Thursday 8 August 2019

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1963: Geoffrey Keen, George Cole and Patrick Wymark in Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow

Geoffrey Keen did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying General Pugh in Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow.

Well I will once again take this opportunity to sing the praises of the wonderful and underrated adventure film/mini-series the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. The film features the previously reviewed work of the underrated Patrick McGoohan in the title role of both the smuggling rouge the Scarecrow, and the seemingly innocent parson Dr. Syn. It also features some turns from some rather underrated British character actors of the period. One of these actors being Geoffrey Keen, who is now perhaps best remembered as his side role in the Bond series, if that even, but whose talents did go beyond delivering a bit of setup exposition. Keen gets the chance to show that off in the role of General Pugh who is the main antagonist specifically sent by King George III to destroy the Scarecrow and his smuggling ring. Keen's performance here is to make Pugh a proper villain for the story. Keen's a rather delightful villain by very much playing up the ego the character. This with a smugly assured smile on his face as he announces the purpose of his arrival to smash the smuggling gang. Keen's most effective by making this Pugh's defining trait but not his only trait. In the same scene of his announcement Keen finds a bit more nuance within an incisive stare as speaks of the people's lawlessness that supports the smuggling. Keen is a great deal of fun in the role, even though he has sort of a presumed general seriousness through playing into the character's superior manner. This in particular in his frequent berating of his underlings who he always views as inferiors. Keen brings such a deliciously pompous demeanor with such venom in every "you fool" he throws out towards those he views as failing him. This also with the sense of the man's power, as there is such an ease in his threats to others, knowing he can easily have most men hanged. Keen's performance captures a certain enjoyable bit of villainy, in the way Pugh doesn't really hide his satisfaction with his own position. This in particularly Keen's smile of pure joy at the burning of random houses, or his manner of nearly breaking out laughing when it is suggested he might keep a promise to condemned men. Keen provides a particularly effective contrast to McGoohan as Syn, this as the equally assured man internalized, where Keen offers a man broad and overly open in his certainties. I'll cheat as I did with McGoohan, by bringing up one of my favorite, mini-series, moments where Pugh believe he has the Scarecrow dead to rights, and Keen asks him to surrender in the "King's Name" with such devilish glee in the moment. The impeccable smugness of Keen makes for Pugh's numerous defeats all the more satisfying, but also all the more enjoyable in Keen's performance. It is with this that I do think Keen takes his performance further than just a villain you like to see lose, in that he finds enough nuance in the moments outside of the direct antagonist. This in just interacting with the local squire, where Keen tones down it nicely to show a slightly social man, if he still carries an inherent intensity even in these moments. The best though being with Pugh out of his element, or forced to be. This when his losses goes beyond the possibility of blaming others, namely when he directly answers to the king himself. Keen is great in his one scene with George, as he delivers the false face of the loyal general, which he beautifully offsets once he turns around to reveal the same bitter frustrations he would at any other man he hates. Keen makes a properly entertaining villain for this entertaining story, who he sets up as just the proper man you just love to see fail again and again.
George Cole did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Mr. Mipps/Hellspite in Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow.

Moving onto another underrated chap and mainstay of mid-century British cinema in George Cole. A charming performer who gets a nice role here as Dr. Syn's number two, both as the sexton for his church, but also as a fellow masked crusader. His work at the latter is fairly limited in that you can't even see his eyes in the costume and he only has about two lines with the mask on. I do like though his gruffer vocal work that complements McGoohan's own, even if it is only briefly heard. Cole's performance is interesting though in that it only really functions really in the plans of the duplicity for the scarecrow, being Syn's primary confidant and agent. Cole's effective by bringing sort of an alternative perspective in these moments as essentially the more cynical man of the group. This in even in a minor debate where Cole accentuates a lack of earnestness regarding the crusade as this great measure of hope as a man more mindful of the present reality. This is effectively shown in Cole's own portrayal of Mipps's manner in the plans, that Cole plays with a certain degree of self-satisfaction. This in that he brings a certain joy of performance in the act of Mipps going about his methods of manipulation for the sake of their cause. A highlight scene for Cole being when he tricks a prosecutor into a bit of a trap by pretending to be a concerned citizen. Cole manages to do two things at once in the scene as he provides a convincing false sincerity in his assured eyes towards the prosecutor, and bogus sympathy as he speaks of injustices being done. This is while in moments away there is this wonderful glint his eyes of a man just loving his ability to deceive the man. Cole's performance consistently delivers moments of just a bit of character thrown in there for portraying the method of the operator but also the joy he takes in performing his job. Cole doesn't just leave a scene be, but nicely brings in a bit of who Mipps in, as limited as that may be. This is even in just his moments of observing things where he creates the right tensions of the spy, or simply mutual concern as something may go wrong in a plan. Cole delivers a proper sidekick, of sorts, that is a proper companion performance to McGoohan's.
Patrick Wymark did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Joseph Ransley in Dr. Syn, Alias Scarecrow.

Finally in this trio of it I end on the type of performance I always love to highlight, that being the performance that makes the most out of a potential throwaway role. This in Patrick Wymark as Joseph Ransley who works as one of Scarecrow's men, before he threatened by General Pugh to betray him or face arrest. What makes Wymark's performance notable is the amount of sympathy he does create for Ransley throughout the ordeal. This is that the writing more of pegs him for basically a lout, who hates his step-mother, and will selfishly trade everyone in for his own preservation. He is a proper lout but Wymark doesn't make it his only trait. Wymark though is terrific sad sack, right from his opening scene where Pugh interrogates him over his sudden change in fortunes, that Pugh believes is from being a smuggler. Wymark delivers a very real fear of the situation, and genuine unease at the sense of being found out. He's not one note from this as he very much conveys both the sense of being found out but potentially something purer about giving up the whole ring he's part of. Wymark's effective in placing an emphasis in the moment of Ransley seemingly in power, as he initially tries to steal from the Scarecrow and run away with his sons. This in a moment of confidence, as we see the potential smuggler, who believes he knows a few things. This idea though is squashed as he is caught in the act of smuggling and arrested before being put on trial. This is as he and his sons face a potential death penalty, Wymark is honestly rather moving in creating the real desperation in the man as he pleads his inability to anyway help the crown and in turn help himself or his sons. He is left off as a technicality engineered by Dr. Syn but not without being threatened directly by General Pugh and more covertly by Dr. Syn. Again Wymark does more than possibly is demanded by being so earnestly scared with each threat, and by showing just how much of a wreck he becomes as he attempts to drink his troubles away. Unfortunately for him, the king's prosecutor comes to threaten him as well. Wymark is a terrific mess as he delivers with a real anguish as he decries his maddening situation where really everyone is out to get him. Although Wymark doesn't make you side with Ransley, he does grant a real humanity in the act of the traitor. These acts that lead him straight to another trial, unfortunately for him, this time run by the Scarecrow. Wymark's fantastic in the scene though as he manages to play more than one note. In that again you have a very real plea of passion in his voice as he tries to make them understand his situation, this in his earnest delivery as he speaks of trying to save he and his sons lives at the other trial. Of course this is also with a genuine disdain towards the Scarecrow, a logical anger at the man who thwarted his attempted acts of self-preservation, that Wymark leads with anger of a man fed up within his circumstances. This naturally falls away in his portrayal though when the results of the trial are given, and Wymark's expression of a nearly petrified fear again is remarkable as he faces perhaps his final fate. Ransley could've just been some bum traitor, nothing more, but Wymark realizes a real tragedy within his subplot, that takes the part towards something more substantial.

119 comments:

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Can't wait for Chatterjee's review.

RatedRStar said...

Wymarks reaction when the Scarecrow produces the rope for his hanging is just such a great response of shock and desperation.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Could I have your thoughts on Jacob Bertrand's performance in Cobra Kai? I checked, and you didn't give your thoughts on him before.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: could I have your thoughts on Rob Garrison too? His original line deliveries in the first film were great but I also loved him in CK.

RatedRStar said...

Brad Pitt confirmed to go supporting for OUATIH.

Tom Hanks for A Beautiful Day and Christian Bale for Ford V Ferrari will also go supporting, Hanks could be helped massively by that.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Could Burt Lancaster go up for From Here to Eternity?

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: I think Louis said he could go up.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Can't say any 3 of those are major category frauds if Hanks and Bale are in fact Leads. Also if nominated, then that's great news for Alternate Lead.

Calvin Law said...

Pitt isn’t that bad a case of category fraud I suppose, if you make the argument that the whole film is an ensemble piece.

RatedRStar said...

With the exception of Taika Waititi and possibly Leslie Odom J.R, supporting actor looks like 2012 with it being a very likely veteran lineup.

Calvin Law said...

At this point in the year the only performances I have a real urge to see reviewed are Taron Egerton, RDJ and Chris Evans. But to be fair it’s been a fairly weak year for actor performances thus far.

Emi Grant said...

Calvin: I would again insist on Antonio Banderas, but that's just me.

I really feel like this year will be heavy on category fraud, those performances better rule, though.

Louis and everyone: Your thoughts on the trailer for Honey Boy? I'm really into the main trio of performances.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Could Patrick Stewart go up to #1 or #2 for 2017 supporting for his work in Logan?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: You used the 1963 Alternate Best Actor label instead of Supporting.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Have you seen any other 2019 releases lately.

Bryan L. said...

Luke: I've been meaning to ask, does Michael usually watch the films that Louis announces in his lineups? I've noticed that you usually ask him for ratings for the lineup. Just wondering.

Luke Higham said...

Bryan: He usually watches them all before making predictions.

Bryan L. said...

Luke: Ahh got it. A "recon" mission if you will

Mitchell Murray said...

Emi: With regards to "Honey Boy", when I first heard of the project, I remember commenting about my mixed feelings for the idea, though specifically for Lucas Hedges' casting as Labeouf himself.

Now, having seen both the trailer and Hedges' terrific work from "Boy Erased", I'm officially going to retract that judgement; He appears good from what little we were given, as does Labeouf and Noah Jupe. I'm also hopeful that the movie will offer an uncompromising look into Labeouf's adolescent career, and make me look at the man in a different light; He's always been an idiosyncratic performer to be sure, but one I have genuinely liked in films like "Holes", "Disturbia" and "Fury", and again, I'm interested in seeing a new side of his persona.

Calvin Law said...

I find it hilarious how much Hedges sounds like Labeouf at certain moments in the trailer. Credits to him.

Louis Morgan said...

Tahmeed:

Bertrand - (His performance is rather interesting actually in that he effectively creates story of the discovery of self-confidence to ultimately negative consequences. This is as pre-Hawk, both in the first season and the flashback, he's really quite good at just portraying a scared kid desperate in his circumstances. He's then good though in portraying the boost of ability as Hawk, that he begins somewhat quietly as just a growing assurance, that slowly goes to confidence, then finally to egotism. He's convincing in each phase of the transformation as to a bully himself. This in this act of a constant building of one's own posturing to ultimately a negative extreme.)

Yes to the first, no to the second, Rockwell is secure there.

Calvin:

Garrison - (Definitely as the original Cobra reunion was my favorite part of the second season, with Garrison being a major source of that. This in portraying just such a genuine eagerness to enjoy his bit of life left, on top of a underlying sadness and desperation. I love his chemistry with Zabka as you get a real sense of two old friends that goes beyond the bully crew we saw in the original film. They create the a sense of the camaraderie wonderfully. What takes his performance further though is his heart to heart scene with Johnny on Ali, where Garrison is downright heartbreaking in portraying such an earnestness in his dream, though a dream deferred.)

Emi Grant:

Labeouf, Jupe and Hedges all look promising. It looks rather fascinating beyond that though with what seems to be a particularly brutal autobiography from Labeouf, though I do like that there appears to be some levity in there, namely the opening with Hedges rather effectively bringing back Labeouf's NONONONONONO trademark.

Luke:

Parasite, which I flat out LOVED without reservation (though I think the nearly nihilistic philosophy probably will turn some off). Easily my favorite film of the year so far.

Saving Choi and Song.

Jang - 4
Park - 4
Lee - 4
Cho - 4
Jung Ji-so - 3
Jung Hyun-joon - 3
Park Myung-hoon - 3.5
Lee - 4

Also watched Wild Rose, which I rather liked.

Buckley - 5
Walters - 4
Okonedo - 3.5

Also probably will be seeing The Farewell tomorrow.

Calvin Law said...

Yes Louis! So glad you loved Parasite. I’d ask you for more thoughts but I’m sure we’d want to save the rest of the blog from spoilers. Is it easily your choice for editing so far too?

Calvin Law said...

And yeah Buckley was great, I really hope she gets some awards traction.

Bryan L. said...

I think Parasite might end up being Louis' #1 of the year...

Calvin Law said...

Bong may well end up as my director #1.

Calvin Law said...

Bryan: I could abide with it.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: How did you see Parasite?

Bryan L. said...

Matt: I was going to ask him the same thing, because I do know for a fact The Farewell is in theaters, but not sure about Parasite.

Emi Grant said...

I've been thinking of watching Wild Rose for some time now but had forgotten about it. With such praise towards Buckley I'll definitely look out for it.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on Jessie Buckley in Wild Rose.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your updated predictions for all 4 acting categories.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: And your category placements for Song and Choi.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Will indeed avoid going into it, as something I loved watching it was I hadn't actually read anything specific about the plot so had no idea where it was going.

Yes, I'd say cinematography as well, maybe production design (loved the look of the house and the basement), perhaps score though I'd have to look more into what's original and what's not there.

Matt:

Korean VOD, via my relative who lives there.

Luke:

Buckley - (Loved her performance in that she successfully realizes every facet of the character. She is indeed a proper singer, and she is wonderful in those moments bringing such a powerful passion in showing even the moments of the temporary realization her dream. She's equally good in portraying that same passion just towards the idea of the dream where she does bring a real charm through unabashed her love of the music is. She manages to find that needed charm though however, which is essential in that she doesn't hold back in terms of creating a real sense of the character's background in multiple ways. This in being often a very irresponsible person where she's great in showing this combination of naivety, lack of maturity and even just laziness in her interactions with her children particular. I love that Buckley doesn't hold back in those moments to really show just someone who is not at all prepared to be the mother she needs to be, which she never sugar coats. This also extends to her moments of more direct anger, where again Buckley's fantastic in making the temperament this potential problem. Of course she effectively contrasts moments though in portraying such a fierce shame and even heartbreak in the moments of realization/maturation on her journey. Loved her performance as I felt she flawlessly carried the film, and showed another side of range past her already impressive work in Chernobyl and Taboo.)

Song and Choi are supporting. One can make an argument for Choi as lead, but it's a stretch. It's really an ensemble.

Louis Morgan said...

Regarding the 4 categories, I won't make any changes, since major updates are coming somewhat soon with the fall festivals, but I will provide a quick bit of thoughts.

Actor:

DiCaprio is more secure I think given Pitt is officially running supporting, seems like an easy enough get for him there at the moment. Egerton needs others to fall by the wayside to stay afloat, but I do think he can do it. The trailer gave me pause regarding De Niro for The Irishman, perhaps Pacino in lead is the better bet?, but maybe (hopefully) he's great in the film. As for the rest, looks like a lot of contenders but not a lot of obvious front runners. I know some I'll say Banderas, which is possible, however winning Cannes isn't at all a precursor to an Oscar nom. McKellen has the overdue narrative, but that trailer really looks like it could go either way.

Still putting the early money on Jonathan Pryce, don't doubt the power of Anthony "tissue paper" McCarten. But there's so many maybes at the moment, though need to be thinned out.

Actress:

No major developments other than I'd love to see Jessie Buckley make a splash, however I foresee Awkwafina as sort of the small indie contender. Erivo's still #1 tentatively though that trailer (which could be inaccurate to the actual film's tone) did give a bit of pause.

Supporting Actor:

Pesci and Pacino both looked very promising in that trailer, but getting two in is always hard, and I see Pacino likely to be the one there. Pitt's placement is all he needed to seem like a safe bet at this junction, and it is fraud I see being easily bought by voters. Hanks is now a contender here, however do they still not care about rewarding him (though I think Rhys's chances are probably destroyed either way)? Then again I could even see them rewarding him almost as a sorry for the doc snub last year. I still say Hopkins for unseen contender (again McCarten). Dafoe definitely is hanging around, but for what film? Otherwise, it's anyone's game.

Supporting Actress:

Robbie shouldn't have a chance, but if Jackie Weaver can get in for Silver Linings Playbook, she could go in for this. It also helps that the other contenders are not exactly bursting through the door, yet. This is as otherwise there's Bening for the Report, and that's about it.

Luke Higham said...

Jessie Buckley's fast becoming a favourite of mine, Loved her in War & Peace, Chernobyl and Wild Rose. I also liked her very much in Taboo and will get to Beast eventually.

Luke Higham said...

I think The Lighthouse, Jojo Rabbit and Iannucci's David Copperfield are the other potential winners for Louis' Best Picture choice aside from Parasite.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Aside from Shazam, could you also watch The Kid Who Would Be King soon as well.

Anonymous said...

Luke early predictions for Louis's acting wins?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Sure.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
Leading Actor: Dafoe or Pattinson (Phoenix is the only one I see coming close to them)
Leading Actress: Erivo
Supporting Actor: Capaldi, Pacino/Pesci or Waititi/Rockwell
Supporting Actress: Shuzhen or Johansson (Jojo Rabbit)

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Could I have your thoughts on John Williams's "Leaving Hogwarts" theme from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6-pEhrJsCw

Also, could I have your thoughts on the final scene of the Chamber of Secrets? Rewatched it again recently, and even if I understand your issues with Chris Columbus's direction, I think it still holds up quite well.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Thoughts on the direction and screenplay of Little Caesar?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Are there any opinions that you feel regret about. For example, calling Song Kang-Ho a poor man's Choi Min-Sik when you first saw Snowpiercer.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top 10 Michael Mann directing moments?

Louis Morgan said...

Watched The Farewell, which I liked quite a bit.

Awkwafina - 4.5
Ma - 3.5
Lin - 3.5
Shuzhen - 5
Hong - 3
Yongbo - 3.5
Han - 3

Tahmeed:

Leaving Hogwarts is a gorgeous piece on its own, and really is an example of prime Williams. This is as he adheres to that specific idiosyncratic instrumentation of the light strings, woodwinds and percussion in creating that distinct Potter sound. This developing a new wonderfully triumphant and warm melody intertwined with the main Hogwarts theme.

The final scene certainly works, and it is a moment where the film actually forgets the books a bit by ending there in the emotional pay dirt. That which very much just stems from really it being a sequel to the first film where you do feel the relationship between the three friends in Hermione's reunion and of course Hagrid's. It works as a sweet end, and really the last unquestionably sweet end the series had.

Anonymous:

Little Caesar's arguably set the standard for the rise and fall of a gangster story, though this pretty much streamlined. In that you hit all the points, the small time hood, who takes down the big boss, gets into the big time, gets the "extras" from being the big time both the riches and the constant brushes with death, until his downfall is helped to be ensured by his bit of humanity. As straight forward as this is, it isn't in the sense in it helped to define it, and it does so well. This particularly in the dialogue especially "you won't ever leave it except in a pine box" and the final line of "Mother mercy, is this the end of Rico". A criticism can be in the side romance that sorta sinks ole Rico, but that's a minor one, amplified by something else I'll get to. It is effective and efficient, key in developing the formula, even if it would be bested later on in that regard.

Mervyn LeRoy's direction which cares about Little Caesar and his rise. This which he directs with a bit of an operatic edge, in the focus on the intensity of the emotion, whether it be through emphasizing the expansion grandeur of the rise or the despair of his rise. The final scene being beautifully directed in particular with the beaten down Rico, fallen in darkness, framed as such a weak man, with the billboard showing the rise of his old friend over him. Of course then LeRoy's shows a bland disinterest with the scenes of the romance that makes them even more boring than they already are. To be fair though he makes them as brief as he can, but his disinterest might be a too obvious.

Luke:

That one, definitely, along with my more youthful remarks disregarding Tom Cruise's talents.

Anonymous:

Mann:

1. Nightclub - Collateral
2. Dollarhyde's vision - Manhunter
3. The threat - Thief
4. Deposition - The Insider
5. Final confrontation - Collateral
6. Recounting the crime - Manhunter
7. Jazz club - Collateral
8. Final confrontation with Magua - The Last of the Mohicans
9. Bank Robbery - Heat
10. Final confrontation - Thief

Calvin Law said...

Additional thoughts on Wild Rose and The Farewell? And thoughts on The Farewell cast.

Calvin Law said...

Also thoughts on Courtney Henggeler in Cobra Kai? I love how even though she’s the ‘voice of reason’ that she’s kind of hilarious and also pretty spot on with most of her observations about the whole Cobra Kai v Miyagi Do situation.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Is Michael Gambon a 3.5 or 4 for The Half-Blood Prince, and could he go up?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Could I have your thoughts on Yuriko Fuchizaki and Taro Ishida's performances in Akira (1988)? You forgot to give them in another post.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the cinematography of Out of the Past and Blood on the Moon.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your present film roles for George C. Scott and Charlton Heston?

Matt Mustin said...

Bryan L: George C. Scott I think would *crush* the J.K. Simmons Whiplash role.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Bryan: I'd love to see Heston in a few Russell Crowe roles, especially Master and Commander.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

To any of my fellow Muslims on this blog, I'd like to wish you all Eid Mubarak.

Anonymous said...

Luke, What are your rating predictions for Levi, Grazer & Strong in Shazam! and Louis Ashbourne Serkis in The Kid Who Would Be King.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
Levi - 4
Grazer - 4
Strong - 3.5
Serkis - 4.5

Bryan L. said...

Matt: Agreed.

Tahmeed: Heston as Captain Aubrey would've been interesting to see.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Wild Rose while isn't anything revelatory manages to hit a specific sweet spot as a low key character study. This is it avoids really two things in my mind by finding the right road for the story. This is that it has a certain edge that avoids becoming excessively romanticized, but also doesn't pile on the negativity to the point of exhaustion. It manages to balance the bitter with the sweet beautifully by having the moments of showing really Rose's real faults, while also granting the needed inspiration within her dreams and moments of success. I also love that the film ends with just the possibility of achieving the dream, rather than making it either an obvious confirmation or denial. One more note though, is actually think with a lesser lead the film though would've floundered, given Rose's faults, so extra credit to Buckley, who makes you like her despite not hiding those flaws.

The Farewell is getting better the more I think about it. This is as from the outset I expected it to be just the kind of moving but often funny comedy, with a typical comic performer taking a serious turn. Now it is that, and I loved how it was that, in this it avoids some of the pitfalls of that genre, by keeping caricatures to a minimum (and only funny ones that briefly appear, particularly the always indifferent roommate), and thankfully not having those garbage indie "Gotcha small minders" moments. So it's terrific just as that, in that it is very moving, and certainly funny. It goes further than that in the richness it develops within the situation and dynamics. This is as it allows more depth than I expected in the examination. In that it manages to look at grief, a complex family relationship (and not just the one between two characters), one's relation to their culture, one's potential loss of it, and does so successfully, while just being a heartfelt and often very amusing.

Awkwafina - (Her performance is a careful stretch here, though I've only otherwise seen her in Crazy Rich Asians where she was purposefully very broad. She gives a wonderfully naturalistic turn here that just captures so successfully the complexity of the situation. This in creating the sense of her surface awkwardness but also with often the internalization of her struggle. A struggle that isn't just grief but finds such a great vibrancy in her interactions with her family. She manages to separate what her mother is to her, her father, her grandmother of course, but also her heritage as well. She avoids ever falling upon easy moments, as she stays with the character entirely, making the humorous moments work within context of the character. She also does wholly deliver on her most dramatic moments, but more than anything just gives an honest often observant center for the film.)

Ma - (Always like it when he pops up in things, and he's certainly a welcome presence here. This doing the goofy father routine a bit, but thankfully never over doing it. Finding the right combination of warmth and distance in his moments. This while also effectively creating his own sense of the man's grief separate from his daughter's.)

Louis Morgan said...

Lin - (She seems like she is mostly going to be there, but her one major scene where she reveals her thoughts on the grandmother is a knock out. This as she calls upon years of earned anger, that she wonderfully represses while still revealing it as someone whose come to live with it, even though she isn't happy about it.)

Yongbo - (Really mostly about his speech which he unquestionably delivers with the real needed impact of a man getting hit by his grief at a rather inopportune time.)

Shuzhen - (In many ways she is the film, and is rather outstanding in that regard, being perhaps the most active character even as she's living through everyone else's lie towards her. Shuzhen is amazing though as her performance just feels real every second onscreen. This is as she is the wonderfully charming grandmother who it seems impossible not to love. This finding a truly earned humor in her moments of saying things rather bluntly, perhaps too bluntly, but she never for a moment falls into caricature. It all feels so full of this unquestioned life that is something rather remarkable. What is amazing though about her work is the way she finds so much nuance within this, even as she retains generally a similar manner. This is as we are given the sense of the critical mother, that Awkwafina's character's mother sees. This in her not always kind remarks where she delivers a level of incisiveness depending on the particular individual she is delivering them to. She's though just as effective in bringing the moments of the wisdom and loving grandmother who wants the best for her grandchildren. Her performance never simplifies the character, and is absolutely effortless in creating the complexity of the role with such ease, while always keeping within a certain lens.)

Henggeler - (Her performance works as she almost acts in a different show, but in a good way. This in portraying just a realistic befuddlement, and typically lack of concern regarding the soul of karate in the valley. She provides an obvious hilarious contrast to the intensity that often invades Zabka's and Macchio's performances. The second season pushed this a bit more, and effectively so though in that she brought a bit more seriousness when needed for the character. She balances it well in still providing the straight man laughs, but carefully avoids becoming a cartoon by toning that down in the appropriate moments.)

Anonymous:

Didn't forget, I believe though I've covered them before, though I can't recall where.

Tahmeed:

3.5, but he definitely could go up for that one.

Anonymous:

Didn't I just cover Blood on the Moon?

Out of the Past has some beautiful cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca. This being in just pristine and very on point noir work. It isn't overly stylized, just beautifully done in every regard. This creating expected lighting dynamics in regards to some fantastic use of shadows, and accentuating the greys fora bit of morality in that regard. It is also just composed so effectively, in creating and emphasizing the character dynamics in so many moments.

Bryan:

George C. Scott:

Lavrentiy Beria
Ken (In Bruges)
Gunther Bachmann
Charles Hanson (Old Scott) or Andy Hanson (Young Scott)

Charlton Heston:

Maximus Decimus Meridius
Captain America
Joseph Cooper

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis: I figured Shuzhen’s performance would be right up your alley. I wasn’t sure you’d like Awkwafina as much as I did though, so I’m glad to see you had such a positive reaction to her.

Back to Shuzhen though, one of the things that made her performance so special to me were some very tiny moments and reactions that suggested Nai Nai wasn’t quite as oblivious to the situation as she was letting on, which for me added beautiful layers of depth to the character. Did you get that impression at all?

Anonymous said...

Louis: I went to check out the review where I asked you to post your thoughts on their performances and nothing was there. And I don't believe you have covered the cinematography of Blood on the Moon.

Emi Grant said...

Louis: Out of curiosity, what's the "Gotcha small minders" things you're referring to?

Calvin Law said...

Emi Grant: the holier than thou attitude you can sometimes find in a LOT of indie films (I.e. society and it’s constructs suck and wow look at these dumbass normies). Captain Fantastic is a great example of avoiding these tropes.

Louis Morgan said...

Michael:

Yes I did.

Anonymous:

Ah, I see now what I did, I gave my thoughts on the cinematography for Blood on the Moon, when asked about Pursued

I was referring to a while ago regarding the Akira performers, however...

Fuchizaki - (Some fine work though in more than anything in just providing one of the few voices that doesn't convey an overt intensity. This instead something a bit more sympathetic and warm, which is a nice contrast within the film.)

Ishida - (Kind of the expected voice for this type of role with the deep booming voice. His performance brings that expected intensity but thankfully doesn't go over board with it too much. Definitely within a certain type but it works.)

Emi Grant:

Calvin summed it up perfectly.

Emi Grant said...

Calvin: Oh, I think I get it. Would you help me out with some clear film examples?

Louis Morgan said...

Emi Grant:

Grandma:

"Making anyone uncomfortable with our extremely loud conversation on a sensitive subject" Best raise hell.

"Not paying enough for books" Best raise hell.

The Descendants:

"Look how dumb the boyfriend is...like really dumb"

About Schmidt:

The depiction of every character other than Schmidt.

Support the Girls:

The final sequence in the bar.

To name a few.

Emi Grant said...

Thanks, Louis, Calvin. Had those problems with the Payne films but couldn't quite put my finger on how to refer to them.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Excluding saves, your top 5s in Lead Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Actress and your top 10 films of 2019 so far.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Actor:

1. Mel Gibson - Dragged Across Concrete
2. Jack Lowden - Fighting With My Family
3. Jason Statham - Hobbs & Shaw
4. Dwayne Johnson - Hobbs & Shaw
5. Oscar Isaac - Triple Frontier

Actress:

1. Jessie Buckley - Wild Rose
2. Lupita Nyong'o - Us
3. Awkwafina - The Farewell
4. Florence Pugh - Midsommar
5. Florence Pugh - Fighting With My Family

Supporting Actress:

1. Zhao Shuzhen - The Farewell
2. Cho Yeo-jeong - Parasite
3. Park So-dam - Parasite
4. Jang Hye-jin - Parasite
5. Lee Jung-eun - Parasite

Supporting Actor:

1. Lee Sun-kyun - Parasite
2. Winston Duke - Us
3. Jeremy Renner - Avengers: Endgame
4. Paul Rudd - Avengers: Endgame
5. Mike Moh - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Top Ten:

1. Parasite
2. The Farewell
3. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
4. Avengers: Endgame
5. Wild Rose
6. Us
7. Fighting With My Family
8. Hobbs & Shaw
9. Triple Frontier
10. Detective Pikachu

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Dragged Across Concrete and Detective Pikachu and ratings & thoughts on the casts.

Anonymous said...

Louis, Could you give your bottom 10 as well. I'm curious as to what else you've seen this year

Anonymous said...

Thoughts on Julie Walters in Wild Rose.

Calvin Law said...

You know who I think deserves to get bumped up from the Potter series? Jim Broadbent in The Half Blood Prince. Louis what’s your thought on the ‘Lily Petal’ scene there because IMO that’s one of actually several instances where I thought the film actually surpassed the books.

RatedRStar said...

I really liked Jim Broadbents scene where he does the eulogy for Aragogs funeral, I cant believe how much I liked that Spider lol.

Anonymous said...

Random question, but how would you all rank the “biopic” Best Actor wins (Brody, Foxx, Hoffman, Whitaker, Penn in Milk, Firth, Day-Lewis in Lincoln, McCounaghey, Redmayne, DiCaprio, Oldman and now Malek) and your ratings for them?

Calvin Law said...

I’d go:

Brody
Whitaker
Day-Lewis
McConaughey
Oldman
Penn
Hoffman
Redmayne
DiCaprio
Malek
Foxx
Firth

Anonymous said...

I’ve only seen Brody, Whitaker, Penn, DiCaprio and Malek, but I’d rank about the same, although I liked DiCaprio more than Penn.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Could I have your rating and thoughts on Robert Pattinson in The Goblet of Fire?

Mitchell Murray said...

Anonymous:

1) McConaughey
2) Hoffman
3) Day-Lewis
4) Whitaker
5) Brody
6) DiCaprio
7) Redmayne
8) Oldman
9) Penn
10) Malek (I've contemplated lowering my score for him, but I always come to the conclusion that a great deal of his performance works, and even the parts that don't are based in the standard nature of the script/editing.)
11) Firth
12) Foxx

And for Louis: What would be your thoughts on the screenplays for "Gorillas in the Mist", "Monster's Ball" and "The Assassination of Jesse James..."?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

1. Brody
2. Day-Lewis
3. McConaughey
4. Hoffman
5. Whitaker
6. Penn
7. DiCaprio
8. Oldman
9. Redmayne
10. Firth
11. Malek
12. Foxx
The first 6 are all 5's for me, 7-11 are 4.5s, and Foxx is a 2.5.

Emi Grant said...

Anonymous: I'm missing some (and need to re-watch others since they might change), but from those that I've seen

1. Hoffman - 5
2. Day-Lewis
3. McConaughey
4. Brody
5. DiCaprio - 4.5
6. Oldman
7. Malek - 4
8. Firth - 3.5

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Watched this awhile ago actually. I honestly probably would've saved Gibson if I didn't find Dragged Across Concrete to be such a slog to get through. It does have effective moments in there, but it is just painfully poorly paced. This with Craig S. Zahler needing desperately to kill his darlings, but also his excesses which felt particularly ridiculous this time around. This with so many scenes that could have been severely cut down, or just cut out (looking at you Jennifer Carpenter) His sort of subject matter, pushing the envelope also came off as almost like a parody at times with how on the nose some of the moments are, particularly of a scene of Mel Gibson, Don Johnson and Vince Vaughn becoming a pundit round table to talk about its quick judgments.

Gibson - 4.5(Having said all that Gibson gives a very capable turn which should be expected. This actually down playing his typical charisma to give a depiction of a man hardened yet specifically calculated. Gibson does intensity really like no one else and that is once again on display here. This quite effectively in portraying the man's specific determination and method of attempting to deal with his situation. Gibson though finds just the right hints of humanity in his portrayal that reflects that his motivation isn't completely selfish.)

Vaughn - 3.5(Although I think his backstory could've been cut for the sake of a better flowing narrative, he does some fine dramatic work here once again with Zahler. This really in just giving a matching turn to Gibson, with similar intensity but a touch more overt humanity that he effectively realizes.)

Kittles - 3.5(He's good at essentially the secondary protagonist. His performance does well in portraying less of that overt calculation but rather just a careful passion to try to change the lives of those around him. It's a more than decent turn.)

Louis Morgan said...

White - 3(His best moment is his final one that is semi-comical that is well realized about a guy sort of putting a different thing first in a very tense situation. Otherwise though he gives some fine work in portraying the humanity of someone one in a horrible criminal situation.)

Carpenter - 1(My goodness is she atrocious here, just every line reading comes off as horribly false and painfully labored.)

Kretschmann and Johnson are both good in very limited doses.

Detective Pikachu is serviceable. The Mr. Mime scene is very funny, the rest is serviceable, never great, never really bad. The Pokemon visuals are all pretty engaging enough to really pull it through to being just fine. It isn't anything special though.

Smith - 3(Thankfully he tones it down considering from his work last year. He does a lot better here. This giving an effectively earnest turn with enough of a comedic timing here, not anything revelatory, but fine work.)

Reynolds - 3(It's his shtick now, but it does work here even if definitely a lesser example of it.)

Newton - 2.5(If she had a bit more energy could've been something special, she's fine, better than she was in Three Billboards at the very least, however.)

Watanabe - 2.5(I do like how intense his portrayal is but they frankly don't use it well enough.)

Nighy - 3(Would've loved a bit more ham here. He's effective enough in doing the false affable turn than the maniacal one, but we really needed a bit of Raul Julia styling here.)

Anonymous:

Walters - (This performance is somewhat in her wheelhouse as the motherly "mentor" role she's been doing for awhile now. That said this is a nice leap in this regard as she changes it up a bit from sort of the feisty one we've typically seen. Here she effectively dials it down to give a powerful effective turn in portraying the intensity of her disappointment. This which she portrays particularly effectively by always conveying a sense of concern for her grandchildren within the moments of directly admonishing her daughter. In turn though her moment of direct love to her daughter feels especially earned, and is particularly moving.)

Anonymous:

Well might as well just give a full ranking, since I haven't seen too much, though partly because of a lack of interest in so many theatrical releases (looking at you live action remakes), but I'll start catching up soon with some of the films that are streaming.

11. John Wick 3
12. Captain Marvel
13. Dragged Across Concrete
14. Midsommar
15. Velvet Buzzsaw
16. Serenity (though honestly I'd watch this again before the other films listed above)

Calvin:

I don't remember it, honestly I need to re-watch it since I haven't seen it since 09.

Anonymous said...

Louis what would be your cast/director for a 2010's Dr. Syn Alias, The Scarecrow?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Will the review be up tonight.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your 70s cast and director for Dragged Across Concrete?

I'm thinking Yates for director, and Burt Lancaster for Brett Ridgeman...or since it's Yates, maybe get Mitchum?

Bryan L. said...

I'm a tad surprised Midsommars' above Velvet Buzzsaw, since I think the former was a tiresome affair beginning to end, and I didn't have trouble getting through the latter, since there were a couple of amusing moments in VB. That's my two cents though.

Matt Mustin said...

Dragged Across Concrete gets worse the more I think about it. What a colossal waste of potential that was. Gibson is aces, though.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Hey guys, I know it's completely unrelated, but I got my IGCSE results today. I got 7 A*'s and 1 A, and I feel so happy.

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: Congrats. :)

Calvin Law said...

Congrats Tahmeed!!!! Excellent stuff :)

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Thank you, Luke and Calvin. :)

RatedRStar said...

Tahmeed: Bladdy good job =)

Emi Grant said...

Tahmeed: Nice, man. Congrats!

Mitchell Murray said...

Tahmeed: That's good to hear, dude. Well done.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on A Hidden Life, Little Women and The Kill Team trailers.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Thanks guys :D

Mitchell Murray said...

So, in a direct connection to "Dragged Across Concrete", I just watched "The Year of Living Dangerously" for the first time. I quite liked the film, as its probably my third favourite Peter Weir movie that I've seen, behind "Master & Commander" and "The Truman Show".

Really I just found it to be an intriguing and well made story overall; Traditional in some respects as a political thriller, but still having the right narrative weight, and with some excellent cinematography and music. Linda Hunt was indeed great, while Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver were good.

Luke:

A Hidden Life - The reviews are coming out strong, aren't they? Well as someone who can both like and dislike Malick's direction, the movie honestly looks amazing. Hopefully this is the right project where his admittedly beautiful vision, artistically speaking, complements a story of undeniable heft.

The Kill Team - It's a provocative real life event, to be sure, and from what they've shown us in the trailer, the approach seems pretty strong and professional. Wolf and Skarsgaard look terrific.

Little Women - I haven't watched the 94 version, so I'll definitely make a point about checking that out first. As for Gerwig's adaptation, well.. it looks enjoyable, and certainly suggests the energy and spirit - let alone cast - to be worthwhile. I mean, there's still a part of me wishing it was Emma Stone in Watson's role like they first intended, but we'll see how she does nevertheless.

Calvin Law said...

A Hidden Life - looks sublime, especially that cinematography, and the story looks like it’ll hit the right emotional core, could potentially be ponderous but from what I’ve seen here I think it looks absolutely great.

The Kill Team - huh, fascinating story, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but Nat Wolf looks promising lol. Could be great.

Little Women - all but confirmed my suspicions that this is a pairing made in heaven. Gerwig’s style is perfect for the great novel being adapted, and the whole cast looks great. Ronan as per usual, Pugh, Chalamet, and Dern are EXACTLY as I imagined in the book, even Emma Watson looks like she’ll be doing a good job.

Anonymous said...

Louis: I'm not sure when he planned to but at one point, Peter Weir planned to direct an adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot, but it never came to fruition. Weir apparently also said that Kubrick also had in mind to make his own adaptation of that King Book before making The Shining.

And while it was eventually made, but with another director and another screenwriter, John Carpenter and Bill Lancaster were to direct and write Firestarter with Richard Dreyfuss in the lead role. Because The Thing was a flop, Carpenter was booted off the project and replaced with Mark L. Lester.

Bryan L. said...

Congratulations Tahmeed! Cheers

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh 2010's Directed by The Russos:

Dr.Syn/Scarecrow: Cillian Murphy
Mr. Mipps/Hellspite: Johnny Lee Miller
John Banks/Curlew: Tom Holland
Squire Banks: David Thewlis
Simon Bates: Barry Pepper
Mrs. Waggett: Miranda Richardson
General Pugh: Jared Harris
King George III: Ralph Fiennes
Fragg: Tom Hollander
Lt. Brackenbury: George MacKay
Sam & Ben: Stephen Graham & Ben Crompton
Joe Ransley: Ralph Ineson

Tahmeed:

Congrats.

Bryan:

Dragged Across Concrete 1970's directed by Sam Peckinpah:

Brett Ridgeman: Robert Mitchum
Anthony Lurasetti: Warren Oates
Henry Johns: Billy Dee Williams
Biscuit: Yaphet Kotto
Chief Calvert: Ben Johnson
Vogelmann: G.D. Spradlin

Well it's a tradeoff, Velvet Buzzsaw is an easier watch, but also a bigger mess. Ari Aster I say made the film he intended to, though I'd question his intentions, where it doesn't seem like Dan Gilroy knew what he was making.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

A Hidden Life looks beautiful, though a bit much at times with the dutch angles, past that though it looks promising with a more narrative Malick, with such a potent story at its core I'm interested to see what he does there, and Diehl looks promising as well, playing very much against type.

The Kill Team looks like Casualties of War, which in turn it looks like it has potential, even down to the performances, where the highest praise I can give Nat Wolff is I thought it was Alex Wolff in the trailer. Skarsgard looks solid as well though his accent is a little off. Hope this one comes together.

Little Women's trailer is actually slightly hard to read in my mind in that the song might be a touch misleading, as will that be the musical tone actually in the film? Cast looks good, even Watson at this venture at the very least, though Pugh and Ronan look more promising. The film itself will have to do something special given that the story has been adapted so many times, which funneling it through sort of a modern Indie tone could do that, or could go wrong. From the trailer it looks like it could be the former, hopefully it is.

Anonymous:

I mean a pure horror by Peter Weir would've something to see, given how viscerally effective "Hanging Rock" is, and that could've not even had horror elements in a lesser directors hands. Haven't seen the Hooper version, which I probably should since it has James Mason in it, but doesn't sound definitive either way.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Fair enough. Speaking of, your thoughts on The Russo brothers as directors? Curious to see what they do after Marvel.


And your thoughts on the cinematography for A Simple Plan? I remember reading once that Raimi sought advice from the Coen brothers on how to film in snow. Maybe he should've asked them for Deakins' number as well.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis and Bryan: Thank you! :)

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Could I have your thoughts on the title sequence to Netflix's GLOW?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOKqf1Xsgww

Mitchell Murray said...

Louis: What would be your thoughts on the screenplays for "Gorillas in the Mist", "Monster's Ball" and "The Assassination of Jesse James..."?

Razor said...

Louis: Your Top 10 performances in TV movies?

Calvin Law said...

Louis: What were your thoughts on the Legion finale? Unfortunately I felt it was perhaps a tad bit rushed (I do think that though this was always going to be the final season, maybe it wasn't always intended to just be 8 episodes), but on the whole it was a good conclusion, certainly not GOT level disappointment, and Dan Stevens carried it beautifully to the end.

My cast ranking for the season:

1. Dan Stevens (and probably my #1 overall this year so far)
2. Navid Negahban
3. Jermaine Clement
4. Harry Lloyd
5. Aubrey Plaza
6. Jean Smart
7. Jason Mantzoukas
8. Rachel Keller
9. Lauren Tsai
10. Bill Irwin
11. Amber Midthunder
12. Hamish Linklater
13. Jeremie Harris

Mitchell Murray said...

Well I had nothing better to do this morning, so I went ahead and watched the 94 version of "Little Women". To my surprise, I ended up enjoying the film, though it perhaps took until the second half for me to really become invested. Also, as someone who isn't a big fan of Winona Ryder much of the time, I have to admit - she did a good job.

Re-watching the trailer for Gerwig's film, now with a basic knowledge of the story, my interest has been somewhat increased. What I'm especially intrigued by is how Gerwig will handle the era of the novel, and how well her established "indie" style will work within that setting. I might also add that since Timothee Chalamet is playing Christian Bale's role from the 94 film, he'll have some decently sized shoes to fill.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Mitchell: Your rating and thoughts on Bale.

Mitchell Murray said...

Tahmeed:

Bale - 4 (A good supporting performance from Bale in a rather against type role, given the intense dramatic work he's since become known for. This is in the sense that Bale actually makes for an engaging "love interest" for our leading women; He's rarely been this charming on screen, and a lot of that simply comes from the energy and joy he gives the part, even in the smallest comedic reactions or line deliveries. He of course shares strong chemistry with Ryder and even Samantha Mathis, but goes further in realizing a believable emotional arc for Laurie as he matures throughout the film. His big scene with Ryder is also well handled, as Bale effectively shows Laurie's passion - and eventual heartbreak - in the moment.)

Emi Grant said...

Mitchell: Honestly? I'm now quite interested in the 94' version. Especially since I had no idea Bale was in it. As someone not familiar at all with the novel and story I feel the trailer looks fine (Ronan, unsurprisingly might I add, does seem great though).

Personally, I'm somewhat worried for two things in particular. One being Chalamet (I've definitely not been so keen on him after Beautiful Boy) but given that he's paired with Saoirse, it might not be a problem, since they do seem to share some chemistry. The other being the visual aspect of the film, for which I have mixed feelings.

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis: If you end up underwhelmed with Steiger or Nakadai, would you consider reviewing David Warner in Tom Jones instead? That performance has been staying with me and I just think it would make for a really fun write-up.

RatedRStar said...

I saw OUATIH, loved it, wont spoil anymore till the remaining others have seen it.

Louis Morgan said...

Bryan:

I mean at this point it is hard to say, as I haven't seen their only original effort, which doesn't seem like anything special. At this venture their very good in working with an overarching vision and very much realizing that formula in an effective way. They're at this point great TV directors, even in their films. This isn't to say they're incapable of more, but at this point they haven't shown such an example of it. But hey, being a great TV director isn't something to entirely sniff at.

A Simple Plan's cinematography I think more so comes from the less than stellar work from Alar Kivilo, though not horrible technically speaking, but it is very standard nearly tv movie esque. This is even with some interesting visual ideas through by Raimi, but Kivilo doesn't do much with them. His camera movement is sloppy, his compositions and framing rarely really make much of the ideas Raimi is trying to pull off. Take for example the final sequence, where Raimi is trying to emphasize the crows essentially watching the coming death. The crows are there, as devised by Raimi, but Kivilo doesn't do anything interesting visually within how he uses them in the shots. His lighting is fine, but just that. Yes many films fall short when compared to Fargo visually, but this film in particular.

Mitchell:

Well let me begin with the first. Gorillas in the Mist doesn't have a particularly great, if even good, screenplay. This is as it struggles to really grant any specific perspective on Fossey, it instead has a whole lot of strands that are better realized by Weaver's performance, and to a lesser extent the direction, than the screenplay. There is no proper flow to the narrative. There are fits and starts of ideas. Who is she within Leakey's organization? What's the deal with the romance with the photographer? Who is she with the gorillas? What is the nature of the poaching? What is she willing to do to stop it, but also what is the impact of her move towards extreme methods? All these questions are either not answered, vaguely answered, or slightly answered. This while being within a film that is more of a series of scenes than a captivating narrative as either one of a personal descent or a personal crusade. It's nice that the film isn't just some puff piece that is willing to broach the harder questions regarding its subject, but it doesn't delve deep enough. It instead is a series of ideas rather than a truly successful film. The film works on the strengths of its central performance that manages to keep things together, but does little more than that due to the weaknesses in its writing.

Tahmeed:

Gorgeous animated glory that is really a refinement of sort of the neon of something like Jem and the Holograms, this with a modern edge that ups it more than bit, of course properly supplemented by the choice of song.

Louis Morgan said...

Razor:

Anthony Perkins - Les Miserables
Al Pacino - You Don't Know Jack
Donald Sutherland - Citizen X
Brendan Gleeson - Into the Storm
Richard Jordan - Les Miserables
Stephen Rea - Citizen X
Powers Boothe - Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Geoffrey Rush - The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Julianne Moore - Game Change
Dennis Weaver - Duel

Have technically so much to see there.

Calvin:

I liked it...enough, I think what holds it back really was that season 2 didn't provide all seeds that "blossom here", though it did enough of them. The major one being the heel to face turn of the Shadowking (despite even being well performed by Negahban). That felt like it came out of nowhere given his nefarious acts during season 2, and there was no real indication of a change of heart in this season. I think that idea could've worked, with the same execution even, if it had been setup better. I also think it is unfortunate other threads never really got addressed either, namely David's sister. I still liked it overall, and would agree it was a good conclusion. I think they could've had another season though, or just a better season 2, with maybe letting Switch's story last longer (which I liked a lot) as well as allowing a period of self-reflection for the shadowking to make his change make more sense. Still when compared to indeed GOT, this was masterful.

1. Dan Stevens
2. Navid Negahban
3. Harry Lloyd
4. Jermaine Clement
5. Jason Mantzoukas
6. Stephanie Corneliussen
7. Bill Irwin
8. Lauren Tsai
9. Rachel Keller
10. Jean Smart
11. Aubrey Plaza (Despite her strong work in season 2, they probably should've just had her exit when Negahban took over).
12. Amber Midthunder
13. Hamish Linklater
14. Jeremie Harris (Not sure why they even brought him back, as he seemed wasted)

Michael:

Sure.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: could I have your thoughts on Stevens (amazing this season), Negahban, Lloyd, and Tsai?

Calvin Law said...

Oh yeah and Corneliussen, she was so good and I feel bad I forgot to rank her.