Saturday 28 July 2018

Alternate Best Actor 1948

And the Nominees Were Not:

Takashi Shimura in Drunken Angel

Rex Harrison in Unfaithfully Yours

Ray Milland in The Big Clock

Robert Donat in The Winslow Boy

John Garfield in Force of Evil

121 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. Shimura
2. Donat
3. Milland
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

Louis: Your thoughts on the cinematography of Alexander Nevsky and Raise the Red Lantern.

Charles H said...

Shimura for the win!

1. Takashi Shimura
2. Robert Donat
3. Ray Milland
4. Rex Harrison
5. John Garfield

Anonymous said...

Louis: your top 20 tom cruise acting moments

Robert MacFarlane said...

1. Shimura
2. Donat
3. Milland
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

GM said...

1. Shimura
2. Milland
3. Donat
4. Garfield
5. Harrison

Calvin Law said...

1. Shimura
2. Milland
3. Donat
4. Garfield
5. Harrison

Reaally hoping for a 5 for Shimura.

Bryan L. said...

1. Shimura
2. Donat
3. Milland
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

Luke Higham said...

1. Shimura
2. Donat
3. Milland
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

I'll make a list later on today.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could Richardson go up for The Fallen Idol.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

1. Shimura
2. Donat
3. Milland
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

RatedRStar said...

1. Shimura
2. Donat
3. Milland
4. Harrison
5. Garfield (He was good, I think Thomas Gomez was the MVP though)

Calvin Law said...

Fucking loved Fallout. That's all, fucking loved it. #2 of the year for me so far, easily.

Cruise - 4
Cavill - 3.5
Rhames - 4
Pegg - 3.5
Ferguson - 4
Harris - 3
Bassett - 2.5
Monaghan - 3
Baldwin - 3
Bentley - is this the first likeable character he's ever played??!!

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: What about Kirby.

Maciej said...

1.Shimura
2.Milland
3.Donat
4.Harrison
5.Garfield

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I'll be generous and say a 3.5, underused but she was pretty intriguing every minute of her limited screentime.

Luke Higham said...

Rating Predictions
Shimura - 5
Donat - 4.5 (He's more likely to get an upgrade for Goodbye, Mr. Chips)
Milland - 4.5 (Laughton seems to have the more impactful role)
Harrison - 4.5
Garfield - 4 (His performance in The Breaking Point (1950) will probably score higher)

Calvin Law said...

So, I don't actually miss Erlich as much as I thought I would through Season 5 of Silicon Valley, but I will say the Flanderization (to an extent) of Dinesh, and while Jian Yang has funny bits he's unfortunately overstayed his welcome.

Anonymous said...

The Black Swan (1950's version, directed by Powell and Pressburger)

Nina Sayers: Audrey Hepburn
Lily: Jean Simmons
Thomas Leroy: James Mason
Erica Sayers: Judith Anderson
Elizabeth "Beth" MacIntyre: Kathleen Byron
David Moreau: Richard Attenborough

Thoughts?

RatedRStar said...

Mission Impossible: Fallout was so good, might be my favourite film of the year although not sure, interestingly ive only seen 11 films from 2018 so far and all of them minus 1 were all mainstream films.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Films To Watch

La Terra Trema
Letter From an Unknown Woman
They Live By Night
Raw Deal
Blood On The Moon
Anna Karenina
Sorry, Wrong Number
Spring In A Small Room
Cry Of The City
He Walked By Night
Portrait Of Jennie
Les Parents Terribles
The Boy With Green Hair
Moonrise
The Pirate
A Foreign Affair
Night Has A Thousand Eyes
3 Godfathers
Scott Of The Antarctic
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Hollow Triumph
Yellow Sky
Amore
Louisiana Story
Road House
The Street With No Name
An Act Of Murder
Command Decision
Homecoming
Fighting Father Dunne
Easter Parade
The Emperor Waltz
Romance On The High Seas
An Innocent Affair
Iron Curtain
Tap Roots
State of the Union
A Hen in the Wind
I Walk Alone
Pitfall
Women Of The Night
Sleep, My Love
The Three Musketeers
Ruthless
Adventures Of Don Juan
Kiss The Blood Off My Hands
Arch Of Triumph
Wake Of The Red Witch
The Two-Headed Eagle
The Man From Colorado
Eva
Larceny
Quartet
Deep Waters
Escape
Enchantment
The Paleface
Green Grass Of Wyoming

Luke Higham said...

I wonder if Fontaine will beat her sister for the Actress win.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Most likely.

Emi Grant said...

1. Shimura
2. Milland
3. Donat
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

Charles H said...

Mission Impossible: Fallout was great, it's my favorite of 2018 so far, & Cruise was very good but i prefer him in Rogue.

Deiner said...

Louis your ratings and thoughts on:
- Margaret Sullavan in Three Comrades
- Merle Oberon in The Divorce of Lady X

Calvin Law said...

Also regarding Fallout, shutout to Liang Yang, one of my friends works in the stunt industry and he's highly esteemed there, for that absolutely knockout bathroom sequence where he more than held his own. Louis, your thoughts on that whole sequence?

Robert MacFarlane said...

Louis: I forgot, what's your rating for Ferguson in Rogue Nation?

Bryan L. said...

Anonymous: Sounds like a pretty good cast to me. I'm assuming it would be late 50s, when Hepburn was in her late 20s as Portman was when the film came out.

Robert: He gave her a 3.5 in Orson Welles' review for Compulsion

Robert MacFarlane said...

Please tell me that rating has been raised.

Calvin Law said...

Pretty sure she was raised at the very least to a 4 when she was listing out her 2015 actress lineups.

Calvin Law said...

Here, found it - http://actoroscar.blogspot.com/2016/01/best-supporting-actor-2015-results.html?m=1 - he sees her as co lead.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Really? I always viewed her as very obviously supporting.

Bryan L. said...

I see her as right on the border of Supporting and Lead.

Louis: Your past film roles for Ben Affleck? I recall you mentioning that he is best when he plays around with his image a la Robert Redford. And would you consider him the modern day Redford, since both are also known for directing?

Calvin Law said...

I could see him excelling in Joseph Cotten roles. For example, in Shadow of a Doubt, opposite maybe Elle Fanning as young Charlie, or The Third Man.

John Smith said...

Louis, your thoughts on Shinobu Hashimoto as a screenwriter.

Bryan L. said...

Calvin: Haven't seen Shadow of a Doubt, but the plot description of it on Google kind of sounds like Gone Girl, so I'll take your word for it haha.

Anonymous said...

Louis: your top 20 vivien leigh acting moments

Calvin Law said...

Louis: have you seen either Life's Too Short or An Idiot Abroad?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Remember when we asked for thoughts on Actor Pairings/Groupings, what are your thoughts on Foster/Hardy/Mortensen.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: What makes you prefer The Bridge on the River Kwai over Lawrence of Arabia as an overall film? I'm not knocking, as both are unquestionably great films, but I always had the impression you liked Lawrence more.

Calvin Law said...

Allow me to chip in:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly directed by George Miller
Blondie - Hardy
Angel Eyes - Mortensen
Tuco - Foster

2010s Se7en
Mills - Foster
Somerset - Mortensen
John Doe - Hardy

Luke Higham said...

Louis: And Coster-Waldau/Mikkelsen.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who would have you casted as Napoleon for Kubrick's Napoleon movie? And your choice for the Russian woman that De Niro's character would have impregnated in Leone's Leningrad.

RatedRStar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RatedRStar said...

Calvin: I really loved An Idiot Abroad (aside from series 3 which I thought was just ok), Karl Pilkington is just great and fascinating to watch, ill be honest I am not a huge fan of Warwick Davis at all, I thought in An Idiot Abroad series 3 he was just basically just arrogant and cynical but not in a funny way like Karl was, I really thought his cameo in the second series was especially bad when he basically snaps at Karl for no reason other than that some performers with dwarfism happen to perform in a dwarf village.

RatedRStar said...

I quite liked Warwick Davis in Extras though, was there a bad performance in Extras, Les Dennis maybe?

Bryan L. said...

Calvin: That Se7ens' cast is pretty good, and I think that version could also work if you switch Hardy and Foster. And Carey Mulligan as Tracey.

RatedRStar: Les Dennis was decent in my opinion. I think Daniel Radcliffe was forgettable in his guest episode though.

Luke Higham said...

I believe Foster would be a better fit for John Doe because I can't picture Tom Hardy shouting 'DETECTIVEEEEE'.

RatedRStar said...

Bryan L: Funnily enough I had forgotten that Radcliffe was in Extras lol I dont remember him. Actually I have got it, the worst performance in Extras I think was Gordon Ramsay in the christmas special, his acting was so forced lol.

Techno said...

1. Shimura
2. Donat
3. Milland
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

1-Milland
2-Shimura
3-Donat
4-Harrison
5-Garfield

JackiBoyz said...

1. Shimura
2. Milland
3. Donat
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

moviefilm said...

1) Shimura
2) Donat
3) Milland
4) Garfield
5) Harrison

Anonymous said...

Louis: Also watch The Time of Your Live with Cagney and Bendix. You can watch it here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3L9Y4Pkwmk

Charles H said...

Louis: Your top 10 Tom Hulce acting moments & your thoughts on the screenplay and cinematography of Doctor Zhivago

Louis Morgan said...

Charles:

Doctor Zhivago's screenplay is in part one of careful refinement/simplification by Robert Bolt. This is in part adding the framing device of Zhivago's brother's search from the start of the narrative that naturally provides both the political framing, but also a needed emotional denouement as well. That is only part of a streamlining in terms of granting those moments of understanding the political/social upheaval yet always following the characters who are both changed by that though perhaps more so by their personal actions. Bolt's approach again, despite an adaptation of a more specific narrative novel, is much like in Lawrence which is to very much focus within the person in the historical context. Again Bolt's work does not limit this to a single character, though of course Zhivago's romantic journey is key to the screenplay, despite limiting what is present in the novel. Bolt's work narrows the view, and often quite effectively in finding the heart of the matter. For example having only the single scene with Strelnikov however in that single scene granting the entirety of the power to Pasha's transformation, particularly within the brilliant line, wholly original to the screenplay, "The private Life is dead". Of course that is also reflective of essentially a freedom of expression within the screenplay, of course even without lines like that the novel was still rejected by the USSR for publishing. Bolt's work though strikes towards that emotional center of the character's and each point in their lives. A great deal excised from the source material of course however what Bolt's work does is finds its own truth fitting towards the cinematic form in a powerful examination again of the individual within the greater world.

Amazing cinematography from Freddie Young once again. The intention once again to grant the scale intended by Lean, but also create such a vivid atmosphere. The scale is once again so beautifully realized that captures more than just a gorgeous shot a landscape. There is such dynamic framing and composition that creates such greater power to the shots whether that be the cold corpse unceremoniously tangled near a fence front of the unforgiving snowy terrain, or the vividness of being with the crowd of rebelling soldiers. This is further within that atmosphere that is nearly as powerful as Lawrence's, though now emphasizing the coldness of the Russian terrain rather than the desert. Young realizes this idea again through such remarkable use of lighting that grants you that sense of a winter's light, but also how overpowering he often makes the snow feel through the scale. Of course the work extends to such dynamic interior shots as well which use similair ideas, though tilting the hand slightly with more direct lighting in sense to again reinforce the atmosphere, but also create a certain romanticism within it. Of course that is all without mentioning just how fluid the camerawork that prevents the work from ever becoming static, with a highlight of that being the voyeuristic movement of Komarovsky's reaction to the suicide attempt.

Louis Morgan said...

Hulce:

1. Writing the Requiem
2. Re-working the march of welcome
3. Defending the Marriage of Figaro
4. "Playing" Salieri
5. Meeting the masked Man the first time
6. The best composer in Vienna
7. Wife and father fight
8. Confiding in Salieri over the Marriage of Figaro
9. Being berated by Schikaneder
10. Talking backwards

Matt:

McQuarrie

Anonymous:

1. Luke vs Vader - Return of the Jedi
2. Luke vs Vader - Empire Strikes Back
3. Jedis vs Maul - Phantom Menace
4. Rey vs Kylo - Force Awakens
5. Luke vs Kylo - The Last Jedi

Anonymous:

Alexander Nevsky's cinematography is incredible grandiose work. It grants the scale needed towards the war film with battle scenes that make even some today with the help CGI seem puny by comparison. The lighting emphasizes clarity more than anything in order to further creates such a powerful tapestry of men in combat. The framing and composition is exceptional in its dynamic essentially being worthy of a propaganda poster. The work grants a certain level of grit, yet the focus, and effectively so is of this greater iconic and symbolic approach.
Covered Raise the Red Lantern's cinematography before.

Anonymous:

Cruise:

1. "Someday my dream will come" - Collateral
2. Interview turns - Magnolia
3. Jazz Man - Collateral
4. Seeing his father - Magnolia
5. "Think any'body will notice" - Collateral
6. Start of the interview - Magnolia
7. "What are you going to do about it?" - Collateral
8. "This is as far as you go" - Edge of Tomorrow
9. Binding resolution - Tropic Thunder
10. Father - Collateral
11. First drug takeoff - American Made
12. Made a connection - Rain Man
13. Failed Seminar - Magnolia
14. Meeting the General - Edge of Tomorrow
15. Nobody Notices - Collateral
16. "We don't negotiate with terrorists" - Tropic Thunder
17. Talking to the dispatcher - Collateral
18. Police Stop - Collateral
19. "I want the truth" - A Few Good Men
20. Visiting Max's Mother - Collateral

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Probably not.

Well that's a pairing obviously I'd love to see, in fact I could have seen that even in 3:10 to Yuma with Hardy as Wade, and Mortensen as Evans, or maybe No Country For Old Men, Hardy as Chigurh, Foster as Moss, and Mortensen as Bell. It would be fascinating to see the three play off each other with perhaps such intensity of Foster and Hardy, though easily internalized as well especially with Mortensen as a balancing factor. Although honestly all three could do something unpredictable, and there would be a lot opportunities with such talented trio.

The two of Mikkelsen and Coster-Waldau are evidently friends so I'd love to both actually in some sort of buddy cop film honestly, as despite the two playing such intense roles they are so easy going in interviews. Perhaps the Danish Nice Guys, not a remake, but just a film called that.

Deiner:

Sullavan - 3.5(She gives a performance that effectively makes up for her rather limited part, and her even more limited co-star. She very much carries her scenes with Taylor through her charismatic turn trying very hard to essentially strike up a chemistry that isn't there. Of course she gets even less to do as the film goes on just needing to be in a perpetual state of illness. She portrays this well enough, but more importantly she portrays consistently an honesty towards the character at all times even when the turns become standard.)

Oberon - 3.5(Not the greatest screwball comedy to be sure, though one could argue that she and Olivier and better chemistry here than there more famous pairing. Oberon makes for a decent though not great example of a performance in this type of part. She offers a nice bit of charm, and enough of a proper timing even if the material is never that good.)

Robert:

4.5, not a hardliner on her placement, though I probably put her in lead then because of her scenes with Harris and McBurney without Hunt.

Anonymous:

I think I might have given those before, I'll have a look.

Bryan:

Bill McKay
Lewis Medlock
Jack Terry (Blow Out)

Calvin:

I have seen Life's Too Short, but I thought it was a slog outside of Liam Neeson's hilarious cameo.

Tahmeed:

Uhhhh.....Lawrence's ensemble is more perfect maybe???? I mean both would probably be in my top 25 films of all time, so I have no fault towards Kwai which is also a masterpiece.

Anonymous:

Kubrick's choice was David Hemmings, who while wasn't a bad actor I don't think he could carry such an epic, or bring the needed presence to such a character. Though then somewhat unknown, I'd say Bob Hoskins could've worked.

Nastassja Kinski

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on Leon Shamroy as a cinematographer?

Calvin Law said...

Last year, Michael Fassbender had The Snowman which ended up being awful.

This year, Tom Hardy has Venom which will almost definitely be awful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLCn88bfW1o

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: It's Ghost Rider bad by the look of it. Hardy could still give a good performance regardless.

And what a poor misuse of Ahmed and Williams.

Calvin Law said...

I dunno, I'm one of the biggest Hardy fans on here and I think he looks awful from the trailers, particularly that weird choice of The Drop accent and the comedic moments.

Anonymous said...

I knew well from day one that the Venom movie was gonna suck ass.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Never said he will, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did give a below average performance given how bad the rest of it looks.

RatedRStar said...

To be fair a lot of us were hopeful about The Snowman due to the cast and director, hoping that it would be like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Luke Higham said...

Even thought Fassbender would give career-best work. How wrong I was.

RatedRStar said...

I felt so embarrassed at the time for The Snowmans release lol, 2017 is one rocky year for expectations, same with gaming, Mass Effect Andromeda was one I was so excited for and damnnn.

Anonymous said...

Honestly, I would have preferred a review of Cotten in Portrait of Jennie over Shimura, but oh well.

Louis Morgan said...

John Smith:

By the way RIP Shinobu Hashimoto, I'm sorry to say I just learned about his death from checking Wikipedia. It's shameful it hasn't been more widely reported given the greatness and influence of the films he was part of.

I will admit I hadn't included him on my best screenwriters list because I felt it was best to also not include the notable partners in my "No-Auteurs" policy. I should have done further research though as even if one only looks upon his sole credit endeavors it is an impressive resume including Harakiri, Samurai Rebellion, The Sword of Doom, and Samurai Assassin. Although one might be able to determine Kobayashi/Okamoto's influence as the Kobayashi's collaborations are far more concise, the pedigree of those films indicates an extremely talented writer. If one also includes his collaborations with Kurosawa including several of his masterpieces like Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Rashomon and even Ikiru. There is a consistency in the thematic attempt of his work which is the individual rebellion within the cruel society. There also such a daring among his work that subverts expectations of the given samurai genre through films like the Sword of Doom where the protagonist is a sociopath, or the sheer brilliance of every aspect of Harakiri. Out of the films of his that I've seen I'd probably say Samurai Assassin is the least successful as a film, though I'd still describe it as good, but even more so it is still such an ambitious work in terms of its complexity both in terms of plot but also emotional content. His work is defined by vibrant understanding of circumstance, and refusal to be constricted by genre. Every samurai film I've seen pushes and subverts the ideas of that convention, even The Hidden Fortress that subverts while seeming to "play it straight". Even not knowing the exact nature of his collaboration with Kurosawa it is fair to say Hashimoto stands as one of the all-time great screenwriters.

Calvin:

Yikes, looks like an artifact of the mid-2000's superhero films I thought we had moved past from. I'm not even excited for Hardy's performance, and I agree his accent seems like an odd choice given there was a VERY specific reason it worked for Bob.

Charles H said...

If Fassbender could survive a bad performance so could Hardy, at least we know not to get our hopes up this time.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could I have your thoughts on the Fallout cast, Collette in Hereditary and Thompson and Hammer in Sorry To Bother You.

And thoughts on the Halo Jump, Paris 2 V 1 Fight, Paris Extraction, London Run and both Kashmir fight scenes in Fallout.

Matt Mustin said...

Luke: It's kind of impossible to give thoughts on Hammer without major spoilers.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Only Thompson from Sorry To Bother You.

Calvin Law said...

Also your thoughts on Steven Yeun?

Techno said...

1-Milland
2-Shimura
3-Donat
4-Harrison
5-Garfield

Robert MacFarlane said...

I've come to the depressing realization that Hardy's affected speech patterns in The Drop wasn't a clever acting choice. He just can't do New York accents. Also, Venom is definitely this year's Snowman/Book Of Henry in terms of "I will pay real money to see this trainwreck firsthand" potential.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Leon Shamroy's work one can often describe as satisfactory, though not usually overly remarkable, however with moments of brilliance. For example take his work in Planet of the Apes which for the most part is fine though nothing too notable until the final shots which capture all the potency of that imagery. This often the case with a lot of his work which is always fine, with instances of greatness. One notable exception to this though is his outstanding work with Leave Her to Heaven which is consistently great throughout, and sort of set a new standard to what was possible with technicolor.

Omar:

SPOILLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS for Hereditary.

The film itself is one I've been pondering, not in the way I'll do with a film I love, but rather one that doesn't quite reach greatness despite brushing it. Now I'll quickly mention there is plenty to like in the acting, and the build up in terms of creating such raw and real emotion by connecting the idea of supernatural horror to mental illness.

Now there are few sort of obvious flaws in my mind, the final monologue is downright terrible as it doesn't have the confidence in its imagery (perhaps mandated in some way?), despite how overt it becomes. It's pacing also perhaps could've been tightened just a little.

That seems obvious to me, but then there is the rest why I didn't love the film because of the ending. The twist itself after all has been done before, even as in as much of a secretive fashion, *cough* "Kill List" *cough*. The late introduction of direct horror/supernatural though is commonplace anyways in a slow burn horror. It is far better implemented as such in the film's obvious influences such as the great horror trio of 73 of "The Exorcist", "The Wicker Man" and especially "Don't Look Now".

There isn't one reason I didn't care for the execution, but several. I kind of hate the common trope in modern horror to spell out to the audience the intent of the "monster" then we just see proceed as expected. That's unfortunately the case here, and ignores things like how you don't expect the "dwarf" or the titular wicker man in the aforementioned films. We are told what Paimon is going to do, and what he wants, then we just see him achieve the goals. Of course the goals is twice problematic as well. One being it gets so ridiculous, mainly the decapitated worshipers, that it just becomes silly. The other is the idea of the apparently all powerful supernatural being that can essentially do whatever it wants yet requires such a specific thing from the victims, even though it gets them to do this through already seemingly using absolute power. Sadly the surprise ends once you go "oh it's a demon possession movie" as the execution leads to no surprises and sadly loses most of the power of the human drama that came before unlike say the endings of the 73 trio.

Louis Morgan said...

Collette - (Her performance is wholly worthy of all the praise that one can give her. As she delivers such a performance that creates such an honest humanity to the story while also completely going off the deep end. Her performance is rather remarkable in that she captures multiple forms of grief in such short order. First the sort of confusion in losing a "Loved one" she had no great affection for, and portrays the burden rather than pain of this loss. Against the second grief that she reveals as the all raw intensity one should expect. In this we also see the phases of her moments of dealing with the idea of the mental decay of the family, in this conveying of an underlying fear that she may also suffer from it to slowly perhaps revealing potential undercurrent of it. She also manages to essentially give to great horror style leading turns in this one performance. One side being the victim in conveying the distress and anguish of discovering being part of such a strange conspiracy, then also the other side of being part of the horror more directly. This in delivering the vindictive hatred towards her son which she portrays never though so simply as a monster, but rather as this particularly visceral form of mental illness both in a slightly indirect way (dinner table) as well as in its most overt form (the nightmare). This is also just the complete madness that comes which includes somehow wholly pulling off her own possessive scenes which she makes nearly heartbreaking, which is quite something since they so easily could have been ridiculous.)

Louis Morgan said...

Byrne - (He is very good actually in delivering the one completely straight turn throughout the film. He offers so effectively through his quiet, wholly infused with such genuine anguish, reactions such a power of essentially the outsider looking in at the madness. Byrne however carefully never disconnects from the emotional though showing this as a father so deeply troubled, which he portrays well also as this man who has nearly come to terms with his troubled wife, yet not quite.)

Shapiro - (Her performance very much works with the twist in mind as there is barely anything about her performance that feels natural. She instead plays it essentially as this disjointed marionette who behaves not as a little girl, but something barely putting on the most basic act to be believed as such.)

Dowd - (Proper creepy overly kind lady from her. I wish they had actually given her a bit more to do, but what she did do she did well. This even includes delivering that monstrosity of a monologue, which she does her absolute best to pull off. She doesn't make it work in my mind, but she certainly gives it a go.)

Robert MacFarlane said...

You know, a lot of what Collette does in Hereditary would be considered mugging 90% of the time. But she doesn't relent with just how... extreme her facial reactions go with it. In fact, I think what makes it work so well is that she goes further with them than anyone would be willing to. That snarl (you know the one) she gives Wolff at the dinner scene is probably the best reaction shot of the year.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your top ten John Cazale acting moments, and present film roles (2000s,2010s) that you think he'd be suited for.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Cruise - (Again playing Hunt at this point does feel second nature to him, and he delivers once again. Again a great aspect of his work is that he never portrays it as though Hunt simply "gots this" rather portrays the effort even beyond doing the stunts. He shows that Hunt very much has to earn every victory creating the right physical and emotional exasperation in a given sequence. He obviously has a bit more to do this time around in terms of stakes, which I really liked how Cruise portrayed it as though Hunt just doesn't have time for it. It's very specific, and feels so genuine, not as this curt action, but rather of a man exasperated by the toll of it all yet still cares.)

Ferguson - (On a side note I hope she can find another role that suits her talents since sadly this is the first performance since her breakout in Rogue that feels worthy of that potential, sadly another The Snowman "victim". Although she has less material to work with overall she is such a terrific action hero on her own. She like Cruise works so well in the moment by conveying that emotional weight of a given scene even while also granting such a believably quality to the physical moments.)

Cavill - (Cavill falls upon a bit of his John Gavin esque method of delivery however I think that actually works for Walker anyways. What I really like about his performance though is the way he carries himself with such a lumbering intensity. Plus his casting was just fantastic on a conceptual level by creating such striking dynamic between him and Cruise in terms of their heights.)

Rhames/Pegg - (Both once again offer fine support in the purest fashion possible. Both in terms of bringing a bit of light comedy, I actually appreciated just how light the comedy was in that regard which they both deliver it in such a natural way. In addition though the chemistry within the crew is essential, and I love the sort of natural warmth they all create without needing to over emphasize it. Rhames also deserves special mention for his affecting delivery of the two most directly emotional moments.)

Harris - (Having recently re-watched Rogue Nation, which more than holds up, my views on his original performance have not changed. Thankfully this time around he cuts out the random "I'm cooookooo faces" and essentially almost lets the beard do that work for him. He gives a much more unassuming portrayal of the character's psychotic manner, and in turn I found him to be rather effective in the calm menace he creates through that approach.)

Bassett - (Fine but really there just to deliver exposition with a cold intensity.)

Robert MacFarlane said...

I actually softened on Harris in Rogue Nation on rewatch. Granted, I had just watched all of the other Mission: Impossible movies and after seeing the horror and desolation Dougray Scott left upon the craft itself, I might have been feeling generous.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the voices of W. Morgan Sheppard, Roger C. Carmel and William Marshall (if you've ever heard him of course).

Charles H said...

Louis: Your top ten character actors

Louis Morgan said...

Kirby - (She's a slightly demonic delight, and I thought brought just the right cheekiness to the role. As mentioned by Robert, I do think they could have given her more to do though.)

Thompson - (As is typical for this type of film all the supporting performances aren't quite on the level. This includes Thompson to a certain extent and found effectively so. This is pure though in the sense she does create a nice chemistry with Stanfield even though that isn't the focus of her work really. She mostly instead has fun with this idea of the sort of "free spirit" which goes from moments of being wholly genuine in this intent, as well as a bit mad in other moments. She finds the right balance to prevent sort of a performance "whiplash" that always feels appropriate as she naturally makes her just a little off-beat even in her most sincere scenes.)

Halo Jump - (Incredible combination of straight forward stunt work, with the right touches of CGI. Reminded of the dust storm in Mad Max in a great way essentially as proof of how CGI can be used for good instead of evil.)

Paris fight - (Fantastic sequence that finds the right balance between grit, and sort extravagance in its execution. Grants the right viscera while being just cool looking amplified through the great production design, also one should never forget that "Walker cocking his fists" moment which is amazing all in itself.)

Paris Extraction - (Could become, and perhaps already is one of the all time great heist sequences. The twists and turn of the sequence are so much fun, while never wearing out their welcome, and brilliantly building up the tension to a proper eleven. Also the shot of the water engulfing Lane is amazing all in itself.)

Calvin:

Yeun - (It is honestly very similair to his performance in Okja as he delivers a similair way of being just a little too earnest. Again though this is the right approach for the part as Yeun creates the right sense of a certain pathetic quality even while making the character's overall passion genuine.)

Calvin Law said...

I like how the last few Mission Impossibles have embraced Ethan Hunt being a relatively smaller guy.

Louis: glad to hear he's good, I'm a big fan of Yeun.

Calvin Law said...

And one thing I loved about the Paris fight was how Walker and Hunt would've pretty much 'lost' had Ilsa not come round.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: since you loved Poetry, are you looking forward to Lee Chang-dong's Burning?

Matt Mustin said...

I actually just rewatched Rogue Nation myself, and Harris is indeed still pretty weak. And I consider Ferguson 100% supporting, by the way.

Matt Mustin said...

(It holds ups like crazy, by the way.)

Charles H said...

Lee Chang-dong has few credits to his name but the 4 films i've seen of his so far prove he's more than capable. I'm glad to see Burning is getting great reviews so i have high hopes for it.

Louis Morgan said...

Tahmeed:

Cazale:

1. "I'm your older Brother Michael" - The Godfather Part II
2. "Wyoming" - Dog Day Afternoon
3. How to catch fish - The Godfather Part II
4. "The Body is the Temple of the Lord" - Dog Day Afternoon
5. Leaving Cuba - The Godfather Part II
6. Willing to Kill - Dog Day Afternoon
7. Call at Night - The Godfather Part II
8. Forced Russian Roulette - The Deer Hunter
9. "Two homosexuals?" - Dog Day Afternoon
10. Attempted assassination on Vito - The Godfather

I could easily see him as Hans (Seven Psychopaths) or Walter Finch (Insomnia).

Anonymous:

Shepperd - (My exposure is pretty limited I'll admit, however properly gravelly voice to be sure.)

Carmel - (Now his is that of a proper dandy with a natural mischievousness within that.)

Marshall - (Who hasn't heard of the King of Cartoons????? A grand regal voice to be sure, with a natural intensity in the case of his Star Trek appearance.)

Charles:

Always difficult to define though.

1. Robert Shaw
2. Harry Dean Stanton
3. Claude Rains
4. Christopher Walken
5. Dennis Hopper
6. Brendan Gleeson
7. John Cazale
8. Richard Farnsworth
9. Ian Holm
10. Sam Rockwell

Calvin:

Certainly.

Omar Franini said...

Louis: thank you for your thoughts on Hereditary.

Calvin: I’ve already seen Burning, and I loved it. I think I’m going to request Yoo Ah-in or Steven Yeun in the future.

Calvin Law said...

Omar: I'm glad to hear!

BRAZINTERMA said...

1. Shimura
2. Milland
3. Donat
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

Calvin Law said...

Louis: your thoughts on this 2010s Stalag 17 cast, directed by Taika Waititi?

Sefton: Glenn Howerton
Dunbar: Matt Bomer
Von Scherbach: August Diehl
Animal: Taika Waititi
Shapiro: Jimmi Simpson
Price: Armie Hammer (I guess he'd be a bit obvious)
Schulz: Christian Berkel
Duke: Angus Sampson
Hoffy: Steven Yeun
Cookie: Josh Brener

Calvin Law said...

And while we're at it, a few other Howerton/Holden re-casts:

2010s Bridge on the River Kwai directed by Paddy Considine
Nicholson: Paddy Considine
Shears: Glenn Howerton
Warden: Peter Mullan
Saito: Issey Ogata
Clipton: James D'Arcy
Joyce: Sam Claflin

2010s Sunset Boulevard directed by David Lynch
Gillis: Glenn Howerton
Norma Desmond: Laura Dern
Max: Werner Herzog

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the cinematography oF John Wick and Atomic Blonde. I've heard that the cinematographer for both flicks was an assistant to Zsigmond, so think Zsigmond would have worked as the cinematographer if both films had been made earlier?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top ten Kirk Douglas acting moments

Anonymous said...

Anonymous:
Here's his top 10 acting moments of Douglas.
1. Turning down the promotion - Paths of Glory
2. The suicide - Lust for Life
3. The Trial - Path of Glory
4. The final scene - Lust for Life
5. Chuck has a change of heart - Ace in the Hole
6. The Ending - Champion
7. Final fight with Gauguin - Lust for Life
8. "I'm Spartacus" - Spartacus
9. The Slap - Ace in the Hole
10. Midge goes full heel - Champion

L Rime said...

Robert:

Honestly, I don't think Hardy does a particularly good accent of any kind. But he does tend to make them sound lived in, which is much more important in my opinion. I'll probably skip Venom though. Lol.

Bryan L. said...

Calvin: Pretty good casts to me. I've always imagined Animal being more of a Jason Segel/Jack Black type but Waititi certainly has the sensibility for it and could bring a new take. And Ogata as Colonel Saito could be something special.

Louis: Your thoughts on the voices of Werner Herzog, Taika Waititi, Paul Thomas Anderson and Peter Jackson?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could either Harris or Poitier go up for 1963.

Calvin Law said...

Sad to see Brooklyn bumped off the 2015 top 10 but glad to see Rogue Nation make its way on it.

Charles H said...

Louis: Your top 10 Johnathan Banks acting moments

Omar Franini said...

Louis: your thoughts on If Beale Street Could Talk trailer?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the Club Fever sequence from Collateral. Also, could Jamie Foxx go up for it? Cause on my last viewing of the film, I found him to be quite decent, even if overshadowed by Cruise.

Anonymous said...

I'd suggest you guys to save those questions for the first review. I'm not that interested in this year that much and want Louis to end it fast and move to a more interesting year.

Michael McCarthy said...

1. Takashi Shimura
2. Ray Milland
3. Robert Donat
4. Rex Harrison
5. John Garfield

Side note, Donat serves about the same function in The Winslow Boy as Orson Welles does in Compulsion. Whether that makes him lead or supporting is debatable.

Charles H said...

I'm only really interested in Shimura's review, the best of 1948 has already been covered.

Anonymous said...

Louis: your top 10 aubrey plaza acting moments

Luke Higham said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: Your Ratings for Milland, Donat, Harrison and Garfield.

Saw Ant-Man and The Wasp. Nothing special.

Luke Higham said...

1. Shimura
2. Milland
3. Donat
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

Charles H said...

1. Takashi Shimura
2. Ray Milland
3. Robert Donat
4. Rex Harrison
5. John Garfield

Luke Higham said...

Michael: What's your rating for Charles Laughton in The Big Clock.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

1. Shimura
2. Milland
3. Donat
4. Harrison
5. Garfield

Calvin Law said...

Louis: your thoughts on Bob Odenkirk's voice?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top 15 Eli Wallach acting moments?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: First Reformed is now online.

Louis Morgan said...

Let me get to those next post.