Saturday 7 December 2019

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1999: Robert Carlyle in Ravenous

Robert Carlyle did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying F.W. Colqhoun or does he...in Ravenous.

Watching Ravenous once again, it once cemented itself as one of my favorite relatively modern films that was critically panned. This in its realization of a tone that tips towards just the right type of ridiculousness while still effectively telling this horror tale/western of sorts. Where I already covered Guy Pearce in his essential straight man performance as the conflicted Captain Boyd who is sent off to a remote army base after an act of heroism/cowardice in the Mexican-American War, I did not give the time to Robert Carlyle who first appears as a stranger who wanders into the base late into the night. A man who claims to be a survivor of an ill-fated trek into the mountains which led to cannibalism. Carlyle, using his natural Scottish, brogue at this point is merely the beginning of his brilliant performance that will stand on a ledge, however here though that doesn't appear to be the case This is as Carlyle delivers Colqhoun's recitation with the absolute sincerity and honesty. The crippling fear is real and grants the tale a truly haunting quality. This in his eyes of presenting a man who has seen an absolute horror in this experience and a man nearly broken by the experience. There is no reason to suspect anything is afoot with Colqhoun as not only do the character's words seem to ring true, as does Carlyle's performance which seems to be that of a damaged survivor. Of course the soldiers who decide to go to the cave where the horror occurs, as well as the viewer have no idea just what Carlyle has in store for them.

The first inkling comes as Colqhoun comes in with the most unexpected behavior of licking the wounds of one of the soldiers on the trek to the cave. This even though Carlyle portrays this effectively as a madness related to a trauma. Again though Carlyle depicts this with earnestness of this through expressions of a self-loathing and fear of the spoken action. An anguished admission of a man pained by seemingly this overwhelming guilt, more than willing to be bound by the man to ensure their safety. When they arrive to the cave of cannibalism and murder, we see Colqhoun fall upon his knees in gripping terror, which again Carlyle presents as the sheer truth of it that disarms any concerns. This becomes a fantastic bit of physical performance by Robert Carlyle though as this initial writhing of a man earnestly in pain slowly segues to this strange madness. This as grips this animalistic, wolf like, manner in his flaying hands, an jutting motions that is just great in creating this transformation in the man, as it is revealed that he is in fact the murderer and cannibal having led the man into a trap. That it is just hunting season for the man, and just fair game for a bit of insane entertainment in Carlyle's wild performance. This as he quite fittingly becomes quite rabidness, practically drooling as he bears his teeth in great delight to literally seek the blood of the men.

I love Carlyle's balance here as he does purposefully go into the heightened, to the point though that it is just is marvelous for the film's intentions. This as he does carry a genuine menace as he reveals himself as this monster, but is also just a blast to watch as he goes about it. This in that amazing grin that bears his face, and darting eyes that are both of a blood thirsty psychopath, and a man having the time of his life. What makes it so special to me though is it is a brilliant darkly comic performance all at the same time, with he exact timing of reactions. I especially adore his wild smirk just after the man revives from a gun shot that should've killed or at least severely injured a normal man. The Carlyle's sheer joy is that of perhaps the joy of performance, but also just a perfect fit for this cannibal enjoying every last moment of the hunt. Essential in the success of this I feel though is Carlyle doesn't become one note, as extreme and potentially, and somewhat purposefully, absurd of a note he is working with. Carlyle though knows exactly how to play with this absurdity, by offering that balance and knowing exactly when to amp it up and tone it down a bit. Another favorite of mine of the sequence being his hilarious delivery of "that is so annoying" when a gun misfires on his target, that Caryle brings such a great casual manner to, before returning to his diabolical predator eyeing his kill before telling him to "run".

I mean I would probably already be satisfied with Carlyle's performance here as he already delivered the believable portrait of a survivor, then a completely deranged turn as a man consumed with animal lust for humans, but Carlyle still has not one but two more shades to play. This is after Pearce's Boyd, the sole survivor, returns to the camp, and finds that his new commanding officer is one Colonel Ives, who just happens to be Colqhoun. Carlyle is fantastic in demonstrating yet another character here portraying a cool and collected manner, further amplified by now fashioning a refined accent for a proper soldier it would seem. Of course no one believes Boyd's outlandish stories, leaving him as the only one to accuse Ives of being the psychopathic cannibalistic murderer. Carlyle is once again quietly hilarious in his overly unassuming manner as the "innocent" Ives just seems confused by the questions and suspicions of Boyd. Again though I love how Carlyle moves between the face of such innocence, to these perfect little knowing glances towards Pearce, saying without saying "Yes, I know exactly what I'm doing here, and you can't do a thing about it". This eventually leaves Boyd in the sparsely populated camp with Ives as the commanding officer, and it is in this where we get what might be my favorite single "performance" of Carlyle within this performance, although that's hard to say for certain. Carlyle nonetheless is amazing as he portrays the man in his most devious form, though also seemingly most civilized no longer burdened by a fake anguish nor currently lusting after blood, being quite satiated at the moment.Carlyle though now fashion almost a whole new villain, even if it feels like a natural extension of the rabid cannibal we had met before, in portraying this sinister charisma as he essentially preaches the worth of eating other humans. Carlyle is magnificent in that he brings such understated yet palatable passion and conviction within these statements. He absolutely dominates these scenes with this overwhelming presence of a man with far greater power at his disposal. This creating a sense of an absolute command of a man truly made virile by his most unorthodox means, and now quite assured in his path to conquer through cannibalistic ways. This as he attempts to tempt Boyd into joining him, while also mocking him a bit, which Carlyle portrays with such maniacal glee. This is again as it is just fun to watch Carlyle perform here, even as he also completely sells this completely ridiculous idea in a way that works for the film and for creating a truly striking and memorable villain. This is every phase of the characters though as Carlyle gives a great performance whether he is the broken man, the growling monster, the confused soldier, and the uh...life style guru.

171 comments:

Mitchell Murray said...

Yet another performance/film I haven't seen but am now very interested in.

Also, in reference to my last comment I'm just going to list my current acting wins for the year, from the relatively few films that I've seen.

Actor: Robert de Niro (The Irishman)
Actress: Scarlett Johansson (Marraige Story)
S. Actor: Robert Downey Jr (Endgame)/Al Pacino (The Irishman)
S. Actress: Scarlett Johansson (Endgame)

Calvin Law said...

Oh, wow. Did not expect him to get a 5! He is certainly fantastic in the role though. Louis, I'm guessing this would be a prime role for Richard Attenborough back in the 60s or so?

Honey Boy was...a mixed bag. Kind of like Marriage Story except instead of comedic interludes, it was just weird flourishes and unnecessary 'edgy' moments, and the more obvious dialogue that took away from the core story of a troubled father-son relationship that when it hit its stride, is incredibly compelling. Also not so sure about the overall narrative framing device since it does halt momentum quite a bit.

LaBouef - 4.5 (I'd say he's supporting, though you could easily make the argument that all three actors are co-leads)
Hedges - 4
Jupe - 4.5
Starr - 3
Bowers - 3
Giacomo - 3
Collins Jr. - 3

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Sharlto Copley in this role for a 2010s version?

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Yes.

Bryan:

No.

Calvin Law said...

Lol I actually think Copley would be great in Pearce's role for a 2010s version. For Carlyle's role, James McAvoy would be pitch perfect.

Matt Mustin said...

He's amazing.

RatedRStar said...

HAMISH MACBETH =D. Robert Carlyle is one of those actors who should be bigger than he actually is.

Luke Higham said...

Amazing performance. Aside from T2, the last film I recall seeing him in was the piss poor Eragon, where he was the only somewhat enjoyable thing about it.

Lucas Saavedra said...

Louis: Considering most of your 10 best over the top performances were villains what are your top 10 non - villain over the top performances?

Emi Grant said...

I just caught up with Knives Out, which I thought was great. The ensemble is excellent and I think the screenplay rivals Parasite's a bit as my favorite of the year.

De Armas: 5
Craig: 4.5
Evans: 4 (could go higher, I was choking on his scene before the reading of the will)
Curtis: 3.5
Shannon: 3.5/4
Johnson: 3.5
Collette: 3.5
Stanfield: 3
Langford: 3
Plummer: 3.5

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the direction, and production design/sets of Sleuth.

Calvin Law said...

So with New York Film Critics:

Parasite gets Picture, Director AND Screenplay

Nyong'o again! So happy.

Pesci getting another win...could mean something.

Eh Phoenix and Dern...fine.

Knives Out for Ensemble, yes. Apollo 11 for Documentary, yes.

Louis Morgan said...

Lucas:

1. Peter Finch - Network
2. Christopher Lloyd - Back to the Future
3. Robert Duvall - Apocalypse Now
4. George C. Scott - Dr. Strangelove
5. Gene Wilder - Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory
6. Toshiro Mifune - Seven Samurai
7. Choi Min-sik - Oldboy
8. Sam Rockwell - Galaxy Quest
9. John Goodman - The Big Lebowski
10. Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder

Tahmeed:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz's direction of Sleuth might seem so simple on the surface, however when compared to the success of his film compared to other similar chamber pieces like Deathtrap and the atrocious remake of this film, it seems essential. It was after all a return for him perhaps to where he really shone, which was in the more intimate piece rather than something overblown like Cleopatra. Mankiewicz'z work is subtle for the most part, but his touches are quite remarkable in that he manages to remove any of the stuffiness or limitations of such an adaptation. He doesn't overdo camera movement, and closeups to really accentuate that's not a play, looking at you Branagh for that remake, rather he uses quietly to amplify the scenes granting a larger scale while not enforcing it. His work though more than anything knows he's got two great performers he's working with them, and knows when to let them play, but also when to push in and amplify what they are doing. It is never just static, though it allows that freedom in their work, but know when to push in on a particular movement. For example, leaving us to in such a claustrophobic situation with Milo as he only foresees his death and a clown mask awaiting. Mankiewicz's work is the example of how to do a play adaptation without major expansion.

Part of that is the outstanding production design of the film that helps to create a world in a single setting, through creating the crazy mind of Andrew Wyke in a mansion defined by games. A feature that would influence Knives Out quite heavily, to the point I'd say Plummer's Harlan in that film was basically a slightly nicer version of Wyke. Back to the Sleuth though is that every room has so much more vibrancy through those touches of the games all around, with the laughing dummy being a particular highlight in creating such a simple yet striking look to the film. It carefully realizes this without becoming overly gaudish to the point it detracts from the actual story rather than amplifying it, once again looking at you terrible remake.

Anonymous said...

Louis: your cast and director for a 70’s version of Joker?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Do you see Us being a contender in any Oscar categories outside of Nyong'o?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I'm thinking the King of Comedy cast still fits there.

Tahmeed:

Not likely, this is as it just doesn't appear to have anywhere near the momentum that Get Out had, even though it had very positive reviews and strong box office. Evidence for this is it hasn't gotten in on even the top tens so far, even at NYFCO where Nyong'o won actress it didn't receive that mention.

Louis Morgan said...

Regarding Critics choice, aka the most important thing being who doesn't get in.

Picture: Hits for Ford V Ferrari, Uncut Gems and Little Women. All the expected players made it really. Miss for Richard Jewell, and A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood, though I had a feeling it was not going to be a picture contender.

Director: Biggest get for Gerwig and the Safdies, miss for Waititi, all other expected contenders made it however.

Actor: No Pryce is the major miss, don't think that's the end for him, though a bit surprising since they did go for Hopkins. No major surprised, but good gets though for Murphy and Sandler though in terms of their momentum. Out of this lineup though I wouldn't say there is quite an obvious winner for Oscar time, maybe it just is Driver, but I'm not so sure. I think Phoenix wins here probably, though.

Actress: No Woodard, though I always envisioned her as a last minute play like Dafoe last year. All other expected though made it. All others expected made it though, and a pretty good lineup through those I've seen, though would've loved a Zellweger snub in favor of say Jessie Buckley or Ana De Armas.

Supporting Actor: The "all star" lineup that has been bandied about of Hanks, Pesci, Pacino, Hopkins, Pitt and Dafoe. Interesting to see who can maintain and who can lose. Wouldn't have expected Song Kang-ho here anyways, but it is a miss for Rockwell, Brown and Foxx to be sure. Most important for Dafoe, particularly since the group didn't go wild for Lighthouse otherwise.

Supporting Actress: Important get for Johansson and Pugh. Expected hits for Lopez and Dern, who seems like she might be waltzing to that win. Robbie is cementing herself supposedly for the right role, and overjoyed myself to see Zhao Shuzhen building momentum.

Louis Morgan said...

Looking over the nominations I have to say I'm surprised Jojo Rabbit made it into picture, as it oddly lost out on Costume Design and only got in beyond that for Johannson and the relatively "easy" adapted screenplay out of the "Major" nominations.

Louis Morgan said...

Also does need to be said Uncut Gems is killing it in the precursors and over performing at every point. Although I think this could easily be something like Drive, that does extremely well with the early groups then gets left dry come Oscar time, well other than a single nomination, I'd guess editing for Gems.

Anonymous said...

Louis, would you prefer to review Dafoe solely or with Pattinson.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Whatever happens, please review all your fives for the year.

Anonymous: I'd prefer he got snubbed because the review with Pattinson would be more satisfying.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer.

Calvin Law said...

I hope he gets in, but if anyone is missing out it probably will be him.

Calvin Law said...

Song won LAFCA which is a massive boon, Bong too! Lopez too which helps a great deal for her case and good to see competition for Dern. Glad to see Pesci, Nyong’o and Zhao in the mix too, Banderas is continuing his Huppert-esque run.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I'll admit it would much easier to review them together.

Luke:

I intend to, and the factors that typically prevents me from doing so, just too many for my own endurance (2014) or just a performance I saw just too late, probably won't come up this year.

As someone who loves a lot of things from the 80's, 80's nostalgia is getting a bit played out, and that was probably the thing I liked the least of the trailer. The rest though seems to be carrying over the qualities from the first film, and though I don't know if they'll make Pine's appearance satisfying to his conclusion in the first film, I will say their chemistry in the first film was one of its best aspects so I understand wanting to bring him back. Not sure about Wiig, though interested, and it looks like Pascal is having a blast as the 80's guy from Futurama.

Calvin:

It's good to place Song into the conversation, although that unfortunately did not help fellow Korean Yeun last year who won the same award, but it seems like Parasite is going to be a lot bigger than Burning. Banderas is certainly getting helped by these, although all the critics awards in the world couldn't do a thing for Hawke last year, so I'm still not sure.

I'd say the two who are getting helped the most is Dern, who can become a sweeper (though I wish that weren't the case and at Lopez put a slight dent into that) and Pesci who is almost dominating. The latter I'd say needs to become undeniable to win, and I wouldn't say that is completely out of the question with what appears is going to be an all winners lineup, with maybe Dafoe and Song hanging around.

Really interested to see what happens tomorrow and especially Wednesday.

RatedRStar said...

Aww this is a shame

RIP René Auberjonois,

He was known for playing Odo in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, he was one of the best performers easily.

Louis Morgan said...

RIP René Auberjonois

Altman mainstay, and a welcome guest star on basically all shows from the 90's on.

Matt Mustin said...

What's Wednesday, is that the SAG nominations?

Louis Morgan said...

Matt:

Yes.

Anonymous said...

Tomorrow is the Golden Globe announcement of nominations, really nervous. It could make or break my predictions. Also, any thoughts on Mary Kay Place's win? I'd never heard of her or the movie, but it's kinda common for the LAFCA to give wins to otherwise ignored roles. Wonder if it'll affect the awards to come, but most likely not.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I incidentally watched that film yesterday, which is a slog of a film, but she's good in it. It is an extremely LAFCA win though, and if they were going to swerve I wish it had been for Jessie Buckley or Ana De Armas.

Anonymous said...

Ratings and thoughts on her?

Luke Higham said...

Your rating for Mary Kay Place. And have you seen any other films lately. I do hope you'll get around to The Kid Who Would Be King soon. Apologies for going on about that.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, that was quite a good movie, wasn't it? Shame very few people saw it, while it's the marketing's fault for that. Poor Joe Cornish, made two of the best “kid saves the world blockbuster” there is, both failed at the box office, mainly due to poor marketing and people prefering to see Fast and Furious 5 or whatever crap blockbuster was in the movies at the time. The way things are going he's gonna end being remembered only as “the guy who wrote Ant-Man-“. God I hope not.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Your rating for Louis Ashbourne Serkis in that.

Anonymous said...

Well, I only actually saw it when it came out in March, so I don't think I'm one to ask a review. I do remember thinking he was very good, specially for a child in lead role in an action blockbuster, very believable in all his moments. Kid's got his dad's acting genes. Hope he gets in other good roles in the future. Actually, you've convinced me to see it again, since I have a streaming app with the movie.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke & Anonymous:

Place - 4.5(It is a good performance, even as I become so tired of watching the same type of Indie again and again, which are always far too well reviewed and are typically as formulaic as whatever commercial genre you can name. This is in the name actor piece, where you have a name actor in Place getting a chance to show her stuff, in any expected piece of ennui of one's life and family, often with some questionable supporting cast members. Place though does show her stuff though in portraying an effective portrayal of slowly growing anxiety and this certain slowly growing sense of regrets. She is terrific in terms of granting at least a truth on her end in every scene by being of each and every scene, even as each and every scene is pretty tired in its actual overall execution. It is a fine performance all the way through, but I do wish it was in a better film.)

I'll admit I've been going through the well reviewed 2019 films on Hulu/Amazon so I should get to "King" which is on HBO. So I also saw two of the other most dull films of the year in:

The Souvenir, long takes that take up screen time, making the pacing very gradual, but don't add much to atmosphere. Long drowning conversations without a spark of real inspiration in them. Not poorly done in a visual sense, but so dully directed and written it doesn't matter.

The Moutain, long takes that take up screen time, long takes that take up screen time, making the pacing very gradual, but don't add much to the atmosphere. Wait I just said that, well this film is prettier than the last actually, quite striking visually at times, unfortunately it is a shame the filmmakers think long, very long silences, on single images and short conversations make a story. They don't.

Hustlers, I didn't love the film by any measure, as wannabe Scorsese's go I, Tonya still holds the crown by far in my book over Joker and this. It works though largely due to the two central performances/central characters, that carry the film even when I don't think the attempt at a Scorsese kinetics particularly works all that well, especially in terms of the musical choices. This isn't to say it fails in this regard, as it a more than decent film, even if I definitely don't think it is a great one. Although it is a breath of fresh air compared to the doldrums of those above.

Luke Higham said...

Ratings and thoughts on the cast of Hustlers.

Calvin Law said...

Would you say Lopez is supporting or co-lead? And yeah confession: I went to see The Souvenir and walked out of it. I feel less guilty for doing so now, though from what I saw Honor Bryne has inherited some of her mother’s talent.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your ratings for the casts of The Souvenir and The Mountain.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Wu - 4.5(A good performance and a good show of range from her. This playing the part of the Henry Hill type who is granted a little bit of sympathy along with a little bit of the understanding the pull towards the certain allure of the criminal lifestyle. Wu delivers on portraying the sides well from the growth as the "performer" but also sort of the growing anxieties of the woman whose life doesn't seem to get better despite the money she is making through the scheme. Wu is able to importantly balance the moments through sort of the craft moments of the artificiality of essentially her characters to make different kinds of money and just the increasingly desperate woman.)

Lopez - 4.5(Indeed her best performance, though that alone isn't say too much for me. The role though definitely plays into her strengths and she does stretch a bit in terms of playing the different sides of Romona. This is as we get the sultry stripper to be sure where she dominates in more ways than one. This she further connects to the sort manipulative presence of the sort ringleader of the criminal enterprise with both a sense of charisma and sort of dogged determination. She's also though good in delivering the desperate woman often between the lines whose attempting to create that good life for herself and her daughter. My favorite moments though were that of essentially the stripper mother, as she managed to bring such a natural warmth within presence of trying to care for the others even as her attempts went in very questionable directions.)

Stiles - 2(Doesn't add anything to a limited role.)

Thought the other bit parts ranged from decent, though too limited, like Ruehl, to a rather over done in Cardi B's case.

Calvin:

Initially I thought immediately supporting, but as it went on I did have some second thoughts. Her closest comparison is De Niro in Goodfellas of course, and on that she borders on lead, but I do think she is just barely supporting.

The Souvenir:

Byrne - 3.5
Burke - 2

The Mountain:

Sheridan - 2.5
Goldblum - 4
Lavant - 3
Gross - 2.5

Luke Higham said...

Thoughts on Goldbum.

BRAZINTERMA said...

Hello folks! Tomorrow we will know who will be nominated for the Golden Globe. So let's talk about the final bets of the nominees:

PICTURE (DRAMA)
• 1917
• The Irishman
• Ford V Ferrari
• Marriage Story
• The Two Popes
Surprises: Joker or Little Women

PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
• Dolemite Is My Name
• Hustlers
• Jojo Rabbit
• Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood
• Rocketman
Surprise: Knives Out

DIRECTOR
• Sam Mendes (1917)
• Martin Scorsese (The Irishman)
• Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood)
• Joon-Ho Bong (Parasite)
• Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story)
Surprises: Fernando Mierelles (The Two Popes)

ACTOR (DRAMA)
• Antonio Banderas (Pain & Glory)
• Robert De Niro (The Irishman)
• Adam Driver (Marriage Story)
• Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
• Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)
Surprises: Christian Bale (Ford V Ferrari) or Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell)

ACTOR (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
• Daniel Craig (Knives Out)
• Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood)
• Taron Egerton (Rocketman)
• Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name)
• Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)
Surprises: Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
• Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse)
• Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood)
• Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes)
• Al Pacino (The Irishman)
• Brad Pitt (Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood)
Surprise: Joe Pesci (The Irishman)

ACTRESS (DRAMA)
• Lupita Nyong'o (Us)
• Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)
• Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)
• Alfre Woodard (Clemency)
• Renée Zellweger (Judy)
Surprise: Cynthia Erivo (Harriet)

ACTRESS (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
• Awkwafina (The Farewell)
• Ana de Armas (Knives Out)
• Julianne Moore (Gloria Bell)
• Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart)
• Constance Wu (Hustlers)
Surprises: Elisabeth Moss (Her Smell) or Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
• Annette Bening (The Report)
• Laura Dern (Marrige Story)
• Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers)
• Margot Robbie (Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood)
• Zhao Shuzhen (The Farewell)
Surprises: Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey) or Margot Robbie (Bombshell)

SCREENPLAY
• The Irishman
• Jojo Rabbit
• Marriage Story
• Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood
• Parasite
Surprise: Two Popes

ANIMATED FEATURE
• Abominable
• Frozen 2
• How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
• Missing Link
• Toy Story 4
Surprises: Addams Family or Klaus

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
• The Invisible Life (Brazil)
• The Farewell (China?)
• Pain and Glory (Spain)
• Parasite (South Korea)
• Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (France)
Surprises: Monos (Colombia) or Atlantics (Senegal)

SCORE
• 1917
• Ford V Ferrari
• Joker
• Little Women
• Marrige Story
Surprise: Us

SONG
• “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” - Toy Story 4
• “Beautiful Ghosts" - Cats
• “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” - Rocketman
• “Into the Unknown” - Frozen 2
• “Spirit" - The Lion King
Surprises: “One Little Soldier” - Bombshell or “Stand Up” - Harriet

And you? Who do you think will compete?
Speak your final bets and respect the opinions of others.

Emi Grant said...

Brazinterma: Uncut Gems got re-classified as Drama a couple of days ago, which I fear might hurt a bit their chances. Also, I think Pesci getting in on Supporting Actor is much more likely than Pacino at this point.

Calvin: I also stopped watching The Souvenir various minutes into it. Thought I simply wasn't on the mood for it but I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one that simply didn't like it all that much.

Emi Grant said...

Also, I re-watched Marriage Story and I think I'll go even lower with Dern for all I care. Supporting Actress this year might be the category I'm less enthusiastic about (unless any of the ladies from Parasite pull off a last second nod).

Louis Morgan said...

Regarding Watchmen, interested to see how everything goes in the finale, and in a way that will help to determination how I precisely feel about this episode, though it certainly worked on its own merits. I have to admit I wish they had gotten Crudup for the opening, since it seemed like Abdul-Manteen was doing an impression of his performance in that scene anyways. Anyways probably say MVP to Irons for his one fantastic scene.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Goldblum - (It was nice seeing this performance just because he was not relying on his presence as the Goldblum, which has been his typically setting of late, and as enjoyable as it that is, it was nice to see that he is still very capable of giving a fully committed turn like this. It is a shame he wasn't in a better film though, but Goldblum does manage to give an intriguing very low key turn. Although the material is too sparse, what spark there is to it, is found just in Goldblum finding some natural life within the film's all too confined of spaces.)

Anonymous said...

It might be too early to predict who'll win the GG, but I'm gonna do it anyways.
Best Film Drama
Fairly confident Marriage Story or The Irishman will win. 1917 is coming too late, and, though that might be an advantage at the Oscars, here it might be bad, since people haven't even had time to absorve the movie. Ford v. Ferrari doesn't have too much going for it other than score and maybe a surprise nod for Bale, same thing with Two Popes, nothing much for it other than Hopkins or Pryce. If Joker gets in it might win, since divisiveness doesn't affect the HFPA (*cough*Bohemian Rhapsody Green Book*cough*) and Little Women... well, this one will depend on how it does on the awards in general.
Best Film Comedy
OUATIH or Jojo Rabbit definitely, betting on the former. Rocketman has lost MUCH of its traction, and I'm not even sure if it's getting in (Knives Out is more likely IMO). Hustlers doesn't have much beyond Lopez and DIMN doesn't have much beyond Murphy, but, then again, BoRhap didn't have much beyond Malek, and it won. Knives Out, if it gets in, also has a fair chance of winning.
Best DIrector
Bong Joon-ho has a legitimate chance here, seeing as Roma's win last year proved that a foreign movie can do well here, with the right campaigning. However, every one of these has a chance, aside from maybe Sam Mendes, for reasons above. Knowing how random the GG can be here, its probably the most unpredictable category, and the one who'll most likely shape the Best Director race in general.
Best Actor Drama
Another unpredictable category. Just like Louis said, not even almost every critic award in the world could get Ethan Hawke a nom last year, it might be the same with Banderas. De Niro and Pryce are gonna be "veteran noms", so not a big chance of winning. Phoenix and Driver are the frontrunners here, but I bet on Driver, since Marriage Story seems like it's gonna be much more of a force than Joker.
Best Actor Comedy
Murphy never got THAT much hype beyond "Look! It's Eddie Murphy giving a performance that isn't crap in a movie that isn't crap after 13 years!", so I think he doesn'thave much chance, plus he already won for Dreamgirls. Egerton, like Rocketman, went from frontrunner for Best Actor Oscar to not even sure if he's gonna get in, so I think he doesn't have that much chance. Craig is hurt by the fact his movie is an ensemble, and it tends to be difficult to recognize a good performance in a movie full of them. My money is on either Sandler or DiCaprio, but more in the latter.
Best Supporting Actor
Betting on Dafoe. He's the only one of the bunch who doesn't have a Golden Globe, honorary or competitive (God, how did Hopkins lose to Nolte in 1991? One of the worst decisions I've ever seen).

Anonymous said...

Best Actress Drama
Johansson for sure. She had the perfect opportunity to win a GG back in 2003 but was snubbed in favor of Diane Keaton playing Diane Keaton for the 100th time, and she's now "owed" one. Nyong'o might also win, since she's also "owed", seeing as they preferred to award Lawrence for that ACTING of hers, but her movie isn't doing nearly as much good in the awards overall as Marriage Story. Ronan lacks hype behind her role, but might improve as the awards come, Woodard's movie and her role aren't much talked about, and Zellweger already won, twice.
Best Actress COmedy
Awkwafina, and Awakwafina only. The only one whose movie is doing very well other than her role, and the only one that has any hype for it. (Wu is overshadowed by Lopez, de Armas, same reason for Craig, Moore's and Feldstein's movies are not being talked about)
Best Supporting Actress
I'd say Dern, but since she already has a GG for Big Little Lies for a pretty similar role, they might end up going for Lopez, which is going to be really interesting to see. Bening has no hype behind her or the movie. Robbie's chances will depend on how Bombshel does overall and Shuzhen might just be a de Tavira nom, just to recognize the role. I also really think Pugh is getting in for Little Women. Despite Midsommar being probably her best performance this year, it's undoubtly lead, and the Lead Actress is stuffed, and Sup. Actress is pretty empty.
Screenplay
Marriage Story most likely. If they decide to go Baumbach here I can see either Tarantino or Scorses winning Director to compensate for losing here, though.
Animated Feature
Toy Story 4. It's Pixar, after all.
Foreign Language
Parasite, definitely. It's this year's Roma.
Score
Joker, most likely. Guðnadóttir has had quite a year, no? Winning the Emmy for Chernobyl and winning a bunch of awards for Joker, including a possible and proobable Oscar nom.
Song
My money is on Let It Go 2.0

Matt Mustin said...

Pretty much on the same page as the rest of you in regards to Marriage Story. All the stuff directly involving Driver and Johansson I pretty much loved, but what the hell was all that goofy stuff doing in there? I think Baumbach just needed to take a different directorial approach with that stuff, because it really feels tonally out of place, and it does hurt the overall quality of the film, but the central relationship is strong enough to carry the film to the point that I did end up quite liking it. Also, it ends very strong.

Johannson-5

Driver-5

Dern-2.5(She's good in the trial scene, but every second of this performance really seems like she's trying for an Oscar, which of course means she'll probably get one.)

Liotta-3(Overplays his first scene, I think, which again may be partially due to direction. He's great in the trial scene, though.)

Alda-4(Just great to see him, more than anything. I liked the sort of quietly dignified approach he brought to his lawyer, which played nicely against the fiery, almost bullying personalities of the others.)

Hagerty-1(Ugh)

Wever-1(Ugh)

Kelly-1(UGH. OK, so I *love* deadpan, and here is a perfect example of how not to do it.)

Shawn-2(He's a cartoon too, but he's not quite as bad as the others.)

Robertson-1.5(I don't know if the writing is to blame, but this kid is crazy annoying.)


Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Man, I really, really loved that Silicon Valley finale. It ended in really the only way it could end.

Louis: Your thoughts on the series finale, your episode MVP, and your top ten cast members for the season.

I'll ask you for your updated cast ranking, and the ranking of the seasons later on.

Calvin Law said...

Loved the finale too. Woods or Middleditch for MVP, glad Bighead and Dinesh finally got some great moments, and my ranking for the season would be:

1. Woods
2. Middleditch
3. Ross
4. Starr
5. Diamantopoulous
6. Crew
7. Nanjiani
8. Feldman
9. Hong
10. Williams

Calvin Law said...

Dafoe missed out, Bates and Bening got in.

Calvin Law said...

Todd Philips :/

Calvin Law said...

Bale got in for Ford v Ferrari, wow.

RatedRStar said...

De Niro misses, interesting, I really want to see the SAG nominations now.

BRAZINTERMA said...

Now that we know the list of nominees, we can start placing our winning bets:

- PICTURE (DRAMA): The Irishman
- PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL): Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese in The Irishman
- ACTOR (DRAMA): Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
- ACTOR (COMEDY/MUSICAL): Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon A Time in...Hollywood
- SUPPORTING ACTOR: Al Pacino in The Irishman
- ACTRESS (DRAMA): Renee Zellweger in Judy
- ACTRESS (COMEDY/MUSICAL): Awkwafina in The Farewell
- SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Laura Dern in Marriage Story
- SCREENPLAY: Marriage Story
- ANIMATED FEATURE: Toy Story 4
- FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Parasite (South Korea)
- SCORE: 1917
- SONG: “Spirit” in The Lion King

Is that you? Who do you think will win?
Make your final bets and respect the opinions of others.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Wow, didn't expect De Niro to miss out...

RatedRStar said...

This Best Actor race is looking so competitive at the moment.

Mitchell Murray said...

Alright, the globe nominations are interesting/frustrating, as per usual. Here are some of my quick thoughts:

Happy surprises:
-Craig and de Armas
-Pesci
-Davis

Disappointments:
-No de Niro, no Dafoe (Though since it was Pesci who probably edged him out, I'm not to upset), no Johansson (Jojo Rabbit)

Also, I'm really hoping that "Bombshell" isn't going to be another "Vice" situation (i.e. a messy and surface level take on an extremely important topic, that somehow gains an inexplicable amount of support from the awards bodies).

Mitchell Murray said...

I'd also like to mention that as of right now, between the lead actor performances that I've seen (Phoenix, Driver, DiCaprio and de Niro), Phoenix would be my least favourite. Of course I'd still give him a 5 so that really speaks to the strength of this years best actor field.

4) Phoenix
3) DiCaprio
2) De Niro (I know I said he was my winner a few days ago, but I've thought upon it further and I realize that Driver left a bigger impact on me and his film, respectively.)
1) Driver

Anonymous said...

My rankings of nominees in each category:

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
1º Parasite
2º Pain and Glory
3º The Farewell
4º Les Misérables
5º Portrait of a Lady on Fire

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
1º Missing Link
2º Toy Story 4
3º How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
4º Frozen 2
5º The Lion King

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
1º “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” – Rocketman
2º “Spirit” – The Lion King
3º “Stand Up” – Harriet
4º “Beautiful Ghosts” – CATS
5º “Into the Unknown” – Frozen 2

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
1º Joker
2º 1917
3º Marriage Story
4º Little Women
5º Motherless Brooklyn

BEST SCREENPLAY
1º The Irishman
2º Parasite
3º Marriage Story
4º Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
5º The Two Popes

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1º Kathy Bates
2º Jennifer Lopez
3º Annette Benning
4º Laura Dern
5º Margot Robbie

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1º Al Pacino
2º Joe Pesci
3º Tom Hanks
4º Brad Pitt
5º Anthony Hopkins

BEST ACTRESS – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
1º Awkwafina
2º Beanie Feldstei
3º Ana de Armas
4º Cate Blanchett
5º Emma Thompson

BEST ACTOR – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
1º Taron Egerton
2º Leonardo DiCaprio
3º Roman Griffin Davis
4º Daniel Craig
5º Eddie Murph

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
1º Scarlett Johansson
2º Charlize Theron
3º Saoirse Ronan
4º Cynthio Erivo
5º Renee Zellweger

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
1º Joaquin Phoenix
2º Adam Driver
3º Antonio Banderas
4º Jonathan Pryce
5º Christian Bale

BEST DIRECTOR
1º Martin Scorsese
2º Bong Joon Ho
3º Todd Phillips
4º Quentin Tarantino
5º Sam Mendes

BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
1º Jojo Rabbit
2º Rocketman
3º Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
4º Dolemite is My Name
5º Knives Out

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
1º The Irishman
2º Joker
3º Marriage Story
4º 1917
5º The Two Popes

What are your ranks for nominees Louis and others?

Bryan L. said...

Alright, brief GG thoughts

-Nice gets for Awkwafina and especially Ana de Armas, who needed to show up here to have a shot
-I liked Joker, but I could’ve lived without the Phillips nomination. Glad for Joaquin though.
-Ouch, no De Niro. The Irishman will be a leading contender, so it shouldn’t hurt him too much. Bale just seems like a usual Golden Globes choice. Banderas is doing better than I thought he would’ve.
-McCarten got in for Screenplay...ugh. Would’ve preferred Knives Out.
-Quite glad about this love for Parasite.
-I guess Kathy Bates will be a thing after all
-Nominating Griffin Davis for JoJo is a great shout

Bryan L. said...

Mitchell: Jay Roach is a more competent version of Adam McKay, so at the very least, Bombshell should be more coherent. Although all the praise so far is for the performances instead of the film itself, so I see what you mean.


Also, my David Fincher ranking is up now!

Emi Grant said...

Golden Globes Nominations:

Positives:
I really don't mind all of the love for Joker, glad Parasite got in where it should have. Glad for Banderas making it, also content to see Bale still in the race. Good to see Craig and De Armas getting in as well. Also, good to see some love for Jojo Rabbit. Nice to see Rocketman got a couple of nods, most importantly Egerton's.

Negatives:
I share Mitchell's thoughts regarding Bombshell. Would have hoped for a lesser performance form the Two Popes (especially in the screenplay category). Sad De Niro and Dafoe missed out.

Otherwise, mostly good results.

Emi Grant said...

Also, Uncut Gems getting totally shut down hurts a lot.

Matt Mustin said...

Overjoyed for Craig and De Armas. Would have liked to have seen the screenplay nominated, but what can you do?

The Joker love is painful, particularly Philips getting in for Director.

De Niro missing out is a travesty, because they clearly loved the movie otherwise.

RatedRStar said...

Interestingly I have not seen Joker yet, even though I know technically what happens in it.

Why do so many people on the blog dislike it?

Matt Mustin said...

RatedRStar: I think most people here are mostly lukewarm on it, I actively hated it, but I don't really wanna discuss why.

Robert MacFarlane said...

RatedRStar: Because it's vapid, derivative unpleasantness. I don't think it's dangerous like the initial concerns, but it's definitely encouraging a new generation of incel dickweeds if you look five minutes on Twitter. It's not even gross enough to be hateful, it's just an empty, pretentious blob of a movie.

Matt Mustin said...

Robert: Yeah. There you go.

Michael McCarthy said...

Before I jump into the Globes convo, Louis, I noticed you said Irons was your MVP for last night’s Watchmen for “his one fantastic scene.” Did you catch the post-credits scene?

Calvin Law said...

I wouldn’t worry too much about De Niro, Bale getting in was just another case of Academy weirdness. And agreed with Robert.

Bryan L. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Emi Grant said...

I guess that while I do agree with Robert to certain extents, I simply appreciate the film's artistry too much to not like it, and even love some aspects of it (the score, Phoenix's performance, cinematography). I, however, also find it perfectly reasonable why not many people like any of it here.

That said, I will admit that I find Knives Out, The Irishman, OUATIH, Parasite, Dolor y Gloria and Marriage Story to be better overall films.

Matt Mustin said...

Emi: The cinematography is probably the best thing about the film, but only in terms of individual shots, because even then Todd Philips' direction completely sabotages the whole thing by not knowing how to use those shots.

And I personally find the score to be ridiculously overrated.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Matt: The praise for the score BAFFLES me. It's probably the most poorly-implemented of the year.

Emi Grant said...

Matt: I do understand where you're coming from with the cinematography. I am in due need to re-watch the film, so, I'll certainly keep that in mind to see if it affects the film more in my eyes. I will say that I don't quite get why you guys don't like the score that much, but, yeah. We might just have to agree to disagree on that one.

For the moment, though, those remain my 2 cents.

Matt Mustin said...

Emi: There's noting "bad" about the score, per se, I just don't see anything special about it all.

Mitchell Murray said...

RatedRStar: To answer your question about "Joker", its simply the kind of movie that will spark heated debate/backlash from a very specific group of people. This is mainly due to its violent subject matter, the choices it makes in handling that subject matter, and the responses viewers of a certain standing with give to it. Me personally - I liked the movie well enough and I especially liked Phoenix's performance. I recognize the technical flaws and missed opportunities regarding the film, along with its influence from Scorsese, but overall I can say that I support the movie decently enough.

Also, it might be worth pointing out that "Taxi Driver", a film Philips takes great inspiration from, generated these same kinds of conversations 43 years ago. So you see, the game never really changes, only the players.

RatedRStar said...

Oh right, is there a scene in particular, where you can go "thats really badly done" because some people have compared it to Taxi Driver, which I love, and King of Comedy which I liked a lot?

Michael McCarthy said...

So I’ve actually watched both Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy recently and I’ve gotta say, saying Phillips took inspiration from those films is a massive understatement. It’s hard to think of any concepts in Joker that aren’t directly lifted from one of those films, there’s almost zero originality to any of it.

Mitchell Murray said...

RatedRStar: Umm....there are a few scenes that could've been done better, I'll say that. None of them really stood out as terrible to me, at least from what I remember. I think the imperfections I reference mainly stem from its poorly edited soundtrack (The music itself isn't bad, but there are points when it simply doesn't match the moment), and some rather blunt symbolism here or there. The style of the film isn't really the problem, its merely the execution which is a bit too "in your face", or leaves something to be desired at times.

Furthermore, from what I've been able to gather, I get the sense that the vast majority of viewers who liked "Joker" recognized its flaws, but felt it worked on the whole due to Phoenix. How you react to his performance really determines how you will look at the film as a whole.

Mitchell Murray said...

Michael: That is another fault that I recognize in the film. Although to be fair, the character type of Travis Bickle isn't that ill fitting for the Joker, honestly.

RatedRStar said...

I will probably watch Joker tomorrow, find out everything lol.

Calvin Law said...

Actually quite loved that Watchmen episode and thought Abdul-Mateen II did a great job. Agreed on Irons though he was magnificent, depending on the finale he's probably series MVP for me.

Luke Higham said...

Hate being late to the conversation but the only real disappointment I have is De Niro's snub. And the Supporting Actor lineup is exactly what I wanted it to be.

With Joker, I still think Phoenix is great but I think Louis will be somewhere in the middle with him. Most likely a 4.5.

Louis Morgan said...

Regarding the Globes:

Quality Wise.

The Good: All for that Irishman and Parasite love in picture/director/screenplay. I actually I'm all for it for picture/screenplay for Marriage Story too. I'm in no way against the Once Upon a Time Love either. Looking forward to 1917, and just hope The Two Popes is the best film McCarten has ever written, and by a lot. Just about love the comedy category, Rocketman would be the least of them for me, and it was still more than decent. All for Johannson in actress, as an oscary role I will admit at Zellweger is good in the part. Looking forward to seeing the rest of them. In Comedy, great to see de Aramas and Awkwafina. Thompson does not need to be there though, not over Jessie Buckley. Lopez is a deserved nomination.

The Bad: Animated feature seems rather rough this year, if Lion King made and while Toy Story was better than Frozen, I really don't think it was the best of anything. The more I think about Dern's performance the more I really find it's a lame win, even though I don't think she's terrible, but come on, she's been better and there's far better choices around. Of course they went with Bening, which is a terrible decision particularly over Zhao Shuzhen or the Jojo ladies. Also, I didn't dislike Joker, but that Phillips nomination is nonsense, especially over Robert Eggers (though I knew he had no chance.)

Prediction Wise:

Picture: Uncut Gems shows its weakness in the mainstream televised as expected. Richard Jewell also did not over perform. Little Women left out, and despite going for Bale, I'm surprised they did not go for Ford V. Ferrari here, as it seemed right up their alley.

Actress: No real surprises. Status quo, though Woodard is definitely a last minute if anything thing, and Nyong'o will indeed have some trouble despite the critical love.

Actor: Miss for De Niro, but I think he gets in through picture, as I never expected it to be a winning role for him given the subdued nature of it. Phoenix, Banderas and Driver are cementing their positions. This helps Pryce immensely, and makes up a lot for the snub yesterday. Bale feels like an extreme Globe nod, but it does put him into the conversation. I'll say though DiCaprio and Murphy are packing things, so I think a "safe" one will have to miss out anyways.

Supporting Actor: If Rockwell doesn't show up on Wednesday I'd say he's out. Otherwise the all winners club seems to be in play as was the case here. Although important to mention that Pesci has never won a globe, which could make things very interesting. Of course Dafoe and Song, I always expected need that passion push at the end, so I don't think this hurts either's potential nomination too much.

Supporting Actress: Eh Dern has become the consistent nomination and will probably win. Robbie and Lopez are there, but I don't think either will have the momentum to push her off the pedestal.

Tahmeed:

Will get to that soon.

Michael:

No I had not, make that two fantastic scenes then.

Calvin:

I thought Abdul-Manteen was good, just seemed a little strange as it felt like he actively trying to imitate Crudup in his opening conversation with King.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: I’d agree that was a bit odd, just goes to show that Crudup did have the right approach. In fact thinking about it I realise I didn’t give him enough credit in the role, the whole Dr Manhattan introduction scene is an amazing scene in the 2009 film for sure.

Calvin Law said...

Also for director I’d have liked to see Rian Johnson, or (film unseen) Greta Gerwig, instead of Phillips, actually I’d have preferred Baumbach even.

Louis Morgan said...

Tahmeed:

Thought the finale was outstanding, in that it managed to make a satisfying conclusion to the overarching plot and each character in a dramatic sense, while also being consistently hilarious, particularly everything involving Bighead. Thought that the change in format around the "episode" was just fantastic. Just shows how to end a show quite honestly, and very impressive for a comedy to end well especially, however they absolutely pulled it off in a proper finale, rather than just another episode type of thing. Not a real criticism but wish we could've gotten just one more bit of Matt McCoy and White & Williams.

MVP is hard to say as everyone was on point, probably Middleditch.

Season:

1. Woods
2. Ross
3. Middleditch
4. Diamantopoulous
5. Starr
6. Crew
7. Feldman
8. Brener
9. Williams & White
10. Nanjiani (Although he had some great moments, namely this episode, felt almost like he was coasting at times, tempted almost to put Yang there who ended up being used in the right amounts this season.)

Series:

1. Zach Woods
2. Matt Ross
3. Thomas Middleditch
4. Martin Starr
5. T.J. Miller
6. Matt McCoy
7. Chris Diamantopoulos
8. Kumail Nanjiani
9. Amanda Crew
10. Chris Williams
11. Bernard White
12. Josh Brener
13. Christopher Evan Welch
14. Andy Daly
15. Ben Feldman
16. Jimmy O. Yang
17. Henry Phillips
18. Aaron Sanders
19. Suzanne Cryer
20. Jake Broder
21. Stephen Toblowsky
22. Hayley Joel Osment

Seasons:

1. 2
2. 6
3. 1
4. 5
5. 3
6. 4

Anonymous said...

Louis what are you Golden Globe winners predictions at the moment?

Calvin Law said...

Yeah probably could’ve put a little Williams and White scene at the end there, and have McCoy hiding out with Jian Yang or something. Agreed also about Nanjiani this season although to be fair, he didn’t have that much to do.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the rest of the Ravenous cast.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Could I have your updated thoughts on Middleditch's performance? I do recall that when asked for your cast ranking around a year back, he was on the lower end of the top ten.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Picture Drama: The Irishman
Picture Musical/Comedy: Once Upon a Time

Actor Drama: Phoenix - Joker (I think he could win this and critics, Driver could win SAG, Pryce BAFTA and then we could have quite the race.)

Actor Musical/Comedy: DiCaprio - Once Upon a Time (Although I think Murphy has a great chance and it really could go either way.)

Actress Drama: Zellweger - Judy (Though I hope I'm wrong and Johansson takes it)

Actress Comedy: Awkwafina - The Farewell (Probably has this easily I think, though I'd love to see de Armas win.)

Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci - The Irishman (NGNG, though possible because he hasn't won. Hopkins also hasn't won a competitive one either however, so you never know there either.)

Supporting Actress: Laura Dern - Marriage Story (I'ld like to think Lopez would have a chance to upset, but her films sorta under performed. I'd say outside shot is probably Robbie.)

Director: Bong Joon-ho (Who'd I'd love to see have a Cuaron style run, though Scorsese is also very possible/deserving.)

Screenplay: Marriage Story

Score: Joker

Song: "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" - Rocketman (Has the picture nom to support it I think.)

Animated film: Toy Story 4

Foreign Film: Parasite (Has to be)

Luke:

Jones - 4(Watching it again he stood out a bit more actually in creating an effective contrast. This in creating a real affability and civility in his early scenes portraying the kindness and honesty about the colonel. This against his later scenes where he has some wonderful deviousness that matches but doesn't copy Carlyle in the right way. His final scene though is his best where he portrays such a genuine anguish in a man whose realized the life he's living isn't worth living.)

Arquette - 3(It just isn't a cannibal western without David Arquette. Arquette's good here though in bringing the off-beat high charm, as well as having some lightly moving moments with Tousey.)

Davies - 3(Doing his usual thing, but an effective example of it, particularly in terms of portraying the overwhelming fear as Carlyle goes full loco.)

McDonough - 3(Also his usual thing but effective in portraying seemingly such a strong force, making his earl departure all the more notable. I'll say all the supporting guys of the camp are pretty good in they each bring more character then you'd expect, making them appear like they might have more screentime then they end up having, and I mean that in a good way.)

Spinellla - 3(An effective drunken fool.)

Tousey - 3.5(Manages to bring the quiet dignity with her performance but without overplaying it. Love a couple of her silent reactions in particularly that bring the most overt humanity to the proceedings, that are just incredibly well realized by her.)

Spencer - 2.5(Standard foolish general performance, nothing notable but not anything bad either.)

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

One thing that has really stood out to be about the series was that a stone cold masterpiece was in reach in an adaptation of the comic, and that while Snyder missed, however not entirely makes it particularly frustrating.

Tahmeed:

No major updates, however this season in particular played towards his strengths in terms of carrying the sort the "dramatic" elements of the series, and really did get to shine.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Louis: That has definitely been an observation of mine as the series has gone on. Snyder says the squid wouldn’t have worked? Show the slimy bastard in its full glory. The costumes needed updating? Here’s Jeremy Irons in royal purple silk. Political subtext needed streamlining? LET’S MAKE THE WHOLE THING EVEN MORE POLITICAL THAN THE COMIC.

I know that Lindelof probably didn’t intend it to feel like a response to Snyder, but the compare/contrast has been impossible to ignore. Maybe it was impossible to avoid. No matter what, we keep getting glimpses of a much more appealing version we never got.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your top ten Silicon Valley episodes, and your top 20 scenes from the show.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

And would the show or any of its performances make your TV top 5s for the year.

RatedRStar said...

SAG nominations tomorrow, any predictions?

Jack Narrator said...

In Golden Globes, the winners will be:

- PICTURE (DRAMA): Marriage Story
- PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL): Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese
- ACTOR (DRAMA): Adam Driver
- ACTOR (COMEDY/MUSICAL): Leonardo DiCaprio
- SUPPORTING ACTOR: Brad Pitt
- ACTRESS (DRAMA): Renee Zellweger
- ACTRESS (COMEDY/MUSICAL): Awkwafina in The Farewell
- SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Laura Dern
- SCREENPLAY: Marriage Story
- ANIMATED FEATURE: Toy Story 4
- FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Parasite (South Korea)
- SCORE: Joker
- SONG: “Into the Unknown” (Frozen 2)

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

RatedRStar: These would be my predictions-

Actor in a Leading Role
Driver
Phoenix
DiCaprio
Pryce
De Niro

Although I feel either De Niro or DiCaprio might miss out in favor of Murphy.

Actress in a Leading Role
Johannson
Zelwegger
Erivo
Awkwafina
Theron

Actor in a Supporting Role
Pitt
Pacino
Pesci
Hanks
Hopkins

Actress in a Supporting Role
Dern
Bening
Bates
Robbie
Lopez/Shuzhen for the last slot, former is more likely

Ensemble
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Marriage Story (would only be deserved if just Johannson, Driver, Liotta and Alda were on the list)
Little Women
Parasite

Calvin Law said...

I think Bening will miss out and Pugh will get in, otherwise pretty much agree with Tahmeed. And hope Knives Out gets in over Marriage Story.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Would you recommend watching the 2009 film before starting Watchmen, for the sake of comparison? The only version I seem to find online is this "Ultimate Edition", which is three and a half hours long.

Calvin Law said...

Tahmeed: Read the graphic novel instead.

Mitchell Murray said...

"Bombshell" is getting "Vice" like reviews, and I think all of us saw it coming a mile away.

Anonymous said...

Well, at least, so far, Bombshell wasn't nominated for any Best Picture, Director or Screenplay awards like Vice was. We can at least hope that all that's nominated from it are Theron and Robbie, and maybe a few technical nods.

Emi Grant said...

So, am I the only one that feels that Sandler *will* sneak up in the Sags? I don't know who would miss but my gut feeling is telling me he's making it.

RatedRStar said...

If Sandler does make it wow does this race blow open lol turning into the equivalent of 2015 Supporting Actor.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Only this time, there's not a poor potential nominee in sight.

RatedRStar said...

I saw Joker, I thought it was just ok, really liked Phoenix though, also saw The Report, fine film but golly are they gonna just play Benings final speech scene in all her nomination videos because its literally the only scene where she stands out.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Although I’m not sure if he was ever up for the part, how do you think Jake Gyllenhaal would’ve fared as Anakin Skywalker in the 2nd & 3rd prequel, (in Donnie Darko mode)? Although with a better script/direction/etc.

Calvin Law said...

I mean he would’ve nailed those angry Anakin line deliveries for sure, but I don’t think anyone in the world could make Lucas’ screenplay truly work.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Also, your rating and thoughts on Marion Cotillard In Big Fish? Every time I catch glimpses of the film on TV, I’m like “Oh yeah, she’s in this.”

Louis Morgan said...

Tahmeed:

1. Two Days of the Condor
2. Optimal Tip-toTip Efficiency
3. Binding Arbitration
4. Homicide
5. Exit Event
6. Third Party Insourcing
7. Terms of Service
8. Artificial Lack of Intelligence
9. Fifty-One Percent
10. Bad Money

1. Justice baby
2. Richard tries to get home
3. Erlich cross examination
4. Holographic Gavin
5. Sycophant vs Sycophant
6. Tip to tip efficiency
7. Erlich beats up kids
8. Let Blaine die?
9. Think of the Bulldog
10. Burger King
11. "Are you threatening me" "No"
12. Jared Freaks out
13. Russ's "Gift"
14. Plane distances
15. An Elephant Never Forgets
16. Rigby
17. Who else thinks this product is stupid
18. Dark basement of servers
19. Budget Cut fallout
20. Cold threats Jared

I would recommend reading the comic first and foremost. The movie, though flawed, is worth watching however as there are great individual moments and for Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jackie Earle Haley. Don't bother with the ultimate version which includes I think tales of the black freighter, which is hardly even necessary in the original comic. I'd say go with the director's cut.

Bryan:

Gyllenhaal would've been better, Christensen is better than the prequels suggest, but he's still not a very good actor. The problem is even the talented McGregor had trouble there, so at best I think Gyllenhaal could've gotten to that level. A different prequels though, yes definitely. Heath Ledger though I think would've been the best pick in my mind, as we know he could be the dashing hero, and definitely could've done the Dark Side justice.

Cotillard - 3(It is a very limited role, however I do like the warmth she brings to the part particularly her more affable reactions to Finney's stories in contrast to Crudup's reactions.)

Louis Morgan said...

Tahmeed:

It would be my #3 in series, though not counting Watchmen yet, that's it. This is mostly because Supporting Actor is STACKED, I mean my perennial favorite Glenn Howerton wouldn't even snare his typically reserved spot.

Anonymous said...

Louis, any recent 2019 vewings.

Anonymous said...

*viewings

BRAZINTERMA said...

My final bets on SAG nominees are ...

STUNT
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Us
- Hobbs & Shaw
- Zombieland Double Tap

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Laura Dern
- Kathy Bates
- Margot Robbie
- Jennifer Lopez
- Zhao Shuzhen

LEADING ACTRESS
- Scarlett Johannson
- Renée Zelwegger
- Awkwafina
- Charlize Theron
- Lupita Nyong'o

SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Brad Pitt
- Al Pacino
- Joe Pesci
- Tom Hanks
- Alan Alda

LEADING ACTOR
- Adam Driver
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Jonathan Pryce
- Robert De Niro

ENSEMBLE (or Cast)
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- The Irishman
- Marriage Story
- Little Women
- Hustlers

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your 15 worst performances of the decade.

Luke Higham said...

This Oscar season is gonna be nerve-wracking.

Michael McCarthy said...

Now THAT was interesting.

Calvin Law said...

Lol Kathy Bates mistakenly being submitted for Lead. How do snafus like this even happen?

Super happy for Egerton. Can’t believe De Niro missed out again. Dafoe’s chances definitely slipping away now. Big miss for Little Women and The Farewell. Parasite in Ensemble is great though.

RatedRStar said...

Taron Edgerton, wow now this race has blown up, I think DiCaprio is probably close to a lock to get in now that Murphy didn't. Jamie Foxx getting in makes the straight forward Best Supporting Actor race change a little.

RatedRStar said...

Wow all four of these categories have blown up now, just what we want to see.

Michael McCarthy said...

In addition to The Farewell and Little Women, The Two Popes took a big hit here. Oddly enough I think the film that benefited the most from these nominees was Bombshell.

THRILLED that Lupita Nyong’o got in for Us and Scarlett Johansson got in for Jojo Rabbit since they’re both my current winners. I’m probably the most upset for Zhao Shuzhen, whose chances at a nomination are getting even slimmer. Also we were probably all foolish to underestimate Christian Bale in this race.

Calvin Law said...

Oh damn I didn’t even clock that Nyong’o got in. That does help her. And same upset for Zhao but there’s a chance, ever so slim but a chance still.

Mitchell Murray said...

Alright then..I'll just give my brief thoughts on the SAG nominations.

Actor-

Egerton definitely shakes things up a bit, as does Bale getting another nod. I'm still hopeful that de Niro will eventually make the line up, but at this point that doesn't seem especially secure, sadly. Also Pryce not getting in hurts his chances as well.

Actress-

Expected line up with the pleasant surprise of Nyongo. Still, it is a big miss for Awkwafina and Ronan so its going to take a lot for either of them to get over that hump now. Meanwhile Erivo, Johansson and Theron seem fairly safe.

Supporting Actor-

The two big things here are no Dafoe and no Hopkins, and I'm pretty sure we can guess who knocked at least one of them out. Now the flip side of that is the Sag often makes a shout out to people who eventually miss out (ex. Steve Carell for "Battle of the Sexes", Emily Blunt for "The Quiet Place"...), therefor I can't really see Foxx pulling through in the end unless he has an inordinate amount of backing. What I'm not disappointed in, though, is the prospect of Hanks, Pacino, Pesci and Pitt - those four alone are pretty sound contenders.

Supporting Actress-

Two for "Bombshell"? I didn't complain when they did that for "The Favourite" - and for a good reason - but in this year I just can't help but feel someone like Zhou could've used that nomination. Credit be given where its due, though: They overlooked Bening and recognized Johansson, so I guess that evens itself out.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Okay, regarding SAG, two questions.
First, what? Second, the fuck?!

Emi Grant said...

Now, those nominations were something. What even is Best Actor right now?

Positives: Phoenix, DiCaprio and Driver are pretty much locks now. Egerton and Bale get more momentum.

Lupita N'yongo bounces back with this nomination, making a better case for herself.

The double Irishman nominations seem more locked now. Same with Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks.

Good on Johansson for the double nominations. Love the ensemble nod for Parasite.

Negatives: De Niro's chances are getting slimmer.

I'm going out on a limb and saying Foxx didn't need that nomination. This hurts Dafoe severely.

I don't know how I feel about Bombshell over-performing. This is also a blow to Little Women, The Two Popes (which I don't think I mind) and The Farewell.

This feels like chaos right now.

Calvin Law said...

Come on now, none of us have seen Just Mercy or Bombshell, for all we know Foxx could be great, Kidman could be great etc.

Emi Grant said...

Calvin: I mean, sure, but some others really could have used those nominations. Either way, I'm waiting until I watch Bombshell before I complain. Can't say I'll do the same for Foxx, though.

Matt Mustin said...

Foxx seems like a SAG-only nomination, similar to Armie Hammer getting in for J.Edgar.

Bryan L. said...

Obviously haven’t seen Bombshell, but they did do a great job otherwise with the Ensemble category, and I guess they received the memo regarding the ensemble for Marriage Story.

These De Niro snubs are getting a little strange though. Would’ve loved to see Sandler cement a presence here (Uncut Gems unseen).

Luke Higham said...

I agree with Matt on Foxx.

Louis: Your thoughts on the trailer for Carey Mulligan's next film, Promising Young Woman.

Bryan L. said...

Luke: Your thoughts on Carey Mulligan as an actress, and your ranking of the performances you've seen from her?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Giving it a bit more thought, I'm really glad that Johannson got double nominated. And given that Bale is at the least, very good in Ford V Ferrari, I wouldn't be opposed to a possible 5th nomination for him.

Luke Higham said...

Bryan: Aside from Marion Cotillard, there's no other actress today that I adore more. I completely love her voice and on talent alone, it's shocking that she only has 1 five star performance to her name (Far From The Madding Crowd, though I'd give her one for An Education as well where I've been madly in love with her since).

1. Far From The Madding Crowd
2. An Education
3. Collateral (BBC)
4. Wildlife
5. Suffragette
6. Drive
7. Never Let Me Go
8. Doctor Who 'Blink'
9. The Great Gatsby
10. Inside Llewyn Davis
11. Mudbound
12. Shame
13. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Bryan L. said...

Luke: Your rating for her in Mudbound? I'm surprised that she's that low for you, although I'm guessing 7-11 are interchangeable.

Calvin Law said...

Yeah I have no issue with Bale getting in if Phoenix is getting in. Frankly he gives the more layered performance out of the two in a much better film.

Matt Mustin said...

Also, what's with The Irishman being nominated for stunts?

Calvin Law said...

No idea, but I have to say they definitely snubbed John Wick 3 there.

Luke Higham said...

Bryan: I'd give her a 4. I have to be honest, I do love her as Daisy in Great Gatsby and I would have to re-watch ILD for placement purposes.

Calvin: If Egerton gets the Bafta nod ahead of Pryce, he's a lock in my eyes.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could you give thoughts on the Knives Out cast. I'm pretty sure everyone's seen it by now.

Luke Higham said...

And with the Two Popes stars, I'd rather see them both get in or miss out so they'll still be reviewed like Dafoe/Pattinson.

Calvin Law said...

I’m almost 100% certain of Egerton getting that BAFTA nod.

Louis Morgan said...

Regarding SAG:

Quality Wise:

AMAZING ensemble lineup from what I've seen so far. I hope the acting at least is great in Bombshell, as the rest is a stellar lineup. So happy to see that Parasite is making it past just the critics. Also love that Marriage Story actually missed out here.

Actress: Very deserving nods for Johansson, and Nyong'o. Zellweger I would say I don't mind the nod, I just don't want her to win.

Supporting Actress: Again hope that acting in Bombshell is great at least. Dern, eh. Great to see that double nod for Johansson, and Lopez is deserving as well.

Prediction Wise:

Ensemble: The 3 front runners all made it. This confirmed Jojo as a potential top 5 player. Bombshell could easily be the SAG ensemble that doesn't convert to a Best Picture nom, there usually is one at least.

Actor:

The actual win though seems to be between Phoenix and Driver at this point though, with DiCaprio being a comfortable hang out.

The surprises (sorta): Bale could easily get his next nom here, as BAFTA seems extremely possible for him. Of course the same could be true for Egerton. This theoretically could be the BAFTA lineup.

The snubs: I bet Netflix is regretting not releasing Two Popes in Dolemites spot instead, as I think an earlier overall release could've helped Pryce and Hopkins here. Although I think both still have a strong chance due to BAFTA. I'd say Murphy is probably done, as this seemed his easiest get outside of the globes. De Niro needs the Irishman to over perform, however I'm again not surprised by his snubs just due to the subdued nature of the role. Big miss for Banderas, however that last minute Oscar spot is always possible. I'll be honest Driver's probably the only one I truly think is locked, only because he has the performing film, and the mentions. Joker could under perform with Oscar, and even DiCaprio I think has the outside chance of being pushed out by being assumed to be in. I think the final five could still be a big surprise fest, as this could be the Oscar five, however I don't think so, yet.

Actress:

Suprises: No one actually. Erivo though feels like one who could miss out because she is the film's only support. Bombshell here seems like SAG over reaction that happens sometimes with acting centric films. I think Theron probably still makes it anyways though. Zellweger and Johansson seems the only truly safe ones however.

Snubs: As again there potential last minute Woodard spoiler, and I do think Awkwafina can arrive if The Farewell has a last minute resurgence.

Supporting Actor: The three P's are looking very safe. Hanks seems the weakest out of those who have made it everywhere so far, only because his film doesn't seem like it'll do much outside of him. Foxx feels like a SAG nod, that I thought was going to happen. Don't think he'll followup at Oscar, leaving Hopkins, Song or Dafoe to sweep in, through either film support or last minute passion. Rockwell's probably done (maybe too much internal conflict between his performances), and Brown was apparently never a thing.

Supporting Actress:

Surprises: They love Kidman here (Paperboy nomination anyone?) so that isn't too surprising that she came in with Robbie. Robbie seems the go to still though. Johansson I think helps herself immensely to get over Zellweger potentially here (who has 2 individual SAG wins already, but maybe that just means they really like her.

Snubs: McKenzie is done I'd say. Zhao Shuzhen got a major miss unfortunately, though not done. I still think one of the Parasite ladies could surprise, as they'd be last minute no matter what. Hate that they screwed up Bates, as we have no sense of her strength because of that.

Matt Mustin said...

I'm almost hesitant to predict Hanks getting nominated, only because he was nominated EVERYWHERE for Captain Phillips and still ended up missing out. We'll see, though.

Calvin Law said...

Forgot Kidman was nominated for Paperboy. *shudders*

Louis Morgan said...

Matt:

Yeah there is always the potential for the SAG, BAFTA, Globes nominee that misses Oscar, like Hanks there, Gyllenhaal, Daniel Bruhl or Tilda Swinton. I think that *could* be Hanks, though is more likely to be Taron Egerton.

Calvin Law said...

I do want Egerton to get in because I’d love to see a review of him, but I don’t want that to come at the cost of De Niro who unfortunately does seem very vulnerable at this point.

In other news A Hidden Life isn’t eligible for Best Score at the Oscars which means that it’s only scant chance at a nom is gone.

Louis Morgan said...

Side Note on Stunts: Yeah no John Wick 3 (which I have no real affection for overall as a film at this point), over really any of the nominees is ridiculous.

Side Note regarding all TV noms over the past week: Hate that Stephen Dorff couldn't get one single nomination anywhere, unfortunately it goes to show the flaw of the TV format where you needed to watch the later episode of True Detective to see the meat of his work.

Luke:

Hmmm...

1. Kiefer Sutherland - Pompeii
2. Eddie Redmayne - Jupiter Ascending
3. Ellar Coltrane - The Circle
4. Elton John - Kingsman: The Golden Circle
5. Harley Quinn Smith - Yoga Hosers
6. Nat Wolff - Death Note
7. Jaden Smith - After Earth
8. Matt Milne - War Horse
9. James Jordan - Wind River
10. Laura Linney - Nocturnal Animals

Sure.

de Armas - (The absolutely most winning element of the film, where I'd actually say the mystery was the weakest part of the film for me, not that it is bad. Anyways though Armas proves that her work in Blade Runner was no fluke though through her performance here that is pitch perfect every step of the way. This in firstly giving such a moving empathetic performance without ever becoming bland or uninteresting given the far more heightened personalities around her. She never loses step by providing such an authentic human decency in her role, delivering an emotional core to the film so effectively. Her performance goes beyond that as she manages to capture the film's comedic energy with such ease, while never really becoming an overt comic presence herself. This in giving so much in every reaction of hers that creates such a wonderful sense of the observer, and also the guilty, that adds so much to every scene in every one of her reactions. Her performance is quite simply brilliant by how dynamic it is at every point, and I'll say really it didn't have to be. This role in another lest adept hands could've been just a bland forgettable lead within the madness of everyone else, instead she makes a stability that low key steals the film.)

Craig - (His Benoit Blanc is exceptional, and one has to give him credit for pulling off the southern accent twice, though heightened each time, but brilliantly so. This time doing his best Shelby Foote, and doing so that already begins his performance at such a wonderful point. Craig is terrific though by having so much fun with the role of the Inspector, that he absolutely runs away with. This in mostly being non-emotional Poirot type in a way, though he has a few moments that he knocks in that regards, but mostly he's just great by doing this sort of comical cunning. Craig brings such a great energy to every moment, along with such a fantastic comic timing that makes one almost wonder if he was always meant to be a comic actor between this and Logan Lucky. Particular mention must be given in particular to his classic "parlor" scene that he knocks out of the park every step of the way.)

Louis Morgan said...

Evans - (Here's where I'll say the mystery wasn't my favorite part, not that it is was at all bad once again, or maybe it is also because I've seen a lot of Henri-Georges Clouzot, as I'm sure Rian Johnson has, this as I was almost turning against the film when it when it appeared to be Quai des Orfevres, accidental mystery twist, though because it happened so fast I knew they had to be one more, though even that you had the typical Agitha Christie situation where the most obvious suspect is the guilty one, but they have the airtight alibi. Anyway though that leaves Evans as the obvious jerk, which he does quite well though I must say and really delivers on the ego with such a proper smug grin. It is enjoyable work that subverts his image well, though I will say this was to the point I knew that he was never helping Marta.)

Curtis - (Kind of underused I felt in the end, as she just had a lot less to than I expected to have. She still certainly delivered well on the sort of angry battle axe daughter. She certainly makes the most of her cutting lines and more intense outbursts, though.)

Shannon - (Nicely off-beat Shannon much of the time, though with some terrific moments of using his more trademark energy well. That being pulling out his anger quite hilariously with his major scenes with Evans and delivering on his menace more casually in his scene with de Armas later on.)

Johnson - (Speaking to a question I forgot to answer long ago, I'm glad Johnson has made this transition to proper acting roles, as I always felt he was talented, even in his standard cop show of Nash Bridges, so it is nice to get to see him shine later on in film, now that there is less a wall between film actor/television actor. Johnson does some fun work here as I like how he never delivers an overt seriousness, bringing this slight outsiders perspective and this sense of a playboy like his son, who only seems like he's grown up.)

Collette - (Does a delightful airhead)

Stanfield - (Although doesn't have much to do, his normal investigator confusion and reactions are pretty funny throughout.)

Langford - (I thought she was fine, however didn't make much impact in either a dramatic or comedic sense. Was better with the former in her last scene with de Armas, but just as the ensemble goes, somewhat forgettable.)

Martell - (More forgettable however, and I think to make an impact with this role, he would've needed to really "kill" with his delivery. He doesn't though. He's again not bad, makes enough use of what he does have, but doesn't truly excel.)

Segan - (He's been worse, but he was still bad. His reactions were meant to be over the top, but unfortunately they also should've been funny. He wasn't)

Plummer - (Strong expected work from him, doing a slightly warmer, though still as tough version of his Getty in a way. Absolutely delivers in this respect however to make his impact well in his relatively limited time.)

Uhh....that looks like it could be a complete train wreck, given how heightened the tone seems to be, maybe it all works out, but that's a tight wire to walk on.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: What do you reckon of Sandlers' chances moving forward? Hope the film blanking on the non-televised awards doesn't hurt him too much.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

The Peanut Butter Falcon, a enjoyable little fable, even if LaBeouf's story line just sort of fizzles.

Dark Waters, would be almost a rote though decent film of its sort, though definitely no The Insider or even A Civil Action in my book, but Ruffalo and Hathaway quite frankly bring it down past just that.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the casts.

Michael McCarthy said...

I didn’t care for Dark Waters either, but I didn’t think Ruffalo and Hathaway were *the* problem. Ruffalo was okay in a mostly bland role, and I actually thought Hathaway was kind of good. Bill Camp, on the other hand, was atrocious in a role that could’ve been a show-stealer. And I usually quite like him.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Well let me get the negative out of the way first.

Ruffalo - 2(I'll admit he leaves his typical mannered overacting here to some atrocious lip acting, that is such an obvious affectation, it becomes laughable after awhile. I'll also just say I don't think Ruffalo ever does righteous indignation well, and just like Spotlight, I thought he completely failed to deliver the passion in the way that is needed for this type of material.)

Hathaway - 2(For me both of these roles played into the performers weaknesses. Hathaway's sort of artificial approach at times came full force to me here, in playing the supportive wife role in such a overt way it almost came off as a parody of that type of role.)

Camp - 1.5(I typically like Camp a lot, but his old farmer Joe routine was way overcooked. Everything just came off as posturing from him, and just come off as a caricature of this type of role as well. I will say that the role did indeed have potential, but in a way Camp might've tried to make it stand out too much to the point he came off as kind of ridiculous.)

Michael:

Regarding Camp, I just don't know why they didn't get Beau Bridges given they apparently wanted him to look just like him. It's another film this year that I'm baffled by the critical reception overall, I get in having your heart in the right place, but this did nothing interesting with the material to really make it work in any way. I guess I just don't understand how A Civil Action was only barely well received while this got glowing reviews for the most part.

Bryan:

To be honest I don't think he has much of a chance. I thought Uncut Gems would be a Drive situation, and based on SAG, it seems like I was right. If it gets any Oscar noms, it probably will be something like Editing. Sandler just seems extremely unlikely, especially when the likes of Pryce, Banderas or De Niro, are themselves fighting to get in.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

LaBeouf - 4(Strong work from him once again, so I hope he keeps up the streak. This just in general though is rock solid work in terms of creating an emotional conviction within sort of the internalized melancholia within the character. This against the charisma he brings in portraying such an honesty in his moments of encouraging Zak. He brings just such a nice warmth in these moments and develops a real affecting chemistry there.)

Gottsagen - 3.5(A rather effective earnest turn all the way through. It is a relatively limited part in terms of expectations but he certainly delivers in bringing such an affable passion to the proceedings. What I found most notable about his work though was in that chemistry with LaBeouf, where the two just created such a natural sense of camaraderie.)

Johnson - 3.5(Perhaps naturalistic turns are more in her wheelhouse as I found her rather winning here. This in giving just a straight forward genuine quality in her work in terms of portraying her concerns at every point, then also her encouragements later on. I liked the trio of the three so much though that I actually wish the three came together earlier on in the narrative.)

Hawkes - 3(Fine creepy Hawkes turn, though limited.)

Dern - 3(Fine kooky Dern turn, though limited.)

Church - 3.5(Was glad to see him in a substantial role again. Thought he was terrific in being the wrestling people's hero, but also so in his pitch perfect reactions in his first scene as the guy behind the heel. This leading to his sort of "combined" revival scene that was just wonderful in balancing humor with a genuine heart.)

Robbins - 3(I'll actually say he was easily the best thing about the film for me, which is a low bar, but I'll say he delivered on his righteous indignation scene.)

Anonymous said...

Louis: If Uncut Gems was made in the 70s, would James Caan be your choice for Sandler's character? If not, who would?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Well let me see the film first.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Oops, sorry!

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis: I agree in regards to Camp, it occurred to me that his whole performance might be an angry reaction to those horrible prosthetic eyebrows. And weirdly enough I also agree Robbins was one of the better performances but I also thought the “righteous indignation” bit was his worst scene.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the direction of Tower (2016)?

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the score for Angel Heart? I didn't think too much of when I saw the film, but on its own, I found it to be pretty good.

Also, your thoughts on the sex scene with Harry and Epiphany? I gotta say; it was pretty nerve-wracking for me.

Calvin Law said...

Glad you liked Church, the more I think about the film while I do think it loses itself at the end, it’s a nice enough film that I’m kind of fine with that. It’s nice to have such an earnest film like this in times like ours.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Could I have your thoughts on this scene from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? (and Will Smith and James Avery's perfomances in particular)
https://youtu.be/PI4Mv8R0mE0

Anonymous said...

Luke, how many fives do you expect for Lead Actor.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Well, I think it'll be higher than the past 2 years. There's 6 that I'm certain about at the moment (Paul, Pattinson, Dafoe, Davis, De Niro and Driver).

Michael McCarthy said...

I really liked the In the Heights trailer. I know not everyone on this blog is as into musicals as I am, but what did y'all think of it if you've seen it?