On another note, I just finished A Knight's Tale for the first time. I absolutely loved it, and Bettany MUST be reviewed, he'd make my own line-up for 2001.
Cast Ratings Ledger-4 Bettany-4.5 Addy-3.5 Tudyk-3 Sossamon-3.5 Sewell-3 Fraser-3 Cazenove-4 (Loved the poignancy he brought to the film, his final reaction is perfect and made the ending all the more sweet)
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on: Zooey Deschanel, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, James Caan and Peter Dinklage in Elf Dennis Leary in The Secret Lives Of Dentists Christopher Walken in The Rundown Alexander Gould, Barry Humphries and Willem Dafoe in Finding Nemo Tilda Swinton and Peter Mullan in Young Adam Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn in Old School Weaver, Voight and Nelson in Holes R. Lee Ermey in Willard John Hurt in Owning Mahowny The cast of Zatoichi
Luke: I saw the theatrical cut, and then I looked up the extended scenes on Youtube. I honestly have no idea why those two scenes involving Bettany were cut, I thought he was fantastic in them.
Tahmeed: His speech in the pillory is my favourite moment of his performance and I was extremely pissed off that it was cut. I hope Louis takes our word and watch the extended cut for the inevitable review.
Luke: I'll do currently on the roster since there's too much to sort.
Least favorites - 1. Enzo Amore 2. Roman Reigns 3. Bo Dallas 4. Heath Slater 5. Big Show 6. John Cena 7. Jinder Mahal 8. Dean Ambrose (Shtick got old for me) 9. James Ellsworth 10. Randy Orton (He sunk)
Moves - Styles Clash Phenomenal Forearm End of Days Kinsasha Coup de Grace Red Arrow Tombstone Piledriver (Does it still count? Muscle Buster Skull Crushing Finale F5
Charles: My favourite currently is either the Styles Clash, F5, RKO or the Musclebuster. My All-Time favourites are the Stone Cold Stunner, Sweet Chin Music and Undertaker's tombstone. My Favourite submissions are the sharpshooter, crippler crossface, cattle mutilation and Angle's grapevine ankle lock.
Reasons why you don't like the ten that you chose. Your opinion on Mahal changed quickly since the last time we were talking about him.
Charles: I completely agree on Ambrose and I sorely miss Legend Killer Orton. The Viper gimmick has been a massive hindrance to his matches and made him a far less compelling promo guy. Cena and Reigns are tied at #1 for me. Can't stand either of them.
Louis: I don't know if you were already asked this, but how would you have improved The Hobbit movies? I'll add that they should have done the special effects the same way they did them in the LOTR trilogy.
Amore(He doesn't have good mic skills to me. Which is a notion that multiple have that he's so good on the mic and can't wrestle. But i don't think he can do either. He's unfunny and botches everything. Even his chemistry is annoying with Cass)
Reigns(I'm sure that i've given enough of an opinion on him but i'll say more. He has potential. I liked him in the shield. But beyond that he's boring. His mic skills are horrid and his moves are lackluster. His fans have a notion that he's not being used good. Which he isn't, but overall he's just limited. He can't do many moves)
Dallas(Horrible. Luckily he's not being used much. But his constant gimmicks are terrible. Is he heel, is he face, all i know is he has no talent and doesn't even have the wrestler look)
Slater(I could tie Rhyno next to him. As i hate their tag team. They don't have good chemistry. Somehow he got over with the crowd since WWE forced him down peoples throats. But even before his teaming with Rhyno he was lackluster. In the Nexus he was only good because of booking and a superior team. I don't think he can survive as a singles competitor)
Big Show(Just leave already. It's beyond me how he's still winning matches. He's winning over superior stars that need to be established. He literally takes up the spotlight. Once i really liked him, but he seems like a bodyguard for a smaller superstar most of the time. His big-guy shtick ended long ago)
Cena(Do i need to say anything? His PG gimmick is bad. I loved him around 2006-7 but once PG hit he sunk. His moves are limited and his promos are the same. His teaming with his spoiled wife is horrid, there's nothing left. He should be losing 90% of his matches)
Mahal(My opinion didn't change, since i always thought he was lackluster, but his title run quickly got annoying to me. I hate his J&J security ripoffs and his promos are lousy, his diversity talk is like a parody. It's amazing how people think he's great on the mic and this push is a good thing but it's not)
1. Upstairs breakdown - Show Me a Hero 2. "Fare Thee Well" - Inside Llewyn Davis 3. Not Killing - A Most Violent Year 4. Cemetery - Show Me a Hero 5. Lets Dance - Ex Machina 6. Passing Akron - Inside Llewyn Davis 7. Meeting the competition - A Most Violent Year 8. Failed debate - Show Me a Hero 9. Playing for Grossman - Inside Llewyn Davis 10. Explaining the experiment - Ex Machina
Luke:
Deschanel - 3(She's doing her typical shtick here but I felt it worked rather well for the part and with the tone of the overall film.)
Newhart - 3.5(I don't think you can ever have too much Bob Newhart and he's a delight here being so dry as always. His dryness is particularly funny here coming out of such an elf and delivering all of the exposition in his trademark deadpan manner. Would not have minded more of him.)
Asner - 2.5(For being Santa in a film called Elf I didn't feel he made much of an impact, he's not bad at all, but just as Santas go I felt he was pretty forgettable.)
Dinklage - 3(Angry Dinklage is usually pretty amusing and that is certainly the case here as he is probably hilarious in bringing just so much intensity in his few minutes.)
Caan - 3.5(Although his character's transition is perhaps a bit sudden just in terms of the writing, Caan still handles both parts well. He's of course best in the "naughty" side since he doesn't hold back in terms of revealing the character's less than appealing side, and is great jerk. He though manages to be effectively warm and sweet later on as well though too even his change of heart is a bit too swift.)
Leary - 4(Again perfectly cast. Leary as an angry patient then a personification of the most base reactions of a distressed husband is a genius just in terms of conception. Leary delivers on this promise first early on being the most intolerable of a guy who you just can't do anything for as every look, and every word that comes out of his mouth has a certain venom to it. He adjusts properly though as the sort of "spirit" as he has those overt moments of extreme sarcasm yet he also brings this almost vile encouragement as Leary brings almost this appeal in just the simplest and potentially worst reaction to any problem.)
Walken - 3(He's Walkining it up to be sure, but he doesn't go too far though to the point of a caricature. I always prefer the actor Walken, but this is a decent example of Walken playing into his sort of known style.)
Gould - 2.5(Nothing really wrong with his performance, but nothing really notable about it.)
Dafoe - 3.5(Dafoe doing comedy is usually a good thing and that's the case here. There's just something particularly funny in Dafoe's conviction to every line even when discussing the ins and outs of an aquarium. He brings a gravitas that both does have well the gravity to it, but is also funny do to that.)
Humphries - 3(Funny as he brings such a menacing voice to his character that ends up being not at all scary, and stays consistent with that even when his character is saying the most nonthreatening things.)
Swinton - 4(Perhaps the best part of that film in playing the part I assume would have been played by Rachel Roberts if the film had been made when it should have been made. Swinton though captures that similair type of spirit in creating the idea of the woman who has this certain assurance of self yet with a undercurrent of vulnerability and desperation that is directly attached to her interactions with McGregor's character.)
Mullan - 3(Underused overall throughout the film though he is fairly moving in the only scene that gives him proper focus as he portrays so effectively the broken spirit of the man who has essentially accepted his own place in life.)
I don't remember much of Vaughn's performance, recall getting very tired of Farrell though.
Weaver - 3.5(Perhaps the first example of just a little too knowing casting of her, however Weaver is reasonably entertaining in sort of playing up the whole reveal of her character, and delivering a properly ridiculous sort of villain. In that she's only ever sort of menacing but that's really the point.)
Voight - 2.5(He goes back forth towards being just entertaining towards Anaconda territory at times. I'll say he's on the better side enough, but it's still close.)
Nelson - 3(Very much in his wheelhouse and Nelson does well with the part expected. He does sort of bumbling quite well, and is particularly a good fit for the setting and style of the film.)
Ermey - 2(As I recall he yelled a lot, which hey I guess that makes sense for Ermey, but felt like a little too much hot air even for him.)
Hurt - 3(Hurt doing an American accent isn't exactly the most natural thing. Hurt's still pretty good her in portraying the slick sleazy style of his unscrupulous casino owner. He portrays so well that greedy glint his eye and does well with his ability to effectively switch at a moments notice from being so phony in his kindness to being not phony at all in his outrage when things don't go his way.)
One of the problems with Zatoichi, well other than the terrible blood effects, was no one really stood out for me beyond Kitano.
Kim - 3.5(He's actually pretty good in portraying the one completely straight performance throughout the film. Even when his performance doesn't seem to make complete sense it ends up being so after the various revelations. He's good at portraying the straight reactions of a normal person dealing with such madness.)
Guest, McKean, and Shearer - 3.5(Their scenes where my favorite segments of the film in doing a shift on their Spinal Tap routine though this time portraying a group generally in agreement though they still find humor in portraying that certain almost despair of sorts behind their seemingly cheery outlook above it all. Like in Spinal Tap they manage just to go just slightly absurd in the performances to the point that they legitimately deliver yet doing it in a way that is absolutely hilarious.)
Willard - 3.5(Consistently hilarious as he stays purposefully one note throughout in him doing his character's purposefully terribly shtick throughout.)
Levy - 3(Eh I just don't love his performances ever entirely as his routine just can get a bit tired as I did feel his did here a bit. He's still funny but I found a little of his voice and manner went a long way.)
I've seen them.
Anonymous:
Bancroft:
1. The attempted Seduction - The Graduate 2. The Miracle - The Miracle Worker 3. First rendezvous - The Graduate 4. The fight - The Miracle Worker 5. Explaining her methods - The Miracle Worker 6. Accidental Revelation - The Graduate 7. Bob's descriptions - The Pumpkin Eater 8. Heart and Soul - To be Or Not to Be 9. Confronting Winston - Young Winston 10. Attacking Jake - The Pumpkin Eater
Anonymous:
Cut it down to two films, some additions were a good idea like Bard's expansions so there would be enough material for two. Use the old methods for the effects. Maintain a more consistent tone, probably lighter then slowly progress to the slightly darker ending.
Anonymous:
Bell - (Probably ridiculous and goofy for such a ridiculous and goofy character.)
Angel - (Consistently hilarious in just staying consistently just as that overt salesman's voice.)
Calvin:
I'm interested. Not sure about Coogan, doesn't strike me as right to convey the innocence of Laurel's onscreen persona, but maybe he could pull it off. Reilly's pretty perfect for Hardy though.
Louis, can you give your thoughts and ratings on Eva Green in "The Dreamers".
Also, just out of curiosity, can you repost your ratings on: - Maria Bello in "The Cooler". - Diane Keaton in "Something's Gotta Give". - Greg Kinnear in "Stuck on You". - Laura Linney in "Mystic River". - Samantha Morton in "In America". - Natalie Portman in "Cold Mountain". - Christina Ricci in "Monster".
And, did you watch "My Life Without Me" and "Under the Tuscan Sun"? I would really like to read your thoughts on both Polley and Lane.
Louis: seeing as Swinton was doubling it up, would it have been interesting to see Paul Dano play both Jay and Johnny Wilcox, as twins? I mean, come to think of it, Dano did the rambling loudmouth and obnoxious public speaker so much better in There Would Be Blood, and it would have been kind of awesome to see him go head-to-head with himself like Swinton did.
Saw Baby Driver. I thought it was very entertaining and absolutely masterfully edited. I feel like this is one that's gonna grow on me.
Elgort-4(Well, damn it, he did it. He's actually a very endearing lead here and makes it easy to follow him through the film. He brings the needed weight to the action scenes and has a wonderful chemistry with James.)
James-4(Impossibly charming. That smile of hers practically lights up the screen. Once again, her chemistry with Elgort was great and I particuarly like their early scenes together when they're relationship is just starting. Simple role, but incredibly well done.)
Spacey-3(Okay, this is a weird one. For much of the film I found Spacey to actually be very entertaining. But then, you know, his last scene makes the rest of his performance not really make sense. I'm really confused about this one, but I still found him entertaining, so I'll keep him at a 3.)
Foxx-4.5(The best I've scene from him. Appropriately entertaining and menacing.)
Hamm-5(Absolutely incredible. I'll keep my specific thoughts on him pretty vague, mostly because it'll take too long to talk about everything I liked about this performance here, but I thought every aspect of what he did was excellent.)
Bernthal-2.5(I mean, I thought he played this role as well as anybody could have, but it's such a nothing part that he still ends up being kinda forgettable.)
Gonzalez-2.5(I don't know, she's just kinda there and really only just for her connection to Hamm's performance.)
I also loved Paul Williams brief appearance, where he essentially reprised his performance as The Penguin.
"Drive" it ain’t, but Edgar Wright’s latest is a fun toe-tapping romp that’s sweet without turning saccharine, and yet it doesn’t lack for high-octane action. Wright deftly lenses his film, weaving through Atlanta traffic (a nightmare, as I can attest) with as much skill as his leading character. Speaking of, Ansel Elgort was finally good in something. He was reminiscent of a softer, more baby-faced Taron Egerton. Lily James was a lovely love interest, her high-wattage smile livening every scene she was in. The baddies Baby hooks up with were mostly solid, with special plaudits going to Kevin Spacey’s Doc. I also really liked Eiza González, and wish she had been swapped out as the final villain of the piece. No disrespect to Jon Hamm, who was good, but I think González’s ferocity would’ve been more compelling. I gotta say, though, I really wasn’t a fan of what Jamie Foxx was laying down. This performance was a more outré, erratic take on his Motherfucker Jones from Horrible Bosses minus 95% of the gravitas. They should’ve just kept Jon Bernthal, who played the same archetype without going overboard.
I also don’t think Doc would’ve been okay with the body count Foxx kept racking up, even aside from his gunrunners. Doc is far too careful, and he even says he won't work with the same crew twice . . . and yet he does here. Why? Considering he owns a slew of crooked cops as gunrunners, surely he isn't hard up for strong-arm muscle to rob a place. And Doc wouldn't want a body count traced to him, and Bats's whole deal is that he's crazy (hence the name). I just can't accept that Doc would work with him again for something like this, especially as their first outing together resulted in what looked like a death and a high-profile car chase.
Also, why did Doc tell Baby to observe things in the post office when Doc's nephew was already going to be doing so, and much more reliably? The Sam stuff was my favorite scene, but again, it felt like things were overcomplicating on Doc's end.
The real star of the film, though, is the soundtrack, and accordingly, the editing. I wouldn’t quite call it a masterpiece, as there are a couple of rough patches in the film’s middle act as well as some glaring redundancies, but I’d definitely go see it again.
Southpaw (Unconvincing), Everest (Wasn't at all memorable in a rather thin role), Demolition (Very good, but in a horrible film), Nocturnal Animals (Terrible) and Okja (Utterly awful). Haven't seen Life yet.
I also saw Okja. It was pretty great, though I'd say Dano was my favourite.
Gyllenhaal has been in a weird spot lately. In general I thought he's best suited to play creepy characters like Donnie Darko (still his best work imo) and Louis Bloom. Now he seems to be trying to reshape his image into some sort of Prestige critical darling. I'm not sure if it's because he's somewhat limited, or perhaps he's been trying to hard, or what.
I started watching Game of Thrones ('bout time, right). I'm only two episodes in but I can already tell that Peter Dinklage is just gonna walk away with this thing. Whole is really good, actually, but Dinklage is just such a blast..
Perhaps a Nightcrawler sequel could get him back on track :)
In all seriousness, I believe he'll get his groove back with time.
Everyone: Predictions for the ratings of Logan Lucky if Louis decides to check it out?
Tatum-3.5 but maybe a borderline 4 Driver-4 MacFarlane- 2.5 or a 2 Keough-3.5 Swank-3 Waterston-3 Stan-2.5 or a 3 (Doesn't seem he'll like get a lot to do) Holmes-2.5 Saving Daniel Craig
Every few years there's one comedic performance that makes some noise. Usually it's something "surprising" like Downey in Tropic Thunder. Craig fits the mold.
Turns out Gyllenhaal is indeed working with Dan Gilroy and Rene Russo again Just checked via the good ol' IMDB. :D
Robert: Soderberghs actors usually get Golden Globe nominations at the least and the Academy does nominate supporting comedic performances from time to time so I wouldn't be surprised. Plus, Craig seems like he's truly digging this role which would encourage him to promote the movie more in theory.
Green - 3(I did not think there was anything readily wrong with her performance overall in terms of just her work in any scene in a most direct way. The overarching approach though always felt somewhat vague to me and lacked any sense of trying to create a proper understanding to what it is that made the siblings the way they were. I did like her chemistry with Pitt, but to me she stayed more of an idea than fully realized character.)
I have seen My Life Without Me, but I'm not sure if you want to hear my thoughts on that one.
Luke:
Johansson - 2.5(This film reminded quite a bit of the composer films by Charles Vidor. It's well shot, but that's all I can give it. The rest of the film is only as appealing as watching merely the pain of a painting dry. Johansson does not help thing really as to me she never was more than just sort of there and I thought there was a distinct lack of anything to her performance whatsoever. It's very bland substance less work.)
Firth - 2.5(He kind of makes that "frustrated artist" face then calls it a day. The relationship with the titular girl feels nothing more than just a fascination to ease that frustration I guess. This is a performance that always feels thin, though the material itself is as such.)
Murphy - 2.5(Wasted in the role, though he tries his best for his few seconds of screen time. It's a nothing role though.)
Parfitt & Davis - 4/3.5(The only people who seemed to have any life to their performances whatsoever, and it's funny as Parfitt's role is even suppose to be stiff to some degree. They actually though managed to convey a very real emotion to Vermeer's attachment to the girl, something that was severely missing from the actual central relationship. Their reactions dealing with that were far more notable with Davis's striking portraying of jealousy, and Parfitt conveying the awkwardness as she attempts to create civility yet within that conveys her own unease as well.)
Wood/Reed - 2.5/3(I have to say I think Reed should have been the one to essentially play "herself" since her performance felt far more of the moment and authentic in portraying the teenage messy angst creating that sense of attempting to just find something to experience in a most problematic way. Now that's all with her being put off to the side. Wood's performance though I felt there was an effort to it at times particularly in her most intense moments and just came off as trying to be what Reed's work simply was. There are moments where she is on that level, usually when she's working directly with her, but when she's not her work becomes a little thin.)
Hunter - 4(Hunter is very good in the role as she manages to find the difficulty of her character really how to act, and is good in portraying that attempt within the character's actions. She's rather moving in the way she reveals her moments of attempting to show love to her daughter, but when she still gets lashed at in those moments she is rather heartbreaking. Hunter portrays the right confusion in her actions as she finds the woman trying to find her own way at any given moment, while always keeping underneath a growing frustration from basically not knowing exactly what to do despite trying so hard.)
Moon & Im - 3.5(Their performances both work in context of any given scene yet they get a bit obscured with the plot they don't quite stand their ground in the way Yum and Kim do. They're still good but they get lost within the plot twists rather than amplify their effectiveness.)
Tears in Heaven - (Well I haven't seen Rush I will say that as expected from a Clapton song the guitar itself is incredibly dynamic and engaging all in itself. The rest of what's "above" it is not nearly as compelling though with some standard repetitive lyrics. It never exactly goes anywhere.)
Iris - (Well the film itself causes me to become naturally adverse to things within it. And like "I believe I can Fly" this is also one that being of the time, the song was excessively overexposed. Nevertheless, even if it is not precisely in my taste, it's a more than decent song with the lyrics frankly being more effective in terms of setting up the film's ideas than the film itself. The instrumentation I think gets a bit over saturated at times, but not in an overly problematic way.)
Calvin:
That went through my head as well, and I think it actually would have worked creating the background of two brothers who both went about "loving" animals in their own separate ways.
Anonymous:
Spacek:
1. Saying goodbye - Badlands 2. Prom - Carrie 3. After the murder - Badlands 4. First Performance - Coal Miner's Daughter 5. The fight - In the Bedroom 6. Unusual crucifixion - Carrie 7. After sex - Badlands 8. Interview - Coal Miner's Daughter 9. Meeting him - Badlands 10. Wedding Night - Coal Miner's Daughter
Cruise:
1. Jazz Man - Collateral 2. Meeting his father - Magnolia 3. "What are you going to do?" - Collateral 4. Interview turns sour - Magnolia 5. He died on the subway - Collateral 6. "FUCK YOUR OWN FACE" - Tropic Thunder 7. Mackey's presentation - Magnolia 8. Meeting Max's Mom - Collateral 9. Cage and the General - Edge of Tomorrow 10. Cops stop the Taxi - Collateral
Irons:
1. Permanent Separation - Dead Ringers 2. Final Call - Dead Ringers 3. "You have no idea" - Reversal of Fortune 4. Meeting Claire together - Dead Ringers 5. Elliot "helps" Beverly - Dead Ringers 6. Fighting for non-violence - The Mission 7. "And a vial of Insulin" - Reversal of Fortune 8. Hiding the truth - Moonlighting 9. Trade off seduction - Dead Ringers 10. Gabriel's Oboe - The Mission
Anonymous:
50's Million Dollar Baby directed by John Huston:
Frankie Dunn: Clark Gable Maggie Fitzgerald: Cloris Leachman Scrap-Iron Dupris: Victor McLaglen
1970's Mystic River Directed by Sidney Lumet:
Jimmy: George C. Scott Dave: Tony Curtis Sean: James Coburn Detective Powers: Robert Duvall Celeste: Lois Smith Annabeth: Joan Hackett Brendan: Richard Thomas
Charles:
I don't feel Judge is an overly visual filmmaker, but that scene certainly is an effectively visceral moment that breaks the film briefly out of the office malaise.
Anonymous:
Cummings Winnie the Pooh is an effective reproduction of what Sterling Holloway did. Nothing new in that regard but the type of imitation that no longer seems as such.
Cullen's Eyeore is pretty similair to that but not quite as seamless though still captures the spirit of the original voice.
I imagine one will have a different experience depending on whether or not they've seen the original Don Siegel film. As a remake this one simplifies elements and keeps certain ones more ambiguous. In turn I found interesting in that Siegel's film, often through the use of the inner thoughts monologues, created more empathy though technically with less sympathetic characters. That film establishes more directly that they all are flawed or desperate in some way. This one keeps more of a distance from the man McBurney, not that he was any "better" in the original film. We view him thought from the woman's perspective here, whereas we do have that in the original but we also see them from his view. Now usually in the act of actually watching a remake, I can usually not think of the original, at that time, but with this film it kept coming to mind due to certain things kept secret, or apparently excised since they do change the nature of certain characters. The sort of major event in the story here is genuinely left to your imagination in terms of a character's motivation, that allows them to still be noble, not so much in the original. Although I will say I found the original a more powerful and haunting film, this was effective atmospheric piece on its own accord particularly in the realization of the way the group of women change and are effected by the man's presence. Although I will say it's probably best not to watch the original first.
Kidman - (Kidman's Miss Martha is probably the most effected by changes since we do learn far more about her Miss Martha in the original as played by Geraldine Page. Kidman's performance is interesting in that she does not seem to drop all that information within her performance though. She plays with the ambiguity and does allude to some dark secrets in some moments in terms of her reactions, even though we never find out what they are here. Her performance excels in that she manages to avoid being vague even though the writing does keep so many secrets from the audience here. Kidman's work though excels in playing around with the idea and being the one who keeps her character somewhat knowable though still not quite possible to decipher. She's particularly good in her scenes with Farrell or about Farrell with other women as she is able to subtly allude to her own passions and jealousy though all within her state as the highest figure of authority. She plays with the idea of that so well, and is effective in that she finds the moral ambiguity within her role even though some of that has been written out this time.)
Dunst - (Well it is perhaps a bit difficult to fulfill any Elizabeth Hartman role, and I certainly did find her character far more heartbreaking in the original particularly in the ending moment which I'm not sure they should have excised to the degree they did. Dunst's performance though is effective in finding another way for the character, though this is one where perhaps Hartman knew exactly how to the play part. Nonetheless Dunst's performance does work in a more actively internalized performance throughout even portraying her character as far more intensely confined throughout the film. She reveals her own lust in this moments of lapses more than a full change throughout, and has those moments of lashing out that increase as the story does. Though I again I prefer what Hartman did, this was at least an effective original take.)
Fanning - (In the role of the overtly horny and lustful I found Fanning manages to find the right balance within her performance. In that she actually does bring a certain comedic quality to this, in her delivery of not so subtle moments of the character, but doesn't overplay. She finds the right reality within the behavior even as it becomes more and more overt. Fanning though does this as she does discover the intention to basically make her intentions known in order to get out of her otherwise bored state.)
Laurence - (Her performance is particularly effective and haunting in offering a bit of purity in portraying her separate interest in the Corporal McBurney as opposed to most of the other women. Her progression or really degradation of this spirit is rather haunting by slowly revealing her own vengeful side that is particularly effective since she reveals it to be such a terrible thing to witness.)
Rice, Howard, and Riecke - (They are given less to do but all effective in making their few personal moments distinct. More importantly perhaps though they are essential in creating the sort of the community of the group. They are never just merely there and in every interaction between each other they create a real sense of the history between those from the school, and also create that growing tension and changes from as McBurney slowly ingratiates himself all the more with them. All together they realize the right richness in the community of sorts both in the moment of happiness but also the moments of fear and betrayal.)
Charles:
Song Kang-Ho:
1. Memory of the murder - Memories of Murder 2. Opening - The Age of Shadows 3. The Tunnel - Memories of Murder 4. Bolero - The Age of Shadows 5. Train bar - The Age of Shadows
Tahmeed:
1. "I don't give a Damn" - Gone With the Wind 2. How to Hitchhike - It Happened One Night 3. Being awoken - Gone With The Wind 4. Walls of Jericho - It Happened One Night 5. One Last Stand - Gone with the Wind 6. Pretend Gangster - It Happened One Night 7. That's Rhett Butler - Gone With the Wind 8. Getting the "reward" - It Happened One Night 9. Meeting with his "sister" - Gone With the Wind 10. Being Fired - It Happened One Night
Gable in prime form was one of the most charismatic performers who ever lived with presence that could go on for miles. Thinking about his strongest roles though I think what Gable usually needed the most was just one element involving the character that allowed him to let loose a bit. In that his purely dramatic performances could be just a little stiff at times, but with say Rhett Butler there is some comic elements in there and he seemed to be able use that to achieve some real height. The thing is with that performance he still hit incredible dramatic heights, but it actually seemed those comic elements helped him to realize that. It's funny since when he was more boxed in by the performance it would appear he had less range, but if the performer allowed him to show both his comedic and dramatic abilities he'd excel at the latter all the more.
Luke:
1. Scenes From a Marriage 2. The New Land 3. Persona 4. Shame 5. Face to Face 6. The Emigrants 7. Hour of the Wolf 8. A Bridge Too Far
Well without having seen a bad performance or even a lackluster one I'd say Liv Ullmann is one of the greatest film actresses of all time. There just is not a false bone in her body it seems as everything that she does just feels honest and authentic to whatever character she is playing. Any age, any circumstance or situation Ullmann somehow finds the truth in to create such emotional poignant and powerful depiction of these various people living in such alternative circumstances. Like Sissy Spacek, the greatness of her work is not about different accents or whatever, but yet her work never seems repetitive or constrained as she so embodies that person, in that place, in that time, through that experience, every time.
Yes she's still my winner.
Calvin:
Yes they do.
Omar:
I'd lean towards lead for Farrell and Kidman, but they are on the border. I wouldn't begrudge anyone for considering this to be a pure ensemble.
1937 - Thank You Mr. Moto (Though not terrible) 1947 - Gentleman's Agreement 1951 - Quo Vadis? 1960 - Dinosaurus! 1968 - Star! 1971 - Godzilla vs The Smog Monster 1973 - Invasion of the Bee Girls 1984 - Police Academy 1985 - Friday the 13th: A New Beginning 1993 - Super Mario Bros. 2003 - The Room though Elephant and Anger Management are harder to watch. 2005 - Son of the Mask 2011 - The Descendants 2012 - Hyde Park on Hudson
Louis: Well just give me your thoughts and rating on Sarah Polley in My Life Without Me. I'm assuming you HATED her. That's too bad but I think I can take it, ha ha ha. And I really want to apologize, seriously, because that is the second film (I think) I've made you watch (alongside Damsels in Distress) that you completely loathed. Sorry, ha ha ha.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (Probably the 2nd best Spider-Man film, I won't go any further as there were some moments that really took me by surprise and don't wish to spoil them for you) Holland - 4.5 Keaton - 4 Batalon - 3.5 Downey Jr. - 3 Zendaya - 3 Revelori - 3 Harrier - 3 Zendaya - 3 Tomei - 3
Isaacs-4.5 (I'm not entirely settled on the rating since it's my first time watching it since I first came out, so I'll need time to ruminate. Isaacs is certainly the greatest Hook though as he really finds a tone here that works on all levels with the film. He's delightfully menacing throughout the film, but in a way that is genuinely threatening rather than just campy, like Dustin Hoffman. I particularly love the sinister way he says "There's no such thing as fairies," as he sees one die right before his eyes. He does go for a lighter approach when the situation calls for it though, such as his reactions to the crocodile, which are genuinely hilarious. To top it all off there's his work as Mr. Darling, which he uses arguably an even more unique approach. He makes the man properly stern, making it easy to see why the children would see him as a villain, but he always plays him as a man trying to care for his family, and I have to admit I found this side of his performance quite endearing.)
1978 - Moment By Moment 1983 - Jaws 3-D 1999 - Wild Wild West 2001 - I Am Sam
Deiner:
Don't worry about it, there's always a chance I might like it. Anyway I didn't hate Polley's performance but what it failed to do for me was get over the hill that was the concept, that should have been poignant yet always felt like a conceit. This came partially from Polley's performance which always to me had a certain unneeded quirk that made her actions seem to come out of requirements for the plot rather than finding an honesty within the idea.
131 comments:
Ooh, very interesting that you've decided to re-evaluate the Korean ensembles, and Caan.
1. Yoo
2. Mac
3. Isaacs
4. Caan
5. Park
1. Yoo
2. Isaacs
3. Caan
4. Mac
5. Park
Luke Higham
1. Yoo
2. Isaacs
3. Caan
4. Mac
5. Park
Luke Higham
My request is Mikkelsen in Valhalla Rising.
1. Mac
2. Park
3. Caan
4. Yoo
5. Isaacs
Mac should win this alone for "...fuckstick?"
1. Yoo
2. Caan
3. Mac
4. Park
5. Isaacs
So glad you decided to review Park & Caan.
1. Yoo
2. Mac
3. Caan
4. Park
5. Isaacs.
Louis: My request is Naseeruddin Shah in Sparsh.
On another note, I just finished A Knight's Tale for the first time. I absolutely loved it, and Bettany MUST be reviewed, he'd make my own line-up for 2001.
Cast Ratings
Ledger-4
Bettany-4.5
Addy-3.5
Tudyk-3
Sossamon-3.5
Sewell-3
Fraser-3
Cazenove-4 (Loved the poignancy he brought to the film, his final reaction is perfect and made the ending all the more sweet)
1. Yoo Ji-tae
2. Caan
3. Mac
4. Isaacs
5. Hae-il
Louis, what's your top 10 acting scenes for Oscar Isaac?
1.Yoo
2.Caan
3.Hae-il
4.Isaacs
5.Mac
1. Caan
2. Mac
3. Park
4. Yoo
5. Isaacs
Tahmeed: I'm glad you loved it. Did you watch the theatrical version or the extended cut with Chaucer's speech in the pillory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lac59xKEH8
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on:
Zooey Deschanel, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, James Caan and Peter Dinklage in Elf
Dennis Leary in The Secret Lives Of Dentists
Christopher Walken in The Rundown
Alexander Gould, Barry Humphries and Willem Dafoe in Finding Nemo
Tilda Swinton and Peter Mullan in Young Adam
Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn in Old School
Weaver, Voight and Nelson in Holes
R. Lee Ermey in Willard
John Hurt in Owning Mahowny
The cast of Zatoichi
Louis: Kim Kap-Soo in A Tale Of Two Sisters and the cast of A Mighty Wind.
1. Yoo
2. Mac
3. Caan
4. Park
5. Isaacs
Louis: Your top 10 acting moments from Anne Bancroft.
It probably wont take too long actually to get through this category since Peter Pan is the only one I think you haven't seen.
1. Mac
2. Park
3. Caan
4. Yoo
5. Isaacs
Luke: I saw the theatrical cut, and then I looked up the extended scenes on Youtube. I honestly have no idea why those two scenes involving Bettany were cut, I thought he was fantastic in them.
Tahmeed: His speech in the pillory is my favourite moment of his performance and I was extremely pissed off that it was cut. I hope Louis takes our word and watch the extended cut for the inevitable review.
I hope Astin will retain his win, though I don't mind Bettany taking it.
Luke: I think he'll keep his win.
My winning request is Bernard Cribbins - The Railway Children.
1. Yoo
2. Mac
3. Isaacs
4. Caan
5. Park
Louis: Could you also get around to watching Thirteen (Holly Hunter) and Girl With A Pearl Earring.
I don't think Astin's win is safe,
Anonymous: I agree with Charles. He's definitely getting upgraded but it's very close between those two.
Anonymous: It's good that we won't have to wait long for Michael's prediction. :)
Rating Predictions
Mac - 4.5
Ritter - 4
Caan - 4.5
Isaacs - 4.5
Yoo - 4.5/5
Park - 4/4.5
Luke: My rating predictions, although i'd love for the first 3 to get fives.
Yoo - 5
Mac - 5
Park - 4
Caan - 4.5
Isaacs - 4
And 4 for Ritter.
2. Mac
4. Isaacs
Charles: What are your 10 least favourite wrestlers and your ten favourite finishing moves.
Luke: I'll do currently on the roster since there's too much to sort.
Least favorites -
1. Enzo Amore
2. Roman Reigns
3. Bo Dallas
4. Heath Slater
5. Big Show
6. John Cena
7. Jinder Mahal
8. Dean Ambrose (Shtick got old for me)
9. James Ellsworth
10. Randy Orton (He sunk)
Moves -
Styles Clash
Phenomenal Forearm
End of Days
Kinsasha
Coup de Grace
Red Arrow
Tombstone Piledriver (Does it still count?
Muscle Buster
Skull Crushing Finale
F5
Charles: My favourite currently is either the Styles Clash, F5, RKO or the Musclebuster. My All-Time favourites are the Stone Cold Stunner, Sweet Chin Music and Undertaker's tombstone. My Favourite submissions are the sharpshooter, crippler crossface, cattle mutilation and Angle's grapevine ankle lock.
Reasons why you don't like the ten that you chose. Your opinion on Mahal changed quickly since the last time we were talking about him.
Charles: I completely agree on Ambrose and I sorely miss Legend Killer Orton. The Viper gimmick has been a massive hindrance to his matches and made him a far less compelling promo guy. Cena and Reigns are tied at #1 for me. Can't stand either of them.
Louis: I don't know if you were already asked this, but how would you have improved The Hobbit movies? I'll add that they should have done the special effects the same way they did them in the LOTR trilogy.
Anonymous: I think he said to cut it down to 1 or 2 films.
Amore(He doesn't have good mic skills to me. Which is a notion that multiple have that he's so good on the mic and can't wrestle. But i don't think he can do either. He's unfunny and botches everything. Even his chemistry is annoying with Cass)
Reigns(I'm sure that i've given enough of an opinion on him but i'll say more. He has potential. I liked him in the shield. But beyond that he's boring. His mic skills are horrid and his moves are lackluster. His fans have a notion that he's not being used good. Which he isn't, but overall he's just limited. He can't do many moves)
Dallas(Horrible. Luckily he's not being used much. But his constant gimmicks are terrible. Is he heel, is he face, all i know is he has no talent and doesn't even have the wrestler look)
Slater(I could tie Rhyno next to him. As i hate their tag team. They don't have good chemistry. Somehow he got over with the crowd since WWE forced him down peoples throats. But even before his teaming with Rhyno he was lackluster. In the Nexus he was only good because of booking and a superior team. I don't think he can survive as a singles competitor)
Big Show(Just leave already. It's beyond me how he's still winning matches. He's winning over superior stars that need to be established. He literally takes up the spotlight. Once i really liked him, but he seems like a bodyguard for a smaller superstar most of the time. His big-guy shtick ended long ago)
Cena(Do i need to say anything? His PG gimmick is bad. I loved him around 2006-7 but once PG hit he sunk. His moves are limited and his promos are the same. His teaming with his spoiled wife is horrid, there's nothing left. He should be losing 90% of his matches)
Mahal(My opinion didn't change, since i always thought he was lackluster, but his title run quickly got annoying to me. I hate his J&J security ripoffs and his promos are lousy, his diversity talk is like a parody. It's amazing how people think he's great on the mic and this push is a good thing but it's not)
Basically what you said about Ambrose & Orton, and Ellsworth is barely effective anymore.
Louis: Your thoughts on Michael Bell as Quackerjack and Jack Angel as Liquidator in Darkwing Duck.
Louis: thoughts on the upcoming Laurel and Hardy biopic with John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan?
Louis: Valhalla Rising had it's theatrical release in 2010.
Matt:
1. Upstairs breakdown - Show Me a Hero
2. "Fare Thee Well" - Inside Llewyn Davis
3. Not Killing - A Most Violent Year
4. Cemetery - Show Me a Hero
5. Lets Dance - Ex Machina
6. Passing Akron - Inside Llewyn Davis
7. Meeting the competition - A Most Violent Year
8. Failed debate - Show Me a Hero
9. Playing for Grossman - Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Explaining the experiment - Ex Machina
Luke:
Deschanel - 3(She's doing her typical shtick here but I felt it worked rather well for the part and with the tone of the overall film.)
Newhart - 3.5(I don't think you can ever have too much Bob Newhart and he's a delight here being so dry as always. His dryness is particularly funny here coming out of such an elf and delivering all of the exposition in his trademark deadpan manner. Would not have minded more of him.)
Asner - 2.5(For being Santa in a film called Elf I didn't feel he made much of an impact, he's not bad at all, but just as Santas go I felt he was pretty forgettable.)
Dinklage - 3(Angry Dinklage is usually pretty amusing and that is certainly the case here as he is probably hilarious in bringing just so much intensity in his few minutes.)
Caan - 3.5(Although his character's transition is perhaps a bit sudden just in terms of the writing, Caan still handles both parts well. He's of course best in the "naughty" side since he doesn't hold back in terms of revealing the character's less than appealing side, and is great jerk. He though manages to be effectively warm and sweet later on as well though too even his change of heart is a bit too swift.)
Leary - 4(Again perfectly cast. Leary as an angry patient then a personification of the most base reactions of a distressed husband is a genius just in terms of conception. Leary delivers on this promise first early on being the most intolerable of a guy who you just can't do anything for as every look, and every word that comes out of his mouth has a certain venom to it. He adjusts properly though as the sort of "spirit" as he has those overt moments of extreme sarcasm yet he also brings this almost vile encouragement as Leary brings almost this appeal in just the simplest and potentially worst reaction to any problem.)
Walken - 3(He's Walkining it up to be sure, but he doesn't go too far though to the point of a caricature. I always prefer the actor Walken, but this is a decent example of Walken playing into his sort of known style.)
Gould - 2.5(Nothing really wrong with his performance, but nothing really notable about it.)
Dafoe - 3.5(Dafoe doing comedy is usually a good thing and that's the case here. There's just something particularly funny in Dafoe's conviction to every line even when discussing the ins and outs of an aquarium. He brings a gravitas that both does have well the gravity to it, but is also funny do to that.)
Humphries - 3(Funny as he brings such a menacing voice to his character that ends up being not at all scary, and stays consistent with that even when his character is saying the most nonthreatening things.)
Swinton - 4(Perhaps the best part of that film in playing the part I assume would have been played by Rachel Roberts if the film had been made when it should have been made. Swinton though captures that similair type of spirit in creating the idea of the woman who has this certain assurance of self yet with a undercurrent of vulnerability and desperation that is directly attached to her interactions with McGregor's character.)
Mullan - 3(Underused overall throughout the film though he is fairly moving in the only scene that gives him proper focus as he portrays so effectively the broken spirit of the man who has essentially accepted his own place in life.)
I don't remember much of Vaughn's performance, recall getting very tired of Farrell though.
Weaver - 3.5(Perhaps the first example of just a little too knowing casting of her, however Weaver is reasonably entertaining in sort of playing up the whole reveal of her character, and delivering a properly ridiculous sort of villain. In that she's only ever sort of menacing but that's really the point.)
Voight - 2.5(He goes back forth towards being just entertaining towards Anaconda territory at times. I'll say he's on the better side enough, but it's still close.)
Nelson - 3(Very much in his wheelhouse and Nelson does well with the part expected. He does sort of bumbling quite well, and is particularly a good fit for the setting and style of the film.)
Ermey - 2(As I recall he yelled a lot, which hey I guess that makes sense for Ermey, but felt like a little too much hot air even for him.)
Hurt - 3(Hurt doing an American accent isn't exactly the most natural thing. Hurt's still pretty good her in portraying the slick sleazy style of his unscrupulous casino owner. He portrays so well that greedy glint his eye and does well with his ability to effectively switch at a moments notice from being so phony in his kindness to being not phony at all in his outrage when things don't go his way.)
One of the problems with Zatoichi, well other than the terrible blood effects, was no one really stood out for me beyond Kitano.
Kim - 3.5(He's actually pretty good in portraying the one completely straight performance throughout the film. Even when his performance doesn't seem to make complete sense it ends up being so after the various revelations. He's good at portraying the straight reactions of a normal person dealing with such madness.)
Guest, McKean, and Shearer - 3.5(Their scenes where my favorite segments of the film in doing a shift on their Spinal Tap routine though this time portraying a group generally in agreement though they still find humor in portraying that certain almost despair of sorts behind their seemingly cheery outlook above it all. Like in Spinal Tap they manage just to go just slightly absurd in the performances to the point that they legitimately deliver yet doing it in a way that is absolutely hilarious.)
Willard - 3.5(Consistently hilarious as he stays purposefully one note throughout in him doing his character's purposefully terribly shtick throughout.)
Levy - 3(Eh I just don't love his performances ever entirely as his routine just can get a bit tired as I did feel his did here a bit. He's still funny but I found a little of his voice and manner went a long way.)
I've seen them.
Anonymous:
Bancroft:
1. The attempted Seduction - The Graduate
2. The Miracle - The Miracle Worker
3. First rendezvous - The Graduate
4. The fight - The Miracle Worker
5. Explaining her methods - The Miracle Worker
6. Accidental Revelation - The Graduate
7. Bob's descriptions - The Pumpkin Eater
8. Heart and Soul - To be Or Not to Be
9. Confronting Winston - Young Winston
10. Attacking Jake - The Pumpkin Eater
Anonymous:
Cut it down to two films, some additions were a good idea like Bard's expansions so there would be enough material for two. Use the old methods for the effects. Maintain a more consistent tone, probably lighter then slowly progress to the slightly darker ending.
Anonymous:
Bell - (Probably ridiculous and goofy for such a ridiculous and goofy character.)
Angel - (Consistently hilarious in just staying consistently just as that overt salesman's voice.)
Calvin:
I'm interested. Not sure about Coogan, doesn't strike me as right to convey the innocence of Laurel's onscreen persona, but maybe he could pull it off. Reilly's pretty perfect for Hardy though.
Louis, can you give your thoughts and ratings on Eva Green in "The Dreamers".
Also, just out of curiosity, can you repost your ratings on:
- Maria Bello in "The Cooler".
- Diane Keaton in "Something's Gotta Give".
- Greg Kinnear in "Stuck on You".
- Laura Linney in "Mystic River".
- Samantha Morton in "In America".
- Natalie Portman in "Cold Mountain".
- Christina Ricci in "Monster".
And, did you watch "My Life Without Me" and "Under the Tuscan Sun"? I would really like to read your thoughts on both Polley and Lane.
Luke Higham
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the casts of Girl with a Pearl Earring & Thirteen and the leads of A Tale of Two Sisters.
Louis: Thoughts on Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" from the film Rush, and "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls from City of Angels.
Louis: seeing as Swinton was doubling it up, would it have been interesting to see Paul Dano play both Jay and Johnny Wilcox, as twins? I mean, come to think of it, Dano did the rambling loudmouth and obnoxious public speaker so much better in There Would Be Blood, and it would have been kind of awesome to see him go head-to-head with himself like Swinton did.
Louis, what's your top 10 acting scenes for Sissy Spaceck, Tom Cruise and Jeremy Irons?
Louis: Your Liv Ullmann ranking.
I dawn The Beguiled. I haven't seen the original to compare, but I really liked this. Pretty easily my favorite Sofia Coppola movie.
Robert: Who was best out of the cast.
I found all of them to very good. Gun to my head, Farrell or Kidman, but it does feel like a team effort.
Louis: Your cast and director for a 1950's Million Dollar Baby and 1970's Mystic River.
1. Bernie Mac
2. Yoo Ji-tae
3. James Caan
4. Park Hae-il
5. Jason Isaacs
Saw Baby Driver. I thought it was very entertaining and absolutely masterfully edited. I feel like this is one that's gonna grow on me.
Elgort-4(Well, damn it, he did it. He's actually a very endearing lead here and makes it easy to follow him through the film. He brings the needed weight to the action scenes and has a wonderful chemistry with James.)
James-4(Impossibly charming. That smile of hers practically lights up the screen. Once again, her chemistry with Elgort was great and I particuarly like their early scenes together when they're relationship is just starting. Simple role, but incredibly well done.)
Spacey-3(Okay, this is a weird one. For much of the film I found Spacey to actually be very entertaining. But then, you know, his last scene makes the rest of his performance not really make sense. I'm really confused about this one, but I still found him entertaining, so I'll keep him at a 3.)
Foxx-4.5(The best I've scene from him. Appropriately entertaining and menacing.)
Hamm-5(Absolutely incredible. I'll keep my specific thoughts on him pretty vague, mostly because it'll take too long to talk about everything I liked about this performance here, but I thought every aspect of what he did was excellent.)
Bernthal-2.5(I mean, I thought he played this role as well as anybody could have, but it's such a nothing part that he still ends up being kinda forgettable.)
Gonzalez-2.5(I don't know, she's just kinda there and really only just for her connection to Hamm's performance.)
I also loved Paul Williams brief appearance, where he essentially reprised his performance as The Penguin.
Louis: Your thoughts on the infamous "Printer Smashing" scene from Office Space.
Louis: your thoughts/ratings for the cast of Mystery Men
1) Caan
2) Yoo
3) Mac
4) Hae-il
5) Isaac
And I would like to ask a question. I still have a request to make, but I'd like to know, which years are there to choose from. Thank you
Moviefilm: Any year aside from the following-
1971
1973
1984
1985
1960
1951
1937
1947
1968
2011
2012
2005
2003
Saw "Baby Driver" last night. SPOILERS BELOW:
"Drive" it ain’t, but Edgar Wright’s latest is a fun toe-tapping romp that’s sweet without turning saccharine, and yet it doesn’t lack for high-octane action. Wright deftly lenses his film, weaving through Atlanta traffic (a nightmare, as I can attest) with as much skill as his leading character. Speaking of, Ansel Elgort was finally good in something. He was reminiscent of a softer, more baby-faced Taron Egerton. Lily James was a lovely love interest, her high-wattage smile livening every scene she was in. The baddies Baby hooks up with were mostly solid, with special plaudits going to Kevin Spacey’s Doc. I also really liked Eiza González, and wish she had been swapped out as the final villain of the piece. No disrespect to Jon Hamm, who was good, but I think González’s ferocity would’ve been more compelling. I gotta say, though, I really wasn’t a fan of what Jamie Foxx was laying down. This performance was a more outré, erratic take on his Motherfucker Jones from Horrible Bosses minus 95% of the gravitas. They should’ve just kept Jon Bernthal, who played the same archetype without going overboard.
I also don’t think Doc would’ve been okay with the body count Foxx kept racking up, even aside from his gunrunners. Doc is far too careful, and he even says he won't work with the same crew twice . . . and yet he does here. Why? Considering he owns a slew of crooked cops as gunrunners, surely he isn't hard up for strong-arm muscle to rob a place. And Doc wouldn't want a body count traced to him, and Bats's whole deal is that he's crazy (hence the name). I just can't accept that Doc would work with him again for something like this, especially as their first outing together resulted in what looked like a death and a high-profile car chase.
Also, why did Doc tell Baby to observe things in the post office when Doc's nephew was already going to be doing so, and much more reliably? The Sam stuff was my favorite scene, but again, it felt like things were overcomplicating on Doc's end.
The real star of the film, though, is the soundtrack, and accordingly, the editing. I wouldn’t quite call it a masterpiece, as there are a couple of rough patches in the film’s middle act as well as some glaring redundancies, but I’d definitely go see it again.
I honestly though González was the weakest of the cast after Spacey. She struggled with stylized dialogue more often.
To each their own, but I thought González stole that diner scene.
1. Bernie Mac
2. Yoo Ji-tae
3. James Caan
4. Park Hae-il
5. Jason Isaacs
Damn, you know, thinking on it, Jon Hamm just might be my supporting actor win at the moment.
Saw Okja. It was enjoyable, but man, what happened to Gyllenhaal? He was so terrible.
It's hard to believe how underwhelming he's been since Nightcrawler.
Luke: didn't Louis like his work in Demolition?
Southpaw (Unconvincing), Everest (Wasn't at all memorable in a rather thin role), Demolition (Very good, but in a horrible film), Nocturnal Animals (Terrible) and Okja (Utterly awful). Haven't seen Life yet.
I also saw Okja. It was pretty great, though I'd say Dano was my favourite.
Alex: He did, but the film was terrible and I think it hindered his work a tad.
I remember some people liking him in NA (except Robert) before Louis saw it.
I was ahead of the curve.
Alex: Gyllenhaal got a 3.5 on his initial viewing.
I think Gyllenhaal should take a break or something from films and comes back with a great performance.
I thought he was terrible in Demolition. He should just temporarily leave.
Louis: Your thoughts on Jim Cummings' Winnie the Pooh and Peter Cullen's Eeyore.
Gyllenhaal has been in a weird spot lately. In general I thought he's best suited to play creepy characters like Donnie Darko (still his best work imo) and Louis Bloom. Now he seems to be trying to reshape his image into some sort of Prestige critical darling. I'm not sure if it's because he's somewhat limited, or perhaps he's been trying to hard, or what.
Matt Mustin: As the show progresses, plenty of others shine as well, if not more so than Dinklage.
I started watching Game of Thrones ('bout time, right). I'm only two episodes in but I can already tell that Peter Dinklage is just gonna walk away with this thing. Whole is really good, actually, but Dinklage is just such a blast..
Damn, my proofreading sucks. I meant to say the whole cast is really good, but Dinklage stands out. Mark Addy too.
Matt Mustin: The last two seasons for Dinklage haven't been terrific, being saddled with Daenaerys, though he's had his moments.
Perhaps a Nightcrawler sequel could get him back on track :)
In all seriousness, I believe he'll get his groove back with time.
Everyone: Predictions for the ratings of Logan Lucky if Louis decides to check it out?
Tatum-3.5 but maybe a borderline 4
Driver-4
MacFarlane- 2.5 or a 2
Keough-3.5
Swank-3
Waterston-3
Stan-2.5 or a 3 (Doesn't seem he'll like get a lot to do)
Holmes-2.5
Saving Daniel Craig
94dfk1:
Just the main 3.
Tatum - 4
Driver - 4
Craig - 4.5/5 (This is a very atypical performance from Craig)
And it looks like Craig's supporting, so a definite save.
I'm actually predicting Craig will get some real awards attention.
I wouldn't bet on Craig getting award attention. But it's a possibility.
Every few years there's one comedic performance that makes some noise. Usually it's something "surprising" like Downey in Tropic Thunder. Craig fits the mold.
Good point actually. As i said a possibility.
Turns out Gyllenhaal is indeed working with Dan Gilroy and Rene Russo again Just checked via the good ol' IMDB. :D
Robert: Soderberghs actors usually get Golden Globe nominations at the least and the Academy does nominate supporting comedic performances from time to time so I wouldn't be surprised. Plus, Craig seems like he's truly digging this role which would encourage him to promote the movie more in theory.
Yeah, apparently Craig didn't break character on set. He must have really enjoyed himself.
Deiner:
Green - 3(I did not think there was anything readily wrong with her performance overall in terms of just her work in any scene in a most direct way. The overarching approach though always felt somewhat vague to me and lacked any sense of trying to create a proper understanding to what it is that made the siblings the way they were. I did like her chemistry with Pitt, but to me she stayed more of an idea than fully realized character.)
Bello - 3
Keaton - 3.5
Kinnear - 3
Linney - 2
Morton - 4
Portman - 3.5
Ricci - 3.5
I have seen My Life Without Me, but I'm not sure if you want to hear my thoughts on that one.
Luke:
Johansson - 2.5(This film reminded quite a bit of the composer films by Charles Vidor. It's well shot, but that's all I can give it. The rest of the film is only as appealing as watching merely the pain of a painting dry. Johansson does not help thing really as to me she never was more than just sort of there and I thought there was a distinct lack of anything to her performance whatsoever. It's very bland substance less work.)
Firth - 2.5(He kind of makes that "frustrated artist" face then calls it a day. The relationship with the titular girl feels nothing more than just a fascination to ease that frustration I guess. This is a performance that always feels thin, though the material itself is as such.)
Murphy - 2.5(Wasted in the role, though he tries his best for his few seconds of screen time. It's a nothing role though.)
Parfitt & Davis - 4/3.5(The only people who seemed to have any life to their performances whatsoever, and it's funny as Parfitt's role is even suppose to be stiff to some degree. They actually though managed to convey a very real emotion to Vermeer's attachment to the girl, something that was severely missing from the actual central relationship. Their reactions dealing with that were far more notable with Davis's striking portraying of jealousy, and Parfitt conveying the awkwardness as she attempts to create civility yet within that conveys her own unease as well.)
Wood/Reed - 2.5/3(I have to say I think Reed should have been the one to essentially play "herself" since her performance felt far more of the moment and authentic in portraying the teenage messy angst creating that sense of attempting to just find something to experience in a most problematic way. Now that's all with her being put off to the side. Wood's performance though I felt there was an effort to it at times particularly in her most intense moments and just came off as trying to be what Reed's work simply was. There are moments where she is on that level, usually when she's working directly with her, but when she's not her work becomes a little thin.)
Hunter - 4(Hunter is very good in the role as she manages to find the difficulty of her character really how to act, and is good in portraying that attempt within the character's actions. She's rather moving in the way she reveals her moments of attempting to show love to her daughter, but when she still gets lashed at in those moments she is rather heartbreaking. Hunter portrays the right confusion in her actions as she finds the woman trying to find her own way at any given moment, while always keeping underneath a growing frustration from basically not knowing exactly what to do despite trying so hard.)
Moon & Im - 3.5(Their performances both work in context of any given scene yet they get a bit obscured with the plot they don't quite stand their ground in the way Yum and Kim do. They're still good but they get lost within the plot twists rather than amplify their effectiveness.)
Tahmeed:
Tears in Heaven - (Well I haven't seen Rush I will say that as expected from a Clapton song the guitar itself is incredibly dynamic and engaging all in itself. The rest of what's "above" it is not nearly as compelling though with some standard repetitive lyrics. It never exactly goes anywhere.)
Iris - (Well the film itself causes me to become naturally adverse to things within it. And like "I believe I can Fly" this is also one that being of the time, the song was excessively overexposed. Nevertheless, even if it is not precisely in my taste, it's a more than decent song with the lyrics frankly being more effective in terms of setting up the film's ideas than the film itself. The instrumentation I think gets a bit over saturated at times, but not in an overly problematic way.)
Calvin:
That went through my head as well, and I think it actually would have worked creating the background of two brothers who both went about "loving" animals in their own separate ways.
Anonymous:
Spacek:
1. Saying goodbye - Badlands
2. Prom - Carrie
3. After the murder - Badlands
4. First Performance - Coal Miner's Daughter
5. The fight - In the Bedroom
6. Unusual crucifixion - Carrie
7. After sex - Badlands
8. Interview - Coal Miner's Daughter
9. Meeting him - Badlands
10. Wedding Night - Coal Miner's Daughter
Cruise:
1. Jazz Man - Collateral
2. Meeting his father - Magnolia
3. "What are you going to do?" - Collateral
4. Interview turns sour - Magnolia
5. He died on the subway - Collateral
6. "FUCK YOUR OWN FACE" - Tropic Thunder
7. Mackey's presentation - Magnolia
8. Meeting Max's Mom - Collateral
9. Cage and the General - Edge of Tomorrow
10. Cops stop the Taxi - Collateral
Irons:
1. Permanent Separation - Dead Ringers
2. Final Call - Dead Ringers
3. "You have no idea" - Reversal of Fortune
4. Meeting Claire together - Dead Ringers
5. Elliot "helps" Beverly - Dead Ringers
6. Fighting for non-violence - The Mission
7. "And a vial of Insulin" - Reversal of Fortune
8. Hiding the truth - Moonlighting
9. Trade off seduction - Dead Ringers
10. Gabriel's Oboe - The Mission
Anonymous:
50's Million Dollar Baby directed by John Huston:
Frankie Dunn: Clark Gable
Maggie Fitzgerald: Cloris Leachman
Scrap-Iron Dupris: Victor McLaglen
1970's Mystic River Directed by Sidney Lumet:
Jimmy: George C. Scott
Dave: Tony Curtis
Sean: James Coburn
Detective Powers: Robert Duvall
Celeste: Lois Smith
Annabeth: Joan Hackett
Brendan: Richard Thomas
Charles:
I don't feel Judge is an overly visual filmmaker, but that scene certainly is an effectively visceral moment that breaks the film briefly out of the office malaise.
Anonymous:
Cummings Winnie the Pooh is an effective reproduction of what Sterling Holloway did. Nothing new in that regard but the type of imitation that no longer seems as such.
Cullen's Eyeore is pretty similair to that but not quite as seamless though still captures the spirit of the original voice.
Also saw the Beguiled.
Saving Farrell.
Kidman - 4.5
Dunst - 4
Fanning - 4
Rice - 3.5
Laurence - 4
Howard - 3.5
Riecke - 3.5
Louis: your thoughts on the cast of The Beguiled?
Louis: Your top 5 Song Kang-ho Acting moments.
1. Yoo Ji-Tae
2. James Caan
3. Jason Isaacs
4. Bernie Mac
5. Park Hae-il
Louis: Your thoughts on The Beguiled.
Luke Higham:
Michael McCarthy: Your rating and thoughts on Jason Isaacs in Peter Pan.
Luke Higham:
1. Yoo
2. Caan
3. Isaacs
4. Mac
5. Park
Louis: Your top 10 Clark Gable acting moments, and your thoughts on him as an actor.
1. Yoo
2. Caan
3. Isaacs
4. Mac
5. Park
Luke Higham
Louis: Could you rank all of Liv Ullmann's performances.
Omar & Anonymous:
I imagine one will have a different experience depending on whether or not they've seen the original Don Siegel film. As a remake this one simplifies elements and keeps certain ones more ambiguous. In turn I found interesting in that Siegel's film, often through the use of the inner thoughts monologues, created more empathy though technically with less sympathetic characters. That film establishes more directly that they all are flawed or desperate in some way. This one keeps more of a distance from the man McBurney, not that he was any "better" in the original film. We view him thought from the woman's perspective here, whereas we do have that in the original but we also see them from his view. Now usually in the act of actually watching a remake, I can usually not think of the original, at that time, but with this film it kept coming to mind due to certain things kept secret, or apparently excised since they do change the nature of certain characters. The sort of major event in the story here is genuinely left to your imagination in terms of a character's motivation, that allows them to still be noble, not so much in the original. Although I will say I found the original a more powerful and haunting film, this was effective atmospheric piece on its own accord particularly in the realization of the way the group of women change and are effected by the man's presence. Although I will say it's probably best not to watch the original first.
Kidman - (Kidman's Miss Martha is probably the most effected by changes since we do learn far more about her Miss Martha in the original as played by Geraldine Page. Kidman's performance is interesting in that she does not seem to drop all that information within her performance though. She plays with the ambiguity and does allude to some dark secrets in some moments in terms of her reactions, even though we never find out what they are here. Her performance excels in that she manages to avoid being vague even though the writing does keep so many secrets from the audience here. Kidman's work though excels in playing around with the idea and being the one who keeps her character somewhat knowable though still not quite possible to decipher. She's particularly good in her scenes with Farrell or about Farrell with other women as she is able to subtly allude to her own passions and jealousy though all within her state as the highest figure of authority. She plays with the idea of that so well, and is effective in that she finds the moral ambiguity within her role even though some of that has been written out this time.)
Dunst - (Well it is perhaps a bit difficult to fulfill any Elizabeth Hartman role, and I certainly did find her character far more heartbreaking in the original particularly in the ending moment which I'm not sure they should have excised to the degree they did. Dunst's performance though is effective in finding another way for the character, though this is one where perhaps Hartman knew exactly how to the play part. Nonetheless Dunst's performance does work in a more actively internalized performance throughout even portraying her character as far more intensely confined throughout the film. She reveals her own lust in this moments of lapses more than a full change throughout, and has those moments of lashing out that increase as the story does. Though I again I prefer what Hartman did, this was at least an effective original take.)
Fanning - (In the role of the overtly horny and lustful I found Fanning manages to find the right balance within her performance. In that she actually does bring a certain comedic quality to this, in her delivery of not so subtle moments of the character, but doesn't overplay. She finds the right reality within the behavior even as it becomes more and more overt. Fanning though does this as she does discover the intention to basically make her intentions known in order to get out of her otherwise bored state.)
Laurence - (Her performance is particularly effective and haunting in offering a bit of purity in portraying her separate interest in the Corporal McBurney as opposed to most of the other women. Her progression or really degradation of this spirit is rather haunting by slowly revealing her own vengeful side that is particularly effective since she reveals it to be such a terrible thing to witness.)
Rice, Howard, and Riecke - (They are given less to do but all effective in making their few personal moments distinct. More importantly perhaps though they are essential in creating the sort of the community of the group. They are never just merely there and in every interaction between each other they create a real sense of the history between those from the school, and also create that growing tension and changes from as McBurney slowly ingratiates himself all the more with them. All together they realize the right richness in the community of sorts both in the moment of happiness but also the moments of fear and betrayal.)
Charles:
Song Kang-Ho:
1. Memory of the murder - Memories of Murder
2. Opening - The Age of Shadows
3. The Tunnel - Memories of Murder
4. Bolero - The Age of Shadows
5. Train bar - The Age of Shadows
Tahmeed:
1. "I don't give a Damn" - Gone With the Wind
2. How to Hitchhike - It Happened One Night
3. Being awoken - Gone With The Wind
4. Walls of Jericho - It Happened One Night
5. One Last Stand - Gone with the Wind
6. Pretend Gangster - It Happened One Night
7. That's Rhett Butler - Gone With the Wind
8. Getting the "reward" - It Happened One Night
9. Meeting with his "sister" - Gone With the Wind
10. Being Fired - It Happened One Night
Gable in prime form was one of the most charismatic performers who ever lived with presence that could go on for miles. Thinking about his strongest roles though I think what Gable usually needed the most was just one element involving the character that allowed him to let loose a bit. In that his purely dramatic performances could be just a little stiff at times, but with say Rhett Butler there is some comic elements in there and he seemed to be able use that to achieve some real height. The thing is with that performance he still hit incredible dramatic heights, but it actually seemed those comic elements helped him to realize that. It's funny since when he was more boxed in by the performance it would appear he had less range, but if the performer allowed him to show both his comedic and dramatic abilities he'd excel at the latter all the more.
Luke:
1. Scenes From a Marriage
2. The New Land
3. Persona
4. Shame
5. Face to Face
6. The Emigrants
7. Hour of the Wolf
8. A Bridge Too Far
Louis: Your thoughts on Liv Ullmann as an actress.
Louis: Is Ullmann still your winner for 71 or have you switched to Redgrave.
Louis: for a modern-day Wait Until Dark, do Alicia Vikander and Paul Dano as Hepburn and Arkin's characters seem like good choices.
Louis: Do you consider Kidman and Farrell the leads in The Beguiled? Or is it more an ensemble?
Luke:
Well without having seen a bad performance or even a lackluster one I'd say Liv Ullmann is one of the greatest film actresses of all time. There just is not a false bone in her body it seems as everything that she does just feels honest and authentic to whatever character she is playing. Any age, any circumstance or situation Ullmann somehow finds the truth in to create such emotional poignant and powerful depiction of these various people living in such alternative circumstances. Like Sissy Spacek, the greatness of her work is not about different accents or whatever, but yet her work never seems repetitive or constrained as she so embodies that person, in that place, in that time, through that experience, every time.
Yes she's still my winner.
Calvin:
Yes they do.
Omar:
I'd lean towards lead for Farrell and Kidman, but they are on the border. I wouldn't begrudge anyone for considering this to be a pure ensemble.
Louis: Your worst film of:
1937
1947
1951
1960
1968
1971
1973
1984
1985
1993
2003
2005
2011
2012
Luke:
1937 - Thank You Mr. Moto (Though not terrible)
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1951 - Quo Vadis?
1960 - Dinosaurus!
1968 - Star!
1971 - Godzilla vs The Smog Monster
1973 - Invasion of the Bee Girls
1984 - Police Academy
1985 - Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
1993 - Super Mario Bros.
2003 - The Room though Elephant and Anger Management are harder to watch.
2005 - Son of the Mask
2011 - The Descendants
2012 - Hyde Park on Hudson
What about worsts of:
1978
1983
1999
2001
Invasion of the what!!! lol.
Louis: Well just give me your thoughts and rating on Sarah Polley in My Life Without Me. I'm assuming you HATED her. That's too bad but I think I can take it, ha ha ha. And I really want to apologize, seriously, because that is the second film (I think) I've made you watch (alongside Damsels in Distress) that you completely loathed. Sorry, ha ha ha.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (Probably the 2nd best Spider-Man film, I won't go any further as there were some moments that really took me by surprise and don't wish to spoil them for you)
Holland - 4.5
Keaton - 4
Batalon - 3.5
Downey Jr. - 3
Zendaya - 3
Revelori - 3
Harrier - 3
Zendaya - 3
Tomei - 3
Luke:
Isaacs-4.5 (I'm not entirely settled on the rating since it's my first time watching it since I first came out, so I'll need time to ruminate. Isaacs is certainly the greatest Hook though as he really finds a tone here that works on all levels with the film. He's delightfully menacing throughout the film, but in a way that is genuinely threatening rather than just campy, like Dustin Hoffman. I particularly love the sinister way he says "There's no such thing as fairies," as he sees one die right before his eyes. He does go for a lighter approach when the situation calls for it though, such as his reactions to the crocodile, which are genuinely hilarious. To top it all off there's his work as Mr. Darling, which he uses arguably an even more unique approach. He makes the man properly stern, making it easy to see why the children would see him as a villain, but he always plays him as a man trying to care for his family, and I have to admit I found this side of his performance quite endearing.)
My anticipation for Isaacs has gone up even further. I hope Louis reviews him after Mac & Ritter. :)
Michael McCarthy: Your ratings for Yoo, Caan, Mac/Ritter and Park.
Yoo: 5
Caan: 4.5/5 (could use a rewatch)
Mac: 4.5
Ritter: 4
Park: 3/3.5
Caan is an easy 5 for me.
Yoo's work in Oldboy just increases for me overtime. He might even be my favorite in this line.
Luke: Downeys a 3? He doesn't have a lot of screen time or...?
My phone autocorrects "Downeys" to "Disneys". Fitting.
94dfk1: He has about 7-8 minutes and he's entertaining but unlike Civil War, it's same old Stark.
And I'm assuming those 7-8 minutes have all been seen in the trailers, right?
Matt: Probably.
Robert:
1978 - Moment By Moment
1983 - Jaws 3-D
1999 - Wild Wild West
2001 - I Am Sam
Deiner:
Don't worry about it, there's always a chance I might like it. Anyway I didn't hate Polley's performance but what it failed to do for me was get over the hill that was the concept, that should have been poignant yet always felt like a conceit. This came partially from Polley's performance which always to me had a certain unneeded quirk that made her actions seem to come out of requirements for the plot rather than finding an honesty within the idea.
I Am Sam is probably the most misguided film of this century so far. Not only is it poorly made, it's also extremely offensive.
I'm seeing Spider-Man over the next few days. Still a bit annoyed I won't be able to see Baby Driver till August earliest.
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