Louis: Films to watch. The Libertine (One Of Depp's best performances IMO) Corpse Bride Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were Rabbit Transamerica Pride And Prejudice Junebug North Country Wedding Crashers The 40 Year-Old Virgin The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Oliver Twist Broken Flowers Match Point Jarhead The Brothers Grimm Tsotsi Joyeux Noel Paradise Now Memoirs Of A Geisha The World's Fastest Indian
I keep hearing stories that The Libertine is one of Depp's best performances, is that actually true?? because the film looks kinda trashy lol and is Depp an actor who is good enough to overcome trash?
Louis, I remember Rachel Roberts being a 4.5 for you for her performance in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Did you like her less on a rewatch or you just forgot about her for your top 10s?
Also: I think Leung will get a strong 4, possibly 4.5. I think Louis will like the film, but possibly not some of the castmembers; I actually think this is one of Simon Yam's weaker performances.
Calvin Law: Really I find Simon Yam to be one of Hong Kongs weakest leading men, out of his 10 Hong Kong acting nominations and I have seen all of them I actually would rank Election his second best because I thought he was just ok.
I think most of Simon Yams best performances have been failed to be nominated.
Tony Leung-Ka Fai is definitely the best performer in Election along with Johnnie Tos very good direction, I think the rest of the performances are completely acceptable but they are most like " oh hey there is Nick Cheung and oh hey there is Lam Suet" basically actors with like a single character trait
Simon Yam i felt his final scene was very good and for most of the way he is fine, I do think that he has a bit of a Colin Firth in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy problem in that he is too easy to suspect that he is up to something.
RatedRStar: I honestly have never thought much of the supporting cast in Election. Controversial but I actually find Louis Koo to be the second strongest overall actor in the films.
Calvin Law: He is fine actually, he gets the most to do since he is probably the second lead, and Koo has always had presence and a great yakuza look (and a good tanning salon lol), shame that just like his good buddy Aaron Kwok who is very similar from an acting point of view get it so wrong in so many films, I thought Wong Tin Lam was fine as well although that HK Best Supporting Actor nomination is a bit of a stretch.
Clarkson - 4(She's very effective in her single scene in providing the sheer intensity of the woman in her almost feral state, then quite moving as she regains herself.)
Rockwell - 4(Funny that he was so likable in Galaxy Quest the very same year. Rockwell though is properly fiendish and is interesting in that he's actually a bit humorous almost showing how the character lures people into a false comfort. When his darkest side comes out though Rockwell brings the visceral quality needed in revealing just how vicious the a man he is.)
Hutchison - 4(Competing villains in a strange way. Hutchison though is properly low sort, of a different nature though. Hutichison I find avoids going too far with the part, as could easily have been the case, and really makes his worminess get under your skin. He's especially good in his worst moments, such as the botched execution, as he shows less an overt sadism and more of this petty hatefulness.)
Sadler - 3.5(A very limited part but he's incredibly affecting in terms of just realizing his character's grief.)
Cromwell - 3.5(Also somewhat limited, but is quite moving in his depiction of the character plight. All the while carrying the expected gravitas as a much nicer authority figure this time.)
Pepper, DeMunn Morse - 3(All three are rather well, but just have less to do, particularly Pepper. They're very good though in that you feel they're still people even though we have a somewhat narrow view of them. You really feel the warm casual relationship between the three of them and Hanks.)
Greene - 3(Yet another positive addition to the film in just a few minutes. In his couple of minutes though you feel the underlying fear of the man who is about to die, as well as that regret of a life wasted in some way)
Stanton - 3(It's Harry Dean Stanton, what's not to like. I guess with a film filled with little screentime big impact performances, he was a requirement. He's pretty funny in his brief time, and adds a lot in so little. That of course is known as the Stanton way.)
Louis: Seems like I liked Ejiofor more than you did. I gave him as a 3.5. I agree with you on the others, and I might just go ahead and bump up Swinton to a 4.
Doctor Strange: more than solid origin story. Really took to the visual style and alternate dimensions the film established, it paced itself well, and though it runs into many of the repeated errors of Marvel films I can't fault it too much as I thoroughly enjoyed it overall.
Cumberbatch - 4 (verging on a 4.5. I thought he was extremely enjoyable doing his arrogant genius routine at the start, keeping traces of it throughout effectively, while being quite moving in showing Strange's transition into a better man, and being quite badass at it. His accent slipped a few times but never too distractingly)
Ejiofor - 3.5 (somewhat underused but I thought he brought a lot of character to the margins of Mordo, he sets up his arc quite well with limited material and manages to bring enough depth and gravitas to the role.)
McAdams - 3 (where Portman just didn't try, McAdams does actually invest herself in the thankless love interest role. She's extremely limited but has nice chemistry with Cumberbatch and manages to make her presence felt)
Wong - 3 (Kind of disappointed he didnt share more scenes with Ejiofor as they showed a great chemistry in Dirty Pretty Things and The Martian. I'm tempted to go higher as I thought he was hilarious in all of his deadpan comedic scenes, and I'm glad he'll be appearing again)
Mikkelsen - 3.5 (you gotta give it to Mikkeslen, he does give it his all even though the material is hardly there. He's suitably menacing, I loved his little banter with Strange which I could've gone for more of, and he delivers the right amount of menace but also heartbreak when talking about what compels him)
Swinton - 4 (glad to see she 'aint phoning it in. I thought she effortlessly delivered exposition, humour and weight to the film in such an effortless fashion and completely convinced me that she was the Ancient One.)
Louis: Thoughts on Don Francks as Sabretooth, Lawrence Bayne as Cable, Philip Akin as Bishop, David Hemblen as Magneto and Chris Britton as Mister Sinister.
Nothing per se, really I should do full reviews on the very best vocal performances for a proper analysis.
Luke:
The film is very much within the marvel formula in terms of the structure of their origin film. As usual they under develop the villain to focus squarely on the hero, and I'd say there are a few moments where they throw in a few two many jokes for its own good. However most of the humor does work, and Dr. Strange's story does work. His origin story managed to be particularly interesting one since he has much more of a journey to make than most of the heroes, they make him a genuine jerk in the early scenes. The journey to find powers is quite engaging helped along by some quite impressive visuals throughout. This film I felt was incredibly well paced in that I felt it flew by, and not that it seemed too short either. It's an entertaining effort, and though the structure is nothing new, it finds something new within this unique aspect to the Marvel universe.
Cumberbatch - (Cumberbatch does well in terms of being the marvel style lead. He has the right comedic timing for the part, but I actually liked how he a slightly alternative take to the one liners found through the character's particular sort of arrogance later transformed to being more than a little lost at times. On that point I felt Cumberbatch actually made that far more honest, making the character arc worthwhile unlike say Thor's similair arc in his origin story.)
McAdams - (Now here she's really not given much to do, but McAdams importantly does not give up because of that. McAdams offers a nice charming presence and her chemistry with Cumberbatch really works. I'm actually glad they did not put too much emphasis on the romance, making the little we got of it very natural feeling.)
Ejiofor - (I liked his performance, Ejiofor's a charismatic fellow after all. My problem though is that his whole Javert's philosophy just wasn't given enough time to be properly developed by Ejiofor.)
Wong - (Rather enjoyable extreme deadpan.)
Mikkelsen - 3.5(Perhaps playing a Marvel villain is a test for an actor. This part is no better than the majority of the villain but Mikkelsen does his absolute best to give his character any real presence in the film. In another's hands I say he could have been as a forgettable as the bad guy from Thor: The Dark World, but Mikkelsen does find a bit of real menace in there.)
Swinton - (Really liked what she did here, she reminded me a big of Alec Guinness in Star Wars. She really is convincing in bringing the omnipotent presence needed, and brings a real gravity to every piece of exposition delivery. All at the same time she brings an underlying emotional quality in her work as she reveals more to her character.)
Francks - (There's a great natural viciousness to his voice that is perfect for the character. He though does bring just a bit of subtly to the character when needed as well.)
Bayne - (Cable's pretty straight forward, and Bayne brings the proper badass quality to the character.)
Akin - (Akin matches Bayne but ups it with a real sense of cool to the character. In addition though he's rather effective in realizing the anguish in the character who can never quite fix the timeline properly)
Hemblen - (Has much in common with his Pryde of the X-Men predecessors I'd say. I'd say that same performance worked better for that style of series. He can be a bit too melodramatic at times however he's still a pretty good Magneto)
Britton - (His performance works at having just the right type of creepiness of someone who likes to manipulate everyone and everything, as there is this off putting sense of pleasure in his voice as he goes about his villainy)
I have a vision of the future, a negative reaction by one Robert MacFarlane. Now I only say that because I don't think this film will grant any new fans for Gibson as a director. Coming from someone who loves Braveheart, I loved this film as well. Now the early scenes are extremely earnest in the depiction of the man and his life. I don't think they're thin though like say in a film like Unbroken. We get an understanding of the man, and what gives him his philosophy particularly through his relationship with his troubled father. This setup though makes the war itself like a punch to the face, as it shifts tone in a brutally effective fashion. The battle scenes are some of the most impressive and viscerally compelling that I've seen in any war film. Gibson once again proves his great ability as a director. The scenes are incredible and lead to the film to a truly emotional and powerful end which feels wholly earned.
The film probably is my new #3, Gibson is now my director win.
Saving Garfield, but I will say that the accent completely works in the film.
Weaving - 4(I would not have minded if we had gotten to spend more time with his character. Weaving realizes the complexity of this broken man. He does not hold back in portraying the vicious anger in the man, but also still alludes to the potential for love in some remarkable quiet moments. He's very moving by always keeping alive the underlying pain in the man, caused by his own experiences in war, that leaves the man the way he is.)
Vaughn - 3(He's not R. Lee Ermey or Lou Gossett Jr. but I don't think the character was meant to have that sort of intensity. His performance works as a slightly humorous drill Sergeant. I thought he could have brought a little more to the war scenes, but I still thought his performance worked.)
Worthington - 3.5(Proving once again I suppose, he's best in supporting roles. Worthington offers the proper authority figure in his early scenes, and is good in realizing almost an unintentional cruelty in his behavior. In the war scenes he does very well in internalizing the situation through a man who keeps it together in battle but still suffers from it.)
Bracey - 3.5(Quite a surprise I'd say. He's effective in his early scenes at being the bully sort, but later on he's pretty great at making the believable transition in the war)
Palmer - 3(A limited role. She has good chemistry with Garfield, and fulfills the needs of her part)
Louis: What are your thoughts on Christopher Lloyd as an actor? I think he's rather underrated and sometimes chooses the wrong scripts (Baby Geniuses and Foodfight!).
Lloyd - (He's a downright brilliant actor, who is indeed extremely underrated. I would also say since he's a character actor you can't really blame him for choosing bad scripts, I doubt he has too much of a choice in most cases. He's an impeccable comedic actor, but also very capable as a dramatic actor. This was of course shown best intertwined in Back to the Future, but throughout his career he excelled in his roles. It is also interesting to see those roles where he stretched in different directions like Twenty Bucks, or even the romantic element in Back to the Future 3, he excelled there as well. Lloyd adds a bit of something by his mere presence, and I always like to see him show up wherever it might be.)
Matthew:
1. Lolita 2. Dr. Strangelove 3. Never Let Go 4. Being There 5. The Pink Panther
Has anyone seen this year's "Elle"? Interesting thriller with a very solid performance by Huppert. Also, I'm planning to watch Personal Shopper, since Stewart's performance in it is receiving tons of praise.
Alex: I'll be looking to check out both, especially with Psifonian's intriguing review of the former.
Saw Nocturnal Animal. More detailed thoughts to follow, ask if you want to know more about specific cast members, but essentially a game of two halves, one half kind of bad, one half kind of great.
RatedRStar: Jake is great. It's a simple dual role but he does extremely well in carrying the story within the story, hitting the extreme emotions and his character's subtle arc very well, and plays off the two more colourful performances in his segment well. As the 'real' guy he's got less to do but is still solid enough though the excesses of Ford's direction there overshadow him.
I think Adams will be nominated for Arrival; her role here is surprisingly limited and it's not showy at all really. Jake will probably not be nominated due to potential category confusion and also just the reactionary nature of his role. Shannon, if they make a push for him, could be nommed and I'd love to see that happen.
I do feel sorry for Jake Gyllenhaal from an awards standpoint because he clearly wants to get a nomination, he just always comes up short, it is a little disappointing that he has only been nominated once and it was 11 years ago.
On a side note, I've The Girl on The Train. I probably liked it a bit more than Robert but still I did not care too much for it. The unreliable narrator thing made it quite interesting, but otherwise I think the screenplay is very problematic with the writing behind the villain being particularly uninspired. In terms of visuals, it honestly looked like a cheap TV movie sometimes. Still I liked some of the performances: I found Blunt to be actually quite terrific and I thought Bennett was impressive too, while Ferguson did well with the little she had. I thought Evans was fine in his underwritten role, and while Theroux could have never saved the role from the poor writing I thought he did the best he could.
McGregor - (McGregor a consistent presence in films, and deserved mention for coming out looking the best out of those Star Wars prequels, which was no small feat. McGregor outside of that I'd say is best as a leading man. He's got a very charming presence yet has a considerable emotional range. He's a very unassuming actor in that he never tries to steal the spotlight, but is capable of making an impact all the same.)
I'd have to see more of Carlyle's work. I've only seen three performances though I quite liked all three.
Tahmeed:
Walken - (One of the all time greats when he feels like it or at the very least is given the chance. His best performances are some of the best given by any actor in film. When the material is there he never disappoints. When it is not, he's still usually an engaging presence. Walken all by himself tends to be rather memorable, but I will say I prefer when he is given a role that actually challenges him. The reason being he's more than up to it. He's a great actor, too often seen as kind of a side show though. Yeah he's entertaining in those cases, but it does not show what he's truly capable of.)
1. The Deer Hunter 2. Seven Psychopaths 3. The Dead Zone 4. Catch Me If You Can 5. Pulp Fiction 6. Pennies From Heaven 7. Stand Up Guys 8. True Romance 9. Next Stop Greenwich Village 10. Annie Hall
60 comments:
1. Byung-Hun
2. Duris
3. Lewis
4. Auteil
5. Murphy
This is a tough one.
1. Lee
2. Duris
3. Lewis
4. Murphy
5. Auteil
Interesting lineup =)
Auteil I will go for, haunting and powerful, a 5 I think.
1) Daniel Auteuil
2) Byung-hun Lee
3) Romain Duris
4) Damian Lewis
5) Cillian Murphy
Louis: Films to watch.
The Libertine (One Of Depp's best performances IMO)
Corpse Bride
Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were Rabbit
Transamerica
Pride And Prejudice
Junebug
North Country
Wedding Crashers
The 40 Year-Old Virgin
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Oliver Twist
Broken Flowers
Match Point
Jarhead
The Brothers Grimm
Tsotsi
Joyeux Noel
Paradise Now
Memoirs Of A Geisha
The World's Fastest Indian
Wedding Crashers haha XD you are having a laugh Luke =).
1. Lee
2. Duris
3. Auteil
4. Lewis
5. Murphy
I keep hearing stories that The Libertine is one of Depp's best performances, is that actually true?? because the film looks kinda trashy lol and is Depp an actor who is good enough to overcome trash?
1. Lee
2. Duris
3. Lewis
4. Murphy
5. Auteil
Louis, I remember Rachel Roberts being a 4.5 for you for her performance in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Did you like her less on a rewatch or you just forgot about her for your top 10s?
Giuseppe: I'm sure he just forgot about her.
1. Duris
2. Byung-Hun
3. Lewis
4. Murphy
5. Auteil
And yeah, Alex, I retract my previous statements on Byung-hun as an actor.
Also: I think Leung will get a strong 4, possibly 4.5. I think Louis will like the film, but possibly not some of the castmembers; I actually think this is one of Simon Yam's weaker performances.
Absolutely no idea:
1. Lee Byung-hun
2. Romain Duris
3. Cillian Murphy
4. Daniel Auteuil
5. Damian Lewis
Calvin Law: Really I find Simon Yam to be one of Hong Kongs weakest leading men, out of his 10 Hong Kong acting nominations and I have seen all of them I actually would rank Election his second best because I thought he was just ok.
I think most of Simon Yams best performances have been failed to be nominated.
Tony Leung-Ka Fai is definitely the best performer in Election along with Johnnie Tos very good direction, I think the rest of the performances are completely acceptable but they are most like " oh hey there is Nick Cheung and oh hey there is Lam Suet" basically actors with like a single character trait
Simon Yam i felt his final scene was very good and for most of the way he is fine, I do think that he has a bit of a Colin Firth in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy problem in that he is too easy to suspect that he is up to something.
1) Daniel Auteuil
2)Duris
3)Lewis
4.Murphy
5.Lee
I'm gonna change mine.
1.Duris
2.Lewis
3.Lee
4.Auteil
5.Murphy
1.Duris
2.Lewis
3.Lee
4.Murphy
5.Auteuil
RatedRStar: I honestly have never thought much of the supporting cast in Election. Controversial but I actually find Louis Koo to be the second strongest overall actor in the films.
Calvin Law: He is fine actually, he gets the most to do since he is probably the second lead, and Koo has always had presence and a great yakuza look (and a good tanning salon lol), shame that just like his good buddy Aaron Kwok who is very similar from an acting point of view get it so wrong in so many films, I thought Wong Tin Lam was fine as well although that HK Best Supporting Actor nomination is a bit of a stretch.
1) Daniel Auteuil
2) Byung-hun Lee
3) Romain Duris
4) Damian Lewis
5) Cillian Murphy
Doubt if anyone can touch the top two though.
Byung-hun Lee was 35 when he did his film yet he looked about 23, I dont know what it is but a lot of Asian people in general age brilliantly lol.
1. Duris
2. Byung-Hun
3. Lewis
4. Murphy
5. Auteil
Louis: Your thoughts on the cinematography of Lawrence of Arabia.
Louis: Rating and thoughts on Willem Dafoe in Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2.
1. Byung-Hun
2. Auteil
3. Lewis
4. Duris
5. Murphy
Louis: Thoughts and ratings on the cast of The Green Mile besides Hanks, Duncan and Jeter.
Giuseppe:
An oversight, she would be in my top five.
Anonymous:
Covered him in the results of those years.
Calvin:
Clarkson - 4(She's very effective in her single scene in providing the sheer intensity of the woman in her almost feral state, then quite moving as she regains herself.)
Rockwell - 4(Funny that he was so likable in Galaxy Quest the very same year. Rockwell though is properly fiendish and is interesting in that he's actually a bit humorous almost showing how the character lures people into a false comfort. When his darkest side comes out though Rockwell brings the visceral quality needed in revealing just how vicious the a man he is.)
Hutchison - 4(Competing villains in a strange way. Hutchison though is properly low sort, of a different nature though. Hutichison I find avoids going too far with the part, as could easily have been the case, and really makes his worminess get under your skin. He's especially good in his worst moments, such as the botched execution, as he shows less an overt sadism and more of this petty hatefulness.)
Sadler - 3.5(A very limited part but he's incredibly affecting in terms of just realizing his character's grief.)
Cromwell - 3.5(Also somewhat limited, but is quite moving in his depiction of the character plight. All the while carrying the expected gravitas as a much nicer authority figure this time.)
Pepper, DeMunn Morse - 3(All three are rather well, but just have less to do, particularly Pepper. They're very good though in that you feel they're still people even though we have a somewhat narrow view of them. You really feel the warm casual relationship between the three of them and Hanks.)
Greene - 3(Yet another positive addition to the film in just a few minutes. In his couple of minutes though you feel the underlying fear of the man who is about to die, as well as that regret of a life wasted in some way)
Stanton - 3(It's Harry Dean Stanton, what's not to like. I guess with a film filled with little screentime big impact performances, he was a requirement. He's pretty funny in his brief time, and adds a lot in so little. That of course is known as the Stanton way.)
Louis, how close is Tony Jay to a 4.5 for Hunchback?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1974420/?ref_=vi_tr_mp_t_21
It seems like a good movie, surprisingly it's coming from Warren Beatty
I honestly think Rules Don't Apply looks scorched-Earth terrible.
Saw Doctor Strange, one of the better Marvel films I'd say.
Cumberbatch - 4
Ejiofor - 3
McAdams - 3
Wong - 3
Mikkelsen - 3.5
Swinton - 4
Robert:
I'd say pretty close.
What's preventing it, though?
Louis: Seems like I liked Ejiofor more than you did. I gave him as a 3.5. I agree with you on the others, and I might just go ahead and bump up Swinton to a 4.
Louis: Thoughts on Doctor Strange overall and thoughts on the cast.
Doctor Strange: more than solid origin story. Really took to the visual style and alternate dimensions the film established, it paced itself well, and though it runs into many of the repeated errors of Marvel films I can't fault it too much as I thoroughly enjoyed it overall.
Cumberbatch - 4 (verging on a 4.5. I thought he was extremely enjoyable doing his arrogant genius routine at the start, keeping traces of it throughout effectively, while being quite moving in showing Strange's transition into a better man, and being quite badass at it. His accent slipped a few times but never too distractingly)
Ejiofor - 3.5 (somewhat underused but I thought he brought a lot of character to the margins of Mordo, he sets up his arc quite well with limited material and manages to bring enough depth and gravitas to the role.)
McAdams - 3 (where Portman just didn't try, McAdams does actually invest herself in the thankless love interest role. She's extremely limited but has nice chemistry with Cumberbatch and manages to make her presence felt)
Wong - 3 (Kind of disappointed he didnt share more scenes with Ejiofor as they showed a great chemistry in Dirty Pretty Things and The Martian. I'm tempted to go higher as I thought he was hilarious in all of his deadpan comedic scenes, and I'm glad he'll be appearing again)
Mikkelsen - 3.5 (you gotta give it to Mikkeslen, he does give it his all even though the material is hardly there. He's suitably menacing, I loved his little banter with Strange which I could've gone for more of, and he delivers the right amount of menace but also heartbreak when talking about what compels him)
Swinton - 4 (glad to see she 'aint phoning it in. I thought she effortlessly delivered exposition, humour and weight to the film in such an effortless fashion and completely convinced me that she was the Ancient One.)
Louis: Thoughts on Don Francks as Sabretooth, Lawrence Bayne as Cable, Philip Akin as Bishop, David Hemblen as Magneto and Chris Britton as Mister Sinister.
Robert:
Nothing per se, really I should do full reviews on the very best vocal performances for a proper analysis.
Luke:
The film is very much within the marvel formula in terms of the structure of their origin film. As usual they under develop the villain to focus squarely on the hero, and I'd say there are a few moments where they throw in a few two many jokes for its own good. However most of the humor does work, and Dr. Strange's story does work. His origin story managed to be particularly interesting one since he has much more of a journey to make than most of the heroes, they make him a genuine jerk in the early scenes. The journey to find powers is quite engaging helped along by some quite impressive visuals throughout. This film I felt was incredibly well paced in that I felt it flew by, and not that it seemed too short either. It's an entertaining effort, and though the structure is nothing new, it finds something new within this unique aspect to the Marvel universe.
Cumberbatch - (Cumberbatch does well in terms of being the marvel style lead. He has the right comedic timing for the part, but I actually liked how he a slightly alternative take to the one liners found through the character's particular sort of arrogance later transformed to being more than a little lost at times. On that point I felt Cumberbatch actually made that far more honest, making the character arc worthwhile unlike say Thor's similair arc in his origin story.)
McAdams - (Now here she's really not given much to do, but McAdams importantly does not give up because of that. McAdams offers a nice charming presence and her chemistry with Cumberbatch really works. I'm actually glad they did not put too much emphasis on the romance, making the little we got of it very natural feeling.)
Ejiofor - (I liked his performance, Ejiofor's a charismatic fellow after all. My problem though is that his whole Javert's philosophy just wasn't given enough time to be properly developed by Ejiofor.)
Wong - (Rather enjoyable extreme deadpan.)
Mikkelsen - 3.5(Perhaps playing a Marvel villain is a test for an actor. This part is no better than the majority of the villain but Mikkelsen does his absolute best to give his character any real presence in the film. In another's hands I say he could have been as a forgettable as the bad guy from Thor: The Dark World, but Mikkelsen does find a bit of real menace in there.)
Swinton - (Really liked what she did here, she reminded me a big of Alec Guinness in Star Wars. She really is convincing in bringing the omnipotent presence needed, and brings a real gravity to every piece of exposition delivery. All at the same time she brings an underlying emotional quality in her work as she reveals more to her character.)
Saw Hacksaw Ridge as well.
Anonymous:
Francks - (There's a great natural viciousness to his voice that is perfect for the character. He though does bring just a bit of subtly to the character when needed as well.)
Bayne - (Cable's pretty straight forward, and Bayne brings the proper badass quality to the character.)
Akin - (Akin matches Bayne but ups it with a real sense of cool to the character. In addition though he's rather effective in realizing the anguish in the character who can never quite fix the timeline properly)
Hemblen - (Has much in common with his Pryde of the X-Men predecessors I'd say. I'd say that same performance worked better for that style of series. He can be a bit too melodramatic at times however he's still a pretty good Magneto)
Britton - (His performance works at having just the right type of creepiness of someone who likes to manipulate everyone and everything, as there is this off putting sense of pleasure in his voice as he goes about his villainy)
Louis: Thoughts on Hacksaw Ridge, thoughts/ratings on the cast...hopefully you're saving someone, I envy you having seen the film.
Calvin:
I have a vision of the future, a negative reaction by one Robert MacFarlane. Now I only say that because I don't think this film will grant any new fans for Gibson as a director. Coming from someone who loves Braveheart, I loved this film as well. Now the early scenes are extremely earnest in the depiction of the man and his life. I don't think they're thin though like say in a film like Unbroken. We get an understanding of the man, and what gives him his philosophy particularly through his relationship with his troubled father. This setup though makes the war itself like a punch to the face, as it shifts tone in a brutally effective fashion. The battle scenes are some of the most impressive and viscerally compelling that I've seen in any war film. Gibson once again proves his great ability as a director. The scenes are incredible and lead to the film to a truly emotional and powerful end which feels wholly earned.
The film probably is my new #3, Gibson is now my director win.
Saving Garfield, but I will say that the accent completely works in the film.
Weaving - 4(I would not have minded if we had gotten to spend more time with his character. Weaving realizes the complexity of this broken man. He does not hold back in portraying the vicious anger in the man, but also still alludes to the potential for love in some remarkable quiet moments. He's very moving by always keeping alive the underlying pain in the man, caused by his own experiences in war, that leaves the man the way he is.)
Vaughn - 3(He's not R. Lee Ermey or Lou Gossett Jr. but I don't think the character was meant to have that sort of intensity. His performance works as a slightly humorous drill Sergeant. I thought he could have brought a little more to the war scenes, but I still thought his performance worked.)
Worthington - 3.5(Proving once again I suppose, he's best in supporting roles. Worthington offers the proper authority figure in his early scenes, and is good in realizing almost an unintentional cruelty in his behavior. In the war scenes he does very well in internalizing the situation through a man who keeps it together in battle but still suffers from it.)
Bracey - 3.5(Quite a surprise I'd say. He's effective in his early scenes at being the bully sort, but later on he's pretty great at making the believable transition in the war)
Palmer - 3(A limited role. She has good chemistry with Garfield, and fulfills the needs of her part)
Well now, Louis, you never know, Robert might become a believer. Stranger things have happened.
Cannot frickin' wait for Hacksaw Ridge.
Also, since I have an inkling who you might choose...an 80's Hacksaw Ridge cast and director, Louis?
Louis: Your thoughts on Andrew Garfield as an actor.
Calvin:
Hacksaw Ridge (directed by Peter Weir)
Desmond Doss: Timothy Hutton
Sergeant Howell: James Caan
Captain Glover: Peter Weller
Smitty: Val Kilmer
Tom Doss: Rip Torn
Luke:
I feel you're needling for something..... Anyway I say I need to wait for Silence to get a complete measure of him.
Louis: For a 1960's version of Hacksaw Ridge, who would be your cast and director?
Anonymous:
Hacksaw Ridge 1960's directed by Robert Wise
Desmond Doss: George Hamilton
Sergeant Howell: Jack Warden
Captain Glover: Richard Jaeckel
Smitty: Jon Voight
Tom Doss: Lee J. Cobb
Louis: Oh goodie.
Louis: What are your thoughts on Christopher Lloyd as an actor? I think he's rather underrated and sometimes chooses the wrong scripts (Baby Geniuses and Foodfight!).
Anonymous:
Lloyd - (He's a downright brilliant actor, who is indeed extremely underrated. I would also say since he's a character actor you can't really blame him for choosing bad scripts, I doubt he has too much of a choice in most cases. He's an impeccable comedic actor, but also very capable as a dramatic actor. This was of course shown best intertwined in Back to the Future, but throughout his career he excelled in his roles. It is also interesting to see those roles where he stretched in different directions like Twenty Bucks, or even the romantic element in Back to the Future 3, he excelled there as well. Lloyd adds a bit of something by his mere presence, and I always like to see him show up wherever it might be.)
Matthew:
1. Lolita
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. Never Let Go
4. Being There
5. The Pink Panther
Louis: your thoughts on Robert Carlyle and Ewan McGregor as actors.
Louis: Your thoughts on Christopher Walken as an actor, and your top 10 favorite performances of his.
Has anyone seen this year's "Elle"? Interesting thriller with a very solid performance by Huppert.
Also, I'm planning to watch Personal Shopper, since Stewart's performance in it is receiving tons of praise.
Alex: I'll be looking to check out both, especially with Psifonian's intriguing review of the former.
Saw Nocturnal Animal. More detailed thoughts to follow, ask if you want to know more about specific cast members, but essentially a game of two halves, one half kind of bad, one half kind of great.
Adams - 3.5
Gyllenhaal - 4.5
Shannon - 5
Taylor-Johnson - 4.5
Linney - 2
Hammer - 2.5
Fisher - 3
Malone, Sheen - completely wasted
Calvin Law: What did you make of Jake =D?
Also how likely are Adams/Gyllenhaal/Shannon for Oscar Nominations do you think? Obviously keeping in mind that Adams will likely split with Arrival.
RatedRStar: Jake is great. It's a simple dual role but he does extremely well in carrying the story within the story, hitting the extreme emotions and his character's subtle arc very well, and plays off the two more colourful performances in his segment well. As the 'real' guy he's got less to do but is still solid enough though the excesses of Ford's direction there overshadow him.
I think Adams will be nominated for Arrival; her role here is surprisingly limited and it's not showy at all really. Jake will probably not be nominated due to potential category confusion and also just the reactionary nature of his role. Shannon, if they make a push for him, could be nommed and I'd love to see that happen.
I do feel sorry for Jake Gyllenhaal from an awards standpoint because he clearly wants to get a nomination, he just always comes up short, it is a little disappointing that he has only been nominated once and it was 11 years ago.
@Calvin: Surprised Linney is a 2. Is she so bad?
On a side note, I've The Girl on The Train. I probably liked it a bit more than Robert but still I did not care too much for it. The unreliable narrator thing made it quite interesting, but otherwise I think the screenplay is very problematic with the writing behind the villain being particularly uninspired. In terms of visuals, it honestly looked like a cheap TV movie sometimes. Still I liked some of the performances: I found Blunt to be actually quite terrific and I thought Bennett was impressive too, while Ferguson did well with the little she had. I thought Evans was fine in his underwritten role, and while Theroux could have never saved the role from the poor writing I thought he did the best he could.
Giuseppe: rating and thoughts on Blunt?
Calvin: what did you think of the ending? I think it was great but a bit predictable
Calvin:
McGregor - (McGregor a consistent presence in films, and deserved mention for coming out looking the best out of those Star Wars prequels, which was no small feat. McGregor outside of that I'd say is best as a leading man. He's got a very charming presence yet has a considerable emotional range. He's a very unassuming actor in that he never tries to steal the spotlight, but is capable of making an impact all the same.)
I'd have to see more of Carlyle's work. I've only seen three performances though I quite liked all three.
Tahmeed:
Walken - (One of the all time greats when he feels like it or at the very least is given the chance. His best performances are some of the best given by any actor in film. When the material is there he never disappoints. When it is not, he's still usually an engaging presence. Walken all by himself tends to be rather memorable, but I will say I prefer when he is given a role that actually challenges him. The reason being he's more than up to it. He's a great actor, too often seen as kind of a side show though. Yeah he's entertaining in those cases, but it does not show what he's truly capable of.)
1. The Deer Hunter
2. Seven Psychopaths
3. The Dead Zone
4. Catch Me If You Can
5. Pulp Fiction
6. Pennies From Heaven
7. Stand Up Guys
8. True Romance
9. Next Stop Greenwich Village
10. Annie Hall
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