The Best Years Of Our Lives (Re-Watch) Saratoga Trunk (It's 1945 but Robson was nominated in 46) Shoeshine Paisan Partie De Campagne Canyon Passage Enamorada La Otra Humoresque Utamaro And His Five Women I’ve Always Loved You The Spiral Staircase Gates Of The Night No Regrets For Our Youth Green For Danger The Dark Mirror The Locket The Diary Of A Chambermaid Sylvie And The Ghost Dragonwyck Pastoral Symphony Martin Roumagnac Sister Kenny I See A Dark Stranger The Dark Corner The Harvey Girls Bedlam The Chase Cloak And Dagger Three Strangers Nobody Lives Forever Devotion Anna And The King Of Siam
Jackson - 2(Also what was with that digital effect they were doing on his face made him look always so strange, except ironically when he has the thriller makeup on.) Domingo - 2 Long - 2.5 Teller - 2.5 Jones - 2.5 Valdi - 3 Myers - 1.5
Is God Is:
Young - 4 Johnson - 4 Fox - 3.5 Brown - 4 Monae - 3.5 Williamson - 3.5 Alexander - 3 Mills - 3 Ross - 3.5
Just saw Toy Story 5! My initial reaction is I enjoyed it a little more than 4, as it had a little more content. Beautifully animated and a heartfelt message.
Luke: I read your 1999 list again, and might I suggest removing Kline and Tucci in A Midsummer Night's Dream. They'd be both 3s at best for me. I remember Kline kind of struggling with the dialogue and Tucci just isn't in it for very much.
Also with the list, I'm more or less comfortable with the 1930s to 1984. I'm open to removal suggestions from 1985 onwards so long as you're 100% certain it'll be below a 4.
No, nobody really stood out. Looking over the cast list, the closest might be Rockwell who's about a 3.5 for me. You can just see his one big scene on YouTube if you're curious about him. I'd describe the other performances as passable but unmemorable (except Flockhart, who's actively annoying).
Harris: Not including years that have yet to be done: Marie Dressler in Emma (1932) Grace Moore in One Night Of Love (1934) Elisabeth Bergner in Escape Me Never (1935) Miliza Korjus in The Great Waltz (1938) Paulette Goddard in So Proudly We Hail! (1943) Aline MacMahon in Dragon Seed (1944) Deborah Kerr in Edward, My Son (1949) Jane Wyman and Joan Blondell in The Blue Veil (1951) Shirley Knight in The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs (1960) Helen Hayes and Maureen Stapleton in Airport (1970) Barbara Harris in Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971) Joanne Woodward and Sylvia Sidney in Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973) Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly in Agnes Of God (1985) Jessica Lange in Sweet Dreams (1985) Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver and Joan Cusack in Working Girl (1988, Re-Watch) Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted (1999, Re-Watch)
Luke: I'd give Ryan a 4.5 and Ruffalo a 4. Bacon, maybe a 3/3.5? He's good but to be honest it's Campion's direction which stands out more in his scenes.
Regarding Bacon, is it just me, or is he kinda... excellent in A Few Good Men 😅? Maybe it's my affection for Bacon as a performer, but like I really LOVE that movie, and I think his and Cruise's dynamic is so compelling to watch.
Best Supporting Actress Beulah Bondi in The Gorgeous Hussy (1936) Bonita Granville in These Three (1936) Edna May Oliver in Drums Along The Mohawk (1939) Barbara O'Neil in All This, And Heaven Too (1941) Marjorie Rambeau in Primrose Path (1941) Mary Astor in The Great Lie (1941) Eileen Heckart in Butterflies Are Free (1972) Geraldine Page in Pete 'N' Tillie Lee Grant in Voyage Of The Damned (1976) Kim Stanley in Frances (1982) Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias (1989) Mare Winningham in Georgia (1995)
Best Actress Janet Gaynor in Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans and 7th Heaven (1927) Louise Dresser in A Ship Comes In (1928) Betty Compson in The Barker (1928) Corinne Griffith in The Divine Lady (1928) Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1929) Jeanne Eagels in The Letter (1929) Bessie Love in The Broadway Melody (1929) Norma Shearer in Their Own Desire (1929) Gloria Swanson in Their Own Desire (1929) Irene Dunne in Theodora Goes Wild (1936) Gladys George in Valiant Is The Word For Carrie (1936) Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle (1940) Greer Garson in Blossoms In The Dust (1941) Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) Katherine Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) Leslie Caron in The L-Shaped Room (1962) Glenda Jackson in Woman In Love (1969) Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending (1969) Diana Ross in Lady Sings The Blues (1972) Maggie Smith in Travels With My Aunt (1972) Jessica Lange in Frances (1982) Pauline Collins in Shirley Valentine (1989) Jessica Lange in Music Box (1989) Penélope Cruz in Volver (2006) Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Calvin: cool. I think that entire ensemble is really good. Nicholson is my MVP, but Bacon, Cruise, Walsh, and even Wolfgang Bodison as Lance Corporal Harold Dawson, are all remarkable. Really like Moore and Pollack as well. Might actually be top 5 Cruise performances for me. He's so fun to watch here.
Urban - (Basically just charisma based as there really isn’t much in terms of genuine development or pathos of any kind in his turn around. As such Urban does bring some charm and much needed presence. Clearly being on a different level as such to most of his co-stars, even though he’s saddled mainly with not amazing comedic bits. Urban does what he can with them, but it’s a performance that largely makes a bigger impact due to overall contrast.)
McKellen - (Once again playing an aged artist where the focal point is on his relationship with a new helper in some way, though the last time was about 30 years ago. McKellen of course still has it and his energy in the role is a great deal of what makes the film work to the degree that he does. He is so filled with life even as I don’t think the character is too deep on the whole. McKellen goes about having a meal with a certain flamboyance in his self-loathing and his joy of pesting others who want to take ownership of his work in some way. There is however a balance he does bring with Coel where there are the moments of conflict but also still a struggling sense of the sincerity of an old passion that once defined the man. It’s a strong performance and one that even greater script could’ve turned this into potentially one of his best.)
Coel - (Having previously only seen her pretty thankless role in Wakanda Forever, she certainly has an innately dynamic presence. Something that comes to great use in the way the character is such a silent observer for much of the film. She brings a dynamic power though in the incisiveness in listening and determining her choices. Coel is able to exude that certain determination and intelligence effectively as basically the opponent in some ways, mentee in others. Coel’s performance even when she speaks stays guarded however within the between the lines moments is effective in being able to reveal the degree of vulnerability that eventually becomes genuine connection within the complicated relationship.)
Hathaway - (As commonly later Hathaway I tend to like even if the film’s she is in I don’t tend to love or even like. Found she gave an effective combination though between a certain power within her innate presence, particularly in the performance scenes, in creating this sort of innate idol character in that sense. Combining that though with that intensity in creating the emotional stress even within the overly obtuse narrative around costuming and ghosts. Hathaway though I found consistently interesting and engaging to the point that I think if the film had a decent script she truly could’ve done something special with this. As is she’s compelling in both creating the overt image and the human, even if the film doesn’t do too much with it.)
Coel - (Thought her lines in particular became quite banal at a certain point so I do think she eventually falters under the weight of just how repetitive the lines are. Having said that, her dynamic presence is still there and manages to create this blend between this sense of obsession, almost menace and also vulnerability over her dismissal all the same time. It’s an interesting note that she pulls off. I just wish the script would let her take it anywhere interesting.)
Twigs - (In some ways reminded of the medium in Rashomon played so brilliantly by Noriko Honman, in some ways however. Sadly the film doesn’t quite run off with the idea well enough yet I did think the general intensity yet also ethereal qualities Twigs tried to balance while going from seeming a fraud to seeming far too genuine was certainly one of the more interesting things in the film, though like so many things in the film you more so see the opportunity than the actual result past a certain point.)
Blunt - (The “career best” I do find a little baffling because of how all over the place she is in the role. Someone might argue this represents her character’s constantly changing state, but sorry don’t quite buy it. Part of the reason why is because there is the lack of a core for me that anchors the character through those swings, this definitely is the writing more than Blunt however Blunt I didn’t find overcome that problem. Instead I found her character to be whatever was needed for a given scene which is to be the smartest person, the empathetic healer, then the scared victim of sorts, to the savior of mankind it would seem. All of it together didn’t add up a lot to me and for me I very much saw the effort Blunt was putting into the performance more so than found the execution as something I was convinced by. Whether that is the empathy power where at a certain point she started to get more silly than powerful, or the more distressed moments that felt more random than this fundamental truth. For me she’s going all over the place in a given scene and while I wouldn’t say it was all bad, it really didn’t come together as a character of any kind, even a mentally jumbled character.)
O'Connor - (Writing lets him down as well though I guess he benefits from not needing to do too much and needing instead just to play a vague “everyone needs the truth” note. He brings enough emotional sincerity in those moments to deliver but deliver only to a certain degree. Past that again he is just kind of passively going through scenes and never quite understood who this guy is. This is right to the past scene where O’Connor suddenly needs to play pure fear in something the film doesn’t really do anything with, though I think he tried his best with the moment.)
Firth - (Again the writing makes it so Firth just needs to be more evil than really letting us into his mind in terms of his choices. So Firth just needs to mostly sneer then randomly get all physically beaten up in those usage scenes. In both elements I found his performance more tiresome than menacing, and while he hit the physicality in the general sense, it didn’t really become anything beyond that for me.)
Hewson - (Helps that she actually has an arc, an arc that feels far too easy to resolve in a not all that compelling way, however at least she has it. With that Hewson I thought brought the needed emotional vulnerability and intensity in creating that sense of anxiety over her beliefs, while also balancing that with genuine concern for the general immediate situation with O’Connor. Creating as well her end with the Firth scenes to at least convey some emotional weight to them though even that I thought was more of a vague idea than something truly captivating.)
Domingo - (Really just there for exposition which he certainly delivers. Not in a way that is particularly compelling or especially bad, but all of it feels a bit lazy in a general sense. And honestly maybe I could be more negative as Domingo maybe falls upon his general presence too much when it feels like maybe there could’ve been some silent sense of who this guy is rather than just an exposition man.)
Russell - (Honestly for the traditionally thankless role I thought Russell maybe was more of the rounded character in that you least understood what this guy wanted and what he was going through. I appreciated that Russell didn’t overplay the dismissing moments as just a jerk rather emphasizing someone just not understanding. Naturally the film tosses him a bit too quickly.)
Marvel - (At least I felt this was a real person in just a few scenes and just created at least a convincing sense of her warmth and this sort of comfort in someone so comfortable in her own belief. It doesn’t add up to much given her screentime but she’s good with what she has.)
Grace - (I thought she was quite effective in managing to deliver that overly detached news anchor speech while conveying the underlying and building emotions of genuinely reacting to the news just under the surface. Creating a convincing sense of the person losing that facade of the confident news anchor as the person faces the reality of what they are speaking.)
Skarsgard - (As noted before horribly miscast as this older man who definitely doesn't look like Skarsgard one way or another. He ends up going big, which technically the performance should be big to some degree, but there’s no real sense of history of how this guy got here, just feels like a performance of the bigness where it feels too much like he’s just been a psychopath more than a guy who just got pushed over the edge.)
Montgomery - (Brings a much needed reality to every moment of his performance. Bringing such a genuine quality in trying to negotiate certain moments, bringing attempted connection while also conveying the very real desperate fear of the man in such a difficult situation. Bringing a sense of the increased tension in each subsequent scene and being particularly good in the moment of so modestly creating a real sense of the man’s quiet desperation as he talks about his own imperfect past. Montgomery makes a real person consistently though in a way makes Skarsgard seem all the more phony by comparison.)
Elwes - (Honestly didn’t recognize him for quite awhile. Found his performance pretty impressive in just creating a genuine history of this specific guy in this city, in this time with an unusual relationship with the criminal given the circumstances. Found Elwes’s whole delivery and manner perhaps sold what the film was going for in just bringing to life an unusual reality and delivered on that completely even if he doesn’t get much to do past a certain point.)
Domingo - (A better use of his talents as he quickly makes the right balanced flamboyance of the radio personality, bringing that flavor effectively against the real man with concerns and also the weight of suddenly finding himself part of this criminal situation. Domingo consistently found that balance and sense of severity of the man who is used to just being a radio personality. Now here is a better use in his delivery of a bit of gravitas far more effectively.)
Pacino - (Basically just a little bit of ham from him as a bit of a hammy guy who thinks too highly about himself. Not his best performance by any measure, or one of his better performances, but he serves his purpose here.)
Field - (Brings a consistent emotional honesty to her quietly suffering person who kind of hides it within her own independence. She’s good with that consistently and creates a genuine sense of weight and history of her losses in life. Field brings that idea of trauma and never playing into a simplistic twee. She elevates everything that she has and plays each of the revelations with a far greater emotional honesty than really offered from the somewhat silly twists written in here.)
Pullman - (Like Field manages to bring a true elevation to the potentially overly twee elements and honestly 9 times out of 10 this role would be by an overactor. Pullman though manages to not overplay any element, instead even finding reality in the young screwup who needs to find some real connection in his life. Pullman manages to consistently again connect reality to the somewhat over the top material, even the lines that seem ready for a bad joke line, Pullman finds a way around it to make it true to create an honest guy in this situation.)
Baker - (Mostly in the atmosphere of the group and good as such. She has one focused scene though with Field and Baker makes the most of it. Bringing the right intense emotional honesty and empathy of someone just forcing out both care and hurt towards her friend when she knows they need it.)
Grant & Chen - (Both are just creating the group, which again I think in many hands this would be time for overacting, but Grant and Chen are just believable bringing honesty to potentially caricatures.)
Meaney - (I mean basically the performance he gives, which I’ve never complained about, a somewhat lighter version of it and welcome as always.)
Molina - (Honestly his deliveries seem purposefully set towards Doc Ock at his most evil, even when the Octopus is caring, and honestly wholly works.)
Damon - (Never believed the gray they set forth though Damon brings a general presence effectively enough but only real comes to life when he’s directly acting with Affleck. The rest of the time feels a bit like going through the motions.)
Affleck - (Very much playing up the “Boston” aspects of his presence, which it’s set in Miami but who cares it gives Affleck something to work with and gives a bit more character to him than anyone else. Offers some much needed levity and general color to moments and again works well with Damon in their tradeoff scenes.)
Yeun - (Truly a role that feels below his talent level yet I’ll give him credit for the emotional desperation and just playing up that ever increasing intensity mostly in reaction shots to then earning his more overt moments later on.)
Calle - (The most convincing human in the whole film and manages to effectively play the different angles between anger, concern and frustration to create a convincing sense of someone both forced into position but also deeply connected to the motivations of what caused her to become in the position.)
Dano - (I will as written the part is way too vague, as what really his motivations are or what there is to him at any point. Dano though gives honestly one of his worst performances, using a Bond villain accent the whole time and frankly just kind of playing into the vagaries. He’s detached but not penetrating in the detachment. He still seems human but not a human with identifiable traits to make him compelling. He largely exists and seems like a major missed opportunity here both on a writing but also an acting front.)
Law - (Manages to bring the right presence in just a few scenes where he emphasizes just a cutthroat intensity and an innate disregard for contrasting opinions. I wouldn’t say the film really does anything terribly interesting with that starting point but Law offers a good starting point regardless.)
Vikander - (Horribly written character as she just needs to behave whatever is required for a given scene and changes so heavily that I don’t blame Vikander for making some sense out of it. As is Vikander is wholly fine in just playing the different disparate notes that aren’t cogent.)
Keen - (The most interesting character but it helps that it is also the most cohesive character. Keen brings an effective sense of the early confidence of the power broker who creates his own monster, creating initially the confidence of a man still thinking he has the power but fairly effectively showing the powerful loss of confidence of someone realizing that he has fully lost control. His performance and character honestly show the most potential the film had if the script had been better.)
Sturridge - (Theoretically seems like he should be a major character but he is a complete footnote in terms of screentime. Sturridge just mostly shows up as the confident rich boy type and doesn’t get to do anything else with that.)
Wright - (Just there for his narration voice, which I’ll always take but the film doesn’t give him much more than that.)
Young & Johnson - (Both are good in playing to their contrasts, of the more forgiving good natured sister with the greater disfigurement against the more hostile sister with less burns. However they importantly don’t play too hard into each even while hitting that note well. Finding a strong balance between themselves particularly in creating the sense of the sisterly connection where they create a moving warmth between but also a sense of conflict in their differing intentions for life. Most importantly they find a naturalism in their work by just having that chemistry in their history even beyond the mutual trauma. Making a sense of their journey as sisters being more than just the film’s events.)
Brown - (Doesn’t have too much screentime but is pretty terrifying in his few minutes. Brown just brings his bright smile to great impact in just showing a man with wholly callous vicious hatred and not a hint of genuine regret. Even in his scene of trying to pretend otherwise presenting as just the thinnest attempt at a horrid man painting a falsehood in the way he knows how. Brown delivering on a gear I didn’t know he necessarily had quite viscerally.)
Monae - (Wish there had been more of her as she really just has her one bit. Nonetheless found her compelling in her one bit in presenting a very different tonal kind of intended revenge yet delivers on her particular confidence of delivery and style of delivery to make us wholly understand her character in very short succession.)
Williamson - (I mean he essentially plays Molina in Promising Young Woman but without a voice. Williamson though is good in presenting a combination of a painful regret with genuinely unmistakable fear in his manner. Presenting this emotional mess in a fairly moving way even as his entry point seems somewhat ridiculous. He finds a connection in showing how his own trauma is all part of this state.)
Ross - (His last note he brings the intensity but the bit seems a little rushed. The rest though he is good though in his longest scene in offering seeming nuance and connection, in playing the surface distress though with seeming earnest empathy of someone maybe looking for some kind of better path.)
Comer - (Overly simplistic role as the good healer. Comer though manages to find a genuine grace to the part and when she can see a certain nuance between a directness in her reality of the situation and reason in her arguments. Then her bigger scenes she naturally delivers on in finding the combination between the intensity of her distress but with still this quietly stabilizing manner of someone truly believing in her choices for the better.)
Skarsgard - (Really chews into the scenery as Little John as basically just playing up as the biggest brute in the land. Found it worked at least to offer some levity without in any way removing the brutality and at least created some dynamic quality within the just constant brutality even if he is definitely very big to say the least.)
Bartlett - (His whole performance and character suggests potentially a far better film because of just how captivating he is in his voice in every delivery. Finding such a potent combination between a sense of necessary history and knowledge of the true nature of things though with his own holding to the conviction towards optimism regardless of even his own condition. His last scene in particular frankly suggests a different film but Bartlett really is wonderful in managing to paint this specific portrait that creates this appreciation of legend even as in the film’s overall scheme and approach it doesn’t fit…but I’d rather take the scene of the more interesting film.)
Jupe - (His whole story seems rushed in every respect but Jupe delivers on the emotions completely on every bit regardless.)
Delaney - (Just reactions largely but manages to find a natural sense of distress combined with warmth regardless.)
Jackson - (The makeup/effects don’t help matters, the thin as humanly possible depiction of Jackson that is basically the crafted image, right down to the voice, just feels like a completely symphony crafted image. I never believed Jackson as his Uncle for a second, he gives us the general presented image of the Jackson estate but never does he make you believe he is a person beyond that image. An image in itself that feels overly crafted that every beat he offers just never rings true, with really very simplistic beats to begin with beyond song dance, slightly lonely and vulnerable.)
Domingo - (Speaking of limited notes, basically Domingo just needs to play the same note of jerk though honestly this is also on Domingo. He goes for such an overt note the whole time, wearing almost the same over the top expression each time as basically “callous jerk dad” and just maintains that. Only changing to rage slightly more but never do we see anything more than just that constant note and any semblance of what makes this man this way. Not that we needed an empathetic note but maybe one where you saw anything more whatsoever.)
Myers - (Hopefully his bad cameo as a studio exec doesn't become a trend in bad musical biopics. He’s bad once again this time as the supportive exec where Myers really goes for pure sketch in a way that isn’t slightly entertaining or believable.)
Marcus:
I’ve previously given thoughts on that scene.
8000’s:
Much better use of his talents than whatever exactly he did in the extremely flat looking Lion King remake. And based on the trailer for Wildwood seems like he’s definitely making a contribution.
Luke: Thanks a bunch. Did you happen to have that list already compiled? I hope you didn't have to go through the trouble of looking them up because of me, and I asked because I was hoping you kept a running list.
Tony: Argentina, England, and Spain. Love that Messi's still showing how great he is with nothing left to prove, but I'd be fine with the other two winning because I'd love for either Harry Kane or Lamine Yamal to win a Ballon D'or.
Also, I just watched Duel in the Sun and man...that sucked, but would you agree that there's definitely potential for a good version of the film? Kind of amazing though, how such an incredible cast is so bad across the board.
Ludi is so severely mistreated in both of these films, he seems to have the goods to lead the film but they won’t let him DESPITE PLAYING LIU KANG! Once again has a strong presence, portraying a sense of actual pathos in his moments with Kung Lao, but the film just rarely lets him have a moment let alone a scene to himself. He does what he can but once more, they really won’t let him be the lead he should be.
Yeah Duel in The Sun sounds most promising…on paper, shame about the actual film. But yes, make a modern version. I think you could make something special out of it.
Anonymous:
Rudolph - (Kind of bland but could be worse) McNamee - (Bland) Lawson - (Found his shtick old in the last movie) Ford - (Super bland yet over the top) Brooks - (Kind of there) Gabrielle - (Kind of bland but could be worse.) Tan - (Comical how much they hated him here, regardless still stiff) Huang - (Slightly over the top) Herriman - (He is talented, so disappointing that he fails to make any impression.) Han - (So boring as Tsung especially when you consider him against his predecessor.) Asano - (Shows what direction can do, as really all you notice here is his stiffness when delivering English, which is a shame given what he could do, in English, in Silence.) Sanada - (He still has presence but it really felt like he was cashing a check here.) Bloomfield - (Found his shtick got instantly old and stupid)
Valdi - (The standout in that I felt like this Michael actually seemed like a real kid even if it is only for a few scenes. He far more brought out a sense of actual nuance in his pathos and struggle with his father rather than the crafted Micael of the rest of the film.)
Everyone else is basically “in the movie” including Teller.
Fox - (Interesting performance basically as contrast to Brown where everything we see is this reacting in this state of intense trauma and pain. She does deliver on that and in a way being the in-between of the sisters where you see someone who is both all anguish while still reflecting a sense of the once caring warmth covered up by that pain.)
Harris:
I mean it looks fine and an interesting enough concept to explore in a slightly comedic yet also slightly darker way. From the trailer itself I didn't see it as obviously amazing nor obviously terrible. In Waititi I don’t trust at this point, but here’s hoping it is a return to form.
She'd probably be great as she almost always is...as long as it isn't directed by Ethan Coen. Otherwise has the right voice and potentially demeanor if they go for more so powered Rogue.
Louis: What are your thoughts on James Corden and Jessica Gunning in The Christophers, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Kyle Chandler in The Rip, Henry Lloyd-Hughes in Disclosure Day and Myha'la in Dead Man's Wire? And what rating would you give to Courtney Grace in Disclosure Day?
Gunning & Corden - (Both as just the bad adult kids and bring a convincing enough selfish interest in one side then a false care in their own moments. Not complicated but don’t go over the top.)
Moreno - (Not much of a role but she’s convincing in just a basic sense.)
Chandler - (Let’s just say a very obvious revelation and right down to his overly obvious speech he’s given. He’s perfectly fine in playing the serious note that changes to then crazed money lust, it’s not great but he’s fine.)
Lloyd-Hughes - (Really emphasis that dull one note he’s given.)
95 comments:
The Best Years Of Our Lives (Re-Watch)
Saratoga Trunk (It's 1945 but Robson was nominated in 46)
Shoeshine
Paisan
Partie De Campagne
Canyon Passage
Enamorada
La Otra
Humoresque
Utamaro And His Five Women
I’ve Always Loved You
The Spiral Staircase
Gates Of The Night
No Regrets For Our Youth
Green For Danger
The Dark Mirror
The Locket
The Diary Of A Chambermaid
Sylvie And The Ghost
Dragonwyck
Pastoral Symphony
Martin Roumagnac
Sister Kenny
I See A Dark Stranger
The Dark Corner
The Harvey Girls
Bedlam
The Chase
Cloak And Dagger
Three Strangers
Nobody Lives Forever
Devotion
Anna And The King Of Siam
1. Boyer
2. Redgrave
3. Interlenghi
4. Simon
5. Greenstreet
Louis: Ratings for the casts of Mortal Kombat II, The Christophers, Mother Mary, Dead Man's Wire, Remarkably Bright Creatures and The RIP.
And The Wizard Of The Kremlin.
Here's my predictions
1. Boyer
2. Simon
3. Greenstreet
4. Interlenghi
5. Redgrave
R.I.P. Daveigh Chase
RIP Daveigh Chase
1. Boyer
2. Simon
3. Redgrave
4. Greenstreet
5. Interlenghi
Tahmeed: I'll probably be wrong on this but screw it. England for the win.
1. Boyer
2. Simon
3. Greenstreet
4. Redgrave
5. Interlenghi
RIP Daveigh Chase
Hi guys, what are your top 10 performances of all time (gendered or non‑gendered, as you prefer)?
R.I.P. Daveigh Chase
1. Boyer
2. Simon
3. Redgrave
4. Greenstreet
5. Interlenghi
RIP Daveigh Chase.
Louis: Ratings on the cast of Michael.
Rest In Peace Daveigh Chase. Too young.
Louis, thoughts/ratings on the performances in Michael?
1. Boyer
2. Simon
3. Redgrave
4. Greenstreet
5. Interlenghi
1. Boyer
2. Redgrave
3. Greenstreet
4. Simon
5. Interlenghi
RIP Daveigh Chase
1. Boyer
2. Redgrave
3. Simon
4. Greenstreet
5. Interlenghi
RIP Daveigh Chase. Tragic.
I never thought I'd see the day, Jim Carrey is playing The Grinch again. Nightmare fuel inbound.
Louis: Ratings on the cast of Is God Is.
1. Redgrave
2. Boyer
3. Interlenghi
4. Simon
5. Greenstreet
Really intrigued to see how these films fare for you on the whole besides the performances.
1. Boyer
2. Redgrave
3. Greenstreet
4. Simon
5. Interlenghi
1. Redgrave
2. Boyer
3. Interlenghi
4. Simon
5. Greenstreet
1. Redgrave
2. Boyer
3. Simon
4. Interlenghi
5. Greenstreet
1. Boyer
2. Redgrave
3. Simon
4. Interlenghi
5. Greenstreet
1. Redgrave
2. Boyer
3. Interlenghi
4. Simon
5. Greenstreet
Side note: WTF? The "Newer Post" button is *still* showing up for me.
Ytrewq: What are your ratings for Ryan, Ruffalo and Bacon in In The Cut.
Luke: Haven't watched this one yet.
Ytrewq: Nevermind, I mistook you for Omar while working on 2003.
Calvin: From what you can recall, your ratings for Ryan, Ruffalo and Bacon in In The Cut.
Ratings for the 2026 movie catchup:
MKII:
Urban - 3.5
Rudolph - 2.5
McNamee - 2.5
Lawson - 2.5
Ford - 2
Lin - 3
Brooks - 2.5
Gabrielle - 2.5
Tan - 2
Huang - 2
Herriman - 2.5
Han - 2.5
Asano - 2
Sanada - 2.5
Bloomfield - 2
The Christophers:
McKellen - 4
Coel - 4
Corden - 3
Gunning - 3
Mother Mary:
Hathaway - 4
Coel - 3.5
Schafer - 2.5
Twigs - 3.5
Dead Man's Wire:
Skarsgard - 2.5
Montgomery - 4
Elwes - 3.5
Myha'la - 3
Domingo - 3.5
Pacino - 3
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Field - 4
Pullman - 4
Chen - 3
Baker - 3.5
Grant - 3.5
Black-D'Elia - 2.5
Meaney - 3.5
Molina - 3.5
The RIP
Damon - 3
Affleck - 3.5
Yeun - 3.5
Taylor - 3
Calle - 3.5
Moreno - 3
Chandler - 3
The Wizard of the Kremlin:
Dano - 2.5
Law - 3.5
Vikander - 3
Keen - 3.5
Sturridge - 2.5
Wright - 3
Michael:
Jackson - 2(Also what was with that digital effect they were doing on his face made him look always so strange, except ironically when he has the thriller makeup on.)
Domingo - 2
Long - 2.5
Teller - 2.5
Jones - 2.5
Valdi - 3
Myers - 1.5
Is God Is:
Young - 4
Johnson - 4
Fox - 3.5
Brown - 4
Monae - 3.5
Williamson - 3.5
Alexander - 3
Mills - 3
Ross - 3.5
The Death of Robin Hood:
Comer - 4
Skarsgard - 3.5
Bartlett - 4
Jupe - 3.5
Delaney - 3.5
Louis: Any saves other than Hugh Jackman and thoughts on:
Karl Urban in MK II
Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel in The Christophers
Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel and FKA Twigs in Mother Mary
Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell, Elizabeth Marvel and Courtney Grace in Disclosure Day
Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Colman Domingo and Al Pacino in Dead Man's Wire
Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Colm Meaney and Alfred Molina in Remarkably Bright Creatures
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun and Sasha Calle in The Rip
Paul Dano, Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Will Keen, Tom Sturridge and Jeffrey Wright in The Wizard Of The Kremlin
Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Vivica A. Fox, Sterling K. Brown, Janelle Monae, Mykelti Williamson and Justen Ross in Is God Us
Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett, Noah Jupe and Faith Delaney in The Death Of Robin Hood
And Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo and Mike Myers in Michael
RIP James Burrows, the king of sitcom directing.
R.I.P. James Burrows
Rest In Peace James Burrows.
Just saw Toy Story 5! My initial reaction is I enjoyed it a little more than 4, as it had a little more content. Beautifully animated and a heartfelt message.
Also, Bonnie’s parents are better than me.
Luke: I read your 1999 list again, and might I suggest removing Kline and Tucci in A Midsummer Night's Dream. They'd be both 3s at best for me. I remember Kline kind of struggling with the dialogue and Tucci just isn't in it for very much.
Harris: Did anyone at all stand out.
Also with the list, I'm more or less comfortable with the 1930s to 1984. I'm open to removal suggestions from 1985 onwards so long as you're 100% certain it'll be below a 4.
No, nobody really stood out. Looking over the cast list, the closest might be Rockwell who's about a 3.5 for me. You can just see his one big scene on YouTube if you're curious about him. I'd describe the other performances as passable but unmemorable (except Flockhart, who's actively annoying).
1. Redgravev
2. Boyer
3. Greenstreet
4. Interlenghi
5. Simon
5º Franco Interlenghi
4º Sydney Greenstreet
3º Michel Simon
2º Charles Boyer
1º Michael Redgrave
Luke, what are your rating predictions.
Redgrave - 5
Boyer - 4.5/5
Simon - 4.5
Interlenghi - 4.5
Greenstreet - 4/4.5, Lorre - 4
And I predict Dana Andrews to go up to a 5 and Fredric March up to a 4.5 at minimum for The Best Years Of Our Lives.
I actually think March is better of the two myself.
1. Redgrave
2. Boyer
3. Greenstreet
4. Interlenghi
5. Simon
Luke: Just curious, what are the Oscar-nominated female performances our host hasn't seen yet, if any?
Harris: Not including years that have yet to be done:
Marie Dressler in Emma (1932)
Grace Moore in One Night Of Love (1934)
Elisabeth Bergner in Escape Me Never (1935)
Miliza Korjus in The Great Waltz (1938)
Paulette Goddard in So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
Aline MacMahon in Dragon Seed (1944)
Deborah Kerr in Edward, My Son (1949)
Jane Wyman and Joan Blondell in The Blue Veil (1951)
Shirley Knight in The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs (1960)
Helen Hayes and Maureen Stapleton in Airport (1970)
Barbara Harris in Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971)
Joanne Woodward and Sylvia Sidney in Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973)
Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly in Agnes Of God (1985)
Jessica Lange in Sweet Dreams (1985)
Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver and Joan Cusack in Working Girl (1988, Re-Watch)
Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted (1999, Re-Watch)
Harris: He'll probably watch them all once he's done with the bonus rounds.
What are the unseen performances in years left to be done?
Luke: I'd give Ryan a 4.5 and Ruffalo a 4. Bacon, maybe a 3/3.5? He's good but to be honest it's Campion's direction which stands out more in his scenes.
1. Redgrave
2. Boyer
3. Simon
4. Interlenghi
5. Greenstreet
Louis: thoughts on this deleted scene from Godfather 2, and the acting in it?
https://youtu.be/HUetvpIikwU?is=JSHgSgJycU-zb3RZ
Regarding Bacon, is it just me, or is he kinda... excellent in A Few Good Men 😅? Maybe it's my affection for Bacon as a performer, but like I really LOVE that movie, and I think his and Cruise's dynamic is so compelling to watch.
Perfectionist: He actually gives my favourite performance in that film. Well, between him and JT Walsh.
Best Supporting Actress
Beulah Bondi in The Gorgeous Hussy (1936)
Bonita Granville in These Three (1936)
Edna May Oliver in Drums Along The Mohawk (1939)
Barbara O'Neil in All This, And Heaven Too (1941)
Marjorie Rambeau in Primrose Path (1941)
Mary Astor in The Great Lie (1941)
Eileen Heckart in Butterflies Are Free (1972)
Geraldine Page in Pete 'N' Tillie
Lee Grant in Voyage Of The Damned (1976)
Kim Stanley in Frances (1982)
Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias (1989)
Mare Winningham in Georgia (1995)
Best Actress
Janet Gaynor in Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans and 7th Heaven (1927)
Louise Dresser in A Ship Comes In (1928)
Betty Compson in The Barker (1928)
Corinne Griffith in The Divine Lady (1928)
Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1929)
Jeanne Eagels in The Letter (1929)
Bessie Love in The Broadway Melody (1929)
Norma Shearer in Their Own Desire (1929)
Gloria Swanson in Their Own Desire (1929)
Irene Dunne in Theodora Goes Wild (1936)
Gladys George in Valiant Is The Word For Carrie (1936)
Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle (1940)
Greer Garson in Blossoms In The Dust (1941)
Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Katherine Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)
Leslie Caron in The L-Shaped Room (1962)
Glenda Jackson in Woman In Love (1969)
Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending (1969)
Diana Ross in Lady Sings The Blues (1972)
Maggie Smith in Travels With My Aunt (1972)
Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
Pauline Collins in Shirley Valentine (1989)
Jessica Lange in Music Box (1989)
Penélope Cruz in Volver (2006)
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Louis: Caleb Deschanel is shooting Laika's next movie. Thoughts?
Calvin: cool. I think that entire ensemble is really good. Nicholson is my MVP, but Bacon, Cruise, Walsh, and even Wolfgang Bodison as Lance Corporal Harold Dawson, are all remarkable. Really like Moore and Pollack as well. Might actually be top 5 Cruise performances for me. He's so fun to watch here.
Luke:
Urban - (Basically just charisma based as there really isn’t much in terms of genuine development or pathos of any kind in his turn around. As such Urban does bring some charm and much needed presence. Clearly being on a different level as such to most of his co-stars, even though he’s saddled mainly with not amazing comedic bits. Urban does what he can with them, but it’s a performance that largely makes a bigger impact due to overall contrast.)
McKellen - (Once again playing an aged artist where the focal point is on his relationship with a new helper in some way, though the last time was about 30 years ago. McKellen of course still has it and his energy in the role is a great deal of what makes the film work to the degree that he does. He is so filled with life even as I don’t think the character is too deep on the whole. McKellen goes about having a meal with a certain flamboyance in his self-loathing and his joy of pesting others who want to take ownership of his work in some way. There is however a balance he does bring with Coel where there are the moments of conflict but also still a struggling sense of the sincerity of an old passion that once defined the man. It’s a strong performance and one that even greater script could’ve turned this into potentially one of his best.)
Coel - (Having previously only seen her pretty thankless role in Wakanda Forever, she certainly has an innately dynamic presence. Something that comes to great use in the way the character is such a silent observer for much of the film. She brings a dynamic power though in the incisiveness in listening and determining her choices. Coel is able to exude that certain determination and intelligence effectively as basically the opponent in some ways, mentee in others. Coel’s performance even when she speaks stays guarded however within the between the lines moments is effective in being able to reveal the degree of vulnerability that eventually becomes genuine connection within the complicated relationship.)
Hathaway - (As commonly later Hathaway I tend to like even if the film’s she is in I don’t tend to love or even like. Found she gave an effective combination though between a certain power within her innate presence, particularly in the performance scenes, in creating this sort of innate idol character in that sense. Combining that though with that intensity in creating the emotional stress even within the overly obtuse narrative around costuming and ghosts. Hathaway though I found consistently interesting and engaging to the point that I think if the film had a decent script she truly could’ve done something special with this. As is she’s compelling in both creating the overt image and the human, even if the film doesn’t do too much with it.)
Coel - (Thought her lines in particular became quite banal at a certain point so I do think she eventually falters under the weight of just how repetitive the lines are. Having said that, her dynamic presence is still there and manages to create this blend between this sense of obsession, almost menace and also vulnerability over her dismissal all the same time. It’s an interesting note that she pulls off. I just wish the script would let her take it anywhere interesting.)
Twigs - (In some ways reminded of the medium in Rashomon played so brilliantly by Noriko Honman, in some ways however. Sadly the film doesn’t quite run off with the idea well enough yet I did think the general intensity yet also ethereal qualities Twigs tried to balance while going from seeming a fraud to seeming far too genuine was certainly one of the more interesting things in the film, though like so many things in the film you more so see the opportunity than the actual result past a certain point.)
Blunt - (The “career best” I do find a little baffling because of how all over the place she is in the role. Someone might argue this represents her character’s constantly changing state, but sorry don’t quite buy it. Part of the reason why is because there is the lack of a core for me that anchors the character through those swings, this definitely is the writing more than Blunt however Blunt I didn’t find overcome that problem. Instead I found her character to be whatever was needed for a given scene which is to be the smartest person, the empathetic healer, then the scared victim of sorts, to the savior of mankind it would seem. All of it together didn’t add up a lot to me and for me I very much saw the effort Blunt was putting into the performance more so than found the execution as something I was convinced by. Whether that is the empathy power where at a certain point she started to get more silly than powerful, or the more distressed moments that felt more random than this fundamental truth. For me she’s going all over the place in a given scene and while I wouldn’t say it was all bad, it really didn’t come together as a character of any kind, even a mentally jumbled character.)
O'Connor - (Writing lets him down as well though I guess he benefits from not needing to do too much and needing instead just to play a vague “everyone needs the truth” note. He brings enough emotional sincerity in those moments to deliver but deliver only to a certain degree. Past that again he is just kind of passively going through scenes and never quite understood who this guy is. This is right to the past scene where O’Connor suddenly needs to play pure fear in something the film doesn’t really do anything with, though I think he tried his best with the moment.)
Firth - (Again the writing makes it so Firth just needs to be more evil than really letting us into his mind in terms of his choices. So Firth just needs to mostly sneer then randomly get all physically beaten up in those usage scenes. In both elements I found his performance more tiresome than menacing, and while he hit the physicality in the general sense, it didn’t really become anything beyond that for me.)
Hewson - (Helps that she actually has an arc, an arc that feels far too easy to resolve in a not all that compelling way, however at least she has it. With that Hewson I thought brought the needed emotional vulnerability and intensity in creating that sense of anxiety over her beliefs, while also balancing that with genuine concern for the general immediate situation with O’Connor. Creating as well her end with the Firth scenes to at least convey some emotional weight to them though even that I thought was more of a vague idea than something truly captivating.)
Domingo - (Really just there for exposition which he certainly delivers. Not in a way that is particularly compelling or especially bad, but all of it feels a bit lazy in a general sense. And honestly maybe I could be more negative as Domingo maybe falls upon his general presence too much when it feels like maybe there could’ve been some silent sense of who this guy is rather than just an exposition man.)
Russell - (Honestly for the traditionally thankless role I thought Russell maybe was more of the rounded character in that you least understood what this guy wanted and what he was going through. I appreciated that Russell didn’t overplay the dismissing moments as just a jerk rather emphasizing someone just not understanding. Naturally the film tosses him a bit too quickly.)
Marvel - (At least I felt this was a real person in just a few scenes and just created at least a convincing sense of her warmth and this sort of comfort in someone so comfortable in her own belief. It doesn’t add up to much given her screentime but she’s good with what she has.)
Grace - (I thought she was quite effective in managing to deliver that overly detached news anchor speech while conveying the underlying and building emotions of genuinely reacting to the news just under the surface. Creating a convincing sense of the person losing that facade of the confident news anchor as the person faces the reality of what they are speaking.)
Skarsgard - (As noted before horribly miscast as this older man who definitely doesn't look like Skarsgard one way or another. He ends up going big, which technically the performance should be big to some degree, but there’s no real sense of history of how this guy got here, just feels like a performance of the bigness where it feels too much like he’s just been a psychopath more than a guy who just got pushed over the edge.)
Montgomery - (Brings a much needed reality to every moment of his performance. Bringing such a genuine quality in trying to negotiate certain moments, bringing attempted connection while also conveying the very real desperate fear of the man in such a difficult situation. Bringing a sense of the increased tension in each subsequent scene and being particularly good in the moment of so modestly creating a real sense of the man’s quiet desperation as he talks about his own imperfect past. Montgomery makes a real person consistently though in a way makes Skarsgard seem all the more phony by comparison.)
Elwes - (Honestly didn’t recognize him for quite awhile. Found his performance pretty impressive in just creating a genuine history of this specific guy in this city, in this time with an unusual relationship with the criminal given the circumstances. Found Elwes’s whole delivery and manner perhaps sold what the film was going for in just bringing to life an unusual reality and delivered on that completely even if he doesn’t get much to do past a certain point.)
Domingo - (A better use of his talents as he quickly makes the right balanced flamboyance of the radio personality, bringing that flavor effectively against the real man with concerns and also the weight of suddenly finding himself part of this criminal situation. Domingo consistently found that balance and sense of severity of the man who is used to just being a radio personality. Now here is a better use in his delivery of a bit of gravitas far more effectively.)
Pacino - (Basically just a little bit of ham from him as a bit of a hammy guy who thinks too highly about himself. Not his best performance by any measure, or one of his better performances, but he serves his purpose here.)
Field - (Brings a consistent emotional honesty to her quietly suffering person who kind of hides it within her own independence. She’s good with that consistently and creates a genuine sense of weight and history of her losses in life. Field brings that idea of trauma and never playing into a simplistic twee. She elevates everything that she has and plays each of the revelations with a far greater emotional honesty than really offered from the somewhat silly twists written in here.)
Pullman - (Like Field manages to bring a true elevation to the potentially overly twee elements and honestly 9 times out of 10 this role would be by an overactor. Pullman though manages to not overplay any element, instead even finding reality in the young screwup who needs to find some real connection in his life. Pullman manages to consistently again connect reality to the somewhat over the top material, even the lines that seem ready for a bad joke line, Pullman finds a way around it to make it true to create an honest guy in this situation.)
Baker - (Mostly in the atmosphere of the group and good as such. She has one focused scene though with Field and Baker makes the most of it. Bringing the right intense emotional honesty and empathy of someone just forcing out both care and hurt towards her friend when she knows they need it.)
Grant & Chen - (Both are just creating the group, which again I think in many hands this would be time for overacting, but Grant and Chen are just believable bringing honesty to potentially caricatures.)
Meaney - (I mean basically the performance he gives, which I’ve never complained about, a somewhat lighter version of it and welcome as always.)
Molina - (Honestly his deliveries seem purposefully set towards Doc Ock at his most evil, even when the Octopus is caring, and honestly wholly works.)
Damon - (Never believed the gray they set forth though Damon brings a general presence effectively enough but only real comes to life when he’s directly acting with Affleck. The rest of the time feels a bit like going through the motions.)
Affleck - (Very much playing up the “Boston” aspects of his presence, which it’s set in Miami but who cares it gives Affleck something to work with and gives a bit more character to him than anyone else. Offers some much needed levity and general color to moments and again works well with Damon in their tradeoff scenes.)
Yeun - (Truly a role that feels below his talent level yet I’ll give him credit for the emotional desperation and just playing up that ever increasing intensity mostly in reaction shots to then earning his more overt moments later on.)
Calle - (The most convincing human in the whole film and manages to effectively play the different angles between anger, concern and frustration to create a convincing sense of someone both forced into position but also deeply connected to the motivations of what caused her to become in the position.)
Dano - (I will as written the part is way too vague, as what really his motivations are or what there is to him at any point. Dano though gives honestly one of his worst performances, using a Bond villain accent the whole time and frankly just kind of playing into the vagaries. He’s detached but not penetrating in the detachment. He still seems human but not a human with identifiable traits to make him compelling. He largely exists and seems like a major missed opportunity here both on a writing but also an acting front.)
Law - (Manages to bring the right presence in just a few scenes where he emphasizes just a cutthroat intensity and an innate disregard for contrasting opinions. I wouldn’t say the film really does anything terribly interesting with that starting point but Law offers a good starting point regardless.)
Vikander - (Horribly written character as she just needs to behave whatever is required for a given scene and changes so heavily that I don’t blame Vikander for making some sense out of it. As is Vikander is wholly fine in just playing the different disparate notes that aren’t cogent.)
Keen - (The most interesting character but it helps that it is also the most cohesive character. Keen brings an effective sense of the early confidence of the power broker who creates his own monster, creating initially the confidence of a man still thinking he has the power but fairly effectively showing the powerful loss of confidence of someone realizing that he has fully lost control. His performance and character honestly show the most potential the film had if the script had been better.)
Sturridge - (Theoretically seems like he should be a major character but he is a complete footnote in terms of screentime. Sturridge just mostly shows up as the confident rich boy type and doesn’t get to do anything else with that.)
Wright - (Just there for his narration voice, which I’ll always take but the film doesn’t give him much more than that.)
Young & Johnson - (Both are good in playing to their contrasts, of the more forgiving good natured sister with the greater disfigurement against the more hostile sister with less burns. However they importantly don’t play too hard into each even while hitting that note well. Finding a strong balance between themselves particularly in creating the sense of the sisterly connection where they create a moving warmth between but also a sense of conflict in their differing intentions for life. Most importantly they find a naturalism in their work by just having that chemistry in their history even beyond the mutual trauma. Making a sense of their journey as sisters being more than just the film’s events.)
Brown - (Doesn’t have too much screentime but is pretty terrifying in his few minutes. Brown just brings his bright smile to great impact in just showing a man with wholly callous vicious hatred and not a hint of genuine regret. Even in his scene of trying to pretend otherwise presenting as just the thinnest attempt at a horrid man painting a falsehood in the way he knows how. Brown delivering on a gear I didn’t know he necessarily had quite viscerally.)
Monae - (Wish there had been more of her as she really just has her one bit. Nonetheless found her compelling in her one bit in presenting a very different tonal kind of intended revenge yet delivers on her particular confidence of delivery and style of delivery to make us wholly understand her character in very short succession.)
Williamson - (I mean he essentially plays Molina in Promising Young Woman but without a voice. Williamson though is good in presenting a combination of a painful regret with genuinely unmistakable fear in his manner. Presenting this emotional mess in a fairly moving way even as his entry point seems somewhat ridiculous. He finds a connection in showing how his own trauma is all part of this state.)
Ross - (His last note he brings the intensity but the bit seems a little rushed. The rest though he is good though in his longest scene in offering seeming nuance and connection, in playing the surface distress though with seeming earnest empathy of someone maybe looking for some kind of better path.)
Comer - (Overly simplistic role as the good healer. Comer though manages to find a genuine grace to the part and when she can see a certain nuance between a directness in her reality of the situation and reason in her arguments. Then her bigger scenes she naturally delivers on in finding the combination between the intensity of her distress but with still this quietly stabilizing manner of someone truly believing in her choices for the better.)
Skarsgard - (Really chews into the scenery as Little John as basically just playing up as the biggest brute in the land. Found it worked at least to offer some levity without in any way removing the brutality and at least created some dynamic quality within the just constant brutality even if he is definitely very big to say the least.)
Bartlett - (His whole performance and character suggests potentially a far better film because of just how captivating he is in his voice in every delivery. Finding such a potent combination between a sense of necessary history and knowledge of the true nature of things though with his own holding to the conviction towards optimism regardless of even his own condition. His last scene in particular frankly suggests a different film but Bartlett really is wonderful in managing to paint this specific portrait that creates this appreciation of legend even as in the film’s overall scheme and approach it doesn’t fit…but I’d rather take the scene of the more interesting film.)
Jupe - (His whole story seems rushed in every respect but Jupe delivers on the emotions completely on every bit regardless.)
Delaney - (Just reactions largely but manages to find a natural sense of distress combined with warmth regardless.)
Jackson - (The makeup/effects don’t help matters, the thin as humanly possible depiction of Jackson that is basically the crafted image, right down to the voice, just feels like a completely symphony crafted image. I never believed Jackson as his Uncle for a second, he gives us the general presented image of the Jackson estate but never does he make you believe he is a person beyond that image. An image in itself that feels overly crafted that every beat he offers just never rings true, with really very simplistic beats to begin with beyond song dance, slightly lonely and vulnerable.)
Domingo - (Speaking of limited notes, basically Domingo just needs to play the same note of jerk though honestly this is also on Domingo. He goes for such an overt note the whole time, wearing almost the same over the top expression each time as basically “callous jerk dad” and just maintains that. Only changing to rage slightly more but never do we see anything more than just that constant note and any semblance of what makes this man this way. Not that we needed an empathetic note but maybe one where you saw anything more whatsoever.)
Myers - (Hopefully his bad cameo as a studio exec doesn't become a trend in bad musical biopics. He’s bad once again this time as the supportive exec where Myers really goes for pure sketch in a way that isn’t slightly entertaining or believable.)
Marcus:
I’ve previously given thoughts on that scene.
8000’s:
Much better use of his talents than whatever exactly he did in the extremely flat looking Lion King remake. And based on the trailer for Wildwood seems like he’s definitely making a contribution.
Luke: Thanks a bunch. Did you happen to have that list already compiled? I hope you didn't have to go through the trouble of looking them up because of me, and I asked because I was hoping you kept a running list.
Harris: It was not a problem. I had enough time to spare.
Tahmeed and anyone else who watches the World Cup: Which countries are you rooting for?
Tony: Putting my British bias aside. I must say that despite not being favoured, I would love for The Netherlands to finally win a World Cup.
Tony: Argentina, England, and Spain. Love that Messi's still showing how great he is with nothing left to prove, but I'd be fine with the other two winning because I'd love for either Harry Kane or Lamine Yamal to win a Ballon D'or.
Tony: If not Argentina (mainly because of Messi), then I'm hoping to see what either Japan or the Netherlands can do.
Tony: I’m just glad Mexico got out of the group stage this time around. USA seems surprisingly good too, although I’m cautious.
It would indeed be cool to see Netherlands get their first, though I think one of the larger European countries takes it.
Louis: thoughts on Ludi Lin in Mortal Kombat?
Also, I just watched Duel in the Sun and man...that sucked, but would you agree that there's definitely potential for a good version of the film? Kind of amazing though, how such an incredible cast is so bad across the board.
Louis: Your thoughts on the rest of the casts of MKII, Michael and Vivica A. Fox in Is God Is.
Tahmeed: I love you man, but being a Messi fan isn't a justifiable enough reason to support Argentina this time lol.
With that said, rooting for Spain without a question, but a huge Netherlands fan too.
Thoughts on the Klara & the Sun trailer?
Perfectionist: I promise you, the hatewatch will begin the second Messi retires.
Luke, in your opinion what was the worst world cup since 1990.
Well, 94 was post-birth though I'm aware it wasn't all that good but 2010 was the dullest by far.
Calvin:
Ludi is so severely mistreated in both of these films, he seems to have the goods to lead the film but they won’t let him DESPITE PLAYING LIU KANG! Once again has a strong presence, portraying a sense of actual pathos in his moments with Kung Lao, but the film just rarely lets him have a moment let alone a scene to himself. He does what he can but once more, they really won’t let him be the lead he should be.
Yeah Duel in The Sun sounds most promising…on paper, shame about the actual film. But yes, make a modern version. I think you could make something special out of it.
Anonymous:
Rudolph - (Kind of bland but could be worse)
McNamee - (Bland)
Lawson - (Found his shtick old in the last movie)
Ford - (Super bland yet over the top)
Brooks - (Kind of there)
Gabrielle - (Kind of bland but could be worse.)
Tan - (Comical how much they hated him here, regardless still stiff)
Huang - (Slightly over the top)
Herriman - (He is talented, so disappointing that he fails to make any impression.)
Han - (So boring as Tsung especially when you consider him against his predecessor.)
Asano - (Shows what direction can do, as really all you notice here is his stiffness when delivering English, which is a shame given what he could do, in English, in Silence.)
Sanada - (He still has presence but it really felt like he was cashing a check here.)
Bloomfield - (Found his shtick got instantly old and stupid)
Valdi - (The standout in that I felt like this Michael actually seemed like a real kid even if it is only for a few scenes. He far more brought out a sense of actual nuance in his pathos and struggle with his father rather than the crafted Micael of the rest of the film.)
Everyone else is basically “in the movie” including Teller.
Fox - (Interesting performance basically as contrast to Brown where everything we see is this reacting in this state of intense trauma and pain. She does deliver on that and in a way being the in-between of the sisters where you see someone who is both all anguish while still reflecting a sense of the once caring warmth covered up by that pain.)
Harris:
I mean it looks fine and an interesting enough concept to explore in a slightly comedic yet also slightly darker way. From the trailer itself I didn't see it as obviously amazing nor obviously terrible. In Waititi I don’t trust at this point, but here’s hoping it is a return to form.
Louis: How do you think Margaret Qualley would do as Rogue?
8000's:
She'd probably be great as she almost always is...as long as it isn't directed by Ethan Coen. Otherwise has the right voice and potentially demeanor if they go for more so powered Rogue.
Louis: What are your thoughts on James Corden and Jessica Gunning in The Christophers, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Kyle Chandler in The Rip, Henry Lloyd-Hughes in Disclosure Day and Myha'la in Dead Man's Wire? And what rating would you give to Courtney Grace in Disclosure Day?
Lucas:
Gunning & Corden - (Both as just the bad adult kids and bring a convincing enough selfish interest in one side then a false care in their own moments. Not complicated but don’t go over the top.)
Moreno - (Not much of a role but she’s convincing in just a basic sense.)
Chandler - (Let’s just say a very obvious revelation and right down to his overly obvious speech he’s given. He’s perfectly fine in playing the serious note that changes to then crazed money lust, it’s not great but he’s fine.)
Lloyd-Hughes - (Really emphasis that dull one note he’s given.)
Myha’la - (Serviceably in the movie.)
3.5
Tahmeed: Hahaha, fair enough man.
Louis, your thoughts on this priceless moment from the RoboCop documentary? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEhXAtFgNrk
BuscemiFan:
Strange but amusing story where both are similarly petulant in the story honestly, though funnier really is Weller's adamant denials.
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