To be completely truthful I just made this post because the last comments section was getting a bit cumbersome, so here's a fresh one for the upcoming awards.
Robert: I see where you're coming from, i am somewhat of a fan of Hacksaw but one aspect in that film that bothers me the most is Vince Vaughn. Horrid miscast.
Expected that Silence would win the most =D, also have you seen the new Siskel and Ebert vid posted on the SE site Louis? Oscars soon =D hehe, I cannot wait, I just cant see Affleck winning, I just cant see him making an Oscars speech as opposed to Washington who can give a good speech and sometimes Oscar loves that as shown by Hanks and Caine.
I saw Moonlight recently, and I really, really hope Ali wins. He'd be my favourite winner in that category since Waltz in IB. Also, I think it has the best ensemble of the year.
Judging editing is interesting in that it is something that should by viewed objectively, but it is hard to do so through one's subjective view of a film. It is difficult to say something is well paced if you find every second of the film excruciating to begin with, and you won't exactly notice a coherence within the film if you don't care what's going on to begin with.
Varun:
I know I gave my thoughts on her somewhere.
Holden:
1. "Ak soooooooo" - Stalag 17 2. Ending - Stalag 17 3. Shoot Anything that moves - The Wild Bunch 4. Not a game - Bridge on the River Kwai 5. Johnny Comes Marching Home - Stalag 17 6. The Ending - The Wild Bunch 7. Closer to the end - Network 8. Meeting Norma - Sunset Boulevard 9. "With or Without a parachute?" - Bridge on the Rive Kwai 10. Dunbar is arrested - Stalag 17
Finch:
1. "I'm as mad as Hell" - Network 2. Meeting Arthur Jensen - Network 3. You're the ones that are real - Network 4. "I'm going to shoot myself in the head" - Network 5. A voice in the darkness - Network 6. "I'm sick of it" - Network 7. The Bar Mitzvah - Sunday Bloody Sunday 8. Boldwood snaps - Far From the Madding Crowd 9. Dr. Fortunati confronts sister Luke - The Nun's Story 10. The Final Trial - The Trials of Oscar Wilde
I'm not sure if anyone else bought this up, but I'm new to your blog, and I think you should, if you can, try to make a best actress blog. If it's too time consuming I could totally understand, but just throwing an idea out there.
Louis: Thoughts on the art direction of Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers, Return Of The King, An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation Of Smaug and The Battle Of The Five Armies.
To quickly reiterate, when I started there were several Actress blogs, no Actor ones, that's why I did exclusively actor, and now it just feels too late to go back to the beginning with that, I also just don't have the time.
Robert:
1. Man Behind Winkies - Mulholland Drive 2. Bathtub - Les Diaboliques 3. Roat's alive - Wait Until Dark 4. Donkey Transformation - Pinocchio 5. I got a dress For You - Goodfellas 6. The Tunnel - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 7. Bilbo wants his Ring - Fellowship of the Ring 8. Everything - The Dark Crystal 9. Judge Doom is a toon - Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 10. Marley's Not Gone - Scrooge(1970)
Although Mulholland Drive's Genre is very debatable.
Fellowship - (Like with the original Star Wars, this was the initial leap that proved essentially the greatness of its art direction. Middle Earth feels as a place you visit when you watch the film, there are never sets there are only places. Furthermore though such beautiful locations they are. It does not give just a general fantasy aesthetic rather it devotes the time to crafting each location with such detail. This whether it is the ethereal quality of the Elven forests, and Rivendell, the harsh industrial tone of the Orcs, or the rural splendor of the Shire. Everywhere in between though. You get a certain grit in Terrytown, you get the grandeur of the old statues, even the ruins seem filled with character. It's astonishing work in terms of the rich history and sense of place just from a few broken walls.)
Two Towers - (Continues the great work of the original with a few new fantastic additions. The world Rohan is conceived beautifully, and carefully as it would have been very easy to make it seem goofy. It never is though. Helms Deep is an incredible set piece, the Ent's forest has the right splendor though undercut so slightly with a certain ominousness, the marshlands are absolutely haunting. What they do with the combination of CGI, miniatures and actual sets is just about immaculate. They use all three in tandem to make every place feel real.)
Return of the King - (It must be said everything regarding Minas Tirith is awe inspiring. It is one of the all time great pieces of art direction in film, I'd say. Again what makes it so special is that combination. That may be the highlight but no additional element is underwhelming. As with the whole trilogy even well worn tropes, a dark evil cave with a monster, is made to feel new in some way. There is no aspect that feels rushed. It is all part of a cohesive whole, in the overall trilogy even, that grants a visit to Middle Earth rather than a series of sets, and some CGI.)
An Unexpected Journey - (What was already worked out for in the original trilogy, Hobbiton Rivendell, them still looks good. What are actual sets, the riddle cave, the forest, parts of the rocky mountain, the interior of Radagast's house, still look good. They overplay their hand though with the CGI, sometimes overusing to amplify a set or just simply overusing it. The combination just isn't as assured. Furthermore the CGI because of its overuse oddly looks faker, or simply not as well designed. In fact even when there are real miniatures or large sets the way they use the CGI it makes some of real things look fake. It does feel more of a generic fantasy at times, and it does not quite have that lived in quality. Also, since it's CGI are direction, the white orc looks like garbage, and is a sour point throughout the trilogy.)
Desolation - (The same problems are still there, but this probably has the best this trilogy has to offer. Laketown actual feels like a realized place, the elven interiors feel new, and the gold pit is a highlight, as is Smaug's design for that matter. There is a better combination here and the locations feel more vivid. There are still problems to be sure, the outside of the Elven forest, that white orc is still around, and the rest of Dwarven chambers are far less impressive, but overall it does hearken back to the originals in the right way.)
Battle - (Weakest of the lot with the most overabundance of poorly used, and even poorly designed CGI. There is no sense of place in the battle and part of that is the art direction. Every location feels like it could be anywhere it any time. Oddly enough even the places that looked good the previous film look a bit downgraded here, such as Smaug's lair Thorin's gold fever dream sequence. Could it be worse, sure, there are far worse looking CGI films, but at best it's serviceable which was never was the case with the LOTR trilogy.)
Louis: Have to say that while I love all your Holden Stalag moments, the one I adore perhaps most of all is his interrogation of Price when they're alone in the barracks with Joey. Also, what's your favourite directed scene in the film? For me it's a close tie between 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home', and Sefton's revelation of Price.
My own personal ballot for Actress and Supporting Actress:
Lead
1. Annette Bening in 20th Century Women 2. Natalie Portman in Jackie 3. Amy Adams in Arrival 4. Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen 5. Mary Elizabeth Winstead in 10 Cloverfield Lane
Supporting
1. Greta Gerwig in 20th Century Women 2. Lupita Nyong'o in Queen of Katwe 3. Felicity Jones in A Monster Calls 4. Zoey Deutch in Everybody Wants Some!! 5. Elle Fanning in 20th Century Women
1. Amy Adams, Arrival 2. Emma Stone, La La Land/Isabelle Huppert, Elle 4. Natalie Portman, Jackie/Ruth Negga, Loving (I'm having a really tricky time with this one)
Lead 1. Natalie Portman - Jackie 2. Amy Adams - Arrival 3. Isabelle Huppert - Elle 4. Sandra Hüller - Toni Erdmann 5. Kim Min-hee - The Handmaiden
Supporting 1. Naomie Harris - Moonlight 2. Felicity Jones - A Monster Calls 3. Greta Gerwig - 20th Century Women 4. Abbey Lee - The Neon Demon 5. Michelle Williams - Manchester by The Sea
Philosopher's Stone - (A major reason the film should not be hand waved is how well it set up the universe in terms of its art direction. The film established Hogwarts, and so many of the images one thinks of when thinking of Harry Potter. It should be noted there is a certain gloss to it here, more than we'll see later on, but fitting to the more general family friendly tone of this film and the first book. It creates the magic world just as it appears as it should be. That includes the overall design of Hogwarts, the moving paintings, Diagon alley, gringots, all of it looks great, and overall though it establishes essentially what the world is in a very effective fashion. They're wonderful looking yet with the right practicality. Though I will say the forbidden forest is a tad lackluster in this one, though that may be due to the very cartoonish CGI centaurs)
Chamber - (A natural continuation of the first one with a few very strong contributions. The chamber secrets, which begins to allude to the darker side of the universe, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and of course Dumbledore's office. Chamber of Secrets deserves particular credit for standing up to the scrutiny of its appearance later on in Deathly Hallows Part 2.)
Azkaban - (The major bridge to the darker side of the series, which it handles well in a natural transition to almost a more twisted idea to the magical design. In addition to still maintaining the needed sense of wonder all the same. Also all forests are a major improvement over the previous films, and special mention to the Hippogriff and werewolf designs. Also this film sort of begins the specialized "normal" places too, again successfully pulling the film naturally from its Chris Columbus tone. In that just normal rooms, or the midnight bus, begin to have that more lived in style which works well with the changing tone, while again still maintaining a certain magic.)
Goblet - (Ahhh always the most problematic. I don't know what that is with the Yule Ball scene, that scene is just a huge misfire in every regard. The Wizard rock band just looks bad. Past that most things aren't bad they're a little underwhelming. The worldcup isn't anything special, there's nothing remarkable about the designs around the challenges, but I will give to the Riddle's graveyard that is quite good. Again this film tonally seems slightly unsure and that can even be seen in some of the designs. Still more than serviceable most of the time though.)
Order, Half-Blood, Hallows Part 1 & 2 - (Yates clearly had a very good idea what he wanted, and springboards off the seeds from Azakaban. He slowly diminishes the wonder of the art direction in each film to the point that certain sets almost seem like out of a horror film particular Godric's hollow. That is not a criticism as the sets continue to be stunning, particularly the Ministry Atrium, The Cave and Godric's Hollow. Everything seems gradually less wondrous per film which is effective in bringing the film naturally to its darker ends.)
Johnny Comes Marching Home. Love the sense of the community with the barracks, undercut with the unease of the tension of the traitor, topped off with that perfect shot of Sefton noticing the swinging light.
Luke:
I'm with Kate Winslet when it comes to "My Heart Goes On". I just can't abide it. Songs can be melodramatic and overly schmaltzy, and be great. Great is not what this one is for me. For me it is perfect "songification?" of a film I can't abide by either.
I don't care for the film but I do love Elephant Love Medley. Love the arrangements, the passionate performances of Kidman and particular McGregor, and especially how it builds so naturally to its climax from snippet to snippet.
Stars has a fantastic orchestration I love how it combines this certain ominousness with beauty that's a perfect representation of Javert's strict moral code. The vocals make the song, Quast version I'm going with here, as there is a fiery yet controlled passion in his voice that acts as such an effective realization of the character.
Anonymous:
Stunning does not begin to describe the special effects, Space simply had not be realize in such a way before then to that it felt real, those effects are astonishing. The art direction is almost equally as strong. The only reason I say that is because a few of the sets in the Heywood Floyd scenes scream 60's. The designs of the spacecrafts, the Hal section, and the apes section are filled with such unforgettable imagery. Functional to certain degree yet with just right touches of style. The more fantastical elements, the monolith, the star child, Bowman's room contain some of the most memorable and awe inspiring images found in any film.
My biggest hope for 2017 is that it comes close to any of the previous years since 2015 and 2016 had many good Oscar films and not many bad ones.
I would like to see Michael Fassbender continue his good Oscar run, he seems to have a George Clooney run which is to a get an Oscar nomination once every 2 years with 2011 for Shame which he came close to Oscar nominated, 2013 for 12 Years, 2015 for Jobs and 2017 for The Snowman, it seems like a good enough bet especially with a good director and a good cast.
As for Death Note, I love L as a character and I liked Keith Stanfield in Short Term 12, and saw a brief clip of him in Get Out where he was pretty creepy, I want to see the trailer for Death Note because I think then I will get a better view if it will be complete garbage or maybe something else.
RatedRStar: Fassbender seems to do great in every odd-numbered year, whereas with the exception of 2008, even-numbered years haven't been particularly strong for him, even though he was very good in Prometheus and Frank.
I think 2016 was a better year for the Oscars, yes Nocturnal Animals and Suicide Squad made it in but overall in terms of the best picture films I think 2016 was more consistent.
RatedRStar: As much as I would like a posthumous nomination for one of the all-time greats, quality matters above all else to me and it's difficult to say whether he has enough screen-time.
I have heard that Gary Oldman has a really bad reputation in Hollywood, especially since apparently he has criticised awards ceremonies like the Oscars and the Golden Globes and, it really doesnt help him if I am honest in terms of winning.
I hope Cillian Murphy does well, he really deserves to get an Oscar nomination, I kinda wish he had taken that part in 127 Hours since I find him to be on a different level to James Franco.
Anonymous: Warner Bros. really need to push him hard, because aside from Ledger, the actors in Nolan's films never get the attention they truly deserve.
Louis: Rating and thoughts on: Martin Balsam in Seven Days in May Henry Fonda in Fail-Safe and Mister Roberts Gene Tierney in The Secret of Convict Lake Adrienne Barbeau in Escape From New York
Low key British comedies never really get recognised by the Oscars though, Sing Street is techincally an Irish film but you know what I mean. films like Pride, the Cornetto trilogy and Brassed Off didnt get a sniff from the Oscars, I would say unless I get this wrong, the last low key British comedy to get recognised heavily at the Oscars was probably The Full Monty.
Wow, if Oldman, Day Lewis, and Fassbender all get nominated in the same year, it has the potential to be the best ever. 3 of the best actors working today.
Charles: It's all on Joe Wright imo, as he can be hit-or-miss, and the film's reception will tie in heavily as to whether they nominate Oldman. I have faith in Alfredson and of course, Paul Thomas Anderson.
I cant imagine Daniel Day Lewis winning a 4th Oscar, he is a legend but, I just cant see it, I think Oscar would be very reluctant, and it would be pretty insane, a 4th Oscar.
Joe Wright does have a mixed track record, I must say the casting of Darkest Hour is excellent, from Oldman to Hurt to Ben Mendelsohm to Stephen Dillane, that is very good casting, Wright has a decent record with Oscar as well so, Oldman really could do well, he must keep his mouth shut though, he cannot start saying awards are rubbish like my good friend Joaquin did, remember back in 2012, most people were saying it was Day Lewis or Phoenix, and then Phoenix said his comments, and he was out of the race to win, so if Oldman keeps quiet, does the campaigning, he will be fine =D.
This is early days of course but it is fun to think who could be 2017s nominees, so if Day Lewis, Oldman, and Frosty the Snowman make up Best Actor, who would the other 2 people be?
Anonymous: Oldman has a baity role. He'll get the nomination i think. It could still be a toss-up though. Around last year this time, people were predicting Silence for best picture. Look how that went. You never know with the Academy.
Silence easily could have been an Oscar contender if they had campaigned it correctly, sorted out the release date fiasco, Martin seems to have this odd record with Oscar where he has a film that hits big with the Oscars and then you have films like Silence, After Hours and The King of Comedy where they were expected to do well and then didnt.
A Clockwork Orange - (Funny in that it is technically dated, despite being pseudo futuristic, in that it looks very seventies actually, though I don't mean that as a criticism. It takes the more garish elements of the style at the time and amplifies them ten fold to come up with something that seems so maddening and claustrophobic. It is kind of the next step from the real seventies style at the time, but if interior decorators never changed their style as well as went a little insane, which is perfect fit for the film. It's perfect fit for the film, and as typical with Kubrick the sets themselves stand as unforgettable.)
Barry Lyndon - (Visually Barry Lyndon is sheer perfection. The art direction essentially seeks to replicate the most elegant painting of the period which it does without a fault. Downright incredible work.)
Amadeus - (Amadeus seems to have a similair style to Barry Lyndon and also does have a similair success in the recreations. Amadeus though differs in its approach. It desires beauty, particularly in the opera scenes, which it excels with, but it goes further than that. Amadeus does not want that distance though, even in those opera scenes, it wants to take you there, rather than still keep you from it. In that Amadeus excels with the grandeur elements of the period, again particularly in the operas, but it also wants you to gain a sense of real people living there that you could interact with. It excels in the regard by balancing the big with the small, the luxury with the simple. It is downright incredible work as well.)
There Will Be Blood - (As Daniel Day-Lewis just seems to have walked out from a photo 1900's, the production design realizes everything around him in those photos. Given the nature of the period, and the setting it actually more modest work than the previously mentioned films. It though is just as effective in crafting a time and place, that also even conveys character. I love the slight touch of the oil derrick seeming just out of place on the hill, that seems to suggest the mad obsession of Plainview, or the hollow simplicity of Eli's church. The most extravagant set is probably the bowling ally which is very Kubrickian, which when talking sets that's usually a very good thing.)
1. Diner - Pulp Fiction 2. A Hateful Story - The Hateful Eight 3. Ezekiel - Pulp Fiction 4. A Meeting with Calvin - Django Unchained 5. "They called me Mr. Glass" - Unbreakable 6. His End - Jungle Fever 7. Telling Django is fate - Django Unchained 8. Dinner Table - Django Unchained 9. Jackie gets the upperhand on Ordell - Jackie Brown 10. "Hold on to your butts" - Jurassic Park
Tarantino:
1. Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied France - Inglourious Basterds 2. Diner - Pulp Fiction 3. Shosanna's message - Inglourious Basterds 4. The Hateful Story - The Hateful Eight 5. Ezekiel - Pulp Fiction 6. Crazy 88's - Kill Bill 7. The Brittle Brothers - Django Unchained 8. This could work - Jackie Brown 9. Adrenaline - Pulp Fiction 10. The Bar - Inglourious Basterds
Anonymous:
Balsam - 3.5(Very Balsamy role, in that there to do some exposition and be generally reliable. Well as usual he's very reliable in the role, he's particularly good in his final scene in just conveying his character trying to get a bead on things.)
Fonda - Fail-Safe - 4(There to be the representation of dignity, as he was often called on to do and is quite good at that as usual. Fonda though goes further though in conveying the stress of his character throughout the film while never having a complete breakdown. He's particularly moving as the president makes the agreement, as Fonda keeps his usual proper voice, but portrays the horror of his choice in the president's eyes.)
Mister Roberts - 4(Overshadowed maybe a little bit by Lemmon but Fonda is a good representation of righteous, yet slightly comedic indignation. His best scenes are with Cagney as they kind of battle with this very peculiar sort of intensity that works well for the film.)
Tierney - 3.5(Tierney is good though I feel the role lets her down a bit. She seems to want to play it tougher than the role is. Tierney to her credit though does bring the right confidence to her performance to still make her character a little more than she is as written.)
Barbeau - 3(She really doesn't get much to do, Stanton basically gets the meatier moments though maybe that's just Stanton being Stanton. Barbeau is good though in conveying her character's crisis of conscience in just the margins.)
Matt:
1. The realization - Arrival 2. The miscarriage - Junebug 3. The Opening - Arrival 4. The Handjob - The Master 5. Meeting Madeleine - Junebug 6. Proper introduction - Arrival 7. "How do you Know?" - Enchanted 8. Confronting the mother superior - Doubt 9. Meeting Freddie Again - The Master 10. Language changing your mind - Arrival
94dk1:
Lee Chandler: Nicolas Cage (Think Joe) Randi: Melora Walters Patrick: Michael Angarano Joe Chandler: Michael O'Keefe Elsie: Jennifer Jason Leigh
Louis: Can I ask, those 5 nominees that have just been highlighted, of course it is early days, Day Lewis, Oldman, Fassbender, Cumberbatch and Jackman. This is an outside glance of course but what do you reckon, do you reckon one of those could be a dead cert to get in perhaps, any thoughts?
Usually at least one actor early in the year that we predict to get in usually does, like Daniel Day Lewis for Lincoln and Leo for The Revenant for example.
Superman I don't think has any major flaws. There are a few bland episodes, but no truly terrible ones. The animation and writing is actual a bit more consistent than Batman, though that has higher heights.
For Spider-Man as a recall it was downright noisy, often with bad animation, an overuse of narration, while being very melodramatic.
RatedRStar:
If I had guess. Oldman. It is the right role, the Academy has embraced Wright's performers in the past, as long as it gets the proper critical reception.
Day-Lewis is in a film I'll probably quite like(Anderson has yet to do me wrong), but only portions of the Academy embraced Inherent Vice and the Master. Day-Lewis is Day-Lewis, but one can almost forget he's only been nominated five times despite his three wins.
Again Fassbender's film is one I'm very eager to see but I'm not sure of its chances for the Academy overall.
Cumberbatch's film could go either way(I've been warned not to watch the director's previous film), but that does seem like Academy catnip.
Jackman as Barnum seems like perfect casting, the director is an unknown quantity though.
Louis: I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Terrence Malick, despite loving Badlands and The Thin Red Line but I'm actually really looking forward to Radegund with Diehl and Schoenaerts.
If you're referring to the Comeidan's death scene, it is a good realization about what's great, and what's not so great about the film. You have Morgan's powerful understated reaction portraying Comedian's sad acceptance of his fate, a marvelous choice in song, some compelling visuals, but then you have some terrible choices. The visuals are compelling but he also over does the action a tad, they're suppose to be people, they don't actually have superpowers, and the over the top sound effects are particular distracting because of that. A good scene still, but if Snyder had just pulled back on his excesses ever so slightly it could have been a great one.
Luke:
That's a great story, and Diehl in that role could be very intriguing. Unfortunately Malick may not really utilize either, unless he is changing back to his Thin Red Line, or even Badlands approach.
Now that is legitimately a great scene. It is Snyder in his purest state, only imagery. It's rather remarkable in terms of being visual exposition, it sets the world up and even establishes a few of the characters while being such a series of captivating images.
I actually that Tom Cruise (whom the studio wanted) would have been a great Ozymandias. It would cleverly use his screen persona as an american action hero and then subvert it with the reveal.
Yeah, that was one of my biggest problems with the movie. You're supposed to see the validity of Ozymandias' point of view, which is what makes the moral dilemma so interesting and complex. But Matthew Goode (with help from Zack Snyder, no doubt) made him just a straight villain.
I watched The Nice Guys, and I kinda loved it. I think Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is probably the better film because the script for that is tighter but man, I had a blast with this. The two leads are great, Gosling in particular is an absolute riot and is responsible for what I would call probably the funniest scene of 2016.
Louis: Your top ten male leading and supporting performances of the 1950's. Mine would be:- 1. Takashi Shimura in Ikiru 2. Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront 3. Alec Guinness in Bridge over the River Kwai 4. Montgomery Clift in From Here to Eternity 5. Toshiro Mifune in Rashomon 6. James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder 7. Alastair Sim in Scrooge 8. William Holden in Stalag 17 9. Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire 10.James Dean in East of Eden
I really don't have a top ten for supporting, but Sessue Hayakawa would be my #1. Louis: Is there any possibility for Morgan Freeman to be upgraded to a 5 for either Shawshank or Driving Ms. Daisy?
I can tell you were really dissapointed that Foster didnt get in Louis =(.
Think of it this way, Foster is young, and say this was Calvin Law living in 1951 he probably would have dissapointed that Trevor Howard never got nominated, but then after some patient he eventually did get a nomination =D, so I am sure in time Foster will be fine.
My favourite Paxton moment of all-time, even though I loved him in Aliens, Frailty, A Simple Plan etc. has to be that reaction shot to Tom Cruise getting crushed by a truck in Edge of Tomorrow.
I think the Oscars have their remembrance video made already. Don't count on them remembering Paxton in their tribute. Although i hope they edit it for him.
Louis could you your top 5 performances on which your opinion changed the most from the first and after the last time you watched it? Fuve for the better and five for the worse?
They might have Paxton in, surely it wouldnt take long for that to happen but apparently the remembrance video is done like a week or two before the ceremony, there might be a Bill Murray moment where someone mentions Bill Paxton similar to Harold Ramis, I think that is more likely to happen.
I liked Paxton in Near Dark, he might be a possibility for Bonus supporting 1987, him or Lance Henriksen anyway.
I am going to bed now quite early indeed since here in the UK I will have to get up at 4am to watch the Oscars before work since there is no point me waiting til after work because I will know the results without watching it and that wont be fun.
Also rewatched Manchester by the Sea. I liked it a little more this time.
Affleck-5 (Previously a 4.5) Hedges-4 Chandler-4.5 Williams-3 (Previously a 2.5. I understand what she was going for now.) Mol-3.5 Everyone else is a 2.5 to a 3.
And my final Best Actor rankings: 1. Affleck-5 2. Mortensen-5 3. Gosling-4.5 4. Garfield-4 5. Washington-4
Charles: Well, he's got the Sky Oscars channel, I don't. I'm gonna have to wait until tomorrow evening to watch the broadcast and hope it'll be on Putlocker or Alluc.
Louis: Are there any Directors that you've seen little or none from, that you're very interested in. Like Andrzej Wajda, Hayao Miyazaki or Andrei Tarkovsky.
I was going to try and finish my Andrew Garfield article for tonight but realize there's so much to write about. So for now I'll just wish everyone best of luck for their predictions and the films they're supporting.
Calvin: Hacksaw Ridge might win Sound Editing and Film Editing. It certainly won't win Sound Mixing, as the academy love to give that award to musicals.
My hopes are for Silence winning Cinematography. Hacksaw Ridge getting something. And Jeff Bridges for best supporting actor. But most of won't happen.
I would retort Robert, but I know I'd say the same if Nocturnal Animals had gotten multiple nominations. Funny how much one can grow to hate a film in a few months eh?
True Grit is a terrific representation of whatever the Coen brothers encourage out of their art directors given how good almost all of their film look. Here this is technically a little sparser given the use of well chosen locations in the wilderness. The sets though are there again is that great representation as it is something you've seen before, a western, yet not quite in this way. There is just the right touch of style to it all. It never feels phony or glossy instead just grants a bit more character perfect for the Coen Brothers's style.
Tahmeed:
Lead:
1. Toshiro Mifune - Rashomon 2. Alec Guinness - The Bridge on the River Kwai 3. Takashi Shimura - Ikiru 4. James Stewart - Vertigo 5. Robert Mitchum - Night of the Hunter 6. Michael Redgrave - The Browning Version 7. Ernest Borgnine - Marty 8. William Holden - Stalag 17 9. Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront 10. James Mason - Bigger Than Life
Supporting:
1. Sessue Hayakawa - The Bridge on the River Kwai 2. Orson Welles - Touch of Evil 3. George Sanders - All About Eve 4. Burt Lancaster - Sweet Smell of Success 5. Masayuki Mori - Rashomon 6. Joseph Schilderkraut - The Diary of Anne Frank 7. Karl Malden - A Streetcar Named Desire 8. Stephen Boyd - Ben-Hur 9. Barry Fitzgerald - The Quiet Man 10. Robert Ryan - The Naked Spur
Probably not.
Luke:
Bram Stoker Dracula's production design is completely mad and completely brilliant. It understand the ridiculous operatic tone of the material and plays right into it. It is marvelous work in every regard as it has just the right tinges of camp, while just being rather stunning looking to begin with. I love how vibrant yet creepy everything is in it. The design itself is so much fun, like a good classic monster movie, while being gorgeous in just the right ridiculous sort of way.
Maybe for Towers.
RatedRStar:
Paxton is a guarantee for Frality.
moviefilm:
For Better:
Rooney Mara - TGWDT Richard Dreyfuss - The Goodbye Girl Russell Crowe - Gladiator William Hurt - Broadcast News John Travolta - Saturday Night Fever
For Worse:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Nocturnal Animals Kevin Spacey - American Beauty
Having trouble thinking of any major ones at the moment, I'm sure there are more though.
94dfk1: It was definitely Mystic River. I've been on the blog since near its inception and he was a 3.5. Penn was also a 5 for Dead Man Walking and is now a 4.5.
I'm interested in any single film from a well respected director. Wajda for example I'm intrigued to see his others films since I liked Ashes and Diamonds. Again Goddard I'm not too keen on given I did not care for Breathless, which I've heard is his most accessible film.
Leigh - (I really do need to see a bit more from him first as at the moment I've seen Secret & Lies (Major hit), Naked (Hit), Mr. Turner (minor miss), Happy Go Lucky (Miss). So at the moment he's hit or miss with me, that seems to stem from his writing method in that he either seems to find the scenes or he doesn't. They just were not quite there with Turner, or Happy Go Lucky (Outside of the Marsden scenes). He did though find what's fascinating in the ordinary in Naked and Secret & Lies where for example random ramblings are fascinating, or family moments never felt more intimate. I will say though as a director he has an effective light touch, and with Turner there is quite the technical mastery. I'm particularly interested in seeing his other period pieces. Again need to see more though.)
Herzog - (I'm barely scratched the surface of his filmography yet from what I've seen there is only one Herzog. It is interesting to examine him as kind of the anti-Malick where nature is something to be feared rather than be awed by it. Herzog captures nature in a very specific colder way, that is incredibly effective in terms of granting you the same mindset as his own. There is something fascinating about the almost casual view Herzog takes in his approach yet in no one does it feel to distant and it is rarely not gripping. He seems to love the extremes, yet sympathizes rather than exploits them whether it is a documentary like Grizzly Man or film like Bad Lieutenant.)
Bergman - (I will say I don't think Bergman is entirely for me, though not that his films are ineffective in my view by any means. Quite the contrary as his use of all that cinema has to offer, visuals, sounds and technique in order to examine the human condition is not only daring but also quite powerful. Bergman often is very stylistic yet never does the style seem to overcome the material. His work always feel that of a single piece, a single voice, which is impressive and does lead to some very unique and powerful films.)
Matt:
Never has an Altman film looked better. Zsigmond's work is astonishing at times. Now you expect beautiful looking vistas in a western those are there. What I love most though is his interior work with his beautiful use of brown hues that convey a certain darkness but almost a warmth in terms of a refuge against cold outside. Furthermore the art direction only amplifies this all the more. Like True Grit it feels like a western yet feels completely of its own style still. It's incredible work as it conveys just this very specific land with every room, and particularly that lonely bridge.
293 comments:
1 – 200 of 293 Newer› Newest»>Best Editing, Hacksaw Ridge
Louis, please don't do this to me.
Good idea Louis, things were getting tight on there.
Robert: I can understand hating the film, but even hating the technical aspects? Haha =D
The editing in Hacksaw is awful. Only makes the cartoonish violence of the last act even more unintentionally comical.
Robert: I see where you're coming from, i am somewhat of a fan of Hacksaw but one aspect in that film that bothers me the most is Vince Vaughn. Horrid miscast.
Actually Vaughn didn't bother me that much.
Go Hacksaw!! ;)
Louis: Read your thoughts on the LOTR songs, come on, you have to admit it's so alluring watching Denethor crunch on them juicy tomatoes.
I am with Robert about this.
I am with Louis about this.
Expected that Silence would win the most =D, also have you seen the new Siskel and Ebert vid posted on the SE site Louis? Oscars soon =D hehe, I cannot wait, I just cant see Affleck winning, I just cant see him making an Oscars speech as opposed to Washington who can give a good speech and sometimes Oscar loves that as shown by Hanks and Caine.
I saw Moonlight recently, and I really, really hope Ali wins. He'd be my favourite winner in that category since Waltz in IB. Also, I think it has the best ensemble of the year.
I too, don't understand the Hacksaw Ridge edit win, sometimes it felt downright distracting.
Louis, your bought on Beatrice Straight in Network.
Also, your top 10 William Holden and Peter Finch acting moments.
Charles:
Judging editing is interesting in that it is something that should by viewed objectively, but it is hard to do so through one's subjective view of a film. It is difficult to say something is well paced if you find every second of the film excruciating to begin with, and you won't exactly notice a coherence within the film if you don't care what's going on to begin with.
Varun:
I know I gave my thoughts on her somewhere.
Holden:
1. "Ak soooooooo" - Stalag 17
2. Ending - Stalag 17
3. Shoot Anything that moves - The Wild Bunch
4. Not a game - Bridge on the River Kwai
5. Johnny Comes Marching Home - Stalag 17
6. The Ending - The Wild Bunch
7. Closer to the end - Network
8. Meeting Norma - Sunset Boulevard
9. "With or Without a parachute?" - Bridge on the Rive Kwai
10. Dunbar is arrested - Stalag 17
Finch:
1. "I'm as mad as Hell" - Network
2. Meeting Arthur Jensen - Network
3. You're the ones that are real - Network
4. "I'm going to shoot myself in the head" - Network
5. A voice in the darkness - Network
6. "I'm sick of it" - Network
7. The Bar Mitzvah - Sunday Bloody Sunday
8. Boldwood snaps - Far From the Madding Crowd
9. Dr. Fortunati confronts sister Luke - The Nun's Story
10. The Final Trial - The Trials of Oscar Wilde
RatedRStar:
I did, their exchange about The Seventh Sign was pretty funny.
I'm not sure if anyone else bought this up, but I'm new to your blog, and I think you should, if you can, try to make a best actress blog. If it's too time consuming I could totally understand, but just throwing an idea out there.
Louis: Scariest scenes from films that aren't horror?
Louis: Thoughts on the art direction of Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers, Return Of The King, An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation Of Smaug and The Battle Of The Five Armies.
Robert: I really love when that happens. Which are your favourites?
For me, the Mulholland Dr. one would rank among the best.
Anonymous:
To quickly reiterate, when I started there were several Actress blogs, no Actor ones, that's why I did exclusively actor, and now it just feels too late to go back to the beginning with that, I also just don't have the time.
Robert:
1. Man Behind Winkies - Mulholland Drive
2. Bathtub - Les Diaboliques
3. Roat's alive - Wait Until Dark
4. Donkey Transformation - Pinocchio
5. I got a dress For You - Goodfellas
6. The Tunnel - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
7. Bilbo wants his Ring - Fellowship of the Ring
8. Everything - The Dark Crystal
9. Judge Doom is a toon - Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
10. Marley's Not Gone - Scrooge(1970)
Although Mulholland Drive's Genre is very debatable.
Luke:
Fellowship - (Like with the original Star Wars, this was the initial leap that proved essentially the greatness of its art direction. Middle Earth feels as a place you visit when you watch the film, there are never sets there are only places. Furthermore though such beautiful locations they are. It does not give just a general fantasy aesthetic rather it devotes the time to crafting each location with such detail. This whether it is the ethereal quality of the Elven forests, and Rivendell, the harsh industrial tone of the Orcs, or the rural splendor of the Shire. Everywhere in between though. You get a certain grit in Terrytown, you get the grandeur of the old statues, even the ruins seem filled with character. It's astonishing work in terms of the rich history and sense of place just from a few broken walls.)
Two Towers - (Continues the great work of the original with a few new fantastic additions. The world Rohan is conceived beautifully, and carefully as it would have been very easy to make it seem goofy. It never is though. Helms Deep is an incredible set piece, the Ent's forest has the right splendor though undercut so slightly with a certain ominousness, the marshlands are absolutely haunting. What they do with the combination of CGI, miniatures and actual sets is just about immaculate. They use all three in tandem to make every place feel real.)
Return of the King - (It must be said everything regarding Minas Tirith is awe inspiring. It is one of the all time great pieces of art direction in film, I'd say. Again what makes it so special is that combination. That may be the highlight but no additional element is underwhelming. As with the whole trilogy even well worn tropes, a dark evil cave with a monster, is made to feel new in some way. There is no aspect that feels rushed. It is all part of a cohesive whole, in the overall trilogy even, that grants a visit to Middle Earth rather than a series of sets, and some CGI.)
An Unexpected Journey - (What was already worked out for in the original trilogy, Hobbiton Rivendell, them still looks good. What are actual sets, the riddle cave, the forest, parts of the rocky mountain, the interior of Radagast's house, still look good. They overplay their hand though with the CGI, sometimes overusing to amplify a set or just simply overusing it. The combination just isn't as assured. Furthermore the CGI because of its overuse oddly looks faker, or simply not as well designed. In fact even when there are real miniatures or large sets the way they use the CGI it makes some of real things look fake. It does feel more of a generic fantasy at times, and it does not quite have that lived in quality. Also, since it's CGI are direction, the white orc looks like garbage, and is a sour point throughout the trilogy.)
Desolation - (The same problems are still there, but this probably has the best this trilogy has to offer. Laketown actual feels like a realized place, the elven interiors feel new, and the gold pit is a highlight, as is Smaug's design for that matter. There is a better combination here and the locations feel more vivid. There are still problems to be sure, the outside of the Elven forest, that white orc is still around, and the rest of Dwarven chambers are far less impressive, but overall it does hearken back to the originals in the right way.)
Battle - (Weakest of the lot with the most overabundance of poorly used, and even poorly designed CGI. There is no sense of place in the battle and part of that is the art direction. Every location feels like it could be anywhere it any time. Oddly enough even the places that looked good the previous film look a bit downgraded here, such as Smaug's lair Thorin's gold fever dream sequence. Could it be worse, sure, there are far worse looking CGI films, but at best it's serviceable which was never was the case with the LOTR trilogy.)
Louis: Lastly, your thoughts on the art direction for each of the harry potter films.
Excellent. And yes, embrace the "Hacksaw" editing.
If Rules Don't Apply, Ghostbusters, and Girl on the Train didn't exist, Hacksaw would be my choice for worst edited film of 2016.
Louis: Have to say that while I love all your Holden Stalag moments, the one I adore perhaps most of all is his interrogation of Price when they're alone in the barracks with Joey. Also, what's your favourite directed scene in the film? For me it's a close tie between 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home', and Sefton's revelation of Price.
Louis: Could I have your thoughts on My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge and Stars from Les Miserables.
RatedRStar: I'm also beginning to believe Affleck won't win. I'll have to deal with an exhausting 3rd Oscar win for Denzel.
What would be your best actress and supporting actress nominees for this year?
Anonymous:
Lead
Stone
Adams (Arrival)
Huppert
Negga
Portman
Supporting
Alidoosti (The Salesman)
Jones (A Monster Calls)
Poots (Green Room)
Malone & Lee (The Neon Demon)
My own personal ballot for Actress and Supporting Actress:
Lead
1. Annette Bening in 20th Century Women
2. Natalie Portman in Jackie
3. Amy Adams in Arrival
4. Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen
5. Mary Elizabeth Winstead in 10 Cloverfield Lane
Supporting
1. Greta Gerwig in 20th Century Women
2. Lupita Nyong'o in Queen of Katwe
3. Felicity Jones in A Monster Calls
4. Zoey Deutch in Everybody Wants Some!!
5. Elle Fanning in 20th Century Women
Thanks, seems like it is a good year for Best Actress. What a pity that Amy can't make it. What is your opinion on Meryl? Is she the 6th? XD
Anonymous:
Hell No, Meryl's not even in the top 20.
1. Emma Stone - La La LAnd
2. Amy Adams - Arrival
3. Natalie Portman - Jackie
4. Mary Elizabeth Winstead - 10 Cloverfield Lane
5. Ruth Negga - Loving
Supporting
1. Taraneh Alidoosti - The Salesman
2. Nicole Kidman - Lion
3. Viola Davis - Fences
4. Imogen Poots - Green Room
5. Felicity Jones in A Monster Calls
1. Amy Adams, Arrival
2. Emma Stone, La La Land/Isabelle Huppert, Elle
4. Natalie Portman, Jackie/Ruth Negga, Loving (I'm having a really tricky time with this one)
1. Viola Davis, Fences
2. Nicole Kidman, Lion
3. Felicity Jones, A Monster Calls
4. Naomie Harris, Moonlight
5. Janelle Monae, Hidden Figures
Lead
1. Natalie Portman - Jackie
2. Amy Adams - Arrival
3. Isabelle Huppert - Elle
4. Sandra Hüller - Toni Erdmann
5. Kim Min-hee - The Handmaiden
Supporting
1. Naomie Harris - Moonlight
2. Felicity Jones - A Monster Calls
3. Greta Gerwig - 20th Century Women
4. Abbey Lee - The Neon Demon
5. Michelle Williams - Manchester by The Sea
Louis: Your thoughts on the special effects and art direction of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Lead Actress:
Stone
Adams (Arrival)
Huppert
Hüller
Steinfeld
Supp. Actress:
Gladstone
Harris
Williams
Davis
Poots
There's a lot I haven't seen...
Luke:
Philosopher's Stone - (A major reason the film should not be hand waved is how well it set up the universe in terms of its art direction. The film established Hogwarts, and so many of the images one thinks of when thinking of Harry Potter. It should be noted there is a certain gloss to it here, more than we'll see later on, but fitting to the more general family friendly tone of this film and the first book. It creates the magic world just as it appears as it should be. That includes the overall design of Hogwarts, the moving paintings, Diagon alley, gringots, all of it looks great, and overall though it establishes essentially what the world is in a very effective fashion. They're wonderful looking yet with the right practicality. Though I will say the forbidden forest is a tad lackluster in this one, though that may be due to the very cartoonish CGI centaurs)
Chamber - (A natural continuation of the first one with a few very strong contributions. The chamber secrets, which begins to allude to the darker side of the universe, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and of course Dumbledore's office. Chamber of Secrets deserves particular credit for standing up to the scrutiny of its appearance later on in Deathly Hallows Part 2.)
Azkaban - (The major bridge to the darker side of the series, which it handles well in a natural transition to almost a more twisted idea to the magical design. In addition to still maintaining the needed sense of wonder all the same. Also all forests are a major improvement over the previous films, and special mention to the Hippogriff and werewolf designs. Also this film sort of begins the specialized "normal" places too, again successfully pulling the film naturally from its Chris Columbus tone. In that just normal rooms, or the midnight bus, begin to have that more lived in style which works well with the changing tone, while again still maintaining a certain magic.)
Goblet - (Ahhh always the most problematic. I don't know what that is with the Yule Ball scene, that scene is just a huge misfire in every regard. The Wizard rock band just looks bad. Past that most things aren't bad they're a little underwhelming. The worldcup isn't anything special, there's nothing remarkable about the designs around the challenges, but I will give to the Riddle's graveyard that is quite good. Again this film tonally seems slightly unsure and that can even be seen in some of the designs. Still more than serviceable most of the time though.)
Order, Half-Blood, Hallows Part 1 & 2 - (Yates clearly had a very good idea what he wanted, and springboards off the seeds from Azakaban. He slowly diminishes the wonder of the art direction in each film to the point that certain sets almost seem like out of a horror film particular Godric's hollow. That is not a criticism as the sets continue to be stunning, particularly the Ministry Atrium, The Cave and Godric's Hollow. Everything seems gradually less wondrous per film which is effective in bringing the film naturally to its darker ends.)
Calvin:
Johnny Comes Marching Home. Love the sense of the community with the barracks, undercut with the unease of the tension of the traitor, topped off with that perfect shot of Sefton noticing the swinging light.
Luke:
I'm with Kate Winslet when it comes to "My Heart Goes On". I just can't abide it. Songs can be melodramatic and overly schmaltzy, and be great. Great is not what this one is for me. For me it is perfect "songification?" of a film I can't abide by either.
I don't care for the film but I do love Elephant Love Medley. Love the arrangements, the passionate performances of Kidman and particular McGregor, and especially how it builds so naturally to its climax from snippet to snippet.
Stars has a fantastic orchestration I love how it combines this certain ominousness with beauty that's a perfect representation of Javert's strict moral code. The vocals make the song, Quast version I'm going with here, as there is a fiery yet controlled passion in his voice that acts as such an effective realization of the character.
Anonymous:
Stunning does not begin to describe the special effects, Space simply had not be realize in such a way before then to that it felt real, those effects are astonishing. The art direction is almost equally as strong. The only reason I say that is because a few of the sets in the Heywood Floyd scenes scream 60's. The designs of the spacecrafts, the Hal section, and the apes section are filled with such unforgettable imagery. Functional to certain degree yet with just right touches of style. The more fantastical elements, the monolith, the star child, Bowman's room contain some of the most memorable and awe inspiring images found in any film.
Louis: Thoughts on the art direction of A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, Amadeus and There Will Be Blood.
Louis: I had no idea Winslet hated My Heart Will Go On.
I give it less than three months before Winslet starts shitting on Colatteral Beauty in an interview.
Everyone: What do you hope most for in 2017.
Christopher Nolan's first directing nomination
Gary Oldman's Oscar win
Michael Fassbender winning the Lead Overall
Cillian Murphy's first Five
I hope for Ansel Elgort to transform into Non-Ansel Elgort.
Spacey will steal the show in Baby Driver.
Someone told me they saw Baby Driver early and that Elgort has improved as an actor. So I guess I'll be cautiously optimistic.
Luke: I assume you mean with film and blog only. =D
Gary Oldman's first Oscar win
Sharlto Copley wins an overall
Nolan's first directing nomination
Charles: Yeah. :)
My biggest hope for 2017: Death Note doesn't suck and Keith Stanfield hits a home run as L.
Luke: Oldman winning the Oscar and Nolan getting his first nomination.
Robert: If I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes too high.
@Anonymous: Yeah, I have my doubts. Wingard's commitment to making it "ultra violent" strikes as a Zack Snyder-like misunderstanding of the material.
That said, Stanfield as L is great casting on paper. Something tells me that if nothing else, he'll be praised.
Luke: It's not exactly hard for someone to steal the show from Elgort.
Anonymous: Of course, though I probably should've said Spacey will be MVP.
I don't know about Death Note, but I'm skeptical about Wingard's possible future remake of I Saw The Devil.
*extremely skeptical
Louis: What are your top 10 acting moments for Samuel L. Jackson and directing moments for Quentin Tarantino?
Louis: Emperor Februaryius? lol
My biggest hope for 2017 is that it comes close to any of the previous years since 2015 and 2016 had many good Oscar films and not many bad ones.
I would like to see Michael Fassbender continue his good Oscar run, he seems to have a George Clooney run which is to a get an Oscar nomination once every 2 years with 2011 for Shame which he came close to Oscar nominated, 2013 for 12 Years, 2015 for Jobs and 2017 for The Snowman, it seems like a good enough bet especially with a good director and a good cast.
As for Death Note, I love L as a character and I liked Keith Stanfield in Short Term 12, and saw a brief clip of him in Get Out where he was pretty creepy, I want to see the trailer for Death Note because I think then I will get a better view if it will be complete garbage or maybe something else.
RatedRStar: Fassbender seems to do great in every odd-numbered year, whereas with the exception of 2008, even-numbered years haven't been particularly strong for him, even though he was very good in Prometheus and Frank.
RatedRStar: On paper, I haven't been this excited for a year since 2012.
RatedRStar: Stanfield's role in Get Out was great. Managed to be really funny and unnerving.
In terms of BP nominated films, it seems to me that 2016 was a much more solid than 2015, from what I've seen from both.
I think 2016 was a better year for the Oscars, yes Nocturnal Animals and Suicide Squad made it in but overall in terms of the best picture films I think 2016 was more consistent.
This is a really silly wish that will probably not happen since he hasnt been nominated since 1980.
John Hurt for Best Supporting Actor for Darkest Hour, his final performance
RatedRStar: As much as I would like a posthumous nomination for one of the all-time greats, quality matters above all else to me and it's difficult to say whether he has enough screen-time.
*he'll have enough
RatedRStar: And I'm calling it now. Oldman, Day-Lewis and Fassbender nominated for Lead next year.
I have heard that Gary Oldman has a really bad reputation in Hollywood, especially since apparently he has criticised awards ceremonies like the Oscars and the Golden Globes and, it really doesnt help him if I am honest in terms of winning.
RatedRStar: He hates the globes, but I don't think he's had a bad word against the oscars.
I hope Cillian Murphy does well, he really deserves to get an Oscar nomination, I kinda wish he had taken that part in 127 Hours since I find him to be on a different level to James Franco.
Anonymous: Warner Bros. really need to push him hard, because aside from Ledger, the actors in Nolan's films never get the attention they truly deserve.
Despite Cillian Murphy being born in 1976, he looks amazing lol would everyone agree he still look about 27 lol.
Louis: Rating and thoughts on:
Martin Balsam in Seven Days in May
Henry Fonda in Fail-Safe and Mister Roberts
Gene Tierney in The Secret of Convict Lake
Adrienne Barbeau in Escape From New York
Also, Louis, if you haven't given them before, can I have your top 10 acting moments for Amy Adams?
Louis: Your cast for a 2000s Manchester by the Sea? I like Michael Keaton as Lee Chandler in a 90s version, as you commented in an earlier post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o-aEUulEDQ
Honest Trailer's 2017 Oscars edition. At least someone else agrees with Sing Street being unfairly snubbed.
Low key British comedies never really get recognised by the Oscars though, Sing Street is techincally an Irish film but you know what I mean. films like Pride, the Cornetto trilogy and Brassed Off didnt get a sniff from the Oscars, I would say unless I get this wrong, the last low key British comedy to get recognised heavily at the Oscars was probably The Full Monty.
Wow, if Oldman, Day Lewis, and Fassbender all get nominated in the same year, it has the potential to be the best ever. 3 of the best actors working today.
Charles: It's all on Joe Wright imo, as he can be hit-or-miss, and the film's reception will tie in heavily as to whether they nominate Oldman. I have faith in Alfredson and of course, Paul Thomas Anderson.
94dfk1: Completely agree. It's a toss up if Oldman gets nominated.
If Oldman is nominated, I think he'll win.
I cant imagine Daniel Day Lewis winning a 4th Oscar, he is a legend but, I just cant see it, I think Oscar would be very reluctant, and it would be pretty insane, a 4th Oscar.
Anonymous: Katharine Hepburn won 4 and Kirk Lazarus won 5, but yeah it's way too soon.
Joe Wright does have a mixed track record, I must say the casting of Darkest Hour is excellent, from Oldman to Hurt to Ben Mendelsohm to Stephen Dillane, that is very good casting, Wright has a decent record with Oscar as well so, Oldman really could do well, he must keep his mouth shut though, he cannot start saying awards are rubbish like my good friend Joaquin did, remember back in 2012, most people were saying it was Day Lewis or Phoenix, and then Phoenix said his comments, and he was out of the race to win, so if Oldman keeps quiet, does the campaigning, he will be fine =D.
I think Oldman will have more advantages of winning the Oscar than DDL because of his role.
Anonymous: The Greatest Prime Minister in my country's history vs. a fashion designer. Yep, Oldman wins hands down.
This is early days of course but it is fun to think who could be 2017s nominees, so if Day Lewis, Oldman, and Frosty the Snowman make up Best Actor, who would the other 2 people be?
RatedRStar: I'm going with Benedict Cumberbatch in The Current War and Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman.
Anonymous: Oldman has a baity role. He'll get the nomination i think. It could still be a toss-up though. Around last year this time, people were predicting Silence for best picture. Look how that went. You never know with the Academy.
RatedRStar: I agree with Luke's choices for the rest of the nominees.
Silence easily could have been an Oscar contender if they had campaigned it correctly, sorted out the release date fiasco, Martin seems to have this odd record with Oscar where he has a film that hits big with the Oscars and then you have films like Silence, After Hours and The King of Comedy where they were expected to do well and then didnt.
Funny thing is, if that was the lineup, it might be the first non-american set of nominees ever in academy history.
Speaking of Hugh Jackman, how do you reckon Kimmel will do hosting the ceremony?
Luke: I would expect at least one American to be there, I think 1983 was the closest to an all Brit lineup with Caine, Courtenay, Conti and Finney.
RatedRStar: Hope he does alright, but the position of Oscar host is a poisoned chalice in my view.
RatedRStar: I have faith in Kimmel.
Luke:
A Clockwork Orange - (Funny in that it is technically dated, despite being pseudo futuristic, in that it looks very seventies actually, though I don't mean that as a criticism. It takes the more garish elements of the style at the time and amplifies them ten fold to come up with something that seems so maddening and claustrophobic. It is kind of the next step from the real seventies style at the time, but if interior decorators never changed their style as well as went a little insane, which is perfect fit for the film. It's perfect fit for the film, and as typical with Kubrick the sets themselves stand as unforgettable.)
Barry Lyndon - (Visually Barry Lyndon is sheer perfection. The art direction essentially seeks to replicate the most elegant painting of the period which it does without a fault. Downright incredible work.)
Amadeus - (Amadeus seems to have a similair style to Barry Lyndon and also does have a similair success in the recreations. Amadeus though differs in its approach. It desires beauty, particularly in the opera scenes, which it excels with, but it goes further than that. Amadeus does not want that distance though, even in those opera scenes, it wants to take you there, rather than still keep you from it. In that Amadeus excels with the grandeur elements of the period, again particularly in the operas, but it also wants you to gain a sense of real people living there that you could interact with. It excels in the regard by balancing the big with the small, the luxury with the simple. It is downright incredible work as well.)
There Will Be Blood - (As Daniel Day-Lewis just seems to have walked out from a photo 1900's, the production design realizes everything around him in those photos. Given the nature of the period, and the setting it actually more modest work than the previously mentioned films. It though is just as effective in crafting a time and place, that also even conveys character. I love the slight touch of the oil derrick seeming just out of place on the hill, that seems to suggest the mad obsession of Plainview, or the hollow simplicity of Eli's church. The most extravagant set is probably the bowling ally which is very Kubrickian, which when talking sets that's usually a very good thing.)
Matt:
Jackson:
1. Diner - Pulp Fiction
2. A Hateful Story - The Hateful Eight
3. Ezekiel - Pulp Fiction
4. A Meeting with Calvin - Django Unchained
5. "They called me Mr. Glass" - Unbreakable
6. His End - Jungle Fever
7. Telling Django is fate - Django Unchained
8. Dinner Table - Django Unchained
9. Jackie gets the upperhand on Ordell - Jackie Brown
10. "Hold on to your butts" - Jurassic Park
Tarantino:
1. Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied France - Inglourious Basterds
2. Diner - Pulp Fiction
3. Shosanna's message - Inglourious Basterds
4. The Hateful Story - The Hateful Eight
5. Ezekiel - Pulp Fiction
6. Crazy 88's - Kill Bill
7. The Brittle Brothers - Django Unchained
8. This could work - Jackie Brown
9. Adrenaline - Pulp Fiction
10. The Bar - Inglourious Basterds
Anonymous:
Balsam - 3.5(Very Balsamy role, in that there to do some exposition and be generally reliable. Well as usual he's very reliable in the role, he's particularly good in his final scene in just conveying his character trying to get a bead on things.)
Fonda - Fail-Safe - 4(There to be the representation of dignity, as he was often called on to do and is quite good at that as usual. Fonda though goes further though in conveying the stress of his character throughout the film while never having a complete breakdown. He's particularly moving as the president makes the agreement, as Fonda keeps his usual proper voice, but portrays the horror of his choice in the president's eyes.)
Mister Roberts - 4(Overshadowed maybe a little bit by Lemmon but Fonda is a good representation of righteous, yet slightly comedic indignation. His best scenes are with Cagney as they kind of battle with this very peculiar sort of intensity that works well for the film.)
Tierney - 3.5(Tierney is good though I feel the role lets her down a bit. She seems to want to play it tougher than the role is. Tierney to her credit though does bring the right confidence to her performance to still make her character a little more than she is as written.)
Barbeau - 3(She really doesn't get much to do, Stanton basically gets the meatier moments though maybe that's just Stanton being Stanton. Barbeau is good though in conveying her character's crisis of conscience in just the margins.)
Matt:
1. The realization - Arrival
2. The miscarriage - Junebug
3. The Opening - Arrival
4. The Handjob - The Master
5. Meeting Madeleine - Junebug
6. Proper introduction - Arrival
7. "How do you Know?" - Enchanted
8. Confronting the mother superior - Doubt
9. Meeting Freddie Again - The Master
10. Language changing your mind - Arrival
94dk1:
Lee Chandler: Nicolas Cage (Think Joe)
Randi: Melora Walters
Patrick: Michael Angarano
Joe Chandler: Michael O'Keefe
Elsie: Jennifer Jason Leigh
It's time for Jackson to go up to a 5 for Pulp Fiction.
Louis: How would you rank the biggest flaws of Superman TAS and Spiderman TAS?
Louis: Can I ask, those 5 nominees that have just been highlighted, of course it is early days, Day Lewis, Oldman, Fassbender, Cumberbatch and Jackman. This is an outside glance of course but what do you reckon, do you reckon one of those could be a dead cert to get in perhaps, any thoughts?
Usually at least one actor early in the year that we predict to get in usually does, like Daniel Day Lewis for Lincoln and Leo for The Revenant for example.
Louis: Have you been keeping up with Legion since the pilot? Because I'm REALLY digging it so far.
Anonymous:
Superman I don't think has any major flaws. There are a few bland episodes, but no truly terrible ones. The animation and writing is actual a bit more consistent than Batman, though that has higher heights.
For Spider-Man as a recall it was downright noisy, often with bad animation, an overuse of narration, while being very melodramatic.
RatedRStar:
If I had guess. Oldman. It is the right role, the Academy has embraced Wright's performers in the past, as long as it gets the proper critical reception.
Day-Lewis is in a film I'll probably quite like(Anderson has yet to do me wrong), but only portions of the Academy embraced Inherent Vice and the Master. Day-Lewis is Day-Lewis, but one can almost forget he's only been nominated five times despite his three wins.
Again Fassbender's film is one I'm very eager to see but I'm not sure of its chances for the Academy overall.
Cumberbatch's film could go either way(I've been warned not to watch the director's previous film), but that does seem like Academy catnip.
Jackman as Barnum seems like perfect casting, the director is an unknown quantity though.
Robert:
I have, and I also am REALLY digging it.
Louis: What are your thoughts on the opening scene of Watchmen?
Louis: I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Terrence Malick, despite loving Badlands and The Thin Red Line but I'm actually really looking forward to Radegund with Diehl and Schoenaerts.
Anonymous:
If you're referring to the Comeidan's death scene, it is a good realization about what's great, and what's not so great about the film. You have Morgan's powerful understated reaction portraying Comedian's sad acceptance of his fate, a marvelous choice in song, some compelling visuals, but then you have some terrible choices. The visuals are compelling but he also over does the action a tad, they're suppose to be people, they don't actually have superpowers, and the over the top sound effects are particular distracting because of that. A good scene still, but if Snyder had just pulled back on his excesses ever so slightly it could have been a great one.
Luke:
That's a great story, and Diehl in that role could be very intriguing. Unfortunately Malick may not really utilize either, unless he is changing back to his Thin Red Line, or even Badlands approach.
Louis: Thoughts on the opening credits of Watchmen.
Luke:
Now that is legitimately a great scene. It is Snyder in his purest state, only imagery. It's rather remarkable in terms of being visual exposition, it sets the world up and even establishes a few of the characters while being such a series of captivating images.
Louis: Out of all the Watchmen, who do you think was the most unlikable?
Anonymous:
Well technically it should be the Comedian, but do to performances it is Ozymandias.
Louis: Agreed. I wish Fassbender was Ozymandias.
I actually that Tom Cruise (whom the studio wanted) would have been a great Ozymandias. It would cleverly use his screen persona as an american action hero and then subvert it with the reveal.
Yeah, that was one of my biggest problems with the movie. You're supposed to see the validity of Ozymandias' point of view, which is what makes the moral dilemma so interesting and complex. But Matthew Goode (with help from Zack Snyder, no doubt) made him just a straight villain.
Robert:
That could have been brilliant.
Matt:
Yeah I don't think Snyder understood the character.
Louis thoughts on Ben Foster winning the Independent Spirit Award?
LOL! A sound mixing nominee has been disqualified for violating academy rules.
Anonymous:
You could say I'm happy about it.
Louis: How do you consider Haley supporting in Watchmen? I thought he was easily the lead.
Also, happy for Ben Foster. Well deserved.
Charles: It's an ensemble.
Louis: Thoughts on the art direction of True Grit (2010)
Cruise as Ozymandias sounds like a gorgeous idea.
I watched The Nice Guys, and I kinda loved it. I think Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is probably the better film because the script for that is tighter but man, I had a blast with this. The two leads are great, Gosling in particular is an absolute riot and is responsible for what I would call probably the funniest scene of 2016.
Louis: Your top ten male leading and supporting performances of the 1950's.
Mine would be:-
1. Takashi Shimura in Ikiru
2. Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront
3. Alec Guinness in Bridge over the River Kwai
4. Montgomery Clift in From Here to Eternity
5. Toshiro Mifune in Rashomon
6. James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder
7. Alastair Sim in Scrooge
8. William Holden in Stalag 17
9. Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire
10.James Dean in East of Eden
I really don't have a top ten for supporting, but Sessue Hayakawa would be my #1.
Louis: Is there any possibility for Morgan Freeman to be upgraded to a 5 for either Shawshank or Driving Ms. Daisy?
I can tell you were really dissapointed that Foster didnt get in Louis =(.
Think of it this way, Foster is young, and say this was Calvin Law living in 1951 he probably would have dissapointed that Trevor Howard never got nominated, but then after some patient he eventually did get a nomination =D, so I am sure in time Foster will be fine.
Louis: Thoughts on the art direction of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
RIP Bill Paxton. Fuck.
RIP Bill Paxton. Damn, too soon.
This is getting fucking ridiculous
R.I.P. Bill Paxton
RIP Bill Paxton
God damn it, not Bill Paxton. RIP.
RIP Bill Paxton
RIP Bill Paxton
RIP Bill Paxton
RIP Bill Paxton. Right before the Oscars.
Game over, man.
Top 5 Paxton performances:
1. Frailty
2. Aliens
3. True Lies ("Ass like a ten-year-old boy!")
4. Hatfields & McCoys
5. Twister (haters can hate)
I was really enjoying Paxton's shift to character actor in recent years. He was such a welcome presence in Edge of tomorrow and Nightcrawler.
My favourite Paxton moment of all-time, even though I loved him in Aliens, Frailty, A Simple Plan etc. has to be that reaction shot to Tom Cruise getting crushed by a truck in Edge of Tomorrow.
Louis: Is it possible for any one of Mortensen's performances in LOTR to go up to a 4.5.
Will Paxton be in the memorial for the Oscars tonight??
I think the Oscars have their remembrance video made already. Don't count on them remembering Paxton in their tribute. Although i hope they edit it for him.
Louis could you your top 5 performances on which your opinion changed the most from the first and after the last time you watched it?
Fuve for the better and five for the worse?
They might have Paxton in, surely it wouldnt take long for that to happen but apparently the remembrance video is done like a week or two before the ceremony, there might be a Bill Murray moment where someone mentions Bill Paxton similar to Harold Ramis, I think that is more likely to happen.
I liked Paxton in Near Dark, he might be a possibility for Bonus supporting 1987, him or Lance Henriksen anyway.
I am going to bed now quite early indeed since here in the UK I will have to get up at 4am to watch the Oscars before work since there is no point me waiting til after work because I will know the results without watching it and that wont be fun.
Saw Moonlight. Quite good actually.
Ali-5
Holland-5
Harris-4.5
Rhodes-4.5
Sanders-4
Monae-4
Also rewatched Manchester by the Sea. I liked it a little more this time.
Affleck-5 (Previously a 4.5)
Hedges-4
Chandler-4.5
Williams-3 (Previously a 2.5. I understand what she was going for now.)
Mol-3.5
Everyone else is a 2.5 to a 3.
And my final Best Actor rankings:
1. Affleck-5
2. Mortensen-5
3. Gosling-4.5
4. Garfield-4
5. Washington-4
RatedRStar: I feel sorry for ya, mate.
Charles: Well, he's got the Sky Oscars channel, I don't. I'm gonna have to wait until tomorrow evening to watch the broadcast and hope it'll be on Putlocker or Alluc.
Louis: Are there any Directors that you've seen little or none from, that you're very interested in. Like Andrzej Wajda, Hayao Miyazaki or Andrei Tarkovsky.
Louis: You'll probably want to stay away from Jean-Luc Godard.
I was going to try and finish my Andrew Garfield article for tonight but realize there's so much to write about. So for now I'll just wish everyone best of luck for their predictions and the films they're supporting.
Calvin: Same, though I honestly don't care what happens tonight, because it's a safe bet all 4 acting winners will be very deserving.
Louis: Your thoughts on Mike Leigh, Werner Herzog and Ingmar Bergman.
My hopes are merely that Ali wins and Hacksaw gets something.
Calvin: Hacksaw Ridge might win Sound Editing and Film Editing. It certainly won't win Sound Mixing, as the academy love to give that award to musicals.
Louis: What's your thoughts on the cinematography and production design of McCabe & Mrs Miller?
My hopes are for Silence winning Cinematography. Hacksaw Ridge getting something. And Jeff Bridges for best supporting actor. But most of won't happen.
My biggest hope is that Hacksaw Ridge gets booed every time it's mentioned.
Robert: Unfortunately, I don't think that's gonna happen.
I would retort Robert, but I know I'd say the same if Nocturnal Animals had gotten multiple nominations. Funny how much one can grow to hate a film in a few months eh?
I'm hoping for Sound Editing at least.
Anonymous:
True Grit is a terrific representation of whatever the Coen brothers encourage out of their art directors given how good almost all of their film look. Here this is technically a little sparser given the use of well chosen locations in the wilderness. The sets though are there again is that great representation as it is something you've seen before, a western, yet not quite in this way. There is just the right touch of style to it all. It never feels phony or glossy instead just grants a bit more character perfect for the Coen Brothers's style.
Tahmeed:
Lead:
1. Toshiro Mifune - Rashomon
2. Alec Guinness - The Bridge on the River Kwai
3. Takashi Shimura - Ikiru
4. James Stewart - Vertigo
5. Robert Mitchum - Night of the Hunter
6. Michael Redgrave - The Browning Version
7. Ernest Borgnine - Marty
8. William Holden - Stalag 17
9. Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront
10. James Mason - Bigger Than Life
Supporting:
1. Sessue Hayakawa - The Bridge on the River Kwai
2. Orson Welles - Touch of Evil
3. George Sanders - All About Eve
4. Burt Lancaster - Sweet Smell of Success
5. Masayuki Mori - Rashomon
6. Joseph Schilderkraut - The Diary of Anne Frank
7. Karl Malden - A Streetcar Named Desire
8. Stephen Boyd - Ben-Hur
9. Barry Fitzgerald - The Quiet Man
10. Robert Ryan - The Naked Spur
Probably not.
Luke:
Bram Stoker Dracula's production design is completely mad and completely brilliant. It understand the ridiculous operatic tone of the material and plays right into it. It is marvelous work in every regard as it has just the right tinges of camp, while just being rather stunning looking to begin with. I love how vibrant yet creepy everything is in it. The design itself is so much fun, like a good classic monster movie, while being gorgeous in just the right ridiculous sort of way.
Maybe for Towers.
RatedRStar:
Paxton is a guarantee for Frality.
moviefilm:
For Better:
Rooney Mara - TGWDT
Richard Dreyfuss - The Goodbye Girl
Russell Crowe - Gladiator
William Hurt - Broadcast News
John Travolta - Saturday Night Fever
For Worse:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Nocturnal Animals
Kevin Spacey - American Beauty
Having trouble thinking of any major ones at the moment, I'm sure there are more though.
I remember seeing a comment on here mentioning that Sean Penn in Mystic River was originally either a 3.5 or a 4 before his current rating of 2.5.
Penn was a 3.5 initially.
Or it might've been Sean Penn in another movie.
Nvm.
94dfk1: It was definitely Mystic River. I've been on the blog since near its inception and he was a 3.5. Penn was also a 5 for Dead Man Walking and is now a 4.5.
Luke:
I'm interested in any single film from a well respected director. Wajda for example I'm intrigued to see his others films since I liked Ashes and Diamonds. Again Goddard I'm not too keen on given I did not care for Breathless, which I've heard is his most accessible film.
Leigh - (I really do need to see a bit more from him first as at the moment I've seen Secret & Lies (Major hit), Naked (Hit), Mr. Turner (minor miss), Happy Go Lucky (Miss). So at the moment he's hit or miss with me, that seems to stem from his writing method in that he either seems to find the scenes or he doesn't. They just were not quite there with Turner, or Happy Go Lucky (Outside of the Marsden scenes). He did though find what's fascinating in the ordinary in Naked and Secret & Lies where for example random ramblings are fascinating, or family moments never felt more intimate. I will say though as a director he has an effective light touch, and with Turner there is quite the technical mastery. I'm particularly interested in seeing his other period pieces. Again need to see more though.)
Herzog - (I'm barely scratched the surface of his filmography yet from what I've seen there is only one Herzog. It is interesting to examine him as kind of the anti-Malick where nature is something to be feared rather than be awed by it. Herzog captures nature in a very specific colder way, that is incredibly effective in terms of granting you the same mindset as his own. There is something fascinating about the almost casual view Herzog takes in his approach yet in no one does it feel to distant and it is rarely not gripping. He seems to love the extremes, yet sympathizes rather than exploits them whether it is a documentary like Grizzly Man or film like Bad Lieutenant.)
Bergman - (I will say I don't think Bergman is entirely for me, though not that his films are ineffective in my view by any means. Quite the contrary as his use of all that cinema has to offer, visuals, sounds and technique in order to examine the human condition is not only daring but also quite powerful. Bergman often is very stylistic yet never does the style seem to overcome the material. His work always feel that of a single piece, a single voice, which is impressive and does lead to some very unique and powerful films.)
Matt:
Never has an Altman film looked better. Zsigmond's work is astonishing at times. Now you expect beautiful looking vistas in a western those are there. What I love most though is his interior work with his beautiful use of brown hues that convey a certain darkness but almost a warmth in terms of a refuge against cold outside. Furthermore the art direction only amplifies this all the more. Like True Grit it feels like a western yet feels completely of its own style still. It's incredible work as it conveys just this very specific land with every room, and particularly that lonely bridge.
Louis: You should definitely watch Tarkovsky's first five films. (Ivan's Childhood, Andrei Rublev, Solaris, The Mirror and Stalker)
Can I have your thoughts on the Oscar results as it goes along.
I'll be here.
The Moonlight joke was fantastic.
Opening was more than tolerable.
Ali wins expected and deserved.
ALI
I can go to bed now.
Content.
I'm so happy for this.
Predictable win. But happy.
Well deserved for Ali.
WHAT? NO.
Oscar Winning Suicide Squad.
Actual lol
Well no La La Land Sweep.
Suicide Squad wins an oscar and Silence won't get diddly-squat.
Power of Atwood I guess? Good costumes though.
Unimpeachable choice, but Jackie should have had that.
The Academy should commit suicide for choosing Suicide Squad.
Charles: God Help Us All and it's a disgrace and an embarrassment.
So the Harry Potter franchise won an oscar, yet not for an actual Harry Potter film, how delightful.
Can't hate on that Fantastic Beasts win at all (yeah I've decided I'll stay up for this)
Charles: Nice pun.
O.J. Made in America, a very deserved win.
Predictions are going terribly haha, but I definitely am going to check both OJ and 13th out.
My prediction have flopped BADLY.
Michael M. probably knows best but this Lin-Manuel guy's a pretty cool guy.
He's kind of America's sweetheart right now.
My friend got tickets to Hamilton and she was quite the happy one, to say the least.
Hey one of my own wins. Arrival wins sound editing!
Kevin O'Connell finally wins!!!!!!
Hugely deserving win for Hacksaw.
Oscars biggest loser won at last. I'm incredibly pleased for him.
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