Monday 18 March 2024

Alternate Best Actor 1945: Danny Kaye in Wonder Man

Danny Kaye did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Edwin Dingle and Buzzy Bellew in Wonder Man.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Sunday 10 March 2024

Alternate Best Actor 1945

 And the Nominees Were Not:

Danny Kaye in Wonder Man

Roger Livesey in I Know Where I Am Going

Laird Cregar in Hangover Square

Errol Flynn in Objective, Burma!

Pierre Brasseur in Children of Paradise

Friday 8 March 2024

Best Production Design

1931:
  1. Herman Rosse - Frankenstein 
  2. Lazare Meerson - À Nous La Liberté
  3. Charles D. Hall - City Lights
  4. Herman Rosse & John Hoffman - Dracula
  5. Emil Hasler & Karl Vollbrecht - M
1932:
  1. Mitchell Leisen - The Sign of the Cross
  2. Jean Perrier - Wooden Crosses
  3. Jean d'Eaubonne - The Blood of a Poet
  4. Cedric Gibbons & Merrill Pye - Freaks
  5. Wily Pogany - The Mummy
1933:
  1. Carroll Clark - King Kong
  2. Emil Hasler & Karl Vollbrecht - The Testament of Dr. Mabuse 
  3. Alexander Toluboff - Queen Christina
  4. Vincent Korda  - The Private Life of Henry VIII
  5. Jack Okey - 42nd Street
1934:
  1. Roland Anderson - Cleopatra 
  2. Uncredited - Babes in Toyland 
  3. Hans Drier - The Scarlet Empress
  4. Charles D. Hall - The Black Cat
  5. Lucien Carré, Jean Perrier & Paul Colin - Les Misérables
1935:
  1. Charles D. Hall - Bride of Frankenstein
  2. Cedric Gibbons - A Tale of Two Cities
  3. Stephen Goosson - The Black Room
  4. Van Nest Polglase - Top Hat
  5. Roland Anderson - The Crusades
1937:
  1. Stephen Goosson - Lost Horizon
  2. 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
  3. Lyle R. Wheeler - The Prisoner of Zenda
  4. Richard Day & Alexander Golitzen - The Hurricane
  5. Jacques Krauss - Pepe Le Moko
1938:
  1. Carl Jules Weyl - The Adventures of Robin Hood
  2. Cedric Gibbons - Marie Antoinette
  3. Nikolai Solovyov - Alexander Nevsky
  4. Léon Barsacq & Georges Wakhévitch - La Marseillaise
  5. Stephen Goosson - You Can't Take It With You
1942:
  1. Carl Jules Weyl - Casablanca
  2. Albert S. D'Agostino - The Magnificent Ambersons
  3. Carl Jules Weyl - Yankee Doodle Dandy
  4. Georges Wakhévitch - The Devil's Envoy
  5. James Basevi - The Black Swan
1943:
  1. Emil Hasler & Otto Guelstorff - Münchhausen
  2. Alfed Junge - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
  3. Alexander Golitzen & John B. Goodman - Phantom of the Opera
  4. James Basevi & William S. Darling - The Song of Bernadette
  5. James Basevi  & Wiard B. Ihnen - Jane Eyre
1944:
  1. Cedric Gibbons, William Ferrari, Paul Huldschinsky & Edwin B. Willis - Gaslight
  2. Lemuel Ayers, Cedric Gibbons, Jack Martin Smith & Edwin B. Willis - Meet Me in St. Louis 
  3. Iosif Shpinel - Ivan the Terrible 
  4. Hans Dreier, Ernst Fegté & Stephen Seymour - The Uninvited
  5. Lyle R. Wheeler, Leland Fuller &Thomas Little - Laura
1947:
  1. Alfred Junge - Black Narcissus
  2. Sturges Carne, Stephen Goosson, Wilbur Menefee & Herman N. Schoenbrun - The Lady From Shanghai
  3. Lyle R. Wheeler, J. Russell Spencer & Thomas Little - Nightmare Alley
  4. Max Douy - Quai des Orfèvres
  5. Richard H. Riedel, Russell A. Gausman & Ted Offenbecker - Ivy
1948:
  1. Hein Heckroth & Arthur Lawson - The Red Shoes
  2. Roger K. Furse & Carmen Dillon - Hamlet
  3. Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson, Albert Nozaki, Sam Comer & Ross Dowd - The Big Clock
  4. Guy de Gastyne & Christian Bérard - Les Parents Terribles
  5. Richard Day, Edwin Casey Roberts & Joseph Kish - Joan of Arc

1949:
  1. Cedric Gibbons, Hans Peters, Edwin B. Willis  & Alfred E. Spencer - Battleground
  2. Edward Carrere & Fred M. MacLean - White Heat
  3. Wolfgang Reitherman, Frank Thomas, John Lounsbery, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl & Ollie Johnston - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
  4. Harry Horner, John Meehan & Emile Kuri - The Heiress
  5. William Kellner & Philip Stockford - The Queen of Spades
1950:
  1. Jean d'Eaubonne, Charles Merangel & Henri Vergnes - La Ronde
  2. Jean d'Eaubonne & Albert Volper - Orpheus
  3. Takashi Matsuyama & H. Motsumoto - Rashomon
  4. Hans Dreier, John Meehan, Sam Comer & Ray Moyer - Sunset Boulevard
  5. Ernst Fegté & George Sawley - Destination Moon
1951:
  1. Hein Heckroth - The Tales of Hoffmann
  2. Ralph W. Brinton & Freda Pearson - Scrooge
  3. Mary Blair - Alice in Wonderland
  4. Lyle R. Wheeler, Addison Hehr, Thomas Little & Claude E. Carpenter - The Day the Earth Stood Still
  5. John Bryan - Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
1952:
  1. Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell, Edwin B. Willis & Jacques Mapes - Singin' in the Rain
  2. Jean d'Eaubonne & Robert Christidès - Le Plaisir
  3. Alfred Junge - Ivanhoe
  4. John Hawkesworth, Joseph Bato & Vincent Korda - The Sound Barrier
  5. Richard Day & Antoni Clave - Hans Christian Anderson
1954:
  1. J. McMillan Johnson, Hal Pereira, Sam Comer & Ray Moyer - Rear Window
  2. So Matsuyama - Seven Samurai
  3. John Meehan & Emile Kuri - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
  4. Makoto Sono & Eiji Tsuburaya - Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
  5. Gene Allen, Malcolm C. Bert, George James Hopkins, & Irene Sharaff - A Star is Born
1955:
  1. Hilyard M. Brown & Alfred E. Spencer - The Night of the Hunter
  2. Max Douy, Jean André  & Jacques Douy - French Cancan
  3. Roger K. Furse & Roger Ramsdell - Richard III
  4. Léon Barsacq - Les Diaboliques
  5. Malcolm C. Bert, James Basevi, George James Hopkins, & William Wallace - East of Eden
1957:
  1. Ludwig Reiber - Paths of Glory
  2. Robert Clatworthy, Alexander Golitzen, Ruby R. Levitt & Russell A. Gausman - The Incredible Shrinking Man
  3. Yoshirô Muraki - Throne of Blood
  4. P.A. Lundgren - The Seventh Seal
  5. Donald M. Ashton - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958:
  1. Kisaku Itô & Mototsugu Komaki - The Ballad of Narayama
  2. Henri Schmitt - Mon Oncle
  3. Sergei Eisenstein & Iosif Shpinel - Ivan the Terrible Part 2
  4. Yoshirô Muraki - The Hidden Fortress
  5. Sam Comer & Frank R. McKelvy - Vertigo 
1960:
  1. Robert Clatworthy, Joseph Hurley & George Milo - Psycho
  2. Alexander Golitzen, Eric Orbom, Russell A. Gausman & Julia Heron - Spartacus
  3. Yoshirô Muraki - The Bad Sleep Well
  4. Giorgio Giovannini & Nedo Azzini - Black Sunday
  5. Alexandre Trauner & Edward G. Boyle - The Apartment
1961:
  1. Wilfred Shingleton - The Innocents
  2. Yoshirô Muraki & Yoshifumi Honda - Yojimbo
  3. Boris Leven & Victor A. Gangelin - West Side Story
  4. Veniero Colasanti & John Moore - El Cid
  5. Kazue Hirataka - The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
1963:
  1. Elliot Scott & John Jarvis - The Haunting
  2. Mario Garbuglia, Giorgio Pes &  Laudomia Hercolani - The Leopard
  3. Geoffrey Drake - Jason and the Argonauts
  4. Yoshirô Muraki - High and Low
  5. Ralph W. Brinton, Jocelyn Herbert, Ted Marshall & Josie MacAvin - Tom Jones
1964:
  1. Ken Adam - Dr. Strangelove
  2. Shigemasa Toda & Dai Arakawa - Kwaidan
  3. Bernard Evein - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
  4. Carroll Clark, William H. Tuntke, Emile Kuri & Hal Gausman - Mary Poppins
  5. Veniero Colasanti & John Moore - The Fall of the Roman Empire
1965:
  1. John Box, Terence Marsh & Dario Simoni - Doctor Zhivago
  2. José Antonio de la Guerra - Chimes At Midnight
  3. Yoshirô Muraki - Red Beard
  4. John DeCuir, Jack Martin Smith & Dario Simoni - The Agony and the Ecstasy
  5. Richard Day, William Creber, David S. Hall, Ray Moyer, Fred M. MacLean & Norman Rockett - The Greatest Story Ever Told
1966:
  1. Mikhail Bogdanov Gennady Myasnikov, Georgi Koshelev & Vladimir Uvarov - War and Peace Part I
  2. Carlo Simi - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
  3. Takashi Matsuyama - The Sword of Doom
  4. Yevgeni Chernyayev - Andrei Rublev
  5. Mikhail Bogdanov Gennady Myasnikov, Georgi Koshelev & Vladimir Uvarov - War and Peace Part II
1968:
  1. Anthony Masters, Harry Lange & Ernest Archer - 2001: A Space Odyssey
  2. Carlo Simi - Once Upon a Time in the West
  3. Marik Vos-Lundh - Hour of the Wolf
  4. Lorenzo Mongiardino - Romeo and Juliet
  5. Walter M. Scott & Norman Rockett - Planet of the Apes
1970:
  1. Ester Krumbachová & Eva Lackingerová - Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
  2. Evgeny Eney, Ye. Yakuba & I. Zaytseva - King Lear
  3. Ferdinando Scarfiotti - The Conformist
  4. Stephen B. Grimes & Roy Walker - Ryan's Daughter
  5. Urie McCleary, Gil Parrondo, Antonio Mateos & Pierre-Louis Thévenet - Patton
1971:
  1. Leon Ericksen - McCabe & Mrs. Miller
  2. John Box, Ernest Archer, Jack Maxsted, Gil Parrondo & Vernon Dixon - Nicholas and Alexandra
  3. Harper Goff - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
  4. Michael D. Haller - THX 1138
  5. John Barry - A Clockwork Orange
1973:
  1. Alejandro Jodorowsky - The Holy Mountain
  2. Henry Bumstead & James W. Payne - The Sting
  3. Kazuo Satsuya - Lady Snowblood
  4. Mario Chiari & Enzo Eusepi - Ludwig
  5. Shen Chien - Enter the Dragon
1974:
  1. Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham & George R. Nelson - The Godfather Part II
  2. Jack Fisk & Sissy Spacek - Phantom of the Paradise
  3. Richard Sylbert, W. Stewart Campbell & Ruby Levitt - Chinatown
  4. Dean Tavoularis & Doug von Koss - The Conversation
  5. Dale Hennesy & Robert De Vestel - Young Frakenstein
1975:
  1. Ken Adam, Roy Walker & Vernon Dixon - Barry Lyndon
  2. Giuseppe Bassan & Armando Mannini - Deep Red
  3. Alexandre Trauner, Tony Inglis & Peter James - The Man Who Would Be King
  4. Richard Macdonald & George James Hopkins - The Day of the Locust
  5. Brian Thomsone - The Rocky Horror Picture Show
1978:
  1. John Barry, Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Stuart Craig, Tony Reading, Norman Dorme, Ernest Archer & Philip Bennet - Superman
  2. Jack Fisk & Robert Gould - Days of Heaven
  3. Martin Rosen - Watership Down
  4. Anna Asp - Autumn Sonata 
  5. Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham, George R. Nelson & Bruce Kay - The Brink's Job
1979:
  1. Michael Seymour, Leslie Dilley, Roger Christian & Ian Whittaker - Alien
  2. Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham & George R. Nelson - Apocalypse Now
  3. Andrei Tarkovsky, Aleksan, Aleksandr Boym & Rashit Safiullin - Stalker
  4. Henning von Gierke - Nosferatu The Vampyre
  5. Pierre Guffroy & Jack Stephens - Tess
1980:
  1. Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Harry Lange, Alan Tomkins & Michael D. Ford - The Empire Strikes Back 
  2. Roy Walker - The Shining
  3. Stuart Craig, Robert Cartwright & Hugh Scaife - The Elephant Man
  4. Yoshirō Muraki - Kagemusha
  5. Tambi Larsen & James L. Berkey- Heaven's Gate
1981:
  1. Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley & Michael D. Ford - Raiders of the Lost Ark
  2. Ken Adam & Garrett Lewis - Pennies From Heaven
  3. Rolf Zehetbauer - Das Boot
  4. Anthony Pratt & Bryan Graves - Excalibur
  5. Milly Burns - Time Bandits
1983:
  1. Norman Reynolds, Fred Holw, James L. Schoppe & Michael D. Ford - The Return of the Jedi
  2. Geoffrey Kirkland, Richard Lawrence, W. Stewart Campbell, Peter R. Romero, Jim Poynter & George R. Nelson - The Right Stuff
  3. Carol Spier & Angelo Stea - Videodrome
  4. Richard Macdonald & Rick Simpson - Something Wicked This Way Comes
  5. Brian Morris & Ann Mollo - The Hunger
1984:
  1. Patrizia von Brandenstein & Karel Černý - Amadeus
  2. Anton Furst - The Company of Wolves
  3. Giovanni Natalucci, Bruno Cesari, Osvaldo Desideri & Gretchen Rau - Once Upon a Time in America
  4. Allan Cameron & Emma Porteous- 1984
  5. Elliot Scott & Peter Howitt - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1985:
  1. Norman Garwood & Maggie Gray - Brazil
  2. Yoshirô Muraki, Jiro Hirai, Mitsuyuki Kimura,  Yasuyoshi Ototake, Tsuneo Shimura Osumi Tousho &  - Ran
  3. Jim Morahan & Ann Mollo - Legend
  4. David L. Snyder & Thomas L. Roysden - Pee Wee's Big Adventure
  5. Lawrence G. Paull Hal Gausman - Back to the Future
1987:
  1. Ferdinando Scarfiotti, Bruno Cesari & Osvaldo Desideri - The Last Emperor
  2. William Sandell & Robert Gould - Robocop
  3. Armin Ganz, Kristi Zea, Robert J. Franco & Leslie Pope - Angel Heart
  4. Anton Furst - Full Metal Jacket
  5. Terence Marsh & John Franco Jr.- Spaceballs
1988:
  1. Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
  2. Elliot Scott & Peter Howitt - Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
  3. James McAteer & Elinor Rose Galbraith - Dead Ringers
  4. Bo Welch & Catherine Mann - Beetlejuice
  5. Kazuo Oga - My Neighbor Totoro 
1991:
  1. Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - Barton Fink
  2. Richard Macdonald & Cheryal Kearney- The Addams Family
  3. Marc Caro & Aline Bonetto - Delicatessen
  4. Carol Spier & Elinor Rose Galbraith  - Naked Lunch
  5. Cao Juiping - Raise the Red Lantern
1992:
  1. Thomas E. Sanders & Garrett Lewis - Dracula
  2. Henry Bumstead & Janice Blackie-Goodine - Unforgiven
  3. Norman Reynolds & Belinda Edwards - Alien 3
  4. Stuart Craig & Chris A. Butler - Chaplin
  5. Luciana Arrighi & Ian Whittaker - Howard's End
1993:
  1. Dante Ferretti & Robert J. Franco - The Age of Innocence
  2. Deane Taylor - The Nightmare Before Christmas
  3. Allan Starski & Ewa Braun - Schindler's List
  4. Rick Carter & Jackie Carr - Jurassic Park
  5. Andrew McAlpine & Meryl Cronin - The Piano
1994:
  1. Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - The Hudsucker Proxy
  2. Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Interview With The Vampire
  3. Alex McDowell & Marthe Pineau- The Crow
  4. Richard Peduzzi & Olivier Radot -  La Reine Margot 
  5. Tom Duffield & Cricket Rowland - Ed Wood
1996:
  1. Tim Harvey - Hamlet
  2. Victor Kempster & Meredtih Boswell - That Thing You Do!
  3. David Goetz - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  4. Ivan Maussion - Ridicule
  5. Cecilia Montiel & Felipe Fernandez del Paso - From Dusk Till Dawn
1997:
  1. Jeannine Oppewall & Jay Hart - L.A. Confidential
  2. Peter Lamont & Michael D. Ford - Titanic
  3. Dan Weil, Maggie Gray & Anna Pinnock - The Fifth Element
  4. Jan Roelfs & Nancy Nye - Gattaca
  5. Bo Welch & Cheryl Carasik - Men in Black
1999:
  1. Eve Stewart & John Bush - Topsy-Turvy
  2. Rick Heinrichs & Peter Young - Sleepy Hollow
  3. Owen Paterson, Lisa Brennan, Tim Ferrier & Marta McElroy - The Matrix
  4. Dante Ferretti & Carlo Gervasi - Titus
  5. Leslie Tomkins, Lisa Leone  & Terry Wells - Eyes Wide Shut
2000:
  1. William Chang - In the Mood For Love
  2. Arthur Max & Crispian Sallis - Gladiator
  3. Timmy Yip - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
  4. Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - O Brother, Where Art Thou?
  5. Assheton Gorton - Shadow of the Vampire
2001:
  1. Grant Major & Dan Hennah - LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
  2. Yoji Takeshige & Noboru Yoshida - Spirited Away
  3. Jack Fisk & Barbara Haberecht - Mulholland Drive
  4. Rick Carter & Nancy Haigh - A.I. Artificial Intelligence
  5. Stuart Craig & Stephenie McMillan - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2002:
  1. Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Gangs of New York
  2. Grant Major, Dan Hennah & Alan Lee - LOTR: The Two Towers
  3. Tingxiao Huo & Zhenzhou Yi - Hero
  4. Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - Road to Perdition
  5. Alex McDowell & Anne Kuljian - Minority Report
2003: 
  1. Grant Major, Dan Hennah & Alan Lee - LOTR: The Return of the King
  2. William Sandell & Robert Gould - Master and Commander
  3. Ryu Seong-hie & Hong-sam Yang - Oldboy
  4. Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh - Big Fish
  5. Yohei Taneda, David Wasco, Yoshihito Akatsuka &Sandy Reynolds-Wasco - Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2005:
  1. Arthur Max, Emilio Ardura & Sonja Klaus- Kingdom of Heaven
  2. Grant Major, Dan Hennah & Simon Bright - King Kong
  3. Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer - Pride & Prejudice
  4. Chris Kennedy & Jill Eden - The Proposition
  5. Nathan Crowley, Andrew Hodgson, Paki Smith & Simon Wakefield
    - Batman Begins
2008: 
  1. Jo Hwa-seong - The Good The Bad The Weird
  2. Stephen Scott, Elli Griff & Zsuzsa Mihalek - Hellboy 2
  3. Mark Friedberg & Lydia Marks - Synecdoche New York
  4. Tim Yip - Red Cliff Part 1
  5. Donald Graham Burt  & Victor J. Zolfo - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2009:
  1. David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds Wasco - Inglourious Basterds
  2. Nelson Lowry - Fantastic Mr. Fox
  3. Henry Selick - Coraline 
  4. Maamar Ech-Cheikh & Jimena Esteve - OSS 117: Lost in Rio
  5. Alex McDowell & Jim Erickson - Watchmen
2010:
  1. Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Shutter Island
  2. Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias & Doug Mowat - Inception
  3. Jess Gonchor & Nancy Haigh - True Grit
  4. Marcus Rowland & Odetta Stoddard - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
  5. Stuart Craig & Stephenie McMillan - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
2011:
  1. Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald & Zsuzsa Mihalek - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
  2. Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Hugo
  3. Laurence Bennett & Robert Gould - The Artist
  4. Anne Seibel & Hélène Dubreuil - Midnight in Paris
  5. Beth Mickle & Lisa K. Sessions - Drive
2012:
  1. Hugh Bateup, Uli Hanisch, Rebecca Alleway & Peter Walpole - Cloud Atlas
  2. Dennis Gassner & Anna Pinnock - Skyfall
  3. Mark Digby, Michelle Day & Tom Olive - Dredd
  4. Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer - Anna Karenina
  5. Adam Stockhausen & Kris Moran - Moonrise Kingdom
2013:
  1. Ondrej Nekvasil & Beatrice Brentnerova - Snowpiercer
  2. Happy Massee & David Schlesinger - The Immigrant
  3. Darren Gilford & Ronald R. Reiss - Oblivion
  4. William Chang & Alfred Yau - The Grandmaster
  5. Adam Stockhausen & Alice Baker - 12 Years a Slave
2014:
  1. Adam Stockhausen & Anna Pinnock - The Grand Budapest Hotel
  2. Nathan Crowley & Gary Fettis - Interstellar
  3. David Crank & Amy Wells - Inherent Vice
  4. Gary Williamson & Cathy Cosgrove - Paddington
  5. Suzie Davies & Charlotte Watts - Mr. Turner
2015:
  1. Colin Gibson & Lisa Thompson - Mad Max: Fury Road
  2. Mark Digby & Michelle Day - Ex Machina
  3. Dimitri Capuani & Alessia Anfuso - Tale of Tales
  4. Jack Fish & Hamish Purdy - The Revenant
  5. Yôhei Taneda & Rosemary Brandenburg - The Hateful Eight
2016:
  1. Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo - Silence
  2. Ryu Seong-hie - The Handmaiden
  3. Anna Biller - The Love Witch
  4. David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds-Wasco - La La Land
  5. Jess Gonchor & Nancy Haigh - Hail Caesar!
2017:
  1. Dennis Gassner & Alessandra Querzola - Blade Runner 2049
  2. Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau & Jeff Melvin - The Shape of Water
  3. Mark Tildesley & Véronique Melery - Phantom Thread
  4. Gary Williamson & Cathy Cosgrove - Paddington
  5. David Scheunemann, Zsuzsa Mihalek & Mark Rosinski - Atomic Blonde
2018:
  1. Fiona Crombie & Alice Felton - The Favourite
  2. Nathan Crowley & Kathy Lucas - First Man
  3. Martin Whist & Hamish Purdy - Bad Times At the El Royale
  4. Jess Gonchor & Nancy Haigh - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
  5. Paul Harrod & Adam Stockhausen - Isle of Dogs
2019:
  1. Lee Ha-jun & Cho Won-woo - Parasite
  2. Craig Lathrop & Ian Grieg - The Lighthouse
  3. Dennis Gassner & Lee Sandales - 1917
  4. Jess Gonchor & Claire Kaufman - Little Women
  5. Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
2020: 
  1. Karen Murphy & Rebecca Cohen - True History of the Kelly Gang
  2. Donald Graham Burt & Jan Pascale - Mank
  3. Cristina Casali & Charlotte Dirickx - The Personal History of David Copperfield 
  4. Peter Francis & Cathy Featherstone - The Father
  5. Katie Byron & Sérgio Costa - Color Out of Space
2021:
  1. Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau - Nightmare Alley
  2. Patrice Vermette & Zsuzsanna Sipos - Dune
  3. Stefan Dechant & Nancy Haigh - The Tragedy of Macbeth
  4. Adam Stockhausen & Rena DeAngelo - West Side Story
  5. Jade Healy & Jenny Oman - The Green Knight
2022:
  1. Craig Lathrop & Niamh Coulter - The Northman
  2. Florencia Martin & Anthony Carlino - Babylon
  3. James Chinlund & Lee Sandales - The Batman
  4. Ethan Tobman, Gretchen Gattuso & Andrew LemMon - The Menu
  5. Ryu Seong-hie - Decision to Leave
2023:
  1. James Price, Shona Heath & Zsuzsa Mihalek - Poor Things
  2. Jack Fisk & Adam Willis - Killers of the Flower Moon
  3. Adam Stockhausen & Kris Moran - Asteroid City
  4. Jeong Yi-jin & Jeong In-cheol - Cobweb
  5. Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer - Barbie
Ken Adam, 2 nom 2 wins

Best Production Design 1964: Dr. Strangelove (WINS)
Best Production Design 1975: Barry Lyndon (WINS)

Roland Anderson,  3 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1934: Cleopatra (WINS)
Best Production Design 1935: The Crusades (Nom)
Best Production Design 1948: The Big Clock (Nom)

Ernest Archer, 3 noms 2 wins

Best Production Design 1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey (WINS)
Best Production Design 1971: Nicholas and Alexandra (Nom)
Best Production Design 1978: Superman WINS)

John Barry, 2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1971: A Clockwork Orange (Nom)
Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)

Mikhail Bogdanov, 2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part I (WINS)
Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part II (Nom)

John Box, 2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1965: Doctor Zhivago (WINS)
Best Production Design 1971: Nicholas and Alexandra (Nom)

Sam Comer, 4 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1948: The Big Clock (Nom)
Best Production Design 1950: Sunset Boulevard (Nom)
Best Production Design 1954: Rear Window (WINS)
Best Production Design 1958: Vertigo (Nom)

W. Stewart Campbell, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1974: Chinatown (Nom)
Best Production Design 1983: The Right Stuff (Nom)

Cathy Cosgrove, 2 noms

Best Production Design 2014: Paddington (Nom)
Best Production Design 2017: Paddington  2 (Nom)

Stuart Craig, 5 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)
Best Production Design 1980:The Elephant Man (Nom)
Best Production Design 1992: Chaplin (Nom)
Best Production Design 2001: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (Nom)
Best Production Design 2010: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Nom)

William Creber, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)
Best Production Design 1968: Planet of the Apes (Nom)

Richard Day, 4 noms

Best Production Design 1937: The Hurricane (Nom)
Best Production Design 1948: Joan of Arc  (Nom)
Best Production Design 1952: Hans Christian Anderson  (Nom)
Best Production Design 1965: The Greatest Story Ever Told  (Nom)

Mark Digby, 2 noms

Best Production Design 2012: Dredd (Nom)
Best Production Design 2015: Ex Machina  (Nom)

Leslie Dilley, 4 noms 4 wins

Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)
Best Production Design 1979: Alien (WINS)
Best Production Design 1980: The Empire Strikes Back (WINS)
Best Production Design 1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark (WINS)

Norman Dorme, 3 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1975: Rocky Horror Picture Show (Nom)
Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)
Best Production Design 1985: Legend (Nom)

Hans Dreier, 4 noms

Best Production Design 1934: The Scarlet Empress (Nom)
Best Production Design 1944:  The Uninvited (Nom)
Best Production Design 1948: The Big Clock (Nom)
Best Production Design 1950: Sunset Boulevard (Nom)

Tom Duffield, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1988: Beetlejuice (Nom)
Best Production Design 1994: Ed Wood (Nom)

Jean d'Eaubonne, 4 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1932: The Blood of a Poet (Nom)
Best Production Design 1950:  La Ronde  (WINS)
Best Production Design 1950: Orpheus (Nom)
Best Production Design 1952: Le Plaisir (Nom)

Jack Fisk, 4 noms

Best Production Design 1974: Phantom of the Paradise (Nom)
Best Production Design 1978: Days of Heaven (Nom)
Best Production Design 2001: Mulholland Drive (Nom)
Best Production Design 2023: Killers of the Flower Moon (Nom)

Dante Ferretti, 8 noms 5 wins

Best Production Design 1988: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (WINS)
Best Production Design 1993: The Age of Innocence (WINS)
Best Production Design 1994: Interview With The Vampire (Nom)
Best Production Design 1999: Titus (Nom)
Best Production Design 2002: Gangs of New York (WINS)
Best Production Design 2010: Shutter Island (WINS)
Best Production Design 2011: Hugo (Nom)
Best Production Design 2016: Silence WINS)

Michael D. Ford, 4 noms 3 wins

Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)
Best Production Design 1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark (WINS)
Best Production Design 1983: Return of the Jedi (WINS)
Best Production Design 1997: Titanic (Nom)

Anton Furst, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1984: The Company of Wolves (Nom)
Best Production Design 1987: Full Metal Jacket (Nom)

Dennis Gassner, 6 nom 2 wins

Best Production Design 1991: Barton Fink (WINS)
Best Production Design 1994: The Hudsucker Proxy (WINS)
Best Production Design 2000: O Brother Where Art Thou? Nom)
Best Production Design 2002: Road to Perdition (Nom)
Best Production Design 2003: Big Fish (Nom)
Best Production Design 2012: Skyfall (Nom)

Cedric Gibbons, 7 noms 3 wins

Best Production Design 1932: Freaks (Nom)
Best Production Design 1935: A Tale of Two Cities  (Nom)
Best Production Design 1938: Marie Antoinette (Nom)
Best Production Design 1944: Gaslight (WINS)
Best Production Design 1944: Meet Me In St. Louis (Nom)
Best Production Design 1949: Battleground (WINS)
Best Production Design 1952: Singin' In the Rain (WINS)

Jess Gonchor, 3 noms

Best Production Design 2010: True Grit (Nom)
Best Production Design 2016: Hail Caesar! (Nom)
Best Production Design 2018: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Nom)

Stephen Goosson,  2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1935: The Black Room (Nom)
Best Production Design 1937: Lost Horizon WINS)
Best Production Design 1938: You Can't Take It With You (Nom)

Robert Gould, 4 noms

Best Production Design 1978: Days of Heaven (Nom)
Best Production Design 1987: Robocop (Nom)
Best Production Design 2003: Master and Commander (Nom)
Best Production Design 2011: The Artist (Nom)

Sarah Greenwood, 3 noms

Best Production Design 2005: Pride & Prejudice (Nom)
Best Production Design 2012: Anna Karenina (Nom)
Best Production Design 2023: Barbie (Nom)

Nancy Haigh, 10 noms 2 wins

Best Production Design 1991: Barton Fink (WINS)
Best Production Design 1994: The Hudsucker Proxy (WINS)
Best Production Design 2000: O Brother Where Art Thou? Nom)
Best Production Design 2001: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Nom)
Best Production Design 2002: Road to Perdition (Nom)
Best Production Design 2003: Big Fish (Nom)
Best Production Design 2010: True Grit (Nom)
Best Production Design 2016: Hail Caesar! (Nom)
Best Production Design 2018: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Nom)
Best Production Design 2021: The Tragedy of Macbeth (Nom)

Charles D. Hall, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1931: City Lights  (Nom)
Best Production Design 1934: The Black Cat (Nom)

Emil Hasler, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1931: M (Nom)
Best Production Design 1933: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Nom)

Dan Hennah, 4 noms  2 wins

Best Production Design 2001: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)
Best Production Design 2002: LOTR: The Two Towers (Nom)
Best Production Design 2003: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)
Best Production Design 2005: King Kong (Nom)

George James Hopkins, 3 noms

Best Production Design 1954: A Star is Born (Nom)
Best Production Design 1955: East of Eden (Nom)
Best Production Design 1975: Day of the Locust (Nom)

Peter Howitt, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1984: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Nom)
Best Production Design 1988: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Nom)

Alfred Junge, 2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1947: Black Narcissus (WINS)
Best Production Design 1952: Ivanhoe (Nom)

Georgi Koshelev , 2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part I (WINS)
Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part II (Nom)

Harry Lange, 2 noms 2 wins

Best Production Design 1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey (WINS)
Best Production Design 1980: The Empire Strikes Back (WINS)
 
Craig Lathrop, 2 noms 1 win
 
Best Production Design 2019: The Lightouse (Nom)
Best Production Design 2022: The Northman (WINS)

Alan Lee, 2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 2002: LOTR: The Two Towers (Nom)
Best Production Design 2003: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)

Francesca Lo Schiavo, 6 noms 4 wins

Best Production Design 1988: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (WINS)
Best Production Design 1994: Interview With The Vampire (Nom)
Best Production Design 2002: Gangs of New York (WINS)
Best Production Design 2010: Shutter Island (WINS)
Best Production Design 2011: Hugo (Nom)
Best Production Design 2016: Silence (WINS)

Fred M. MacLean, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1949: White Heat (Nom)
Best Production Design 1965: The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)

Grant Major, 4 noms  2 wins

Best Production Design 2001: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)
Best Production Design 2002: LOTR: The Two Towers (Nom)
Best Production Design 2003: LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINS)
Best Production Design 2005: King Kong (Nom)

Jack Maxsted, 2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1963: Jason and the Argonauts (Nom)
Best Production Design 1971: Nicholas and Alexandra (Nom)

Zsuzsa Mihalek, 4 noms 2 wins

Best Production Design 2008: Hellboy II (Nom)
Best Production Design 2011: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (WINS)
Best Production Design 2017: Atomic Blonde (Nom)
Best Production Design 2023: Poor Things (WINS)

Alex McDowell, 3 noms

Best Production Design 1994: The Crow (Nom)
Best Production Design 2002: Minority Report (Nom)
Best Production Design 2009: Watchmen (Nom)

Stephenie McMillan, 2 noms

Best Production Design 2001: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (Nom)
Best Production Design 2010: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Nom)

Kris Moran, 2 noms

Best Production Design 2012: Moonrise Kingdom (Nom)
Best Production Design 2023: Asteroid City (Nom)

Ray Moyer, 3 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1950: Sunset Boulevard (Nom)
Best Production Design 1954: Rear Window (WINS)
Best Production Design 1965: The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)

Yoshirô Muraki, 7 noms

Best Production Design 1957: Throne of Blood  (Nom)
Best Production Design 1958: The Hidden Fortress (Nom)
Best Production Design 1960: The Bad Sleep Well (Nom)
Best Production Design 1961:Yojimbo (Nom)
Best Production Design 1963: High and Low (Nom)
Best Production Design 1965: Red Beard (Nom)
Best Production Design 1980: Kagemusha (Nom)

Gennady Myasnikov,  2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part I (WINS)
Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part II (Nom)

Gil Parrondo, 2 noms 

Best Production Design 1970: Patton (Nom)
Best Production Design 1971: Nicholas and Alexandra (Nom)
 
Jean Perrier, 2 noms
 
Best Production Design 1932: Wooden Crosses (Nom)
Best Production Design 1934: Les Miserables (Nom)

Anna Pinnock, 3 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1997: The Fifth Element (Nom)
Best Production Design 2012:  Skyfall (Nom)
Best Production Design 2014: The Grand Budapest Hotel (WINS)

Norman Reynolds, 4 noms 3 wins

Best Production Design 1978: Superman (WINS)
Best Production Design 1980: The Empire Strikes Back (WINS)
Best Production Design 1983: Return of the Jedi (WINS)
Best Production Design 1993: Alien 3 (Nom)

Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, 3 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 2003: Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Nom)
Best Production Design 2009: Inglourious Basterds (WINS)
Best Production Design 2016:La La Land (Nom)

Norman Rockett, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told (Nom)
Best Production Design 1968: Planet of the Apes (Nom)

Herman Rosse,  2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1931: Frankenstein (WINS)
Best Production Design 1931: Dracula (Nom)
 
Ryu Seong-hie, 3 noms
 
Best Production Design 2003: Oldboy (Nom)
Best Production Design 2016: The Handmaiden (Nom)
Best Production Design 2022: Decision to Leave (Nom)

William Sandell, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1987: Robocop (Nom)
Best Production Design 2003: Master and Commander (Nom)

Elliott Scott, 3 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1963: The Haunting (WINS)
Best Production Design 1984: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Nom)
Best Production Design 1988: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Nom)

Iosif Shpinel, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1944: Ivan the Terrible  (Nom)
Best Production Design 1958: Ivan the Terrible Part 2 (Nom)

Carlo Simi, 3 noms

Best Production Design 1966: The Good The Bad and The Ugly (Nom)
Best Production Design 1968: Once Upon a Time in the West (Nom)
Best Production Design 1984: Once Upon a Time in America (Nom)

Dario Simoni, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1965: Doctor Zhivago (WINS)
Best Production Design 1965: The Agony and Ecstasy Nom)

Jack Martin Smith, 3 noms

Best Production Design 1944: Meet Me in St. Louis (Nom)
Best Production Design 1965: The Agony and The Ecstasy  (Nom)
Best Production Design 1968: Planet of the Apes (Nom)

Katie Spencer, 3 noms

Best Production Design 2005: Pride & Prejudice (Nom)
Best Production Design 2012: Anna Karenina (Nom)
Best Production Design 2023: Barbie (Nom)

Adam Stockhausen, 7 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 2012: Moonrise Kingdom (Nom)
Best Production Design 2013: 12 Years a Slave (Nom)
Best Production Design 2014: The Grand Budapest Hotel (WINS)
Best Production Design 2018: Isle of Dogs (Nom)
Best Production Design 2021: West Side Story (Nom)
Best Production Design 2023: Asteroid City (Nom)

Dean Tavoularis, 4 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1974: The Godfather Part II (WINS)
Best Production Design 1974: The Conversation (Nom)
Best Production Design 1978: The Brink's Job (Nom)
Best Production Design 1979: Apocalypse Now (Nom)

Vladimir Uvarov, 2 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part I (WINS)
Best Production Design 1966: War and Peace Part II (Nom)

Karl Vollbrecht, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1931: M (Nom)
Best Production Design 1933: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Nom)

Roy Walker, 3 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 1970: Ryan's Daughter (Nom)
Best Production Design 1975: Barry Lyndon (WINS)
Best Production Design 1980: The Shining (Nom)

David Wasco, 3 noms 1 win

Best Production Design 2003: Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Nom)
Best Production Design 2009: Inglourious Basterds (WINS)
Best Production Design 2016:La La Land (Nom)

Gary Williamson, 2 noms

Best Production Design 2014: Paddington (Nom)
Best Production Design 2017: Paddington  2 (Nom)

Bo Welch, 2 noms

Best Production Design 1988: Beetlejuice (Nom)
Best Production Design 1997: Men in Black (Nom)

Carl Jules Weyl, 3 noms 2 wins

Best Production Design 1938: The Adventures of Robin Hood (WINS)
Best Production Design 1942: Casablanca (WINS)
Best Production Design 1942: Yankee Doodle Dandy (Nom)

Lyle R. Wheeler, 4 noms

Best Production Design 1937: The Prisoner of Zenda (Nom)
Best Production Design 1944: Laura (Nom)
Best Production Design 1947: Nightmare Alley (Nom)
Best Production Design 1951: The Day the Earth Stood Still (Nom)

Edwin B. Willis, 4 noms 3 wins

Best Production Design 1944: Gaslight (WINS)
Best Production Design 1944: Meet Me In St. Louis (Nom)
Best Production Design 1949: Battleground (WINS)
Best Production Design 1952: Singin' in the Rain (WINS)

Sunday 25 February 2024

Alternate Best Actor 2023: Results

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. 

Best Scene: Reunion with Anmai. 
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. 

Best Scene: Poor estimate. 
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. 

Best Scene: Playing it away. 
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. 

Best Scene: Roof. 
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. 

Best Scene: Bar.
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. 

Best Scene: Doing it all in one day. 
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. 

Best Scene: "I used to be a brother"
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. 

Best Scene: Talk with dad.
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. 

Best Scene: "I was going to say the same thing"
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. 

Best Scene: Playing with shadows. 
Overall:
  1. Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer
  2. Kōji Yakusho in Perfect Days
  3. Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers
  4. Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers
  5. Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers
  6. Zac Efron in The Iron Claw
  7. Glenn Howerton in Blackberry
  8. Teo Yoo in Past Lives
  9. Charles Melton in May December
  10. Sōya Kurokawa in Monster - 5
  11. Michael Fassbender in The Killer
  12. Mads Mikkelsen in The Promised Land
  13. Benoît Magimel in The Taste of Things
  14. Manolo Solo in Close Your Eyes
  15. Eita Nagayama in Monster
  16. Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction
  17. Jason Clarke in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
  18. Nicolas Cage in Dream Scenario
  19. Joaquin Phoenix in Beau is Afraid
  20. Peter Sarsgaard in Memory
  21. Byung-hun Lee in Concrete Utopia
  22. Christopher Abbott in Sanctuary
  23. Song Kang-ho in Cobweb
  24. Jussi Vatanen in Fallen Leaves
  25. Joel Edgerton in Master Gardner
  26. Tom Blyth in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
  27. Michael B. Jordan in Creed III - 4.5
  28. Enzo Vogrincic in Society of The Snow 
  29. Gael Garcia Bernal in Cassandro
  30. Alberto Ammann in Upon Entry
  31. Anthony Hopkins in One Life
  32. Chris Pine in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
  33. Franz Rogowski in Passages
  34. Harris Dickinson in Scrapper
  35. Barry Keoghan in Saltburn
  36. Christian Friedel in The Zone of Interest
  37. Michael Caine in The Great Escaper
  38. Dave Bautista in Knock At the Cabin
  39. Seydou Sarr in Io Capitano
  40. Riz Ahmed in Fingernails
  41. Alexander Skarsgård in Infinity Pool
  42. Soma Santoki in The Boy and the Heron
  43. Jay Baruchel in Blackberry
  44. Deniz Celiloğlu in About Dry Grasses
  45. Colman Domingo in Rustin 
  46. Thomas Schubert in Afire
  47. David Jonsson in Rye Lane
  48. Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 
  49. Saleh Bakri in The Blue Caftan
  50. Shameik Moore in Spider-man: Across The Spider-Verse
  51. Tobias Menzies in You Hurt My Feelings
  52. Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Chevalier 
  53. Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar
  54. Paul Dano in Dumb Money
  55. Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - 4
  56. Taron Egerton in Tetris  
  57. Jake Lacy in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
  58. Johnny Flynn in One Life
  59. Keanu Reeves in John Wick Chapter 4 
  60. Nicolas Cantu in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
  61. Brady Noon in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
  62. Shamon Brown Jr. in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
  63. Micah Abbey in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
  64. Mamoudou Athie in Elemental
  65. Matt Damon in Air 
  66. Michael Fassbender in Next Goal Wins
  67. Kenneth Branagh in A Haunting in Venice
  68. Corey Hawkins in The Last Voyage of the Demeter
  69. Jorma Tommila in Sisu
  70. Park Seo-joon in Concrete Utopia
  71. Ralph Fiennes in Ratcatcher
  72. Timothee Chalamet in Wonka
  73. Jaime Vadell in El Conde
  74. John Boyega in They Cloned Tyrone 
  75. Adam Driver in Ferrari - 3.5
  76. Ryunosuke Kamiki in Godzilla Minus One
  77. Ethan Hwang in Riceboy Sleeps
  78. Dohyun Noel Hwang in Riceboy Sleeps
  79. Zachary Levi in Chicken Run: Rise of the Nuggets
  80. Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3
  81. Joel Edgerton in The Boys in the Boat
  82. Paul Rudd in Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania 
  83. Ezra Miller in The Flash - 3
  84. Jason Schwartzman in Asteroid City
  85. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
  86. Vin Diesel in Fast X 
  87. Rupert Friend in The Swan - 2.5
  88. Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon
  89. Ben Aldridge in Knock At the Cabin
  90. Michael A. Goorjian in Amerikatsi
  91. Callum Turner in The Boys in the Boat
  92. John David Washington in The Creator - 2
  93. Bradley Cooper in Maestro - 1.5
  94. Charlie Day in Fool's Paradise 
  95. Ken Jeong in Fool's Paradise - 1
Next: 1945 lead, though will be on break until the Oscars. 

Alternate Best Actor 2023: Teo Yoo in Past Lives

Teo Yoo did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a BAFTA, for portraying Hae Sung in Past Lives. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Friday 23 February 2024

Alternate Best Actor 2023: Kōji Yakusho in Perfect Days

Kōji Yakusho did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning CANNES, for portraying Hirayama in Perfect Days.
 
Perfect Days follows a sanitation attendant through a week in his life. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 
 
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.

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. 

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. 
 
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.