Tuesday 14 June 2016

Alternate Best Actor 1985: Griffin Dunne in After Hours

Griffin Dunne did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe, for portraying Paul Hackett in After Hours.

After Hours is a very entertaining black comedy by Martin Scorsese, even though I'm not quite sure if it climaxes quite right, about a man trying to escape SoHo while suffering a series of misfortunes.

Griffin Dunne makes for an unusual Scorsese lead since he's just an average schmoe, well word processor, who decides to take a trip to SoHo after setting a date with an attractive woman named Marcy (Rosanna Arquette). Now unlike most Scorsese protagonists there's not much inherently wrong with Paul before he sets off into the night. Dunne is able to create an innate likability. He doesn't do this through an excessive amount of charm, that would be ill fitting to who Paul, but rather just an openness in his expressions that honestly reveals that Paul's not hiding a thing from we the viewers. Of course things start to go south pretty quickly when his twenty dollar bill, basically his only cash, flies out his taxi cab window. Things don't exactly get much better when he finally arrives to his destination. He first find Marcy strange roommate Kiki (Linda Fiorentino), but when he meets up with Marcy as well things don't exactly get any better. As it quickly appears that Marcy seems a bit off herself in her behavior especially when she goes on to describe her other relationships which are more than a little atypical in terms of the details.

Dunne is very good in these scenes as he portrays such a courtesy early on in dealing with their rather unique personalities to say the least. Dunne keeps Paul trying to make the best of the situation, but is terrific by so quietly showing his confused reactions as one thing happens after another. Dunne builds this in a way in terms of his relationship with Marcy. Dunne so eloquently realizes the odd state it puts Paul in as he tries to deal with her mix of signals since she says things that are rather off putting while she still seems interested in him. Dunne finds the right combination of hapless and earnest as he tries to maneuver through the minefield, and is on mark throughout these scenes. Eventually Paul stops the date after all of that in addition to finding some indications that Marcy might suffer from severe scarring from burns, now in terms of the film this is Paul at his least likable. Dunne succeeds in making this seem an earned reaction as he builds to the point nicely as a nervous reaction that he shows comes from not only that possibility but also everything else he has experienced up until that point.

Of course his failed date with Marcy is far from the end in terms of Paul's misfortunes. Now what proceeds forward weighs heavily on Dunne in order to make the film work at all. The film ends up being a series of very unfortunate events for Paul as there is one spot of bad luck after another. This goes to the point that he not only becomes stranded but also slowly becomes a hunted man due to the local denizens getting it into their heads that Paul must be thief. Now Dunne's work is magnificent. His early scenes were essential in that he sets up Paul as a likable enough guy for us to follow, but it only becomes easier to empathize with guy as the night proceeds because of how genuine Dunne's performance is throughout. Dunne's work here is pitched perfectly and in a way that without a performance like this the film might have fallen completely apart. Almost all the other performers seem on some other wavelength as they seem at the very least slightly mad, however Dunne is steadfast in portraying Paul as just this normal guy stuck in this insanity. Dunne work bridges this pivotal gap of sorts though in that he does not simply represent reality, but takes it one step beyond.

That step beyond being that Dunne's performance is absolutely hilarious in its own right. He makes this always wholly sensible though as the comedy from his performance always comes through the honest reactions to the madness that Paul deals with. Dunne does not waste a single second of his work though as he also facilitates every other performance in the film through his own. In fact the majority of the performances in the film might not have worked if it were not for Dunne who bounces off them so flawlessly no matter the situation. Now this can be in the directly comedic moments such as fast talking his way from a police officer who caught him jumping the barrier, being rather frightened by a demonic Catherine O'Hara as an ice cream truck driver, trading banter with a bouncer, or trying his best to not offend yet not encourage a love struck waitress. Dunne switches it up so naturally though even to a more somber note when he goes back to visit Marcy, or deals with her boyfriend, or even to a more charming aside when he dances with an older woman at a bar. No matter the scene Dunne cuts right to the core of it and brings the best out that any scene has to offer.

Although a strong basis for Paul's point to the story is to be the sane man to the craziness, and to Dunne's credit he's one of the best sane men you'll ever see. Dunne's performance though is not even a constant as many straight man performances go. Dunne again goes further in portraying along with Scorsese's direction the growing paranoia and distress of the situation. Dunne though is never overshadowed by what Scorsese does but matches it every step of the way himself. Dunne is amazing in his portrayal of the gradual decay in Paul over the night. Dunne from one scene to the next so effectively presents how tired Paul is getting from the night. You can feel it in Dunne's appearance and physical manner to the point that you just want the guy to see a good night's sleep. Dunne goes further though again by absorbing every event in the story.  Dunne builds so well the wear from terror and stress in Paul as one thing goes wrong after another that earns one amazing breakdown scene where Paul breaks down the night's events. This is a masterclass straight man performance by Griffin Dunne as his grounded, yet still incredibly entertaining presence, weaves the insanity together into a captivating whole, which could have failed without him.

93 comments:

Robert MacFarlane said...

Generous lately with these 5's, huh?

Anonymous said...

Looks like we'll have 4 fives for this lineup.

Louis Morgan said...

Robert:

If I love a performance I love a performance. No reason to set a limit.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm not knocking it. It's actually nice to see so much positivity after you had to cancel Gould's review.

Calvin Law said...

Agreed with Robert. Thoughts/ratings for the rest of the cast? I think Arquette was my favourite of the supporting players.

Very underrated Scorcese film.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Happy Birthday Daniel.

Michael McCarthy said...

Pleasant surprise, but it baffles me that this gets a higher rating than De Niro in Taxi Driver.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Honestly, I'm with Louis on De Niro in Taxi Driver.

Calvin Law said...

Happy birthday Daniel!

I think De Niro in Taxi Driver is easily my favourite of his lead Scorcese performances (he's probably my #3 for the year). I'm not as crazy about Raging Bull and The King of Comedy as some seem to be.

Alex Marqués said...

I consider De Niro's work in Taxi Driver perfect, and my winner for that year. But hey, to each his own.

Michael McCarthy said...

Robert: I'm standing here; you make the move. You make the move. It's your move...

Honestly between Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The King of Comedy I'm glad it's Taxi Driver that missed out on a 5, but I still think it's excellent work.

Anonymous said...

De Niro's work in Taxi Driver is absolute perfection IMO, but I'm not angry about Louis downgrading him.

RatedRStar said...

Calvin and Luke: Thank you very much =D

Luke: Happy Birthday 2 you 2 =D.

Álex Marqués said...

Happy birthday Daniel and Luke :)

RatedRStar said...

Thank you Alex =D

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Happy birthday Daniel and Luke!:) Sorry for being late.

RatedRStar said...

Thank you Tahmeed =D no apology needed.

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday Daniel and Luke :)

Michael McCarthy said...

Happy six month anniversary of your half-birthday, Daniel and Luke

RatedRStar said...

Michael: Thank you haha xD

Anonymous: Thankss

Luke Higham said...

Thank You Guys. :)

Calvin Law said...

Oh and belated happy birthday to Luke too :)

Reading your thoughts on Lee on the previous post I think I'd go higher on him personally. I don't think many people could avoid being overshadowed by Choi in that film and as you said his final moment is absolutely brilliant. I say that as someone who finds him a pretty terrible actor in everything else I've seen.

Calvin Law said...

Also for a 1940s retro casting of this film, it'd have to be Eddie Bracken, no other choice.

Álex Marqués said...

Calvin: Have you seen A Bittersweet Life?

Calvin Law said...

Alex: Nope. To be honest terrible is the wrong word, bland is a more apt one. I need to check out more Korean cinema frankly; I've only seen The Host, Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr Vengeance so far.

Luke Higham said...

Thank You Calvin. :)

Álex Marqués said...

Hmmm I'm not sure that he appeared in Oldboy. Anyway, I think he is excellent in ABL, and it's a terrific movie too, in a similar vein to "Le Samourai" or "Drive".

Álex Marqués said...

Okey forget it, I misread your post. Mother and Memories of Murder are must-sees too.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the cast of Crash.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your Updated Top 10 Child Performances list.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Concerning child performances, does anyone else here love the Bolger sisters in In America? I'm tempted to have them tie for my 2003 Best Actress win.

Calvin Law said...

I haven't seen that one in a while actually, but I remember being very impressed with both of them. I also remember quite liking Morton, Considine and Hounsou (who I seem to like more than most people on here).

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'd like Honsou more if he didn't look like the healthiest AIDS patient ever. Not his fault, but it distracted the shit out of me.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your 2010s cast for Barry Lyndon and Lawrence Of Arabia.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'd go for Peter Weir as director and Fassbender for T.E. Lawrence.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: And for Amadeus as well. :)

Calvin Law said...

Not really answering Luke's question but:

1930s Amadeus
Salieri: Ronald Colman
Mozart: Ralph Richardson

1940s Amadeus
Salieri: Laurence Olivier
Mozart: Richard Widmark

1950s Amadeus
Salieri: James Mason
Mozart: Richard Attenborough

1960s Amadeus
Salieri: Dirk Bogarde
Mozart: Albert Finney

Calvin Law said...

Also even though he's not a big name, I'd suggest Tom Hollander as a potential Mozart.

Anonymous said...

For Barry Lyndon, I'd go with Cillian Murphy.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Arquette - 4(She's very effective in the few scenes she has. She manages to make the scattershot personality of her character feel completely cohesive. What's most remarkable is that she makes the right likability in her first scene through her energetic style. What's great is she does not change that as it becomes clear that there's something a little off with her character, showing how that personality fits her rather emotionally shattered state)

Heard - 3(He's brings enough of a personality in his earlier moments as simply the bartender, than manages to be fairly moving when the identity of his character is revealed through his reaction to some terrible news)

Garr - 3.5(Garr's very good in finding the difficulty place her character is in. She's quite effective in portraying the innate desperation of her character and how off putting it in ends up being through the way Garr shows that she's always actively trying to cover it up)

O'Hara - 3.5(Purposefully one note and does a good job of portraying the needed vicious madness for her character, that seems to personify a rabid mob mentality.)

Bloom - 3.5(Her performance essentially works as a good counterpoint to Garr's, having a character in a somewhat similair state, but projecting an innate warmth instead)

Cheech and Chong - 2.5(They're doing their usual shtick. It works just fine and serves the needed purpose for the film)

Anonymous:

Bridges - 3.5(One could easily argue that he is MVP since he makes the most out of his role even though he's just as terribly saddled with problematic elements of the screenplay. Bridges though manages to run with and makes his pseudo philosophical dialogue seem organic to his character, while actually effectively playing a bit of subtly, something the film could have used much more of, in portraying his character's decision at the end of the film)

Pena - 3(Pena is lucky in that his character is just a straight forward nice father, and he does that well. He can't get past how underdeveloped the role is, but he does well with what he has.)

Newton - 3(She's unfortunately not used for much more than being a victim. She has her one scene where she yells at Howard's character but the rest of the time she is either being petrified by her harassment by Matt Dillon's character or screaming for help well being helped by her character. Now to be fair she's does this well enough)

Howard - 3(He's decent enough at being the passive guy just going with the flow, than at least he doesn't really overact too much in his aggressive breakdown scene. In fact I'll give him more credit in that he's a bit more toned down than just how overwrought the scene itself is.)

Louis Morgan said...

Phillippe - 2(He's a bland performer to begin with and is just kind of there for most of the film. His big moment though is severely underwhelming by just how unemotional he is in the scene)

Cheadle - 3(Alright now pretty much with everyone else is where the difficulty comes from as the tone of Paul Haggis's writing and direction is that of the "yelling at the screen" scenes from a Spike Lee film. Now to Cheadle's credit he sort of overcomes this by saying his yelling lines in almost a joking way. The rest of the time his character is rather underwritten but he still manages to find at least some poignancy in his character's later moments)

Esposito - 1(As the yellers go she is probably the worst as she handles it as though her character is deranged all the time)

Bullock - 2(Unfortunately her character is just there to be shrieking before she falls down the stairs. She does this better than say Esposito but she can't make up for the nature of the role)

Frasier - 1.5(There also just to yell and doesn't do a very good job of it)

Toub - 2(Another aggressively thin character and he ends up not making much of his constant yelling or his one second turn around at the end. To be fair though he could be worse given the role)

Luke:

1. Jacob Tremblay - Room
2. Patty Duke - The Miracle Worker
3. Hugh O'Conor - My Left Foot
4. Aleksei Kravchenko - Come and See
5. Martin Stephens - The Innocents
6. Pamela Franklin - The Innocents
7. Tye Sheridan - Mud
8. Haley Joel Osement - The Sixth Sense
9. Natalie Portman - The Professional
10. Christina Ricci - The Addams Family

Barry Lyndon:

The Narrator: Tom Courtenay
Redmond Barry: Tom Hardy
Lady Lyndon: Sarah Gadon
Chevalier du Balibari: Ralph Fiennes
Captain Potzdorf: Christoph Waltz
Lord Bullingdon: Kit Harington

Lawrence of Arabia:

Lawrence: Michael Fassbender
Prince Faisal: Alexander Siddig
Auda Abu Tayi: Khaled El Nabawy
General Allenby: Kenneth Branagh
Sherif Ali: Riz Ahmed
Colonel Brighton: Mark Strong
Mr. Dryden: Mark Rylance
Jackson Bentley: Garret Dillahunt

Amadeus:

Salieri: Oscar Isaac
Mozart: Ben Whishaw
Constanze: Bel Powley
Leopold: Ciaran Hinds
Emperor Joseph: Benedict Cumberbatch

Robert:

They were very good which I feel is usually the case for the child actors in Jim Sheridan's films.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is Martin Stephens a 5 for The Innocents.

Anonymous said...

Louis: It's been a long time since I've seen Crash, but do you have any ideas how the film could have been better? I'd say that the script needed heavy rewrites or even a second draft.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I forgot, who here said Eye in the Sky is their favorite movie so far this year? Because I forgot to mention how much I loved it when I saw it a month ago.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Yes.

Anonymous:

Quick fix it could have been written and directed by Robert Altman instead.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

What are your rating and thoughts on Deborah Harry in Videodrome?

Calvin Law said...

I'm so, so glad Stephens is a 5 now.

Calvin Law said...

Also love your Amadeus cast, especially Powley and Isaac.

Calvin Law said...

Just re-watched Django and Pulp Fiction back to back and I have to say I'm gonna bump a lot of ratings up and both films to 5's. I think it's time to let my nitpickings of the implausibilities of Django's third act and that one scene in Pulp Fiction go.

Revised ratings for casts of both films:

Django
Foxx: 4.5 (yes, really)
Waltz: 5
Jackson: 5
DiCaprio: 5 (I was wrong to ever underrate this, please get back to relaxing in roles Leo)
Washington: 3.5
Goggins: 3.5
Johnson: 3.5

Pulp Fiction
Travolta: 4.5
Jackson: 5 (and now he's right on the cusp of my top 30 Lead Actor performances all-time)
Thurman: 4.5
Roth: 3.5
Plummer: 3.5
Keitel: 4
Rhames: 3.5
Walken: 4.5
Willis: 4
Everyone else: 2.5 to 3

Anonymous said...

How about some Watchmen retrocastings?
Watchmen (1940's)
Rorschach: James Cagney
Nite Owl II: Clark Gable
Dr. Manhattan: Lon Chaney Jr.
Silk Spectre II: Teresa Wright
The Comedian: William Bendix
Ozmandyias: James Mason
Silk Spectre I: Claire Trevor

Michael McCarthy said...

I find no fault in Pulp Fiction, I really never did, but admittedly three viewings of The Hateful Eight has made me like Django Unchained quite a bit less. I still find it quite entertaining but it's also really clunky.

Also as far as Foxx, I can actually see why you'd like him in the role. I'm not crazy about it myself, there's certainly a lot to criticize, but it did contain my favorite acting moment I've ever seen from Foxx.

Robert MacFarlane said...

You guys were WAY too harsh on Foxx to begin with. 4.5 is exactly the right score to give him for that movie.

Anonymous said...

I kind of liked Foxx in Django, probably his best performance.

Michael McCarthy said...

I still definitely wouldn't go that far. I find he tries too hard to be funny with his reactions in the beginning and the transition his character makes I thought was kind of uneven throughout the film. However, he was strong in some of the scenes where he was trying to pass as a black slaver, and his final "auf wiedersehn" to Schultz I thought was very well-rendered; no mannerisms, no cheap bravado, just an honest connection. I'd go 3.5 overall.

Calvin Law said...

Michael: I'd agree that repeated re-watches of The Hateful Eight make me love it more and more. What bumped Foxx up for me this time round was just the little moments he made Django quite the endearing little student of Schultz, which contrasted with his harsher moments as the 'black slaver' putting on an act very effectively.

I must say the one film that's grown on me a lot in terms of performances is Kill Bill Vol. 2. I always thought Carradine and Thurman were great, but now Madsen and Hannah are ranked among my favourite Tarantino performances too.

Calvin Law said...

I would say Reservoir Dogs has not aged as well as I'd like. I still like it a lot but there are many flaws.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm surprised Louis ranks Roth so highly in RD, I thought he kind of sucked. Then again I'm not sure if I've ever like Tim Roth.

Matt Mustin said...

I'd give Foxx a 4 for Django.

Calvin Law said...

Anonymous:

Watchmen (2010's directed by Edgar Wright, also different casting choices for everyone just for the sake of it)
Rorschach: Simon Pegg
Nite Owl II: Paul Rudd
Dr. Manhattan: Matt Bomer
Silk Spectre II: Mary Elizabeth Winstead
The Comedian: Ben Mendholson
Ozymandias: Michael Fassbender
Silk Spectre I: Winona Ryde

Watchmen (2010s directed by Quentin Tarantino)
Rorschach: Walton Goggins
Nite Owl II: James Parks
Dr Manhattan: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Silk Spectre II: Natalie Dormer
The Comedian: Brad Pitt
Ozymandias: Daniel Bruhl
Silk Spectre I: Uma Thurman

Watchmen (1990's directed by David Crondnberg)
Rorschach: Gary Oldman
Nite Owl II: Jeff Daniels
Dr. Manhattan: Mel Gibson
Silk Spectre II: Uma Thurman
The Comedian: Jeff Goldblum
Ozmandyias: Jeremy Irons
Silk Spectre I: Jessica Lange

Bryan L. said...

Hello, I've been reading your blog for the past couple of months, and I've quite enjoyed doing so, since I find the craft of acting fascinating. What are your thoughts on Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and the rest of the cast of The Skeleton Twins? I always find it interesting when comedic actors tackle heavier material.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Is Samuel L. Jackson a 5 or 4.5 in the leading category for Pulp Fiction?

Luke Higham said...

R.I.P. Anton Yelchin

Robert MacFarlane said...

Yeesh, only 27. 2016 is being a real dick.

Anonymous said...

Never liked his acting, but poor guy. Only 27. R.I.P.

Anonymous said...

Louis: In your opinion, what did Separate Tables need to be a better film?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: What are your choices for directing a 2010s Barry Lyndon, Lawrence Of Arabia and Amadeus.

Calvin Law said...

RIP Anton Yelchin. He's had some great performances in Like Crazy and Alpha Dog. Sad to see him go so young.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Seen anything new lately.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

RIP Anton Yelchin

Louis Morgan said...

R.I.P Anton Yelchin

Louis Morgan said...

94dfk1:

Well thank you for reading and commenting. You can find my thoughts on those performances here:

http://actoroscar.blogspot.com/2014/12/alternate-best-supporting-actor-1998_84.html

Giuseppe:

Harry - 3.5(I thought she effectively hit the two notes of her contradictory character, though intentionally so. That being the stern psychiatrist, to the kinky masochist. Find she managed to bridge the two sides fairly well considering the time constraints on her. I don't think she makes too much of an impact overall on the film, but she gives a good performance.)

Tahmeed:

He's a 4.5 right now, but I might re-watch the film soon just for him.

Anonymous:

I don't hate the film anyway, but really it just needed stronger source material.

Luke:

Barry Lyndon: Paul Thomas Anderson
Lawrence of Arabia: Sure Peter Weir
Amadeus: Well Milos Foreman. Looking at it I noticed that there really have been very few strong adaptations of plays recently so it's hard to tell who would be a good fit nowadays.

Michael McCarthy said...

Is the review coming today by any chance? I don't normally ask this, I'm just curious because I think Tatsuya Nakadai would be an incredibly fitting review for Fathers' Day.

Louis Morgan said...

Michael:

Wish it could, but probably not.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Hot damn that Game of Thrones.

Louis Morgan said...

Robert:

Indeed.

Anonymous said...

Louis: So what made you downgrade Grant's performance in Penny Serenade to a 4? Was it a rewatch? I gotta say that Grant truly does something great in that film.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

Thoughts on the episode Louis?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

This episode of Game of Thrones was simply spectacular. Both of the battle sequences were top-notch, and forgive the cliche, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Miguel Sapochnik (not sure if I spelt that right) did the best direction ever on the show. For me, Kit Harington and Iwan Rheon were clearly the standouts, but then again, the acting was amazing all around the cast. Liam Cunningham's reaction to finding Shireen's toy was simply heartbreaking, and for once this season, Peter Dinklage actually gave a very good performance. The ending was just as satisfying as I predicted. This was easily the best episode of the season, and dare I say it, the best episode to date.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

I agree the episode was brilliant and certainly one of the very best along with Hardhome, Blackwater, The Rains of Castamere, The Mountain and the Viper and The Children. I really find myself liking Daenerys less and less as the series progresses, even though, or maybe because, the producers want us to believe she would be a great ruler (while I recently found her a bit arrogant and repetitive, thank god that Tyrion put some sense into her in this episode). Still, Mereen was much better than usual, its sequence was extremely well done and, despite my reservations about the character, Emilia Clarke was pretty good (as well as Peter Dinklage who gave his best work of the season). But of course the episode is so great because of the Battle of the Bastards, which is just brilliant. The directing was phenomenal, the actors were great (Harington, Turner, Rheon, van Houten and Cunningham were top notch) and it was just thrilling and compelling from beginning to end. Loved it.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

It was an early review and it was a reflection of how the performance has stood with me over time.

Giuseppe:

Excellent episode. I must concur with Tahmeed that Miguel Sapochnik's direction was a particular highlight. The battle scenes were both exceptionally grand and visceral. He best be the Emmy nominee for the series in his category. The same can be said for Kit Harington, who unless there is some last episode magic by someone else, is season MVP without a doubt in my mind. He was on mark throughout the episode. I loved his early stand off scene with Ramsay, and then he brought the needed weight to every moment in the battle particularly the two grave losses.

Now to be ever so slightly negative for a second the episode did show exactly why Jon Snow and the north is so compelling in comparison to Daenerys. He has to climb through a pile of corpses to still barely win the day while she just casually wins it with her cheat code. I will say that those scenes were still very well done, with the CGI being far more impressive than it had been last time she rode a dragon at a pivotal moment, Dinklage was good as per usual, Clarke though just can't pull off menace at all. Unlike Sophie Turner on the better part of the episode who was terrific in all of her scenes and was especially dynamite in her final oh so satisfying moment at the end of the episode. I also loved the short moment between Davos and Tormund in particular, and though I feel he's been sort of stuck in the circular confines of the role for a while now I felt Iwan Rheon pulled off a strong swansong. It was a great episode.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I even liked the Dany portion for once, if only because of the lesbian subtext between Yara and her. Hell, that scene seemed to bring some life out of Clarke.

Calvin Law said...

It's so odd hearing so much negativity about Clarke on GOT on here since everyone I know who watches it says it's her best work. I'd hope so since everything I've seen of her onscreen has been downright dire.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

I don't hate Emilia Clarke's performance as Daenerys. I think she was great in the first season and whenever she gets the chance to portray her character's vulnerabilities she thrives (her final scene with Iain Glen this season was excellent). The rest of her performance though is really a mixed bag: she has some strong moments (the conquering of Astapor in the third season, for example) but she also doesn't quite bring the needed command and presence that the role requires and her confrontation with Jorah in the fourth season borders on terrible. Also, as Louis properly said, it's kind of annoying how she always manages to get out of trouble so easily. I thought she was actually good in last night's episode - not amazing but quite effective. Oh and I also loved the lesbian subtext between Yara and Daenerys. Clarke's performance in this season could actually be my favorite out of her performances post season one but she is still far from being truly great.

Anonymous said...

Louis what would you say is the top 5 films you have seen that is 90 percent terrible and then 10 percent amazing?

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

She was very good in the first season.

Anonymous:

Well that's an interesting question.

1. Death Proof
2. The Black Dahlia (I don't quite consider it terrible anyway but Mia Kirshner's reel scenes are from a masterpiece.)
3. Batman V Superman
4. The Onion Field
5. Tusk

Anonymous said...

I might add Lethal Weapon 4, since most of the film is just silly wisecracks and then at the very end of the film there is this amazingly violent final confrontation that feels like it came out of the first film lol, it was so brutal lol.

Robert MacFarlane said...

That's too kind to Batman v. Superman.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your top 10 films that had potential to be masterpieces, but ended up being either mediocre or awful?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Harington was brilliant and if he extends his form to the end of the show, he could very well be my Overall MVP.

And the episode was near masterful. :)



Matt Mustin said...

Louis: What do you think of the cinematography in The Black Dahlia, because I've heard that's one of the film's saving graces.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

1. The Black Dahlia
2. Watchmen
3. The Godfather Part III
4. Gangs of New York
5. The Magnificent Ambersons
6. Godzilla (2014)
7. Public Enemies
8. The League of Extraordinary Gentleman
9. The Dark Knight Rises
10. A.I.

Matt:

The cinematography is exceptional in creating a lurid sense of the time and period. Its Oscar nomination was very well deserved. That whole film is such a shame because both the potential for greatness, which is realized in aspects of the film, and the exact faults are so easy to see.

Anonymous said...

Louis what are your thoughts on Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2 and Lethal Weapon 4?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I'll get to them on film thoughts.