Lee Byung-hun in No Other Choice
Jesse Plemons in Bugonia
Joel Edgerton in Train Dreams
David Jonsson in The Long Walk
Paul Mescal in Hamnet
Feel free to predict these five, those five or both.
Robert Aramayo in I Swear
Josh O'Connor in Wake Up Dead Man
Dylan O'Brien in Twinless
David Strathairn in A Little Prayer
Frank Dillane in Urchin
47 comments:
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on:
Cillian Murphy - Steve
Daniel Day-Lewis - Anemone
Denzel Washington - Highest 2 Lowest
Everett Blunck - The Plague
Harry Melling - Pillion
Hugh Jackman - Song Sung Blue
Jeremy Allen White - Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Oscar Isaac - Frankenstein
Sergi López - Sirāt
I'll give predictions in the morning.
I will just say that O'Connor has REALLY stuck with me.
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
(Jonsson I would absolutely give a 5 by the way, and I suspect he'll get one here too, but I also think the other 4 will be above him.)
Aramayo's an intriguing one for me because I recall thinking he was awfully miscast as Elrond in the Rings Of Power show.
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Jonsson
5. Mescal
1. O'Connor
2. Aramayo
3. Dillane
4. Strathairn
5. O'Brien
Louis: Your Cinematography top ten.
1. Lee
2. Plemons
3. Edgerton
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. Aramayo
2. O'Connor
3. Dillane
4. Strathairn
5. O'Brien
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. O'Connor
2. Strathairn
3. Aramayo
4. Dillane
5. O'Brien
1. Lee
2. Plemons
3. Edgerton
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. O'Connor
2. O'Brien
3. Aramayo
4. Dillane
5. Strathairn
Top lineup is *stacked*
1. Lee Byung-hun
2. Jesse Plemons
3. Joel Edgerton
4. Daniel Jonsson
5. Paul Mescal
1. Josh O’Connor
2. Dylan O’Brien
3. David Strathairn
4. Robert Aramayo
5. Frank Dillane
Still wish we got an Isaac write-up. The more people hate on his performance, the more I seem to like it.
Putting a mortgage on my house and betting it on Lee finally taking the overall. Redid my comment to change the first line-up a bit, which is giving me a headache to predict.
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Jonsson
4. Plemons
5. Mescal
1. O'Connor
2. Aramayo
3. Strathairn
4. Dillane
5. O'Brien
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Jonsson
5. Mescal
1. Aramayo
2. O’Connor
3. Dillane
4. O’Brien
5. Strathairn
Hoping we get Mescal first, can't wait for your thoughts on his performance in the soliloquy scenes, which have gotten a polarized reception online. Although really the social media reaction to Hamnet as a whole really irks me.
Quite pleased to see Strathairn included, and I'm curious to see what our host will say about Day-Lewis.
1. Lee
2. Plemons
3. Edgerton
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. Aramayo
2. O'Connor
3. Dillane
4. Strathairn
5. O'Brien
Dillane, Aramayo AND Jonsson? Thank you Louis. Your fruit basket awaits.
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Jonsson
4. Plemons
5. Mescal
1. O’Connor
2. Aramayo
3. Dillane
4. O’Brien
5. Strathairn
Like/love all these performances besides Mescal who I think is fine.
Paul Thomas Anderson has won DGA.
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Jonsson
5. Mescal
1. Aramayo
2. O'Connor
3. O'Brien
4. Strathairn
5. Dillane
That lower lineup is a complete enigma to me besides O'Connor, but let's see how it goes.
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Mescal
5. Johnson
1. O'Connor
2. Aramayo
3. Dillane
4. Strathairn
5. O'Brien
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Mescal
5. Johnson
1. Aramayo
2. O'Connor
3. Dillane
4. Strathairn
5. O'Brien
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Johnson
5. Mescal
1. O'Connor
2. Aramayo
3. Dillane
4. Strathairn
5. O'Brien
I predict that Park Chan-wook's actors will once again take the #2 of overall.
I pray to God that Chalamet doesn't win overall or an Oscar. I pray that Lee finally wins overall.
1.Lee
2.Plemons
3.Edgerton
4.Mescal
5.Jonsson
1.O'Connor
2.Aramayo
3.Dillane
4.Strathairn
5.O'Brien
1. Lee
2. Plemons
3. Edgerton
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. O'Connor
2. Aramayo
3. O'Brien
4. Dilane
5. Strathairn
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. O'Connor
2. Aramayo
3. Dillane
4. O'Brien
5. Strathairn
Louis: Have you watched Lee Byung-hun's Inside Men (2015)?
1. Lee
2. Plemons
3. Edgerton
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. Aramayo
2. O'Brien
3. O'Connor
4. Dillane
5. Strathairn
1. Lee
2. Plemons
3. Edgerton
4. Jonsson
5. Mescal
1. O’Connor
2. Aramayo
3. O’Brien
4. Dillane
5. Strathairn
Louis: Before you wrap up 2025, I have a few suggestions I’d love to read your thoughts on:
-Resurrection (it will be out online on the 26th)
-Magellan
-Le città di pianura (by far the best 2025 Italian movie)
-April
-Ari (a tremendously underseen gem from 2025)
-Yes
-Reflection in a Dead Diamond (I haven’t seen it in almost a year and I didn’t even love it, but it’s definitely worth watching)
1. Lee
2. Plemons
3. Edgerton
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. Lee
2. Edgerton
3. Plemons
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
Luke and RatedRStar: May I ask which of the 10 performances you've seen? I ask because I generally look toward you blokes when I'm stuck on a prediction and I have no idea how to predict the second set (I've only seen Strathairn and O'Connor).
Harris: I'm usually very late to watching stuff due to work obligations but I've seen Edgerton, Mescal and O'Connor. Hamnet and Train Dreams are an easier sell for me due to being period films.
Harris: I also put O'Brien last in mine because I can't remember the last time (Chronologically speaking) a lead turn in a 3 star film got a five from him.
You'd probably have to go as far back as Hardy (Legend), Plummer and Foster in 2015.
Harris Marlowe: I have not seen 4 from the second line-up, those being O'Brien, Dillane, Strathaim and Aramayo.
O’Brien has really stayed with me, I don’t think any of the problems of the film impacted his performance (though to be fair, the biggest problem with the film is the other lead performance)
1. O'Connor
2. Aramayo
3. Dillane
4. Strathairn
5. O'Brien
Louis: If it's not too brief for you to comment on, thoughts on the Cliff Booth teaser?
Could you be more precise about the problems with the film, please?
1. Lee
2. Plemons
3. Edgerton
4. Mescal
5. Jonsson
1. Aramayo
2. O'Connor
3. Dillane
4. Strathairn
5. O'Brien
Luke:
Murphy - 4.5(I mean there’s no surprise here which he’s terrific here and it does seem easy, however that should never be a criticism of a performer. Murphy runs with it creating an effortless state of the teacher who really cares yet in no way is the process easy for him at any point. Murphy combines different factors with ease, having the moments of gentle warmth with the boy but also moments of careful caution when they take missteps. While also containing the intensity of the stress of his position and building that mental pressure as we see him go from one wringer to another. Murphy convincingly portrays the weight of every interaction that just builds and builds throughout. It’s a shame the film kind of gets lost at a certain point that I think leaves him unable to take one more step to deliver a truly great performance, but it is still a really good performance from the great actor.)
Day-Lewis - 4.5(The performance is essentially three monologues in between glaring at Sean Bean. I will say the effortlessness of his accent which is basically fashioning Sean Bean’s own accent and changing subtly to become a brother’s version of his accent shows the great brilliance of Day-Lewis even the less than mediocrity that is Anemone. Day-Lewis knocks out each of his monologues such as his imagined defecation on the abusive priest where Day-Lewis manages to bring so much insecure rage mixed in with defiance and even a humorous absurdity in his delivery that does give genuine life to the moment. He’s also great in his delivery of his dark secret, which honestly isn’t that dark, but nonetheless he’s quite captivating in all the emotional nuance and devastation at the moment. It is rather fascinating to have such talent dealing with such weak material because Day-Lewis is selling it all as though it is worthy of the greatest performance, which it is not. Nonetheless he still has it, even in the disjointed wonky mess that is his son’s film.)
Washington - 4(A good performance though more reliant on his general presence than I was hoping. And I would say the internal dynamic with his family isn’t all that interesting and isn’t nearly as impressive as Mifune because the film frankly seems largely uninterested in it. What it seems more interesting in is Washington getting to play up the power broker for the music industry where Washington does thrive in bringing a personal style that sells very much the charisma of the idolmaker essentially. Which in itself ends up being challenged and Washington is most compelling in the moments of the challenge with the kidnapper, bringing the combination of intensity with really comedic overtures that is curious but I will say Washington does pull it off. Having said all that, I do admit I would’ve preferred to have seen Washington work with High and Low’s script, but as a light variation this is an entertaining performance.)
Blunck - 4.5(A very convincing child performance in every sense because there isn’t a moment where you see even a slight bit of that awkwardness onscreen. Instead he is 100% dialed into the character of the kid who is between outsider and hangeroner and is challenged in this spot. Giving a compelling performance where he does portray the emotional challenges of trying to determine what to do. Finding the moments naturally of the going along cruelty of the rest, but also as good in creating a sense of curiosity and connection with the “plagued” outsider. Blunck gives a convincing performance in creating this exploration and increasing sense of isolation and emotional intensity throughout.)
Melling - 4.5(A performance that is about all the emotions against his co-stars intense degree of stoicism. Something Melling thrives with in portraying initially just that intensity of need to fit in and connect so going wholeheartedly into the specific form of dominated role where Melling in every sequence conveys convincingly the sense of belonging even within the most unexpected sexual acts to be depicted onscreen. Melling naturally progresses the connection into the need of wanting to take the relationship further, where Melling balances the fear but also hope in trying to make more than just a sexual connection with him. Melling within this creates a convincing sense of a growing confidence of sorts that is less of him becoming equal in that sense but rather assured in his more modest self.)
Jackman - 4(The film makes a fundamental choice to show the character is beyond his alcoholism to the extent he can be and now is fueling all that obsession into the music instead. And I will say I did love the scene where he finds the hidden beer bottle at a low moment, and proceeds to immediately drain it as a way to go against the grain of what you’d typically expect in such a scenario in a film. This however does create a certain limitation in that Jackman’s character is already “good” so he’s mainly playing just the note of that passion that is his definition as a person, which Jackman certainly delivers on right into the musical performance scenes and with his great chemistry with Hudson where the two are just winning together. And to his credit in the scenes where problems happen, Jackman is good in playing the sense of frustrations in the man, but in the sense of someone who is going to work through them no matter what but still certainly feels them.)
White - 4(I don’t fully “buy” him as Springsteen but I do buy him within the emotional state of Springsteen at the moment. Having said that, it isn’t entirely dissimilar to Carmy’s state frequently in the Bear. I don’t think White is being lazy however rather I do think he finds a different way of depicting this to someone with more innate confidence in his personality but rather a specific quiet sorrow about himself. Something that White wears well has a dampening quality that sits over him, though I think the weaknesses of the film leave him weirdly not always getting to depict key moments, instead having those moments of Jeremy Strong describing everything bluntly and really ridiculously instead.)
Isaac - 4.5(Maybe not even divisive as I think most just simply don’t like him at all here, and subtle he is not. Although to be fair the performances of Victor tend not to be, and that is the intention of Isaac’s performance which very much is throwing out all typical choices for a period piece outside of the window and just running at the film as basically a fireball of egotism. Even Isaac’s accent work here is more of a modern swerve on the idea of an English accent, something he can do differently than here, but here it is all about going big in a brash if not rash way. And in that sense it is about as take it or leave it as performances go and very much is the spirit of the mostly non-creature half of the film because we exist in the path of Victor’s egomania. Isaac plays very much as a performance of a mad cap game where everything really is secondary to his ambition and Isaac’s performance very much is ownership of that. Where we don’t have any real moments of him coming down to really think about what he is doing he’s always going all in and for me it works as basically a demented state of buying into one’s own hype. Something that goes across to his mostly dismissive attitude towards everyone including even trying to have an affair with his brother’s own fiancee. Isaac very much plays up the lack of shame in his own shameless performance that is a reflection of exactly what Victor is doing funneled into his own work. Something that I think even works in his rejection of the creature when it isn’t perfect Isaac’s portrayal of that rejection is almost as though he is offended by the idea that the creature should represent his genius and plays that disgust for him straight and as degrading as possible, in a way that mostly worked for me. The one big problem with this is it does make the reconciliation harder to believe because Victor as written and played by Isaac is as the colossal prick, so him suddenly finding humanity is more than a stretch.)
Lopez - 4.5(A pretty low key performance where he plays it the search for his daughter just with a straightforward earnestness and even his reaction to the youth is less disgust and most of just a natural distance but not complete disconnect. Contrasting that is his sincere performance with his son where Lopez brings just a natural warmth and can see him as a loving father with relative ease. Building then to the unforgettable moment in the film where Lopez sells that moment as much as anything else in creating the visceral horror and heartbreak of his reaction that makes the scene as painful as it is. Playing then the sense of the daze of his character afterwards with just a somber almost zombie like manner of a man continuing to not die but hardly living. Leading to the climax where his words of "wisdom" are less astute and more so just the words of someone truly lost yet in a weird way has found a path because of that.)
Cinematography:
My Nominees:
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Train Dreams
Rest of the Top Ten:
6. Hamnet
7. The Testament of Ann Lee
8. Bugonia
9. The Sound of Falling
10. Anemone
Antony:
I have not.
Omar:
I will try to check those out.
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