Clive Owen did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Will Cameron in Trust.
Clive Owen plays the father of the girl Annie (Liana Liberato), whom the opening act of the film seems to be living the idyllic enough lifestyle in a Chicago suburb. Owen plays the early scenes of the film very much as the common man just going about that life with his family and wife (Catherine Keener) with the rest of the family. Owen doesn't put too much on it in his scenes of advising his son to avoid peer pressure with just a gentle reminder with a bit of a tough dad but not an overplayed quality. Mostly we just see the general warmth of the dad as he's going along with his good life, we see him with his boss occasionally who is overly brash, however even that Owen plays off as a slightly judgmental smirk. That is until his daughter is lured to a hotel room where she raped, however that is only the first crime, as this quickly leads Annie's best friend to report it which creates a public spectacle of the rape. And here's where the film could've fully fallen off a cliff or become something truly powerful but it doesn't really do either. It isn't quite an after-school special, but it isn't completely elevated beyond that. The writing frequently is, David Schwimmer's fairly terrible visual choices throughout additionally are, but what Schwimmer does manage to get right is within the performances of the actors. The actors very much save the film because it would've been extremely easy to fall into over the top choices given the material, but for the most part this is avoided.
Owen is one of the focal points of the emotion of the piece and is moving in the early scenes of reaction to the rape in just presenting the sudden horror upon his face that quickly switches to vicious anger towards the man responsible for the act. Owen matching the intensity effectively by very much bringing to life the immediacy of the reaction. And it would have been easy to seem too much or too soft in a way, but Owen does make it all feel very real in the moment. Unfortunately the film ends up being a little repetitive in where he goes from there as we basically get one frustration after another, as the FBI fails to catch the man, Will notices sexualized images at work and becomes frustrated by the fact that his daughter continues to obsess over her groomer. Owen's performance though does modulate between these elements playing in the moments in the world just the quiet burden that never leaves the man. When reacting to his daughter or to the investigation, Owen's intensity does feel earned as the perpetual anger of a man who wants to hurt something to avenge his pain yet ends up turning back on his own family. The film ends up not giving him too many interesting places to go leaving Owen to have to repeat notes as the character just continues to be in this state of anger, though again Owen effectively always weighs it down with sadness and the sense that is all part of the frustration of the helplessness he feels in what happened to his daughter. I suppose I could be more critical and say Owen doesn't differentiate between these scenes enough, however I think it is more so the writing that keeps him lost and angry for most of it. And Owen does hit his notes effectively again, as we have a more harrowing scene coming from the daughter's reaction to this trauma that is certainly moving and painful in again Owen bringing that pain to life with visceral intensity. The final scene though of the film involving the family is perhaps too clean in a way as the daughter and dad finally connect again as he espouses all his fears to her and they finally reach something. Something that might have worked better if the script built to it more. Again though Owen in the more sedated performance of a moment of clarity is affecting in bringing an earnest vulnerability that shows the same pain just expressed in a healthier way. However then the film ends, and you know just how limited Will's whole story ended up being, though Owen's efforts are admirable avoiding the worst option, albeit not quite truly elevating it beyond the full limitations of the piece.
120 comments:
Watching this after Smooth Talk must have done this no favors.
Indeed
Yeah, Owen is good as usual, and the film isn't terrible but as you said, it could've been much better.
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on this film's cast?
Louis: Thoughts on this cast and director for a '00s Conclave?
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Lawrence: Jeremy Irons
Bellini: Dustin Hoffman
Tremblay: Donald Sutherland
Agnes: Claudia Cardinale
Tedesco: Giancarlo Giannini
Anonymous:
Liberato - 4(An extremely tricky part though I wouldn't say the writing entirely makes the right pathway for her in some key parts. Regardless she is effective in bringing just that sense of teenage insecurity that fuels her interest in the groomer to begin with naturally playing between the notes of fear with that sense of trying to find someone who just supports her. Afterwards it is what gets really tricky though she is moving in playing just the raw weight of dealing with becoming the center of a spotlight within her world for such unpleasant reasons and plays that pressure well. The aspect of her character still thinking the situation was okay, is something that the film doesn't quite manage to thread fully despite being a particularly disturbing notion, though again Liberato plays into the note convincingly by tying still to the same vulnerability. Like with Owen it gets wrapped up too easily, leaving the performance not as powerful as it could've been, but she is good.)
Keener - 3.5(As the mom who keeps it together more she is also moving in portraying the direct emotions of the situation convincingly throughout, and while she's not the focus consistently of the film she adds to the reality of the piece effectively.)
Davis - 3(As a very limited version of the therapist role she does what she can in bringing this certain contrasting calm within the narrative though even her scenes feel a bit underwritten and underexplored.)
Clarke - 3(Never mind seeing an early Clarke role, and he's good in bringing the right severity yet mixed with a quiet frustration of the FBI agent doing his job but also attempting to be as accommodating as the situation will allow.)
Coffey - 3(Effectively creepy in playing the note of "saying the right thing" while just beneath it showing the actual intentions of the man all the same.)
Tony:
That's pretty much perfect to the point I feel I can hear Hoffman delivering Tucci's lines, Sutherland looking suspiciously, Giannini looking smug, Irons weighed down by burden of his task and Cardinale giving a cutting stare.
Ratings for the cast of Touch (2024)?
Louis: Next time I win a predictions, I might request a backlog performance that you actually have already seen, I really think this is such an underrated gloriously entertaining performance from a Bond Film, Gene Siskel loved this performance as well, would you be willing to take a look at it again if you know which performance I am referring to?
Havent' been on this blog as much as I once was lol, its always been like a sanctuary to me =D so I hope everyone is doing OK and happy for the Holidays..
RatedRStar: Let me make a wild guess, Jonathan Pryce in Tomorrow Never Dies?
Ytrewq Wertyq: Definitely not lol its a secret..... umm....definitely =D.
Louis: Any updated thoughts/ratings on the cast of Hannah and Her Sisters?
RatedRStar: I was gonna say Cumming in GoldenEye but we haven't got to 95.yet.
Louis, what did you think of Belleville Rendez-vous from The Triplets of Belleville.
Louis: What's the earliest available day for you to see Nosferatu.
Anonymous:
Olafsson - 3.5(Honestly it's mostly just for the ending scenes where his chemistry is winning in terms of creating an authentic feeling chemistry with his co-star, more so than the fairly surface love story we get in the past. They do say a lot in a little just through performance. Before then I think he's fine, but just fine really.)
Koki - 3(Again find the early love story less interesting but I think she was the more interesting of the two. Giving a certain earnestness even if she didn't entirely make me care.)
Kormakur - 2.5(Fairly bland but not actively bad just more so forgettable.)
Motoki - 3(Honestly probably the best part of the film in just finding a lot of character very quickly and in an entertaining way.)
Narahashi - 3.5(Again it is the chemistry that is so convincing that she brings with her scenes with Olafsson and you are granted their past more so than I think the past you even see. She wears that burden well but with enough of a present warmth that is well realized.)
Robert:
I'd move Hershey up to a 5 as well though Wiest is still my favorite of cast, as Hershey is essential for her storyline as I think it would've been very easy to frankly not believe it at all, because Elliott in so many ways is actively despicable, though Caine plays that note well. Hershey manages to bring so much vulnerability but also the sense of discovery within the affair though which she never simplifies at any point. Hershey manages to portray what compels her, yet never makes it something that seems easy within itself as she at the same time takes in a certain shame and jealousy in moments related to her sister. She never makes it a mere plot point by any means very much showing what Lee is getting out of the relationship but also the challenge of it at the same time. She and Caine do have great chemistry, but great and complicated chemistry where you see in every interaction sort of the lust of the affair but also the complexity of what it means for her.
I'd also move Allen up a bit, obviously Allen doing Allen but I think he hits the right tone pretty well here in being the most comedic part of the film, and he is funny, however the humor he brings never overwhelms the overall tone nor does it leave him unable to be part of the slightly more dramatic elements.
Glenn:
It's a very strange song, though there is something strangely hypnotic about its specific odd repetitive rhythm and instrumentation, broken up by the equally repetitive albeit also captivating repetition of the Triplet's "chorus".
Luke:
Probably the 26th at the earliest.
Louis, if you don't mind my asking, in what order are you watching the recommendations? Are you going by a particular schedule, or it is simply random? And what is next on the docket?
Has anyone seen the television adaption of day of the jackal? Eddie Redmayne gives a career best performance
Dirk: He's doing it randomly this year.
i always thought that Hannah and her Sisters was in many ways Woody's masterpiece, and that it was his very best acting turn too.
Despite calling myself a big fan of his, that is mostly for his scripts. I never supported him having won Best Director, given that his directing style mostly consists of "Aim the camera in one direction and turn it on. Put Jazz music over afterwards". However, if he had won for either Hannah or Crimes and Misdemeanors, i would not see a problem in that
Tim: It's not as though I disagree with you fully, but directing actors and guiding them on tone is a huge part of great direction too.
yes i know that, i was trying to be funny
guess that didn't land ...
Christopher Nolan's next film is an "action epic" adaptation of The Odyssey, which sounds AWESOME.
Matt Mustin: Just saw the news, happy to see something fresh from him. It's gonna be sick.
Might end up being a great double feature with Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Louis: Thanks! It at least gave me an excuse to post a song from “Inside” on here.
Also, your 2020s cast for an Eggers version of Island of Lost Souls.
Luke, which period of history would you most love Robert Eggers to tackle.
Tim: Allen's direction of his 80's films is actually pretty strong on even a visual level. Maybe it's because most modern films don't bother with blocking, but I noticed how precise his choices were in that department with Hannah and Her Sisters (and Another Woman for that matter).
I think 1986 is a rather underrated Oscar year, I think Hannah and Her Sisters is Allens most accessible film, love Platoon, love the hidden gems like Mona Lisa and actually Salvador is quite well made and having seen Coda, I think Children Of A Lesser God is actually a very well made film compared to it.
Louis: Any TV you've been watching lately?
Couple further thoughts on Nolan doing The Odyssey:
- Holland and Damon seem *bizarre* casting choices for that, unless he's planning to modernize it, which could also be very cool in it's own way.
-Kenneth Branagh will FOR SURE be in this.
Louis: What's your thoughts on the, I think, brilliant addition of Mr. Jorkin in Scrooge (1951)?
Anonymous: The Reign of Terror.
Hell, give Eggers Devil in the White City, no one else is doing anything with it.
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the Masters of the Universe cast? And also your rating for Langella.
Bryan:
Dr. Moreau: Willem Dafoe
Edward Parker: Robert Pattinson
Sayer of the Law: Ralph Ineson
Montgomery: Ethan Hawke
Lota: Anya Taylor-Joy
Matt:
I love the addition of Jorkin as additional motivation to Scrooge's moral decay, who acts essentially as the same as Matthew McConaughey in Wolf of Wall Street, in terms of presenting greed as a positive if not "fun" thing. Warner also is terrific in his three relatively brief scenes by being so charismatic as a proper salesmen for his perspective. But what I love is the complexity of the character is written as this alternative reflection of Scrooge. Because Jorkin, unlike Scrooge, appears to be happy on the surface at the very least, however unlike Scrooge, his amorality actually goes even further as we see he is an embezzler something I do not think Scrooge would ever do (part of the reason why he can change), as his greed is entirely legal, where Jorkin is a worse person than Scrooge was even at his worst, but, has a much jollier time doing it.
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on Seamkhum, Assaratanakul and anyone else who stood out to you from How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, and thoughts on these scenes:
"Sons get assets, daughters get cancer"
"You're my first place"
Happy holidays to everyone.
Louis: Thoughts on the Frasier episodes Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz and The Fight Before Christmas?
Merry Christmas Everyone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR5V0C8vGxc
Merry Christmas Everybody!
Which Christmas movie or movies are you going to watch this year?
Louis: Thoughts on the voice acting in Ernest and Celestine.
Happy holidays, you guys.
Louis: Have you ever given your Top 10 Christmas movies?
Louis: Before you see Vengeance Most Fowl, you don't mind adding and rating Chicken Run and The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit on Letterboxd.
And I'm pleased Matthew recommended Shaun The Sheep Movie, I hope you'll give it 4 stars.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
This time I decided to check out Pottersville. At first it seems like it's setting up to be wacky and promisingly weird, then the whole thing becomes completely unfunny and "realization" of main character's arc felt soooo lame. Don't waste your precious time watching this or else you'll get coal.
Shannon-2.5
Greer-2.5
Perlman-2.5/3
Poor man's Alan Tudyk-1.5
Hendricks-2
McShane-3
Lee-2
Merry Nosferatu Day
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the cast of Vermiglio.
Nosferatu is marvelous, easily Eggers's best in my book. Lily Rose-Depp, what a performance.
Tahmeed: Looking forward to your review. :)
I need to process Nosferatu, because it was both exactly what I wanted and what I didn’t. I feel a little suffocated.
Think I might as well drop some brief cast ratings (without getting into too much of course). On the film itself, will need some time to fully dive into it, but I loved it.
Rose-Depp - 5 (she has one or two scenes which I still can't believe she pulled off, astounding physical work while also very much grounding within the emotional core of the film).
Hoult - 4.5 (what a year he's had, perfect audience surrogate/straight man that strangely reminded me of Taylor-Joy in The Menu at first. Does so much with every reaction. )
Dafoe - 4/4.5 (was glad to see him pop up, it's kind of 'expected' Dafoe but a very strong example of it).
Taylor-Johnson and Corrin - 4
Ineson - 3.5 (always a pleasure to see him pop up)
Skarsgard - 4.5 (very much a take it or leave it performance, and but I'll just say once I got used to his choices, he's very effective).
I kind of thought Depp was iffy in some moments, but I suppose she fit the with the operatic tone. Hoult would be my pick for MVP. I know I’m usually the Aaron Taylor-Johnson apologist, but I thought he was completely miscast.
Tahmeed; your rating for Simon McBurney?
*NOSFERATU SPOILERS*
Anonymous: He's a 4, thought he made a very strong impression. Reminded me of Will Geer in Seconds at first where how every amiable line delivery so effortlessly sinister, certainly wasn't expecting the rest of his work to turn out the way it did, but was pleasantly taken aback.
Robert: Hoult has been sitting quite well with me, in that he took a theoretically thankless role that he could have played blandly earlier in his career, and made it so much more by at first using the early scenes to get us to care for him more, and then his frightened acting throughout was quite great in the first act.
On Rose-Depp, I did think of one or two scant moments that seemed 'iffy', but to me it played as kind of a purposeful choice that worked within the tone the film is working with.
I’m surprised you liked Taylor-Johnson, because I found him actively distracting. Falls flat at even being pompous. Completely fumbles his emotional crumbling at the end.
Robert: I certainly felt he was much better at playing the dedicated friend to Thomas than he was as the pompous elitist later on with Ellen (which I think needed a bit more on the writing and performance side), but I personally found him quite affecting at the end.
Louis: Thoughts on the voice acting in Vengeance Most Fowl.
Tahmeed: Your category placements for Hoult and Skarsgård.
I Loved Vengeance Most Fowl. A blast from start to finish and my favourite Aardman feature to date.
Louis: Is there a strong possibility it could make your Adapted Screenplay top 5.
Luke: Skarsgård is supporting. Hoult I would say is the 'most' lead in the film, but I would need a screen time estimate to be exactly sure, as he has a lot of perspective scenes for sure.
I saw Nosferatu last night, which I have some nitpicks about but ultiamately probably still loved. Hoult and Depp are both just barely lead for me, the rest are supporting.
I might need to give it a rewatch before I commit to a 5 for Depp, she had one scene early on that out of nowhere felt like a bad theatre audition, though maybe it reads differently having seen the whole thing. As for the rest of the cast:
Hoult: 5
Corrin: 3.5
Taylor-Johnson: 2.5
Ineson: 3.5
Dafoe: 4.5
McBurney: 4
Skarsgård: 4.5
Louis: I recommend that you rewatch Munich (2005) before September 5 premieres. I recently rewatched the film and it improved a lot. In addition to Spielberg's direction, I also highlight Michael Kahn's editing, which managed to keep the 164-minute running time from getting tiresome, as was the case with West Side Story and The Fabelmans.
I’d say Depp lead and Hoult supporting, but both are borderline.
I apologize for this mini-rant, and I’m sure he’s a nice guy in real life……but wondering if ATH is going to be good or not in a film is getting tiresome. He’s just too inconsistent/a literal coin flip. Hollywoods been pushing him for a decade already.
He’s given good performances for sure, but it’s never a guarantee that he will whenever he’s announced for a film.
Bryan: I go into it assuming he's not gonna be that good. Even when he's OK, he's just not an interesting performer.
I think he's actively terrible in Nosferatu. Totally misplays his character as one-note pompous dick (and unconvincingly at that), and then totally bombs the emotional character arc he has to go through. I'm someone who defended him in Nocturnal Animals of all things, so I have the capacity to think he's good. Here? It's like vintage early 10's Taylor-Johnson. It's especially noticeable when he shares the screen with Dafoe and Ineson, both of whom try to build some sort of opposite-ends dynamic with him, and he can't even react in a way that shows any sort of spontaneity beyond hitting his required marks. I'd argue it's his worst performance simply because he's dragging everyone down around him.
My kneejerk alternate casting was Pattinson, though someone suggested Josh O'Connor and I can't help but picture him nailing it.
I was surprised at how self-conscious ATJ came off here too, I wish the character had been written to be more a representation of Lord Godalming from the novel, he may have done better with the earnest stoicism of that character.
Nightbitch is not a horrible film, just one that was obviously working with a very tricky attempt at a satire on motherhood with body horror elements and also a degree of earnest intention...and sometimes it's too tricky to work. And while this has moments, it just doesn't quite get there to something that manages to cohere all the different elements in order to amplify one another, the body horror hook in particular you honestly could largely cut and it would probably improve the film. But this isn't one where I would admonish the talented Marielle Heller's attempt here, if she had managed to pull it all together it could've been something special, as is, it doesn't entirely work, but there are far worse misfires than this one.
Adams - 4
McNairy - 2.5
Harper - 3.5
Found Nosferatu to be quite astounding, naturally Eggers does not disappoint withe sheer intensity of the atmosphere, crafting a world that takes elements that have come before yet taking them to the next level, making them nore tangible than they've ever been. I was captivated for nearly every moment by just the mood alone, but I ended up being as captivated by what is theoretically Eggers's simplest narrative. Where it largely is a remake yet found his realization of this tragedy with such emotional style absolutely powerful in a way I didn't quite expect despite more or less knowing what was going to happen, which is I suppose is what makes a truly great remake.
Depp - 5
Taylor-johnson - 2
Corrin - 4
Ineson - 4
Where do you stand on Hoult's placement?
Lead along with Depp though I bet no one has all that dominate of screentime percentage wise.
Thoughts on ATJ's performance?
Louis: I'm so relieved you gave it 5 stars.
Thoughts on the cast.
Louis: Glad we can put Nosferatu on our agreement chart, and that you're saving McBurney, Dafoe and Hoult.
Tahmeed: And Skarsgård. :)
Also, I'm willing to admit that I was way too kind to ATJ, mostly out of loving every single element around him, I'd still give him a low 3/2.5.
With Babygirl had a very strong feeling of "eh" come over me with this one. It's well acted by all three of the main players, the relationship though just never became terribly interesting to me. Kind of got the dynamic then it just felt repetitive and weirdly passive after awhile. Felt all too surface as once you get "powerful woman wants to lose control sexually" there's not much more to get, and the scenes themselves are not nearly engaging enough to make up for that simplicity. Even the scenes that seemed designed to shock or be aggressively lurid, seemed oddly tame. I didn't hate it but I guess just wanted far more than I got with this one.
Kidman - 4.5
Dickinson - 4
Banderas - 4
Louis: Your category placement for Dickinson.
Louis: Will you have a chance to watch Nickel Boys before posting your top 10 for the year?
I'm going ahead with my Lineup predictions for 2024
Oscar Lineups
Adrien Brody in The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig in Queer
Colman Domingo in Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes in Conclave
Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing
Edward Norton in A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce in The Brutalist
Denzel Washington in Gladiator II
Alternate Lineups
Supporting
Adam Pearson in A Different Man
Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe And Simon McBurney in Nosferatu
Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice
Mark Eidelstein and Yura Borisov in Anora
Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin in September 5
Jason Bateman in Carry-On
Brian Tyree Henry in The Fire Inside
Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski in Bird
Lead
Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These
George MacKay in The Beast
Hugh Grant in Heretic
Jesse Plemons in Kinds Of Kindness
Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist in Challengers
Nicholas Hoult in The Order and Nosferatu
Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice and A Different Man
Timothée Chalamet in Dune: Part II
Louis: Your thoughts on this scene
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DyxkjYmlzhg
I never expected Simon McBurney to get saved. I like the guy a lot but he does t3nd to play the same type of role in the same way all the time. Great to see he's getting something else to do in this.
Luke: Remind me, which are the saved performances that you're currently not predicting him to review? I know two of them are Keith Kupferer for Ghostlight and Richard Roundtree for Thelma.
Aw man. Rest In Peace Olivia Hussey.
Tahmeed: He still needs to see The Brutalist too.
Tahmeed:
Well speaking of Nickel Boys, Roger Ebert described film as a machine to generate empathy and this could be one of the purest examples of such through its first person perspective. An idea that has been done before and can easily be a gimmick. The question when does a gimmick become a technique, well when there is more to it than "that's neat" or "that got old fast" thankfully, neither of those are true for this film that is frequently spellbinding in its utilization of the perspective largely through two characters. A quality that mixes straightforward narrative, with documentary evidence of the real story behind this film, and some stream of consciousness elements. Merged together as a most ambitious debut for a non-documentary narrative from RaMell Ross, a most successful debut that does craft this state of empathy from just a palpable sense of place and period, first just in the 60's in Florida, then the detailing of the oppressive system of the boys detention center, balanced though with the central creation of friendship where we see through the eyes of two different young men brought together in a horrible system though through loving camaraderie . Ross's risks almost consistently engage and keep you in such a specific rhythm, that tells this story, shows the injustice but also crafts a feeling. The one quibble I do have is the Daveed Diggs scenes, nothing against his relatively limited performance, or anything of the ilk, honestly it's the behind the shoulder way Ross shoots the scenes that I did find distracting and where the one swing that didn't land for me. Thankfully one miss compared to so many successes, makes for a truly striking achievement worthy of the praise it garnered.
Herisse - 4.5
Wilson - 4.5
Ellis-Taylor - 4.5
Linklater - 2.5
Hechinger - 2.5
Louis: That's quite the quadruple feature, thoughts on the casts whenever you have time. Glad you loved Nickel Boys.
Tony:
Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson
Stanley Tucci in Conclave
David Jonsson in Alien: Covenant (I'd probably put him in Supporting for the time being until we get a screentime count)
Andrew Garfield in We Live In Time
Izaac Wang in Dìdi
Paul Mescal in Gladiator II
And RIP Olivia Hussey
2024 Films To Watch
Memoir Of A Snail
Flow
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
I'm Still Here (Fernanda Torres)
Hard Truths (Marianne Jean-Baptiste)
The Room Next Door (Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton)
September 5 (Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin)
Smile 2 (Naomi Scott)
The Last Showgirl (Pamela Anderson)
The Fire Inside (Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry)
Bird (Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski)
Speak No Evil (James McAvoy)
The Return (Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche)
National Anthem (Charlie Plummer)
All We Imagine As Light
Sons
The Girl With The Needle
Good One
Paddington In Peru
Better Man
The Count Of Monte Cristo
The End
Spaceman
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (One of the surprise critical hits of the year)
Exhuma
Mufasa: The Lion King
Joy
Santosh
All Shall Be Well
When The Light Breaks
Hoard
Cuckoo
Girls Will Be Girls
Problemista
RIP Olivia Hussey
RIP Olivia Hussey.
Btw, I haven't seen you guys talk about how good Cillian Murphy is in "Small Things Like These". Pretty much everyone seems to love the movie here, if I am not wrong.
Perfectionist: It’s pretty close between him and Stan as my Actor win. I’m probably the biggest fan of the film on the blog, because it’s only grown on me with more reflection.
I'll add Keith Kupferer in Ghostlight with both Hoult performances selected for the prediction contest and Stan for A Different Man.
RIP Olivia Hussey.
Tahmeed:
Assarantankul - 4(A good performance that I think borders on very good in his later scenes portraying finally the emotional weight of the situation. Before that scene it is an often deferring performance, though not in a bad or terrible way, just in a way where he mostly gives to his co star which works well enough even if it doesn't always make his own performance wholly standout.)
Seamkhum - 5(Kind of a fascinating performance because it is not a traditionally charismatic performance at least compared to Zhao in The Farwell, where there is that larger than life personality as an innate aspect. That Seakhum's performance isn't that kind of big, however it works in this degree of normalcy where there is a certain charm within her performance however it is much more low key. In a way Seamkhum makes you look for it, and see the way the other characters might dismiss her presence in the way they do so, so often, however deep within her work she does have a genuine life and charisma even if very internalized. Her performance though also doesn't hold back in terms of realizing the less pleasant qualities of the character and her situation. The moments of depicting her pain she's going through she gives a harsh visceral truth to them and doesn't sugar coat those moments in the least. When she presents her willfulness there is an intensity in the stubbornness that might seem harsh towards others, and she doesn't make it a mystery why there is a complicated relationship with her children even though you do see the warmth when interacting with her grandson.)
Luke:
Wilson gives a nice grumbly performance that isn't too over the top nor is it too warm either. Plays nicely between sort of the presentation of a "brute" though with a warmer quality just beneath that surface. Brunner has a straightforward sincerity in her work that has a definite sweetness however isn't overplayed, balanced with a believable willfulness.
Emi:
Not including shorts and Christmas can't merely be the setting:
1. It's A Wonderful Life
2. Scrooge (1951)
3. A Christmas Story
4. The Holdovers
5. Miracle on 34th Street
6. The Shop Around the Corner
7. A Christmas Carol (1984)
8. Scrooged
9. The Bishop's Wife
10. The Muppet Christmas Carol
Luke:
Scrinzi - 4.5(Her performance is the only one where you wouldn't see me write "director's film", even though her performance is still very much working with the framework as everyone else, and I should say I think everyone else is good just working within those limitations. Her performance has nearly as little to say theoretically and is largely a silent performance, yet her performance does speak to much more. She manages to convey her arc quite effectively through those silences of presenting her interest, affection and more than a little lust in the stranger, the joy of those interactions, then the quiet shame afterwards, even seeming a depressive potential suicidal manner, that manages to eventually, and believably change one more time. Each just in her silent manner yet completely conveys those transitions so effectively.)
Whitehead gives a good ode to Sallis as Wallace, and clearly is just trying to be as close as possible. And to his credit is successful without seeming some odd knockoff either. Shearsmith is nicely overbearing then creepy as the Gnome. Kay and Patel have a nice verbal chemistry of each overeager in their own ways. Of course it speaks to the greatness of the animation that I got the most out of Gromit and Feathers. And right now regarding its screenplay, I'll just say its in a good position.
Robert:
Taylor-Johson - (Where is the bat signal when you need it, as obvious as it might be, yes Pattinson would've been so much better, but hey would've also taken the other Skarsgard if we're only working with previous Eggers actors. But forgetting all that, the simple truth is he's the one person in the cast that seemed out of place, and just to put it bluntly, was playing dress up while everyone was in this world. He even seemed out of place in his early scenes, playing so stiff, so unnatural, so forced and again just failing to find the right specific operatic tone...but he wouldn't have worked if it had been a more straightforward period drama either. It's worse though because he chose to go thin for a role where there was complexity to play. Playing the role just as a jerk who wants to dismiss Ellen for seemingly inconvenience, rather than bringing some undercurrent of concern for his family's well being as being a stronger motivator, or at least finding that in part. He just makes him a one note jerk, which the role could've been a lot more as the voice reason who goes insane at his circumstances.)
Louis: Your category placement for Seamkhum.
September 5 is a compelling procedural covering the Olympics hostage crisis of 1972, told moment by moment within the sports newsroom covering the situation. While some might desire a more direct political perspective for one of the most fraught political issues of history, not even just current day, the amount granted is realistic per the situation, where the individuals are focused on the moment not the longstanding history. And that is where the film is successful in just capturing this specific momentum and intensity, extremely well edited particularly in its fairly flawless use of documentary footage, much of which is cut back and forth seamlessly with the film, to the point the archival people feel just as much of the characters within the narrative. Beyond where the film is successful in a commentary within the hostage situation, is the idea of the media role of becoming part of the story and even twisting to their needs. Honestly maybe the most striking, if not disturbing scene in the film is purely historical, where we hear Howard Cosell cover part of the hostage crisis like a boxing match rather than a life or death situation.
Benesch - 4
Soualem - 3
Rich - 3
Johnson - 3
Walker - 3
Also Magaro is definitely lead.
Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These
George MacKay in The Beast
Hugh Grant in Heretic
Jesse Plemons in Kinds Of Kindness
John Magaro in September 5
Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist in Challengers
Keith Kupferer in Ghostlight
Nicholas Hoult in The Order and Nosferatu
Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice and A Different Man
Timothée Chalamet in Dune: Part II
I want to explain my reasoning on Hoult in Supporting: Regardless of screentime, this really isn't Hutter/Harker's story. It never has been. His arc is entirely reactive and Hoult is often framed in a way that emphasizes a supporting character outside of his stretch in the beginning. It's Ellen/Mina's story. Her arc is the important one. The story hedges its impact on her.
Luke: Thanks. You might also want to add Eisenberg in A Real Pain, who was retroactively saved.
Luke:
Depp - (I will offer my apology as I've never seen Taylor-Joy do anything remotely like this, as Depp certainly goes full Adjani here, which is quite risky to say the least, however I thought she absolutely delivered every time in creating like sort of the strange medical journal version of the "hysterical woman" whenever she plays the moments of the possession. Depp goes all in, and I found her completely convincing in a way few actors are in playing such an extreme so believably, yet doing so in a way in which it doesn't just become an act in itself. Rather I felt utilizing those extremes she managed to do two things at once. The first sells the supernatural burden so powerfully by showing it truly as this ailment that pulls her in multiple unnatural directions where she is almost coming apart in herself and plays those extremes so convincingly and powerfully. Yet the other thing she does is also sell it as that old medical journal example, in basically successfully doing what Keira Knightley failed to do in A Dangerous Method, which is to play that extreme in a way that feel believable, selling the idea of that period in a surprising way, yet also doing in a way that serves the style at the same time. The rest of the time I will concede the theoretical "iffy" line deliveries, however for me the certain stiffness or weirdness felt in character to me in the way her character was a deeply non-ordinary woman trying to present herself within a time of expectation and constriction something that I thought was very evident by the rawness of her work outside of that constriction, compared to those moments where I thought her performance was in line with this idea most effectively. She is strange because she's never meant to be strange, and I think this only serves then when we see of her work that feels so viscerally real in its way, and apparently all, that was just absolutely outstanding work.)
Corrin - (Effective in just playing the initial reserve of the period, and contrasting work against Depp in seemingly the character is entirely in her place in this world. Corrin then when the character is moved out of that comfort zone, in the most extreme fashion Corrin brings such intensity of the fear that is incredibly powerful particularly in contrast to where we saw the character in the earlier scenes.)
Ineson - (An ideal actor for Eggers because Ineson just fits whatever period you throw him in. Ineson brings such easy gravitas to every word of exposition he gets, and honestly only an actor like him could sell the recommendation for Dafoe's character in quite the way he does, and make it seem entirely believable. He was a Hammer horror actor made today, so I'm glad Eggers gave him this opportunity.)
Anonymous:
I mean the best part of the series is Denzel Washington killing and threatening bad guys (it's just a shame they get to those parts so inefficiently), and the bad guys aren't up to his task, like perpetual overactor Csokas here. And you get the entertainment value from Washington doing his ice cold threats with such ease, I wish Csokas was a more interesting scene partner though.
Tahmeed:
Kidman - (I guess I'm lower on her than some with this performance, though Kidman is entirely good here and willing to go for it. In the public face Kidman does bring an easy power as per usual within her presence that makes it very easy to see her command and her position. She then can play around with that by doing the opposite with Dickinson playing on that specific sexual intensity quite effectively. Sadly I don't think the writing ever quite gives her scenes where we get to really let her dive deep in a Dogville or even To Die For level for her. It always feels weirdly tame, though Kidman can certainly articulate the moments with a convincing intensity to what is there, I always wanted even more than what we get.)
Dickinson - (Similar to Kidman in that I think his performance is interesting and convincing where Dickinson truly plays the role as someone searching to get a kick out of playing the game, and at no point does he present his action as accidental. In every moment there is a blithe intention to him and you see that his feelings are always measured in that respect. Unfortunately again it just kind of stops there and I wish there was just something that made it so he could go somewhere more than what we get. He's good, but again I wanted more.)
Banderas - (Nicely balances the proceedings by avoiding the typical traps of the other man type performances by playing to his character's emotions honestly, and even bringing his genuine Banderas charm to show that in no one is he a bad or even substandard husband. Banderas is straightforward in the right way in just showing a man not interested in any such games and sincere as himself.)
Herisse & Wilson - (Impressive performances given that they are very much working within the director's film template right down to barely seeing their faces at times, and only hearing their voices. It is the strength of their performances though that you get such a strong impact from not only what they say but whenever we do see their faces both bring so much. Herisse brings the sense of quiet and building dissatisfaction with the unjust system and Wilson brings more of a streetwise manner where you see he senses the problems yet also contains them within himself in order to survive. The best moments are the bounce backs though where they have such a palpable sense of warmth between each other and you completely invest in their potent relationship with one another.)
Ellis-Taylor - (All about just a few moments however it speaks to the strength of her performance that she manages to make an impact every brief appearance she does make. She indeed brings a tremendous amount of warmth and heart, but also complication. Every moment she is onscreen she does find more history within her work, even the earliest scene of Elwood's family background she is lining every moment with more nuance to never just be the symbol of a mother or grandmother but a genuine person. And then later she makes such an impact in showing the direct reaction to the mistreatment and misjustice and first doing it in subtle supportive ways then later on in the most heartbreaking of ways.)
Linklater & Hechinger - (Both bordered on pulling me out of the film a few times, never completely, but still wished we got slightly less self-conscious performances and we just got lived in believable brutes rather than the on the border consistently of overacting, sometimes overstepping, of these two.)
Luke:
Lead, which is quite the category this year and I still have a few more key performances to see.
Robert:
I think it is a fair placement, the Dracula story inherently is kind of weird one for lead categorization.
Louis: You saying Seamkhum is Lead, or Dickinson?
Oh no wait, never mind, disregard that last comment.
Luke, what do you predict will be Louis's Best Picture win for 2024
I'm going with Brutalist for Picture and Eggers for Director.
Louis: Your top 10 anticipated films of 2025 and your reasons why.
Louis: What are the top 20 best performances you saw for the first time this year for the bonus rounds?
Luke and everyone: unranked guess of which actors will be in Louis' Top 5 both lead and supporting of 2024? My predictions:
Supporting
Guy Pearce
Edward Norton
Yura Borisov
Adam Pearson
Jeremy Strong
Lead
Adrien Brody
Daniel Craig
George MacKay
Cillian Murphy
Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu)
Tony & Luke:
I will get to those on the next post.
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