Saturday 7 November 2020

Alternate Best Actor 1994: Kevin Bacon & David Strathairn in The River Wild

 Kevin Bacon did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe, for portraying Wade nor did David Strathairn for portraying Tom in The River Wild.

The River Wild is a dated though more than decent thriller about a family going on a rafting trip who unfortunately come randomly in contact with some thieves making an escape on the same river. 



So return back to the reliable Kevin Bacon. Bacon is an interesting case in that I'm not sure I'd call him fully underrated, but one could easily make the case for him to be deserving of being an Oscar nominee, though probably a one time Oscar nominee would suffice. Speaking of one time Oscar nominees, we have David Strathairn here as well, an actor of kind of similar caliber even despite that previous aforementioned fact. Here we have them playing dueling leading roles, though Bacon was campaigned in supporting for this film, as the man who initially shows up at the start of the trip. The man who seems to be such a friendly stranger that you know he's gotta be up to no good. Bacon though is pretty good in bringing on the charisma here however. He finds the right ease about it that even within the obvious setup, Bacon delivers on the setup in making his Wade genuinely charming before he's going to really reveal himself. Now Strathairn on the other hand plays the overworking husband to Meryl Streep's rafting expert Gail, and father to Joseph Mazzello's Roarke. Strathairn being rather ideal as the "boring guy" in the early scene, having that sort of pressured manner that is just ideal of a man whose thoughts seem to be caught on elsewhere as the film opens, and he initially claims to be unable to make the trip. Strathairn's just one of the actor's whose presence is just ideal, and frankly you expect he could be some footnote in the film to be forgotten form much of the proceedings. This just as you believe Strathairn strictly as the "forgettable" guy, though he's not a forgettable performer. 

Bacon is good at playing up the charm adding a bit of southern twang similar to his JFK work though downplaying slightly here to ease into some sort of generalized idea of the potential other man as Gail has second thoughts about her marriage due to her husband's focus on work. Strathairn on the other hand is wonderfully goofy and seemingly out of his depth as he initial shows up last minute to the trip. As the early scenes go on we get the minor flirtation well played by Bacon with a sense of manipulation in the approach. Strathairn takes a convincing approach in portraying the combination of Tom's frustrations with his wife's interactions with Wade, and even his son getting too comfortable with the other man. As the scenes go on though Strathairn naturally realizes the more charming sides to charm. What I like about Strathairn's work is that without the obsession of either work or jealousy, he shows that Tom isn't an entirely different man however there is just a gradual warmth that reveals itself within the frame of the pretty straight laced guy. Strathairn brings the right earnest quality to this making the moments of reconciliation with Streep genuinely a strong scene. This as they realize a strong chemistry, after purposefully having a more strained one, both creating the right sense of intimacy in their interaction and just the right degree of playfulness in the moment. Strathairn's performance working as really kind of quietly revealing the greater depths of what we initially take his Tom as, one thing, but he is more. 

Immediately after the reconciliation we hit the overt thriller element as Wade and his partner Terry (John C. Reilly), reveal themselves as thieves and Wade being a gun touting killer. I'd say in these scenes Bacon borders on going over the top several times, I'd say though he basically hold back, though some of his specific readings maybe go out of bounds just slightly. Still Bacon brings a natural intensity and viciousness that works well for the role creating the right sense of menace in his work. Strathairn I suppose is a bit of a balance to Bacon as he stays in a strict reality where Bacon's work is definitely that of a 90's thriller, both in a good way and a more dated way. Strathairn though is terrific in bringing an honesty to the thriller element by showing both a real fear but also sense of persistence within his character. His silent reactions add up to a great deal in bringing the intensity of the scenes, just as much, if not more so, than Bacon's performance. This as any given scene of threat Strathairn makes it real. This in showing that while Tom is more than meets the eye he also isn't some superhuman.This in the most overt thriller scenes he shows the very real fear of the threat of death in every expression. Now the film, while doesn't become bad, gets a little repetitive in its third act as we keep getting Wade flopping around as Gail tries to trip him up on the river, meanwhile Tom trails behind trying to surprise Wade downriver. This doesn't give either too much to work with, but I'll give particular credit to Strathairn in doing his best to make these scenes compelling by consistently granting them as the actions of a normal man even as he goes to these great lengths. These as every moment of climbing a cliff or taking a leap, his work brings a strict sense of both the conviction of the character in his eyes, while also making the sense of danger still within at the same time. Bacon's work becomes less memorable during this time, though he makes up for it in his final scene. This as he takes upon the best sort of quiet repentant tone as he tries to trick Gail. Bacon's delivery being wonderful insincere while being sincere, before quickly reverting back to his true vicious nature for the final moment. In the end both Bacon and Strathairn, the reliable actors that they are, give fine performances here with Bacon properly realizing the expected trappings of the genre, while Strathairn doing his best to try to elevate it. 

130 comments:

Luke Higham said...

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

Calvin Law said...

You know what, I'm thinking I actually preferred Strathairn a tad over Bacon now that I think about it.

Luke: in response to your comments on the previous post,

McDowell - 4
Finney - 4

And the case of Pather Panchali is a collective 3/3.5, it truly is a director's film through and through.

Luke Higham said...

Looking forward to Morrison's review and hopefully a 5 for Owen.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your top ten Kevin Bacon performances so far?

Robert MacFarlane said...

Louis: Have you ever watched the 1991 Into the Woods televised recording of Into the Woods with the original Broadway cast? If so, what do you think of “No More”?

Mitchell Murray said...

Louis: How close do you think Streep was to being nominated, and who do you think pushed her out in the end? I mean, she received nods from both the Golden Globes and SAG, so if I had to guess it might've been either Richardson or Ryder.

Calvin Law said...

I just watched The Sum of Us and that was a lovely little LGBTQ-centric watch. Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson are both very sweet and charming in it, I don't think either needed a review but definitely could see Louis giving both strong 4's.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: You do know that Jack Thompson played Cliegg Lars in Attack Of The Clones.

Mitchell Murray said...

Calvin: Funny...I only know about that film from a Graham Norton episode. I must say, of all the guests that have been on the show, Crowe is certainly one of my favourites.

Luke Higham said...

Mitchell: Him with Ryan Gosling cracking up to Greg Davies' Mother's clothing story is my favourite chat show moment.

Matt Mustin said...

Luke: it's nice to see Crowe with a sense of humour. Part of the reason Master and Commander is my favourite performance of his.

Mitchell Murray said...

Luke: Can't really argue with that. Of course, there was also Crowe's hilarious Michael Jackson impression, him explaining how he he met "fat" Henry Cavill, or his stories regarding his kiss with John Polson/the babies from "Man of Steel". If I was to make a top 10 favourite Graham Norton moments, Crowe is definitely in the upper tier.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Matt: I was just telling someone how much I loved his “Lesser of two weevils” scene. Should have gotten nominated for that scene alone.

Matt Mustin said...

Robert: Right? It's so good to see him have fun.

Matt Mustin said...

Anybody have any thoughts on these hypothetical actor/director collaborations I thought up?

Michael Shannon/Coen Bros.
Jessie Buckley/Tarantino
Laurence Fishburne/Jordan Peele
Mark Rylance/Edgar Wright

Mitchell Murray said...

Matt: Yes to all of those.

Bryan L. said...

Matt:

Shannon/Coen Bros: Could be a good fit as a Carson-Wells-type-of-character, or even one of their noirs.
Buckley/Tarantino: Maybe a British pseudo-version of Honey Bunny?
Fishburne/Peele: I could see him as either a mentor or a villain in one of his films.
Rylance/Wright: I don’t think I’ve seen him do comedy much (someone correct me if I’m wrong) but there could be something here.

Matt Mustin said...

Bryan L: Rylance is a genius at comedy. He won two Tonys for it. And even in Bridge of Spies and Chicago 7 you can see his gift for it in parts.

Bryan L. said...

Matt: Actually yeah, that’s true. I remember liking his delivery of “Would it help...?” in Bridge of Spies quite a bit. I’d love to see him tackle a fully comedic role.

Emi Grant said...

Matt: He actually cracked me up more than anyone in Chicago 7

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

I'd love the idea of Rylance/Wright as long as Pegg writes the screenplay with him.

Matt Mustin said...

Tahmeed: Obviously.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: For this years alternate lead lineup, would you be willing to do up to 7 reviews because I'd very much like a review of Dev Patel's best work so far in TPHODC.

Calvin: You've made me rather happy upgrading Laurie.

Anonymous said...

Luke, I guess that alternate five will be:
Jackman
Rylance
Ahmed
Mikkelsen
Yeun (If not nominated, so I'm all for Patel getting a bonus review)

Anonymous said...

Luke, I think a 10 lineup might happen as well if 2 of the One Night In Miami Leads and Tom Hanks are great as well along with MacKay or Plemons for the 10th spot.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Speaking of Rylance, what roles do you think he could have played as a younger man? (in the 80s and 90s). While he's always been excellent on stage (and all the films I've seen him in), I do wonder what could have been had his cinematic breakout occurred earlier.

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: I personally think he would've been great with the majority of DDL's pre-Gangs roles.

Luke Higham said...

Oh and speaking of Unpopular wins, Rylance's supporting actor victory in 2016.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Also, given your enthusiasm for In the Loop and Death of Stalin, would you be interested in checking out The Thick of It?

Aidan Pittman said...

R.I.P. Alex Trebek

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Streep - 4(She has one very random moment where she tries to argue about her reaction to something with Bacon that comes off as grossly artificial. Otherwise though this is a very good performance actually. This in more than anything capturing the state of each situation. Finding the right sense of confidence in her moments involving the character's expertise along with her though sense of concern and anxiety regarding the situation. She's also effective in finding the right sort of state of interaction with both Bacon and especially Strathairn. Finding enough depth like him in making the character live outside the limits of the thriller so to speak, while also definitely delivering on the thriller elements to be sure.)

Mazzello - 3.5(His child performances are always pretty reliable as he always comes off as an actual kid, which sounds easier than it is. Mazzello though is good in finding honest moments of both a sweet warmth of interaction and also occasionally being a little bit of a bratty kid. Like Streep and Strathairn he brings a needed reality to the thriller.)

Reilly - 3.5(Effective as the less evil of the two criminals. He's good in balancing Bacon as well in always portraying a slightly affable quality that he presents as genuine as just a normal guy in many ways who has gotten in a bad situation. He's particularly good in some of his silent reactions where he shows the guy just kind of going along with Wade even if he doesn't always believe it himself.)

Bryan:

1. The Woodsman
2. Mystic River
3. JFK
4. The River Wild
5. Frost/Nixon
6. A Few Good Men
7. Cop Car
8. Diner
9. X-Men: First Class
10. Apollo 13

Robert:

I have not, probably should.

Mitchell:

Well given its Streep I'd imagine she was close, however I think the fact that it was a thriller is probably would pushed her out. Honestly though that was such a weird lineup that the Academy settled on, Foster, Lange and Sarandon being sole nominations for their films, which didn't exactly get glowing reviews. I guess it is Richardson and Ryder as both their films over-performed, to a minor extent, where Foster (who probably would've won if she didn't already have 2), and Sarandon (Who won BAFTA) were pretty secure seemingly.

Luke Higham said...

Guys, have any of you seen Murder In The First (1995) and is Bacon Lead or Supporting there.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

I mean, let's just wait and see a bit more of what the year has left in store before making any specific choices.

Tahmeed:

Oskar Schindler or Itzhak Stern
Dr. Sean Maguire
Walsingham
"Verbal" Kint
Newland Archer

Of course, I'm interested in many shows honestly, including The Thick of It, it's always a matter of finding the time.



















RIP Alex Trebek.

Anonymous said...

Luke, what year do you expect to come next.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: 70s up next and it'll be 1979 which I'm extremely looking forward to.

79 Lead
Malcolm McDowell - Time After Time (Probably the most against type he's ever been and I hope Louis will talk about Caligula to some extent in his review because they are so far apart in terms of morality that it would be too interesting not to)
Oliver Reed - The Brood
Steve Martin - The Jerk
Alexander Kaidanovsky/Anatoly Solonitsyn - Stalker
James Mason/Christopher Plummer - Murder By Decree
George C. Scott - Hardcore (One of his very best performances)
Ken Ogata - Vengeance Is Mine (His best performance)
Klaus Kinski - Woyzeck (Part 4 of 5 of the Herzog collaborations)
Ray Winstone - Scum (The role that made him a household name in Britain)
Gian Maria Volonté - Christ Stopped At Eboli

Robert MacFarlane said...

Luke: Reed is supporting. I should know, I requested him.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Thanks for that. Then I'll put in Ben Gazzara in Saint Jack.

Luke Higham said...

My Supporting lineup then is:
David Warner - Time After Time
Oliver Reed - The Brood
Peter Boyle - Hardcore
Laurence Olivier - A Little Romance
Denholm Elliott - Saint Jack

Lucas Saavedra said...

For 1979 Lead, what about Patrick Dewaere in Série Noire

Luke Higham said...

Lucas: Everyone other than Gazzara's a done deal for me so we'll see.

Matt Mustin said...

RIP Alex Trebek, one of the greatest Canadians of all time.

Shaggy Rogers said...

Oh fuck! If I were to talk about the 70s, I wanted it to be 1972 or 1976.

Matt Mustin said...

Shaggy: So start your own blog then.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: For you, what would be some examples of filmmakers that seem to frustrate you the most?

As in, they do have talent and have shown that, yet they frequently get in their own way. For example, Lars von Trier (nonsense) or Terrence Malick (navel gazing).

Bryan L. said...

Also speaking of Rylance & Ianucci, I'd like to see the two of them collaborate one day. Maybe something akin to Palins' role in The Death of Stalin?

Luke Higham said...

Bryan: Tom Hooper is an easy one. I can't understand someone who made such great period TV Dramas be so inept at cinematic film-making with The Damned United being a decent exception.

Mitchell Murray said...

Matt: I second that, man; "Jeopardy" will never be the same.

Rest in peace, Mr. Trebek.



Mitchell Murray said...

And to Luke's point, as someone who enjoyed both "The King's Speech" and "Les Miserables"...I've seldom seen a director's output drop as sharply as Hooper's.

Bryan L. said...

Luke: Agreed. Its' even more odd when most of his films so far have also been period pieces, so he theoretically should've been more competent when he made the transition to film.

Tim said...

oh god Tom Hooper. I just rewatched King's Speech this very week and actually enjoyed it a lot less than the first time i saw it, where afterwards i would say "At least i liked that one ..."
But basically all his directial decisions began annoying me more and more with every passing minute.
Also, i cannot understand the people who voted for it to get a cinematography nom

Didn't like LesMis anyway

Louis Morgan said...

Bryan:

Well those you've mentioned and:

Robert Zemeckis, in a similar situation to Hooper, where it is hard to pinpoint that exact cause of the frustration, but the fall from the peak is so substantial.

Yorgos Lanthimos, now the Favorite is currently an outlier, however I think that actually proved my point about his films being a whole lot better when he doesn't ask most of his cast to act like pod people.

Guillermo Del Toro, great one for visuals, but if only he didn't right such aggressively simplistic scripts.

Spike Lee, you know I will say on one hand part of it is I just don't like some of his trademarks (the dolly shot rarely works for me), but more than anything it's just his refusal to ever say "I think they got it". Any message he has, he can't help but use a sledgehammer at some point, even when he can obviously manage without it.

In the Danger zone:

Spielberg - (Nothing wrong with a bit more darkness now and again, a bit less schmaltz, considering he did do the former so well in the past.)

Nolan - (While it worked in Dunkirk, the sort of attempt to ignore the ideas of character in favor of pure visual film-making is a mistake, as you can easily have one with the other, you know like in Memento, The Prestige and The Dark Knight.)

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: I don't even think that worked in Dunkirk, that was my main problem with it.

Tim said...

I rewatched all the Nolan movies i own before watching Tenet and found Dunkirk really boring on rewatch

Bryan L. said...

For me, I felt the performances themselves in Dunkirk definitely helped in filling the blanks, as they did a good-to-great-job in conveying the urgency/thrust of the story. The historical event itself already has quite the powerful emotional heft, with it being a crucial moment for Britain in WWII, so I felt Nolan’s approach was fitting in its own way.

Tenet, on the other hand...

Luke Higham said...

Bryan: We've talked about it before but I really wish I could forget Tenet.

Bryan L. said...

Luke: I really only brought it up as a comparison, as there’s practically nothing that grounds the film & it all rings hollow. The more I think about it, the less I care for it.

Michael McCarthy said...

Dang, was hoping Bacon would be higher. I haven’t seen this since high school but I the menace he brought to the role feels vivid in my memory, that’s why I requested it.

And has it been confirmed that 1979 is next? I’m really itching for 1970 myself.

Luke Higham said...

Michael: I kinda want to wait awhile longer for 1970 because there's a few performances I really want to request and hope to have a 10 lineup for it considering there are only 5 performances with a 4.5 or higher at the moment with Guinness very likely being reviewed and upgraded. Plus I want 70 to coincide with 81 so we'll get both Williamson reviews back to back.

Luke Higham said...

Michael: 70 came before 79 last time but the latter has more Lead Requests.

Robert MacFarlane said...

If we are doing 1979, I really think Langella deserves a re-evaluation and review for Dracula. He should be held in at least more regard than Lugosi (yeah, I said it) and Oldman.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Also if I remember correctly, Patrick Dewaere in Série Noire was Psifonian’s runner-up for actor that year, which means it should be high priority.

Louis Morgan said...

Hey, you guys know that scene in Citizen Kane where Kane's wife and Boss Getty are deciding Kane's fate for him, I just thought I'd bring that up randomly.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: I'm happy enough with him taking the 10th spot, I wouldn't really take a risk on Gazzara considering that by consensus, Saint Jack doesn't have much of a narrative thrust and Patrick Dewaere in Serie Noire you can do for a future backlog if he is brilliant. Everyone else I've chosen are of greater importance or potential to me. I wouldn't risk getting rid of Mason or Winstone.

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis: Comments like that are the reason you’re the right one to be calling the shots here (that and the fact that it’s literally your blog or whatever)

Robert MacFarlane said...

Yeah, I was just throwing in my two cents on who I’d be most interested in. It’s your call, man.

Luke Higham said...

It's your call Louis, though I do enjoy abit of speculation every now and again.

Louis Morgan said...

I know, I was just having a little joke.

Emi Grant said...

I actually needed that laugh. Nice, Louis.

Calvin Law said...

That cracked me up.

Matt Mustin said...

Liked Fargo tonight quite a bit, although I HATED the awkward and pointless reuse of dialogue (you know what I mean if you saw it). Stuck between Jack Huston and Jessie Buckley as MVP, with Timothy Olyphant right behind them.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on xolo mariduena in cobra kai

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Anonymous: This is from Christian Bale's review from Out of the Furnace-

Mariduena - (I liked his performance a great deal, as he managed to naturally segue each part of the character particularly well. With some particularly effective chemistry thrown in there with Zabka, both in occasionally a semi-inspirational way, but more often a pretty hilarious way of such an eager student, with a not so eager sensei. This is with sort just the baseline of the endearing kid, not far from the original Daniel, however with a very different teacher in Johnny. I liked though how managed to convey the combination between the confidence in the character growing along with the aggression as well. The sort of turn of the character he managed to make feel natural, without sabotaging the more unassuming kid we first met.)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter is 2015.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: yeah, that's the ranking I put it in.

Calvin Law said...

Louis and everyone else: what's your top 10 for 2020 so far? Personally, all things considered, I think it's actually gone decently enough.

1. The Personal History of David Copperfield
2. Wendy
3. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
4. True History of the Kelly Gang
5. The Trial of the Chicago 7
6. Bad Education
7. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
8. Hamilton
9. Palm Springs
10. Undine

Emi Grant said...

Calvin: I'm very comfortable with the only 3 films I've watched this year.

1. I'm Thinking Of Ending Things
2. The Trial of The Chicago 7
3. Feels Good Man

Robert MacFarlane said...

I’ve only watched like 7 movies.

1. True History of the Kelly Gang
2. Palm Springs
3. Bad Education

I decided not to count Hamilton, as much as I love it.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: You don't mind if I hold off giving a list until year's end.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is it okay if I could switch my request for Laurie to Dev Patel because I think he's already in due to the low amount of competition.

Omar Franini said...

Louis: are you going to watch Satantango before finishing 1994? It took me three days to complete it and i’m not so sure what to think about it, i appreciated it from a technical point of view, some sequences are very gorgeous and brilliantly directed. I also didn’t mind some of the themes in it, still the movie is way too long and some sections are quite boring to be honest. I do like slow cinema but this was a very exhausting experience.

Mitchell Murray said...

Calvin: I'm in the same box as Emi; I've also only seen 3 films that I can recall.

1) Bad Education
2) The Devil All the Time
3) Birds of Prey

"Bad Education", of course, was a very well done piece, with a career defining turn from Hugh Jackman. "The Devil All the Time" was solid enough on a performance level, but rather boring and inert in terms of it's writing. And as for "Birds of Prey"...well...that movie has only gotten worse for me with time, and now I just feel it was a HUGE missed opportunity on almost every front.

Honestly, for films like "Da 5 Bloods" and "The Trial of the Chicago 7", I think I'll leave them for the end of the year, when we have a clearer idea of 2020's awards circuit.

Mitchell Murray said...

Side Note: Me just remembering "Birds of Prey" makes me yearn for a good Black Canary film; She's such a badass character in the comics/animated series, and they could really do her justice with the right approach and crew.

Bryan L. said...

Calvin:

1. The Trial of The Chicago 7
2. True History of The Kelly Gang
3. Bad Education
4. The Personal History of David Copperfield
5. The King of Staten Island
6. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
7. Waiting for The Barbarians
8. The Invisible Man
9. Color Out of Space
10. Emma

HM: Hamilton

Da 5 Bloods has kind of waned for me tbh.

Calvin Law said...

That recent Fargo episode...agreed with Matt, hated that callback line (it just feels weird to do it in-universe). And how the final scene was edited was a bit off. But overall thought it definitely worked very well, Huston was the MVP for me definitely, though Buckley is close second. I have no idea how things are going to play out in the last three episodes though.

Matt Mustin said...

I haven't seen enough this year to do a top 10 but my number one is I'm Thinking of Ending Things.

Tim said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2bo6hFYpac

thoughts on this?

Tim said...

that's not how you pronounce Daniel Brühl though




thought i'd mention that ...

Bryan L. said...

Mitchell: “A career defining turn from Hugh Jackman”

I think Logan still holds that title :p

Luke Higham said...

Bryan: I agree but Bad Education is rather close.

Mitchell Murray said...

Tim: Never cared for the new "Harry Potter" films, and I don't really care about Grindelwald or any new movie with the character. That being said, I of course love Murphy and Mikkelson, and really like Bruhl (Though that picture at the end makes him look like David Beckham).

Bryan: Honestly, I'm going back and forth now since I found both performances so assured and nuanced.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

I haven't really seen enough to make a top 10, but my top 5 so far:

1. Hamilton
2. The Trial of the Chicago 7
3. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
4. Da 5 Blood
5. Bad Education

I've seen Kelly Gang, but that has waned for me outside of Hoult and Crowe's performances.

Anonymous said...

Luke, I've seen Christ Stopped At Eboli and would give Volonte a 4 verging on a 4.5.

If I had to guess, Scott, Mason/Plummer, Ogata, Kinski and Dewaere will definitely be in the 79 Lead ten and to make it any easier for you, I would advocate Winstone and Langella for the last 2 spots.

Louis Morgan said...

Liked Fargo a great deal, I'd actually go Olyphant for MVP as I loved him in the scene with Rock, though Buckley and Huston are right there next to him. (I think how I feel about the line re-usage depends in part on a potential revelation, as I have a feeling it may be another clue that the two characters who use the line are father and son).

Luke:

I'd prefer if you didn't.

Omar:

Probably not, just by virtue that I could watch almost four different films in that time to watch one. Also I feel it would be better to start off with a Bela Tarr with less of a wall built into it.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

This year's a bit different, but I guess I'll now hold onto my top ten as I usually do around this point in the year.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: You're right regarding the line usage, but it still felt awkward. They could've just used the first part of the line and it would have been fine. Incidentally the potential revelation regarding those characters is so obvious I'm almost starting to think it might be red herring.

Bryan L. said...

Oh, how could I forget...

“Also HM: Bill & Ted Face the Music. *Air guitar riff*”

Mitchell Murray said...

Louis: What would be your thoughts on Olyphant in general?

I've alluded to this before, but for me, he sort of has this Danny Trejo/Keith David thing where regardless of the film's quality, he's at least a entertaining presence much of the time. He's always been on the cusp of real notoriety, I think; Less a truly recognizable character actor ala David Morse or Liev Schrieber, but still a somewhat familiar one like, say, Mark Pellegrino.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I’ll say that Olyphant’s career trajectory of Christian Slater Part II: The Nicolsoning to Eastwood Jr. has been... interesting.

Mitchell Murray said...

Robert: That....is actually a pretty apt description of Olyphant, if I'm being honest - especially if one's seen "Deadwood". He of course doesn't have the presence of Eastwood or Nicholson, but with that said, I've still found him more engaging than Slater ever was.

Louis Morgan said...

Matt:

Well I think I put it partly on Rock who I feel tried to deliver it exactly the same way, this is I sometimes find myself saying phrases my father says, but not in the exact same way.

Mitchell:

Olyphant for me is one who has become progressively more interesting the older he's gotten. This is I honestly often forget some of his older performances, other than Deadwood season 1, in that I literally forgot he was in some of the movies. I think his more recent work though is that of a properly reliable character actor, with his Fargo performance being my favorite work of his that I have seen.

Side note: He's one of the most entertaining actors in interviews (On Conan at the very least.)

Matt Mustin said...

I should probably watch Justified I think, that show is like a collection of great character actors (although nothing even comes close to Boardwalk Empire in that regard.)

houndtang said...

What was Bacon's most deserving role do you think? He was pretty unfortunate in Mystic River in which he basically played the lead, and played it well, but was squeezed out by the showier roles for Penn and Robbins.

Louis Morgan said...

houndtang:

Well based on its overall success, Mystic River, and honestly I preferred him there to all the Oscar nominees, particularly those from his own film (given he was the only one who didn't turn it into some strange acting exercise out of most of the main cast).

I think he would've been most deserving just in general for The Woodsman, and once again I preferred him there to all the Oscar nominees.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who do you think are some actors who look like far younger than they actually are?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Tom Cruise and Dylan McDermott to name a few.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Anonymous: Ralph Macchio, hard to believe the man is almost 60 when he looks like he's in his mid to late thirties.

Calvin Law said...

Agreed on Macchio. George Chakaris is 86 going on 50 something, and Joan Chen, Steven Yeun, Angela Bassett, and Cho Yeo Jeong come to mind.

Mitchell Murray said...

Anonymous: Paul Rudd, Sam Rockwell and Will Smith. All of them are pushing 50, but could still reasonably pass for mid-thirties (Although Smith is starting to show his gray more and more).

I think Chadwick Boseman also deserves a mention, god rest his soul, since a lot of people were surprised to learn he was in his early 40s.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...
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Luke Higham said...

Hillbilly Elegy's getting shat on and I couldn't be happier.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: 21% hahaaha =D

RatedRStar said...

Close probably still gets nominated I would imagine.

Matt Mustin said...

Watched True History of the Kelly Gang. Despite some very strong individual scenes, it didn't really work for me overall. Tremendous cinematography, though.

MacKay-4.5
Davis-4
Schwerdt-2(Part of the reason it failed to grab me)
Hoult-4
McKenzie-3.5
Keenan-3
Hunnam-3
Crowe-4.5

Matt Mustin said...

I was also kinda tired when I watched it, so that *may* be why my reaction to is so unenthusiastic, but I don't know...

Matt Mustin said...

You know what, no, 4.5 for Hoult.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Well those who have been mentioned and:

Lee Byung-hun, Mary Louise Parker and Stephen Rea (in the 90s's).

RatedRStar:

Well it's pretty hard to get in for a panned or near-panned film, though it has happened (Sean Penn), however the year is obviously thin so maybe. I could easily see her as one of those who gets in early on but gets left off in the end.

Calvin Law said...

On the subject of Rylance and comedies previously, this looks promising https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Flitcrofts

Bryan L. said...

I honestly can’t believe Stephen Rea was already in his mid-40s when The Crying Game was filmed. He looks way younger there.

Mitchell Murray said...
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Anonymous said...

Well, now at least it seems like Supporrting Actress will be a race between Colman and Seyfried. Colman will probably take the critic's awards and BAFTA, and Seyfried I see taking the industry awards. Cases for both can be made for the Oscars (Seyfried is a 'rising star' and pretty well-liked, but hasn't been in that many good movies before Mank, while Colman is a recent winner, but winning 2 years previously certainly didn't stop Mahershala Ali)

Michael McCarthy said...

“Rising star” seems like a strange description for Amanda Seyfried seeing as she’s been getting prominent film roles for 16 years.

Calvin Law said...

She should've gotten that Oscar those 16 years ago for Mean Girls, frankly (and I'm not even entirely kidding). My bet is on Seyfried winning. Lead Actor I almost think for certain is a Hopkins/Boseman showdown now, the nomination will be its own reward for anyone else. Lead Actress is the trickiest one to predict, whereas for Supporting Actor I don't think anyone is taking down Odom Jr.

Matt Mustin said...

Calvin: I really, REALLY don't want us to get too ahead of ourselves on Boseman winning.

Matt Mustin said...

Calvin: And Rachel McAdams is MVP of Mean Girls, come on.

Louis Morgan said...

Matt:

Yeah, it's important to remember Ledger and Finch were both, almost universally, considered to be tour de forces. Boseman will need some seriously unbridled praise to get near to the top of the lineup, after all it is easy to forget all the times the Academy has passed not only on the posthumous recognition including even just the nomination (James Gandolfini (x2), Alan Rickman, Pete Postlethwaite, Oliver Reed)

Tim said...

I recently watched What We Do In The Shadows and can say that i definitely enjoyed it all-through and found it really funny, but overall not as funny as Jojo Rabbit (where i thought i might get a heart-attack at some points) and also missing the depth of that film. Still very enjoyable.


Waititi: 4
Clemente: 4
Brugh: 3
Gonzales-Macuer: 3.5
Rutherford: 2,5

Luke Higham said...

Mads Mikkelsen is in talks to play Grindelwald. If true, then the franchise will have my interest for awhile longer.

Mitchell Murray said...

Luke: I guess that video Tim posted wasn't too far off. For Mikkelson's sake, I just hope this won't be another "Doctor Strange" situation, where they bring in an actor of his talents and do virtually nothing with him.

Emi Grant said...

Tim: Hope you get around to Hunt For The Wilderpeople if you haven't already. I'm confident I was about to blow one of my lungs out from laughing during it.

In case anyone wonders, it was the "not really a holiday" scene.

Matt Mustin said...
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