Monday 27 April 2020

Alternate Best Actor 1983: Keith Gordon in Christine

Keith Gordon did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Arnold "Arnie" Cunningham in Christine.

Christine is a fun thriller about a killer car. I'll say though its plot is a bit messy and overly simplistic, and all the characters' immediate concerns over the main character's interest in the car is more comical than I think was the intention.

The film begins with as a potentially typical high school film as we have the tough, but likable every guy, in John Stockwell's Dennis, then we have Keith Gordon as his best friend, the obvious nerd in his Arnie. Directed by John Carpenter, during his still competent phase, with a certain tongue in cheek quality, that honestly is the right approach for a concept as ridiculous as a killer car. This is definitely in turned seen in Gordon's performance even before the shift in his character, just as we see Arnie hanging out with Dennis, as the retiring friend shying away from everyone and everything. Gordon's performance very much emphasizing the nerd in nerd, and not the type of nerd whose the witty and intelligent sort within his awkwardness. He's just awkward, and Gordon's performance accentuates that as he exudes a constant desperation that only expands depending on his situation. This with his time with local bullies being spent with a wide eyed anxiety and just nothing except frustrated weakness. The only brightness in his performance being shown when he randomly sees a beaten old junker car for sale, with obviously a mysterious old man selling it. A seemingly minor but important moment as Gordon's beams with an instant obsession. This time seemingly less harmful as just someone interested in getting a car that he can fix up and potentially impress with. This fact that all those around him find instantly alarming, I'd say a little too alarming, I mean he just was buying car, though I purposefully digress.

The initial obsession we see seeds towards this odd confidence that Gordon delivers in his performance as it attaches specifically to the car. This in portraying a gaze of fascination in each moment regarding the car, the titular Christine, that he has rebuilt to perfection. The film then jumps as Dennis is struck, both literally and figuratively, when gazing upon a changed Arnie, losing his glasses, donning cool jacket, and making out with the most beautiful girl in the school Leigh (a terribly underwritten part). The transition we purposefully don't see, rather we see the other end of it. This where Gordon instead exudes now that confidence entirely and a certainty in attitude regarding his car and his relationship as though it was nothing to accomplish. When Leigh questions the nature of Arnie's obsession with his car, we actually get an essential midpoint in his performance. In that we do have a few last vestiges of the old Arnie, and perhaps any goodness about him as he asks her not to leave him with the same desperation we saw in the awkward teen, but we also see in this the darkest side of Arnie that is what makes this performance truly remarkable. This is that while I would still qualify this as a stylized performance, as again a film about a killer car isn't one that urges subtlety, Gordon's approach is rather fascinating as we see Christine more than take over Arnie's life. It seems as though it is all that there is to it, this at the same time as we see the scenes of Christine carefully executing Arnie's former bullies, though we are not aware of whether or not Arnie is complicit in this or this is the car's doing.

Gordon's performance can be taken as two things I think, one expected, and one almost predictive in certain way. The first is perhaps the more obvious of the drug addict but that of the car. That can be easily enough seen I suppose, but I don't think that's quite it, and that is part of why I found this performance rather special. This as Gordon portrays it rather as what I would say is a toxic fan of the vehicle. This as Gordon's performance when speaking of the car does so with this reference, this extreme, psychotic fanaticism regarding it. His physical work even in his interactions with Christine, that is of fondling as though it were a woman, rather than just an admiration of a car. He speaks with more than just a joy of it, but rather a fervent lust regarding the car. It is his entire world, and Gordon presents as this vile passion for the car. This as though it is his entire world truly, and something that is amazing, as he twists this love into hate in his performance, much like the terrible type of fan, who seems to exude only misery from something they supposedly love. This is striking in scene where Arnie describes this lust for Christine, which his eyes are expressing such vicious adoration, however he speaks with such a horrible disregard for anything other than this adoration. I especially love the moment where Dennis mistakes this lust for Leigh, and Gordon's brutally dismissive, no is so brilliantly petulant and again grants the sense of the narrowness of this obsession. This as Gordon makes it all that exists for Arnie, in his descriptions of the "greatness" of Christine as both this breakdown and near orgasmic reaction to something that he has made define his existence. This in turn we see that putrid venom towards anyone who dares question his view of this "passion", much again like the fan tearing down everything else for the sake of his singular mindset. Now perhaps I am slightly reaching with this interpretation, although such fandom is not new just more isolated before the time of the internet, but what I think is more important is that what Gordon's performance does is two things. This as it creates a uniquely haunting portrayal of obsession which both grants the larger than life insanity needed for the devotee of a killer car, but in a way that strangely enough grants just enough of a reality within it. Gordon thrives within the film's tone playing into, but does also make you believe that not only could a man lust after his car, but that also can be a rather frightening thing.

85 comments:

Calvin Law said...

I liked the film more than you overall I think, but agreed that I liked the tongue in cheek approach and pretty much concur word by word on Gordon’s performance. He’s in my top 10 for the year I think.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

I liked it, but I think Carpenter's direction was considerably better than the script he was working with.

Bryan L. said...

As I was watching this, I kept thinking of Repo Men for some reason. And then all of a sudden...*cue Harry Dean Stanton*

Calvin Law said...

Also, Louis, could you see a modern day Angels With Dirty Faces working with Chris Pine and Ben Foster? And I think the pairing could work either way round.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Yes, on both accounts. I'd actually prefer to see Foster play the Jerry and Pine as Rocky, though he'd obvious thrive as the latter as well, but I'd rather see both stretch.

Lucas Saavedra said...

Louis: would you consider putting the ratings next to each actor like you did in the 2018 and 2019 rankings in the other years?

Mitchell Murray said...

Ohhhh man....I get you now, Robert; It understand how you must've felt reading the reviews of Andrew Garfield in "Hacksaw Ridge", or Sam Rockwell in "Three Billboards".

I'll admit this performance isn't anything that atrocious in my books, but at the same time, I don't really see the praise that you are all talking about. In the first half, I think Gordon's okay at kind of setting up the character's quietness, and his slow descent into obsession. But its during the second half, when Arnie starts being consumed by Christine, that Gordon totally lost me. He frankly comes off as some emo punk on a power trip, and for me, never made Arnie's degradation that compelling/enjoyable. I think my view of this performance is summed up best in his "love eats everything" speech; In that scene I did not see a strong portrayal of barely concealed madness, but instead a young actor being told to emote badly.

So yah, I'm not a fan of Gordon's work here, but I can't blame him for trying to salvage a middle of the road film.

Mitchell Murray said...

Also, on a more positive note, I watched "Tootsie" for the first time today. I ended up enjoying the movie more than I expected, as it achieved the two basic things it set out to do; Tell a funny story with a likable character, but also have just enough subtext for the themes at hand.

Hoffman - 4.5
Lange - 3.5
Pollack - 3.5
Durning - 3
Garr - 3
Murray - 3
Coleman - 3
Davis - 2.5

Bryan L. said...

2010s Angels with Dirty Faces, directed by David McKenzie

Rocky: Chris Pine
Jerry: Ben Foster
Frazier: Alessandro Nivola (Think AMVY)
Laury: Carey Mulligan
Mac: John Slattery

Anonymous said...

Louis: what are your favorite video games?

Robert MacFarlane said...

Glad you liked this performance. Was such a pleasant surprise when I saw the film for the first time.

To add to Anonymous’s question, towards everyone: Top 5 video game characters?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the cast.

Mitchell Murray said...

Anonymous and Robert: Well I'm not that versed as a gamer, but the two best scripted, most emotional resonant games I've played are "The Last of Us", and the original "Red Dead Redemption". As such, my favourite characters from each would be Joel, Ellie, Bill - and John, Dutch and Irish, respectively.

RatedRStar said...

Top 5 video game characters lol crikey, off the top of my head its far too tricky umm.. it would have to be complex characters

1. Dutch (Red Dead Redemption 2) its an Oscar worthy character and performance of a man whose optimism and dreams get crushed.
2. The Joker (Batman Arkham City)
3. Andrew Ryan (Bioshock)
4. Big Boss/Snake (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
5. John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)

RatedRStar said...

My opinion could change so easily lol its a hard question to answer.

BRAZINTERMA said...

Taking advantage of the post, tell me your rankings of the best performances of actors and actresses of characters originated in the works of Stephen King. My ranking ...

10º Jack Nicholson in The Shining
9º Piper Laurie‎in Carrie
8º Sissy Spacek‎ in Carrie
7º Anthony Hopkins in Hearts in Atlantis
6º Judy Parfitt in Dolores Claiborne
5º Ian McKellen in Apt Pupil
4º Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption
3º James Caan in Misery
2º Kathy Bates in Misery
1º Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone

Mitchell Murray said...

So I just watched "Annie Hall" for the first time, and I must say I think it's very overrated. To the movie's credit, there are some amusing scenes here or there, and the chemistry between Allen and Keaton is ample enough. As far as fluffy romances go its hardly the worst, but on the flip side, I still wouldn't call it an example of great film making.

Allen - 3.5 (Definitely preferred Dreyfuss)
Keaton - 3.5
Duvall - 2.5
Kane - 2.5
Walken - 2.5
Goldbloom - 2.5
Weaver - N/A

Emi Grant said...

Robert: I'm not much of a gamer, and the games I've played are bit of an odd bunch. So, here's a top 3:

1. Japhet - Off by Mortis Ghost (Hm to The Batter)
2. Sal Fisher - Sally Face
3. Napstablook - Undertale

Michael McCarthy said...

In defense of Annie Hall, I don’t think “fluffy romance” is an accurate description of the film. I consider it a very ironically mature examination of adult immaturity that I’d argue anyone who has been in a long-term relationship that ended can find something to relate to in.

Bryan L. said...

I agree with Michael on Annie Hall.

Mitchell Murray said...

Michael: Well maybe that's the wrong choice of words; I thought fluffy was accurate only due to how the film is so light in tone, and how it never takes itself too seriously despite the abundance of cynicism. There's of course a certain truth to the romantic angles of the script, but personally, I just didn't feel that movie as a whole was all that impressive.

Mitchell Murray said...

I guess it also doesn't help that I'm just not crazy about Allen's films in general.

Shaggy Rogers said...

Brazinterma: My rank

1. River Phoenix (Stand by Me)
2. James Caan
3. Christopher Walken
4. Ian Mckellen
5. Kathy Bates (Dolores Claiborne)
6. Anthony Hopkins
7. Tim Robbins
8. Sissy Spacek
9. Morgan Freeman (Shawshank Redemption)
10. Kathy Bates (Misery)

Mitchell Murray said...

Also had a bit of a change of pace today by watching "Martha Marcy May Marlene", which apart from its vague ending, was a very effective and chilling depiction of one cult member's trauma.

Olsen - 5 (Great performance...easily on the same level for me as Rooney Mara in TGWTDT)
Hawkes - 4.5
Paulson - 4
Dancy - 3.5
Abbott - 3

It was also neat seeing a pre-Ozarks Julia Garner.

Aidan Pittman said...

Streaming films confirmed to be eligible for the Oscars this year, unfortunately the sound categories have now been merged as well. Also, 60% of a film's score must now be original in order to qualify for Original Score. Thoughts from everyone?

RatedRStar said...

I don't really understand why the sound categories have to be merged, like, mixing and editing are not the same thing, that doesn't add up to me.

Anonymous said...

About the first one, the Oscars really were late on this one, huh? Emmy's had that rule since original streaming content began to be a thing. Crazy how it took them all those years and a pandemic to change their thing. On the second one, does that make it easier or harder for movies to get in? I assume now all the Rise of Skywalker noms are gonna be bye-bye, which is not a bad thing by itself, but I might be wrong.

RatedRStar said...

The 60% rule for original score is a bit strange because, how would you know if a score was original or altered from a previous score, do they just guess? or go "This soundtrack from Mank sounds like a previous film we can't allow that" lol.

Matt Mustin said...

I've never understood the eligibility rules for Score. I still don't understand why Birdman and Arrival weren't eligible.

Robert MacFarlane said...

To answer my own question concerning video game characters:

1. Makoto Niijima in Persona 5
2. Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI
3. Roxas from the Kingdom Hearts series
4. Balthier from Final Fantasy XII
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

HM: Kanji from Persona 4, Lucina from Fire Emblem: Awakening

My tastes in games are basically limited to JRPG's.

Mitchell Murray said...

Aidan: Well the 60% requirement seems kind of arbitrary if you ask me...I mean, if the score has original tracks in it, it should be eligible period.

The streaming thing doesn't really surprise me either, given how Netflix has made some strong appearances over the past three years, and even "Manchester by the Sea" was partly released on Amazon.

Calvin Law said...

Matt: it’s always been a stupid rule. The sound editing/mixing combination is what pisses me off the most though. Like I’m irrationally annoyed by it.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Haven't played anything in awhile, but back in the day, LOZ, Half-Life Shining Force, Castlevania, Resident Evil, King of Fighters, Super Mario Bros., Contra, Metal Slug, and my puzzle of choice being Puzzle Bobble.

Luke:

Stockwell - 3(I actually thought he did a fine job as Joe everyman. It obviously is the the thankless part, however I thought he did his best to at least be likable enough and managed to create the right sense of concern regarding Arnie's state.)

Paul - 2(Not really her fault, but the part is just written terribly.)

Stanton - 3.5(Although I'd always prefer more of him, I did like the slick manner he brought to the detective and the sort of emphasis on the intelligence of deciphering what is going. Stanton naturally delivering a believable turn as a detective, even as he investigates a killer car.)

Prosky - 2.5(Eh, although purposefully absurd I'd say even then perhaps overdoes the sleaze just a bit.)

Blossom - 3.5(Although I'd always prefer more of him, I loved the sense of dread he managed to bring in his scene of describing Christine's history, that honestly is probably more unnerving than anything in the film thanks to his delivery of it.)

Louis Morgan said...

Aidan:

Well I'm glad to hear the streaming decision, though it sounds like it definitely will only be for this year. I hate the sound decision, given that even they separated the win last year with FvF/1917 taking the wins. And again while a film can have the best sound editing and sound mixing in a given year that isn't always the case. I think it is even worse in terms of the nominations, as films can have a great mix without an emphasis on sound editing.

The Score sounds potentially quite vexing, since if they'd just better publish what is original in a given film, I think they'd solve the problem, rather than making that limitation, which probably will lead to some unpleasant disqualifications. I mean a film can have a great score, and a great soundtrack (Blade Runner 2049, Back to the Future) to name a couple.

Anonymous:

Well Rise of Skywalker already had its day, I doubt they'll retroactively impose the rule...though I'd be kind of for it to rectify the ridiculous win for Round Midnight over The Mission, given the former was almost entirely arrangements of previously written material.

Matt:

Birdman's score supposedly was disqualified for its atypical nature, which is just ridiculous.

I'll admit while I wouldn't disqualify it, I understand why Arrival's was, because so many people thought Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" was original within the score, and most highlighted as the best part of the score.

Michael McCarthy said...

Calvin: It’s not irrational to be annoyed by it. As much as enjoy following all of the acting races, actors are the most generally celebrated film professionals year round by a mile, and they still get four separate categories. The oscars are arguably the one night every year where people all over the world see technical film workers recognized, so taking away from that is flat-out insulting.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

It's rational Calvin, sometimes the best mixed film also has the best sound editing, but that isn't always the case. Like Whiplash for example had amazing mixing, but its sound editing wasn't of note. So it is extremely vexing. If they wanted to make a change, they should've just made it a branch only category for both nominations and wins.

Calvin Law said...

Michael and Louis: You're both spot on on everything. I hate every time I read about people asking for categories to be cut out - not just sound, but documentary and animated shorts (for these filmmakers the Oscars are such an important platform to get their work out their!!) as well. It's such an unfortunate fixation on glorifying the most glorified while stepping on everyone else who contributes to the film. I know we all love these acting races and it's probably the most accessible thing for people to appreciate when it comes to film, myself included - but others need recognition too.

And yeah, there's so much difference between sound mixing and editing, as you've mentioned Louis.

Calvin Law said...

Actually this all reminds me, was Mad Max disqualified from that year in Best Score or did it just not make the shortlist?

Bryan L. said...

Calvin: It did indeed make the shortlist.

Calvin Law said...

Bryan: Oh, right. So I guess that wasn't a reason.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your ratings and thoughts on Brown, Stevens and Cromwell in Marshall?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

I can't believe this.

RIP Irrfan Khan.

Calvin Law said...

RIP Irrfan Khan. Only 53, damn - 2020 should just fuck off now.

Luke Higham said...

RIP Irrfan Khan

RatedRStar said...

RIP Irrfan Khan.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Your thoughts on Sora and Roxas from Kingdom Hearts. I absolutely agree with you that Roxas is the MVP of that franchise though my personal favourite game is Birth By Sleep.

Mitchell Murray said...

Rest in peace, Irrfan Khan.

John Smith said...

Irfaan Khan is gone. Listing below favorite performances from him.

1.Paan Singh tomar
2.Haasil
3.Blackmail
4.Maqbool
5.Haider
6.Talvar
7.The Lunchbox
8.Piku
9.Life In A Metro
10.7 Khoon Maaf
11.The Namesake

R.I.P

Your work will be remembered, in that sense you will live forever.

John Smith said...

Louis, my request for nawazuddin in Raman Raghav 2.0 isn't shown when you look at winning requests.

Aidan Pittman said...

R.I.P. Irrfan Khan

Anonymous said...

About that Score rule, I think they should just make another category for soundtrack or use of music separate from original score. You have movies like Amélie, Kill Bill 1/2 and The Irishman with great iconic soundtracks that wholly fit the picture, but are mostly, if not all, pre-existing music, and so it gets ignored. I for one remember much more of the music used in the first Kill Bill than I do of the music in House of Sand and Fog or Cold Mountain.
Also, Louis, what I meant with “Rise of Skywalker noms” wasn't that movie's nods in particular, but any movie that uses pre-existing compositions in its score (Avengers: Endgame, every Harry Potter movie after the first, etc.), that now are gonna have a (I think) harder time getting qualified. Again, I don't think that's a bad thing; RoS getting qualified when movies like Arrival, Birdman and There Will Be Blood weren't was pretty insulting, and it getting a nod when movies like Uncut Gems, Midsommar, Us and Pain and Glory didn't is even more, but HP Prisoner of Azkhaban-like movies, who use pre-existing scores but still manage to have original ones that fit the movie now not being elligible is kind of a shame.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Luke: Funny you mention Birth By Sleep, since that’s probably my least favorite in the series.

Anyway, I liked Sora well enough in KH1 when he could at least keep his damn mouth shut, but his downward spiral into being your average idiot anime protagonist has made it that I really wish he wasn’t the main character anymore. KH3 sort of mitigated it, but I think they should focus on other heroes, especially since they have like 9 others to choose from.

Roxas became my favorite character roughly, I don’t know, five minutes into KH2 when his response to the town bully is to silently pick up a Nerf bat to beat him up with. But weirdly I think his appeal comes mostly from how royally fucked over he is within the series. In KH2 he’s stuck in the Matrix, is consistently dehumanized and degraded by his captor, forced to fight his best friend once his memories come back, and then gets stuck in the sunken place. When he comes back as the most badass boss fight in the series, you’re sort of tempted to lose on purpose. Then when we see how he was BEFORE any of this in 358/2 Days, we actually get to his arc. Really he, Xion, and Axel all sort of share a slot for my favorite. Their growing relationship, heartache, and their collective existential crisis makes them the richest characters in the series. I’m glad they got their happy ending in KH3, but I wish they didn’t wait until the last second.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Brown - 3.5(His character is a touch more interesting than the film chooses to develop, although Brown is quite effective in using what there is to develop this. In this he creates the requisite sympathy within the man's difficult plight while also expressing though the undercurrent of a hidden complexity even when he proclaims innocence of the crime, while also lying about it.)

Stevens - 2.5(He's better than old Rafe Spall in a similar role, but still Stevens just does slick pseudo-racist rather forgettable for the most part. He finds some moments at least to border on nuance not to be swollen whole by a mediocre part, but he doesn't make it a good part.)

Cromwell - 2.5(Forgettable presiding judge role. He's not bad, but the part doesn't really call upon any of his talent in the least.)

Anonymous:

Well that was the purpose of the adapted score Oscar, which I never thought to be unwarranted, as Carter Burwell would probably be a 5 time Oscar winner if they had retained that category.

Yes, I believe the new rule is trying to create at least some metric, as they formerly just kind of picked and chose what to pass through, even when there is identifiable more original material in the scores of There Will Be Blood and Arrival, than any of John Williams's recent Star Wars work.

Calvin:

Yeah Mad Max's score being completely ignored almost across the season, is one of those mind-boggling tech misses up there with The Red Shoes not being nominated for cinematography or Rocky missing out on Score.














RIP, Irrfan Khan

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Did you like Chain Of Memories, It bored me to tears.

Anonymous said...

Luke, your thoughts on Louis breaking the tie between The Lighthouse gents

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'm completely fine with it. If I had to choose between the two, it would most definitely be Dafoe because I just can't see him topping his work there whereas Pattinson has more than enough time to reach that level of performance again.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Irrfan Khan as an actor?

Mitchell Murray said...

So I just watched "The Wings of a Dove" this afternoon, and it was pretty decent. I simply thought the film was a solid, well made period romance. Was the story predictable and kind of standard? Perhaps, but the craft on display still makes it a worthwhile viewing.

Carter - 4.5 (Easily my favourite performance of hers)
Roache - 4 (Very good work from him, and I honestly wouldn't mind seeing a review of his work, though I'm not sure if he'd be lead or supporting)
Elliott - 3.5
McGovern - 2.5
Jennings - 2.5
Rampling - 2.5
Gambon - 2.5

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Chain of Memories is pretty awful (Organization XIII aside) basically repeating all of the worlds from the original in the most lazy way possible.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Agreed. One reason I like Birth By Sleep so much is that I didn't have to hear Sora babbling on about the same expository dialogue once every 5 minutes. He really got on my nerves in III.

Also, I much prefer Riku as a main character.

Anonymous said...

Luke, they should make Riku the main character for IV.

RatedRStar said...

Kingdom Hearts IV, coming soon, in 2031.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: God help us all.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Given that you've broken the tie between Dafoe and Pattinson, where would each rank on your top ten male leads of the 2010s decade? They were both tied for #5 previously.

Mitchell Murray said...

So I just saw "The Hustler" for the first time, and I thought it was a pretty strong film. I didn't love it nearly as much as I wanted to, but the direction, writing and acting certainly speak for themselves in terms of quality.

Newman - 5
Scott - 5
Gleason - 4.5
Laurie - 4.5
McCormick - 4
Hamilton - 3.5

Calvin Law said...

Louis: do you consider ensemble staging/blocking to be part of ‘cinematography’?

Louis Morgan said...

Tahmeed:

He's actor who I've liked in the less than a handful of performances I've seen him in, however he's definitely someone who I really have skimmed even the surface of given within that less than a handful is something like Jurassic World. Although in his better applied talents in The Lunchbox and Life of Pi, one sees a nuanced a sensitive actor, capable of a unique kind of warmth that garners an emotional insight within a subdued presence. I'd need to see more of him to give proper thoughts however.

Anonymous:

...#5 and #6, again no loss of love for Pattinson, just even greater love for Dafoe.

Calvin:

Well it's something I'd say is more strongly within the purview of the director, particular since that often involves working with the actors, however in certain collaborations I'd wager the cinematographer would have more than a good word of advice, and possibly more depending on the relationship.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Present film roles for Tyrone Power, and your cast for a 2010s The Pawnbroker with Sandler in Steiger's role.

Mitchell Murray said...

Louis: In your opinion, who would be some actors who, regardless of their other work, have become widely known in the mainstream for their most i'll fitting roles?

So for example, as someone who just watched "The Wings of the Dove" for the first time, I would definitely say Helena Bonham Carter can be a lot more understated than "Bellatrix Lestrange" might suggest. I would also submit Chris Pine for the opposite problem, as he was so often labeled a bland leading man despite his more off kilter roles - and despite many of those "bland" leading roles mostly being dull as written, not so much as performed by Pine.

Mitchell Murray said...

*ill fitting

Matt Mustin said...

Mitchell: I don't agree that the types of roles Helena Bonham Carter plays are ill-fitting to her at all, they're actually perfect for her. It's just she can do more. But that's not the same thing as "ill-fitting."

Robert MacFarlane said...

So I watched True History of the Kelly Gang, and absolutely no one prepared me for how insane it was going to be. Every creative choice, whether it be structural, or aesthetic, or tonal is nuts. I think I really, really liked it, but I need to recover after that level of crazy.

Calvin Law said...

Robert: I’m glad you (think) you dug it. Who was your MVP? Mine is Hoult.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Calvin: I haven’t decided. Leaning towards Hoult, but also Crowe despite his very limited screentime. Really dug McKay and Davis, though.

But seriously, anyone going in thinking that Kurzel’s miserablism from Snowtown and Macbeth would result in a Proposition/Jesse James styled vehicle are not even remotely mentally prepared.

Mitchell Murray said...

Matt: I'll grant you that Carter certainly brings a lot of energy to those kinds of characters..it's not as though she isn't applying herself in those parts. Nevertheless, when I watched her in the likes of "Alice in Wonderland" or "Oceans 8" or even her lesser work as Belatrix, I kept thinking to myself "Does she really need to be in this role? She must be capable of more"..

And as it turns out, "Wings of a Dove" gave me the Carter performance I was wanting to see for the longest time. Perhaps that says more about the films of her's I haven't seen, but I just can't help but think of where she would be had she continued down that path.

Bryan L. said...

Saw True History of the Kelly Gang as well. Actually dug it, and this is coming from someone who isn't really a fan of the 2015 Macbeth.

Anyways, good performances all-around, and I liked the style. The climax is kind of rushed, but I was pretty entertained by it at least. MVP for me would be McKay, with Hoult a close second.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: could Gloria Grahame go up for The Big Heat? I was rewatching it today and realised not only does she steal the show, Debby might be one of my favourite femme fatale characters of all.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on the Hebrew dub for When You Believe from The Prince Of Egypt. I think it's superior to the English version.

Luke Higham said...

My ranking prediction:
5
1. Courtenay (I recall Louis saying that he could change the overall win and I'd put my money on him)
2. Walken
3. Duvall
4. Depardieu
5. Krabbe
6. Bowie
4.5
7. Pszoniak
8. Puri
9. Woods
10. Conti (Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence)
11. Gordon
12. Billingsley
13. Finney
14. Bates (Return Of The Soldier)
15. Ogata
4
16. Conti (Reuben, Reuben)
17. Hackman (Eureka)

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

I actually think (and hope) Duvall's going to take the overall.

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: Possibly.

I'll also say that whenever Louis sees the Polish version of Danton, Pszoniak will finish above Depardieu.

Calvin Law said...

I’d be more than happy with Louis sticking to Walken as his win. But Duvall or Courtenay would be great too.

Luke Higham said...

I've yet to give my two cents on the Oscar rule changes and I'm very mixed on it. The Sound Awards being merged as one is absolute bollocks but I'm pleased they're allowing Streaming for the time being, otherwise this year could possibly be utterly lackluster. And the 60% original rule is fine I guess.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Well since he was best at playing evil or at least nearly morally bankrupt characters...

Richard Strickland
John du Pont
Lou Bloom

Marilyn: Emily Watson
Jesus: An Unknown
Rodriguez: Giancarlo Esposito

Calvin:

Yes.

Luke:

Quite remarkable, to the point you'd imagine it was written with that in mind given how wonderfully it works.

Anonymous said...

you will look tomorrow like https://xmovies8.plus/horror/ in a movie, with new thoughts...