Friday, 22 August 2025

Alternate Best Actor 1967: Results

 5. Sergei Bondarchuk in War and Peace Part IV - I elected not to review Bondarchuk for his self-directed performance. While a good performance in terms of his reactions to the various horrors of war and the eventual respite in the end, as a director he chooses not to focus on his performance as much as you'd think, particularly when the subtitle of the film is his character's name. Pierre's story while not lost in the shuffle wholly, is not focused upon performance wise heavily, instead choosing more visual choices to convey certain moments including the final romantic overture where we get a brief reaction by Bondarchuk, which while good, is quickly moved on from. He gives a good performance but it does feel like less of an impactful one thanks his choices as a director than say what he gave himself as an actor in the first part of the film series especially. 

Best Scene: Arriving Home. 
4. Ljubiša Samardžić in The Morning - Within very much a director's film as well, giving a interesting charismatic performance that unfortunately is very much limited by the confines of the writing. 

Best Scene: Fantasy
3. Michel Simon in The Two of Us - Simon gives a striking and extremely naturalistic portrayal of seemingly warm loving old man, who also holds some casual cruel prejudices. 

Best Scene: Ending.
2. Scott Wilson in In Cold Blood - Wilson gives a brilliant counter performance to Blake, bringing to life as tangibly a career criminal who may be less personally violent but is just as deadly. 

Best Scene: Conning the store. 
1. Toshiro Mifune in Samurai Rebellion - Good predictions Razor and Shaggy. Mifune delivers one of his best performances giving such a moving portrayal of the love of a father that also realizes intense rage when that love is endangered. 

Best Scene: The violence begins. 

Next: 1967 Supporting (Probably not a lineup)

173 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Have you completely settled on Poitier in To Sir, With Love.

Before you finish, could you watch:
Will Penny
The Young Girls Of Rochefort
Chiriyakhana
The Nun
A Bullet For The General
Custer Of The West
Our Mother's House
Elvira Madigan
and re-watches of:
Wait Until Dark (For Arkin)
and Far From The Madding Crowd (If an upgrade is still possible for Stamp).

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the rest of the lead performances.

Your Female Top 20s with ratings and other 4+ honourable mentions.

Anonymous said...

As long as Donald Pleasence gets a review for Will Penny, I'm all set.

Luke Higham said...

I'm rather hoping for a Pleasence win, realistically it's his last chance.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I hope Mars can get upgraded for The Producers. He's always been a pretty easy 5 for me, just for the improvised Churchill rant alone.

Harris Marlowe said...

Louis: Razor and Shaggy got their predictions right. The former's is under the lineup announcement and the latter's is under Samardžić's review.

Also, could you rewatch Le Samourai in addition to The Producers?

Michael McCarthy said...

That Anonymous comment about Pleasence was me btw, I don’t know why Google keeps logging me out these days

RatedRStar said...

I always think imo that Terence Stamp should have been a 5 for Madding Crowd, to be a disgusting yet charming man, while also being a sinister yet likable scoundrel is such a hard task to do. He should have been Barry Lyndon.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could you add Joe Shishido in Branded To Kill and The Incident Leads to the ranking.

RatedRStar said...

Louis: Since you mentioned you would have prefered Stamp as Barry Lyndon instead of Ryan' O Neal, how do you think Stamp would have done in Love Story?

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I don't think Stamp would've had any desire to star in Love Story even if he was in any way suitable for that role.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: I was thinking in more the whole box office thing since, Stamp from what I have read in the news was seen as a bit of a heartthrob in the 60s.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Perhaps but he always struck me as more of a Heathcliff in his physical appearance.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I mean, Barry Lydon in its final state was essentially Kubrick trying to accommodate O'Neal's weaknesses. The way he frames O'Neal purposely emphasis his emptiness and lack of inner-self. The reason I hold the movie in such high regard is because it's ultimately an epic about an empty-headed failure who bumbles into fortune. A more charismatic actor would have given better performance, sure, but I prefer the version we have with a living prop. (As for the argument Redford would have been better: He would have been the exact same. He was just as wooden as O'Neal when he wasn't enthused about a role. He was like Pitt, half-assed it when he knew he was miscast.)

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Haven't seen the '67 Madding Crowd yet, but Stamp's segment of the review as written does read to me like he was close to a 5 to begin with.

Harris Marlowe said...

I happen to recall reading a comment from a few years ago mentioning that people are not allowed to request performances for whichever round is up next, is that rule still in place?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Harris: Louis can correct me but I think it's still in place to prevent last minute switch ups.

BRAZINTERMA said...

Hello Louis!
Tell me from the year 1967 which are your TOP10 best:
- Song
- Score
- Poster
- Editing
- Screenplays (adapted and original)
- Cast

RatedRStar said...

Robert: We can definitely agree that Redford would have been worse.

Luke Higham said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luke Higham said...

Louis: Rating and thoughts on Joe Shishido in Branded To Kill.

Anonymous said...

Rating and thoughts on Martin Sheen in The Incident.

Matthew Montada said...

Ratings and thoughts on the cast of Relay?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on Bondarchuk's direction for Part III.

Marcus said...

Louis: Are you planning on posting your 1967 winners soon, or after you wrap up supporting.

Tony Kim said...

Poor Bondarchuk. From being at the top of everyone's predictions to not even getting a review.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Tony: It's kind of funny, but it's something that's expected to happen every now and then when we don't do our homework on the lineups.

Luke Higham said...

Delighted with Arkin's upgrade.

Marcus said...

Louis: Will you rewatch The Graduate, curious about your rating for the film now.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: Who would you have cast as Balian in Kingdom of Heaven instead of Orlando Bloom?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Yes regarding Poitier.

Newman - 4.5 (Kind of fascinating anti-Newman performance in a way because he really doesn’t utilize any of his charm in portraying the taciturn titular character. Newman instead reigns it all in for just quiet conviction but also quiet frustration along with unease at the cowardly nature of others. Newman pulls off the challenge of not at all playing his charm to give a captivating portrayal of that quiet command of his performance. Newman shows just the right respects of the humanity buried beneath essentially the necessary toughness needed for his way of existing in a world where no one trusts him.)

Nakadai - 4.5(Atypical Nakadai in playing the character as so goofy for a good portion of the film, almost Jim Carrey as an unlikely action hero, and I thought Nakadai managed to hit just the right tone with just proper comedic timing in playing the seeming doofus. Nakadai has this way of seeming completely foolish while somehow very pointed in his exact movements and manner all the same. Of course the process of the film is him slowly turning into the “cool” Nakadai that is a bit more familiar, something he excels in quite naturally making for both a sort of James Bond after having successfully played Inspector Clouseau.)

Shishido - 4(Speaking of silly, that is what Shishido is all the time despite playing the “cool” hitman character and he is cool in a certain respect. The physical style of his performance is accentuating that style of cool, however that is mixed in with being wholly lustful over boiling rice and just the madness to his deliveries and movements when we see him in the action scenes. His performance is quite wild but it works in that wildness. I wouldn’t say he quite pulled me beyond just the madness of the character, but that madness was worth quite a bit.)

Tognazzi - 4(One where the character just isn’t all that likable although one could argue that is the case for all of Germi’s protagonists, but for whatever reason I found myself more invested in the previous two guys than what we get here. Maybe it is Tognazzi who certainly has charisma and is selling the material as basically this bit of personal madness the character is going through at all times. But I will say the character never quite came to the point where I felt like a co-conspirator of some sort like with Mastroianni for example.)

Louis Morgan said...


Shin - (Perhaps overshadowed by his co-star a little bit, but I did more or less think he effectively portrayed the certain state of anxiety of his character throughout the film. Bringing us in enough within the man’s mind of just existing within this state, where he plays the notes of the man lost in these thoughts, then moments of finding some kind of life again and bending between the two in a believable fashion.)


Scott - (A little much with his voice at times, but overall is effective in portraying the specific rhythm of the conman who is always playing around with ideas through his various ways of dancing around subjects. Scott is having enough fun to have with him in playing the character’s specific lack of hesitation or moral question in his behavior throughout. Scott plays into the man just existing within his certain style though adds a bit more within the certain sort of regulated worth he brings with his young apprentice even if Scott always plays him as not *that* invested.)

O’Shea - (He’s perfectly serviceable in being believable in the part; sadly the film doesn’t exactly operate in a way to let him sink his teeth into his character beyond a pretty cursory level.)

Bogarde - (Didn’t find he really came to life within this one. I thought he was fine at times but felt pretty distant from his work.)


Tati - (Doing his thing but even less focus on him here.)

Tamba - (Fine in playing the general emotions of the role but really doesn’t come to life or come across as you’d really like for a leading character.)

Sarrazin - (Decentish has moments with Scott where he comes to life the most in creating the relationship between the two. The rest of the time he goes for an eagerness that at times works decently but other times makes his role feel a little thin.)

Fehmiu - (Fine but forgettable)

Gades - (Fine but forgettable.)


Roeves - (Same)

Hudson - (Has presence but feels like he’s phoning it in some of the time.)


Kuravlyov - (Kind of goofy in a way that doesn’t sell the comedy all that well but worse than that very much undercuts the horror.)

Orbison - 2 Wieseaus (When singing he delivers of course, when not, well Orbison is hilarious with how not good he is, and not even like a stiff musician kind of way, just like they pulled a random guy off the streets with no acting experience to read lines. He’s as awkward as can be and it is entertaining just not intentionally so.)


I thought The Incident was a pure ensemble.

RatedRStar:

Stamp in Love Story sounds comical like he’d be disinterested the whole time, but maybe I would’ve enjoyed that.

Harris & Tahmeed:

Yes.

Louis Morgan said...



Matthew:

Ahmed - 4.5(Ahmed is simply a captivating performer and has that certain star quality where just watching him on screen has something to it. Something that is very important for the first third of this film or so where we are just watching him do procedural things silently. Ahmed is captivating in that star way but brings just enough sense of emotion in how he handles every various step with a sense of urgency in mind. As the film progresses Ahmed naturally brings out the pent up emotions with the character in a particularly effective way as he unravels it like a compelling mystery. Pulling you more and more into his cipher to bring humanity and show where his conviction comes in. Ahmed wonderfully opens us to his character so effectively bringing to life his trauma and in turn creating such a dynamic sense of something to invest into as we progress within the scheme of the film.)

James - 2.5(I’ll just say that there’s some things she does better here than others. When playing more of the potential love interest note she’s at her best when doing a few other things, she’s less impressive.)

Worthington - 3.5(Very much a functional villain role where his character isn't even a big time villain just a guy with a job. Worthington though wisely I think plays into just that idea of playing it like a contractor of any time just working to get the job done, little more than that.)

Fitzgerald - 3(Like Worthington but just at a smaller scale.)

Maher - 3(Don’t quite see what casting directors seem to with this guy, but this was one of his better performances, particularly just his later vocal work where he conveys the distress effectively. His early scene though I think he could’ve brought more history to this point than what we fully get.)

Marcus:

After wrap up this time.

I plan to.

Matt:

Heath Ledger

Lucas Saavedra said...

Louis: What are your rating and thoughts on James Fox in Thoroughly Modern Millie?

8000S said...

Louis: Your thoughts on this 1968 interview with Jean Pierre-Melville for Sight & Sound.

https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/jean-pierre-melville-samurai-paris

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on Mifune in Japan's Longest Day.

Anonymous said...

What's Jake Gyllenhaal up to recently?? Will we ever see him on the blog again??

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

Louis: Your opinion on these hypothetical casts?

Early 2010s Death of a Salesman directed by Craig Gillespie (note: when picking the actors I specifically had a 1985 version in mind, but I really I don't imagine the characters being different all that much between adaptations)
William "Willy" Loman: Al Pacino
Biff Loman: Aaron Paul
Linda Loman: Annette Benning
Harold "Happy Loman": Antony Starr (The Boys as a proof of concept)
Charley: John Goodman
Ben Loman: Fred Melamed

2020s Being There directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Chance: Sharlto Copley
Eve Rand: Anna Kendrick
President: Bill Camp
Ben Rand: Tim Curry (sadly the only kind of role he'd be able to play on screen nowadays)
dr Robert Allenby: Toby Jones

2020s The Wind and the Lion directed by Peter Weir
Raisuli: Tahar Rahim
Eden Pedecaris: Elizabeth Debicki
President Theodore Roosevelt: Nick Offerman
Secretary of State John Hay: J.K. Simmons

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Never say never but I think we can all agree that Nightcrawler will remain the peak of his career.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Since you're likely to be focusing on your annual catch-up for a few weeks after this, here's the list.

Weapons
Magazine Dreams
Sorry, Baby
Sovereign
Eddington
The Ballad Of Wallis Island
Ballerina
How To Train Your Dragon
Ne Zha 2
Elio
The Day The Earth Blew Up
The Bad Guys 2
Predator: Killer Of Killers
KPop Demon Hunters
Eephus
Familiar Touch
A Nice Indian Boy
Bob Trevino Likes It
The Wedding Banquet
Lurker
Mr. Burton
The Assessment
Jazzy
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy
Last Breath
Fight Or Flight
Splitsville
Ponyboi
She Rides Shotgun
Together
The World Will Tremble
Freaky Tales
The Luckiest Man In America
Broke
Dangerous Animals

Harris Marlowe said...

I hope he sees Bob Trevino Likes It. Leguizamo's worthy of a potential review.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: And if you are doing a review inbetween 67 and 2004 then please get Selton Mello out of the way.

Perfectionist said...

Anonymous: Ohh man you opened some wounds. But as someone who has Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler as his number 1 performance of the 2010s decade and almost the same kind of reverence for his work in Prisoners, I hope he can put out work of that calibre again. I actually liked his performance in Ambulance too. I would give that a 4.

Matt Mustin said...

Gyllenhaal is awesome in Ambulance.

Perfectionist said...

Louis: so this is the first time I noticed this, but damn, you ranked Alex Vincent in Child's Play dead last in the 1988 rankings 😂😂?? It's not that big of a deal, but I honestly think that's one of the cutest kids in the history of cinema lol, there have been far insufferable kids.

Also, it seems like I have greater reverence for the Chucky movies than most people here. I really like the first two Child Plays.

Luke Higham said...

Perfectionist: I don't mind them much either. Whether you like Dourif's work or not, it is iconic for the genre.

Harris Marlowe said...

Louis: Your top 10 most suspenseful scenes of the 1950s and the 2010s each.

Calvin Law said...

Damn, I came so close to winning this prediction. Glad we completely agree on Bondarchuk and the final instalment being the weakest.

And as for 1967 Supporting, I'd love a Dick Shawn writeup but it's your call.

Matt Mustin said...

Question: If I watch Dune Part 2 without refreshing myself with a rewatch of the first one, how lost will I be?

Calvin Law said...

Matt: I didn't do a rewatch of the first before watching it and I didn't feel lost in the slightest (though I had read the source material which perhaps makes a difference).

Anonymous said...

Luke, if you don't mind, rating predictions for both 2004 lineups.

Luke Higham said...

Pacino - 4.5/5
Bale - 5
Bernal - 4.5/5
Mikkelsen - 5
Imran Khan - 4.5
Leung - 4.5/5
Yagira - 5
Bruhl - 4.5
Whannell - 2.5 (3.5 for Elwes)
Shah Rukh Khan - 4.5/5
Fully expect upgrades for Considine, Cheadle and maybe Bacon.

Wu - 2 (I recall RatedRStar saying he was terrible and I only saw the first 30 minutes of it 19 years ago)
Hurt - 4
Meadows - 4/4.5
Thornton - 4.5
Bright - 4.5
Phil Davis in Vera Drake - 4.5
Peter O'Toole in Troy - 5 (4.5 for Bana, 4 for Cox and a 3.5 for Bean)

If he does a 10 lineup for Supporting then Torn and Stiiler in Dodgeball and Javier Bardem in Collateral.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Wu is not terrible he has a decent reaction or two but I think Louis will say the same thing about him as he did with Nick Cheung for Beast Stalker, that it should have been Nicholas Tse receiving the plaudits.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Nevermind. I'll say this is one of my most highly anticipated years. Look forward to getting his thoughts on Denzel Washington in Man On Fire and Malcolm McDowell in Evilenko.

Luke Higham said...

For supporting, if he likes him a great deal then Alan Tudyk in I, Robot, that one always slips my mind.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I think Khan is an easy 5. That's a performance that transcends borders...

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

Luke: And there I was, hoping I'd never hear the word "Evilenko" again until now...

Luke Higham said...

Ytrewq: I'm not surprised about the film's quality but McDowell in a role like that is too much of a curiosity for me.

Anonymous said...

Luke, who's your MVP from Alexander (2004).

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'll do a ratings breakdown.
Farrell - 2 (Severely miscast)
Jolie - 1 (Might be her worst performance)
Kilmer - 3.5
Hopkins - 3.5
Leto - 2
Plummer - 3 (Has about 3 minutes of screen time)
McCann - 3 (Probably the most impactful out of the minor players)

Luke Higham said...

The main reason to watch Alexander is Vangelis' last score for a major film.

Matt Mustin said...

Luke: Can I just listen to the score without watching the movie?

Luke Higham said...

Matt: If you're not going by Louis' eligibility rules then sure.

Matthew Montada said...

Your thoughts on the trailers for Hamnet & Is This Thing On?

Robert MacFarlane said...

What year was Nolte in Clean eligible? I’ve heard good things about that performance over the years.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: 2004

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

Luke: I'm saying this beacuse for me both McDowell and Csokas are 2 for Evilenko and I hope as a whole Louis will rip this film a new one.

Luke Higham said...

Ytrewq: If you feel that strongly about it then I'll not going any further with it as a recommendation because 5/4.5s are the priority for me.

Harris Marlowe said...

Robert: Funny... Nolte in Clean was the *exact* performance I was thinking of earlier, when I asked if people are still forbidden from making requests for the next round. I think I'll just simply urge him to watch the film during Supporting.

Harris Marlowe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Harris Marlowe said...

RatedRStar: If you don't mind my asking, what compelled you to request Wu if his acting is nothing to write home about?

Luke Higham said...

Harris: Assuming Nolte's lead in the film, Louis could cheat if he wanted to. He did it with Oates for 1970.

Harris Marlowe said...

Luke: No, I'd say Nolte is Supporting.

Luke Higham said...

Harris: RatedRStar is very passionate about HK filmmaking and likes to see actors that he likes get some attention on the blog.

Luke Higham said...

Harris: Then you can request him because the limit is 10 and he hasn't made the 2004 announcement official yet.

Harris Marlowe said...

Luke: I thought that if people aren't allowed to make requests for the next round, then that would include both Lead and Supporting?

Well, if what Luke's saying is accurate, then I'll officially use my first request on Nick Nolte in Clean.

Luke Higham said...

Harris: You just have to give him enough time in advance. 2004 won't be for another 2-3 weeks due to him having to catch up on some 2025 films.

Harris Marlowe said...

So the official rule is that I can't request someone *right before* the next round is about to begin?

Luke Higham said...

Harris: Yes. I posted the roadmap on Simon's review which I would recommend to everybody to copy and paste on to Word or Google Docs so they won't lose track of it.

RatedRStar said...

Harris: Yes pretty much what Luke said, up until 2020 was my HK loving days, Wu was more of a knee jerk reaction similar to Liu Kai Chi for Stool Pigeon rather than going with Nicholas Tse who I had already suggested in the past.

RatedRStar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RatedRStar said...

I was asked by a friend recently if I had seen any divisive films, it hit me that I have never seen Vanilla Sky, what are other peoples thoughts on it just out of curiosity?

Calvin Law said...

Nolte is fantastic in Clean, easy 4.5 for me (and Cheung is my #3 in Lead after Staunton and Winslet).

Robert MacFarlane said...

I kinda hope Foxx gets upgraded for Collateral. I think he's just as good as Cruise. (Granted, they'd both be strong 4.5's if I had to give a personal rating, so to me the gap doesn't really exist).

Matt Mustin said...

I think Foxx is just fine.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

It's Cruise's (and Mann's) show hands down for me, but I'd give Foxx a strong 4.

Harris Marlowe said...

Louis: In addition to Nolte, could you add these performances that others recently requested to the list?

Claude Rains - Deception (RatedRStar)
Antonio R. Frausto - Let's Go With Pancho Villa (Emi)
Tom Courtenay - Otley; Robert Duvall - Tomorrow (Shaggy)

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

For me Cruise is a 4.5, while Foxx just tags along for the ride, I'd give him 3 or maaaaybe 3.5.

Matt Mustin said...

3 is about right for Foxx I think. He's there, he doesn't really do anything wrong, but he doesn't go above and beyond either. He's perfectly fine.

Tony Kim said...

Louis: Do you mind saying where you're at right now with Boardwalk Empire? Have you quit, or do you still intend to return to it? And your past roles for Shea Whigham and Stephen Graham?

Perfectionist said...

I concur with Robert and Tahmeed.... I like Foxx! A 4-4.5 rating is something I concur with. I think with the film's escalating pace once Cruise comes into the picture, Foxx is a compelling enough protagonist for me. Also makes Max, a convincing and likable geek.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I honestly don't think Cruise works without Foxx's reactions. There's something about the vulnerable, empathetic way Foxx asks "Why did you do that?" that feels necessary to Cruise's sociopathy.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your ranking of films you've seen that are about nuclear/atomic warfare and the fallout?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Since you've seen Nuremberg (2000) many years ago, can I have your thoughts on this compilation of Brian Cox's scenes.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a0CeAfEEjKM&pp=ygUTYnJpYW4gY294IG51cmVtYmVyZw%3D%3D

Louis Morgan said...

Lucas:

Fox - (Convincing accent but don’t exactly buy him wholly as a goofy comedic lead. There’s a certain obvious effort from Fox’s performance that ends up keeping him being as hilarious as the film wants him to be. He has a moment or two where there’s a certain charm about him, but largely feels like someone trying to be silly and funny rather than someone who is just funny.)

8000’s:

Expectedly blunt right down to his criticisms of Bonnie and Clyde and Orpheus (though his criticism of the second half proceeds to note the amazing scenes in the second half) and his specific defenses of his own films very much are a man who knows what he wants, and you see that in his idiosyncratic films. I will say it’s a shame we never got that film he alludes to at the end and it sounds rather promising.

Luke:

Mifune - (Just barely lead if that, but really a fast forwarded arc, as we jump between the scenes initially of being the steadfast representation of the army refusing to accept surrender. Mifune brings the right confidence mixed in with the edges of a bluster as a man who knows he’s losing but has to hold on to any sort of strength. Making it convincing then when the character accepts the defeat sort of which Mifune plays well in the specific combination between a duty to his Emperor but an anxiety of the man accepting his whole existence being a failure. Leading to Harakiri sequence where Mifune is naturally great in bringing as much intensity of every frame of his act as we see with the violence also shown during the process.)

Ytrewq:


Death of a Salesmen, yes to everyone especially Goodman as Charley but Pacino could do some great pathos, and maybe on Paul which would need to be a 80’s set version as I’m not sure I’d buy him as a 50’s version.

Being There is just about perfect, that would be the right type of role for Copley, Camp is perfect in any Jack Warden role I think, and I’d love to see Curry get a chance like that. I’d probably favor Stone instead of Kendrick, but I do think Lanthimos would probably utilize her well.

Yes to all on The Wind and Lion, and the ideal type of depiction of Teddy Roosevelt where an Offerman would work.

Harris:


50’s

1. Lisa Goes to Thorwald - Rear Window
2. Cropduster - North By Northwest
3. The Murder - Strangers on a Train
4. The collapsing turnaround - Wages of Fear
5. Final showdown - Bad Day At Black Rock
6. The River - The Night of The Hunter
7. Conversation tap - Touch of Evil
8. Blowing up the Bridge - The Bridge on the River Kwai
9. Repair - Ice Cold in Alex
10. Getting the Shoe - Cinderella


2010’s:

1. Cleaning the House - Parasite
2. Sandstorm - Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Opening - Drive
4. Stop at Border - Sicario
5. One More Bet - Uncut Gems
6. Driving to the Hospital - Prisoners
7. Helicopters - Mi: Fallout
8. Final Battle - Mad Max: Fury Road
9. Cab Ride - I Saw The Devil
10. Final Battle - Skyfall

Perfectionist:

I’ll say that particular year being at bottom isn’t *as* bad as many years. Though I mostly think he’s a “kid stuck in front of the camera” rather than insufferable, however I still wouldn’t call it a good performance…except his delivery of “this IS the end friend”.

Matthew:

Hamnet looks expectedly beautiful and Buckley and Mescal together is potentially a dream pair in terms of the raw talent of the two. A strong first impression though ethereal is a tricky sweet spot, though I hope Zhao hits it again.

I do ponder if Cooper took the criticisms of Maestro to heart. While this has a dramatic approach it is way lower key, but given his failures there I for one am glad for the switch in direction. The film itself definitely has maybe a standard Indie “comedy actor doing drama” vibe but doesn’t look terrible.

Tony:

I will finish it, as I’ve liked season 4, just other things have gotten in the way.

Tahmeed:

Dr. Strangelove
The Sacrifice
When the Wind Blows
Fail Safe
Dead Man’s Letters
The Bedford Incident
A Boy and His Dog
Testament
The Sum of All Fears

Harris Marlowe said...

Your modern-day casts and directors for Wait Until Dark and In the Heat of the Night?

8000S said...

Louis: I'll admit that it's kinda disappointing that Okamoto didn't give Nakadai a role in Japan's Longest Day. He only narrates.

Rating and thoughts on Ryu?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Thoughts on the production design of Playtime.

Luke Higham said...

Pleased Stamp went up.

RatedRStar said...

Just realised that Far from the Madding Crowd only has a 64% score on RT which is somewhat of a surprise since it is seen somewhat as a British classic.

Harris Marlowe said...

Louis: On the topic of WUD, do you think it's likely that Mike became romantically attracted to Susy?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Barring any future upgrades, could you name 10 fiveless actors and actresses that you hope to give fives to in future.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could you watch Chiriyakhana before the Pleasence/Producers review.

Shaggy Rogers said...

Your thoughts on the trailers for Bugonia and The Secret Agent?

Anonymous said...

John Smith aka Varun: Louis, ratings and thougts on Tommy Bergren in Elvira madigan as well as your thoughts on the cinematography of the film please.

Harris Marlowe said...

I'm sure he'll discuss Bergren after the Supporting results.

Luke Higham said...

I'll give Elordi the benefit of the doubt but Andrew Garfield as Frankenstein's Monster is really beginning to feel like a missed opportunity after 'After The Hunt' getting middling if not negative responses.

Luke Higham said...

It's Buckley vs Reinsve for Louis' win this year.

Anonymous said...

And based on No Other Choice's reviews, Lee might be finally getting his win.

Matt Mustin said...

I know we don't really care about the Emmys but Colin Farrell is for sure winning, right?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: What I hope for most this year is Brendan Fraser getting his five.

Harris Marlowe said...

Luke: Hell, it could be Buckley vs Reinsve for the Oscar win this year.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: If you've never given them before, could I have your thoughts on Landa's defection/'conditional surrender' negotiation from Inglourious Basterds in terms of writing and the performances?

Anonymous said...

Hamnet getting great reviews so far, I really hope that this isn't just a Buckley show and that Mescal doesn't get left out.
Frankenstein getting reviews that matched its trailer, well made but bombastic and overblown.
After the Hunt getting meh reviews, Julia Roberts looks like the only possibility now, or a SAG/Globe nominee only.
Deliver Me from Nowhere looks like A Complete Unknown all over again.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I should note that Elordi is getting great notices even from the mixed reviews.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

One of those beyond beliefs sets given it is a set and the set being that of modern complication that Tati just plays around like crafting a where's Waldo painting. And it is stunning work because while it is modern it's like too modern in the perfect nature of that overt complication, that is a very eye pleasing overcomplication even if still just that. Simply outstanding work where every set is captivating in itself as a kind of painting of the modern absurdity in such a specific fashion.

8000's:

Ryu's supporting.

Harris:

Wait Until Dark 2020's directed by Mark Mylod:

Susy: Aria Mia Loberti or Ana De Armas
Roat: Tramell Tillman (Credit to Calvin)
Mike: Nicholas Hoult
Carlino: Ethan Suplee
Sam: Alden Ehrenreich

In The Heat of Night 2020's directed by Shaka King:

Detective Virgil Tibbs: Daniel Kaluuya
Police Chief Bill Gillespie: David Harbour
Officer Sam: Walton Goggins
Mrs. Colbert: Carrie Coon
Endicott: Bill Camp
Harvey & Ralph: Talented unknowns.

Harris:

Yes, not aggressively...but I mean unless you're a psychotic like Roat it would be hard just to ignore Audrey Hepburn. I feel the way Crenna plays it, it's a crush more than anything that makes him want to soften their plan a bit, but I wouldn't say he was going to try to whisk her away from Sam at any point.

Shaggy:

Already gave thoughts on the teaser for Bugonia, so I won't be watching any more.

The Secret Agent is instantly eye catching visually, Moura's performance looks most intriguing and just the vague idea of the plot it grants is most captivating.

Tahmeed:

8000S said...

Louis: Your thoughts on this scene?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HawnoH8yLEE

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: I think your response to my original comment about that Inglourious Basterds scene didn't get posted.

Matt Mustin said...

RIP Graham Greene. Great character actor.

Luke Higham said...

RIP Graham Greene

Anonymous said...

RIP Graham Greene

RatedRStar said...

RIP Graham Greene

A said...

R.I.P. Graham Greene.

J96 said...

Oh my God! Rest in Peace Graham Greene.

Razor said...

RIP Graham Greene.

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

RIP Graham Greene

Tim said...

R.I.P. Graham Greene

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Would the 14th of September be an acceptable date for your updated Oscar predictions.

Maciej said...

RIP Graham Greene

Luke Higham said...

I don't think anyone ever anticipated that Dwayne Johnson will probably get reviewed before Dave Bautista.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Bizarrely at points I actually was going to request Bautista for the Blade Runner Short film which I think he is great in, but I don't think that would count.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: There's definitely great potential in his upcoming Highlander performance though I hope he takes a different approach from Brown's take.

J96 said...

It’s my BIRTHDAY!!!!!

J96 said...

I would’ve posted at the beginning of the day, but I didn’t want the post to be immediately following a tribute.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

J96: Happy birthday.

Louis: Rating and thoughts on Uttam Kumar in Chiryakhana?

Calvin Law said...

Louis: thoughts on this 2020s retro casting for Network directed by Aaron Schimberg?

Diana Christensen: Renate Reinsve
Max Schumacher: Ben Mendelsohn
Howard Beale: Ke Huy Quan
Frank Hackett: Louis Cancelmi
Arthur Jensen: Bob Odenkirk
Louise Schumacher: Essie Davis

Calvin Law said...

RIP Graham Greene, a true trailblazing legend.

And a very happy birthday, J96.

Jonathan Williams said...

Louis: Thoughts on The Bone Temple trailer.

A said...

Louis: Would Gong Yoo make your top 10 supporting actor lineup for 2024 (since season 2 was released in 2024)?

For reference, this was your list:

1. Tadanobu Asano - Shogun
2. Shō Kasamatsu - Tokyo Vice
3. Jonathan Pryce - Slow Horses
4. Maurizio Lombardi - Ripley
5. Fred Nguyen Khan - The Sympathizer
6. Damian Lewis - Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
7. Hugo Weaving - Slow Horses
8. Shinnosuke Abe - Shogun
9. Ken Watanabe - Tokyo Vice
10. Timothy Spall - Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

Marcus said...

Louis: Is the rating difference between Driver/Johannson and some of the supporting players in Marriage Story among the biggest gulfs in quality of performance you've seen in a film?

Anonymous said...

Louis, when you review a film for multiple performances (like the Brutalist guys), how many times do you re-watch the film?

Harris Marlowe said...

Thoughts on the teaser for A House of Dynamite?

Matt Mustin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Matt Mustin said...

Is Pacino lead in The Merchant of Venice? Cause I wouldn't call Shylock the lead of the play.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Matt: Textually, I'd say he isn't, but a lot of productions do center on him to the point that category placement gets blurred.

Matt Mustin said...

Tahmeed: Right, which is why I'm curious about this version. I should note I will watch it for his performance, but I absolutely hate the play.

Luke Higham said...

Matt: It's okay as a film but Pacino's fantastic. And requesting a Shakespearean performance from Pacino was far too tempting.

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

Matt: I'd say he very much is lead and he's a 4.5/5 for me.

Jonathan Williams said...

Is Pacino the only actor to be reviewed in 6 consecutive decades.

Luke Higham said...

Jonathan: Robert Duvall's the only other that I could think of that has achieved that feat.

Louis Morgan said...

8000’s:

The type of South Park moments I most enjoy because of the very simple child’s joy you actually do see in Kenny’s little dance.

Tahmeed:

Waltz is of course great in playing throughout the scene where Landa is very much fashioning yet another game for himself, where he sees himself as the ultimate victor in his situation. Something where I think Pitt and Novak for that matter both serve effectively as comic relief where they aren’t anywhere near the level strategy to Landa, but are great foils by being so blunt in contrast. Tarantino writes the scene as this bouncing off those personalities with great comedic exchanges, while getting across the exposition naturally as Landa reveals himself more so an opportunist more than anything. Right down to his attempting to revise history on his nickname to try to decry in some way meanwhile in the first scene having gloried in the name.

Luke:

Whenever the Audience Award gets announced.

Calvin:

Interesting lineup particularly Cancelmi, and Quan, though I think both could deliver very different but also very effective performances. Of course we’ve heard Odenkirk say the line before so it would be interesting to see him play it fully straight. Mendelsohn and Davis would be great stabilizers and Reinsve I think could hit that very tricky heightened tone to the character…side note seeing Maslany struggle with lines with the leaked youtube footage of the stage version shows just how tricky of a role it is.

Jonathan:

Looks like more of the previous film honestly, which didn't love as much as some but interested to see where it goes particularly with Fiennes.

A:

Yes he'd be #5.

Marcus:

Technically yes, but also common in "Great performance/Bad film" e.g. Raul Julia in Streetfighter (vs most of the rest of the cast), James Woods in Killer (vs the rest of the cast), though it is more unusual in decent to good films, like Thewlis vs. Cruttwell in Naked for example as well.

Anonymous:

Usually one more, but I will re-watch certain moments when possible.

Harris:

The reviews have me most intrigued regardless, but I have to admit the teaser didn't exactly blow me away (no pun intended) as it just felt like mostly just reaction shots without really a proper build through them. But I really just think this is entirely a matter of trailer editing given the word on the film so far.

Harris Marlowe said...

Knowing that you are somewhat lukewarm on Wall-E, Up, and Monsters Inc., would you say your opinions of them are unlikely to change at this point? Have you seen each of them more than once?

Robert MacFarlane said...

Harris: I owe them both a rewatch, it’s been quite some time for both.

Matt Mustin said...

I maintain that Wall-E would've been an AMAZING short film.

Perfectionist said...

Matt: I think Wall-E is brilliance either way. Surprised that most of you guys aren't huge on it.

Tim said...

Perfectionist: I don't LOVE love it as much as, say, anything Pete Docter directed, but i really like it a lot. The problem is that, while the second half is good, it's just nowhere near as good as the first half

Shaggy Rogers said...

Hey guys
I believe Louis will do the same in 1977, mentioning several names in one post. So let's talk about the Top 10 supporting actors of 1967:
1. Arkin
2. Pleasence
3. Stamp
4. Attenborough
5. Hackman
6. Shawn
7. Bates
8. Finch
9. Courtenay
10. Kennedy

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Where does Lionel Richie's 'Say You, Say Me' rank in your original song line up for that year? I think I asked you for the thoughts on the song a long time ago, but I can't seem to find them.

Tony Kim said...

Tahmeed: Found his thoughts on it under Phoenix's review for Dogfight.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Tony: Thank you.

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

Louis: How would you have improved The House of Sand and Fog as a film?

Louis Morgan said...

Harris:

Yes to Monster's Inc and Wall-E, in fact I re-watched Wall-E fairly recently and as masterful as find the Earth act, I honestly disliked the humans/spaceship stuff all the more.

Ytrewq:

Well re-casting Ron Eldard would help greatly. But otherwise tragedies are so difficult to get right that for me this one just doesn't quite walk that ideal line where you don't feel there is a certain construction around aspects that make it feel less natural, and in turn make it feel less emotional. I also think Perelman directs it in a way where it so deadly serious for every second that the people are pushed to feel like emotional representations than wholly people some of the time.

Louis Morgan said...

Caught Stealing I will say as a well established non-Aronofsky fan I actually rather enjoyed this "wrong man" thriller/dark comedy though with the vibes more so of After Hours (with Griffin Dunne featured to boot). With these you either go for the ride or don't which I did here consistently, aided greatly by Austin Butler delivering a proper leading man turn.

Butler - 4.5
King - 3.5
Kravitz - 3
Smith - 3
Schreiber - 3.5
D'Onofrio - 3.5
Ocasio - 2.5
Kolokolnikov - 2
Dunne - 3
Kane - 3

Harris Marlowe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lucas Saavedra said...

Louis: How well do you think Theo James would do in the role of Sergeant Frank Troy and Mark Wahlberg as Otto West?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Thoughts on the cast of Caught Stealing.

A said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
A said...

Louis: To round out the Gong Yoo questions, your thoughts on the bread/lottery sequence and the backstory scene?

Calvin Law said...

Lucas: if I could add my two cents, James would honestly be the perfect choice for Troy thinking about it, Wahlberg weirdly would feel miscast to me even though he excels most playing comic characters and dumb ones because Otto's particular manner of idiocy feels like it requires a different kind of energy that Wahlberg doesn't quite have.

Matt Mustin said...

Otto is a real tightrope walk of a role, and as much as I do genuinely like Wahlberg in comic roles, I don't know if he's deft enough to pull that one off. Kline was insanely perfect.

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

Yeah, Otto is both brutish and stupid in a maniacally pretentious, almost suave manner and Wahlberg wouldn't be able to pull off this combo. Coming up with alternate roles for him is fun, but damn is it hard.

Unknown said...

Louis, would you think of upgrading Fonda for The Grapes Of Wrath??? That's easily an all time great performance, based off of my recent viewing. Maybe a 2nd place in 1940 rankings?

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Thoughts on Aronofsky’s direction as well?