Best Scene: In recovery.
4. Philip Seymour Hoffman in Jack Goes Boating - Hoffman doesn't give one of his best performances but it is expected reliable work from him.
Best Scene: Freak out.
3. Clive Owen in Trust - Owen is limited by the film's writing however he manages to find some genuine emotion and not go to complete melodrama.
Best Scene: Reconnecting with his daughter.
2. Alan Cumming in Josie and The Pussycats - Cumming gives a hilarious performance that finds the right tone for his material and just runs with it.
Best Scene: Thinking about high school revenge.
1. Tony Leung in In the Mood For Love - Leung gives an absolutely powerful performance built upon the smallest of gestures and moments, that speak volumes within the overall piece.
Best Scene: Stopping at the door.
57 comments:
Also finished Boardwalk Empire season 1, which is very much a continuation of the Sopranos spirit though as a historical period piece. Not as funny (though not unamusing), though with much tighter plotting, lacking AJ/Meadow storylines, though the story heights perhaps don't quite hit The Sopranos highs (so far), though obvious far greater technical accomplishment. And while hitting different familiar beats, the troublesome protege, jealous underlings, or the corruptive nature of the protagonist, every instance is handling the old ground in a new way that I never felt like I was watching Sopranos just in nicer clothes.
Side Note: I was not aware of just how lazy and uninspired Guillermo Del Toro's Strickland from The Shape of Water truly was, as he really is just a less complex Nelson Van Alden, to the point I'll admit I am having trouble ranking Shannon's performance just because I had seen the ripoff/repeat first.
But I'll try:
Cast Ranking:
1. Stephen Graham
2. Shea Whigham
3. Kelly Macdonald
4. Steve Buscemi
5. Jack Huston
6. Michael Stuhlbarg
8. Michael Shannon
9. Dabney Coleman
10. Michael Kenneth Williams
11. Michael Pitt
12. Gretchen Mol
13. Emily Meade
14. Aleksa Palladino
15. Erik Weiner
16. Anthony Laciura
17. Vincent Piazza
18. Paz de la Huerta
19. Anna Katarina
20. Kevin O'Rourke
21. Paul Sparks
I saw the first few episodes of Boardwalk Empire then stopped. I will go back to it. From what I saw Shannon was my MVP.
I remember Shannon was my MVP of season 1. I'm glad the show exists, because my dad is now a lifelong fan of Shannon.
FINALLY! I had been waiting for this day (for you to get to Boardwalk, not the results).
Thoughts on the top 5 of the BE cast, Louis?
Louis: Thoughts on Stuhlbarg, Shannon, Coleman, Williams and Pitt.
Louis: Thoughts on Wong Kar-wai's direction of In the Mood for Love?
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the cast of Memoir Of A Snail.
Calvin: your ratings for the cast of A Complete Unknown?
Louis: LOVE seeing the upgrade for Leung, and for Wong now being your director's win.
Anonymous:
Chalamet - 4
Norton - 4.5
Fanning - 3
Barbaro - 4
Holbrook - 3.5
McNairy - 3
Fogler - 2.5 (I think we can all agree that David Krumholtz would've been perfect)
Louis: Could you consider reviewing Karagulian alongside Borisov and Eydelshteyn for Anora.
Oscar nominations have been delayed again to the 23rd.
Louis, could you re-watch King Kong (2005) before the Oscar nominations.
Another rewatch I recommend is Prince of the City, because Williams is way too low on that ranking.
Robert: Does Louis allow people to make another recommendation this late in the game, as it were?
Regarding Hard Truths for much of the film though I found it hit that particular ideal Leigh rhythm more often than not in depicting two families connected by sisters, one constantly angry living in a cold family, and her outgoing positive sister living in a loving family. Leigh creating those contrasts effectively in largely captivating "mundane" moments we see between them in different ways, both with struggles but we see the approach to them be so different. I will admit there is the theoretical red flag of frequent use of a central character clashing with workers, of both lower and high wage, however in this instance we aren't meant to think the character is "cool" rather is an example of their lashing out and everyone and everything being a symptom of their dreadful state. Found this fell largely into good Leigh rather than great Leigh as we got the ending however, as it doesn't really build to something truly special like the best of Leigh can, that is perhaps partially the point, but regardless still found it just sorted of stopped rather than ended.
Jean-Baptiste - 5
Austin - 4.5
Webber - 3.5
Barrett - 3.5
Nelson - 3.5
Brown - 3.5
Louis: Thoughts on Jean-Baptiste and Austin.
Tony:
Graham - (Already great casting to begin with, and he really does just have such complete control and ease with the ideal gangster accent. And the thing is there is no buy-in for such an iconic figure as Al Capone, he's just Al Capone from his first scene without a second thought needed for it because that is an achievement within itself. But Graham excels in creating the sense of the eventually completely dominant gangster in his relative infancy. Graham's fantastic in creating the surface "henchmen" moments, though just beneath that surface bringing such a great intensity mixed in with bravado as a man who will very much own the whole idea of being a master gangster. Creating a great sense of the chemistry though with Pitt in giving the sense of the eager ambition himself, a touch of camaraderie, however showing jovially how that even only goes so far. But he's also great in bringing the moments of insecurity when questioned about his scar. Graham makes it look easy, yet is incredibly powerful in the moment of him trying to dodge his lies about his stolen valor, but the moment of telling his own story Graham just shows what a great actor he is in terms of bringing such intimacy in the moment, that still feels completely natural coming from a larger than life gangster type.)
Whigham - (I've liked Whigham elsewhere but I was always led to believe that this was the performance of his that really showed his measure as an actor, and I agree. Whigham has that tough guy demeanor down, but the whole performance is basically playing around with the idea of the limits of what that is. He's convincing as the Sheriff gangster though in a specific manner essentially presenting as the workman's bread and butter way about himself in these scenes. Whigham shows himself to be competent in these scenes but also almost perfunctory duty in a certain respect all the same. And while he's good in all those scenes he's great in the way he channels all of that within his scenes related to Buscemi. We get the moments where he tries and fails to play the politician himself and Whigham is stilted and forced in the right way as someone out of their depth. Contrasting that to the moments though of when he speaks or reacts to what he sees as Nucky's dismissiveness towards him where Whigham brings such a power by showing how much his character tries to keep it inside himself making it feel tremendous the way this insecurity reveals itself throughout the season.)
MacDonald - (Her arc is very deftly performed by her beginning really essentially as the stereotype purposefully, though not broadly, as the Irish housewife who just wants to do good and see the good. MacDonald takes the cliche and brings a naturalism to it that makes her seem honest, where the character I think with the wrong touch could've been too much in the early scenes. MacDonald balances it beautifully making so as she reveals her strength in certain calm moments of reaction then of delivery where she shows her strength to Nucky she makes such a remarkable impact. And what is most notable is the way MacDonald shows the progression of this strength from scene to scene to the point towards the end where she has her own angles of manipulation and method towards her actions that MacDonald makes wholly convincing to be nearly equal to Nucky by the end of the season. While also working by finding an honest chemistry with Buscemi in kind of underneath the lines more often than not, creating the natural thread of the conflict but also the compromise mainly just in her reactions where she tells you everything including the decisions without having to say them out loud it is all in her performance.)
Buscemi - (Thankfully I like him much more than his strangely underwhelming work in Sopranos, as I guess Buscemi can play the top or the bottom of criminals, but in the middle just doesn't seem to suit him. As he's totally convincing as a character in playing such a different character than Tony Soprano in terms of the lead, even though the function is often the same and Nucky is technically mobster though the nature of his morality is a bit different, even if in the end nearly just as corrupt. Buscemi's manner though is the man who has fashioned himself as the ideal politician machinist and power broker. Buscemi speaks with ease, and his manner is working within whatever the situation calls for it. He has the calm and cool with the other politician bringing the innate intelligence to his role, he has the false presentation of the golden boy of the city that is fake in just the right way, but also grounds it all by just bringing the frustration of any criminal trying to keep all the threads of his empire together as one. Buscemi creates the essential centerpoint here quite effectively and again offering a new perspective by being the centerpoint in this instance. Although additionally his monologue about his son and wife, is one of the best acted moments of Buscemi's career as he brings so much depth within the emotion, showing it as such a painful memory that truly haunts him, while offering the strongest sense of warmth as he offers up his essential vulnerable self to MacDonald's character.)
Huston - (Has already an amazing look, however I loved everything he did in his relatively limited screen time. Creating just the innate state of the man broken by the war speaking almost at times like he's more a ghost than a man, however the sense of the ghost being something tangible and convincing within the reality of the overall series still. He could've been over the top but you get the quiet and cold sense of seized emotions of the man broken essentially by the war and most literally. Something that then we see the proficiency in the killing scenes as a man where that is just an ease of execution for himself and not something he needs to think twice of. But that is balanced by the moments with MacDonald's family, where I thought Huston poignantly realized such tenderness in the gentle hope he brings in the "monster" looking for some kind of human connection and being so genuinely touched when he might find it.)
Luke:
Stuhlbarg - (Playing the antagonist by essentially doing his own rendition of what Buscemi is doing, though within a character who has even less conflict within his approaches to his criminal life. Stuhlbarg brings himself that natural ease in his menace of someone who is as smooth and straightforward as possible in his approach to his criminality. There is no extra that Stuhlbarg puts on lines; he just very much tells things as they are fitting to sort of the establishment of Rothstein as someone who just knows what he is capable of and threatens with a smile as much as he would with actual violence. Stuhlbarg though doesn't make it one note of that, even if that is the overall approach, effectively showing the moments of frustration, that burden him just enough that you see he too has his limits, particularly in the catch up scenes with the Black sox scandal where you see him slowly lose his extreme confidence with his ownership of the crime.)
Shannon - (As noted previously this was a performance I had a difficult time fully separating from his less inspired repeat of the same performance in The Shape of Water, where you have the deeply repressed man who holds onto his order and duty to kind of purge himself of responsibility. Although even so the original is clearly superior because we get much more nuance within the portrayal particularly those moments where you sense his decisions almost nagging at him each time when he chooses to go to some extremes. Extremes that convey the burden of whether his character is breaking what should be his code where you see a piercing mania behind it, or when he goes to the extreme with violence to do "right" where Shannon brings this mania in a different way of an attempted conviction.)
Coleman - (Nice to see him in something out of the 80's anyways, however I liked what he brought in terms of granting such a strong sense of history in the sleazier side of the family history basically. Coleman brings this innate sense of a much more powerful man at one time, though mixed in with his physical distress and kind of a dinosaur's logic within the man. Coleman is properly horrible in the way that is completely believable in bringing this misanthropic intensity mixed with a man festering away into himself.)
Williams - (Best described as just one cool mother f'er, and Williams's presence indeed does have the work in itself. But he goes further whenever called upon it to be bring some emotional depths that fuel the character in moments and you see the danger whenever he breaks his cool because of how firm that state of cool is to him.)
Pitt - (It is striking just how much he looks at DiCaprio and probably another person who would've been a better choice for Ernest Burkhart, given I'd say while not as innately charismatic, his portrayal of internalized intensity doesn't feel nearly as overcooked as when DiCaprio says it. Pitt earns the intensity where you see the man defined the war like Huston's but with him, you see it as this constant sense of fuel towards his actions. Now having said that, within the Jesse and Christopher style role of the young protege who causes as many problems for the lead as he solves, he didn't quite pop in the same way either of those two aforementioned characters managed to do. I always thought Pitt was solid in his scenes, but he just didn't have that extra sprinkle of something that made him truly come to life beyond a certain point.)
A:
You can find those thoughts somewhere around the 2000 bonus round.
Tahmeed:
We'll see, but if Borisov is nominated it will be a solo review for him.
Louis: Do you consider the category campaigning for Moore & Qualley egregious or “Eh, I don’t mind”? Or somewhere in the middle? I think they’re Co-Lead, though one could also argue it’s mainly Elizabeth’s story.
Bryan:
Egregious (but no more so than Saldana or Culkin), given they literally both play the main character (AM I THE ONLY ONE LISTENING TO THE SUBSTANCE COMPANY GUIDELINES!). And this isn't Seconds where one switches out the whole time, the film is going constantly back and forth. Given that Qualley plays the "third" version as well further cements that she is co-lead to me.
Louis: I'm a little confused, do you mean if Borisov *isn't* nominated, he'll get a solo review for his work in Anora instead of sharing it with his costar(s)?
I tried watching Emilia Pérez… stopped after hearing the first "number".
Oh just wait until the later seasons with Wigham. Season 4 had standout after standout performances, and he manages to be MVP. Huston too, for that matter. If I had to do a series-wide top 5 to give you an idea of how good everyone gets:
1. Wigham
2. Shannon
3. Huston
4. Williams
5. Stuhlbarg
Hey everyone. Wanted to say that, similar to last year, I might be sitting out many of the year's awards contenders for now. The immediate exceptions there could be "A Complete Unknown" and "Sing Sing", which seem to still be available in theatres/are going to re-released, in the case of "Sing Sing".
Side note, relating to one of the names in the conversation Daniel Craig: I recently learned for the first time he's from Liverpool. And the only reason I know that is because I was rewatching a scene from "Layer Cake", and one of the commenters said he "yelled like a Scouser". So...that's a new word for me.
Louis, your ranking of Mike Leigh's filmography?
Tahmeed: Out of curiosity, what did you think of Mark Eydelshteyn's performance? I'm not really sure how I feel about it.
Tahmeed:
What I was saying was that if Borisov gets the Oscar nomination (which seems very likely at this point) he will be a solo review no matter what.
Anonymous:
1. Topsy-Turvy
2. Secrets & Lies
3. Naked
4. Another Year
5. All or Nothing
6. Career Girls
7. Life Is Sweet
8. Meantime
9. Happy-Go-Lucky
10. Mr. Turner
Robert:
Most intrigued then.
Nosferatu floored me. Absolutely stunning film. Easy sweep for all tech categories.
Depp-5(I completely retract any reservations I may have had)
Hoult-5(Co-lead, by the way, but I see the argument for supporting)
Skarsgard-5(What the FUCK?)
Dafoe-4.5
Taylor-Johnson-2(Felt like a kid playing dress-up)
Corrin-4
Ineson-4
McBurney-4.5
Louis: Got you.
A: I thought he was quite effective by not exactly hiding how vapid Ivan was from the very beginning, but instead hiding his awareness of privilege and status in a way that was 'affable' enough to genuinely charm Ani in a way in the first act. The first time we see the 'real' him is his behavior is towards the hotel manager, and I think he cleverly portrays his 'freak out' as something that could be mistaken for genuine fear, but is really just a brat throwing a tantrum.
Louis: your ratings for the casts of Memoir Of A Snail & Armand?
Screen time data for A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg - 1:02:29 (69.77%)
Kieran Culkin - 58:06 (64.88%)
If he indeed wins, Culkin will be the eighth-longest Supporting Actor winner and the first to appear in more than 60% of his film.
Preaching to the choir here, but clear-cut category fraud!!
Anonymous: Yeah, that screentime count drives it home in a painful way.
Louis, thoughts on The White Lotus Seasons 1 and 2? Thoughts and rankings on the performances?
Louis: Was Mr. Turner always your least favorite Leigh film?
Thinking about it I could go to a 5 for Dafoe, just for being the one consistent source of some humor in the film. It's "expected" work from him I guess, but it's easy to take for granted how great he is.
I guess I'm glad you were impressed with Skarsgard, because the more I think about him, the more his Moose-and-Squirrel accented Hellraiser impression was kind of a disappointing approach for me.
Also, am I really the only one who could tell it was him without issue? He looks like Pennywise around the forehead. It was a giveaway.
He was unrecognizable to me.
J96: You'll find 'em if you Google the following search terms.
site:actoroscar.blogspot.com "white lotus season 1"
site:actoroscar.blogspot.com "white lotus season 2"
Louis: Thoughts on Mol, Meade, Palladino, and de la Huerta?
Matt: I wouldn't mind going with a 5 for him. He dominates his screentime, infuses the film with energy and urgency with his presence and manages to be such a memorable part of the film with what little time he has.
It does feel like expected work from him, tbf, but I found it delightful. Even more so than his work on Poor Things, personally.
Louis: Any plans to watch Flight Risk? Partly joking but I know you're a fan of Mel Gibson's directing.
Luke:
Snook - 4(Her vocal work is entirely invisible and there is no sort of celebrity show whatsoever. Rather she constructs this very meek manner of delivery that manages to evoke immediately a specific type of person without being a caricature either. There is the sense of withdrawn anxiety in every word in her delivery and speaks towards everything as truly a memoir and reflection, however if it were spoken to a snail. That is it is very internalized, quiet and the sense of a certain self-loathing and general depression being innate in her voice. Every sentence Snook creates that sense of character and makes the character intertwined with the history she is relating to.)
Smit-McPhee - 3.5(Less voicing overall though impressive in how much he's just convincing in creating the boy's voice though with this potent emotional nuance despite also being very reserved in the delivery. He too creates history within his voice, connection within it and the sense of a quiet need for something other than what his existence is.)
Jean-Baptiste - (Notable as I wonder if there is another two time collaborator with a director who played such extremes of characters given her Secrets & Lies performance was as the somewhat posh woman who was very calm and collected in her life, against her performance here which is the opposite of that in every way. Jean-Baptiste just goes for it every step of the way which is an extreme risk in itself because she is at such a heightened note that could easily have just been caricature. Given she plays coarse and antagonistic at every turn where she lashes out at everyone and everything at a near constant state of anger. Jean-Baptiste brings the force of this but I think the key to her work in the first half is as much as she's at such an intense note she finds nuance within that, although part of that nuance is just showing how she goes from somewhat angry to angrier depending on her state, but she is always on that razor's edge. Jean-Baptiste realizes the specific note that the person just is living within tension so even when she's just sitting theoretically trying to relax you don't feel entirely comfortable. And you see in Jean-Baptiste performance that festering tensions within her mind at all time, and so she goes from moments of one near extreme to extra extreme that she presents as just her natural state of being. Jean-Baptiste performs the essential facet to make the character work at all, which is to become natural within seemingly what would be such an unnatural state. She finds the person who is making a scene everywhere she goes with the shortest temper because while it is minute at times, she shows the changes within the anger and the way the anger just is who she is in such a harrowing state, even while presenting in a way that isn't at all pleasant or endearing. A risk that pulls off because you do believe her. However as the film progresses what Jean-Baptiste alludes to in the few quiet moments she has early on, with her sister where you are granted the sense that is one of the few relationships that isn't defined by at least a bit of hatred, and those are expanded upon. Jean-Baptiste though never simplifies or unsharpens even as she reveals the very real sorrow and pain that is behind all the anger, however even that she presents in a way that isn't remotely in a way that makes it sudden forgiveness. Even Jean-Baptiste plays as an extension of the same tensions and her sorrow is as vicious in a way even though we see her suffering within the pain entirely rather than trying to send the pain elsewhere. It is the same state of just festering within herself, without any sense of comfort in her living and just someone constantly factoring almost every choice in her life as a mistake. It is a powerful performance, albeit not a particularly endearing one, however one where she lets you in on an extreme figure that can exist in life, where she lets you see behind the curtain without softening those edges at any point.)
Austin - (Her performance is all about the contrast where you see the woman who is just living in relative comfort, with her daughters who love her and in that loving space. Austin brings that natural warmth in her performance and just an innate care of someone who in her heart senses comfort rather than pain. The key to her performance is that she too isn't in some perfect state of being, despite being an ideal state of being particularly compared to her sister. As we have moments where things don't go perfectly for her, however the moment that is so key is Austin's performance you see the glint of frustration but never overwhelmed by the frustration. She doesn't make her superhuman at any point, just showing someone with better coping skills and also a better environment where you get that sense of place rather than isolation within her family. Her moments with Jean-Baptiste are key, where she brings just a sincere love in every reaction and expression, however mixed in with that is her reactions you see her understanding of what her sister is going through, with her suggestions being blunt in her own way however rather than being of attack the accentuation is always on options and opportunity for improvement. Just as Jean-Baptiste makes a living breathing person as the curmudgeon living in despair, Austin is as honest in showing the lover of life, who too isn't some unrealistic type but something genuine.)
Anonymous:
Reinsve - 4(She manages to at least stay afloat in that she's always convincing to at least some degree, even as she needs to act out in some of the most ludicrous stylistic moments. Renisve does her best to attempt to provide some kind of balance in her scenes by at least finding an honest if often surface emotion. Because the character really does get lost within the film just completely falling off the rails and becoming absolutely ridiculous. To Reinsve's credit she never is ridiculous for a moment, even as the film gets VERY ridiculous.)
Razor:
No but as I was ranking I was thinking what would I be most likely to watch from any of those films, and really not much of Turner would intrigue me. While it is clearly the most visually dynamic of all of Leigh's films, it is also aggressively and needlessly staid and stale and just trudges along despite good performances and a great aesthetic. Whereas like Happy-Go-Lucky, where I find a lot of it dull, the Marsan/Hawkins scenes still enliven that film enough on their own.
Tony:
Mol - (A performance that I thought managed to not go overboard while playing a potentially pretty over the top note of the "sexy mom" who in no way hides her sultriness nor her mothering in either notion. Mol I found managed to make it work by very owning the approach of just showing it with all this supreme confidence and comfort with herself consistently as someone who has very much long been in her line of work and just has found that niche while having no hesitations for it anymore.)
Meade - (For a two episode arc I found her rather moving in portraying initially just the hopefulness of her character with probably more than falseness within that hope, however I think Meade managed to make it extra tragic by creating this reaffirming belief in herself. Then afterwards, managed to portray so powerfully just the completely broken spirit of her afterwards and you see her lost, with just the faintest glint of that hope being lessened in her remaining scenes, creating a properly heartbreaking role out of what could've been just a plot point.)
Palladino - (Probably one of the less interesting parts of the season for me, particularly in the scenes where we check back in with her without Jimmy. I think she's mostly entirely serviceable as the suffering wife, never found she stood out in a negative way, and was convincing as much as she was required to be so, however didn't quite step beyond that certain just basic level of competence for me.)
de la Huerta - (Pretty over the top and I thought she kind of was fine, however very much played into the surface of the role. And while I think she played that surface effectively enough though still very much felt far more caricature than most of the other performances.)
Louis: What are your thoughts on the rest of the cast of Hard Truths?
I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising that I didn't care much for The Room Next Door, given my mixed feelings even towards "great" Almodóvar. I honestly found that for about at least half of it, the film was kind of terrible, with some atrocious dialogue, some horribly stilted line readings and with some flashbacks that were so aggressively cliched they felt like something out of Mr. Church. I get Almodóvar loves his kitsch but this didn't feel particularly intentional despite Iglesias's extremely overbearing score, though I'll admit I'd probably like the score in isolation at least. I did not care for its use here. When they finally got to the titular situation, I thought the film improved to be okay at least, as some of the sort of less dramatic interactions became a bit less stilted, however even then I felt that was somewhat mitigated by a wholly pointless detour with the police and a casting that didn't work for me at all and felt gimmicky rather than moving as a final choice. Of course it doesn't help that the performer in question, which apparently casting them in at least dual roles is something all auteurs want to do, gave one of their weakest turns.
Swinton - 2
Moore - 3.5
Turturro - 3
Louis: Thoughts on Swinton and Moore.
Is Almodovar close to making your overrated list.
Your Best Actress winner will be very unpredictable this year. I'm fairly confident Trine Dyrholm will win Supporting Actress for The Girl With The Needle.
Louis: If the Oscars do get cancelled, how will you approach the lineups for 2024. Would you go with your New Year predictions for unofficial Oscar fives.
I have a feeling what they might do, is to do similar what the Hong Kong Film Awards did for 2019/20 when during the pandemic they literally just announced the winners on a livestream/remote video. I can't see them cancelling it and having no winners whatsoever.
Also RIP Tony Slattery, probably my favorite performer from the original Whose Line is it Anyway.
Lucas:
Everyone else is good though fitting into a certain naturalistic type where the performance is purposefully limited, with the two men being so quiet though naturally so in their extreme reserve and distance. Then the other two daughters are just outgoing, also naturalistically and create effectively the sense of connection in that instance.
Luke:
Swinton - (I guess this is not the year for me and performances as war correspondents because once again I did not care for such a performance. And don't even get me started on her flashback scenes for a moment, every interaction felt like the characters were hanging on vacation not living on the edge in a war torn country. This includes Swinton who has such a weightlessness to every interaction in those moments and there's no sense whatsoever about the gravity of her life, even in a way of someone pushing down her trauma in any way. Her present performance though I really didn't care much more for, except a couple of the interactions with Moore late in the film, I found her performance just so aggressively mannered and precise that I never felt like her character was going through anything real. And the thing is, Swinton can play broad and can play more natural, but here found this weird failure of an attempt to be broad while attempting to be natural I guess. Either way I saw a performance constantly and not even a performance that was entertaining, when that failed to sell Almodóvar's overly precious or just plain ridiculous lines, and gave no sense of a real history in this person whatsoever. And don't get me started on her last bit, which amazingly somehow made her previous work in the film seem authentic by comparison.)
Moore - (Her performance fared slightly better for me as the film went along though I felt she too got caught upon in the being stilted herself while reading the stilted line readings, and unfortunately found she came back to this place as well in the extremely artificial final scene. Having said that, I did like her earnest warmth in the midsection, creating the real tension within her performance between the sorrow of seeing that her friend will be dead soon, while also trying to be there for her at the same time. Something she maintains for a little while and the best moments of the film I found came from her.)
Well with Almodóvar part it's been more "not for me" more often than entirely dislike like with say an Adam McKay. I can still appreciate what he's trying to do even if I don't always love the choices, unlike some other filmmakers where I think they're making actively bad choices. Although in this instance, I do think this film was far less so the case than usual, with choices I would consider bad.
I don't think it will be cancelled altogether given they didn't cancel during COVID where the film output was also impacted. And since the new delay came with the announcement being virtual, I feel they will probably go forward with it. If they do cancel, which again I feel is unlikely, I guess I'd go with the BAFTA nominees which have not been delayed.
Rest In Peace Tony Slattery.
Louis: Funny, I was actually meaning to ask you if you thought The Substance might be improved on a rewatch. Any rating changes there?
I'm still working my way through the 80's, and I have a general question for everyone: What are everyone's choices for Best Supporting Actress during the decade? I'm having trouble with certain years.
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