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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 23, 2020 11:49:10 GMT
Ok, it's April 23rd. His birthday is the 25th, so it's the day before.... the day before that ....... the Earth stood still. One last "numbers" post - my favorite stat of all time: Not a "greatness" stat (Awards=Bullsh it) and it will be equaled one day but one that shows how amazing he is to have done this at all and done it first and by this much. He did this almost 20 years ago and since then ......he's increased his lead (at 70!).......and it doesn't even include his most iconic film roles or his single most associated with theater role which doesn't apply to anyone else below to the same extent as him anyway. **************************************************************************************************************** None of the actors listed below won the Triple Crown of Acting to begin with .......and this is how many combination of wins (Oscar/Emmy/Tony) across any category they would still need to just equal Pacino's record of 5 (some are deceased but listed as a frame of reference): 5 behind him : Cazale, Clift, Dafoe, Burton
4 behind him : DiCaprio, Oldman, Bridges, PSH, Bale, Pitt, Phoenix, O'Toole, Finney, Morgan Freeman, Poitier, Crowe
3 behind him : DeNiro, Hanks, Newman, Hackman, Duvall, Penn
2 behind him : Washington, Spacey, Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Day-Lewis, Lemmon, Brando, Hopkins
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Post by DeepArcher on Apr 24, 2020 2:26:16 GMT
Tonight's viewing: The Panic in Needle ParkThis first came on my radar last year when I watched a Joan Didion documentary for a class and had been meaning to check it out since then. Interesting film ... can see the influence on the Safdies' Heaven Knows What for example ... the type of gritty urban drug addiction drama that doesn't totally work for me but is powerful nonetheless. So rare to see a film from its period that tackled its very relevant & very difficult subject matter this directly and explicitly, surely one of the first films of its type in that way, and it's quite shocking. Goes on for a bit too long maybe ... but also is dishearteningly aware of addiction as a cycle and the ending, which elevated the film for me, is really devastating. Pacino is introduced to the world here in all his gum-chewing glory. We immediately see his natural charisma in his early scenes and the very real intensity he can so easily bring as the film progresses. Incredibly grounded and believable performance and plays perfectly off the absolutely marvelous Kitty Winn -- some of the best chemistry he's ever had with a female co-star? Their performances certainly carry the film and are incredibly striking and worthwhile to watch.
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Post by Viced on Apr 24, 2020 3:42:13 GMT
I never pay for sex, Ray. That's cause Jesus Christ paid for our sins.The Local Stigmatic (1990)Whatever the hell this play is really about still goes way over my head... but this really might be Pacino's most fascinating performance. Watching this years ago was when I really decided that accents don't matter in performances... and now my main thought was that for the most part, his accent here sounded pretty damn good. Really... close your eyes and at worst he sounds like a British Ben Mendelsohn. But like I said... accents don't matter so who cares. But overall, this seems like a strange continuation of the Panic in Needle Park/ Scarecrow-era Al. He's funny, pathetic, kind of scary... and mostly enigmatic. And he really goes for it and keeps this interesting for 56 minutes despite me having no clue wtf is going on. Btw... IMDb reviews for this are fascinating. 5 total -- one from a familiar name, one 10/10 rave... and then a 1, a 2, and a 3. And one final thought... this made me wish Al would take advantage of this quarantine and make a film version of CHINA DOLL in his living room. Christopher Denham doesn't need to be there... he could just send in some audio clips of his lines.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 24, 2020 8:42:24 GMT
I never pay for sex, Ray. That's cause Jesus Christ paid for our sins.The Local Stigmatic (1990)Whatever the hell this play is really about still goes way over my head... but this really might be Pacino's most fascinating performance. Watching this years ago was when I really decided that accents don't matter in performances... and now my main thought was that for the most part, his accent here sounded pretty damn good. Really... close your eyes and at worst he sounds like a British Ben Mendelsohn. But like I said... accents don't matter so who cares. But overall, this seems like a strange continuation of the Panic in Needle Park/ Scarecrow-era Al. He's funny, pathetic, kind of scary... and mostly enigmatic. And he really goes for it and keeps this interesting for 56 minutes despite me having no clue wtf is going on. Btw... IMDb reviews for this are fascinating. 5 total -- one from a familiar name, one 10/10 rave... and then a 1, a 2, and a 3. And one final thought... this made me wish Al would take advantage of this quarantine and make a film version of CHINA DOLL in his living room. Christopher Denham doesn't need to be there... he could just send in some audio clips of his lines. It's in my top 5 all time for him........ for Godsakes ............top 5 I think it's acting genius and goes far beyond just playing a part too. On paper those two parts should be played by Brits - Oldman/Roth - but they wouldn't know the play to film it ............or do it anyway even if they did know it actually ...............or certainly not spend their own money to do it.......... and what American would be in this at all anyway? It wouldn't exist without Pacino being alive to act it - you can say that about a screenwriter and director - but very few actors. He only has ~5 scenes to build/shape/make this character memorable and he does so much in those scenes it's jaw-dropping. In the "big scene" how he sexualizes the violence in general (but also the specific violent act) - he practically climaxes from acting out the speech he's played/acted out in his head for a very long time. This scene has everything great about his performance within it - he's acting to the guy playing the actor but also acting to Ray (his friend), he's joking but also orchestrating and conniving and trying hard NOT to be intimidating while being intimidating as hell anyway - all menacing unfunny jokes. At 5:35 onward: he's just been insulted for his love of dog racing - "animated roulette" - he responds by keeping his face blank, doesn't blink, but heaves his chest (look closely) like he's taken a body shot at the insult.........but decides right there that something very bad is definitely going to happen to this guy - no way out for THIS prick - and a smile starts to slowly, almost imperceptibly appear on his face when Ray jokingly makes fun of him over his shoulder..........and you can watch this a billion times and never overtly see the smile but you will see it too .............and this happens within a matter of a few seconds
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Post by DeepArcher on Apr 25, 2020 2:27:07 GMT
Tonight's viewing: Scarecrow Pacino AND Hackman??? Can't believe this movie exists -- or at least I couldn't when I first found out about it -- and I'm kinda still in disbelief. What wonderful chemistry these two had between them. There's a great scene early-on, maybe the second scene in the movie when they are talking in the diner together -- and Hackman says "Can I get a bottle of beer and a chocolate doughnut?" and Pacino laughs right before it cuts -- and it's genuinely hard to tell if Pacino's laughter is in-character or not. Both of these guys have the ability to go from funny to intense within one scene. And often they are at odds with each other or at least contrasting each other, as they beautifully trace the highs and lows of this friendship. Impeccable work from both of them where they're also both totally generous -- neither of them ever attempts to steal the spotlight from the other. Greeeeeat film that uses its simple story to achieve some truly heartbreaking results. Just found out this tied for the Palme d'Or in '73 ... which is awesome. Also the second film I watched today shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, whose work here is great -- his ten-year stretch from '71 to '81 might be one of the best decades ever for a cinematographer? Anyway ... my point is this was fantastic, a classic '70s road film that should be talked about with the more well-known ones because it's better than a lot of them too...
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Post by TerryMontana on Apr 25, 2020 10:44:48 GMT
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 25, 2020 11:13:33 GMT
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Post by wallsofjericho on Apr 25, 2020 11:55:23 GMT
Happy Birthday Legend
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Drish
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Post by Drish on Apr 25, 2020 12:44:00 GMT
🥳🥳🥳
This thread made me realize how little I've seen of him. I'll definitely watch: Serpico Phil Spector (I love that poster) You don't know Jack Scent of a Woman The Sea of Love Cruising And Justice for all Scarecrow The Panic in needle park
Damn!
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morton
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Post by morton on Apr 25, 2020 13:58:00 GMT
He was trending on Twitter, and my heart dropped because I didn't know why he was trending. Thank goodness it's because everyone is celebrating his birthday and what a legend he is.
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Post by Viced on Apr 25, 2020 14:14:42 GMT
Happy 80th to the GOD(father).
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Post by TerryMontana on Apr 25, 2020 14:56:12 GMT
Celebrating the boss' birthday, I re-watched Dick Tracy. Something between a film noir and a light comedy, quite faithful to the comic books. Al's role in it is a pure comic one, in a film that is the closest he's ever done to comedy. I'm thinking of watching another episode of Hunters tonight.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2020 15:39:26 GMT
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Post by Archie on Apr 25, 2020 15:45:49 GMT
I re-watched this little underrated gem HEAT in honor of the GOAT’s birthday. Believe it or not, this was my first time listening to Mann's 2005 commentary track. I enjoyed his appropriate amount of praise for both Al and Bobby D, and got a chuckle when Mann mentions that he had to walk off set while shooting the legendary "don't waste my motherfucking time" scene at the dogfighting grounds because Pacino was making him laugh too hard. He also talks extensively about how Vincent Hanna uses his aggressive, bombastic style when interviewing or interrogating to keep the subject off-balance, an actual police detective tactic. Makes me tear up listening to a legend recognizing legends. Good shit.
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Post by DeepArcher on Apr 25, 2020 16:01:03 GMT
I think it was around the time that I watched the Looking for Richard doc in the Shakespeare class I took freshman year that I realized that Pacino was probably the greatest film actor of all-time -- to have the passion that this man has for acting should be any artist's ideal. HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY LEGEND! Gonna post this great video essay from The Discarded Image yesterday ... sort of a broad overview of his career, which means glossing over and outright skipping a lot of stuff ... but there's only so much you can do in 16 minutes, and I think it's a solid analysis and a nice tribute:
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Apr 25, 2020 16:02:13 GMT
Ok, time to decide which Pacino flick to watch tonight.
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Post by HELENA MARIA on Apr 25, 2020 16:17:16 GMT
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Post by Mattsby on Apr 25, 2020 17:03:50 GMT
Happy birthday to the KING
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Post by HELENA MARIA on Apr 25, 2020 21:08:50 GMT
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Apr 26, 2020 0:29:45 GMT
Ok, time to decide which Pacino flick to watch tonight. Going with Dog Day Afternoon
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Post by Mattsby on Apr 26, 2020 1:17:32 GMT
Rewatched two Pacino’s for the big man’s bday….. People I Know ’03 — a very good, very underrated performance. There are definite problems with the plot, but the direction is fine, paced seamlessly thru Pacino’s POV - he is the movie, he’s in nearly every shot, it’s on his shoulders. The character is already petered out at the start, and the movie taking place over 24 hours, plunges Pacino even deeper into a state of slipping cognition - or is it a smack of clarity? This builds to a great, key little scene (at the end of the charity dinner) where Pacino is walking thru the guests like a disheveled ghost, and he seems to realize the emptiness of not just this endeavor but his whole “career” (really his relentless, grim life). Pacino here balances Southern, with Jewish, and city-slick, with slow and sickly…… and it’s part of his great ‘queer’ screen performances too (DDA, AiA, Local Stigmatic, Cruising; with hints in Salome, Spector, others?). It’s a vanity-free perf - and I mean idk if he’s ever looked so awful and unkempt. He’s funny too - “I look like Dracula’s Uncle Morty from Kiev.” And he has a King of Marvin Gardens poster in his office so he has good taste in cinema! And Justice For All ’79 — There’s no doubt this has a wild tonal problem; I don’t envy the editor. But at least it’s satirizing and being serious about the same thing. And its tonal halves each work : the cast stands out colorfully , and there’s a real stab at the hypocritical heart of the lawmen here (they are all mad, or corrupt, or both). This watch I was laughing to myself picturing this as a compilation of a tv series with Pacino as this lawyer…… His performance is very good. Especially after People I Know, it was almost shocking to hear him speak so articulately and smartly (believably so). There are a lot of scenes that capture how patient and invested he can be…. And emotionally gutted…. And I forgot how skilled his scenes with Christine Lahti are, they are simultaneously flirting/joking in an improvised-feeling way... and at each other’s throats about their jobs... and the tipping always comes back to the center. Side: forgot Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior!) was in this, and a riot.
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Post by DeepArcher on Apr 26, 2020 3:39:48 GMT
"If there's one person you cannot trust in this life -- it's millionaire's kids."Especially when they tell you to drink disinfectant -- underrated line, just sayin'. Tonight's rewatch: The IrishmanWhat better way to celebrate the man's 80th than with his most recent masterwork. I've already gushed about this performance plenty ... just go digging and you'll find all those posts from November/December ... but that won't stop me from talking about it. This performance is sort of everything we love about Al rolled up into one, from his more over-the-top comedic outbursts to the down-to-earth sincerity, his razor-sharp line deliveries to the subtle emotion conveyed by his face and eyes alone. As the film progresses, there are so many line deliveries that are nothing short of heartbreaking and that will continue to devastate me the more and more I watch it ... from "They wouldn't dare!" to "Nobody threatens Hoffa" to his final lines and so much more. Pacino paints Hoffa in a complex light, often nasty yet always lovable, a tragic figure too wrapped up in his own stubbornness to see the bigger picture and recognize the powers higher than him that are out of his control. It's a beautiful piece of acting ... and no one else could've pulled it off. When you get whacked it's your best friend who does it... Once again, Happy Birthday to the greatest of them all. Hope he's out there enjoying all the ice cream in the world.
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Post by Viced on Apr 26, 2020 3:58:16 GMT
Just give me a day to do something good for you. And then, you know, I'm gone forever.Danny Collins (2015)I was gonna try to watch something more major on the big day... but all those options were over 130 minutes and I'm old and tired and got sidetracked... so I went with something fluffy. The movie is even goofier than I remember, but Al is so unbelievably charming here. I could re-watch that first scene at the hotel where he's just charming the hell out everyone for no reason over and over. And of course he delivers in the more heavy and emotional moments too. Bening and especially Cannavale are definitely two of the best performances opposite Al over the last 10 years or so too. Also... this is the first time I've seen this (from IMDb trivia): Wise choice, Al... And speaking of Bobby, this made me smile: http://instagr.am/p/B_bE48TJkx7
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 26, 2020 9:28:59 GMT
I closed out the birthday festivities with his 3rd best performance of this decade (?) aside from the two biggies that bookended it - YDK Jack and The Irishman ......Phil Spector (2013).
Opposite a GOAT/Triple Crown winning female, Helen Mirren this is really hindered by how it ends - suddenly, unsatisfying and like it was HBO forcing it to be cut - I can't say for sure but man it totally feels like it.
Anyway prior to that - a fencing match of beautiful acting and Pacino is ghost-like here haunting himself as he moves through his castle and de facto prison (of his mind too) - actually this has much in common with his Hoffa: he's a delusional in some ways childish and sad man who overstays his welcome, doesn't see it or the consequences at all......with horrific/pathetic/tragic results.
Mirren at 1:20:
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Post by TerryMontana on Apr 26, 2020 14:27:26 GMT
Last night re-watch
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