Best Scene: Failing to be a gangster.
4. Takeshi Kitano in Hana-bi - Kitano gives a very specific yet potent performance that artful stoicism mixed in with punctuations of violence, sadness and love.
Best Scene: In the car with his wife.
3. John Cusack in Grosse Pointe Blank - Cusack gives a terrific subversion and execution of his typical rom com lead by being charming yet psychopathic all the same.
Best Scene: Breakfast.
2. Stellan Skarsgård in Insomnia - Skarsgård gives an uncompromising portrayal of a man who goes to the most vile extremes to do "good".
Best Scene: Seeing the cat.
1. Ray Winstone - Nil By Mouth - Winstone gives a bluntly brutal portrayal of visceral intensity, yet is also quietly heartbreaking as a man whose violence is defined by his painful vulnerability.
Best Scene: Nil by mouth.
Next: 1997 Supporting
41 comments:
A tie between Crowe and Pearce, Leung at #3... beautiful stuff.
Louis: Although you've obviously always loved their performances, what brought them over Hall for you on this watch in particular?
Louis: Also, your thoughts on Princess Mononoke and its direction, elated it's as high as it is.
Not surprised about Addy being moved to Lead after seeing he had near identical screentime to Carlyle.
For Supporting, I'm pretty sure you've decided what your lineup is gonna be.
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the rest of the lead performances
Your Female top 20s with ratings and other 4+ honourable mentions
And your wins for 1997.
Hello Louis!
Tell me from the year 1997 which are your Top 7 with ranking of:
- Song
- Score
- Poster
- Editing
- Screenplays (adapted and original)
- Character of the year (name and the film)
- Cast
- Blockbuster Films
WOW!! The tie was literally EVERYTHING I wanted. Must be Christmas. Pitch perfect winners. Crowe and Pearce both have two wins on the blog now. Glad to see Leung high on the list too.
Also, will the remaining three of the best actor nominees would get their reviews updated??
Louis: Thoughts on Hercules and Go The Distance with your ratings and thoughts on Devito, Torn and Woods.
And could you add my 2021 lead winning request for Ben Whishaw in Perfume (2006 Lead) to the list as well.
My comments keep getting deleted whilst using my blogger profile.
Louis: Is there any chance of a tie between Affleck and Day-Lewis for 2007 Leading Actor.
Luke: Honestly, I kinda don't like the idea of ties at all unless it's something like Crowe and Pearce where their interplay with each other is so essential to them.
For 1997 Supporting Actor, Masato Hagiwara in Cure.
And your #11 - 20 of 1997 Louis?
Agree with Matt on that one. As Carl Showalter would say in that situation, you can't split an Oscar with an effing chainsaw.
Louis: Your thoughts on Cure.
Tahmeed:
Watching the film this time made me realize more than ever is that there performances are an essential factor to why it is one of my favorite films of all time. Yes so many elements are great, particularly the screenplay and Hanson's direction, but the realization of White and Exley by both is what kind of brings it home for me so to speak. As watching it again, they both realize there arcs not only powerfully but reflectively against each other. And I love that really upon introduction Crowe and Pearce show you these two men as pricks (just isn't a better work for this description), one being a violent brute and the other a pompous stiff. It is through the performances that both unveil so naturally so much more to them, and by the end show you two men you do care about, and despite their flaws are earnestly trying to do the right thing. And that's all just praise to them, nothing against Hall whatsoever. Also the tie came from just seeing that it is that way Pearce and Crowe create the transformations so well together that it just seems so right, that I didn't have a second thought about the tie (Which again I don't like to overuse but like Kline/Palin and Julia/Hurt it is how they work together that makes them achieve that greatest height).
I will admit I didn't entirely love Princess Mononoke, I think the ending feels a bit rushed and I found it just a little comical just how hate filled the movie is, I mean Miyazaki must have been going through something right then, but also that is the point of the film. I think if Miyazaki's direction was any less beautiful honestly don't think the film would've worked at all, because it creates an essential juxtaposition between almost all the characters' actions and so much of their surrounding. Of course that isn't to say there isn't much intense violent he rather unhesitatingly depicts, whether it is the shocking moments of violent, the depiction of curse as a festering parasite or the disturbing movement of skinned boars for camouflage. But this is off-set by just how much beauty and mystery Miyazaki grants nature, and shows in the sense of just how much there is to be appreciated there against what we see in the actions of most of the characters. He creates an essential sense of both what the strive should be, but also what is loss in the name of destruction of any kind.
Luke:
I think you might've been posting too fast as blogger sent a whole bunch of your comments to spam.
Gleeson - 4.5(I mean you might as well take this in some ways a Ken origin stories, though this character is a bit less empathetic and lovable as Ken. Still though Gleeson dominants in a similar way that is based on his specific and lovable presence as an actor. He brings here such a natural connection between the character's ability for violence with also just his generally cheeky candor that makes him so very endearing even when his actions are a bit baffling. Gleeson just is a whole lot of fun, but naturally delivers these moments of a bit more depth with such ease again in that way only really Gleeson can.)
Carlyle - 4.5(A real shame that the whole film is sabotaged by some downright baffling song choices by Antonia Bird throughout that just guts so much of the potential dramatic of intensity of so many scenes. Having said that, Carlyle once again proves his considerable and underrated ability to deliver intensity and vulnerability with equal measure and powerful. Here Carlyle wholly delivering the style of the calm and smooth criminal, but still always with this nagging sense of the man in wasting his life in a wayward pursuit. Carlyle absolutely knocks out every key moment of the character having to deal with the violence of the criminal world, and brings such a powerful sense of the severity of every one of these decisions.)
Farrokh - 4(Can't recommend the film enough honestly, and this is one of the reasons why as the children both give such naturalistic and moving performances in both instances. Every moment of them just feels so naturally honest whether it be moment of mischievousness, playfulness, selfishness, selflessness or heartbreak. It just feels so honest and Farrokh is wonderful in making for a rather atypical protagonist that you can invest in as much as any sports hero in the end.)
Hashimoto - 4(His performance is somewhat limited within the scheme of the film as much is about not what you directly see at times, though Hashimoto does certainly give a compelling performance that goes from the stoic cop who slowly becomes seemingly more emotionally compromised throughout the investigation. That is with moments of serious anguish, but also the moments of random violent intensity that become rather disturbing after a certain point.)
Eckhart & Malloy - 4(Although one of the harder films to watch though just in the sheer hateful brutality of it. It does work in its brutal intention in part due to Eckhart's performance that is just the worst, in a way that is painfully effective in he creates such a potent sense of his callousness and most unfortunately sadly shows the "appeal" of the man. Malloy is also effective though in portraying the "perpetrator" who ends up just being the "patsy" and "Pawn". He's good though in showing the way his character's callousness has more discomfort and creates the natural sense of the emotional compromise his character quickly suffers in their attempt at their horrible "game".)
McDonald - 4(He's not Colin Farrell but he is good on his own. He doesn't quite hit the high marks in playing to the height Gleeson is, but he is good in portraying the more fresh faced and less adept reactions throughout. This while showing the natural growth towards some kind of maturity in the difficult game they happen to have gotten themselves in.)
Mashkov - 4(A film where you do ponder if the ending had to be as brutal as it is. Nonetheless Mashkov gives a good performance as this proper enigma in that he is as tangible of his moments of just the callous lustful brute as he is in the moments of seemingly some sort of fatherly energy. He plays with both effectively and in turn creates the right sense of his con man's particularly method and game.)
Muhe & Frisch - 4(I didn't care for Funny Games, as it's point is immediately obvious, so then what is the point? That when you have great actors portraying emotional and physical pain that is is very hard to watch. Okay? Anyway Muhe is very hard to watch here as he does make every moment of pain feel so real. Frisch gives kind of the conceit of the film performance, and he certainly brings the right sort of smug evil to be most abhorrent in the way is intended.)
Fiennes - 4(Squarely in the Fiennes period piece setting of performance, and he is good. This in portraying a bit more of an off-beat energy to the character and is quite effective in doing so with this certain comedic value that doesn't overplay the idea. He brings the right natural quality within his eccentric qualities to make his performance work.)
Kline - 4(The film works best when it is just focused on Kline doing various types of comedic awkwardness of the character flirting with the idea of accepting himself or attempting to act like a "manly man". Kline has the right kind of fun with it bringing an entertaining physical energy in portraying his character's various state of awkwardness. Unfortunately the film's third act runs out of gas just because it stops focusing on Kline where the entertainment value is for the most part. Still Kline when in center screen is a lot of fun here.)
Fry - 4(He's good but it does show perhaps why he never became the leading man really. This as he doesn't quite command and bring you in as you'd want for a performance of this ilk. Still Fry is good certainly in portraying the sly wit of the character throughout with the effective weaponized quality within it, and also does do well in portraying the pathos as his life takes the turn for the worse.)
Irons - 4(A film where you truly go "What are you trying to get at here exactly?". Not nearly as potent as Mason in the role, but he is working with an inferior reading from a directing and writing sense. Still Irons is very good still in portraying the sort of this false intellectual who has convinces himself of his ill-advised choices and debauched sense of thinking. He's good though in portraying the emotional degradation as he gives himself into it, though again the weaknesses of this adaptation do hinder him a bit.)
Hopkins - 4(A film filled with many laugh out loud terrible moments, but I will say Hopkins does deliver some genuine emotional and physical gravitas here to give a wholly convincing performance that carries the survival tale with an atypical energy.)
Cardoso - 3.5(A just fine portrayal of the sort of hesitant rebel trying to be decent then trying to find the courage to be a killer. It's a good performance in a film, that is good yet feels kind of rushed with a lot left on the table.)
Chigaryov - 3.5(Gives an effectively moving portrayal of the boy just trying to protect his mother then eventually trying to believe in his father figure. A quiet turn but one that certainly works in its own way.)
Russell - 3.5(A good rock solid leading turn from him in terms of portraying the emotional desperation of the situation and the sort of anxiety of it all. Not Russell's greatest turn, but a consistently good one in just making for the right hero who begins rather hapless yet slowly finds his confidence just really through desperate necessity.)
Ershadi - 3.5(I get what the film was going for but it didn't really work for me at all. So many better choices at CANNES that year, I'm sorry. Having said that Ershadi is fine in portraying the quiet suicidal determination that is every present in the man. Again though this is one where I got the point instantly, yet never found the investment then to care about the repetition of the idea for the rest of the runtime.)
Nicholson - 3.5(Better than his Oscar winning turn just a bit, though Roger Ebert way overstated the strength of this performance and especially this film, which is pretty bad. Nicholson mostly is doing his thing here, but there is the occasional moment where he pushes himself and you see that greater Nicholson ability. More than his Oscar winning turn but still not enough.)
Decleir - 3.5(A fine very much the protagonist performance trying to figure things out style of performance. He's good, but it is limited up till a certain point and never quite takes that next step to make you truly invested in his story.)
Ford - 3(You can see the rust here a bit in this type of character, but I think he still in general delivers.)
Baldwin - 2.5(There's moments when he's fine but also seriously overplays other moments. Either way he is completely overshadowed by Hopkins throughout the film to kind of a ridiculous extent at a certain point.)
Pitt - 2.5(Actually didn't think his Irish accent was AS bad as it is made out to be, not that it is good. Having said this it is mostly just kind of a duller performance of his.)
Donovan - 2.5(Bland leading vocal turn, not horrible but not really all that good either.)
Nolte - 2(Honestly feels just miscast throughout and really to unappealing at times for the character to entirely work. Where was Keith Carradine when you needed him? He struggles with Randolph's off-beat energy I think and it just doesn't really work because of that.)
Allen - 2(One of the laziest Allen doing his Allen performance turns you'll find in one of his most tiresome films.)
Miller - 1.5(Unlike Nolte who is just awkward, Miller is actively bad giving such a strange performance, and making just odd choices through the film. Everything he does just doesn't work here.)
Penn - 1.5(THIS BEAT HOLM, LEUNG, CROWE, PEARCE, and WINSTONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELLLLLLLL CANNNES JURY????????? Okay anyway this is a terrible performance by Penn. He has the occasional less bad moment where he has the occasional moments of normalcy early on. Once he goes big it is full ham and there is no representation of any sort of honest human for a second. Just feels like an actor doing all sort of ridiculousness throughout. It is just an awful performance that goes from yelling overacting, to being "off-beat" overacting in the second half. It is just a ridiculous turn, and the jury should be ashamed of this choice, I'm sorry, you could've picked almost any male performance from that CANNES lineup and it would've been a better choice.)
Louis: Thanks for letting me know.
Considering who was on the jury, that's so baffling. There's no way Mike Leigh would've picked Penn over Winstone.
Wow, didn't expect Skarsgård and Cusack to go that far up, but I really can't complain. Also love seeing that tie between Crowe and Pearce, and of course Leung at #3.
Louis: Any more thoughts on Children Of Heaven.
Speaking of Hanson, Crowe and Pearce, have you watched the pilot episode of L.A. Confidential (2003) with Kiefer Sutherland?
Nice to see DiCaprio upped to a 4 for Titanic as well.
Louis, thoughts on Princess Mononoke's score and Titanic's Visual Effects.
Louis: Did Danny DeVito or any of the other supporting performances from LA Confidential go up?
Louis: Is there a list of Cannes nominees? The Wikipedia pages only seem to show the winners for each acting category.
Anonymous: Festivals never do that, It's always been 1 (2 on the rare occasion) winner from the Official Selection. Have to remember that Cannes has had a 2 maximum award limit on films since Barton Fink took 3 in 91. For instance, say Nil By Mouth was the top pick for the Palme D'or and Actor along with Burke's win in Actress, then one of those 3 will be given to the 2nd choice.
It is an asinine ruling.
Louis: I have to say I love Pearce and Crowe sharing the win.
Louis: I've just checked the nominations page and you accidentally wrote #3 for Holm instead of #7.
Louis: According to Screentime Central, Jenkins and Houdyshell have 59% and 45% screen time for The Humans.
Tahmeed: Once again, screen time is not necessarily everything.
Louis: Did you see The Survivor. If so, thoughts on the film and cast with ratings.
Louis: your #6-#10 for Director in 1997.
I can rewrite this on the next post if needed, but I finished season 2 of "Star Wars Rebels" today - and it's an nearly undeniable improvement over the first season.
While the start of the show was mostly a successor to "Clone Wars" in tone and style, season 2 is where "Rebels" really came into it's own for me. It offered chances for expanded character depth to the main ensemble (and even Agent Kallus, who was more or less a one note baddy before hand), while faithfully representing other icons in Star Wars lore. Oh, and the season's final episode is legitimately stunning.
Luke:
Actress:
1. Pam Grier - Jackie Brown
2. Kathy Burke - Nil By Mouth
3. Helena Bonham Carter - The Wings of the Dove
4. Judi Dench - Mrs. Brown
5. Samantha Morton - Under the Skin - 4.5
6. Katrin Cartlidge - Career Girls - 4.5
7. Susannae Lothar - Funny Games - 4.5
8. Lynda Steadman - Career Girls - 4.5
9. Julie Christie - Afterglow - 4
10. Jurnee Smollett - Eve's Bayou - 4
11. Bahare Seddiqi - Children of Heaven - 4
12. Kate Winslet - Titanic
13. Yekaterina Rednikova - The Thief - 4
14. Cate Blanchett - Oscar and Lucinda - 4
15. Cheryl Dunye - The Watermelon Woman - 4
16. Helen Hunt - As Good as It Gets
17. Milla Jovovich - The Fifth Element
18. Dominique Swain - Lolita - 3.5
19. Patricia Arquette - Lost Highway
20. Joey Lauren Adams - Chasing Amy - 3
Supporting Actress:
1. Julianne Moore - Boogie Nights
2. Debbi Morgan - Eve's Bayou - 4.5
3. Heather Graham - Boogie Nights
4. Sarah Polley - The Sweet Hereafter
5 .Laila Morse - Nil By Mouth
6. Emily Watson - The Boxer
7. Alison Elliot - The Wings of the Dove
8. Gwyneth Paltrow - Hard Eight
9. Minnie Driver - Grosse Point Blank
10. Lynn Whitfield - Eve's Bayou - 4
11. Kayoko Kishimoto - Hana-Bi - 4
12. Joan Cusack - Grosse Point Blank
13. Diahann Carroll - Eve's Bayou - 4
14. Stacy Edwards - In the Company of Men - 4
15. Fernanda Torres - Four Days in September - 4
16. Maria Bonnevie - Insomnia
17. Gisken Armand - Insomnia
18. Joan Cusack - In & Out - 3.5
19. Antoine Byrne - I Went Down - 3.5
20. Miranda Richardson - The Apostle
Brazinterma:
Song:
1. "Tomorrow Never Dies" - Tomorrow Never Dies
2. "Nobody Knows your Heart" - Princess Mononoke
3. "In the Dark of the Night" - Anastasia
4. "Once Upon A December" - Anastasia
5. "Journey to the Past" - Anastasia
6. "Go the Distance" - Hercules
7. "Miss Misery" - Good Will Hunting
Score:
6. Men in Black
7. Anastasia
Poster:
1. 4 Little Girls
2. The Game
3. Princess Mononoke
4. Boogie Nights (Star)
5. Anastasia (Door)
6. Jackie Brown (Cash)
7. Private Parts
Editing:
1. L.A. Confidential
2. Boogie Nights
3. Happy Together
4. Cure
5. Jackie Brown
6. Lost Highway
7. The Fifth Element
Adapted Screenplay:
1. L.A. Confidential
2. Jackie Brown
3. The Sweet Hereafter
4. Hard Eight
5. The Wings of the Dove
6. Donnie Brasco
7. Men in Black
Original Screenplay:
1. Boogie Nights
2. Princess Mononoke
3. The Apostle
4. Nil By Mouth
5. Happy Together
6. Children of Heaven
7. I Went Down
Character:
1. Jack
2. Rose
3. Agent J
4. Agent K
5. Will Hunting
6. Sean Maguire
7. James Bond
Cast:
1. Boogie Nights
2. Nil By Mouth
3. L.A. Confidential
4. Jackie Brown
5. Hard Eight
6. Grosse Point Blank
7. The Sweet Hereafter
Blockbuster Films:
1. L.A. Confidential
2. Austin Powers
3. The Fifth Element
4. Men in Black
5. Face/Off
6. In & Out
7. Air Force One
Luke:
Hercules is nearly without structure as basically "stuff" happens until it tries to get dramatic and then ends. It is a complete mess, not without some entertainment value in a few of the random vignettes but it really fails when particularly compared to the successes that came before it.
DeVito - 3(I mean him doing his typical cartoon voice over work, it does the job expectedly so, but no more than that.)
Torn - 3(I have to admit I thought he was John Goodman here for much of the film, either way, again does the job as the big sounding father figure but not much more than that.)
Woods - 4(The best part of the film without question and really the one presence that properly gives some nice riff to the material. His performance subverting any standard villain ideas to be this sleazy nightclub entertainer instead which manages to be the best part. He's consistently entertaining and he manages to make it work both in being funny by being so casual as a Greek god, but also he still manages to create the sense of the character's drive to finish Hercules with enough menace still in there per the tone of the film anyways.)
Go the Distance isn't the best "more" song, but nor is it the worse. It's a good one, not a great one. The main motif is terrific, if way overused in the film though I'd say more in terms of the score using it as a crutch rather than getting tired of the piece as it is terrific motif alone. The lyrics here are rather sparse honestly, but what is there certainly delivers on the job of the character wanting to do more. Not a Disney song you can't forget, but when you listen to it, it is definitely a nice song on its own.
No.
Calvin:
11. Cure
12. The Full Monty
13. Hana-Bi
14. Nil By Mouth
15. I Went Down
16. 4 Little Girls
17. Austin Powers
18. Grosse Point Blank
19. Donnie Brasco
20. The Wings of the Dove
Oliver Menard:
The scariest film I've seen in some time, and I'll give 97 credit in having two films that managed to truly unsettle me on initial viewing. The other being Lost Highway with the initial Mystery Man scene. Its been a long time since a horror film did effect me outside of watching it, but I have to admit after watching it, I couldn't help but check a few corners to make sure no strangers were curiously lurking. It has some graphic violence but what is so disturbing is how matter of fact the horror is, and the bits of true horror just kind of happen in such a terrifying way.
Luke:
Just a beautifully done film with such poignant simplicity to the point you will be wholly invested in a pair of shoes to the point I'd say the film has one of the great sports scenes as it creates such a strong investment. It does so though just by so honestly showing this family with just as they are, having beautiful moments, more difficult moments, but all just natural moments of life that are just drawn so affectionately yet never with overt sentimentalism. It is just a wonderful film that a strong recommend to all (quick watch as well.)
Shaggy:
I have not.
Marcus:
De Vito and Cromwell are the same and with Basinger I've think I've gotten to thinking she's absolutely "okay" in the role, and really it is a credit to Pearce and Crowe again with how great those scenes still are even as Basinger doesn't find much depth in her performance. And I definitely think Lynn Bracken could've been a role that another actress could've absolutely ran with.
Tahmeed:
Not surprising, but it is still ensemble to me by how the characters and performances are implemented.
Anonymous:
There's no nominees but any film in the main CANNES competition for 97 would've had their actors eligible.
Shaggy:
6. Wong Kar-wai - Happy Together
7. Kiyoshi Kurosawa - Cure
8. Majid Majidi - Children of Heaven
9. Takeshi Kitano - Hana-Bi
10. Quentin Tarantino - Jackie Brown
Louis: I'll be asking for thoughts on the female performances on the supporting lineup. Could either Carter or Dench possibly get an upgrade. And who's your lowest 4.5 in Supporting Actress.
Luke:
Maybe...no guarantee.
Elliott.
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