Tuesday 16 July 2019

Alternate Best Actor 1963: Michael Redgrave & Laurence Olivier in Uncle Vanya

Michael Redgrave did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Uncle Vanya nor did Laurence Olivier did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. Astrov in Uncle Vanya.

Much like the Stuart Burge directed Othello, also starring Olivier, this film isn't quite just a filming of the play but it is close to it. There is no audience, and it is not just one day they decided to film the play. It is shot on a stage set, but the performances/direction, are attuned towards a general cinematic idea, more so than even in Othello, with edits, closeups, etc. being used by Burge, rather than just flatly filming a play performance. In that context, the film does work quite well as a strong staging of a remarkable play.

Michael Redgrave, who rarely played a happy man, plays the titular role of Uncle Vanya, though not necessarily the central role. He is one man within the estate in which the story is set. The old house of Vanya's sister, who is now deceased but left the house, an old maid daughter Sonya (Joan Plowright), and her husband the professor Serebryakov. The professor's visit being the catalyst in the story as he visits the estate with his new young wife Yelena (Rosemary Harris). Vanya is a role that is as unimportant as it is essential in terms of the state of being that defines Vanya. He is a middle aged man, an intelligent one, essentially without purpose within the rural estate. Redgrave's performance perhaps benefits from the pseudo cinematic form the most as so much of his performance are the moments of focusing on him, even when he turned away from whoever is speaking. Redgrave's initial approach is very much the success of his work entirely in realizing his Uncle Vanya. This is as he makes the man in this nearly comical tragic state of a man having had his life been wasted away, seemingly by circumstance. This is not drudgery to watch, as it could've been, as Redgrave tilts within that certain humorous overarching approach that is a rather fascinating one.

A frequent visitor, and fellow denizen of the provincial, is Dr. Astrov, who in many ways is the other side of the very same coin as Vanya. Astrov being played by the great Olivier, who I will praise to no end at any chance, and this will be no exception in that regard. Astrov's role is the more active of the two, which Olivier takes hold of naturally enough. Olivier leading into a given scene with such charisma as a man, who has just a bit more stature within his profession as doctor, but there is a bit more to it than that. Olivier though from the outset is wonderful to watch here playing the part with such a wonderful zest that makes Astrov stand out as he should, as a man who speaks his mind just a bit more than his fellow visitors and residents. Olivier of course takes hold of this idea splendidly with such rapturous deliveries, fitting to Astrov's natural musing upon the situations around him. Olivier delivers the right sort atypical extroverted bent to the man with a love of nature, and just really a general spirited attitude. Olivier exudes the right type of joy of at least the experience of interaction, which is where his performance intermingles with Redgrave's the most. This is as again, Astrov from a cursory look seem like they might be the opposite, which is the fantastic part of what Redgrave and Olivier do together, as the two are in a very similar situation.

Redgrave was an expert at the discontent of life, giving an all-time great performance depicting that in The Browning Version, in portraying such a natural anxiety. This is the case here as Redgrave in a given scene just exudes this discomfort of one's state being. This as making Vanya a man who can find comfort in his own skin even given the discomfort he has had with his life. Redgrave's work again though is terrific because he does not make it this slog and adheres to the idea of Uncle Vanya, the play, is technically a comedy. This is not to say he exactly gives a comedic performance, but what Redgrave does makes sense of the character through this humorous approach. A darkly humorous approach however as Redgrave plays the part as though Vanya can't help but nearly laugh at the expense of himself at every given situation. Rather than cry, Redgrave is rather powerful in making such a painful smile as he just shakes his head at his existence again and again. There is a real pathos Redgrave finds with this, that he carries as almost Vanya's shield from completely breaking down into despair. This even as he declares his love for the young Yelena, Redgrave is heartbreaking as his delivery is inundated with self-deprecating scoffs and grins. This as Redgrave plays the moment quite effectively as one of self-defeat, knowing his attempt for the younger woman will fail, but tries anyway.

Now the two are of the same coin in that Astrov is very much in the same situation as Vanya. In that neither is happy in their place in life, and feel very much out of place within their setting for their existence. Olivier though shows that Astrov quite simply is not as burdened by this knowledge as Vanya is. He instead delivers the mention of their unfortunate circumstances with a blunt straight forward, "yes this is how it is", of a man whose basically made peace with it. Olivier though underlines this though with portraying the doctor as trying to enjoy what there can be found in his life as much as can be found. One of the ways is even within trolling Vanya a bit, as he basically makes fun of him from time to time, which Olivier portrays as biting though with a definite good nature, as his eyes subvert the words with an affectionate warmth. He conveys an empathy within Vanya's plight as he himself is experiencing it, though the way he can experience is taking those bits of joy, which includes pestering Vanya a bit. Olivier accentuates the different nature of this same existence particularly effectively when he also declares his love to Yelena, unfortunately while she was trying to see if the doctor was interested in the "said to be homely" Sonya. This as Olivier portrays this immediate energetic thrust towards the opportunity, attempting to woo her at the chance of something more, which contrasts effectively against the sabotage of Redgrave as Vanya.

Yelena mostly rejects Astrov as she did Vanya, and I love the bit of smug delight Olivier depicts in Astrov's minor victory he can hold over the bitter Vanya. The Vanya who gets worse before he gets better as the story goes on and Redgrave is great in depicting his own breaking point. This as not from denied opportunities, but rather the loss of even the existence he has when the professor suggests selling their home off. Redgrave's exceptional in the moment by finally making his self-deprecating laughs as unbearable, as they sweep away in his eyes towards an abject madness. This as he finally lashes out without hesitations, towards violent action, which Redgrave makes it natural by creating it as this breaking point where Vanya's humor no longer can save him. This leaving Vanya trying to literally kill the professor but failing in that too, therefore left just to sulk within his home again. Redgrave, though he only has a few lines, is great in his final scene by showing Vanya no longer with even that pained smile on his face. This as he attempts to attempt suicide, at least as an act of an attempt by stealing Astrov's morphine, where Redgrave is remarkable just in realizing the sad state of the man now directly living his depression. This again contrasting against Olivier as Astrov who blithely tells Vanya to give him back his morphine and go kill himself properly by shooting himself. Olivier's approach again effectively delivers a comedic bent to it, though in the moment he carefully still grants a genuine concern in the man's eyes for Vanya. Olivier though shows the alternative path as Astrov still is in the same state of existence, however Olivier exudes still just this sense of the simple joy of the little success he had with Yelena and life, though with its own pathos in his pitch perfect reaction as he sadly turns away from Sonya's romantic hopes before leaving the estate. Both Olivier and Redgrave do justice to their roles by finding an effortless tone that serves the material so well, as creating these barriers of comedy, from the tragedy within.

75 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your ratings and thoughts on Harris and Plowright.

Luke Higham said...

Really hope Shaw and Pleasence get fives.

Bryan L. said...

Luke: Your Top Ten Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender performances, along with ratings?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the work of Jonathan banks and Giancarlo Esposito on season 4 of better call saul

Bryan L. said...

Waititi is returning to direct Thor 4.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Thoughts on this behind the scenes from Doctor Zhivago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihKuDCD8qjo

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your 2010s cast and director for The Naked Spur? I like the Michael Shannon choice, so I'm wondering who'd be your other picks for the cast.

Maybe James Mangold as director and McConaughey as Howard?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Harris - 4(She gives a nice luminous turn as she manages to balance enough of a warmth with a certain underlying sultriness. She thankfully doesn't overplay the latter, creating the right sense of a honest person even in her most unusual circumstance. She's particularly effective in her moments of rejecting the man as she manages to convey the right sort of hesitation within it, and delivers a nice heart even within the rejection. She's particularly effective in her moment with Olivier conveying an underlying interest even in the moment of the rejection.)

Plowright - 4.5(Absolutely wonderful work from her that too is luminous though in a very different way from Harris. She grants this palatable sort of optimism within her eyes at every moment in granting this sense of hope within her character, even if the hope may come in the afterlife. In turn she's heartbreaking in her moments of her blunt delivery explaining how she is foreseen as homely. Plowright grants this particularly harrowing sort of understanding that grants a natural tragedy within the technically her technically optimistic attitude. She's especially good in her silent reactions regarding Olivier, where she brings such a humble attraction along with heartbreak, in her moments of hope, then yet another acceptance of something she will not have.)

Anonymous:

Don't really have any additional thoughts. Both don't do anything wholly new per se with the roles, but what made them great in Breaking Bad is once again evident, which isn't something to be hand waved.

Bryan:

Good news I'll say for Waititi, as it delays and hopefully cancels Akira, which he's all wrong for. And I could certainly go for another hilarious Thor from him, as quite frankly it's the only potential Marvel film I real have a great deal of interest in going forward.

Mangold and McConaughey certainly would work.

As for the Rest:

Lina: Jena Malone
Roy: Ben Barnes
Jesse: Elias Koteas

Anonymous:

Certainly shows the driven, and not so affable nature of Lean, which should be no surprise given his achievements.

Bryan L. said...

I too think Akira would've just seemed a waste of time for him, as anime live-action films seem to go through the same fate as their video game counterparts.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top 10 films that were wasted potential when it came to cinematography. Like, you said that The Truman Show could have benefitted from either Roger Deakins or Russell Boyd shooting it.

Emi Grant said...

Bryan: I feel Waititi *maybe* could have pulled Akira off. Then again Thor 4 is a very, very welcome choice by me.

Brazilian Cinema said...

What will be the winners of the year 1963 according to Louis? Here are my bets:

PICTURE = High and Low
DIRECTOR = Akira Kurosawa - High and Low
ACTOR = Toshiro Mifune - High and Low
ACTRESS = Ingrid Thulin - The Silence
SUPPORTING ACTOR = Tsutomu Yamazaki - High and Low
Supporting Actress = Patricia Neal - Hud
ENSEMBLE = High and Low
PRODUCTION DESIGN = The Haunting
SOUND EDITING = The Birds
SOUND MIXING = High and Low
SCORE = The Great Escape
EDITING = High and Low
VISUAL EFFECTS = Jason and the Argonauts
COSTUME DESIGN = 8½
CINEMATOGRAPHY = Hud
MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING = Cleopatra
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY = Charade
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY = High and Low
SONG = "Call Me Irresponsible" (Papa's Delicate Condition)

RatedRStar said...

I am just gonna pretend that Game of Thrones record breaking Emmy nomination list of 32 is for the whole entire series.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Seeing as we were discussing Richard Madden in the last post, could I have your thoughts on this scene from Game of Thrones?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvUGkw8Syj4

Brazilian Cinema said...

Hey Louis!

Rod Steiger's performance in The Pawnbroker should not be put up in the year 1964. I know the film was released in the United States the following year, but fuck the release date.
If I was Louis, Rod Steiger wins the year 1964 and defeats Richard Attenborough in Guns at Batasi.

Matt Mustin said...

RatedRStar: It is. Let's be honest.

BRAZINTERMA said...

Brazilian Cinema: I agree. Louis was supposed to give Steiger a win on this blog. Attenborough still has two more wins and I do not even think his performance for Batasi is such a big deal.

Luke Higham said...

Guys, it's by the first theatrical release date, not the first festival showing.

RatedRStar said...

Basically because like 97% of filmgoers will not see a film ever in a pre screening festival, so has to be when the public can all see it.

Bryan L. said...

As for the Emmys, I'm just glad Barry got some love, especially for Carrigan and for "ronny/lily."

Razor said...

Louis: Thoughts on Mahershala Ali, Steven Williams and Scoot McNairy in True Detective?

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on Kumail Nanjiani's Twilight Zone performance?

Luke Higham said...

Bryan:
Hardy:
5
1. Bronson
2. The Revenant
3. Peaky Blinders
4. Locke
5. The Drop
6. The Take
7. Legend
8. Mad Max: Fury Road
4.5
9. Stuart: A Life Backwards
10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
11. The Virgin Queen
12. Wuthering Heights

Fasbender:
5
1. Macbeth
2. Hunger
3. 12 Years A Slave
4. Shame
4.5
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. Steve Jobs
7. Alien: Covenant
8. Prometheus
9. Fish Tank
4
10. X-Men: First Class

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Yuriko Fuchizaki and Taro Ishida's performances in Akira.

RatedRStar said...

What is everyones thoughts on the Cats trailer?

Robert MacFarlane said...

@RatedrStar: https://youtu.be/CpFdP5yATw0

Matt Mustin said...

RatedRStar: Everything about it is terrible.

Mitchell Murray said...

That video was pretty good, Robert, I'm not going to lie.

As for the trailer.....yeah how about a definite "what the hell were you guys thinking?". Sadly the movie looks almost dead on arrival.

Bryan L. said...

Luke: Thank you.

Bryan L. said...

The 90th layer of hell...it’s real...

Bryan L. said...

On a brighter side, thoughts on the Top Gun: Maverick trailer anyone?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on Cats and Top Gun: Maverick.

Calvin Law said...

Cats looks dreadful in every regard, Maverick looks visually stunning but I’m still dubious, the new Ad Astra trailer was great, but my favourite trailers I’ve seen today were actually the It: Chapter 2 and His Dark Materials trailer (holy fuck have Dafne Keen and Ruth Wilson been perfectly cast).

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on the His Dark Materials trailer and do you intend to watch it depending on the critical reception.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Dolores Claiborne
The Girl with Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl
The Grey
The Hurt Locker
The Princess Bride
Public Enemies (Mann's fault, however)
A Simple Plan
Triple Frontier
The Truman Show
The Wind that Shakes the Barley


Tahmeed:

It's a great scene in that you see sort of the "Ned" getting the best of Robb, where his actions are entirely justified, however his approach to is severely flawed regarding his final goal. Where you also see the flaws of his whole campaign, as Karstark points are not so easily hand waved particularly regarding what Catelyn did and his final words to Robb. The same to Edmure's honestly rather sage advice, that simply involves lying. It is more than anything made by Madden's great work, as he brings this conviction in his work, but also almost this fearful, near petulance, still of a boy figuring things out. This is especially well shown in his final nearly tearful reaction after stroking down the executioners blow.

Louis Morgan said...

Razor:

Ali - (He overdoes his old man performance just a touch, as he occasionally comes off like acting like an old man physically more than truly conveying the age. This is particularly noticeable though because of how well Dorff does it. Ali even in that setting does a lot of strong work in conveying the random moments of senility and random clarity. Ali though does some consistently strong work though in it as really this sort pillar with unsettling emotion just underneath the surface. He barely even has an explosion however what he does do is quite effective in creating the inherent tension of the man, as well as the various convictions that propel him further. It's more than anything just some solid leading man work from him, even if the sort of emotional heights come rather unexpectedly from Dorff.)

Williams - (An effective performance that really comes down to just three scenes. The first two in striking this real visceral intensity as this nearly demonic hostility in his initial moments. This is effectively undercut though in his final scene where he reveals the sincerity of the man's motivation. Williams ends up being rather moving in portraying such earnest and moving conviction of a man who felt he was doing the right thing, even if it was in some very wrong ways. Within that he creates the right sense of shame and guilt)

McNairy - (Well for the first few episodes of the series he comes off as a live action version of Kenny's dad from South Park, though not quite as badly as Mamie Gummer in that regard. He just really over does the whole hillbilly routine coming off as nearly ridiculous. Thankfully he dials that in big time in the later episodes giving such an effectively quieter turn as the man dealing with his loss. McNairy brings a real powerful internalized anguish, that he effectively shows this terrible growth as the judgment of others focuses even more squarely on him. McNairy is fantastic in creating the sense of the confusion and grief stricken anxiety of the character.)

Matt:

Nanjiani - (As I said before regarding his breakdown scene from The Big Sick, I don't think he's much of a dramatic actor, which it's okay just to be a comedic one where he's quite good. Nanjiani though just is extremely limited in terms of his drama, and his attempts to create a festering ego fall completely flat. He seems consistently out of his element and quite simply it comes off as bad acting. His screaming seems forced, his emotions seem false. He just doesn't appear to have that gear in him, as the more intense the episode became the more laughable his work became, and not for the right reasons. If someone needed to be nominated from that episode it should've been Tracy Morgan, who was pretty good as "Not Dave Chappelle", and really the only good thing about the episode.)

Luke:

Cats - (Verne told me the truth)

Top Gun - (Visually looks like it could be pretty stunning, which in a way is kind of the baseline for the film to sort of meet the "standard" of the original. But really it looks like it could be a decent throwback, if perhaps too reverential. I do wish Tom Skerritt had been the one dressing down Cruise however, not that there's anything wrong with Harris. Then again, I might be extra positive after watching the abomination, I mean the Cats trailer, no wait I do mean the abomination.)

Calvin Law said...

Gosh was Karstark an ass lol. I fucking love Richard Madden in that scene, and that Clive Russell lunch.

RatedRStar said...

Been a while since I have seen Stephen Dorff, I remember liking him as the villain in Blade.

Emi Grant said...

Just watched the Cats trailer.....This wouldn't have happened had David Fincher won Best Director. Verne was right indeed.

Calvin Law said...

Starting on Barry and yeah, definitely good as advertised.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Here's to hoping the people behind Cats postpone the release of the film so that they can make the characters look less uncanny valley-esque, ala Sonic. Of course, I'm crossing my fingers for them to shelve it entirely.

Mitchell Murray said...

I asked this on the last post, Louis, but what would be your top acting moments of William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter?

Bryan L. said...

Tahmeed: If anyone other than Hooper had directed it, then delaying it would've been a (small) possibility. But since the man only comes out of his lair during awards season...


Mitchell: I think he's at least given Weavers' top moments. I'll see if I can find them.

Bryan L. said...

Mitchell:

Weaver
actoroscar.blogspot.com/2017/09/alternate-best-supporting-actor-1992.html

Hurt
actoroscar.blogspot.com/2017/07/alternate-best-supporting-actor-2003_5.html

Hunter
actoroscar.blogspot.com/2017/09/alternate-best-actor-1949-toshiro.html

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed & Bryan: I don't want to fully demonize Hooper due to his quite exemplary work in TV but his transition to cinema has been a great failure.
Aside from The Damned United, his other films have been a massive waste of potential.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Any missed opportunities in Jared Harris and Paul Bettany's careers.

Anonymous said...

Luke, Having seen his work in The Crown, its such a shame that Harris was never cast as Bertie in The King's Speech.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

For Harris it is a shame he couldn't of found a few more interesting roles early on, however I'd say he is someone who sort of came into his own with his age. When he was younger he quite simply didn't have his old man's presence, though he was a good actor clearly with talent. He developed a presence though with age, a different presence from his old man, but as captivating in its own way. So I think really his late bloom in a way made sense after all.

For Bettany, much of his career post 2003, where he neither became a bankable leading man nor did he become a critical darling. His leading films, while not flops, weren't box office smashes, and he just didn't quite the needed recognition to become go to actor for prestige films. Honestly if he had simply been Oscar nominated Master and Commander, he might now be getting the roles he deserves, which is a shame. A role that could've also bridged this a bit, that he was apparently considered for was Balian in Kingdom of Heaven. Not only would it have provided a far more dynamic hero for the film, it could've been a major bridge for him as a performer to greater opportunities. Honestly now he needs to find a good high profile TV mini-series for him, that could help him get the boost he deserves, I could easily see him in say a True Detective or Fargo. Maybe cast him in the Game of Thrones prequel?

Robert MacFarlane said...

One thing to note: Bettany turned down The King’s Speech.

Louis Morgan said...

Perhaps, he's simply terrible at choosing projects then, as that would've been in lieu of things like Legion, The Tourist and Priest.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your cast and director for a 40's Age of Innocence.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

The Age of Innocence 1940's directed by David Lean:

Newland Archer: James Mason
Ellen Olenska: Celia Johnson
May Welland: Celeste Holm
Mrs. Mingott: Margaret Rutherford

Mitchell Murray said...

Thank you, Bryan.

All Ellen Ripley for the top ten, eh... Can't really argue against that, though I did think Weaver had several great moments in "Gorillas in the Mist", namely her breakdown towards the end.

Matt Mustin said...

Mitchell: I don't know if he'd seen it when he made that ranking.

Louis: Thoughts on this scene from Fargo? I think it's the best scene of Patrick Wilson's career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw8sqpt6Rs0

Bryan L. said...

Mitchell: You're welcome. I think Matt is correct though, since he made that ranking before the 1988 Bonus Round. Maybe there's some moments of her from that film if you ask Louis for an updated list, or in the Top 15 at least.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: I would've loved to see Bettany as Balian, however, I think that film might've flopped anyway, since it was a tough one to market and the theatrical version did not do it any favors. It also practically ended Blooms' leading man career, as he's really only been in ensembles or indies since then.

With that in mind, do you think Bettany's career would be where it is now if KOH had suffered the same fate money-wise? Or would he have a higher-profile now?

Anonymous said...

Louis: I remember in your thoughts on Portrait of Jennie's cinematography that you said that it was August's greatest achievement with Dieterle. I'm curious, where would you put Portrait of Jennie in your list of the top 20 best shot films of the 40's?

Calvin Law said...

Holy fuck Tony Leung Chiu Wai is going to be playing the fucking Mandarin. HOLY FUCK.

Bryan L. said...

And Mahershala Ali is Blade now

Mitchell Murray said...

Well in reference to Bryan's comment, what would be your updated moments for Weaver, Louis?

And in reference to Matt's comment, it is indeed a terrific scene for Wilson. A good example of a fine actor giving finely tuned work, in the successful attempt of adding depth to an otherwise "straight arrow" character.

Luke Higham said...

Phase 4 on paper is incredibly exciting to me. Just hope they'll deliver on most of it, especially Blade and the Doctor Strange/Thor sequels.

Luke Higham said...

And thank goodness, Avengers: Endgame has surpassed Avatar.

RatedRStar said...

Tony Leung Chiu Wai is in the Marvel universe, I am so happy, been wondering what he has been doing since The Grandmaster and See You Tomorrow.

RatedRStar said...

Blade is a film that has huge potential, the first one was actually quite fun, I would say Mahershala Ali is a good safe choice.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Luke: Yeah, it's about time that an actually good movie is the #1 film.
That being said, no one can beat Gone with the Wind's adjusted gross :)

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Aaron Paul is in Westworld Season 3.

Calvin Law said...

Tahmeed: Looks like a role that'll suit his strengths. I'm intrigued to see how the Maeve/Dolores conflict pans out, though I'll also admit that I'll miss a lot of the park shenanigans.

Luke Higham said...

I saw The Lion King last night. I was amazed and underwhelmed in equal measure. The Visual Effects were impressive and they thankfully rectified some of the narrative flaws from the original, I preferred the representation of Simba and Timon & Pumbaa more but Mufasa's death scene was unintentionally hilarious and they didn't really expand Scar's role here when there was an extra half hour added on. The facial technology unfortunately lacks when it comes to displaying emotion.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Would you ever consider doing a tie for 96' original song with Hellfire and Bells Of Notre Dame.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: your thoughts on Michael Irby, Paula Newsome, and Mark Ivanir on Barry?

Bryan L. said...

Luke: Ratings and thoughts for the cast?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the Stranger Things cover of 'The Never-ending Story'?
https://youtu.be/WWtEuNuNzQo

Luke Higham said...

The Lion King:
McCrary - 3 (Better than JTT)
Glover - 3
Ejiofor - 3.5 (I thought he did very well with the more authoritative version of the character, shame they cut 2 thirds of the original lyrics from Be Prepared)
Eichner/Rogen - 3/3.5
Beyoncé - 2.5
Jones - 2.5
Kasumba - 3

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could Lee Marvin go up for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Louis Morgan said...

Matt:

Hawley lifted it directly from Last Days in Vietnam, however lift something great if that's the case and position thematically as well as he does by being these words of experience in the moment. Wilson's delivery though is what makes the sense as he matches the power of the story with the quietly overpowering emotion in his work, as you get a real sense of the moment in his work.

Bryan:

Oh Kingdom of Heaven was one big bungle from the release date, the chosen cut, and the marketing of it. They chose to try to sell it as Gladiator, which it wasn't with a more complex tale at the center of it. Bettany would've been a nice addition, perhaps a strong enough one, that the longer (good cut) would've been seen as necessary. The film though needed many things. If everything fell in place just as it did just with Bettany in the lead, it would've raised his profile a bit, since he didn't lead a big budget film before, but he probably would still have a fairly low profile.

Anonymous:

#9

Calvin:

Irby - (Relatively brief performance in the scheme of things, but quite hilarious in giving such a wonderful one note of being just the most eager enthusiasm to every single line. This not mattering what he's talking about, which makes him so hilarious in the role.)

Ivanir - (A funny performance also built around the note, as he keeps this psycho intensity, no matter what he's doing, and the consistency is what makes it so hilarious once again.)

I think I covered Newsome, I'll have a look.

Mitchell:

1. Accepting death - Alien 3
2. You Know the line - Aliens
3. Dallas in the air shaft - Alien
4. Asking for death - Alien 3
5. "Execution" - Gorillas in the Mist
6. Describing what happened - Aliens
7. The Funeral - Alien 3
8. Confronting the poacher
9. Finding Newt - Aliens
10. Fighting with Ash - Alien

Luke:

No. Maybe.

Tahmeed:

I mean those kids have some great harmony within that rather ridiculous song, wonderfully rendered, also bonus points for getting a completely hilarious moment from Brett Gelman via his reaction.