5. George Sanders in Journey to Italy - Sanders gives a somewhat interesting alternate take on his usual persona, though the film's limitations limit his work as well.
Best Scene: Breaking it off.
4. Fredric March in Executive Suite - March gives a terrific performance that refuses to ever make his character a straw man as he gives credence to his character and his views in every one of his scenes.
Best Scene: His philosophy.
3. Anthony Quinn in La Strada - Quinn, despite being dubbed, makes quite the impact in his depiction of a real man of the earth in his blunt physical performance though with the nuance of a man rather than just a symbol.
Best Scene: The Beach
2. Jean Gabin in Touchez Pas Au Grisbi - Gabin sets the standard for the old badass back for one more job trope, by delivering a compelling, charming and always confident performance.
Best Scene: The Exchange
1. Alec Guinness in The Detective - Guinness gives a brilliant portrayal of Father Brown managing to cohere both the detective and the priest in a single incredibly entertaining performance.
Best Scene: Final meeting with Flambeau.
Updated Lead Overall
Update Supporting Overall
Next Year: 1992 Lead
69 comments:
Peter Coyote in Bitter Moon
Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper
Bill Paxton in One False Move
Luke Higham
Crowe
Day-Lewis
Irons
Stoltz
Coyote
Luke Higham
Louis: Your Female top tens and other 4+ honourable mentions.
Russell Crow in Romper Stomper
Bill Paxton in One False Move
Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog
Oh wait, Paxton's in the rankings. I was curious about that performance sine I know a few people who consider it a career best from him.
Louis:
Humphrey Bogart and William Holden in Sabrina
Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster in Vera Cruz
Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner in Broken Lance
Robert Mitchum in River of No Return
John Wayne in The High and the Mighty
Glenn Ford in Human Desire
Jack Lemmon in Phfft and It Should Happen to You
Robert: Well those people have clearly never seen 2 Guns (that's a joke, but I do actually think he's the best part of that movie).
Awesome to see Mifune take supporting. And happy Guinness is in the top 5.
Peter Coyote for Bitter Moon
Russell Crowe for Romper Stomper
Your thoughts on the other 4s in both categories.
And what did you think of Animal Farm.
Also, Tony Todd in Candyman for Supporting.
Jeremy Irons in Damage
Jeff Bridges in American Heart
Matt Dillon in Singles
Campbell Scott in Singles
Eric Stoltz in The Waterdance
John Lithgown in Raising Cain
Russell Crow in Romper Stomper
Peter Coyote in Bitter Moon
Mifune in supporting now! Kind of sad to see Steiger lose his win though :/
Crowe in Romper Stomper is the only one which comes to mind.
Also, big upgrade for Boogie!
Thoughts on Neville Brand in Riot in Cell Block 11, Louis?
In addition to the ones already suggested here are a few more that might be interesting:
Willem Dafoe in Light Sleeper
Tim Robbins in Bob Roberts
Jack Nicholson in Hoffa (I've yet to see it and I know it's extremely divisive, still it'd be nice to see Jack on the blog again.)
Louis: Thanks for the reply regarding Silence. I find Asanos' delivery of "He is Ferreira...only to you! He is Sawano Chuan now..." and "I think...you must be speaking of yourself Padre." quite amusing.
Louis: Your top 15 jack nicholson acting moments
What's Bogart's new rating?
Michael: A 4,5. Louis really liked him on rewatch.
Peter Coyote - Bitter Moon
Russell Crowe - Romper Stomper
Daniel Day-Lewis - The Last of Mohicans
Daniel Auteuil - A Heart in Winter
Willem Dafoe - Light Sleeper
Jeremy Irons - Damage
Tim Robbins - Bob Roberts
Russell Crowe - Romper Stomper
Willem Dafoe - Light Sleeper
Eric Stoltz - The Waterdance
Louis what are your very very very quick thoughts on:
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Them!
Johnny Guitar
Riot to Cell Block 11
Carmen Jones
The Crucified Lovers
Mansour Diouf, Hyenas
Tim Robbins, The Player
Bill Paxton, One False Move
Russell Crowe, Romper Stomper
Federico Luppi, A Place in the World
Daniel Auteuil, Un Coeur en Hiver
Louis: Your 1954 winners.
Louis: And have you seen Sansho The Bailiff.
The trailer for Mother! is out and its done basically like a horror film trailer, not sure if it will actually be like that when it is released though.
RatedRStar: Have a feeling its Lawrence Vs. Bening this year.
If the film Bening is in does well then I think she has a very strong chance of winning, that overdue card will be played.
Louis: What are your ratings and thoughts on Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones, Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge in Johnny Guitar, Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina, Jan Sterling and Claire Trevor in The High and The Mighty?
Louis: Who would you choose for Poison Ivy and Catwoman for the Gotham City Sirens movie?
Louis: Could Caine possibly go up for The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Call me by Your Name trailer is out, I really think Arnie Hammer has a chance for a supporting Oscar nomination.
Anonymous: I thought that as well, but I've been hearing that Stuhlbarg is getting just as much buzz as Hammer and there's a slight possibility of them cancelling each other out.
Louis: Are you updating your '54 top ten soon.
Dennis Haysbert, Love Field
Alec Baldwin, Prelude to a Kiss
Eric Stoltz, The Waterdance
Jack Nicholson, Hoffa
Michael Rapaport, Zebrahead
For 1992 Lead:
Daniel Day-Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans
Peter Coyote in Bitter Moon
Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper
Jeremy Irons in Damage
Eric Stoltz in The Waterdance
I've changed my mind again.
Russell Crowe
Jeremy Irons
Eric Stoltz
Willem Dafoe
Peter Coyote, Tim Robbins or Daniel Day-Lewis
Louis: But again, A re-watch is enough for DDL.
Yea Jeremy Irons is terrific in Damage.
I personally hated Damage. I generally like Jeremy Irons a lot, but I found him dreadfully dull in it.
No need to change your suggestions just because of my opinion :) perhaps Louis will appreciate the performance more than I did.
Giuseppe: I'm usually very cautious with my suggestions and I trust your opinion, not as much as Louis mind you, but well enough anyway.
Day-Lewis
Crowe
Irons
Stoltz
Dafoe
I'd prefer of Irons sat this one out in favor of another actor. He's gotten plenty of reviews on this blog, I would lik to see someone else get their turn.
Robbins instead of Irons.
How has Jeremy Irons had plenty of reviews???? he has only appeared 3 times outside of his Oscar win and his last review which was for Moonlighting was in 2015....nonsense.
Suggestions:
- Benoît Poelvoorde in "Man Bites Dog"
- Edward James Olmos in "American Me"
- Enrico Lo Verso in "The Stolen Children"
- Huw Garmon in "Hedd Wynn"
- Jack Nicholson in "Hoffa"
- Jeremy Irons in "Damage"
- Russell Crow in "Romper Stomper"
- Tim Robbins in "Bob Roberts"
- Willem Dafoe in "Light Sleeper"
Also, would you mind checking out these performances when you're covering '92?
- Alfre Woodard and Mary McDonnell "Passion Fish"
- Michelle Pfeiffer in "Love Field"
- Pernilla August in "The Best Intentions"
All I'm saying is that I'd like to see someone who maybe hasn't been reviewed yet.
I really strongly advise, dont review Jack Nicholson in Hoffa it would be a bad decision, he is quite bad in it I think.
God, I can't decide on what I want. If I get Crowe and Day-Lewis, I'll be happy. Whoever else gets in, I'll accept it.
Jack very well might be bad in Hoffa, but he lists it as one of his favorite performances. Granted, he seems to favor his more hammy performances. Still, I'm a huge fan of him and even tend to like his indulgent performances more than most do.
I would only take notice of an actors supposed favorite performance with a grain of salt as apparently Alec Guinness thought Hitler: The Last Ten Days was his best performance and we all know that is clearly not true.
I might be wrong about Nicholson, Louis might like him, I just didnt on this occasion, I think most people would describe themselves as Nicholson fans in general lol.
I've seen Hoffa. Jack is a worthy review. And Irons & Robbins are both great to me.
Luke:
Actress:
1. Giulietta Masina - La Strada
2. Brenda De Banzie - Hobson's Choice
3. Ingrid Bergman - Journey to Italy
4. Judy Garland - A Star is Born
5. Dorothy Dandridge - Carmen Jones - 4
6. Kyoko Kagawa - The Crucified Lovers - 4
7. Yvonne Mitchell - The Divided Heart
8. Cornell Borchers - The Divided Heart
9. Marilyn Monroe - River of No Return
10. Judy Holliday - It Should Happen To You - 4
Supporting Actress:
1. Eva Marie Saint - On the Waterfront
2. Kyoko Kagawa - Sansho The Baliff - 5
3. Margaret Leighton - Carrington V.C. - 5
4. Thelma Ritter - Rear Window
5. Mercedes McCambridge - Johnny Guitar - 4.5
6. Kinuyo Tanaka - Sansho the Baliff - 4
7. Shelley Winters - Executive Suite
8. Grace Kelly - Rear Window
9. Nina Foch - Executive Suite
10. Noelle Middleton - Carrigton V.C.
Director: Akira Kurosawa - Seven Samurai
Production Design: Rear Window
Sound Editing: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Sound Mixing: Seven Samurai
Score: On the Waterfront
Editing: Seven Samurai
Visual Effects: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Costume Design: Seven Samurai
Cinematography: Seven Samurai
Makeup and Hairstyling: Seven Samurai
Adapted Screenplay: On the Waterfront
Original Screenplay: Seven Samurai
No.
Anonymous:
Bogart - 4(Despite apparently being miserable on set Bogart's performance actually works oddly enough, maybe being partially because of this as that frustrated state seems to set up so well the harried state of his character who is constantly preoccupied with other things rather than the central romance. The thing is though this makes those moments all the sweeter as Bogart does deliver in those scenes and I rather liked his very understated chemistry with Hepburn, though that's sort of Hepburn's forte.)
Holden - 3.5(Holden's overtly charming performance does work here even if it does not make him all the appealing, in fact he's often obnoxious yet this works as a good contrast to the always low key Bogart. This approach though absolutely pays off though in that final scene as he makes his turn around a particularly joyous thing, as he finally reveals a bit of substance in the happy go lucky brother.)
Cooper - 3.5(Cooper does deliver here and even ends up showing up Lancaster here as this is one of the time where sort of that stoic magnetism does come through a bit, and it works well for his character who is always a bit too the side yet does command a certain authority. This is sort of the Cooper everyone else always describes, though still not quite I'd say.)
Lancaster - 3.5(Lancaster's pretty good for most of the film playing into his wildman side and it's a decent example of that. He struggles a bit though when the film wants him to become a more overt villain, and that change just wasn't as effective as it should have been.)
Tracy - 2(Disappointing once again often just giving a bland performance then coming off as terribly overcooked whenever his character is acting outraged. This was suppose to be larger than life but Tracy just comes off as sort of randomly temperamental, and never brings the presence needed for the way his character is built up.)
Wagner - 1.5(Wagner here is very forgettable and doesn't pick up the weight of Tracy's performance, which there wasn't even much of it. It's uninspired work that lacks the needed emotional weight at every turn of the film no matter how dramatic it should be. It's a lifeless performance that keeps the film very much the same.)
Mitchum - 3(Mitchum's presence is enough to carry through this film despite his character being rather poorly and underwritten at times. The only consistent factor is Mitchum being Mitchum which is good enough, but really he's overshadowed by Monroe.)
Wayne - 2.5(He's not bad at all, he's good in sort of the calm the passengers scene even yet he seems terribly underused throughout and there's a strange lack of urgency in his character's story even. Does what he can but the role just isn't there.)
Ford - 2.5(Certainly no Gabin in The Human Beast. In fact his whole character seems oddly out of the central conflict almost all the time. He's mostly there to basically not be in any sort of trouble, which just being a normal guy Ford's decent at yet this also makes it so there never feels any real conflict in terms of whether or not he do what Grahame's character wants him to do.)
Lemmon - Phfft/It should happen to you - 3.5/4(Very similair in both yet, along with Holliday, his timing just seems a bit more on in It Should Happen to You. The two are very charming and funny together there. In Phfft they're more than decent as well, but it's a definite step down. Anyway this is a good early example of Lemmon's comedic ability, and actually he's rather effectively low key here when compared to some of his later work with Wilder.)
Anonymous:
Hasegawa - 4(His performance works here as he does not portray this role as any sort of Lothario or even intentional in becoming the titular lover. There is instead a tragedy in this as Hasegawa portrays this certain haplessness in the behavior that is amusing at times yet also heartbreaking as he shows that he accidentally fell into this situation even. He manages to find this strange yet affecting combination of anguish with joy as he finally admits to his love due to having his life being destroyed merely by the implication of it.)
Brand - 4(It is interesting to see Brand in the lead here, and he actually does deliver as such here. He's very well cast as the hard inmate and he delivers in that respect in that despite being the "hero" Brand keeps the harsh style of the character ever present. In that though he portrays well the intensity of the passion of the cause, though again he always balances that with the nature of the man. He's particularly strong in his final scene where we see the slightest hope he finally brings to the character so effectively dashed in a single reaction of Brand's.)
Animal Farm's weakest aspect I'd say is its ending that feels like a faulty attempt to give it a happy ending which is odd given the nature of the film, which is done as more of this animated documentary. As that animated documentary though I thought is was rather effective particularly the animation which felt like a twist on Disney that felt appropriate for the material.
Calvin:
I have to admit I begrudgingly put Mifune supporting, though he is easily my win there.
Anonymous:
Nicholson:
1. Finding Billy - One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
2. Speaking to his father - Five Easy Pieces
3. Forget it Jake - Chinatown
4. Baseball game - One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
5. Cigarettes - One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
6. "My Sister, My Daughter" - Chinatown
7. The Diner - Five Easy Pieces
8. Bar confrontation - The Last Detail
9. A bad Joke - Chinatown
10. Trying to throw the fountain - One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
11. Figuring out the chief - One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
12. Highway Piano - Five Easy Pieces
13. The beat down - The Last Detail
14. Helping Louise - Reds
15. Visiting his family - Ironweed
Anonymous:
Creature From the Black Lagoon - (Like the visual style, and the creature though it is rather lacking on character especially when compared to other iconic monster movies.)
Them! - (A whole lot of fun particularly from the effects along James Whitmroe and Edmund Gwenn really "Slumming" it but giving convicted performances.)
Johnny Guitar - (More tolerable than most Ray in my book as here his style actually works in creating a very curious, strange, yet in sort of a good way, western.)
Riot in Cell Block 11 - (Not entirely successful, more of the inmates could have been developed, however it is effective for the time as Don Siegel does find a bit of a harder edge for the material.)
Carmen Jones - (Eh the required melodrama of its roots I thought was the least successful aspects, as I rather enjoyed it when it was just a happy musical rather than a dark opera.)
The Crucified Lovers - (Not as powerful as some of Mizoguchi's other work, yet still striking visually, particularly the visual of the titular moment, and it is fascinating in creating this atypical relationship at the center of it while also giving equal focus to the reaction to the "lovers" than the "lovers" themselves.)
Omar:
Dadridge - (The role actually is fairly simple in a way, yet she is quite effective in realizing this simplicity since Carmen is very much an archetype. She works well in this archetype though as she creates this powerful allure to her character, yet does find the cruelty in realizing a certain vapidness in her seductive qualities. Most importantly though perhaps this is just a charismatic performance that owns the screen particularly in the musical sequences.)
Crawford - 3.5(Strange to see her in such a role yet she does entirely deliver within it in her own way, even though things are perhaps made even stranger by having to deal with old Sterling Hayden as her co-star. The two of them are a bizarre pair to see together yet there is something that works about it all. Crawford though delivers as the western heroine though as she is able to transfer her usual presence to the setting effectively, though I would be lying if I did not say she was a tad overshadowed by.....)
McCambridge - (McCambridge beautifully eats this heel role up as you'd really expect. She relishes in every nasty stare and delivery and makes for quite the notable villain particularly for the time. She's incredibly entertaining though in being just oh so pure evil, and creating such excessively vindictive creation here.)
Hepburn - (The "ugly Duckling" stuff is a bit harder to believe with Hepburn, and just feels a bit nonsensical to be honest. Hepburn though delivers her usual incredible amount of charm though in her scenes with both of her co-stars. Really she's best in the less substantial scenes, but hey no one can quite do those romantic moments quite like Hepburn does.)
Sterling - 3(I have to admit I found the various stories got quite tired quite quickly in the film. How tolerable I found them based around really just how good the performer was as the writing became rather the same after awhile. Sterling I found made it somewhat tolerable though her performance felt somewhat similar to...)
Trevor - 3.5(Well I suppose Trevor just is a bit more naturally engaging and made her character stand out a bit more merely because Trevor played her.)
Anonymous:
Charlize Theron for Catwoman, Riley Keough for Ivy.
Louis: Thoughts on Kagawa and Leighton.
Michael's comments on Guinness' characterization of Father Brown as being on the autistic spectrum wihout exploitation/with subtlety, had me thinking, that it's probably one of the most difficult conditions to portray onscreen. Which makes say, Sean Penn's performance in I Am Sam all the worse and more offensive, and say, Dustin Hoffman's Raymond Babbit much more impressive when you think about it.
Calvin: As someone on the spectrum (Asperger's specifically), the only actor I've ever seen truly nail it is Danny Pudi's portrayal of Abed on Community.
Calvin: I totally agree with you that it's an incredibly tough thing to get right. However, I'd say there's something that sets Guinness apart from Hoffman in that regard: Guinness played an actual character. Yes Hoffman was realistic in his mannerisms, but he kind of stopped there. He never gave Raymond Babbit a personality, he was kind of just a device for Tom Cruise's character arc. Meanwhile, Guinness's mannerisms were also very authentic, but he also gave you a real sense of who Father Brown was. Like I could imagine having a conversation with Father Brown and learning about his life.
Louis: what is Hepburn's rating for "Sabrina"?
Also, rating and thoughts on Jane Wyman in "Magnificent Obsession".
Louis: May I have your thoughts on Marilyn Monroe in River of No Return?
Rating and thoughts on Katy Jurado in Broken Lance?
Luke and Michael Patison: Just finished first episode of The Crown, I have to say that while I have a few issues with just a bit of the writing and musical interludes, it's a compelling beginning and I'm very eager to finish it all off. Jared Harris and Claire Foy have been the highlights so far.
Louis and everyone else: When you all watch English language films on your computers/DVD players, do you prefer to watch with subtitles or without.
I personally prefer to watch with subtitles because I don't want to miss anything.
Tahmeed: I'll be honest, I used to watch Films and TV Episodes with subtitles all the time, because I wanted to understand every piece of dialogue. Now, I only do it whenever the dialogue is inaudible.
Luke:
Kagawa - (Her performance is perhaps one of the most haunting aspects of what is such a haunting film to begin with. Kagawa though is great though in her some brief amount of scenes in portraying just that bit of optimism and hope within her character even while still exuding that their is no true naivety. She reveals still the suffering within that hope that makes it all the more heart wrenching. Kagawa finds the tragedy within her attempts for any decency since given the situation there is a desperation in her portrayal of it even though she depicts it with such earnestness and honesty. Kagawa reflecting this spirit of any hope though makes her final scenes as unforgettable as they are as even in the final moment of her work there is that harrowing combination of this belief in some sort of better while also the acceptance of the horrors of the earth.)
Leighton - (Her performance is the standout within the film, to the point that I wish Niven was able to match her work, even though he's not bad. Leighton though goes beyond the surface portion of the situation, which is where she basically the vapid wife only caring about the finer things. Now Leighton in depicting that is terrific to be sure in creating that horribly selfish state. Leighton though finds where this comes from within her character and never limits her performance in this. In that she finds a very human side within her depiction of her character's emotional decay of sorts, and is especially good in portraying her reaction to the possibility of her husbands affair. Although she does depict a lack of empathy towards her husband after the act, she actually creates some sympathy in her reaction that isn't just a vapid cruelty yet rather reveals how the act was cruel toward her.)
Deiner:
Will do.
3.5
Wyman - 3(With Sirk there usually certain style no matter what to the performances and that is found with Wyman's work that just is a step beyond reality although that does seem purposeful to a certain extent. However Wyman's performance, after her initial scenes where she brings a bit more nuance towards the central emotional conflict, she becomes rather one note. A one note that works in how it plays against Rock Hudson's performance, but nevertheless makes her own character seem almost lifeless after awhile due to how repetitive she seems.)
Giuseppe:
Jurado - 3(A better part of the film but I felt she rather wasted for the most part. She's just there in a few scenes to be the supportive husband or mother, and in these instances the writing is very simple in this regard, excessively so. Now Jurado delivers in bringing the warmth of those moments, and has decent enough chemistry with Tracy. She is not able to overcome the material though, and I will say it seems very much a makeup nomination for High Noon.)
Tahmeed:
Without.
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