Tuesday 2 April 2019

Alternate Best Actor 2013: Christian Bale in Out of The Furnace

Christian Bale did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Russell Baze in Out of the Furnace.

Out of the Furnace is a particularly frustrating watch as there is so much potential within it, however its missteps leads it to fall short of greatness, even goodness quite honestly.

Christian Bale's performance stands perhaps as the greatest testament to the potential of the film, in his portrayal of a Pennsylvania industrial worker Russell Baze. Bale's work here from the outset is fascinating as he's known for his transformative turns, often in a way that brandishes that idea. Now technically this is that, in his wiry frame, southern accent and general demeanor. Not a moment of Bale's work, however feels like a facade. The entirety of it has this deeply lived in quality within his work, a performance that just evokes years of a hard life in every harried breath and exasperated words. Bale's portrayal isn't that of a man who is tired of life, but rather evokes the idea of a man who has lived this hard life, and will continue to live this to do. The history he bares on his brow from the second we see him here, in his richly textured work that just makes Russell Baze evoke this place, and even poverty of its setting, far more so than is even achieved within the film's writing or direction. Bale is locked in within this character, and the depth of this performance is quite frankly this consistently compelling element, within a story that may not be worthy of it.

Well in that we have Bale here who just lives within this character in such a remarkable fashion, as Bale does play so close to the chest, fitting of a man of few words and even fewer prospects. One of the essential elements of Bale's performance though is that he doesn't portray a dismay over this, though does not hide the wear of this either. It is a particularly powerful juxtaposition all just within Bale's performance. In that we do see a man living his life with a real essentially stability, even within the hardship of dealing with his dying father, and generally poor means of existence. Bale's work is though with a contentment of the existence that in itself carries with it a definite power. He is able to convey a man who not only has settled rather has never even minded the idea of anything other than this place and time for himself. This is in Bale's performance that carries the weight of the life, but not with a shame within it. This is a carefully realized work that is downright marvelous, as he does express a certain, I wouldn't quite say joy, but there is a warmth even within the harshness that exists within the presence of Russell as portrayed by Bale.

Russell's life quickly becomes worse however through the first bit of unfortunate luck as he accidentally kills two people in an auto crash after having been drinking. This scene of this discovery is a testament of the strength of Bale's performance in the moment. This is as his reaction to the moment is not this big cry of anguish, but rather this beautifully internalized distress as in the scene he slowly conducts this slow realizes building in the man's painful realization of what has transpired. This lands Russell in jail, a plot point almost brushed by in the film, essentially to fulfill a plot point. Bale though does not treat it as a plot point, and is again terrific in portraying Russell's state of being in the prison. Again the restraint is so important in his performance portraying the man as again living it, with a bit more understated concern, however mostly with the same understanding of a man whose life hasn't exactly been anything life affirming to begin with. When Russell explains to his brother (Casey Affleck) that he barely even considers it a hardship, the hope in his voice Bale brings such a truth within it fitting to a man whose always known a similar state.

Russell is eventually released from prison which after he gets out he has more losses the protagonist of an old fashioned country song, as his girlfriend (Zoe Saldana) has left him, his brother has been traumatized by war and his father has died. That's a whole lot, and quite frankly the pace of how each of these is handled should have little to no effect. Bale's work however grants a weight to each and every one of these moments no matter how rushed they are. Bale's portrayal though intends to find the detail within it, even when the material itself rams it through within the narrative. Again Bale's work carries such a conviction of this person, that he manages to brings into the intimacy of the man's mind and the way he deals with the tragedy of his life. Bale brings such a calm nuance in his moment of hearing of his father's death that reveals the real heartbreak, but with also the resigned expectation of a man who has long sense known it was coming. Bale delivers this even with the far more superfluous element of the girlfriend who has left him for the local police chief (a laughably bad Forest Whitaker).

That is essentially made in a single scene of him randomly running into her. Bale's outstanding however he in bringing this hesitant energy, an excitement that he shows Russell almost doesn't know what to do with as he essentially pledges his love for her. Bale brings such an almost endearing unease by making this so genuinely disjointed as this quieter man where such an experience is almost against his nature. Bale in this moments reveals all the greater vulnerability of such sincere love, which is quickly stopped when she reveals she's pregnant from her new relationship. Bale's breakdown is absolutely heartbreaking, in one moment of more overt anguish, that Bale makes natural given his state of vulnerability. He plays it brilliantly though showing how all his losses hit him in this time of realization, granting in this breakdown as a moment of Russell essentially giving into all those feelings that lay dormant within him. I'll admit there is no reason I should've cared at all about this relationship based on the direction and editing of the film, however Bale made me care by offering such a sincere portrayal of what the relationship meant to Russell that he is able to overcome the shortcomings of the film.

The final loss though is in his brother whose experiences in war, a particularly poorly realized element overall, has left him traumatized and searching for a strange relief through bare knuckle fighting/gambling. Bale nonetheless grants a gravity to this situation through his effortless portrayal of his chemistry with Affleck. Bale has never been known as the warmest performer, and nor is Russell what one might say is a cheery character to say the least. It is then so very notable how Bale in these interactions is able to emphasize, in his eyes, and the absolute concern in his voice how much Russell loves and cares for his brother, as his brother goes to the void. There is a moment where his brother reveals all his pains, and though it theoretically should be Affleck's scene, Bale is the who leaves the lasting impression through nearly silent yet oh so poignant portrayal of Russell taking in each word while not knowing what to say. Eventually this leads to yet another loss when a series of events leads to his brother's death by the hand of essentially an evil hillbilly drug dealer by the name of Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson).

When initially told of the news, Bale's performance again is excellent as these circumstances are not of the personal space, as manages to essentially tell it all within his subdued expression. Bale's work though again expresses wholly the anguish even as he does not shed a single tear at the news. His face though just carries that little bit more of wear as there is yet another burden placed upon the man. What follows is a rather typical revenge plot as Russell goes about first seeking out his brother, who he doesn't know is dead initially, then seeking revenge against DeGroat. Bale delivers the needed substance within his own performance, regardless of the material. Bale doesn't portray this as a typical anger, but rather with an intense, yet all the same, subdued conviction. Bale depicts the vendetta less as a personal need, but rather as this duty to his brother. Bale through this, finds a real emotional potency within this attachment to his brother at every point, and a real pathos within the act of violence as he goes to kill DeGroat. In the final moments of the film when he finally confronts DeGroat, Bale's eyes do nearly all of the speaking in his moment. There isn't an overt hate, but rather this incredible calm that evokes the remembrance for his brother more than any other emotion. It is extraordinary as Bale manages to bring the emotional turmoil within the moment of being this avenging angel, and finding a power in it, even with Forrest Whittaker being in the background of the scene and nearly sabotaging through his unintentionally hilarious delivery. This is an outstanding performance by Christian Bale as he delivers such a vivid work that exists beyond the trappings of the plot. His portrait of this man has a life and depth to it that exists beyond the confines of the film, He is able to realize Russell in a way that alludes to a greater potential of the material that is not realized within the film itself. Bale manages though to bring that potential to life within his own work, to the extent it overcomes those weaknesses through one of his most subdued and strongest turns.

250 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 250 of 250
RatedRStar said...

Luke: Very sorry to hear about that, big hugs to you.

Luke Higham said...

Thank you guys for your condolences.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Luke: I'm really sorry about your loss man. Best wishes.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the screenplay and production design of Angels with Dirty Faces. You said how it did the childhood friends that follow different sides of the law better than Manhattan Melodrama. Think Rowland Brown thought of the latter film as inspiration?

Luke Higham said...

Thank you Tahmeed.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: What are some of your favourite individual shots from 2018?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could you give thoughts on the first episode of Game Of Thrones Season 8 on Monday night because I won't be able to see it until after my work shift.

Bryan L. said...

RIP Bibi Andersson

Luke Higham said...

RIP Bibi Andersson

Anonymous said...

Louis: Could you also give thoughts on the cinematography of Angels with Dirty Faces?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Wish you and your family the very best.


















RIP Bibi Andersson

Luke Higham said...

Thank You Louis.

Louis Morgan said...

Bryan:

Trainspotting very much is sort of patient zero in terms of mainstreaming Danny Boyle's style, to what was his breakout success. It also happens to be an example where his hectic style, of quick cuts, quick narration, random imagery and that constant kinetic approach does work. It feels natural to realizing the idea of the madness of a world defined by drug addiction and kind of a pointless rebellion against the norms of society. I'll say though that even within it fitting to the material, Boyle does show a level of restraint. He keeps his moments of over style logical in the narrative, like the cold turkey scene, and other drug induced moments such the opening. He does know here to allow some scenes just to play out like the final confrontation with Begbie for example. There is the right balance to allow the overtly Boylistic moments to stand out without overwhelming the quality within the script with only style.

Inside Man is technically a gun for hire film for Lee, and in turn, given he did not write the film, he's not trying to say anything, at least overtly. This allows him just to play with his talents as a director purely diluted, which actually are pretty notable. My main issue with Lee is his tendency to turn from 10 to 11. Here though is just an example of his best qualities as a director as we see really his ability to infuse a style within kind of semi-realistic gritty approach. His sort of bag tricks here work really well within the heist genre giving it a real spirited approach, that enlivens the narrative at every point. The really vibrancy of Lee's work as a stylist is evident here, without becoming excessive.

Anonymous:

Maybe, I mean he worked within the genre anyways so I'm sure that could've had some influence even subconscious since that films gained quite a lot prominence from the Dillinger's death connection. Angels with Dirty Faces though is just a fantastic script, in many ways taking that idea of the diverging paths and in turn doing SO much more with quite honestly. The film though has two separate stories, both which could've theoretically sustained themselves on their own. One being Rocky's attempt at a rise to power which is well realized with such a shady group of characters, and through a most engaging series of set pieces around his way of trying to maneuver each back stab. That's compelling. What's also compelling is the story of the priest connecting with his gangster friend, and the two as these separate mentors to the group of the local kids. What's masterful in the script is how it manages to so naturally weave both these stories together to create what is perhaps the greatest gangster film of the era. Neither sides feels forced upon the other, they both just intertwine so effectively as written to lead to such a notable climax. This is as it is not only consistently compelling but in the end rather heartbreaking with one of the great ambiguous setups in the finale. Made all the more poignant with one of the greatest final lines of any film, that so brilliantly sums up the cruelty of fate, and the real loss to who Rocky was deep down.

Louis Morgan said...

Its production design is fairly straight forward, however very well done for the period. This is as it achieves the important, not set, sets look. It manages to achieve that through designs which offer enough of a grit, vibrancy and with just the right touch idiosyncrasy. They're distinct enough without going overboard in that regard, however the final execution chamber and basement look unique even if they don't "show off" so to speak.

Sol Polito's cinematography is low key great. In that a lot of it is to the point, but really that is pretty special for the period. In that the shots a consistently dynamic in terms of composition and lighting even if direct in this sense. Of course when the film takes a step more though Polito's work is truly expressive and remarkable. Take for example the Cagney's final shot, which such a perfect bit of lighting and framing. These are the exceptions yet exceptionally used exceptions, to create a fantastic looking film, even if overall pretty to the point.

Luke:

Sure thing.

Matt:

Every shot in All Gold Canyon. (Cop out but true.)
The Kid with an angel at his shoulder - Scruggs
Opening shot of Near Algodones - Scruggs
Impresario first intro - Scruggs
Ending shot - The Gal Who Got Rattled
Sunset with Clarence's calming song - Scruggs
Mandy in the Fog - Mandy
Mandy on her Bed - Mandy
Tiger - Mandy
Interrogation Table - Cold War
Destroyed Church - Cold War
Red Umbrella - If Beale Street Could Talk
Theater - Roma
wide shot of Moon - First Man
Armstrong's dancing - First Man
Destruction of the phallic - The Other Side of the Wind
Early morning run - Burning
Billy Lee in the rain - Bad Times At The El Royale
Old Man riding - Old Man and the Gun

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: All great choices. Speaking of The Old Man and the Gun, did you love the use of the Kinks' "Lola" as much as I did, because I thought that was pretty wonderful.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

That Game of Thrones premiere was pretty damn good.

Luke Higham said...

Great episode. :)

Louis: Your thoughts and your episode MVP.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I enjoyed it, though I will say I think I've become somewhat resigned to the show as mostly epic spectacle, though not bereft of substance, more than something truly revelatory that seemed possible in the earlier seasons.

There were some things I liked a great deal, the horror scene of the Last Hearth, and the moments of tension within the alliance especially the one involving Sam (John Bradley being an easy MVP). Enjoyed a few of the call backs as well particularly the opening and Arya's and Jon's reunion.

I was less enthusiastic about the magic Dragon Ride, which I think should've been a bigger deal for Jon to ride than that. I didn't mind the overall Cersei scenes, but the Elephant line was a touch too cheeky for its own good I think. It doesn't help that Euron is insanely boring at this point. I guess that is why I didn't really mind the extremely swift Theon rescue then, since might as well get it over with. Also even with the random moment of emotion Bran/Hempstead Wright, are still especially tiresome. Although again near emotionless performances are extremely hard to pull off (aka why Ryan Gosling is an amazing actor).

All in all, I'm still very much looking forward to the next episode, even with those reservations.

Louis Morgan said...

Matt:

Well I'm no Wes Anderson, but I did quite enjoy that use.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Completely agree on Bradley. What did you think of both of his scenes and Coster-Waldau's reaction at the end.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Bradley's work in this episode was terrific, to say the least. His visceral reaction he had to finding out the news about his family was such a moving depiction of grief. That made his second scene hit all the harder for me, as it added another layer of subtext. In that he brings a sense of both righteous justice, and righteous anger.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the updated title sequence.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your reasons for Michael Shannon's past film roles?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

The highlight of the episode for me was Bradley entirely, as it felt like the most natural complication. Bradley's performance though is what really sold for me, in the way he managed to show the difference between the confused pseudo-grief for his father, and the outright heartbreak for his brother. The segue then to his scene with Jon actually felt natural, and backed up by both Bradley and Harington, in Sam's revelation to him as especially complicated. Not only in terms of the revelation but in Sam's emotional state in it. I'm glad also that that's something they got to right away, to create the needed extra bit of insanity to it all.

Although Bran comes off as more creepy than omnipotent (obviously needed more time with von Sydow, and not even in terms of becoming the three eyed raven). Coster-Waldau though once again proves himself to be one of the most essential players, in that reaction. That however brief made one of the best impressions of the episode given the emotional complexity he bares in that glance.

Tahmeed:

Quite the marvelous change, with potentially more than a few clues, though at the very least beautifully animated in using the same style for interiors rather than just the map.

Bryan:

Buck Turgidson - (I think it would be hilarious to see him use his intensity in a purely comedic way, and would be perfect I think for the hot headed general.)

Ben Vandergrot - (Could be a challenge for a different type of villain from him, that of the quiet manipulator rather than the mad man. I'd love to see that stretch.)

Frank Bigelow - (Love to see him lead a film, and I think if he internalized his intensity it could be something rather stunning.)

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on this scene from Fargo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-XEHwUBubk

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your reasons for Mendelsohns past film roles?

And lastly, would you consider him and Shannon to be contemporaries? Seems like their careers have had similar trajectories since their breakouts.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Have you seen Behind The Candelabra and Phil Spector, If so, could I have thoughts on them and ratings & thoughts on the casts.

Mitchell Murray said...

Finished watching the 2005 best actress line up, and my ranking would be as followed:

1) Theron
2) Knightley (Surprisingly so, I must add.)
3) Huffman
4) Dench
5) Witherspoon

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Mitchell: Your ratings and thoughts on the nominees.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Mitchell: I actually just rewatched Pride and Prejudice a month ago and thought Knightley's work aged spectacularly. In fact, I loved the movie quite a bit as well.

Calvin Law said...

Agreed with Mitchell and Robert. Actually I think the whole ensemble is pretty amazing. I’m surprised you have her over Huffman though. My ranking would probably be

1. Huffman
2. Knightley
3. Dench
4. Theron
5. Witherspoon

Pretty decent lineup actually.

Calvin Law said...

Also I saw Wild Rose today. Jessie Buckley is an absolute star. Probably hit too many formulaic turns to make me truly love it but it’s a great acting showcase.

Buckley: 5
Walters: 4

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Haven't seen Wild Rose yet but I certainly felt she had an awful lot of potential after seeing her work in War & Peace and Taboo.

Calvin Law said...

Like: I forgot to mention completely. I thought she was really good in War and Peace.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: What did you think of War & Peace and if you could ratings & thoughts on your top 5 performers.

Calvin Law said...

Probably my only substantial complaint was that it was occasionally a bit too...not even rushed? Packed for its own good, probably in trying to cram everything into one series. Having said that everything else was pretty great in terms of the story and screenplay, with some heartbreaking moments, some hilarious, some thrilling, and I’m surprised by how well the romantic elements were handled in some rather (might I say unlikely) hands. And though I thought it occasionally got a bit overstuffed I thought there were so many intriguing supporting characters that I didn’t mind to be honest, though I do think the core story stands out the most. And I haven’t gotten onto the technical elements which were brilliant throughout especially the costumes and the use of music. So altogether I did really like it.

I’ll start with a cast ranking.

1. Paul Dano
2. Jessie Buckley/James Norton
3. Tuppence Middleton
4. Jim Broadbent
5. Stephen Rea
6. Lily James
7. Brian Cox
8. Tom Burke
9. Aneurin Barnard
10. Callum Turner
11. Jack Lowden
12. Adrian Edmondson
13. Aisling Loftus
14. Gillian Anderson
15. Greta Scacchi

No real weak links though to be honest. For example I thought Edmondson and Lowden were pretty great within their somewhat limited roles.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: You don't mind if you could give quick thoughts on the rest of the cast aside from the top 6. I'm so relieved you have Dano at #1.

And yes, the technical elements are amazing throughout.

Mitchell Murray said...

Tahmeed:

Theron - 4.5 (Yet another effective turn from Theron, although this one is rather notable given the major short comings of her film. Theron manages to overcome such weaknesses, however, and not unlike her oscar winning work, delivers an especially realistic and moving portrayal of an abused woman. One area that she handles particularly well is realizing a strong drive in Josey, while also conveying the clear emotional trauma fueling her behavior. Theron hits this note with consistent power, never straying into needless hysterics, but instead building to Josey's outbursts in the time she's allotted. Now as I mentioned before, "North Country" leaves plenty to be desired as a motion picture, due to several misguided scenes and missed opportunities even for its leading actress. Still, Theron functions within those confines to the best of her ability, to a greater degree than the rest of the ensemble, thus honouring Josey's real life conflict far better than the film surrounding her.)

Knightley - 4 (Now I'll admit, right out the gait, that Knightley isn't a favourite actress of mine. I find a lot of her on screen work to be somewhat detached and/or artificial, and at her very worst, Knightley's acting can devolve terribly into physical posturing and blank reactionary expressions. With that said, this is one of her strongest performances that avoids most of the pitfalls she usually falls into. For one thing, I thought Knightley exhibited a certain charm in this role far beyond her normal range. This extends to the general lively tone she portrays Elizabeth with, which is especially noticeable in her "tom-boy" type demenour, and convincingly articulate line readings. Knightley also succeeds, in a most atypical fashion, at creating a proper emotional arc in Elizabeth, and showing the various trials and events she experiences. Three scenes of this sort immediately come to mind, them being her rain strewn confrontation opposite Macfadyen, and her final exchanges with Dench and Sutherland. In all cases, Knightley is quite affecting in her performance, and shows the needed complexity and state of mind for each moment.

Having written all of that, I'm still willing to say Knightley has a few scenes where she's perhaps ambiguous in her reactions, or is slightly overshadowed by Wright's direction. These never weigh down her performance that heavily, though, and for the most part can be forgiven due to the strength of her overall turn. Even more to that point, while Knightley has since revealed her limitations as a performer, through increasingly lesser variations of this kind of character, her performance in "Pride and Prejudice" still stands as a memorable effort that confidently supports the film.)

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: Is Harrelson still a 4.5 for this?

Mitchell Murray said...

Huffman - 4 (Huffman's performance finds itself in a similar situation to Theron's, actually, given how I frankly found "Transamerica" to be a few notches shy of a lifetime movie. Huffman has a different challenge, though, in the outward nature of her role, and while I don't hold her portrayal to the same standard as its most ardent fans, it is a good effort on her part. Huffman is firstly met with the superficial requirements of Bree - her husky and rather deliberate vocal quality. Admittedly this was an aspect of the performance I found quite distracting at the start, but over the course of the movie Huffman does make it a more than lived in facet of the portrayal. For the rest of the story, "Transamerica" very much follows the path of a typical road trip movie, which is a somewhat restrictive template in some regards. Nevertheless, Huffman effectively buoys the proceedings, in her understated responses to each location, but also the palpable thread line she creates for Bree's dramatic development. Huffman works decently opposite every co-star, from the strained relationship between Bree and her parents, to her awkward exchanges with Toby. Even with the number of faults in her movie as a whole, including her less than superb screen partner in Kevin Zegers, Huffman still elevates the story within "Transamerica" thanks to her thoughtful and poignant work throughout.)

Dench - 3.5 (In a certain way, "Mrs. Henderson Presents" could be used in a double billing along with "Florence Foster Jenkins", as both movies show the strengths and weaknesses of Frear's direction. I will say my problems with the former can sadly be seen in Dench's performance; Specifically, whenever the film cuts to a more intense moment between her and Hoskins, Frear's execution is a little jarring and choppy. As a consequence, Dench does not have the time to show the build up between these exchanges, resulting in the dramatic core of her performance to be rather underwhelming, sadly. Now aside from that, you still get the charming Dench persona that was shown so well in "Philomena", which I can definitely appreciate. Any chance she gets to deliver a vulgar line or an energetic comedic response, Dench handles it with the proper enthusiasm. The overarching light hearted tone of her performance is portrayed enjoyably enough, but in terms of the "heavier" scenes in the film, Dench doesn't realize them as seamlessly as she could've.)

Mitchell Murray said...

Witherspoon - 3 (This performance is a real oddity for myself, as during my actual viewing(s) of the film I don't honestly mind Witherspoon's work. It's only upon subsequent reflection of the film as a whole that my quibbles with the performance become cohesive. For starters, whereas so many viewers found Witherspoon to be very charming here, I don't really buy into that charm myself. It's not for lack of effort on her part, but rather that, to be entirely honest, I could never dissociate Witherspoon's energy here from her more breezy turns ala "Legally Blonde". What she was doing in this performance simply felt like an extension of those characters, and I'm not sure whether to blame myself or her for that. Now of course, the natural transition from that statement would be to examine the more dramatic elements of the performance. Its in this aspect as well, though, that Witherspoon isn't always up to the task. There is a strange inconsistency to a number of her "big" moments; Some are handled capably, like June's reassuring talk with Johnny at the end, but others don't really have the impact needed to sell the scene involved, such as Witherspoon's rather halfhearted response to a woman commenting on June's divorce. In an movie that already employs a problematic structure for Cash's life, Witherspoon never quite realizes her performance as its own dimensional, authentic being. For me personally, this turn of hers mainly serves as a more serious rendition of her comedic screen persona, which isn't the worst thing in the world, but it also doesn't justify her great acclaim, honestly.)

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I’ll get onto the others tomorrow.

Dano - (well this is certainly a true star turn for him, funnily enough though he kind of starts and technically ends in his usual ‘type’. That of the somewhat nebbish neurotic and somewhat pathetic man who nevertheless holds your attention, perhaps most notable in his duel scene. The amount of energy he infused into Pierre is quite remarkable really, as he grants such an understanding of the man’s freewheeling yet awkward nature with too much wealth and power for his own good, though always caring that undercurrent of a man trying to do good. In turn I thought his gradual transition into a ‘hero’ was honestly not just earnt but rather moving without compromising the character’s inherent sincerity. Great work particularly in the final two episodes as Pierre enters war and back and so movingly shows both what was gained and lost in the process. Haven’t even mentioned his chemistry with the actresses yet but...£

Buckley and Norton - (have to say they both had challenges almost equal to Dano and they both pulled it off brilliantly. Buckley as this timid yet somehow so resilient little soul who holds everything together yet is within a cluster of emotions, and Norton this reserved, dignified pinnacle of strength that begins to crumble as his view of war begins to change. Their portrayals are so reserved yet they are both individually so powerful whether it is Buckley dealing with her unfortunate position in the household or Norton dealing with his grief and regret over his past)

Middleton - (well here’s a more one note performer and to be honest I can see one being a bit less enthusiastic about her than me. Middleton though has such a style about her abject cruelty. There’s not much nuance and fittingly so as she moves from seemingly just indifferent and cold to revealing that more actively despicable side of the social climber, and the few moments she loses control all the more satisfying. What I do rather love too is her devious chemistry with Turner and even more so her brilliant anti-chemistry with Dano)

Broadbent - (I love how he starts off as this repressed father figure and gradually shows without opening another side to him. Now he’s great in showing the cruel and nasty aspects to the man, and his off-putting attitudes, but the pathos within alongside some downright amazing moments makes it something truly profound when he breaks from the mould)

Rea - (another more overtly despicable sort and I love how full on Rea leans into this, in the sort of role I’m glad went to him and not Aidan Gillen. His means of persuasion are quite something to watch as he never goes too far and makes it convincing how he can manipulate people with his two-faced deceptions)

James - (this is kind of her usual thing in that she’s so charming it makes up for the fact that her character is kind of given the short shrift in terms of depth. Well no matter what James is always so charming, and here she goes a bit further than that in making how her adventurous spirit and easily swayed disposition don’t conflict but rather cohere. In addition she has pretty great, not so much chemistry but a sort of understanding and connection with both Norton and Dano that’s quite remarkable)

Mitchell Murray said...

Also, for what it's worth, I'm inclined to agree with Robert in that I enjoyed "Pride and Prejudice" quite a bit, while the other four films of the nominees are merely "okay" at best.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Thoughts on this voice cast for a Lion King movie made in the 60's?

https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/forums/showpost.php?p=154398&postcount=30

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Your top 5 Paul Dano performances.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Will the review be up tonight.

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: I hope so, the wait's killing me and I'm hoping it's Pegg.

Calvin Law said...

Luke:

1. There Will Be Blood
2. War and Peace
3. Okja
4. Love and Mercy
5. Swiss Army Man
HM: Prisoners, Ruby Sparks

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: My #1 is War & Peace but I'm so happy it's in your top 2.

Have you thought about watching Andrew Davies' Les Miserables.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

I really hope that Louis gives Dano a 5 for There Will Be Blood when he reviews him. So many actors could have been overshadowed completely by DDL's powerhouse work.

«Oldest ‹Older   201 – 250 of 250   Newer› Newest»