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Post by wilcinema on Mar 10, 2022 15:48:13 GMT
Jane Wyman in All That Heaven Allows
It's a magnificent performance because it's so vividly human, a conflicted character that never feels artificial because of how understanding Wyman is towards it. It's also the kind of performance that is always in tune with the film and with the audience, letting the viewer sort of become that character and fully embrace it.
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Mar 10, 2022 19:43:43 GMT
I thought Steve Carrell was great. People hate that performance?! I felt he disappeared into the role. I still remember how creeped out I was by that look he gave when he does the act. Ruffalo is great in that film too. There's a lot of people who actually hate it on MAR and it's one of the funniest things to me because MAR hates a whole lot of acting that's obviously great and we celebrate a whole lot of acting that's by the numbers dull/plebby all the time. Almost the whole genius of Foxcatcher was Carrell's casting and then the odd angle of the performance aided by the script which encourages but doesn't spell it out for him - he makes the whole movie. Tatum and to a lesser extent Ruffalo are just asked to play one thing - big deal - they are terrific but ....... Carrell is asked to do everything else - his performance is the entire focal point of the movie - even when he's off-screen - almost every plot point revolves around him too. He's brilliant (and brilliantly cast) and I think people who don't like him are those people who aren't usually receptive to most acting that goes a little off the page anyway which is all I ever really like tbh......... That's an example of unexpected casting paying off because his performance gave the movie that cold, offbeat tone it needed that saved it from giving run-of-the-mill, tv crime drama. And once you've seen that coldness in the real John du Pont's eyes, you realize how right he got it. He's so good in it, I didn't bother thinking too much about the unusual casting while watching because, as I said, he loses himself in the role. Not that I mind people having a difference of opinion, but I was just surprised that was a popular one around here. (And the reason I've always praised Mark Ruffalo as well is because he's so good at adding a human touch to the film in a small but very necessary way and this makes the crime hit harder). Anyway, good casting and movie. Carell deserved the raves he got.
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Post by stephen on Mar 10, 2022 19:55:49 GMT
There's a lot of people who actually hate it on MAR and it's one of the funniest things to me because MAR hates a whole lot of acting that's obviously great and we celebrate a whole lot of acting that's by the numbers dull/plebby all the time. Almost the whole genius of Foxcatcher was Carrell's casting and then the odd angle of the performance aided by the script which encourages but doesn't spell it out for him - he makes the whole movie. Tatum and to a lesser extent Ruffalo are just asked to play one thing - big deal - they are terrific but ....... Carrell is asked to do everything else - his performance is the entire focal point of the movie - even when he's off-screen - almost every plot point revolves around him too. He's brilliant (and brilliantly cast) and I think people who don't like him are those people who aren't usually receptive to most acting that goes a little off the page anyway which is all I ever really like tbh......... That's an example of unexpected casting paying off because his performance gave the movie that cold, offbeat tone it needed that saved it from giving run-of-the-mill, tv crime drama. And once you've seen that coldness in the real John du Pont's eyes, you realize how right he got it. He's so good in it, I didn't bother thinking too much about the unusual casting while watching because, as I said, he loses himself in the role. Not that I mind people having a difference of opinion, but I was just surprised that was a popular one around here. (And the reason I've always praised Mark Ruffalo as well is because he's so good at adding a human touch to the film in a small but very necessary way and this makes the crime hit harder). Anyway, good casting and movie. Carell deserved the raves he got. As one of the resident Carell dissenters on this board, my issues with the performance largely come down to how affected everything he does is. From his Wheezy Joe mouth-breathing to the goofy fucking makeup that was so unnecessary because the real John du Pont didn't have a Birdman beak, I never felt I was looking at a real flesh-and-blood man but rather an actor playing a part. This clashed massively with Tatum and Ruffalo (an actor I usually can't stand) who were giving such raw, nuanced, textured portrayals that felt damn near documentary-esque in their lived-in nature. Carell has a few moments scattered throughout, but he's hamstrung right out of the gate on these choices (TM) that he was operating as a deficit from the very start and never gained any sort of ground that made me think positively on the performance overall. It's what keeps Foxcatcher (an otherwise pristine picture) from the realm of a masterpiece for me.
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Post by cinemagirl16 on Mar 11, 2022 1:00:05 GMT
Anders Danielsen Lie - The Worst Person in the World
Having seen a fair number of his previous films, I fully expected to be impressed by Anders turn in the The Worst Person in the World. And yet, his performance still blew me away. Without giving too much away, the scene that transpires in the attached photo was perhaps my favorite work by an actor in 2021. Wholly engrossing, his vulnerability earned the character's unforgettability, not just for his screen partner, the magnetic Renate Reinsve, but for the audience as well. Would have loved to see more awards recognition for what he delivered here.
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Mar 12, 2022 15:54:43 GMT
LaKeith Stanfield in Judas and the Black MessiahI finally saw this film (about a story that I knew would anger me) after much prodding by a friend of mine for a year. Not taking away from Daniel Kaluuya (who is fantastic in the film), but I'm singling out Stanfield who was a revelation to me. I really only knew him acting-wise as the guy with the hat from Get Out. (Outside of acting, I was aware of his feud with Charlamagne and that he seems to be a certified weirdo in real life. ) I have never seen Atlanta. So for me, in the process of seeing this absolutely tragic film, I felt I was discovering a new actor with something truly unique and special about him. Even knowing the story and outcome for his disgraced character, because of his performance, certain moments and scenes were still surprising because of his acting choices. Take the moment after he feigns suspicion/outrage about there possibly being a rat in their organization - as he pulls off in his car, I was expecting a "phew" moment. Instead, he's laughing like a mad man with quick injections of fear. Who does that onscreen? He has an energy to him that is unpredictable and at the same time those pained eyes (that were perfect for reminding us throughout that this was a young man who was way in over his head). Another scene that highlights his brilliance is the one where he has to hotwire the car. Again, it's the mark of a great actor where we know the outcome, but due to the way they play the scene, the tension is felt as strongly as it was in that moment. Amazing performance. I hope to see Stanfield's unique talents utilized well in the future.
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Post by urbanpatrician on Mar 22, 2022 10:43:01 GMT
Decided to rehash an old weepy favorite..... Ellen Burstyn is THE female movie actor of the late 70s for me. She has my heart in this movie.
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 25, 2022 7:12:11 GMT
Daniel Auteuil in L'Adversaire (The Adversary) - 2002This movie is based on a book I love - and everybody who loves true crime should know (and love) - Emmanuel Carrère's famous book which treats this story of a man, his self-deception and eventual murderous descent - as a matter of journalism. The book treats him at a distance - which means the movie will too - so it's up to Auteuil to keep him interesting because everything else - even the lead character is removed from the audience. What he does here is offer a meticulous portrait of boredom turned sour - a movie about an awful character and the banality of evil - there's nothing cinematic about it - it is stillness until it isn't. This performance - amazing in an amazing story (read the book) - but not an amazing film is a master class in not selling too much. Auteuil makes the audience come to him and never sells out this horrible monster of a man so we understand him - you don't want to really understand what evil lurks in the hearts of men but you know it.........an extremely precise performance of a real-life but "not a ganster" sociopath on film ..... by a GOAT / great actor too.... Tommy Lee Jones in The Executoner's Song is like this in that way.......maybe Perkins in Psycho if you consider him a great actor.........but Auteuil was already famous when he did this movie which is an example of how good he is - he turns his star power - OFF. He may be the best at this thing - like in the even better A Heart in Winter - not being dull, but playing dull .....conveying that stillness, stupor, ennui......
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 25, 2022 19:30:07 GMT
Sissy Spacek - Verna USO Girl (1978) - TV movieI had never seen this before (wtf) - and it's creepy af watching now William Hurt and Sally Kellerman are in the cast (both recently passed away of course) - and watching them here - particularly Hurt - still without a feature film - shows you him almost frozen time by this setting and his gentle, sweetness. Spacek I have always said is one of the few "great American actors" - who has no discernible vanity that the camera picks up on - which actors, especially movie actors need - Spacek is outide of the generalization and she is here too. She doesn't play the part - she radiates within the part. She is so unself-conscious you could use her very mode of existing as an acting textbook on how to draw the camera to you not vice versa. A lovely, full-bodied performance, worth seeking out if you are of the Space-chick in particular......full movie just added to rarefilm - link below, enjoy....... rarefilmm.com/2022/03/verna-uso-girl-1978/
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Barbie
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Post by Barbie on Mar 26, 2022 2:45:43 GMT
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
I watched the movie again since 2010, and I liked it more this time around. I have a new found appreciation for Natalie Portman’s performance. She did an amazing job and definitely deserved that Oscar. It’s her career best performance and one of the strongest Best Actress wins. The opening night scenes were so good. She showed the perfect amount of pain and drama without becoming melodramatic. That kind of control is hard to do imo
The strength and skill of her performance are impressive and intimidating. I consider it a mark of a good actor when they have that effect on you, and she did that. Bravo!
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 28, 2022 21:06:23 GMT
Carolyn Bracken - You Are Not My Mother (2021 / 2022)
This movie, a sort of inverse Babadook in the new horror as trauma (or trauma as horror) - concerns a mother, her "secret" (schizophrenia? Bipolar disorder? something more supernatural?) who is apart from her daughter and her mother and Bracken is marvelously malevolent as this woman on the edge. The movie never answers WHAT the horror really is - but it mixes all kinds of plot points, teen angst, burgeoning sexuality (maybe?), family secrets, generational guilt, the upcoming Halloween holiday into a perfect storm of something. It also mixes types of horror - teen, Folk, psychological....... In one scene in this movie - 2 actually but I mean the 2nd one (not the 1st one, in the kitchen) - Bracken dances in front of her daughter (as dead ringer for the younger version of Couch Party's singer, Jess Eastwood) - in ways both playful, silly and more alluring, and eventually frantic and then possessed. It's something to see - and no special effects really to enhance it that I can tell - except maybe to show her broken ankle .......but it's a great scene......and it's all Bracken. Pretty good movie, and like The Babadook makes you think of it in admirable way even without many "scares".......
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Barbie
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Post by Barbie on Apr 1, 2022 5:41:30 GMT
I finished watching King Richard, and yeah Will Smith deserved that Oscar. The scene with him and Venus in the tennis court at night talking about protecting his kids, wow made me tear up. I’m just so disappointed that he ruined what was supposed to be his crowning moment.
Ellis deserved her nomination as well. And Bernthal deserved one too. He was very impressive as Macci
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 2, 2022 9:47:02 GMT
Ben Kingsley as Ben Logan in Sexy Beast
Not only a very great, and very influential performance but one that you notice in every way - every detail of the performance - the way he stands, speaks, his posture, the way he moves forward and then back, the volume and tone (and which you denote as honesty vs. dishonesty) of his voice, you notice the way he listens and uses his eyes........the "vividness of performance" its called - not charisma but the actor's specific choices - how an actor stamps a role.
He stamps it into the f'n ground .......
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Post by JangoB on Apr 6, 2022 2:28:09 GMT
The concept of the 1990 movie The Freshman sounds very intriguing but potentially cringe-inducing if put in the wrong hands - Broderick plays an NYU film student who meets and starts working for a guy on whom the cinematic Vito Corleone was based. And the aforementioned guy is played by none other than Marlon Brando himself! What sounds like total stunt casting (although to be fair the idea for the Godfather connection was apparently born after the writer/director's meeting with Brando) turns out to be a stroke of genius simply for the fact that Brando is really magnificent here. His Vito Corleone is, for my money, one of the most spectacular performances cinema has to offer so to see him reflect on that character one more time through comedic means was a proposition that genuinely excited me. Thankfully (and rather surprisingly) the movie doesn't dwell on "The Godfather" too much at all - there're a couple of jokes here and there but it's essentially its own story. And that allows Brando not to limit himself to recreating the iconic Don Vito but to establish a new, highly amusing and rather poignant character who feels infused with the spirit of Corleone rather than being a replica. You desperately want Broderick's admiration for Brando's character not to reveal itself as misguided because it's just impossible not to be eternally charmed by him here.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Apr 6, 2022 16:41:35 GMT
Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train (1951)very late to this party obviously but Walker's performance absolutely transcends this film and he's the best thing about it. Nothing to say that hasn't already been said but I just love that first scene of Granger and Walker meeting on the train (and tbh I was disappointed when the scene ended). Walker has this mischievous grin plastered onto his face and is so cajoling with his lines... "Suppose you kill your wife, no no no... just suppose". He could sugarcoat anything and you'd buy it. He makes murder palatable, easy.
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Javi
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Post by Javi on Apr 12, 2022 17:05:37 GMT
Vanessa Redgrave, The Bostonians (1984) - As an intransigent 19th century feminist for whom men are the mortal enemy. Redgrave's character's drawn to a young little fraud - the winsome daughter of a mesmeric healer - who explains the virtues of feminism to the masses... hardly a convinced feminist herself but who becomes, through Redgrave's worship, a figure of importance to the movement. Extraordinary how Redgrave's whole physicality changes shape depending on her company - she has a physical terror of men though her anxiety makes it seem like indifference or disgust - and there's also a differentiation between the many women she relates to, depending on their "enlightenment" and the degree to which Redgrave is seduced. Of course, she's courting the young would-be feminist throughout, though the young lady doesn't know it: and the courtship is both physical and spiritual, lover-like but unthreatening, meaning the grip is absolute. This puts her considerably ahead of the young woman's male suitor (Christopher Reeve) with only male charms to offer. Probably no actress has as much control over her body as she... like the way she lies down on the beach evoking a dozen literary and mythological callbacks... she suddenly looms much larger than a Boston suffragette or a repressed lesbian. There's no fancy modern term for the spell Redgrave casts on her young pupil... "toxic" wouldn't even begin to explain it, and it doesn't illuminate what goes on between them anyway. She reads Greek philosophy to her pupil, and the pupil giggles... But the genius of the perf might be that this towering woman, presumably so empowered, is so painfully crippled psychologically that she idolizes the mediocrity of others failing to see the greatness in herself, a power that Redgrave makes evident through various gestures and a general tenacity. Even for Redgrave, the performance is a considerable achievement - not just the ultimate "feminist" performance possibly but one that is truly about the female in all its forms - physical, spiritual, mental, sensual, maternal... she embodies all dimensions.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 20, 2022 10:00:40 GMT
Martin Freeman in Ghost Stories (2017)One of the better actors at playing opposite things - Martin Freeman is tremendous at playing nervous evasive and at playing no nonsense direct. This movie - a not great but better if you know the Amicus anthologies it pays homage to in a way has Freeman perfectly evoking both things and the dialog too and its knowingly heavy handed naming conventions - the way he calls the other character " GOOD-man" is great in itself......and he has quite a way with one liners: "Why is it always the last key.......that unlocks everything"
He's not wrong...... His multiple character role reminded me a lot of something Peter Cushing have done.......which is high praise for an anthology horror .....he's the ace up the sleeve for this entertaining minor popcorn movie......
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Post by urbanpatrician on Apr 20, 2022 18:28:13 GMT
Sissy Spacek - Coal Miner's DaughterLiked this movie and Spacek more on this time around watching it. Maybe I prefer Rowlands a bit more from the year, but those should be the 2 in clear contention. Spacek had a nice little thing going here. Her method comes out pretty well here, you can tell she clearly put in a lot of herself in this. Her singing sounds accurate to the era and region. It's a nice depiction of the Honkytonk music era. I'm a fan of Loretta Lynn. She's had a long career with multiple changes to style and musical inclination, and while this movie only depicts the early days..... she would go on to dominate country music or define the style a little bit into the 70s. Tho my favorite album from her is Van Lear Rose (2004). That's one that Pitchfork even was interested in. I would like to have been around when Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton dominated country.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 29, 2022 20:36:42 GMT
Blanca Portillo & Luis Tosar - Maixabel (2021)A difficult, schematic but also simultaneously somewhat impenetrable movie because of implicit complications in this material about the reasons and the cyclical costs of terrorism is deeply aided by the 2 leads (and supporting cast). Luis Tosar is one of my favorite actors atm ........and usually when I see him he's playing much grander or exotic (or stuff that translates to American movie fans).......he's no less dynamic here playing conflicted and haunted, (at times) measured......a man of two minds ........but of unified performance. Portillo could coast in her role but she doesn't and gives him plenty to play off and react to......they are a memorable pair.
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Post by pacinoyes on May 1, 2022 10:59:44 GMT
Peter O'Toole Ray Bradbury Theater : The Banshee (1986)
I always say you have to be able to do comedy - spare me the BS that "__________" tried comedy, big deal or worse........ could do comedy .......you have to actually done it and succeeded at a high level for me - and there are several actors - many considered GOATs missing it - and that I would remove from that lofty discussion without it ......and there are a few who stay in that discussion almost solely because they did it so well (Jack Lemmon, for one)..... very few serious actors could also integrate comedy into their overall work like Peter O'Toole.....and when O'Toole does it - and when it works - his humor is closer to ..........a kind of singular gleeful madness.
This story - very slight but an entertaining half hour watch - is about a real life experience Ray Bradbury had with John Huston - but rewritten as a horror piece.
O'Toole plays the director (not Huston) here like he's Vincent Price on Cognac and the disdain he has for a mere "writer" is palpable - not just this writer, but writing in general........which he makes quite clear he can do too..........as a joke.
O"Toole is acting here in stuff he could do in his sleep .........but he isn't sleeping......he has great humor, elan and wit and almost every line reading is pitch perfect and deliciously delivered. A treat to watch even if it doesn't add up to much overall.
His last full line is a classic and sums him up ........"What an actor! What an act!" ........
Full episode:
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Post by stabcaesar on May 1, 2022 12:42:31 GMT
Loved all three actresses + Ritter, Kirk Douglas, and Paul Douglas. Linda Darnell in particular was phenomenal. I was floored.
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Drish
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Post by Drish on May 1, 2022 21:54:15 GMT
With her Ozark performance, she's definitely among my Top 5 fav actresses rn (& Julia Garner probably my fav under-30 after Dever). I am obsessed with Wendy Byrde I am sorry
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Post by stabcaesar on May 2, 2022 13:56:32 GMT
Tremendous. Probably my favourite Fontaine performance thus far.
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SZilla
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Post by SZilla on May 5, 2022 15:00:51 GMT
My girlfriend surprised me last night for my birthday with tickets to see American Buffalo on Broadway. I am a huge Rockwell fan, but he absolutely blew me away as Teach. From the second he walks on, you know exactly the type of guy this is and while he's wildly funny, ferocious, and charismatic, it's the quiet moments that really impressed us. It's one thing to listen (an important necessity for all actors) but you can tell how his characters are feeling or reacting to any new information that comes out - especially when he's not actually the one having the conversation. It's wonderful work and here's hoping that he gets the Tony. Laurence Fishburne is also absolutely wonderful in his role as Don. The two of them are a sight to behold. Criss does some nice work as well, but it's clear he's the weaker link.
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Post by cheesecake on May 14, 2022 4:06:15 GMT
Working on a Lyne montage and revisited Unfaithful for the first time since it came out. All of his films hit very different because I was watching all his stuff when I was like 13. Lolita is fucking disgusting, btw. Anywho, Unfaithful. Diana Lane is an absolute revelation and I am so thrilled she was recognized for it. The facial expressions she has are next level -- that train scene.
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Post by PromNightCarrie on May 16, 2022 13:46:27 GMT
Romy Schneider - L'important c'est d'aimerSaw this one last night and was floored. I've been combing through Romy Schneider's filmography and it's her 70s era for me that's pushing her up there as one of my favorites. This film was made by the same director of Possession, so as you can imagine, he demands a lot from an actress. And Schneider gives the kind of performance I live for - the ones where the performer seemingly departs the acting arena and goes to a place where all nerve endings are exposed. My favorite performances have that in common. And there's something about Romy Schneider, in particular, that makes seeing her in the state she's in here - tenderly, then explosively raw - almost painful. See the powerful scene below:
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