxykokD5b3VaXOdv7cKk1QbMMOzS7u76c0w5l2dY7i83w3G7DfEwcmYIl9a5HWmMyoglhtvCgKezrhbJi1aUTbUkGPnbqEPNkcjwbcOOypNTIg-AphOTiLOofBJRSPlVXcVr1gCjUPLCyeLUCdhTYxzzORsv-/s1108/4.5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1108" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEOOPh66xrmuvJhA0nOahjsfEKUgp_VyxxykokD5b3VaXOdv7cKk1QbMMOzS7u76c0w5l2dY7i83w3G7DfEwcmYIl9a5HWmMyoglhtvCgKezrhbJi1aUTbUkGPnbqEPNkcjwbcOOypNTIg-AphOTiLOofBJRSPlVXcVr1gCjUPLCyeLUCdhTYxzzORsv-/w356-h114/4.5.png" width="356" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-76344667519736637182024-02-17T12:56:00.003-05:002024-02-17T18:13:20.626-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers<div style="text-align: left;">Dominic Sessa did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite receiving. a BAFTA nomination, for portraying Angus Tully in The Holdovers. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifDghxTRvmn0wjJQ3zr52NAag3NutysC7cqzniapSzoK4qvExELpomd531nMnfmLTcrP46J5EnUmqQXWTEUQuf-FO_B3jM1HplQV18n7zQfxWk_KlRD82SIsfP9QI5kiaUky_o5eZgSqq-JmwrUHmR2672eqLEE69plfrUTHKIkOMCc62bg7Yk3NF6JkR/s1257/Dominic%20Sessa%20The%20Holdovers.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1257" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifDghxTRvmn0wjJQ3zr52NAag3NutysC7cqzniapSzoK4qvExELpomd531nMnfmLTcrP46J5EnUmqQXWTEUQuf-FO_B3jM1HplQV18n7zQfxWk_KlRD82SIsfP9QI5kiaUky_o5eZgSqq-JmwrUHmR2672eqLEE69plfrUTHKIkOMCc62bg7Yk3NF6JkR/s320/Dominic%20Sessa%20The%20Holdovers.png" width="320" /></a></div>The role of the young man who is the foil to the older man is a common enough role to exist, and frequently played very poorly. At least half the time Angus Tully would be a dullard that you wish we'd just get back to his curmudgeon lazy eyed teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), some of the time he'd be worse and an actively grating part of the film, and occasionally he'd be decent but definitely unquestionably overshadowed by the older actor that you still do kind of forget about him as an essential part of the film. It isn't that the role itself is bad, in fact it is very well written, rather the nature of the part often seems to lead to uninteresting casting choices of not always the most talented performers, who either still need to come into their own or will never come into their own. You might've guessed I'm prefacing all of this to praise the casting director and probably Alexander Payne for casting Dominic Sessa in this role, who was a student at one of the boarding schools they used for the fictional boarding school of Barton and auditioned for the film. You'd never even guess this backstory necessarily, other than the fact that Sessa doesn't look like your standard Hollywood fresh face, and rather has a natural character of his own. Which is just point one in the points of exceptional elements that exist in this performance. Because in the parts where you often most feel the performance, or at least perhaps the not good enough attempt at one, it is in these roles, and Sessa just is this role from the first scene, which in itself is actually a lot trickier than one might think even for the low key establishing scenes. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Wrong choice number one would be to appear far too modern for the role of the 70's teenager. Well success number one is that Sessa's presence rather curiously feels like a young actor from the 70's and is entirely convincing as such, that again you don't even consider him for a moment as a modern teenager. There's something particularly interesting about pulling this trick off, because the certain style of performance could be that of that dull 70's actor, but thankfully Sessa is much closer to a Jeff Bridges or Timothy Bottoms, than a Robby Benson or Richard Gere. But he's also not copying in any way, he is entirely his own and that is where success number two comes in right away. Which is avoiding being a big nothing, as to try to be likeable one can easily have no defining features whatsoever, but Sessa very much defines Angus as his own character from his opening scenes, where frankly he is in a less innately likeable space of the teenage boys being teenage boys as they wait to go to on Christmas break. In this scene I think frankly it is some of the most difficult work as you get into his antagonism with a few other classmates particularly the properly named Kountze, as there were two dangers here. One being bland in just portraying the character in being slightly righteous in his attacks leaving no distinction whatsoever, or being aggravating in overplaying the antagonism. Sessa side steps either by indeed being distinct in his callous manner towards the classmates he has less affection for where he doesn't hold back, but doing so with just a natural ease in his delivery that makes the scene feel honest within his performance. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Sessa's great in his first interaction with Hunham, that is on a similar brand to his first scene, where he speaks up after most of the class gets failing test grades, though not Angus and Hunham decides to still teach class even though it is the last day of the semester. A low key scene but speaks to the strength of his performance because it would be again easy to fall into the pitfall of being too heroic as the one who speaks up for the class or obnoxious if we see the man seemingly owning his privilege as he states he's more interested in where he's going for his vacation. Sessa again is so good by riding the far more honest middle ground as he does speak with confidence and a bit of genuine befuddlement at Hunham's persistence, but just as that there's glints just before he's speaking and waiting for Hunham's response of some actual fear, showing that Angus is taking a step he's not entirely prepared for even if he is making it. And then earning far more than the undercurrent of anxiety and natural guilt he wears as Hunham allows for them to go enjoy the day, though with homework and no makeup test for a better grade. Sessa doing what is the most important thing, actually being a believable teenager who perhaps has his heart in the right place at times, but doesn't always make the right decisions consistently. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Unfortunately for Angus his newly re-married mother decides to have a late honeymoon over the break rather than let Angus come home for Christmas leaving him as one of the five Holdovers to be watched over by the still grumpy Hunham even over break. Although a relatively brief portion of the overall film, the sequence of Angus with the Holdovers is great work for Sessa. Sessa in part is just naturally creating the right sense of frustration over having to be stuck for his entire break at Barton that much longer, and creating that annoyance in a believable and in a very easy to sympathize fashion. Sessa's also great in creating the sense of his place in the school, as he's with two other older students and two other younger students. Where Sessa very much shows Angus playing the role within the group of mostly peers when all are together, where we see them together in frustration at the situation, and just being slightly rebellious in their ways. Sessa though makes the most of two separate moments out of really the portrayal of how Angus presents himself to his classmates. First two wonderful moments with the younger students, that Sessa manages to play with such an ease, because he plays warmth, but doesn't overplay it. He doesn't suddenly become this perfect person, but rather suggests just an innate care in his delivery where he brings a specific emphasis on a "we'll get through this" kind of support for the younger boys that creates a very naturalistic though better nature in Angus. That is in stark contrast to when we see him with his nemesis Kountze who has stolen a family photo. Where Sessa is great, in doing something I will get to more of as his performance goes on, but so fantastic in the way of playing the intensity of the conflict, though with the front of just being direct at his enemy, but internalizing the real sense of distress as something he's trying to hide. Although it is most evident that Angus is very much attached to his photo which means much to him, he's trying to keep the feelings in him in front of the other students.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The group gets a break when one of the student's parents lets him come home and in turn all the boys are given the chance to go on vacation with him, except poor Angus because his parents refused to ever come to the phone. Which brings me so much to what makes this such a great performance which is how dynamic Sessa is in playing Angus, particularly in the way he expresses his maturity, and uses that so well to create the sense of who this young man is and what he has been through. As on the surface Sessa plays the teenager who is trying to be tough, somewhat indifferent at times, though not unemotional, but most of all not revealing everything that is going on within him. Something that seems to inform so much of Sessa's work that ends up bringing such nuance to the character. The early scenes of the new situation, where it is just Angus, Hunham and the school cook Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), Hunham is constantly on top of him, though still demanding he follow procedure for the most part. Sessa's great in just his expressions of this slight bit of boredom as he's stuck within the school, and the internalized frustrations as he just has to keep going. An example of Sessa doing so much more than you might expect from a first time film actor is actually in the montage, which isn't always the type of sequence one thinks of for acting, is great work though. As we see Angus swipe the school keys from Hunham and go around the school finding whatever joy he can. Sessa's wonderful in the scene because you see the wavering maturity of the not quite man but definitely not a boy person that is Angus. As you do see the moments where physically he's almost skipping like a child, but others where he's just staring at the empty halls of nothing with the sad contemplation of the mature understanding of being so stuck in this place. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The moment where there's a bit of a break, both literally and metaphorically in the situation, is where Angus has had enough of Hunham's control and purposefully pesters him by running around the school. A scene which is again speaks to what you would think is a far more seasoned performer, as he brings just the right type of mischievous smile as he goes about it, that I think importantly shows that this isn't just trouble making for the sake of it, he's also is more than getting a little crazed due to the cabin fever, playing the note just so effortlessly, particularly his big smile as he purposefully goes about "crossing the Rubicon" by taking a leap in the unfinished gym, right into dislocating his arm. Leading to another impressive scene for Sessa because he is hilarious, but hilarious in a way that is especially tricky not to be too much or too little, particularly when doing the comedy off a more seasoned performer like Giamatti who obviously has done both comedy and drama with ease over his long career. Sessa though completely sells the moment of the extreme sense of pain as he stares at his arm, just barely holding it together while also bringing this venomous anger towards Hunham's failure to "protect" him after Hunham said he'd "wash his hands of him". A very broad moment that wouldn't work if it wasn't delivered well, which Sessa delivers flawlessly, especially his "Of Course you meant It metaphorically! What were you going to do? actually go and wash your hands?!" that is comic gold. What is amazing is that Sessa is as comfortable in the scene as Giamatti is, and they are both great together. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Which then we get the real start of their relationship as more than just the teacher everyone hates, as they go to get Angus's arm treated, to which Angus lies to save Hunham's job by pretending to be his son. Another scene that is incredible again regardless, but particularly when again this is the first film gig, because Sessa on the surface is playing well the act of the concerned kid for his dad to be convincing to the nurse, playing this humbleness as he seems so reasonably intent to be able to see his "dad" again, which is all good, but the little glints of real emotion relating to the idea of seeing his dad pierces through just a bit in the moment as Sessa suggests Angus using real emotion to sell the false scenario. And with this we finally see the beginning of the connections between Angus and Hunham, which is fantastic work from both actors because it isn't easy. As initially their conversation, which is what is the best alcoholic drink, arguing about lying as a Barton man and getting a burger out of him, might seem mostly casual stuff, yet what both actors do is help to establish at least a conversational speech that bridges the two in some way. They are hardly friends, but they are no longer just grumpy teachers and frustrated students. There is at least a little more there, a bit more of any connection if with the right distance still that needs to be worked through. <br /><br />When the at-home trio are invited to a Christmas eve party by another staff member from the school, Miss Crane (Carrie Preston), Sessa is able to express the range of his work that is most impressive. The first moment actually being a quick one but one of my favorite scenes in the film, where Angus takes a moment to look at a snow globe, and there's this quiet sadness mixed with nostalgia Sessa brings as Angus seemingly is lost in thought for a moment at the ideal Christmas that the globe seems to represent to him. When he goes off with Miss Crane's niece, you have again Sessa being impressive in really scenes that being okay would've been fine. But Sessa's great because he manages to so naturally play the shifting maturity of Angus in such a natural way, and again a way that speaks very honestly to a teenager who wants to be mature but isn't quite there yet. And with the niece Sessa's good in playing the moment of scoffing at kids finger painting, to having an earnest moment of potential romance with the niece, but also being properly awkward as he'd be at first denying trying to look down her shirt to shyly admitting it. It is the way he is able to flow within the character, while always seeming the character that just makes you feel like you're entirely getting to know this young man, while also just being compelling. His other moment is as much the mature man as he gets Hunham to help as the widowed and bereaved parent has a mental breakdown, and Sessa is great in just his work as a scene partner, reactionary, where he quietly conveys his empathy to the moment and genuine concern in the young man even if he doesn't quite have the words himself. When leaving the party you have a quick, but still a great moment where Angus asks to go back to the party after they take Mary back home, however when Hunham dismisses this as well as his want to enjoy his time off in any way, Sessa's expression almost freezing is great acting. What he shows is basically the "tough face" of the teenager who doesn't care about anything, while actually alluding to the teenager who just doesn't want to be needlessly hurt. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hunham, thanks to some important words from Mary, decides to try his best to make a decent Christmas for Angus after all, which first includes gifts and a Christmas tree. A scene where Sessa's performance is pitch perfect, though speaks well to the relationship between the two at this point, where you see kind of the sense that the gesture isn't overall amazing in terms of the output but there's a definite sort of begrudging appreciation that the attempt has been made regardless. When asked though if he can have a sort of a gift, Sessa's delivery of "let's go to Boston" is amazing because the excitement again speaks to the real youth of the character even perhaps even more connection to Boston symbolizing more than just possibly a fun trip. We see then the advancement of the relationship between Hunham and Angus as they go on their trip to Boston, where Sessa and Giamatti are great together. They are great because they never go to the completely simple choice, rather there is a connection with a little bit of a back and forth of a pseudo battle as well. As we get moments of Hunham being the teacher to Angus at times, where Angus comes back at the student, and I love the two nearly connecting lines as delivered by Sessa. The first being as he notes Hunham's passion over Ancient history, being genuine seeming in the moment and saying just so directly though encouragingly that he wished he taught like that when was in class. This is followed by him telling Hunham that everyone hates him, which is key delivery that Sessa nails, because it isn't about trying to put Hunham down or even express hate, it rather with this bluntly honest way of trying to get Hunham to see the trench that Hunham has created between himself and others. But between the best and the worst, the two have natural moments of just having fun with one another, occasionally a bit of cutting though not hateful remarks, but also the moments of understanding as the two begin to respect one another in their way. Every moment feels earned in their performances and never does a moment of openness feel like a jump because Sessa and Giamatti are so genuine together. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Eventually though Angus tries to slip away from Hunham, which is a brief but terrific scene for both performances because you see them briefly kind of return to their old status though differently. As in Hunham you see genuine betrayal with the frustration with the young man, meanwhile Sessa is so powerful by being so meek in the moment of the man hiding away his emotions, that emotion being connected to his father, who he previously said was dead, and is trying to run away to see. We see the reason for the attempt and the lie as Angus comes to see his father who is in a mental institution due to being a paranoid schizophrenic. Sessa is outstanding in this scene because we see none of the attempts to present himself anything but his way. Sessa most looks like a boy in this scene, from his anxiety in waiting for his son, and then the purity of his smile as he sees his dad. His voice cracking in the emotion pouring in from seeing his dad in this way. His "miss you" has no attempt "cool" to it, just completely wanting to connect with his dad, his excitement in telling him about his grades is really heartbreaking because the way Sessa says every word is this outpouring of just trying to share his life and his potential with his dad he clearly once had such a strong connection to. Sessa is the boy here who just wants to be acknowledged by his dad and is frankly eager to be recognized. As we see as he looks at his dad with hope, as his dad is about to tell him something, which is only paranoid ramblings, and the way Sessa's face falls into realization of just how lost his dad is absolutely devastating. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The following scene Sessa is amazing because we now see him without any front with Hunham in just recounting his dad's descent into madness. Sessa's so heart wrenching in the scene because you feel every moment of the difficult history as he briefly tries to smile in talking about the good times, then just brings so much vulnerable pain as he discusses his dad's slowly increasing madness. The history here is felt in every word, but that's not even the most impressive moment. The most impressive is when we see that vulnerability pour into his own exile from his family, and the heartbreaking expression of his own concern that he might become like his dad at some point. Sessa is so open in his performance, that we see as the hidden truth of the scared boy beneath it all, that is so beautifully acted and just brings such an earned poignancy into Angus admitting all that he's been going through this whole time. Hunham's words to try to build up Angus then, that comes from his own pains and heartbreak, speak so much loudly due to Sessa's reaction that you see is reserved yet let just a little bit of inspiration and hope pour into his face that is absolutely moving in seeing the real connection between the two. A connection that makes it convincing that Hunham would rather lose his job than throw Angus under the bus for visiting his father, and sacrifices himself for the sake of the young man after the break period is over. A moment followed by Hunham directly sharing his own self by simply telling Angus which of his two eyes is the one to look at, and it is all in both Giamatti's delivery and Sessa's reaction where you see the profound meaning in the two sharing this moment. Which is only a warm-up to their final scene together as Angus goes to see Hunham as he's finally leaving Barton. A scene I saved purposefully for this review because of how great the two are together in realizing this exceptional scene. The way Angus begins by acknowledging what Hunham did for him, to which Hunham brushes off as they both admit to keeping to their Barton men code of silence between them, is so sweet yet earned as the pair create fully too an inside understanding between them in their pitch perfect performances. Seguing so naturally to a brief moment of joking again about their beer ranking and alluding to the good times they did have together, with the warmth between the two just overflowing so naturally and it is hard not to feel the warmth yourself, as Angus suggests the two go off to get lunch one more time. Hunham softly turning him down as this having to be a goodbye, Giamatti brings fully the maturity of the teacher being completely the teacher he's always should've been against Sessa, wearing so powerfully the emotion of how much it has meant that an adult has genuinely cared about him. Creating the sense of the meaning this relationship has meant to both the old and the young man. And Giamatti's way of showing Hunham final near complete emotional break just below the surface as he says "you can do this" to Angus, as Angus says "I was going to tell you the same thing" matching the same emotional undercurrent, before each finding their strength in the other in the handshake, is absolute perfection from both actors, and just such a strikingly beautiful scene made so by two tremendous performances. Two tremendous performances, because Sessa gives one of the all time great feature film debuts here. It's already a part with so many potential pitfalls, which Sessa misses every one to give an effortless performance which I absolutely adore every moment of. And what is more impressive is how risky the performance is, he goes for the big emotions, he goes for the big comedic moments, but he knows to do that with subtlety, nuance, and always an understanding for who his character is, what are his truths, and what everything means within his arc.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhE36b9yI3Vs5qb1eJyU3j6EvdIFpqZHrSFK2NgtL_KZ4utoDDjbwt4PKNfL2w8wq0EZFpP2lGyhQeYf49tXs24QDM-d1098DFkxeziUHzCkcwZStZSdI0fIrenDzybGfeQdL-eKMG2Z90z2-pd7E_AyzLYf4rID4OFLlPxDGSe_KNobiashr-6gcrFL7/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhE36b9yI3Vs5qb1eJyU3j6EvdIFpqZHrSFK2NgtL_KZ4utoDDjbwt4PKNfL2w8wq0EZFpP2lGyhQeYf49tXs24QDM-d1098DFkxeziUHzCkcwZStZSdI0fIrenDzybGfeQdL-eKMG2Z90z2-pd7E_AyzLYf4rID4OFLlPxDGSe_KNobiashr-6gcrFL7/w380-h109/5.png" width="380" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-1109211090786986432024-02-15T20:42:00.001-05:002024-02-15T20:42:31.760-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Mads Mikkelsen in The Promised Land<div style="text-align: left;">Mads Mikkelsen did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Ludvig Kahlen in The Promised Land. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtQg0Cl6zpqPeVCsGtahP8rU4z_9r7TCs9Sn1_l10ODfbmuYUf-XxYCefPISggJnGASjCrD0mEs5vim-sfpT3Gad6srI0CC6psgz_s56ZAx7-2279b0KBQ9x0T9zUBhe8R6LKau8XqhNP3GTyc7W7gay05RMkDNDggzWOck_5bXTmFtIWhz00Gva1ll-q/s1903/Mads%20Mikkelsen%20The%20Promised%20Land.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1903" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtQg0Cl6zpqPeVCsGtahP8rU4z_9r7TCs9Sn1_l10ODfbmuYUf-XxYCefPISggJnGASjCrD0mEs5vim-sfpT3Gad6srI0CC6psgz_s56ZAx7-2279b0KBQ9x0T9zUBhe8R6LKau8XqhNP3GTyc7W7gay05RMkDNDggzWOck_5bXTmFtIWhz00Gva1ll-q/s320/Mads%20Mikkelsen%20The%20Promised%20Land.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Promised Land follows a retired Danish soldier as he attempts to cultivate land on the barren Jutland, while also facing antagonism from a local landlord. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Mads Mikkelsen shall ever be the face of the consistent failure of Hollywood to properly utilize non-American actors after apparently noticing their talent through their films from their home country, yet always casting them as "villain". Mikkelsen is such an actor consistently in the same year where he had to play another tired villain role in Indiana Jones, thankfully we had his performance in this film to show off his talents once again. Mikkelsen's performance is taking upon the role of the western hero in so many ways, even if the film takes place in Denmark, how the film approaches this very much begins as you might expect an old Confederate or Union soldier going west to try to make a home for himself. Mikkelsen naturally eases right into such a role, as there are few better actors to portray stoicism, though the key here is that he's not really as stoic as he may seem. Regardless Mikkelsen's commanding presence immediately grants us the sense of this man as a dangerous soldier with a great deal of will behind his intention to try to settle what everyone believes to be the barren Jutland. Mikkelsen's ask in the Danish court for the plot of land is with a steely eyed determination that you immediately sense the power of the personality of his Kahlen and is innately captivating to watch be our hero for this tale of trying to turn seemingly the nothing of the Jutland into something worthwhile. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Mikkelsen comes into the scene as the western hero quite purely with just that tremendous presence of his that exudes strength and an understated intelligence. We see as he's surveying land just that intention in his eyes of the man who will be this force of nature as he goes about making sure he grows his potatoes and can claim the land as his own. On the way he encounters some potential allies via some traveling Romani, a priest, some debtors to a local landlord, and initially we see Kahlen as he treats the people with a certain distance. Mikkelsen brings the calm strength of the man who examines each for their potential, doing so much with his eyes in every scene showing the calculation of Kahlen as he analyzes what he might or might not be able to do with each person for help or perhaps not. As one of his first acts is to kill a Romani bandit who tries to rob him, which Mikkelsen shows as the most innate of reflexes of a man who has very much learned to survive. Mikkelsen is captivating as the great heroes of a few words should be as he always suggests so much thought just as he so rarely says too much, and never are you not drawn into his sphere. Mikkelsen, here being just such a magnetic performer that makes it so easy for you to want to go along with Kahlan's journey and in some way by doing this making you a bit of a co-conspirator in a way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Kahlen soon finding the need for allies as he comes into conflict with the local land lord Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg) who is one of the most immediately hateable villains around, who wants him to give up all claims and let him have the wasteland back to himself. Mikkelsen of course is so naturally calm, cool and for the lack of a better word, badass in each and every interaction between the two men. As Mikkelsen just stares through him portraying the complete lack of fear and even more so the withdrawn yet extremely palatable intensity of the man who is in no way deterred from the man's threats. Regardless we see that Kahlen must take on a few allies, by listening to the priest's advice and taking on the debtors, including the eventually widowed Ann Barbara (Amanda Collin) and even the orphaned Romani Animai Mus (Melina Hagberg). Where Mikkelsen brings just this begrudging manner in their interactions in his blunt acts of direct transitional choices between each and emphasizing that for him it is a point of necessity. Now one should probably be able to guess where this is going, but as always, who cares, if you do it well. And that's the case and really why Mikkelsen is such an under-exploited actor in America, because of the ease in which he can deliver real nuance to a character, particularly here as we see him challenged within his state as the stoic man. <br /><br />As much as Mikkelsen excels as the cool badass, what makes him a great actor is what else he's able to do, and every opportunity he has to do more, he absolutely makes the most of it. Sometimes even a relatively brief scene where an heiress takes a liking to him as an alternative to the disgusting de Schinkel, in the romantic scene where Mikkelsen is great because he actually plays it a little awkwardly. He is of course charismatic in his way, but Mikkelsen's good in his subdued reactions in showing that the advances of the woman aren't something he was entirely prepared for, even if he is more than willing to accept them. With Animai and Ann Barbara though we slowly see the trio become an unlikely family, something that works because of just how good Mikkelsen is in his performance. As the gradual just bits of cracks we see in his stoic frame, where we see genuine excitement or happiness in his interactions are tremendous. Mikkelsen earned every bit of thawing of his heart and really just getting to see how great Mikkelsen can be in crafting each relationship so naturally. His relationship with Barbara goes from slight tension, to an uneasy alliance, to a romance of convenience, towards something genuine and Mikkelsen in the margins earns each step with ease. Mikkelsen making it just honest even as it is so bluntly direct, it feels always just right, because there is only truth in Mikkelsen's work.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">My favorite aspect though is his chemistry with Hagberg, and the often seemingly cold or portrayed scary Mikkelsen, brings so much heart as we see Kahlen embrace the young girl as his daughter. Mikkelsen brings the tenderness in the hints of his performance which are so much more poignant because of how truly tough he makes his frame. Take the moment where he nurses her after being poisoned and Mikkelsen's just glint of near smiles are so heartwarming coming from him. The moment where he sends her away per request of potential allies, as she's seen as a bad omen, Mikkelsen's hesitation is subtle yet potent in his eyes showing the real anguish as he tries to maintain his stoicism though we see it fading with this relationship. Making then his eventual reunion is so earnestly heartfelt as Mikkelsen reveals the most emotion in the embrace. Mikkelsen making it such a tremendous moment because the tenderness out of his cold exterior, and we see such a genuine connection in his performance, while an expected transition, the emotion in it wholly works because of the performances. Mikkelsen does indeed make this performance look easy, but that just speaks to his incredible talent. As he always amplifies every moment, as when things go wrong for Kahlen, the intensity of his emotion as he sees a friend killed, you feel it in his reaction of rage and in that the real meaning all of this has had for him now. And when it seems like he's been gotten the better of, despite being such a formidable hero, Mikkelsen's portrayal of the very real low point isn't at all hidden bringing such a visceral power to his physical and emotional wounds as he suffers de Schinkel's cruelties. By doing so, giving real stakes and making Kahlen a hero who does bleed as tough as Mikkelsen also makes him. A hero who is so easy to follow through, again, this western type story just in a different setting, but unlike The Salvation (which frankly has slightly better English language use of Mikkelsen than many films), we get a fully developed character here. One that allows Mikkelsen the time to give real nuance to this hero, while also just creating the proper protagonist we won't see thrive and survive his difficult quest. Yet another performance from Mikkelsen that shows his great range, his subtle nuance and powerful presence. I mean I'm just glad he keeps working in Denmark where his full talent is appreciated, meanwhile in Hollywood, I'm sure they'll cast him in a role equal to his talents....any time now....eh probably not.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7td8TA60gj6bzFdVyklSS1hAqqFQfwiAn6P3ynL0pEkrMxQdA-kE8fpKCQIzAyShANnVHo94rpB1vWVDRPVC8vlRxbgpJpJoRNfX7DOvWGq5uIAmUCvyC8pNnd3z2t9S2_SnL7G2d4BVrlr1FuBGUkE5VynFpTPF0r8tBoWCnhCpXxJf9Ou6-eYyIuWwJ/s1108/4.5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1108" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7td8TA60gj6bzFdVyklSS1hAqqFQfwiAn6P3ynL0pEkrMxQdA-kE8fpKCQIzAyShANnVHo94rpB1vWVDRPVC8vlRxbgpJpJoRNfX7DOvWGq5uIAmUCvyC8pNnd3z2t9S2_SnL7G2d4BVrlr1FuBGUkE5VynFpTPF0r8tBoWCnhCpXxJf9Ou6-eYyIuWwJ/w356-h113/4.5.png" width="356" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-44874385466768520442024-02-14T19:57:00.003-05:002024-02-14T20:05:24.108-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers<div style="text-align: left;">Andrew Scott did not receive an Oscar nomination, more disturbingly not even a BAFTA, I mean what the hell, for portraying Adam in All of Us Strangers. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lGNGcKrMzddFN5Xq7zj2Dlf6ywWP_YpEbQUyxsNqMagr5VejggtSvNd02X35QQbDpacMEEz6O5EC3Uf8ECToIskhqMOj3dsmsEsy1Shlg5Bn9SiB_whu5xbW6aAsekTH7YX9X05CAgUX1dLbyM9SvjUv5-1Vem33cAPmBAwPupS5LvLnj3WJ-c59q5fK/s1825/Andrew%20Scott%20All%20of%20Us%20Strangers.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1825" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lGNGcKrMzddFN5Xq7zj2Dlf6ywWP_YpEbQUyxsNqMagr5VejggtSvNd02X35QQbDpacMEEz6O5EC3Uf8ECToIskhqMOj3dsmsEsy1Shlg5Bn9SiB_whu5xbW6aAsekTH7YX9X05CAgUX1dLbyM9SvjUv5-1Vem33cAPmBAwPupS5LvLnj3WJ-c59q5fK/s320/Andrew%20Scott%20All%20of%20Us%20Strangers.png" width="320" /></a></div>All of Us Strangers tells the tale of a middle aged writer starting a new relationship while seeming to be able to visit his deceased parents as he knew them as a child. </div><div><br /></div><div>Andrew Scott plays the writer as we open the film in his lonely room in a high-rise London apartment complex. Scott's performance in the opening is a man operating in his loneliness as the innate state of being. I think what is essential in his performance is he doesn't open with some overwrought note of suffering, rather what Scott portrays is almost a, not quite comfort, but a settled state of being as he moves around his apartment thinking about life, occasionally writing but also just listening to music or inane television. Scott's work has much within the silences about this as Adam goes about in his way, that just is, it isn't happiness he's exuding, nor is it this constant sorrow either, it is rather this long state of being where Scott alludes to as being something years the making. The first time we see him speak is when he opens the door to find seemingly his one neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) knocking at his door, seeking company, romantically likely but also more directly just connection. Scott's performance in this scene portrays Adam's state for likely years at this point as he greets Harry with a very kind of reduced delivery. It isn't that he is being rude, or aggressively dismissive towards the man, he's rather being in this state of the self that feeds into the state of being alone. Scott responds just enough to everything Harry says, but only just enough to just be as pleasant as he'll be, until Harry tries to invite himself into Adam's apartment. Scott's reaction in this moment is genius in a way because there's so much there, even as it is relatively modest in terms of the "loudness" of performance, but there is so much texture. There's a glint in his eye of being intrigued, then in the same second there's a tightening, a sense of a man avoiding any potential wound the man could suffer from opening himself up to connection again. Scott shows in this moment Adam choosing to stay lonely but lonely in this way he's come to understand.</div><div><br /></div><div>The crux of the film comes into being as Adam begins to think of his childhood for his writing and begins to visit his old house. Scott's silent work is consistently great in creating a tangible sense of the emotional state of Adam in each instance, and doesn't allow any dead air of pensive staring. Scott always develops this with purpose, and in the initial scene it is with this sense of confusion mixed in with a kind of pondering discovery as he, perhaps fantasy literally or metaphorically, sees his father as he knew him as a boy who beckons him to come along. Scott's performance is so important in not making this silly, because he creates this sense of discovery as he goes about it and this is a real man entering into this dream. Which initially it is as his family welcoming home as though he'd been on a long many year long trip away coming home after so much time. Scott's performance is so good by making it always so unbearably tangible in every conversation we see between him and his parents. The way he reacts to them is with this interest initially, this sense of "what is going on" but also the embracing of a discovery in the moment. In his initial scene, Scott's performance brings a nonchalance initially that in itself works so well in the man essentially trying to explain his life to his parents, who beam with pride at hearing that he's in London and a writer. Scott brings this simple modesty about Adam that is able to articulate both the son who doesn't want to seem boasting about his parents, perhaps even feels he hasn't lived up to enough dreams at times, while also not sure yet to make sure of this situation he finds himself in either. Scott's delivery of explaining himself not be a writer of particular note of any kind, with a blunt honesty about it, that reflect a man who still isn't sure of himself in so many ways, that contrasts so beautifully against his parents who are just in love with every word he is saying, as he seems to be living above and beyond the dreams they might've had for him. The scene being the ideal support for Adam to open new pathways for himself. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile back in his apartment it appears as though Adam is finally opening himself to anything as he tries to incite Harry into an invite again, which seemingly he rejects at first before later accepting and the two do begin a relationship. These scenes where I think Scott very much gives purpose for every encounter that we see between Harry and Adam, because there is more going on with the man. As what Scott performs so well is showing the way the lonely man who had settled opens himself to this experience. He articulates through every step so well, as even in the first encounter with the fairly direct, though not aggressive Harry, Scott has these perfectly implemented subtle moments where you do see surprise, a little hesitation in the man, before giving into the idea showing the man basically needing to learn to make connections again. Scott gives such a weight to the progression of each scene with Harry because he shows just how deep of a hole Adam was in, and slowly but surely we see Harry push him out of it. He and Mescal have great chemistry with one another, by the connection being a given but more so the dynamic that is crafted between the older gay man who lived through the far more prejudiced and dangerous era to Harry who could be more open in his life and experience. The scene where they speak to their mutual experiences, Scott's performance is again outstanding in underplaying the emotion while finding so much truth in it, because the past of his experience as a gay man is in the past, yet it isn't at all gone from his mind. Rather what Scott is able to portray is this sense of reasoning the past from himself, there's so much pain in Scott's expression but pain he's held in, he's adjusted, he's calibrated to where he is now, but still pain all the same. While never wasting hearing Harry's own story, as more accepted yet still an outsider, where Scott articulates every thought Adam is going through in his own experience, understanding and even falling into the memories of his parents. </div><div><br /></div><div>His next return to his parents is when only his mother (Claire Foy) is home, who at first is just excited to see her son again and commenting how much he looks like her father now that he is all grown up. Scott's performance again is so great because he not only makes the fantasy tangible, he makes it so strikingly powerful. In this case we have the son discovering his mother best he can and trying to reason with her, as she quickly comes to ask about his relationships, where Adam essentially comes out to her where she is taken aback, almost acting in denial to the statement. Scott is so great in the scene because his reaction in part is holding a lot in showing the man trying to almost forgive his mother for not accepting him right away while also being so evidently frustrated all in the same momentary reaction. His delivery is so good as he challenges her each time because Scott really brings this sharpness while not becoming overly aggressive. There is this sense of disbelief in every line that his mother can't accept him, but also this painful sense of almost an expectation as well. Scott articulates the moment so effectively because he is playing so much at once in trying to break down his mother's constrained perspective. Scott is challenging but challenging in a way in which he's almost angry at the whole prospect of having to ask. There's so many amazing moments as you just see Scott trying to not hate his mother, while wanting to entirely hate his mother at the same time. His eyes do so much in going between each phase, and his way of explaining every question of hers, as an almost "well duh" way of pointing out the obvious, while also kind of going slightly mad at the same time when having to have this conversation with his mother. The scene could've been easily overwrought if it had been just one note, but Scott goes through so much life, that every second of it feels brutally honest. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next moment he visits home he sees his father (Jamie Bell) alone rather than his mother. Where his mom was so blunt in her emotion he's instead dealing with his father who actually offers initially some comfort by saying his mother will get over it. Scott's great in the more guarded way he comes in first in his way in just asking as he can, which his dad bluntly breaks when saying he knew because "he couldn't throw a ball for shit". Scott's reaction with Bell, as fantastical as the situation is, feels so natural as they manage to naturally laugh in the moment even if the rather brutal reasoning on his dad's part. Scott's amazing though in the way he speaks to his dad so differently, where Scott shows in some ways trying to be more controlled, more direct, more like his dad's expected son. His delivery is more precise, more short, his attempt to hold the emotion in is more exact. His way of trying to peer into his dad's thoughts while also maintaining a certain control. Even when asking why he didn't come into his room when he heard him crying, Scott holds in so much anguish in the moment, and in such a bluntly convincing way in showing the man putting on the brave face for his father speaking so much to their relationship rather than his mothers. When his father attempts to offer his own apology in his way, Scott's shift to the good things they had in his memories, Scott speaks from the heart with such warmth to just the simple memories of enjoying the family Christmas decorations and trying to ease the tension in such a natural way. The two kind of maintain their distance, then proceeds to tear my heart out, as both break as his dad apologizes for not comforting him as a child, and Adam trying to say it is okay. With both actors bringing such beautiful honesty and comfort to the scene, of the father and son embracing after so many years of distance. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile we see the progression with Harry's relationship where Scott's performance articulates this gradual removal from himself from that self-imposed exile of self from connecting to others in each subsequent scene. Scott always being so genuine, such as a simple moment such as requesting Harry not watch him undress, despite the two having had sex already, filled with sincerity that speaks to Adam as very much finding a pathway out of his shell he's put himself into. The moments of them speaking growing in the sense of comfort in their interaction, and that malaise that had defined Adam before that point in being lost as he is alone. There's a simple power in the moments of the two speaking to each other in their tender calm they have in their experience with one another. This opens up as we watch the two go clubbing, which could just be a scene about direction and visual imagery, but Scott's performance still stands out within this. As in every little interaction we see through the sequence speaks so much more to the sense of Adam going to go enjoy life in a way he hasn't in some time, or maybe even simply hasn't it. Scott's great because he doesn't play it with a simple ease, rather he shows the man discovering every moment of each experience, and embracing it that builds this at first little bit of joy that expands. Expanding in a way that is so potent in Scott's performance because we've seen where this man was in the opening scenes, and he shows this growth in such a natural and wholly captivating way. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is a shift though in the scenes with his parents which is a kind of regression for Adam as we see him with his parents, and Scott's performance again takes a big risk that if not pulled off perfectly, would be kind of terrible, of course it's the former. That is portraying this almost infantile manner he begins as he returns to his parents again in Christmas, as his physical performance is much smaller, emphasizing more of a child's size but also deferring state to his parents, and looking up to his parents celebrating Christmas, with both of them wholly embracing him, Scott manages to show Adam kind of giving into the pleasantries of the past by indeed being a child again. Scott makes a heartwarming moment in the way you see how much Adam appreciates getting to live this experience again with the sense of nostalgia in his eyes, while also showing the danger as he is indeed giving into the idea of the fantasy. With the moments where now his traveling between the kinds of worlds he's experiencing he's in a way much more lost and needing than he had been in a way, as he becomes dependent on the visits. His moment of trying to stop his parents from going out, where they are destined to die in a car accident, Scott's delivery of "promise me you won't go out", is incredible work as again it is the combination between the sort of child's worry in his voice but with the sense and knowledge of the adult. Scott manages to be neither purely one way or the other, and is both at once in a way that shouldn't work perhaps, though entirely does. </div><div><br /></div><div>The following scene with his parents Scott is magnificent in his ability to be able to kind of show both the dangers and beauty of being stuck in the past, and the struggle to reckon with it. The scene where he explains to his own mother, his life after he died, his initial delivery is so poignant because he does speak like a little kid just recounting something to his mom in the night, yet with so much more emotion of the man who knows so much more behind each word. Scott brings this unique vulnerability as his mother apologizes to him for her actions, and he tries to comfort her. And another scene that perhaps also just rips out my heart once again, when Adam tells his mother what he would've done with his parents through his life if they had lived. Scott's performance is so heartbreaking because there's such a wistful dreaming quality that speaks so much to the boy just wishing for the simple joys of a family. Even noting they had to fight but with a smile as just part of being a family and being together being the important point. Scott's kind moment of realization of the pain within it all being so heart wrenching as again his performance, just uncovers the level of vulnerability as the man needing to realize the truth of his loss. His breakdown back as the "adult" Adam being just all of the blunt sorrows in a moment that Scott opens up as the most tremendous wound being opened up. His detailing of the entire death is great acting, as again the adult, where the adult tries to distance himself from years past, where Scott is carrying so much shaking horror of every thought of thinking of the terrible death of their parents. Scott putting the years into it with every word filled with all of the searing pain beneath it, but the man attempted to articulate his defense of being isolated from his parents. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>A merging occurs where Adam brings Harry in an attempt to meet his parents, though his parents refuse to let him enter. Scott's extraordinary in the scene in showing sort of the mania of Adam on the brink of trying to deal with the loss of his parents again in his experience. Scott being filled with the manic desperation attempting to be the young man attempting to bring his loved ones together. Scott shows the man trying to live all his lives at once, and becoming lost. Which leads to a great scene with both parents trying to be tough love of having them say that they have to let him go and he has to let them go in order for him to be able to move on. Scott is so great in the scene because through every moment you see in his eyes a man trying to live out the joy of his parents, and just closing himself up from the reality that he must separate from this fantasy. Scott brings within his performance this aggressive force of the man just trying to hold off on the pain just that much more, being almost brat in a way when physically trying to silence his dad as the boy who doesn't want to have to grow up. As natural though in so meekly delivering "it's not been long enough" as still the little boy just hoping to be with his parents just a little more time than he had been able to be granted in life. Scott again being so outstanding by being the man and the boy, not as two separate parts but as one going through the grief. To ease the blow, the parents invited him out to the mall for one more time together. I love Scott's reaction to their invite, as he shakes his head stubbornly as the child, but the man's eyes recognize it as what needs to happen. Scott decides to rip my heart out one more time for good measure in their sequence of a final goodbye, where every moment of Scott's performance is some of the most moving acting of 2023. As every moment of realization of his loss again, with just the simple appreciation of being with them, and articulation of the mix between the man trying to hold on yet realizing he must move on. Scott's fluctuation between what should be such unbelievable extremes just are the most genuine sincerity that deliver every bit of poignancy to this moment of the man and the boy accepting their deaths finally, as best as he can. Scott's "I love you very much dad" and comfort to his mom, as she finally comforts him, is wonderful as it has such complex emotional truth to the interaction yet feels effortless in Scott's devastating performance. Scott showing every bit of love that was there from the son to the parents, as a boy, as a man, but with every sense of the loss interwoven innately in one final stunning tapestry of the relationship with his parents. Scott never shying from the beauty of the simplicity of the love of parents and child, but also finding every hint of nuance in the complexity of it all the same. It is never just one thing, but everything, that delivers such a tragic poignancy and not only makes the fantasy tangible, it makes it so powerfully incisive. </div><div><br /></div><div>The final "twist" of the film, which I think is necessary from how Harry is written in what comes out, though I don't think was entirely necessary in terms of the overall film, that <b>spoilers</b> being Harry is also dead the whole time and has merely been speaking to his ghost as well, as just this film really isn't about the "gotcha" to begin with, regardless, it still mostly works for me due to the performances of Mescal and Scott. What Scott uses in this moment is to articulate the final true growth of Adam in the moment in trying to finally embrace others out of his loneliness despite having in fact lost another opportunity to do so. Scott's great by very much playing the reaction to Mescal's performance, of the dying man destroyed by his own loneliness, while Scott brings such a poignancy in his understanding, comforting and alto together self-actualized manner as he explains his earlier fears that prevented from reaching out. Scott's "I found you" to give any sense of care to the man in his final moments brings such a beauty in just the idea of human connection in any way, and Scott's expression that shows the power of in a way simply being seen and acknowledged. The final scene shows Scott embracing fully another, even within these circumstances, as someone who can reckon now with his past, and embrace his life even as he helps yet another dead person move on. Speaking now with this certain emotional confidence that is life affirming with each word, and his look into the other man now fully being without fear or being stuck within his terrible grief. This is masterful work by Andrew Scott, as there simply is not a false moment in the entire film. And this is a performance that manages every difficult emotional scene, every strange shift in style or circumstance, that not only makes them work, it makes them feel entirely profound and only ever intensely impactful. It is very complex work in terms of all that Scott needs to portray, take in and illustrate, yet never does feel anything but wholly genuine in its simpler core elements that binds everything together. It is a tremendous performance in every sense, that breaks my heart in a way few performances ever do. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Lt_vcEkdBd_x0TfkPwBqwioQl9FFb38tCvfVMhl7CxPtt_aUpV3ulR05-VahcGeVOpvukYkhlWgSMOh9kZ52DUiR94Li5-iAraXU-PfjkuKDRJXT9YVNJFIJMrZvHQmlcHRNJAHFlgIBHzLn_R4JRVovGUlS8K71BuUauJ2AObib2P-WsmAKc0fXi27V/s1228/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Lt_vcEkdBd_x0TfkPwBqwioQl9FFb38tCvfVMhl7CxPtt_aUpV3ulR05-VahcGeVOpvukYkhlWgSMOh9kZ52DUiR94Li5-iAraXU-PfjkuKDRJXT9YVNJFIJMrZvHQmlcHRNJAHFlgIBHzLn_R4JRVovGUlS8K71BuUauJ2AObib2P-WsmAKc0fXi27V/w366-h105/5.png" width="366" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-71033281737336944422024-02-13T18:41:00.000-05:002024-02-13T18:41:36.769-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Eita Nagayama & Sōya Kurokawa in Monster<div style="text-align: left;">Eita Nagayama did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Michitoshi Hori nor did Sōya Kurokawa for portraying Minato Mugino in Monster. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_R1Y6TGX0_Kk7TEpu7trxkVvH0kV2mKvc6omE5s_VXKXszTYzwr0NSvB1ogakSlvV3uH46JAPl30BRnbmELUcIw7mTTnu3ROu1BE2splwhE1tAfb-r8yLlND1H11EBl6bMjIy1U-3ZOUcWfUDjXjAFs-m9Jz0O4bIsIqfxNF8jaCq_t4DtEOOP3PAekGi/s1264/Eita%20Nagayama%20Monster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="1264" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_R1Y6TGX0_Kk7TEpu7trxkVvH0kV2mKvc6omE5s_VXKXszTYzwr0NSvB1ogakSlvV3uH46JAPl30BRnbmELUcIw7mTTnu3ROu1BE2splwhE1tAfb-r8yLlND1H11EBl6bMjIy1U-3ZOUcWfUDjXjAFs-m9Jz0O4bIsIqfxNF8jaCq_t4DtEOOP3PAekGi/s320/Eita%20Nagayama%20Monster.png" width="320" /></a></div>Monster depicts a child's mistreatment in school from his mother's, his teacher's and his own perspective. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNyo8jAkGpa4egV50txQIdlYCgX681l3Fbqrk1ZDpJLo4_6OA3XZwRHzOkW4wlcx4X-zelO0B6KpNhlgaRQK-XGyfDDGl7YXz6l7MbyG0CvvMhmOpBIYodljp9IqhYs2hEBUrHJIeCoNs9JLWVE4oee19Ly-Z2V0kNyXkNyrvNXfB08-2vIvP90C0inga/s1273/Kurokawa%20Monster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="1273" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNyo8jAkGpa4egV50txQIdlYCgX681l3Fbqrk1ZDpJLo4_6OA3XZwRHzOkW4wlcx4X-zelO0B6KpNhlgaRQK-XGyfDDGl7YXz6l7MbyG0CvvMhmOpBIYodljp9IqhYs2hEBUrHJIeCoNs9JLWVE4oee19Ly-Z2V0kNyXkNyrvNXfB08-2vIvP90C0inga/s320/Kurokawa%20Monster.png" width="320" /></a></div>Although the film isn't precisely Rashomon, in terms of literally depicting the version of the reality of each storyteller, we do only see from the perspective of each individual which each tells a different story. We begin with the mother Saori (Sakura Ando), a single mother who is trying to figure out what is going on with her son who begins to act strangely and she begins to suspect that her teacher is abusing him based on some vague clues and rumors. Nagayama and Kurokawa don't give different performances in this section, rather they give performances without context. Kurokawa's performance is very distant from this boy, which is simply hard to understand as we only see what his mother sees. There's occasionally a smile from him, but mostly he physically seems to push himself away and hide, while asking these odd questions in kind of a disjointed way. There is something off about him but we don't know what it is yet. There's even moments of self-harm where Kurokawa's performance is alarming because of how random he is, so you have no idea, there's clearly something going on, but you cannot tell from what Saori sees.Nagayama on the other hand we first see as he comes into the first parent teacher conference where he seems oddly stiff with his apology being weirdly forced out of him. The next we see him he's suddenly aggressive and antagonistic towards Saori, blaming Minato for being a bully in the classroom. Suddenly Nayayama makes Hori seem on an edge, with every word being an attack against Saori and her son, where she is equally taken aback and as aggressive in confronting the seemingly horrible teacher who has no regrets for the situation. Of course the moments for both Nagayama and Kurokawa are moments that are their characters, but we don't know why any of it, so it just seems to be random moments of enigmatic emotion. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />All of this changes immediately as we shift to Hori's story where instantly Nagayama suggests a completely different man than we presumed we knew. We find him as he seems like a likeable enough man with a very low key performance from Nagayama. There's a relaxed manner about him, and a certain bright outgoing style as he begins his first days in teaching at the school. His performance is earnest and sincere, and suddenly you wonder what's the situation as he seems to be a good teacher. Now when the first complaint comes from Saori, we are as taken aback as he is in the complaint and Nagayama's performance portrays genuine confusion. To the point that we readily empathize with the man, since what we've seen from his perspective is just a normal man, with a girlfriend, living his life as normally as anyone else. Nagayama doesn't suggest any hidden demons, rather just a normal man trying to do his job. We now get the context for the first meeting where basically the rest of the staff, including his principal who has undergone her own recent emotional distress, all suggest that Hori leave all the talking to them and that he just apologize and get it over with. In turn we know now what was going on in his earlier performance where we now see a man who is stiff because he's just trying to follow orders, and perfunctory in his apology because he frankly doesn't entirely know what he is apologizing for. We see Nagayama's performance still at a distance from Hori's perspective, as this child he finds throwing things randomly in class and locking another boy in the classroom. In both moments Kurokawa just seems strangely emotional while Nagayama presenting a very real concern from the teacher in both instances. There's the confusion of just coming into the situation and just an earned frustration over the sudden development he doesn't know what to do with given the boy's behavior seems so random to him. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />What this becomes slowly for Hori is 2012's The Hunt, as from his perspective now we see that he has not been abusing the boy, nor been telling the boy he has a "pig's brain" which is one of the claims around Minato. So we see the fallout as he becomes continually questioned by his coworkers and even hounded by the press for his supposed behavior. And Nagayama's performance is great because he still plays it absolutely straight in showing the sense of confusion mixed in with distress. Presenting so well the growing sense of exasperation over the situation as it seems just one thing after another is going wrong. Every moment where he explains himself, Nagayama brings an honesty but also this almost timid reservation by someone just being unable to know exactly how to deal with so much at once. His performance expresses this curiosity to the subject, though with the confusion always mixed in as he is clearly trying to figure out what exactly is going on but is still too lost. He creates the right sense of this emotional constriction in his reactions of the man being stuck within basically being seen as this terrible child abuser, and even more as greater rumors begin to swarm around him, leaving his girlfriend to leave him as well. Nagayama portrays well in each reaction that frustration from just one thing after another, going from just confusion to genuine distress in his performance that so naturally creates the degradation of the man's spirit from one thing after another. Now we know the context of his more aggressive interaction with his mother, because we now see the man pushed to anger from one thing after another going wrong from him, all of it built around what he knows to be lies about his conduct. So we are able to see from that early interaction that viciousness wasn't from a horrible teacher just dismissing a parent who he knows is calling him out for doing wrong, rather it is the anger of the man who sees the cause of all this growing list of mistreatments of him, making Saori the ideal target for his ire. With him being fired now, we see it as an injustice and sense then his desperation as he returns to the school demanding answers from Minato Nagayama's work is moving because we see how this normal man has been pushed to this almost literal brink by the end of his version, and all by letting us empathize with the truth of the matter. Until we see Hori discover the truth of the situation, where I think Nagayama is great in convincingly showing just this passionate teacher suddenly, who when his student is in danger, there isn't anything that stops him, rather just earnest desire to do right. It is a brief note in terms of screen time but well delivered. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <br />That leaves us with Kurokawa's performance of Minato, which per Kore-eda's ways, the fact that it is a child giving this performance isn't something you even need to think about or consider. As always, the child performances are as natural a part of his films as any other feature, there's no awkwardness, no showing off qualities, he's just a real person like everyone else in the film. Kurokawa's performance of course revealing itself is part of the essential truth and power of the piece, as he's the last part of the puzzle, giving we only saw Minato first as the apparently strange self-destructive son and then the troublesome student. Well all of this makes sense once we actually meet Minato outside of the gaze of the adults in his life. Where immediately we see so much more, and some truly great acting from a child, because it's what is probably asked the least of a child actor of any kind, which is very subtle acting. As we explore his relationship with a fellow student, who is picked on relentlessly by other classmates, Yori (Hinata Hiiragi). Kurokawa's performance in these early interactions are able to convey the peer pressure just in his work along with the genuine interest in interacting with the other boy in certain moments. His performance created the sense of conflict where his very quiet work still, but now opens us up into his perspective so powerfully. As we see the ease of comfort when interacting with just Yori initially, but also this sort of dour manner of constantly being told by others to stay away from him. This goes so far as to first being pulled into a bullying act, before then trying to get attention away from him by throwing things in the room. This time, we see the context, and Kurokawa's performance brings this emotional desperation suddenly with purpose as he tries to help Yori through the act, rather than some senseless act it appeared to be the first time. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />We see something radically different outside of the school where there is such a power in Kurokawa's performance by finally not showing the withdrawn child so stuck seemingly within his constraining emotions as we see Minato and him go off to play together. Kurokawa's so much more expressive and his performance naturally shows really the joy the boy can have when allowed to be himself without any of the forced pressures of the school culture and expectations of others. Instead we see just the real sense of fun of the two boys as they play together, with their favorite spot being an abandoned train. Their performances together are so great by being so natural in these moments of play where you see just how much they are getting out of it, compared to what it was that we saw in school, or particularly what we saw of Minato in every other perspective of this story. There is happiness and there is such a tremendous impact in Kurokawa's performance by just simply expressing that happiness without reservation. But that isn't all there is to this performance and the degree of nuance of the work is what is so remarkable. When we see for example Minato look upon Yori getting locked into the bathroom by bullies, to ensure that Mr. Hori is letting himself out, Kurokawa's performance shows the concern but also some of the degree of stress of the constriction he is placed into in the school. This isn't at all simple child performance as every moment we don't just know what Minato is going through from Kurokawa's performance, we now know so much more of the textures of his thoughts because that can be seen in Kurokawa's performance. A performance that frequently bridges this certain gap between the child and the adult. His performance is neither that of being just the adult in the child's body, nor is he just a child taking things in a more limited way. He's both in such a convincing way that brings such a depth to the character. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />We see this explored all the more as the film becomes a MUCH better version of Close, as the boy's friendship may in fact be a romance, though that is something that neither one of them fully seems to understand. And that is where the performances are so important, where it really are portraying exceptionally complicated emotion between the two, as both actors feel so authentic in these moments, although a little different, as much as he might also not be able to verbalize it Yori is a bit more confident in himself, despite the bullying, where we see in Minato a lack of certainty, despite just how genuine their interactions are that only ever denote this ease of connection between the two at every step. In a key moment where Yori embraces Minato, Kurokawa is great in portraying the sort of running through moment of emotions and the unnatural return to basically the expected state we see at school when he runs away. Now we are given the context to the self-destructive boy we saw through Saori's story, but now we have context. We are though given the intimacy of his performance, where it isn't just distant emotion, but we see rather the real emotional heartache in Minota in these moments and the actions of the boy as filled with self-doubt and shame. A great moment in Kurokawa's performance is when he admits his lies about Hori to the school principal, who basically offers therapy for him by playing a trombone with her as a cathartic act to "blow away" their secrets as a way to embrace the emotion and allow himself to be happy. And Kurokawa's work is just gradually within the scene going from that self-imposed restriction to finding hints of joy again as he seems to embrace the act and in the moment embrace himself. Kind of single scene "fixes" can be tricky, but this feels wholly earned by Kurokawa's performance that reveals just how much this singular act let's him be him again. Kurokawa delivering a great performance that articulates every step of this of this complicated story with a natural ease but also such poignancy. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuS3zaNDEwKk6v8OsmJCtnMLB6SIhWOLXHgq9nvplrwK-WaJ7Uo8NwMW_tSS7SZI1wmQZlAJGktCiNQbqbD5vSTsUatkCtxvsu-jRoZPX2GRJnvsZYq3acDm0n1yBzHqbBrY_yEpJ-hWuPM-No1W_Tn2B6t5VGKLWXWZAfcxBcGzmWutKajJTpLeTKRMz/s1108/4.5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1108" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuS3zaNDEwKk6v8OsmJCtnMLB6SIhWOLXHgq9nvplrwK-WaJ7Uo8NwMW_tSS7SZI1wmQZlAJGktCiNQbqbD5vSTsUatkCtxvsu-jRoZPX2GRJnvsZYq3acDm0n1yBzHqbBrY_yEpJ-hWuPM-No1W_Tn2B6t5VGKLWXWZAfcxBcGzmWutKajJTpLeTKRMz/w365-h116/4.5.png" width="365" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Nagayama)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6s8RgYzqlUae2v6ARUh-qfsPInjPtpMXDZ7M8rop2G1srWaSLbsiwW0AVaeCzyRGJ719-iM1Cnzur8oo1Ba8dJ-v7iPb7LgTJxK9nMGrNPZOzcUjzH8HEFfNoXtK1hDXk20NrFUH4l09gO69dhgTM7PbcOICTQLPVv65SAbPbK9k_ziZNd-lXim_TO3A/s1228/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6s8RgYzqlUae2v6ARUh-qfsPInjPtpMXDZ7M8rop2G1srWaSLbsiwW0AVaeCzyRGJ719-iM1Cnzur8oo1Ba8dJ-v7iPb7LgTJxK9nMGrNPZOzcUjzH8HEFfNoXtK1hDXk20NrFUH4l09gO69dhgTM7PbcOICTQLPVv65SAbPbK9k_ziZNd-lXim_TO3A/w383-h110/5.png" width="383" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Kurokawa)<br /></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-44549549684308808782024-02-12T17:50:00.006-05:002024-02-12T17:51:14.928-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023: Zac Efron in The Iron Claw<div style="text-align: left;">Zac Efron did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIjrLy9idmWS9keo9gKOY6qECDoOtvN49BENYOxVJKt6LroleSKUxXY2vEHwhoQXynf2trOjkyk1RRJZe1hw11KkthC2ho6BMeJQI6NKHMDR3WcEk1mT3zIw4YaJobFYiJW1nv1elM3pHyn7HrHewjMWc8NREkLc51fYp4QYfjv3S4Rkg-cLa9mkXY8ut/s2025/Zac%20Efron%20The%20Iron%20Claw.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="2025" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIjrLy9idmWS9keo9gKOY6qECDoOtvN49BENYOxVJKt6LroleSKUxXY2vEHwhoQXynf2trOjkyk1RRJZe1hw11KkthC2ho6BMeJQI6NKHMDR3WcEk1mT3zIw4YaJobFYiJW1nv1elM3pHyn7HrHewjMWc8NREkLc51fYp4QYfjv3S4Rkg-cLa9mkXY8ut/s320/Zac%20Efron%20The%20Iron%20Claw.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Iron Claw tells the tragic tale of the Von Erich wrestling family.<br /><br />Zac Efron broke out via his status as a teen heartthrob from High School the Musical, though he made I'd say a first attempt to break into dramas in kind of still fulfilling that role that didn't work out great, he kind of segued again by doing comedic subversion of his original type, before coming back again now having aged out of all of it to attempt being the dramatic actor again. And I'll say far, even with less than stellar material, I have liked Efron's attempts, with his portrayal of Ted Bundy being fairly effective if limited by a lackluster script. So I was honestly ready to accept him if he found the right role, with a decent script, and that is the case here in The Iron Claw as Kevin Von Erich, the second oldest, though de facto oldest son of the Von Erich family, after his oldest brother died from an accident at a very young age. Efron fully transforms himself, the most obvious part being completely putting on the wrestling physique, which is a rather dramatic transformation, even for the typically in great shape Efron this is another extreme, that certainly makes you believe him as a wrestler. But his transformation goes beyond that even as his Texas accent here is great and the best type of accent that you not only just accept as a natural part of the performance, more so the character, who Efron very carefully crafts as the modest brother, despite starting in the spotlight. <br /><br />Efron's vocal work I think goes beyond just setting the place in creating this very subdued manner to the man that is Kevin, and in some ways what is a "simple" man within the scheme of the world. Efron's performance I think excels in fashioning this character who is unlike anything else he's portrayed by being such a modest figure, however in a way that is distinctive that doesn't reduce his presence in the film either. Rather Efron makes his impact through modesty which is quite special in itself. Efron's whole way of being has a certain kind of generous way of reacting to others, and even more so this easy going state whenever he is not wrestling, though even a personal degree of awkwardness that just feels so natural that it is kind of sweet. When he first meets his eventual wife for example Pam (Lily James) asks him out after a wrestling show, Efron's great in being so convincing at the way he's stumbling around. It isn't a comedic bit, it is just genuinely who Kevin is, and the ease in which Efron delivers this unease is wonderful. He manages to find a certain charm by making the purity, for the lack of a better word, just so honest in his performance. His stare that isn't looking for any angles, his rather lunky way of movements, it is just of a singular presence that just makes Kevin so specifically him. One of my favorite moments is when Pam goes to have sex with Kevin for the first time, because of the sincerity of Efron's delivery where Kevin admits he's never been with a woman before. Although one can take humor out of it with the burly man being so lost in this arena, he doesn't make it a joke rather Efron's earnest manner just grants the insight of the endearing straightforward and humble nature of Kevin. <br /><br />A straightforwardness we see with Kevin among his brothers, where he is the eldest technically but in a way he does defer to their tyrannical father Fritz (Holt McCallany). Efron's great along with all the actors playing the brothers of David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and Mike (Stanley Simon), in creating the unit of the brothers. Efron establishes a bit of a different kind of chemistry though with each of them, even if overall there is the fun loving unit of the brothers together. With Dickinson, Efron creates the closest relationship between the two. They just have so much natural warmth between the two in every interaction, where there just is this connection that doesn't need to be spoken. Efron and Dickinson have that important ease in that you just sense the history of them as brothers as a pair that is together as one. The moments where just the two are talking, particularly when we see their, unbeknownst to both, their final conversation, at Kevin's wedding to Pam, the love is just a given they have together as they speak. There is no effort to be found, they just simply are in the sincerest form of excitement as Kevin tells David about having a kid, while also even Kevin's concerns over David's apparent health and David waving it off, the sense of care about also the way of sort of shaking off any major concerns, all as part of the naturalistic honesty of brothers. They are the closest pair and between Efron and Dickinson you feel so much hope. <br /><br />With Kerry, White and Efron are not nearly as close, except when they are a group, as we see more of a challenging rivalry between the two. Although Efron never portrays a purposeful intention to undercut his brother or show him up, Efron does subtly allude to just a little more tension with Kerry and most importantly not just that particular ease we see with David. We still have moments of an embrace which Efron doesn't complicate, it's love still, there's just more of that tension, a tension though that comes from a force not from the brothers but something else. With Mike we get the most sense of the older brother in Efron as you see him always offering this calm sense of support to his younger brother. Efron's portrayal of this more precise warmth is in every glance over to his brother, or kind word of encouragement to himself, there's an overwhelming sense of empathy. The complication of course is their father where we see a distant "be a man" attitude from Fritz, who is hard on all of the brothers even noting a son ranking that is subject to change. Something that we see Kevin push back lightly on which Efron plays very well in presenting genuine unease but held in fittingly given he's been under his thumb all his life. The moment early on where he tries to talk to their mom about it, but basically his mom defers any responsibility elsewhere, Efron's delivery reflects the sorry state of affairs. He is absolutely earnest in his calm way of just asking if his mom could step up just a little bit but when shut down, it is with this modest acceptance leaving the situation as it is. <br /><br />And what the situation is, is their father pushing them to be the next number one in wrestling in any way. Where we see Efron on the ring basically in the physical aspects showing the man constantly pushing himself as much as possible to be part of the show. Although his attempts at promos are decidedly less impressive than those by his old man and brother. Although Efron is great in being bad at the promo in hitting in a lightly comic though believable way in his very stilted delivery that lacks the gusto needed for the game overall. Naturally showing why David becomes the favored wrestler within the public eyes and also within the eyes of his father. Still when we initially see him wrestling with his brothers, there is fun initially in the idea of them having some playing around still. Unfortunately, their dad's persistence leaves each one pressured that much more to accomplish. Efron's own performance portrays just this natural exhaustion from the process, though exacerbated as their father is most blunt, including his reaction when Kevin does not perform ideally in an exhibition match against the champ. Efron's performance in the scene afterwards is great in wearing the sense of disappointment, within the facade required by their father, who shows no sympathy just reasons for criticisms, and even explanations it is part of a bitter sort of "against the world attitude". Efron is terrific in the way he speaks everything as professionally as possible and with as much confidence as he can. While his expression still speaks to the real anxiety of the failure and sense of his personal failure within that calm face his father expects. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />When the moment comes in which David gets the full title shot instead of Kevin, Efron's way again of speaking the level of sadness is within the created state that fits to his father's expectation. Efron's great in managing to play the two sides of it, with the real emotion in there, but only just so slightly in his performance, as anything more would only lead to even more ire from their father. This "be a man" philosophy that continues when David dies unexpectedly from a ruptured intensity, where his father insists that the brothers show no tears for their brother. And what Efron does is marvelous in portraying playing to the repression forced upon Kevin and the others in this first death. His way of listening to the news, or seeing even David's loving postcard sent just before his death, Efron's performance conveys the emotion he can just around the edges. Efron finds just what he can to maintain the enforced state Kevin is in, even as he is living through such horrible emotional turmoil. And what Efron portrays initially is basically Kevin being stuck within the learned choices of his father, even after the suicide of Mike, after too being pushed too hard. Efron shows this growing weariness almost this confused loss in his way with words, such as not using the Von Erich name for his child, as a man stuck within the toxic mentality of his father. We see on the same side in the wrestling, there no longer is a hint of fun or enjoyment, there's just a greater intensity and this fixation to live up to his father's dream. And what Efron shows is basically Kevin being pulled into the same meaningless repression and vicious drive that only eats away at his soul. <br /><br />Up until this point, what Efron has done is craft a singular type of man, that is very idiosyncratic theoretically, but Efron makes it all very natural. He is this simple type believably, he is the man in this state of repression convincingly, which in itself is a remarkable achievement. Because never does this feel like Efron trying to play dramatic, nor does it feel like him trying to be this part in any way. He is merely Kevin Von Erich with his specific mannerisms and whole demeanor. There is no other note or idea required to be mentioned. He simply is it, which is impressive, but what's more impressive is what it is building to which is the man coming out of his state. The first minor break in this is when Kevin confronts his father over the finances of their wrestling federation where Fritz was underpaying him. The hint of actual dissatisfaction, even if just a hint at first, from Efron speaks to finally the man seeing his father's actions more clearly. The emotion of the man finally coming out, finally becoming more evident than what his father would allow. this continues when he gets a suicidal call from Kerry, where Efron's performance again lets out more direct emotion, an active concern that speaks volumes as he tries to talk his brother down then even trying to convince his father to do something, his way of saying "just look out for him" with a slight voice crack, bringing the real caring man past his conditioning. <br /><br />Which leads to two amazing scenes for Efron, that are so impactful in part because of how constrained he has been up until this point. The first being when arrives just slightly too late to see that his brother has committed suicide, where his father, even while his brother is lying dead near him, still blames him. Efron's reaction to seeing his dead brother brings the severity of the unbelievable shocking pain of the moment. Followed by the first true outburst by Efron that is so powerful as he releases initially the rage against all his father's actions and in-action. Efron makes it more than just momentary anger from the shocking event, but more so, just this pent up hate towards his father from so many years. His sadness though still is even held in, however this middle place as he brings his brother's dead body into the house, with this control of the man still trying to hold it together, yet the real sorrow seeping through the edges and with such tenderness with his final words of love to yet another brother who has died. But what this is all leading to is Efron's final scene, where we see Kevin finally drop any act. Evidently Claw's director, Sean Durkin, told Efron not to cry till this scene, and great directing advice, because it is outstanding work from Efron because it is this tremendous release of emotion. Efron is heartbreaking because in it you see every loss he's suffered throughout the film in his nearly broken state. Although saved by his sons coming to comfort him, where Efron so poignantly speaks the simple yet powerful sense of his lost brothers. Somehow transferring the moment to something beautiful in its catharsis, as his sons comfort their dad, promising to be his brother, and Efron's performance manages to reveal all the pain of Kevin's life, though it ends with just the right glint of hope and happiness as he turns to the promise of his own family. Playing perfectly that lowest emotional point to finding something to live for in just a glance, that is wonderfully performed by Efron. Although I think elements of this performance can be taken for granted, by how reserved much of it is, that reserved quality not only is essential to where the character goes, Efron so distinctly crafts that reserved state that we do know exactly who Kevin is up until that point, and do see what he's going through albeit through a barrier. This is a great performance by Zac Efron, that honestly didn't surprise me, because I thought he had it in him, and this powerful portrait surviving tragedy was merely the revelation of it. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTgRuCNbYd0lsXGTKUOjIc2vqhB762ojdDq700PeLVCAryPu7IwAT4SdxZdnyKwIbBc5LqcqPLKeyhDnTlG-U6duG5VB6aTIBKVFusizHtV03v5_IXGymEhYE6ai6y3UEiQiPfuNElY9h-9wyhSBkU1VTeukm7eIAmnlkIS8c-EIPqSRXnpJPVa1AsVYt/s1228/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTgRuCNbYd0lsXGTKUOjIc2vqhB762ojdDq700PeLVCAryPu7IwAT4SdxZdnyKwIbBc5LqcqPLKeyhDnTlG-U6duG5VB6aTIBKVFusizHtV03v5_IXGymEhYE6ai6y3UEiQiPfuNElY9h-9wyhSBkU1VTeukm7eIAmnlkIS8c-EIPqSRXnpJPVa1AsVYt/w372-h107/5.png" width="372" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-1584990691554206562024-02-10T23:07:00.001-05:002024-02-11T08:37:29.467-05:00Alternate Best Actor 2023<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHfGR6l7upGuTl3dZ1aFKvJYsMwv_W0onQz3mrazRZs_VxGPPDm274QZRAxAfWnoRBFnxKLFhxvTgYQAxXSoz3tYpIVLseiV0tYEVEi295Qc78idB6Xfd6t-7iHTAThRp0udK5MG3A-1rdD_5Q7bx7YwhlRL9QQYNiVrY_B32JTaIsVTkq8rFinbKg1ia/s1182/2023.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1182" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHfGR6l7upGuTl3dZ1aFKvJYsMwv_W0onQz3mrazRZs_VxGPPDm274QZRAxAfWnoRBFnxKLFhxvTgYQAxXSoz3tYpIVLseiV0tYEVEi295Qc78idB6Xfd6t-7iHTAThRp0udK5MG3A-1rdD_5Q7bx7YwhlRL9QQYNiVrY_B32JTaIsVTkq8rFinbKg1ia/w504-h397/2023.png" width="504" /></a></div>And the Nominees Were Not:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Koji Yakusho in Perfect Days</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Charles Melton in May December</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Zac Efron in The Iron Claw</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Predict Those Five, These Five or Both:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Michael Fassbender in The Killer</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Glenn Howerton in Blackberry</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Teo Yoo in Past Lives</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Sōya Kurokawa in Monster</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mads Mikkelsen in The Promised Land</b><br /></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-17750118104461862812024-02-10T21:43:00.003-05:002024-02-25T11:55:18.216-05:00Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023: Results<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdQjD-AjLHwiRyi3Y8-nMUj_9VcYRF54IlVcXOb1PsB_KIWP_QJu6MU1S0fymkBXjC_JEPhdQyLSn2XluRcXda0XxQ5Xpl3k8YBu0ZExPNM3QNW_fDuuHA34L-X9RcvLr_gsn7it09plYIfi7ZVeGogoBIPFLlzOpwdY-t18LHhMPph1ZV85VjUWfMbph/s1182/2023.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1182" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdQjD-AjLHwiRyi3Y8-nMUj_9VcYRF54IlVcXOb1PsB_KIWP_QJu6MU1S0fymkBXjC_JEPhdQyLSn2XluRcXda0XxQ5Xpl3k8YBu0ZExPNM3QNW_fDuuHA34L-X9RcvLr_gsn7it09plYIfi7ZVeGogoBIPFLlzOpwdY-t18LHhMPph1ZV85VjUWfMbph/w436-h343/2023.png" width="436" /></a></div>10. Casey Affleck in Oppenheimer - Affleck gives a chilling portrayal of soulless incisiveness. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>His scene. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScMyNktyhWKTWluMl_V5U1kdsb6lOoiOXwEv8PT_NVUT9Bz5ztTgVkDzkcEh6Rsjhc9r_PsmMNTRRMtQmxkjsO4WHHwGWiNh1DbWTYU18gPAFlzTIuOS9613bw8b_hswVdOQOqSFxWnal5HcVWraizkG3fAUjpMEcAFSqsdEytQEUX3QmNEPhzdd_pCl9/s1016/4bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1016" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScMyNktyhWKTWluMl_V5U1kdsb6lOoiOXwEv8PT_NVUT9Bz5ztTgVkDzkcEh6Rsjhc9r_PsmMNTRRMtQmxkjsO4WHHwGWiNh1DbWTYU18gPAFlzTIuOS9613bw8b_hswVdOQOqSFxWnal5HcVWraizkG3fAUjpMEcAFSqsdEytQEUX3QmNEPhzdd_pCl9/w285-h99/4bs.png" width="285" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">9. Gary Oldman in Oppenheimer - Oldman does about as much as he can in unraveling the idea of Truman and his relationship to the bomb in a matter of minutes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>His scene, but specifically reacting to Oppenheimer's "I have blood on my hands"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvt8LSDSFSK1OTnGxnYfk1Vl6CeOHzxm8A1V2CF2Hfhe-QIDL60aOSPGwlp9BA5ba1qo46Do6YuxZA22tWgCh8ovygOj-MNN3DARF-rHQ9-nIbyKylB689rnSI6ztqTuqNW5t0Qjy5j4EvOaxcB50ZV9yL7H56Gk0iH8JsKT1cbNHuBEmvj2IbF1tSrhY/s1016/4bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1016" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvt8LSDSFSK1OTnGxnYfk1Vl6CeOHzxm8A1V2CF2Hfhe-QIDL60aOSPGwlp9BA5ba1qo46Do6YuxZA22tWgCh8ovygOj-MNN3DARF-rHQ9-nIbyKylB689rnSI6ztqTuqNW5t0Qjy5j4EvOaxcB50ZV9yL7H56Gk0iH8JsKT1cbNHuBEmvj2IbF1tSrhY/w288-h100/4bs.png" width="288" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Matt Damon in Oppenheimer - Damon provides a wonderful bit of humor in a mostly serious film, and finds the ideal kind of chemistry with Cillian Murphy. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>His testimony ending. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s320/4.5bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Milo Machado Graner in Anatomy of a Fall - Graner powerfully reveals the truth of a death, through his own struggling to understand it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>His experiment. <b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s320/4.5bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Jonathan Tucker in Palm Trees and Power Lines - Tucker gives an insidious portrayal of a vile man pretending to be the "ideal" man to an unsuspecting teenager. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene:</b> A shift suddenly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s320/4.5bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. David Krumholtz in Oppenheimer - Krumholtz brings such a potent warmth that makes such an impact every time he appears, in his carefully crafted, yet wholly natural portrayal of his character's background.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Stare down. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s320/4.5bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Holt McCallany in The Iron Claw - McCallany gives a powerfully cruel portrayal built on callousness and a lack of empathy for any signs of "weakness". </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Victory speech.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s320/4.5bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Jason Clarke in Oppenheimer - Clarke is basically giving undiluted performance and it is incredibly striking and penetrating work. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Cross examination. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdyDg4VM9UPUXaium04D35D5Z9QKr4qcCY24EdqmbHF7pOiMu_A0EykFpmxMic39e3svYFlKmL5509Dy26OuJuMeq-Ee6zcVopDE_5-Hrp8bN8vAPmlvduZWKuZuAsOcysdujIN6Y_r1ZcjvRpDlbpxPcr0ChVgKUh6fw___bM19Md0gTDDj5oqoliBcK/s320/4.5bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Willem Dafoe in Poor Things - Dafoe delivers a brilliant combination of hilarious bluntness with a surprising degree of heart. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>"Cut with kindess"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDm77gVcgKD48DFhNgiDJboA67YzgNxKhl5VgITDYdYfEFicSCLB4jzJ1NbyHuFCIoaq2gQ7B_u3B5jsGhGeROSgKT0yWxxqH-OoXL7qYbKuujuwjwtfIM7SbBgHgCDApU3dt7ZhjpKcwZvftBnWhDeBcSXrIYemCSTZ_3_miMNkNyU2FIdwiZHQJcv92/s1270/5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1270" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDm77gVcgKD48DFhNgiDJboA67YzgNxKhl5VgITDYdYfEFicSCLB4jzJ1NbyHuFCIoaq2gQ7B_u3B5jsGhGeROSgKT0yWxxqH-OoXL7qYbKuujuwjwtfIM7SbBgHgCDApU3dt7ZhjpKcwZvftBnWhDeBcSXrIYemCSTZ_3_miMNkNyU2FIdwiZHQJcv92/s320/5bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Jamie Bell in All of Us Strangers - Bell effortlessly crafts a repressed man of a certain period and background, and so poignantly unravels that brings such honesty and power to every moment of fantasy. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>"I'm sorry I never came into your room when you were crying"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDm77gVcgKD48DFhNgiDJboA67YzgNxKhl5VgITDYdYfEFicSCLB4jzJ1NbyHuFCIoaq2gQ7B_u3B5jsGhGeROSgKT0yWxxqH-OoXL7qYbKuujuwjwtfIM7SbBgHgCDApU3dt7ZhjpKcwZvftBnWhDeBcSXrIYemCSTZ_3_miMNkNyU2FIdwiZHQJcv92/s1270/5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1270" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDm77gVcgKD48DFhNgiDJboA67YzgNxKhl5VgITDYdYfEFicSCLB4jzJ1NbyHuFCIoaq2gQ7B_u3B5jsGhGeROSgKT0yWxxqH-OoXL7qYbKuujuwjwtfIM7SbBgHgCDApU3dt7ZhjpKcwZvftBnWhDeBcSXrIYemCSTZ_3_miMNkNyU2FIdwiZHQJcv92/s320/5bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Overall:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things</b></li><li><b>Jamie Bell in All of Us Strangers</b></li><li><b>Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon</b></li><li><b>Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer</b></li><li><b>Willem Dafoe in Poor Things</b></li><li>Ryan Gosling in Barbie </li><li>Paul Mescal in All of Us Strangers - 5</li><li>Jason Clarke in Oppenheimer</li><li>Holt McCallany in The Iron Claw</li><li>Ramy Youssef in Poor Things</li><li>David Krumholtz in Oppenheimer</li><li>Harris Dickinson in The Iron Claw</li><li>Jonathan Tucker in Palm Trees and Power Lines</li><li>Milo Machado Graner in Anatomy of a Fall</li><li>Matt Damon in Oppenheimer </li><li>Ben Whishaw in Passages </li><li>Hinata Hiiragi in Monster</li><li>Jonathan Majors in Creed III - 4.5</li><li>Tomokazu Miura in Perfect Days</li><li>Oscar Isaac in Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse</li><li>John Magaro in Past Lives</li><li>Samuel Theis in Anatomy of a Fall</li><li>Ty Mitchell in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Donnie Yen in John Wick Chapter 4</li><li>Simon Bennebjerg in The Promised Land</li><li>Kiefer Sutherland in The Cain Mutiny Court-Martial</li><li>José Coronado in Close Your Eyes</li><li>Henry Czerny in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning</li><li>Bradley Cooper in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3</li><li>Gary Oldman in Oppenheimer</li><li>Christopher Abbott in Poor Things</li><li>Jeremy Allen White in The Iron Claw</li><li>Casey Affleck in Oppenheimer</li><li>Lewis Pullman in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial</li><li>Jung Woo-sung in Cobweb</li><li>Jason Schwartzman in Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse</li><li>Benny Safdie in Oppenheimer</li><li>Michael Cera in Dream Scenario</li><li>Alden Ehrenreich in Oppenheimer</li><li>Tom Conti in Oppenheimer </li><li>Stanley Simons in The Iron Claw</li><li>Benny Safdie in Are You There God? It's Me Margaret</li><li>Josh Hartnett in Oppenheimer </li><li>Dane DeHaan in Oppenheimer </li><li>Regé-Jean Page in Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves</li><li>Matt Johnson in Blackberry</li><li>Nathan Lane in Beau is Afraid</li><li>Swann Arlaud in Anatomy of a Fall</li><li>Jesse Plemons in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Kingsley Ben-Adir in Barbie </li><li>Lewis Pullman in The Starling Girl </li><li>Masaki Suda in The Boy and the Heron</li><li>Antoine Reinartz in Anatomy of a Fall</li><li>Chukwudi Iwuji in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3</li><li>Scott Adkins in John Wick Chapter 4</li><li>Matthias Brandt in Afire</li><li>Gregg Turkington in Fremont</li><li>Jamie Foxx in They Cloned Tyrone</li><li>Shea Whigham in Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse</li><li>Paul Rudd in Teenage Mutant Turtles: Mutant Mayhem</li><li>Sterling K. Brown in American Fiction </li><li>Marshawn Lynch in Bottoms</li><li>John Standing in The Great Escaper</li><li>Peter Dinklage in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes </li><li>Cast of Society of the Snow - 4</li><li>Louis Cancelmi in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Kuranosuke Sasaki in Godzilla Minus One</li><li>Benedict Cumberbatch in Poison</li><li>Will Catlett in A Thousand and One</li><li>Hiroyuki Sanada in John Wick Chapter 4</li><li>Ice Cube in Teenage Mutant Turtles: Mutant Mayhem</li><li>John Magaro in Showing Up</li><li>Arliss Howard in The Killer</li><li>Jude Hill in A Haunting in Venice</li><li>William Belleau in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Daniel Kaluuya in Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse</li><li>Pat Healy in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Ben Kinglsey in Poison</li><li>Rhys Ifans in Nyad</li><li>Michael Ironside in Blackberry</li><li>Jason Isbell in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Ian McShane in John Wick Chapter 4</li><li>Ralph Fiennes in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar</li><li>Jacob Elordi in Saltburn</li><li>Brian Tyree Henry in Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse</li><li>Josiah Cross in A Thousand and One</li><li>Mario Pardo in Close Your Eyes</li><li>Dave Bautista in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3</li><li>Hugh Grant in Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves</li><li>Thomas Kretschmann in Infinity Pool</li><li>Hugh Grant in Wonka</li><li>Kiefer Sutherland in They Cloned Tyrone</li><li>John Ortiz in American Fiction</li><li>Ronnie Del Carmen in Elemental</li><li>Jake Johnson in Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse</li><li>Macon Blair in Oppenheimer</li><li>Jason Schwartzman in Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</li><li>Ben Kingsley in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar</li><li>Bill Skarsgard in John Wick Chapter 4</li><li>Josep Maria Pou in Close Your Eyes</li><li>Joel Frey in The End We Start From</li><li>Ben Affleck in Air</li><li>Lance Reddick in The Caine Mutiny-Court Martial</li><li>Jefferson Hall in Oppenheimer</li><li>Justice Smith in Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves</li><li>Clancy Brown in John Wick Chapter 4</li><li>Scott Shepherd in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Munetaka Aoki in Godzilla Minus One</li><li>Jackie Chan in Teenage Mutant Turtles: Mutant Mayhem</li><li>Tommy Schultz in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Cory Michael Smith in May December</li><li>Nikita Yefremov in Tetris</li><li>Jacob Elordi in Priscilla</li><li>Tom Riley in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial</li><li>Dev Patel in Poison</li><li>Jeremy Allen White in Fremont</li><li>Hidetaka Yoshioka in Godzilla Minus One</li><li>Steve Witting in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Forrest Goodluck in How to Blow Up a Pipeline</li><li>Jimmi Simpson in The Starling Girl</li><li>Benedict Cumberbatch in The End We Start From</li><li>Simu Liu in Barbie</li><li>Judd Hirsch in Showing Up</li><li>Gustav Lindh in The Promised Land</li><li>Saul Rubinek in Blackberry</li><li>Chris Tucker in Air</li><li>Steve Routman in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Tokio Emoto in Perfect Days</li><li>Dev Patel in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar</li><li>Jerrod Carmichael in Poor Things </li><li>James Remar in Oppenheimer </li><li>Colman Domingo in The Color Purple</li><li>Cary Elwes in Blackberry</li><li>Michael Cera in Barbie </li><li>David Cross in You Hurt My Feelings</li><li>Roger Allam in Tetris</li><li>Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Flora and Son</li><li>Shōhei Hino in The Boy and the Heron</li><li>Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania</li><li>Jeffrey Wright in Asteroid City</li><li>Jason Mamoa in Fast X </li><li>Alfredo Castro in El Conde</li><li>Corey Hawkins in The Color Purple</li><li>Oh Jung-se in Cobweb</li><li>Tom Davis in Wonka</li><li>Jason Bateman in Air</li><li>Sungwon Cho in Blackberry</li><li>Rich Sommer in Blackberry</li><li>Chris Messina in Air</li><li>Michael Keaton in The Flash</li><li>Jake Weary in How to Blow Up a Pipeline</li><li>Will Poulter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 </li><li>Simon Pegg in Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning</li><li>Ving Rhames in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning </li><li>John Cena in Fast X </li><li>Naheem Garcia in The Holdovers</li><li>Richard E. Grant in Saltburn</li><li>Nicholas Braun in Dream Scenario</li><li>Akshay Khanna in Polite Society</li><li>David Dastmalchin in The Last Voyage of the Demeter</li><li>Musab Ekici in About Dry Grassses</li><li>Shaun Thomas in How to Have Sex</li><li>Paterson Joseph in Wonka</li><li>Jack O'Connell in Flora and Son</li><li>Nicholas Galitzine in Bottoms - 3.5</li><li>Bryan Cranston in Asteroid City</li><li>Liev Schreiber in Asteroid City</li><li>Adrien Brody in Asteroid City</li><li>Edward Norton in Asteroid City</li><li>Willem Dafoe in Asteroid City</li><li>Tom Hanks in Asteroid City<br /></li><li>Rupert Friend in Asteroid City</li><li>Steve Carrell in Asteroid City</li><li>Matt Dillon in Asteroid City</li><li>Stephen Park in Asteroid City</li><li>Ricard Ayoade in The Ratcatcher</li><li>Rupert Friend in The Ratcatcher</li><li>Jamie Dornan in A Haunting In Venice</li><li>Andrew Garman in The Holdovers</li><li>Gene Jones in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Esai Morales in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning</li><li>Toby Jones in Tetris</li><li>Jun Kunimura in The Boy and the Heron</li><li>Tatanka Means in Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Michael Provost in The Holdovers</li><li>Ian Dolley in The Holdovers</li><li>Jim Kaplan in The Holdovers</li><li>Laurence Fishburne in John Wick Chapter 4</li><li>Arian Moayed in You Hurt My Feelings</li><li>Jim Carter in Wonka</li><li>Richard Kind in Beau is Afraid</li><li>Mads Mikkelsen in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny</li><li>Okieriete Onaodowan in American Fiction</li><li>Keith David in American Fiction</li><li>Brady Hepner in The Holdovers</li><li>Cary Elwes in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning</li><li>John Rhys Davies in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny</li><li>Kenneth Branagh in Oppenheimer</li><li>Dylan Arnold in Oppenheimer</li><li>Shea Whigham in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning</li><li>Nathan Fillion in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3</li><li>David Dastmalchian in Oppenheimer</li><li>Anthony Boyle in Tetris</li><li>Riccardo Scamarcio in A Haunting in Venice</li><li>Rami Malek in Oppenheimer </li><li>Bradley Cooper in Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves</li><li>Matthew Modine in Oppenheimer</li><li>Glenn Howerton in Fool's Paradise</li><li>Dylan Baker in Dream Scenario </li><li>Adam Brody in American Fiction</li><li>Jeremy Allen White in Fingernails</li><li>Ayoub Missioui in The Blue Caftan</li><li>Liam Cunningham in The last Voyage of the Demeter</li><li>Charles Parnell in The Killer</li><li>Shea Whigham in Eileen</li><li>Shamier Anderson in John Wick Chapter 4</li><li>Adrien Brody in Fool's Paradise</li><li>Toby Jones in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny</li><li>Common in Fool's Paradise</li><li>Ken Watanabe in The Creator</li><li>John Lithgow in Killers of the Flower Moon </li><li>Glynn Turman in Rustin</li><li>Yuki Yamada in Godzilla Minus One</li><li>Paul Rhys in Saltburn</li><li>Jeffrey Wright in Rustin</li><li>Rowan Atkinson in Wonka</li><li>Lukas Gage in How to Blow Up a Pipeline </li><li>Anthony Shim in Riceboy Sleeps</li><li>Liev Schreiber in Golda<br /></li><li>Alex Sharp in One Life</li><li>Ron Livingston in The Flash</li><li>Oscar Kightley in Next Goal Wins</li><li>Chris Diamantopoulos in The Boys in the Boat - 3</li><li>Chris Bridges in Fast X</li><li>Noah Galvin in Theater Camp</li><li>Michael Douglas in Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania </li><li>Tyrese Gibson in Fast X</li><li>Aml Ameen in Rustin</li><li>Antonio Banderas in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny</li><li>Langston Uibel in Afire</li><li>Enno Trebs in Afire</li><li>Rupert Grint in A Knock At the Cabin</li><li>Keegan-Michael Key in Wonka</li><li>Alan Ritchson in Fast X</li><li>Aksel Hennie in Sisu</li><li>Samuel Bottomly in How to have Sex</li><li>Djimon Hounsou in Rebel Moon - 2.5</li><li>Bill Murray in Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</li><li>Sung Kang in Fast X </li><li>Marton Csokas in Chevalier</li><li>Eugenio Mastrandrea in The Equalizer 3</li><li>Ben Platt in Theater Camp</li><li>Archie Madekwe in Saltburn</li><li>Ethann Isidore in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny </li><li>Scott Eastwood in Fast X</li><li>Boyd Holbrook in Indiana Jones and the Dial Destiny</li><li>Connor Swindells in Barbie </li><li>Jonathan Groff in A Knock At The Cabin</li><li>Michael Huisman in Rebel Moon</li><li>Charlie Hunnam in Rebel Moon</li><li>Ray Fisher in Rebel Moon</li><li>Ed Skrein in Rebel Moon </li><li>Chris Rock in Rustin - 2</li><li>Michael Shannon in The Flash</li><li>Michael Cyril Creighton in American Fiction</li><li>Will Ferrell in Barbie</li><li>Mathew Baynton in Wonka</li><li>Matt Lucas in Wonka</li><li>Kyle Allen in A Haunting in Venice - 1.5</li><li>Marc Menchaca in The Creator</li><li>Brendan Fraser in Killers of the Flower Moon </li><li>Taika Waititi in Next Goal Wins - 1</li></ol></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next: 2023 Lead</div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-74745119818448602352024-02-10T16:35:00.000-05:002024-02-10T16:35:25.219-05:00Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023: Jonathan Tucker in Palm Trees and Power Lines<div style="text-align: left;">Jonathan Tucker did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, for portraying Tom in Palm Trees and Power Lines. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJS1-8PwLTOfAB1sATvCPxZCtBKGqV8sPvWoDFAO5FiMuwoT1L6Q1W4y4rUCvSTo_dc5Wqlf1__VsiAJIoKVT9_plo6qu_HXCib3tmkAMRAOmUduMcN-RGbT3npsc2DNWwyHO1Oab21XN3FjxpTnhCDV1siOZlyZdjfGqStDSGJuLGEX5Da81ZC5e2FM3/s2020/Jonathan%20Tucker%20Palm%20Trees%20and%20Power%20Lines.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="2020" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJS1-8PwLTOfAB1sATvCPxZCtBKGqV8sPvWoDFAO5FiMuwoT1L6Q1W4y4rUCvSTo_dc5Wqlf1__VsiAJIoKVT9_plo6qu_HXCib3tmkAMRAOmUduMcN-RGbT3npsc2DNWwyHO1Oab21XN3FjxpTnhCDV1siOZlyZdjfGqStDSGJuLGEX5Da81ZC5e2FM3/s320/Jonathan%20Tucker%20Palm%20Trees%20and%20Power%20Lines.png" width="320" /></a></div>Palm Trees and Power Lines follows the grooming of an aimless teenage girl by an older man.</div><div><br /></div><div>Palm Trees and Power Lines essentially is Red Rocket without any satirical bent and entirely from the teenagers point of view as an older man aggressively pursues her. Tucker's first scene is as he follows the young Lea (Lily McInerny) down the street, where it is an absolutely insidious scene and brilliantly performed by Tucker. Because what Tucker does is be a complete creep while completely putting on the facade of not being a complete creep to the impressionable Lea. Tucker's speaking every word with a sort of ease and bright manner as he invites her into her car, even praising her without hesitation for stating her concerns of stranger danger, despite the fact that he continues to literally stalk her with his car. Although he prods her along as though he is doing some kind of come on by trying to find her like in music as again Tucker's performance is just playing with as little pressure, despite only putting on pressure, and just seeming to be pleasing as possible towards her. Tucker makes it eerily convincing that he would convince her to let him give her a ride. Within the ride itself Tucker is only plying more from her where all Tom is doing is praising her, and speaking towards what he sees as maturity within them. His portrayal is this unpleasant confidence about it as Tucker manages to be very obvious about the trick, but entirely with the relaxed manner that it is easy to see how the trick is unfortunately working on Lea. Right down to his face of quiet frustration when she notes she's only 17, which Tucker's performs as a duplicitous disarming reaction, waiting for Lea to see how concerned he is, therefore assuage the concern by allowing the relationship to continue. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lea follows up to meeting Tom again, and she initially approaches it as though she is just dating someone. Tucker's performance continues to be one of the most sinister from 2023, by not at all playing it as sinister. Rather Tucker emphasizes the positive as he always brings warmth to his performance, he always brings this sense of encouragement towards her at every point. Tucker listens, he smiles, he pushes her towards the idea of bettering herself, with a real energy and body language that is geared towards seeming just to be sitting on her every word. Tucker's work is of the worst kind of snake, because his manner really speaks two languages. One being basically the "perfect man" to what Lea believes she needs and more so what she wants to hear. While at the same time Tucker's method always has a certain force, and a certain penetrating stare as though he is constantly analyzing everything about her. When he asks her a question the way he accentuates the wording is to open up the idea to thought, while Tucker eyes denote basically calculating every aspect of her life. Tucker brings in this glint where you see the man seeing his opportunity. Tucker's performance makes it this especially uncomfortable ease then that when basically prodding on Lea towards taking the steps to a sexual relationship, but as this predator waiting for her to make the move, which he's so carefully cultivated. One of the most hideous moments being when they arrive at his home, which naturally is a seedy hotel that he claims is temporary only, Tucker's delivery of "I could just take you home" is so perfectly respectable that it is horrible, because what Tucker shows is a man who knows exactly what he's doing, by again getting Lea to be the one to suggest taking the next step. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately Tom's nature goes beyond even the seduction of a teenage girl, which Tucker makes in itself all too vivid of the process of ingratiating himself, with such hideously believable manner every step of the way. Tom's intentions go beyond and you see the shift, that honestly isn't as much of a shift as a purposeful process where his control goes from that of careful persuasion and that of control. Tucker in the moment of dropping the charm offensive of basically granting Lea any sense of purpose or care. He now wields his power with a particularly disgusting sense of self-satisfaction that Tucker exudes within his work. Eventually it is revealed that Tom is in fact not only planning on exploiting her sexually for himself, but also to prostitute her. Tucker's performance is chilling because we see that everything up until this point has indeed been purposeful manipulation by him in order to control her for his means. Tucker drops enough of the warm, caring act that it becomes more of a perfunctory action of the man who knows all too well he's in control of the situation. His few moments of encouraging her with a "I love you" or "you look so pretty" are delivered not quite halfheartedly, but far from anything close to a real truth. We see his facade crumble, but we also see how it is far too late for Lea to pull herself out of it. Tucker rather shows the man who has essentially gotten to the place he has been building to the entire time, and now Tom believes he holds her in his sway that his effort becomes only just above the bare minimum. Tucker delivers a very effective performance here by essentially letting the viewer see a process of grooming in such a natural, convincing and altogether horrifying detail. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdNb6GuotVhklCJxuRbsAfupwRmjpIXx4hUMxRq0OMzGKNtLcyhV-oB9K0borGsLutTY0JPCp0T2tnzIbquRJ5TMnMNMFq0a0LZ5SUc3WiKRow20iY6ZC65kYJ0Cf-hwpBWXVLgPaHCNCPZ3iSUO1QPdT6LzgDPCRSHuORlrwWi7r90XnnEEvD9id0ERL/s1143/4.5bs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdNb6GuotVhklCJxuRbsAfupwRmjpIXx4hUMxRq0OMzGKNtLcyhV-oB9K0borGsLutTY0JPCp0T2tnzIbquRJ5TMnMNMFq0a0LZ5SUc3WiKRow20iY6ZC65kYJ0Cf-hwpBWXVLgPaHCNCPZ3iSUO1QPdT6LzgDPCRSHuORlrwWi7r90XnnEEvD9id0ERL/w356-h110/4.5bs.png" width="356" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-52453752106540358672024-02-09T18:31:00.005-05:002024-02-09T18:32:13.471-05:00Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023: Paul Mescal & Jamie Bell in All of Us Strangers<div style="text-align: left;">Paul Mescal did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a BAFTA, for portraying Harry in All of Us Strangers.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRJpHiXkxyKKkYnxHAfBDtKSxcJ1T0KwlnDPMdQwIHahKAsYJjHORdAKeMle98W9qFJkBs8SxtKfHfENH1BzjmnsG7CmVfS0ZAqOuNJHvtNZYtp8WMxxh3OhCQZndCDIL30_JQ4sVKFbHXi4acPa2EvHhlAG56cufYKpoUUVD4lP86fKi1_CAj6dx7mrN/s1792/Paul%20Mescal%20All%20of%20US%20Strangers.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1792" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRJpHiXkxyKKkYnxHAfBDtKSxcJ1T0KwlnDPMdQwIHahKAsYJjHORdAKeMle98W9qFJkBs8SxtKfHfENH1BzjmnsG7CmVfS0ZAqOuNJHvtNZYtp8WMxxh3OhCQZndCDIL30_JQ4sVKFbHXi4acPa2EvHhlAG56cufYKpoUUVD4lP86fKi1_CAj6dx7mrN/s320/Paul%20Mescal%20All%20of%20US%20Strangers.png" width="320" /></a></div>Paul Mescal seemingly plays within the "real" or non-fantastical portion of the film, and is simply just another man in the apartment complex that our lonely long orphaned Adam (Andrew Scott) is living in. And I actually think Mescal gives two performances here, which will require some explaining to do. The primary performance is as the potential romantic interest for Adam, as seemingly the only other person who lives in Adam's large apartment complex. A man, who after an initial meeting, I will get to that, comes in and appears to be just the right man for Adam. Mescal is outgoing and upfront in every bit of his manner, he's charming in just the forthrightness of the man who seems ready to share his life and experience with Adam. Mescal's chemistry with Scott is potent, though very specifically Mescal performs it as almost a constant kind of encouragement in their scenes together, he is always smiling, always eager and ready to seemingly make Adam as comfortable as possible as they explore the relationship together. And I'll admit watching the film the first time, I thought to myself "this guy seems almost too perfect" for Adam for him to find him seemingly conveniently in this way. As even the more difficult aspects that are brought up by Mescal's Harry's almost are kind of a way to grow the bond between them. The moment where Harry speaks of his own family, which is far less tragic than Adam's, is still far from perfect, even if he is theoretically accepted as he notes them knowing of his homosexuality. Mescal though does convey a poignant bit of sadness there in the man just expressing his tragedy though seemingly as a lower key than what Adam has been through. What it does do is seemingly create this sense of connection they can have between them as men's whose lives are imperfect. Almost too perfectly as a way for Adam to potentially move on with his life, away from his parents and now with a new companion. An ideal that seemed almost too ideal, and that's because it is. As what Mescal is playing here is basically a dream man, not that it is over the top, a convincing dream.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that brings me to the idea of two performances, and while as the dream man Mescal is great in creating that poignant chemistry with Scott, and having such natural connection in their scenes together, he is outstanding in the moments of the real Harry. Watching the film again is where you see that Mescal's manner actually is extremely different in his first scene as he comes knocking on Adam's door. Mescal eyes are of a man who is just lost, and the way he accentuates certain phrases, like the building wanting people to not commit suicide, there is a painful intention cloaked within his dark joking of the notion. Mescal's manner isn't just of a potential man seeing a romantic partner, rather there is a far greater intensity in his performance of someone looking for almost a lifeline of any kind with this subdued, yet wholly harrowing quality. Mescal's subdued yet extremely effective drunk acting, that is this act of desperation where obviously the alcohol is a mere respite for him from his mental torture. His come-on to Adam the scene being filled with far more than want, but rather the most vulnerable need, as he says "there's vampire at my door" with such a shade of complete horror, not horror of a film with a vampire, but the horror of a man at his lowest point, sinking into his sorrows looking for the only light that he can see in Adam. Which <b>spoilers</b> this is the real Harry as we see in the ending of the film where Adam finds that Harry had died shortly after having met him the first time. Mescal is amazing as we return to the Harry from the first scene, as he says with such painful vulnerability as he says "he was so scared". Mescal's work is so raw and absolutely real, despite the technical fantasy element, as he reflects that "no one found him from his life" and the searing emotional heartache from it is so powerful. Mescal proving once again, he's one of the absolute best working today in depicting this kind of raw emotion, but not for a moment does he present the dead man as overwrought or melodramatic, it feels absolutely and rather brutally real. Mescal giving two great performances, one as the best possibility if Adam would only reach out, but also the brutal truth of another man lost in his loneliness. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjPCILR6-negkWnOpCq0Wm4glV1LQMrnOf6VOj77aZE3e_O03tFbmOQRh3YRdOmr5JdPrFog4AHU5mpcJR7PxG8AIQvyYdRVKA96H3D7MYErmbaGW6bqk9CHNgpMdT6XPy6Ggmzkeb1WtboVy-ZL4FJY-HqZjbL4H4JWsK65LHrJPE50PQUOoXfnmX5ch/s1270/5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1270" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjPCILR6-negkWnOpCq0Wm4glV1LQMrnOf6VOj77aZE3e_O03tFbmOQRh3YRdOmr5JdPrFog4AHU5mpcJR7PxG8AIQvyYdRVKA96H3D7MYErmbaGW6bqk9CHNgpMdT6XPy6Ggmzkeb1WtboVy-ZL4FJY-HqZjbL4H4JWsK65LHrJPE50PQUOoXfnmX5ch/w356-h99/5bs.png" width="356" /></a></div><div>Jamie Bell did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Adam's father in All of Us Strangers.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknafLnMa_ADLR_GD3_DFuh4aPg78kirO5dWIS8aa0P0LcjxlRdUchz7-Mma0DR7Lc-aTNpxHkzTiHqC0F5GPnSEW-OYwe-bhNkXfWOIJhj7m1hQq1o6ZYYWpbUxKrNej8qzvaXSFCjy_qQ4YleAqu26vAtolbtk0-jZxnsa62OAdBDxIb8SCvdg6yVSoW/s1800/Jamie%20Bell%20All%20of%20Us%20Strangers.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1800" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknafLnMa_ADLR_GD3_DFuh4aPg78kirO5dWIS8aa0P0LcjxlRdUchz7-Mma0DR7Lc-aTNpxHkzTiHqC0F5GPnSEW-OYwe-bhNkXfWOIJhj7m1hQq1o6ZYYWpbUxKrNej8qzvaXSFCjy_qQ4YleAqu26vAtolbtk0-jZxnsa62OAdBDxIb8SCvdg6yVSoW/s320/Jamie%20Bell%20All%20of%20Us%20Strangers.png" width="320" /></a></div>Jamie Bell plays entirely within the known fantasy, dream, imagination, whatever it may be as Adam seems to be able to visit his old childhood home as an adult, despite his parents having died when he was only 12 years old. Bell's performance is one that falls actually under the technically extremely mannered, yet done in a way that you'd never describe it as such because of just how natural those mannerisms are. Bell very much fashions himself as a workaday English father from the 80's. There's a slight gruff to his vocals, though nothing too over the top or obvious, just something that denotes his particular time and class with ease. All the more impressive is his physical work in the role, which is so very particular, yet so very effortless. There's a kind of low energy that Bell brings that is kind of brilliant, because it isn't that his performance is low energy, rather he has the manner of a man who's always a little tired after a day's work. Bell's choices are always kind of the easier movement and exceptionally so in making this "low effort" filled with so much character. He just seems entirely like this old school dad of the period, who isn't making any kind of fuss one way or another, he just is who he is. That statement even being true when interacting with his adult son, who is older than him. There is a specific style of both Bell as Adam's dad and Foy as Adam's mom, because they aren't unaware of the fantastical existence that they are in, rather it is part of their performances in a particularly captivating way. As the way Bell basically says "oh it's you" so nonchalantly, that makes the experience all that much more fascinating because Bell presents Adam's dad as being aware of his state of existence, and welcoming with this kind of expectation that something like this would happen. His performance being essential in crafting the experience as not a pure fantasy, weirdly enough because of the awareness of the fantasy. This changes the dynamic for every scene between Adam and his parents into something more captivating as we see the parents exploring their relationship with their son as it was, reflecting on it with time and seeing Adam as he is as a man older than they were when they died. </div><div><br /></div><div>After the first scene where the parents largely just greet Adam back now as an adult, though back into his childhood home, Adam has a scene with each parent individually. The first with his mom, who struggles with dealing with the revelation of his homosexuality, and the second with his dad, which honestly is one of my favorite scenes of 2023. Bell's performance in the scene is outstanding by doing so much work in so little time, and creating so tangibly who Adam's dad and more so what his relationship with him was. Bell opens the scene very much as the dad, who is so reserved, so quiet in his manner as the dad just doing what he has to do. Bell's way of trying to ease the tense moment between mom and son, as this mediator in his way of making no particular conflict or side, just so calmly trying to bridge the gap in his way. Bell shows the man that was just going about life in his casual way, but also his place even in this surreal state of trying to still connect the relationship between them. Bell is so natural though in the way he opens up just a bit in his particularly blunt, that feels so just correct out of this character from this time, as he notes he always knew his son was gay, albeit quite overly directly as he says he was always "tutti fruti" since he "couldn't throw a ball for shit". I love though that it isn't this hateful delivery it is the way of the man, with even warmth as the son and father share a laugh about Adam fulfilling the cliche a bit. When hearing about the bully he suffered that caused Adam to cry in his room, which his dad was aware of, but did nothing about. Bell shows that insulation of the dad not sure how to deal with the emotion and just dismissing the terrible nature of kids at school without addressing what was really going on, and even admitting his avoidance because he might've been one of those kids when he was in school. Bell reveals the repression, the stress of it, the way he's learned to be closed off from it, but the real emotion is in his performance just beneath this shield, just enough, particularly as Adam notes all the pain he had as a child. Making the bits of joy then he indicates as Adam notes some good memories, so poignant, though Bell still shows it reserved again as the man had been taught to his whole life to not show his emotions. Bell's gradual just breaking down of that repression, though still in it partially, as the real regret of the man pulls through with his absolutely heartbreaking delivery of "I'm sorry I never came in your room when you were crying" is absolutely brilliant. It is so special because Bell shows that this is a struggle for the man to let this out of him, yet the emotion is absolutely real, and feels even mor so earned because he shows the way the man has to almost force it out past his learned behavior. Making this release of it so cathartic and honestly just such a devastating moment. </div><div><br /></div><div>That would be enough for this to be a great performance by Bell, that scene is THAT good, but what he does after this scene is also incredible. Because what we see in Bell's work is the father, still in his ways, but trying to be the father he might've come to be if he had the perspective at the time. Welcoming his son with an honest embrace, even remarking on the "handsomeness" of his boyfriend as a dad just trying to be supportive with the right bit of natural awkwardness by Bell, that is endearing in its awkwardness. Though as being the dad who also still has the ability to impart some life lessons on Adam. As Adam keeps coming back to them, where Bell's great in his manner changing to the dad trying to be strong and bringing this manner in his performance as the man trying to show his care while also making the tough decisions a dad sometimes has to. The tough decision being to let Adam move on from them and allow them to be gone forever. Bell's deliveries have this seasoned honesty to them that speak towards a warm wisdom which is that both must let each other go at this point. Their final scene is absolutely beautiful as Bell brings this even manner of the dad now trying to be strong, with this tight lip whenever Adam says he wants to stay, Bell showing the man now keeping his emotions in for the good of his son, by trying to ease the passage for all. His delivery of "I do love you son" is just filled with such potent love in his eyes, and Bell earns the man just speaking so directly in the moment without any reservation. And I even love the moment that recognizes the fantasy nature of it all as he asks "was it quick?" referring to their deaths with an uncertain anxiety, he is holding in for his son, but still asking almost as quickly as possible to get it out of the way. But there's even a bit more as though the focus of the film is the parent/son relationship, the one quick bit of vulnerability Bell expresses so wonderfully as he notes his past uncertainties regarding the love of his wife, just summarizes the relationship so quickly and so powerfully, as he reacts with such quiet happiness as she assuages any concerns he might've had. Bell's performance I feel has been taken for granted by some, but to me he's absolutely pitch perfect and equally responsible for some of the most impactful moment in this emotional film. Bell's work is able to do so much, in crafting a specific man of the period with such a clear sense of his place in the family, this fascinating reality to the fantasy as a man commenting so naturally on the unnatural, while also never failing to find the profound poignancy of a dad finally getting to set things right. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEh9KE6pZ0tbOr-d9xyo8SMf7mfTdBJDjtFT__4AJQNd3D1EobKWZ04YjZlHDNA3qdESKkiLkUGRcfPtfVillO9L9rGIWRiyLQOnPLzu3LcuK-Emwph6lMdVq3zzrUPDkT1H9JVhZCjkDqLW6D3cJf3HY9U6FT8r-BTvcLknFOTN4SaLuNG2Y8w_ZYg4jx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="99" data-original-width="356" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEh9KE6pZ0tbOr-d9xyo8SMf7mfTdBJDjtFT__4AJQNd3D1EobKWZ04YjZlHDNA3qdESKkiLkUGRcfPtfVillO9L9rGIWRiyLQOnPLzu3LcuK-Emwph6lMdVq3zzrUPDkT1H9JVhZCjkDqLW6D3cJf3HY9U6FT8r-BTvcLknFOTN4SaLuNG2Y8w_ZYg4jx=w359-h100" width="359" /></a></div></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-44370367668589628202024-02-07T20:18:00.003-05:002024-02-07T21:31:39.110-05:00Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023: Holt McCallany & Harris Dickinson in The Iron Claw<div style="text-align: left;">Holt McCallany did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Fritz Von Erich nor did Harris Dickinson for portraying David Von Erich in The Iron Claw.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmbH3iP1IbzrpMT5u7dMdtuDalUtV4OmzXc__393Xp1T2Pe6dpzXW4vrpFvuc_OoT7SeWOE0abmcOrhYDKZplGbGeqC33U-VPXW2U-4Es5nrPJ8T4ij1Fc93k3dhfLpvVH7HQvu3c7jDTJ2zc1lmtbi9QEBOIzug8T-l0qp56FWjWnx3P9SN7BUOmjXEv/s1819/Holt%20McCallany%20the%20Iron%20Claw.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="1819" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmbH3iP1IbzrpMT5u7dMdtuDalUtV4OmzXc__393Xp1T2Pe6dpzXW4vrpFvuc_OoT7SeWOE0abmcOrhYDKZplGbGeqC33U-VPXW2U-4Es5nrPJ8T4ij1Fc93k3dhfLpvVH7HQvu3c7jDTJ2zc1lmtbi9QEBOIzug8T-l0qp56FWjWnx3P9SN7BUOmjXEv/s320/Holt%20McCallany%20the%20Iron%20Claw.png" width="320" /></a></div>You have probably the two sides of the coin of the von Erich family in the performances of Holt McCallany and Harrison Dickinson. Holt McCallany feels very much a classical style character actor who just is oozing with said character from his every pour that just casting him adds a little something because of that. He seems an ideal fit therefore for a wrestler who presented himself as a heel for the going public even going so far with his gimmick as to evoke Nazi imagery as part of it. Which is what we open with as we see Fritz using the Iron claw to a roaring crowd, with McCallany entirely owning the presence of the wrestler heel with all the possible manic intensity. This is immediately contrasted though to a relatively quiet manner as we see him joining his family after the match where McCallany creates a natural complexity to the character. The man does seem to love his family as he embraces them after the match, but just as much there is a strange thing as he notes he got a more expensive care without telling his wife, to act like a champion before being one. McCallany's delivery of this is key because he speaks with it as the "correct" act on his part without hesitation or reservation, despite seeming to be a major decision, and this will not be the first time we see such a manner from the man. As we flash forward to his extended family including Kevin (Zac Efron), David, Mike (Stanley Simons) and Kerry (Jeremy Allen White). Where one of the first acts is to hassle Mike for not doing exactly what he is saying, as McCallany's particular pressure in his delivery, because it actually isn't loud, but it is powerful. His voice is one of control in his "encouragement", and most especially a complete lack of shame as he orders his sons in order of favor. McCallany's work is unbelievably cruel because of the ease in which he rattles off the list, it isn't a joke, it's rather delivered what's worse it is a man thinking it is motivation. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbfItlQwP0aN0VlDRPAXWWqmPp153ZJ96rORo9J4XPmuGvVsIb2ZxZkCV_zEEDJHzbqAE_xsQ5u98lgHZv6MzUzvotwjMLAjBzGXtgQAv3h-RO8oM-7QGjF5JJXrl3X8Kfk7TrP7Y-Ub5RAKA2MEzCQzF0edhBHLBsqX8VK13SSc_vOFFqG8Ukk5LgtaW/s1810/Harris%20Dickinson%20The%20Iron%20Claw.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1810" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbfItlQwP0aN0VlDRPAXWWqmPp153ZJ96rORo9J4XPmuGvVsIb2ZxZkCV_zEEDJHzbqAE_xsQ5u98lgHZv6MzUzvotwjMLAjBzGXtgQAv3h-RO8oM-7QGjF5JJXrl3X8Kfk7TrP7Y-Ub5RAKA2MEzCQzF0edhBHLBsqX8VK13SSc_vOFFqG8Ukk5LgtaW/s320/Harris%20Dickinson%20The%20Iron%20Claw.png" width="320" /></a></div>Dickinson I think provides the essential contrast to McCallany in the early scenes of the film. Dickinson already is proving himself to be a low key chameleon as an actor, just becoming one with the role whether it be the more dynamic John Paul Getty III in Trust, a insecure though posh model from Triangle of Sadness or also in 2023 as a working class Englishman in Scrapper. Dickinson so far is whatever you need him to be and it is with such ease that he plays the part that is the most impressive. His Texas accent here, but even so his particular casual manner just makes him seem ideal as David, to the point you don't think twice about it. Dickinson's performance as much as he just is the role, he's so much more than that here as he brings the ease in his performance that is the opposite of his father. Dickinson brings such a warmth to his performance but a warmth that is just a given. There's no force in his performance, there's just a relaxed approachable nature about him. There's something especially wonderful because you just sense the chemistry he has with Efron, Simons and eventually White without really any aggressive effort. He just has it, and doesn't need more of it. Dickinson in every scene makes an impact by being the man who just seems like he's loving living his way and being around his brothers. His lines of genuine encouragement or just goofing around with his brother, Dickinson's performance makes you just more relaxed with him around. It is hard to not like David because Dickinson has such effortless charisma. Something that extends in the ring where Dickinson's great because what he gives off more than anything in the fights initially, is a man just having a blast, so it is hard not to have it with him. <br /><br />McCallany and Dickinson in many of the family scenes then have a conflicting chemistry, even though the two never butt heads. But rather we see that in the way each of them approach every moment so differently. Even in David's first fight, McCallany shows Fritz watches with pride but also an extreme intensity as they go about it, where David's just having fun going off into it. The outdoor family meal scene exemplifies this more where McCallany is terrific in his own charisma, though so very specific if not dictatorial. There is genuine charm there, when his wife brings up his unexpected background in playing clarinet, McCallany's reaction shows real love there as the thoughts of the memory of their meeting glimpses on his face. But when any of his sons say something remotely out of his specifics, such as daring to comment on the wrestling camera angles rather than the wrestling, the coldness of McCallany pierces through because there's no hesitation or even slight easing at it, he will bluntly state his opinion every time. The way McCallany dominates is perhaps best illustrated when he tells former near Olympian Kerry to also join wrestling, McCallany comes in really as the coach speech, he speaks with belief, he speaks even with hardship as not the ideal path, but he also speaks as a command. Not a command of a man who is blaring it to his son, he doesn't need to, rather it is with the authority of the man who always believes himself to be right and in the right without exception. <br /><br />Where McCallany and Dickinson though are similarly great in the same way is in the delivery of the wrestling promo. Dickinson knows exactly how to bring the right boisterous ridiculousness that is fashioned in the right kind absurd style that is of this over the top heroic overtures particularly his perfect way of saying "delivering the Iron Claw To You" with all the proper face glory. McCallany, not to be outshone in this regard is also going in hard with a far more heelish type of intensity, though again still with the same over the top ridiculousness but convincing in its entirely strange way. With particularly his way of saying "the greatest family in the history of wrestling" being all the most extreme over the top gusto, that is also just kind of perfect. In turn also making David take the position, Kevin expected to have, as the favorite to go furthest in wrestling. Where we see the true insidious cruelty of Fritz as he declares his choice with no words of comfort to his other son, just as whenever they make a mistake, Fritz only speaks as if it was a mistake with no positive urging but rather with that dismissive by McCallany that is so insidious in its cruelty. We see what is sewn with this after Kevin gets married just before David's world champion fight. A scene where Dickinson is just incredible, where he calmly depicts the physical exhaustion of the man as someone trying to cover it up but still exuding it even within the facade. More importantly is the beautiful loving warmth in his eyes and every word towards Kevin, as you see him just projecting the purest of love as he hears Kevin is having a child. Dickinson makes himself the glue of the family, making it unbelievably cruel then when David dies off screen, and we feel that loss because of what Dickinson delivered up until that point. From here on is where we also see what makes Fritz even worse than you might've guessed, as McCallany delivers the news of David's death as bluntly as anything else, and his insistence of his remaining sons not show "any tears" is hideous in the way McCallany makes it it merely the extension of the man's mental tyranny. McCallany does indicate that he does care, but so constricted in this and is his perspective that he leaves no opportunity for actual change. The way that McCallany's performance remains very nearly consistent through the further tragedies, realizes the greatest cruelty of the man, who is so firm in his standard, in his belief, that even as nearly his entire family is ripped from him for his ways, there is no honest reflection for really even a moment. And while this may seem less dynamic, although McCallany, just let's off a hint more grief and kind of seeming just slightly lost after the final death, what McCallany's work so effectively serves its purpose in creating a specific portrait of callousness that isn't based on becoming worse, rather it is his depiction of fittingly an iron heart that is so prepared for tragedy that he is not worn by it, but he also never learns from it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7KseJCH163M7uSYdjxnHkRsKkopnT7W5kvCyKz9uZ-PdRzhZDL4KBducXolnCQqmMA47iASIubMxA55kZgyt68Fw73wSW9eN7nqUqOQxa0nPw5EblItQ1Q7XSeSVMjgFkoOsqb-mhF-Ih2iBqksmB3woWrmV1jVrIStz5bMRZxtve82TUt4XjwK7qyi7/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7KseJCH163M7uSYdjxnHkRsKkopnT7W5kvCyKz9uZ-PdRzhZDL4KBducXolnCQqmMA47iASIubMxA55kZgyt68Fw73wSW9eN7nqUqOQxa0nPw5EblItQ1Q7XSeSVMjgFkoOsqb-mhF-Ih2iBqksmB3woWrmV1jVrIStz5bMRZxtve82TUt4XjwK7qyi7/w350-h108/4.5bs.png" width="350" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-31967940068900694602024-02-06T18:59:00.002-05:002024-02-06T18:59:58.616-05:00Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023: Milo Machado Graner in Anatomy of a Fall <div style="text-align: left;">Milo Machado Graner did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Daniel Maleski in Anatomy of a Fall. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fbRgP3QLJzVEn5QHMQ3ZHQoiLYeiGWYaKpNzZcyHYTkWZ0ijtmCnTOwz8xzmrKq4e5ZusbOX5R8KqGg1N4Iqxek0PmCSBDuf5fJ58_ox4wXurcryJyxyJvvE28eFACZiOG3HGoUzOD0SAIyKVLmI9ws29EhaEtAPwublA5EDdD6uXmx0hRn1nkqHHa1W/s2076/Granier%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Fall.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="2076" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fbRgP3QLJzVEn5QHMQ3ZHQoiLYeiGWYaKpNzZcyHYTkWZ0ijtmCnTOwz8xzmrKq4e5ZusbOX5R8KqGg1N4Iqxek0PmCSBDuf5fJ58_ox4wXurcryJyxyJvvE28eFACZiOG3HGoUzOD0SAIyKVLmI9ws29EhaEtAPwublA5EDdD6uXmx0hRn1nkqHHa1W/s320/Granier%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Fall.png" width="320" /></a></div>Anatomy of a Fall follows the investigation behind a French man's death from following from his roof whether it be accident, suicide or murder by his German wife Sandra (Sandra Huller). </div><div>Milo Machado Graner plays the key witness of the film, though also is the son of the couple whose relationship is exposed throughout the criminal investigation to see whether or not his mom murdered his father. Graner's performance for the first two thirds of the film is extremely low key. He has scenes though they are almost as though he is a footnote at times, despite an important aspect being mentioned early about the father's guilt over an accident that caused Daniel to become visually impaired. And we largely see him through the scope of a young boy grieving the death of his parents, who is almost hiding within himself to stay away from the pain. The focus of this is very uncinematic, though in a convincing way of realistically just portraying the sorrow of a boy who isn't portrayed as more than he would be. Graner's work skips the obvious pitfalls of the child performance, which is trying to show off too much, though one could be concerned with the other side, which is being too small. Perhaps this would even be a criticism of this performance, it is not, if that was all there was to it, but given his arc this is just an effective way to establish him as just a sad boy not sure how to deal with the situation. His first scene of note, where he's not framed off to the side, hidden under a cover, or just his back, when he must initially testify to what his parents were doing before his father's death. Graner's performance is more infantile in portraying still a state of sadness, and just speaks every word as part of that as he doesn't know where he was precisely when the death occurred. His initial testimony to the court is meek and retiring as he speaks his little bit of information without a great deal of confidence within the court. For a great deal of the film Graner is more referred to then seen until the final act of the film, after much as been revealed of the couples hardships, including much information that Sandra's defense team is using to allege that Daniel's father committed suicide. Before then we just have brief glimpses where Graner's performance again is still very subdued but works certainly in creating the sense of uncertainty in the boy who honestly doesn't know what to think with the revelations for much of the time. </div><div><br /></div><div>This may sound like I am criticizing his performance up until this point, but I'm not. It works in building towards making an impact by his final scenes where suddenly Daniel becomes very active in the trial, by taking the information he learned to recontextualize an earlier incident where his dog Snoop got sick, which he in a rather foolhardy attempt tries to recreate the event. Graner's performance is great in bringing to life just the immediate intense worry of a kid concerned with his dog, but a bit more complicated than that. There's also kind of a twinge of a fearful mania in his performance that indicates the motivation behind it, as his experiment was an attempt to prove that his father had potentially tried to commit suicide earlier by taking pills. We find this out in his explanation scene which again Graner is great and completely captivating in bringing such a sudden sense of his very real concern for his mother, and desperate need to try to figure out the truth. His performance has just a powerful emotional distress that is so powerful because Graner's work always feels that of a lost child trying to figure things out, as it isn't clean, it is a very messy emotion but more than anything convinces you of Daniel's rather extreme measure. We then see him explain it to the court where Graner's work is particularly effective by naturally showing his growth through the film through his much more confident delivery this time as compared to his first testimony. Graner doesn't go overboard with it, but speaks it truly as just something he knows more than anything. Something that he follows up in explaining what his dad had said to him, that indicated his suicidal thoughts, where Graner's very modest yet potent approach to the speech gives this sense of clarity though also sadness. A different kind though than we saw as the just sorrowful boy in the early scenes, and instead while still sad, though now with acceptance of the sadness rather than simply pain. It is impressive work from the young actor because he does create an arc as he goes from just depression with suspicion, to acceptance with love for his mother, and Graner makes this journey tangible and most importantly believable. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVO4wJlIoYOePUPrs274I5MqWvL0AdPGxrZzBROiXzrGnn5GkUcPbARbA5PqjOSikSREyJeslsBpyuF7R1EntqSam0NM1FF-vGVDYTpofII0IgRWLQjW4bq-tAtMOOEdkLMlv90hc4MN_itdE7aMlVHqz3grMeSQuxmHKNQ5ksdhPcUBh0ewhyphenhyphenNMJ9205T/s1143/4.5bs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVO4wJlIoYOePUPrs274I5MqWvL0AdPGxrZzBROiXzrGnn5GkUcPbARbA5PqjOSikSREyJeslsBpyuF7R1EntqSam0NM1FF-vGVDYTpofII0IgRWLQjW4bq-tAtMOOEdkLMlv90hc4MN_itdE7aMlVHqz3grMeSQuxmHKNQ5ksdhPcUBh0ewhyphenhyphenNMJ9205T/w356-h110/4.5bs.png" width="356" /></a></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-81859278994296715302024-02-05T18:27:00.000-05:002024-02-05T18:27:34.218-05:00Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023: Willem Dafoe & Ramy Youssef in Poor Things<div style="text-align: left;">Willem Dafoe did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite receiving a SAG nomination, for portraying Godwin Baxter nor did Ramy Youssef for portraying Max McCandles in Poor Things. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V8exklSrs0TGo6XbafK7GMEPrYqnD1SD0_rfPgwSIcffr74IeNRDFT5gIAkk5KvIfrefxufiHOcN7P1v4Ho0_wNX-VFAFkhsioxuCmir1NtD7AC7cOqwM7P6sKlaKoGbFJm7sD62ts69x6sOJ2dy94pkGxVaIKRdSrZgVol7pupFrGJnU-NZnNZJgBg2/s1885/Willem%20Dafoe%20Poor%20Things.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1885" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V8exklSrs0TGo6XbafK7GMEPrYqnD1SD0_rfPgwSIcffr74IeNRDFT5gIAkk5KvIfrefxufiHOcN7P1v4Ho0_wNX-VFAFkhsioxuCmir1NtD7AC7cOqwM7P6sKlaKoGbFJm7sD62ts69x6sOJ2dy94pkGxVaIKRdSrZgVol7pupFrGJnU-NZnNZJgBg2/s320/Willem%20Dafoe%20Poor%20Things.png" width="320" /></a></div>Willem Dafoe and Ramy Youssef are essentially the first act of Poor Things, where we are introduced to our technical Frakenstein's monster of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) and naturally if there's the "monster" then there must be a doctor Frankenstein, and who better to take on such a role than the great Willem Dafoe. Dafoe is an actor who you can seem to plug into any genre, into any type of film, so why not bring him into the madness of a Yorgos Lanthimos film. Speaking of mad, Dafoe's makeup in itself is immediately striking, as basically a jigsaw puzzle for a face as his one of his first actions which is to expunge his gastric fluids when eating through a rather dramatic single bubble every time. Dafoe not to be upstaged by merely the imagery grafted onto his face, Dafoe naturally seems the ideal fit for the style of Lanthimos, as Dafoe is always playing with a twinge heightened tone in all of his best performances. What is therefore rather fascinating is as Dafoe performances go this is actually a fairly low key one oddly enough, and one where technically is extremely expressive face is not something he can rely on too much given the severity of his makeup, it is the testament to his talents however that you don't even give this a second thought when actually watching this performance. Our entryway to this strange tale is with the most down to earth character in the film in the medical student Max McCandles who is taken on by Godwin to observe Bella for him. Youssef's performance fills the right void in providing the outsiders view to insanity as the somewhat timid medical student who is just coming in to observe and really has no idea what he's getting into. I think there was a danger here however as such a role could easily be overly dull within the insanity, however Youssef's work fulfills the outsider view by providing the film with the ideal straight man for the insanity. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJsux0nkJExguKOB656CO2NQU_1qIvoYcN2cTppmrzqD2TgYl8j2ZNcYib-HyR35-wfCONqISYydEA-Y_cGXpqvei486uS3pQ1zrasRah4n1_EpzeVl0cYsml3Bp_bTEJkQ4xjvWAVRTiwOz-upRTEBwNYH2owsS97vnsljz1XQOsS6e5gG1rPGfQIdhM/s1072/Ramy%20Youssef%20Poor%20Things.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1072" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJsux0nkJExguKOB656CO2NQU_1qIvoYcN2cTppmrzqD2TgYl8j2ZNcYib-HyR35-wfCONqISYydEA-Y_cGXpqvei486uS3pQ1zrasRah4n1_EpzeVl0cYsml3Bp_bTEJkQ4xjvWAVRTiwOz-upRTEBwNYH2owsS97vnsljz1XQOsS6e5gG1rPGfQIdhM/s320/Ramy%20Youssef%20Poor%20Things.png" width="320" /></a></div>Youssef, Dafoe and Stone end up being a comedic trio of each hitting a different note beautifully together. Dafoe's hilarity comes very specifically from his line deliveries which are always so matter of fact within the slight Scottish brogue he fashions for Godwin, evidently the one actor who remembered that the story starts in Scotland...not that I'm complaining even .01 percent about that as the film's approach has nothing to do with period or geographic accuracy. Regardless it's a great choice by Dafoe that just helps to craft Godwin into such an unusual and entirely captivating presence. One of my favorite aspects of Dafoe's being his scenes of explaining the horrific and nonsensical medical experiments that Godwin's father performed on him, and in each time I love how Dafoe speaks with almost a kind of weird nostalgia about it as he so calmly goes about each detail while also explaining his father's less than logical reasoning for his experiments. Youssef is an excellent facilitator of these moments by his reactions being that of a very normal person who is hearing such a story in the natural awkwardness and also horror in his eyes every time he hears them. Dafoe is equally hilarious though in just projecting the no nonsense manner of Godwin everytime without any social manner typically in his delivery. Whether this is suggesting that someone probably has bowel cancer based on his bathroom habits without a moment of hesitation nor really typical bad side manners. It is is very funny in itself but what Dafoe does well is present this very much as the scientific and medical mind of Godwin that has the habit of trying to put things forth in such terms as clearly as possible and without hesitation, which also happens to be very funny, while also amplified in terms frequently by Youssef's reactions everytime. My favorite of such being when Godwin finally reveals the truth of Bella by explaining to Max how he found a pregnant woman who had commit suicide. Dafoe's delivery initially of that of the proper storyteller of this tale of woe, until he leads to his decision which was to put the still living infant's brain in the dead woman's body, which is comic gold because Dafoe says it so nonchalantly as though that was obviously the only recourse. Made only funnier by Youssef's much more realistic reaction of sheer horror and disbelief at Godwin's decision. </div><div><br /></div><div>The most remarkable aspect of Dafoe's performance isn't his comedic authoritarian presence, although that is most welcome as well, it actually is the subversion of what he is doing throughout the film. What Dafoe delivers here as the focal point of Godwin is, despite the nature of the man, the nature of his work and just about everything else you can name about him, he does have a great big heart, and not an enlarged one as Godwin might misinterpret that as such. Dafoe actually doesn't hide this in his performance, rather makes it present right away, despite being so candid about everything else, as we see in an early scene where he basically delivers a bedtime story to Bella. Dafoe's delivery of this is with that of a real father's care and tenderness towards her. Dafoe's eyes, the one thing you can clearly see from him at all times, delivers this genuine sense of affection in watching her and moments of caring for her. That's despite the fact that he keeps her locked away inside the house lest she be recognized for the person Bella was originally, or more correctly her mother was originally. But I love the scene where Bella reveals her "secret" plan to run away with the cad Duncan (Mark Ruffalo). Dafoe's great in that he does portray genuine distress at the idea, but when explained to him that he's controlling her, Dafoe manages through his eyes to get through the makeup to show a loving father genuinely listening to essentially his daughter's earnest request and accepting it. Dafoe portrays the letting go not as a controlling mad scientist losing his creation, but rather a father needing to let go in the moment. Youssef on the other hand portrays a fascination with Bella in every sequence regardless, and this very specific curiosity where he emphasizes a quiet affection even when witnessing some of her less than wholesome behaviors and decisions. Although he takes exception with going off with Duncan, after being betrothed to Max, which Max rightly predicts is a bad idea. Youssef plays the moments of attempting to stop Bella himself by presenting it entirely earnestly in the moment of presenting his concerns with genuine care, rather than the intense controlling attitude we will see shortly afterwards from the far more duplicitous Duncan. </div><div><br /></div><div>After Bella leaves we occasionally check in with Max and Godwin as they try to continue on without her, even creating a replacement Bella at some point. Creating a contrast with the ever worsening relationship between Bella and Duncan, we have the two portraying two different kinds of missing, with Youssef always delivering each word earnestly with the expression of a man who genuinely just wants to see if she's okay, if also still very hilarious in his still rather lost moments of dealing with her rather explicit cards they send to them, contrasting that is Dafoe who is fantastic in presenting the outward dismissive uncaring though again his eyes reveal the truth of the father who does miss his daughter, to the point Godwin. Eventually leading the two to seek her out including one great scene between Ruffalo and Youssef, where Ruffalo is completely bonkers, while Youssef artfully amplifies the comedy by reacting with the right comedic energy of a mix of surprise, disgust and frustration, going right when Ruffalo goes left in just the right way, and together creating great comedy. Bella returns and what we get is essentially the warmth of both men albeit in their imperfect ways. Dafoe's great in the welcoming scene again by the effortless extreme juxtaposition of his deadpan greatness of explaining he's dying not ill, but as he looks at her Dafoe only shows true love and relief to see her again. A later scene, that is initially a confrontation of his experiment, which is just an amazing scene for Dafoe as he reacts with resignation of his lies, though his smile is just perfect from Dafoe as he shows all of Godwin's great love for her, when she does forgive him and even says she'll become a surgeon like him. Although we still get one more great bit of comedy from him as he gives advice on surgery with such tenderness in his delivery, then hilarious in his blunt descrpition of his father being a "fucking idiot" that is beautifully cathartic after hearing all of his horror tales of his father. Though I will also give Youssef credit one more time for being pitchperfect scene partner once again though with Stone now, as the now confident Bella quizzes him as a potential romantic interest by virtue of her past whoring, Youssef's work again just hits every comedic note so naturally, as he ponders the low price of her whoring, and comments that she best be checked for any potential diseases, yet with those straight man asides, still is also wholly earnest in every word of affection for her. His performance finding the exact trick place within the material, that amplifies the comedy that much more, while providing an essential bit of grounding. Dafoe on the otherhand is easy to take for granted, when hearing about him in this role, I knew he was going to be great, and he was. But one shouldn't take him for granted because his work here is truly amazing as he so effortessly is hilarious, but also rather moving as his mad scientist. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7jqZwQT4_Zn2obJuPIwg2yUwaE-cUzAOHdYyryYDg95PXaA36et7OW0gAQ_tDQrRO30SEGTv-7fMetprbv8DkfOwXGVdF0Nt5rbQpkQM9i8d6f4XS_oQ-vnpGAiShF2sMm2z6GHuP770sUB2VdGux1AVvl_HnIfLImnQSv_VYwhmQD_IQancE6y_QgPE/s1143/4.5bs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7jqZwQT4_Zn2obJuPIwg2yUwaE-cUzAOHdYyryYDg95PXaA36et7OW0gAQ_tDQrRO30SEGTv-7fMetprbv8DkfOwXGVdF0Nt5rbQpkQM9i8d6f4XS_oQ-vnpGAiShF2sMm2z6GHuP770sUB2VdGux1AVvl_HnIfLImnQSv_VYwhmQD_IQancE6y_QgPE/w352-h109/4.5bs.png" width="352" /></a></div><div>(Youssef)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5t5W1OmnMpZ_HEiEEEQ0VuADzMOg7bK38egjBSiuxXCtdcE7FpI8CP98NhzzvgTwP9escUYYgk8llb11rYNVAgepJAJtKKCUAXTMlHoHInkZA7gXVrWHN7IG471xXsEFK0p_CgVlmAi9S7HXsuWdynMQGpZTqU-n9vkMFrH64-JQNdfdhvYptJIvkjcV/s1270/5bs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1270" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5t5W1OmnMpZ_HEiEEEQ0VuADzMOg7bK38egjBSiuxXCtdcE7FpI8CP98NhzzvgTwP9escUYYgk8llb11rYNVAgepJAJtKKCUAXTMlHoHInkZA7gXVrWHN7IG471xXsEFK0p_CgVlmAi9S7HXsuWdynMQGpZTqU-n9vkMFrH64-JQNdfdhvYptJIvkjcV/w406-h113/5bs.png" width="406" /></a></div><div>(Dafoe)</div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-9435070979130706462024-02-04T19:20:00.004-05:002024-02-04T19:21:09.031-05:00Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023: David Krumholtz, Benny Safdie, Alden Ehrenreich, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman, Tom Conti & Jason Clarke in Oppenheimer<div style="text-align: left;">David Krumholtz did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Isidor Isaac Rabi in Oppenheimer.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RZwkqyjGeIJ-waGe6DFyGHFuGXqpUXQGUvMjSxEDm0X2YKR1FsukY8F1xWXczeBZFSTgKE8u9fyeYeNozmsyjBFXEsrvhPFmriLXiCNouNusCBQ_4c9QpiDX-7H15YWqOwS1wsWh7wGa-pcZjLqx1DCWvdSKMEjJ7JimBpsfwplbRGTMVySuxldqU9JA/s2560/David%20Krumholtz%20Oppenheimer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="2560" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RZwkqyjGeIJ-waGe6DFyGHFuGXqpUXQGUvMjSxEDm0X2YKR1FsukY8F1xWXczeBZFSTgKE8u9fyeYeNozmsyjBFXEsrvhPFmriLXiCNouNusCBQ_4c9QpiDX-7H15YWqOwS1wsWh7wGa-pcZjLqx1DCWvdSKMEjJ7JimBpsfwplbRGTMVySuxldqU9JA/s320/David%20Krumholtz%20Oppenheimer.png" width="320" /></a></div>I have to say this is a performance that was unfairly unrecognized by the SAG ensemble award, meanwhile Rami Malek and Kenneth Branagh, for their entirely fine but also entirely unsubstantial work were. A shame though because every time I come back to the film Krumholtz's performance stands out more for me. Which on its own is fascinating to see Krumholtz get to this point anyway, going from Wednesday Addams's wannabe boyfriend, to something like this, which is reflective of his work in Coen brothers films, which is a true character actor in the very best of ways. As it is impossible to see a hint of the child actor of old, as he is so much just simply is this scientist character of Rabi, where Krumholtz's portrayal from the thick New York Jewish accent, to his whole very specific somewhat hunched over manner that only amplifies the period and place where the man originally hails for in every choice, all seem completely natural. This is to the point you'd just think these were entirely Krumholtz's actual mannerisms and accent because he just is this person in a way that is pretty incredible in its straightforward convincing way about. There's no accepting him, he just is, aka what a great character actor can do with such a role. Krumholtz's performance is an aspect of the film that has just that much more of an impact every time I watch the film as the character we perhaps get to know the most who has no ulterior motives and just wants to be a friend to Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). Krumholtz brings such a naturally warm and sweet disposition in their first conversation where he mixes the right sense of admiration though with just enough of a bit of a sardonic humoring towards Oppenheimer's skinny frame as they connect on both studying physics and being Jewish. Krumholtz's way of turning his being impressed at his language acquisition skills in one moment then going slightly cockeyed as he ponders how Oppenheimer doesn't know Yiddish, delivers with it just the right sincerity of sort of a tender criticism, who always just means the best for the man. With his way of sharing food with Oppenheimer and requesting that he "eat", Krumholtz every time delivers with just the sweetest bit of care as someone who just likes Oppenheimer. Krumholtz comes in and out of the film a few times and each time he makes an impact by being so convincing in playing this more appreciative note towards Oppenheimer. As we see him first reject then eventually consult on the Manhattan project, where Krumholtz is wonderful by showing a true, without exception, friend to Oppenheimer. As Krumholtz's portrayal of his doubts over the use of physics for a bomb is with a real sense of the gravity of the situation within his eyes this careful consideration, though as naturally wraps that with a true supportive pride in looking at his friend in his position of power in the moment, though again with the natural critique as he tells Oppenheimer to be himself rather than wear the requested military uniform. Krumholtz's performance brings forth the depth of a true friendship for each snippet we do have of him. This being most powerful in his own testimony on Oppenheimer's security clearance meeting, where Krumholtz's performance is great because of the modesty of it. Krumholtz doesn't portray any effort as he defends Oppenheimer, it is just with a simple delivery fitting a man who doesn't have to try to do the right thing, he simply does it for a friend. Although my favorite moment of his performance is when he stares down fellow scientist Ernest Lawrence (Josh Hartnett), who is about to come to testify against Oppenheimer, despite the two having been friends. Krumholtz's stare towards him, that gets Lawrence to reconsider, is great acting by Krumholtz because he uses really the nature of the man, as just the good man in the moment, as his stare only says "really? are you going to do this to our friend", in a small gesture, that perfectly sums up the moment without saying a word. It's absolutely wonderful work by Krumholtz, and accomplished in that it technically is very mannered, but you don't think about it, he just instead is this accepted true bit of unadulterated warmth within the film. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_blCrk8Ia1GE1Ic18GK85J9-eFaOTIQvsj6ofWhawYNRWIzVr4mmYnWRQTLPEfsnVW5A1YkN7GZhcYp5D_N2EwufxfW3qLzLb819Zo7CKwtXsfcAunZ5ACfScC6sr8imJRMvYd1NZMHQ6egqZemOYxSQMHLAYcZeK5b9LJFfZm4b3yLsum828D-sMdzdB/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_blCrk8Ia1GE1Ic18GK85J9-eFaOTIQvsj6ofWhawYNRWIzVr4mmYnWRQTLPEfsnVW5A1YkN7GZhcYp5D_N2EwufxfW3qLzLb819Zo7CKwtXsfcAunZ5ACfScC6sr8imJRMvYd1NZMHQ6egqZemOYxSQMHLAYcZeK5b9LJFfZm4b3yLsum828D-sMdzdB/w342-h106/4.5bs.png" width="342" /></a></div><div>Benny Safdie did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Edward Teller in Oppenheimer. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF4CXvYs866Mu9zHaRuhHs0ptTrXhOhyphenhyphenoaYBWy0LrMh_2sYzs5kEFWk0SOd3R-cAjsQt8jcb-aPUrAwXDHmPntbz_Cd2zdg_Xov6v6f1ZW7QA77y3Th2x0cnl1hWrbNA650B3UBqhAGnvjYZ0NuMNHWNnUFO3J9VEKMsdOBTNnBOdkrFFdIYiwvNSfGOo/s1896/Benny%20Safdie%20Oppenheimer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1896" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF4CXvYs866Mu9zHaRuhHs0ptTrXhOhyphenhyphenoaYBWy0LrMh_2sYzs5kEFWk0SOd3R-cAjsQt8jcb-aPUrAwXDHmPntbz_Cd2zdg_Xov6v6f1ZW7QA77y3Th2x0cnl1hWrbNA650B3UBqhAGnvjYZ0NuMNHWNnUFO3J9VEKMsdOBTNnBOdkrFFdIYiwvNSfGOo/s320/Benny%20Safdie%20Oppenheimer.png" width="320" /></a></div>Speaking of other scientists within the program is the notable Edward Teller, who is played by actor/director Benny Safdie, who has been carving a name for himself quite dramatically on both fronts. Safdie's performance is dealing with an innately challenging part partly due to Teller's extremely thick Hungarian accent which was just the reality of his accent so I don't have any reservations regarding that accent whatsoever. Safdie puts on fully and for me it serves its purpose. What I do think that Safdie does effectively within his part, as really a contrast to every other character in the film, is basically present as a scientist whose viewpoint is far more just the expansion without the same kind of considerations that end up weighing so deeply on Oppenheimer as the film progresses. The only moment of reservation is when Teller discovers that setting the bomb off could cause atmospheric ignition that could destroy the world. After such concerns are satiated, what Safdie presents consistently is a man who is only concerned with what he will do next for an even larger bomb. Safdie's performance when for example proposing the Hydrogen bomb, Safdie speaks with a specific determined pride of a man eager towards the idea, to the point when shut down he presents a man frustrated almost like a child not being allowed to play. The moment of Oppenheimer convincing him to stay, Safdie only presents the fixation on getting what he wants, which is the expansion of his vision. He does portray any appreciation in Teller for the offer and is almost still dismissive in a certain sense. Safdie's performance in a way works by purposefully only having a surface depth of seeing things as either an obstacle or not in terms of human interactions. When arguing with Oppenheimer that the world will build a bigger bomb, it isn't with concern, it is just a factual statement from him. When he dismisses the horrors of the atomic bomb explosion in an argument with Oppenheimer, Safdie's presentation of the frustration is that of just casual disregard as that it is merely an some attitude he must overcome to get back to his work. His negative testimony towards Oppenheimer is the same thing as Safdie's delivery of both his minor protection of Oppenheimer's character, but questioning his choices as a leader, Safdie speaks both with a kind of detachment of someone just doing the thing he needs to do to keep building his bigger bombs. As when Teller goes to shake Oppenheimer's hand, even after mostly denouncing him, Safdie doesn't show a hint of regret just as something he did no more no less. The one place that Safdie does show passion, quite impactfully, is when discussing his bomb idea and when witnessing the bomb. His portrayal of just the reactions during Trinity are key, as Safdie shows unlike so many, no fear whatsoever, but rather this jubilation. Safdie in the moment presents a man who loves the sight of the bomb as simply a result of ambition without any reservation to what it might mean. Safdie presents in the moment the truth of Teller pointedly as a man who loves the bomb without fear or reservation. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s1016/4bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1016" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s320/4bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div>Alden Ehrenreich did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying the congressional aide in Oppenheimer.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzP-fOlg_RrHfog0YIBaxetvskLZXjRmSbMbdKS0c_og9OEI_vVymfYWwq_japrFS03KT8Mc881XL49TCZLrNtR-hcstlU9fYXA36D65VJuuW2Iz2R6S5tVQ8C0mgAQi3fzBMcQyYgesODTxnpnawwc6ofPE_riKkvdGl2x3zhNV8LFQBAtzU4jr7qAEpa/s1894/Alden%20Ehrenreich%20Oppenheimer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1894" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzP-fOlg_RrHfog0YIBaxetvskLZXjRmSbMbdKS0c_og9OEI_vVymfYWwq_japrFS03KT8Mc881XL49TCZLrNtR-hcstlU9fYXA36D65VJuuW2Iz2R6S5tVQ8C0mgAQi3fzBMcQyYgesODTxnpnawwc6ofPE_riKkvdGl2x3zhNV8LFQBAtzU4jr7qAEpa/s320/Alden%20Ehrenreich%20Oppenheimer.png" width="320" /></a></div>I don't mind giving some time for Ehrenreich who continues to get an unfair bad rap for having to portray Han Solo in an uninspired reworking of the character that really had little to do with him. His ability as a performer though is very evident here in Oppenheimer that could easily be a very throwaway part in playing really what is an exposition device within the film to help facilitate the character of Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) as he goes through his own hearings for his nominations for Eisenhower's cabinet. Ehrenreich is good though in providing character within the lines, even as he has no name therefore is not a historical figure, rare within the overall tapestry of the film. There's just a very perfunctory manner early on as he breaks down everything about the process in just a professional way, where he's slightly encouraging to the person he's working for in his job but doesn't put too much weight on it. And as I write this I entirely somehow had just the revelation that his character is essentially the priest in Amadeus who is hearing the confession of the jealous man who lived parallel to the genius, although here it is more about unraveling the mystery of that. Ehrenreich's performance then is often more so about the reaction shots and slowly the man seemingly figuring out just who Lewis Strauss is as the audience does step by step. His performance is effective in that Ehrenreich always keeps the certain professional distance partly, while just below the surface of that showing the real impact of the revelations, as he first brings just hints of doubt towards Strauss that grow over time. Ehrenreich I think even has the challenge here in that I think he gets really the only lines in the film that I have issues with, and harken back to "no more dead cops" aspect of Nolan's writing, something I'm impressed he avoided 99% of the time here despite being such a dialogue heavy film, where his character needs to slightly too obviously state ideas to set up lines for Strauss. Ehrenreich to his credit makes those moments sound as natural as they can be by playing the quiet frustration in the realizations that he's working for a far more insidious man than he thought. Ehrenreich turning from this supportive presence, to almost pestering, not with any negative notion but rather with moral questions. I mean reading the line that feels equivalent to the Joker tease at the end of Batman Begins, for JFK is a little silly (and logically doesn't make much since given Joseph Kennedy was a well known figure and different line like "there were a few holdouts, led by Joseph Kennedy's son" would've made more sense), but Ehrenreich still delivers it with conviction. And thankfully he gets a much better line afterwards where he dismisses Strauss's particularly petulant insistence that Oppenheimer spoke poorly about him to Albert Einstein's, where the aide chides Strauss that they might've been talking about something more important than Strauss. Ehrenreich's delivery of this parting shot is great because he doesn't overplay it, rather just makes it as blunt of a truth as his earlier explanations and in a way by playing it so small shows just how small Strauss's bitterness was. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s1016/4bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1016" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s320/4bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div>Matt Damon did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying General Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDJCB6bEsYrMX67oDwbv3J0IoR1ZVR45jPDxVbsYl2zMTpsQc1qiANgaIsEMqSB62PocloDioRtwumDRFowul1uaz3rOLMEOIZUWZANJ4Cjaui45o_tD9MRnI6B3mXPgmR7Z9EREEEBI_G8aMR2WM1zZ9-i0FNk9Zz-ybg2KouZxMD9DZuuRQJ96GdMsh/s2560/Matt%20Damon%20Oppenheimer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="2560" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDJCB6bEsYrMX67oDwbv3J0IoR1ZVR45jPDxVbsYl2zMTpsQc1qiANgaIsEMqSB62PocloDioRtwumDRFowul1uaz3rOLMEOIZUWZANJ4Cjaui45o_tD9MRnI6B3mXPgmR7Z9EREEEBI_G8aMR2WM1zZ9-i0FNk9Zz-ybg2KouZxMD9DZuuRQJ96GdMsh/s320/Matt%20Damon%20Oppenheimer.png" width="320" /></a></div>Matt Damon isn't always my favorite actor I will admit, though I do think he has talent and more so has presence as a performer. Presence that I think is ideally used as Leslie Groves the military general tasked with organizing the Manhattan project. Damon's performance takes upon it the right king of movie star ease, even though he's not the star of this film, by presenting Groves as someone who very much has no pretense he just wants to get the job done. His interview scene with Murphy is wonderful for both actors because they pick at each other a bit while also showing their obvious admiration. Damon's great because he speaks every dismissive line with a certain smile almost as a warm challenge to Oppenheimer to go with a comeback. When Oppenheimer even claps back occasionally, Damon's reactions are pitch perfect because he always shows a sense of just loving someone willing to play this game with him in the moment as they trade certain kinds of barbs. Damon and Murphy show really an ideal working chemistry between the two as they work together in discussing the race with the Nazis to develop the bomb. Damon's performance shows Groves as essentially looking for a mutual spirit with Oppenheimer who will be honest in his opinions and lack of phoniness. Damon brings in each interaction in their first scene that sense of quick affection in his eyes seeing Oppenheimer was clearly a man he can work with through such a difficult process, while also keeping within that this low key passion of someone who very much is serious in terms of making sure the job gets done. Damon is ideally placed in the film as really the one major source of humor in the film, and I'd say in a bygone era of Oscars, he might've been the role to be singled out for this film from the supporting actors because of that. As Damon by being decidedly less severe creates a wonderful contrast as someone who can have fun even in such a situation. Damon brings just the right natural comedic timing in his Groves, where he makes the humor of the character very natural coming from someone who just knows when to be blunt and isn't afraid of that honesty. Again with that chemistry with Murphy, Damon and he bounce off each other by this sense of understanding which even includes the two both know the two aren't being completely honest with each other, whoever admires that in a weird way because they both acknowledge that fact. With Damon's moments of insisting he's just your typical soldier, with the undercurrent of joy of someone who is purposefully playing the part, but enjoying the fact that Oppenheimer doesn't buy it and is willing to say it as such as well. Damon carefully segues though nicely to more dramatic moments when situations call for it, such as when he warns Oppenheimer about his interactions with Boris Pash, where Damon brings the severity in his speech though I think with the right sense of direct conviction of someone honestly trying to tell someone to help them and not as admonishment. And I particularly love the way Damon almost laughs at himself when recalling Pash's anti-communist bona fides, just trying to spell it out as clearly as possible that it's not someone Oppenheimer should entangle himself with. Damon in this sequence bringing the right intensity of a man genuinely warning to help him. The other moments though are that of the true soldier where his objective is to make the bomb and drop it, Damon shows that in this aspect Groves has no reservation because he's a soldier and he'll do what it takes to defeat the enemy. These moments, such as shutting down Oppenheimer voicing other scientists' objections to the bomb's use, or describing why they're going to use the bomb twice, Damon in these moments is no nonsense in the perfect way by essentially showing where the line is drawn. I especially love his look at Oppenheimer in this scene, which as cold as it is, it's in its own way respectful in a man's expression being essentially "this is something I'm not going to debate". The moments after the war where we see Groves's own testimony, Damon hits just the right note here as well. As in part you see the soldier who isn't going to lie at the board, but he also isn't going to destroy Oppenheimer for the sake of it. Damon earnestly presents each moment as the man just being direct in his personable way and finding ways to even soften it in the way he sees fit. Damon's particularly fantastic in the moment of saying that he wouldn't clear Oppenheimer under the current guidelines as just an official "no" but followed by the true care of a man who he respects as he tries to clarify he wouldn't be able to clear most of the scientists. The moment where he clarifies that he never once questioned Oppenheimer's loyalty where Damon is forthright in a most wonderful and even light way of the man just making his real respect known without exception one more time. Making the moment where he and Oppenheimer shake hands, wholly heartwarming because Damon and Murphy absolutely earned it by making their relationship absolutely convincing as basically two ideal business partners. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_blCrk8Ia1GE1Ic18GK85J9-eFaOTIQvsj6ofWhawYNRWIzVr4mmYnWRQTLPEfsnVW5A1YkN7GZhcYp5D_N2EwufxfW3qLzLb819Zo7CKwtXsfcAunZ5ACfScC6sr8imJRMvYd1NZMHQ6egqZemOYxSQMHLAYcZeK5b9LJFfZm4b3yLsum828D-sMdzdB/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_blCrk8Ia1GE1Ic18GK85J9-eFaOTIQvsj6ofWhawYNRWIzVr4mmYnWRQTLPEfsnVW5A1YkN7GZhcYp5D_N2EwufxfW3qLzLb819Zo7CKwtXsfcAunZ5ACfScC6sr8imJRMvYd1NZMHQ6egqZemOYxSQMHLAYcZeK5b9LJFfZm4b3yLsum828D-sMdzdB/w342-h106/4.5bs.png" width="342" /></a></div><div></div><div>Casey Affleck did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Colonel Boris Pash in Oppenheimer. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50fN9mGeJpcASXpELL8oQNka7oNGHwmhSPmr_wARuLRr3F2LyBfYLUADC5CNE3tjkoc2EH8pJyyM2AVgpbDAupCpPTMPSsbZm9aO7qQUoRg2TFA-bPWoyAO2msx9WytzZdgvWAor-kWn75O1ekScGNSCi49G8bALMkH8DTatCDWAINB6fCjhQOtFECikP/s2554/Casey%20Affleck%20Oppenheimer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="2554" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50fN9mGeJpcASXpELL8oQNka7oNGHwmhSPmr_wARuLRr3F2LyBfYLUADC5CNE3tjkoc2EH8pJyyM2AVgpbDAupCpPTMPSsbZm9aO7qQUoRg2TFA-bPWoyAO2msx9WytzZdgvWAor-kWn75O1ekScGNSCi49G8bALMkH8DTatCDWAINB6fCjhQOtFECikP/s320/Casey%20Affleck%20Oppenheimer.png" width="320" /></a></div>I believe this is the shortest performance I'm covering here, yet I still feel it deserves mention for the immediate impact that Affleck manages to make as the Manhattan security chief Boris Pash, who Oppenheimer accidentally ends up in a room with after reporting on a potential security threat among the scientists. Affleck quickly just does a great example of pure soullessness in a moment. It is helped by Affleck's wispy voice to begin with, which he makes even stricter within his performance here to be this uncompromisingly quiet way of speaking. Affleck's performance being that of an interrogation the whole time even though all his questions are casually as written, but not casual as spoken by Affleck. Affleck's eyes just being completely the truth of the matter as he seems to be looking into Oppenheimer's soul to uncover whatever truth he can, and the eyes of a man who is a killer both metaphorically and literally. Affleck manages to create menace by seemingly almost doing nothing, but nothing in the way nothing seems to move him nor does there seem to be humanity. Whenever Oppenheimer does give an answer, the way Affleck makes no reaction is chilling as a man who will not accept any answer as his silence is an act of peering deeper towards the truth he wants. When he occasionally does speak it is without comfort, particularly his "Why would anyone on the project want to do that", with that being not a question about the question but rather a question to Oppenheimer and just how much he should trust anyone in the project particularly Oppenheimer. Affleck creates the right eeriness of a man who is playing an entirely different game of life and death than Oppenheimer or anything else, and an exact lack of even a minor hint of empathy. A brief snippet of a man but one that leaves an impression, to the point one does wonder with the life of Boris Pash, if one wouldn't want to explore that more at some point as he's a most fascinating brief technical footnote here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s1016/4bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1016" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s320/4bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div>Gary Oldman did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Harry S. Truman in Oppenheimer.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVS7XvfeZMShFPs1B6-HjN85rFlG6erz-YuUXN6LBjbcWR6UBDveelhk8_khjeyWq345OjGqOcQOxjUcc8NE_JsuwKF5Sahv8rNCe7069PQsoILVSxqcM6d7PQHLuFKDHv3xqjkWJW3n6WWnJZtBUFU8nSuxQcyI8O3a35KkS6aqApb7xBuAGu4pZvJEvD/s2560/Gary%20Oldman%20Oppenheimer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="2560" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVS7XvfeZMShFPs1B6-HjN85rFlG6erz-YuUXN6LBjbcWR6UBDveelhk8_khjeyWq345OjGqOcQOxjUcc8NE_JsuwKF5Sahv8rNCe7069PQsoILVSxqcM6d7PQHLuFKDHv3xqjkWJW3n6WWnJZtBUFU8nSuxQcyI8O3a35KkS6aqApb7xBuAGu4pZvJEvD/s320/Gary%20Oldman%20Oppenheimer.png" width="320" /></a></div>I'll admit I wasn't sure about Oldman's performance the first time I watched the film, as he plays then president Truman who was the one who actually authorized the dropping of the Atom bomb on Japan, twice, partly perhaps because it was a surprise to see him made up as Truman and speaking in his Kansas accent, however now it is honestly one of my favorite scenes in the film, with Oldman being an essential factor in this. As Oldman basically does a complete dissection of the man in a couple minutes of time. As he begins walking as the "great man" and seemingly being quite warm as he welcomes Oppenheimer as the most famous man. Oldman projects someone who really is just here to celebrate, with a great moment of reaction in his taken aback delivery of "well obviously" when Oppenheimer reminds him of both cities that were bombed. Oldman goes further though in basically playing it as though Truman is treating Oppenheimer as hopefully a yes man as he dismisses any notion of the Soviets having an Atomic weapon, with this patronizing playful way of speaking every word towards Oppenheimer as though he's making campaign promises that have little meaning and he's just waiting to hear what he wants to hear. The moment where Oppenheimer suggests dismantling the Los Alamos lab, the way the political friendliness just rifts from Oldman's face is great acting as we suddenly see a much colder man beneath it all. Oldman's trademark intensity suddenly used for great effect, as Oppenheimer tries to find any sympathy by remarking about the "blood on his hands" for the bombings. Oldman's great at being horrible, first taking out his handkerchief as a purposefully dismissive gesture with a blithe disregard for his emotions. Then his delivery of saying he's the one people care about regarding the bomb, is brought with such a sinister anger of first showing callously his rejection of Oppenheimer's regrets, though in the intensity Oldman brings just a hint within the level of aggression of Truman's own feelings of guilt. It isn't something he portrays as Truman truly feeling sorry, rather as a man who doesn't want to think about it therefore is truly disgusted when faced by Oppenheimer forcing him to do so. A quick bit but an impactful one from the great actor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s1016/4bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1016" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s320/4bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div>Tom Conti did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Albert Einstein in Oppenheimer.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUURHHIuAk3CfX00fyTVGOHBW1LOuMBVlPhd3umm6R4CQRbgzSTXlSvtG39bVg7yXEd8VyhoX1xrKjuxF0B4iEd_d79xrm0trwyZmLB0arz199cyXG6vXUw95rJ84fW2NOLIQraTCoP-UUGN1U9pwUwTvVUmjvUIiTGzAM3Zud7Ix3Ld8OZMV6wLvXr6S7/s1905/Albert%20Einstein%20Oppenheimer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1905" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUURHHIuAk3CfX00fyTVGOHBW1LOuMBVlPhd3umm6R4CQRbgzSTXlSvtG39bVg7yXEd8VyhoX1xrKjuxF0B4iEd_d79xrm0trwyZmLB0arz199cyXG6vXUw95rJ84fW2NOLIQraTCoP-UUGN1U9pwUwTvVUmjvUIiTGzAM3Zud7Ix3Ld8OZMV6wLvXr6S7/s320/Albert%20Einstein%20Oppenheimer.png" width="320" /></a></div>There's something not talked about much, but something I've always appreciated by Nolan is his tendency to bring in once prominent 80's actors back to a big budget film, for at least a few scenes, Rutger Hauer in Batman Begins, David Bowie in The Prestige, Eric Roberts in The Dark Knight, Tom Berenger in Inception, Matthew Modine in The Dark Knight Rises, also in that film Tom Conti, as the world's greatest chiropractor, but was given an even more substantial role here as the most famous scientist of the 20th century in Albert Einstein. It is just great to see Nolan still using Conti, maybe other filmmakers should take a note, and for such a "big" role so to speak, I think Conti remarkably downplays it. He does bring the mannerisms of the hangdog expression of Einstein, and fashions his German accent all in a decidedly unfussy way, fitting as the man to be the occasional mentor to Oppenheimer. Conti made a few but impactful appearances throughout the film. The first major one being when Oppenheimer comes to him with the quandary of atmospheric ignition, to which Einstein doesn't resolve rather giving the responsibility to the next generation of scientists. Conti's performance though is wonderful in the amount of years in the field himself, though with this sort of grace of a man who has become comfortable in place such, such as telling Oppenheimer that he must share all his information with the Nazis if that is the case, with just the quiet conviction of true wisdom. We see the same in two other instances of Einstein quietly encouraging Oppenheimer though in a way which is recognizing the bad but just kind of living with the hardship. Conti's performance delivers this with the sense of all the old battles having been fought, there is warmth, there is care, but also exasperation of someone who has been through the battles so he truly does know. Speaking the words with that history each time, supportive but also with warning. The one moment that contrasts this is when Oppenheimer actually takes Einstein back by his admission that he believes creating the bomb will cause the apocalypse, and Conti's reaction of existential horror is a powerful one. Conti delivers here a quick, but convincing portrayal of a legend that excels by not playing him as such. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s1016/4bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1016" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg119tF-ihRthIkQPCusPzDDjJ_KmzUl0PEF6hs2yK9y6e64TxaYTPBlbM6iwcu5hxRo15po4bTVdNKezEVmAhORzRKTI579vhYpeS7fWOO7lD0b68VH_5m3FM9Tv4nRhU7rdsjSiNtEkZO6DcsgTl6-9rpTBMfm1Zzq7FHRuR30JihEZz6hmDsclSMvMm2/s320/4bs.png" width="320" /></a></div><div>Jason Clarke did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Roger Robb in Oppenheimer. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc3cCXyTVT1WmpEjTt_Okjq06wscY5c6REIlsJ4OvZ9YrC5PUQle7yVgjyhriOveWoT2EWMprAzLKZ6htufkusWQtAAnmdz86-v7xYxuM1klyH8kt5KLS7dGIC5ZwdORqx8ZA2BO9gFy-KDwyh4ht4k4bXn6xbWntXsxx6Yf9hoKAVMK-fMbrlAj8SvHn/s1149/Jason%20Clarke%20Oppenheimer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="1149" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc3cCXyTVT1WmpEjTt_Okjq06wscY5c6REIlsJ4OvZ9YrC5PUQle7yVgjyhriOveWoT2EWMprAzLKZ6htufkusWQtAAnmdz86-v7xYxuM1klyH8kt5KLS7dGIC5ZwdORqx8ZA2BO9gFy-KDwyh4ht4k4bXn6xbWntXsxx6Yf9hoKAVMK-fMbrlAj8SvHn/s320/Jason%20Clarke%20Oppenheimer.png" width="320" /></a></div>Clarke has a challenging role, even if the role of an attorney is often the actor's friend since it is all about bringing things in the open and very much attacking with words. But the character of Roger Robb only exists in Oppenheimer's security clearance hearing, we know nothing about him, other than him being chosen as prosecutor seems like a killing stroke by Strauss because the man's reputation as a prosecutor precedes him. That's all we know, so what Clarke needs to live up to is that reputation purely through performance. And that's where I think this role is very similar to George C. Scott in Anatomy of a Murder, which was another performance, where we don't know the man, rather the character is built entirely on the lawyerly technique of the man. Leaving it all to Clarke, who thankfully is more than up to the task as probably an actor who deserves even more roles than he's getting, and he's definitely getting roles.. For much of the film Clarke makes a striking impression every time he speaks early on with his questions he asks to undercut Oppenheimer's reputation within every witness. Clarke essentially this verbal sniper in his casual way he can so precisely bring a sudden doubt to Oppenheimer and make him seem more careless in his past associations. I love the way Clarke plays these early moments though where there is kind of this love of the game in his performance. Robb obviously is a great prosecutor in part because he loves to do it and Clarke makes him seem all the more dangerous because of those moments where he is nearly beaming at the chance to cut down Oppenheimer just a bit more. Clarke makes a quick impact several times in the early scenes of the film, though almost as a warmup as he exudes the style of a predator just toying with his prey before he's about to show his real teeth. Clarke portrays a man who has an ease in his intelligence, and gives you that tangible sense of someone who is almost always ten steps ahead. Clarke in the moments of using evidence against Oppenheimer, that Oppenheimer's defense does not have access to, Clarke is perfectly cruel in the smug way he brandishes it and also dismisses any accusations of unfairness. The greatness of Clarke's work really is at the tail end of the film where we get his two focal point scenes for him. The first being his interrogation of Kitty Oppenheimer (Emily Blunt) who proves much more formidable than expected. Clarke's great with his slightly patronizing attitude at first with "oh" to her seeming modest at first before stumbling the only time he does in the film as Kitty doesn't suffer his accusations. Clarke's excellent in showing the other side of the coin in his attempts at undercutting her lines with suddenly more than a little frustration, and almost looking lost, as Kitty successfully deflects him each time. Clarke naturally showing Robb's one mistake in a way that doesn't undercut the character, rather shows in this instance he underestimated his opponent. Unfortunately for Oppenheimer, Robb is prepared for the husband. And again is a stellar sequence, for the way Nolan crosses between both Oppenheimer and Strauss at their lowest, for Downey, for Murphy and for Clarke. Clarke is outstanding in this sequence through his performance revealing every trick in the book to try to destroy Oppenheimer. Clarke opens with just a calm asking about Oppenheimer's moral qualms, Clarke showing a man leading Oppenheimer into his trap into admitting his unease with the United States having the Hydrogen bomb. Clarke begins with just this procedural way of leading every statement that so coldly reveals the real tremendous amount of deaths. Clarke physically leaning into as he's going into the kill, every line delivery of his being just honestly masterful in terms of amplifying the tension of the moment and making you sense Oppenheimer's guilt through the line of questioning. Clarke slowly becomes more direct, more emotional himself, but a pointed emotion of force. Clarke's hectoring him by being so frankly mesmerizing with his reactions of this almost laughing at Oppenheimer's attempts to explain himself, and with every moment basically breaking him down that much more. Clarke builds towards his own vicious passion with Robb forcing Oppenheimer admittance and his portrayal not making it convincing but showing us that it must be inevitable. Clarke is just stellar in the sequence, and is essential to its greatness. Clarke delivers fantastic work that makes the absolute most of every second of his screen time and creates a captivating character almost purely through performance....and he also wasn't in the SAG ensemble nominees...thought that nonsense was worth pointing out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_blCrk8Ia1GE1Ic18GK85J9-eFaOTIQvsj6ofWhawYNRWIzVr4mmYnWRQTLPEfsnVW5A1YkN7GZhcYp5D_N2EwufxfW3qLzLb819Zo7CKwtXsfcAunZ5ACfScC6sr8imJRMvYd1NZMHQ6egqZemOYxSQMHLAYcZeK5b9LJFfZm4b3yLsum828D-sMdzdB/s1143/4.5bs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1143" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_blCrk8Ia1GE1Ic18GK85J9-eFaOTIQvsj6ofWhawYNRWIzVr4mmYnWRQTLPEfsnVW5A1YkN7GZhcYp5D_N2EwufxfW3qLzLb819Zo7CKwtXsfcAunZ5ACfScC6sr8imJRMvYd1NZMHQ6egqZemOYxSQMHLAYcZeK5b9LJFfZm4b3yLsum828D-sMdzdB/w342-h106/4.5bs.png" width="342" /></a></div><div></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-8603011688402789962024-02-03T18:44:00.000-05:002024-02-03T18:44:42.575-05:00Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfsB9ZjcJIUavpxEV3xPtHizXyF9fJ3tpNuuFMbBgs-ewk3BWVC4Qligc_WA-wTJTDlczlGrvEs26D_ovpLH3OjJkEd0wQ3LoBrft82LcCwS_7eLYsfc1zTsMgJqLJ7wPwiKYqNR_uuzN-NjKD-UE2urGOqZIKcJ8vqfyCmPb7SMOkI9xlR8ED96W8RkO/s1182/2023.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1182" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfsB9ZjcJIUavpxEV3xPtHizXyF9fJ3tpNuuFMbBgs-ewk3BWVC4Qligc_WA-wTJTDlczlGrvEs26D_ovpLH3OjJkEd0wQ3LoBrft82LcCwS_7eLYsfc1zTsMgJqLJ7wPwiKYqNR_uuzN-NjKD-UE2urGOqZIKcJ8vqfyCmPb7SMOkI9xlR8ED96W8RkO/w530-h417/2023.png" width="530" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">And the Nominees Were Not:</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Holt McCallany in The Iron Claw</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Milo Machado Graner in Anatomy of a Fall</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Willem Dafoe in Poor Things</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jamie Bell in All of Us Strangers</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jonathan Tucker in Palm Trees and Power Lines<br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And the Oops! All Oppenheimer lineup:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>David Krumholtz in Oppenheimer</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason Clarke in Oppenheimer</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Matt Damon in Oppenheimer</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Casey Affleck in Oppenheimer</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Gary Oldman in Oppenheimer </b><br /></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-36719392968269219282024-02-03T13:34:00.004-05:002024-02-03T13:34:44.628-05:00Best Actor 2023: Results<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7s3weQEI6JcTAMWYIEJ1Kbhwy6q7vuxhyphenhyphen60FXzw8IF_zWgD8JEmPdIyXJ2zy0F53MXWOywz2sqd4OEq8yRWl3-wAMq3SPLVsdRgWBGNLLOGxZdat96fu6SVG356t4vUi60GtcOLCrlrX7sR4IQGx4up-It-nCIAMlqIBXcXgSgW6Zd0EKtG65m4rzJwy/s1182/2023.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="1182" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7s3weQEI6JcTAMWYIEJ1Kbhwy6q7vuxhyphenhyphen60FXzw8IF_zWgD8JEmPdIyXJ2zy0F53MXWOywz2sqd4OEq8yRWl3-wAMq3SPLVsdRgWBGNLLOGxZdat96fu6SVG356t4vUi60GtcOLCrlrX7sR4IQGx4up-It-nCIAMlqIBXcXgSgW6Zd0EKtG65m4rzJwy/w499-h204/2023.png" width="499" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> 5. Bradley Cooper in Maestro - Cooper gives into every possible artificial excessive choice in one of his worst performances. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Getting into bed with his dying wife. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV7JnFECXAGpu6Jj85oww1zzsaZPncyHKVhAWnhZ55QVeg8nTnxM3os-1StQQcOWt14NgHdY6-DXp6nU-SgTispiXuvHGFBdw1kmzR0Mjwuz6Ya6Y0N4OgOnOdqhpgfaihuzeb4xNNaPN3nK7LuLvEPLDlXOK3I4i0g7kt2TW500qz3_pnbxxGTNn53Ot/s657/1.5Daylewis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="657" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV7JnFECXAGpu6Jj85oww1zzsaZPncyHKVhAWnhZ55QVeg8nTnxM3os-1StQQcOWt14NgHdY6-DXp6nU-SgTispiXuvHGFBdw1kmzR0Mjwuz6Ya6Y0N4OgOnOdqhpgfaihuzeb4xNNaPN3nK7LuLvEPLDlXOK3I4i0g7kt2TW500qz3_pnbxxGTNn53Ot/w149-h123/1.5Daylewis.png" width="149" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Colman Domingo in Rustin - Domingo gives a passionate and convincing performance even if it is constantly limited by a weak script.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Training the police. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbPo_bos8PZjayzZta2HsXX3V53IkgUooVLfka4n8MAAVapDVDUbLoYlVPFA6zBC4WkXPKT7u1XqivvPVPXFahx7naWYUDmWizxc0wziD_pzOxN7f5oufZI6bA8ciChrlCkshowJfZaQ2XCHDxKAgzO7M55Moa4kwbzJ5ME9Pl619xA7HLekIt8T2eBXD/s981/4a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="981" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbPo_bos8PZjayzZta2HsXX3V53IkgUooVLfka4n8MAAVapDVDUbLoYlVPFA6zBC4WkXPKT7u1XqivvPVPXFahx7naWYUDmWizxc0wziD_pzOxN7f5oufZI6bA8ciChrlCkshowJfZaQ2XCHDxKAgzO7M55Moa4kwbzJ5ME9Pl619xA7HLekIt8T2eBXD/s320/4a.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction - Wright delivers a nuanced turn creating a sense of every family relationship and bringing the right humor on the satire side in his portrayal of both exasperation and the caricature he is tasked with playing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Fighting with his girlfriend. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-7YDbnTahQAO6tfx0_827nOho47iieF1xYN5iuGsuOfu5b-gnu6wOdLZa0a4R3si5t0GIrzryq6eF9zO5tUvrqT_G-UXa77s9ovbs6hc_UGEUzwopHmIXcppBQflyCO8WHTQCmb6YLhrZu49GAps9tppG6689HXcEUXnr-EQbFRWduOsjY46Z7ysAqPI/s1110/4.5a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1110" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-7YDbnTahQAO6tfx0_827nOho47iieF1xYN5iuGsuOfu5b-gnu6wOdLZa0a4R3si5t0GIrzryq6eF9zO5tUvrqT_G-UXa77s9ovbs6hc_UGEUzwopHmIXcppBQflyCO8WHTQCmb6YLhrZu49GAps9tppG6689HXcEUXnr-EQbFRWduOsjY46Z7ysAqPI/s320/4.5a.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers - Giamatti gives an absolutely wonderful performance where he is a hilarious grump, but also a very moving portrayal of an over the hill teacher finding a real connection again. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Goodbye to Angus. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCfb6LYHOTPkINCUTmDF3H_GgMg_K9jxCE_dzS3emU_NeqrCdh6Ikd0lAbjya-baaL05vaSkpHBwJ2fgKDrhov8Ywdc2ey4Sc7jOWmP9QCQad4yaEAGTesXLqR3Qw2JzywoUegBtpaUbPBm83NNCg-gF_6Eb0pG-3aSoOu5rws-iwbv48Jvi3O-ZRaaGi/s1228/5a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCfb6LYHOTPkINCUTmDF3H_GgMg_K9jxCE_dzS3emU_NeqrCdh6Ikd0lAbjya-baaL05vaSkpHBwJ2fgKDrhov8Ywdc2ey4Sc7jOWmP9QCQad4yaEAGTesXLqR3Qw2JzywoUegBtpaUbPBm83NNCg-gF_6Eb0pG-3aSoOu5rws-iwbv48Jvi3O-ZRaaGi/s320/5a.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer - Good predictions, basically everyone. Although I will say this was not a blowout because I do LOVE Giamatti's performance as well, and would be perfectly fine if he ends up taking home the win. Having said that Murphy's performance is just outstanding on every level, in creating such a convincing and wholly captivating portrayal of every potent complexity within the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Best Scene: </b>Cross examine. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCfb6LYHOTPkINCUTmDF3H_GgMg_K9jxCE_dzS3emU_NeqrCdh6Ikd0lAbjya-baaL05vaSkpHBwJ2fgKDrhov8Ywdc2ey4Sc7jOWmP9QCQad4yaEAGTesXLqR3Qw2JzywoUegBtpaUbPBm83NNCg-gF_6Eb0pG-3aSoOu5rws-iwbv48Jvi3O-ZRaaGi/s1228/5a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="1228" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCfb6LYHOTPkINCUTmDF3H_GgMg_K9jxCE_dzS3emU_NeqrCdh6Ikd0lAbjya-baaL05vaSkpHBwJ2fgKDrhov8Ywdc2ey4Sc7jOWmP9QCQad4yaEAGTesXLqR3Qw2JzywoUegBtpaUbPBm83NNCg-gF_6Eb0pG-3aSoOu5rws-iwbv48Jvi3O-ZRaaGi/s320/5a.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next: 2023 Alternate Supporting</div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457552600380761837.post-77110547664238658812024-02-03T09:49:00.000-05:002024-02-03T09:49:44.520-05:00Best Actor 2023: Bradley Cooper in Maestro<div style="text-align: left;">Bradley Cooper received his fifth acting Oscar nomination for portraying Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhdDGjURr9CIg3xopnsLxlhPHxIX73hfWb26ULWCPggoJ3Xiu7ZZasn8icc1ykPjSsr7idD-Zzj2gO1qzxHpQaIj-cui0m2XIqsR9fnGkEFSRyBBK9_oyLiFdeBrvTLeFMDEEAQDYt6zb4ZBc_ILP75qqWlkoxjtia3u155mrQ3MeLDphf5CB3TKqdzqR/s1486/Bradley%20Cooper%20Maestro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1486" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhdDGjURr9CIg3xopnsLxlhPHxIX73hfWb26ULWCPggoJ3Xiu7ZZasn8icc1ykPjSsr7idD-Zzj2gO1qzxHpQaIj-cui0m2XIqsR9fnGkEFSRyBBK9_oyLiFdeBrvTLeFMDEEAQDYt6zb4ZBc_ILP75qqWlkoxjtia3u155mrQ3MeLDphf5CB3TKqdzqR/s320/Bradley%20Cooper%20Maestro.png" width="320" /></a></div>Maestro is a so-called biopic of the famed American conductor/composer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I'd like to point out the last time I reviewed Bradley Cooper, I thought he deserved both the leading and supporting wins that year, so I do believe the man has talent, but it is without apology for what I am about to do. There's a term originating from robotics called the uncanny valley, where one is disturbed by robots that look kind of like humans but are off in a way that is off-putting. Well here's the uncanny valley of biopic performances, where Cooper's approximation of Bernstein is off in such a way that penetrates the mind with just how bizarre of creation this hideous thing is. Let us speak of his speech as Bernstein which Cooper crafted for years apparently the vocal work of Bernstein, which is odd he took so long to get it wrong. Clearly Cooper saw Bernstein being interviewed by Edward R. Murrow for the basis, and unlike Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, who managed to notice that maybe someone's television manner is different from his personal manner, chose this to be the absolute truth of the man's voice and manner at all times. Of course, it would help if he even got that right, as his vocal performance is much too high pitched already for Bernstein, and he gets that even more wrong when he gets older. There's clearly effort here, that makes the failure of it all the more abundant, as he clearly believes he's playing Leonard Bernstein brilliantly, so much so that only with such confidence could you be as bad as a Cooper here is in playing Bernstein. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Take the near opening sequence where he answers the phone with his forced put on accent that conveys no emotion, no nuance, no anything but some phony attempt to be someone, sad when he isn't even convincing as such. What's weirder are his physical choices that basically stress an un-naturalism at every turn, where clearly Cooper has thought out every moment of an extra gesture or movement as we see Bernstein in his first major conducting gig. That's of course the problem as it becomes this pantomime act of a man giving a great performance, but again a false act of a great performance is not a great performance at all, in fact it seems the parody of such a performance. Speaking of performance, young Cooper apparently liked having fun doing fake conducting and that was apparently the impetus to make this film, and having watched it twice, I'm pretty sure that motivation never expanded as such as I think he wants to just wanted to conduct like Bernstein onscreen, which we see first in this sequence where never has raising hands seemed more unnatural. Cooper doesn't ease into an iconic stance, he already believes it to be iconic, that it feels more like a man posing to be covered in clay and made into a statue by how perfect it all clearly is already...according to him. There's the artifice that Cooper brings that constrains him and is bizarre with how much he refuses to find variation. As just take his voice, never has just the most rudimentary dialogue seemed so false because Cooper refuses to shift the accent even within emotion, making this aggressively stiff affectation rather than, you know, a human speaking. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Cooper's performance marvels in his ability to be phony in multiple ways, and while last performance I praised heavily for the use of one's eyes, I must do quite the opposite this time around by asking WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING WITH HIS EYES? Where are your eyelids, man? Why are his eyes open as much as possible, as though he's constantly high on cocaine? I mean one can portray excitement in a way most humans do, not some psychopathic maniac, as I'm quite sure that is the choice Cooper makes every time we see Bernstein after a conducting job, seeing a friend, seeing his eventual wife Felicia (Carey Mulligan). I have to note the scene where Bernstein sees two friends and their child. Cooper perhaps has never been worse as he plays the whole scene not as a friend being jovial but a demented freak with every over the top line delivery and action that to describe as ridiculous would be an understatement, and one should never be understated when reviewing this performance...I mean Cooper wouldn't like that based on this performance. A performance without any internalization whatsoever, I'll admit Cooper doesn't help it with his own script that I'd say is razor thin but that's kind of an insult to the thickness of razors. As we see him in love with Felicia, which he portrays with the smile of a maniac, and what is the connection between them...I don't know. Nor do I sense it in the performance of Cooper, though I'll give credit to Mulligan for desperately trying. Cooper on the other hand conveys Bernstein as a man without depth, if he's happy all teeth like a horrible Halloween mask, if he's sad, his head is cocked down like he's Charlie Brown on a bad day, and in this instance Charlie Brown has done something VERY WRONG here, he made Maestro. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">But hey, maybe when the film switches over to the older Bernstein and Felicia, the film comes together, we'll you'd be wrong. Cooper I imagine did watch Bernstein's interview, as wholly lifting quotes from the man and poorly contextualizing them is far too much the script, but I'd be baffled by his overly nasally vocal approach to older Bernstein, whose voice was much gruffer from his cigarette smoke, which hey that wouldn't matter if what he was doing was working in some way, but Cooper's vocal intonation seems more like the audition to do a Leonard Bernstein doll THAT TALKS, just pull the string. I mean but hey so far so stiff, but maybe we get the real him, when Bernstein is more himself by being a bi-sexual man, and he gets to follow more of his homosexual feelings. Well we see him interested in a man, which I know he's interested, not by any captivating conversation or even chemistry, rather just an onslaught of noise and overacting by Cooper in scenes that stretch what one might call scenes of dialogue. But maybe there's something in his distress as a man though, nah, just looking kind of sad I guess as he speaks of his regrets of not making enough music. But you can tell Cooper thought a lot about how he crosses his leg and holds his leg in a scene, a lot of time, so much time so that wonders what the point of any of it is? Well to so specifically construct the scene in an attempt I guess to high the void of nothingness that is the conversation as he blathers on as blathering, though in turn makes you just notice how every physical and verbal movement seems rehearsed, is rehearsed and makes you ponder what exactly is Cooper trying to accomplish. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />You know what though, what about the factor that apparently propelled Cooper to make this film, which is Bernstein being a conductor? I mean you can read about the hours upon hours of preparation by Cooper for this task, so it must be something special right? Wrong, though I should stop asking questions that are in fact going to answer. First a major missed opportunity is seeing Bernstein work through his musical performances, as one can see Bernstein do in a somewhat tyrannical way in any actual footage of the man, but why would you want actual footage when you have Cooper? Whoops. Well Cooper would then need to bother to explain the genius of the man musically, which I guess was too much of a challenge so instead we just get the man saying a few random phrases without any real direction or intention, as this Bernstein is magically ready for every performance. Which again forget the writing though, what does Cooper do in these moments, well in the opposite direction of too much rather than too little. I'd say he's overcompensating for the weak script, but that's not much of an excuse when he wrote the damn thing. The much lauded Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C-minor, which makes me question many's opinion since it is this triumphant moment that isn't attached to anything and if you think it's powerful it is because you think the music is powerful, because Cooper recreated a youtube clip and little else. Well just one more thing, and one can see Bernstein's method of conducting which was wild and over the top in his extremely expressive way of conducting....and Cooper managed to do the unthinkable which was to actually be more over the top. And here's why, where when Bernstein went wide with his arms, and opened his mouth, you felt he was reflecting his emotion from the music into the action, Cooper's is this bizarre puppet act of the movements and behaviours without the emotions. He's doing them, though always just a little more than the real man which would be impressive if it weren't so ludicrous, but also doing them, because he did them, there's no sense of the why, it just is, and as just is, it is nothing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />But maybe the last stage relationship saves it all....not bloody likely. I must focus too much on a singular moment for a moment, which is Leonard and Felicia at a concert where he pays more attention to his male companion than to his wife. Cooper manages to overact with his thumbs HIS THUMBS, twiddling them in a way that somehow feels performative, rather than just nervous twitching, how does one do that, but as the great Ian Malcolm would say "Life, uh, Finds a Way", and I'd say Cooper found a way. As much as we learned about their budding relationship we learn even more about the strain of their late relationship, and by more mean exactly the same, and by much I mean nearly nothing. We do get a scene of couples fighting, that is the version of the Marriage Story fight scene that some parts of the internet thought they saw, as this version has nearly as little context as a broken off clip on the YouTube. It does give us the chance to see Cooper practice his portrayal of a chicken pretending to be a human in the way he moves around the room in the scene, and he does raise his phony Bernstein voice to a setting called frustrating, kind of. It's pseudo-emotion in that it has the traits of emotions, but not that thing called actually feeling them. Cooper's work is just one dishonest moment after another in this bizarre caricature of a man, except for about 30 seconds of his performance. Which is the one scene that makes me feel anything, though this is largely due to Mulligan and I do think it falls into drowning man syndrome where you'd take even dirty air if you can breathe, where Felicia is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Which on re-watch, isn't really particularly notable either, it's just less empty, but not really all that much less. You still get plenty of prancing around from Cooper, even his big scene of screaming his pain into a pillow still feels performative in a moment where honesty needed to be the truth. Although I'll give the minor bit of credit in the scene where Bernstein climbs into bed with the dying Felicia. In this moment Cooper drops all pretense and you see a glimpse of the actor he actually can be as he seems finally focused on his co-star and not on crafting his artificial image of representation to the audience. Cooper relaxes for the only moment of his performance as he embraces Mulligan and for a moment seems actually in the scene, and allows us to see a person not some empty representation. Although this 30 seconds does not save his performance in the slightest, rather it shows just what is wrong with his performance. Something we immediately see as we go ahead one more time for oldest Bernstein where Cooper is right back to just one false choice after another, that creates an image, not even an idea, but most certainly never a man. This is perhaps an ideal cautionary performance on award chasing as the film and the performance have so many of the surface traits of a great performance or a great film, traits though of a perfunctory description, lacking the actual context, depth or understanding needed. Cooper can be great, but this is a series of choices attempting to achieve greatness that only result in failure. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3OHlDJsSZ4IBd7Qj783DjVHUc3MjINWQw0_HanBtmnwO2z5Muy4EO_3Ti9bLbF7VY5Kweqt5aeBJeQsVtlQn401Sq_Y92CgbB1xjrua9OhlQ6jPSd5A7sDPqizyHuNfR3tnXYguvPtOfwMw2TMmoT3-jPNL3Gx58gqQFKVT1vAbEgmL3GTeELmuFxGOT/s657/1.5Daylewis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="657" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3OHlDJsSZ4IBd7Qj783DjVHUc3MjINWQw0_HanBtmnwO2z5Muy4EO_3Ti9bLbF7VY5Kweqt5aeBJeQsVtlQn401Sq_Y92CgbB1xjrua9OhlQ6jPSd5A7sDPqizyHuNfR3tnXYguvPtOfwMw2TMmoT3-jPNL3Gx58gqQFKVT1vAbEgmL3GTeELmuFxGOT/w183-h151/1.5Daylewis.png" width="183" /></a></div></div>Louis Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07933180959140340196noreply@blogger.com17