Category: Best Acting

Posted on 2022-04-03 | No Comments |

Five Easy Pieces (1970)

With his best friend in jail and his girlfriend pregnant, educated drifter Jack Nicholson returns to his family home on a Washington island after learning from his sister that his estranged father has suffered a stroke. Unable to find himself despite all his drifting, the oppressive family atmosphere proves difficult for Jack. It’s a film very much of its era, which unsurprisingly features a strong performance by Nicholson. By setting the majority of the film around his extended family, there’s no reason given for why he became the man he is, but it is obvious he has no idea why as well.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced

Posted on 2022-04-02 | No Comments |

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

When boxer and amateur pilot Robert Montgomery’s plane crashes, he’s prematurely pulled into the afterlife before his time by Edward Everett Horton. Horton’s boss Claude Rains finds Montgomery a new body to inhabit and he falls in love with Evelyn Keyes when he’s resurrected. I long ago saw Warren Beatty’s 1978 remake of the story, but this version is particularly adorable. Rains steals the show as the bemused and ever-patient Mr. Jordan. Honorable mention is given to James Gleason portraying Montgomery’s manager who is dragged in to the whole changed body scenario.

Oscar Wins: Best Writing, Original Story; Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Director; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White

Posted on 2022-03-22 | No Comments |

Salvador (1986)

Abandoned by his family and down on his luck, out of work journalist James Woods convinces his buddy Jim Belushi to travel with him to El Salvador with hopes of finding some work covering the civil war happening there. From the moment they arrive, they realize that they are a bit unprepared as the war is more serious than they thought. Not quite as intense as some of Oliver Stone’s other films, this still manages to convey some of hard truths regarding United States involvement in Central America and its impact on the people there. Woods is unsurprisingly good as an opportunistic journalist while Belushi is a bit too light with comedy relief in a film like this.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Posted on 2022-03-22 | No Comments |

Hawaii (1966)

In this big-budget epic based on the James Michener novel, Max von Syndow is a Christian zealot who drags his young wife to Hawaii to educate the heathens after an appeal by one of their converted princes. It takes the film a long time to even get to this point in the story and it’s quite a drag before they get to the islands. From there, it’s endlessly frustrating watching von Syndow’s fanaticism beat against everyone else he meets, especially the native population and his wife, even when they are on his side. The performances are rather good with strong appearances from Richard Harris, Gene Hackman, and Jocelyne LaGarde.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Cinematography, Color; Best Costume Design, Color; Best Sound; Best Effects, Special Visual Effects; Best Music, Original Song; Best Music, Original Music Score

Posted on 2022-03-20 | No Comments |

Being the Ricardos (2021)

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were principal in creating one of the most funny and iconic sitcoms ever. This film presents a supposed week in their careers when Lucy was being hounded by the House Un-American Activities Committee while also dealing with the announcement of her second pregnancy and Desi’s many infidelities. My mother is a huge I Love Lucy fan and I have followed so much of Ball’s career before and after that I might be too knowledgeable about the subjects as presented. Nicole Kidman embodies barely an ounce of Lucy’s spark and personality. Her Australian accent came out throughout the film, while Javier Bardem as Desi didn’t seem to bother altering his Spanish accent to sound a bit like Desi’s Cuban, though he at least had some of his charm. While artistic license is expected in the writing of such a film, all of the obstacles that were faced in the movie felt far-fetched for a single week and indeed in reality were spread through the six years I Love Lucy was on the air. J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda fared much better as William Frawley and Vivian Vance; they at least conveyed the spirit of their characters. I also liked the believable pairing of Alia Shawkat and Linda Lavin as the same character at different ages. Whatever modern message is being presented in the film is muddied, especially with allowing J. Edgar Hoover to the be hero in the situation.

Oscar Nominations: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role; Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role; Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Posted on 2022-03-18 | No Comments |

tick, tick… Boom! (2021)

This is the film adaptation of the semi-autobiographical musical written by Jonathan Larson that was revamped after his death. In the film, Andrew Garfield is Jonathan, a composer and playwright approaching his 30th birthday and feeling pressure to meet the successes of his idol and mentor Stephen Sondheim while preparing for a workshop of his passion project Superbia. While I’ve never seen a production of this particular piece, Rent was the first stage production I personally bought tickets for myself and I am a fan of Larson’s work. The interweaving of Larson performing this piece with earlier preparations for the Superbia workshop along with his personal and internal struggles during this time is delicately balanced. There are bits of the music and story that hint to the future inspirations for Rent. Not known for musical work, Garfield fully embodies the late Larson in his performance. I’m unsure if I feel there were too many or not, but otherwise love the theatre cameos.

Oscar Nominations: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role; Best Achievement in Film Editing

Posted on 2022-03-18 | No Comments |

The Power of the Dog (2021)

In 1920s Montana, ranchers Jesse Plemons meets and marries widowed inn owner Kirsten Dunst, much to the chagrin of his abusive brother Benedict Cumberbatch. During the summer, Dunst’s son Kodi Smit-McPhee visits the ranch and also endures Cumberbatch’s abuse but overtime finds common ground with the rancher. Not being a fan of Jane Campion nor really of Westerns, I didn’t have high expectations of going in, but I came away quite impressed. There’s a long interwoven tale here of shifting power dynamics, sexuality, and gender roles that slowly reveals itself and doesn’t become clear until its final moments, and maybe not even then. The performances are strong across the board and play against each other in incredible ways.

Oscar Win: Best Achievement in Directing

Oscar Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay; Best Motion Picture of the Year; Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (2); Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role; Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Achievement in Production Design; Best Sound; Best Achievement in Cinematography; Best Achievement in Film Editing; Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)

Posted on 2022-03-17 | No Comments |

The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)

This musical follows the life of Molly Brown, a Colorado socialite best known for her assistance during the evacuation of the Titanic. Debbie Reynolds plays the spunky title character. In the first scenes, she comes across as an over-the-top, goofy, backwoods yokel, similar to Betty Hutton’s hammy portrayal in Annie Get Gun. Luckily the story quickly moves on for the character and presents her steely, determination to getting what she wants out of life. The gorgeous costumes and Reynolds’s energetic portrayal are the best parts of the films. The writing and the music on the other hand leave a bit to be desired. The big event is only given a few minutes toward the end, with Molly’s bravery presented as a quick montage of her rallying her lifeboat-mates. There are more scenes of the character on the ship in 1997’s Titanic than in this one.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Cinematography, Color; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; Best Costume Design, Color; Best Sound; Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment

Posted on 2022-03-15 | No Comments |

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Middle-aged, translator and college professor Olivia Colman’s Greek vacation is interrupted by the arrival of a large extended family’s arrival to her previously secluded beach. The family, especially a mother and her young daughter, awakens complicated feelings about her own experiences raising her two daughters. The film rests on Olivia’s performance and she carries it incredibly well. While her decisions don’t always make sense, the emotions she conveys are real and raw. She’s a complicated woman with complex experiences regarding career and family that are portrayed in a unique manner. While they don’t necessarily have similar mannerisms, the casting of Jessie Buckley as the younger version of the character gives a fairly seamless connection between the present and flashbacks.

Oscar Nominations: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role; Best Adapted Screenplay

Posted on 2022-03-13 | No Comments |

To Be or Not to Be (1983)

A theatre troupe uses their talents to fight the Nazis in occupied Poland. I hadn’t at first realized that this was a remake of the 1942 film of the same title even if it’s a fairly faithful recreation. Both films are evocative of their eras. The narrative flows better in the earlier film; the jokes seemingly more important here. While they all provide laughs, Mel Brooks’ films definitely vary in how they resonate with me. This one is middle of the pack. It is great to see him working with his wife Anne Bancroft. They have a natural, fun camaraderie that comes across well in this film.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actor in a Supporting Role