(For the record, I'm fine with Wayne winning but PLEASE don't give The Searchers your Best Picture win, Louis. Even by 1956 standards it was pretty racist.)
Also Louis what were your thoughts on the films themselves that were mentioned (except Ten Commandments) if you saw them (Forbidden Planet, The Wrong Man, Moby Dick and The Man Who Knew Too Much?
I am looking forward to your review of Samurai Louis, and to what you make of the duel itself as apparently (in real life) is quite an iconic one, apparently Musashi Miyamoto literally crafted a weapon while he was walking toward the location of the duel and then won the duel against Sasaki with that very weapon he crafted.
What are your thoughts on the other 2 Samurai movies?
Stewart - 4(It's a solid performance from him if easily the least remarkable of his collaborations with Hitchcock. Stewart as usual brings his typical charm and welcome presence to the thriller, but the film keeps him a particularly limited hero. I don't know if his pairing with Doris Day was necessarily the best either. Stewart does what he can but the film just does not give him enough of an opportunities here)
Fonda - 4.5(This is really strong work from Fonda and he actually has a considerable challenge considering just how quiet his character is. This is a great minimalistic performance from Fonda though sense all he can really do is react sense the Wrong Man stays fairly cool headed throughout, and can technically only be confused by his charges. Fonda though is really good in just his subtle reactions of fear and unease as the man who finds himself in such an odd and horrible situation. It's a particularly moving performance from him by still expressing everything the character is going through while still keeping him the reserved man he should be)
Peck - 2.5(I'm going to have to agree with Peck himself on this one. He just does not quite seem in his element here. It's not that he does not make the right approach in portraying Ahab as such an intense and dramatic figure, but I could not help but feel that Peck simply just does not quite deliver as he should making him come off somewhat awkward in the role)
Heston - 3(Yet another performance I think can be used to defend his performance in Ben-Hur since I do think Ben-Hur is clearly a stronger example of carrying an epic. That's not to say a dislike him here he still has his strong screen presence to go off on and does bring the needed gravitas to some key scenes such as the parting of the sea. Nevertheless I do think there is a certain blandness to him here and I do think he is very much overshadowed by one cast member in particular.)
Scott:
I've seen parts of Forbidden Planet but I have not watched it from start to finish.
Anonymous:
The Wrong Man - (A particularly underrated Hitchcock film I have to say. The film could have merely been just a docudrama a la Call Northside 777 or Boomerang, but Hitchcock's direction brings this film a step above those. Hitchcock's direction is a highlight here as he creates such a foreboding atmosphere of a unknown fear as he puts us into Fonda's character's position as it seems the world is against him. The ending is a bit abrupt but understandably so.)
Moby Dick - (It's been a bit since I've seen it but I recall it being a decent enough version of the story even if I did feel the lead left something to be desired)
The Man Who Knew Too Much - (This almost feels like too much like Hitchcock going through the motions. The story never comes too life all that much. It's not really bad and there are some memorable scenes, notably the assassination at a concert and the meeting of the spy on the run, but it simply never becomes as exciting as something like North By Northwest or The 39 Steps)
RatedRStar:
I thought Samurai I was a great origin story which built up its world rather well and in addition had a great main character and performance, naturally, as well as some memorable supporting characters. Samurai II though I felt tried to jumble too many characters and plot lines and it just was too much of a mess in the end.
Halloween - 4.5(An incredibly simple character but Curtis does great work with it. She makes Laurie likable enough and makes her eventual resourcefulness believable. She's also great at being the scream queen though, in just realistically portraying someone going through their situation who keeps their head although just barely)
True Lies - 4.5(She really just is a delight here and some of material is more than a little questionable. Nevertheless Curtis sells every second of it giving an enjoyable performance through and through and easily being the best part of that film)
Terminator 1 - 4.5(A great deal like Curtis in Halloween actually but she also does well even in the limits of that type of role. In addition though she is fairly effective in creating a growing confidence in her character, and her performance here actually kinda sets up her character in the sequel fairly well)
Terminator 2 - 4.5(Her Aliens performance in that she goes from the victim to the badass although, unlike Ripley, she's basically already that way from that last film. Still Hamilton effectively does bring some vulnerability in portraying almost the complete madness caused by her fear of the eventual apocalypse. Past that though she really is a great heroine)
21 comments:
1. Mason
2. Wayne
3. Hayden
4. Mifune
5. Newman
Louis: Your rating & thoughts on James Stewart in The Man Who Knew Too Much.
1. Mason
2. Hayden
3. Wayne
4. Mifune
5. Newman
1. Mason
2. Wayne
3. Mifune
4. Hayden
5. Newman
Louis: Fonda in The Wrong Man, Gregory Peck in Moby Dick and Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments as well, that's if you've seen the first two.
1. Wayne
2. Mason
3. Mifune
4. Hayden
5. Newman
1. Wayne
2. Wayne
3. Wayne
4. Wayne
5. Wayne
(For the record, I'm fine with Wayne winning but PLEASE don't give The Searchers your Best Picture win, Louis. Even by 1956 standards it was pretty racist.)
1. John Wayne
2. James Mason
3. Toshiro Mifune
4. Sterling Hayden
5. Paul Newman
1. Wayne
2. Mason
3. Mifune
4. Newman
5. Hayden
1. Wayne
2. Mason
3. Hayden
4. Mifune
5. Newman
1. Mason
2. Wayne
3. Hayden
4. Mifune
5. Newman
1. Mason
2. Wayne
3. Hayden
4. Mifune
5. Newman
1. Mason
2. Wayne
3. Mifune
4. Hayden
5. Newman
1. Mifune
2. Mason
3. Wayne
4. Newman
5. Hayden
Thoughts on Leslie Nielsen in Forbidden Planet?
1. James Mason
2. John Wayne
3. Toshiro Mifune
4. Paul Newman
5. Sterling Hayden
Also Louis what were your thoughts on the films themselves that were mentioned (except Ten Commandments) if you saw them (Forbidden Planet, The Wrong Man, Moby Dick and The Man Who Knew Too Much?
I am looking forward to your review of Samurai Louis, and to what you make of the duel itself as apparently (in real life) is quite an iconic one, apparently Musashi Miyamoto literally crafted a weapon while he was walking toward the location of the duel and then won the duel against Sasaki with that very weapon he crafted.
What are your thoughts on the other 2 Samurai movies?
Luke:
Stewart - 4(It's a solid performance from him if easily the least remarkable of his collaborations with Hitchcock. Stewart as usual brings his typical charm and welcome presence to the thriller, but the film keeps him a particularly limited hero. I don't know if his pairing with Doris Day was necessarily the best either. Stewart does what he can but the film just does not give him enough of an opportunities here)
Fonda - 4.5(This is really strong work from Fonda and he actually has a considerable challenge considering just how quiet his character is. This is a great minimalistic performance from Fonda though sense all he can really do is react sense the Wrong Man stays fairly cool headed throughout, and can technically only be confused by his charges. Fonda though is really good in just his subtle reactions of fear and unease as the man who finds himself in such an odd and horrible situation. It's a particularly moving performance from him by still expressing everything the character is going through while still keeping him the reserved man he should be)
Peck - 2.5(I'm going to have to agree with Peck himself on this one. He just does not quite seem in his element here. It's not that he does not make the right approach in portraying Ahab as such an intense and dramatic figure, but I could not help but feel that Peck simply just does not quite deliver as he should making him come off somewhat awkward in the role)
Heston - 3(Yet another performance I think can be used to defend his performance in Ben-Hur since I do think Ben-Hur is clearly a stronger example of carrying an epic. That's not to say a dislike him here he still has his strong screen presence to go off on and does bring the needed gravitas to some key scenes such as the parting of the sea. Nevertheless I do think there is a certain blandness to him here and I do think he is very much overshadowed by one cast member in particular.)
Scott:
I've seen parts of Forbidden Planet but I have not watched it from start to finish.
Anonymous:
The Wrong Man - (A particularly underrated Hitchcock film I have to say. The film could have merely been just a docudrama a la Call Northside 777 or Boomerang, but Hitchcock's direction brings this film a step above those. Hitchcock's direction is a highlight here as he creates such a foreboding atmosphere of a unknown fear as he puts us into Fonda's character's position as it seems the world is against him. The ending is a bit abrupt but understandably so.)
Moby Dick - (It's been a bit since I've seen it but I recall it being a decent enough version of the story even if I did feel the lead left something to be desired)
The Man Who Knew Too Much - (This almost feels like too much like Hitchcock going through the motions. The story never comes too life all that much. It's not really bad and there are some memorable scenes, notably the assassination at a concert and the meeting of the spy on the run, but it simply never becomes as exciting as something like North By Northwest or The 39 Steps)
RatedRStar:
I thought Samurai I was a great origin story which built up its world rather well and in addition had a great main character and performance, naturally, as well as some memorable supporting characters. Samurai II though I felt tried to jumble too many characters and plot lines and it just was too much of a mess in the end.
Louis: Your ratings & thoughts on Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween & True Lies and Linda Hamilton in Terminator 1 & 2.
Halloween - 4.5(An incredibly simple character but Curtis does great work with it. She makes Laurie likable enough and makes her eventual resourcefulness believable. She's also great at being the scream queen though, in just realistically portraying someone going through their situation who keeps their head although just barely)
True Lies - 4.5(She really just is a delight here and some of material is more than a little questionable. Nevertheless Curtis sells every second of it giving an enjoyable performance through and through and easily being the best part of that film)
Terminator 1 - 4.5(A great deal like Curtis in Halloween actually but she also does well even in the limits of that type of role. In addition though she is fairly effective in creating a growing confidence in her character, and her performance here actually kinda sets up her character in the sequel fairly well)
Terminator 2 - 4.5(Her Aliens performance in that she goes from the victim to the badass although, unlike Ripley, she's basically already that way from that last film. Still Hamilton effectively does bring some vulnerability in portraying almost the complete madness caused by her fear of the eventual apocalypse. Past that though she really is a great heroine)
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