Bernie Mac and John Ritter did not receive an Oscar nominations for portraying Gin Slagel and Bob Chipeska respectively in Bad Santa.
Sadly a connection between these two performances is this marks one of the last performances of both comedic actors who unfortunately both left us far too soon. This at the very least though is a prime chance for both actors to show off their talents. Mac and Ritter play the head of security and manager respectively to the mall that is the next target of Marcus Skidmore (Tony Cox) and Willie T. Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) who play the mall elf and
Santa in order to eventually rob the mall. Ritter and Mac play what would appear to be the opposition to this plan although not all goes to plan in that regard. A funny note about Ritter here is this is his follow up collaboration with his friend Billy Bob Thornton, after the far more serious minded Sling Blade. Ritter perhaps is technically more at home here playing the store manager who doesn't quite know what to do with this new Santa, who he hired just for working for less. Ritter's great in portraying Chipeska as perhaps the man least qualified to deal with Willie's manner, right from his initial hilarious horrified reaction in an initial misunderstanding about Willie's sexual performance. Ritter's specific aghast face is a classic when it comes to that sort of reaction as he looks upon Willie, delivering the lines as though he an barely comprehend what has happened as he inquires what's going on.
After his initial introduction Ritter is a diversion that occasional appears that is always quite welcome portraying such a terrific spineless and queasy reaction to everything that Willie is. His other scenes though he shares most often with Mac's Gin who Chipeska asks to investigate Willie. In these scenes Ritter is so effectively nebbish in portraying Chipeska's very weak way of asking for Gin to take on the investigation, so well emphasizing that any taboo matter, which includes the preferred term for a person with dwarfism, with both a moment hesitation and almost indigestion at the thought. Now where Ritter is a marvelous little diversion Mac's role is a bit a more substantial given he may be the one man to be able to stop Marcus and Willie. As with Ritter, Mac is perfectly cast in this role as Gin and overall Mac and Ritter's scenes together are highlights within the film. With Ritter being so hesitant while Mac is so properly straight forward as Gin from his opening line of "Fuckstick?" when pondering about the new Santa. Mac's performance is hilarious in actually being rather no-nonsense despite being obviously funny. This plays so well against Ritter's work which always accentuates the tip toeing that Chipeska is doing, meanwhile Gin cuts right through it without a second thought.
Mac outside of those great scenes portrays Gin as actually rather competent head of security as he quickly discovers not only who Marcus and Willie really are but also what they are up to. As with Ritter, any time we stop by with Gin Mac is a delight in revealing this casual yet somehow intense style of Gin, that is particularly funny to watch whether he is dealing out specific pedicure methods or taking down a young shoplifter by stealing his Mp3 player. Mac finds this certain balance as he's is indeed commanding as a proper officer of the law, but his intention is not exactly equal to that. It is revealed that intention is even worse though when rather than having the two robbers arrested he decides instead to extort them by taking half of their take. Mac's great in the initial vicious dressing down which he controls with the right proper smug assurance. The best moment in this though perhaps coming in negotiation for the take where Mac manages to find about fifteen different ways to say half, making some comedic gold out of saying the same thing over and over again. Unfortunately for Gin ripping the two off is not so easy due to Willie's erratic behavior and Marcus not wanting to be ripped off. Mac so enjoyably loses Gin's earlier assurance in these hiccups portraying the frustrations of Gin so amusingly when he has to keep helping them. I have particular affection for his complete loss of his command when he has to concede to the diminutive Marcus's logic that he physically would not be able to move Willie himself forcing Gin to do it. Mac's work makes the most out of his side story as does Ritter to the point that I would have loved to have seen more of them particularly together. Nevertheless what we do get is more than satisfactory due to the incredible comedic timing of both actors who deliver incredibly entertaining performances that don't waste an ounce of their material.
(For Ritter)
(For Mac)
87 comments:
Took me a re-watch to appreciate how funny these two were. Glad you liked 'em.
Also, for a 1980s version of this film, what do you think of Bruce Dern as Willie, Yaphet Kotto as Gin, and um not sure about Bob.
Roddy McDowall
1. Caan
2. Yoo
3. Mac
4. Isaacs
5. Park
Full change. And now i really hope Yoo gets a 5.
1. Yoo
2. Caan
3. Isaacs
4. Mac
5. Park
Also, my revised predictions,
1. Yoo
2. Caan
3. Mac
4. Isaacs
5. Park
On rewatch, I must say, "The Winds of Winter" might just be my favorite Game of Thrones episode ever.
Louis: I'm not sure if you've given this before, but could I have your thoughts on Ramin Djawadi's score for "The Winds of Winter"?
Louis: I dread to ask this, but when will you re-evaluate Robbins.
Louis: have you read The Disaster Artist?
Tahmeed:
I'd say that is a fair assessment in regards to the episode itself, and part of the reason is the score which is probably the greatest use of an original score that I've seen in any tv episode. The titular piece is magnificent and in all reality rather daring considering its change with its use of piano and organ. It takes an even greater step towards a truly cinematic score to a show that was already closer in that vein to begin with. In that it not only amplifies the scene it becomes an inseparable part of it creating that that uneasy calm of only the piano before building so powerfully by adding layer upon layer until the perfect climax. The greatness of the score actually does go beyond even that moment with other fantastic original pieces such as the grand Citadel theme and the arrangements of the older themes that hold quite the impact particularly in the King of the North moment and of course the final scene.
At the very least before I finish the reviews.
Calvin:
I have.
Louis: what did you make of it, I'm guessing you loved it. I just finished reading it and feel like if the film succeeds in translating it to the screen, it could be a true classic.
Calvin:
Really enjoyed it, and I agree I feel it has a real Ed Wood sort of potential there.
I think the crucial thing is to ensure that they don't treat Wiseau as a complete parody. There's plenty of fun and mockery to be had but in the end it's also a tale about a man who just wouldn't give up and succeeded in his own strange way.
Also, will you be able to add The Room supporting players to the 2003 list when the results come around?
10 days to go until winter has arrived. :)
Louis: Could Guy Pearce take the win for 1997 Lead.
I finally decided to have him over Crowe, because while both give flawless performances, Pearce's wordless transformation as Ed Exley is such a brilliant character arc which just resonated with me more.
Calvin:
I agree, again as with Ed Wood where there was certainly fun to be had at Wood's expense but there was always a respect Burton paid to the passion he had for his films, I hope Franco captures the same idea. Due to early word being so positive it is one of my most anticipated for the rest of year.
And yes.
Tahmeed:
It's a toss up with the top three for me that year, so maybe.
Louis: Do you reckon there is any Oscar chance for it or is it just too odd for the Academy?
Anonymous:
I doubt it, unless several of the "legit" contenders fall by the wayside. Franco probably will get a globe nomination though.
Louis: What percentage would you give for a Nolan nomination.
Luke:
If it's critically praised, a DGA nom I'd say over 50 percent, for a Oscar though I'd still say under 50 though. Although the subject matter is the most academy friendly for him yet, Nolan's public popularity almost has certain stigma in the Academy branch, as evidenced by say Spielberg's snub in 75, Howard's in 95, and Affleck's in 2012.
Louis: What percentage would you give for Harry Dean Stanton getting a nomination for Lucky?
Anonymous:
Eh at this venture, I'll give a generous 5%, since the reviews are there, and there is always the chance for a Viggo Mortensen style nomination.
Louis: Your top 10 voices in Batman and Superman TAS.
Anonymous:
Batman:
1. Kevin Conroy
2. Michael Ansara
3. Mark Hamill
4. Arleen Sorkin
5. Richard Moll
6. Adam West
7. John Vernon
8. Paul Williams
9. Roddy McDowall
10. Ed Begley Jr.
Superman:
1. Dana Delany
2. Tim Daly
3. Michael Ironside
4. Christopher McDonald
5. Corey Burton
6. Clancy Brown
7. Joseph Bologna
8. Brion James
9. Malcolm McDowell
10. Gilbert Gottfried
Louis: So, who would you choose to direct The Flash movie?
Anonymous: Edgar Wright
Louis: your top 10 Simon Pegg acting moments?
Louis: Your top 10 Choi Min Sik acting moments too.
Anonymous:
Yes Wright, though I wouldn't be surprised if his experience on Ant-Man has soured him on all franchise superhero films, which is a shame since his sensibilities would work so well for the genre as long as he's allowed to make his film.
Calvin:
Pegg:
1. Gary's breakdown - The World's End
2. Philip's Apology - Shaun of the Dead
3. "I don't think I can" - Hot Fuzz
4. Mother reawakens - Shaun of the Dead
5. Gary in therapy - The World's End
6. "Morning" - Hot Fuzz
7. First Zombie - Shaun of the Dead
8. "Solving" the case - Hot Fuzz
9. King of the Humans - The World's End
10. Meeting the real Murderers - Hot Fuzz
Charles:
Choi:
1. Photo Album - Oldboy
2. Finding the bug - I Saw The Devil
3. Television report - Oldboy
4. A final disdain - I Saw the Devil
5. Happiness or sadness - Oldboy
6. First Murder - I Saw the Devil
7. Full Gangster - Nameless Gangster
8. Pretty unlucky - I Saw the Devil
9. Last meeting - Nameless Gangster
10. Surrender - I Saw the Devil
I saw Homecoming. It's fun, but I still think the first two Raimi films are better. Holland and Keaton are nice.
I'd put Homecoming slightly ahead of the first Raimi film.
Louis: Could Pegg go up to a 4.5 for The World's End.
Luke:
He is a 4.5.
Louis: How do you feel about Man of Steel after three and half years since it was released?
Louis: Your top 10 favorite reactions in film. My top 5 would be-
1. Stare at the Church- The Hunt
2. Salieri while writing the Requiem-Amadeus
3. Howie sees The Wicker Man- The Wicker Man
4. Seeing The Elephant Man for the first time- The Elephant Man
5. The Driver finds the bullet- Drive
Louis: Your thoughts on The Corridor Fight Scene from Oldboy.
Louis: Your thoughts on the Zero Gravity Hallway scene in Inception.
Tahmeed:
1. Marty meets young George - Back to the Future
2. The final freeze frame - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3. Ada after her fingers get cut off - The Piano
4. The Old Man after Ralphie curses - A Christmas Story
5. Michael on the bench - The Godfather Part II
Tahmeed:
1. Nicky's successful turn at Russian Roulette
2. "Who The Hell Are You?!" - Fargo
3. Learning of his Daughter - 10 Rillington Place
4. Sun Woo's joy reaction - A Bittersweet Life
5. Any one of Hans Beckert's reactions - M
1. Any reaction of Celia Johnson's in Brief Encounter
2. Either Rollo Tomasi reaction in L.a. Confidential
3. Nicky's successful turn at Russian Roulette
4. John Hurt discovers the body in 10 Rillington Place
5. George Bailey makes his decision
Also, at #2, anything Takashi Shimura ever does in Ikiru
Louis: your top 10 James Woods and William Hurt acting moments?
Saw Homecoming, thought it was pretty awesome. It utilized the high school setting really well, and has a whole cast of endearing characters to boot, the action sequences are decent and though technically the villain subplot is a bit generic and the climax a tad disappointing, that side of things has one very big plus point.
Holland: 4.5 (terrific reprisal and couldn't be more charismatic as Spidey and sympathetic as Peter)
Keaton: 4.5 (he's a properly intimidating and incisive villain for the most part, with a deadpan streak of humour to boot, and one exceptionally chilling scene)
Favreau: 3 (decent enough reprisal of the hapless right-hand man)
Downey Jr.: 3.5 (he did not feel like he was phoning it in and gave an entertaining rendition of his somewhat off-kilter mentor role)
Bantalon: 3.5 (endearing sidekick without being annoying, and had some of the best one-liners)
Zendaya: 3 (a one-note of sarcastic indifference and I'm glad we'll get to see more of her)
Glover: 3 (limited but thought he did his usual thing well enough, and I hope future films take him in the direction I hope they do)
Tomei: 3 (not given enough to do but liked her charm and most importantly her chemistry with Holland)
Connelly: 3 (nice that Vision's wife gets a role in the universe, her delivery of one line is particularly hilarious)
Harrier: 3 (an endearing love interest of sorts and I'm really glad they went with this particular route for the character, it really made quite the impact)
Revolori: 3 (probably best not to go for the typical jock bully route, and to Revolori's credit he's appropriately as a more pathetic but also obnoxious jerk/rich snob)
Woodbine and Marshall-Green: 3/2.5 (the two are effective enough slimy crooks, and Woodbine in addition has moments where he briefly shows glimpses of Mike Milligan)
Burgess and Starr: 3 (both were hilarious in their little asides, the former the exasperated coach and the latter the exasperated teacher)
Attah (nothing much to say except glad to see him living a much happier life and smiling than when we last saw him onscreen)
Do any of you guys watch Mad Men? I've seen a few random episodes, and Jon Hamm's work in said episodes is phenomenal. On the other hand, I want to know if the series is worth watching in its entirety.
Mad Men is great. Watch it beginning-to-end.
Calvin: I'm leaning towards a 4.5 for Keaton, I agree with everything you said about him.
Watched Homecoming. Very good movie.
Holland: 4,5
Keaton: 4,5
Downey Jr.: 3,5
Bantalon: 3,5
Favreau: 3
Zendaya: 3
Connelly: 3
Glover: 3
Tomei: 3
Harrier: 3
Revolori/Marshall-Green: 3
Burgess/Starr: 3
Is it too late for Jon Hamm to become a leading man in films, since whenever he is in films he is a supporting player, even though he has the look of a leading man?
Louis: Your thoughts on Rorschach's first monologue in Watchmen.
Louis: Could Hill, Wood and Serkis go up to 4s for Return Of The King.
My prediction for Louis' Lead top 5 of 2017.
1. Harry Dean Stanton - Lucky
2. Joaquin Phoenix - You Were Never Really Here
3. Michael Fassbender - The Snowman
4. Daniel Day-Lewis - Phantom Thread
5. Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour
So in the past three days I've managed to see Baby Driver, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and The Beguiled and I enjoyed them all quite a bit. Colin Farrell may even be my lead actor win at the moment.
Louis: Your initial ratings for Hamm, Foxx, Farrell, Holland and Keaton.
Will there be a review tonight?
I Hope it's Isaacs.
Hamm & Fox are strong 4.5s that could very possibly go up. Keaton's a strong 4 that I could see myself bumping up at some point. Holland is a proper 4.
Also saw Spider-Man Homecoming, enjoyable to be sure.
Anonymous:
Well I haven't watched it since I originally saw it, so I'd say my original thoughts more or less stand though it very much indicates the story structure flaws that would become all the prevalent in its followup.
Tahmeed:
1. Salieri learning who Mozart is - Amadeus
2. "They'll vote with Potter Otherwise" - It's a Wonderful Life
3. Rollo Tomasi - L.A. Confidential
4. "You Abandoned Your Child" - There Will Be Blood
5. life preservers - Jaws
6. "Fudge" - A Christmas Story
7. Marty meets young George - Back to the Future
8. Learning of his daughter - 10 Rillington Place
9. Frank listens to In Dreams - Bluevest
10. Nick's Successful turn at Russian Roulette - The Deer Hunter
Charles:
Brilliant sequence with the sheer daring of Park's direction. It never feels a gimmick as he absolutely pulls it off in creating such a visceral and mesmerizing sequence. The one man against so many is sort of Kung Fu trope, yet Park takes that and amplifies it through the artistry to be sure and the impact that every single hit has.
Anonymous:
James Woods:
1. Interrogating the DA - True Believer
2. The chairman - Once Upon a Time in the West
3. Confession - Salvador
4. "Long live the new flesh" - Videodrome
5. Initial meeting - Killer: Journal of Murder
6. Eddie's Lament - True Believer
7. Just Before the Murder - The Onion Field
8. Planning the heist - Once Upon a Time in the West
9. Reenacting the crime - True Believer
10. Being detained - Salvador
William Hurt:
1. "A Romance" - Kiss of the Spider-Woman
2. Goodbye - Kiss of the Spider Woman
3. Story of the waiter - Kiss of the Spider Woman
4. Sickness - Kiss of the Spider Woman
5. After the "meeting" - Kiss of the Spider Woman
6. "You could die Joey" - A History of Violence
7. His history - The Big Chill
8. "Jesus Joey" - A History of Violence
9. Ad-Lib - Broadcast News
10. A Yearbook - Body Heat
Luke:
The sequence I will has one slight problem in that there sort of a lack of stakes in the fight however the staging and execution of it is brilliant particularly through the practical effect of the hallway itself.
Yes.
Anonymous:
The delivery is there by Haley yet the implementation of it is perhaps somewhat heavy handed.
Thoughts and ratings on the cast/film itself of Homecoming Louis?
Also, with relation to Woods, could you see him in any of the roles in Once Upon a Time in the West in a 1980s version?
Or 1990s.
Louis: Your thoughts on "The Power of Love" and the "Earth Angel" cover from Back to the Future.
Louis: Also, which Rollo Tomasi reaction are you referring to? The one when Dudley asks Ed after killing a certain character, or during the final shoot-out?
Louis: Your Original Song winner for 1997.
Louis: Your thoughts on the prison breakdown in White Heat. That's one of Cagney's best moments.
Saw Spider-Man: Homecoming. Very enjoyable.
Holland-4.5 (I truly feel like this is Peter Parker from the comics.)
Keaton-4.5
May-3.5
Glover-3
Zendaya-3.5
Starr-3
Favreau-3.5
Downey Jr.-3.5
Burress-3
Everyone else is a 3.
Bantalons a 4 for me, as gives a good example of how comic relief should work in a movie like this.
Calvin:
The film itself I thought was an enjoyable if almost too lightweight take on the character. It was fun but it really did not get into the character past a very superficial point, but to fair it worked well for the tone. I do feel though the Raimi originals, the first two, managed to be just about as fun while offering a bit more weight to the proceedings. Hopefully they'll delve a touch deeper in the sequels, but again this was definitely entertaining. It worked as a superhero film in a very straightforward way, and unlike most marvel films I thought the villain actually brought something to the film and made proper use of a certain performer. There are other flaws, Spider-Man oddly looked more fake here than he did most of the time in the Raimi version, but its a good ride.
Holland - 4(Holland certainly brings the energy and find a charm within that. I will say the intensity of his rapid-fire dialogue got just a touch musty at times, though Holland certainly tried to get through it with his best efforts. The film though does limit him a touch since we do mostly only go so far with the character, such as his relationship with his past and even his Aunt is almost non-existent. The little that is there in that regard though he does excel with. Most of the time though he's just having a good time and it is easy enough to have that good time with him.)
Zendaya - 3(Basically one note though with just those slight reactions to indicate a bit more which are well done, as is her deadpan deliveries.)
Favreau - 3(His role is very repetitive but he's enjoyable in just doing that slight frustration than sudden over emotional delivery.)
Tomei - 3(Again I wished they explored just a bit more with her character, she's just there really for laughs, but Tomei doing comedy tends to be a good thing.)
Glover - 3(Made the most out of his bit part.)
Downey - 3.5(A good example of Starking it up. More of the same, but he's on point here. He goes further though in his mentor scenes by effectively portraying Tony's difficulty being himself and being any sort of a father figure.)
Woodbine - 3(Did like his few moments where he gets to be a bit more Mike Milligan, but mostly he's just there as a straight forward henchman. He manages to bring a nice bit of style though to a limited role.)
Batalon - 3.5(Could have been pretty annoying but found his timing to be quite on point and managed to make his over eagerness both hilarious and incredibly endearing.)
Marshall-Green - 2.5(Well he's no Tom Hardy still, despite being his clone. He worked alright here, but not too much was required of him.)
Revolori, Burris, Starr - 3(All three offer some funny slight diversions, short but sweet to be sure.)
Rice and Attah - (Fine but just did not get to do much.)
Mando - 2(Old Nacho just wasn't very good here and hopefully he's not the main villain next time.)
Jennifer Connelly's voice work was actually pretty good as well.
Cheyenne in both.
Tahmeed:
Pearce's.
The Power of Love - (Pure 80's and pure Huey Lewis, and I love it. It some how manages to make its bombast something quite special, as it manages as a song to tread some fine line as it is of its period yet it never feels dated in its use in the film, despite that often happening with other films of the period. The opening "bursts" of song are particularly iconic in themselves I think, and what follows is such marvelous expression of what Lewis does best.)
Earth Angel - (An amazing arrangement and a highlight of the score. The "Kiss" moment and the outro pretty much give me chills every time through the sheer beauty of the instrumentation, with that particularly flawless evocation of part of the main score.)
Anonymous:
An amazing scene, and an amazing moment in Cagney's performance as he takes Cody to that next step that shows how he's different from Cagney's other gangsters of the past. The sheer intensity of the psychotic grief is so perfectly captured by Cagney but I love the build up to it with the way the news spreads building until it releases the bomb when Cody rises from the table.
Luke:
Probably "Journey to the Past"
On one hand, I'm glad they didn't get into all that Uncle Ben stuff again, but I can't help but feel that's one of the reasons one feels a little less absorption in Peter Parker's home life and reasons for being Spider-Man. I know you're not a fan of Tobey Maguire, Louis, but I thought he really killed it in the original films when it got to the essence of why exactly he wanted/needed to be Spidey. But the high school aspects were far improved, firstly by getting people who actually looked like high school students.
Calvin:
I feel if they had just developed his relationship with May a bit more they could have created a bit more of an investment without retreading the same material. It actually was rather interesting though that the villain had really the more personal story.
Also I've come to appreciate Maguire's performance, well in the first two.
Louis: Your thoughts on the grapefruit scene from The Public Enemy.
Luke Higham
Louis: Your thoughts on Anastasia and Christopher Lloyd as Rasputin.
Also, have you listened to Go The Distance from Hercules. It's my winner for 97.
Craig's signed up for another Bond.
Calvin: I don't mind that he's doing another one, as long that he's not just in it for the money. Hardy's definitely ruled out from playing him in future, which I'm happy with.
I wonder who'll be cast as the villain or will Waltz return.
If Nolan's involved however, I'd like to see Hardy play something akin to Alec Trevelyan.
Louis: thoughts/rating for Cliff Robertsen in Spider-Man?
I wish Nolan came back to directing thrillers in the style of Memento and The Prestige instead of big blockbusters/sagas, but that's because those two movies are way above anything else he's done in my opinion.
I agree with Alex. Although i love The Dark Knight and others, i think his Memento/Prestige style draws me in more.
Charles: I agree as well, though I don't have a problem with what he's doing now. I just hope Dunkirk meets expectations.
With some of the big films, Dunkirk, Detroit, Lucky Logan and American Made coming soon...
I wonder what films does everybody reckon will be the big Oscar flops that end up bombing critically?
RatedRStar: Not saying they're very likely to flop, but Murder On The Orient Express (Could go either way), The Current War, The Greatest Showman (Same as Orient Express), Wonder (Tremblay) and Thank You For Your Service (Teller).
American Made I have doubts about.
Alex: I agree with you on that one.
Louis (or whoever else if he's already answered this): Is Fassbender lead or supporting for you in Alien: Covenant?
Michael: He's definitely Lead.
Michael: Your rating and thoughts on Fassbender.
Anonymous:
Classic scene to be sure, so well played by Cagney capturing such a petulance in his terrible act. The whole set up of it is great though particularly in the way Cagney's dressed in the scene.
Luke:
Anastasia as a film isn't great, but it's okay. It's is little too obvious in its wish to be Disney by giving almost every facet down from the spunky heroine, the comedic sidekicks for both heroes and villains, and a villain. As a direct ripoff though it is decent, certainly better than the Swan Princess anyway.
Lloyd makes for a properly creepy Rasputin. His role is very thin, though Lloyd does offering a bit more style to it through his raspy delivery.
Michael:
I believe him to be lead.
Calvin:
Well I'm actually glad. They need a fresh director though, no Waltz, and just do one more standalone with just slight facets of the others as Skyfall did. Connect but don't overwhelm as that was a problem with both of the even numbered ones.
Robertson - 4(His performance is one I've come to appreciate all the more with every viewing, though I liked him the first time. He offers a similair stature to the part that Glenn Ford did, but I love the real emotion he brings to the character of Uncle Ben. He's just not someone there to die and really does find real relationship there in just a few scenes. With re-watches his scene before his final scene is rather heartbreaking.)
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