Ultimate "Lineup/Actors/Nominees/Thoughts on Movies" Thread

I've expanded this thread to include some thoughts on random movies.  Thoughts and mini reviews and lineups and everything goes, basically.  I guess..... is the thread. 




My thoughts on My Blueberry Nights:


My Blueberry Nights - Not Wong's best, but we're talking about the guy who did 2046, In the Mood for Love, and Chungking Express (among others).

There's nostalgia attached to this movie for me. It was one of the first movies I showed to my non film literate first girlfriend. She liked it a lot, thought it was sweet. Also, when I was a college student in Austin, first movie I saw in theaters then. The Jude Law segment even though taking place in New York should have been taken place in Austin because the setting kinda felt to me like Austin with that shop on main street and that orange tower and mellow soundtrack (OMG Cat Power... such college-era music to me now and exemplifies the youth and mellow Austin vibe), and Wong should've made that decision IMO. It just brought my Austin days back to me, and what's strange is that I can't even stand Austin.

It was at the period of some Wong hype (to his fans at least) on IMDB. Sure, it underwhelmed people expecting him to thrive on the success of 5 straight masterpieces, but some movies to me I don't view with a perfectionist lens and just enjoy it for what it is, and this is one of those movies for me - and taken like that, there's less distinction between it and those major works of his. It's just adorable; I'm in a sort of adorable-movies mode right now. Strathairn was by far MVP, then Jones, then Weisz (I know she was LOL, but that's not always bad), Portman, and far dead last is Law.



The Bad Batch (2016)

★★½


Added 01 Aug, 2017


ugh. I'm not one to bemoan a movie for being bad when everyone else agrees. But come on now... how can this be impressive for anyone?

It gives me such a feeling of lethargy, like no interest whatsoever. Where do all the random characters who pop up randomly fit in here? And what is their purpose? This movie really seems to have such a thin sense of purpose. Keanu wasn't in it long enough even if I admit I might've seen it just for him.

You could raise the argument that what does Jodorowsky do that's so special that this movie doesn't have? Well, I'll need to rewatch some Jodorowsky movies, but so far I think the only movie is really like this is Fando y lis, which is mediocre in its own right - it feels so similar to that. I think El Topo..... maybe, but that seemed to me to have the characters doing some fun and funny things.  Too much Refn vibes here, and I'm getting a bit tired of him, and movies that feel like his.

The concept of this and the setting can certainly be taken as surreal, but I really don't see what it establishes here, and I'm beginning to see the formula of Amirpour's. She definitely needs a change in direction if she's to sustain a decent career. A Girl Walked Home Alone At Night was good (maybe not quite great), but she'll definitely need a more original spin of that than aimless and lazy formula here. Lead character wading through a barren landscape for no reason is all this movie really comes down to.




Goodbye to Language:

In some ways, it's the most advanced Godard has ever gotten. Godard shows he is a master on addressing societal trends and how to make a comment on it using interesting, if not indirect methods. His use of symbols at its ultimate peak, his avant-garde bone is piqued and for the first time utilized to the level of mastery. It has a feeling of consummation against his movies of the 60s - which although most are brilliant, a few come off a bit thin. Godard fills in the gaps here, it's a short screentime but he manages to get really abstract and specific - we stand here observing where his mind is at right now. It's gotten mega-reclusive, and it's all for the better for his art. Also, it feels like it's influenced by The Tree of Life - as at least some techniques are, but it just gives weight to this whole wave in the new decade of intro-avant garde. Also, conceptually-wise, it's worth praising as well. His political/society fiction concepts are insane and madcap - it always has been, but this whole "we will eventually lose language" and implying that our new form of communication are in the form of..... dogs running back and forth between woods (to convey messages) is just interesting, while being really up-to-date with the modern landscape and infusing a Godard-ian conceptual.



Moonlight:

6/10



Up-and-down relationship with this film. Used to hate it, but now I'm kinda of eased into it, still nothing great though. I give it some props for capturing Weerasethakul. The mellow drive along the Florida coastline was pretty evocative. But there are some points going the other direction too. The OVERALL mellow tendencies gets a bit too much... especially the romantic side of it. The acting... meh. Can't buy Naomie Harris as part of that movie, Janelle Monae was the only really realistic cast member. Just like The Florida Project, at times I felt like it was by a new director fresh out of film school and didn't do much to convince me the filmmaker had much experience other than getting praise from his class members in film class for his final project. Overall, while it was watchable...the story is average, it's been done before, and the tones of the Obama-era social climate begs you to feel for this era's sensibilities. But the fact that it was able to touch Weerasethakul and have a decently languid feel to it makes me see some value in it. It's just not Best Picture quality, and while I don't see many people thinking this, this isn't a modern classic and hopefully you guys feel the same as I do. Will still stay thinking that this Jenkins guy will have some eventually great films though.



Million Dollar Baby:

Lel at Stephen's digressions.


5.5/10


But yes, it's inoffensive but just regular pleb filter. I'm a fan of Eastwood, and I feel like even the people who don't like this film usually likes some of the stuff he's done before this (and I say this giving a very generous 5.5 here), but he sleptwalked here. No idea why he was nominated, the category was weak but if you're gonna nominate him for something, it'll be one of his earlier films. I like Swank too, but who dragged her out of the mud here? And Freeman has just about mailed it in. I'm a fan of all of those names I mentioned, but I struggle to find any shred of interest for any of them here.

That 2004-2006 streak of winners is just some of WOAT. You had Eastwood who looked like he should've probably just called it quits 10 years ago, then Paul Haggis.... a name synonymous with 2 AM earbleeds and then Scorsese just........ at his all-time lowpoint doing rehash jobs and going all out Hong Kong master on us.... just... *beep*

I'm kind of laughing here that I actually lived through all this mid-2000s plebbiness. Sorry. My honest opinion.




The Apartment:

7/10



It's entertaining and fun, but it's essentially a middle-brow romantic comedy. Don't think there's anything deviating it from a romantic comedy. You take Cactus Flower, and that crush that Lemmon has on MacLaine... which is similar to that crush Bergman has on Matthau in Cactus Flower, and I end up feeling like I'm constantly getting that persistent and tiring "crush" trope... like, I get it at that point... he's an overgrown loser who cutesyly likes her. A nice little formula overall though. "A man who chooses between his heart or his job?" was the initial release ad, so it was definitely initially released to the common crowd. You have to put up quite an argument to convince me otherwise.



His Girl Friday:

Absolutely unbearable. Represents everything you wanna burn about Old Hollywood. Those annoying antics, that uppity sh-t confused as comedy. Rosalind Russell was good, but this movie has nothing to offer in terms of originality. That "age of newspapers" feels like such a boring age as portrayed in this movie - where people do nothing except crack screwy lines. That being said, I thought Bringing Up Baby - essentially guilty of the same things I criticize HGF for - was rather good. I guess the fact that it had a leopard and a slightly less conventional and more original story made it better. Still nothing touches Rio Bravo for me.




Germany, Year Zero: 

Absolutely flat, kills my heartbeat. Like, you won't have a heartbeat after watching this totally dated and nothing special movie, though I think the last 15 minutes does upgrade it slightly from a 5/10 to a 6/10. I usually like Rossellini's simple style. Any further recommendations beyond Europa '51 and Voyage to Italy?




Speed

Keanu. Sandra. Hopper. An action classic. Keanu couldn't act in 1994 - but who cares? I'd take Sandra here over her 2 Oscar nods anyday, as she was only really interesting before the age of 32. A memorable piece of action movie gimmick in the era of adrenaline blockbusters. Maybe it's not a all-time action classic like T-2 or Die Hard, but....definitely quality entertainment; an overall tier 2 classic. Oh and.... Speed > Gravity.





Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - 8/10

My new favorite film of 2005. A lazier (used in a good way) Coens - which basically equals a Jarmusch. It's such an episodic western, and a great spin on the genre.

Sorry Jarmusch, no more BP wins for you. Though I might watch Ghost Dog finally, but it'll be hard to come out on top of a year like 1999.




Bonnie and Clyde - 8/10

Maybe after the first half, I would've gone ahead and called it overrated, but I think that the next half makes it one of the better classics. It's better than Dog Day Afternoon... a merely good movie, but overrated. It's better The Graduate too, which is fun but not spectacular. Those are some New Hollywood films which I'm not as enthused about.

Still not an all-time favorite, but it has the New Hollywood look, the sense of sensation, and is neo-realism in the American sense. Dunaway dressed 60s instead of 30s, but I'm not gonna gripe over that. Maybe people loved the event (in 1967, this film must've been the most exciting thing) so much that they gave the actual film kind of a mini free pass, but that's ok.... this is still a great film, event or not. Though I probably prefer Badlands. I like hating on Malick because the New Hollywood boys likes to drink the Bonnie and Clyde coolaid much more than the Malick one. Still.... I'll betray my DNA this once.


Right Now, Wrong Then (2015) - Beautiful stuff. Channels Lost in Translation.

Arrival - Does a Malick better than Malick... at times. And yes, it's very much like a Malick, only near the 2nd end of it though. 7

Tommy (1975) - Ann-Margret is pretty great. The film is kinda random and goes off on a weird tangent I didn't understand later. It began in a way that I liked though and expected to be a film I'd really like. 7

Jersey Girl (2004) - Haven't seen this in 14 years since remembering I really enjoyed it back then. It's certainly one of the better Kevin Smith movies, he's a hack all his movies suck, especially Mallrats and Clerks but this one is quite good for his standards. Even though it was a product of the early 00s Ben Affleck-J/Lo celebrityship. Ben Affleck was used in a certain way back then, but mostly to make women feel like they can relate to an average guy who has gone through some tough life breaks. Affleck always plays angry dudes. 6

Giant (1956) - I actually thought it was a big giant studio mediocrity bordering on bad until the last hour which made this present itself as at least decent. But yeah... nothing more than an Oscar baity 50s studio epic, and I forget it didn't actually win Best Picture. No aspect about it really rose above the common standards of that era. 6

Independence Day - Not sure what people likes about this. I know it's a blockbuster but it's a blockbuster that some people seems to like. I find Mars Attack a better alien invasion film. And Armageddon is way better for late 90s event films. I just don't get it. 6

The Smiling Lieutenant - Starts decent with this cutesy courtship and Claudette Colbert has the French belle flair, but it quickly becomes generic and dull. Lubitsch is a hit and miss, but nothing really stands out about this guy as far as I see. 6

Mona Lisa - Better than Taxi Driver in exploring the underworld and the unorthodox people in it. And it doesn't have any of that "wish someday God cleans up the filth of the streets" nonsense in the voiceovers. Hoskins kicks DeNiro's ass. And he would've kicked his ass a 2nd time if he got to play Capone in The Untouchables. He would've been a better fit for the role than DeNiro. 8

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - I see the allegory. And I can see how this can feel entertaining - like a great time with Nicholson and crew. I like it.. it does get thicker I feel. I think this comes off like literature (on film)..... kinda see the Animal Farm ness in this. In that historical Best Picture lineup of 1975..... this has improved to 3rd place. I put it close to Jaws, somewhat better than Nashville, and way better than Dog Day Afternoon (clearly the weakest of that lineup). But none of those is Barry Lyndon. 7.5

The Battle of Chile (all of it) - It's ok, but too literal. And it's presented like your average serious documentary. 7/10



The Black Dahlia - Liked many things about it. Including Kirshner and Swank being totally awesome. They were so good at capturing old personas... but in Kirshner's case, it's more her soul which was really on display here. Don't hate the hate for Swank here at all, it feels like some people just dunno what they're talking about. The film had a decent era, but ultimately it's not great. 7/10


JFK - It feels like reading the red book sometimes, trying to manipulate you into seeing things one way. Stone was a bit too in love with his own work trying to prompt his manifesto, but the fact that his project was so well put together - stock image by stock image, researched astutely, with entertainment taken into account certainly fits my criteria of what counts as praise-worthy. Like the slice and dice approach of its editing.  Also a film this technical this type of editing approach worked well.  It's a very technical feeling and looking movie, but ultimately a bit underwhelming and wouldn't call it one of my favorites of the decade.  But definitely one of Stone's best, and it's a good film for his level.


On the Usual Suspects - I'm not a fan of it. All of the snobby users in IMDB history pisses on it, and demeans it as juvenile and MTV generation crap popular in high schools, so I'm just trying to say you're definitely not the only one. I thought it was... ok. Doesn't have much going for it other than the fact that it pieces together enjoyably and leads you down a rabbit hole towards the end. It's definitely very 90s, and there's a comic book aspect to it, I guess.


Stardust Memories - Well, Stardust Memories was a beautiful and nostalgic film. Purple Rose has a silly childish fantasy of falling into a hole and walk into some fantasy world. It's quite Disney and cheesy, and it's too screwy for me to take seriously. And Hannah and Her Sisters is....not bad. It's probably more entertaining than SM, but SM is really the type of stuff I like and makes you long for the era of Fellini - even though it's just a homage but you don't need to be innovative. The smell of glue is awesome, too.


The General's Daughter - Other than Madeleine Stowe at the peak of her beauty, nothing to see here. First time anyone has turned me on in a long time though..... other than Swinton in the Suspiria trailer. 5/10


A Streetcar Named Desire - Not quite great, but this is the closest Kazan will come to being great. Don't think any of his others are close to great, but I need to rewatch East of Eden and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I do think the fact that I can't see how this is different than any other Tennessee Williams adaptation drags it down a little, though I do like the smokey backdrop and that old Southern essence. Vivien Leigh's school of acting worked for me. I don't get the appeal of Brando though, method or not... I guess I can see how he stands out......... a little, but still the titanic impact it initially made has worn off a little now. But Leigh and her resurrecting of an old Southern archetype even way past the heydays shows tremendous intelligence as an actress. 7.5




Grizzly Man - It's pretty good. Herzog knows how to have the right approach. He has the right tone, a film like this doesn't need to be very tragic. A tragic documentary is probably more boring, and common. That being said, I don't think this does enough to stand itself out. I'm slightly interested in this guy, and Herzog shows that he definitely loves his nature. We feel everything Herzog feels about this story, but if it claims to be one of the greatest films of the century, I think it would have to be a little more unique than that. 7


Thoughts on Elizabeth Taylor - Like her a lot. Her Virginia Woolf performance is a little overrated - if having kind of to do with Goddess Sandy ripping everyone apart in it - but it's still a very good performance. I've yet to seen anything not at least good from her. Butterfield 8..... I preferred some other actresses in the year, but she doesn't deserve the dumb hate for a perfectly fine performance. Suddenly, Last Year.... I preferred Signoret, but it's more of a neck-and-neck between the two that year. Need to rewatch Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and to watch Raintree Country. I can see her overtaking my wins from the nominees of both years because my first choice isn't all that strong, but I do have Novak from Vertigo pretty firm for '58. Pretty good in A Place in the Sun and Father of the Bride too. So yeah, she has a very substantial filmography to evaluate, you can basically pick any.


Thoughts on Denzel Washington - -I think pupdurcs is right in suggesting that Denzel is approaching all-time GOAT status based on his recent productivity. I totally agree with him. He's gotten a mid-to-late career surge. All of the great actors in history has gotten that - it's the path to being "goated".  And I'd take Denzel over Nicholson, Lemmon, and Brando. Not sure about Hackman, Newman, and Hoffman.... maybe the top of the canon I'd take Denzel..... but overall filmography I'd have to rewatch all their movies. But... I still put Denzel behind DDL, Pacino, and DeNiro. It's just stronger feelings for them, I guess.

Similarly like the point I was making on Denzel, I think Blanchett and Kidman WILL challenge Streep's status, because they seem most likely to get a mid-to-late career surge. I don't see that with Winslet honestly. I think she's more likely to be seen as a late 90s/early 00s thing....like a Keira Knightley (2002-2007) of her period. I can see Winslet continuing her work on TV though (stuff of The Reader caliber for example...... which is pretty much a TV movie to me), but Blanchett and Kidman will get theater and gain longevity in that medium, which in turn will translate to some film roles, because a great majority of film roles are based on theater.


On Hilary Swank: I think she's the epitome of the type of actress that needs the right role. If she has the right role, she's as good as Ingrid, Gena, and Isabelle. But if she doesn't have the right role, I don't think she can make much out of it.


On Lauren Bacall: The only reason I named Sirk as overrated on that overrated thread is because he was considered a hack in his day. I just get annoyed when someone who was considered a hack before is now considered great. I actually think he's a far better director than some of those 50s big names. (Kazan, Hawks, Wilder) Imitation of Life is SO trashily entertaining, and with that movie he already proves he has a far better film from the 50s than those other overrated formula pushers I named. The Tarnished Angels also does mellow old Hollywood nostalgia better than most of the popular stuff people know from that era.

Though Written on the Wind and Magnificent Obsession is kinda trash. Not "trash" as in bad, but trash as in literal trash. But to me personally, they're mediocre and unspectacular films.


Back to Bacall, her best performance is probably Written on the Wind, as pacinoyes says:

1. Written on the Wind - most transcendent Bacall role
2. Key Largo - BY far my favorite of her major film presences. Femme fatale archetypes are boring, she wasn't a femme fatale here.

Rounding out the rest would be Dark Passage, To Have and to Have Not, and Murder on the Orient Express.



On Monica Vitti: I consider her a favorite - the Natalie Wood of foreign actresses. The reason is, whenever you see Wood on screen, you begin to feel how the image has changed to something more modern. Take for instance... Splendor in the Grass, it's such a modern and edgy film for the standards of that era and similarly Antonioni was pushing the same envelope in Italy at the same time.

Old Italians might know her better for being a comedic actress in Italian movies, film buffs obviously know her for Antonioni, and in many ways - you can argue she's a compliment to the Antonioni world.


On Goldie Hawn: The trifecta of Death Becomes Her, Butterflies Are Free, and The Sugar Land Express are some of the more essential Goldie Hawn movies. Personally, Butterflies Are Free is the one I feel the most for because it's the sweetest, but the other two are really fun characters - even if the attention is probably on Spielberg for the last one. She's just a fun and wicked actress, like the blonde version of Angelica Huston. Also - there's Shampoo - the entire cast was great, Lee Grant and Julie Christie both, but Hawn is just a presence that fits right into almost anything - that quality is what other actresses in her generation can't touch.



Here are my thoughts on the 90 Best Picture winners


1. Unforgiven - By FAR. Westerns were well dead by 1992, and this was the final western twang... and I can hear the harmonica. 9
   
2. Titanic - A great tearjerking blockbuster - though not an example of Cameron's greatness or anything... I think T2 is that. But it has the entertainment value if nothing else. 8 

3. Forrest Gump - One of my guilty pleasures. Not sure why it's hated so vehemently. Not that a film like this will ever have the power to blow me away, but the story is fast moving and enjoyable enough. It's just much better than the others here. 7.5
   
4. Schindler's List - Certainly good, but I just don't see why some consider it a masterpiece. It's a well made production with a sensible emotional core. I'm kind of surprised it has such mass appeal, but I know it has the inherent subject matter. But I wasn't really affected, but based on quality production, I'll give it 4th place. 7.5
   
5. The English Patient - 90s passionate romance in the classic style. I know the appeal, I'm just not blown away, even though some of it was definitely very enjoyable. The affair, the flashbacks, it's all very solid. Minghella has terrific production values and Miramax managed to elevate the product a little bit, and Minghella was an interesting director in that period. 7.5

6. American Beauty - Not exactly a huge fan of it. I think it read the screenplay of Happiness and decided to take it mainstream. Todd Solondz is just a better screenwriter than Alan Ball. It feels a bit too much like a product, but I'd take it over Magnolia anyday. Sure Memeolia is less of a product but it's a painfully uninteresting depiction trying to capture the magic of the 70s. Altman should be rolling in his grave. 7

7. Dances With Wolves - The epitome of early 90s sentimentality. That kind of mush has really gone out of style. Plus, it's trying to make us sympathize with those poor Indians, just sympathy-jerking. 6
     
8. Shakespeare in Love - I actually thought it was pretty clever and amusing about 10 years ago - a solid event in its day, but I rewatched it lately and it's just.... a nice pleasant mediocrity. 6
   
9. The Silence of the Lambs - This is the one I don't get. It's a decent thriller product, but hardly that engaging. Don't see anything great about it.... dated faux-psychoanalytical Bergman aping. 5

10. Braveheart - mehhh 5





Some thoughts on certain Oscar winning performances:


Fredric March - The Best Years of Our Lives (8) - Kinda surprised at the ratings. While the classic board don't exactly consider him bad, most people thought he beat a far deserving Stewart. And he's put under the category of one of those "sentimental wins" and some people thought Dana Andrews was the one snubbed. And with Olivier's first Shakespearean nomination and that class he has to compete with, some people wonder why he won. I personally thought he was very strong, very patriarchal even though I too prefer Stewart, and probably Olivier too.

Olivia De Havilland - To Each His Own (7.5) - From what I remember, it's merely a precursor to the actress that she eventually became. Not an egregious win though, I feel this has to do with the category than anything.

Harold Russell - The Best Years of Our Lives (7) - Now this one is the one that I think has deep shades of sentimentality. He was a true war veteran, not really an actor so I think there's a degree of war veteran sentiment which was probably deep in 1946. I guess I underestimated how popular he was..... never thought people thought he was a standout, despite his no arms and that...... one horrifying scene in the end.

Anne Baxter - The Razor's Edge (10) - Well, this could go higher. There's only been 2 ratings so far, but from my memory the classic board was really emphatic about this win, claiming her as one of the most underrated 40s hidden gems.

Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront (8) - Not goat, but this is one of his acclaimed performances I can kinda get behind. Don't get the appeal of his Streetcar performance, and don't much care for Vito Corleone. I like some others of his though.

Grace Kelly - The Country Girl (10) - I can see the lambast coming, but it's ok. As much as this is one of those performances I just have a personal fondness for, it goes both ways for me. Even though that 10 must be coming as a shock from me, I don't despise the hate for her. Because there was that idiot user from IMDB 2013 who attacks people everytime someone considers another actress more beautiful or hotter than his precious Princess Grace. This guy also doesn't care about acting as a craft, and he seemed to have no idea that nobody ever considered Grace a great actress even in her time. She was the Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, and Anne Hathaway of her period. I won't let that spite affect my score, it's a 10 and feels like a 10, but I just wanna enjoy that idiot user cry because he must see lots of Grace bashing on IMDB. Like there's no such thing as an opinion or something.

Edmund O'Brien - The Barefoot Contessa (6) - One of those wins I forget ever happened. I went back and rewatched some of those forgotten and mediocre 50s films, this movie is just so bland. Not even Bogart did anything interesting here. I don't see O'Brien as a strong enough standout though, I just see him as "huh?? wtf? he actually won?" And I'm not even nuts over the Waterfront boys or anything, but if you ask me Steiger should've won, and I kinda forget he didn't. The others...... are passable. If Steiger would've won, everyone here gets at least an 8 from me.

Eva Marie Saint - On the Waterfront (8.5) - Always liked her. She's always been out of her era. She's a 70s actress. Her realism makes her stand out against the more superficial and glamorous 50s.... in a general sense.

Paul Scofield - A Man for All Seasons (7) - Rewatched it lately. Found the film boring, couldn't get much out of any aspect of this film. Don't find him comparable to O'Toole.

Elizabeth Taylor - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (7.5) - One of those performances I should like more than I do. But still, I expected her to get around the 90s even if I don't personally like it as much. But it looks like people just don't like Virginia Woolf here.

Walter Matthau - The Fortune Cookie (5) - Don't get why there's any like for him. This guy is so bland, and he plays the epitome of the same guy in all his movies. Like Jack Lemmon's best fishing or golf buddy. My favorite crooked-mouthed who've probably smoked too much cigarettes in his life. Maybe it's not this particular performance I take issue with as he was probably actually decent here, but still.... I don't know what performance of his I'm actually rating because they're all the same.

Sandy Dennis - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (10) - This plebbiness has reached a new low here. In some circles she's considered the greatest of all time in her category, LMAO. And in my eyes, this is not even her greatest performance. Well, not my absolute #1 favorite actually, but still among at least top 20 favorites of all time for any female. Which goes to show how great she truly is, to have another GOAT favorite in there even above this. I'm guessing this mentality of her being the GOAT is not the common demographic here and is actually probably more a 60s or a high snob thing, and those users won't be many... more likely to post in the supporting actress wins of the 60s thread than here. To each his own at the end of the day, but I'm not gonna wish you a pleasant journey in life if you rate Hathaway and O'Neal high, and Dennis down to the the nether bottoms. At least give her a 7 or an 8.

Rod Steiger - In the Heat of the Night (8.5) - While I've seen some people bash his win, he really resonated with me. Different sensibilities. I grew up in schools with some authoritarian old figures. I went to elementary school in Mississippi. While I wouldn't say that's exactly why I like him more, I guess there is still a part of me that's conservative, or understand conservative surroundings. I get that his win is largely viewed as part of the old conservative school and Hollywood was ready to move on from the old days. That's why Hoffman and Beatty probably excites more people, because those were the first glimpses of the New Hollywood movement. I love the New Hollywood movement, but I feel in this particular year Steiger's win, although a predictable and conventional academy choice in a fairly conventional film, was well deserved.

Katharine Hepburn - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? - (7) - Don't think she quite deserves the excess vitriol she sometimes gets. Thread after thread gets started that still complains about her win back in some corners of IMDB. I realize it's not her best work, but she was already a legend in 1967. Most of the people who voted her were simply curried into her legendary status. Hollywood actors want to appear cinephilic and brown-nosing.

George Kennedy - Cool Hand Luke (6) - He's decent, but it was Jo Van Fleet that made more of an impression on me.

Estelle Parsons - Bonnie and Clyde (8) - Don't get the hate she inspires in some people. I'm not sure what the consensus pick for this category is. It's still Parsons, right? There's nobody else nominated I think people like that much. I loved her screeching. The MY EYES, MY EYES thing did more for me than Dunaway did entirely. If I know my stuff well enough, I do believe she was the only member of the original Bonnie and Clyde troupe that lived till old age, though I could be wrong.

Marlon Brando - The Godfather (7.5) Kind of a similar reaction I get when watching Kingsley. They get into their mode, but it's boring after that. Not that Brando was entirely devoid of entertainment, but I don't get as much entertainment out of him as others probably do. Some people likes to do his voice, and some people are rather good at imitating it. Those are the types of people that would get more out of him than I would probably. Still good, just I don't much see the method and don't think of it as a method performance. And while everyone else would say: "there's no competition this year" they probably haven't Sleuth. Olivier, dudes, Olivier.

Liza Minnelli - Cabaret - (7) Didn't really care. I see the Judy Garland comparisons but unlike Garland, she doesn't have as wide a filmography I can explore to say how talented she is compared to her closest counterparts.

Joel Grey - Cabaret (8) Deserved it over Pacino, but I'd like him more if he was in it more. One of those instances where lack of feeling him completely out takes the rating down a bit overall. But I can see the training behind his work, and it's a product of hard work to get this down so synced.

Eileen Heckhart - Butterflies Are Free (8.5) Never knew she put off so many people. It's not actually my very favorite from her, but I really dig her act and her character playing. Goldie though . Still a great winner, and she makes a big scene-stealing impact and her character is a high-intellectual suburban mother I found personally interesting.

John Houseman - The Paper Chase (6) Very bland role. No idea why he won, for such a forgettable story about a Harvard Law student's perspective on a monotone professor. Love Story-caliber movie. It feels like a Bogdanovich though, and since it had Timothy Bottoms - I didn't know he actually didn't direct this.

Tatum O'Neal - Paper Moon (3) You all suck for voting her up high, but giving low scores to more deserving people. She's the epitome of the bratty kid you want to slap, and it makes me laugh how there's no love for Madeline Kahn here but O'Neal is taken seriously. I've given out only 4 scores lower than a 4, and this shares company with the likes of atrocities like Hathaway, Winslet, and Hopkins. (yes, you heard that righ

Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (8) Used to like it way more. Still more deserving than both overrated Pesci nominations and Jodie Foster (in Scorsese movies). And I really like her in this era too, but I feel like Rowlands would dominate in any era. And Burstyn I can only really see the 70s and 80s. Interesting she wasn't prolific in the 80s though, as I see her as almost the exact replica of an 80s actress.

Robert DeNiro - The Godfather: Part II (7) Overrated... EXTREMELY. I realize he won this Oscar way before he became known as the greatest actor of all time, but this feels like such a random win. One they felt they had to dish out because it was in a Godfather movie. He really didn't do much.... strangely praised performance for me and even moreso strange where it comes from, imo.

Ingrid Bergman - Murder on the Orient Express (7.5) Not her best work, but.... she gets too much criticism. Much like Jessica Lange's 2 wins getting so lambasted. And Hoffman's too - and though I'm not a fan of his Kramer vs Kramer win, but hardly egregious given Sellers was the only one in the category really much better. Her win here is too criticized. That "GOAT with an unspectacular win" criticism. I can kinda see why she won given there was no one so well ahead, and they just gave out a win to the tiebreaker that made the most sense, to break the tie between 4 others that probably all got about the same votes.

Jack Nicholson - Over Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (8) At the beginning, I was like.... "Why's Nicholson so praised here for acting like a clown like he's done his whole life, Fletcher was so much better........... but then I got used to him. I'm not quite as nuts over those 70s actors in the 70s as some are, but this is a fine winner and Nicholson was fun even if it feels like a direct interpretation. Don't consider it Jack's best or anything.



Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (7.5) Understated, but there was something missing. Maybe she was slightly on autopilot after she got into her mode, but still a good performance. Maybe from the nominees she'd be my pick......um dunno, but not overall.



Lee Grant - Shampoo (7.5) My lowest rated performance that I give a personal win to. Well maybe not lowest, but one of the lowest. In some ways, she was the only one not among the element in this film. But then, that's also kind of the reason I prefer her to the other cast members. Generally I prefer Hawn, but I think Hawn was mostly playing Hawn here and while this wouldn't be one of Grant's best performances, the fact that it's a textbook Grant appearance and the fact that the category is so weak, I can kinda see why she won.


William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman (10) - One of my all time top 5. I came primarily just to give him that 10. You name me 4 or 5 performances that are better.

Geraldine Page - A Trip to Bountiful (6) - I'm glad she finally got an Oscar for something, but as an individual performance, I don't feel she rose above the ordinary. Not enough here to merit any real praise. I know Page is mostly liked regardless of what she does... that goes for lots of actresses. Some I even never criticize regardless of what. That's my feeling anyways.

Angelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor (7) - Not one of her best works, but it was essentially a launchpad win that catapulted her to major parts. That run from 1987-1991 is some of the BOAT. It was brief, and all of my 6 or 7 nods for her were in those 5 years. It makes her win seem like an afterthought, but she was still probably the best actor in the film.

Al Pacino - Scent of a Woman (8) - Not one of Pacino's best, but comfortable strong work. Probably not even in his top 10, but his range shows here. He branched out a lot in the 90s, where previously he may have been criticized by some to be limited in range. But I felt his range came out here. He was born to play a wounded and torn war veteran (among other roles), and this broken-man has real strength and soul. Some people are just Denzel fanboys, because he was up-and-coming at the time, but I thought his 00s work was far stronger than his 90s work. 

Emma Thompson - Howard's End (9) - Screen smoldering. The beginning of the 90s British romance period. And it was such a fine period too. Some of my favorite performances of all time beginning here.... and fading around 2000/2001? 9

Gene Hackman - Unforgiven (7) - I don't share everyone's respect for the man, but I do have respect for the man. But no, this would not be one of my favorites. He's out of his 70s element and just.... eh.... I feel like he could mostly play tough guys (and father figures) or super strict generals after that, but not sure if Gene had much more to offer out of the 70s. Pacino, Nicholson, and DeNiro were all strong out of the 70s, but one criticism for Gene imo is that I didn't feel he was as strong afterwards, and I'm probably even a bigger fan of him than Nicholson. My opinion anyways. 7

Marisa Tomei - My Cousin Vinny (8) - I used to like it a lot more. I still like it. It's the exact type of performance I like. Squeaky voiced and full of antics. Give me some 70s and 80s comedies, then Madeline Kahn... and I could go on a marathon with those types of performances. Still, where previously it may have been an 8.5, might've taken off .5 points because of the incessant infatuation, and/or her other nominations... all of them about the same level for me which loses this performance some distinction. Easily pwned Pesci though and showed what a limited actor he was. 



Thoughts on select popular directors:


On Scorsese: As long as it's good, I always welcome more crime films. I say he tends to have the highest success ratio with his crime films. His 4 major crime films, only 1 was a misstep (The Departed). But I can see an argument for Silence being his most refreshing non-crime film since Last Temptation of Christ or The King of Comedy.



-On Nolan: Don't see Nolan as very Hollywood. Maybe a few of his films. You could argue his last 3 films. (haven't seen Dunkirk) But, if we're strictly speaking, but then... I'm obviously speaking of what I see as Hollywood. I'm thinking Memento and Inception feel kind of anti-Hollywood, but then I can see an argument for The Prestige and The Dark Knight as being pretty Hollywood. Just like Hitchcock worked in the Hollywood system, and he's often degraded as being Hollywood, but I never saw Notorious, Vertigo, or The Birds as being very Hollywood.



-On Fincher: His The Social Network and after period is definitely a step down from old Fincher. I do have a longing for the man who injected some vitality into the Alien franchise, and was an up-and-coming talent with Se7en. Films after that are good, but I personally have an affinity to his 1992-1995 period. And.... I like Fight Club. I do agree that most of the times it's discussed, it's about its fans rather than the film's actual merits. Just "The Game" to me was where the turning point started for Fincher, and The Social Network was yet another turning point after that.



-On PTA: His 1999-2007 is his worst period. He's since resurrected himself, and he was... curiously interesting as a young director. I agree though, nothing he ever does sounds interesting, but I guess that's not too relevant in the grand scheme. I just find There Will Be Blood to be extremely basic, Punch-Drunk Love is cute but c'mon that's about it, and Magnolia is this movie I used enjoy a lot because it's such a load of fun, but I don't know why people don't interpret it as campy fun. People take that movie too seriously, imo; I never did and that's why I used to see it as Pulp Fiction: part 2. Since I've rewatched it, I've concluded it's just crap.


-On Lynch: I don't mean to sound condescending. Sometimes my language comes off strong, my mind is film critic-y, so hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from. I don't feel any negative sensation or hate for Lynch. I have admiration for someone who can actually come up with the stuff he does. Because I admire ambition, and anything that strives for greatness always has my respect more than something that just serves a specific purpose or brings out the mass armies. I don't always enjoy stuff from say, Resnais or Godard, but I can definitely see them when they're at their greatest. Same principle goes for Lynch... and I enjoy a 3rd of what he does. Find another 3rd watchable but not really among favorites. And another 3rd I'm just not interested in. If there's someone who gets my bile duct raging, it's Todd Haynes. How his crappy movies can sometimes make it on these lists is laughable.



-On Scorsese's Best Film Per Decade: 

'70s: not a lot of choices but Taxi Driver or Mean Streets. I'll say Mean Streets slightly. Both appeal to me in the 2nd degree, but not quite in the first degree.

'80s: Raging Bull. I'm a biopics fan. I usually prefer biopics to religion, but Last Temptation is a greatly made film. I think After Hours and The King of Comedy are extremely unspectacular, just decent.

'90s: My favorite decade from him. Can't argue Goodfellas which is a top 10 all-time film, but Cape Fear (you heard that right), The Age of Innocence, and Casino (and if you want to add to a lesser extent Temptation) is his greatest 4/5 films streak.

'00s: By far his weakest decade. Only 3 films. He got a lot of vitriol for this decade, but I can kinda see why. Still Gangs of New York easily destroys the other two.

10s: The Wolf of Wall Street. I'm excited for his future projects, because he looks like he's in the beginning of the next wave with his last 2 films.


Chazelle vs Barry Jenkins - I've seen one film from each. I guess Chazelle. La La Land was the film I like more than Moonlight. The biggest criticism on both is that I don't think either are very innovative. Still, La La Land was pretty soulful. Good blend of a spring romance with the reality of life and love and show business. Best served under some indie soul soundtrack. I can just imagine the soundtrack reaching climax during some of Emma Stone's emotional monologues. Moonlight.... I've always thought it was best served drinking some mountain dew - or some other really fresh drink.


On Pedro Almodovar: I remember he was really popular on IMDB during 1999-2006 when his films started being recognized by the academy. He was regularly discussed and his films had all sorts of buzz. He's tailed off since tho.

Anyways.... Julieta is #1... I know that for sure.

1. Julieta - BY FAR. More to do with the fact that "Runaway" is one of my top 5 novels, but I still liked this adaptation a lot. it has a nice Spanish-mundo touch to it.

2. All About My Mother - I remember enjoying it, but need a rewatch.

3..... I dunno? Can you take just two? I just haven't seen or don't remember any of his films enough. I saw them all a LONG time ago.




On Michael Mann for Best Director for 2004:


His snub by the academy was egregious. Incredibly threadbare year already, so this one there's no excuse. Mann had already a huge following by the directors branch in 2004, and the critics were behind him all the way. Collateral didn't cause an initial row, not like Heat and The Insider did, but its aged really well like most of his films. Other than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, no other film in this year has its individual aspects singled out more than Collateral in this current period of moviedom. I've yet to find one person who doesn't at least admire the editing, Cruises best performance, and the cinematography.



On Rebecca Hall:

Superb actress. She had a great run from 2008-2010. I give her one win for Red Riding In the Year of Our Lord 1974, but several other nominations all within those 3 years. I lost track of her career after that though, and I haven't seen this one - though I've heard good things.



On Kelly Reichardt:

I thought she was better than I thought. I thought Certain Women was ok, but a step down in the progress of Reichardt. At that point in her career, I would've expected her to progress and really develop, but she actually went back to an older cache of hers. That's not as simple as saying I thought she would've been better but became worse, but just Certain Women wasn't as ultimate as I had thought and would've expected.

Rewatched Oldjoy lately. Kinda blew. The only one I dislike. Everything else I've seen from her is at least good. River of Grass hits a few spots, Wendy and Lucy is simple but has the Jarmusch/Van Sant intrigue, and Meek's Cutoff is much more comfortable to watch than the ol' cattle tales of Old Hollywood.

Good director.



1954 Supporting Actress:

Well, looks like I'm not offering up anything original here.

It's Saint, McCambridge, and Jurado for me. Basically all the ones that've been mentioned except for Foch (I haven't seen). But

McCambridge....

gets my vote, because she's the nastiest bitch in an era where nasty bitches appealed to the audience a lot.




Best Actor 1956:

Like those results. Laughton, Von Sydow, and Guinness over Fonda, Douglas, and Mifune. YEAH. That's how I like it. I thought those latter 3 was gonna be the top 3 just because they were in popular films, but apparently people here can separate a great performance vs just a popular actor in a popular film.

My pick is Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life.

Playing Vincent Van Gogh is a prelude to thespian greatness, obviously. As Tim Roth and Willem Dafoe shows. But I think Kirk fits the role the best. Vincent Van Gogh looks pretty much like him based on his picture. It's a role he was born to play. Give him a few more big scenes, and he'll be as iconic as Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur. Still lots of Shakespearean tincture in Kirk's performance regardless. Just 4 years later, there was that mess of a clunker with Spartacus. I'm sorry, but no matter what anyone says, I can't possibly buy him as a gladiator so his performance suffers for that reason, for me. I also hate the film, so there's that too.



Bale vs Crowe:

Though choice. Crowe from 1997-2003 beats Bale's first 23 years to a pulp anyday. Like it's not even close despite Bale's early start as a child. Not sure why people like him in Empire of the Sun.... zzzzzzz, I think we're just running out of things to call good these days.

Still, Bale added some serious stuff to his resume later in his career and he's catching up. Both have one masterful performance. Crowe... The Insider. Bale.... The Fighter.

As for the rest of their stuff.... somedays I prefer Bale, somedays Russ. It's slight preference at that point. Overall.... I think I'll say Bale slightly because Russ's legacy seemed to be short-lived, and little did I know watching Master and Commander as a kid when he was the most charismatic man in movies those days that his career would've went away so fast.



Nominated performances in Coppola's films:


If you don't think Pacino in GF: Part 2 is the greatest of all time, hand me your ID card, and I'll give you a new pleb card.

It's Pacino for me............ and then probably Duvall for Apocalypse Now. Though if Elizabeth Hartman was nominated (and how in the fuck was she not?) for You're a Big Boy Now..... she's easily my #2 and my #1 of her side of the gene for the entire decade.

*Need to rewatch Turner. Only other one I can see as that fantastic from this list. I'd call Shire in GF: Part 2 fantastically the way an actress should evolve... as she got so much better here than in The Godfather... just 2 years. But everything else here I didn't talk about is just pretty good at best to me.



Ranking Tarantino:


1. Kill Bill: Volume 2 - 9
2. Pulp Fiction - 9
3. Death Proof - 9


4. Inglourious Basterds - 8.5
5. Jackie Brown - 8
6. The Hateful Eight - 8


7. Reservoir Dogs - 7.5


8. Kill Bill: Volume 1 - 6
9. Django Unchained - 6



First 3 are his three best. I think they stand alone and nobody has done anything like those before. And yes, Death Proof is mostly experimental galore and it's not as entertaining as his others, but it's so true to the grindhouse nature of Tarantino. It's pure cinema. Volume 2 is pure storytelling, and it's also one of the best altogether culminations and mixes-and-meshes I've seen. And its deep genre dive is something only Tarantino knows what he's doing. Pulp Fiction obviously would be silly to deny as one of his best.

Some of his films do feel a bit generic, but even then he finds some way to elevate the material above one level - by entertaining us with the classic essentials (mean spirited characters, characters doing dick things to each other, machinations, and Poe-like macabre antagonism), he just finds some way to make anything work..... like in The Hateful Eight which is the best example. I think his last 3 films (not counting Hollywood) are his 3 least original even though I wouldn't call them his least 3 films. Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill: Volume 1 are lesser than The Hateful Eight and Inglourious Basterds even though they do have that "fresh auteur" element which kinda did himself well in the early 90s in the midst of the independent movement, so he came around at a great time.


Realistically, OUATIH would end up in the middle group, even though some people might suggest it's in that first group, so I guess we'll see. I certainly hope it's the latter.